This chapter is dedicated to CptAbLovegood, my first ever reviewer :)
Chapter 4
Sirius
Sirius gulped nervously, a single streak of sweat trickling down his temple like a drop of rain flowing down a window. The moment he had been both dreading and anticipating had finally come. The moment of truth. He sighed heavily, smiled at James reassuringly who was staring at him in sincere surprise and emerged out of the crowd of students, his legs feeling like blocks of jelly. Every step seemed like thousands of years, his goal of reaching the stool seemingly out of his reach. He felt as if with every step, he stepped farther out rather than getting closer and yet as he stumbled and touched the smooth wooden surface of the stool with his own hands, he knew.
'Here goes nothing' he thought, taking an uncomfortable seat upon the stool, facing the sea of heads in front of him, attempting to throw off the nervous looks of students who were gazing at him feverishly.
Suddenly, his view disappeared as Professor McGonagall slid on the hat onto his head, causing it to swoop over his face only to stop upon his nose.
'Hmm… Another Black,' a hoarse voice rang in his right ear, causing him to flinch in surprise, 'Yet what's that? A fair deal of bravery I see… A fairly educative mind too. Dread of the future. And pain… Ah, yes, a lot of pain,'
Sirius suffered in silence as the hat, as he now realized, commentated upon his various features. Himself a single spectator, he felt the fear he had been holding inside his heart now leaking and consuming him whole as he gave up on controlling his long tamed emotions.
'Yes… I think this would be wise… A rare exception, I must admit,' the hat murmured, it's voice lowering to a croaky whisper, 'However, it must be done. GRYFFINDOR!' the hat screamed out loud, the sound echoing wildly across the hall.
Sirius felt a bliss wave of relief sweeping across him, thousands of thoughts flowing inside his head as the hat was carefully removed. He jumped up joyfully, noticing James in the crowd of students, who grinned at him madly, his hazel eyes sparkling with happiness. Sirius grinned back and forced himself not to skip over to the now cheering Gryffindor table, his mood as close to perfect as it has ever been.
'I've done it,' he thought happily, shaking hands with an older looking students he chose to sit next to, his mouth twitching as he stifled a need to laugh out loud.
'I've shown them! How'd you like this, mother?' he jeered silently, admiring his scarlet tie which transformed the instant the hat made the choice, practically shaking with pride.
He now awaited his newly met friend's turn, who stood along with the rest of rapidly decreasing group of first years. He took particular notice at the girl James was so astounded by, as Professor McGonagall called out 'Evans, Lily,' to which the girl responded by striding proudly towards the stool, taking a set confidently. The hat decided within seconds as it announced 'GRYFFINDOR' sonorously. Lily got up, her bright white teeth displaying deep happiness as she made her way over to the Gryffindor Table, pausing by the group of First Years for a moment, for a reason unknown to Sirius. A she reached the table, welcomed by loud applause, Sirius moved over to make space for her. Lily glanced at him, remembering him from the train; she decided to sit as far away from his as possible (which wasn't very far at all, opposite of him in fact, due to the table being mostly full). She did however avoid his eyes for the entire rest of the ceremony.
Sirius' attention was latched by a scrawny looking, thin boy of brown mop of a hair that was called out to the stool right after 'Longbottom, Frank!'. Named Remus Lupin, he scrambled onto the chair hesitantly, sitting on the very edge, in danger of sliding off any second. His hands were trembling visibly, even from afar where Sirius sat as the Hat tolled its verdict. He flinched as the ragged piece of cloth was flung off his head, staggering over to the scarlet table, looking more terrified than satisfied. He chose to sit at the very corner of the table with no one around him, cheered for nevertheless, even if done so with much less enthusiasm than for others. Sirius caught Lily staring at the boy with empathy as he chose to fix his stare at his shoes, ignoring the curious looks of everyone around him.
