The Marauder Days: Year 1
Chapter 2: Friends and Enemies on the Train
Disclaimer: Everything Harry Potter was created, and belong to J.K. Rowling (boweths to her) Everything/everyone that are of my creation in this fic belong to me, I guess.
A/N: Hopefully this one will be longer...Also, please remember to read and review!
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"Dad...Are you sure about this?" Remus said uncertainly, looking at the brick wall between platforms nine and ten with a frown. "That wall looks pretty solid."
"Remus, why don't you trust me on this?" His father replied, laughing.
Many thoughts of when his father was wrong flooded Remus's mind. "Well..." Remus said slowly.
"Um...never mind." His father said, blushing.
"Hey, Dad, bet I can beat you to the platform!" a black-haired kid in glasses yelled a platform over. His father was running after him, dodging carts and people. "James! Stop! You're going to attract attention to yourself!" He yelled.
"Both of you are attracting attention!" A brown haired woman called, pulling a cart behind her.
"James! That's the wrong one!" The man yelled. SMACK. The one called James ran right into the brick wall between platforms eight and nine.
His father shooed the curious onlookers away then helped his son up.
"Are you okay?" His brown-haired mother asked. She parked the cart and rushed to her son's side to check for any injuries.
"Yeah, Mum, I'm fine," James said. "I thought you said the platform was eight and three quarters!" He said, turning to his father.
"No, it's nine and three quarters." His father laughed.
"Dad...Are you sure we read that letter right?" A squeaky, uncertain voice behind Remus said.
Remus turned and saw a small, mousy-haired boy with watery eyes and pointed nose.
The small boy started when Remus turned to him and said in a squeaky voice, "Um...D-do you know where platform nine and three quarters is?" He blushed and muttered something that sounded like, "Sorry for such a stupid question..."
Remus smiled and pointed to the wall between platforms nine and ten.
"I think so...My dad said it's between- WHOA!"
Right in front of them, a family with black hair had just casually walked through the brick wall. Shortly after the first family had disappeared, James's family disappeared though the wall, too.
"And you thought I wasn't right!" Mr. Lupin said. "Do you trust me now?"
Remus, who was staring at the wall with his mouth slightly open (the boy next to him had the same expression), nodded and grabbed the cart.
"Now, we need to slip in without attracting much attention," Mr. Lupin whispered as they came closer to the wall. "Pick up the pace a little, Remus."
Remus gulped as they got closer. What if they didn't go through? What if they ran into the wall? They drew closer to the wall. The mousy-haired boy was following them, pushing the cart with all his might as they began to pick up speed.
There was the sound of a train whistle, the hooting of many owls, and the cries of children saying goodbye to their families and promising they'll visit on holidays.
We made it... Remus thought, relieved they didn't crash.
"You better hurry, Remus. Only a few minutes until the train leaves." Mr. Lupin said, looking at his watch. He helped Remus put the luggage on the train, then hugged him goodbye.
"Bye, Dad. I'll be back for the holidays, okay?" Remus said as he got on the train.
"Okay. We'll miss you! Bye! Oh, and as soon as you find out what Dumbledore's plans are," Mr. Lupin said quietly. "Write to us."
"I will!"
The train gave a lurch, and Remus closed the door. The train started to move, and he passed compartments with students leaning out of the windows waving goodbye.
Wow...They're all full. He thought as he passed another crowded compartment. His trunk seemed to be getting heavier with each step.
A foul smell met his nose. Wild laughter was coming from two compartments down. Remus went as fast as he could towards the compartment. A red-haired girl came stomping out of it.
"How dare you!" She shrieked. She turned in Remus's direction and stomped down the hallway, her (now visible) brilliant green eyes shining with tears. Remus pressed himself against the wall as she passed.
The smell in the hallway got worse as a pale greasy-haired boy stumbled out of the compartment covered in what looked like dung.
"I'll get you for this..." He muttered as he ran past Remus.
Remus stuck his head in the compartment and saw two boys. One was rolling on the floor, and the other was lying on the seat with tears in his eyes. Both were still laughing very hard, and didn't seem to notice Remus was there.
"Uh...What's so funny?" Remus asked. He didn't see anything funny about what had just happened.
The two boys came to their senses. The one on the seat wiped his tears, and the one on the floor climbed on the seat.
"That git - what'd he say his name was again, James?" Asked the one who had been crying from laughter.
"S-sni...Snivellus, I think," James replied. "Man, that was great!" He said, as if he had forgotten Remus was there.
"Yeah, Snivellus, he came in asking which houses we thought we were going to be in. That one girl, what was her name?" The other one asked James again.
"I'm surprised you even remembered my name this long, Sirius!" James joked. "Her name was Lily. Lily Evans," He said in a funny voice.
