If you're reading this, thanks for reading it :) If all goes well, I plan to write quite a lot of this. With possible Wolfstar in later chapters. This is just an introduction of the wonderful Remus Lupin and the gorgeous Marauders :)

Please, please, please review, because I need them to write any more. Reviews make me happy and I will love you. Even if you are reviewing to say it's crap.

Thanks

All characters belong to J.K. Rowling (for now :3333 I'm planning on stealing Remus, 'cause he's MINE)

'Are you ready?'

'Ready,' Remus smiled nervously, pushing the heavily loaded trolley through the solid station wall, his mother trotting anxiously beside him and father close behind.

'We're so proud,' Mrs Lupin smiling, looking down at her son and adjusting his coat collar once more. Remus fiddled with a scar across his nose as she continued, 'you know Professor Dumbledore wouldn't just accept anyone, but he really likes you.'

'What if they do find out?'

'Then... We'll...' Mr Lupin avoided his son's eye, as he always did, 'we'll ask Professor Dumbledore for books so you can learn at home. But Professor Dumbledore said he and all the staff are fine and all-'

Remus zoned out as he stared across the platform. People who were much older than him, almost adults, were getting on the train with owls and trunks. The entire prospect suddenly seemed so... daunting. He would be having to disappear and turn into a werewolf hiding from that amount of people every month for seven years. As well as hiding his tiredness and feeling ill that always came easy. The scars on his face and body would be extremely difficult to hide, too, on top of all that.

'Lily!'

A nearby cry broke him from his trance, the voice of another young boy calling out to someone. As his mother tried to smooth his hair down further, Remus clutched the book he'd been planning to read on the journey and scanned the crowds.

A boy slightly taller than him was streaking the length of the platform, long nosed, pale skinned and greasy haired, he gave the impression of someone quickly wanting to get away from one thing and getting to another quickly. A small girl with long, red hair stood smiling at the end of his path, an older girl at her side and glaring at the boy.

Remus stared at the pair for as long as possible; they had to be first years, too. The girl had a brand new trunk and the boy, whose trunk looked battered and old as the one Remus had, still seemed to show an air of nervousness and excitement. But the older girl with them glared into space, seeing something Remus couldn't. He wanted to ask if she was also a first year, or go over to the three, but she looked much older... And the other two seemed happy talking.

'Go and introduce yourself, Remy,' his mother smiled, kissing his cheek, 'your father's taking your luggage onto the train.'

'I can't,' he muttered, shaking his head.

Another boy had just arrived, closer to Remus. He looked as nervous, if not more nervous. Short, plump and with blond hair, he seemed to be torn between gaping at everything and everyone and pulling the wrapper off the bar of chocolate clutched in his pudgy hand.

Remus was comforted to think that he wasn't the only one that was nervous, or seemingly alone. The small boy looked up at the woman next to him, muttering words that Remus couldn't work out.

He just wanted someone to be his friend and to accept him when they had to find out about his problem... Someone who wouldn't blab about it to the entire school, which made making friends extremely risky. Dumbledore had offered Remus his own, private bedroom, but Remus had refused point blanc, a little upset by the fact Dumbledore seemed to think he should perhaps be segregated from the other, normal eleven year old boys who liked Quidditch and Chocolate Frogs and... He wasn't really quite sure. He preferred reading, but that hobby would be a minority.

'Time to go!'

Remus' father had appeared at his side, smiling a smile that wasn't quite real; it seemed to be a habit of his. The family walked along the platform, Mrs Lupin fussing continually, but in such a way that Remus liked it, even if was attracting some stares and pulling a faint pink tinge onto his cheeks. Why did people always have to be quite so judgemental or curious? But he couldn't really talk, given how long he'd stared at the greasy haired boy and the red haired girl for.

'Come on, Severus, we need to find seats!' The girl had reappeared, grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him onto the train excitedly. It was a worrying thought that perhaps almost everyone else already had a friend, and the little boy with the chocolate was nowhere to be seen.

...

'I'm sorry...' Remus looked around the sliding door, into the small compartment. The girl with red hair was sitting opposite the boy with greasy hair, her hair now in long plaits that she must have done. He didn't want to seem like he was stalking them, but he did keep seeing them. 'All the other carriages are full, or...' He broke off, not really wanting to say he was a little scared to enter one with sixth and seventh years, but the girl understood.

'Come in!' She smiled kindly and motioned towards the empty seats. The boy slipped in, still clutching his book and looking down to try and hide the scars on his face. It really wasn't the time for questions. 'I'm Lily Evans,' she held out a hand.

'Remus Lupin,' he shook it and turned to the boy, who said nothing.

'He's my friend, Severus,' she shot a small frown at the boy who was not speaking, 'Severus, this is Remus.'

Severus shot Remus a look that showed dislike as Lily turned to look out of the window.

'It's our first year,' she smiled as Remus sat next to her, earning another glare from Severus, 'I don't have magical parents... Severus has one magical parent, don't you, Sev? How many do you have?'

Remus seemed overwhelmed by how friendly she was, but it was nice, even if he was scared about her asking questions. They must have seen the scars on his face, and whilst Severus stared, Lily only nibbled her lip sympathetically when she thought nobody was looking.

'Both my parents are magical,' he started quietly, 'but it doesn't really matter, does it? I don't know any more magic than anyone else...'