Sirius was too staring at the boy, torn apart between going over and talking to the strange boy and loyally staying in order to observe his friend's sorting. James was called out right after the plump boy that ventured into their compartment on their way to school. So, after 'Pettigrew, Peter' was called out and sorted into Gryffindor as well, James hurried over to the stool confidently, his eyes revealing a little nervousness he was otherwise able to conceal. The hat made its decision the very second it skimmed James Potter's head, bellowing 'GRYFFINDOR!' to which James jumped up positively the very moment the hat was freed off his head. His gaze searched for Sirius in the long river of students, smiling happily upon meeting his gaze, his grin growing even wider as he realized who happened to be the person sitting opposite his friend. He casually slid into the seat next to Lily's, winking at Sirius roguishly. They both waited impatiently for the Sorting to finish, both of their stomachs rumbling, having only consumed a few dozen of Every Flavored Beans that may have tasted like chicken but they unfortunately lacked the properties of the real ingredient.
Lily straightened up as her black-haired companion was called over to the stool, her head twisting awkwardly in order to get a good look. The boy sat at the stool nervously, just as many before him, his face displaying eerie agitation before the Hat was thrown down his face. This time, the Hat took a while to decide. James loudly signified his impatience, tapping his fingers on the table, following the tune of one of The Hobgoblin's greatest hit, 'Teach me how to Apparate', along with blowing his mouth loudly, much to Lily's annoyance.
As the Hat finally made its decision, announcing 'SLYTHERIN' to the whole Hall, the table on the opposite end of the cavernous room exploded with cheers, sounding somehow colder than the Gryffindor welcome. The boy got off the chair, shuffling miserably towards the directed table, his eyes expressing deep sorrow mixed with excitement. James summed it up with a loud, obnoxious snort which caused Lily to stare at him disapprovingly, her eyes glistening with something dangerously close to tears.
Sirius immediately turned his undivided attention towards the ceremony, ignoring the girl opposite him. Finally, as the last name, 'Vance, Emmeline' sounded, resulting in housing into Ravenclaw, Professor McGonagall took away the hat as well as the stool, exiting through a pair of doors on the far right of the Staff Table.
'I'm starving,' murmured James, glancing at Sirius, 'Almost hungry enough to eat this table,'
Lily frowned but refused to reply. Sirius just stared blankly at his friend, unable to come up with a clever retort, himself too hungry to comment. He noticed the plump boy eyeing them nervously. Upon realizing Sirius was staring back, he blushed and began looking in the completely opposite direction. Turning back to his friend, Sirius noticed James was now laying on the table, his head repeatedly banging against it, chanting 'Food, food,' as if it was a mantra.
The whole hall fell silent as if an invisible cloak was swept over them as the tall, bearded wizard stood up and walked over to the stand facing all four of the tables. His eyes were twinkling happily as he swept them around the room, a pleasant smile sprawled across his face. His long, white hair was reaching all the way up to his waist, a waterfall of white bouncing as he continued on walking. His long, white beard was of similar length, only he decided to tie it up at the half-way point, making his beard look like two large, majestic hunches. As he reached the lectern, a large ornamental owl spread its coppery wings upon the man's touch, reflecting the light of multiple lamps hung across the hall, almost giving the man an illuminating look.
'Welcome, to yet another year at Hogwarts!' the man exclaimed loudly, lifting his arms up in a welcoming gesture, 'Now, before we sink our teeth into these most definite delicacies –'
'Oh great,' mumbled James, his messy hair shaking in despair as he shook his head, as if to shake off the speech and continue hastily.
'Now, for those of you who arrive at Hogwarts for the first time, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I'll do you the courtesy of skipping my most complicated middle names and would like to make a few necessary announcements. Firstly, I'd like all of you to gift our most beloved Hogwarts game keeper, Ogg, with a round of applause as he joins us in his last year at Hogwarts,'
Sirius only now spotted their guide sitting on the left side of the table, the giant Hagrid accompanying him. As Ogg rose to receive most mediocre cheers, Hagrid's head still managed to tower over him, only emphasizing how tall he really was. As Ogg took his seat back down, Hagrid patted him on the back, something that was meant to be gentle in the giant's manner. However, Ogg coughed feverishly, concealing what Sirius thought was a large grunt of pain as the huge boulder-like hand landed on his shoulder.
'Now, it is also my great pleasure to announce a change in our staff. Please, welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Debenhams who will be replacing Professor Ravery who is no longer able to continue teaching this year. I am sure you will bid the professor a most glorious greeting,' the young man who was staring at the ceiling a few moments ago stood up and took a deep bow, his purple robes swirling, contrasting with his blonde, neck-long hair.
