The train stopping jerked Remus awake.
Not wanting to fall back asleep and end up waking when the train got back to London, he forced himself to get up. He stretched and rolled his head on his neck in an attempt to wake up more. It didn't work nearly well enough, but he stumbled out of the compartment anyway to join the students milling into the train aisle.
Remus dazedly followed his new classmates off the Hogwarts Express and even the wonder of finally being a student here couldn't get him to focus enough to take in the scenery for the first time. Truth be told, Remus was so out of it, he didn't fully comprehend anything until he processed the absence of sound. Looking around, Remus realized he was in the Great Hall, about to be sorted.
Dumbledore sat back down, beaming at the new students.
Remus felt highly embarrassed that he didn't hear the headmaster's welcome because he couldn't be bothered to wake up. He knew he missed an important first memory, and he decided to pay more attention from now on.
A witch who looked to be around her mid-to-late thirties stood and made her way toward the waiting students. She brought with her a small, three-legged stool and an old wizard's hat. It looked like it had seen better days. The witch had black hair pulled into a tight bun under her witch's hat, and green eyes that seemed to know every secret you could possibly try keeping from her. She already intimidated Remus.
"Good evening, students," and even her tone was stern. "I am Professor McGonagall. Now, when I call your name, you may come forward to be sorted."
She called the first name.
Remus looked at the other first years in the crowd to see how long it might take before he heard his name called. A few had name tags attached to their robes, but the vast majority had opted out. Remus silently thanked his father for thinking ahead.
Even through his anxieties and doubts, Remus couldn't wait for his part particularly. He didn't know which house he would be sorted into, but he knew whichever house it was, it couldn't be Slytherin. His parents wouldn't hate or disown him, to be fair. They didn't really believe the prejudices. The students placed in Slytherin were haughty for sure, and they didn't take on any muggleborns Remus could remember hearing about, but that was the biggest claim to "evil" Slytherin had. And he couldn't believe the stories just based on that. But being the first Lupin in a long time to be put in Slytherin would bring too much attention.
McGonagall called several other names before anything drew his attention.
"Black, Narcissa."
Everything about the girl who went up to the stool screamed wealth. She wore new clothes and robes and her blonde hair fell around her shoulders and framed her face nicely. A smirk grew across her face as the hat was placed on her head.
The hat called out an immediate, "SLYTHERIN," and Remus wasn't surprised. After all, most pureblood families usually fall into that house—Weasleys excluded, of course. Especially the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black.
Remus heard a snort of what sounded like disgust somewhere in front of him and to the right as the girl made her way to the Slytherin table. He bit his lip quickly so he wouldn't laugh in shock. The resulting smirk almost broke his face, though.
"Black, Sirius."
The same disgusted student plopped down on the stool as if he owned the entire school and everyone in it. And, technically, his family's wealth and influence meant he kind of did. The only real rival to that power would be the Malfoys, and the two families got on rather well with each other.
The boy had wavy black hair cut short and combed nicely, with grey eyes that seemed friendly enough. Remus decided the boy was handsome.
The hat didn't take long to shout, "GRYFFINDOR!"
That did surprise Remus. No one from the Black family had ever been sorted into another house at all, let alone Slytherin's house rival. Besides descendants of Slytherin himself, the Blacks were said to be one of the oldest families in the house of emerald and silver.
The black-haired boy smirked and sauntered over to the Gryffindor table, pausing briefly to squeeze the shoulder of a boy with glasses.
More names were called before Remus recognized one of the students.
"Evans."
The redheaded girl from the train sat down.
The hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Remus didn't know why the girl looked so apologetic at that. After a second, he frowned. He realized the boy from the train with her probably wanted to claim allegiance to different house while not being separated from his friend. Remus secretly hoped the two wouldn't be. That would be cruel.
More names were called.
"Lupin."
Remus wasn't paying attention just enough so that when he heard his name, he gave a small squeak of surprise. He carefully composed himself as much as possible without taking too much time. He approached the raven-haired professor and the closer he came, the more intimidating she seemed to become. He sat on the stool and his stomach dropped as he looked out across the sea of students. Because of this, he nearly jumped when her hand landed on his shoulder.
"Don't look so green, Mr Lupin. You'll be fine, whichever house you're sorted into," McGonagall whispered into his ear. She placed the hat onto his head before he could respond.
You're a strange one, aren't you?
