Through the Eyes of a Wolf: The Marauders Tales

Through The Eyes of A Wolf: The Marauders Tales
Book One: Year One

Chapter 2: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
by jynx67

Platform Nine and Three Quarters was nothing like I had imagined. It was so much more! Mother was behind me as I pushed my cart towards the baggage compartment. Andra's cage was perched on top. I could tell she was looking about excitedly, almost mimicking me.

"Hey, Lils! Wait for me!" A young girl with long sandy blonde hair ran past me. Her robes looked different somehow. I couldn't tell from how fast she passed. I made a mental note to look later.

I stored my luggage and Andra then jumped back down on the platform beside Mother. "Well, I guess this is it."

She looked like she was about to cry. "Yes, I suppose it is."

I grabbed her in a hug. "Don't cry, Mum. I'll write every week."

"You'd better," she replied, choking back the tears. "I wish your father would have come. He can be so stubborn sometimes."

That was the one person I was trying NOT to think about. It was bad enough that I would only be there for five days and before had to go through the transformation. But bringing up my father, the one person who just could not accept me, hurt. "I've got to go Mum," I said shortly. It came out a bit too terse.

She held me at arm's length and looked me in the eyes. "No matter what he says or does, your father loves you, Remus. Always remember that. We both love you."

"I know you love me, Mother." I pulled her into a tight hug before she could even think about what I'd said. It wasn't like I hated him. I loved him too. It was just that he felt he couldn't love me after my accident. That's pretty painful for a young child. I finally pulled away and kissed her on the cheek. "Love you, Mum. I'll send Andra out tomorrow and let you know what house I'm in." I ran towards the train and turned back when I reached the door. I waved then disappeared inside.

Letting out a deep sigh, I began to look for a place to sit. I finally came across a compartment where a small, stocky boy with blonde hair sat by himself. "Excuse me," I said peeking into the compartment. "Mind if I sit with you?"

He looked up as though afraid then broke out into a huge smile. "Oh, please do!" he said enthusiastically. "Come in, come in." He waved to the bench seat across from him. "I'm Peter Pettigrew. I'm a first year." He held out his hand towards me.

I shook his hand firmly. "Remus Lupin. I'm a first year, too."

"Splendid! I've been so afraid another older student was going to come in and kick me out. They can be so cruel." He had something clutched tightly in his hands. I couldn't quite make it out.

"Well, they can't kick you out now. You aren't by yourself." I smiled warmly at him and sat down.

We both looked up as we heard a knock on the frame of the door. "'Scuse me, mind if I join you?" He saw me and smiled. "Ah, Remus, right?"

It was James; the boy I had met at Ollivander's in Diagon Alley a week earlier. "That's right," I replied. "Although, it's up to Peter here if you join us." I motioned to the boy across from me.

Peter looked between us. "Do you two know each other?"

"We just met last week," James replied. "So, may I join you two?"

"Absolutely!" Peter was quite excited. He'd been by himself and now suddenly he had two people in his compartment. "I'm Peter Pettigrew."

"I'm James Potter. Nice to meet you Peter." They shook hands and I smiled. James sat beside me. "I guess you're a first year too," he said to Peter.

The small boy nodded. "You'll excuse me if I seem a bit out of sorts. I've never been away from home by myself before."

James gave him one of his trademark smiles. "No problem. You'll do just fine. We'll help you out, won't we Remus?"

"Absolutely." We began talking, getting to know each other. Suddenly, a boy with shoulder length black hair opened our compartment door and closed it quickly, pulling down the privacy shade. He peeked out the side. We heard voices yelling down the corridor.

Soon, they faded. The boy sighed in relief. James cleared his throat loudly. The boy jumped and turned around. "Oh, sorry mates. Thanks for being quiet and not letting them know I was in here."

"Letting who know?" asked James.

"My cousins," he replied. "They're trying to get me with the typical first year pranks."

"P-pranks?" Peter questioned. He stuttered. I guessed he was nervous.

"Yeah. They tell first years that they are supposed to meet up in the front car. Thing is, that compartment is for prefects only and the head boy and girl." He ran a hand through his scraggly hair.

"Oh." Peter sat back, a bit relieved.

James finally asked the question that was on all our minds. "So, what's your name?"

He smacked his forehead. "Oops, forgot that part, didn't I? I'm Sirius. Sirius Black."

James narrowed his eyes and Peter looked absolutely petrified. I had no clue why such a name would cause that reaction. "B-Black?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry. I'm nothing like the rest of my family." He frowned as if he didn't approve of his relatives. "'Cept for my Uncle Alphad and my cousin Andromeda. They're cool."

The two other boys seemed to relax. "Well, I'm James Potter, this is Peter Pettigrew and that's Remus Lupin." I nodded to Sirius who smiled at each of us in turn.

Outside, we heard voices again, the same as before. "Bloody hell," Sirius cried. "They're searching the compartments for me!"

I picked up my cloak and stood. "Sit," I said pointing towards the seat beside the window. I threw the cloak over him and sat back down just in time before there was a knock on the door.

James opened the door. "Can we help you?"

Two girls, one with dark, scraggly hair much the same as Sirius and the other with long, silky blonde hair, peered into the compartment. "Have either of you seen a boy with long black hair come through here?" asked the one with the dark hair.

"N-no," Peter replied nervously. "James is the only boy with black hair I've seen."

