Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.
Platform 9 and ¾ bustled with energy as the Hogwarts Express prepared to depart.
Remus took one last look out the window at his mother and father, their faces a bit damp but happy, waving at him from the platform. He forced himself away at last from the window, fearful that he too would become teary.
As Remus again became aware of his surroundings, he realized that the compartments were fast filling. Best find a seat quick. He was roaming the hallway, searching for an inviting seat when he came across a likely compartment.
In the compartment were two boys whispering conspiratorially. They could have been brothers, so alike did they look at first in appearance. But, upon closer examination, the two were as different as night and day. They surely couldn't be brothers. While both had black hair and dark eyes, there the resemblance stopped. The first was rather disheveled-looking, with his raven hair sticking up in all the wrong places, as if it had a life and will of its own. He was rather skinny with hazel eyes that gleamed from his pale complexion. The second had a sort of casual elegance, like royalty in disguise, with his shiny black hair framing mischievous gray eyes.
Both boys started as Remus opened the compartment, their conversation immediately breaking off.
"Sorry…didn't mean to interrupt…I'll just leave now shall I?" Remus apologized as he backed out the door.
"Don't be silly, you're perfectly welcome here. We were just discussing some business, nothing to interrupt really," the elegant boy said.
"I'm James," the other boy said, holding out his hand. "James Potter."
"And I'm Sirius Black."
"Remus Lupin, pleased to meet you both," Remus said. "Would you mind if I sat here?"
"Not at all, sit away!" Sirius said merrily. "We were just discussing houses."
"Houses?" Remus said dumbly.
"Yes, of course houses! Don't tell me you've never heard of Hogwarts houses?" James scoffed, as if the very thought that someone could be ignorant of Hogwarts houses seemed absurd to him.
"Oh yes…houses…quite forgot about them," Remus said. In truth, he had forgotten all about houses in all his excitement about actually getting to go to Hogwarts at all.
"Well then, which one do you prefer?" James asked.
"I don't know…I hadn't really thought much about it," Remus said.
"Just so long as I'm not in Slytherin I'll be happy," Sirius said with a shudder. "My whole family for generations has been in Slytherin, and I aim to break the curse or die trying. I hate the lot of them, my family that is. Well, I hate Slytherins too to be honest."
"Sirius and I both want to be in Gryffindor," James said.
"Brave fellows, Gryffindor. Got all the qualities a man needs: bravery, loyalty and a hatred for Slytherins," Sirius said.
"In that case, I think I'd like to be-" Remus was cut off by the sound of a crash against their door.
All three boys looked up. James and Sirius pulled out their wands as they jumped to their feet and opened the compartment door.
"Please, please, don't hurt me! I didn't do no one any harm! I was just…"
Smack! The small but pudgy mousy-haired boy was shoved against the wall, his pleas cut off as the breath was knocked out of him. A gang of older Slytherin boys had surrounded him and were proceeding to pound the living daylights out of him despite the fact that he was half their size.
Sirius and James didn't need to see anymore. They immediately began raining curses on the older boys, looking quite pleased with themselves when they managed to transform the group into a gang of slimy gigantic slugs with bat wings coming out of their sides.
"Interesting what the slug and bat curse do when combined," Sirius smirked.
"Yeah, those two definitely shouldn't be combined. But they're really better looking this way though, don't you agree Remus?" James said.
All Remus could do was nod. Here James and Sirius were in their first year, and they could already transform people into slugs! Or rather, bat-slugs. Clearly these two were trouble personified.
The little boy whimpered in the corner, drawing their attention. He looked up in awe at the three boys, as if he would love to crawl to them and lick their boots. But fear restrained him, and he only managed to get out, "Thank you," in his squeaky mouse voice.
"No problem," James said. "But you might want to come with us. There's no telling when they'll turn back into their own ugly selves, but I know when they do they will be less than pleased."
The boy's eyes watered as he nodded his small head. "Thank you, thank you."
"So, what is your name?" Sirius asked, getting straight to business.
"P…P…P…Peter Pettigrew."
"First year Peter?" James said kindly.
"Yes," Peter mumbled.
"Good, ours as well," he said. "I'm James Potter, and this is Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."
"P…Pleased to meet you," Peter said.
"We were just talking about," but Sirius never finished saying what exactly they were talking about, as at that precise moment a pretty, distraught young girl their age rushed into the compartment.
"Sirius! I've been looking everywhere for you!" she babbled. "I…oh, sorry…didn't realize…"
"Don't worry yourself," Sirius said with a fond smile. "This is my cousin, Alexandra Black," he said to his friends.
"Alex, Sirius!" Alex said, blushing.
"Alex, this is James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. Now what was it you were saying?" Sirius said.
As Sirius mentioned Remus' name, a strange look of recognition flashed in Alex's eyes. Remus, remembering immediately what he had told Alex in the hospital, panicked.
"Nothing important really," Alex said. "It's just that…Bellatrix is in a horrible mood."
"Giving you trouble is she?" Sirius said, a dangerous gleam in his eye.
"No…well, just the usual. I just wanted to put you on your guard," Alex said.
"You'll tell me if she harasses you?" Sirius said, his gray eyes deadly serious.
"Of course," Alex said. "Well, it was nice to meet all of you, but I really should get back to Lily," she said, shaking her cousin's friends' hands.
"Haven't we met before?" Alex said, shaking Remus' hand.
"I don't think so," Remus said, shooting Alex a meaningful look.
Please don't tell, please don't tell.
"My mistake," she said convincingly.
As she slid the door shut, Remus breathed a sigh of relief, and the conversation turned to a lighter note: Quidditch.
Alex was walking out of Potions, so far her most boring subject, when someone grabbed her hand. She turned quickly, her hand automatically flaring out in defense against her cousin, when she realized that it was definitely not Bellatrix she had just hit.
"Ouch!" Remus said.
"I'm so sorry! I thought you were Bellatrix! You see, she has this weird habit of jumping out at me, and I thought…I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?" Alex said, concern in her voice, as she looked at what would be a black eye.
"No, really, it's okay," Remus said. "I didn't mean to startle you, but I had to talk to you."
"What's the matter Remus?" Alex said.
Remus looked reluctant to start the conversation. Could it really be that bad?
"It's just that, for the first time in my life, I have friends. And I don't know what they'd do if they found out I'm a werewolf. And so I…" Remus broke off.
"Don't worry. Of course I won't tell them. I'd never tell anyone you were a werewolf Remus, I promise," Alex said.
Remus looked relieved at Alex's sincerity. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that…"
"You want to make sure. I understand," Alex said.
"Thanks."
His secret was safe.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and (again) PLEASE REVIEW!!! I don't know how to make this better if you don't do that! (Plus I just like to read your opinions).
Thanks to pierced-belly-buttonfor being my first everreview! Hmm...you'd think there'd be more stories that started that way (at least if they primarily concern Remus).Andif you want to know my reasoning for writing this story at all, you can read my profile; it explains how I got the idea for this fanfic.Anyways, I'm glad that you liked it, and I hope that you'll continue to read and tell me what you think. Oh, and Happy New Year!