A/N: Oh my god, it's been sooooo long since I've updated! So sorry...I got bogged down with school work and holiday travel and kind of forgot about this. Anyway, I'm back into it again, with a longer chapter than any of my others to make up for it! So, enjoy and please review review review!

Disclaimer: Still don't own any of the characters. That's all J.K!


Chapter 4 - And the Journey Begins…

Walking down through compartment after compartment, Remus looked around nervously. Many compartments were already full of excited, chatty students, sharing stories of the holidays or talking about plans for the year to come. In fact, he had never seen so many kids all in one place. Though this was not entirely his fault – his 'illness' had unfortunately called for home-schooling and avoidance of all areas in which he might have had chances to make friends. Not that he hadn't had any friends. There had been one, or two, but they tended to drift away from him, as he avoided becoming too close with them for fear of what might happen.

Finally, Remus found a peaceful compartment near the end of the Hogwarts Express. Mocha hopped down off his shoulders as he heaved his trunk up onto the rack, wandering about the carriage, sniffing and exploring to her heart's content. Collapsing on the cool, red leather seat, Remus closed his eyes in relief, finally allowing his anxiety to ebb away and enjoyment and excitement to replace it. No use worrying about anything yet, Remus reminded himself. At that moment, he heard voices outside and suddenly the door flew open to reveal two boys, one apparently pulling the other. Remus noted the sparkle in the first boy's eyes and thought, He's a mischievous one, alright. He looks awfully sure of himself though...wonder if he's a first year? Remus had to stop himself from chuckling as the second boy, who was slightly pudgy with light blonde hair, tripped over the entrance to the carriage and grabbed on to his friend, pulling him down and landing on top of him in a heap.

"Oy, Pete! Get off me! What're you doing?" The boy cried, attempting to shove his captor off. Pete, however, seemed to be quite out of it, as he did nothing to help the situation. Unable to hold in his amusement anymore, Remus let out a laugh and stood up.

"Need some help there? I'm Remus Lupin, by the way," he said, offering his hand to the sparkly eyed boy. Woah, where did that come from? I'm never normally one to draw attention to myself! Remus, thought, feeling slightly proud of this fact, if truth be told.

"Thanks! I'm James Potter…and this oaf here is Peter Pettigrew…we only just met, back at the barrier. You a first year too?"

"Yeah. Er…should we just leave him there, or help…?" Remus left off, looking at Peter who was still lying on the floor in an apparent daze.

"Oh, right. Guess we should get him up…OY! PETER! HELLOOOO, EARTH TO PETE!" James yelled nearly in his ear.

"Huh…what's going on...who're you?" Pete sat up, shaking his head.

"James, remember? We just met! And this here's Remmy!" James slapped Remus on the back as he said this, causing him to cough and fall forward with the force.

Going slightly red, Remus regained hold of himself, realizing what James had just called him, and turned to Peter.
"Remmy??? Actually, Peter, it's Remus. Nice to meet you – you okay?" Remus held his hand out to the confused boy, shooting a glare at James who was currently snickering at his own joke. Noting the look, James quickly stopped and said,

"Sorry…couldn't help it! But you have to admit, it's pretty funny!" James' face looked so genuinely guilty that Remus had to laugh.

"Yeah, I guess. Just don't call me that again, okay? C'mon, I think I hear the trolley, you getting anything? Peter, food's coming. You guys better get your trunks organized."

"Sure, who would miss that load of lollies? Pete, get on up here. So Remus, what's your background?" James started up the conversation, and soon, the three were chatting happily and munching food….well, Remus and James were chatting at least, and Peter, with his mouth full of pasty, frog or some other delight, would occasionally eagerly pop in a comment. Remus once again sat back, happy that he had found a friend at last. Maybe it won't be quite as hard as I thought, he assured himself.

"Yippee!! Hoorah, hurrah, yip-de-do, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free!" Sirius ran through the train, nearly knocking over kids as he passed and not caring one bit. He was finally on his way, a whole glorious year awaiting him, a whole nine and a half months with no worries or talk of the Black honor, the Black blood, the Black fortune, the Black ancestors, or anything else with the word Black in it…well, unless it was his name of course. Or black treacle pudding. Or a black cat. Or the Sorting Hat. Or…Stop it, now! Sirius chuckled happily, feeling as if he could fly – which, of course he could if only he had a broom. But that was something to look forward to later. Right now, he still needed to find somewhere to sit, he realized as the train started to pull away and he was still flying around like a madman.

