First Year- Romans
Remus springs animalistically after his brother, dirt in his hair and under his nails- that's okay, Dad can magic it away before they leave- and laughs hysterically when Romulus jumps, the ladybug on his knuckles fluttering off.
He dives at Romulus' knees, tackling him onto the grass and trying to scratch his face. Romulus deflected Remus' nails, getting scratches of his own in before managing to slither out of Remus' hold and push him over instead. He leads Remus sprinting up and down the green out front of their house, only getting so far ahead because Remus is barreling and tripping after him on his hands and feet.
Summer is over but the heat drags on. Remus has his trousers bunched up to above his knees and sports a simple grey tee. There's probably a line of sweat down the back of the fabric because he can see that Romulus has one and he insisted they wear matching for today. Not that Remus is bothered by that.
He slows to a stop and lets his arms give out, collapsing himself in a heap on the grass. Romulus must have decided the threat is eliminated because he's by Remus's boneless side in seconds and kicks his knee.
“You made my ladybug fly away, you nitwit.” He scolds. Romulus and his bugs, Jesus. Remus turns his head so his cheek is squished against the ground and he's facing Romulus just so that he can see him roll his eyes.
“We eat ladybugs for breakfast, brother, don't you remember we were raised by wolves?”
Lyall and Hope Lupin sit together on the run down bench in their white-fenced front garden, taking in the warm sunshine before Autumn comes. Lyall has one of his thick, leather books in hand but Remus can tell he's watching his sons clatter each other around more than he's actually reading. He looks over as if to prove his own unspoken point and there his father is, book now closed and on the armrest, one hand shielding the early sun from his eyes that stay on the boys, and the other on his wife's leg that she has draped over his lap.
Hope is leaning back on her armrest, head tilted up to bask in the light to keep up the tan that she's been bragging about all summer. She wears round sunglasses and a floral dress and her golden hair is up in braids that circle the back of her head. Remus sometimes wishes he and his brother got their mother's beautiful blonde hair instead of their fathers's sandy, messy locks. He thinks they got her face though.
“Wolves don't eat ladybugs, nitwit.” Romulus sighs, overly exasperated. He goes as far as to cross his arms in a huff. “That's because we're not actual wolves, are we? We are humans, raised by wolves in dirty caves with nothing to eat but the likes of puny ladybugs.”
Lyall is snacking on leftover strawberries from the meringues that Hope made last night. The fruits are in one of her brightly coloured hand-spun ceramics that sits between them on the backboard of the bench. She doesn't tell her husband that there's a small ring of red juice that stains the hairs of his beard around his mouth.
“Act like it.”
Romulus kicks him again in response.
Remus and his Romans, Jesus.
Lyall is the one who first told the boys about the story behind their names- the twins that founded Rome, the twins that lived with wolves and became so rich and famous that people are still talking about them all these years later.
When it became apparent that Remus was the only brother paying attention to any of his history lessons, Lyall focused them on him, telling him every story and myth he possibly could with language a five year old could understand. Remus still fell in love with every last bit of it, memorising and immersing himself in it down to every timeline and reign.
He was seven when he knew more than Lyall, telling him facts sometimes that he couldn't always tell if he genuinely didn't know or pretended not to. Remus still made his father read to him at bedtime though. He still would if he hadn't gotten way too old for bedtime stories.
Romulus would poke fun at Remus' obsession with the Romans. He'd read his picture books with spines as thick as Remus's pinky and turn his nose up at the adult, boring ones Remus read. He'd retaliate, telling him his books were stupid and bad and the boring ones but it never sparked quite as much of a reaction.
Remus sat up, knowing what might.
“I'll blow you up.” He sneered, coming to his feet. “I'll blow you right up like a balloon like I did to the doctor.”
He did in fact blow up the doctor. Inflated the doctor. She didn't get very far, in his defence, it wasn't like she flew away. She was just left up in the ceiling corner of her office while Lyall made a few calls. Also in his defence, Remus didn't mean to and he apologised.
