1. Along the Tracks (Remus)
Dim sunlight was shining through the enormous, weathered skylight. Heavy smoke rose from the scarlet steam engine and filled the air with a faint smell of burned coal. The platform was filled with students and parents. Everyone was loudly chatting, carrying their trunks and pets. Some people had already boarded the train, but many were still saying goodbye to their loved ones.
"Do you have everything?"
Remus turned away from the Hogwarts Express and answered his mother Hope with a quick nod. She smiled and pulled him in for a long hug.
"Have a great year," she said tenderly. "We'll write soon."
In eight days, to be precise. But none of them wanted to point that out.
Remus still gave her a thankful smile when they let go of each other. Their letters were comforting, even thought the circumstances were not.
Remus' father, Lyall, reached out his arms and embraced his son, before kissing him on the forehead.
"Don't overwork yourself," he repeated, for what felt like the hundredth time that summer. "Do as much as you can - it's not the end of the world if you don't get top grades."
Remus nodded again. He knew Lyall's goal was to unburden him as much as possible, and it would be nice if he didn't have to be stressed out all year. But if Remus wanted a bright future he would need to work for it, no matter how unfair the odds were.
"Goodbye. We'll see each other in December," mumbled Lyall.
"Yeah." Remus smiled. He looked forward to the school year but would miss his parents as usual.
Remus clutched the handle of his trunk and lifted it from the ground. Only after Hope had managed to give him a kiss as well was he able to make his way through the thinning crowd.
The train was packed with students on the lookout for a compartment. Remus walked as fast as he could through the carriage in search of his friends, and soon spotted Sirius through the glass in the door of an otherwise empty compartment. Remus opened the door and made his way inside.
Sirius, dressed in the same black robes as Remus, with the red and gold tie hanging loosely around his neck, sat on the left seat by the wall with his head turned against the window. He turned around when Remus entered and gave him a big smile.
"Hi!" Sirius flipped his, for once, well combed straight, black hair and leaned further back in his seat.
The hair reached past his jawline by now. When Sirius first had started Hogwarts five years ago it had been shortly cut. According to his parents that was the proper look for a boy. Remus wasn't sure if Sirius had wanted long hair to begin with, or if his parents' restriction had triggered that desire. "Fancy seeing you, Mr Lupin.", Sirius continued.
"Hi," smiled Remus, before shoving his trunk on the luggage rack above the seats.
He refrained to call Sirius by his last name, since Sirius was, to put it mildly, not very found of it.
"How was August?" Remus asked while dropping down on the seat next to Sirius. Remus, Sirius, James and Peter had all seen each other during the first half of the summer holiday. They had stayed at James' house, and one day Remus had taken them to a muggle amusement park. His friends had all run around like little children, pointing at everything, eyes shining with excitement. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Peter to join them in the roller coaster train, and just the same amount of begging to keep Sirius in it. He had kept trying to undo his seatbelt and climb to sit on the front part, but, fortunately, his attempts had been unsuccessful.
Sirius smiled. "Good. I almost beat James at Quidditch!"
Somehow Remus doubted that statement. James had played for the Gryffindor Quidditch team for four years, while Sirius only interest involving brooms was to ride them as fast as he possibly could.
"You?"
Remus shrugged. "It was fine."
It had not been fine. It had been lonely. Remus enjoyed his parent's company, but it would have been nice to hang out with friends as well. The town he lived in mostly consisted of muggles, but a couple of wizarding families lived there as well. Remus had never got to know someone from either group, and now, six years later, it was too late. He would just be considered weird if he suddenly showed up on one of his neighbours' doorsteps. And close association with anyone - muggle or not - was risky. Of course, a wizard or witch would be more suspicious than a muggle, but Remus peaky appearance, strange behaviour and monthly disappearances would even make the muggles start to wonder what was wrong with him.
Sirius seemed to see through Remus words, but before he could say anything he was interrupted by the door, which once again opened. James and Peter made their way inside at the same time as the whistle sounded. Standing there next to each other, Peter appeared to be at least two years younger than James. His head, covered in ash blond hair, reached James to the shoulder. But the difference in appearance was especially broad between the two of them, with James being slim, muscular and tall for his age, while Peter was short and a little plump. The four of them greeted each other heartedly and dived into a conversation about their summers as the train started to move.
