The Hogwarts Express
Remus had said bye to Elizabeth and Henry, but he promised them that he would send them letters every week, at least once. Saying goodbye was almost heartbreaking, but the two ruffled his hair and reassured him that they would think about him every day. That made Remus smile, and he said he would too.
As excited as Remus was to go to Hogwarts, he would miss his parents dearly, too. He was rather terrified, he had never really made friends since Henry and Elizabeth, who came to him first to make friends; meaning that Remus was entirely inexperienced in the field of friendship. He doubted people would go to him all his life and so because of this, he would most likely not make many friends, if any at all. The thought of not seeing his parents in person until Christmas made his chest tighten, and the fact that he would be so far away for such a long time made his stomach fill with a nervous sense of dread.
Remus lay awake in bed after saying goodnight to his parents, looking around his room almost empty room. He did not have many belongings, but it was odd to see all of his shelves empty and his wardrobe almost completely empty, too. Although it was a strange feeling to leave his bedroom behind, he would be glad to not have to stay in a room that constantly reminded him of what he was, and the night he was attacked. Remus was dreading the next moon, and all the full-moons after this one that took place at Hogwarts. Following a full-moon, his mother and father would carry him back up to bed, where they would tend to his wounds and make him laugh. He recalled the first night he had turned, having pretty much torn himself up in wolf form. He woke up covered in blood, a long, deep wound that decided to scar across his neck and a small scar across his bottom lip. He cried when he saw himself, but his mother reassured him that he was, and would always be, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
It would be difficult waking up confused and not having his parents there with him to help ease the physical and emotional pain he was feeling.
Remus' trunk had been packed since he had gotten home from Diagon Alley, all except his wand. He practiced with his father, and had actually been successful with many spells they tried, which made Remus grin each time his father praised him.
The one thing Remus did not purchase was a pet. They were tight for money as it was, and even though his father did offer to buy him a pet of his choice, animals did not tend to like Remus. He once tried to pet a stunning little white cat with bright blue eyes who had wandered into their garden, and was scratched and hissed at. He didn't like to think that it was down to his condition, but it was. Animals could sense it. So, Remus decided against even entering the pet shop, saying that it would be embarrassing to have all the animals in the shop taking a disliking to him. He figured it would be difficult to be lonely with hundreds of students and professors around him every single day and night, and so it did not matter whether he had a pet to keep him company or not.
Remus didn't think he would sleep that night as he was so excited for the following day, but he found his eyelids beginning to grow heavy on him rather quick. It was only a matter of minutes until he finally drifted off to sleep.
Remus did not tell his parents about the nightmare he had that night. One reason was that it was a confusing nightmare. At the start of it, he missed his parents so much that he turned into a werewolf forever, like a Maledictus. The second part was that his parents forgot about him, and this was what hurt the most. He didn't want to worry them anyway, it was just a dream. A dream that deeply worried him, because, what if he did turn into a werewolf forever? Or even worse, what if they did forget him?
Remus woke up to his mothers voice, opening his eyes to find her at his doorframe, smiling widely at him. "Come on, dear, it's time for you to go soon. We should get some breakfast down you before you go, it'll be a long trip for you."
He did not eat much for breakfast despite his mothers words on it being a long trip, his nerves were too high for him to stomach any more than a single slice of toast and a glass of orange juice.
His father helped him carry his trunk to the car before storing it in the boot. It was when they were driving that Hope turned to Remus with a smile, handing him a photograph for him to keep. He looked down at the photograph and broke into a smile. It was one they took on Remus' birthday. Remus was happily hugging Elizabeth and Henry, surrounded by his mother, father and Mrs. Blevins (mother of Elizabeth and Henry). He slipped it into his pocket before kissing his mothers cheek.
When they arrived at Kings Cross Station, Remus looked around. He had never been to the station, and was surprised to find it was just a regular train station. Lyall noticed this, smirking to himself.
He handed Remus his train ticket, 'Platform 9 3/4'. Remus frowned, glancing around at each platform. Before he even spoke, his father began to walk, and so Remus simply followed. There was no Platform 9 3/4, and so this terribly confused Remus.
He was surprised to find it when he did, having walked through a wall of all things! He smiled brightly at the sight of the train and all the students boarding, the sight alone was amazing.