“You wouldn't.” Romulus spluttered. “Dad said you're not to do that anymore.” “I can't help it, can I? I'll float you up to Mars and call it an accident.” “I'll tell on you.” “How? Mum and Dad can't hear you from all the way up there, no matter how stupid and loud your voice is.”
Romulus didn't wait to sprint away in the direction of their relaxing parents, screaming blue murder as Remus sprinted too, right on his heels.
“Time to go anyway, boys.” Hope calls after them as they rush into the house through the open front door.
It's half past ten in the morning and they're going to Hogwarts soon. Remus is secretly actually very excited to finally be going, Romulus is indifferent, their parents are wrecks. Remus has caught Hope staring at the both of them with tears in her eyes twice in the last two days, Lyall at least five times that. He's never actually cried though which is more than Remus can say for Hope.
Remus and Romulus don't answer her and race up the stairs in a frenzy to get to their room.
Remus knows he's going to forget something so he tries to find it before he can. He knows it can just be mailed over and he knows he's packed everything- it'll be fine. He's a little nervous about school too now.
Romulus is at his desk, suddenly calm and cramming to draw just a little more in the brand new notebook that Lyall got for him to fill during their time away.
His side of the room is scattered with drawings. There's a few repetitions of the same landscape, same angle of the house, angle of someone's head. The entire house, actually, has Romulus' drawings all over the place. Hope has albums upon albums of them because she refuses to throw a single one out, even the ones he made when they were really little.
“Get up, would you? It's time to go!”
“Calm your pants, Remus, really.”
“Come on, boys!”
Dad will know if anything is missing. He'll be right on it if anything is, Remus is sure.
He skips down the stairs without his brother and up to Lyall in the living room who is bringing their trunks up to his side. He takes his wand out and swiftly and wordlessly magicks Remus less filthy. He rubs his grazed knees and rolls his trousers back down.
“Have everything?” Lyall asks.
“Think so.”
“Clothes, books, things for school, they're all in here, I checked.” Lyall reassures him. “There's money in the front pocket, and playing cards and pictures just in-” “I don't need pictures, Dad.” Remus butts in, knowing they're all going to be soppy and have little we love you’s on the back. “Just in case.”
Remus rolls his eyes.
“I talked to your teachers-” “Dad! Don't talk to my teachers already!” Remus cries, hands going to hide his face like it's the end of the world. He can just imagine Lyall kicking up a fuss over there before the school year has even started. God, what a brilliant first impression of the family like the paranoid apple doesn't fall far from the paranoid tree.
“I actually talked to the nurse, she's very lovely-” “Who's lovely?” Hope chimes in, sticking her head around the corner from the kitchen. Lyall sighs, only wanting to get to the end of his sentence. “The nurse, darling.” “Poppy?” “What other nurse would it be?” “Well, you tell me- what other nurses do you know?”
Remus snorts and coughs, turning to the most serious boy on the planet when Lyall returns his gaze to him.
“She was my friend,” He shoots Hope a look. “When I was in school. If you need anything, you go to her, alright? She knows who you two are.”
Romulus comes down finally, his clothes only a little less dishevelled than before but Lyall still casts the same spell as he did Remus over him and they're identical again. He smiles at this.
“I don't want to hold his hand!”
“Hold his hand, Remus, it's only for a second.”
“His hands smell.”
“We have the same hands, nitwit!”
“Don't say nitwit, Romulus Lupin.”
“I can say much worse, watch-”
And in the blink of an eye, they're outside King's Cross Station. Hope instantly thwacks Lyall's arm for being so abrupt about apparating. She mutters about splinches and holds Romulus upright as a short wave of dizziness hits him.
It is much colder in London than it is in the Welsh countryside and they all take a moment to shiver before Lyall casts something else over his family and Remus suddenly feels like he has his own personal radiator in his chest. He absolutely cannot wait any longer to get to do magic, and not just the kind that inflates Muggles.
