The first of September could not have come soon enough for Remus Lupin. He had been anticipating this day since he had received his letter in July offering him a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Due to his condition he was unsure about whether he would be allowed to attend, and his grandmother's pitying comments about "Hogwarts not being able to accommodate a werewolf" were not helpful.
Despite all of his uncertainties Remus arrived at Kings Cross Station about half an hour before the Hogwarts Express was set to depart. He held his grandmother's hand tightly as they pushed through the crowd. His trunk was tightly packed with new robes, school books, a shiny new cauldron and potions ingredients, as well as numerous quills and parchment rolls. His wand he kept in his inside jacket pocket, being unable to part with his new companion for the length of the journey to the train station. Remus was so excited he walked with a bounce in his step and his eyes shined with wonder as he looked around at the muggles in the train station.
"Are we almost there?" he asked impatiently, trying to see through the dense crowd. His grandmother chuckled.
"Patience, child! We'll be at the platform soon, don't you worry," she said, squeezing his hand tightly. He smiled up at her as they passed platforms 7 and 8. He felt his stomach clench as they approached the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, and looked up at his grandmother.
"Now you remember what I told you?" she asked looking down at him. He nodded.
"Just keep walking straight at the barrier. And don't stop. And don't act like you're doing anything out of the ordinary," he repeated eagerly. She nodded and together they faced the barrier. As they took their first steps he could feel his stomach clench. When they began to pick up speed a grin spread from ear to ear; and when they finally reached the barrier and passed through, arriving before the scarlet Hogwarts Express he burst out laughing. Steam billowed from the engine and bathed the platform in a swirling gray haze. Remus stared around in wonder at the countless students surrounded by families and having reunions with old friends. He marveled at the wooden sign painted with gold that marked Platform 9¾, especially the way it glinted in the sunlight.
"Alright love, why don't you take your things and find a compartment on the train. I'll be here waiting for you, just come and find me when everything's settled," his grandmother said encouragingly, nudging him and his trunk towards the train. He looked back at her anxiously, but took his things and made his way towards the nearest entrance to the compartments.
All of a sudden Remus wasn't so sure about going to Hogwarts. His nerves were starting to get the better of him the more people would stare. He could feel their eyes on him and was convinced every single person he encountered knew his secret.
Slowly he searched the train, and when he finally found an empty compartment he slid open the door and stowed his trunk in the overhead compartment. When his belongings were secure he sat for a moment, taking in every aspect of his surroundings. He noticed how the plush seats sank comfortably under his weight, the way the sunlight glinted through the glass window panes, and how the faint smell of paint hung in the air. Taking a deep breath he stood up gingerly and plunged into the corridor again.
"Ouch!" a young girl yelped as he trampled on her foot. He jumped back suddenly.
"I'm so, so sorry!" he exclaimed, cursing his bad luck at new meetings. The girl rubbed her toes for a moment before smiling at him.
"S'alright," she declared with a shrug. "It was an accident after all." Remus grinned.
"I'm Remus Lupin," he said, offering his hand. The girl took it and flashed a genuine smile.
"My names Sadie Hawthorne," she replied. Remus shook her hand slightly and let it drop. They stood smiling at each other awkwardly for a moment before someone down the corridor called her name. She turned to wave at them, and turned back to Remus. "I've got to go say goodbye to my family. But I'm sure I'll see you around," she explained, giving a final wave and running off in the opposite direction. Remus waved and stared after her.
She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, he thought in a love-drunk stupor. He admired her bright blue eyes, and her ebony tresses that curled gently down her back. In his mind, she was perfect.
"There you are! I was wondering where you ran off to," his grandmother scolded playfully.
"Sorry Gran," he said as she ruffled his hair.
"Right, well have you got your things all packed away?" she asked. When he nodded his head she wrapped him in a tight hug. "Alright then, have a good term. Be safe, listen to your teachers, study hard, and I'll see you for the Christmas holidays," she said, and Remus could sense the tears she was holding back.
"Love you," he muttered into her jacket. She sniffled quietly.
"I love you too, dear. She would be proud of you," she said gently. Remus squeezed her for a moment before letting go.
"See you at Christmas," he said in farewell. She nodded, and watched him board the train just as the whistle blew. She waved as the train jerked forward and gathered momentum away from the platform. Remus waved back and watched her disappear around the bend.
A few hours later Remus was sitting in his compartment reading one of his new books when the door crashed open. He looked up quickly to see two boys grinning at him.
"'Ello there!" the boy with dark, messy hair and glasses said.
"Beautiful day, eh?" the second one with shaggy black hair offered.
Remus stared in surprise at the pair of boys, not sure what he should do next.
"Err... yes, I suppose it is," he said, assuming the best option was to just go along with their charade.
