Hogwarts: A Jamjar Meme

[madam_rosmerta]

HOGWARTS: A JAMJAR MEME Wizards of all ages and from all times: whatever you were doing, wherever you were - none of that matters now. You've been brought to Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. You’ll find yourself in the Great Hall under a starry sky, illuminated by the light of a thousand candles. What happened? Why were you brought here? How were you brought here? All questions to be answered, perhaps. But first, mingle with your kind and find a seat for yourself. This will be your home for a while. Because there is no leaving. Student, staff, you with nothing to do - all of you trapped inside the school grounds. Sorting to houses & Start-of-term feast Those of you who have not been sorted into your houses, you're guided to sit on a stool while an old hat will contemplate a proper house for you. After, you can join your housemates at their long table. The ghost of the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, will soon give a speech once the last student is sorted... "The very best of evenings to you! Now… to our new students, welcome. To our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you…" He will warn you about the anti-curse charm set upon Hogwarts and how it will bring harm in equal measures to yourself. He will urge you to stay calm and have a lemondrop; they’ll be provided at all tables. Dumbledore would like you all to note few things, Hogwarts attendees: 1. This will be a continuous, no commitment necessary “storyline.” What does that mean? Depending on the level of interest, there will be at least one post per month on the 3B-DR that will continue the storyline which begins here. Players are encouraged to make top-levels in the dressing room if they want to keep this verse going with their characters. Madame Rosmerta’s made a tag specifically for this. 2. Multiple versions of characters at various ages are welcome. Whether that means there’s three Harry’s all in fifth year, or one Harry in first year, a second in third year, and a third in sixth year is up to you. All three Harry’s could also interact, depending on player preferences. AU versions of (HP)canon and non-(HP)canon characters are also welcome. Sometimes people disappear from Hogwarts and sometimes they come back. 3. Schoolwork Dumbledore's ghost will invite all characters of age and knowledge to teach their specialties to the younger wizards. If your character could be possibly a teacher, or is interested in teaching, refer to this thread to sign up for a teaching position. The courses do not need to be anything serious (unless you want them to be). If your character would be interested in a course, you can look it up from the character's toplevel. Your character doesn't need to be of student age to participate in courses. (They're free for all!) 4. Sign up for your house. Here is a thread for all the Hogwarts houses that your character could be sorted in. 5. This means… war! Are you a Death Eater? A member of the Order? Rival students? It’s likely your character will encounter someone they don’t get along with. Duels are fine, but beware that any attacks meant to cause harm (curses) will backfire on the caster. If your character doesn’t care that damage will also bounce back to them, then Dumbledore’s ghost will be intervening. He won’t tolerate harm to any of his students… even if it’s harm to Tom. 6. Housecup Of course points will be awarded and taken away by teachers and prefects. You can leave a comment in this thread for the points taken or given. Madam Rosmerta will add them up together for the next post. You can also sign up for a prefect role. Each house has one and that one will change in each post. First come, first serve is the rule, except if your character was a prefect in the last post, you can't sign up in this one. 1. Toplevel with your character Name in the title line. Do not leave an empty toplevel. Write a starter like you would to a game event. Link to preferences if you’d prefer. 2. Tag other characters The name of the game is interaction. Why is your character here? Do they want to be here? Are they being reunited with lost loved ones? 3. Have fun! Dumbledore (and Madame Rosmerta) is watching. Behave yourselves. Don’t godmod, infomod, respect other players, etc.

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Remus Lupin (professor age)

[lupine314]

I. GREAT HALL
It's not so long ago that Remus sat in the staff table of the great hall. He doesn't quite know where he's supposed to go now. Instead of finding a seat for himself, he hovers, looking around, grabbing a bite to eat onto a plate but not really eating it.

He attempts to talk with Dumbledore's ghost before the man disappears, which is not happening. Eventually he just leans against the wall and starts taking head count of people, old and new, faces that he hasn't seen for ages...

Some that will make him freeze and put down the plate, hold onto his wand carefully, some that will make his face twist with grief. And some that will make him smile a relieved, fond smile.

It's like a bizarre dream. And that's what he expects it to be. Here now and gone in the next moment.


II. KNOW THY BOGGART CLASS
A few days later the classes start. Professor Lupin is late, as per usual. He slips into the class without any fanfares in his rugged, well-worn robes, carrying a record player.

"Take your seats, please," he says when he gets to the front of the class and eyes the collection of students he's been given.

"Does anyone know what a Boggart is?"

---

Later there's a line forming in front of the wardrobe and playful music at the background. Remus looks over at the next student with a patient smile. "Wand at the ready? Do you remember the incantation?"

ii

[lycanthpuppy]

This is so weird. One of his teachers has the same name as him, has even more visible scars than he does, and the record player he brings in looks just like the one at home. One of his teachers is him, just... a lot older.

