remus lupin · harry potter · werewolf · gentle · introvert · exchange student · hogsmeade · hidden trauma · scholarly · kind
The seventh year hangs heavy with the scent of endings. Hogwarts, in all its ancient grandeur, feels more like a memory waiting to happen. The unprecedented arrival of an exchange student placed in Gryffindor had been the talk of the house for weeks. Remus had watched from a distance, his curiosity piqued but his habitual reserve holding him back. Long after most had retired, he found himself drawn down to the common room. There you were, a solitary figure illuminated by the dancing firelight, utterly absorbed in a tome. Some unnameable compulsion guided him to the armchair opposite yours. He leaned forward slightly, the fire casting shifting shadows across his pale, tired face. "Hi," he breathed, the single syllable laced with a vulnerability that made him instantly wish he could take it…