"Acton, Devin." Devin, who turned out to be a Gryffindor, stumbled forward and put on the hat, but Remus didn't notice.
"Agiont, Kyle." A Slytherin.
Remus was shivering more that Peter probably. What if they don't put in me in a house? He thought. Maybe it was just a mistake, he thought again; I shouldn't even be here. I know I don't belong.
"Backing, Katie," A Ravenclaw.
Remus looked around the room and noticed four long table filled with students. The Great Hall had several oak doors leading off, but all of them were closed. Remus looked up at the ceiling and was surprised at seeing what looked like the sky. It was inky black but stars shone through. Remus looked back down and looked at the floating candles which seemed to light the hall.
"Becking, Joel," Another Ravenclaw
Remus looked at the table in front of him and saw witches and wizards seated there, who were unmistakably the teachers. In the middle of the table was seated an old man who must be Professor Dumbledore, he had heard about him from his parents.
"Black, Sirius." Sirius went up to the hat and put it on, grinning. Right away it yelled Gryffindor.
"Calving, Caroline." A Hufflepuff.
They might have to send me home, my mother would be very upset, Remus thought.
Remus stood there as Professor McGonagall called through the long list of soon to be first year kids.
"Lupin, Remus."
Remus stood there, conscience that almost every eye was on him, or at least at the line of kids around him. Remus shakily walked up to the stool and Professor McGonagall lifted the hat off the stool. Remus sat down and Professor McGonagall put in on his head. It fell beneath his eyes.
"Well, well, well. Remus Lupin, a werewolf and a wizard," a little voice said in his head. Remus froze. It knew he was a werewolf. "Boy, I know much, much more about you than you think. I can read your thoughts. Now let's see. You're scared, but brave. You've grown brave over the years from your pain and torment. You would also like to prove yourself worthy. Yes well, it has to be GRYFFINDOR!"
The last bit Remus heard echoed over the entire hall. Remus was just about to ask which table he sat at when he figured it was the table with the loudest noise. He walked over and finally relaxed when he sat down across from Sirius. He sighed, smiled, and sunk down in his chair. It was over. He now only had to last seven years at Hogwarts. It didn't seem that bad.
Remus looked up at the thinning line of kids all being called to the Sorting Hat and being called a Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw, a Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Soon Peter was called into Gryffindor, and then James. The Sorting ended with "Zambian, Zack" who was a Slytherin.
Remus looked expectantly at his plate as James sat by him and Peter by Sirius. Remus looked up as the Great Hall got quiet as Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak.
"Welcome again students, new and old!" He exclaimed. "Two words! Let's eat!"
The golden plates, cups, jugs, and bowls were suddenly filled with food to fill anyone's wildest dreams. Meat pies, steak and kidney stew, puddings of every flavor, vegetables, fruits, and even some substitute meats for the vegetarians.
Remus filled his plate with everything reachable, the food on the train seemed along way away.
"So I was in Diagon Alley, looking at the new broomstick, the Lightening. It's supposed to be the fasted broom yet. The Wasps all put in orders for seven of these babies. I wanted to get one, but mum wouldn't let me. We aren't suppose to have brooms our first year," James said through mouthfuls of steak and kidney pie. "But they did get me something for my birthday, I'll show you later. It's in my trunk, or, wait, they might've found it and took it out. I wasn't really supposed to bring it." He thought, digging into vanilla pudding now.
"Well let's hope that for flying lessons we don't have to use something like a Comet or something. Those are so old, my dad even has one and that just proves it's old," Sirius said, also digging into his pie.
"I hope Gryffindor can win the Quidditch Cup this year, I hear that they have lost it three times in a row," Peter said.
"Yeah, but one of the best seekers left last year so they're searching for a new seeker," James said. "That might limit our chances."
"If we win the Quidditch Cup, then we will defiantly win the House Cup," Remus said.
Eventually the golden plates cleared away when everyone was done and Professor Dumbledore stood up again.
"Just a few reminders for our new first year," he looked at all four tables and at the first years. "The Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden, so don't even try to go in there. Filch has just reminded me that no Dungbombs, Fanged Frisbees, Ever-Bouncing Balls, etc., etc., etc., are not allowed in the school. Classes start tomorrow and mind you be on time. Now goodnight!" Professor Dumbledore said, waving everyone off to the doors.
Sirius, James, Peter, and Remus all made their way to the throng of kids and walked through them till they heard, "Gryffindors! This way please!" shouted by a blonde head with a golden badge with the letter P on it, like the one that was on the girl on the train.
By time a small crowd in black robes was assembled behind the blond head, he turned around and moved through the stone halls. Remus looked in every direction, soaking it in. He looked at a painting of a lovely young girl, who, of course, was waving at them and moving, when a ghost suddenly flew out of the wall beside it. It looked like it had been alive during the 1800th century. It suddenly saw the kids and looked around them.
"Why it looked like we have some new first year," it said delightedly. "I am Sir Nicholas-"
"It's Nearly-Headless Nick!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Well I prefer to be called Sir Nicholas-" Nick said, obviously mad being called that.
