'Miss Lupin, I've loaded your trunk, and you're all ready to go.'

'Ssh Dizzy. Remember you shouldn't call me that anymore. I'm using my grandmother's last name. You need to call me Miss Howell'. Canis had spent weeks reminding the small house-elf that she would not use her father's name during her time at Hogwarts. Her father and grandfather both agreed that it would be too much pressure for her. Her grandmother had been a muggle, meaning her name had no history in the wizarding world.

'Don't worry Canis. With all the noise on the platform, I'm sure no one heard. Dizzy, please return home. Do not punish yourself for the mistake'. Lyall Lupin placed a comforting hand upon his granddaughter's shoulder and guided her through the crowd looking for a clear space to talk. 'Now, it's important to me that you make friends. Don't look at me like that. You've spent your whole life avoiding people. I want you to enjoy your time at Hogwarts. Cause a little mischief. Annoy Peeves. Just have fun.'

'Grandad, you know you've just given the opposite talk to every parent here right?' She smirked at his easy nature. They had been as thick as thieves since her grandmother died. Her father was never a steady source of guidance in her life, and the family had all agreed never to speak of her mother. She was the product of a werewolf encounter. Her mother had abandoned her for Remus to find and went back to her pack.

He just smiled at her and winked. He was about to offer a witty reply but was cut off but the sound of an angry middle-aged woman shouting at an array of red-haired children. Canis snuck a look in their direction and smirked. Only one of the five boys she was speaking to seemed to be paying attention. The others were less enthusiastic about her attention and two smaller children were behind her laughing at their siblings' displeasure. One of the older boys suddenly locked eyes with her, causing her to avert her gaze. Eye contact made her uncomfortable. When she looked back up, the boy was excitedly whispering to his father and pointing towards her and her grandfather.

'That boy's staring at us.' As soon as Canis muttered the sentence, the red-headed family started to head towards them.

'I'm so sorry to bother you. My son, Charlie, was keen to meet you.' The man was tall and thin. He was balding, but the hair he did possess was a flaming red like his sons.

'You're Lyall Lupin. You defeated the Screaming Body of Strathully. I read about it for my magical creatures essay. Is it true you could fit it in a matchbox by the time you'd finished with it?' The boy called Charlie was too excited to wait for his father to finish his introductions.

'Charlie! Manners! I've taught you better than that. Fred, George, are those fireworks? Don't move! Bill, watch your brothers, please. I'm sure they're hoping to set a record for the fastest expulsion.' The mother was clucking around her children trying to tame them all, which just made Canis smile. An only child herself, she'd never had to share attention with a multitude of siblings and right now, she was pretty sure her grandfather was grateful for that.

Lyall, the perfect gentleman, skipped over this as if it wasn't said at all. 'Yes, he was a particularly nasty boggart too. Had a whole village petrified.' He turned his attention from the boy and directed it back to the father, 'sorry, Lyall Lupin. This is my granddaughter, Canis. It's her first year here.'

'Arthur, Arthur Weasley. This is my wife, Molly. My oldest, Bill, has left now. He's just here to see the others off. Then we have Charlie, Percy, Fred and George are the twins. It's their first year too. My youngest two aren't at Hogwarts yet, Ron and Ginny.'

There would have been more introductions, but the clock hit eleven, and the whistle of the Hogwart's express began to blow.

'Right you lot, on the train.' Bellowed Mr Weasley over the sound of the train as four of his children began to shuffle towards the train.

Canis couldn't resist giving her grandfather one last hug goodbye, 'goodbye granddad. I love you.'

'Be safe, my darling, but not too safe.'

There was more shuffling on the train as friends separated for the summer, reunited and huddled into compartments. Canis had never been great talking to others her age. For years she'd been afraid she had inherited her parents' lycanthropy, which had caused her to become withdrawn from local children. She'd not displayed any traits yet, but it still didn't mean she wasn't wary.

As hectic students pushed past her, she stood alone and uncertain of where to go. That was until she heard a voice shout her name. 'Canis, come sit with us.' One of the red-headed boys pulled her into one of the compartments and she was now sat with the Weasley twins.

'So, your granddad is a monster hunter?'

'No. He worked for the department of Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He specialised in Non-Human Spirituous Apparitions. Boggarts, dementors, poltergeists. He's particularly good with boggarts, but he's been to Azkaban and Hogwarts to help out when needed.' Canis felt comfortable talking about her granddad. It distracted them from her. Plus, in her mind, she had the coolest grandparent ever!

'Azkaban?'

'Have you ever been?'

'Have you seen a dementor?'

They threw question after question at her, but she wasn't able to give them their desired answers. She'd never been to the prison, she hadn't seen a dementor. Her granddad would never allow it.

'So what about you two?'

'We are the newest mischief-makers of Hogwarts.' Said the twin closest to the window.

'Our family have high expectations. We come from a long line of over-achievers and have decided to neither beat them nor join them.' The other chimed in.

'Your mother must be thrilled.' Canis smiled, these two sounded just like the sort of students her granddad would want her to befriend.

'She's caught between a relief and a nervous breakdown.'

'She's relieved that she doesn't have to deal with us.'

'But nervous about what we might get up to.'

Canis' head flipped between the two boys as they shared their sentence, looking for a way to distinguish between the two. Nothing was jumping out at her, but she was sure with time she would figure something out.

'Fred? George?' Canis could hear the voice of an older boy walking up the train. In a few seconds, that voice was revealed to belong to Charlie. 'Oh good, you're here. Mum wanted me to check you'd not ran to the other side of the train and jumped off.'

The boys looked equally offended, but at the same time Canis was pretty sure the gleam in their eyes suggested that Charlie had given them an idea.

Charlie continued, 'anyway, I'm off to the prefect cart. Do not leave this train. Do not drop those dungbombs you think I didn't see in the hall. Actually, I think the whole student body would be safer if you to don't leave the compartment at all. Canis, be warned, these are the biggest trouble makers in the wizarding world. Just check your hair isn't green before you leave.'

'Charlie, we're offended.'

'Deeply offended.'

'Morality offended.'

They tried to continue explaining the different levels of offence they had taken, but Charlie shook his head and walked away.

'You're really not trusted in your family are you?' Canis interjected in between their ramblings.

The twins laughed. 'George and I have gained a certain reputation amongst family members. Our Aunt Muriel has formed a particular dislike for us.' So, thought Canis, the one by the window is Fred. Maybe she could charm an F on his head.

The twins spent a large amount of time explaining all the reasons their Aunt didn't like them. Ending with an eventful Christmas that ended up with them being written out of her will. Their conversation was easy flowing until the fourth Weasley students walked through their compartment down.

Percy, see his younger brothers and Canis, puffed out his chest to seem more important. Canis didn't get a sense of contempt against Percy, but he clearly wasn't as easy natured as his brothers. 'We're nearly there. You need to put on your robes now. Once we're there, don't do anything to embarrass me.'

'I hate that word.' muttered George as Percy left.

'I see it more as a challenge than a warning.' His twin replied.

'Do you mean the word "don't?"' questioned Canis, 'because I feel you're going to be hearing it a lot.'