Disclaimer: This is JKR's garden. I am just playing in it. I own nothing, please don't sue.
A/N:All comments contructive or otherwise are appreciated greatly.
“I promise.” His mother said as she left to go to the shop. “I promise.” His father said as he left to go to work. Those two little words meant nothing to Remus now; he had heard them said so much as he grew up they sounded hollow to him. The worst I promise came on the night of his first transformation “I promise I won’t leave you alone” said his mother. He heard the key rattle in the door of his room…his cell as it came to be. Remus lay on the mattress that his mother and father gave him to sleep on, hoping maybe that it wouldn’t be that bad, hoping that he wouldn’t be in much pain, hoping that maybe just maybe he would just sleep through it. Remus sat and waited, a young boy sat crying waiting for the pain to start, waiting for the moon to rise. Totally and utterly alone, all he wanted was for his mum to say it will be alright for his dad to give him a hug and for his mum to hold his hand until the very last moment.
**
Remus woke with a start he didn’t know where he was. He hated it when he woke up and didn’t remember where he was and why he was there. He looked around his cell a dingy little white washed room with little rust coloured blood splatters on the walls. Bars on the windows and plaster crumbling from the frame where the wolf had tried ripping the bars off the windows to get out. The walls had been clawed and the mattress was in bits, the pointless curtains that his mum put up were in tatters…again “Mum must be sick of buying mattresses and curtains you would have thought that she had taken the hint by now” he muttered to himself . He stood up and stumbled to the door and hit the wall with an already aching shoulder and continued gingerly on his way to the solid oak door. “Mum!” he yelled through the door.
“Hang on dear I’ll be up in a minute I am just getting the post”. Anna Lupin shouted back “Goodness me Ray come and see this!” Remus heard his mother exclaim, she never swore he thought with a small smile.
“What on earth…”Remus heard his father say.
“What!” Remus shouted in frustration.
“Son you got in to Hogwarts!” shouted Remus’ father thundering up the stairs.
The sheer joy that over came Remus at that moment was unlike anything he had ever felt before; he could have jumped for joy. “Let me out for god sake I want to read my letter”.
Ray and Anna Lupin raced to let their only son out of his room. Anna hated putting him in there and Ray was as equally loathed to do it but the Ravenclaw in him took over when times of his wife’s Hufflepuff “softness” shone through. They had tried so hard for a child in the early years of their marriage with many an unsuccessful attempt they had all but given up when Little Remus had come along. And at only four years old he was nearly taken from them when he had suffered his bite. They had rushed him to St Sebastian’s hospital when their little holiday to the Isle of Wight had gone completely wrong. The Medi-witches at St Sebastians hadn’t been prepared for something like this but they healed him as best as they could have and transferred Remus to St Mungo’s. Anna still remembered how brave Remus had been. He barely cried and for a child of four to suffer something as horrific as that and not even shed a tear that was no mean feat. Ray and Anna had told Remus that when he grew up and got in to Hogwarts that there would be a place in Gryffindor for him because he was so brave. At the time neither had even dreamed that he would live through the night and here he was eleven years old and shouting at the top of his lungs for his Hogwarts letter. Ray was still grinning when he yanked open the door.
The barrage of comments that hit Remus were, at first unintelligible gibberish as they walked down stairs and into the yellow and white kitchen. Until one comment by his mother cut through the din. “Remus the headmaster has written saying that they have taken the proper precautions and you can attend Hogwarts. Isn’t that wonderful?” said his mother.
Remus felt like someone had dumped ice water over his head. “Yeah great” said Remus rather unenthusiastically. “Just another way they can make me feel like a freak, like I don’t feel like one already.” He sat and sulked glaring at the chequered yellow table clothe his mother had put on the kitchen table. At this Remus’ mother said “oh darling I am sure that you won’t feel like a freak they will make it as normal as possible. I promise.”
***
Remus was put on to the Hogwarts express and it was on this journey he met three life changing people.
Aime Hunter sat on the train hoping just to get to Hogwarts in one piece. She was so worried that she would not fit in, that she would not get along with anyone. She sat alone in her train compartment her head leaning against the cool glass of the window. Aime felt nauseous. If the nerves didn’t get her the motion sickness would, she hated travelling. Aime looked out of the window at the scenery whizzing past her window “Oh bad idea.” She thought to herself. Aime looked around at the train compartment. The little table next to the window was about 2” by 2” and on it currently resided her little white cat Gitte. The little cat looked up at her owner and meowed forlornly. “I know it boring Gitte. But it could be worse; there could be dog in here.” Aime looked around for something to do; she caught sight of her book bag under the table. Aime disappeared under the table and rummaged in her bag look for a copy of which broomstick or the quibbler but nothing. “ I’d settle for Play-witch weekly if I thought the pictures would be any good.” She mumbled to an bemused looking cat. The door of the train compartment clicked. Aime looked up to see who was invading her little sanctuary. In walked a boy. A tall skinny boy with black mussed up hair and glasses, closely followed by a chubby boy with pale watery eyes and blonde hair.
“Do you mind if we sit here every where else is full.” The boy with the untidy hair asked.
“Not at all” she said.
The two boys put their belongings on the luggage racks.“I’m James by the way. James Potter. And this is my friend Peter Pettigrew.” The boy now identified as James said.
