Lily watched the crowd as Mr. Evans paced back and forth between Platforms 9 and 10, nervously checking his watch, muttering words like "preposterous!" and "damnation!" at the passing of every minute. If they didn't find Platform 9 ¾ in the next five minutes, the seemingly nonexistent train would depart.
Strangely, Lily didn't appear to have any concern. At first glance one might believe she was simply fatigued from lack of sleep, or perhaps dreamily floating in her typically overactive imagination. Upon further observation, however, one would notice that she was quietly watching a young boy leaning against the barrier between platforms seven and eight, only ten feet away from her agitated father. The boy had an unusual air about him, his eyes roaming the crowd without so much as a glimmer of feeling. Try as she might, Lily couldn't see any emotion what-so-ever in either his posture or visage. It was unnerving. She had always been so talented at gleaning what people were feeling, and this boy's apparent lack of pathos frightened her. The more her thoughts reached out towards him, the greater the distance between them felt.
Suddenly, pain shocked her mind as his gaze met hers. Lily gasped, embarrassed that she had been staring. His eyes narrowed, displaying to her the first proof that his features were even capable of expression. Although he was standing at least fifteen feet away from her, and they were in the midst of a boisterous crowd, she heard his words loud and clear, echoing in her mind.
"Don't be rude."
He stared at her for one moment longer with a faint air of curiosity. Then, he walked towards the division between Platform 9 and 10, leaned on it casually, and…disappeared!
Lily gasped in delight.
"Dad! Dad, this way!" Before her flustered father could protest, Lily grabbed him by his coat sleeve and dashed headlong at the barrier.
"Lil! Wha -?"
They had found it. Shaking from the shock of being thrust straight at a seemingly solid wall, Mr. Evans laughed nervously as he patted his daughter on the shoulder. "Well, that's my girl! Very clever, Lily. Haha! Of course. Trust you to realize that all we had to do was walk through a wall! Aha!"
But Lily wasn't listening. She was to entranced by the number of students milling about her, talking excitedly and greeting their old friends. If she had had any reservations, they had vanished as soon as she saw that curious boy fall through the barrier. Impossible. Rather, improbable. And yet, weren't the laws of Science baffling enough in themselves? Gravity: measurable, and yet still a poorly understood force. Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Quantum Mechanics. String Theory. She had always known there were undiscovered worlds throughout the universe, she just had never imagined she would have the honor of exploring any of them herself.
Three minutes until departure. With a comforting word to her father and a peck on his cheek, Lily hopped onto the train. Mr. Evans dried his dripping eyes on the edge of his sleeve, beaming with pride. His eleven year old daughter was becoming a young lady all too soon.
Mr. Pettigrew and Bricen waved to Peter enthusiastically as the train pulled away. Bricen was two years younger than Peter but unusually tall for his age, so it was no wonder that a few parents had asked when Bricen would be attending Hogwarts.
"Bye, Dad!" Peter called, unsure of whether he was excited or terrified by the prospect of attending school. To keep his father from worrying, however, he merely grinned ridiculously and waved like mad like all of the other students. He had to put on a brave face for Bricen.
Soon the walls of the station blocked his family from view, and Peter had to sit back down in his seat. Strangely, he had the entire compartment to himself. He supposed it was because many were afraid to make new friends, like him, or else they were already sitting with old friends from a previous year.
Then, just as he was contemplating his isolation, the door swung open. A boy about his age stood there, staring hesitantly. "Um, I'm sorry to disturb you. I was merely wondering if…that is, if you don't mind…"
Peter slid over to the seat nearest the window and gave him a relieved smile. "And here I thought that I wouldn't have any company!" The boy sighed gratefully and set his bags down in the corner.
"Thank you."
The two sat staring at the floor for a few moments, afraid to say anything. Peter glanced over at his new acquaintance, noticing the shadowy crescents beneath the boy's eyes and his worn clothes. The boy's eyes were closed, but whether he was resting or meditating was beyond Peter's knowledge. After several minutes of silence, Peter plucked up enough courage to begin a conversation.
"Um. So, d'you know what House you'll be in? At Hogwarts, I mean?" The boy opened his eyes, but stared blankly at the opposite wall. He replied hesitatingly. "Well… I can't honestly say. We don't really know until we're sorted, do we?"
Peter sighed. "Of course. But it usually runs in the family. For example, most of my family has been in Hufflepuff, with the occasional Gryffindor." He sighed again. "I wish I could be sorted into Gryffindor…"
"What is your name?" the boy asked with an air of stilted politeness, as if he wished to end the subject.
"Oh! Peter. I'm Peter Pettigrew."
"Remus. Remus Lupin."
Feeling socially awkward, Peter thought it might be appropriate to shake hands or something, so they did. Suddenly Remus burst out laughing. It was encouraging to watch his melancholic air transform into one of gleeful excitement. Noticing Peter's terror, Remus calmed down a bit, still chuckling.
"Haha. I'm sorry. I was just thinking about how funny we've been, acting as if the other is liable to bite our head off it we say something wrong. Both of us have been treading on eggshells ever since we met, haven't we? I'm sorry if I scare you, but I assure you that I am equally terrified." Smiling, Remus reached into one of his bags. "Here. Have some chocolate. It always cheers me up when I'm nervous or depressed. My mum packed it for me."
Soon the two were chatting amiably about their home lives and interests, all anxiety about making new friends forgotten. Before they knew it, only twenty minutes remained until they would arrive at Hogwarts. They were just about to finish off the last of Remus's chocolate bars when loud voices coming from the hallway startled them.
"You arrogant ass! I told you it would explode, damn it!"
Remus and Peter slid the compartment door open and snuck out, curious as to what the commotion was all about. They didn't have to search for long.
"Who are you calling arrogant, Black? You must have jinxed these cards. I've never lost a game before! And I'd never lose to some pure blood elitist like you, anyways!"
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME? Oh, yeah. That's right. You NEVER look beyond a first impression, do you, Potter? NEVER compare me to my damn relatives! Besides, I…"
Another loud explosion occurred, answered by another yelp of indignation.
"So, what's going on?" Peter asked the red haired girl standing outside the obnoxious compartment. A small crowd had gathered to watch the two boys play Exploding Snap, and it was obvious that the one with the messy black hair was losing. Terribly.
"James Potter was bragging about how he'd never lost a game of Exploding Snap. So, naturally, Sirius Black had to challenge him. The prats…" The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance, watching the game with bemused distaste.
"Oh."
After a few minutes of watching the two boys bicker amongst themselves, with the occasional curse from Black, Peter and Remus returned to their compartment. Peter probably would have preferred to stay and watch, but Remus found their fight quite boring. So they changed into their school robes and by the time they had re-packed their bags, the train had screeched to a halt and students were unboarding.
Remus and Peter made their way off the train, jostled by enthusiastic, although undoubtedly rude, children that eagerly shoved their way to the door. Remus didn't blame them. Hogwarts! At last!
"First years, this way!"
Author's Note:
Yes. Lily unknowingly is a skilled Legilimens. And Snape realized she was subconsciously sorting through his thoughts, and blocked her with Occlumency. And as for Sirius and James...I always believed they'd start of as rivals, and then become friends. I hope you liked this chapter, cause it was the longest yet, I believe. (I hope my writing has been improving too... all this practice is good!) ;)