Of trains and kisses.


Remus was getting ready to start his new job, and he wanted to make a good impression.

Sadly it was not meant to be.

The last transformation had done a number to him. He was tired. Dead tired. So tired in fact that he missed his alarm entirely. By the time he was out of bed, he realized that the train would leave in five minutes.

He had packed the day before, but that doesn't help if you miss your train entirely.

He rushed to get out of the house as fast as possible; no time to take a shower, or to run a comb through his hair.

Grabbing his baggage, he concentrated on an alley a block from kings cross and disappeared with a loud pop .


He reappeared right where he intended: in a quiet corner with no muggles. Can't just pop in right in front of a busy train station.

As he rushed to the station his mind wandered.

It first landed on his friend Sirius, or rather ex-friend. Escaped from prison, and what was his crime? Betrayal and murder. He was the reason that Remus was to be on that train, his job was to protect little Harry from that back-stabbing bastard Black.

Harry... Little Harry. He can still remember holding him as an infant.

Little known fact; the day Harry was born was the happiest day in Remus' life. That bastard Sirius was named godfather, but Remus always thought of Harry as his son. Dumbledore told him to stay away and he did, but when he came to him a couple weeks ago and told him that little Harry needed his protection, Remus was happy to finally reunite. Finally!

Running through the invisible barrier, Remus looked for the train. It was gone, already half a mile down the track.

Shit.

Can't apparate onto the train, security precaution, you miss the train, then you miss the train. The thing is warded against apparition and portkey, and frankly even if it wasn't warded, apparating onto a moving object is a stupid idea anyways.

Nope, he's not making this train, might as well just make his way over to Hogsmeade, he can meet Harry when he gets to school.


He waited for a few hours at the station waiting for the train. Ah, there it is in the distance. He'd finally be able to see his best friend's child. He'd be able to make up for all of those lost years...

The train slowly came to a stop at the station, and not five seconds after dead stop the first students came galloping off the train screaming.

What the hell?

He rushed forward and grabbed an older student by the arm.

"What happened!?" Remus screamed.

"I.. I..."

"What happened child?!"

"D... D.. Dementors!"

"What?!"

"T-They came into the train and kissed a whole bunch of students!"

Harry!

He quickly let go of the student and sprinted onto the train, bowling over a couple of children in his way. He rushed down the halls of the carriage yelling Harry's name over and over to no avail.

After a few minutes of aimless searching, he decided to look through the cabins one by one. Cabin after cabin he searched. Bodies littered the floor. It took a while, but he eventually found the boy.

As he lent down to check Harry, he paid no attention to the still bodies of the red-headed boy, or the bushy haired girl. His eyes were only on little Harry.

He took the scrawny little body into his arms and peered into the soulless eyes.

The child may have technically been alive, but there was nothing there. No spark of life.

The lights were on, but no one was home.

He cradled the body of his only remaining link to James and Lily. He rocked the child back and forth, and he wept.


No administration could survive the backlash and public outcry from a blunder of this magnitude. Dementors?! Guarding a train filled with children?!

Over a hundred children were kissed that day. They could try to spin it any way they wanted, but there was no denying that fact. Over a hundred.

As Fudge and most of his senior staff was awaiting their kisses, the only thought going through the Minister's mind was his defense at the trial:

"I had no idea something like this could happen!"

But then again, Wizards are stupid.


AN: Other than Remus in POA, I don't remember there ever being a teacher on the train, so that leads me to believe that teachers don't take the train. Fudge then most likely sent the dementors to the train in the absence of any safeguards.

Its not Remus' fault even though he missed the train, because in all actuality he wasn't even supposed to be on the train in the first place.

-Lineape