Well, this is a first co-writing attempt on both our parts. Since we both use the same account, we'll say that our code names are Star and Phoenix. Phoenix wrote this chapter and Star edited it.
Also, Phoenix finds that she has a habit of sticking Author's Notes in the middle of the story. So if she does, please bear with us. She has an annoying habit of making random comments at some point and just can't stop herself. You may skip them if you wish. Although they are funny and sometimes important.
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all the characters and this world. We're just working with it. If we did own it, we would make a series about the Marauders.
Happy reading!
Eleven year old Lily Evans was happy. Very happy. She had just received her letter from Hogwarts saying that she was accepted. She ran down the street to her best friend's, Severus, house. It was a dark cottage, but she didn't mind. Knocking hard on the door, she was bursting with anticipation to tell Sev all about the letter. He answered very soon. As usual, he looked sour at first, but as soon as he saw her, his face broke out in a grin.
"Lily! To what do I owe this pleasure?"Sev asked. Lily giggled. Sev was always so…so mature and gentlemanly.
"Sev! Guess what? I got the letter to Hogwarts today!"
"So did I! This'll be such fun!"
"Come on, Sevvy, let's go to the clearing," Lily said, referring to the forest clearing where they spent their days together. Grabbing his wrist, she dragged him out of the cottage and towards the clearing.
Once there, they chatted about everything they had to look forward too, while Severus told Lily all about Hogwarts, everything they hadn't already talked about, and more about the magic world to boot. Lily asked questions frequently, and squealed in delight sometimes, and so they spent the afternoon, enjoying each other's company while sitting under the shady trees.
8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8
James Potter sat lounging on his back porch of his very luxurious house. He had received his letter from Hogwarts, just as he knew he would. And therefore, he was not as excited as most would be. Besides, he was rather cocky, and to be excited about something so trivial…well, he shuddered to think of it. His parents, however, had been all over it. But he supposed that parents were parents and therefore, that explained everything. They were in Diagon Alley right now, getting his supplies and such. James slurped at his lemonade, and decided to go flying on his broom. And that was how he spent his afternoon.
8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8
Sirius Black sat on his bed, reading the Hogwarts acceptance letter, and snorted derisively to himself. Of course they were going to accept him! Of course they were going to let him in! He, who had been showing signs of magic since he was four, not getting into Hogwarts? The thought was laughable. He lay back on his bed, grinning. Someone knocked at his door.
"Who is it?" he asked rather boredly.
"Regulus," he brother answered, not put off at all by his unfriendly brother.
"Come in, then, Reg," Sirius said cheerfully. He liked Regulus. He wasn't as… Dark, you could say, as the rest of the family. Besides, he was in a good mood today. Hogwarts…maybe he would end up different than the rest of his family and be in Gryffindor! Or Ravenclaw…he supposed he wouldn't mind Ravenclaw. But Hufflepuff? Fat chance! He would die. Sirius laughed maniacally at the thought of him, brilliant Heir of the Blacks, in Hufflepuff. Yeah right. Regulus looked at him slightly worried. Sirius shook his head.
"It's nothing, I was just imagining Sirius of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black in Hufflepuff…"Regulus guffawed at this too.
"Right likely. I think Mum would like it better if you were in Ravenclaw or even Gryffindor. Slytherin would be the best, I think, though." Sirius decided not to correct his brother on that. And the two brothers spent the rest of the afternoon chatting away.
8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8
A young, handsome boy sat by the lake on his multiple-acre property. Or rather, this boy would have been handsome if not for the scars across his body, if not for the gaunt thinness of him, if not for the dark circles under his eyes, if not for the shadow in his face, if not for the shoulders that looked too heavy for such a small person, if not for the sadness that seemed to hang around him. He would have been handsome, very handsome, beautiful even, if his huge, beautiful gold eyes that used to be forget-me-not blue were allowed to come out, if he were normal and his beautiful thick gold and brown hair were allowed to stand out, if he ate enough to grow past his current three foot eightstatus and to actually not look as if he were starving, if he wasn't scarred, mentally and physically, if he wasn't a very serious insomniac. If he were normal. But he wasn't normal. This young, would-be-handsome boy was named Remus Lupin.
