And They Were Poets

The nine-hour train ride went by faster than Remus initially thought it would. No one forced him to speak any more than he liked and only asked him questions that needed no more than one word as an answer. The food trolley went by and the seats ended up filled with candy wrappers. The scenery changed from city to forest to mountains and back to cities.

Remus got some more shut-eye, leaning his head against the wall. James and Sirius and Peter all were talking about things to do when they arrived, none of which Remus understood. Their conversation lasted for hours, the topic changing almost every second. When he woke up, they’d all calmed down a bit; Peter was silently munching on a chocolate frog while stuffing the card inside his pants pockets, James was looking out the window, fascinated and eyes glowing while pointing out different things he saw, and Sirius was stuffing some of the candy into his bag he’d gotten down from the rack that stood above both seats while Remus had been sleeping.

The moment lasted for a while but it was not too long of a time before they were all in deep conversation once more.

That was how they all spent the nine-hour train ride. And unlike how Remus thought they’d have made it to the school after the train— they hadn’t. They had to climb onto boats in groups of four or five and then let their boats be guided across the huge lake (black lake as the man, “Hagrid”, had called it).

Remus’ eyes widened when he finally saw the castle. The pictures in the train did it no justice, it was majestic and old. Like something he’d see in a dream, unreal. Every word that meant beautiful and dreamlike, was what Hogwarts was, Remus decided as he stepped foot into the massive stone hall.

Four immensely long dark wooden tables with seats set along just as long, students sat eyeing the new first years who entered, and all student depending on the table they sat at wore different coloured robes yet the exact same models. At the very end of the hall, a few short steps went up to a platform that also housed a table, but this one was looking down on all the others. Remus’ eyes landed on Dumbledore, who he recognized immediately talking with someone at the middle of the table, he was sitting in a chair that could match a king's.

The room was also somewhat dark only being lit up by floating candles and the ceiling had taken the look of the same clear starry sky that was outside. Most of the first years seemed uninterested, while others were happily jittering and chatting about it. Must have been raised in the muggle world, as Remus had been. He’d never seen something as majestic as this.

Lily caught up to Remus and sent glares at the three trailing ahead of them. She smiled, “this is amazing, isn’t it?” Snape was walking behind her, finding the floor very interesting.

Remus nodded, muttering a small yes. They walked slowly through the hall until the entire group of first-year students stopped at the end. The woman leading them, a slender stern-faced witch who’d introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, stepped forward to speak to the group.

Remus barely understood any words spoken and just let his eyes wander. He felt like every person in the room was staring holes into him, with eyes of curiosity and something else too. His eyes then met with those of a girl who was sat at the table next to him, a few rows away. She was looking and her robe was falling off her shoulders and her tie was untied around her neck. She was the only one not dressed as formally as everyone else, which must have been why so many other first-years had also taken note of her.

Next to her someone leaned in and whispered, his eyes also landing on Remus. He smiled a gentle smile which Remus returned. He spoke of something that clearly caught the girls attention as she turned to him and laughed.

Remus stood there for a second before turning back and listening as Dumbledore finished his small speech and returned the floor back to McGonagall. She went over small things, introducing the sorting hat, and saying that everything would be made clearer after everyone had been sorted.

The first to be called forward was a girl, Grace Addams. She walked up the steps with confidence and sat on the stool, back straight and eyes narrow as she looked down at everyone. She was one of the few to be able to keep their composure under the stress of everyone's eyes on them. Though Remus could tell she was stiff with the way she moved her legs.

McGonagall placed the hat on her head and barely even a second later, a loud shout of “Ravenclaw!” was heard echoing through the great hall. Remus’ eyes snapped from Grace over to Sirius and James standing in front of him who had started booing, while Peter was laughing and looking proud of himself.

The laughter was almost as loud as the voice of the sorting hat had been, meaning most if not everyone in that hall was now looking their way. Lily sighed, “what is wrong with them?” She asked, shaking her head in disapproval. Remus only shrugged and took a step back as Snape started whispering sweet (bad things about them) nothings into her ear.

Lily sent him a scolding look but didn’t try to correct anything he’d said, only shushed him when the next name was called.

