Dawn was breaking over the frosty hills of Scotland and as the sun took its place among the scattered clouds light began to fill up the valley in which the Hogwarts castle nestled so inconspicuously. As the rays of sunlight skimmed over the giant lake, the surface rippled as the Giant Squid breached the water to bask in the morning light. His quiet moment with the sun however was disturbed as two young wizards came thundering down the hillside.
"Did you see the look on his face?!" The faster one jeered, calling over his shoulder to the other.
With a cool 'plop', the Giant Squid sank back under the surface of the water. School had only begun two weeks ago, yet he already missed the student-free summer holidays when he could spend all day floating on the surface.
Sprinting around the edge of the lake, the two boys dived into the edge of the large forest which spread out among the side of the valley.
"When did you get that fast, James?!" The slower boy came to an abrupt stop and let himself fall backwards against a tree. Running a hand through his hair, he let the hood of his cloak fall around his shoulders, revealing waves of dark hair. Catching his breath, he looked up at the lanky stature of his friend and fixed his dark brown eyes on him in a glare.
"Do you recon he followed us?" James, whose messy hair had somehow been tidied by the wind, ignored his friend's comment and proceeded to peer out through the trees towards the lake.
The other shrugged but continued to glare at James, "He's probably gone to rat on us to a teacher. We'll probably get detention again."
"Oh…don't be so serious, Sirius." James turned his gaze from the lake to his friend and grinned. Sirius' glare only grew darker. "Come on, he's such a know-it-all and a teacher's pet, it's about time someone put him in his place." James flopped down on the roots of Sirius' tree, still grinning from ear to ear.
Folding his arms, Sirius slid down to join James on the floor of the woods, a smile creeping over his face. "I suppose it was kind of amusing. You totally did take him by surprise." He paused briefly before turning to look at James once more. "How'd you even get him to hang from a tree though? It's not any spell we studied in class before."
"I have my ways." James replied in a shady voice, diverting his eyes upwards with a mischievous grin on his face.
Sirius followed, looking up at the tiny amount of sunlight which danced through the tops of the trees. The two boys sat in silence for a few more minutes before James spoke up once more. "I can't stand that kid though, seriously. I really hate that Remus Lupin."
Remus shifted his weight on to the other foot as he leaned against the post of his bed. Although it was already growing dark outside, the first year dorm was empty. The window beside him was cracked open and he could make out cheers coming from the Quidditch Pitch.
"Greengrass scores for Slytherin!" Astraeus Greengrass, a notorious final year Slytherin chaser. Remus didn't know much about him; however, it was difficult to miss such a loud person around the castle, especially when he was almost always followed by a dozen screeching girls. The alarm on his watch went off with a small jingle and Remus was reminded that if he wanted to slip out of the castle without being noticed by any Students, he would have to leave within the next couple of minutes. With a short sigh, Remus picked up the small travel bag his mother had given him the previous year and made his way quietly out of the dormitory.
He made his way through the silent corridors of the castle, nodding in acknowledgement to the few ghosts which passed him and stopped to give Mrs Norris a short stroke on the head, (that cat had always liked him for some reason.) After a few more minutes, he had made his way out of the castle and began to head past the lake and towards the forest. An array of lights were being turned on inside the castle, as the whole of Hogwarts began to pour in from the Quidditch Pitch. Remus wondered which side had won. He wasn't much of a fan of the sport, but it was always good to know, so he could pretend later that he had been at the game all along.
The whomping willow loomed in front of him, thrashing its branches around in a desperate attempt to rid itself of small animals which were attempting to find shelter. Pulling his bag further up his shoulder, Remus bent down and picked up a weighty-looking stick. Taking aim he threw it directly at one of the larger knots of roots at the base of the tree. Immediately the tree became silent and Remus ducked the heavy branches in an attempt to get to the trapdoor. A sudden crack beneath his feet brought him to a stop. From underneath he could see the cracked glass of what appeared to be a small mirror. Scooping it up carefully, he quickly slipped down into the secret passageway as the tree gradually came back to life.
Although cracked, the mirror was still holding together, and Remus turned it over in his hands several times as he made his way across to his lodging for the night. Climbing the final staircase, unbeknown to the locals, Remus entered the abandoned house on the outskirts of Hogsmede. Tossing his bag to one side, he flopped down onto the bed which Professor Dumbledore had so kindly put in place for him and held the mirror up at arm's reach. After a few more moments, the mirror too was tossed aside, coming to rest under a pile of torn clothes. As the moon began to appear between the clouds, Remus curled up into a ball, willing the morning to come quickly.
Back in the castle, after Gryffindor's defeat by Slytherin, Sirius Black sat alone in the Gryffindor Common Room accompanied only by the flickering fire place. He turned over a small mirror in his hands.