Oh well…I'm allowed to enjoy my freedom! At that precise moment, however, the train lurched forward, gaining speed, and Sirius was thrown into the nearest wall. On the other hand…maybe I'd better find a seat after all. Now you'd think they'd leave enough room for ALL the students on this so-called train! Why the hell are all the compartments full? Dum de dum…I'm free, I'm free…yippee yippee! Ok, gotta stop that. God damnit, where's a bloody seat already? Sirius's mind quickly jumped between ecstatic at freedom and annoyance at the seeming lack of seats. Soon though, as he stumbled along, absolutely convinced that he was going to end up on the floor for the rest of the ride, he found the very last compartment mercifully unoccupied – well, compared to the others that is. Only three boys sat in here, with chocolates strewn all over their laps, seat, and floor, chocolate frogs jumping around as a small kitten jumped up in the air trying to catch them. The boys were watching on in amusement while carrying on a light conversation.

Hearing his arrival, the boys turned their heads and looked up at Sirius expectantly until one of them shouted:

"It's Sirius! Hey Sirius, come on over and join us! Seriously!" James jumped up in excitement at having found his partner-in-crime…well, at least he would be once James had had a word with him.

"Jamsie boy! It's you! Got any pranks planned for the start of term? And who're these two?" Sirius recognized his friend from Diagon Alley and quite confidently renewed the friendship.

"This is Remus and Peter. They're both in first year too, obviously. Hey guys, this is Sirius! We met in Diagon Alley in the joke shop. He's a right laugh, he is! You should have seen him up the back of that cow!" Laughing, Sirius came over and punched James in the shoulder, then settled himself down and grabbed one of the chocolate frogs that was jumping around – right from under Mocha's paw. Surprised, Mocha looked around and blinked, as if to say, "Where'd it go?" Remus, watching her amusedly, quickly introduced her and James, not to be left out, let out his Great Horned Owl and introduced him as King.

"Now, what's this about a cow?" Remus asked curiously, not quite sure he wanted to know. Sirius and James burst into a fit of laughing once again, but soon recovered themselves enough to tell the story, which soon had Remus just as helpless.

A few hours later, James, looking sleepily out the window, caught a glance of something huge out of the corner of his eye before the humungous trees blocked his view again. A few minutes later, the trees subsided once more and a huge castle over a lake was visible. James stared in awe. Is that Hogwarts? It's huge! Wait'll we explore that! I bet there're heaps of secret passages and places to go and hide and play tricks and cast magic and…wow! I wonder what our rooms are like? James's mind immediately began to conjure up all sorts of mischievous plans.

Meanwhile, Remus had also spotted the school. Is that it? It's beautiful! Look at the scenery! My god, how could you even call that school! It's too nice to be that. And look at the lake! It's so black. I wonder what lives in there? I wonder if there are mermen down there? Or maybe a really really giant squid? That would be awesome! Hmmm, where's the Shrieking Shack, I wonder? That is where Dumbledore said I would go to transform. I hope it's better than the stupid old closet I had at home. Ok, not gonna think about that now. But what if something happens? What if someone finds out or catches me or follows me or…what if I hurt someone? NO! Stop it. Ok, wonder what the dorms are like? I hope Mocha's allowed to sleep with me. She's so sweet. And she trusts me… As Remus's thoughts carried him away, a shout came from the other side of the carriage, startling him.

"Hogwarts! We're here, we're here, just us students and teachers and magic and pets and food and pranks and NO BLACKS! Yay, it's a huge castle!"

Apparently not everyone decided to think in their head. James and Remus stared at Sirius, amused as he jumped up and down, giddy with eagerness and yelling out all sorts of random things about what he was going to do there.

"And I'll learn how to turn into an animal and I'll be able to sneak up on people and sneak around cause no one'll know it's me. And James, think of all the pranks we can play here! Hey, what do you think would be a funny one to do to a teacher? Oooh, and the kitchens! I bet you that by the end of the first week, I'll have found the entrance to the kitchens! All the food you could ever want…." At this, Sirius' eyes glazed over, obviously imagining all the delicacies he could eat at Hogwarts.