It didn’t take long until the first of the six was called. It was Sirius, who’d suddenly turned as stiff as stone when he heard his name. It was like he completely forgot everything around him and made it his only mission to stare at the Slytherin table (Remus guessed with the greenness of it all). There was a calm blonde woman leaving her cheeks against the palms of her hands looking. It was something different about the way she looked compared to everyone else's gazes on them. Like it was telling something in code.

Sirius’ name was called again, he needed Peter to touch his shoulder to get him moving. His movements were almost robotic as he found his way over to the stool, people making him way because it was obvious he wasn’t paying enough attention to dodge running into someone.

He sat on the stool, his legs not reaching the floor. His eyes met Remus’ and they were shaking. So clearly shaking that without even thinking Remus was giving him a reassuring smile. Unsurprisingly it didn’t seem to help, though Sirius seemed to have decided Remus was going to be his point. Just look at him and nothing else and Remus knew this technique of only staring at specific points when nervous as it always seemed to make it all easier.

“Gryffindor!”

Sirius’ face fully dropped and his eyes widened, his eyes instinctively looking back over to the Slytherin table. Remus saw the girl from before, looking up at Sirius and slowly shaking her head. It was silent, Remus realized. No clapping whatsoever until seconds later. This woke up Sirius and he stood up and wandered to the Gryffindor table, receiving pats on his back and sympathetic looks.

And then the sorting continued like whatever just happened hadn’t. The next of the now five left of Remus’ small circle of people he knew to be sorted was Lily. She never did lose her grin through any of it. She just marched on up after switching words with Snape and giving Remus a “see you later” which Remus reciprocated with a small wave of his hand.

She was sorted into Gryffindor and gave Snape an apologetic look (Remus didn’t understand why. She didn’t choose her own house) before joining mopey Sirius at the table. She gave him a small nod and he completely pulled away farther on the seat.

The third one to be sorted of course just had to be Remus. He understood the stiffness and nervousness sure, but not the excitement most seemed to be feeling as they sat on the stool. Remus sat and McGonagall set down the hat. It was quiet for a moment and then a small voice purred into his ear, “As loyal as a Hufflepuff, as Clever as a Slytherin, as wise as a Ravenclaw, and as courageous as a Gryffindor.” It lists off and Remus is stiff with the uncomfortable knowledge he has a talking hat on his head whispering into his ear.

“I haven’t seen one like this in a long time, a Lupin no doubt.” The hat continued, only making Remus more confused as time went on. “Tell me, where would you be the most suited for?” Remus stayed quiet. “Ah, I see it now. For your best abilities, best put you in GRYFFINDOR!”

Remus flinched at the shout. It was much louder when the hat was right by your ear. Getting up from the stool, Remus was greeted with loud cheers and applause, none hesitating, unlike Sirius’ case. Peter was whistling and clapping alongside James, Lily was grinning, and Sirius was counting the cracks of the table.

Lily asked the boy who sat on her other side to move up a little and when he did, she pats the seat beside her to Remus. He made his way there and sat with a pleased-looking Lily.

It took a while for Remus’ ears to stop ringing from the sorting hat's loudness, so by the time the “P’s” started to come around, he had recovered enough to continue paying attention to the sorting. Before Peter, there was someone who carried his same last name.

Jaqueline Pettigrew. If Peter hadn’t become so loud at the call of her name, Remus would have thought they coincidentally only shared a last name. The two looked very different to each other and the girl reminded Remus more of Lily than the chubby Peter. She had her bright red hair cut into a bob and she was so slender some of her bones were visible, and her freckles were so dark they were able to be made out better than her eyes.

It was barely a second later when the hat was placed down when it screeched, “Hufflepuff!”

Jaqueline’s face brightened up at that and gave McGonagall the hat before the professor could remove it. She ran past Peter and high-fived him with a grin as she ran all the way to the back to the table with the yellow robes.

Then Peter’s name was called. He hurried to the stool with short and fast steps. He wore a nerve-wracking smile as he sat. In west London, pudgy boys like that were a rare sight and Remus knew the moment he laid eyes on Peter, the boy wouldn’t last a second there. Despite Peter being loud, he looked the opposite of the people who went to Maddy’s house parties. Too soft, too smiley, too… Just too. Remus decided not to speak to him much, just in case since Remus tended to be… A bit too much with where he was raised.

The time went by as Peter sat there. It was longer than anyone else had sat there and even the professors had grown to look a bit nervous, glancing at each other from across the room. The minutes ticked by and Remus noticed Peter whispering something to the hat, looking almost terrified. One second he was shaking his head, the next he was whisper yelling, and then just frozen.

