Platform nine and three-quarters was always a mixed jumble of muffled sobs, shouted goodbyes, and cheerfeul chatter. In the midst of all the commotion stood a man. He traced the sides of the Hogwarts Express with his lined hands. His hazel eyes stared inside the windows as he reminisced his first time on this train.
"Hurry up, Re!" shouted a middle-aged woman, whose face would have been beautiful had time and circumstance allowed it. A timid-looking child grasped her hand as she navigated through the busy crowd. "There it is!" said a man behind the two, his voice radiating pride and enthusiasm. He was pushing a trolley filled with baggage, school supplies, and a wand balanced dangerously between several piles of books. "Platform nine and three-quarters! Blimey, Hope." He gasped. "We're really quite early. Did we have to run?" "I just want everything to be perfect, Lyall." Hope said. "At least today will be a day you'll be able to remember and be happy." She leaned down into eye-level with the child and kissed his forehead. "Be happy." The boy smiled, unsure and frightened, but then looked at his fater. The two sets of eyes that resembled each other so much met. Young as he was, he could understand the pain his parents had to endure. He realized that he was, as loved and cared as he was, a burden to the couple. He wasn't sure he would make any friends, perhaps friendship could exist outside of the novels he so hungrily read, but something about his father's eyes made him hope that somehow, things could be better than he had ever dared dream. "Okay, mum." "Bye Remus."
Remus Lupin climbed into the train. His weary eyes searched for a compartment likely to be left undisturbed. Although he planned to never admit it, he had spent half of his nights up, planning lessons in advance and practicing counterjinxes on old pillows. He needed a rest, and he needed it now. He strolled to a compartment farthest from the entrances. He hoisted up his suitcase and placed it on the top of his head. Then he flattened out stray strands of his greying hair and let his mind drift away.
A few moments later, Lupin wasn't sure when, the man stirred to the sound of three teenagers talking at the top of their voices.
"Wonder what he teaches?" A young man was saying with apparent curiosity.
"That's obvious," a girl with deliberately precise diction said with a haughty voice. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defence Against the Dark Arts." Lupin had a sudden impulse to grin. After all, this was his first batch of students, and since he had never expected to have a teaching career, this fresh evaluation of himself as a professor was pleasantly welcome. He urged himself to sleep, fearing an occasional nod during the long-missed Hogwarts feast, or more disastrously, during his first class. That's when he was awoken by a single word, a name. "Harry." said the voice of the boy. Lupin almost woke with a jolt. Could it be? Could it be the Boy who Lived, the son of his best friend, the one his other best friend tried to avenge, and another betrayed? Yes, he was told he would have to encounter this proof of his past, but he had not expected the encountrance to be so early. The small voice that answered the first young man was so terribly familiar...
Remus timidly stepped onto the train. He looked out a window to see his parents wave him goodbye fervently. He returned the wave weakly. Every compartment seemed to be filled with people who liked, talked to, and seemed to know each other. A sinking feeling started from his throat to the pit of his stomach. Maybe he was an intruder into this new world, maybe he didn't belong, even between an abundance ot young wizards. He sat next to a young, sweating boy in an empty compartment. "Hi," the boy breathed. "Hello." Remus answered. "I'm Robinson Mckinley. He said breathlessly. "My parent's aren't wizards. Are yours?" "Yeah, I mean, my dad is." "Oh, then you should know all there is about magic! It's amazing, innit?" Remus had never thought much about magic. The biggest impact magic had on his life was the cursed bite that rendered him thrashing and violent every month. The polite conversation between the two ceased suddenly when the compartment next to them resonated with sound. "C'mon Sirius! Let's find a new compartment." A tall, skinny boy with untidy black hair tugged on the door, and, being unsuccessful, slammed it open.
