Albus Potter stood on the Muggle side of Platform 9 3/4. His mother had an arm around his shoulder and was almost in tears. On Albus's other side, his father stood, proud. Holding, his mother's hand, Lily was impatient. She was tapping her foot and rolling her eyes. She didn't get to go to Hogwarts yet and did not need to be there for her brother's turn. James was whispering with Hugo Weasley. They looked to be thinking of creative pranks for this school year. Albus was almost worried. They wouldn't prank him. The consequences outweighed the benefits.
"Albus!" A voice floated through the crowd. Turning around, Albus saw the speaker. He grinned as Remus, his godfather, walked over and gave him a hug. Remus greeted the rest of the Potters and the Weasleys. As Albus's parents and the Weasleys talked, Remus turned toward him, smiling.
"Are you excited for your first year?" Remus inquired. Albus grinned and nodded happily. He could not even speak he was so excited. Remus smiled at him before Harry caught his attention.
After Remus started up a conversation with his father, Albus saw Rose Weasley waving him toward the wall to the train. Albus held up a finger for her to wait and walked over to his parents and Remus.
"Rose is waiting for me to go." He said, softly. His parents and Lily gave him a hug.
"Good luck." They said.
Albus received a last hug from Remus and something was shoved into his hand. It felt like a marker, but why would Remus only give him one marker? Albus looked up at Remus to see him smiling. He looked at his hand and saw the most amazing marker he had ever seen. It was the unlimited ink marker that was only found in Italy. He had been subtly hinting at wanting it to his parents all year, but now he had it.
Albus gave Remus the largest hug he could and was bouncing up and down.
"Merlin! Thank you so much Uncle Remus!" Remus smiled back, happy that Albus liked his gift.
He shooed Albus to Rose and Scorpius Malfoy, who had been dropped off minutes earlier, and they went through the wall to their first year at Hogwarts.
Albus, Rose, and Scorpius were pulled onto the train by a crowd of older years.
"Is that Albus Potter?"
"Why is Malfoy with them?" Questions, accusations, and insults erupted from a throng of reporters. The trio were dragged into a compartment away from the shouts by a couple Prefects. The boy Prefect, a Ravenclaw, looked at them worriedly.
"Are you all unharmed? Those reporters can be rowdy sometimes." He trailed off, a distant look in his eyes. The girl Prefect, a Slytherin, moved in front of him. She gestured for the Rose, Albus, and Scorpius to sit down. Grabbing the Ravenclaw's arms, she parked him next to Rose.
"He gets like that sometimes. Anyway, my name is Kendra Richmond." She pointed at the Ravenclaw, who was now muttering to himself.
"He's Quinn Boot. You guys can stay in this compartment for this ride. Make sure to change into your robes before you get off the train. We need to go to a Prefect meeting. If you have any questions, go to the Prefect compartment at the front of the train." At this, she pulled Quinn up and they left.
The train's whistle sounded throughout and left the station. The yells of students and parents saying their goodbyes, accompanied the sound of the wheels and whistle.
Rose and Scorpius started a conversation on their books for this year. Albus stared out the window. He missed Remus already and they had barely been apart for fifteen minutes. Remus practically raised Albus. He loved his parents and all, but sometimes they were too impatient to sit and talk about a book with him. He understood that and it was okay, but Remus loved books and analyzing them after with him.
Albus needed to focus on something else. He pulled his Potions book from his trunk to reread for the fifth time.
There was a knock on the compartment door. Scorpius got up and opened the door. Remus stood in the doorway, smiling.
"Oh. Hi Mr. Lupin." Scorpius said, glancing toward Albus. Albus rose from his seat and Scorpius sat down next to Rose again. Remus chuckled.
"You can call me Remus." Scorpius slowly nodded and returned to his conversation with Rose. Albus was not listening.
"I don't mean to offend you, but what are you doing here?" Albus inquired. As far as he knew, his godfather was supposed to be at his house with his parents. Remus invited himself into the compartment and sat down next to Albus. Rose and Scorpius bid goodbye to Remus and Albus. They were going to find some other students to talk to.
"Well. Headmistress McGonagall has requested for me be an assistant to the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Remus paused, waiting for Albus's reaction. Albus smiled brightly. His godfather would be at school with him. Albus was worried about being left out by his friends and being all alone. Now, he could sleep without being distressed all the time. Even if Rose and Scorpius left him, Remus would be there.
Albus looked up at Remus. He looked concerned.
"Remus, what's wrong?" Albus asked in a reserved tone. Maybe Remus didn't want to stay anymore? Remus shook his head.
"I was curious as to what was going through your mind." Albus released a breath. Remus wasn't leaving.
"Just thinking about how if I'm ever feeling alone you will be there." Albus said quietly. He wasn't familiar with sharing his feelings. When he did, it was with Remus.
Remus had a small smile on his face. He hugged Albus tightly. Albus rested his head on Remus's shoulder. As he drifted to sleep, he heard Remus's words.
"I won't ever leave you alone."