He flicked at the hat and raised his voice a few times with loud “no’s” and “bloody hell’s” before lowering to small whispers again. The hat seemed to be fighting back, its voice weirdly quiet compared to the loudness it had been over the previous students.

With the first impression of the boy, Remus hadn’t really expected to be able to curse as much as he was now. He’d looked like someone who only followed and perked up when he was being addressed with small comments. But Remus hadn’t counted on Peter being able to curse in a hall filled with Professors and thousands of students without even a second thought.

Eventually, the hat called out a loud, “GRYFFINDOR!” right as McGonagall had started to approach them. Peter patiently waited for the hat to be removed from his head and showed his tongue out at it before joining the others at the Gryffindor table.

A few students later, it was James. He strutted up to the stool and almost ripped the hat away from McGonagall to place it upon his own head. It took much shorter for him to be sorted than it had for Peter, the hat swiftly called “Gryffindor” and James’ face immediately sparked up. He took off the hat, handed it to McGonagall, and walked through the applause to sit next to Peter.

“Well, how about that! We all made it!” He high-fived Peter and gave his hand out to Remus as well and after a minute he gave a hard slap.

Sirius seemed to have woken up from his state as he looked up and let out the first noise Remus had heard him make since his sorting. “Cissy’s gonna tell mother and then father, and Reggie's gonna-” A realization hit him and he buried his face in his hands, “Reggie’s gonna find out. Oh, Merlin.”

Lily, still sitting next to him, pat his back again while completely ignoring James who was stupidly smiling at her.

And the sorting went on. Severus Snape got sorted into Slytherin just like he’d wanted, and the look he gave Lily while walking past her was unreadable. In the end, a few more students were sorted into Gryffindor but none that Remus knew of.

When the sorting was finally over, Dumbledore once again stepped up from his seat and addressed the hall of students, and then with just a flick of his wand, the tables were filled with a feast. A feast like Remus had never seen before. He glanced around, making sure he was allowed to eat it and when everyone around him had started eating he decided to try and take small bites.

“You seemed to have fun up there,” James spoke up, addressing Peter who had looked quite dazed since he was announced in Gryffindor.

The chubby boy blushed a bright red and spun his fork around in his food, “y-yeah…” He muttered, voice quiet, clearly eyeing the hat that had neatly been placed upon the stool after the last student, like expecting it to call him back up. But it never did.

A little while later when Remus had finished his plate, a bony hand was resting on his shoulder. McGonagall slightly smiled at the other boys before turning over to Remus. “Mr. Lupin, if you’ve finished, please follow me up to my office.”

Remus bit the inside of his cheek, giving a small quiet nod. Peter and James exchanged glances as he pulled himself up from his seat. Sirius dragged his eyes away from his untouched plate with eyes full of curiosity, he tilted his head up at McGonagall.

“It was me!” James stood up when Remus was halfway off his seat, his feet on both sides.

There was a silence, “what… was you?” McGonagall's eyes narrowed as she carefully removed her hand from Remus’ shoulder.

“Whatever he did, he didn’t. It was me!”

The witch smiled gently at that before shaking her head, “I’ll be sure to take that into account when he does something.”

Well, that was unexpected. Remus now had a scapegoat when he did something. He didn’t exactly know what that something was but nonetheless, he had a James Potter to take the fall for him.

__________

Remus sat with his foot jumping up and down and his fingers fidgeting. He didn’t know what he had expected. He should have known it would be something big and grand with how the rest of the castle looked like but he hadn’t even thought about that. Professor McGonagall gave him the impression of a minimalist. A small room filled with only things she’d truly need in her line of work.

But it was quite large. Bigger than Maddy’s flat no doubt. Bookcases lined the walls, half filled with books and half with small knickknacks. Paintings of the old were nailed on the walls, all staring down at the young eleven-year-old boy sat in the middle, in a small wooden chair painted red.

There was a fireplace behind the Professor’s chair, emitting warmth throughout the office, and piled with plants, books, and the like. A miniature sorting hat was placed as decoration to hang from the corner of a small picture frame that sat in the corner of the desk. There was a splotch of ink lining the carves of the table after Remus had accidentally knocked over the inkwell on his way to sit down.