It didn't take long before they had left London behind them. There were no buildings in sight as they ran through fields, coloured green by the leaves of thriving crops. Fluffy white clouds filled the blue sky and hid the sun from view. Remus leaned back in his seat as he watched the scenery run by outside. Their conversation had died out at the moment, and Remus listened to the rhythmical, thumping sound of the train wheels slamming against the railway.
"Do you think the rumours are true?" Peter suddenly asked quietly. "That You-Know-Who has recruited Dementors?"
The effect of his words were immediate. Almost subconsciously, Remus sat up straighter, and out of the corner of his eye he could see James and Sirius do the same.
Remus had heard the rumours, and they terrified him. Dementors were one of the most appalling creatures he could think of. Due to his father, he knew a lot about them, since the study of Non-Beings like Dementors happened to be what Lyall had dedicated his life to. The fact that their most minor offense was to feed off of happiness, making their victims momentarily depressed, should have spoken for itself. Beyond that, Dementors had the power to suck out a human's soul - leaving them worse than dead. They were incredibly strong, and even talented wizards and witches had trouble defending themselves against them. With Dementors on his side, Voldemort would be able to do colossal damage.
"Yes," answered Remus. He had discussed the matter with his father, and they both believe the rumours to be true. "It couldn't have been very difficult for You-Know-Who to convince them, since he can offer them so much more than the ministry would ever allow."
"It could just be a trick," James pointed out while leaning forward in his seat. "The Death Eaters might have started the rumors to scare people."
Peter nodded, with a thankful look in his eyes, as if he was happy that James gave him a reason to latch on to the idé that Voldemort had not gained any power.
"That would explain why they are just that - rumors. The Daily Prophet hasn't brought it up because it's not true," Sirius added.
"Or: The Daily Prophet is hiding the truth because they don't want to admit how bad things are," Remus speculated.
"That would be really wrong of them," said James. "We have a right to know what's happening."
They all hummed in agreement.
"But even if You-Know-Who had Dementors, he wouldn't just let them roam free. I assume he want some wizards and witches to rule over if he wins, not just a bunch of soulless lumps," said James sardonically.
"Maybe he want them to kill all the muggles," Peter suggested.
"But Dementors don't kill-"
" Soul-suck all muggles, then," Peter corrected himself.
"But then he would still be stuck with the muggles. They would still be there, even if they didn't have a soul. I bet he wouldn't like that." Sirius smiled ironically.
"I don't think You-Know-Who is the kind of person who would mind if innocent people got hurt. If they were in the way he would destroy them with the rest," said Remus.
"Yeah, he would," James agreed. "But he's not stupid. He won't let the Dementors do uncontrollable damage."
That did make sense, and Remus actually felt comforted, considering the situation. He gave a quick nod to show that he agreed.
They hadn't yet learned how to cast the Patronus Charm, which was the only protection against dementors. Lyall, of course, already knew how to summon a prefect corporeal Patronus, and he had been aching to teach Remus for ages. But magic outside of school was forbidden for underage wizards and witches, so all Remus and Lyall could do was to wait for the school to teach it. The fact that Remus couldn't protect himself was a stressful thought.
The train had continued its steady travel through the landscape. The fields had momentarily been replaced by rows of planted pine trees, which rapidly swished by the window.
"At least we're all safe if Voldemort wins," Sirius said jokingly, and Remus attention returned to the compartment.
Sirius was probably getting at the fact that none of them were muggleborn.
Remus raised a thin eyebrow. "I'm a werewolf."
"You-Know-Who is using werewolves," Sirius pointed out in a casual tone.
"Using them, yes. Do you really think he's going to keep them around when they have fulfilled their purpose?"
Sirius paused for a moment. "No," he said in a low voice.
"That's also just a rumour," James added. "Maybe there's no werewolves working for him."
"My mother is a muggle," Remus continued matter-of-factly. "So I think my family is kinda screwed."
Sirius gave Remus a joyless grin.
