My first story... *crosses fingers* Wish me luck.
Disclaimer: I am a poor college student who is not getting paid for this... Please do not sue me.
Renata Jane Lupin hung close to her parents as she surveyed the chaos surrounding the scarlet Hogwarts Express. She had never imagined herself being there, not even when she received her letter, not even when she had bought her wand. For she knew that if she allowed herself to imagine anything, it would turn into hope, a fragile hope that she knew could be crushed at any second. Her heart beat as fast as a mouse's in her chest as she looked nervously up at her father. John Lupin smiled fondly back down at her.
"It will be alright Renny. Everything has been set with Dumbledore. You be a good girl, alright?" he said.
"And I promise to write everyday." Renny nodded, pulling her father down to kiss his cheek. "Tell mum I love her, okay?"
Mary Lupin, being a muggle, had stayed home since she would have been unable to get onto the platform 9 and 3/4. They had said their goodbyes earlier that day, but never the less, Renny missed her mother being here to send her off.
"Of course I will. Now go on, or it will leave without you." her father smiled, pushing her towards the train. She smiled and ran towards an empty compartment, sticking her head out the window and waving to her father until the train pulled away out of sight. Only then did she sit down and pull out a book for the ride. She only got to the first page of Tolkien when the two black haired boys opened the door.
"Hello," said the more comely of the two with a smile. "Mind if we sit here?"
Renny flushed and nodded her head wordlessly. They were both handsome boys, eyes and faces round with innocence, but an aura full of mischief. Trouble seemed to cling to their clothes. Renata knew right away that she would like them.
"My name is Sirius Black, but don't hold it against me. This here is James Potter." he continued, motioning to the spectacled, messy headed youth beside him. "And you are?"
"Re-Renata Lupin. But my friends call me Renny." she said softly. "And why would I hold your name against you?"
Sirius raised an eyebrow.
"Muggle-born?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Half-blood. But I was raised away from magic for the most part." she explained.
"Ah. I come from the 'most ancient and noble house of Black'. They look down their noses at most people, and it tends to scare people off a bit." he explained with a shrug.
"I see. I promise not to hold you to their standards then." she smiled.
"Sirius and I were just discussing hat house we were going to be in. I'm hoping to be in Gryffindor." James said, looking proud at just the thought of his desired house.
"And I want anything but Slytherin." Sirius mumbled bitterly.
"What do you think you will be?" James asked.
"Well, my dad was a Gryffindor, but he reckons I will be in Ravenclaw." I shrugged. "I've always been one for learning as much as I possibly could."
Before the two could respond, there was knock at the door, and it slid open to reveal a sallow looking boy and the prettiest girl Renata had ever seen. She had large bright green eyes, smooth skin, and a head full of shining voluminous red hair. By the look on James' face, he agreed completely.
"Hello, my name is Lily Evans. This is my neighbor and friend, Severus. Severus Snape." she smiled. The group introduced themselves and offered them to sit. They did, although the boy had a look on his face that suggested he was doing something rather unpleasant.
"We were discussing houses." Renny explained.
"Well, I am a muggle- born, but Sev wants us both to be in Slytherin." Lily said with a smile.
"Why?" Sirius snorted. Severus looked up sharply.
"Maybe so I don't have to be stuck with people as arrogant as you." he retorted angrily.
"No need for that..." Renny said with a frown.
"What I don't need is a chit dressed in rags instead of robes pretending to be my mother." Severus snapped. Renata winced, looking down. 'My clothes aren't that bad, just a little secondhand', she thought. James and Sirius leapt to their feet to defend their new friend.
"Apologize." Sirius snapped at the same time Lily gaped at her friend, gasping,
"Severus!"
"Boys, don't. " Renny said, grabbing their robes. "I'm not worth it."
"Renny, didn't you hear what he said? What he called you?" James asked.
"I can hear perfectly. And thank you for wanting to defend my honor, it's very nobel of you, but I can't allow you to get in trouble because of me." she told them.
"That wasn't very nice, Severus." Lily frowned.
"Not nice at all, Snivellus." James said with a snarl. "You should apologize to the lady."
Severus jumped to his feet in indignation at the name.
"Just for that, Potter, I won't." he said. "Besides, I see no lady here." Then he turned on his heel and left.
"I am so sorry!" Lily said over her shoulder as she ran after her friend. "He isn't very good with people, I am so sorry!" And then she too was gone. Renny looked down at her hands and counted slowly to ten until the tears dissipated.
"Don't listen to him, Renny." Sirius said. She smiled weakly up at the handsome boy. 'What would they do if they knew Severus had been right?' Renata wondered. 'I am no lady, I'm not even human. I am monster...' She looked at her reflection in the window. Dirty blond hair like her mother, eyes of an unreal ice blue, and a face lined by faint scars, almost unnoticeable if you weren't looking for them. But they were still there, the relics of five years worth of full moons. Renata bit her lip, and jumped when Sirius put an arm around her shoulder. She gave a genuine smile that time. At least for a little while, she could pretend everything was normal.
Several hours later everyone was herded off the train and onto small boats on the lakes edge by the largest man Renata had ever seen. She sat down in the same boat with James and Sirius next to a boy named Amos. When everyone was seated, the giant man yelled,
"Forward!" And the boats moved at his command. Renata was not alone when she gasped at the first sight of the castle. It was right out of a fairy tale, with every window lit as it loomed over them.
"Is it not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?" Renata whispered, partially to herself, and half to the boy beside her. He could only nod in open mouthed agreement. She was ushered in with the others into the foyer, where she met a young, but stern looking woman who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, and explained the sorting ceremony. Renata felt her heart in her throat as they were taken into the great hall and didn't look up from her own feet as the hat sang it's song. She only paid enough attention to register that Sirius and the pretty girl named Lily were both put into Gryffindor, and the boy she had sat beside, Amos Diggory, had been placed into Hufflepuff. And then before she realized it, it was her name being called. Her entire body shook as she sat on the stool and the patched hat was placed on her head.
"Ah. Look what we have here. I never had the pleasure of meeting a werewolf before." The hat said in her ear. Renata bit her lip, ready for the hat to yell for her to be thrown out. Instead, it just chuckled.
"Please do not think me so prejudiced as that. Where to put you... Loyal and smart, but neither Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, I believe. No, no, your bravery far surpasses any I have seen before. Yes, I know just where to place you, Miss Lupin...GRYFFINDOR!"
Applause ruptured as the last word was yelled to the school. Renata let out the breath she had been holding and opened her eyes. She gasped as she looked around the hall for the first time not being preoccupied by nerves. The golden plates glittered in an ethereal light under a thousand floating candles and a ceiling that looked like the night sky. She took it all in as she moved over to the Gryffindor table in an empty seat across from Sirius and beside Lily. By the end of the sorting, they were joined by several others, including James and a round faced boy named Peter Pettigrew. To Lily's disappointment, Severus had gone to Slytherin. But Renata could not have been happier. She had never eaten so well as she did at that beginning of the year feast, and was very full and sleepy as the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore gave his start of term speech. She shook herself to attention since he had already done so much for her, but was very happy when he ended by warning the students not to go near the newly planted Whomping Willow. Then they were all taken by the prefects to the dorms up behind a portrait of a fat lady all in pink. Renny said goodbye to Sirius, James, and Peter before following Lily and the other first year Gryffindor girls to bed.
She collapsed onto her four poster bed without changing or pulling closed the curtains. Renata smiled up at the ceiling and realized a happy tear had fallen down her cheek. Before she could stop to think what it meant, her eyes closed on their own accord, and she immediately fell asleep.