There was a gramophone sitting on a stool by the fireplace, playing songs Remus had never heard before. Small muggle toys lined the shelves and Remus recognized most of the book titles he saw.

There was a knock on the door and McGonagall smiled as she placed her quill back in the inkwell after writing continuously on a piece of paper for the past twenty or so minutes. She called for the person to come in and they did just that.

The person who entered was a woman around the same age as McGonagall. Her uniform was that of a matron, Remus was sure. He couldn’t forget the uniforms that had been carved into his memory from the age of four.

This woman smiled close-eyed as she found her place behind McGonagall. She hadn’t been there at the feast, Remus was certain he’d recognized her if she had.

“Mr. Lupin,” McGonagall spoke, Remus’ attention averted from the matron back to the professor. “I was so glad to hear you were sorted into my house. And with your new friends, I’m sure you’ll fit in great.”

Friends? Remus thought for a moment before he realized she must have been speaking of James. They’d only met on the train and it would take more than just one meeting to be considered Remus’ friend but he decided to keep that to himself.

“This is Madam Pomfrey, our matron. We’d just like to go through some things with you before classes start off tomorrow and with the full moon in only a few days, we thought it’d best to talk as soon as possible.” Explained the Professor while Remus nodded along to every word.

There was a pause then, before she continued, “Did your father ever mention the school?”

Remus shook his head. No. Lyall Lupin hated speaking of the school more than he hated the fact Remus was a werewolf. Someone might have gotten small comments out of him from time to time but nothing more than that. He rarely used his magic and Remus had once found his old-school things in the attic. In old boxes like they hadn’t been touched in years. Lyall shouted at Remus for that and that was the day the boy learned not to bring up his father's school days.

“Well, he was a nice man. The first of the Lupins to be sorted into Ravenclaw and now you’re the first to be in Gryffindor. They were all Slytherins before that.” McGonagall pursed her lips at Remus’ uninterest. “He’s doing well, I hope?” Remus nodded.

The Professor let out a sigh, “You didn’t grow up with magic, is that right?”

Remus bit his lip before nodding. His father may have been magic but with never using it, Remus couldn’t exactly say he grew up around it.

McGonagall nodded along, “This is why, since the spells aren’t made for people who have not touched much magic before, we have asked Slughorn to help us in securing potions to make the transformations easier.” Remus remembered that name, it must have been from when Dumbledore had introduced all the teachers at the start of the feast.

“We hope you are able to trust us whenever you think something does not feel right around the moons and we will be more than glad to help you.” Madam Pomfrey spoke for the first time. Her voice was careful and soft, her eyes apologetic. “On Sunday, I will come to pick you up from your common room and hope you memorize that route since you’ll be walking it for the next seven years. If you feel something not right before then, ask a prefect and you’ll be shown the way to the hospital wing.”

Remus just nodded again, not a word left his mouth. Not when they went through a few small details and not when Pomfrey left and not when McGonagall asked if he’d need help finding his way to the Gryffindor tower where their common room lay.

And not when he was abandoned in the castle halls after declining McGonagalls offer with a shake of his head.

After walking around staircases up and down, finding his way back to the great hall only to find it completely empty, and just deciding to go up the stairs until he lost complete sense of direction with the moving staircases that scared him half to death every time they so much as moved.

After long past the time he should have made it to the common room, Remus made a note and pinned it in his brain to create a map. Because how had they not given them maps when they entered the school? How did everyone just remember which way they were supposed to go?

He was searching for more stairs that led up because from the sound of “Gryffindor tower” Remus’ first impression was that it had to have been somewhere reasonably high. And with no clue where to go, he just kept finding staircases and going to wherever they led.

He pulled his hand along the wall when he was stopped by a voice. A voice he thought to recognize and if he just followed that voice, he should be able to find the Gryffindor house. And that’s what he did. He walked straight and then turned and went straight again until the voices became much clearer and then they were just there by the corner.

“—can’t you wait?” The familiar voice was speaking.

“Either I tell them or you tell them and you know how Auntie is about getting the news as fast as possible. Lucius is already on the fence about not sending the letter the moment you were sorted especially after what happened between you on the train, so if neither of us sends the letter by the third, he’ll be the one sending it and I know you can’t stand that thought.” This voice was unfamiliar. It was quite low and quiet and tired. “He’ll even be sure to include your train rampage.”

