1971

Remus had gotten on the Hogwarts Express early, before almost anyone else. It had been nerves more than anything that caused him to kiss and hug his parents in a hurry to make sure he got a spot, for Remus had been incredibly nervous all day that something would go wrong and he wouldn't get to go to Hogwarts after all. First, he thought that perhaps the traffic would cause the Lupin family to be late—and, missing the train, Dumbledore would rescind the offer to let Remus attend school that year. Or maybe, Remus pondered, the brick gateway to platform 9 and ¾ would refuse to let him through, on account of his being a werewolf. As much as his parents had assured him these events would not come to pass, Remus had only partially believed them. To the young boy, until he was physically in the castle, this whole experience felt more like a pipe dream.

Of course, being early had its advantages. Remus had found an entirely empty compartment, where he could settle down in peace and quiet. He was utterly exhausted, the full moon having been just two nights prior, and while he had managed to come away relatively unscathed, his bones still ached. He had also lost an entire night's sleep, which always took some time to recover from. He was hoping to curl up and maybe read a book or sleep on the train ride and was already taking his first steps to achieving this, as The Hobbit rested firmly in Remus' grip. Little did he know, such opportunity to read or rest would never present itself—not that first ride, nor any others while he was a student.

"Hullo!"

Remus, who had sat down only moments before, looked up to see a boy with shaggy dark hair and a wild grin. His eyes were grey and sparkling with what Remus at the time could only describe as trouble. Overall, the young werewolf got the impression that this boy looked like he would be a handful, and far too spirited. Remus, who had grown up admiring calm above all else, grew concerned. No, he thought, this would not be someone he should get close to.

"Hi," the young werewolf answered back meekly. The boy who initiated the conversation rolled his eyes, stepping into the compartment from the corridor with a snort.

"Well, you're talkative. I'm Sirius. Sirius Black. Nice to meet you," introduced the boy—Sirius. He stuck his hand out, and Remus nervously shook it.

"Remus," he replied quietly. "Remus Lupin."

"Oh, so you do know how to say more than one word! Good, I thought I was going to have to teach you English," Sirius joked. Remus narrowed his eyes, and was about to flip open his book and ignore his newfound classmate when—

"Hey, this compartment full yet?"

Another boy had entered in from the corridor—without asking, Remus noticed. He thought it odd that neither of the two boys seemed to knock or in any other way announce themselves prior to coming in. Did he know them from some other time or place? Remus didn't think so. He wasn't acquainted with anyone. So why, of all compartments, they had chosen his, Remus would never know. Even after he had known them long enough to ask.

"Well, unless you count me and this one as being full," Sirius motioned, "no, but good luck getting Lupin here to speak. I'm Sirius, by the way," he grinned. "Sirius Black."

The newcomer's eyes widened, and he adjusted his glasses as he puffed out his chest. Sirius it seemed was tying to mirror the boy, sitting up a bit straighter in his seat. Remus had to try not to roll his eyes, through he couldn't help but think how silly the newcomer looked. Trying his hardest to look important when his hair looked like it had been groomed by a tornado, neither he nor Sirius made Remus feel the slightest bit intimidated.

"Black, huh? Well, I'm James Potter," the new boy responded.

"My family says yours are blood traitors," Sirius quipped, which caused Remus to recoil a bit. If this boy cared about blood status, it would suit him to stay as far away as possible. Then, Sirius did something Remus hadn't expected: he began laughing.

"Is that funny to you?" James asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Sirius shook his head, hair tumbling around like a lion's mane.

"Well, it might be to my mum: I personally would love to turn into a blood traitor, like you Potters. Think you could teach me a thing or two?" Sirius smirked. James returned the look, fully inside the compartment now as he took his seat.

"Gladly," he responded. "Seems you're a better sort than the rest of your family. And you," James asked, looking directly at Remus now. "You're been watching us, quiet one. What's your name?"

Remus lowered his book and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, Sirius seemed to take over.

"That's Remus Lupin," he explained. "He doesn't say anything, so I've been teaching him a thing or two—"

"—I do too speak," Remus huffed, glaring at Sirius before turning to James, a bit on edge. He was, after all, sleep-deprived and in a fair amount of pain. "It's nice to meet you," he added.

James chuckled, sticking out a hand for Remus to shake, which the werewolf did—careful not to let his sleeve fall down his arm and expose any of his scars.

"Well, pleasure to meet you Remus. Glad you can talk—looks like our fellow compartment mate's got a bit of a mouth. I might need you to back me up on a thing or two," he grinned. Remus got the feeling that he liked this James Potter. There was something about him that was instantly likeable, as if you'd already been his friend before you even met.