"We're not going to let anything happen to you, Remus. Or your family," said James seriously. Peter nodded eagerly, as to emphasized James words.
Remus smiled weakly. "Thanks," he said.
If Voldemort did win, James wouldn't have much say in who lived and who died, but Remus appreciated the gesture.
When no one continued the conversation, James leaned back in his seat again and unconsciously ran his fingers through his messy black curls. Sirius put up his legs on the seat next to Remus and leaned his back against the wall next to the window with a small sigh. Remus pulled a muggle book out of his trunk, and when he sank back in his seat Sirius and James had started a soft conversation. He opened the book and let his eyes follow the black prints on the page, without actually perceiving what they meant.
Remus had never truly considered what he and his family would do if Voldemort won. It would be a catastrophe if Voldemort did, and maybe that was why Remus hadn't even recognised it as an option - it was simply too horrifying to handle. But if such a catastrophe was to take place, then people like James, Sirius and Peter would all be able to survive. They would survive to live in an awful world, but at least they would be alive. Remus, on the other hand, was a werewolf, his mother a Muggle, and his father would be considered a disgrace for his association with the two of them. Therefore, Remus' whole family would be killed along with every other muggle, muggle born and blood traitor.
Although, Remus was actually a werewolf in hiding, as James had once put it. Every werewolf was by law obligated to register at the Ministry's Beast Division (There was a Being Divition too, but the Ministry had decided to put the matter of werewolves in the Beast Division to be as offensive as possible). It was illegal not to do so, and any one who got caught would be sentenced to a shorter visit to Azkaban. Remus' parents never registered him after he was bitten. Lyall knew how the world looked at werewolves, and he wanted to give Remus every chance to avoid such a treatment.
But Remus was far from the only unregistered werewolf. The stigma regarding lycanthropy (the disease of being a werewolf) was so strong that almost no one wanted to expose their condition. And there was a time when the Ministry bearly would have bothered if they found an unregistered werewolf. But Voldemort's growing power, and the rumours that werewolves were working for him made Remus doubt that the Ministry would let it slide these days. Being a werewolf in hiding had started to make Remus anxious.
But the fact that Remus' lycanthropy was a secret offered a shred of hope. That meant that Voldemort's Death Eaters wouldn't know, and as a half-blood wizard he wouldn't be a target. As long as Lyall and Remus could hide Hope's true blood status could they survive.
Remus turned his attention back to the book in his hands and immersed himself in the story. It was quiet in the compartment, except to the occasional bang from James and Sirius round of Exploding Snap. Peter had also put up a book. They sat like that for a while, but when the lady carrying the trolly passed their compartment they all got up to buy some food and sweets, and sat down for lunch break. They started chatting, and Sirius told them about the latest idiotic things his parents had said, and made them all laugh with the story of how he destroyed his mother's favourite robes in dog-form. Remus filled them in on the latest muggle news, although James and Sirius already knew some of it, since James now subscribed to a muggle newspaper. He told them he partly did it as a statement. As a wizard, showing his interest in the muggle world proved he thought muggles to be equals, and just as important as witches and wizards.
"And it's a way to educate us about them," James said seriously. "So people understand that they are people too."
If only more wizards were like James.
At four in the afternoon Remus left the compartment to meet up with the other prefects. The meeting didn't take long, since this was his second year holding the position. The Head Boy and Head Girl quickly informed him of the school's new safety policies, reminded him of his powers and duties, and gave him the password to the Gryffindor common room.
"Sirius bet James one galleon that you'll use your prefect authority against us at some point," Peter greeted Remus when he came back.
Sirius gave a theatrical sigh and rolled back his head. "Pete, he wasn't supposed to know."
Peter dropped the smile and pouted his lips. "Sorry."
"It might affect the odds," James added, grinning up at Remus.
"Five points from Gryffindor," said Remus in the most serious tone he could muster, before retaking his seat next to Sirius. "I won't take any house points from you," Remus ensured them. "That would just impair Gryffindor's chances of winning the House Cup. Although I wouldn't mind giving you detention." Remus smirked at them.
