AN/ Greetings to all you Potterheads! I'm not gonna take up your time by making you read this note, but I do have a few things to say. 1) Peter will not be this dolt or dummy. I'm not a Peter hater, at least, not when he was young. 2) Sirius is not going to be a huge bully, just his usual self. 3) This isn't going to contain any smut. You're in the wrong place for smut, m'kay? And finally, 4) This fic is going to tell the tales of the Marauders in the order of the years. So don't expect an 8th chapter mixed in for a while. :P Alright, enjoy this chapter everyone!
Disclaimer: Listen, if I was J.K. Rowling, I wouldn't have to be writing this fic.
Remus looked at the scarlet train, his stomach bubbling with mixed feelings. He felt nervous, oh so very nervous, but he was also so, so excited. Something he had never thought possible was happening. But he wasn't sure he could even make it to the train without collapsing out of nerves.
"Are you sure you don't want us to walk to you to the train?" Lyall Lupin, Remus' father, asked. Remus glanced at his father, smiling slightly at his father's worried expression.
"I'm sure, dad," he replied, bending and beginning to gather his things. A hand on his shoulder stopped him. Remus turned to face his parents.
"Just be careful, Remus," his mother, Hope, said. Remus smiled again and nodded. His parents were always very careful.
"Remus, I know the teachers have been informed, but the students have not. Be careful with who you talk to." Remus nodded, feeling the usual weight of having to hide something already settling in his gut. "Under no circumstances tell someone of your condition." Remus winced, but nodded. That warning had been in place for years. "And don't make close friends."
Remus kept his smile plastered on his face, but he felt cold inside. He knew his parents were scared for him, but their warnings were beginning to get him wary of other people. To the point where he could barely talk to anyone.
The train let out a whistle, and Remus took the opportunity to pull himself from his father's death grip, say a quick goodbye, and hurry through the crowd to reach the train. He dove through the doors just as the train started to leave the station. He waved to his parents, then moved from the windows as the train entered a tunnel.
Remus trudged down the corridor, peering in each compartment with the hope of finding an empty one. The first fifteen or so were occupied by laughing students, and a few went so far as to flick paper at him to get him to leave. Remus frowned as he ducked under what looked like a page from a book. I hope I'm not in the same house as them, Remus thought, hauled his trunk down the corridor. Finally, Remus found an empty compartment near the end of the train and slid inside. He pushed his trunk under the row, then collapsed on a seat. He stared out the window, letting his mind drift.
Remus couldn't believe he was going to Hogwarts. He had never thought that would be possible for him. It wasn't the fact that he was a half-blood. Plenty of students there were, though Remus knew that some families would kill to make the school a pure-blood-only school. No, he had a different problem.
Remus Lupin was a werewolf.
Bitten nearly six years ago, his lycanthropy had worn heavily on his family. Lyall, as a wizard himself, knew of the dangerous reputation werewolves were given. He, along with his wife Hope, had become paranoid, and Lyall had home-schooled Remus since first grad, And contact with other kids was very little, and when the full moon came, if in the grasp of the wolf's mind, Remus attracted the attention of a neighbor, the Lupins would pack up and move. So Remus had never really had friends. Either he had never worked up the courage to talk to them, his family had to move before he could even meet them, or his parents warned him to stay away.
Remus sighed and pulled a book from his bag, flipping through it absently. He was getting tired more than little tired of never having someone to talk to.
About ten minutes later, Remus was startled out of his reading as the door to his compartment slid open. A blond, slightly chubby, boy stood in the doorway, watching Remus nervously.
"Can I come in?" the boy asked timidly. "I've been wandering the train, and I can't find another place to sit."
Remus was shy by nature, and honestly, by raising, but he wasn't about to turn the boy away. "Sure," he said warmly. "Back yourself at home."
Looking relieved, the boy hurried in, letting the door click shut behind him. The blond-haired boy shoved his bag onto the rack above him, then sat heavily. Remus scanned him curiously, content not to speak for the moment. The boy had soft features and bright blue eyes that sparkled with life. His blond hair flopped on his head, and while his clothes weren't the best quality, they were better than Remus'.
"Oh, sorry. Peter Pettigrew." The boy sat forward, holding out his hand.
"Remus Lupin," Remus said, shaking the offered hand.
Peter sat back with a slight smile, sighing as he looked out the window.
"Amazing, but a bit overwhelming, innit?" he asked. Remus nodded and was about to reply when the door flew open and two dark haired boys stumbled in.
