It was only when they got to the 'L's that it dawned on Remus that soon he would have to walk up to that stool himself, put on the hat and let it decide his fate in front of the judging eyes of hundreds of students, not to mention the teachers and Professor Dumbledore himself. It would be alright, he told himself, he didn't really mind where he went... so long as it wasn't Slytherin. But oh Merlin, what if he was in Slytherin. No, Salazar Slytherin used to only accept people who he thought had great futures ahead of them, as a werewolf Remus would be lucky to get a cleaning job in the Ministry of Magic, let alone become Minister or anything like that. No, hopefully his lack of hope would keep him safe.

"Lerman, Ullyses."

And yet, Slytherin House had always had a strong connection to the Dark Arts, what if the Hat, upon seeing that he was a werewolf (for Remus was sure he would not be able to conceal that fact from the something capable of looking into his mind) simply sent him straight to Slytherin without bothering to examine the other parts of his mind. No, the Sorting Hat looked at someone's personality, being a werewolf hadn't changed him as a person, or at least that's what his parents had always said. But really, how were they to know? Remus was only four when he was bitten, how could anyone know what kind of a person he may have been by now if he had not been infected.

"Lupin, Remus."

Remus swallowed. Peter whispered "good luck" and Remus smiled back to him. Walking up to the stool he felt sure the teachers were paying more attention to him that to any of the other students, but he didn't get time to think too much about that before McGonagall had placed the Hat over his head and everything went dark.

"Ah, an easy one this one, too easy if you ask me, I like a good challenge."

"Please, no! Not Slytherin! Please, give me a chance!"

"Slytherin? Don't be ridiculous, what on Earth would give you that idea?"

"I... I thought because I'm..."

"A werewolf? What do you take me for silly child? I am a wise old Hat, gifted with the ability to explore every nook and cranny of a person's mind, and you think I would base my decision on a single factor such as being a werewolf? No. You Remus Lupin, are a Gryffindor cut straight from the mould if ever I saw one."

"Gryffindor? I don't understand. I'm not bold or daring or anything of those things you said in the song... and I don't want to be either... it wouldn't be safe for someone like me. Wouldn't I be much better off in Hufflepuff? Or Ravenclaw if you think I'm smart enough?"

"Well you certainly have the right qualities for either Rowena or Helga's Houses, but these qualities are not what makes you remarkable. What makes you remarkable Remus, is your bravery."

"I'm not remarkable and I'm not brave. And like I said before, I don't want to be. I don't want to stand out from the crowd, I don't want to try and be hero, I just want to learn and maybe make a few friends. Besides... bravery only gets people hurt."

"There are many different types of bravery Remus Lupin, and there is one particular type you possess in such quantities the likes of which I have rarely seen."

"What type is that?"

"Strength, toughness."

"I can't even swim," thought Remus, his hand straying instinctively towards his right shoulder, which still bore the scar from where he was first bitten when he was four.

"I am not talking about physical strength, I am talking about strength of mind, strength of character. You have an awful lot of that kind of strength Remus Lupin, and it is easy to see why. You need vast quantities of it to withstand the pain you endure every month. Even coming to Hogwarts, as one who suffers from your affliction, shows that you are a Gryffindor at heart."

"I should leave now then! Don't Sort me. If coming to Hogwarts despite being a werewolf is bold and daring then that's just another way of saying it's reckless and stupid. I'm not going to hurt anyone. I'm leaving right now."

"A willingness to sacrifice your own desires for the sake of others, yet another Gryffindor trait."

"What?"

"I see like many people you have been sadly misinformed about the variety of traits which each of the Houses place value on. Do you know anything about that cypress wand you have in your pocket Remus Lupin?"

"Not really."

"Cypress is a noble wood. And you Remus Lupin are a brave and noble... GRYFFINDOR!"

The Hat had shouted the last word aloud, Remus went to sit down quickly so as to escape the limelight. He would have to do some more research into Gryffindor House... and cypress wands.