He sat by the lake reading his Hogwarts letter, his heart thumping. A school that would accept him! Even with his condition! For no magical school would take him because of his condition, and he was not allowed to go to a Muggle school for fear that the Muggles would find out. And here was a letter saying that there was no reason that he should not be allowed to attend Hogwarts if the proper precautions were taken! He almost danced in happiness, his eyes changing from hazel-gold to bright blue. Mum, Dad, and Roma would be so happy. Smiling, he took off his shirt to reveal a torso covered in scars, old and new, and dove into the lake.
8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8
Peter sighed. He was going to Hogwarts. Yippee. . He wished he wasn't. Not being very good at magic, he did not want to feel inadequate next to other students. But he was going anyways. And his mother was dead proud. Even worse. Ugh, proud parents equaled fawning over and never being left alone.
8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8
Lily and Severus walked together onto Platform 9 3/4. Her parents hugged her and Sev goodbye, because Sev's parents had not come to see their son off, and Lily's parents had taken him instead. And so, they loaded their trunks and boarded the train, searching for a compartment together. Sev looked at Lily's five foot one frame, her thick red hair, her brilliant green eyes, her creamy skin, and her look of being loved and well cared for. He thought of himself, five foot four with stringy black hair, dark brown eyes, his sallow, almost greenish skin, and a gauntness to him that never left, and reflected upon how lucky he was to have her as a friend.
A black robed, slightly embarrassed and flushing James was hugged and fussed over by his parents, and rolled his eyes. He ruffled up his hair some more. James Potter was exactly five foot two, with hazel eyes, a crooked grin, thick glasses, unruly black hair, a light tan, and was as thin as it is possible to be while also being completely healthy. This made him even more cocky and vain.
Sirius disdainfully put up his trunk and searched for a compartment. His parents had come and told him to be good. Fat chance. Sirius saw a mirror and admired himself. He was five foot four, with long, black, shaggy hair that fell with grace over his elegantly shaped face, chocolate brown eyes, olive toned skin, a perfect smile, and was slender but not exceedingly thin. You could see that, even through his robes. He was, in short, absolutely gorgeous, and he knew it, too. This made Sirius very self conscious and slightly arrogant, and he walked with an unknowing swagger as he looked for a compartment.
Wearing some old Muggle clothes, Remus placed his trunk carefully in the trunk compartment and went to the back of the train immediately. He knew, logically, that the ones in the front would have been taken up already because he was a little late, and he was an analytical and extremely logical thinker, so he did as he thought. He was right. As he walked, he saw that almost all the compartments were filled, and like he expected, he saw an empty one at the back almost immediately. Remus was very tired due to his serious insomnia, so he sat down, cupped his cheek, and went to catch up on some much-needed sleep.
Peter was lost. And he found the train two minutes before it left. So, therefore, he rushed everything and managed to trip over his robes. Twice.
James looked for an empty compartment here and there, but they were all filled. So he went to the back and looked. There was one with only one person it. The person was very, very skinny—much skinnier than James (and James had not thought it to be humanly possible while still being healthy—he was right, but Remus was not healthy, or even entirely human) and was almost all skin and bones. In fact, the skinny boy was sleeping, so James went inside the compartment and sat down, looking over the boy for a few moments. A few minutes later, a good looking, shaggy haired boy poked his head in.
"Can I come in? I don't really want to sit anywhere else." James nodded, and the boy came in. "My name is Sirius, what's yours?"
"James Potter. Shh, look, that boy is sleeping."
"Okay. Let's start talking. I'll go first. James Potter, you are a scrawny git."
"Gee, thanks. But if you think I'm scrawny, look at sleeping boy there," James retorted. Sirius looked.
"Oh my. We're going to have to make sure he gets something to eat. Look, he's all skin and bones."
