The Train
1st of September 1993
Remus could hear birds singing outside the window. The sun had just risen. Remus liked an early start.
He sighed, today he’d be going back to Hogwarts, and for the first time since 1971 he’d be going alone.
He packed the night before to avoid rushing out the door. He took his time, he was truly dreading his return. He recalled his first journey to Hogwarts, his mum was so thrilled he’d gotten to go she spent far to much money on big expensive things for him, she even got some of the books he’d always wanted. His dad wasn’t satisfied with that, but he let it slide because he too was thrilled.
He made his usual breakfast, toast and tea. He sat at the table staring out the window. He was really going back to Hogwarts and he was going back alone.
***
He left at 10 o’clock. He apparated to an alley near Kings Cross and walked the rest of the way.
A vaguely familiar woman with red hair was hurrying her children along the platform. “This way children! We don’t to be late! Oh Harry dear I’ll push that!”.
Remus felt like he knew her but couldn’t think of it. She had an awful lot of kids with her, around seven. A few of them had owls.
They might be Remus’s students, that thought was weird. His students? Very weird.
His stomach was in a tight knot as he approached the barrier of platform 9 3/4. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, held his breath and ran.
Families were in crowds all around him. He could see his former classmates all around him, Xenophillius Lovegood was standing not far from him with a little blonde girl who looked no older than eleven or twelve. A memory of Marlene and Dorcas flying in the door declaring Pandora had her baby. Marls and Dorcas died shortly after, he never heard another word about the Lovegoods again, until poor Pandora’s death a few years ago.
He also saw many of Mary’s ex-boyfriends such as Amos Diggory, Stephen Belby and Marcus Smith, they all looked to be married with kids.
He boarded the train before most of the children and fell into a deep sleep, he dreamt of his friends, they were playing Quidditch and Remus watched, as Mary and Lily babbled about meaningless things. This was his favourite dream.
***
Remus woke with a start, he could her panicked voices all around him.
“Quiet!” Remus said, his voice hoarse from lack of use.
Remus drew his wand and cast the spell Lily taught him in their fourth year. Flames burst from him palm. Illuminating the compartment.
“Stay where you are,” He said still hoarse. He got to his feet, he could hear something approaching the door.
The compartment door slid open, a large hooded figure seemed to float inside. It was then when Remus realised what this figure was, but he had realised too late. The creature had already turned to another person in the compartment. The person fell to the floor and started twitching.
He stood up and approached the Dementor. “None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks.” The Dementor was still standing over him.
***
The lights flickered on. He was surrounded by people. He’d seen most of them on the platform, they had been with the read headed woman. He looked around.
There passed out on the floor was James Potter.
Except, it couldn’t be him. He was dead.
It was Harry.
Harry was unconscious. It must’ve been Harry who was attacked by the dementor. It was then he noticed that the girl with bushy brown hair was over beside him speaking.
Remus knelt down beside the five people on the floor.
“Harry?” The brown haired girl was saying frantically. “Harry? Are you Alright!” She slapped him.
“W-what?” Harry mumbled opening his eyes.
“Are you okay?” The red headed boy asked nervously.
“Yeah,” Harry replied. “What happened? Where’s that- that thing? Who screamed?”
“No one screamed,” the boy explained.
“But I heard screaming-” Harry told them with certainty.
Remus remembered the bit on dementors in ‘A Guide To Dangerous Magical Creatures’. In the event of a dementor attack all one needs is a nice bar of milk chocolate. He took the bar of Honeydukes chocolate from his pocket, broke it into pieces, everyone jumped at the sudden noise.
“Here,” he said to Harry handing him a large chunk of chocolate. “Eat it. It’ll help.”
Harry took but didn’t eat it. “What was that thing?” Harry asked.
“A Dementor.” said Remus, handing chocolate to the others. “One of the Dementors of Azkaban.”
They were all staring at him. Remus’s tummy rumbled, he must’ve missed the trolley. He crumpled up the wrapper and stored it in his pocket.
“Eat.” He repeated, as Harry still hadn’t. “It’ll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me.” He said getting to his feet.
***