"That's what I said," Sirius pointed out. "And it's the reason James is going to owe me one galleon." He seemed content with that, even though it would cost him detention.
"You wish," teased James.
"I guess we'll see," Remus concluded with a small smile. He didn't actually plan to put his friends in detention, although he was sure that Sirius would make it difficult to resist the temptation.
"I'd love to win the House Cup at least once before we leave school," said Peter.
When Sirius nodded Remus couldn't help but laugh. "We aren't exactly doing everything we can to earn house points," he pointed out.
"Who cares about the House Cup? We need to get the Quidditch Cup!" James interrupted and leaned in eagerly.
During the four years James had been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team they had never won the Quidditch Cup. James had panicked last year when they didn't get it, since he only had two more chances to succeed.
The three of them started discussing quidditch and the Gryffindor team's strategy for the year. Peter, who listened quietly for a while, lastley took up his book again.
The light outside shifted from blue to orange to purple. High mountains boarded the tracks on both sides, and a shiny lake reflected the now cloud free sky. Remus was reading his book again when the train started to slow down. He put it away, stretched out his rigid muscles and gave a soft yawn. His friends seemed to react to his movements. James, who had been resting his head against the window, sat up straight and ruffled his hair with one hand. Peter closed his book, and Sirius rose from the seat.
The four of them put their belongings and the rest of the food in their trunks before joining the students packed in the corridor. The train shaked and made a soft clattering noise when it suddenly stopped at the platform in Hogsmeade.
A soft, cool wind hit Remus in the face when he stepped off the train, and he tightened the red and gold scarf around his neck. The lit up Hogwarts Castle was visible in the distance, where it towered up in front of the high, black mountains behind. The great lake lay in front of them, and presented a perfect replica of the dark purple sky. Remus kept his eyes on the sight, drinking it all in, as the four of them walked the short distance to the carriages.
The carriages were standing in pretty rows beside the road that lead to the school. None of Remus, James, Sirius or Peter could see the thestrals that pulled the carriages, and Remus felt a little uncomfortable that the huge, winged, skeleton creatures he knew were there were invisible to him. Although the price to be able to see them wasn't exactly be to prefered.
The moment after they had stepped inside, the carriage started to move.
"Did you guys see Lily?" James asked. He leaned closer to the window and peeked out, presumably on the lookout for his crush.
"No," answered Peter.
"Mate, she hates you more than ever," Sirius laughed. "And I don't think stalking her will increase your chances."
James turned his head and gave Sirius an annoyed look. "Well at least she doesn't like Snivellus either."
The knowledge that Lily loathed him but liked Snape had bothered James for two years. This time none of them had a head start.
"If they were a couple, she might still be in her mourning period," Sirius teased.
"They were not a couple!" James snapped. "She has better taste than that."
"I sure hope so. Otherwise I'd say you have bad taste," joked Sirius.
Uncomfortable, Remus kept his gaze on the closing castle. He opposed James and Sirius' bullying of Snape, and what had happened at the end of last year made him feel more guilty than ever. Snape and Lily had been friends since they first came to Hogwarts, and after five years Remus couldn't help but notice that Snape cared a lot for Lily. Sirius had suspected that he even was in love with her. But that had all ended last year, when Snape had called her a mudblood. Technically, he had uttered those words all on his own. No one forced him. But indirectly, Remus was sure that James and Sirius had. Snape had been in an awful situation, probably panicking. People can say a lot of stupid shit when they feel pressed or stressed, and Remus honestly thought that Snape hadn't meant what he said. So, yes, he felt guilty that his two best friends had made Snape loose his own best friend. But Snape did, however, consider every other muggle-born to be a "mudblood", so he wasn't exactly a nice person or good company for Lily. On the other hand, Lily might be the only person who would be able to turn Snape to the good side.
The carriedge passed through the massive wrought-iron gates, each flanked by a tall stone column with a winged boar on top, and made its way down to the Hogwarts Castle. Remus, James, Sirius and Peter stepped outside when the carriage stopped, and walked towards the gigantic oak doors along with the other students. James kept turning his head, undoubtedly trying to spot something red in the crowd.