"Wha-" Remus began, then stopped in confusion as one of the boys dove under the seat Remus was sitting in. Remus glanced at Peter, but the other boy looked just as confused as Remus felt. A second later, the door banged open again and an angry boy with greasy-looking black hair stood in the doorway, flanked by a redhead with bright green eyes.
Remus frowned. No need to bang the door, he thought, annoyed.
"Were two idiots just in here?" the boy demanded, his expression close to a sneer. Remus frowned again. He knew the "two idiots" were the two boys who had just taken refuse under Remus' and Peter's seats, but Remus did not like this guy.
"Ye-" Peter began.
"No, just us," Remus cut in smoothly. The boy frowned, and Remus noticed the redhead tilt her head with a curious expression.
"I was sure they dove in here," he said. Remus shrugged.
"Sorry, guess you saw wrong. Maybe they're in the next one."
The boy sighed and stepped back from the door. With a muttered "Come on, Lily," he stalked off, scratching his hands. The girl, Lily, gave him one more look before following her friend. The door clicked shut behind them, and several seconds ticked by, the only noise being the clack of the train and the sounds of chatting students. Then both boys who had taken refuge in the compartment emerged, grinning like the idiots the angry boy had called them.
"Thanks for that," the boy who had hidden under Remus' seat said, pulling himself out and flopping next to Remus.
"What did you do?" Remus asked, watching with amusement as the boy under Peter tried to pull himself out, but seemed stuck.
"We just took Snivellus' books," the boy under Peter said, grunting a few more times until Peter took pity on him. The boy's glasses slipped down his nose as he stood. "Nothing big." Remus raised an eyebrow.
"Well, it had to be big, because he looked pretty mad. And what was with him scratching his hands?"
"I might have put itching powder between the pages," the boy next to Remus snickered. Remus turned to look at his neighbor, his eyebrow still raised.
"Why?"
"'Cause I could?"
Remus gave him a flat look. "No, really."
"Well, maybe he bugged me on the way in, but that wasn't the reason at all."
"Uh huh." Remus wasn't convinced. "But, really, itching powder?"
"'Course," the bespectacled boy said.
"Alright, who are you two?" Remus felt he deserved that at least, seeing how he had just saved their hides.
"James Potter," the boy next to Peter said, both his dark eyes and glasses twinkling. He still stood, and he gave Remus a bow. "At your service." Then he seemed to remember Peter was there, and he bowed to the blond boy as well. "Oh, at your service too."
"Sirius Black," Sirius answered from his spot next to Remus. Sirius gave him the same mock bow James had, and Remus fought back a smile. "And who do I have to thank for my escape of greasy-haired wrath?"
"That's Peter Pettigrew, and I'm Remus Lupin," Remus said, since Peter seemed to have lost his ability to speak.
Sirius nodded, as if filing their names away for later. Then a crooked grin spread over his features. "I don't suppose we can hide out here?"
"Peter?" Remus asked warily, but Peter was too busy mumbling "Itching powder? Itching powder?" to answer. Remus sighed. "Fine. Just don't expect me to lie again."
"Noted and ignored!" Sirius said cheerfully, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. Remus pressed his fingers to his temples. He was already regretting letting these two boys stay with him and Peter.
"Why did you anyway?" James asked. Remus shrugged, noticing that Peter snapped out of his mutterings to listen to Remus' answer.
"Dunno. That guy looked mad, I guess I thought I wouldn't want to face him myself."
"Whatever the case, thanks," James said, leaning back so his position matched Sirius'. "There's a spirit of a Gryffindor right there."
"I would be happy in Gryffindor," Remus said, letting his hands fall to rest on his knees. "Or Ravenclaw, I don't really care. I think either would suit me." James held a hand to his mouth, a look of mock horror on his face.
"You dare consider getting into Ravenclaw?"
Remus blinked. "Why, you do think you'll be in Gryffindor?"
"Yup."
"And you just want to irritate me?" James opened his mouth but Remus cut him off. "Oh wait! That's already happened." Sirius chuckled and Remus turned to him. His eyes closed, Sirius was grinning.
"Thank you for shutting him up." Remus realized how rude he had been and felt his cheeks flush slightly. These two are already corrupting me, Remus thought. Or maybe they're just giving me opportunities too good to ignore. Yeah, that's it.
"And what house do you want, Sirius?" he asked, mostly to hide his embarrassment.
Sirius' eyes opened slowly, his expression bitter. But before he could even open his mouth, the trolley lady arrived. Remus' eyes widened at the sight of all the chocolate. He craved the sweets, but the money he did with him have was being saved for more important. He let out a small sigh, then perked up again as Sirius promptly bought everything on the cart. Remus' eyes widened again, this time at the sight of the handful of coins in his hand.
