Even When You Didn't

Chapter One: First Impressions

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I'm just using J.K. Rowling's characters.

By the way, the Harry Potter 7, part 2 was awesome! I love Harry Potter, always have and I always will.

I'd like to add that Sirius and James were friends before Hogwarts in this story.

-l-James-l-

My best friend, Sirius Black and I sat in a compartment.

Another boy approached, he was shabby, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked around for a compartment.

"Hey! You! Wanna join us?" I offered. He looked toward us, then hesitantly nodded.

"Remus Lupin," he said.

"Sirius Black and James Potter," I replied pointing to myself.

"So, first year?" Sirius asked. He nodded.

"What house do you want to go to?" I asked.

"Gryffindor."

"Same for me," I said cheerfully.

A smaller boy poked his head in, he had blonde hair and watery blue eyes. "Can I join?"

We all nodded. "Name?"

"Peter Pettigrew," he said squeakily.

"Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and James Potter," Remus said pointing to each of us in turn.

"Welcome to the group," Sirius said grinning.

"So houses, where are you going?" I asked.

"I think we all want to go to Gryffindor," Remus said. Everyone nodded except Sirius.

"What's wrong mate?" I asked.

"All my family has been in Slytherin," he admitted.

"I thought you were at least Gryffindor, I didn't know your family was Slytherin," I said aghast.

"Hah, maybe I'll break the tradition," he scoffed.

I turned as I heard a snort. A boy, our age, he had greasy black hair and shallow skin. Next to him was a girl. She was what caught my eye. She had fiery red hair, half down her back, and almond shaped emerald green eyes that shone.

"Snape," I whispered. The other three looked about.

"Hiya Snivellus," I greeted.

Black, cold stones meet my eyes. "What, Potter," he spat.

" What are you doing with a pretty girl like that? Did you have to use a spell?" Sirius sneered.

The girl glared toward us. "Come on Sev, let's find a different compartment," she said getting up.

"Ooh, see ya Snivellus," Sirius said, and I tripped him as Snape passed. He fell flat on his face. We all erupted into laughter.

"Did you see his face?" Peter shrilled. And we all dissolved into laughter again. Remus looked like he didn't know what to say.

"What's wrong Remus?" I asked, fighting laughter.

He smirked. " You like her," he said calmly.

Everyone gaped, except for Remus of course.

"What?" I asked.

"You like her, I can tell," he said and Sirius smirked.

"Jamsie is in love!" he sang. I whacked Sirius.

"Shut up, I do not!" I hissed.

"Yeah right, I saw how you were looking at her," Remus said...you know the calm, serious voice of his was starting to get on my nerves!

"I do not, she's pretty that's all!" I snapped defensively.

I know who she is," Remus said. "That was Lily Evans, she has a sister who thinks she's a freak and she's muggle-born. Her sister isn't a witch, and Petunia, Tuney her sister calls her, wrote to Dumbledore because Petunia wanted to go to Hogwarts too. But it didn't work, because she can't make magic unless she's born with it. Lily thinks that her sister might be right, but she wants to fit in," Remus said calmly, opening a book, one of our school books.

"What? How do you know that?" Sirius asked, gawking at Remus.

" You aren't very observant are you? I saw her on the platform, her sister kept calling her a freak, and Lily was crying. It obviously hurt her, and she called Petunia by a nickname...Tuney. The rest I heard when I got on. And she just wants to fit in, all muggle-borns do," Remus stated not looking up from his book.

"So you can just read people?" Sirius asked. Remus looked up, tilting his head. "Can you read me?"

" Well, from what I can tell you aren't the most rational person. I think you act like that because you feel bad about something...maybe family stuff. I noticed your family just kinda dropped you off and left. I think you feel put out, you want attention because you don't get enough of it at home. I don't know, but I think you are just insecure sometimes. Other times you are carefree and you act the same basically." Remus turned to me. "You, James, you definitely like that girl. You're rich, and you just act like this because you are popular and you want the attention. You don't need it of course, but you like it when people laugh at your jokes and stuff. Then you like being a clown, it is fun, carefree, you don't want to be bogged down by schoolwork and professors."