"I know. Who d'you reckon he is?"
"Someone who is tired lots, does not come from an especially rich family, and is often sick."
"How do you figure that?"
"My family taught me how to judge people from appearances—health, status, and wealth."
"Ah. Well, what do you think of me?"
"Rich family, enjoys sports—Quidditch, I'm guessing?—, thin person who eats tons but doesn't seem to grow much, doesn't enjoy schoolwork, troublemaker, very healthy."
"And…that is creepily accurate."
"My family taught me well." A chubby boy poked his head in.
"Can I join you?" the ample boy asked.
"Sure, why not?" Sirius said. Peter sat down. "Name's Peter. Peter Pettigrew," he stated nonchalantly. And though they did not know it then, the group known as the Marauders was together for the very first time.
"I am Sirius, this is James Potter, and that is Sleeping-Boy—for the time being," Sirius said, pointing his finger at everyone in turn. Peter looked at Sleeping-Boy.
"He's very thin," was the first thing that escaped his mouth.
"I know, right? We've got to get him something to eat," James laughed.
"Yeah, see, James here is a scrawny git. Now, Sleeping-Boy is a—what's scrawnier than scrawny?" Sirius asked.
"I don't know…gaunt? Skeletal?" James offered.
"That's it, skeletal. Sleeping-Boy is a skeletal…skeleton?"
"Nice, Sirius, nice. Who would have thunk it? A skeleton, skeletal? Absolutely not. Maybe we should change his name to Sleeping Skeleton."
"Not a bad idea."
"I was joking."
"I wasn't." Sleeping Skeleton stirred a little.
"Shh!" James said. Sirius took no heed.
"Hey, Sleeping Skeleton!"
"Don't wake him!" James said. Sirius looked slightly offended. But it was too late. Sleeping Skeleton had woken up. He blinked open his eyes, and Sirius, startled, edged back a little. The boy's eyes were huge. Huge and bright gold. With emerald green around the pupils. That just wasn't right. The boy seemed nervous and scared at the sight of them. Sirius was the first to make a greeting, trying to make up for being scared of the boy.
"Hello, Skeleton Boy." The boy didn't say anything. James blinked in confusion as the Skeleton Boy did absolutely nothing to take notice of Sirius' greeting.
"He said hello, ya nipper." The boy still said nothing.
"Did you hear us? Hello-o-o?" Sirius asked.
"He's not replying," James said.
"Is he mute?" Sirius wondered.
"H-h-hello," the boy stuttered at last.
"Or not," Sirius muttered. "I'm Sirius. Who are you?" The skinny boy did not answer.
"Um…hello?"
"C-can I go b-back to sleep n-n-now?" the boy said hesitantly. Sirius looked at the small boy, dumbstruck, and then shrugged. Skeleton Boy turned around again and went to sleep. Or so it seemed to Sirius.
In fact, Remus was anything but asleep. He had very, very serious insomnia and as a result, would sometimes fall asleep at the worst moments, but other times, like now, he wouldn't have been able to fall asleep if his life depended on it. Remus was scared of becoming friends with the boys because he was sure they would leave him as soon as they found out his secret. His former friends all had. Because Remus hadn't had a friend since he was three. The ones he had were too repulsed and scared of him to continue being friends with him, and he had known few enough friends to start out with.
The rest of the train ride came and went, and Sleeping Skeleton woke up again. They met a dark, cadaverous future Slytherin named Severus and a fiery haired girl named Lily. James started drooling about Lily on sight, and swore that one day he was going to marry her. He and Sirius also hated Severus—or Snivellus, as they nicknamed him—immediately upon sight. But Peter was more open and said that they should give Severus a chance. Sirius told James that maybe Peter was right. This started a bickering match between James and Sirius which culminated in a lot of Chocolate Frogs and laughter. But James noticed that Skeleton Boy didn't even crack a smile at anything, which made him slightly confused. Didn't he find the humor in anything? But he let it go. He showed Sirius some joke items he had gotten, and they immediately started to plan some pranks. They decided the first one to be on Professor Dumbledore at the start-of-the-year feast, and knew exactly how to accomplish it.