The voice startled Remus and it took some time to figure out it wasn't still Professor McGonagall speaking to him. The voice seemed to be in his ears and in his head at the same time.
I beg your pardon, sir? he thought. He knew of magical objects that spoke to people: paintings, photographs on occasion, but he'd never held a conversation with a hat before. Just never met the right hat, he supposed.
The hat chuckled. Yes, you certainly are strange. A desire to be in Hufflepuff, a quick wit and intelligence, an undeniable loyalty to those you care about, and a strong need to prove yourself. The last, however, you keep secret from others.
Sir, with all due respect, I don't—
But that's not the only secret in your mind, is it, boy...?
Remus's throat constricted, and he couldn't swallow. This was it. The adventure was over. Might as well have stayed his arse on the train.
Don't worry, boy, it's not my business to know why the headmaster makes the choice he or she are bound to make. I only help the sorting process go along much easier. It's in the name, you know. Bear in mind, boy, I don't give the wearer what they want. Only what they'll need later on in life. Good luck, wolf cub.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. Amidst the applause from Gryffindor house, Remus could hear the hat's laughter ringing in his head. Or maybe it was his imagination.
Personally, Remus hadn't been more relieved in his life. He still felt a small twinge of disappointment, though. Lyall had been in Hufflepuff during his school years. But his son made his way to the Gryffindor table anyway.
Remus let a lot of the other names fade into the background after that. Though, he did vaguely hear something about one of the students causing a Hat Stall. He forced himself to pay attention again when he heard the name of a familiar face.
"Snape."
The boy with black hair from the train sat down. The hat took a few moments before calling, "SLYTHERIN!" At the same time, a frown crossed the hat's seams.
Remus clapped politely even as he winced in sympathy for the two friends. They must not have been separated before. Not by two houses shrouded in hatred, at least. Then again, that didn't mean they had to stop associating with one another, right? He certainly hoped it worked out for them.
Eventually, finally, the sorting was over. Remus smiled fondly at sounds of muggleborns seeing food appear on the centerplates in front of them for the first time. The feeling didn't last long as his stomach growled. He piled food on his own plate and grabbed a knife and fork to cut his slice of pork loin into edible pieces.
Around him, students struck up conversations with each other. Some tried to do the same with Remus but he acted as though he couldn't hear them. Eventually they shrugged and gave up, making small talk with other people. Remus frowned down at his plate.
Everything would be fine. Loneliness was something he was used to. And really, why should school be different?
After the welcoming feast was over, the first years lined up in two rows behind the houses' two Prefects. As they all walked to their respective dorms, Remus took in a bit more of the school's structure. The corridors were long and much wider than he would've imagined for the time period the castle was built. He chalked it up to spells allowing students more space. Vaulted ceilings arched above and echoed with students' chatter and laughter. With the crowd, Remus struggled a bit with not losing the female Prefect leading him to Gryffindor tower.
She was a tall and slender girl—probably taller than most her age. It certainly helped with keeping her in sight. She had black curly hair styled in an afro. When they had first gathered around her, her brown eyes swept over the crowd of first years, seemingly daring any of them to wander off on her. Remus surprised himself by finding the expression comforting rather than intimidating. She would get them where they needed to go.
The Prefect stopped right before getting on a staircase, turning to face the younger students. "These staircases like to move around sometimes."
Remus nodded, remembering Dumbledore's words the year before.
"Step quickly onto the staircase with me, if you please." She didn't continue until this was done. Thankfully, the staircase didn't move and they all walked on. "If you're on the staircases and they move, don't freak out. Just continue on and soon enough you'll get to where you need to go. If you have any problems with finding where you need to go, come find me and I'll escort you. Likewise, if you have problems with classes or homework and you feel like a trip to the library won't solve it, come find me."
In the tone, Remus didn't find a lot of patience for those who would potentially take advantage of her as a resource.
"Any questions?"
"What's your name, again?" a small voice within the crowd asked. The girl had bushy eyebrows and a small, pushed-up nose.
The Prefect sighed, "My name, once again, is Amanda Friedman. Please don't forget. I find it tedious to repeat myself."
As they arrived at their destination, Remus was only slightly surprised to find a large portrait of a large lady. He vaguely remembered his father talking about portraits and passwords before he'd stopped talking about Hogwarts altogether.
"Password?" the lady asked.
