Chapter 1 Autumn Little Remus Jacob Lupin was a size too small for his robes and a size too large for his hat. The toes of little Remus Jacob Lupin was a size too small for his robes and a size too large for his hat. The toes of his sneakers were just barely visible from beneath the folds of black cloth, while the tips of his ears were pointing noticeably out from under the brim of his hat. They were oddly shaped ears, slightly longer than normal, with a bit of a point at the end, and they tended to turn a brilliant red when the boy was embarrassed. And right now, his ears were roughly the colour of a cooked lobster. His book had been plucked unceremoniously out of his hands and was now being thoroughly made fun of by a Mr. James Harold Potter and his friend, Mr. Sirius Orion Black. Of course, Sirius had nothing to laugh about, considering the state of his initials, but Remus still didn't feel comfortable having his cherished book poked at by such a pair of mischief makers as these two obviously were. It didn't help that the book was a Muggle romance novel. The other boys had already crowed delightedly over the fact, but instead of continuing on with just Remus' book (and soft spot for romance), they had settled themselves into the roles of classic hero and damsel in distress and were clowning around the small car, arms waving everywhere. Remus could tell that they were not intending to be cruel- they just wanted to have a bit of fun. And yet, he was a little nervous and still quite red. He sat quietly on the edge of the seat, his toes brushing the floor, eyes wide, ears back, like a puppy. The tears that had been welling behind his eyes when he first boarded the train were now gone, replaced with a vague excitement and a great deal of apprehension. They were a nice hazel colour now, just soon enough after the full moon that their natural green had been at least partially restored. For, you see, Remus J. Lupin was a werewolf. Bitten at the age of seven, Remus had been struggling for the past four years to find his footing as a "normal" human being. His parents, not knowing what to do, had called several specialists and worked out a schedule for him to follow. More meat in his diet, a well padded cage for full moons, and blood transfusions were part of the plan. When he had gotten his Hogwarts acceptance letter, Mary and Blake Lupin had planned on politely refusing. However, Albus Dumbledore made a special house call to the Lupin's and talked through a plan to deal with the lycanthropy before they had a chance to object. When they had finished, Remus was well on his way to Hogwarts. And now here he sat, across from a pair of dark haired pranksters and next to a blond boy who seemed to fade into the cushions. As previously stated, the boys across from him (who were by now nearly on top of each other) were Sirius Black and James Potter. The boy next to him had quietly said his name was Peter Emerson Pettigrew. Silently, Remus had assessed them. Sirius had shaggy black hair that seemed a bit too long for school standards, blue eyes and a mouth that never seemed to close. He was the most boisterous of the three, caterwauling a poorly rhymed love song to James while beating a small pillow of his to death. His eyes were constantly darting everywhere, often pausing to rest on Rebus's red ears or hazel eyes, which he seemed to find interesting. The little werewolf crossed his toes in the hope that Sirius would never find out why he had such odd body parts. James also had black hair that was much shorter than Sirius's and seemed to stand on end, as if he had just experienced static electricity from a load of fresh laundry. His brown eyes were so dark as to be almost black, but glittered as brightly as Sirius's behind his round glasses. James seemed to be the most confident of the three, every movement he made was deliberate, and he could switch his playfulness off easily, which was something Sirius did not seem to be able to do. Peter was small with the baby plumpness of a child half his age and had a tidy, short haircut. He was about the same height as Remus, had a more charming smile than Sirius, and James's ability to turn off his emotions. He had told them quietly as they left Kings Cross that he was terribly sad, but prided himself in never having cried in all his eleven years. He tended, however, to fade into the background quite well, dark blue eyes turned down and small hands folded neatly in his lap. Already, though James and Sirius were embarrassing him, Remus found he was enjoying the company. Peter, as well, was rather an enjoyable companion, and was currently studying his Transfiguration textbook. He seemed like the studious type, and Remus had seen several classic books peeking out of his book bag. "Say, Lupin," called Sirius from his upside down position on the opposite seat "d' you happen to have James repellent in your bag? I'm in desperate need of some." Indeed, he looked as if he needed some... and NOW. James had taken off his robes and was attempting to choke his best friend with them, yelling something about how maidens were idiots, and boy-maidens were worse. "I will NOT go picking flowers with you, having tea with you, OR buying dresses with you, Sirius Orion!" he growled, shaking the robe and making Sirius' dark head bob in protest. "I'll go," offered Peter, smiling winningly. He really had a lovely smile, the kind that could charm thorns off a rose. "Thank you! At least someone appreciates the finer points of female nature," sniffed Sirius, kicking James unceremoniously in the stomach. Unfortunately for the poor "maiden," James let go of his hold on the robes, and Sirius fell over backwards, tumbling head