As they got off the train, a huge giant of a man called, "Firs' years over here! Firs' years over here!" So Sirius, James, Peter, and Skeleton Boy walked over to the giant man by a lake, who instructed them, "Four to a boat, four to a boat, ye hear?" So, naturally, Sirius, James, Peter and Skeleton Boy were in the same boat. Skeleton Boy steered the boat as the others discussed the lake.
"My dad said there was a giant squid in the lake," James said.
"Cool! Think we could see it?" Sirius excitedly inquired.
"Let's try," Peter said. The three boys leaned over one side, looking and looking, tipping the boat dangerously as they did so.
"If you're not careful, you're going to capsize the boat," Skeleton Boy grumbled. The boys paid him no heed.
"Hey! Hey Squid!" Sirius yelled, dancing on the side of the boat, while the other boys leaned out as far as possible, splashing the water.
"Oh, p-please don't," Skeleton Boy said softly, so softly that no one heard him. Sirius jumped once on the boat and it tipped over slightly, sending James, Sirius, and Peter into the water, but not Skeleton Boy, who had managed to hold on and rebalance the boat.
"Whoa!" James yelled as he was dumped into the water. Sirius came up and grinned slightly. He whispered something to James, whose eyes light up evilly. They swam to the boat that Skeleton Boy was in, and started to tip it over. Skeleton Boy momentarily lost his balance and looked at James and Sirius pleadingly.
"No—please—don't—" His words were cut off as the boys succeeded in tipping the boat over. Skeleton Boy was dumped mercilessly in the water, as the boat was turned completely upside down, and he had to struggle to get outside of the perimeter of the boat so he could breathe. Luckily, he could hold his breath for much longer than normal humans. But then, he decided to go a bit deeper to see what everything looked like from underwater. He stayed in the murky depths for a few minutes before he realized that his acquaintances would be getting worried. When he finally came up, he breathed quietly. Sirius breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Ah, Skeleton Boy, you were down so long, we were beginning to think that you died. Five straight minutes! That's gotta be a record."
"AAAAAAAHHH!" This scream came from Peter. "The squid! The squid!"
"What?" James looked around…and then he saw the huge thrashing tentacles. The rest of the first years were way ahead by now, but the great, big, shaggy haired man turned around, shrugged, and turned back around. The tentacles started wrapping around the boys and lifting them up.
"Aaagh! The squid got me!" Sirius yelled.
"I think it got all of us!" James yelled. A gigantic head rose out of the water, a huge squishy head that would have been funny if it hadn't had a pair of very red eyes and red focused straight on the four very scared students. Well, three. Skeleton Boy was not at all alarmed. In fact, he started talking to it—the first coherent, non-stuttering sentences that the other boys had heard him say.
"Hello, squid. How are you? What's your name?"
"ARE YOU MENTAL!" Sirius screamed. That boy wouldn't even talk in complete sentences around other people, but he was talking calmly with a murderous squid? Skeleton Boy ignored him. Meanwhile, the squid made a lot of deep, guttural noises.
"You're lonely too? So am I. Well, Rocky, we seem to have a lot in common. You can call me John. It's my middle name, and it's easier than my first name anyways."
More guttural sounds ensued, and Skeleton Boy smirked.
"That would be because everyone thinks you're terrifying, and you said you accidentally ate a student fifty years ago and then regurgitated him before he could die? No wonder everyone's afraid. But I try to look past appearances."
More sounds.
"Thanks. Say, could you take us to the edge of the lake by the castle? Those two—" he jerked his head at James and Sirius,"—accidentally capsized our boat."
The squid seemed to nod. It lifted its tentacles that held the boys up to its head and gently deposited them there. Then it started swimming, keeping its head above water as its tentacles propelled it forward.