"What about you?" Sirius asked, looking still shocked by Remus's knowledge.

A shadow seemed to cross his face. " I'm not like you two. I'm not as outgoing. I'm more like a shadow, I don't draw attention...I run away from it. I prefer not to be noticeable. And I don't have any friends."

"How do you not have any friends?" I asked.

"People don't like to associate themselves with me," he replied smiling lightly. We didn't bother to question him. We nodded.

"Anything from the trolly?" asked a witch pushing a cart full of goodies.

"I'll have ten Pumpkin Pasties, some Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Licorice Wands, a few of Every Flavor Beans and four bottles of iced pumpkin juice please," I said.

She handed over the lot and I paid two galleons and ten sickles.

"Thank you," I said right before she continued on.

"Go on, dig in, Sirius please don't eat all the Cauldron Cakes, I know how much you love them," I added as Remus took an iced pumpkin juice and a chocolate frog.

Peter started on some of the Every Flavor Beans. Sirius grabbed two Cauldron Cakes and I took an iced drink.

It was delicious, thirst quenching and on the warm train my throat was very dry.

Peter started choking on a gray bean, pepper. I pointed my wand at him and muttered a made-up spell. He could breathe properly after several seconds.

I was eating a toffee, when that girl arrived again.

"Who are you anyway?" she asked tossing her red hair behind her. We all looked up at her.

"I'm James Potter," I said.

" Yeah, who are your friends?" she asked cutting across me, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and that's Peter Pettigrew," I replied, pointing to them each in turn.

"Oh, hello Remus," she said brightly. I blinked.

Remus was watching from the book. "Hello Lily."

"I love that book, I've tried some of the spells in there, I would suggest the Charms book. I've already tried the hover one, watch." She pulled out her wand, and waving it she said, "Wingardium Leviosa." The chocolate frog hovered and then she lowered her wand, making it plop back onto the small pile of sweets.

"It's a very good book. Transfiguration won't be until Thursday, but we have Charms on Tuesday. Well bye, James, Sirius, Peter and oh Remus! Professor Dumbledore said he needs to talk to you about err something in his office, after the feast," she said waving and then running off.

"Charms? Why did she suggest that?" I asked as Remus dug in his bag for the Charms book.

Remus only shrugged and returned to his novel.

Half an hour later, Sirius and I were discussing a prank we wanted to pull when that girl returned.

"You four better change, the Prefects are coming to make sure everyone is in their robes, we'll be arriving in less than ten minutes," she said shortly walking off.

"Why does she keep coming back?" Sirius asked pulling out his robes. I shrugged.

"She wants to be a Prefect in fifth year," Remus said as what was becoming the usual. Now I was getting used to him being like this.

" How do you know this stuff?" Peter asked.

"I'm just good at reading people, I'm born with it," Remus replied. "I guess it's just natural. I can tell, she's muggle-born and I think a lot of people don't understand her. So she tries even harder in all of her classes, so she can prove that she's not just some girl. And that she is intelligent. She's not bad looking either."

"Well we gotta go, I guess we leave our stuff," Sirius said as he got up.

"First years! First years over here!" called a man...well he was more of a giant, with a large black beard and bright eyes.

"Hello Hagrid," some of the second and third years called.

I stayed completely silent as we crossed in the boats. Of course I had heard of Hogwarts but this was incredible. I didn't know the lengths that magic could go, even coming from a Pureblood family.

"You know it is enchanted, muggles can't see it. My parents will never get to see Hogwarts, it's really too bad. I'm the only one in my whole family who can see it," Lily was telling her friend, Isabella as I heard it.

She was pretty. She turned, for a moment she met my eyes, with her own almond shaped sparkling green eyes. She sent a dazzling smile in the direction of Remus. He waved back, as cheerful as usual.

"Remus! Why would you wave?" I asked, slightly irritated.

"Ooh is Jamesie jealous?" Sirius teased.