Remus knows a lot about Boggarts already, his dad talks about them all the time back at home, but he stays quiet unless called on. It's gotta be breaking some law with time travel or something, to talk to his older self, right?

Then it's his turn with the Boggart, and of course he remembers the incantation, so he just steps forward and the Boggart turns into a glowing, white orb that Remus has never actually seen while fully himself since he was four years old.

[lupine314]

Remus has the student list, he knows there's a younger version of him in the class and he's prepared for it. The boy shuffles forward in the line and when it comes to his turn, to no surprise to either of them, the boggart turns into a glowing full moon.

"Of course you remember the incantation," he says softly. It's not like Lyall Lupin would let his son to go into the world without knowing how to deal with magical creatures after all.

"Go ahead then, Remus."

Will it be a balloon? A ball of some sort? Do your worst kiddo.

[lycanthpuppy]

He nods, a little smile playing at his lips as he casts the charm. "Riddikulus!"

He goes for a balloon, but instead of deflating, it fills with even more air and explodes with fanfare into a shower of confetti. Too easy. Really, he was far more concerned with what other people might think about the form his boggart takes, already he's trying to come up with a lie to cover it.

[lupine314]

With a soft snort, Remus, the older, watches the balloon pop and then claps the whole class following after him with delight.

"Good job, Mr. Lupin. You can take your seat." He gives the boy's shoulder a gentle squeeze as he guides him out of the line while the boggart tries to sort itself.

[lycanthpuppy]

Remus, the younger, nods again and sits back down as directed. Well, he'd interacted with his future self and time didn't implode or anything so maybe it's fine.

He purposely lingers after class, shuffling his feet nervously as the last of the other students file out. He doesn't really know what to say. There's so many questions buzzing in his mind, and he's not sure which to ask first, or if he even should ask any of them. "Um... how old are you?" Seems like a decent start.

[lupine314]

Remus expected him to stay, or he would have made sure to catch the boy at a later time, but this is a fine start as any. He gestures the younger Remus to follow him to the back of the class and to his office.

"Come along," he says as he opens the door and leads them into the private parts of the classroom. There aren't so many of them teachers and the castle is vast, they all have their own little nooks and corners. This is Remus'.

"Would you like some tea?" He busies himself by pointing at the old banged kettle with his wand and it starts the preparations on its own. "And I am 35 years old. You are quite a lot younger, aren't you?"

[lycanthpuppy]

"Okay." He follows to the private space, looking around with wide, curious eyes. There's still so many parts of the castle he hasn't been yet (they haven't made the map yet).

His smile still tinges on shy, even though the man is far from a stranger. "Tea sounds good."

Thirty-five seems like an entire lifetime away, it seems ancient, but then, twenty sounds old to most kids his age too. "Yes, I'm thirteen. So I become a professor? At least I'm a fun one."

great hall.

[darkart]

"What are you cringing about over here?"

--Hi there. Presumably Lupin did not actually want to be approached by one Severus Snape, looming irritably in his ascetic standard and glaring at anyone who so much as looks at him. And yet Merlin has provided, hooray.

He's between the werewolf and the doors to the hall, arms crossed, looking no better or worse than he usually does. Severus is taking this nonsense in stride, or at least, that's the facade he's projecting.

[lupine314]

"Trying to figure out whether I should be awfully worried about the current events or not." Remus gives Snape a lengthy glance from the corner of his eye, neither particularly pleased, nor irritated by his presence.

He isn't even in his robes, but dressed in a pair of worn out corduroys and a sweater with leather patches around his elbows. He obviously hadn't expected to be dragged into Hogwarts by some magical means that he couldn't recognise. If that isn't disconcerting, he probably should assume he managed to die on the way.

"Have you any insight on this, Severus?" he asks mildly, all but happy to slink to the shadows by the walls while Snape gathers most of the curious gazes from people passing them by.

[darkart]

Entirely too many curious gazes, but that's life (or whatever this is) when you're a triple agent who died (will die?) with no clear answers left to bury. His scathing looks are doing an excellent job ensuring he's left well enough alone, though.

"A thousand years of chaotic young magic, the most powerful wards in existence, and countless stitches in the fabric of reality thanks to students using time-turners all drilled into one place," he lists off, sounding a little like he's suppressing an exasperated sigh. "It's actually surprising nothing like this has happened before, but I expect it'll smooth itself out in time." He makes a hand motion that might not actually be terribly illustrative; if he weren't such an asshole all the time he'd actually make for a good teacher, considering how knowledgeable he is. "It's built up like mud under a carriage wheel, and we're seeing what happens when magic stops politely adhering to our linear reality."

(In his peripheral vision there's a flash of red hair, and he doesn't react. Won't.)