over heels and finally ending up in a sprawling heap on the compartment floor. Remus started forward, but Sirius laughed and stood up, stretching his boyish frame until it seemed to fill the area. "Free!" he crowed, and then darted out of the door, as James took off after him, shouting murderously. However, both boys' flight was impeded almost at once by a pair of burly boys, who looked meaner than eleven-year-olds should. Sirius stopped dead in his tracks and Remus (who was peering out the compartment door) was amused to see James run straight into his back. After that came a short scuffle between the two sets of boys, and the smaller pair ran back into the compartment, slamming the door behind them. Sirius was panting. "If they ask, I'm not here!" he said in a loud whisper, and pretended to hide underneath the seat. Remus couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, hands clutching his knees for support. This seemed to delight Sirius and James, who both broke out into wide smiles and laughed along with their new companion. Peter, too, let loose one of his award winning grins, and they all shared a moment of completed happiness. "A happy ring," as James later referred to it. A happy ring... where the only thing you are concerned with is whether or not your mouth will stick permanently in a smile. Half an hour later, none of the boys were smiling. The first years were all crowded into an anti-chamber just outside the Great Hall of Hogwarts. One person had fallen in the lake and smelled like a human fish to Remus. He and his new friends all were standing near the door leading out, each with their eyes nervously watching the other students and then flicking back to the door, waiting for the return of the professor who was to lead them in. Peter looked positively ill. "I'm going to be in Slytherin... I know it... I just know it!" he squeaked, eyes wide with terror. "They'll eat me alive in Slytherin! I'll be fried Peter on toast!" Remus smiled shyly at him. "Maybe you'll be in Hufflepuff. I heard they're really nice there." "Really nice, and really dumb!" said Sirius, a little too loudly. He looked as though he was about to faint. Fortunately, none of the to-be- Hufflepuffs, or anyone outside of their little group heard him. "I hope I don't get in that house." "Oh come on, Sirius. You know you're a Slytherin." James was attempting to hold his fear under. He smiled weakly. "Yeah," he said, a bit glumly. "And you're going to be a Gryffindor. That's for certain." Remus bit his lip. Split up a new friendship? That could not be fun. One of the professors returned and herded them into an uneven line and began to march them down the length of the Great Hall. Overhead, the ceiling showed bright with stars, and closer to them, candles floated above the tables. Sirius had grabbed the back of Remus' robe and was trotting along behind him, the other hand holding tightly to Peter's sleeve. The head of the line stopped, and the tattered Sorting Hat on a stool began to sing. Remus, however, was not paying attention. Instead, his eyes were wandering over the magnificent ceiling, picking out constellations out of habit, and trying to feel at home. He knew what he was required to do, and therefore it didn't worry him that he was missing the first part of the ceremony. Then they began to call names. Rebus's mouth went dry. "Abbot, Jean!" James nudged Peter and whispered something in his ear. Peter went red and nodded, then whispered something back. James grinned at him. "Black, Sirius!" Sirius gave Remus' robe a little tug and then flounced up to the stool. Sitting down, he looked up patiently at the professor who placed the Sorting Hat on his head. It became still and Sirius sat, looking up at the brim expectantly. Then suddenly the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" And Sirius went slack with released tension. Remus paid no attention to the next few names. Sirius was in Gryffindor? And he was waving at them from across the room. Well, at least he and James could be together. A little smile twitched at his lips. They could be happy. But he..? He would probably end up in Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw. The word had at first sounded fierce and sharp- like a brain on edge, brilliance in motion. But now it sounded lonely... so incredibly- "Lupin, Remus!" Trembling, he approached the front of the Hall. Settling down on the stool proved to be harder than he had thought it would be- due to the fact that it had only three legs and was extremely hard on the buttock region. Then the hat was placed gently on his head and a little voice wormed its way into his brain. "Ah... so you are the little one with the dark secrets..." Remus felt himself cringe. "Don't worry. I won't tell. Hm... The Slytherins are mighty protective of their own kind. You might be very well cared for there." His brain was rather numb. He had no idea what to think. "Well, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs are definitely not right. You have a douse of mischief in you... perhaps..." The voice stopped for a moment and then yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" so loudly that it made the poor young werewolf nearly fall off the stool in surprise. And then he was at the table, a faceless group of happy beings patting him on the back and cheering him on in his dazed state. Sirius was hugging him around his waist and someone had dropped a wreath of strange smelling flowers from the table around his neck. In less than five minutes, the names of Peter Pettigrew and James Potter were called, both of them joining the two radiant boys at the Gryffindor table. Altogether they had nine Gryffindor first