Title: And Then There was Remus...
Rating: M (for later chapters)
Disclaimer: Not stealing. Just borrowing. Not making any money, I promise.
A/N: This is a remake of Chapter 1 of "A Simple Crush". I will redo the follow chapter ASAP. Enjoy:)
Remus tossed his last book into his trunk and attempted to shut the lid, sitting on it and grunting with the effort. To many books filled it past its brim, and the boy's small frame didn't give much weight in assistance to closing it. "Honey!" His mom's syrupy voice trailed up the stairs, "James and Sirius will be here any moment. You'd best hurry!" Sirius...Black hair covering one of his eyes in his mysterious way, his unique, musky scent and the way it clung to girls after he took them to bed. Remus' stomach churned as he replied to his mother, some instinctive reply that had been programmed into his brain. As soon as the words tumbled out of the mouth, he grabbed one of the handles on his heavy trunk, and began to drag it down the hallway, leaving faint impressions in the carpet.
"Mum! Mum!" She walked to the bottom of the stairs and smiled up to him, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Yes, honey?"
"I need your help with this; I can't carry it down all by myself. I have too many books."
Pulling her wand out of a fold in her apron, she wrapped one arm around her teenage boy, budding with puberty, and levitated the trunk. Together they walked it down the stairs, and at the bottom she set it down gently for him. "Darling?!" She called for her husband and headed into the kitchen, looking for him. "Can you please help Remus load his trunk into the car? It's heavier this year than last."
"Yup." His monosyllabic father walked into the foyer, grinning at Remus. Ruffling his son's hair, he too pulled out a wand and levitated the trunk outside, carrying it to the open boot of the car, and dropped it inside. "There you are."
Remus' father, though he spoke little, was very affectionate with his family. Remus remembered the morning his father had found him, bitten by a werewolf, bleeding heavily from a gash that went almost all the way 'round his abdomen. The family had been camping and late in the middle of the night (or early in the morning, depending on your point of view), young Remus had needed to use the washroom. Not wanting to wait his parents, he went by himself, and had suffered a horrific bite. He feared his parents would hate him for what he was. But his father and mother loved him regardless of the bite. They took him to a family friend who assisted in healing the wound, but advised them against going to St. Mungo's for further treatment. Werewolves were often "euthanized".
Remus leaned on the side of their yellow vehicle, tugging on his too small sweater vest and brushed the hair out of his face. His dad grinned at him before heading back inside to finish his breakfast. Remus did not think he could ingest any food. He didn't really understand why he got so nervous before he saw Sirius every year; he lived with him for almost 10 months of it. A small pop shocked him out of his reverie, and three people were smirking at him. Mr. Potter, James, and Sirius were all standing in front of him. James smacked a hand on his shoulder. "Hey mate, didn't expect to find you here."
"Well Remus," Mr. Potter interrupted, "I'm sorry but I've got to run. Tell your parents that Mrs. Potter and I really appreciate them giving the boys a lift to the station."
"Yes, of course." Remus nodded and watched Mr. Potter disappear.
"Oh, was that your father James? I'm sorry I missed him." Remus' mother had just jogged out of the house at the sound of voices, and she was taking her apron off, folding it deftly between her hands. "I meant to tell him to thank your mother for that book she sent me, it was a wonderful read."
"I'm sure you'll see them soon, Mrs. Lupin. They just love your cooking," James nodded at her.
"Oh, they're too kind." She turned and headed back into the house, calling her husband. "The boys are here. It's time to go!"
When the Lupins came back out, both of them had on their driving coats, and Mrs. Lupin wore her gloves (which James had always been peculiarly fond of). Everyone climbed into the car, the three boys wedged into the back seat. Remus was squashed into the smallest. James and Sirius insisted he was the smallest, but he was sure his legs were longer. He felt weight coming from Sirius' side, heat against his thigh, pressing through his trousers.
After what seemed like far too long a drive, they arrived at the train station. The boys all went and retrieved trolleys for themselves as Remus' parents unloaded the trunks from the vehicle. Once they had situated themselves and the car had been parked, the group of five went in the station and inconspicuously walked through a wall. Platform 9 ¾ always looked like the entrance to Remus' home away from home. He felt warmth spread over his chest when he saw the scarlet engine. His mother kissed the crown of his head. "Bye honey, be sure to write." She ran her hand over the back of the head to his neck before turning to James and Sirius to give them a loving goodbye.
His father embraced him tightly. "We'll see you for Christmas. Try to behave. I know that Potter kid is a bad influence." He joked loud enough that both James and Sirius would hear him.
