Hello Journal.

It's September first again. I've had ten September firsts in my life, but of all of them, this is the most exciting. They sure start school late here. I'm so glad to be here. At least it's away from my parents. I know, I shouldn't say that. But they always worry. Too much worry. I hate to be a bother. But I'll always be their bother. Rosie is glad I'm gone, that's for sure. I've never told you this, but she used to tell people I was adopted. What else was she supposed to say? I'm so pale, and she's never been pale in her life. My eyes are brown, hers blue. My hair pitch black, hers blonde. But it still hurt, no matter how much she explained her reasoning. But really, this all started the night I went outside to play after dinner.

What a dreadful night. To think… I could have been normal.

Yours Truly,

The Vamp.

A little eleven year old boy sitting alone in a compartment, set aside his journal with great reluctance. But he had no more to say.

He isn't extremely happy today, but it's been years since he's been happy, so by his terms he's ecstatic. But why would he be happy? He has a completely perfect family at home, perfect and perfectly ashamed of him. Perfect and he fits in with them like a gazelle fits in with a lion. Or maybe it's the other way around, seeing as he's the one that should be feeding on them.

Several compartments away, four friends are kicking out a couple of people, a boy and a girl, one with dazzling red tresses and the boy with dark black, oily hair. Both are noticeably thin, but only one looks sickly. And it's the boy in case you're wondering.

"Snivellus!" Two boys taunt together. "Snivellus!" Then they laugh together at their sparkling wit, and it seems they are quickly becoming fast friends.

Another boy, this one with shiny golden brown hair, who was not impressed and looked rather sullen and sad, returned to his book, Dark Magic, Dark Creatures, and Generally Everything Bad, where he was silently reading the chapter titled "Werewolves." He emitted a dark chuckle accidentally, and looked up to see if they'd noticed.

They had. "What're you reading?" They asked him. He held up his book so they could read the cover. He silently cursed them for being so stupid. The little boy had been hurt, and he was weary, too weary for an eleven year old. Things weighed on his shoulders that shouldn't lay on any boy's shoulders, and everyone around could tell. There was something wild about him, like a firmly broken horse that still hoped, dreamed, and remembered freedom. People stayed away from him, and he didn't mind, though often he dreamed of how pleasing it would be to have friends.

This bothered most of the children, how he stayed away. He scared them. But the boys who walked in, they weren't frightened in the least. They smiled and laughed. They included Remus in their jokes. He was quite enjoying himself. He had set aside his book and talked, careful of what he told them. This could be a cruel hoax, and he didn't want anything coming back to haunt him.

He learned their names; the one with glasses and short, midnight black, randomly stuck up places like it was on purpose (but someplace in his consciousness, Remus knew it wasn't) was James. The one with lighter hair, really more brownish black, and longer, and he was handsome, too. Yeah, his name was Sirius, which was a little ironic, seeing as he was the most lighthearted boy Remus had ever met. Remus envied him.

Then, hearing the raucous laughter coming from their compartment, someone decided to join them. But to their disappointment, they were not exactly welcomed with open arms. "Hello," A mousy boy who had entered the compartment squeaked, sitting down. "My name is Rat."

Ah.

"Can- can I… sit-t-t-t here? P-p-p-p-please?"

"Why, OF COURSE, Rat-face." Remus Put his book in front of his face and tried to ignore his nagging conscience.

"Yeah. Why didn't I think to invite a stupid twerp-y snot nosed idiot?" He discovered something extremely interesting on the graffiti-ed compartment wall.

"Same reason I didn't, friend. WE DON'T WANT ONE!!" "That's right, I remember. NOW GET OUT!"

When they were being the mean Remus didn't like them. It was like they disappeared and became different people. It made him uncomfortable. But what would he do if he had to stay friendless after having them for an hour? It was great. He LAUGHED. Was happy.

"B-b-b-b-but… Okay…." Rat hustled out of there, of course. And he left to psychotic laughter.

The joking began again, and Remus put down his book, finding it easy to forget their previous crime and immerse himself in friendship, a lovely, new feeling, as he will do many times in the future.

The train began to slow, and panicking, the boys scrambled into their new robes. (Well, new for Sirius and James.) They exited their compartment, and began walking to the boats that carried first years across the river. Unfortunately, (but not really) Remus was separated from their little group. He was pushed into a boat that was left over, with a boy who looked like he'd been left over too. He looked familiar.

"Hello." Under normal circumstances, Remus wouldn't have said anything, and he would have let the opportunity leave him as soon as it had come. Seeing as saying something had just made him friends and he was still flushed from excitement, he said the fateful thing that changed so many lives.

"Hello." Frankly, the boy was frightened. No one ever said hi to him. They saw the hurt; the pain in his eyes and without his experience didn't want to be around him. But he didn't realize this. He thought they could see he was tainted and not whole. I made him self-conscious to say the least. But he went with it.

"I'm Remus."

"I'm Robert."

And Remus realized what made him so familiar. He looked like the face Remus saw in the mirror when he couldn't avoid looking. He looked beat down and worn. Like a stone that the river has run over too many times to be beautiful anymore. When it stops being shiny and starts being… small. But he looked smaller than Remus. Much smaller.

The boat reached the shore and he was saying goodbye to Robert when Sirius saw him, shouted, "Oy! Remus, good buddy, good pal!" And grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him away. He turned for a last look at his new friend's familiar face and saw him standing, looking at his shoes, the river running around him and wearing him down more and more and more….