Chapter 1
Remus was a troubled boy.
He had arrived at Hogwarts station, annoyed, and scowling. God.Why did dad have to send me to this stupid school? He quietly walked to an empty trail cart and sat down, just daring someone to try and sit next to him. He threw his bag down and slouched in the seat throwing his feet into the seat opposite of him. He pulled out a pack, lit one of his cigarettes, and drew it to his lips, the cart slowly filling up with smoke. There was a knock on the cart door. It was a woman, she was short but had a mean look on her face.
“No smoking on the train. Here you go James. Sit in there with that boy.”
Remus rolled his eyes as James sat down diagonally from him. The woman, Remus guessed a professor, closed the door and walked away. The boy, studied Remus.
“Look, do you want something? I don’t appreciate the staring.” Remus spat at the boy.
“No, no sorry.” He said looking out the cart window. Remus sighed and dug in his bag for another cigarette and lit it. The boy noticed and looked over.
“You know those are terrible for your lungs.” James said with a light judgy tone in his voice.
“Well that’s the point. No reason to save my health anyways.”
There was a pause.
“I’m James Potter.”
“I’m Remus.”
“Last name?”
“Lupin. ”
“That’s a nice name. Bit mysterious are ya?”
“I guess you can say that.”
They sat there in silence. Remus couldn’t help but study the boy. He was fairly attractive, long untamed hair, emerald eyes, and circular glasses that would fall down his nose when he looked down. Remus looked out the window taking one final puff before putting out the cigarette butt on the seat beside him. He sighed. Here we go again.
“How long have you been at hogwarts?” Remus said coldly even though his words weren't mean at all. They weren’t meant to be mean either. Remus had a bad experience with making friends and hoped he would find some tolerable people at Hogwarts, so he didn’t look like a loser.
“This is my 4th year. You’re new aren’t you?”
“Yep. Transfer student from Merlin’s Academy.”
“Why’d you transfer schools?”
“Got expelled.” That was a lie. Remus’s secret got out and he couldn’t stay and take the bullying. He had planned that lie, being expelled for fighting a kid. He hoped it would make him seem tough, like he could take anything.
“Oh…” James said, not knowing how to reply. He didn’t want to push if Remus wasn’t going to tell him anymore. He worried Remus would just get angrier.
“Got any friends?”
“A few. But their cart was full.”
“Hm.” Remus mumbled.
“How’s the dorming at Hogwarts?” Remus asked, slowly opening up to James. There was something in the way that James spoke, it just made Remus want to listen to him talking all day, though he would never show it.
“Four to a room, separated by gender and year. It’s me, my friend Sirius, he’s a Slytherin but he’s very funny, and my friend peter. He’s a Hufflepuff, wouldn’t hurt a fly. But he’s definitely a little skittish. His parents died when he was small, leaving him with his nanny, who was horrible to him.”
“You seem like quite the dynamic.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh nothing…”
“Dick..” James muttered under his breath.
********
“Welcome new students, and returning students! We’re looking forward to another great year at Hogwarts! Now, let’s get started on sorting eh?” The crowd of students each sitting at 4 tables, sorted by house cheered.
“Now let’s start off with our transfer students. Emma Lesting?” A tall girl with dark cherry hair walked up to the front of the room and McGonagall put a hat with a face on her head.
“Hmm…Quite clever…with a little fire and ambition…but I think I’ll have to put you in….RAVENCLAW!” The hat called out in its croaky voice.
Remus zoned out while a few more students walked up, had the hat placed on their head, and got put in their respective houses.
“Remus Lupin?”
He stood and walked up to the stool and sat down, feeling the hat placed on his head. He looked around the room at everyone staring him down and saw James sitting at the table under the red banner with a lion.
“Hmm quite an interesting one…you could really go either way….a little bit of stone in you, definitely a slytherin quality…but over all…I think you belong in….RAVENCLAW!”
A table under the blue banner with a raven on it erupted in cheers. Remus walked over to the table, taking an open seat at the end of the table. His seat was right across from the girl with dark red hair. At a closer look he saw she had forest green eyes and she wore dark eyeliner that complimented them.
He watched as the last few transfer students were sorted. One slytherin and two Hufflepuffs sat down at their respective tables. The girl looked over and caught Remus looking at her.
“Hey.” She mumbled. For somebody with such outspoken style, she seemed to be a bit shy. Remus nodded to her. She wore a red leather jacket with a band t-shirt that hug off one shoulder. It was Queen, a band Remus listened to often.
“Nice shirt.” He said quietly.
“Oh thanks.”
“You listen to them?”
“Yeah. I listen to a lot of music in my free time. Got all their vinyls.”
“Really? I can never find the old ones.”
“Oh yeah. My dad always collects them for me and sends them to me as a birthday gift.”
“Cool.”
“I brought them and my record player if you ever want to listen to them, you can always borrow them.”
“Thanks.” He pulled out his pack of cigarettes.
“Want one?”
“Thanks.” She took one from him and stuffed it in her jacket pocket.
“What school did you transfer from?”
“Merlin’s Academy.”
“Why?”
Remus paused. Should he tell her? Something about her was so inviting and friendly. No. Why would I ever think that.
“I got expelled.”
“Oh me too. Some girl was messing with my girlfriend. I simply couldn’t allow it.”
Remus had never heard someone speak of being gay so casually. He looked at her intrigued.
“Oh are you..?”
“Wasn’t it obvious? I play for both teams.”
“Oh. Cool.”
********
Remus went up to his assigned dorm and opened the door to see James, and another boy.
“Oh Hi.” The boy said quietly. James perked up.
“Remus! So you were assigned to our dorm! Lovely!”
“Yeah.” he sat his stuff down on the empty bed near the window.
“Remus this is Peter Pettigrew. He’s also in our dorm.”
“Nice to meet you.” Peter said.
“You too.”
He opened his trunk and put his books on the shelf sitting next to his bed. It was a canopy bed with curtains that were blue velvet, like his house color. He also pulled out a record player and a collection of records and put those on the shelf below them. Peter and James continued a conversation that Remus had no interest in at all. He continued to unpack and hang his posters up. He sat down on his bed and opened a book he was currently reading. James looked over, his gaze lingering.
“Would you lot care if I put on a record?”
“Not at all.” James said and peter nodded in agreement. Remus did just that. He opened his favorite Led Zepplin album and put it on. He sat back down and nodded to the beat while he read.
“James you will never guess who i just ran into-“
He paused seeing Remus.
“Oh hello.”
Remus looked up and his breath caught in his throat. The boy staring back at the most beautiful ocean blue eyes, he had beautiful fair skin and the silkiest black velvet hair.
“Hi.” Was all Remus could get out.
“I’m Sirius. You must be Remus eh?”
“Yeah.”
Sirius looked over at the record on.
“That’s a good album.”
Remus nodded.
“Anyways, guess who i just ran into james!”
“Who?”
“Your future wife.”
“Really Sirius? I don’t like Evans like that.”
“Sure. I totally believe you.” Sirius replied in a sarcastic tone.
“Alright lads. I’m going to bed.” James announced
“Me too.” Remus replied.
“Boring! There’s a party tonight. Why can’t anyone in this dorm get me?”
Remus turned off his record and switched off the light on his bedside table and closed the curtains of his bed.
“Goodnight Sirius.” James murmured.
Remus felt a pang in his heart but he wasn’t sure what.