Finally, he kissed his mother and father goodbye and boarded the busy train.
Remus hauled his trunk around with him as he searched for an empty compartment, and when he finally did, he shuffled into it and set his trunk down. He watched as the train began to leave, waving goodbye with a smile to his parents, who had never looked more proud of him. When the train rounded the corner and his parents were out of sight, his chest tightened. He looked down at the photograph once more, smiling sadly down at it.
Remus jumped as the compartment door slid open, looking up to find a strangely familiar face. "Mind if we sit here, mate?" Said the face.
"Sure", Remus said quietly, and the two sat down, one sat beside Remus, and the other sat opposite.
It was only when they sat down and began to grin at each other that Remus remembered these faces. He remembered the causing chaos that came with them in Flourish and Blotts. He'd remember those grins for the rest of his life, probably.
As if they read his thoughts, the boy with glasses began to speak to Remus, "I'm James Potter. This is my best mate, Sirius. Hope you don't mind us sitting here, it's just that everywhere else is pretty full", he hummed, crossing his legs on the seat. Sirius seemed to make himself at home, putting his own legs up on the seat and using his trunk as a pillow. Remus scooted to the side to give Sirius room for his feet- as Sirius was much taller than he was, and so was James.
"No, of course not.. It's alright", Remus reassured them quietly, though he wasn't sure whether the boys wanted his name or not.
Sirius looked at Remus from where he lay sprawled out, completely different to the straight postured boy who had left the shop that day. "What's your name, mate?"
Remus twiddled his thumbs and glanced at Sirius as he spoke, surprised to have been called 'mate', because they weren't friends, "Oh, I'm Remus. Remus Lupin."
Sirius gave a little nod, but he kept his eyes on Remus. It made Remus slightly uncomfortable if he was honest, but he did not say that aloud. Sirius sat up, sitting a little closer to Remus and causing Remus to nervously watch from the corner of his eye.
"I know where I've seen you! At Flourish and Blotts!" he said quickly, pointing a finger at Remus. Remus looked at him properly, looking a little unsure before he gave an acknowledging nod. He recognised them too, but he was surprised that they had recognised him seeing as they didn't even interact other than eye contact. It was hard to forget them, crashing into shelves carelessly. Remus looked at James for a moment, feeling him staring too. He caught James' eyes move down to the scar across Remus' neck, before looking back up at Remus and giving him a smile. James didn't seem to question the scar, nor did he seem to be bothered by it, which came as a surprise to Remus, but he was glad.
Remus was grateful to find that after a moment or two, James did not arise to question Remus one bit.
There was quite an awkward silence for a few minutes, causing Remus to sweat nervously. Sirius and James didn't seem to mind the awkward silence, and it wouldn't surprise Remus if they thought that the silence was rather comfortable, seeing as they looked pretty happy.
It was after a moment that Sirius spoke, "You're a first year too, aren't you?" he asked, seemingly unsure. Remus furrowed his brows, he didn't think he looked like anything but a first year what with his little nose and short height. He gave a nod, and to this, Sirius smiled brightly, "Great. That means we've got another mate, James", he hummed. Remus felt his eyes widen a little, out of surprise more than anything. Do they mean me? he thought.
James nodded, flashing a grin, "Oh, yes, you're right. Well, perfect. Where are you hoping to be sorted?"
"Because, if it's Slytherin, sorry mate but we might not get along", Sirius pulled a face.
"Why not?" Remus asked softly, his curiosity getting the best of him.
Sirius cleared his throat, tucking his messy curls behind his ear, "Well, you've probably heard of my family, the Black family- an ancient and 'noble' pureblood family", Remus was surprised that Sirius did not seem to gloat about this at all, in fact, he looked as though he despised to discuss this. There was a hatred in his eyes. He thought about the encounter at the shop, where his mother had shoved him out the door. Remus did not say this, however, and let Sirius continue, "They've all been sorted into Slytherin. But, in my humble opinion", he paused, looking for the word, "They're tossers."
Remus found himself tilting his head, unsure of whether he was surprised by this point. He had never heard someone his own age swear like that- of course he had heard his father say the term 'tosser' on many occasions, such as when he was reading an article in the Prophet where they said something he didn't like, or when he bumped into something and hurt himself. One time, when a neighbour who Lyall disliked passed the house, Lyall made the point of shouting, "Stupid tosser", at the top of his lungs, a completely unprovoked action he took. It made Remus giggle, but Hope lightly smacked the back of her husbands head and scolded him.