They made their way inside the cavernous Entrance Hall and continued into the Great Hall. An orange, flickering light came from the flaming torches that ran along the walls. The enchanted sealing, which resembled a beautiful night sky, was filled to the brim with floating candles. Dumbledore and the other staff members were sitting along the staff table at the back of the room. Students flooded inside, filling the hall with an excited buzz. Remus, James, Sirius and Peter made their way towards the Gryffindor table and seated themselves close to the staff table.
When every student had found a seat, Professor McGonagall walked in through the big doors leading to the Entrance Hall, closely followed by all first year students.
Remus remembered when he was sorted. Everyone else had been so terrified of what was going to happen, while he only had been trying to stop himself from beaming. He was so happy that he actually had sat his foot at the school. Both Remus and his parents had been sure that he wouldn't be able to attend Hogwarts, since it would have been impossible to hide his condition on a boarding school. But then, that night on his 11th birthday, Dumbledore had payed a visit. Startled and anxious, his parents had tried to stop him from entering, making up excuses, and, when that didn't work, downright refusing to let him in. Dumbledore had explained that he knew about Remus' lycanthropy, and made his way past Remus' perplexed parents.
"Good day Remus," had Dumbledore smiled when he entered the living room. Remus, sitting by the crackling fireplace, was wrapped up in a blanket. The game of Gobstones, which he and his dad had been in the middle of when it knocked on the door, was left untouched next to him. Remus had heard his parent's frightened voices, and it surprised him when the kind looking Headmaster appeared in the doorway. Remus had read Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card several times, painfully aware that he'd never would attend the man's school.
"Hi," Remus managed to say. Dumbledore had already settled down opposite him. Unbothered by Remus tensed behaviour, he reached out his hands and started fiddling with the stones on the board between them.
"I'm Albus Dumbledore."
"I know." Remus eyed Dumbledore cautiously, who calmly looked back at him. Every stranger was a threat to him and his family.
Dumbledore smiled. "Your turn."
Remus looked down. Dumbledore had rolled one of the glass balls to the board's middle and was holding a pile of them in his outstretched arm, trying to hand them over to Remus. Remus didn't move.
"Excuse me, Headmaster, but what's the meaning of this?"
Lyall was standing up next to them with a stressed expression in his face. Dumbledore lowered his hand and peeked up at Lyall. Hope snuck around Lyall and sank down next to Remus, laying a protective hand on his shoulder.
"I know about your condition, Remus." Dumbledore's tone was gentle, but Remus immediately stopped dead. Dumbledore turned to Lyall, who didn't look surprised, but on his guard. "I have spies of my own, and six years ago one of them heard Greyback brag about his latest conquest. I am deeply sorry."
Lyall didn't move a muscle.
Dumbledore's tone of voice clearly stated that he didn't agree with Grayback's view of the matter, but his wording still made Remus uncomfortable. He felt a little sick thinking about how he was the conquest of an appalling monster. His father had told him about Greyback - the werewolf that bit him. Greyback specialized in infecting young children with lycanthropy. He wanted to create an army of werewolves, and tried to kidnap the children he contaminated to raise them as his soldiers. Thankfully, Lyall had discovered Greyback in the middle of his attack on Remus, and had been able to drive him out of the house before the werewolf had been able to take Remus with him.
If only Lyall had gotten their a minute earlier.
"I believe that this is nothing that should stop your son from going to school," Dumbledore continued. "I have already made special arrangements to make this possible."
Remus couldn't believe his ears.
"You mean…" he started, and Dumbledore turned back to him. The clear blue gaze staring right at Remus made him nervous, almost like stage fright. "That you have no problem with me being a werewolf, sir?"
Lyall jerked almost unnoticeably.
"Certainly not, young boy." Dumbledore emphasised every word carefully.
Remus realised he had clenched his hands, and they started to tingle uncomfortably when he relaxed and let the blood flow again.
"And I could go to school?" Remus asked hopefully.
"Yes," smiled Dumbledore.
"Remus is an unregistered werewolf," Lyall cut in harshly. "The social sanctions are bad enough, if he were to be discovered. We don't want him exposed by the Ministry above that."
The single flame of hope flickered and died.