Once they're in the station itself, Remus makes a run for it, hopping up on a stray trolley and grinning like a madman as Lyall stalks over with a sly grin of his own. Romulus- only just about able to walk in a straight line- gets there before him and dives to sit next to Remus on the uncomfortable metal grate.
“It's for the trunks, boys, up you get.” Lyall sighs as Hope is rolling said trunks forward. Remus groans at having to get off while Romulus groans and holds his stomach, vertigo still working through him.
Remus- obviously better than Romulus because he's never had this issue- spins around and gazes up at the ornate roof of the station, at the buzzing crowd that goes about its day, that clearly didn't see four people appear out of nowhere. He eyes kids and their parents, wondering if they're like him and on his way for his first trip to Hogwarts too. His future best friends- second to Romulus naturally- are at this station right now. Maybe he'll meet the Hope to his Lyall today- they met when they were very young after all.
He's only been to King's Cross once, a year ago exactly when they all took the day trip to London, to watch the Express leave and wander around the city. Their parents explained to Remus and Romulus how it'd all work in a year's time, explaining what it'd be like on the train, how to act, where to go. Remus feels a sense of superiority now knowing that he probably knows way more about Hogwarts than most kids.
He looks back to his family and Lyall has orientated the two trunks onto the trolley to resemble a sort-of-couch. Remus and Romulus clamber back onto the trolley and Lyall hauls it around to push them through the station.
Having gone through to the platform once already, Remus and Romulus have a plan: hold their eyes open as wide and as long as they can so that they can see the inside of a wall. Romulus opts to hold his eyes open manually with his fingers while Remus is confident in his ability to keep them open without help (and he doesn't want to look like an idiot).
They look back in unison to their parents when they reach the wall between platform nine and ten. Lyall and Hope both hold a side of the handlebar of the trolley and nod for the boys to look ahead before running them all through the brick.
“It's just black.” Romulus complained once on the other side, clearly disappointed at the lack of imagery inside the wall. Remus huffed too, knowing full well he had accidentally blinked and missed what Romulus was so underwhelmed by.
They both hop off their trunks and take in the crowded platform. It's just as busy as last year and Remus looks at the people around the same height as him who look clueless and nervous, his pride swelling up in him again because he is calm.
“We're already smarter because we know what's going on.” He said loudly into Romulus’s ear to be heard over the noise of people.
Hope slides in between them, putting a hand on either one of their backs and leading them down the platform to the back end of the train while Lyall drags their trunks behind them, having left the trolley at the entrance.
There isn't an inch of space on the platform and Remus knows that there's even more people on the train. The school back home has twenty people per class maximum.
He can't see over a single person's shoulder, can't see past the myriad of bodies; Remus really hopes his parents were exaggerating on the size of Hogwarts because he's bound to get devastatingly lost if he can't see where he's going.
There's all sorts of noises and colours going around the platform. There's streamers of the house colours being shot around in the air and scarves being shoved into his face. Remus thinks he even hears guitar accompanied singing somewhere in the distance.
The family stop further down the platform in a small, less packed space, by a door into the train. Lyall checks the small silver strips on the front of the boys’ trunks, making a funny face as he squints to look at the tiny writing that reads their names.
“Right, Romulus, this is you.” He says, wheeling the trunk over to him.
Romulus looks taken aback and he scoffs. “Romulus?” He gasps, looking at Remus in faux shock. He knows this game.
“Romulus?” He echoes, putting his hand over his heart and scoffing. “Blimey, Dad, that hurts.”
Romulus puts his arm around Remus's shoulders. “I am Remus, I'll have you know.” “Do you even love us?” “Lyall, darling, are you feeling alright?”
When Hope chimes in, Remus breaks and laughs out loud as Romulus hits him over the head for ruining the joke that Lyall was never convinced by.
“And I am your father; I can tell my kids apart.” He scolds playfully, wheeling Remus' trunk to him too.
“We have everything, don't we? Two kids, trunks, books, wands, mo-” “I don't have my wand, dad.” Remus lies, giving Romulus a look that asks him to let him make up for the failed decievement.