"I think we may be the only first-years ever to get across the lake on the giant squid," James muttered. Peter nodded fervently in agreement.
As they neared the shore, they heard a lot of frantic yelling and a few tall, dark figures running towards them. The giant squid named Rocky went to the very edge of the lake, plucked each one off gently and set them on the shore. Then it seemed to wave goodbye as it went back toward the center of the lake and sand down beneath the waves. One of the forefront figures came up toward them.
"Are you all right? The squid didn't hurt you?" A teacher was rushing towards them, her tall, thin bony frame looking oddly out of place as she checked all over them.
"We're fine. Skeleton Boy over there decided to talk to the squid, and talked it into carrying us here," Sirius said.
"Well, then, go to the feast, the Sorting is about to begin. Come along, come along…" the teacher said. "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, I am your Transfiguration teacher as well as Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House." They hurriedly made their way to the Great Hall (Sirius muttering "Minnie" along the way) and the four boys barely had a chance to look at the Hall before an old black hat on a stool in front of the entire school started singing.
Oh a thousand years ago or so,
When I was but brand new,
Magic was free and no one could see
How it could be controlled
For bright new wizards had no place
To learn and tame their talent.
So normalcy here was frightfully queer
To all the wizards who were,
And that was when four wizards and witches
Brightest of the age
Came together to form a school
Where magic could be shaped.
Those good four founders were all of virtue
And Gryffindor was brave,
But Slytherin was cunning and slick
While Ravenclaw had the brains.
Hufflepuff, she was loyal
And kept the four together
Until one day Slytherin left
And tore us all asunder
These four grand houses, like pillars four
Hold up the Hogwarts School
And may we all come together
To protect the best of our future.
The hat fell silent and the hall burst into applause as McGonagall started reading out names, telling them to come up to the stool when their name was called.
"Atkins, Cremarius!" she called. A brown haired boy got up and sat on a stool, and Professor McGonagall put an old black hat on the boy's head. Ten seconds later, the hat yelled, "Ravenclaw!" After Atkins, there was Barter (a Hufflepuff), and then it was Sirius. Sirius walked up, not the least bit nervous. The hat fell onto his head, and it started whispering in his ear.
"Mmm…a Black. But not a normal one…two much rebel in you. Too much…spunkiness for Slytherin. You're loyal…but you're not dedicated at all, or hardworking, for that matter, so, not Hufflepuff. Clever enough for Ravenclaw, but you're too…un-bookworm-ish? You don't like reading, studying, or listening to authority. But you're courageous, oh yes. So…GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled. Sirius smirked. He always knew he was going to break tradition, even if the hat had taken five minutes to decide.
Lily came up when her name was called, frightened slightly by everyone. The hat whispered quietly.
"Oh yes, oh yes, lots of spirit and bravely loyal. GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted. Ten seconds. That was rather short. The Gryffindor table stood up and burst into applause. She sat down smiling.
Remus went up nervously when his name was called. "Lupin, Remus" earned him a very wide grin from Sirius. He groaned inwardly. Of course. That gave his name away. There was a good reason Remus did not want everyone knowing his name. He was scared of making friends for fear that they would desert him. His new acquaintances knew he was different, but not quite as alien as he truly was. All his life he'd been outcast…because he was a werewolf. A beast. (A/N: Pointless foreshadowing up to this point) Not always, but he knew from experience that one night, one full moon, could change everything. So he was afraid. He forced himself to toss away these thoughts as he stepped up nervously to the hat. The old, brown thing was placed on his head. A minute passed, then a voice started whispering in his head.
