Her.

Ever since Remus was bitten at 5 years old, Sienna vowed never to leave him, and to always protect him. Seems like a silly thing to promise as a child, but she actually kept it.

When they were 7 and some kids on their street were making fun of Remus’s scars, Sienna stood up for her brother. When they were 9 and Remus was upset because everyone was scared of him, Sienna protected him. Let him cry in her arms. And when they were 11, and got their Hogwarts letters, Sienna made sure Remus didn’t feel like he was going through this alone.

***
“Alright, you kids ready?” Hope Lupin chirped as she kissed each of her children on the head.

“Totally.” Sienna replied confidently, reaching up and smoothing her hair over again. “What about you, Remmy?”

Remus cringed,

“You know I hate that nickname,” He rolled his eyes. “But yeah, I think I’m ready.”

“Okay then!” Lyall Lupin took the two trolleys in each of his hands. “Let’s go. We just need to walk straight into that wall, and we’ll end up on the other side.” He pointed at a wall in front of him, and Sienna and Remus nodded.

“Bye! Have fun! Don’t forget to learn!” Hope was saying, waving as her husband and children set off towards the wall between platforms 9 and 10. “Don’t get into trouble! I’m looking at you, Sie.”

Sienna laughed at her mother and waved back. Then turned back to the wall in front of them, closed her eyes, and ran. She was prepared to hit the wall, but nothing came.

Instead, she heard the loud whistling of a train somewhere in front of her, and the sound of a busy crowd. She opened her eyes to find herself standing on platform 9 and 3/4, just a few feet of the Hogwarts Express itself. The huge, scarlet red train with a big engine and smoke coming out the top was weirdly mesmerising.

“Woah.” Remus breathed from beside her, his eyes wide with awe and admiration.

“Yeah.” Sienna agreed, not at all a different look on her face.

“Alright kids!” Lyall clapped his hands, turning his children’s attention onto himself, “Remember Remus, after the Feast, come to Professor McGonnagall’s office, she needs to talk to you.” Remus nodded determinedly from beside Sienna.

“And Sie,” Lyall turned to face his daughter, “Please try not to get into trouble on the first day.”

“I mean, I’ll try.” Sienna shrugged with a grin.

Lyall ruffled Remus’s dirty blonde, curly hair, and gave Sienna a quick, but warm hug, before heaving their trunks onto the train and waving goodbye.

Sienna and Remus waved back from inside the train.

They stood at the window for a little longer after their father went back, just to look at all the people. A girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes caught Sienna’s eye. Sienna was involuntarily staring at the girl. And the girl was staring back. Once Sienna awoke from her trance she smiled at the girl and waved. She waved back, then stuck out her tongue. Sienna cocked her head to the side, and then crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue too. The girl laughed. Sienna smiled. Then the girl’s mother seemed to say something to her so the girl turned to listen to her.

“Okay.” Sienna sighed. “Come on, let’s go find a compartment before they’re all taken.”

Remus agreed and they hauled their trunks through the train’s hall until they found an empty compartment.

Remus sat by the window and immediately opened his book and started reading. Remus loved reading. Sienna enjoyed it too, as long as it wasn’t for school or any “education purposes”.

“D’you think the teachers are nice?” Sienna asked her brother as she rested her forehead against the cold window glass.

“Er, sure.” Remus replied not looking up from his book.

“What d’you think the bedrooms are like?”

“Warm, hopefully.”

“What about the kids? D’you think we’ll get friends on the first day?”

“What’s with the questions? I know the same information as you do.” Remus snapped.

Sienna huffed. “What’s with the attitude? Moon’s not for another 3 days.”

“Don’t even start with the moon.”

“Alright, alright.” Sienna threw her hands up in surrender. “Christ, I was only asking. Don’t bite at me.”

At that moment, there came a knock on the door, and two boys appeared on the other side. One with jet-black hair, round glasses and an excited grin on his face, and the other with blonde hair, big round eyes, looking quite anxious.

“Hiya,” The boy with the glasses said. “Would you guys mind if we sit here?”

“Not at all.” Sienna replied, smiling politely and gesturing around to the empty seats. The boy with the glasses sat beside Remus, and so did the other. He seemed to be following everything glasses-boy did.