"Sirius, mate, you're drooling!" James told him with a hint of a smile.

"What? Am not!" But he reached up to wipe his face with his sleeve anyway. Remus noticed the smirk on James' face and laughed.

"Shut it, you two! We've got to get into our robes or we'll be late," he reminded them before pulling his trunk down with an "Oops – sorry Mocha!" as it banged down next to her with a horrendous CLANG, sending her flying off the seat in surprise.

Sirius, of all people, thoughtfully reached over and shook Peter, who had fallen asleep sometime ago. The four then found their robes and quickly changed, shoving their old clothes back into their cases just as the train screeched to a halt.

Clambering down the aisles, the foursome looked up in awe as they stood beside the lake, waiting for who knew what.

"What's happening now, anyway?" Remus asked James, who seemed to know more about the school then the rest of them.

"Beats me…but we've gotta cross the lake somehow. I'm gonna guess boats."

Sure enough, a huge voice was soon to be heard calling out, "Firs' years! Firs' years, over here please!" The voice belonged to a giant man with thick, coarse black hair and beard and a grin on his face as he looked down at the surprised eyes on the group of kids running towards him.

"I'm Rubeus Hagrid and I'll be escortin' you over to that giant castle yonder!" Pointing behind him, the group stared at the flock of canoe-like boats gliding across the glassy water, propelled as if by an invisible hand. Slowly and carefully, the boats pulled up on the shore at the first years' feet and stopped, ready for their passengers.

"Alright, get on in, now! Four to a boat, tha's right! Hold yer horses, don' push! There's room fer everybody!" Hagrid shepherded his herd. Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter all found a boat and climbed into it.

Remus was amazed already – he hadn't seen magic to this extent before, only the small household spells his parents used at home. Noticing that they weren't yet moving, Remus looked around to see if they were meant to be rowing or something. Just then, though, the boats began to move as if by magic (of course, they probably are, Remus reminded himself) and the castle became even bigger than it already seemed as they moved towards it.

Minutes later, the boats came to a smooth halt and everyone scrambled out and stood in front of the huge oak door, ready for their next instructions. Everyone was whispering nervously to each other, as the suspense grew and grew, and no one seemed to know what to expect.

BANG! BANG! The door smashed open and rebounded, revealing a tall, thin woman with dark hair tightly pulled back in a bun, her mouth stretched in a stern line. Sirius knew immediately that she would be one woman on whom they couldn't expect to get away with pranks. That wouldn't stop him from trying though! Peter looked up at her at awe, thinking she must be one fine witch, and Remus stared with what could only be taken as a look of respect and gratitude. James, standing next to him, noticed this look and wondered why he seemed so thankful. In fact, the whole trip, James had sensed that Remus was incredibly happy to be here – of course, they all were, but he seemed even more so, almost as if there were some reason he shouldn't have been. You know, he was very vague and evasive when I asked him about his background. I wonder…James shook his head, pushing the thought away and bringing his mind back to the woman in front of him. He, like Sirius, was beginning to think it might be something of a challenge to get away with pranks where this woman was involved! A challenge, of course, only worthy of the best pranksters around. James grinned to himself, determined that he would have some fun this year. Then, she began to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, first years! I am Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher. For the next seven years, this will be your home and your family. You will live in dorms with your fellow students and will be expected to attend meals in the Great Hall with the rest of the school. Once we enter, you will be sorted into your house. The four houses are representative of the four founders of the school. Each, whether it be Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin, has something to teach you and is known for the qualities of its chosen students…" McGonagall continued on, but by this point most of the students were restless, nervous about the sorting which awaited them.

They didn't have to wait long however. A few minutes later, the doors opened again and McGonagall beckoned the students through. Following cautiously in a line, the four friends joined the others, wondering where they would be put.

"I want to be in Gryffindor! Dad and Mum were in it and it sounds awesome. As long as I don't get in Slytherin, though…" James supplied.