I shot him a death glare. "I am not jealous. I'm just asking why you would wave at herl."

"She's nice, you should get to know her James. She's not like all the other girls, she's okay," Remus replied looking slightly interested in the castle.

"Oh look! The Whomping Willow, it was just planted," one girl said pointing to a moving tree. Remus turned away, which was odd. Why wouldn't he show interest in a moving tree, after all, I doubted he'd ever seen one before.

" What do you think of the Whomping Willow, Remus?" Sirius asked noticing the same thing.

He turned to look a the tree, grimacing. "Oh yes, I'm sure it's very interesting." Something changed in his voice, before he had been confident, and now, looking at that tree..the confidence vanished and something dark seemed to enter his eyes.

"Why don't you seem as interested?" Peter asked.

Before Remus would have to answer I interrupted. "Isn't the castle amazing?"

"It is an amazing castle, I hope we don't get lost, we might need a map," Remus said, a little over enthusiastically, but we did drop the topic he didn't seem to like.

Sirius gave me a curious glance but I flashed him a glare, warning him not to say anything.

We walked up a flight of stairs, and saw a woman waiting, dressed in green.

"Hello Hagrid, I'll take them from here."

" Hello I'm Professor McGonagall. I will be leading you through to the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. I'm head of Gryffindor, then there is Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin."

We nodded numbly.

"Do you know how we get sorted?" I whispered to Sirius.

"I dunno, I think my cousin told me we have to pass some sort of test or something," Sirius hissed back.

"When I call your name, you will get the sorting hat put on your head, and it will place you in to your house. While you are here, your House will be like your family. You triumph together, and you lose together. You can earn points for doing what is expected, any rule breaking and you will lose points, and there are detentions," McGonagall said.

I smirked, rule breaking? Hmm well who ever said I would get caught, I mean if you don't get caught, you never were to blame were you?

I turned to see Sirius smirk, and Remus whacked him. "Can't you behave?"

"Hestia Jones," and she went to Ravenclaw.

"Lily Evans," made Gryffindor.

"Severus Snape," went to Slytherin with so did "Lestrange," I don't remember the first name.

"Sirius Black," she called over the parchment. I saw him freeze up, so I pushed him forward a bit more forcefully than I should have.

The hat seemed to ponder a moment, then yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

I cheered silently with Gryffindor.

"Remus Lupin," McGonagall called.

Remus looked up at her, without moving. "Remus, go on," I hissed, giving him a slight nudge.

He still didn't move, I could tell something more than fear was holding him back. He turned his head to look at the Headmaster. Dumbledore nodded. This however, did not relax him at all.

"Remus what's the worst that could happen?" I asked pushing him forward.

Remus turned to give me a sharp glare, and his blue eyes flashed to a yellow. Through the yellow eyes I saw a creature rise up, it was like looking into the eyes of a bloodthirsty beast. Then the next instant it had vanished, and he was staring at me though I doubted he could really see me.

He stepped forward. The hat was placed on his head. He looked toward the Slytherin table, almost like he expected to be sent there.

-l-Remus-l-

"Remus Lupin, werewolf aren't you."

I closed my eyes. " Yes, but I'm ashamed of it."

"Ashamed? Why would you be ashamed?"

" I'm a dark creature, that's what others think. I'll never have true friends."

"You are brave, it is all in your head, you are ashamed. But once you learn not to be ashamed, you will find that true friends will stay. All those people who left when they found out about you being a werewolf, they aren't true friends. But where to put you?"

"Anywhere."

"GRYFFINDOR!" Where dwell the brave at heart.

I gave McGonagall the hat and raced down.

"Hey, Remus," Sirius said slapping me on the back, laughing.

We watched at the rest of our year was sorted.

"Jamesie!" Sirius shouted enthusiastically as James ran down to join us at Gryffindor table.

Maybe...maybe this will be the year I'll have true friends. Maybe these friends won't abandon me.

What do you think? Good? Bad? It's my first attempt at a Harry Potter story.