Lyall takes a deep breath in. He never seems to notice Remus and Romulus' shared glances that if he could read them, all their little plans would be foiled.
“Remus, you little sh-uunshine,” He catches himself on Hope’s glare. “Your wand is the most important thing-” “I don't have mine either.” Romulus butts in. White hairs grow from Lyall's beard in real time and Remus has to fight hard to keep the grin at bay.
“They're only messing, darling, calm down.” Hope says, patting his arm and like she's hitting a button, Lyall's shoulders sink with an exhale.
She takes a step closer to the boys, leaning down to kiss their heads. She strokes their cheeks with either hand and Romulus leans away from it while Remus stays put. He is not a mama's boy.
Hope smiles, obviously a little worked up but her eyes stay full of joy and well- hope.
“You both have your quills and parchment?” She lists. “Yes.” “Because you'll be writing home every single day, won't you?” Yes. Romulus groans and throws his head back. “Not everyday.” “Absolutely everyday.”
Remus will write. He'll gladly write and he'll learn hexes to use on his brother if he thinks about not writing. He doesn't tell Hope this.
“Because what will I do if I don't get a letter everyday?” “Send one of those yelling letters that Granny Sophie sends when we haven't visited her in too long.” Romulus drones and Hope gives them both a pleased grin.
“That's right. Smart. Show everyone your brains, Romulus, even if it's embarrassing. Remus, make sure he puts his hand up for things, won't you?” Remus nods quickly.
“I love you, Teddy.” Hope tells him, watching the shy smile creep up on Remus' lips. He likes that nickname. It stems from their daily breath-restricting bear hugs, one that he's pulled into now. He'd hug back if his arms weren't pressed so firmly against his sides.
She moves to give Romulus an identical hug, whispering another ‘i love you’ before standing again, not neglecting to give Lyall the same treatment and a quick kiss too. The brothers make disgusted faces at one another.
Lyall steps forward and gets down to sit on his knees in front of the two.
“You’re both all grown up now.” He says like he's upset. He switches between looking at either of his boys with his lips pursed into a thin, slightly sad smile. Remus, confused, offers him a much bigger smile to- he doesn't know- make up for Lyall's rubbish one? They're not even old.
“I love you.” Lyall echoes Hope. He’s a very tall man, with both Remus and Romulus only as tall as his elbows, so he only needs to reach up a little when he puts his hands on either side of Romulus' head to bring him forward to plant a big kiss on his forehead. “And I love you.” He does the same to Remus, pointing a stern finger at both of them when he leans back.
“Think of the universe.” He tells them.
“Okay.”
“Now think of a million of the universes all shoved into one ball, and there's a massive pit of another million of them. Okay?”
“Okay?”
“I love you both more than anything in all those universes, do you hear me?”
Remus giggles because Lyall's serious face and his tone of voice frames the loving speech a little oddly. The laugh catches onto Romulus who again, stifles it better than his brother.
They respond eventually with a “yes, dad” each and they're brought in together for another hug.
“Listen to your mother: we want a letter from each of you every single day, hear?” Over Lyall's shoulder, Remus watches Romulus over-exaggerate rolling his eyes and he has to look down at the concrete for fear of laughing again. God, he's good at making Remus laugh.
“Those are the only letters we want home about you- none from your teachers begging us to take you back.”
He kisses their foreheads one more time before standing, and he gives Hope another short peck.
“Let's find you a compartment and get these trunks up, shall we?” Lyall suggests, his sternness evaporated. He strides forward to go for one of the doors of the train but Romulus pipes up before he can grab one of the trunks.
“We can do it ourselves, dad.” Lyall laughs. “Lift this up for me, Romulus, why don't you?”
Romulus stomps forward and does not manage to lift the trunk. He leans it forward to prove that he can roll it, as if that challenges much of Lyall's point. That catches him out also though as he falters when the trunk’s handle slips out of his grasp and it lands on the floor.