As he was walking the length of the Gryffindor table, looking for a seat he saw Sirius Black beckoning to him and gesturing to one of the many empty seats in his vicinity.

"Congratulations," said Sirius, proffering his hand for Remus to shake.

"You too," said Remus politely, shaking hands with the boy as he sat down opposite him.

"People seem to be giving me a wide berth," said Sirius in a haughty voice that Remus was sure must have carried several seats either way down the table, "it's great, it means we can save a seat for James."

"If he gets put in Gryffindor," said Remus.

"Oh he will," said Sirius, almost dismissively, "if we made it then James'll definitely make it."

Remus couldn't disagree with that.

"So... are you going to get disowned now?" asked Remus, remembering Sirius's strange remark on the boat.

"Most likely yes," said Sirius, "probably by Howler first thing tomorrow morning."

Remus was quiet for moment, trying to think of a suitable response. Sirius was grinning like a mad man so he assumed condolences weren't in order.

"If you don't mind me asking," he said finally, "what... I mean, why..?"

"Oh," said Sirius, "mud... muggleborn are you?"

"No," said Remus, not quite following.

"It's alright if you are. I mean, I won't think any less of you because of it. I've decided to make it my life's mission to be nothing like the rest of my family. And that starts with ignoring all that 'purebloods are better than everyone else' nonsense."

"Well, um, that's... good. But I'm not a muggleborn, I'm a half-blood. My mum's a muggle but my dad's a wizard."

"Not from one of the old families though," said Sirius, "or I would have seen you on our family tree. Or perhaps not if you father married a muggle. My mother probably would have burnt him off."

Remus's eyebrows shot into the air.

"Off of the tapestry I mean," said Sirius, "that's what happens when you get disowned. I'm sorry you really don't know what I'm talking about do you?"

"Sorry, no."

"Did you father really never teach you about all the main Wizarding families."

"No," said Remus, feeling incredibly ignorant, "sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. I should have realised it would only be my parents who made their children memorise their entire family tree. I suppose that kind of thing doesn't matter to most ordinary people. And by that I mean sane by the way."

"So... you're from an important pureblood family then?" asked Remus.

His father may not have told him the specific names of these families but he had heard him talk often enough about how they controlled the entire Ministry, and how they all thought werewolves deserved nothing but death, though that had been when he was eavesdropping.

"Yes. The Blacks are one of the most important families in the Wizarding world, or they like to think so anyway. I don't, I think they're a load of stuffy old farts. My ancestors have been in Slytherin for centuries so being Sorted into Gryffindor is practically a death sentence, but what's life without a little risk eh?"

Remus definitely knew he was at the Gryffindor table now.

"I think I'm perfectly happy to have a life without risk of death to be honest," Remus laughed nervously, torn between wanting Sirius to like him and not wanting to get too involved with a boy who's idea of fun was nearly getting himself killed.

To his surprise Sirius laughed as well.

"You're alright you know Remus."

"Thank you, I've never been so flattered in my life," said Remus before he could stop himself, his mother always told him off for his sarcasm and he didn't want Sirius to think he was rude.

Sirius, however, merely laughed again, louder this time, it was a short bark of a laugh. Remus was worried if they were going to get in trouble for making too much noise.

"You're funny, you wouldn't think you would be since you're so quiet and polite and stuff. But you've got a mischievous streak, I can tell."

"Not really," said Remus.

"Which means yes," said Sirius, "it's good. I wouldn't be friend with you if you were a goody-two-shoes like my brother Regulus."

Remus didn't know what to say to that, so he kept quiet. Part of him knew that he should really be trying to make friend who were like him, shy people who just wanted to have a quiet laugh with one another but mainly focus of their studies. But he felt irresistible drawn to Sirius. The way he oozed confidence, the way he personality reached out and slapped you in the face. In fact, sod it, he was in awe of this boy who had held himself so tall and graceful as he had been booed by a good third of the students in the Great Hall. He knew he could never be like Sirius, people like him weren't meant to be like that, but someone like Sirius seemed to actually like him then who was he to turn down his offer of friendship.