Sirius joined in with the claps of the others while James slid down the table, carefully inspecting whether something edible could not be found underneath it. Stumbling merely upon a dried piece of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, he dived back up immediately, a look of exaggerated dismay upon his face.
'Now, without any further delays, I leave you to humanity's most beloved delight! exclaimed Dumbledore, merry flickers present in his eyes.
As soon as Dumbledore finished his speech, all four tables instantly became full of treats, wood creaking underneath the sheer weight. Plates filled with crispy roasted chicken, bowls of steaming shepherd's pie, variety of fish, meats from all over the world, all laid upon the plate for students to indulge themselves in.
'Thanks be to Merlin,' sighed James with relief, being at a stage of contemplating to take a chunk of wood and see how it tastes just a few seconds before, 'About time,'.
Sirius grinned at him and packed his golden plate with everything surrounding him, deciding to have a bite of every cuisine.
'So, Evans,' said James, wiping grease off his hands with a tissue after effectively finishing a piece of chicken, 'Want to get lucky?'
Lily turned her head towards him, pausing a vigorous conversation with a girl on her left. She raised her eyebrows suspiciously.
'What's that supposed to mean?' she asked, eyeing him carefully.
'Well…,' sighed James, smiling mischievously, 'Want to hang out together?' he asked, casting a wink at the astounded girl.
' Believe me, Potter,' she started, her voice threateningly shaking, 'As much as I'd love to, you're just too much of a stuck up git for me to even consider it,'
Sirius' jaw flew down, a conspicuous 'Ooooooh' coming out from his mouth, himself staring at James and smiling at the jeer.
As if nothing happened, James kept on going, 'Come on, Lily,' he said, emphasizing her name, 'You don't even know me,'
'I think I know you enough to realize you're a spoiled little kid,' Lily spat, her red hair flying all over the place as she spun around to continue the conversation with her other friend, mumbling, 'Especially not after what you have done to Severus,'
'Okay, I'll be nice to Snivellus,' moaned James impatiently. However, Lily ignored him completely, sea of stunningly red hair being the only answer.
'Next time?' said Sirius, grinning happily as James sighed exaggeratingly and turned his attention towards his newly met friend.
'So… Your mum isn't going to be happy with the sorting, huh?' asked James, throwing a piece of chicken inside his mouth, 'What's up with your family anyway?'
'Not much. I'm sure it'll smooth over,' said Sirius quickly, fearing where the conversation is going to go, 'So, tell me about your family,'
'Pure blood. Not that it matters to me, I just don't get the whole mania, right? Witch is a witch, wizard's a wizard, does it matter where they come from?' said James, swallowing a particularly large piece of chicken.
'Have you heard about… ,' he looked around and leaned over to Sirius, making sure that no one is listening, 'Voldemort? Apparently, he murdered an entire Muggle village last night. The Obliviators are doing whatever they can to cease the Muggle panic. My dad spent the entire night patrolling the surrounding villages,'
Sirius frowned, surprised, 'Who's your dad?' he asked, fearing the answer.
'Jacob Potter,' James answered proudly, 'Head of Aurors. I want to be just like him!' he exclaimed, slumping back down into his bench.
Sirius felt a nasty pinch inside his stomach.
'James' father is spending his time chasing half of my family around,' he thought sadly, unnerved at how James is going to react upon realizing who he is, 'Why do I have to be a Black?,'
'You all right, mate?' asked James, spotting Sirius' sad frown, 'You look like your broomstick just broke!'
Sirius attempted to conceal his visible emotions by grinning widely.
'Nah. Just trying to imagine what else may happen during this year at Hogwarts,' he said, talking directly to James.
'I know, right? This year's going to be wild!' exclaimed James joyfully. Sirius smiled back as he fell silent due to spotting the headmaster moving towards the lectern once more.
'Now, I sincerely hope your enjoyment of the feast was amazing,' he said loudly, glaring at the students contently. James met his eyes and thought of them to be going through his soul, knowing his every sorrow.
'Now, since I can see your tired souls that are desperately trying to get into beds, I will not delay you no longer,' said Dumbledore, ending the feast, 'Just remember one thing. Heights matter!'
