A/N: So, so sorry that I've taken so long to update. I'm bad, and I'm a slow writer. Again, many thanks to all those who reviewed. Because someone asked, Lily will be appearing in this chapter, I promise. Sorry if this one is short, but I want to keep updating. Enjoy!.

Disclaimer: With the exception of a few originals, none of the characters, settings, situations, etc. are mine. All are JKR. Believe me, if they belonged to me, Sirius would still be alive and Lupin would be the main character. Two original characters I don't take credit for are Carol Morgan and Stuart Benjamin. They're based on two of my friends, both crazed Harry Potter freaks. Oh, and I stole the Gryffindor password from Dr. Seuss. My high school is putting on "Seussical the Musical" in the fall, and I'm listening to that as I write.

Once, They Were Friends

Book One: Moony

Chapter 4: The Insight Of An Old Hat

The severe looking witch held in her hands a stool and fraying, ancient hat. "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts school. Now, if you would follow me into the hall, we are ready for the sorting to begin. When I call your name, you will come up and place the hat upon your head. The hat will sort you into your houses." She walked into the Great Hall, and the new students followed her in silence. They were all too nervous to speak.

Remus gasped when he first saw the ceiling of the hall. It swirled with the pinks and purples of the setting sun, and a bright quarter moon, peaked out from behind a wisp of cloud. It was waxing, and would be full in a week or so, but now wasn't the time to think about that.

The hat was set upon the stool in the front of the hall. The first student began to step forward, expecting her name to be called, but she was stopped when the had opened its mouth (could hats have mouths? thought Remus) and began to sing.

Long before this school was built,

And it was very long ago,

Magic ran wild throughout the land

And caused chaos, don't you know.

And four smart folks decided

That's not the way to be.

They built this school together

For the benefit of you and me.

But, alas, these four friends,

Who never argued all their life,

Found themselves in conflict

Which could have caused much strife:

Between them they found they couldn't

Decide who they should teach

For they valued different qualities

And a favorite trait went to each.

Gryffindor wanted those who were brave,

And with courage in their hearts,

Ravenclaw wanted intelligence

And only those with smarts,

Slytherin wanted ambitious ones

Who would have success in any way,

Hufflepuff wanted the honest and loyal,

Loved hard work and fair play.

And so they sorted students while they lived.

But, alas, they couldn't continue forever

So they created me to sort you

Have I been wrong? No, never.

I'll see everything within your head,

Everything you try to hide.

And I'll know just where to put you

From what I see inside.

Remus gulped as he heard these last few words. The hat would see he was a werewolf; there was know way he would be able to hide that. Would it announce it to the school? Would it prevent him from being sorted at all? Would it see that he had this darkness in him and put him in something like Slytherin? He looked over at that table, and he saw the pale blond boy, Lucius Malfoy, sitting there, talking to his little gang, who listened with rapt attention. Remus didn't want to be in that house, not with those people. His thoughts were interrupted by the first student stepping forward in line, their names called out by Professor McGonagall. "Abazorius, Ethan."

A boy, fairly tall for his age and with sandy colored hair, stepped forward. He placed the hat on his head, and everyone waited for a moment. Suddenly, the seam of the hat opened and it called out, "Ravenclaw." Everyone at that table cheered, stopping when Professor McGonagall called out the next name, "Araby, Ossa." A dark-haired girl with sharp eyes was quickly sorted into Hufflebuff.

The line moved forward with each name, and after Benjamin, Stuart became a Ravenclaw, it was Sirius' turn. He stepped forward nervously and placed the hat on his head. Suddenly he heard a voice, the same voice that had been calling out names of houses.

"Another Black?" it said, almost amused. "But where to put this one? You seem much different than most of your family you know. Much more like your cousin Andromeda."

"I don't want to be in the same house as the rest of my family. I want to be different than they are." He didn't knew why he was thinking this, he knew he would be in trouble if he wasn't a Slytherin, but he didn't care.

"Don't want to be with the rest of your family? Well then, I know the only place to put you. No self-respecting Black would ever be in GRYFFINDOR." This last word was shouted out loud to the whole school, and Sirius happily joined his table. The Slytherins were scowling slightly, but as Sirius looked over at his cousin Andie, she looked excited for him.

