Author's Note: This chapter is early! Loads of thanks to Erica for editing, and also not forgetting the two people who submitted their reviews for the last chapter! I really appreciate reviews. Please give any suggestions and ideas, just anything! Thanks!
I'm also sorry to say that chapters after chapter 7, the next one, would be delayed because it would involve a major change from the old The Marauders Four. I hope you'd still stick to The Marauders Four. Sorry and thanks, once again.
Chapter Six
First Day at Hogwarts
Life at Hogwarts was just like another adventure for the underage wizards and witches. The first years had a troubled time finding all their classrooms. The staircases seemed to be more confusing than you thought, everywhere you entered looked just one of the many places that you just left.
Remus was sitting alone in the Great Hall. The enchanted ceiling reflected his mood; it was a bit cloudy. He had heard about Hogwarts before and read books all about them but he never been inside it. How does it feel to be inside the grand castle?
Just then, the two boys he met on the boat were entering the Great Hall. They joined Remus, who half-heartedly moved aside to give space for them.
"Good morning," James greeted. "Remus isn't it?"
"Yes," replied Remus.
"Why didn't you come back straight with us?" asked Sirius suspiciously.
Dumbledore had warned him not to tell his situation to anybody in the castle, what he could do but lie?
"I-err-I was held back by something," said Remus.
"What?" asked Sirius.
"My mum is sick," said Remus quickly, "I need to go home and visit her every month."
"Oh," said James.
Remus stirred his porridge. It was his long dream, a dream that can never be fulfilled. The reflection he saw in his porridge was a wolf snaring at him dangerously.
The timetables were given out. Soon, the whole school crowded in the Great Hall chatting noisily. The first years were all wondering what type of lessons were they going to have. The muggle borne sure were confused about this magical school just as about nearly a thousand owls flew in to deliver parcels and messages.
The Gryffindors first lesson was Potions with the Ravenclaws. The two houses went to the dungeons that seem to billow cold air every now and then. Sitting there was a man with brown hair and a charming smile.
"Welcome to Potions," he greeted. "I'm Professor Endric. Potions is a form of art in magic. You shall learn how useful the art of Potion comes in when you need it to save your life. Meanwhile, Potions cures almost everything that a wand cannot. Now, today is the first lesson and I don't want to trouble you with homework-"
There was an immediate uproar from the Gryffindors who started to cheer, the Ravenclaws eyed them disgustingly and turned their attention back to Professor Endric.
"-But that doesn't mean you won't have homework tomorrow!" Professor Endric shouted through the noise. The cheers died. The Gryffindors were disappointed, a week or even two days without homework was a fat hope.
An hour later, they left the dungeons, blowing their hands with warm air and rubbing them against each other. Remus was far back at the end of the crowd. Lily Evans was talking to her new Gryffindor friends. Sirius and James were planning on something and Peter Pettigrew kept hanging behind them.
"Stop following us, will you?" snapped Sirius. Peter stopped his tracks. He looked as if he was going to break into tears. What a cry-baby, Sirius thought.
"Don't be rude, Sirius!" hissed James. "He just wanted to be our friend."
"Yeah," said Sirius loudly. "But he's no better than Remus, if Remus could bear to be on his own, why can't he?"
That was just too much; Peter rushed to the next lesson while James reprimanded Sirius.
"Can't you see he's hurt?" hissed James into Sirius's ears annoyingly.
"No, I don't see," snapped Sirius.
"Haven't you ever been alone before?" asked James.
Alone? Other than Andromeda, and uncle Alphard, all his family members were his enemies. The tapestry, which hung on the wall, was a constant reminder of everything he hated. Narcissia, Bellatrix, Regulus, those little beasts in his home. Narcissia and Regulus were entering Hogwarts next year, it would be a disaster.
"Alone? Like young Remus, who has never had any friends?" said Sirius. "But I have you."
"Remus?" said James. "There is something wrong with him... Something is missing..."
"Something suspicious," added Sirius.