Sirius stared at the old man for a moment, wondering about what the headmaster meant. James just shrugged and scrambled out of his chair; Sirius followed. They calmly moved out of the Great hall, James desperately attempting to stay close to Lily and observe her, Sirius rolling his eyes and following silently behind. They reached a staircase that seemed nothing out of ordinary at the first sight. That was until they defeated a set of stairs and jumped back upon seeing the next staircase sliding alongside for them.
Due to a Prefect, Amelia Bones, leading them, they reached the desired painting quickly, taking all the shortcuts possible. As they noticed the artistic piece displayed on the wall, presenting a scene of an elderly, extremely plump woman standing behind a castle, she took a look at them and said gracefully, 'Password?'
The prefect exclaimed loudly, 'High over low,'. The woman smiled and the painting suddenly flew out of its hinges on the side, displaying a medium sized hole leading to a warm location behind the wall. As they stood in the queue leading to the opening, Sirius whispered to James happily, 'Lucky she fit in the canvas,' to which James replied, 'Yeah, some girls in our year could have had problems with that,', making sure that a small crowd around him, Lily included, heard him clearly.
Upon entering through the mishap of the wall, they reached a medium sized, yet covertly cosy common room, with a corner in which a fireplace cracked merrily, warming the room up pleasantly in a matter of minutes. There were two red couches gathered around the fire and few small tables with a small selection of books on each one. There was a large window, displaying a large lion standing on its hind legs on a background of scarlet, now displaying a calm, yet terribly clouded view outside the window.
The prefect turned around and said, 'Boys on the right, girls on the left. You will find all your luggage present at your bed already,' as she moved on through to the staircase of the bedrooms herself.
The boys moved in through with some other, particularly older Gryffindors. James however took no mind to this and pushed on through as an equal, Sirius sticking to him closely. They reached a bedroom and to their content, found out that they shared one. They scrambled up the remaining steps and rushed into the allocated room,
'I want the one by the window!' shouted James as they pushed through the room, rushing inwards.
They found the other two beds of the boys they would be sharing their room with empty, giving them a biased selection of choosing the beds. James, as exclaimed, took the one out of the window, having a beautiful view of calm, black lake upon sharp, grey cliffs. Sirius took the one closest to the doors, in the far left corner, being particularly close to the fireplace in the middle of the room. It was old fashioned and had carvings around the side, displaying the Hogwarts Crest and the Gryffindor Lion, proudly standing up, bracing for an attack.
They unpacked and changed into their pajamas, loudly talking about their first day at Hogwarts. Sirius particularly enjoyed the feast, the selection of foods being long and varied. James announced that his favorite part was Lily Evans calling him a 'stuck-up git,' to which Sirius approved of by snorting loudly. Upon pulling the curtains of their beds, they laid on their beds and started once again talking about Quidditch. They were on the verge of falling into a deep, selective dream, when their peace was disturbed by an entrance of a small boy, falling upon entering. James jumped out of his bed while Sirius tried to scramble out of his sheets.
They discovered the strange, lonely boy down on the floor, feebly rising and murmuring dangerous insult about the step inside the room. James extended his hand to help the boy, which he accepted gratefully and straightened up.
'Thanks. Stupid door,' he grunted, choosing to take the bed in the far left corner, a flat piece of wall surrounding him. He dumped his trunk underneath the bed, kicking it in with frustration, taking off his cloak and collapsing onto the bed, putting the red, opaque curtains up.
Their final roommate ended up being a tall, thin boy called Frank Longbottom. Upon exchanging greetings, Sirius glanced at James as they both stealthily announced that this boy was a perfect pranking material. However, due to them being extremely tired, they both fell onto their beds with deep sighs, deciding to pull their curtains up and sleep. As Sirius gave himself over to the sweet bliss, he thought of how sincere James' acceptation was and how he just knew they were going to be the best of friends.
Remus
As Remus swooped the Hat on, his head started grieving with miserable memories. The pain bursting through his veins as the werewolf gene spread. Turning into a monster every month, at full moon. With no going back. Ever.
'Hmmm,' a grouchy voice sounded in his right ear, 'Bad luck boy, bad luck. But where to put you?'