"Mind if we join you?" the first boy asked, inviting himself into the compartment. "My name is James Potter. And this is Sirius Black" he added, offering his hand.
"I'm Remus. Remus Lupin," he said, shaking the boy's hand.
"So, Hogwarts. What House are you gunning for?" Sirius asked, as they both seemed to inch forward out of their seats. Remus withdrew slightly.
"Err… I guess I don't mind, as long as it's not Slytherin," he answered honestly.
"Good man!" James cried, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Knew we'd find someone in the same boat as us," Sirius said, nudging James' arm.
Just then all three boys' heads turned to notice two girls walking down the corridor. One was the pretty girl Remus had met earlier, Sadie. The other girl had fiery red hair and brilliant green eyes. She was laughing merrily at something Sadie had said. Just as they passed Sadie looked in and smiled brightly, offering a wave at Remus. Remus smirked and waved back. James and Sirius stared at him.
"Oy, who's the lass?" Sirius asked in surprise.
"The girl with dark hair is Sadie, I met her earlier. I don't know who the red-head is though," Remus said frankly. James was still staring out to the corridor.
"I'd kill to be in her House," he said longingly. Sirius and Remus stared at James and burst out laughing.
"Come on now, it's not like either of you weren't thinking the same thing!" he yelled over their howls.
Hours later all three boys had changed into their school robes, and were in the middle of an intense game of Exploding Snap when the train began to lose momentum, signaling the arrival at Hogsmeade Station. Remus, Sirius and James put the cards away and attempted to clean up the mess they made of candy wrappers. When the train finally swayed to a stop they were ushered onto the platform by the Prefects and were instructed to follow a huge mass of a man named Hagrid to a collection of small wooden boats at the edge of the lake. When everyone was packed into the boats they pushed off from the shoreline on their own, sliding easily through the flat water.
Remus was inexpressibly happy. Never before in his life had he made friends as quickly and easily as he had with James and Sirius. It was true they were not aware of his affliction, but as Remus had just met them he wasn't sure how trustworthy they were, and didn't feel the need to expose himself until he was sure.
After several moments the boats turned a corner and there was a wave of gasps and exclamations as Hogwarts came into view. The dark outline of the turrets and towers was vaguely distinguishable against the night sky, but lights from the windows dotted its silhouette. Remus felt a great surge of pride spread through his chest as he gazed upon his new school and home. After so many years of wondering and worrying, he was finally a student.
When the boats finally bumped the shore Hagrid's voice boomed across the crowd, "Alrigh' everyone, listen up! Yer all ter follow me up to the castle, and Professor McGonagall will take you inside for yer sortin'." All the students climbed out of their boats and followed Hagrid in a single line up the rough pathway to the castle.
A little while later the group of first-years was standing at the front of the Great Hall, waiting impatiently to be sorted.
"Now, when I call your name you will come forward, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into one of our four Houses," Professor McGonagall instructed, taking out a long roll of parchment.
"See that bloke in the middle of the table?" James asked Remus, gesturing towards an elderly man with a long, graying beard. "That's Albus Dumbledore. He was just appointed as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts last year. Everyone says he's a genius, but my dad thinks he may be a bit wonky," James explained with a smirk. Remus laughed quietly, and pretended to pay attention to the sorting.
"There's your girl, mate," Remus said, nudging James in the ribs when "Evans, Lily!" was called to be sorted. She tugged slightly on her red plait as she approached the stool and sat nervously. When the Hat was placed on her head it slipped over her eyes and was silent for a moment before shouting "Gryffindor!" The table along the far wall erupted in cheers and a huge smile spread across Lily's face as she joined her new House table, taking a seat across from Sirius. James clapped excitedly.
"That means we'll most likely be in the same House! All the Potters have been in Gryffindor," he said confidently. The two boys bickered about what Houses they may be in for a few more moments until Remus noticed that Sadie was approaching the stool. He was instantly silent and watched as James smirked at him. After several long moments Sadie joined the Gryffindor table, taking her place next to Lily and smiling brightly.
"That means you have to be in Gryffindor too," James announced matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean?" Remus asked in surprise.
"Oh come off it! You like her, anyone can tell. So you have to be in her House, or you won't get a chance with her," James reasoned. Remus' cheeks turned bright red.
The rest of the sorting went as expected, with Remus and James joining Sirius at the Gryffindor table. When the feast was over and after Dumbledore said his words of wisdom, the first-years were led by their Prefects to their dormitories. James, Sirius and Remus joined a quiet boy named Peter Pettigrew in the first-year boys' dorm. They found their belongings, quickly changed, and flopped into bed. All were excited to finally be at Hogwarts and to be starting their journey onto becoming fully fledged wizards.
As he rolled onto his side, Remus couldn't help but think of the dark-haired beauty he met on the train, and wondered longingly whether she could ever love a werewolf.