The scarlet engine rested heavily against the iron tracks beneath its wheels, waiting to spirit him away. A column of white steam poured from the stack, filling the crowded space that lay hidden between platforms nine and ten. Indistinct forms of children, some already swathed in their black school robes, darted in and out of the misty clouds, bidding farewell to their guardians or greeting the friends they hadn't seen all summer.

There were too many people. Remus tried to calm his nerves by focusing on his parents. His mother was busy fussing over his hair and adjusting his new robes. While she played the role of doting parent, acting like any other mother sending her only son off to boarding school for the first time, Remus wanted to scream. He kept expecting her to notice the number of children surrounding them and draw back in horror. Did she not sense the danger? Hadn't she realized that with this many students, it was only a matter of time before one of them discovered his secret? Was Hogwarts really so secure, was Albus Dumbledore really so trustworthy, that she thought nothing would go wrong?

He swallowed his panic and remained still, allowing his mother to give his hair one last pat before she grasped both his hands in hers. Remus had always been tall for his age. At eleven years old, he could almost look his mother directly in the eye as she said, "Remember your manners, mind your teachers, and study hard. But most importantly, I expect you to have fun!"

Remus choked back the hysterical laughter that nearly bubbled up his throat and remained silent, merely nodding his head in response.

Hope wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close to her chest, murmuring into his hair, "I know you're nervous, darling. But it will be alright. You're going to make so many friends at Hogwarts. You'll see…"

Remus returned her embrace, fighting back tears. He wanted to plead with her. There was still time. He didn't have to board the train. They could still take him home. But as he pulled away from his mother, he saw the tears shining in her eyes as she smiled at him. His father, finally reconciled to the idea of his son attending Hogwarts, now beamed at him with a sort of paternal pride. They were so happy for him. He couldn't disappoint them now.

The train whistle blew. There was a general push toward the line of railcars. He couldn't delay it any longer. After shaking hands with his father and giving his mother one last hug, Remus grabbed his solitary trunk and prepared to board the train. He selected a car near the back of the line, where there seemed to be the fewest number of students waiting.

Just before he was about to step on the train, he heard his mother call out to him. He paused, turning back to see her hurrying forward. For one bright, shining moment, he thought she had come to her senses, and that he would soon be traveling in his father's car to the security of their home. But then his mother was pressing a parcel in his hands, wrapped in bright paper.

"What's this?" Remus asked, looking at the gift with a sinking heart, sensing his last glimmer of hope drifting away.

"Just a bit of Muggle magic," his mother told him with a wink, "Make sure you share it with your new friends!"

Remus was spared the necessity of a response as the whistle blew once more, and his mother hurried him onto the train. Finding an empty compartment, he stowed his trunk and waved once more to his parents from the window. The train lurched forward, then slowly gathered speed. Once it had left the platform and his parents' figures were merely black specks in the distance, Remus settled back into his seat and grasped the present his mother had given him with curiosity. Tearing away the paper, he found it was simply a box of chocolate truffles.

Remus shook his head at his mother's joke. Muggle magic, indeed. Still, he was feeling more at ease, alone in his own compartment, and the creamy sweetness of the chocolate that he popped into his mouth was a welcome treat. He stored the rest of the truffles in his book bag to enjoy later, reflecting that his mother would be disappointed if she knew he planned to eat them all himself. But Remus had already made up his mind. They could force him to attend school, they could not make him get close to other students. If anyone discovered his secret, or if he should hurt anyone accidentally… He couldn't bear to think of it. Which is why, despite his mother's directive, he would not be making any friends.

With the chocolates safely tucked away, he searched his bag for something to pass the time. Avoiding the spellbooks his father had purchased for him, he selected another gift from his mother. The book was old and worn. Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass had been a favorite of Hope Lupin's, back when she was still Hope Howell. She had read it often to Remus when he was very young, and now it would be a comfort to review the familiar pages during the long, solitary journey northward.

He was settled quite comfortably, nearly halfway through the whimsical tale of Alice's adventures, when to his dismay, the compartment door slid open. A thin, pale boy with long, greasy black hair peered into his cabin, looking just as displeased to see him as Remus was himself.

"No good, this one's full," he called to someone over his shoulder.

A head of long red hair poked around the corner, and Remus was confronted by a pair of the brightest green eyes he had ever seen.

"What do you mean, Sev?" said the owner of the emerald eyes with a light laugh, "There's plenty of room!"