years- five girls and four boys- a fact that made James wince and Peter blush. The feast had been after all, uneventful. Delicious, but uneventful. " I would want all students to follow their prefects to your common rooms now please" Dumbledore said calmly, everyone stood, the little werewolf kept tripping over the bits of cloth for his robes, because they were so long, but managed to follow them. Sirius put his foot out in front of James, who tripped up, but grabbed Sirius' jumper, and pulled him down as well. They both laughed, as they got up, they continued following the prefect. Up marble staircases, where there were about a thousand of portraits of other witches and wizards. A witch in one of the pictures, said, " Welcome, welcome to Hogwarts school Of Witchcraft And Wizardry! I'm Mrs. Amble, and you are?" " Err...Remus Lupin" " Pleasure to meet you Remus!" when they reached the top of the tower, they notice a hallway, and they each walked after their prefects down it, they came to a much larger portrait on the wall, with a frame of golden patterns with inside of it, was a fat lady wearing pink. " Password?" the lady said. " Clobber worms" The tall prefect said, as the portrait swung open, to reveal a hole in the wall, one by one they climbed through the hole, and into a room with red al around them. The little werewolf walked slowly up to the front of the room when.... "Boo!" James had come up behind him and tickled him under the arms, Remus let out a jolt of laughter, and one of the prefects told him to shut up. The werewolf immediately pushes his fellow house mate away, and stopped laughing. He had put down a bad impression this time...But he listened very hard to what they had to say. " This is the common room, boys dormitories are up and down to your left, girls same on your right, you'll find your belongings have already been brought up to your beds" The prefect said. ~ ~ * ~ ~ Charms started on the Monday morning after a well good settle in to the days. The young werewolf had had a look around and he seemed to know the way around Hogwarts. In charms Remus sat at the front with his friends and then the professor came in. " Greetings students! I am professor flitwick! I will be your charms teacher for the rest of the year! And further on..." Remus wondered what flitwick was going to teach, whilst Sirius and James interrupted. " The charm being used will be Winguardium Leviosa, a charm able to make objects fly! Now, I want you to do a swish and flick movement like this" he demonstrated the swish and flick movement which was like a swift left and up and down point move. He said the spell I between the demonstrations then he pointed at a feather on a table down from the werewolf. It levitated it, and fell on top on Sirius; head to stop him after he punched James in the arm and started to laugh. " No muggle fighting in class!" Flitwick shouted over to Sirius, and he made a sorry soft face at him back. Then when he turned his back on Sirius he stuck his tongue out and laughed quietly. Remus laughed a bit, then the sound of the bell went, everyone stood up, and walked out. The young werewolf bit his lip, looked towards James, and back towards Sirius, " Why were you messing around in class?" He asked. " To have some fun" Both of them simply replied. After potions that day, they all went back to the common room and talked about their first week at Hogwarts. " You should have seen Professor Scar when I threw the potion at him!!" Sirius burst into laughing, James joined in too, putting his arm around Sirius neck. It was like a laughing potion had gone round for everyone, even Peter and Remus joined in. It was true, it was amazingly funny! He gave Sirius a detention for a week, but he said it was worth it. He knew they loved messing with him and their selves, but didn't realise they would mess around in class, but it seemed they had remembered everything the teacher had told them. They constantly kept using winguardium leviosa on items around them, and dropping them on to Hufflepuffs and Slytherins heads. The next morning, Remus was woken up by Peter, it was his birthday, but the little werewolf just pulled the covers over his head. " What time is it??" Remus heard James say, " IT'S 6AM!" Peter shouted, he was overreacting. " Hyperactive little thing isn't he?" Sirius mentioned rubbing his eyes and letting out a small lazy laugh. At the foot of Peters bed was a mountain of presents, he ran over to them, and dived into them, laughing harder and harder which made his go red in the face. James laughed, Remus smiled, it was the first time he had seen Peter so happy. During the trip on the train through the sorting ceremony, and the start of School, this was the funniest time. Peter opened the first present that was wrapped in blue wrapping. Inside, no one saw what it was, he seemed too had hidden it in his panamas. " What is it little rat?" James asked peering round to see it. " Nothing" " Oh, I know what it is!" James pulled it out of his hands, it was a book about how to get a girl friend. They all laughed except Peter who went red in the face and smiled a bit. " How to get a girl friend?!?" Sirius laughed, " You having problems? Not being able to find a girl friend? What about that small stick like girl in hufflepuff? She looms like you enough!" Sirius burst into laughing, and Peter went up to James and snatched it off him. " My birthdays nothing with out a laugh is it?" Peter smiled, trying to hide the red head he had. He opened the next present in red wrapping, he had an uneasy look, and it was a mirror. " Whets that?" he asked looking concerned. " I know what it is!" The young werewolf said, " It's a mirror where you can spy