Chapter 3: Remus Lupin
"As I thought..." The middle-aged man chuckled softly. "It seems my guess was fairly accurate."
"So, what is your name?" he asked, and as if remembering something, a bit of color returned to his pale face. "Let me introduce myself... I am Remus Lupin."
"I was a student at Hogwarts, too," he said, scratching his face. "I was in Gryffindor, though."
"Um..." Lyra really wanted to say that she knew nothing about Hogwarts houses. In the past, she had even once thought Azkaban was one of them.
"Ah..." Seeing Lyra's somewhat timid look, Lupin gave a small smile. "As a student, you're not really supposed to just run off campus like this, you know..."
"And you're soaking wet, too," he muttered. "Even your wand is broken."
"Did you have an accident while casting a spell?" Lupin scratched his head, as this was the only guess he could make. After all, one never expected to run into a Hogwarts student in a place like this.
Still, it was a good thing the full moon had already passed last night... The kind-hearted Lupin, though exhausted, decided to help the little witch before him.
"Oh, well," he said with a simple shrug. "I'm heading to Diagon Alley right now, actually."
My luck is actually this good?
Although Lyra had no desire to travel or talk with a stranger, if the man in front of her was willing to take her to Diagon Alley, that would be wonderful... At least it was a gathering place for wizards. Even though it was still terrifyingly crowded, it was far safer than the Muggle place.
"I'll take you there... and then I'll help you contact the professors at Hogwarts," he said, murmuring, "The Head of Hufflepuff is still Professor Sprout, right?"
Lyra remained awkwardly silent, but luckily Lupin had already nodded to himself.
He didn't pay any mind to Lyra's strange behavior. He seemed to just assume she was a shy Hogwarts student.
And so, Lupin led Lyra, weaving through the streets and alleys of the small town. Just when Lyra began to suspect he was planning to report her to the Ministry of Magic, they arrived at a rather old-looking pub.
"This is a wizarding pub," Lupin said in a low voice. He glanced cautiously at the people inside before saying, "Follow me."
When he spoke, Lyra also peeked inside... There's almost no one in here, that's great.
For a rare moment, she and Lupin had shared the exact same thought.
Click.
As Lyra followed Lupin into the pub, she immediately felt a strange gaze from the bar, except it didn't seem to be directed at her.
It was on Lupin, who stood in front of her.
"Lupin?" The old man at the bar frowned. "I've got no drink for you here."
"I'm not here for a drink," Lupin said, a bit self-consciously, before side-stepping slightly to reveal Lyra, who was standing behind him.
"She's a Hogwarts student. Ended up here because of a spell accident." Lupin paused, then said, "I'm taking her to Diagon Alley."
"Hmph." The old man snorted, making Lyra shiver.
"I doubt you're being so kind-hearted," he muttered. "Maybe I should just call the Ministry?"
"N-No! Don't!" Hearing this, the first to object wasn't Lupin, but Lyra. She quickly waved her hands, forcing herself to overcome her fear to speak to the old bartender. "I... I trust... Mr. Lupin!"
Whatever you do, don't call the Ministry... What if they find out something and drag me to Azkaban?
Hearing her words, the old man frowned slightly, then shook his head. "Looks like... you're a weird one, too."
Lupin, however, looked at Lyra in surprise. His dark eyes flashed for a moment, but dimmed again just as quickly.
"If that's the case, I won't meddle," the old man said, pointing to the fireplace. "This fireplace connects to Diagon Alley."
"Also..." he sized up Lupin. "You'd better have your own Floo powder."
"I have some..." Lupin pressed his lips together, pulling a small box from his worn, shabby coat.
Watching him, the old man shook his head again and looked at Lyra. "Miss... you'd best be careful around him."
"Careful he doesn't hurt you."
Lyra pressed her lips together and said nothing. She didn't understand why the old man was so hostile toward Lupin... Although Lyra wasn't good at talking to people, from any angle, Mr. Lupin seemed like a good person.