[lupine314]

"I suppose you could be right," Remus allows with a nod, his eyes peering up at the ceiling of the great hall instead of the people. He too is avoiding those little glimmers of something awfully familiar in the edges vision. The sound of a familiar laugh, a flurry of red hair, perhaps a scent that his sensitive nose catches.

"There are certain boundaries that I expected not to see broken even in this place, however," he ventures, shifting on his feet. "The headmaster," he starts, squinting towards the staff table. "Do you know when he dies?"

[darkart]

"He looks near a hundred and twenty, to me," Severus tells him in a tone like a verbal shrug. He doesn't want to say that the ghostly headmaster had politely but firmly discouraged him from raiding the old man's office for records past his own time; he's unsettled about it still, because he reckons there's a specific reason and not just some 'preservation of the timeline' nonsense.

"It was just nineteen eighty-five." January, class back in session (grudgingly not telling anyone about his birthday but still receiving a hideously knitted sweater from someone anyway). It's a wonder Severus even recognizes Lupin, honestly, having not seen him aside from a long-distance glimpse at a funeral some years ago.

[lupine314]

Amusement lingering in weary eyes, Remus gives him a new once-over, realising that he had missed obvious hints on the first time, lack of wrinkles perhaps. Severus really hasn't changed much in terms of fashion sense ever since childhood.

"You're positively young in current company," he muses, scratching his bearded jaw thoughtfully. "Ten years to your future, he's still alive and well."

Just a few months ago he had taken on Voldemort in the Ministry.

Something tickles at his memory, something about the ministry, the department of mysteries in particular. But the thought is merely a ghost of an idea, so he leaves it to brew for now.

[darkart]

Yes, well, ugliness adds more years than cameras add pounds. It's not surprising people aren't able to properly clock him at first glance. Severus gives the other (older) man a shrewd look, but whatever he's thinking goes unvoiced.

"I expect he's difficult to put down at any rate," is peevish, and hey Severus maybe don't talk about Albus Dumbledore's death that's not gonna end well for anybody.

Anywhoo.

"Your clubhouse is off grounds, by the way."

great hall

[savoury]

It's a little more than peculiar being one day in school and the next, well, in school except for the exceedingly noticeable differences. Rabastan doesn't know what to make of this situation, yet an unaffected smile remains on his face.

A Lestrange, after all, never displays his true emotions for others to see.

He stares out into the crowds of people gathered together here. Some he recognizes; others he do not. Then, there are the ones who fall in between the two. Unknown, yet oddly familiar. Take the man leaning against the wall, for example. He can't put his finger on it, but he feels as if he should know him.

Never one to back down from a conversation (potentially awkward or otherwise), Rabastan leaves his seat at the Slytherin table to approach him. If he senses the line of stares being directed at him, he pretends not to notice them.

"Good day, I'm Rabastan Lestrange," he extends his hand out towards him, courteous and well-mannered as always, "Do we know each other?"

[lupine314]

Well, here's a face that Remus hasn't seen for a while. Young as he is, Remus still remembers what Rabastan looked like when they were in school together.

He offers his hand, eyes narrowing mildly as he smiles, a pale, polite curve over his mouth.

"Remus Lupin," he says mildly. "We were in Hogwarts at the same time. You probably don't recognise me. It's been almost two decades since."

The whole concept of their timelines being so mixed up is just strange, isn't it? What happened here?

II

[grayblack]

As the class forms a line, a silvery transparent figure steps silently through the wall and then leans back against it, as well as he can. Regulus gets a few curious looks from students who have defeated the boggart and are filing to the back of the classroom, but most of the focus is still on the exercise, and he watches with a faint smile as Remus guides each student without telling them what to do. He's actually good at this, isn't he?

He can't help but wonder what the boggart would turn into for him now, but they don't pay any attention to ghosts. He still waits until Remus has it locked safely in the wardrobe again and the students have almost all disappeared before he starts forward, still walking as if he's still a person and not just what's left behind. "I imagined you'd make a good professor, you know. It never came up."

[lupine314]

Remus notices the ghost, but he doesn't pay much attention to the transparent figure at all. He has a class to focus on, children to guide through something rather challenging and unsettling. He gives them all his undivided attention, adamant on keeping the mood light as they turn their fears into something funny and amusing, pulling several hollers of laughter out of the class as a whole.

When it's all done, though, and he's packing up, the ghost shows up again and this time he's looking. Really looking.

Of course. Regulus Black.

"I make a decent teacher," he admits. "Momentarily at least."

He leaves collecting the books and everything for later and just leans against his desk, looking at Regulus with quiet eyes. "You did die, then? You disappeared during your last year."

@ brighteyedsacrifice

[lupine314]

It takes a few days for Remus to gather his courage and approach her. Surely they still believe he was the traitor and had them killed. After losing Sirius and then ending up here, he's been feeling more tired and fragile than ever before.

