They hurried to find the platform in pure excitement. Platform seven, eight, nine, they were close. Then Remus stopped abruptly in front of a brick wall like column. She skidded to a halt, a little too quickly after him nearly sending her trunk to the ground. "What is it?"

He smiled. "We're here."

She did a double take at the spot and then stared at him. "Here?"

He looked fondly at the place. "Yeah, here." Then he looked over at her. She looked nervous and kind of like, well you did describe it like this, but is this really it? He smiled at her and said, "Do you want to go through with me?"

"Sure."

"Okay, they say if you're nervous they say that you should go at it from a run so-"

"We don't have to run in to it, and besides," she shuffled her feet "I am not nervous."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not"

"Yes you are."

"I am not, stop it."

Mrs. Lupin caught up with them. "Quiet. Now hurry up before you're both late, and we know what trouble that would cause." She eyed them with a knowing look. Alice was silenced but Remus still held the glint in his eye. He pulled his sister over to the wall and positioned them both so that their backs were against the wall.

"Remus?" she whispered very quietly, as he held her elbow to him.

"Yes Alice?"

"Is this safe?"

He whispered back, "You're gonna love it." She smiled and he leaned back and she did too, and they both fell through together. She opened her eyes. All around were smoke and people, families talking and saying goodbye, trunks being put on the train, animals, people running finding friends. She looked all around her, it was just, magical. That's something you don't so much get in America, yes there are witches and wizards, but there are a lot of phonies and people trying to call spirits, and lighting candles and talking to the dead. That was something she wrote Remus about, and sure enough it was bologna. They both had a good laugh over Ouija boards. She turned towards Remus … but he wasn't there. She turned around and really looked hard but she couldn't see him or her mom anywhere, they had just vanished. She started getting worried. She looked up at people trying to ask someone if they knew where they were. None really made eye contact so she just let them by. She was alone in a place she was unfamiliar with. She looked again and again. They had left her. Someone grabbed her shoulder. She turned towards them. It was an older boy. She wanted to shrink into her shell. She could explain and rationalize just about anything, and was a great mediator, but alas had no social skills, none at all. Being forced to move to America after what had happened to Remus when he was five, and she was three, moving away from her parents, her brother, her friends, and to a different country itself, had really not helped matters. Especially moving back after seven years to start at Hogwarts.

The boy looked at her. "Are you lost?"

She squeaked out an answer and he smiled. Suddenly a girl came up to them. "James leave her alone!"

"I was just asking her if she was lost!"

"Sure you were." She rolled her eyes, and then smiled at Alice and stuck out her hand. "Hi, my name is Lily Evans."

Alice looked at the boy and he smiled. She took hold of Lily's hand and shook it meekly. "Alice Lupin."

James' eyes lit up and Lily stared at her. James asked, "I didn't know Lupin had a sister."

Lily glared at him. "Are you looking for him?"

She stared back at them.

"Don't worry, we're not Slytherins."

"I happen to know a nice Slytherin."

"What you mean Snivellus?"

"His name is not Snivellus."

"He's still a great big oily git."

"No he is not!"

"Will you go out with me."

"Not in a lifetime."

"What about two life times?"

"Never in the history of the universe under any circumstances will I, Lily Evans ever for any reason go out with you, James Potter."

He sat there silent for awhile then said, "What if you change your name."

She stormed off and he called after her, "That's good because I like your name." He stared over at Alice who had been just standing there with her cart and her cat watching the whole scene unfold. "I'm gonna marry her someday."She nodded and he smiled. "Come on, let's get your stuff put away and we'll find Remus, okay?"

She smiled wide. "Okay."

He helped her and led her onto the train. He was very nice, and kept talking about his friends, what Hogwarts was going to be like, how awesome it was, what to look out for what to expect, what all of the different Houses were named and what type of people get put into them, all the while ducking his head in and out of compartments. He ducked his head into one and stopped and entered. She stood outside of it, before he poked his head out and grabbed her hand and pulled her and her cat inside. He sat down next to another black haired boy and looked at her, then she sat down on the seat across from him next to some tiny little blonde haired boy. "Hey guys" James nudged the black haired boy towards the girl and the blonde one stared at her.

"Hey." said the dark haired boy. She didn't answer. She was kind of intimidated by all of them, though she did smile at him in response.

The other boy asked, "What's your name?"

She looked at James and he smiled again and laughed. She smirked at this. She was being stupid, they were just people, and they also claimed to be friends of Remus', what harm could there be. She opened up a little bit. "Alice Lupin" and she stuck out her hand. The blonde haired boy shook it, and the two boys besides James just looked at her, then at James. He nodded. "And this," she said and held up her cat in her arms, "Is Diana"

"Why did you name her Diana?"asked the dark haired boy, she just smiled.

The dark haired boy said, "So your Lupin's little sister?"

"Everyone keeps saying that, but I swear I'm past five feet now."

He smiled. "Apologies, you're not little"

"Thank you."

"Though you're a rabbit right?"

"What?"

"Aren't you the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland?"

She kind of stared at him. "Cause my name right? But that would make me Alice wouldn't it, not the rabbit." She kept staring at him when suddenly the compartment door was flung open.

"Guys, I can't find her I think I've lost her."

The dark haired boy cut in, "What you mean you've actually got a date for Hogsmeade?"

"No, my-" but then he stopped and stared at Alice, then looked around at the rest of the people in the compartment. He breathed deeply for a second and then looked back at her. "Mum was going to kill me, I've been looking," then he stopped and looked back around the compartment. "How did you end up in here?" She looked at James and gave him a nod.

"Don't worry Lupin, sit down." Said the dark haired boy.

He sat down next to Alice and said, "So how did this happen."

"Well I was talking to," she looked over at the boy with glasses, and he just kept smiling at her, encouragingly, "To James, and then we put my trunk on the train and came here and I met," she looked over at the two other boys and was suddenly struck by something. She didn't know their names.

They seemed to catch on and the dark haired boy took her hand, "Sorry luv, the name's Sirius Black." She shook his hand and nodded, then turned towards the other boy.

"And I'm Peter, Peter Pettigrew." She nodded as well.

"And you're Wabbit, the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland." Said Sirius Black

She glared at him, "I'm not Wabbit, and his name was the march hare, but most commonly his name is the white rabbit." She smiled, "not Wabbit."

He let out a bark like laughter. "You really are related to ole' Mooney, aren't you?"

She looked rather confused. "Mooney?"

Remus turned towards her and said, "It's what those lot like to call me."

"Oh."

They talked for a little bit, and then everyone just kind of fell silent. Then the compartment door slid open. Lily was there. "Hey Lily, come to apologies for storming off early, don't worry I've already forgiven you."

"Grow up Potter." Then she turned to Alice. "Hey do you want to come to our compartment? It'll be great I promise."

Alice looked at James, then Peter and Sirius, last Remus. Remus said, "You can go wherever you like, or stay here, it's your choice." She looked at James and he nodded. She looked all around and then smiled and nodded to Lily.

Lily turned to go, and just about as Alice was about to walk out of her compartment with Diana, and her pack, full of her school uniform and other stuff she might need on the way over, books and the like, when James grabbed her arm. She looked at him. "Um, I was wondering" She smiled. "Could you, could you just tell me if Lily says anything, alright." The others just laughed, but he paid no attention.

"Uh, of course." She nodded, framed in the doorway, looked around at them, waved goodbye, and left.