Meet and greet
Sirius and James had spent the last few minutes in an easy conversation, and in that time, Sirius had learned quite a bit about his new friend.
James was a talented Quidditch player, an only child, and his favourite color happened to be red—a detail that made Sirius smile for reasons he couldn’t quite place. They were in the middle of a fit of laughter after one of James' witty remarks when a sudden, soft cough interrupted their moment.
Sirius glanced up, still chuckling, and saw a boy standing in front of them. He was significantly shorter—probably around 5'8"—which felt almost comical next to Sirius, who stood at 5'11".
The newcomer had light, almost platinum blonde hair that just brushed the tops of his ears, and his bright blue eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief.
He cleared his throat again, giving them a shy but friendly wave. "Hi," he said in a thick Scottish accent, his voice carrying a playful, youthful energy. "Name's Peter."
While Sirius took a moment to study Peter, James spoke up beside him. "Hi! I'm James," he said with a wide grin, then turned to Sirius with a slightly confused expression. "Oh! And this is Sirius and reg—"
Before James could finish, he paused mid-sentence, frowning. Regulus, his brother, was nowhere to be found. "Well, looks like he's gone off somewhere,"
Sirius sighed, the usual mix of frustration and resignation colouring his tone. He’d been bracing for this.
Regulus was always disappearing at the most inconvenient times, leaving Sirius to track him down later.Just as Sirius made a move to find his brother, a sharp whistle cut through the noise of the gathering crowd, signaling that it was time to head in the direction of their cabin assignments.
The camp’s leader, a woman with a no-nonsense demeanour and a voice that brooked no argument, was known only as Minnie.Her tone was authoritative enough to keep everyone in line, yet it was also reassuring, almost maternal in its steadiness.
As she called out names, sorting the groups into their respective cabins, Sirius found his attention waning, the hum of voices and the repetitive drone of Minnie’s announcements blending into the background.
It was only when he heard "Regulus Black" called out that his focus snapped back. Standing on his toes, Sirius scanned the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of his brother. He spotted Regulus briefly—just enough to see him turn away, disappearing into the crowd as he walked off.
Sirius couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration. That was the last thing he needed—a missing sibling and a camp full of strangers.
Trying to shake off his annoyance, Sirius forced himself to pay attention as Minnie continued with the roll call. His name soon followed: “Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter, you are in cabin 16C. Your counselor will be... Arthur."
With that, the boys, now officially cabinmates, made their way to the cabin, figuring they would meet this "Remus" kid once they got there.
After walking for a few minutes, they found a small, unassuming cabin nestled at the edge of the campsite. They stood around for a while, waiting for the last member of their group to arrive, but after about twelve minutes of awkward silence and wondering if they’d somehow missed him, Arthur, their counselor, seemed to grow a bit flustered.
"Okay, let's just go inside," Arthur said, his voice slightly higher than before, betraying a trace of nerves. "We’ll figure this out in the morning."
The three boys filed into the cabin, each claiming a bed in the small but cozy room.The bed frames creaked under their weight as they flopped down, one by one. But despite their exhaustion, none of them actually fell asleep right away.
Instead, their minds buzzed with questions. Who was this “Remus” kid who hadn’t shown up? And why was he missing? Did he not want to meet them, or was there something more to the story?
In the quiet of the cabin, with only the faint sounds of the camp settling down around them, none of them could shake the curiosity that gnawed at the edges of their minds.
Tomorrow, they would finally meet the mysterious Remus Lupin.