A/N: w00t. School's finally out! Summer time! yay! No more SATs, no more finals, just kickin' back, relaxin', writing fan fiction and finding a summer job. Do'h! I'm sorry it's been like sixty thousand months but I haven't been able to do a lot lately (end of the year stuff, tests, homework, school stuff) but here we go. Much love to everyone who reviewed. This chapter is dedicated to you and to Vivian Wong my newest Beta. And Leigh-Anne Rea all way across the Atlantic in Northern Ireland. (I am coming to steal the puppies!) Much love. This is not dedicated to my chem final. I'm sure I got like a four on it. GAH! XP

-The Evil Duck

PS: Did you miss me? XD!.

Remus Lupin

Hogwarts Express

11:30 AM

Remus leaned his head against the vibrating glass of the compartment window, watching the world zoom by outside without really seeing it. Summer was still thick in the flower-scented air, hanging tangibly in the robin's egg-blue sky: the wavy heat lines, and strange mirages that reflected the spinning pistons of the scarlet train as if they were water. Inside the train the atmosphere was just as thick with happy anticipation and excitement.

Remus had watched from the window less than an hour earlier as all of his new classmates boarded the train, some looking nervous, biting their smiling lips and waving goodbye a thousand times to their families. The returning students greeted their old friends, laughing, recounting summers, and reminiscently retelling adventures both theirs and of various mutual friends. Now the old stone platform was miles and miles behind, leaving him alone and worried, whizzing toward his unknown fate.

Even in the absence of the off-white clock with its glowing hands, Remus felt the seconds tick slowly by, haunted by the shadows of the monstrous wolf. He wondered for a few moments if he would be able to fall asleep, and if he did, would he be forgotten and left behind on the train, sleeping in this soft velvet seat forever, never having to worry about his nightmares coming true. Remus wondered if the train would be searched. He wondered when it would be, how far away from the school would they be before he was found curled up by the dark window. Would they go back to London? Would they send him home? What would happen to him if he just refused to get off the train? He was beginning to drift off into a dream-sea of question marks and strange tangled plans when the knock came at the door.

Remus sat bolt upright, staring wide-eyed at the sliding compartment door like a cornered animal. His amber eyes were filled with primal fear and the power to fight tooth and claw for his survival, no matter what lurked behind that door.

"Oi!" said the voice of whomever had knocked. They banged against the glass this time. "Any room in there?"

"Y-y-yes," said Remus, nervously watching as the door was pulled open from the outside. The few moments it took for the boy to pull open the door seemed desperately, almost painfully, slow--revealing one whom Remus had come to think of as his Adversary. The boy came in, sliding the heavy wooden door closed behind him.

"Thanks mate," said the boy grinning, he had very white, very straight teeth. "I've been wandering around since we left London. Train's packed far past the gills." He looked over at Remus and arched an eyebrow, "You okay?" he asked. "You're looking kind of green."

"Yes. Fine. Thank you," said Remus never taking his amber eyes off the boy.

He was probably around Remus's age although he could have been older. His hair was jet black and fell just slightly into his eyes, making him look indifferent and rebellious. His eyes were grayish; Remus couldn't quite decide what color they were, because they seemed to be changing, they were a light blue-gray at the moment, something like the ocean just before a storm, with streaks of deep sapphire and midnight blue. He was already wearing his Hogwarts uniform and he looked like he was born in it. Remus still felt slightly awkward in his own. He was used to muggle clothes and the robe felt strange and unnecessary.

The boy shrugged and tossed himself onto the opposite velvet bench, stretching out lazily and extending his long legs so they rested next to Remus. Remus leaned his head against the window again, trying to ignore the boy and letting his forehead bang against the glass. The boy seemed content to ignore him for the moment, reaching into his robes and pulling out his wand. He began to play with it boredly. He flicked it idly and a shower of red and gold sparks burst from its tip. He looked up, saw Remus watching him, and smiled. Remus turned his head quickly back to the window.

"I'm Sirius, by the way," said the boy, readjusting himself so he could offer his hand.

"I'm…I am sorry…I think I missed…what are you serious about…?" Remus stared at the boy's hand for a few moments before he retracted it, sighing with an air that made Remus realize he wasn't the first person to make this mistake.

"No, no, no, not serious S-E-R-I-O-U-S, Sirius S-I-R-I-U-S, like the Dog Star, it's my name," He explained.

"Oh…okay…sorry…." said Remus.

"No big deal," said Sirius, waving his hand as if to knock Remus's apology out of the air. He watched Remus for a few seconds expectantly, as if waiting for the faded boy to fulfill his side of a deal. Remus remained quiet, so Sirius prompted, "And you are…?"

"Lupin," said Remus quickly, "Remus Lupin."

"You're a first year too, right?" asked Sirius, extending his feet again, putting his hands behind his head.

"Yes." said Remus quietly.

"Don't talk much, do you?"

"I'm sorry."

Sirius shrugged. "Any idea what house you'll get into?"

"No," said Remus. Then, remembering the boy's previous comment, said, "Do you?"

Sirius looked out the window, brow furrowed as if deep in thought, "Anywhere but Slytherin."

"Oh," Remus was unsure about what to do with this information, "Why?"

