Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story.
"Lupin, Remus."
Remus felt himself shaking where he stood in the crowd of first years, but he took a deep breath and forced himself to look calm and collected. One of the few perks with his life was that he had learned to look totally neutral in nearly every situation, to not show any emotions. He looked around nervously for a moment before he walked toward the stage and the Sorting Hat. With a last gulp he stepped up, looking straight at the stool where he would sit, refusing to look up at the Head Table to see which ones who knew and who didn't know. It was never hard to tell, since the ones who knew would have a look of disgust or hatred on their faces.
He dared to look up at the Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor, who he knew knew, just before she placed the Hat on his head. Even if Professor Dumbledore had assured him that no one would treat him any different, and really not Professor McGonagall, he still was left a little shaken and confused when she only gave him a kind smile.
And the Hat was placed on his head. He felt it slip down over his head and slip down only to be stopped by his ears. Remus cringed by surprise when he heard the Hat's voice in his head.
Look at that. A werewolf in Hogwarts. Well, there's a first for everything.
Remus' eyes widened and for a second fear glimmered in them.
Please don't tell anyone, Monsieur Hat. It had never hurt to be extra polite, especially when you was in desperate need of the person's – or the Hat's – good favours.
Don't worry, boy. Firstly, it isn't my job. And secondly, the enchantments on me forbids me to transmit any information I gets from your head.
An overwhelming relief flooded through Remus and he smiled.
Merci Monsieur.
Monsieur. I like that. Way too few humans pays me respect. Now, where Sort you?
I'm just grateful I got to come here, anywhere would work for me. But please not Slytherin. My dad was a Ravenclaw, he would be proud if I got there. I highly doubts I am fit for Hufflepuff and I'm not brave enough for Gryffindor.
Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Mr Lupin. You're right you're not fit for Hufflepuff – even if you're loyal and kind enough for that House, I can see big impatience in you even if you hides it well. And you're really not trusting enough for the House of the badgers.
Remus couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes.
What a shock. Me – who have been abandoned by everyone who knows the truth except my parents and one of my ten cousins – and hunted down and forced to move because I trusted people or they found out other ways… I'm not trusting. Could never imagined.
No need to get snide, even if I'm glad to see some spirit. And you do not need to worry about Slytherin. You aren't harbouring any of their qualities except maybe, and that's a big maybe, cunning. About Ravenclaw… you're bright enough, surely. You're both intelligent and studious. But you reads to escape reality, and learns to give yourself at least the slightest chance – which you doubt you has…
Yes, I know that, Monsieur. You don't need to point out the obvious.
Cheeky. Anyway, unlike most Ravenclaws, you don't love knowledge for the sake of knowing things. You don't study or learn because you likes it, more to achieve something. You know, that's Slytherin of you. So I actually don't think you would fit in Lyall's old House. That only leaves Gryffindor.
Gryffindor? The House of the Brave? I'm not brave!
Oh, but you are, young one. Or else you would never have succeeded to live through the last six years and succeeded to keep your mental health. You are a very brave boy, even if you don't believe it yourself. Less brave people would've just given up after what you've lived through. So, Gryffindor. Is that okay with you?
I trust you. Place me where I will do best.
Wise choice.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
That had been a long Sorting. Remus had been up there for three minutes, and the teachers had begun to look worried. Especially four plus Professor Dumbledore, including McGonagall. Remus dared to look up at the Head Table for the first time that night, preparing for faces, but all of them just smiled of relief and looked softly at him. No disgust at all. You could be confused by less, absolutely.
Remus stumbled down to the cheering Gryffindor-table and couldn't help but smile brightly. For the first time in the life he could remember (hey, he had been bitten a month before his 5th birthday, he didn't remember nearly anything about before that) he felt normal, like a part of something great and like he was just one happy child among many. The Gryffindors cheered loudly and he looked happily at the other new-Sorted. There was the Black-heir, Sirius was it? He didn't look happy at all, actually he looked both disgusted and angry. But Remus, who was very used to look after it, also sensed fear. What could he have to be afraid of?