The line continued on, name by name, sorting fairly equally into the other houses. The next Gryffindor after Sirius was a pretty redheaded girl called Lily Evans, who smiled brightly when she took her place at the table.

Remus slowly moved forward as the line grew shorter. Dumbledore wouldn't have let him in if he wouldn't be really allowed, would he? But he wasn't in charge of the decisions the Sorting Hat made, so he wouldn't be able to do anything if the hat refused to sort Remus. He was a werewolf, he didn't belong at Hogwarts, and the hat would know it. There was nothing he could do now. He could run now, escape the possibility that the hat would announce to the whole school his secrets, just bolt out the door. No one would miss him. Except maybe for James and Sirius and Peter. They were the first people to ever talk to him like . . . He didn't know what. Sort of like a friend. That was new for Remus, but he wanted it so desperately. He looked back in the line at James, who smiled encouragingly. Kellerman, Horace became another Hufflepuff and went to join his friends at their table. Now it was Remus' turn. He heard his name called, nervously sat on the stool, and placed the hat on his head.

"What do we have here?" asked a small voice. "This is something new."

"Please," thought Remus, "sort me anywhere, just don't send me away, don't tell everyone what I am."

"What, a werewolf?" Remus cringed a little when the hat said this. "Well, I definitely won't turn you away. But I can't sort you just anywhere, now can I? You'll be put where I think you should go, and that's the long and short of it. But where?"

"I just want to be where they won't judge me. Won't cast me out. I want to have friends." He looked at Sirius at the Gryffindor table, and at James and Peter in line.

"That shouldn't be too hard. Let's see now. Hufflepuffs would treat you fairly, won't judge you, but I think you are a bit to studious for them. I don't think you would like Ravenclaw very much, though you clearly have the smarts for it. I see that you want to be accepted at any cost, and maybe that could be a Slytherin trait, but no, I don't think that would suit you at all. Well then, that only leaves GRYFFINDOR." In an instant, that table was cheering; Sirius was clapping loudly and smiling. Remus ran to sit next to him and watch the rest of the sorting. Almost immediately after, Morgan, Carol became another Gryffindor, joining Lily happily.

Peter and James continued to wait, impatiently, for their turn. At least James was a little impatient. He knew where he would be going, or at least he thought he did. Both his parents and all his family before him had been in Gryffindor, and there was no real reason for him to be in any other house. Everyone always told him how he was just like his father.

Peter, on the other hand, was growing rather terrified as he moved closer and closer. He wanted to be in Gryffindor with Sirius and Remus, needed it. But he wasn't brave. He didn't want to admit it, not at this young age, but in his heart, he already knew. He had never been able to stand up to bullies, so he joined in and befriended them. And that's what he was planning on doing, and the hat would probably know it. He didn't have any longer to wonder, though, because Professor McGonagall called out, "Pettigrew, Peter," and James pushed him lightly towards the hat, smiling. Nervously, he sat and put it on his head.

"Hello," said the hat encouragingly. "Now, where do you belong?"

"Perhaps Gryffindor?" suggested Peter hopefully. "I think I would do well there."

"Do you?" asked the hat. "Well, I think other places might suit you better. You are very ambitious, I can see that quite clearly. You could very well find like-minded folks in Slytherin."

"No, I don't think so," thought Peter. "I think I would rather like to be in Gryffindor."

"Alright then, but that's going to take some effort on your part, my friend. One day, you will prove your bravery, and you may not be happy with the result. But you will prove it, and you will belong in GRYFFINDOR." That table cheered once again, and Peter breathed a sigh of relief. The joy of the moment made him quickly forget the predictions of the hat.

James ran up to the stool and the Sorting Hat as soon as his name was called.

"Ah, yes, the next Potter boy. Well, I know just where to put you, that isn't much difficulty. But before I do, a quick warning. You do quite belong where I am putting you, and you will grow up to do great things, that I can see. But you must not forget that no one is perfect, and you are above no one. While I can foresee great successes for you, you have the potential for great failure as well. Just be careful. Remember this, alright?"

"Yes, yes, alright. So where will I be sorted?" Though he really already knew.