on someone for 36 hours at the max! But there really good! Who gave it you?" Remus asked. " Oh, it's off my dad! He likes spying, use to be a spy for the ministry..." " The ministry?" " Yeah, my dad use to work there as an Auror-Spy, really good job and all, I want to be one when I grow up" Peter smiled, and hugged the mirror. Passed it aside, and opened the next one... " Another book...this ones how to cause mayhem in potions making!" " This oughtabe good!" James shouted, tugging the Book off him and reading aloud one of the pages: " How to make an explodable potion with out any one noticing until too late. One...put invisible power in the cauldron, mix it with dragon's blood, afterwards you leave it for about two minutes, and return to it. Then you add a wolves nail, and a wolves hair, add them with a different mixture of green dragon blood, and swirl it all around. Add some more invisible power after another three minutes, and it should automatically explode! No one will see it, and it would be blamed on the person behind you!" James laughed, it was a bad idea, professor Scar wasn't one to cross on his bad side, he could expellee you from the school, and you'd have your wand snapped in front of you. " I don't think I want to join in" Remiss noted " Well suit it your self Remme, we will though!" Peter said, hugging the book, and turning to his pile of presents. It defiantly wasn't a good idea. ~ * ~ ~ After half a month, they had met all teachers, and gotten use to the potions teacher. They had met the defence against the dark arts teacher, who was the best one of the lot, he was head of Ravenclaw house. His name was Professor Aquarian. The big plot had been coming down, the potion to make Scar's eyes shudder had been done, and it looked like it was done by a Slytherin. Bellatrix Lestrange infects. She had a detention for two days, which was very bad, because Sirius had had it for a week. The little werewolf smiled, to make it look like he thought it was a good idea, " I'll join in, what we are doing next?" The young werewolf asked, sitting down on the settee besides the fire in Gryffindor Common room. " We're going to make Professor Aquarian make a mistake, or forget something he's going to tell us, that'll worry him wont it?" Sirius laughed turning to James hoping for his to laugh too, it seemed to have worked. "Err...Professor Aquarian? Whets he done?" Remus asked looking down shyly, " He gave James a detention because he used a spell on that git, Snape!" "Deserved it thought didn't he...that git.." James whispered. " Hmmm...Well, don't get too far ahead of your selves..." The werewolf said looking curious. He lay down on his stomach, and pulled a story book out of his bag, it was by his favourite author in the muggle world, and the muggles seemed to be not all that bad at this stuff. He read it in his head... ' The Monstrous Dragon peered round the corner from where the young wizard stood. The small boy noticed him, and leaped high into the sky, aiming at the Dragons neck and used his magical spell, ( Decutto), to cut off the dragons head. Suddenly, five goblins charged at him, with double bladed swords, but the wise Wizard countered their attack with the spell, (bluncio) which blasted them into outer space- Someone smacked their hand in the book, which made Remus nearly fall of the settee in surprise, he dropped his book, and Sirius picked it up, he read that same paragraph aloud. " That's a good book Remme, who write it? Did you?" " No, no, a muggle author did..." " Author?" " It's a muggle who writes story's for a living, this one must be good though" " I can see it is...but a muggle? What were you thinking?!?" The young werewolf cringed, at the sound of what Sirius said, James patted the small werewolf on the back, and told him to put the book away, it was getting later and later, and they had to work on the potion they were using on Aquarian. So, he did as James said, and put his book away, he threw his bag aside, and listened in on what their plot was. " Ok you guys, we can't tell anyone else we're doing this, or else we'll be in serious trouble! So I advise, you stay away from swatty people and teachers as much as you can? Got me?" James said looking at everyone in the tight circle seriously. It was almost like his pack, except they weren't, they were just his friends...just normal people...unlike himself..Who was different t every living thing in the school! For a moment, Remus felt like running up to his dormitory, and sleeping the night and memories off, but he couldn't just do that, there was a party going on for the celebration of winning the first match of Quidditch of the year against Hufflepuff. James really desperately wanted to be on the team, but he knew first years weren't allowed too. The young werewolf didn't care if he got on the Quidditch team or not, he was bothered about his werewolf problem, of people found out, he'd be the laughing stock of the centaury. " I'm going to go to the dorms" Remus whispered a bit louder than usual. " Why? We're discussing the plot!" " I'm too tired, I'll forget it all, and besides, I've got some homework to do for Scar and Flitwick." " Well...suit it your self Reme...see you tomorrow then." They all said their good nights, and Remus walked up the marble stair case feeling depressed about him. When he reached the top of the staircase, he ran up to his bed and jumped on to it. He let out a small tear of depression, because he was the only werewolf in the school. He had this once every month for the rest of his life...he couldn't stand it, he just wanted it to go away...he just wanted to cry it away, but he couldn't, he couldn't do that, it was there permanently.