Disclaimer: The characters and plot you recognize are J.K. Rowlings.

Little Remus goes to Hogwarts! Hurrah!

This chapter is dedicated to ookamilupin, my first reviewer! Woohoo!

Chapter 8

Hogwarts

A disoriented and woozy Remus watched the Hogwarts train's purple smoke rise into the air. He weakly rolled his large suitcase behind him. Everthing suddenly blurred together and he stumbled. His grandmother steadied him.

"Remus, are you sure you don't want to wait another day and just arrive late. The full moon was only two nights ago afterall," Zelda said quietly.

"Nah, I'll be fine Gran," Remus said casting his grandmother a tired look, "I'll just sleep on the train."

"And don't let what your father said get you down," Zelda said straightening his collar and smoothing his unrulycurly hair.

"I won't. You didn't have to punch him in the jaw you know," Remus said, sounding a little too stern for his age.

Zelda smirked, "Yeah I did."

Remus rolled his eyes and smiled. The train whistled, hurrying the students to climb aboard. Zelda pulled Remus into a crushing hug which Remus rerturned whole-heartedly, "Good-bye Gran, I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Study hard and get into as much trouble as possible," Zelda winked.

Remus laughed, "I'll do my best," and with that he rushed on the train as fast as his sore legs could carry him. Despite his exhaustion Remus was elated, he would be able to go somewhere and learn (his favorite activity) for a whole year! He would not see his parents for a whole year! A wave of gulit washed over Remus at the feeling of elation he felt for not having to see his parents. This empty pit stuck with him until his kind, naive heart rationalized that he would miss his parents just not the shed they locked him in.

Remus found an empty compartment where he collapsed immediately on one of the cushy seats. The recently christened raven, Maku fluttered and perched on one of the candle light fixtures. He stared at Remus and his surroundings with his ever intense gaze. Maku cocked his head toward the compartment door. Two boys entered.

"C'mon Peter this one looks empty," said a boy with wild brown hair and thick rimmed glasses.

"No it's not, look," a rather chubby mousey boy pointed one of his chubby fingers at Remus.

The boy with the wild hair snorted, "What this thing? Looks like someone's little brother or sister snuck on the train eh Pete? It's so scrawny and its hair is so long I can't tell hehe. We'll just throw it out."

Peter eyes went wide, "Out of the train, James?"

James slapped his hand on his forehead, "No you git, out of the compartment. Somtimes I worry about you."

"Oy, you ratty little thing wake up!" James prodded Remus with his wand. Remus however was in a deep sleep that only contorting into a monster two nights before could provoke.

"Maybe it's dead." James said.

Peter spotted a snack cake Zelda had crammed into Remus' pocket, and made a grab for it; a move he soon regretted.

Maku, who had been glaring at the two boys from his perch saw the offending crime against his owner and swooped down in attack mode.

"Waahhhh," James let out a high pitched squeal, "Demon bird, don't let it get meeeee!"

Maku clawed at Peter who was running around the small compartment in circles attempting to avoid him, "Eeeeeee! EEEeeeee!"

"Waaahhh, don't let it poo on me," James shielded his head from any offending poo that may come his way.

Sirius who had been standing in the compartment door, observing the whole scene for about two minutes, finally spoke up, "Heh heh, chill you wankers it's just a bird."

Maku flew back to the light fixture, his fury satisfied. Peter looked down in embarassment. James brushed himself off and tried to look dignified, "Peter was just trying to steal The Thing's food when that beast attacked us."

Sirius looked over at Remus who was still sound asleep despite all the mayhem that had just occurred. He looked so frail Sirius hardly even recognized him, "First of all, you are a git- this is Remus, the one I told you about. The one with an insane grandmother, a sweet wand, and apparently a badass pet raven," Maku puffed his feathers in pride, "Second of all, you have bird poo on your shirt."

"Eeewww," James peeled his shirt off and put on his robes, "Oh well, this is just an excuse for me to look absolutley dashing in my new robes," he struck a dashing pose. Peter and Sirius rolled thier eyes and Sirius plopped on the seat next to Remus.

Sirius prodded Remus gently, "Oy Remus, wake up," Remus did not stir. "Hmmm, he must be really out of it. Ah well."

"Oh! I forgot to tell you what happened with Snivellus," Sirius said

James and Peter closed in on Sirius, "Tell me what you did to that slimely little grease monkey Slytherin in the making!" James said excitedly.

"Yeah, that guy has Slytherin written all over him," Peter echoed lamely.