"How do you-"
"I have rich parents," Sirius said, though Remus could once again see the bitterness in Sirius' eyes and hear it in his voice. Remus wanted to ask what the problem with Sirius' family was, but was distracted as a pile of sweets landed in his lap. He resolved to ask Sirius later, surprising himself at his boldness.
For the next few hours, Remus found himself chatting with the other boys, and generally enjoying their company. Remus found himself happy, and it made him want to ignore what his parents had said about not making close friends. Then he remembered what he could do to them and his gut wrenched. The chocolate frog he had just popped in his mouth didn't seem so tasty anymore.
"Remus?" Sirius asked. Remus jumped and looked at the raven-haired boy, somewhat surprised to see concern in Sirius' eyes. He'd only met the boy a few hours ago.
"Sorry, what?" Remus asked, a little guiltily.
"A prefect just poked his head in and told us we'd be pulling into Hogwarts in about thirty minutes. I said we should probably get into our robes now, before the bathrooms get swamped," Sirius said, probably repeating himself. Remus nodded and dragged himself out of his thoughts, pushing images of his new friends getting mauled by him away.
Half an hour later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the Hogsmeade station. Remus yanked his trunk from under the seat, taking a deep breath. Then he followed James out of the compartment, down the corridor, and into the flood of students. Remus was immediately crushed between people, and he started to feel a little panicked. Then he heard someone bellow,
"First years, this way!"
I would go that way if I could move! Remus thought, struggling to move toward the sound. Then a hand grabbed his sleeve.
"He said this way." Remus looked up and into the face of Sirius, who was giving him a smirk. "Come on."
Remus let Sirius drag him through the crowd, content to let someone else struggle with the hoard of people. But there was no struggle. Sirius simply glided through the mass of students. They seemed to part for him. Finally, Sirius broke through the wall of people and Remus could now see that the bellow had come from a mountain of a man. Remus shied back, but Sirius yanked him forward.
"Drop your stuff there, then come on." Remus dropped his stuff "there", "there" being a pile of trunks and bags, then followed Sirius to a boat. James and Peter already sat in it.
"Are we supposed-"
"Yes, Hagrid told us to go here," Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. "Come on."
Remus looked around, assuring himself that other people were indeed getting into other boats and that Sirius wasn't just tricking him. Why don't I trust him? He wondered. Probably because you just saved him from "Snivellus" after he put itching powder in a book, another part of his brain answered.
Remus realized he had been standing there for several seconds and, embarrassed, he launched himself into the boat. Of course, he forget the boat was a boat and he nearly stumbled over the other side into the water. Luckily, James was quick and caught his arm.
"Thanks, James," Remus gasped as James pulled him onto the seat next to him.
"No problem," the bespectacled boy answered. A few more minutes were spent in silence as the four boys waited for something to happen. Then with a jolt, the boat pushed itself away from the dock, heading across the lake. Remus let out an awed breath. The boats were heading for a gigantic castle. Towers jutted up here and there, lights flickered from a million windows, and the whole castle just radiated an aura of magic.
"Try not to fall in the water from all your gaping," James chuckled.
"What, you don't find this amazing?" A brief pause.
"I never said that."
Remus kept his eyes on the castle the whole way across the lake, his mind trying and failing to comprehend what he was seeing. Eventually, he had to stop his staring as the boats landed at another dock and he was herded off the boats. He trotted up a staircase, right into the castle itself. The staring resumed.
Remus followed the crowd around him, trusting all the people to guide him to where he need to go. His eyes flicked around the room, landing on picture after picture, door after door. Finally, Remus stopped as the crowd of students around him did, though he was a little delayed. After apologizing in response to an annoyed grunt, he made his way through the students and back to Sirius' side. A second later, he spotted Peter and James standing a few students away. They were discussing something.
Before Remus could ask Sirius a question, a cat walked out onto the landing. The students went silent, and Remus blinked. Who was this? With a swoosh, the cat transformed into a woman. Her face was lined, and her gray hair was tied back in a tight bun. Her robes whirled around her briefly before settling.
"Greetings to all you first years," the woman said formally. "My name is Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, and on behalf of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, I welcome you to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. In a moment, the doors behind me will open and you will be admitted to the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your houses."
The woman's gaze turned harder.
"Something you all should know. Whether you are in Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, or Slytherin, points will be deducted from your house as professors and prefects deem fit. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup, so consider that before you begin to misbehave. Just a moment."
With that, Professor McGonagall slipped through the doors and the students erupted in conversation.
