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MISCHIEF MANAGED
Chapter One - Platform 9¾
A nervous-looking couple stood near the platform entrance attempting to reassure their son of his fears.
'Dumbledore did say that everything was under control sweetheart. I am sure that there is nothing to worry about.' Remus Lupin gave his mother a weak smile and nibbled on his chocolate bar.
'You have all that chocolate that I gave you this morning, honey?' She giggled inwardly at her son's obsession with the sweet as he nodded vigorously. Her husband moved forwards and began to carry the enormous trunks to the baggage cart.
'Now, everything will be fine, I promise. I am absolutely sure that Dumbledore has taken all necessary precautions to make sure that nobody knows or finds out about your condition.' She whispered the last word hoping that none of the people around them had heard. Remus nodded, hoping that the words had truth in them. He kissed both his parents farewell and jumped onto the train, pretending not to see the tears in his mother's eyes. They would stay until the train left the station, wanting to make perfectly sure that their son was safe without them.
Remus wandered through the train until he came to an empty compartment. He sat on the seat closest to the window, opened his rucksack, removed his school book A History of Magic and began to read. He wanted to make sure that he was well prepared.
'Peter! Would you please calm down?' An older woman addressed a small boy who would not stop jumping, bouncing and shaking. He stopped immediately at the stern look on his mother's face and attempted to remain calm.
'Put that trunk into the baggage compartment. And make sure you take good care of Creature.'
'But that cat hates me, Mum. Why do I have to take it to school?'
'Because it was a gift from your grandmother and because I said so.'
Peter had no answer to that and hung his head. He meekly followed his mother's orders and lugged his heavy trunk into the compartment with great difficulty. He would take the cat with him on the train. The goodbye was short and sweet. Peter's mother made sure that he was set for the journey and walked back through the barrier. She didn't wait to see the train off. Peter fell up the steps, rolled into the train and began to watch the surrounding families from a nearby window. He didn't want to sit down just yet for fear that no one else would choose to sit with him in his compartment. He watched as the Blacks, a well-known wizarding family, strode onto the platform.
'Oh, to have power,' he thought wistfully.
The family strode through the barrier as though they owned the platform, heads held high and aloft. One boy lagged a little behind the tight-knit group as though not wishing to be associated with them. Occasionally he yelled taunts to his younger brother in a jeering tone. This boy was carelessly handsome. His black hair and grey eyes would have found themselves a spot in any girl's heart.
'Cygnus,' his father called heartily. Sirius cringed at the sight of his uncle. He looked around quickly but the family was too far away from the crowds for escape to be possible. His least favourite cousin, Bellatrix Black, sidled over.
'You better hope you're in Slytherin,' she whispered in a deathly tone. 'I have my ways of making your life hell.'
He didn't bother replying. Even Bellatrix couldn't phase him that easily. He smiled around at the rest of the family. Bellatrix might just have been whispering words of encouragement in his ear. Orion Black took his son's heavy trunk to the train. He beckoned Sirius to follow. Once he was within whispering range, his father began to speak.
'You'd better behave yourself boy,' he snarled. 'Or we won't have you back.'
Sirius knew that this meant he had better be in Slytherin like the rest of his idiotic relatives. If only he had wanted it as much as the rest of them. Seeing another family fly through the barrier, he realised that the train was due to leave soon.
Sirius walked back to his family quickly, said goodbye even faster and almost ran to the train. He looked out of the window at them all, gave a quick wave and went to look for a compartment. He was rid of his family now - for the time being. And he was going to enjoy every minute without them. He saw the messy-haired boy he had seen earlier still racing with the clock, struggling to get away from his parents and into the scarlet train. He couldn't see why the boy was so desperate to get away. Sirius knew that a family like that was hard to come by in his upper-class world.
Three minutes before the train was due to leave, the Potters raced through the barrier. Lateness was a well-known trait of the family, usually caused by their only child, James. The elderly couple looked around for their boy but he was, as of yet, not on the platform.
'James Charlus Potter! Come onto the platform at once or you'll miss your train!'
At that moment, James Potter walked through what appeared to be a brick wall, his hair looking as though it hadn't been touched since he woke up, his hazel eyes sparkling behind his round glasses. 'Please do something with that hair,' his mother pleaded with him.
'I swear I tried Mum,' he grinned back at her, knowing she could never stay angry at him for long. Nobody could. His father wheeled the trolley to the baggage compartment and placed it carefully on top of the others. His mother enfolded him in a hug and James felt the tears on her cheek.
'I'll be fine, Mum. I promise.' He attempted to reassure her but it didn't succeed. She hugged him once more and then again and again. James struggled to get to the train. He could hear the noises indicating it was beginning to move.
'Mum, I will see you at Christmas. May I please go now? Or I'll miss it!' She nodded slowly, gave him one last hug and kissed his forehead. He was almost as tall as she was now. James shook his father's hand, smiled and bounded happily up the steps to the train. He stuck his head out of the window and waved until he could no longer see the platform.
James turned away from the window a little too quickly and bumped into a black-haired boy. He was a little better groomed than James but had the same look of mischievousness in his eye.
'Hi, I'm James,' he introduced himself, thinking that this would be a good friend to have.