Sirius looked like he was going to interrupt when a small, blond-haired boy knocked on the compartment door. Remus smiled—at least someone had manners.

"H-hello?" The new boy asked. "Do you guys mind if I sit with you?"

Sirius flashed James a look, which Remus caught, but James hadn't paid any attention—either on purpose, or by virtue of being too caught up in himself.

"No, don't mind at all! There's a spot next to Remus here," James motioned, and said newcomer flashed Remus a small smile, which the werewolf returned easily. James continued speaking:

"I'm James, James Potter. This next to me is Sirius Black—already on his way to becoming a blood traitor, so don't you worry—and of course that's Lupin. And you are…?"

"Peter," the small boy responded, looking around the compartment. "Peter Pettigrew."

"Well, Peter!" James exclaimed. "Pleasure to meet you. Looks like we've got ourselves a full compartment now, yeah?"

Remus smiled—James' grin was absolutely contagious, and it spread to the other boys as well. He decided to put away his book into his satchel, as it didn't look like much rest was going to happen at all in a compartment of four boys.

"So, what year are you all?" Sirius asked, looking down at his nails. "First years, like me?"

"Typical," James rolled his eyes. "You think everyone is a first year because you are?"

"That's not what I said," countered Sirius. "I just assumed, since none of us were sitting with anyone before—"

"—I'm a first year," Remus interjected, unsure of how he found his voice. This was his first time really interacting with anyone his own age, much less two loud and clearly opinionated boys—and Peter. Sirius' arms flew up and he gave James a sort of 'you see' look, which James did not seem to take well.

"I'm a first year too," James huffed, "but that doesn't mean Peter over here is—"

"—actually," Peter spoke up, raising his hand as if in class, "I'm a first year as well."

Sirius looked rather pleased with himself, and Remus tried his best not to chuckle. He didn't want to get on James' bad side—not after the boy suggested Remus as his back-up. The young werewolf had never been anyone's back-up before in any occasion. It felt like the beginning of a friendship—something Remus was as deathly scared of as he was excited to potentially have.

"Alright, fine," James conceded. "We're all first years. Where does everyone think they'll end up?"

"Slytherin, most likely," Sirius pouted, arms crossed. "Whole family's been there. Not that I want to join them, but I think the hat'll take one look at me and off I go."

"Well," James chided, "that's not going to do—not if you're going to be a proper blood traitor like you say. You'll have to join me in Gryffindor—where I expect you lot to be as well," he insisted. "It's where the brave of heart are all placed, and I'll need brave friends to help me carry out all my pranks."

"I'd like to be in Gryffindor," Peter said a bit softly. "But I'm not sure—I just don't know if I have what it takes."

Neither James or Sirius said anything to counter that, so Remus turned to the smaller boy next to him.

"That's alright, Peter. I think just coming in here and introducing yourself to these lot," he joked, pointing across the compartment, "was brave, but you can always go somewhere else." Remus turned to face James and Sirius—the former of which was grinning, the latter still pouting. "My dad was in Ravenclaw, so I might end up there. But Gryffindor sounds nice too—I really don't have a preference." Well, maybe not Slytherin, Remus thought to himself.

"Great," Sirius groaned. "Then you all will end up together, and I'll be whisked off to—"

"—you'll get whisked off to nowhere before you go somewhere you seem to hate to much," James insisted. "My dad," he beamed, "says that the Sorting Hat puts you exactly where you belong. It reads your mind, or the future, or something. Knows everything about you."

Remus froze suddenly. Everything? This hat, this weird thing called a 'sorting hat' would know everything about him? This wasn't a part of his plan—his parents and Dumbledore has been quite insistent that no one find out what he was, hat included. What if it told everyone his secrets? Or, what if it judged him for being a werewolf? Would he end up in Slytherin—a house known for producing particularly darkly-inclined witches and wizards—since he was a dark creature himself?

"Remus, you alright?" James asked from across him. This shook the sandy-haired boy from his thoughts.

"Yeah, just a bit tired," Remus replied, not exactly lying. This seemed to placate James, who nodded.

"Well, you better wake up soon—the train is about to leave, and then we'll get to Hogwarts!"

Remus returned James' smile, though it was a bit weaker than that of the bespectacled boy. Still, sorting hats aside, Remus was excited to go to Hogwarts—a place he never thought he would be able to go. And for now, it seemed, he had made a few acquaintances. Maybe, in time, they would even become his friends, Remus thought to himself. At least, he added morosely, until they find out what you are.