"I hate them. They think that all wizards should be purebloods. They're wrong", he said confidently. Remus finally answered with a nod, he agreed. Remus was a half-blood and by law, a half-breed. He didn't think that this was fair to be called a half-breed, and to think that all wizards should be of a specific blood seemed wrong too. Sirius continued, "So, I want to be anything but Slytherin, just to piss 'em off."
James seemed to grin wider at Sirius' words, and Remus felt himself smile a little too. Remus thought about Sirius' mother once more, thinking about Sirius' harsh yet true words and his mothers harsh and unnecessary lifestyle. Sirius was right, they were tossers. Remus finally answered James' original question, "I was hoping for Ravenclaw", he said softly. In all honesty, Remus did not particularly like himself at all. He didn't think he fit into any House properly other than Ravenclaw, for it's characteristics of appreciating intelligence. He definitely did not think of himself as brave, so he would not be Gryffindor. As for Slytherin, he was not cunning nor a leader, and for Hufflepuff, he wasn't too fitting for that House either. The term 'justice' was ironic for a boy who was a werewolf, as there was so much injustice towards them. Of course, that's not what the House meant by valuing justice, but he couldn't help think of the irony. Ravenclaw was the only one which seemed like a considerable option for him as he had always valued learning and being bright above all.
"I reckon I'll be Gryffindor. I hope you are too", James said to Sirius, before turning to Remus, "This means that we will have friends outside our House! Because not being funny, there's no way I'll be put in Ravenclaw." he sighed, looking outside the window wistfully, causing Remus to snort a little in amusement.
The three spoke as though they had been friends for longer than they had, including Remus. The two boys were simply too easy to get along with despite all their differences to each other, and the fact that they had referred to Remus as a friend made him extremely happy, and the two boys could see that. There was not a point in their conversation where they left Remus out, and they seemed quite keen to hear Remus speak out too. Remus was taken back to find this, as he did not think that he was very funny or a great conversationalist in any way, unless he was speaking about his favourite book. In this case, he had not spoken about his favourite book, as James had clearly stated that he had never read a book properly before.
Remus was finding himself to become rather fond of the two boys, even if their personalities did scream troublesome. He knew that if he was with the boys, there would be trouble. But, Remus pointed out, trouble only arises if they are caught. The two boys seemed to like this, grinning widely at Remus. Remus couldn't help but grin too.
The Honeydukes Express passed soon enough, and James and Sirius happily purchased a few 'light' snacks- they definitely did not seem light. Remus was surprised, the two must have brilliant metabolisms because they were extremely healthy-looking. Remus had half expected the two to do sports every day and eat healthy, but evidently he was wrong.
Remus did not purchase anything, looking down into his money bag before finding that he did not have the money to be able to afford any sweets.
James and Sirius shot each other a look when they noticed that Remus did not get up to purchase anything, seeing the scarred boy peer into his bag before looking out the window instead. James furrowed his brows, "Not hungry?" he hummed, taking a bite out of a Cauldron Cake.
Remus shook his head slightly. He was peckish but that did not matter, "Not really", he hummed quietly.
James and Sirius seemed to catch on somehow, seemingly not as dense as Remus had thought they were. Sirius scooted to sit closer to Remus, picking up a Chocolate Frog box. "Have you ever tried one of these?"
Remus shook his head, no. Sirius hummed, setting the Chocolate Frog into Remus' hands, "Keep it, I'm not that hungry either. I won't be able to finish all this." this was a lie, too, but it was Remus who didn't catch on. Remus looked unsure for a moment, before he smiled at the look on Sirius' face that reassured him.
"Thank you."
James grinned as he set a Cauldron Cake and a Licorice Wand into Remus' hands too, using the fact that Remus had never tried them as an excuse to make sure that Remus was able to have some sweets, even if he couldn't afford them.
Secretly, James and Sirius silently swore to make sure that, no matter what, Remus wouldn't miss out on anything because of his money. It did not matter to them that Remus wasn't as wealthy as they were, because Remus was now their friend, and Remus deserved the best that they could give them.