AN: I do not own anything

So for round 11 we got to choose to write about a budding friendship on a spring day(s) or losing a friend on an autumn night(s) or both

Prompts are:

Emotion - bitterness

Word - asleep

Song - Castle on the Hill - Ed Sheeran

Remus Lupin was sitting in an empty compartment. He gazed through the window as The Hogwarts Express passed through forests, fields and over lakes. He still couldn't believe it. He was headed back to Hogwarts. As he watched the clouds, memories began flooding in. Memories of his time at Hogwarts. His teachers, all the girls he'd fancied, the unpleasant memory of the Shrieking Shack, and, most importantly, the memory of his first friends.

It was the middle of spring as Remus sat underneath the tree on the grounds of Hogwarts. He found that being there helped him relax and concentrate on studying. It also helped that not a lot of students came here, as he was not good at social relationships. Ever since he could remember, he was often picked on for being scrawny, or for his shabby clothes, or for not going to school with Muggle kids living on his street. It was even worse once he was bitten by Greyback, as they now also bullied him for being 'a zombie' due to his pale skin and droopy eyes.

It was easier here. Dumbledore has prepared a special place for him to transform without harming anyone, and he just used the excuse that he visited his sick mother. He would be lying if he said he wasn't lonely as he was, but he knew if anyone found out, they would reject him as fast as possible.

As he was finishing his Charms essay, he heard footsteps on his left. He turned and saw a boy running towards him. He immediately recognized him. James Potter. The most popular boy in his House. As he watched him approach, he started to panic. What was he doing here?

James ran to him and leaned on the tree, breathing heavily. He gasped for air as he slowly sat down next to Remus.

"He—Hey there," he said between breaths. "How's it going?"

Remus stared at him. His face was red, probably because of running uphill, his clothes in a mess and his hair worse than ever. He summoned up some courage and responded.

"Umm… well."

James stared at him for a while. Then his eyes suddenly widened.

"Hey! You're from our House, right? Um, Remus, was it?"

"Yes.." Remus answered slowly. He was still confused as to what James was actually doing here.
"Umm… so, why were you running?"

"Oh, that. I bet Sirius a Butterbeer that I could run all the way from the Castle gate to here in one go."

Remus knew who he was talking about. Sirius Black, James' best friend and possibly the loudest person he'd ever seen, or well, heard. Then he realized something.

"Wait, you can't have Butterbeer. It's only sold in Hogsmeade, and we can't go there until we're in our third year."

James looked as if he just realized something.

"Crap. Wasn't supposed to tell you that, was I?"

Remus stared at him. Was he able to get the drink even though it's only available to third-years? Was one of the third-years selling it to him?

"Okay," James started. "Look. Me and Sirius discovered a secret passageway in Hogwarts that leads directly into Hogsmeade. Now, I know that's against the rules or something, but how about I trade you a Butterbeer for your silence. Please?" he asked pleadingly.

Remus was confused, to say the least. That boy had discovered something so big and he asked him to keep it a secret? He thought quickly. Telling that to the teacher would be the most rational thing to do, the right thing to do, but something stopped him from making that decision. Perhaps it was the way James looked at him, and perhaps it was the fact that no one ever asked him for anything before, and he just wanted to be included. He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Forget about the Butterbeer, I won't tell on you."

James' face lit up. "Really? Oh Merlin, thanks! Hey, tomorrow, you're getting that drink" he said as he started running back towards the castle.

"I said I do not want it!" Remus yelled after him.

"You're still getting one!" James yelled back with a wide grin. Soon, he was out of Remus' sight.

Remus sighed as he leaned back against the tree. What has he just gotten himself into?

The next day, Remus at the same place, reading Hogwarts: A History, when he heard voices approaching. He turned and once again saw James, only this time accompanied by Sirius Black. They came to him and sat down.

"So," started Sirius. "Is it true James ran all the way up here yesterday?"

Remus was slightly confused by the question until he remembered James talking about a bet. "Oh, yes."

"Crap. Well, I guess I owe you 2 Galleons," Sirius said with a smug face. James on the other hand, beamed with joy.

"I told you I could do it."

Sirius then turned to Remus.

"And as for you, here's your payment," he said as he pulled a bottle of Butterbeer out of his robes.

Remus felt nervous. He'd never tried the drink before and was honestly a little scared. He then noticed Sirius pulling two more bottles from his own robes.

"Wouldn't be proper if only one of us drank," he said with a smik.

"I—I really don't feel like it," Remus said, trying to decide the best course of action. He knew he would never be able to pay the other boys back—he certainly would never be able to return the favor—but there still was a part of him that wanted to try it.

Sirius looked at him, frowned.

"Could it be you never actually tried Butterbeer before?"

Remus felt himself blush.

"Well, if you must know, no I have not!" he said, maybe a little too defensively.

James laughed.

"Jeez, Remus, there's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not like any of the Muggle-borns have had it either. Here, we'll drink along with you. Toasts are meant to be done in groups, anyway."

Once again, Remus was left confused.

"Toasts?"

"Exactly," replied James while lifting his bottle.

"To Remus Lupin, the Keeper of Secrets and the Sitter under the Tree!"

"Hear, hear!" Sirius shouted approvingly, lifting his bottle as well.

Remus looked at both of them, then down on his bottle. He felt happiness wash over him. This could finally be the start of his first friendship. He lifted his bottle.

"Hear, hear," he added softly while taking a big sip.

He felt the cool sweetness go down his throat. Butterbeer was, indeed, very tasty. The other two boys did not seem to notice him staring at the bottle in awe as they slowly drank from their bottles. They sat there, the three of them, watching as the sun slowly descended behind Hogwarts.

"You know boys," started Sirius. "I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

As the memory faded, Remus felt a teardrop roll down his cheek as the bitterness of the past threatened to consume him. He quickly wiped it away, as he heard students approaching. He leaned back in his seat, covered himself with his cloak, and slowly fell asleep.

Hope you enjoyed it!