“Hi my name is Aime, nice to meet you. Nice broomstick by the way. I didn’t know first years were allowed to bring brooms.”
“Well technically we aren’t but I’m sure that they could bend the rules just a little bit.” James replied, full of confidence.
“Which House do you want to be sorted into Aime? I want to go in Gryffindor. Mummy says that red is my colour. She always puts me in red when she dresses me up” Said Peter sitting up and pushing out his chest as though this was the best thing in the world.
“Mummy? Peter. How old are you exactly? And your Mum still dresses you?” James said.
“Well which house do you want to be sorted into James?” asked Aime trying to turn the scornful glare away from Peter, at least for a while.
“ Well I wouldn’t mind Ravenclaw. But I think it has to be Gryffindor like my Dad. What about you Aime?”
“Erm I’m not sure. Maybe Hufflepuff. But I really don’t know to be quite honest with you I’m Muggleborn so I’m not sure which house I would fit in.”
Much discussion about which house they all wanted to be in. Aime decided that she didn’t much like the sounds of Slytherin. She was terrified of snakes. When the conversation turned to what they had to do to get into the houses. James had said that his cousin had told him that he had to fight a fully grown mountain troll Aime went a different shade of pale. Peter said that his aunt’s best friends cousin had to wrestle a centaur. “Surely they wouldn’t try to kill us on our first day?” Said Aime looking even sicker than she had when James and Peter had first walked in.
“I don’t know I think I would enjoy fighting a fully grown mountain troll.” said James.
“You might not be saying that when you see the size of them” said a very good looking boy who was stood in the doorway of the compartment. At the noise a sleeping Gitte had been startled and had launched herself hissing and spitting at the intruder on to poor James’ knee.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” Said the good looking boy as he observed the commotion.
“No problem” said Aime through gritted teeth as she tried to pry Gitte off James lap.
“Of course you can” Answered James
Peter just sat and grinned at the newcomer.
“How rude of me” said the boy catching Aime’s eye “I’m Sirius Black” he said extending Aime his hand.
“Aime Hunter.” She replied shaking it.
Remus had gotten to the train later than he would have liked. Now there were no seats left ‘fantastic’ he thought to himself as he dragged his trunk and belongings down the train. He got to the last compartment of the train, he looked in the window he saw three boys and a girl sat in there.
A skinny boy with black hair and glasses, a chubby boy with ratty features, a tall dark haired boy who was quite good looking and finally Remus looked at the girl. She had dark brown hair, she was quite pale but not ill looking although she did look as though she was going to throw up all over the good looking boy’s shoes. She’s quite pretty actually she’s probably going out with the boy with the glasses. All of them were talking and laughing at the good-looking boy who was gesturing wildly. I can’t go in there. I can’t go in there. They look the best of friends how well is that going to go down if I just walk in totally uninvited. I could get my arse kicked. Remus stood and looked through the glass at the laughing friends and went to move on.
Unfortunately his battered old trunk had other ideas and as he pulled, it stayed firmly put. He tugged and tugged with all his might but just as the door behind him opened the trunks saw fit to release its hold on the carpet. It sent poor Remus flying backwards into the compartment and he landed in a crumpled heap on top of one of the occupants. “Oh I’m sorry I didn’t realise the door was open” said Remus instantly
“Ow” said the girl. “It’s ok really. It could have been worse.”
The good looking boy helped her up as the boy with glasses hauled him off the floor. “I’m really really sorry. I’ll just grab my stuff and go.” Mumbled Remus gathering his scattered belongings from the floor.
“No really it’s ok you can share this compartment with us.” The girl said. Crouching down to pick up his copy of Hogwarts: A History.
“Yeah. I don’t think that there are any free seats anyway. That’s why I got stuck in here” Said the good looking boy dusting him off.
“What’s your name?” The boy with the glasses asked. Handing Remus his chocolate frog.
“Remus Lupin.” Replied Remus.
“I’m Peter.” Said the chubby blonde boy pocketing a few of Remus’ every flavour beans.
“Let the man sit down.” Said the good looking boy.
Remus deposited his trunk and book bag on the luggage rack and sat down next to Peter.
“I am Aime. This is Sirius” she said indicating the boy with the jet black hair. “That is James” she said pointing to the boy with glasses. “They were just arguing the finer points of Quidditch with me. James was trying to explain the Wronski feint. Any ideas”
“Well. I’m not sure of quite how it looks but the basic idea is that you sort of tilt the broom into a dive and hope that the other seeker sort of copies you. Thinking that you have seen the snitch. You pull out of the dive at the last second and they go into the grounding like a fucking dart.”
Aime laughed and Remus’ jaw dropped she had the most beautiful smile, she finished laughing and looked straight at him he knew he had been staring and he felt the blush creep up his neck and into he cheeks. “look away…quick” thought Remus.
“Well Remus. I think that is the most accurate description of the Wronski Feint that I have ever heard.” Said James
As the journey proceeded Remus felt like he could really talk to all of the people he was sharing the compartment with, Sirius was a joker and James and he seemed to just click together Aime was smart and funny and Peter well Remus wasn’t sure of him but he was sure he was nice enough once you got to know him. The five of them just got on like a house on fire.
On arrival at Hogwarts. They all got of the train and went to the boats.
“Boats!” Exclaimed Aime “ We’re going on boats, I hate water I hate boats I hate boats in water. I think I will walk”