Remus closed his eyes and stayed calm, achieving a straight, expressionless face throughout the epiphany of the Hat.
'A brilliant mind. And a desire… A desire to prove yourself, to expand your potentials… Yes… So…,'
James closed his eyes, staying calm. The voice became louder as it reached to the end of its conclusions.
'Let it be… GRYFFINDFOR,' the hat announced loudly, and in a matter of seconds, the hat was removed off his head, as he stood up and walked over to the cheering table.
He didn't feel much. As a child, he learnt that his emotions must not be concealed, otherwise it just hurts too much. As he glanced at the table, he decided to sit at the very end, where barely anyone was seated. He didn't like being with people. They made him feel different.
'When you're by yourself, no one can hurt you,' thought Remus, ignoring the strange looks of other Students, deciding to fix his stare down at his shoes.
'Don't look at them,' he repeated to himself silently, his long, brown hair falling onto his forehead, concealing him from the aroused students.
He continued staring at his shoes, reminding himself of his father's look as he walked him off to the station.
His father. The only person he could have ever counted on, the only person who truly cared about him. Now, he was gone.
'It's fine,' he thought stubbornly as the headmaster began his speech, and the looks of the students transferred from him.
'…Great pleasure to announce a change in our staff. Please, welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Debenhams who will be replacing Professor Ravery,' he listened in on the announcements, his stomach rumbling. He didn't turn his head to honor the new teacher with a suspicious glance, he just continued to look down onto his shoes. They shimmered slightly in the light of the candles, he noticed.
As the headmaster walked off and the food magically appeared on the table, Remus reached for the nearest plate, filling his plate with a slice of shepherd's pie and chicken. As he ate quietly, sticking his head up ever so slightly, his green eyes darted in the direction of other students, eyeing them curiously. He continued eating in silence, now easily ignoring the astounded looks of wondered students. With the headmaster's strange announcement, he got up with the rest of the students and headed out towards the Entrance Hall, passing the small cabinet in which they were all packed before.
Remus recalled just how nervous he was on the inside, slowly building up the courage along the way. As they walked into the small room, he felt frightened. As they walked out, he felt calm and steady. He wondered at the Hat's decision, expecting of landing in Hufflepuff or hopefully, Ravenclaw. He didn't feel like a Gryffindor. His traits didn't resemble of courage or such. He was just… himself. Remus John Lupin.
He was so carried away by his thoughts that he didn't even realize the extreme unstableness of the stairs, simply following the crowd chattering around him, being caught right in the middle. He simply stumbled through the portrait and started admiring the insides of his now to be common room. It was cosy.
'Cosy enough to sit down by the fire and read a good book,' Remus thought happily, walking over to the fireplace and staring into the flames intensively. This was going to be his year, he decided. He was going to pass his first year. He was going to make his father proud, the smallest way of repaying him possible. He continued to stare at the fireplace, strolling off towards the bookcases, feverishly searching for titles. They were all about magic.
'Plenty to read, and yet I still haven't even been in the library!' Remus thought excitedly, casting one last glance at the book-full shelves, venturing towards the bedrooms. After studying which room was allocated to his name, one name flew into his sight.
'Black,' he thought curiously, 'As in Bellatrix Black?'
He walked over to the room tiredly, his exhausted feet foaming with pain. Upon finding the right number, he passed over the step, only to misjudge the height and crash into the ground painfully. He muttered angrily, stumbling up irritatingly, only to be welcomed by two curious boys staring at him in a surprise. One of them, with a wave of hair sticking at the back, offered him his hand, which Remus accepted gracefully due to being on the edge of collapsing back down again.
'The full moon is in less than 10 days,' he thought in panic, fatigue spreading over his body. He needed sleep or he would be facing monstrous moods in the morning.
He grunted a sentence of gratitude and slapped onto the bed, pulling curtains up and enjoying the ecstatic silence, being disturbed merely by two boys talking to each other briefly. He soon fell into a deep, satisfying sleep, his mind floating away in the peaks of mountains or depths of the oceans, unbothered by the problems of everyday life.
Sorry about Lupin acting like a child, he will be one of the majorly developed characters in the FF. Hope you enjoyed it, will post new chapters within 3-4 days.
Disclaimer: All copyrights belong to J.K Rowling