Then there was a red-haired girl named Lily Evans, who smiled kindly and waved at him and a girl named Sadie Kane – her dad had found out a little new information about lycanthropes for some years ago and strange enough it had been a neutral text so it was impossible to tell if the author hated werewolves or pitied them – who sure looked kind enough but also hard in some way, rebellious.
Remus smiled back but took a place a bit away from the girls, quite close to Sirius actually since he didn't seem to want to socialize. His dad's words was fresh in mind: Be careful, Remus. Don't come too close to anyone and they won't find out. I know you wants friends, and I want you to have friends, but you can't risk your only chance to go to school. Remus had nodded and agreed. He knew it was all too true.
The rest of the Sorting happened very fast, and soon there was 6 more students towards the 1st year Gryffindors. Marlene McKinnon, Rafael Nelson, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, Emelie Sabatiér and Luke Vincent. All seemed nice, even if most of them placed themselves a long way away from him since he sat close to Sirius. James Potter and Peter Pettigrew came the closest to them, and James tried to talk to him but Remus only answered as shortly as he could. His dad was right, he wanted friends so badly, but he couldn't risk being expelled.
Two weeks later.
James and Sirius was outside on the grounds. It was a wonderful Saturday, the sun was shining and almost windless. And best of all, they were free from school. Their third friend, Peter, was inside. His three years older sister Petra (what James and Sirius had laughed at that. Peter and Petra!) had wanted to talk to him about something, so he hadn't been able to come. Which almost felt a little bit as a relief. They liked Peter a lot, he was funny and quite smart when you got to know him, but he also was overenthusiastic. It was nice to have a moment without it for once.
They were on their way down to the Black lake. Sirius had found it funny that the lake had his name, and wondered a little if it could be named after one of his ancestors, but wasn't interested enough to look it up. It was highly possible that it was named the Black lake just because the water was kind of black.
"Hey, Sirius." James exclaimed and pointed toward the beech tree on the shore of the lake. Down there one of their roommates, Remus Lupin, sat alone and reading. Lupin was a strange one, he never talked to anybody except Yes and No, and he was seen together with Lily Evans sometimes, and had even been seen talking to McGonagall, or Professor Minnie as Sirius had named her. But he never actually talked with the other students, again with few exceptions of Evans.
"Yeah, it's Lupin." Sirius said. After two weeks with James he had already began to grow from his 'proper' way of talking even if he didn't really was able to stop his posh accent. "How's so?"
James looked thoughtful.
"I don't know. He seems so alone. He never talks to anybody and avoids people, but I've seen him give pairs of friends longing gazes."
Sirius raised an eyebrow and frowned, taking a grip on James' arm and stopping him where they walked.
"Are you suggesting we befriends him?"
"Yes." Was everything James said before hushing and starting to slowly walk forwards, closer to Lupin. Sirius shrugged and followed quietly.
He didn't seem to hear them, so rapt was he of the book. Because during the past weeks he had proven himself to have exceptional hearing and they had never succeeded to slink upon him before.
When they reached him James took a quick step forward and dragged the book out of Lupin's hands with a smirk, earning a surprised cry from the boy.
"Hello Remus. Whatcha reading?" James asked pleasantly meanwhile Sirius couldn't help but snicker at Lupin's face. He looked surprised, a bit annoyed and a bit elated that they actually were talking to him (Sirius couldn't really blame him, they were Sirius Black and James Potter. During their short time at the school they had quickly became extremely popular, his name despite).
When James looked at the cover of the book before Lupin could answer his eyes widened and he looked amazed. With breathless voice he said:
"This is The Best Jinxes and Hexes of the 80's." Sirius eyes widened too, and he stared from James to the book to Lupin.