"What's wrong with Slytherin?" Remus asked. James seemed to be the only one who knew much about the houses, as far as Remus could tell. Peter was clinging on to every word he said, and Sirius was mysteriously silent.

"What's wrong with Slytherin, you ask??? Only the darkest go in that house. Slytherins are known for their cunning and toil. They only watch out for themselves, and almost every witch or wizard who went bad was in that house! Trust me, Remus, you don't want to be in Slytherin."

Remus gulped. Dark? What other house is going to take a creature of the dark? I'm a werewolf, for Merlin's sake! But I can't go in there, I can't, I can't!

Not noticing Remus' suddenly ashen expression, James continued on happily, now telling Peter of the joys of Quidditch and the many complicated plays involved.

"Silence, boys and girls! Please line up, your names will be called in alphabetical order. When you hear your name, please walk slowly up to that stool, sit down and place the hat on your head. It is the Sorting Hat and is best suited to decide the house in which you will be most happy." McGonagall instructed them.

The hat suddenly opened up its wide brim and burst into song, surprising many of the first years into giggles. The Hall burst into applause as it finished, then faded back into silence as the first name was called.

"Aarlingford, Rachel!" A petite girl with dark blonde hair wandered forward nervously, hands shaking as she put on the hat. A moment of silence and then –

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. The table on the far left of the first years started clapping. A few wolf-whistles could be heard from the some of the boys at the table.

"Backle, Richard!" was the next name up.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat responded again, provoking applause from the table on the right.

A few more names were called before –

"Black, Sirius!" James turned, surprised, as Sirius strode boldly forward, an oddly determined expression on his face. James, trying to figure out why he was so shocked, realized that he hadn't actually known Sirius' last name before that moment. In fact, the boy hadn't said a single word throughout their whole house discussion and had been curiously vague about his family. Now, the reason was evident. The Blacks were known supporters of the Dark Lord and almost every Black was a Slytherin. The Potters, on the other hand, were fiercely against the rising Voldemort, standing under Dumbledore until the day they died. Gryffindors by house and nature, James' parents had raised in their son a fierce loyalty for their side and told him horror stories of the things that happened to people who crossed over to the Dark. James was mortified to find out his friend was a Black. He didn't seem at all like what I've heard about them though! How can he be a Black? He's fun…not…not evil! I don't get it! James had never been more confused. He thought he had always been a pretty good judge of character – he thought he understood what his parents had been telling him about how to recognize a dark supporter, and now all this had been thrown out the window. Trying to sort his thoughts out, James realized the hat had now been sitting on Sirius' head for a full minute. Yet another surprise, James thought, surely it would've called him Slytherin right away? Maybe there's hope after all!

Meanwhile, in Sirius' head, a heated conversation was occurring. The moment he placed the hat on, it had let out a satisfied shriek:

"Aaah, another Black! Shall you go into Slytherin like the rest of your family?"

"NO! I don't care what you say, I'm not like them," Sirius was defiant.

"But are you sure? A family as strong as yours…"

"No, I've told you…I'm nothing like them, I hate them! They hate me too…I'm not like them, I refuse to go to Slytherin!" Sirius replied heatedly.

"Defiant, aren't we? Let me delve a little deeper…hmmm…you know your cousin was sorted just a year ago, Andromeda, isn't it? I had a surprise there, I did! I must say, I fully expected another Slytherin, but no, what do I find? Bravery…courage…a mischievous streak to say the least, but not at all self-centred…in fact, every quality found in a Gryffindor. And yes, there she is, sitting at that table over there, watching you. Oh, she was different alright…nothing like your other family…though apparently…yes what is it I see here…apparently she has a match within the Blacks…you may be right dear Sirius, for what I saw in her is seemingly reflected in you…" The hat mused.

"Yes, see, I told you. Even if you do put me in Slytherin, I won't go there. I'm not one of them!"

"Let me just make sure…well, if you say so…nice meeting you, Mr Black. And so, one becomes two…GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius had never been so relieved in his entire life. He had thought for one scary moment there that he would be forced into the house which was the epitome of his family. But no, everything had turned out right in the end, and he strode proudly over the Gryffindor table, throwing a smug stare at the Slytherin table, where his older cousin Bellatrix sat with an expression of disgust on her face. At the Gryffindor table, he saw Andromeda waving frantically at him.