"How can you be nearly headless?" Remus asked curiously. Nick looked at him like he was angry. He then rolled his eyes and seized his hair and pulled. His neck swung to the side, showing the inside of his neck, only about a quarter of an inch held it together.
"Wow!" James exclaimed.
"Awesome!" Sirius said at the same time. "Can I touch it?" At this point Nearly Headless Nick exploded, not literally of course.
"Touch? No you may not touch, not if you tried anyhow!" he exclaimed then floated off through another wall.
"I think you made him mad," Peter said.
"No, really Peter, I didn't notice," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.
The group continued on up stairs, through tapestries, up more stairs and finally they stopped in front of a large painting of a large woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" the Fat Lady asked.
"Balderdash," the blond boy said.
The portrait opened and in walked Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James. The common room, as it turned out, was a place for kids of the Gryffindor house to relax, play, talk, do homework, and much more, after hours.
"I'm Nate Kilder by the way, your Gryffindor Perfect. So please try not to get detention or lose any house points, as it would be very lovely to win the House Cup this year," the Nate said as he started to move through the throngs of people in the common room.
Remus also started to walk through the throngs of people, James, Sirius, and Peter following. He saw two sets of stairs.
"You go up the left ones," someone whispered in his ear. Remus jumped as the rest of the boys did. He turned around to see a pretty red-haired girl standing there with beautiful green eyes. "I said you go up those," the girl pointed to the left.
"Er…" Remus stuttered.
"Why thank you lovely maiden," James said, jumping in for Remus. He had a sparkle in his eye.
"James Potter," the girl muttered. James just smiled broader. She shoved James out of the way and looked at Remus. "I'm Lily Evans, by the way. I don't think we've met,"
"Remus Lupin. Do you two know each other?" Remus asked looking between James and Lily.
"Yes, we do. We went to the same school before Hogwarts, and oh how did she hate me. And now she has to put up with me for seven whole years, isn't that right Lily Evans," James said sweetly, as if enjoying this. The girl fumed, and could not think of a retort. She turned on her heels and stormed up the right staircase.
James smirked and then went up the left staircase, but not quite so loudly. Remus followed, going round and round till he thought he was going to be sick.
The dorm rooms were circular, obviously in a tower. They were a deep red color and there were five beds with hangings around them.
"She likes me," James said sitting on the bed with his trunk on it. "It is so obvious. She doesn't even try to hide it,"
"Yeah, and that's why you're the only person that thinks that," Sirius said.
The three boys continued to talk as Remus looked out the window beside his bed. He looked at the moon and realized that in a couple of nights, it would be a full moon.
"Whatcha looking at Remy?" Sirius asked, noticing that he wasn't participating in the conversation.
"Did you just call me 'Remy'?" Remus asked, his eyebrows rose.
Sirius blushed. "Sorry I just sort of think that Remus is a weird name, no offense or anything,"
"None taken,"
"So what are you looking at?"
"Just the moon," Remus replied simply. He didn't exactly feel like scaring off friends he just met.
"Yeah the moon sure looks beautiful tonight," Peter said as he moved to the window and looked at the moon.
"Full moons are better," James said. "I like to act like a werewolf when it's a full moon. You know, howl at the moon."
"A werewolf?"
"Yes Remus, a werewolf. I think werewolves are the most fascinating beasts of them all."
"But really, they are just regular humans who turn into a wolf," Remus pointed out, since he knew a lot about werewolves.
"Hmm, true I suppose, but like they are still cool," James said. "I wish I was a werewolf,"
"No you don't," Remus said quickly.
"Yeah I would," James said, looking at him. "I think it would be cool to change into something else."
"It's not," Remus said, glaring, but not at James, at the moon. "It's probably painful,"
"Remus Lupin?" All four boys looked at the door to see a burly sixth year's head in the doorway. "Madame Pomfrey needs to see you. You know the nurse."
Remus stumbled past the three boys who were staring at him and out of the doorway. He got down the stairs without a fall and out of the portrait.
"Lupin?" Madame Pomfrey, a plump woman. "Yes, well Professor Dumbledore and I were discussing over the summer how do get you out of school during a full moon. Now if you would just follow me."
Remus did so and they walked out of the school and onto the grounds. There he could see a dark, looming forest behind a great wooden hut.
"This tree will provide you protection from anyone wanting to get into the hole," Madame Pomfrey was saying. Remus turned his attention back to her and looked at a tree with no leaves on it, but long garland twigs and roots. He walked closer to inspect but Madame Pomfrey's arm held him back.
"Not to close, now. Watch," Madame Pomfrey said as she threw a great stick at the tree. The tree's branch's started to sway threatenly as if trying to hit someone of something. "There is a nob on the trunk next to a hole. I will take you out here each night then come back and get you when the full moon is over. At the end of the tunnel there is a house built for you where you will transform. All clear?"
"All clear," Remus answered.