"Ah, good form, this one. Hmm…a werewolf…now where will you fit? Cunning and slick enough for Slytherin, clever and bookish enough for Ravenclaw, hardworking and dedicated enough for Hufflepuff, brave and loyal enough for Gryffindor. Now, now, where should you be? Definitely enough stuff in you for you to make Slytherin—tough, strong, cunning, good at hiding things…but the same could be said for Ravenclaw. After all, you love reading and studying. You don't find many ones that love it as much as you do. But you'd do quite well in Hufflepuff too, really. You're not a rule breaker. You're loyal, dedicated, and hardworking. And Gryffindor…you're very brave, even if you don't see it. You're more daring than you realize, and loyal till the end. Ah, you are a tough nut to crack. Hmm…hmm…let's see…" the hat muttered. It fell into silence. Remus was very aware that he had been wearing the hat for at least five minutes now. It started talking again.
"Now, let's see…you love your family and would do anything for them. That's a point for Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. You use your own brains and cunning and devious lies to keep anyone from knowing about your lycanthropy. That would make a point for Slytherin and Ravenclaw. You don't have any friends, but if you did, you would do anything for them. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff…but if you felt something was really wrong, you would sneak around and not get caught because you are too intelligent. Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Oh dear, it's come down to a tie between all four again, hasn't it? I'll have to think about it a little more…" And the hat fell into silence again. It had been over ten minutes now. The hat had ruffled through a few of Remus' memories and thoughts, taking quite a long time with the second conversation. It now looked through more of Remus' past. A few minutes later, the hat spoke again.
"I think Slytherin's out; you need friends, and from what I've seen, you aren't likely to find some there. But otherwise, you would have been great in that house. Not Hufflepuff—you're too…secretive and closed. If not, that would have been good, but you're a little too clever for that house. I think you would have been quite bored there, honestly. So…no. Not Hufflepuff. Now it's down to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Hm. Hmm..." It had been twenty minutes already. The hall was getting restless. What in the world was taking so long? No one had ever been up there that long… Five minutes later, the hat began talking again.
"I've weighed your smarts and bravery, and they come out equal. I weighed your level mindedness and daring, and again, equal. You're very hard to decide for, Remus Lupin. You would have prospered in Slytherin, but you need companionship…" The hat was quiet once again. Remus was getting a bit impatient. Finally, the hat gave the verdict.
"Well, while you're perfectly suited to both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, I think you'll find that Ravenclaw investigates things too much and is more given to prejudice than Gryffindor, while Gryffindor tends to be more open. So, I think you'll be happiest in…GRYFFINDOR!" the hat finally yelled. Everyone cheered and clapped, even the Slytherins. Remus suspected it was because his Sorting had taken so damn long that everyone was impatient and glad to see him off the pedestal. He was right, but that didn't stop Sirius from grinning broadly up at him.
"Your name is Remus Lupin, eh? Funny, the hat took literally half an hour to sort you. Must be something special, eh? Come on, sit next to me." And Sirius dragged Remus into the seat beside him. Helpless, Remus obliged.
After a few more names, Peter was up. He was very nervous. He was not sure he was going to get into Gryffindor like the other boys he had met on the train, but he wasn't sure. His father said that he was going to be in Hufflepuff. He hoped not. He sat down on the stool.
"Hmmm…well, I just think that since you aren't going to work as well in the other houses, I will simply say you'll be in…GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted after a moment's thought. Relieved, Peter took off the hat and went to sit at the Gryffindor table next to the very shy Skeleton Boy from the train, who Peter now knew was called "Remus". He was looking down at his hands, not saying anything. Peter smiled a bit. He was really happy not to have been in Hufflepuff.
James sat on the stool, and about as soon as the hat touched his head, it yelled "Gryffindor!" So James grinned, bowed flamboyantly to everyone, whipped off the hat with a flourish, and handed it to Professor McGonagall. Then he pranced off to the Gryffindor table and sat down on the other side of Sirius.
Soon after came Severus. He was bemoaning the fact that Lily, his only friend in the world, was placed in Gryffindor. His entire family consisted of Slytherins, a fact he'd come to accept over the years. Sev felt Slytherin suited him. He only wished Lily could be with him. He slowly walked up to the hat and it was placed on his head. "Hmmm…you are a descendant of the Princes, yet you wish to be in…Gryffindor, you say? I could oblige to your wish, yet... I do not believe Gryffindor will quite befit you. As you are your mother's son, yes, yes, very cunning indeed, you shall be in…SLYTHERIN!" The Slytherin table stood and cheered loudly. Not surprised, Severus cast a final sad look upon Lily, then left to meet the members of his house.
