Two
~Express~
Remus strolled into King's Cross Station, pushing his cart ahead of him. The full moon had only been two days ago so part of him remained in a daze of exhaustion.
"Remus, dear, do you want me to push that?" asked Hope, catching up to her son.
"Funny you should ask, mum, because I was thinking: the best way to start out fifth year is by having my mum push my school cart for me," grinned Remus.
Hope laughed softly as her husband's arm snaked around her waist and they continued towards the platform. Up ahead children stood with their parents before the ninth and tenth platform, surveying the area for any muggles that may be watching. Remus looked for James, Sirius or Peter but they were nowhere in sight. Not a surprise though. Remus was there an hour early. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin had accounted for the worst case scenario where Remus would pass out from exhaustion and put them behind schedule. Other than Remus and his parents, the only people there were probably first years under super anxiety about possibly missing their first train. Finally they arrived at the platform where a sniveling child and his parents dashing through the wall.
Another two children and their parents ran through the wall.
"Hope, hold tight to me, dear. Ready, Remus?" Lyall clarified linking his arm through Hope's.
Remus ran his fingers through his thick hair and gnawed on his lower lip, his eyes darted from the wall to his parents.
"You want to go on your own?" asked Lyall with a small smile.
Remus smiled back and shrugged. His mother's eyes watered slightly and she looked to Lyall helplessly.
"Darling, I started going onto the platform on my own at his age. Let's let him."
Hope nodded before throwing her arms around Remus' neck. Remus grunted in slight pain, the transformation still wreaking slight havoc on his bones. Hope didn't notice though. She was too busy crying.
"It's alright, mum. I'll see you not four months from now," Remus said comfortingly.
Hope pulled away, wiping her nose with the back of her hand and swiping away tears. Lyall took Remus by the shoulders gently.
"You've got your new cauldron?"
"Yes."
"Wand?"
"Yes."
"New textbooks?"
"Yep."
"Dragon-skin gloves?"
"Uh-huh."
"Quills, ink and parchment?"
"Yes."
"Personal logue?"
"In my bag," Remus assured patting the leather, messenger bag slung across his body. "The rest is in my trunk."
Lyall leaned in a little closer.
"And how are you feeling?" he asked in a low voice.
"Sore, but I'm fine. I've got a vile of Wiggenweld in my bag just in case."
"Not…wolfie then?" Lyall smirked.
Remus chuckled and shook his head.
"Not wolfie in the slightest, dad."
Lyall nodded and pulled Remus into a gruff hug. Though he knew Remus was in good hands at Hogwarts, he constantly worried for his safety. Not so much his physical safety as his psychological. Yes, he had the acceptance of his peers, James, Peter and Sirius; however if someone else were to discover his secret, he would rejected to say the least. At fifteen, rejection was a dangerous thing. Especially to someone so kindhearted and vulnerable. Though he appeared wise beyond his years and bursting with maturity, he was not made of steel. Like any teenager, rejection was a tough thing to face-especially if it was for something far beyond your control. However, if Remus could relax, or at least put on a brave face, Lyall decided that he could too.
"Alright, go enjoy yourself. We'll see you at Christmas," Lyall said releasing Remus.
"We'll be sending you post in three days with Gobs."
Remus smiled fondly at the thought of the family's old owl Gobs. Constantly spinning out of control and screeching in a tone that resembled a teenage boy's changing voice, Gobs was more of a baby than an owl. Still, he got the job done when it came to delivering and receiving messages. That was all the Lupins needed.
Remus readied himself, positioning his cart between platforms nine and ten. He glanced at his father who gave him a nod of encouragement and then his mother who waved to him with a tearful smile. Then he ran forward, disappearing into the pillar.
"Remus Lupin, ere' early o'course."
Rubeus Hagrid, the half giant keys and grounds keeper of Hogwarts, stood before Remus. He smiled down at Remus, lifting his cart with one hand and walking towards the Hogwarts Express. He tucked the trunk and suitcase in the stowaway compartment on the underbelly of the train and returned to Remus' side.
"How're ye' feelin', Remus? No' so tired ye' won' enjoy the feast I'm hopin'," Hagrid said with a small grin.
"A little tired, but nothing that will keep from enjoying mashed potatoes, chicken and pudding," Remus nodded, promptly.
Hagrid patted him as gently as possible on the back. Though he was tender in his physical contact with Remus, his touch still sent tremors of pain down Remus' spine. Remus was good at masking the aching though. He would simply laugh instead of cry out and close his eyes to prevent him from squinting in agony.
"Atta' boy. Well, go make yer'self comfortable. When I see James, Sirius and Peter I'll let em' know ye're already aboard," said Hagrid gesturing to the entrance of the Hogwarts Express.
Remus hopped aboard the train and started to make his way towards the end of the train where he, James, Peter and Sirius would sit. He recognized the first years. They sat quietly and alone within carriages, staring out the window at the brick wall of the station. Finally, Remus found a compartment at the end of the train, desolate and his for the taking.
Sliding the door open, Remus entered the car with a sigh before collapsing upon the far end of the bench by the window.
Glancing at his wrist watch he found that James, Sirius and Peter wouldn't be there for another half of an hour. He removed the leather-bound logue from his bag along with a pen and set to work.
Monday, September 1
Logue Entry 436
And so begins my journey back to Hogwarts. Though I am very much looking forward to seeing James, Peter and Sirius again I can't help but feel a sort of dismal foreshadowing if what is to come. The boys will be animagus in a little less than a month. When we will finally test our newest method of keeping me from harming myself…or harming others, rather. I tremble for fear that I may injure my friends though they assure me that they will be alright. Hopefully what I have done for them will express my gratitude. With the aid of the Homonunculous charm I have created a map. I call it 'The Marauder's Map.' The name to honor Sirius' new title for our group. While they have nicknamed me 'Moony' back in my second year I have, myself, come up with nicknames for them to. Sirius will be 'Padfoot' due to his dog animagi form. Peter is Wormtail-I don't dare jot down the reasons for fear that Peter will find his way into this logue, read my explanation and be offended by such. James is Prongs for quite an obvious reason. His stag animagi has quite the antlers. Compensating for something, I wonder… I only joke. Furthermore, this map will not only display the entirety of Hogwarts and its grounds but will also feature the locations of secret passageways. However, best of all, and a feature I am most positive James will be pleased with, is that we can spot the location of any and all students and faculty in the castle. This will make it easier for us to travel at night without being caught. With James' invisibility cloak and this map there is great promise that we shall be an unstoppable force of nature. Three animagi, a werewolf, an invisibility cloak and an omniscient map of Hogwarts at our fingertips? There have never been such powerful students at Hogwarts I presume. Now if only Sirius and James can reign in their pranking this year. I hope that for two reasons. For one, James may finally have a shot with Lily and we won't have to hear his incessant whining as to his pining after her. Second, I received with my Hogwarts list of supplies, notification that I will be a Prefect this year. I'm sure this is Dumbledore or McGonagall's clever idea to keep James and Sirius out of trouble. I'll oblige this request of course. Once again, I owe Dumbledore everything. It seems as though I owe everyone something. My parents for sticking by my side. My friends for accepting me. Dumbledore for aiding me far more than he should. I'm not quite sure as to how I feel about this. Should I feel bad? Should I feel sickly? Possibly grateful? I'll stick with grateful for that is the least burdening of all of those ideas. Not to sound self-absorbed but I really can't handle much more on my shoulders.
-Moony