“I’m James. James Potter.” Glasses-boy reached out his hand. Sienna took it.

“Sienna Lupin. That’s my brother, Remus.”

“Hiya.” Remus looked up from his book for only a brief moment to glance at the boys in front of him, and then he went straight back to reading.

“This is Pete.” James gestured to the other boy.

“Yeah! Hi. Peter Pettigrew.” He squeaked, shaking Sienna’s hand.

”Nice to meet you both.” Sienna smiled. “Are you mates?”

“Yeah,” James replied, “We live on the same street. Been friends since I can remember.” Peter nodded beside him.

“What book is that?” James asked Remus. Remus reluctantly looked up and lifted his book, cover facing the boys, saying,

”To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“Oh cool. Is it a muggle book?” James seemed to be practically radiating from curiosity.

“Yeah.”

“Are you guys muggle-born?”

“Half-blood.”

“Nice! Is your house muggle too?”

“Er, yeah.”

“Wow! Do you have-“

Another knock interrupted James’s sentence.

Thank god, Sienna thought. Remus looked like he was about to explode from unease. He wasn’t used to being interrogated like that.

A third boy walked in, looking rather posh. He had a formal black suit on, his black hair was slicked back carefully, and his shoes polished to look like a mirror. He had a sharp jawline, big dark blue eyes, and a grin that did not at all match his style.

Sienna noticed Remus almost gawping at the boy. His mouth was slightly open, as if in awe. Sienna made a mental note to remember that.

“Hi, sorry to bother, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full.” He had a fancy, well trained accent.

“Of course!” James exclaimed, because apparently it was his compartment now. “The more the merrier.”

The boy’s grin widened, and he took the only free spot next to Sienna.

“James Potter.” James extended his hand.

“Sirius.”

Remus chuckled a bit at that, and Sirius turned to look at him. Remus looked back, and tried to explain,

“Sorry, my name’s Remus. Hard to meet someone with a weirder name that me.”

Sirius seemed to think that was hilarious and burst out laughing, leaving Remus looking a bit confused, but happy nonetheless.

“What’s your surname?” Peter suddenly addressed Sirius from beside James.

“Oh. Er…Sirius Black.” He mumbled the last word.

Sienna and Remus looked confused, while Peter and James acted somewhat weird. Well, Peter did. He made a small squeaking noise and slid a bit down in his seat. James however, though at first a bit taken aback, seemed to come back to himself and smiled at Sirius.

Sirius smiled back, looking slightly grateful. Sienna made sure to remember to look up that name later.

James changed the subject.

“Anyone here like Quidditch?”

***

Hogwarts was beyond beautiful. Words couldn’t describe how breathtaking it was. You’d think some random castle wouldn’t spark this kind of awe, but somehow it does.

The inside was even better. The halls were huge, ceilings high, pillars all around. Hogwarts was the fanciest place Sienna has ever been in. Remus had the same expression of admiration on his face as his sister as they looked around.

The Great Hall was stunning too. The ceiling was enchanted with an amazing spell that made it look like the sky outside. There were 4 large, long tables each with a banner hanging over them. A green and sliver one with a snake, a yellow and black one with a badger, a blue and silver one with an eagle and a gorgeous red and gold one with a large lion in the middle. There were already many people sitting at the tables, chatting away with the person beside them. Sienna had never seen this many people in one room.

In front of the hall was the staff’s table. There were all sorts of wizards there, but one that caught Sienna’s eye was the Headmaster. He was an old man, with white hair and a white beard, and he wore half-moon spectacles. He had a sort of twinkle in his eye that just made you want to feel safe, but for some reason Sienna didn’t trust it.

She had to tear her eyes away from the staff’s table to look at the thin witch wearing a pointy hat placing down a stool and an old leather hat on top of it. The witch snapped her fingers and the hall went quiet. She introduced herself as Professor McGonnagall, cleared her throat, and declared loudly,

“Let the sorting begin!”

Out of Sienna and Remus’s new friend group, Sirius was up first. He walked up to the stool, fidgeting with the sleeve of his robe. As he sat down and the hat began wondering aloud what house he should be put in, Sienna noticed Sirius had his fingers crossed.