"Fine, then. You already know you are going to GRYFFINDOR." James eagerly ran to join his three new friends, his stomach rumbling quietly. They waited patiently through the rest of the sorting. A greasy haired boy with pale skin and a very long nose glared at James and Sirius as soon as he was sorted into Slytherin, which was odd, because neither of them had seen this boy before in their lives.

Finally, when a boy called Wilkes became a Slytherin, all thirty-six new students had been split into the four houses, and everyone's stomachs were growling. Dumbledore, however, stood to speak, much to the new students' dismay. The older students simply told them to be quiet and listen.

"Welcome, all. So good to see old, familiar faces, and bright new ones. But I will not bore you quite yet. It grows late, and as the minutes tick we grow hungrier and hungrier. So, let the feast commence." He waved his hand gently, and food appeared in great gold plates in front of them.

Remus had never seen so much, and nothing so extravagant. He eagerly reached out to pick up a fork and dig in, but then paused. He hoped that the silverware wouldn't be actual silver, which it was, most of the time.

"Come on, Remus, dig in," said James, his own plate quite full of roast chicken, potatoes, and all sorts of other good things. Sirius nodded in agreement, his mouth stuffed.

Cautiously, Remus reached out to the serving spoon and breathed a sigh of relief. It was gold, or something like it, and he eagerly filled his plate, laughing at a joke Sirius made when he had finally swallowed. This was set to be one of the best nights of his life, and for the first time in five years, the full moon, only a week away, seemed like it wouldn't be for ages.

As the plates began to empty, and second and third helpings were finally swallowed down, Dumbledore stood to speak once again. "An excellent feast, I hope you all thought. Before we send you off to bed, for tomorrow will begin a busy year of learning, I have a few important announcements. First, I would like to remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is as its name implies: forbidden to all students not accompanied by a teacher during a class. Also, our caretaker, Argus Filch, has begun a list of items banned from the halls, and it will be posted in all common rooms. I would also like to remind students to respect the authority of the Head Boy and Head Girl, Lucius Malfoy and Andromeda Black, because we seemed to have some problems with that last years."

Here, James leaned over to Sirius and whispered, "Lucius Malfoy? How the hell did he get to be Head Boy?"

Sirius shrugged, and answered, "I guess his father had something to say about it. I'm surprised though, I thought he only had sway over the old headmaster. I-" but he was interrupted by a loud "Shh!" from one of the older students.

Dumbledore was still speaking. "I have one very important announcement for all students. As you stroll through the grounds, you are sure to discover a new addition to the landscaping at Hogwarts. We have acquired a Whomping Willow which was found in a Muggle jungle, and which has been moved to our school to prevent any suspicion. This tree is extremely dangerous, and I cannot stress the importance of exercising caution when nearing the tree. I would strongly advise against touching it, as it has very violent tendencies."

Many of the new students, including Remus and Peter, wondered how a tree could have violent tendencies, but didn't question it. A few students began to yawn loudly, as night grew later and later.

"Right, I won't keep you much longer. I just wanted to wish you all the best of years. I know each of our staff is eager to fill your brains with knowledge, and I hope each of you is eager enough to have it filled. Good night, get sleep, and awake ready to learn." The students applauded lightly at the end of the headmaster's speech, and began to stand to leave.

One of the older students, a prefect, stood and called the first years to her. "Follow me to our common room," she said, and they followed her through the winding staircases and stared, wide-eyed at paintings that moved and called out greetings to them. Finally, they reached a painting of a fat woman in a pink dress. "The password is 'solla sollew.' Use that to get into the common room, and it'll be posted it the password changes." The portrait swung open and revealed a grand common room, decorated in bright reds and gold. A fire was roaring and a hand full of students were up playing chess or cards. The prefect showed the first years up to their dormitories.

Their trunks and belongings were already next to beds, which were warm and inviting. Remus crawled into his bed and smiled, full and happy. He was tired from a long day rather from the exhaustion of a full moon, which was a refreshing new family, and he easily nodded off to sleep with only a glance at the bright moon still visible from the window.

A/N: Did you like? Did you hate? Tell me! I would love constructive criticism, with suggestions on how I can make it better. Next chapter will come eventually, but I won't make any promises. Sorry that this takes so long. But if you review, it'll come faster.