"Rommy! I got in, I got in!" Sirius greeted the girl.

"Yay, Siri, I knew you would! You're just like me. I'm so proud of you!" Andromeda praised him.

Happily, Sirius sat down to enjoy the rest of the sorting, proud to be known by his real character for once, and not simply stigmatized by his rotten name

Back in the line, James stared in shock. So, Sirius had done it after all! James began to regain his confidence in his own judgment. I knew Sirius couldn't have been one of them! He was way too fun! And now I won't have to lose my new best friend after all. James smiled over at Remus, who had been feeling much the same. Since hearing the name 'Black', Remus had been thrown into a horrible memoir of thoughts. He stood, face slowly paling. Remus knew of the Black family from one horrible encounter he didn't care to ever experience again…

Remus was 9 years old and reading a book in his room when he heard a sharp knock on the door downstairs. Wondering who it could possibly be at this late hour, Remus peered around his door, hearing his Dad's voice greet the stranger.

"Hello? Who's there? What's your – you!" John Lupin had said.

Remus grew slightly frightened by the tone in his father's voice. It was strict and demanding, with a slight hint of panic behind it. Who could it be to bring out this in his Dad? Remus strained his ears to pick up the voice of the man who answered, and for the first time in his life, thanked his lycanthropy for giving him his sensitive hearing. He was sure a normal boy wouldn't have been able to hear the whisper that crept out of the man's throat.

"Let me in, Lupin. You know we need to talk. You know it's the best for him." Him? Remus wondered. Who's him?

"No,! We won't do it! He's our son, for Merlin's sake! Not some dark creature who you can turn into a slave!" John sounded outright scared now.

"Think about it, Lupin. Where else is a werewolf going to be accepted? Who else would accept a filthy creature of the dark, too dangerous to mix with his own kind, too scorned to ever be respected? You know I speak the truth, Lupin. It's only a matter of time before he turns. Don't accept my offer now, but you'll be surrendering him to a life of misery which will ultimately end in his demise anyway, if he doesn't turn to us on his own. The Dark Lord can offer him more than you ever can. And we'll find him sometime, Lupin. No matter what it takes," the stranger replied in a chilling voice.

"He's not doing it. He'll never turn to you for help! I'm his father and I will die for him if it means keeping him on our side. Even a child would choose him over you…he'll be going to school in few years and he WILL be accepted, Semperum Black. Give my son over to you? Over my dead body! No. And that's my final answer. Do not return. Goodbye, Black!" At that, John slammed the door and retreated into the living room, calling Lilah worriedly.

Remus couldn't think. His whole body was shaking and his face had gone white. His body felt numb and he couldn't have moved even if he had wanted to. He was a werewolf. A werewolf. The full truth of the man's words hit Remus like a bomb. Who would want him, ever? He loved his father for standing up for him like that, and he knew his father loved him, but the man's words hit chillingly close to home. Who would ever accept a werewolf when the overriding feeling in any human being in his precense would be fear? Fear that Remus would pass on the malady, wouldn't be able to control himself, fear that his lycanthropy was a sign of the evilness inside his body. Remus couldn't understand; he wondered how even his parents put up with him. The sadness came ripping through him like a tidal wave. And suddenly the fear hit tenfold: what if they come after me? The man said they would find me! What if my family is in danger because of me? The fear came rushing through like the aftermath of the tsunami and Remus couldn't handle it any longer. He collapsed on the floor in his room, sobs racking his body, shivering in pain and misery, curled up like a lonely wolf cub isolated from its pack

Remus' shook his head of the memory. It wouldn't do to remind himself of such things now. Sirius' background shouldn't affect him like that…Sirius was his friend, not the enemy. He had been put in Gryffindor, after all, a sure sign that he wasn't like the rest of his family. Still, the slight sense of worry lingered deep in his mind, a dormant monster waiting…waiting. Remus pushed the feeling back as James' nudged him in the side.

"What?" Remus snapped, slightly irritated.

"It's your turn, mate! Go up!" James prodded nervously, thrown by Remus' sudden eruption.