Sirius puffed up his chest and basked in their anticipation before he said, "I threw a dungbomb at him."

James' and Peter's faces fell, "That's it!" they said simultaneously in disappointment.

"That's it!" Sirius repeated in shock, "Do you have any idea the art and tact invovled in hurling a DooDoo 500 in a perfect arch at your victim, causing him to crash into the snack cart and get sticky icky Pumpkin Pasty goo all over him? DO YOU!"

Peter and James scuttled warily away from Sirius who was breathing heavily. After the affects of his ranting wore off Siriusbegan toclosely observe Remus, "Oh man, poor guy doesn't look too good," Sirius shook him gently, "Oy, Remus, hulllllo? Wake up, I made pancakes just for you."

The other two boys looked at Sirius quizically, Sirius returned the looks indignantly, "What? That always works with me. Lets play exploding snap."

After much horsing around and joking, Peter made an ungodly noise followed by a damnable smell. "Oh Merlin," cried the other two boys as the collaspsed to the floor. Even Maku with his weak sense of smell, wavered on his perch. Peter cackled evily.

After squeals of terror, a rant about dungbombs, and five games of exploding snap, Remus finally stirred at the offensive sound. He sat up straight and groggily muttered, "Flatulence is rude," then the full odor of the deed struck his delicate werewolf nostrils, "Oh my..." he said weakly as he staggered toward the compartment window. He opened it, emptied what little there was from his stomach, and collapse back onto his seat.

"Wow Remus, andI thought James was squeamish," Sirius laughed and sat back downnext to Remus ignoring James' protests.

Remus recognized the grinning boy and smiled, "Hullo again. Who are your friends?" Remus turned to James and Peter.

"Oh, those slobs? James Lanard Potter, and Peter Lillyhumper Pettigrew, I met them at Tonto's Reform School for Terrible Tots a few years back and we've been pals ever since. And Peter is sorry for what he did, he is so unbelievabley gaseous," Sirius laughed again, even though he was still young, a deep resonance of pure joy could be heard by anyone who bothered to listen and Remus was a great listener.

"You listen here Sirius Funges Black, don't go about revealing people's middle names. Revealing middle names is rude," James mocked Remus' airy voice. Peter chuckled.

Remus felt intimidated by the taller boy and mumbled something unintelligable.

James bent down so he was face to face with the seated Remus, "What's your middle name Thing?"

"Urm, John," answered Remus nervously.

"John! John!" James was outraged,"How plain! Its not interesting, funny or even remotely grotesque. Sirius, this girlish, boyish Thing is a complete wanker!"

Remus sank into his seat and desperately wished for a cool middle name so this boy would like him. He was not even at Hogwarts yet and already someone loathed him. Remus despaired.

Sirius lept to Remus' defense, but was not sure why he was so fond of him to protect him, "Oy, Lenard, 'ol Remus here is cool so don't mess with him and for Merlin's sake quit calling him Thing. Yer just jeolous because your mum won't let you grow your hair out as long as his."

James shifted his attention the way only young boys can and turned away from Sirius with a huff to trade Chocolate Frog cards with Peter.

"Thanks," Remus said shyly.

"No problem, James can be a git sometimes--well all the time actually--but he's a good guy," Sirius smiled.

After this small confrontation the three boys immersed Remus into their group. They shared mischeivious plans, and schemes, and joked about random things. Sirius and Remus were just sharing their liking of the works of Edgar Allan Poe when the train began to slow down.

"Can you believe they found him in a ditch, wearing another person's clothes? It's so--Oh look, the train has stopped," Sirius observed.

The four boys and bird exited the compartment. Sirius, James, and Peter got off the train with their things after much difficultly. They stood ready to aid little Remus in what they thought would be an impossible task for him, but instead were stunned. Remus emerged from the train with his trunk held high over his head. He gracefully hopped to the ground. When he saw the amazed looks on his new friends' faces, he immediately threw the trunk down.

"Boy was that heavy," he laughed nervously, pretending to wipe imaginary sweat from his brow.

"How--" Peter opened his mouth.

"Firs' years overhere! C'mon now!" a giant young man hollared. All the boys looked at him in astonishment, Remus' feat was forgotten.

Everyone was loaded on the unwieldy boats and made the long, wet journey across the lake without any mishap, much to the disappointment of James, Sirius, and Peter.

They walked up the steps and through the massive intimidating doors and found themselves immersed in the warm brightness of the Great Hall.

Alright, this is my first chapter in a while, what do you guys think?

Reviews are appreciated.