Chapter 2
When they had finally arrived at Kings Cross, Caleb was starting to shake his bad mood, grinning ear to ear watching as students at the barrier in front of them at full pelt and disappearing to the other side. Penelope pushed his shoulder slightly, signaling it was his turn to go. Isabella was being a coward and refusing to go first. He sighed out loud, before squeezing his eyes shut tight and ran towards the barrier as fast as he could; when he made it to the other side, he opened his eyes to find himself standing on a completely different platform, surrounded by other wizards.
The train itself was huge, and old-fashioned, steam blowing from the top of it, as it whistled. ‘The Hogwarts Express’ he read as he looked at the scarlet train in amazement, before someone knocked into him. He clutched his trunk in his hands as he stumbled backwards slightly and turned around quickly to try and find the culprit in the sea of swarming children, his own age and older. When Caleb finally shook his head, figuring it was no point, he was face to face with a young boy with a shaved head. He looked like a muggle born, with his shabby clothes, and very old-looking suitcase. Wasn’t a pureblood, they would never let someone out of their house looking like… that.
“Oi! watch where you’re going yeah?” He heard himself hiss at the other boy, before looking around trying to find his sister again. “Sorry.” He heard the boy mumble, before he took a couple steps backwards clumsily. “Was just trying to ask you how we were supposed to know when to get on the train?” Caleb felt himself frown, he was definitely a muggle born. But he felt bad about snapping, so he answered the boy.
“You can get on now if you’d like. You just find a compartment and sit there I suppose... Its my first year I’ve never actually been to Hogwarts yet.” Caleb explained slowly, thinking for a minute before speaking again, realizing he had never actually introduced himself yet. “Caleb MacMillan.” Before sticking out his hand, praying, his mother didn’t appear just at that moment. Not while he was directly doing exactly what they told him not to do.
The boy hesitated, before he grabbed his hand and mumbled. “I'm Remus. Cheers.” Before scrambling hurriedly on to the train without even giving Caleb a second glance. He seemed nervous Caleb thought to himself as his sister and mother appeared beside him slightly out of breath. As it turns out, Isabelle had lost her cat and they spent the last ten minutes trying to find him before they caught him and managed to just barely make it before the barrier closed. “Come here my darlings, make me proud.” His mother said as she enveloped them into a hug, whispering into his ear, “I don’t care if you end up in Gryffindor Caleb, just make me proud.” And then she let them go, eyes slightly tearful and whipped around leaving them standing there on the platform.
Inside the train his sister and himself separated, trying to find themselves room in a carriage somewhere, having barely made it on to the train. As he walked down peering into carriages, he saw a familiar face, the boy with the shaved head, and decided to sit there with him, there were two other boys there as-well.
“Hello lads, mind if I join?” he said quickly, his mouth slowly forming into a grin. “of course!” the boy with the glasses said enthusiastically.
“James Potter!” he said throwing out a hand for Caleb to shake, before going back to quizzing the boy from earlier.
“Know what house you’ll be in?” James asked the boy from earlier, directly. He shook his head. “What were your parents in?” James persisted. “Did they go to Hogwarts?”
Remus nodded, slowly, “My dad did. I dunno what house though. My mum didn’t. She was nor—a muggle.” Caleb felt himself frowning slightly, a half-blood. Who didn’t know anything about Hogwarts?
The other boy in the room, who had been indulging in some Chocolate frogs looked up suddenly, “You’re a half blood?” he said as if he had been reading Caleb’s mind. Remus shrugged helplessly.
“Shut up, Pettigrew,” James chastised the boy next to him, “As if it even matters.”
Caleb was just about to speak up, when the door opened yet again. It was Sirius.
“None of you are related to me, are you?” He drawled. His posh accent coming out way more than Sirius probably would have liked.
“Don’t think so.” James replied, grinning, “James Potter.” He held out a hand again. The other boy shook it, easily, “Oh good, a Potter. Dad told me not to talk to you.” He sat down next to Remus, grinning, “Sirius Black.”
Caleb snorted at this, “Hello Cuz.” He said dripping in sarcasm before, slouching back in the seat slightly, “Don’t worry I won't rat you out to Mum or Aunt Walburga.”
He saw Sirius frown, his eyes flashing over to him quickly as if he hadn't noticed him sitting there before, "Better Not." he was back to smiling, a little more mischievously this time, as if he remembered something he had to hold over his cousin's head. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” Caleb laughed, and that was that settled.
But even long after the boys were laughing and discussing houses, and showing off their magic skills Caleb couldn’t shake the feeling his mother had given him. I don’t care if you end up in Gryffindor Caleb, just make me proud. What did that mean? Why did she change her mind now after months of prepping him for Slytherin.
Caleb sighed and pressed his head against the window before slowly drifting off to sleep figuring it was some sort of reverse psychology.