"You never told me. What house do you want?" Remus asked Sirius quietly. The same look of bitterness Remus had seen on the train appeared on Sirius' face.
"Probably get Slytherin. It's what all my family's been in. Got a cousin there, too."
Remus examined Sirius' face, taking in the pursed lips and hard gaze. "That's not what I asked."
Sirius took a breath. "OK, then I'd like to be in Gryffindor. It would irritate the heck out of my parents, and well-"
"James and Peter are there?" Remus finished. Sirius gave him a crooked grin.
"I was going to add you in that sentence, too." Remus smiled.
"If it means anything, you don't seem like a Slytherin to me." Sirius glanced at him, and a genuine smile, not the smug smirks Remus had seen earlier spread over his face.
"Thanks, Remus. That means a lot."
There was a loud creak from the doors and Remus looked up. Professor McGonagall once again stood at the top of the stairs, but this time, the Great Hall's doors were open. "We are ready for you."
The students swarmed forward and Remus found his lungs being crushed until a ragged line was formed. Remus glanced around and noticed James and Peter a few steps ahead. A quick glance behind him confirmed that Sirius was right behind him.
The Great Hall was just as impressive as the rest of the castle, if not more so. The ceiling showed a dark sky with clouds drifting across it, the moon hidden by a particularly large cloud. Remus' stomach clenched at the sight of the moon, but he took comfort in the fact that the moon was a mere sliver.
"How does that work?" Sirius asked, his voice tinged with awe.
"It's enchanted to look like the night sky," Remus explained. "I think. I'm not sure if it can only look like the night sky or if it's just enchanted to look like the sky. It was mentioned in a book about the history of Hogwarts."
"Ravenclaw, you're about to get the genius of the year," Sirius muttered. Remus fought the urge to smile, but suddenly, the prospect of going to Ravenclaw didn't seem so great.
The students stopped before the teachers' table. In front of the table was a ragged, black hat sitting on a stool. Professor McGonagall stood next to it, a large roll of paper in her hand.
"When I call your name, you will come up, and be sorted into your house." McGonagall let the paper unroll and scanned it while picking up the Sorting Hat.
"Lily Evans!"
Remus tilted his head as the same redhead from the train walked up, her expression somewhere between nervousness and determination. The room was quiet for a moment, then the hat bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!" A cheer went up from the Gryffindors, along with polite applause from everyone else. Lily smiled and slid from the stool, making her way towards her new house-mates. After that, Remus tuned out most of the sorting. He was too busy panicking as the crowd around him thinned.
"James Potter!"
Remus watched as James detached himself from the crowd and strolled up to the hat.
"What do you reckon?" Sirius asked in Remus' ear. "Think he'll get it?"
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat roared at the same time Remus was going to say "yes." The Gryffindor table exploded and James launched himself off the dais, high-fiving another Gryffindor as he sat.
"I was about to say yes," Remus muttered.
"Sure," Sirius muttered back. Remus rolled his eyes, but there wasn't any real annoyance in the action. I have known Sirius for exactly half a day and he is already smashing my habits to pieces, Remus thought. I suppose any Black I meet will give me trouble. He frowned. Where did that come from? Remus furrowed his brow in confusion until he remembered the stories about the Black family his parents had told him.
The Blacks were an arrogant, pure-blood family, and they did not tolerate other blood classes. There were rumors floating around that they supported Voldemort. It had never been proved, but it was no secret that they agreed with what the Dark Lord was trying to do. Rid the world of all the Muggle-born wizards.
But Sirius isn't like that, Remus thought. Despite what he thought, he was probably defying his parents' wishes of being careful who he talked to just by standing next to Sirius. But Remus couldn't make himself leave Sirius, or James or Peter for that matter.
"Peter Pettigrew!"
Remus realized that several names had been called while he had been thinking, and he watched as Peter walked up to the hat and sat gingerly.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Another cheer from the Gryffindor table, and this time, Remus cheered along.
"Peter a Gryffindor? Who would have thought?" Sirius said.
"He's smarter than he looks. Just wait," Remus muttered. Sirius shrugged.
"I can wait."
Remus smiled slightly, but the smile died on his face as he heard McGonagall shout, "Remus Lupin!" Remus' heart stopped and he felt frozen to the spot. Then Sirius nudged his shoulder and whispered,
"You got this. Get up there."
Remus took a nervous breath, then walked up to the stool. He sat as gingerly as Peter had, and he flinched as the hat was placed on his head.
"Hmm, you have a mind for knowledge. You thirst to know more about your world. You are shy, but love to learn. You are very practical, and logic makes sense to you."