Suddenly, the hat shouted,

“Gryffindor!”

And the hall started clapping like they did for the other students before Sirius, but this applause either sounded quieter, or more sceptical. As Sirius walked over to the Gryffindor table he kept glancing over at the Slytherin table. Sienna turned to Remus and gave him a look as if saying, “What’s his deal?” to which Remus replied with a shrug and a raise of the eyebrows.

Sienna sighed and turned her attention back to Professor McGonnagall. A few minutes passed and she was finally on the ‘L’s.

Sienna was called up first. She walked up to the stool, head held high, hoping it looked convincing because on the inside she was a nervous wreck. She sat down, and felt the hat being dropped down on her. Honestly, she might’ve blacked out for a second or so, because next thing she knows, the hat’s bellowing,

“Gryffindor!”

And she’s walking over to the Gryffindor table, and plopping down beside Sirius with a huge sigh of relief she didn’t even know she was holding.

Remus got sorted into Gryffindor too, to which Sienna responded with a huge grin and a high five which Remus gladly returned. He sat down across from her and Sirius and stared at the empty plates longingly. James was also a new Gryffindor, and surprisingly, so was Peter. Sienna was sure he’d be a Hufflepuff, but alas, he wasn’t.

Suddenly, the blonde girl from the station sat down beside Sienna. She smiled at her.

“Marlene McKinnon.” She extended her arm towards Sienna.

“Sienna Lupin. You can call me Sie.” She shook Marlene’s hand, grinning.

“Nice to meet you, Sie. Merlin, I’m hungry.” She said, patting her stomach to emphasise.

“Yeah, same. Isn’t there supposed to be food-galore?” Sienna laughed.

Marlene laughed with her, and at that moment, the Headmaster stood up from his seat and the whole hall went silent once more.

“First years, welcome,” He started, his voice deep and calm, “The rest of the students, welcome back.”

He smiled, and his eyes twinkled as he looked around at all of the students. He started saying things again, about the safety of the school, about the extracurricular activities (when he got to Quidditch, James almost fell out of his seat), and the teachers, and the lessons, and if Sienna was being honest, she wasn’t really listening. She was staring at Remus, who was staring at Sirius, who was staring at the Slytherin table. Sienna really needed to know what that was about, so she turned to Marlene.

“Hey, what’s the deal with Sirius?” She asked.

“Sirius Black?” Marlene replied, and Sienna nodded. “Well, you know about his family. The Noble House of Black and all that bullshit. All his family has been in Slytherin, so I guess he’s a bit disappointed that he’s in Gryffindor? I dunno though, I can’t be sure.”

Sienna was confused. Who wouldn’t be happy to be in Gryffindor? But maybe he had a good reason, so she didn’t judge.

“Ah, alright, thanks Marlene.” Sienna smiled.

“But also, I’m really glad he’s in Gryffindor.” Marlene said, smiling weirdly. Sienna raised one of her eyebrows in confusion.

“You know,” Marlene started explaining, “Look at him! He’s so hot, I’m glad we’ve got him all to ourselves.”

“Ew, that’s disgusting. You just met him. Have you even spoken to him?” Sienna replied.

“Well, no, but still!”

“I’ve spoken to him, I honestly don’t see what it is you see in him.”

“You’ve spoken to him?!” Marlene gasped. “What’s his voice like?”

“Eurgh.” Sienna sighed, making fake puking noises. Then she turned back and Marlene grinned at her, which she took as a sign that Marlene wasn’t offended.

Dumbledore finally finished his incredibly long and boring speech, and Sienna was way more happy to find that the plates were magically filled up with all kinds of different food. Chicken, beef, potatoes, corn, all kind of vegetables, gravy, and loads more meat that Sienna had never tried before.

Remus eats a lot. That’s just him. He gets hungry. It’s the wolf inside him that makes him that hungry. That’s why he was eating his third over-the-top plate of food, and James, Sirius and Peter were eyeing him warily, while Sienna was trying not to laugh as Remus stuffed his face with chicken from both hands.

After dinner, Remus hurriedly rushed off into the direction of Professor McGonnagall’s office, and Sirius turned to face Sienna,

“What’s he doing?”

“He needs to see McGonnagall.” Sienna replied flatly.

