Meeting Lupin

More than 1 year ago,

After defeating a werewolf in the Forbidden forest, taking it out by surprise, Neal imprisoned it into a snow habitat. Three days later, as the time of a werewolf transformation is over, Neal stepped inside his suitcase.

He opened the door of snow habitat and stepped inside to find an unfamiliar adult human frozen on the ground. He pulled out his Basilisk wand, "Awake". Neal slowly began to walk towards him cautiously.

When he found that the man was really frozen and not faking it up, he sighed in relief, "good. First things first". Neal then checked the unconscious man's pockets and seized his wand before conjuring fire-making spell, "Incendio".

After he woke up, the man saw an 11-year-old kid pointing a wand at him. Just when he's about to move, Neal spoke, "don't you dare to move. I have your wand and you can't escape from here. Now, answer me, what are you doing in the forbidden forest?

State your identity". Neal expected some kind of retaliation somehow as most adult wizards tend to look down on students. Not to mention, a few of them can even do wandless magic. But the man sighed, "I didn't harm anyone, did I?".

Neal replied, "I don't know what happened before you tried to attack me. At least, I think you didn't as students rarely enter the forbidden forest". He sighed in relief, "thank goodness. Are you the one who helped me out?".

Neal frowned, "I knocked you out. I didn't help you". The man replied, "both are the same. Anyway, my name is Remus John Lupin. As you can see, I'm a werewolf. Since it was a full moon and my Wolfsbane potion is out of stock, I just went into the Forbidden forest to transform so that I can't harm humans.

By the way, you seem very powerful despite being a student. Sometimes Not even a proper adult wizard can fight against a werewolf. Are you a 2nd year or 3rd year?". Neal replied, "no, I'm still a first-year". Lupin was shocked, "you are a first-year? I thought you just looked younger. How did Dumbledore allow a first-year into a place like a forbidden forest!".

Neal replied, "I took the help of my friend". As he rolled his sleeves up, Isle raised her head and hissed at Lupin showing her fangs surprising him. His face changed into a frown when Neal spoke to it in parseltongue, "stop it, Isle. Don't scare him too much. Just intimidating him once is enough".

Lupin looked at him seriously, "a parselmouth? who are you?". Neal replied, "Neal Slytherin, heir to the House of Slytherin". Lupin was taken aback, "no, it's impossible. House of Slytherin vanished centuries ago".

When Lupin was wondering whether to battle him or not, as Neal was reminded him of Lord Voldemort, a parselmouth with a snake on his side, Neal replied, "well, it doesn't matter, anyway. I'm going to release you back into the forbidden forest as we have nothing to do with each other.

I hope I never see you being a werewolf and attacking people again. Here take this". Neal took out a medium-sized glass bottle and threw at him, "I improvised it a little bit". Lupin thanked him after seeing a Wolfsbane potion in his hands.

A few days later, Lupin was still left in confusion about how did he teleport from a snow habitat to the forbidden forest. He shook his head and went on his way.

Back to the Present,

When Neal looked at Lupin and blurted out, "werewolf guy?", Lupin suddenly became nervous as his identity is about to get exposed in front of students. If that happens, he would lose the job before he even joined as no parents would send their children to a school with a werewolf.

Lupin sighed in relief when Neal who realized how werewolves are prejudiced in the society, said, "you are the one who saved me from that werewolf, right?". Lupin smiled for Neal's quick thinking and replied, "Ah, yes. It's me. It's been a while".

As the train started to move again, Neal then slowly walked towards him and asked, "what are you doing here? Don't tell me..". Lupin smiled, "I'm going to be your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher starting this term".

Later, the train reached Hogsmeade station. After sitting in the Great Hall, they waited for the first years sorting ceremony. Just like he expected, Astoria Greengrass was sorted into Slytherin. Neal smiled at her while she sat beside Daphne, "welcome to Slytherin, Astoria".

She didn't look him in the eye and nodded shyly while looking at the table. After the welcome speech of Dumbledore is over, he introduced R.J. Lupin as the new teacher for D.A.D.A. subject and Hagrid as the new teacher for Care for Magical creatures subject which earned a lot of sighs from students as they know about Hagrid's level.

Then he also said about Dementors being stationed in the entrances of the school grounds and warned the students to not provoke them.

Malfoy sneered, "seriously? In our first year, a thief became our teacher, in our second year, a fraud became our teacher and now Hagrid is going to teach? Then, we're even having Dementors roaming around the school? I wonder why the level of Hogwarts is going down. I should ask my father to look into this issue".

The next day, their first lessons started with Care for magical creatures class which is conducted somewhere in the edges of the forbidden forest. As Malfoy began to tease Harry, for fainting in the train because of a Dementor, Hagrid brought a grey colored magical beast that had the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse.

Neal smiled after looking at the magical creature and asked, "Hagrid, is that Buckbeak?". He went near it without any reservations and stroked its head, "it's been a while, hasn't it, buddy?". After returning to the rest of them, Ron pointed it out, "what is exactly that thing?".

Hagrid replied instead of Neal, "it's a Hippogriff, Ron. First thing you wanna know about them is that they're very proud creatures. Very easily offended. You do not want to insult a Hippogriff". Ron commented, "doesn't seem like that very much when Neal is petting it".

Neal replied, "please, you can try it yourself. When I met this one for the first time, it almost kicked me in a fury. Don't provoke it or else you will be sent to hospital wing directly from here". Hagrid cleared his throat, "ok, now, who of you want to come and say hello?".

As everyone but Neal and Harry moved a few steps back, Hagrid said, "Neal, you already know him. Let Harry do it". Neal smiled, "sure" while Harry turned back in confusion to see everyone else stepped back".

As Harry bowed and managed to touch it without any problems, Hagrid lifted him and put him on its back making Neal frown as it is dangerous to do that. After Harry returned with a huge laugh on his face, Malfoy quickly walked towards it in arrogance thinking he can just tame it easily.

Seeing it, Neal wanted to stop him but before he did, Malfoy already provoked it and got his arm scratched, a bit deep and the blood gushed out and fell on the grass.

After Neal rushed in front of him and calmed it down, he looked at Hagrid, "he needs to go to the hospital, right now". Hagrid instantly picked him up, "I'm the teacher. I'll take him there".

He began to scream in pain, "you gonna regret this. You and your bloody chicken".

Later, as everyone is hanging out in the Great Hall, Harry and his friends were discussing the news of Sirius Black who was last sighted at Dufftown which isn't far away from Hogwarts and started to worry whether he will break into Hogwarts.

Meanwhile, Neal and Daphne went to the Ancient Runes class. He saw only a dozen people sitting in the class as Professor Bathsheda Babbling entered. Daphne whispered, "It seems like the subject isn't quite popular".