"Semper idem," the Prefect—Friedman, Remus made sure to remember—spoke slowly and clearly to the lady's portrait. The lady nodded and swung forward, revealing the entryway to the dorms. Remus followed the crowd of first years, crawling through to the other side.
Red and gold colors flooded the Gryffindor common room. Remus's eyes sparkled as they scanned sofas of crimson leather. The leather was lined across the arms and bottom by upholstery tacks with an old gold finish. The large window to Remus's right showed the night sky. The warm fire roaring in the fireplace to his left, however, kept the common room lit in a soft orange light. Red rugs covered the floor, giving everything a cozy feel. An enormous candelabra chandelier hung from the ceiling, beautiful and golden. Remus could stay and admire the aesthetics all night, but he needed to follow Friedman.
Walking up the stairs and toward his dorm, Remus resolved to check out his new room after getting more rest. He didn't want to upset Friedman.
He edged past Friedman, who stopped at the doorframe. He turned to thank her for her help with finding Gryffindor tower and realized they were the only two in the room. Where was everybody...? It didn't sound like they were right behind her, either. He looked at Friedman in surprise and the other sighed long-sufferingly.
"Wait here, I'll find them."
She left, her footfalls heavy on the stairs. Remus didn't think his new dormmates would be greeted with a smile when she found them.
Regardless, he claimed the fifth bed as it was a little way away the other four. That way his dormmates could talk to each other easily without Remus being a bother.
He only began unpacking a few of his things to pass the time. He figured his clothes would be more organized staying in his trunk, so that's where he left them. At least until he found the time to put them in his dresser drawers tomorrow. He took the quills and ink out of his trunk and placed them in the little drawer the beside table had. Just as he closed it, he heard giggles and approaching footsteps.
A boy with sandy hair and a smattering of freckles walked in, rubbing the back of his head. He was a bit plump around his cheeks and stomach, but he looked friendly. "Hi, I'm Robert Cokes. Sorry I'm late, I'd gotten separated somehow and got confused on which dorm was mine."
Remus tried to show sympathy through his nod. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, but was stopped by the Prefect coming back in.
"Oh, good, you've already met." Friedman's tone certainly didn't sound happy, but Remus didn't press the issue.
She filed in the other three boys of the dorm. Two of the new arrivals tumbled in on top of each other, giggles barely contained.
Remus recognized one of them as the boy, Black, who'd sauntered over to the table after the other Black was placed in Slytherin. He almost didn't remember who the other boy was until the latter happened to look up. The glasses gave him away as the boy whose shoulder got squeezed by the boy now on top of him. The second boy also had messy black hair and a slightly long nose, but all three features came together to make a handsome face.
Mr Saunter got up and pulled Messy Glasses to his feet as well. As they stood, the smell that reached Remus's nose almost sent him reeling. Black reeked of butterbeer and the sweet scent nauseated the werewolf.
"I'm Sirius...Black." The raven-haired boy rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately. And this is James Potter. We're brothers."
How that worked politically in the face of twenty-eight pureblood families, Remus didn't know. He also didn't dwell on it. It wasn't any of his concern.
As Black and Potter made their claims to beds that were next to each other, Remus noticed a slight hiccup in Black's body language. A hesitation as Black waited for Potter to claim a bed first. One would assume the more boisterous and charismatic Black would be the leader, but Potter seemed to be the one actually in charge. Almost like a child still dependent on his parent to teach him manners. It was a subtle power dynamic; so much so that Remus almost missed it.
A squeak of excitement tore Remus's attention from the pair and back to the third new arrival.
The boy was short, with blond hair and more pudginess than Cokes. "I'm Peter Pettigrew. Pleased to meet you!"
Remus tilted his head at the boy. Who was so excited to meet new people they actually squeaked?
Friedman rolled her eyes. "They're charmed to meet you all, I'm sure. Try to stay out of trouble and do try to get some sleep. School starts tomorrow." She started down the staircase.
Black made a face that didn't suit his handsome features. "I almost forgot we would have to do schoolwork here."
Friedman wasn't so out of earshot that she couldn't call, "Sleep," up the stairs.
Potter grinned. "She's cute, isn't she?"
His friend just shrugged. "She's a bit of a nag, though. Would make a terrible girlfriend to the bloke unfortunate enough to ask her out."
Potter raised a brow in response before the two of them smiled, and Remus had never seen expressions so mischievous. He already regretted the dorm situation.