But in the end, it's just a matter of tearing off the bandage.

He approaches her in her office after classes for the day are done, knocking on the door frame gently.

"May I come in?"

[brighteyedsacrifice]

She'd believed it. With every fiber of her being, she'd believed he'd betrayed them, because why wouldn't she? He wasn't her final thought as she'd stood before Voldemort--none of them were, not even James. Harry was the only thing on her mind, and doing anything she could possibly think of (even negotiate with a monster) was her priority in her last moments.

After. Here...

She glances up at the knock, and her eyes widen upon seeing another Remus. This one looks old and weary. So, so tired that it makes her heart ache as she wonders just what he's faced to make him appear this way. He might tell her, or he might not; regardless, she's up and out of her seat, circling her desk, gesturing him inside.

"You always were the polite one," she says. Already, she's fiddling with tea. Or using her wand to heat up some water for it. "Unnecessarily so, I might add."

[lupine314]

"Politeness is cheap," he says with a mild smile as he slips in and closes the door behind him. But he doesn't sit down, instead he approaches her carefully, coming to help with the tea, holding the pot while she fills it.

"Lily," he starts hesitantly. "I'm so sorry about not being there when it happened. I don't know how much you already know about what really happened but I'd like to say I had never any intentions of betraying either of your trusts, and I never would. Nevertheless, I'm truly sorry for not being there to help you."

Blame is a tricky thing. He had been so wrapped up in his own business, in the order's business to see what was going on. He had known of course that James and Sirius had seemed very distant and now he's old enough to admit that he hadn't sought to change that because of self-pity and irritation, which is a poor excuse, especially when they lost so much because of it.

[brighteyedsacrifice]

That's what makes him look so old and weary, she thinks. Carrying that sort of weight--and she knows he does, he's not the sort who was ever good with using those feeling words, as she'd once teased--for how long, now?

She tucks her wand away (never will she make the mistake of not having it on her person... even here) and turns to face him. Her hands are reaching up, gently cupping his cheeks, coaxing him to lean forward so that she can press a soft kiss to his forehead.

"I know." Her fingers tuck some errant locks of hair behind his ears. "We spoke with Sirius earlier. He explained what happened, with you and Wormy--" A sharp inhale. "With Peter."

Her darling Remus, how can he possibly look so ragged? Her hands slip down his shoulders, smoothing out any wrinkles she might've created by pulling him down. Then she's looking up at him, frowning.

"I'm sorry too," she whispers. And she looks it. Green eyes darting as she studies his features, looking a little glassier. "I'm sorry for doubting you. For believing that you could--I'm glad you weren't there, that night." That much, she knows. It would've been a slaughter, and now with the knowledge that Harry survived the night, she's come to terms. Or is on her way to. In time. "You were there for him when he was older. When he needed a friendly face. That means much more to me than you'll ever realize."

[lupine314]

His eyes look tired while he regards her, but he inclines his head when she nudges him and gives a soft sigh when he feels her lips against his forehead.

"I wish I had been there more for him," he says quietly, feeling guilt press tight against his chest. "This is fully on me, Lily. I wasn't. He's been living with your sister and I think he hasn't been exactly happy." Not that he had known that. But it doesn't change the fact that he should have. He should have checked up on Harry at least once during the twelve years. Why hadn't he? Because of petty reasons.

He reaches up to grasp her hands between his and holds them gently. "I fear I've failed him quite a bit. But I tried to make up for it in the past few years. He's grown to be so much like James and you. So stubborn and brilliant at the same time. I taught him for a year. As a Defense against the dark arts professor."

There's a bit of light in those pale green eyes when he talks about teaching the boy. He had done right by him then. For a while at least.

[brighteyedsacrifice]

"My sister isn't exactly the sort to adore wizards and witches, nor is her husband the type of man to welcome them with open arms. James must have told you about that date of ours. The one where we'd met Vernon."

It's long ago, longer for Remus, but not that long. The wound is still fresh enough for her, aching over the loss of her sister. Yet it's nothing compared to the thought of Harry with them. Of him being even the slightest bit unhappy.

"Did you know where he was? While he was growing up?" Did he hate she, James, and Sirius for doubting him? Sirius mentioned his time being jailed. It's all a mess. All of this is one big, bloody mess.

The worst of it is seeing him in this state and wondering just how much of it they all contributed to it with their actions. So very grave and tired. It brings a great sadness to her which weighs on her heart. One that has nothing to do with her son or husband, and everything to do with her dear friend. One of her boys.

One of her boys becoming a professor. Teaching DADA, no less.

"What did you teach him? Was he any good at it?" Oh, she shouldn't sound so desperate to learn as much as she can about her son and what her dear friend has been up to, but she is.