The Sorting was finally over, and Professor Dumbledore stood up.
"To new students, welcome! To old students, welcome back! Before we eat, I have a few words to say to you! And they are: Twit! Oddsbodikins! Bubbles! And tickle! Now, tuck in!" With that, Professor Dumbledore sat down, smiling. Food appeared on the tables.
"Mental, he is," they heard someone near them mutter. James, Sirius, and Peter could only agree. They piled their plates high with food and dug in. Remus, however, was so astonished by all the food around him that he didn't know where to start. Being a very, very organized person, he rarely did anything without first considering every angle. So, therefore, he was currently contemplating what he should eat and the quantity thereof. Sirius groaned.
"Look, James, Remus has the world of food in front of him and he still won't eat. We must do something! Perhaps force it down his throat? Or will he just puke that up? Ah, James, we must have a plan! We must give food to the starving boy sitting next to us!"
"He has food. He's just not eating it," James pointed out.
"Even worse! Rejecting the gift of food!" Sirius sighed dramatically. Remus said absolutely nothing, just kept going with his mental calculations, refusing to eat before he had all the food prioritized and numbered. Suddenly, Sirius sighed, picked up a spoon, spooned up a heap of mashed potatoes, and shoved it in Remus' mouth, forcing Remus to swallow it down, choking. Remus looked at Sirius with wide, surprised eyes. Sirius groaned.
"Ugh, now look, he's making hurt puppy eyes at me! James, what am I s'posed to do?"
"I dunno, apologize for shoving a great big spoonful of potatoes down his throat."
"But he wasn't eating!"
"Ah. In that case, go on," James said, smirking. Suddenly, the red haired girl, Lily, turned on them.
"What gives you the right to force him to do something he doesn't want to?" she hissed, her green eyes flashing furiously.
"He's not eating!" Sirius whined.
"So? Does that justify you shoving food down his throat?"
"Actually, yes it does."
"You are an idiot."
"But Fire-Head, look at him! He's a skeleton! In fact, we nicknamed him Sleeping Skeleton!"
"Sleeping Skeleton?"
"What? He fell asleep on the train!"
"And Fire Head?"
"You have a head of fiery hair!" Lily turned away in disgust at this.
"Come on, Remus, do you want to sit next to me instead?" Remus' already huge eyes flared in shock.
"Y-you know me?" the boy said hesitantly.
"I did pay attention to the Sorting, and you were...different," Lily said, not really knowing if it was the right thing to say. Remus looked down at his currently empty plate, then nodded, getting up and moving to the other side of Lily, so that she separated him and Sirius.
"Hey—wait—c'mon, Remus! I didn't do anything that bad!" Remus didn't do anything, just looked at him with those huge, huge eyes. Sirius noticed that they were brown now, not gold and green. Well, they were brown with gold flecks now...why were his eyes different colours anyways? The reason was that Remus was no longer quite so nervous and scared now, and was surprised by how warmly he was welcomed, not to mention how much Sirius seemed to want him to be okay. But still, he could not get too close to any of them...and also, he was not hiding his emotions. If he were, his eyes would be stuck on gold-ish hazel with blue around the pupils—what his eyes normally looked like.
When they were finished eating, the food cleared, and Dumbledore started talking.