"Now that she's gone, we should—"
"Go to sleep," Cokes had to raise his voice slightly to cut Potter off. "That's what she wanted, and that's what I'm going to do." He fixed everyone else with a stern glare. "You would be wise to do the same."
Black looked so surprised at that Remus almost felt bad for him. "What?"
"I'll stay up with you guys," Pettigrew offered. His brown eyes had a devious glint and Remus was terrified of the boys he would be rooming with. His dormmates, sans Cokes so far, might make it difficult to fly under the radar at Hogwarts.
"Sorry, but I'm going to bed as well. I'm pretty tired." It wasn't until everyone looked over at him in response that Remus realized he'd even spoken at all.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Black deadpanned.
Remus blushed. "I'm...Remus Lupin. I—"
Potter jogged over to Remus and effectively cut him off by clapping an arm around his shoulders. "Look, Sirius, at what you've done. You should apologize for embarrassing our roommate before you scare off all our potential friends. Mystery men or not."
Black scoffed. "Like you're any better. Besides, we'd already met Pettigrew and Cokes in the common room. This is the bloke causing all the introductory confusion." He bowed deeply, his nose almost touching the floor as his arms made exaggerated sweeping gestures beside him. "Forgive me, Mystery Man, for not knowing who you are."
Remus shrugged his way out of Potter's hold and climbed into bed. "I don't need an apology. It's fine." He reasoned that as long as he finished unpacking tomorrow after classes, turning in beforehand shouldn't be a problem. Besides, his exhaustion caught up with him.
"Look at what you've done."
The werewolf could hear Potter hiss the words to his raven friend, but he couldn't gather enough energy to care.
Cokes claimed a bed, turned out the light, and Remus heard the covers rustling as the boy got in.
"Goodnight," Cokes said pleasantly. As if he hadn't chastised the entire dorm only moments ago. Cokes turned over and immediately fell asleep.
Pettigrew shrugged. "Guess I'll go to bed too, then. No use being a third wheel on your date tonight."
Remus didn't have to see the smirk to hear it in Pettigrew's voice.
"Goodnight boys." The blond boy also started snoring pretty quickly. Remus assumed they were all just running on fumes while Black and Potter were hyper from excitement at starting school.
"Really?" the two said in unison. They didn't get an answer.
"Don't talk tosh." Black cleared his throat. "Well, then, we need to teach them our brilliant ways. Right, James?"
"Right. Tomorrow, though. I guess."
"...Fine."
They climbed in the beds on the far side of the dorm where Remus's own bed sat. Soon all five boys were asleep, dreaming of what school held for them.
Four of them slept soundly. Only one tossed and turned.
~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~
For the next few days, Remus had a difficult time getting the small brown package to Dumbledore. He had consistently kept it in his robes, hoping he would meet the headmaster in the corridors. It quickly proved that wasn't going to be the case.
It was during the lunch break on the fifth day of an absent Dumbledore that Remus decided to take action. He would have to make an impromptu appearance in the man's office. The small package had begun to weigh heavily in his pocket and he wanted to be rid of it. He figured the worst-case scenario was that Dumbledore was with someone currently and Remus needed to make an appointment.
He briefly wondered if he should ask for Friedman's help finding the office.
"...No one else present. We don't want to make a spectacle of it."
Better not, then.
Thankfully, Remus's instincts—he refused to admit it was most likely his werewolf instincts—helped him find his destination about one-quarter-way through lunch. He could've cried with relief when he finally turned a corner and saw the griffin statue down the corridor from where he stood.
He ran, hoping this trip wouldn't make him late to Transfigurations. Missing lunch he could live with, but McGonagall's temper was something else entirely. When Remus reached the statue, he stopped short.
He didn't know the password.
Shite.
"Erm...semper idem?" he asked. It was the first password that came to his mind and he could've kicked himself for thinking so stupidly. Not surprising, the gold lump in front of him didn't budge. Remus tried all the passwords from the other houses he'd learned from observation and dumb luck. He reasoned that the combination of the four might be it. Or perhaps the headmaster's statue might move based on the house that student belonged to, and since the hat couldn't decide at first… He also reasoned that Dumbledore should've made himself accessible to everyone in the school. When that ultimately failed, however, Remus grew desperate.
"First Order of Merlin?"
The griffin didn't move at all.