"Right...Lily came in and asked what we were talking about. Well, we started telling each other if we were half-blood, pure-blood or Muggle-born. Snivellus started talking about Muggle-borns-"
"-but he didn't put it as politely as 'Muggle-born'-" James interrupted angrily.
"Anyway, it ended with me pelting him with Dungbombs." Sirius finished simply.
"Lily didn't like it that much, though," James said. He looked like he was ready to go into another laughing fit. "Didn't stop it from being funny, though!"
Remus looked at the luggage rack, then at his trunk.
"Um...Do you mind if I ride in here?" He asked. As soon as he asked the question he felt very stupid. Why would anyone want him to sit with them?
"Yeah, sure." Sirius said, shrugging. He turned to the window to watch the countryside fly by.
James helped Remus put his luggage on the rack.
"By the way, my name's Remus Lupin."
After introducing themselves (although Remus already knew James and Sirius's names), Sirius gave up his spot for Remus and sat by James so they could trade some Chocolate Frog cards. After a while the food trolley came by and Sirius and James bought several Chocolate Frogs, with comments like, "I'll show you...I bet I'll get Victoria Advena the Great!" and "Oh yeah? I'll get Rex Dusus the Honorable!"
Remus bought two Chocolate Frogs and promised James and Sirius he'd give them the cards.
"I don't see the point of collecting them." He explained.
It was dark now. A Prefect walked down the corridor and announced they'd be arriving soon. James and Sirius, who were quite disappointed they didn't get the cards they wanted, jumped up to look out the window to see if they could see the castle yet.
"I can see one of the towers!" James said excitedly. "Let's change into our robes." He pulled their trunks down and they all changed.
Remus sat down again and looked out the window at the moon, which was being partially blocked by one of Hogwart's towers.
I wonder what will happen on the first full moon? He thought. What if Dumbledore's plan, whatever it is, doesn't work and I bite someone?
"What're you looking so sick about?" Sirius asked, seeing the look on Remus's face.
"Nothing."
The train slowed down and soon came to a stop in Hogsmead Station. The three boys gathered their luggage and followed a group of fourth-year girls off the train.
"Firs' years this way! Firs' years!" Shouted a large man with a lantern near the front of the train. "Firs' years this way!" He repeated.
"Hey, lemme alone!" Someone whined behind them.
"Oh look, the Mudblood wants us to leave him alone!" Said a drawling voice.
James turned around. "Didn't you learn your lesson yet, Snivellus?"
But it wasn't Snivellus. It was a pale, skinny boy with silver-blonde hair.
"'Snivellus'? Who're you talking about?" He sneered.
"Leave him alone." James said. "What's he done to you?"
"Exist," the boy said simply. "He's a filthy Mudblood."
Sirius stepped in.
"Not a good enough reason." He said, clenching his fists.
"What're yeh doin'?" Asked the large man as he stepped between them. "Dow' by the lake! All of yeh!"
They followed the man, the blonde-haired boy trying to step ahead, toward the lake where a hundred rowboats were waiting for the first-year students.
The blonde-haired boy got in a boat with Snivellus and two other students, all of which were looking at other students with their noses in the air in a snobby way. James, Sirius, Remus, and the "Mudblood" got in a boat. The large man had a boat to himself.
Remus got a look at the "Mudblood" when the man passed with his lantern.
"I saw you at King's Cross." He said, smiling.
"Yeah. Thanks for telling me where the platform was. Dad and I thought there was a mistake on the ticket. I don't think we could have found it on our own."
"It's a wonder how so many Muggle-borns actually make it here..." Sirius muttered in the back.
"My name's Remus Lupin." Remus said.
"I'm Peter Pettigrew." The other boy replied, looking relieved he had already made a friend that didn't call him, "Mudblood".
"That's James," Remus said, pointing to James, who was staring at the boat to the right that carried Lily, "And that's Sirius." Remus finished, pointing to Sirius, who was gazing at the castle.
The boats reached the bank and the new students climbed out, some looking sick from either nervousness or seasickness.
"Well, this is it..." Sirius said as if he were being escorted to his last meal.
"Don't look so scared," James laughed. He didn't seem to be nervous at all.
"I'm probably gonna end up in 'the wrong House'," Sirius said in a voice mimicking his mother's. "I can already hear the Howler screaming in my ear..."
The students were herded through large oak doors, through a hall, and through another set of large doors which lead into the Great Hall. They formed a line as a strict-looking witch walked across the Hall carrying a stool, a scroll, and a very old hat.
"When I call your name, please come up and place the hat one your head." She said, placing the hat on the stool. She opened the scroll.
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A/N: (laughs) That long enough for ya? Sorry that took so long! I've been writing only a few lines a day. Also, sorry if there might be a few small contradictions with SS/PS. I don't have any of the books with me, so I can't check anything! Oh, one more thing: Sorting will be in the next chapter! Please read and review! (Ok, so that was two more things...)