“There'll be prefects going around to help, you can ask one of them for help. We should let them go, darling.” Hope explains and Romulus manages to pick the trunk up as if to emphasise her point.
Lyall purses his lips. “At least let me help you get the trunks on the train, alright?” And he does it anyway, taking them both at the same time and being the first one on the train.
Remus jumps up after him, his face flushing red a little in embarrassment but he settles when he sees other dads with their kids’ trunks, traipsing down the corridor of the train with their heads ducked as to not hit the roof of the carriage. He doesn't see any other twins yet and he's pleased about that too.
Romulus gets on next and takes his trunk off Lyall who steps off the train, looking instantly regretful. “I'll help you find somewhere to sit-” “We can do it, Dad.” Romulus interupts again but Remus really wants Lyall to do it-
“Bye! Bye, Mum!” He waves from the ledge of the door, a smile stretched across his face again.
Hope hugs Lyall’s arm and rests her head on his shoulder as they say goodbye too. Other kids begin to get on the train through the door they're waving goodbye from so Romulus leads Remus out of the way and down the corridor.
The train is just as packed as the platform. He laughs when a green streamer hits Romulus square in the face, being silenced only a second or two later when another comes flying past his own. Boys a few years older than them all but jump over them, apologising in passing and continuing to sprint down the length of the train.
Remus and Romulus look through the windows of the compartments, some with the blinds down already, some whose seats are all already full and some with seats free but full of girls. Romulus stops and nods for Remus to look into a perfect one, one with five boys, two of which must be prefects as they're much older and helping the boys’ trunks to go up above their heads.
Romulus is opening the door before Remus knows it and everyone in the room stops for a second to look at them. The three younger boys- like the twins- don't have their robes on and aren't sporting any house colours. First years then, Remus gathers.
“Can we sit?” He asks meekly and the boys, probably just as meek, nod.
Romulus walks in first and one of the prefects takes his trunk and puts it up on the shelves too. Remus, having dragged the heavy thing only a few yards and his arm already getting sore, is impressed at this guy's strength, how he can just lift and shove and it's done. You have to be in fifth year to be a prefect; Remus wonders if these other boys know that too.
The prefects leave and Remus and Romulus are left sitting in front of the boys who are all on the opposite bench.
“You're twins.” Says the one with sandy hair just like theirs. “Of course they're bloody twins, look at them.” Says the one with black hair. “They're twins, look at them,” Mocks the one with round glasses. “They're hardly animals at a zoo.”
There's a small gap of silence between them all where Remus just sits with his hands under the backs of his knees.
“We're twins.” Romulus says and little giggles turn into the five of them in fits of laughter before even learning each other's names.
“Who's older?” Asks the sandy haired one. “Me.” Remus says and he sees Romulus roll his eyes. “By thirty minutes.” He adds, very obviously bragging. The black haired one’s eyes widen. “Thirty minutes? Isn't it usually like five?”
Remus grins wildly and shoves Romulus in his seat.
“This lazy bastard wouldn't flip over or something-”
“-Maybe you were taking up all the space, fatass-”
“And the doctors had to do it all for him.”
There's another chorus of laughter that Romulus takes a moment to join in on and that Remus doesn't even realise he's a part of. Blimey, this happened fast.
“Well, I'm Remus.” He says once it's died back down. “And Romulus.”, pointing to his brother. “Christ, what is it with people and mad names?” Says the one with black hair. “No offence.” “How'd your parents pick those out?”
Romulus groans dramatically and leans his head back on the headrest. “What happened?” Asks Glasses. Romulus groans again while Remus beams, realising these are just new people to educate.
“You're going to get him started on the Romans now.”
The boys look to him for context. “Romans?” Inquires the black haired one. Remus' smile is so wide that he almost can't speak properly. “Romans, yeah.” He chokes out.
The train hasn't been moving for very long, only just racking up speed by the time Romulus is flicking through (not showing off) his drawings to newfound James and Peter, and Remus is explaining the entire history of Rome to a none-the-wiser Sirius.