The begrudging journey to their first day, Sirius offering to pay for a taxi, and even though it wasn't the classiest way to travel; it was better than walking.
"I'm surprised you even want to take public transport." Remus giggled in the backseat, Sirius watching the driver intensely. Something seemed off about it, his eyes were glued to the rear-view mirror and he seemed to constantly be shuffling in his seat. Nevertheless, Sirius ignored the behaviour and turned his attention to Remus, who was sat staring out the window.
"Neither of us can drive."
"That wasn't what I meant and you know it." Remus said, swivelling his head around to glare into Sirius' eyes, a second glance at the driver put Sirius off the entire topic. This wasn't exactly the best time or place for these jokes.
"I'm too lazy to walk, I don't want to."
"Well suppose there is that." Remus smiled, he seemed a little too excited watching the street lights pass. It was like a running film, people like statues, just going about their day to day routines. While Sirius wasn't anywhere near as mesmerized, he could see the appeal. "It's better than a bus."
"Yeah, a bus full of raging, hormonal teenagers…" Sirius smirked, leaning back with his hands supporting his head. "Nothing like you of course." With that comment, he received a hard slap to the chest, one that almost knocked the air out of him. With a few coughs Sirius was sitting back up, Remus unable to tear his gaze away from the window.
"You know you deserved that."
"I don't think I did. It wasn't a poke at your personality. Merely an observation." Again, another slap to the chest, this one causing him to heave over. Maybe it was motion sickness, maybe it was Remus' attacks but the nausea was defiantly kicking in. For a scrawny, small guy, he sure can pack a punch. "Got it, I'll keep my shut."
"You're one stage closer to being a Ravenclaw."
"Oh, I'm that smart, am I?"
"I said a step closer, you're miles away from being a Ravenclaw, maybe one day you'll get there." Remus smirked, Sirius coughing up a chuckle before taking a few deep breaths.
The journey was thankfully short, arriving amongst the masses of students that flooded the doors. Talk about ominous first days. While it seemed no different than your average day at Hogwarts, every student here was a muggle, and not even one can find out about anything.
With a deep breath and Sirius clenching his shoulder, Remus began his walk to the front doors. The two entered the hallway, already packed with other students accessing lockers and waiting for classes. Remus looked to Sirius, making sure he hadn't already lost his companion before they weaved through the crowds in hopes of finding someone office at any rate.
After a few turns, parading up and down stairs, Remus officially declared them utterly lost. All the students had seemingly vanished into classrooms in a matter of seconds. Remus wanted to praise the sheer efficiency but he was thinking how much better it would be if there was still someone around to help.
"What do we do? Dumbledore did a terrible job with this." Sirius whispered, he seemed almost afraid to speak louder, it was unusually for him to not disturb classes.
"If you hadn't pranked half the school, none of this would have happened." Remus whispered back, though naturally with a harsher tone. They'd backed up against some lockers, out of sight from eye prying classrooms.
"Even though I firmly don't believe it at this point, I still stand by the decision that it was worth it."
"I'm pretty sure your actual cause of the migraines and not the fact I turn into a wolf." Remus remarked, looking around and biting his lip, hoping that perhaps someone would be running ever so slightly late. So much for making a good first impression day one.
"Well, maybe we can just leave. There are no teachers out here to help, ah well." Sirius muttered, a little too eager to give up after 10 minutes outside class. He was all about ready to walk off as well if it wasn't for a lady to walk around the corner, a dark-skinned woman with cropped black hair. Large eyes shifting from a stack of papers to the two boys. "Hello." Sirius sighed through gritted teeth.
"Shouldn't you two be in class?" She asked, a raised eyebrow. The boys turned to each other before Remus held up a finger, smiling nervously
"Well, um, we're new. We start today." He said, a smile spreading across the woman's formally disapproving glare. Giving off much warmer vibes now, the boys felt less threatened.
"Ah, yes, of course, we were told we had two new students. I'm miss Monroe, I perform counselling here at the school. I can take you up to get your schedules and then we can have you in class." She chirped, leading the boys down a few hallways. While the two hoped she wouldn't make idle chit-chat, they both knew it was a given. "I don't think I got your names."
"Sirius Black, that's Remus Lupin." Sirius interjected, smiling innocently. One he often used after pulling off some prank, maybe he just smiled this way when he was uncomfortable.
"What peculiar names. I suppose we won't be getting you confused with any of the other students." She giggled, the boys used to statements like that, though Remus figured Sirius wouldn't understand why his name was considered weird given his family. "You're both from England, right?"
"Yes, we attend a boarding school. This is a sort half exchange program, experience different cultures and all." Remus explained, the words easily rolling off his tongue, just like any other lie he tells daily. She nodded, intrigued by the idea of two fancy students attending a small-town school.
After being asked a few other meagre questions, they held their schedules in their hands. Smiling and ready to head off to their first class, which in reality was the second lesson of the day.
"Wait." Monroe called to the boy, they paused and looked over to her. Arms crossed and giving Remus a concerned look, something that never boded well. "Those scars, how did you get them?"
That was it. The dreaded question he'd been anticipating since they got the punishment. Everyone always asks about the scars trailing down his face, how could they not. But he'd been so caught up with the full-moon the first night here, he hadn't really constructed some elaborate story.
"It was a dog attack, when he was little. It got loose from his neighbour's backyard and he got-" Sirius said, quick on the draw while Remus was still catching up in the conversation
"I wasn't asking you." She hissed, almost too eager to hush him at the first chance she got. It immediately sent shivers down his spine, the way she looked at the scars made him feel like she was accusing him of something. How could she know? Is she a muggle, did Dumbledore send someone to watch over them without telling them?
"Who cares, it was traumatic event for a small child, who says he wants answer such an invasive question." Sirius barked back, he was quick to anger and when it came to questioning a member of the pack he was even worse. Remus grabbed hold of his arm, keeping him from charging at the woman. She seemed to take an interest in that action too, it almost shifted her sole attention to Sirius.
Whatever this woman was assuming, the boys knew it would only end badly, so with a quick glance at each other they moved towards the door.
"Thank you for the help, but we should get to class. Good day." Remus muttered, exiting the room, Sirius close on his tail. The moment they were away from the room, and what they preserved to be out of hearing range, "What was that all about?"
"I don't know, she just freaked out."
"Do you think Dumbledore was worried about us?" Remus proposed, but Sirius simply responded with a firm head shake.
"Don't you think he'd tell us that, plus why would she be getting all uppity about it if she's one of us?" Sirius grumbled, he was huffing in frustration and seemed just about ready to break something. Remus could hear his elevated heart rate, but didn't really want to say anything.
"Let's just hope we don't encounter her again, if we see her, just walk in the other direction. We keep our heads down and don't get involved." Remus said, the two marching into their first class of the day, smiling at the teacher and introducing themselves, hoping to put their strange morning behind them.