"I'm not like them," said Sirius, but Remus thought it sounded as though his new companion was talking to himself, so he turned back to the window.

There was a moment of silence that Sirius broke with the force of a bullet train, "So, what're you into?"

"I'm sorry?" Remus blinked. He wasn't sure what counted as normal conversation between children his age because he'd never had any kind of conversation with one before. In fact, there were few times that Remus ever remembered seeing anyone aside from his parents, and those were trips to St. Mungo's, when, in his wolf state, he'd hurt himself so badly neither parent could fix it. He shivered subconsciously.

"Shouldn't be," Sirius said with that too perfect smile, "just what do you like to do?"

"I don't know," Remus let his gaze settle outside the window, he wasn't sure he liked this boy.

Sirius shrugged, fiddling with his wand again. Remus thought he'd be able to go back to his fearful daydreams but Sirius started talking again. "You must be a really boring person if you can't tell me one thing you like," he said offhandedly. "Most people can at least name a band, or book, or quiddich team, or something like that."

"A what?" Remus had never thought about quiddich, never found much of an interest in it. It took him a moment to register what Sirius was asking.

Sirius looked up at him almost confusedly for a fraction of a second before saying, "you're a mudblood--" He seemed to realize he'd said something wrong and his eyes reflected that, flickering a strange green for a fraction of a second as he stuttered and corrected himself, "--I mean muggle-born, aren't you?"

Remus swallowed. A Mudblood. He was talking to a pure blood. Not only a pure blood, but a fairly prejudiced one at that. He was in trouble. Remus bit his lip. "No," he answered truthfully.

Sirius furrowed his brow, "half and half?"

"Yes," he said.

"Where do you live?" Sirius asked.

"Scotland," Remus answered, wishing he'd never allowed the other boy in. He could have lied. He could have said it was full. He could have fallen asleep and just wasted away.

There came another knock on the door, louder this time.

Before Remus could answer Sirius called, "it's open!"

"Thanks." Another boy about their age entered, followed by a fourth. The speaker was on the taller side, with messy black hair that stood almost vertically. He had a very long, classically British face with a long straight nose, and deep brown eyes. He, too, was wearing his Hogwarts uniform but it had an unworn, stiff quality that Sirius had somehow managed to avoid.

The other boy didn't say anything at first. He was short, slightly heavy, with wide blue eyes, a pointed nose, and a mess of short blonde hair. Everything about the boy was somehow awkward. When he walked he seemed to trip. He smelled like sweat. When he closed his mouth his slightly buck teeth rested on his lower lip. He smiled slightly at Sirius and fell into the seat next to Remus, who moved uneasily away closer to the window.

The taller boy hadn't sat down yet but was looking Sirius over with scrutiny. "I've seen you somewhere before, haven't I?" Sirius seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"What's your sur--?" Sirius began but stopped himself.

"I know I've seen you somewhere..." the boy continued, "I think...I think I met you at Ollivander's!"

Sirius grinned, "That's right! Yeah! Sirius Black." Sirius gestured for the other boy to sit down.

"That's an unfortunate name," said the brown eyed boy taking his seat next to Sirius, "James Potter."

"You nearly detonated the shop when you found your wand--that was brilliant!"

"I know, but you sent Ollivander across the room!" James said grinning broadly. They kept talking, but it all became a series of sounds to Remus, he truly didn't know what they were saying. The background noise turned to static, two words echoed through his mind Sirius Black.

A Black?

He remembered his father's parting words: Whatever you do Remus, I want you to be wary of who's around you. Not everyone is your friend; far from it, unfortunately. I want you to promise me you'll keep a low profile. Some people...some families you should avoid all together, especially the Blacks. Orion Black is the head of the Magical Beings and Beasts Division of the Ministry. He has a special hatred for...for...well I think you can guess.

Remus gulped audibly then heard his own name and looked up.

"His name is something Lupin...Remus right?" Sirius looked at him and Remus nodded weakly. "He's practically mute," Sirius added. He and James had obviously been conversing loudly since James sat next to him and the third boy, whose name Remus still did not know, watched them as if it were a tennis match. His large blue eyes darted between them, focusing on the speaker, as he listened with rapt, slightly slack-jawed interest. "So who's he?" Sirius asked, pointing at the smaller boy.

The blonde cleared his throat and swallowed, paused then said in a quivering voice, "I'm...er...I'm Peter...Peter Pettigrew."

The other two looked at the boy seated next to Remus for a few seconds, neither with much interest, before diving back into their own conversation. Peter looked helplessly at Remus, who continued to stare, almost blindly, out the window.

Soon the sun was at touchdown in the West, throwing final fiery streamers into the purpling heavens. Stars began to burst into life in the velvety sky. The moon was no where in sight, Remus shivered, he always liked to see it, to know when he was safe. James and Sirius had almost bought the entire contents of the snack trolley. They offered to share, and although Peter greedily joined them, finally elbowing his way into conversation, Remus declined in favor of watching the world outside the window as it faded to black. The landscape around them was hidden by the darkness so all that Remus could see was the blanket of the sky, it was easy to think, (not even imagine), that the train was streaming across the milky way, jetting through the nothingness of space. The moon was rising slowly now and Remus finally looked away into the compartment, content in knowing his enemies whereabouts.

Fifteen minutes later the train lurched to a stop.