“Why?” James asked.

“Ask me no questions, and I shall tell you no lies.” Sienna smiled slyly. She was used to people asking questions, and the best way to answer them was simply to just not.

***

“Oh wow! This is cosy.” Sienna exclaimed as she walked inside her dormitory with Marlene by her side, and another 2 girls behind them.

“Right? This is lovely! Can I take this bed?” Marlene replied, pointing to a bed on the right side of the room, beside the window.

“Yup! Can I take this one?” A girl named Mary, with curly black hair and brown eyes said, jumping on a bed beside Marlene’s.

“Uh-huh. Hey,” Sienna addressed the third girl, a ginger haired one called Lily, “Is it alright if I take this one?” Sienna heaved her trunk onto the bed across from Marlene’s

“Yeah, of course.” Lily chirped back, sitting down on the only free bed left, across from Mary.

“So, any guys catch your eye?” Mary asked slyly, unpacking her trunk.

“It’ s the first day, how could they?” Lily replied.

“Well, that James boy definitely caught your attention, Lily. You can’t tell me otherwise.” Mary winked at her.

“No he didn’t!” Lily exclaimed. Mary raised her eyebrows. “He did not.” Lily repeated.

“James Potter? He’s my friend, I can ask him if you want?” Sienna asked.

“No no no!” Lily yelped, dropping the stack of books she was holding. Sienna raised her hands up in surrender. “I mean, sorry, but no thanks.” Lily smiled.

“Alright, well about that Sirius guy? Huh, Marlene?” Mary grinned at Marlene.

“Ugh, not this again.” Sienna murmured.

“Well…” Marlene grinned back.

“Sirius, Marls? Really?” Sienna groaned. That was also the first time she used a nickname for Marlene, and she braced herself for the reaction of her new-found friends. But, thankfully, they either didn’t seem to notice, or just liked it.

“Hey, just cause you don’t see someone the same way I do, doesn’t mean you can bully me about it.” Marlene said, as she heaved a pile of clothes onto her bed.

“I’m not bullying you! Just, trying to make you see reason.” Sienna supplied.

“Lily,” Mary addressed the red-haired girl, “Who was that guy with greasy black hair and a long nose you were talking to on the train? The one that got sorted into Slytherin?”

“Oh, that’s Severus.” Lily replied. She seemed to ignore the ‘greasy hair’ and ‘long nose’ comments. “Why?”

“No, nothing, I was just wondering is he your friend, or are you forced to talk to him or something.”

“Why would you think I’m forced?! No, he’s my childhood friend.”

“Just didn’t think you’d be friends with a Slytherin.”

“Didn’t know he was a Slytherin until a few hours ago, did I?” Lily snapped.

“Right, sorry.” Mary said, turning her back on Lily to put some socks in her bedside table drawer.

“Can we not fight on the first day?” Marlene pleaded.

“We’re not fighting.” Lily said firmly.

“If you say so…” Sienna muttered quietly, so that only Marlene could hear.

At that exact moment, came a knock on the door, and a girl with brown hair, kind eyes and a gentle smile opened the door.

“Hey girls, I’m Alice Fortescue, one of the Gryffindors prefects,” She said. “I needed to let you know, lights out in 10 minutes.”

“Okay, thanks Alice!” Mary smiled.

Alice closed the door behind her, and Marlene flopped onto her bed.

“I’m so tired.” She mumbled into her pillow.

“Who isn’t.” Sienna replied, sitting on her bed.

“I’m not!” Lily exclaimed. “I’m really excited for classes tomorrow!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Mary sighed heavily, also flopping down on her bed.

“I’m going to go brush my teeth.” Sienna informed the girls as she stepped into the bathroom.

She looked into the mirror, and oh god, she looked incredibly exhausted. She sighed, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair, changed into her pyjamas and tied her hair into a light plait.

She walked back out of the bathroom to see Mary’s and Marlene’s curtains closed, and Sienna suspected they were changing, and Lily took Sienna’s spot in the bathroom.

Sienna lay on her bed, pulled the curtains around, and said,

“Goodnight.” To whoever can hear her.

Mary and Marlene both replied with a quick “G’night.”, and Sienna was already fast asleep.