"To all you uprising wizards and witches, good evening! I have a few reminders before we all go to bed." At this point, James and Sirius put their plan into action. Carefully, making sure nobody was watching, they set Mr. Dobber's Clothes Changing Dust toward Professor Dumbledore with a single word—no wands required. As soon as it reached its target, Dumbledore's dark blue robes with start changed to lurid pink, and his robes shortened and flared out. The sleeves rolled up, tightening around his arms. Lace appeared everywhere, and red hearts and flowers covered the dress. Dumbledore's wizard hat shrunk and morphed into a bright pink butterfly bow. His hair started twisting up on itself, creating a bun with a good one and a half feet of hair still falling out of it. His beard became very, very shiny and put, Dumbledore was now wearing a horrible, poufy, bright pink dress that came down just past his very knobby knees, with a ludicrous pink butterfly hairband in his hair. Or, in an even shorter form, Dumbledore now looked like a six foot five inch, skinny teenage girl with a very long beard. The students began murmuring, some laughing aloud at the spectacle. The teachers stared in shock, and Professor McGonagall looked furious. Yet Dumbledore did not seem to notice, and continued with his speech.
"The Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden to all students, of age or not. Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that there will be no magic in the corridors. And Professor Jenkins has planted a new tree called the Whomping Willow in the school grounds as a project. It is very dangerous and will not hesitate to hurt any student to gets too close. That is all, I believe." The students hadn't stopped murmuring, talking, and laughing at Dumbledore, who apparently still hadn't noticed anything. However, McGonagall looked positively livid. She stood up as soon as Dumbledore finished.
"Which one of you is responsible for this ludicrous prank?" she hissed, her eyes flashing. Sirius stood up.
"Ah, Minnie! How my heart yearns for you! Though we have met naught but a few minutes ago, I can see that you are my one and only love!" Sirius cried dramatically, smiling dreamily and batting his eyelashes in a very flirtatious manner. James snorted with laughter, and the rest of the Great Hall followed suit. Professor McGonagall just stood there, mouth opening...then closing...then opening.
"Well, Mr. Black..." Professor McGonagall seemed unable to say anything more. Sirius only laughed, then stood up on the table.
"Look, my lovely comrades in arms, my dear Minnie, my princess, is at a loss for words, she loves me so, oh how I can make her blush and shine under my gaze, ah, my lady fair, there is no more need to hide, as our love—"
"Mr. Black, that is enough, ten points from Gryffindor!" McGonagall all but screamed. Grinning, Sirius sat down.
A few minutes later, the feast ended and the prefects started to take the first years up. Remus was whisked away by McGonagall, much to the other students' confusion. Remus himself was not surprised at all; he had known this would happen.
McGonagall took him to the Headmaster's office, which was hidden behind a pair of gargoyles. Muttering the password (Blood Pops), she swept him up the circular staircase, ushering him into the office. Professor Dumbledore sat at his desk, looking serene. He smiled understandingly when the tiny boy was almost shoved inside his office.
"Ah, Mr. Lupin. Come, come, sit in that chair right there. No need to be nervous, yes?" Remus hesitantly sat down in the proffered chair, very, very nervous.
"No need to be jittery. Now, as you know, I have called you to tell you of the arrangements we have made for your transformations. You remember the Whomping Willow I informed the students of at the Opening feast? That is the entrance to a secret house where you will go every month. Madam Pomfrey will escort you from the hospital wing. It is your responsibility to be at the hospital wing an hour before sunset. The first time, however, she will take you to the Willow. After that, it will be solely your responsibility. Can I entrust you with that?" Remus nodded vigorously. He could do anything for the Headmaster, as long as it meant he would be able to go to school.
"Very well, you are dismissed, Mr. Lupin. I hope you have a good night. The password to Gryffindor Tower is Hungarian Horntail. Professor McGonagall will see you there. Good night." And with that, Remus left Professor Dumbledore's office. Professor McGonagall did indeed escort him up Gryffindor Tower, and also ensured that he would be completely and utterly lost without a guide.
As he entered the dorm, he noticed the four other boys in their beds, all fast asleep. There were Sirius, Peter, and James, the boys he had met on the train, and one black haired boy he did not recognize who looked distinctly Asian. He sighed. He would never be able to befriend these boys. Ever. Feeling tired, he lay the last available bed (which was by the window), where his trunk was already situated and tried to go to sleep.
Well, what do you think? Reviews are love! Tell us if you liked it!