"Chocolate frogs?"
Not even a flutter. So, the man didn't base it off his accomplishments. And as much as that relieved Remus to a degree, it was bloody annoying. But it did give him an idea.
"Lemon drops?"
A rumbling started deep in the stones beneath Remus's feet. The statue twisted around and lifting upward, revealing stairs as it went. Remus fought the urge to gag. What a strange man. Was the eccentric old man really so in love with the citrus-flavored candies he based his password off them?
He squashed down the thoughts and climbed the stairs, taking a breath before he knocked on the door. The wood felt heavy beneath his hand and it smelled of oak. It comforted Remus somewhat and he stood a bit straighter.
"Come in," inside, Dumbledore's voice was pleasant and inviting.
Remus released the breath and entered.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk, reading a book Remus couldn't see the title of. Various things whirred and chirped. It was like what one would hear in a joke shop. The sounds calmed Remus a bit further, but they weren't what relieved him. The two were completely alone. So, he wouldn't have to make a separate appointment after all. Dumbledore looked up to see the boy standing by the door still.
"Mr Lupin." He greeted the younger male as his smile grew wider. "How have you been since we last spoke?"
"Fine." Remus returned the smile. He stayed where he was, though.
"And how has school been so far? Have you been getting to your classes on time?"
"Yes, it's been great, sir. Thank you," Remus answered carefully. Dumbledore's easy tone confused him. As if he hadn't just spent the better part of his first week at school actively trying to track this man down. As if they'd talked every day.
Remus told himself that just because he knew about his difficulties getting to Dumbledore, didn't mean the headmaster knew. But something about the whole thing didn't sit right with Remus and he couldn't tell if it was just skittishness.
"So, what brings you here during your lunch break? Surely you haven't come by just to keep an old man company?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brilliantly. Like he was remembering a funny joke he hadn't told Remus yet.
The eleven-year-old blushed. He took a stilted, shuffled step toward Dumbledore's desk. "Sorry. Sir. I, I just—"
"No, that's not it. It's the object in your pocket, isn't it?" The older wizard waved his wand and Remus's robe pocket began floating like his father's did back in Ollivander's shop. Dumbledore's eyes glittered even brighter and he chuckled.
Remus coughed. He tried to remember his train of thought.
"My—my parents wanted me to give this to you." Remus took the package out of his robes and thrust it toward the headmaster.
Dumbledore laughed deep in his throat. "I don't bite, Mr Lupin."
The causal comment startled Remus. Nonetheless, he walked forward before Dumbledore had the chance of becoming embarrassed by his word choice. He didn't want to make Dumbledore uncomfortable. He set the package on the desk without a word. Then, he waited.
Dumbledore picked up the gift and studied it for a moment. It fit perfectly in his palm and Remus allowed himself a satisfied smile at the simple yet neat wrapping his mother had done. Dumbledore took his time unwrapping it, taking care not to tear the brown paper. Under the wrapping was a small square box. Dumbledore lifted the lid to reveal lemon drops. He looked up and smiled at Remus, who he found fidgeting at the front of his desk.
"Is something wrong, Mr Lupin?"
Remus looked at everything but his restless hands and Dumbledore's amused face.
"I'm...worried..." He trailed off as his ears became an alarming shade of crimson. He stared at the floor and wished it would open and swallow him whole.
"Speak up, child," Dumbledore coaxed.
"I'm worried I'll be late to Transfigurations, sir." Remus admitted, ashamed. He didn't want Dumbledore to think he was ungrateful for all the older man had done.
"No, I suppose no one would want to make Professor McGonagall angry." Dumbledore laughed to himself and Remus felt his chest swell. "I'll let her know you were here."
Both stared at each other for several seconds before Dumbledore spoke again.
"Is that all, Mr Lupin?"
Remus nodded, hated how often he flushed around other people. It was a symptom of weakness. The sandy-haired boy turned and headed for the door, willing himself not to run. He stopped when Dumbledore called after him.
"Mr Lupin?"
Remus only faced the other after forcing the color out of his cheeks. "Yes, sir?"
"Thank you for the lemon drops." He smiled as he took a yellow candy from the unwrapped box and popped it into his mouth.
Remus rushed from the office and on to class before the blush could reach his ears again. And if his embarrassed blood weren't pounding in his ears, he would've heard Dumbledore's jovial laughter following him down the stairs and corridor.