"And where would he transform?" Lyall continued critically "In the hospital wing, among other sick students? In an empty classroom?"
"No," said Dumbledore calmly. "He would transform in a cottage far away from the school. Madam Pomfrey will treat him. She's been reading up on the subject of werewolves. I can assure you she will be fully capable of taking care of your son."
"I want to go to Hogwarts," Remus insisted softly.
Lyall was silent for a moment.
"Okay," he said finally, with a hint of a smile for the first time during the conversation.
The applauds brought Remus back to reality. The sorting was over, and Remus fixed his eyes on Professor McGonagall as she removed the stool and storing hat, before taking her seat at the staff table. When she'd taken her place Dumbledore immediately stood up. His long silvery hair hanged over the deep purple robes embellished with small, golden stars. He didn't look a day older than when he showed up on the Lupin's doorstep 5 years ago (Although he looked pretty old to begin with).
"Welcome!" Dumbledore said heartedly. "Welcome, all first years, to Hogwarts' school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And Welcome back to all the students who have returned for yet another magnificent year." He paused for a moment and looked out over the sea of black in front of him. "I am pleased to announce our newest asset to the school: Professor Prequan, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Dumbledore gestures behind him, at a thin looking middle age man.
A round of weak applaus welcomed Professor Prequan, before they quickly died out.
"On a more serious note," Dumbledore continued, and his voice suddenly contained a gloomy tone. "To say that these are hard times is an immense understatement. There are people sitting in this very hall who one way or another has fallen victim to Voldemort's gruesome acts. My heart goes out to the ones who has lost a loved one, or in any other way gotten hurt."
A murmur rose among the students when everyone started looking around the hall on the lookout for the peers Dumbledore had referred to.
"Quiet down, please." Dumbledore's voice was calm, but Remus could detect a sharp undertone. Dumbledore waited silently until the hall quieted down again. "I don't want anyone trying to pressure a fellow student to tell any kind of story he or she doesn't want to," Dumbledore said sternly, and seemed to pierce the whole hall with his ice blue eyes. "I want to encourage everyone to be kind, open minded and supportive. "Dumbledore's voice had turned soft again. "We need to look after each other, and not fight among ourselves over our differences."
Remus looked out over the hall and let his eyes run along the student tables. Green, blue, yellow and red. How many of them would be able to cooperate with Remus if they knew the truth about him? Was Remus one of the people Dumbledore had thought of when he wrote his speech? It didn't really matter, since the possibility of changing the deeply rooted feelings wizards and witches held for werewolves were slim.
"Lastly," said Dumbledore. "I want you all to know that Hogwarts is well protected. Physical boundaries and protective magic provides a strong shield from any kind of intrusion. Every member of the staff will also do everything in their power to ensure that no one who isn't supposed to be here enters. However, if anyone were to see anything suspicious, please report to a teacher immediately. Additionally, it's important that you follow every restriction put up. I don't want anyone wandering around in the castle or the grounds without the knowledge and approval of a teacher. Just because it's midday and you are accompanied by a group of friends doesn't mean nothing could happen."
Dumbledore was quiet for a moment, as to let his words sink in. With blushing cheeks, Remus persistently kept his gaze at the empty, shiny plates on the table. Dumbledore had held a similar speech last year, which hadn't stopped Remus and his friends from roaming the grounds every full moon and sneaking around the castle during the night. Perhaps it was essential that they stopped. Remus was even a prefect for Merlin's sake.
"Please keep all of this in mind," Dumbledore finished mildly. "Now, why don't we enjoy a lovely meal together?"
Immediately, the tables filled with food. It didn't take long before an excited babble replaced the tension in the room. Visibly unbothered by Dumbledore's words, James and Sirius loades their plates full and started to dig in. They couldn't exactly discuss the matter here anyway, so Remus decided to forget about it at the moment, and filled his own plate. Their conversation was constantly interrupted by their greater interest for the large amount of dishes, and before Remus knew it the plates had magically been wiped clean again, and Dumbledore was wishing everyone a good night.