The time passed by so quickly, the Gryffindor first years emerged from the greenhouses, their fingers wrapped in bandages. They were bitten while feeding the Blossom blooms.
Defence Against the Dark Arts was something Remus had not been looking forward to among all the subjects. The classroom was decorated with books containing dark magic and a skeleton of a Hungarian Horntail hang over their heads.
The Professor stepped into the classroom; at once the Gryffindors grew quiet. Sirius knew that this teacher was not somebody to cross.
"Good afternoon class," said the Professor.
"Good afternoon sir," said the Gryffindors.
"My name is Professor Ryan," said the man. He was not very tall; his eyes were bright green with friendliness and he had a dark brown hair. "You would start off this year with Grindylows and end it off with werewolves as the last topic. Can you please turn to page six of 'Defence Against the Dark Arts for Beginners' and we shall start off today's lesson."
At the word of 'werewolves', Sirius was immensely interested in the subject. He had heard about Werewolves, about them transforming into a wolf during the first day of the full moon week. Werewolves were after human's blood or anything kind, but once a wizard or witch was bitten, there was no cure for it. They became a werewolf too.
Sirius turned to the contents page and instead of finding the word 'Grindylows'; he went searching for 'werewolves'. The class was reading up on the chapter assigned, but not for Sirius Black. Once he turned to that page, his face grew pale.
On fours, was a monster, its eyes shaped like almonds and its snout nose was in the air, sniffing wildly. From its mouth was something maroon in colour, dripping down to the floor...
He turned to the next page quickly.
'Werewolves are creatures which transformed into a werewolf during the first day of the full moon. They bite; they scratch victims and turn them into themselves. Muggles who are bitten died instantly until about the early 20th Century that they create a cure against it. Disappointedly, this does not work with the magical blood......... '
"Sirius Black!" A voice called sharply. Sirius looked up from the book and stared at whomever that was speaking.
It was Professor Ryan.
"Mr. Black, you're supposed to read on Grindylows and not werewolves-" Werewolves? Did he say werewolves? Remus lifted his attention from the book to the boy from the train. He was reading about Werewolves? Gosh! Did he know?
"I suppose this is my book and I'm given the authority to read what I like?" Sirius snapped.
"I understand that you're curious," said Professor Ryan. "But that lesson would still arrive around June. Now may you please turn to the page six?"
Sirius gave in. He flipped the pages to number six and began to read silently as the others continued their task.
After the lesson, Professor Ryan gave them some homework on distinguishing a Grindylow and they were dismissed. The Gryffindors packed their books and left the classroom except one – Sirus, who was called.
James and Peter waited outside the classroom patiently while the Professor spoke to Sirius. Both of them didn't know why he was held back.
"Mr. Black," began Professor Ryan. "I hope you won't go messing around with the topic of killing werewolves in your head."
"Why?" asked Sirius, "Why only werewolves? Aren't you supposed to be our Defence Against the Dark Arts' Professor? Aren't you supposed to teach us how to kill them, how to protect ourselves against them?"
"There are special circumstances, Mr. Black," replied Professor Ryan. "You're free to go." Sirius stared at the Professor curiously. He was typically not the type of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher he had in mind. He swung his bag behind his shoulder and exited the classroom, the words that the Professor had said still fresh in his mind.
I hope you won't go messing around with the topic of killing werewolves in your head...
"I hope that you would forgive Sirius' rude behaviour," James was saying. "You know him – "
"What?" Sirius looked at both of them; his disagreement with James seemed to have evaporated. "Anyway, you heard about werewolves?"
"Yes," said James, striding down the corridor with the two of them. "Werewolves are creatures which transform at the first day of every full moon. They are after blood, especially human blood. A werewolf cannot control its actions."
"What if there's a werewolf in our mist?" said Sirius.
"Nah," said James offhandedly, "Dumbledore won't enroll a werewolf!"
But a few feet behind them, was a boy with brown and a mixture of grey hair, his eyes bulging big and his hands trembling with fright, his knees go soft and his books he had been holding fell to the floor.
They knew! All along pretending to be friends yet they knew about him!