"Oh, sorry…" Remus mumbled embarrassedly. Wandering slowly up, he thought about what house he wanted to be in. As long as I'm not in Slytherin…Remus certainly agreed with James on that point.

Pulling the brim down over his eyes, he heard a voice in his head.

"Aaah, we have a werewolf in our midst, do we?" the hat said cunningly.

"DON'T call me that. Please…I'm not what you think!" Remus scared at this sly assertion.

"Calm down, there, little wolf….how would you know what I think? A label is a label, and nothing more. I've already been accosted once today for that."

"Ok…" Remus wasn't sure what to make of this hat.

"Hmmm…there's a fighter in here, I can see. Determined…very loyal. Hmm, brave, once the timidity is overcome…and quite a brain, yes, what intelligence! So, it's Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, you'll be pleased to know. But how to choose between the two? Well, you apparently had quite a response to that, young cub! Don't go biting my head off…okay, it'll be GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus, for the first time in his life, felt a wave of pride swelling up within him as he walked towards the Gryffindor table, sitting down next to the auburn haired girl he remembered from the station.

"Congratulations, Remus! Isn't Hogwarts great?" she murmured to him.

"Lily, isn't it? Congrats to you to. Yeah, thanks, I'm so glad to be here…" Remus replied, adding silently, more than you know.

Remus looked up and applauded as he heard Pettigrew, Peter become a Gryffindor as well, and shortly afterwards, Potter, James. Remus was slightly surprised by Peter's sorting. He hadn't struck him as the smartest or bravest of all boys. In fact, if Remus had had to sort him, Peter probably would have gone into Hufflepuff. Not that he wasn't nice of course. Then again, Remus probably would have sorted himself into Slytherin, because of self-shame, or perhaps Ravenclaw had he been able to overcome that and concentrate on his intelligence. So maybe he wasn't the best judge…all the same, Remus was glad Peter had made to Gryffindor with the rest of them and happy for the boy, who was now beaming in excitement. James, of course, hadn't been a shock at all. There could be nowhere else for him!

"Hey, Remmy! Isn't it great, we all made it into the same house! What a surprise!" James whispered to Remus, taking a seat on the other side of him.

"I thought I told you not to call me that! And yeah, it is…great and a surprise! Reckon' we'll be in the same dorm?" Remus answered.

"Dunno…hope so. Guess it depends on how many guys there are in Gryffindor. Hey, you seen Sirius? I want to talk to him…" James asked, scanning the table for his friend.

"Nope, sorry."

At that moment, Dumbledore stood up, simply clapped his hands and said, "Welcome, first years, to the greatest banquet you'll ever have tasted! Enjoy!" Sitting back down and tucking a napkin daintily into the front of his shirt, the magnificent wizard began to eat.

James, Remus, and Peter laughed at this, Peter already with his mouth full of food. Right before James and Remus were about to tuck in, Sirius suddenly appeared, seemingly having popped out of nowhere.

"Hi…do you – do you mind if I sit here? I mean, I don't have to…" Sirius asked nervously. James and Remus were astounded. They didn't know Sirius had it in him to be timid! However, at the same time, a hint of defiance could be detected in his face and James wondered at the combination.

"Of course, mate! Why on earth wouldn't we let you?" James responded loudly. Remus thought he knew what this was about – he had much the same problem, though in a different way, after all. His theory was soon proved true:

"Well, you know…I didn't know, what with me being a Black, and all…" Sirius looked down at the ground as he said this, staring at his feet.

"Merlin, a name's a name, mate! You didn't think we would turn against you because of your name, did you? I mean, ok, maybe if you had become a Slytherin…but then, you made Gryffindor, doesn't that right there say so much about you?" James reassured his friend, standing up and pushing him down into the seat. Remus was quick to agree:

"Sirius, it's your character that matters, not some label! And if some people don't understand that, well…" Remus' voice faded away here and his expression became unreadable. James got an eerie sense that there was something more behind that simple, supportive sentence. But he didn't think much more about it and encouraged Sirius one last time.

"Yeah, Remus is right, Sirius, just eat your food already!" James told him. Sirius grinned, and, with a quick, "Thanks!" began to shovel food in his mouth. James and Remus shook their heads, looking at each other in amusement as they finally set to work consuming as many dishes as possible.