Remus parted with James, Sirius and Peter to help the first years find their way to the Gryffindor common room. A seventh year prefect had already gathered the insecure looking lot when Remus joined her, and together they herded them past the Entrance Hall and up the grand marble staircase. All the first years looked around with curious expressions, and seemed amazed by anything they could lay their eyes on. Some of them were almost bouncing up and down of excitement, but Remus ended up walking side by side with a brown haired boy who kept his gaze below eye level and his shoulders hunched in a tensed position.
"How you holding up?" Remus asked softly.
The boy jerked and turned up his head to face Remus. "Fine," he said hurriedly, before looking away.
"You know, I was terrified my first day here," Remus continued gently. It sounded like a line, but when 11 year old Remus had gotten over the high of being at Hogwarts the distress of being a secret werewolf had taken over.
The boy glanced at him.
"But everyone is really nice here, and the school's great." Remus gave the boy a hesitant smile. He smiled back and looked a bit more comfortable. "I'm Remus. What's your name?"
"Gavin"
Remus smiled politely. "Nice to meet you."
Gavin mumbled something, probably returning the pleasantries.
After that they walked in silence.
The other prefect, who had taken the lead, stopped outside the portrait of the fat lady and explained that the Gryffindor Tower lay behind.
"The password is bubblegum, but pay attention, because it will change. For safety reasons it will change more regularly than before," she said, before turning around and giving the pink dressed lady the password. The portrait swinged open and reviled the cosy room on the other side. Remus let the first years go first, before he followed them through the hole.
The immense tower consisted of the upstairs dormitories and the common room, which fluffy red armchairs and magnificent fireplace greeted Remus when he entered. The flames in the fireplace lit up the room with a soft yellow light. Huge windows ran along the scarlet walls and offered a grand view of the rich night sky and the broad grounds below. A large, red Gryffindor banner, which portrayed a golden lion standing on its hind legs, hung down from the ceiling.
The first year students had already disappeared into the spacious room, so Remus wished the prefect a good night and made his way to his dormitory.
Four four-poster beds, draped by deep-red velvet curtains, stood along the walls in the rectangular dormitory. The only source of light came from the faint moonlight shining through the large window at the very back of the room. Peter, already dressed in his faded striped pyjamas, was standing next to a half dressed James and Sirius. They were seemingly continuing the quidditch discussion from earlier, but paused for a moment to acknowledge Remus. After exchanging smiles and greeting nods Remus walked up to the right bed closest to the door and started undressing. He hung up the black robes on a hook before sinking down to his knees in front of his trunk.
Remus carefully removed the thin, grey sweater he was wearing. As the cool air hit his bare skin Remus tried to bite down the feeling of exposure. His friends already knew about all the thin scars, left by his claws, that ran along his chest, back and arms, and the occasional bite marks spread all over his body, but Remus couldn't help to feel uneasy reminding them how grotesque he looked. There was a satisfaction of not having to hide however, and therefore Remus was determined to stop feeling ashamed. Although that plan wasn't working very well.
The pyjamas jacket seemed to have disappeared inside the large trunk, and Remus started digging more desperately.
Remus was most sensitive about the bite on his left shoulder, due to its history, and because it physically looked the worst. Remus' theory was that he was less resistant of another werewolf's venom than his own.
Finally, Remus manage to snatched the pyjamas jacket from the newly made mess below and quickly put it on, before he started to look for the pyjamas' other piece. Funny enough, it seemed to be lying on the very surface of the trunk and didn't take more than a second to find.
James and Sirius were still talking, seated next to each other on James' bed. None of them were wearing their pyjamas jacket, since they found them to give an immature impression, and Remus could spot yet another tatoo on Sirius torso, which hadn't been their earlier that summer. Peter was already lying in bed. None of them looked at Remus, which probably was intentional, to give him some privacy.
Exhausted, Remus didn't wish to join James and Sirius' conversation.
"Goodnight," said Remus.
"Goodnight," chorused three voices.
As Remus climbed into bed, James and Sirius shut the curtains around them. James softly whispered "Silencio," which created a sound proof area for them to keep talking without disturbing the others. Remus closed his own, thick curtains and snuck down under the soft covers. It didn't take long before he fell asleep.