She smiled warmly at Lupin and shook her head. He was yet to hear Severus to speak, but Lily seemed insistent.

'I agree,' her voice was softer and kinder, 'don't you, Sev?'

He realised he would have to speak and opened his mouth.

'I suppose it doesn't always matter...' He spoke carefully, choosing each word slowly.

A silence fell and Remus pulled out his book again, reading. Lily tried to mutter to her friend under her breath, but he stared out the window, making it clear that he would not speak unless Remus left.

'I'll go,' he whispered when the silence was getting unbearable.

Lily opened her mouth to protest as Severus slowly looked up.

'It's fine, really, I'm sure there'll be somewhere else to sit.'

...

Remus, however, was wrong. He had left the train and walked up and down to find full compartments of people who looked terrifying-ly older than him. At one point he had nearly walked in to a compartment full of prefects, and had stopped trying after that, choosing to read his book in the small corridor and squashing himself up against the wall when the poor woman with the trolley tried to pass.

'Do you know where the food trolley went?'

The small boy with the chocolate was back, except the chocolate was gone, leaving only traces around his mouth. He was also alone, except for the fact he was armed with all kinds of wizard sweets and chocolate.

'She went that way,' Remus pointed, hoping he might be able to follow the boy and strike up a conversation. He seemed alright, just liked chocolate more than the average person.

'Thanks,' the boy muttered gruffly, setting off on his trek.

'I-'

A loud laugh rang out from somewhere and Remus looked down to see the boy now lying on the floor, having tripped over an abandoned shoe. Two boys in the nearest compartment were the ones laughing, both taller than Remus and both with dark hair.

'Are you okay?' He took the boy's sweaty hand and helped him up.

He nodded. 'Thanks, 'm Peter.'

'Remus,' the other boy smiled, before Peter made some excuse and hurried after the trolley, leaving Remus outside the compartment of laughing boys.

He looked at them both. They weren't laughing too unkindly, but Peter falling over probably had looked funny. And Peter didn't seem to mind. They were bigger than him, perhaps second or maybe even third year. One was tall and good looking, even for an eleven year old, with long, black hair that had a slight wave to it. The other was shorter, with glasses and hair that stuck up all over the place. Both were grinning.

'Excuse me...' he slowly picked up the shoe and opened the door to their compartment, 'does this belong to either of you?'

They both smirked, and the taller one nodded. He was wearing a black shirt with a logo of The Beatles on, hand outstretched for the shoe. Apart from them and their masses of chocolate frogs, the compartment was empty.

Remus handed over the shoe and sighed quietly.

'Would you mind if I just sat in the corner here?'

They looked at each other, both grinning.

'Nope. I'm James, James Potter' the smaller one said, sitting back down and resting his feet on the seat opposite.

'Remus,' he smiled in return, curling up on the seat in the corner.

'I'm Sirius Black,' the other one said, pulling back on his shoe and strutting around the compartment, laughing at the jokes he was making with James.

He'd heard of the black family before... They were a well known, rich, pureblood family dating back years and years. From what he'd heard, as well, they didn't sound particularly nice, but Sirius seemed nice enough, letting him share the compartment.

As the train moved on, the scenery becoming more wild and the sky becoming darker, James and Sirius continued to laugh and joke and talk, eventually starting on Hogwarts.

'What house are you hoping for, Potter?' Sirius nudged his friend's leg.

Remus looked up from his book, eyebrow raised.

'Gryffindor, obviously, I told you before,' James grinned, stretching out, before seeing Remus's expression, 'what is it?'

'I just...' he looked at the two of them, who were both now staring, 'I thought you were second years at least,' he trailed off.

Sirius grinning, beckoning Remus closer. He had apparently taken Remus's mistake in age in his stride, as had James.

'Nope, we're the same year as you. What house are you hoping for?'

'Gryffindor,' he nodded, hoping he'd chosen the right house, 'or Ravenclaw.'

'Awh, Ravenclaw is boring,' James chuckled, 'you have to get into Gryffindor.'

'Anything but Slytherin,' Sirius muttered, 'my family are far too loyal to them, and I'm not continuing that tradition.'

Remus laughed nervously, closing his book for good and looking at the two boys. What would they say, though, if they found out? They seemed nice enough now, but anyone was likely to change once they discovered they had been talking to a werewolf. Remus knew that from experience. But he couldn't afford to segregate himself from other people when half of the reason of him going to Hogwarts was to prove that werewolves shouldn't be discriminated against. But he just wanted friends. Why should lycanthropy stop that?

'Why have you got so many scars, then, Lupin?' Sirius asked eventually.

'I-,' he'd planned hundreds of stories for this, but his mouth was starting to dry up, 'fights.' He mumbled.

'Fights?!' James chuckled, 'you don't like the fighting kind! But they're cool.'

'Yeah, not intentional ones,' Remus lived through his teeth, but the other two seemed impressed.

The train started to slow down and a bossy looking boy stuck his head in the train, telling the three of them to put their robes on. Sirius smirked at his gleaming Prefect badge, but obliged, pulling on his robes along with the other two. Remus dragged out his battered trunk that had once belonged to his father and stared out of the window.

'Why look so nervous?' Sirius Black grinned. 'Hogwarts is going to be brilliant.'