She marched in, plopping onto the empty seat opposite Remus with an air of perfect ease. Remus couldn't help but smile. Though he had just sworn off making any friends, he couldn't help but be amused by the expression on "Sev's" face as his companion made herself at home. Whoever he was, he seemed even less keen to make friends as Remus himself.

"I'm Lily Evans," said the girl cheerfully. She was short enough to allow her legs to swing freely back and forth as she sat, as if too full of energy to sit perfectly still. "And this is Sev… Severus, I mean. Severus Snape. Say hello, Sev!"

"Hi," said her friend flatly, throwing himself with a petulant glare onto the seat next to Evans.

They were an odd pair. Remus wondered how on earth they came to be friends, though he tried to quash his feeling of curiosity. He would have returned to his book without a word in response, but Evans had asked for his name in a way that could not be rebuked. He tried to mirror Snape's melancholy and taciturn air as he introduced himself.

"Remus Lupin."

"You're a first year, too, aren't you?" asked Evans, noting his generic black robes. "That's us, as well. Have you thought about what house you want to be sorted into?"

Snape groaned, "Lily, not this again…"

Remus said nothing, but Evans hardly needed any encouragement to continue. Her bright green eyes were alive with excitement as she explained, "We were just in a different compartment with some boys who were talking about the different houses," she said, "Only they were…"
"Intolerable," Snape concluded as Evans searched for a suitable word.

"I was going to say huge jerks, but that's good, too." Evans replied with a cheerful smile. "But it is an interesting question, isn't it? I think you can learn a lot about a person, just by hearing which house they'd like to be sorted into. So what about you, Remus? Any idea where you'd like to be placed?"

"No," said Remus truthfully. And with that, he turned back to his book.

He could tell that Evans and Snape were both looking at him, stunned by his lack of interest in the topic they appeared to find so absorbing. Evans tried a few more times to draw him into conversation, but when he persisted in his short, noncommittal answers, she finally gave up.

Remus felt a little guilty. Being rude and unkind was not in his nature, but he was determined to keep other students at arm's length. He could not lose his resolve when tested by the first person to turn a friendly eye toward him. He kept his gaze fixed on the text in front of him, determined not to show any interest in their conversation, though soon he stopped turning the pages altogether as he listened to their quiet chatter.

Evans was determined not to allow Remus's attitude to affect her spirits. She continued to discuss the interesting subject of their sorting as the train chugged along, and daylight faded into night. Evans, it seemed, thought Gryffindor sounded like a fine house. Snape had other thoughts.

"You have to be in Slytherin," he said with quiet urgency, "It's the best house by far. Besides, that's where I'll be sorted…"

"But you don't know that," Evans said with equal vehemence, "You're smart, Sev. You know lots about magic, already. You might be in Ravenclaw, you know. And besides, what does it matter if we're in different houses, anyway? We'll still be friends…"

Snape merely shook his head and said again, "You have to be in Slytherin."

"How will they decide, anyway?" Evans asked, "Is there some sort of test?"

"It's a hat," Remus replied on impulse. Evans and Snape turned toward him with surprise. He could have thrown himself from the train.

Fortunately, Evans was too kind to tease him for eavesdropping. She merely repeated his words in an incredulous tone, "A hat? What's a hat supposed to do?"

Remus would have gladly hidden behind his book again, but he had attracted Evan's notice, and even Snape looked interested. Apparently, he was as ill-informed of the Sorting Ceremony as Evans herself.

"It's a relic left over from one of the school's founders," Remus explained, "The hat's enchanted. Once you put it on, it tells you which house you'll do best in. Or something."

"So you have thought about it!" Evans cried triumphantly.

"No," Remus insisted, "My dad just told me what to expect."

"So your dad went to Hogwarts, too? Brilliant! What house was he in?"

Remus hesitated, but felt there was no harm in sharing this much, so he simply replied, "Gryffindor."

"Well, there you have it," Snape remarked, settling back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. He would not look Remus in the face as he said, "You'll be in Gryffindor, like your father. Just as I'll be in Slytherin, like my mother. These things have a tendency to run in families…"

"I suppose that means I could go anywhere," Evans said thoughtfully, confirming Remus's suspicion that both of her parents must be Muggles.

"You'll go to Slytherin," Snape insisted again.

"I'll go to Hufflepuff and take you with me!" Evans declared with savage delight, wrapping an arm about Snape's shoulders and pulling his head down to ruffle his greasy head of hair. Remus refrained from further comment, and merely hid behind his book once more. Nothing Evans could say or do after that could persuade him to join in their conversation during the rest of their ride.