"I've tried to get that book in eternity! My parents refused to give it to me, because… well, because it wasn't Dark enough I guess. But… it's really expensive, and limited edition. How did…"
The unspoken question was clear. Everyone in the dorm had clear for themselves that Remus didn't have a lot of money. Actually, he was probably poor. Remus stared at them.
"It is?" he asked, confused. "But why did my parents buy it to me then? We can't aff…" he stopped himself and looked slightly ashamed. It wasn't like he was ashamed that his family was poor, but in company of James and Sirius, who both was the heirs of two of the biggest fortunes in Britain…
"Hey, nothing to be ashamed of." James assured him. "But wow. This book is like one of the best books written the last two centuries. And that doesn't say a little coming from me, seeing as I hates books."
Sirius smirked and sat down beside Remus on the grass, looking at the younger boy with new eyes.
"It seems like it is more to you than we first thought, Remus Lupin."
They spent the rest of the day together with Remus, and even if Remus did try his hardest not to open up and become friends with them, it was impossible. Both James and Sirius was set on being Remus' friends, and both of them was used to get what they wanted in the moment they wanted it. So after three hours Remus was laughing and joking together with the black-haired boys and for the first time in ages he felt really lucky. He had parents who loved him and who he could tell about having friends (Lyall and Hope would love it even if Lyall would be deathly afraid of his secret being revealed but if Remus promised to make sure no one got to know maybe he would leave it alone), he was on Hogwarts, something he never had dared to dream about, and he had friends, for the first time since he was four years old.
Life couldn't be better, Remus was sure.
Soon it was late, and the dinner was about to begin. The three friends walked together into the school and into the Great Hall to meet Peter, and where they came laughing and talking Remus couldn't help but hear all the whispers that started as people saw them.
"Is that Lupin? With Potter and Black?" "How could Loony Loopy Lupin be friends with them?" Remus grimaced. He hated that name. Possibly he could get rid of it now. Of what he had seen neither James nor Sirius accepted their friends being bullied. Because that was what they were, he was sure. Friends. At least he had seen them stand up for Peter a lot of times.
Peter waved happily when he saw them, but looked strangely at Remus. Remus tried a small smile, even if he was unsure. Without caring about Peter's confusion James and Sirius took place around the Gryffindor-table and dragged Remus down to sit beside them.
"Peter, I'm sure you know Remus as we have shared dormitory with him for two weeks now?" James said. "And Remus, this is Peter. Peter, Remus is our new friend."
Remus couldn't help but beam and roll his eyes on the same time as he heard that. Then he smiled and offered his hand to Peter, a little unsure of if Peter would take it as he seemed quite hesitant of a new member of their little group. But after a moment Peter smiled back and shook his hand.
"Hello, Remus." He said happily. "You're smart, right? Can you help me with the homework in Charms?"
Remus couldn't help but laugh at how easily Peter accepted him as a friend, even if they didn't really knew each other. He nodded.
"Sure. But don't ask me for help in Potions, I'm rubbish at it."
"Yeah, We've figured. You blew up a potion last lesson, remember?" Sirius laughed. "But don't worry. Both me and Jamie is great at Potions. We helps you with that and you'll help us if we needs help. Deal?"
He offered his hand to Remus, as if shaking on the deal. Remus grinned and took the hand, giving it one shake.
"Deal."
James laughed too and threw an arm over Remus' shoulder. First he tensed, not used to people to touch him except his parents and cousin, but soon he relaxed into the strong arm.
"Well then. Welcome to our group, Remus. Now we only needs a name…"
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And firstly, please have patience if I have bad grammar or spelling - English isn't my native language. And secondly, if you have complaints, please don't only write "Have better grammar" or something, tell me what I do wrong so I can fix it since I've done my best and if I will be able to do it better, then I need someone to tell me what I can do better. Please. But feel welcome to tell me what I did wrong, as long as you actually tell me what it did wrong.