Remus peeked around the corner. He was right. It was Sirius. He was brushing his hand through his curls while his other hand was awkwardly placed at his side. The one he was speaking to, Remus also recognized. It was the girl who’d been shaking her head at Sirius’ sorting.

Her hands were crossed over her chest and she’d scratched her formal look. Her robe was tied on her waist and her sleeves were pulled up to her elbows.

“I—” Sirius snapped his mouth shut. His eyes had found Remus’. His mouth slightly gaped open and his face showed he’d forgotten all words he was going to say. The girl followed his gaze to find Remus standing awkwardly in the corner.

“Lupin, hey, what are you doing here?” Sirius spoke, “The common room’s on the other side.”

“Oh.” Remus let out, eyes bouncing around the corridor before falling back onto Sirius who clearly cursed in his head but still smiled.

“I’ll be waiting for your decision tomorrow morning.” The girl nodded to Sirius before taking off down the same hallway Remus had just walked out of.

“Wait, Cissy—” Sirius called but she was already gone. With a sigh, he turned to Remus who was half expecting to be yelled at but instead, he received a soft smile as the boy straightened his back, “Let’s go then, yeah?”

Remus blinked but then nodded and followed as Sirius took the lead down the corridor. The two walked in awkward silence until Remus found himself for the first time breaking it, “Sorry if I interrupted sumthing.”

Sirius looked back and just smiled, eyes wide for a split second, “All’s good. Saved me from that one actually.” Remus tilted his head and Sirius was already explaining, “Everyone in my family’s always been in Slytherin and Mother said she’ll disown me if I don’t end up in Slytherin. So now I need to write a letter asking her for a second chance.”

“She d’ do teht?”

Sirius blinked like he was going over the words again and again in his brain until he could make sense of them, “oh, yeah, she would. My cousin was disowned just ‘cause she married someone they didn’t like.”

Remus scratched away the thought he’d been having for years about having the worst family immediately upon hearing this because there was no sign of sarcasm anywhere in the boy's eyes.

“And here we are.” They stopped before Remus could get another word in. They stood in front of a large portrait of a beautiful woman. “Sirikot.” It was a door apparently. Sirius turned to Remus, “That’s the password to use to enter.” He explained, stepping through the portrait hole, Remus slowly following.

Many students sat together in the common room, different ages all mashed together and then Remus felt grateful for the house parties for having taught him to be around large groups of people without inwardly dying.

“We chose a dorm room, your things are already there.” Remus decided against asking how they got a hold of his belongings. “The girl's dorms are there and the boys are here,” Sirius explained as he led Remus up a very steep set of steps that he almost fell over multiple times.

They walked some time with Sirius explaining bits and pieces of what Remus had missed. Then upon slamming open one of the many doors they were passing and then were met with multiple pairs of eyes. There was James and there was Peter and there was the boy who’d caught Remus’ attention at the sorting, the one who’d whispered to the girl who’d been staring holes into him.

“I have returned with a friend!” Announced Sirius, pushing the door behind them closed when Remus had fully stepped inside.

“What did McGonagall want?” Was the first thing that left James’ mouth before he even let Remus fully take in the room.

“He’s alive so couldn’t be too bad.” Answered Peter, scooting over to make space on the floor where the three were sitting. Sirius immediately jumped down while Remus just went and sat on the bed he noticed his stuff leaning against.

“Remus, this is Wesley Creevey, a second year.” James introduced and Remus took the time to look at the older boy.

He had curly platinum blond hair, almost white, and dark sea-blue eyes. His smile showed his teeth and the small faint dimples on his cheeks. He nodded with a smile, “Just call me Wes, I’m your dorm supervisor. Only because all the others that were staying here graduated, but still. So I’m in charge!” His voice was childish and playful and more full of energy than Remus thought anyone could have had after a nine-hour train ride.

“Remus Lupin.” Remus nodded.

Wesley— Wes snorted, “Like- like wolf wolf? Are you serious?”

Remus knew he shouldn’t have trusted that not to happen. Anyone who was smart enough always laughed at his name and with not having met new people in so long he’d forgotten people's first usual response.

He sighed, leaning against his hands on the bed, his eyes fell onto Sirius who was also snickering at the realization. So what else was there to say than— “No, he’s Sirius.”