Lupin, for his part, remained silent at the comment. He just took out the Floo powder, handed some to Lyra, and said, "I'll go first, then you follow."
With that, seeming not to want to stay in this pub a second longer, he bent down and tossed the powder into the grate.
"Diagon Alley!"
WHOOSH.
Lupin vanished in a burst of green flame.
Then, under the old man's exasperated gaze, Lyra also held up the Floo powder and whispered, "Diagon Alley."
WHOOSH.
When Lyra came to her senses, she was in a bustling, noisy tavern. The place was packed, filled with wizards drinking and chatting loudly. The sudden, overwhelming pressure made her instinctively want to shrink back into the fireplace.
Luckily, Lupin appeared at her side, giving a light tug on her sleeve. "Follow me..."
With that, he walked hurriedly toward the stairs.
Lyra, pale-faced, clutched the corner of his robes and followed him. Soon, the two of them escaped the chaotic tavern.
This... this place is just too dangerous.
Lyra thought to herself.
Compared to facing all those noisy people, I would rather face Dumbledore directly.
After all, no matter how scary Dumbledore is, he's only one person...
"You rest here for a moment," Lupin said, opening a door to a room. "I'm going to speak with the pub owner... to contact the Hogwarts professors."
He turned and left, leaving Lyra alone in the room.
"Whew..." As Lupin left, Lyra let out a soft breath.
Finally, I'm alone... She felt an unprecedented sense of relief...
So now I just have to wait, like Mr. Lupin said, for a Hogwarts professor to come and take me back to school...
Wait!
Lyra suddenly realized something. She wasn't a real Hogwarts student. If a professor came, wouldn't she be completely exposed?
No... I have to run!
Thinking this, Lyra immediately pushed the door open, wanting to leave. But just as she moved, she heard a commotion from downstairs.
"Enough! I said, enough!" It was a magnetic and passionate voice. "I will never bow to your so-called darkness!"
Wh-What is this?
Startled, Lyra shrank back.
"And then I used Apparition to break its control!" the owner of the voice continued. "Just like escaping the darkness in an instant!"
With that, as if the story was over, he laughed loudly. "The rest of the story, in addition to what I've shared, is all in the new, reset edition of my book, My Travels with the Banshee."
"Also, this afternoon, I will be starting my book signing at Flourish and Blotts!" As his words fell, the pub erupted in applause and cheers.
Looking at the lively scene, Lyra pressed her lips together and sank to the floor.
She could never escape through a crowd that dense... Just listening to the noise, she was already trembling in fear.
"I'm back." Lupin pushed the door open and walked in. His clothes were disheveled, and he looked as if he had just been through a battle.
"That was a truly vicious battle," he muttered, shaking his head.
He said no more, slumping into a chair and gasping for breath, clearly exhausted. But even so, his dark eyes were still watching Lyra gently.
"Who... who... was... that... downstairs?" Unable to bear the gaze, or perhaps the awkward silence, Lyra asked in a small voice.
"Gilderoy Lockhart," Lupin said slowly. "The bestselling author..."
"Oh..." Lyra looked down, embarrassed. She had absolutely no idea who this bestselling author was.
"You're not a fan of his?" Lupin asked after a moment.
"I... I'm not very familiar... with him..." Lyra thought for a moment, as this was the only answer she could give.
"I see." Lupin smiled warmly at her reply. "I heard he might be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts next term."
"Especially after what happened the other day," he said, lowering his voice. "Compared to Quirrell, he should be a competent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
Who is Quirrell?
And what happened?
For Lyra, who was completely bewildered about Hogwarts, the only reply she could muster was a pale smile and darting eyes.
Thankfully, Lupin seemed to have gotten used to her shyness, so he just nodded gently and continued, "Oh, right... I've already contacted Hogwarts."
"The school seems to be taking this very seriously," he said, scratching his face with a slightly surprised look.
"Headmaster Dumbledore said he would come personally."