Remus realized he was hearing the hat's thoughts. The Sorting Hat definitely seemed like it was leaning toward Ravenclaw and Remus started to feel pleased. Then a jolt of sadness shot through him as he thought of James and Peter, who sat at the Gryffindor table, and of Sirius, who sure seemed like a Gryffindor to him.
"Hmm," the hat grumbled. "That changes things. You are loyal. You stick to your friends' sides. You would fit in Ravenclaw, but it is not the optimal the place for you. So... GRYFFINDOR!"
Remus' eyes fluttered open and a wide grin spread over his face as he watched the Gryffindors cheer. His grin widened as he picked out James and Peter clapping wildly, James letting out a whoop. Remus got up and heading for the table, sitting across from James and Peter.
"Welcome to the club, mate," James whispered. Remus grinned at him, then turned and caught Sirius' eye. The other boy was watching the students that were getting sorted with a relaxed, almost bored look.
"Sirius Black!"
The hall fell silent, watching as Sirius made his way to the Sorting Hat. The raven-haired boy sat, still looking supremely bored. As the hat was placed on his head, Remus narrowed his eyes, wondering what the hat was saying. Don't you dare put him in Slytherin, Remus threatened mentally. There was silence throughout the hall as they watched.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed. The hall stayed quiet, stunned silent. Remus felt a grin spreading across his face. His gaze caught Sirius' again, and the raven-haired boy gave him a lop-sided grin. Then James let out a cheer, standing and clapping. The rest of the Gryffindors quickly followed suit, letting out triumphant roars. Polite but confused applause came from the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. The Slytherins sat in stony silence.
Sirius slid onto the bench next to Remus. "Guess who you're stuck with?" he asked. Remus rolled his eyes yet again, but he couldn't hide his grin. James and Peter smiled at him from across the table, and Remus decided it was time to throw his parents' warnings about not making close friends out the window. I'll just have to be careful, Remus thought.
A few more students were sorted, but Remus wasn't paying much attention. James' story of what the Hat had said to him was much more interesting. The clang of a spoon hitting a goblet interrupted their moment, and Remus turned to look at the teachers' table. Dumbledore was standing, his arms raised for quiet.
"I understand all of you want to eat, as I myself am hungry, so I will keep this short. Prefects, I hope to see the same level of performance I have seen in years past. First years, I expect you to respect the teachers. And everyone, you really must try the apple pie when it comes out."
A wave of laughter swept over the students.
"Let's eat!" Dumbledore finished. Remus returned his attention to the table and watched as food appeared on the platters. Everything Remus could imagine was somewhere on the long table.
Remus, Peter, James, and Sirius fell quiet, stuffing their faces with meats (mostly Remus and Sirius) and desserts (all of them were guilty there). By the time the meal had ended and the Gryffindor prefects herded said house out of the Great Hall, Remus' stomach was very full. Almost too full.
"And I never eat again," Sirius moaned to Remus as they walked up the stairs.
"Until tomorrow you mean," Remus said with another roll of his amber eyes.
"You seem to like to roll your eyes a lot."
"Only around you. I'm usually quite polite."
"I have that effect on people."
Remus was more than a little surprised to find a chuckle escape his lips. He wondered how in the space of six hours, he had made more friends than he had in the past six years.
The prefect leading stopped the group at the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Password?" she asked.
"Fortitudo," the prefect said. The Fat Lady inclined her head, then swung open. The students crowded inside.
The Gryffindor common room was cozy. Chairs and tables, a fireplace with chairs around it, rugs and other items decorated the space. Most students were heading for their dorms or their favorite spots, but Remus wasn't sure where to go.
"Oi, Sirius, Remus!"
Remus looked up and noticed James and Peter standing at the foot of a staircase across the room.
"C'mon and see the dorm!" James called, already halfway up the steps. Remus glanced at Sirius, who stood at his shoulder, then hurried after James, taking the steps two at a time.
Remus stopped at the top of the stairs, which earned him an annoyed grunt, but he didn't care. The room was so homey, it made Remus feel warm. Four-poster beds with curtains that could be drawn, chests at the foot of each. James lay sprawled on the one to Remus' left, and Peter pushed his way past to collapse on his claimed bed.
Remus entered the room and drifted to the bed nearest the window, noting his chest already sat at the foot of it. Sirius crashed into the bed across from Remus', sending him a grin. Remus smiled back.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, mates!" James called, bouncing on his bed with a giddy smile.
And thus this chapter has ended! Please drop a review and let me know what you think, as feedback will help my inspiration flow! Side note, this is a fic I'm republishing, but I still have to proofread it. My style had changed. Until next time, Bird out!