"Sirius helps!" James barked out before the whistle of the train cut him off.
"You boys better go!" Remus' mom waved them off, beaming at them. They left their trunks by the side of the train; someone always seemed to take them somewhere. After finding an empty compartment, they leaned out the window (the three of them barely fitting their heads out of the opening) and waved goodbye to Remus' parents. They continued to wave until Mr. and Mrs. Lupin disappeared.
Remus took a seat and Sirius flopped down next to him, smirking. "What did you do this summer?"
"Not much," came the sad, only slightly honest reply. Remus' parents always took him somewhere beautiful over the holidays, though it was rare that they could afford to stay long. Having a werewolf for a son took a monetary toll on the family. They were always buying him new clothes, and experimenting with new "miracle cures" – which often turned out just to give Remus a stomach ache. This summer they had vacationed in Greece, staying with Remus' Aunt Lidiya. They stayed for two weeks, and Remus had enjoyed the villa they were at, but the sea salt altered his senses slightly, and when he had transformed at home, the werewolf was disillusioned and frightened. "What about you two?"
"Oh, you know, the usual mess." Sirius tried to get out over James' loud "NOTHING!"
"Well, that doesn't sound like nothing to me," Remus frowned, feeling left out.
Sirius threw Remus his " I'll-tell-you-when-James-isn't-here" look. Remus nodded, and tried to be consoled, but he couldn't help but feel left out. True, there were 4 Marauders, but sometimes it felt like there were only two, and Peter and Remus were extra spokes on the wheel. Speaking of the fourth Marauder...
A mousy boy poked his round nose into their compartment, his entire, rotund form following it. "Oy, Pete! Come on in!" James was the first to notice him, patting the seat next to himself so Peter would come join them.
"How was your summer?" James asked him, watching Peter throw a small bag overhead before he sat.
"Yeah, Peter, why don't you tell us all about the excitement?" Sirius spoke with disinterest as he picked at his nails. He looked up, saw Remus and James glaring at him, and grinned shamefacedly.
"Um, well, my mum took me to that place where muggles fly..."
"You mean an airport?" Sirius tried not to sound like a prat, but knew he didn't quite accomplish his goal when he received another glare from Remus.
"Yeah, an airport. And we went to the United States. You know, the birds there aren't too bad looking."
"I'm sure you took home a few." At this Remus smacked Sirius' thigh, before quickly withdrawing his hand and turning almost as red as Peter.
The four boys sat in an awkward silence for a moment before James' eyes lit up. "Moony, aren't you a prefect? You're not supposed to be here!"
"No, I'm not this year...I was last year. I guess they noticed I wasn't keeping you gits in place, and changed their minds."
Sirius barked out a laugh. "Hey, Prongs, look who just walked by!" He wiggled his eyebrows in what he hoped was a suggestive gesture.
"Who?"
"Evans, you dolt!"
James jumped out of his chair as though he had been poked with something burning, smashed his head on the overhead bin, and raced out of the compartment rubbing his head.
"She did not walk by," Remus admonished Sirius.
"I wanted to tell you what happened this summer, but if you don't want to know..."
"Don't be daft, go on, tell me." Remus moved closer to Sirius, neither of them noticing Peter watching them with rapt attention.
Sirius attempted to make a serious face, "This summer, James and I broke into a muggle liquor store. Just to see what it was like, you know? Anyways, we got caught, of course, without anything in our hands, even. But we ended up spending a night in the muggle jail before we could call his mum. His dad wasn't too happy with us."
Remus rolled his eyes and backed up a bit. "That's your big secret?"
Reclining, Sirius smiled at him, "James thinks we were so stupid. He let his dad get to him. So now he's embarrassed and doesn't want anyone to know."
Peter chuckled, but remained unnoticed.
"Fancy a game of chess while we wait?" Sirius was already reaching for the game.
Remus nodded, brushing some hair out of his eyes. He noticed Peter staring at Sirius' arse and almost shot him an angry look before he remembered that Sirius wasn't anyone's property, least of all, his. Besides, it wasn't like Sirius would bugger Peter anyway.
"Did you finish all of your homework?" Remus asked Sirius as the boy set up the game.
"Do I ever?" the raven haired boy asked incredulously before handing a sack of game pieces to Remus, who opened it.
The queen was sitting at the top, "Oh no! Not this lout again," she groaned in a very prestigious voice, and Remus smirked at her before pouring the lot onto the board. "You've given me the set that despises me, haven't you? You always do that."
Sirius grinned sheepishly and then laughed. "It's so much fun to see you try to get them to move."