The girls looked at each other and grinned. "Oh well, if we can't find him then perhaps you three don't know about the required meeting for first years in the front compartment."

"You mean the car meant only for prefects?" I looked up from the book I had hastily opened after sitting down.

They both frowned. "How did you..? Never mind that. Well, if you see him, let him know his dear cousins are looking for him." She grinned evilly.

I raised an eyebrow. "If he is anything like you two, I doubt we would even give him the time of day."

Sirius struggled under the cloak beside me. I elbowed him in the ribs to stop him. "Who's that?" asked the blonde girl.

"That's just Robert," James answered quickly. "He sleeps a lot and has nightmares. Poor guy."

Luckily Sirius stopped moving. The two girls turned their noses up and stormed down the corridor. James closed and locked the door. After a few moments, Sirius finally pulled my cloak off. "That was so uncalled for," he said with a deep frown. "You don't even know me!"

"We didn't give you away, now did we?" I asked.

"Well, no, but..."

Peter cut him off. "Yeah. We didn't tell them you were in here. We are giving you the benefit of the doubt that you are nothing like your cousins."

"Or the rest of your family," James added.

Sirius looked ashamed. "You're right. I jumped to conclusions. Sorry. So, do you mind if I just hang out here until we reach Hogwarts?"

James and I looked at Peter. After all, it was his compartment to start with. He blushed slightly and nodded. "Sure, Sirius."

He flashed one of his best smiles. "Thanks, so who's up for a game of Exploding Snap?"

We spent the rest of the trip playing games and getting to know each other. Amazingly, we're all pure-bloods, well, except for me, but they don't need to know that. But we are purebloods in the fact that all our parents are wizards and witches. James and Sirius love Quidditch. Peter loves to eat. And as for me, they learned just how quiet I can be. But, I did listen to everything they said. Having an eidetic memory makes it very necessary to listen.

We slipped into our robes as the train pulled into the station. I had to help Peter with his zipper. It had gotten caught in his shirt. We chatted as we walked out of the car and onto the platform.

Peter was in front. He came to a dead stop causing James to run into him. Like dominos, we all slammed into the person in front of us. A voice from behind me complained, "Excuse me, but would you please move so we all can get off the train?"

I looked back to see a redheaded girl. She had her hands on her hips and looked so cute. The girl with the long blonde hair was giggling behind her. I quickly turned back forward to hide the blush I knew had flushed my face.

Sirius recovered first. "Blimey," he said in awe. Everyone finally untangled and looked in the same direction. There was a collective gasp from the group of first years.

"Ah, firs' years o'er here," said a giant of a man. And I mean giant. We all had to look up and up and up at the rather scruffy man. He was very tall and had scraggly hair and a beard. He wore a long overcoat that looked like it had been patched many, many times. I could see a slight glint in his eye as he looked over us. "Ah, yes, tha's right. M'name's Hagrid. I'll be your escort to Hogwarts. If'n you'll follow me, we'll get started." He lumbered off and we scrambled to catch up.

I walked beside Sirius. "Andie told me he was tall, but I never expected this," he muttered.

"He can't be human," I replied, voicing my surmising. "At least, not fully human. But he seems very nice."

He nodded. "He is. Andie says he's about the nicest of all the staff. He's the groundskeeper."

"Explains the overcoat." I watched Hagrid as he led us to the lake. He was slightly animalistic in his manners. I wondered if he, too, was a werecreature.

We were led to several long boats. James, Sirius, Peter and I all climbed into one. Two other boys soon joined us. One said his name was Frank Longbottom and the other was Kingsley Shacklebolt. Frank was an average looking boy with dark brown hair. Kingsley, on the other hand, was completely the opposite. He had dark skin and wore his hair cut very close to his head. He was also very tall.

I noticed Peter staring at the large black boy and nudged him with my elbow. "Pete, he's just a boy," I whispered to him.

The smaller boy winced. "I know," he replied in kind. "I've just never... seen someone like him."

It struck me as odd that Peter had never seen a dark skinned person before. Then I realized that not everyone was as "worldly" as I had become. Most of my information had come from books, though.

"It's okay," Kingsley said in a deep, slow voice. "I am used to being gawked at like a sideshow attraction."

"I-I didn't mean to stare," Peter stumbled over his words apologetically.

"I think he knows that, Peter," I explained to him as I smiled at the tall boy.

Sirius leaned over the side of the boat and began to drag his hand in the water. "Here squidy, squidy, squidy," he chanted softly.

"What ARE you doing?" James questioned as he moved over to look down beside the other boy into the water.

"Trying to coax the squid to the surface. My cousins told me a giant squid lives in the lake."

"S-squid?" Peter paled.

I was already slightly pale since the full moon was but just days away, but that really unnerved me. I slid to a spot more in the center of the boat. Water and I did not get along.

"Yes, a giant squid," Sirius said with a sly grin. "He lives in the lake and preys on little blonde boys."

Peter began to shake. Frank frowned, "Now why'd you go and get him all scared? We're probably going to capsize now."

"I can't swim," the small boy said in an equally tiny voice.

Sirius sat up with a deep sigh. "Oh, alright. I'll stop. It really does live in there, though."

"Thank you," Peter said sincerely. "And besides, we're about to land."

We all scrambled out onto the shore. We had our first view of Hogwarts. The massive castle was quite a sight. All of the first years seemed a bit intimidated by it. Hagrid had started up the front steps when he realized he'd lost his charges. "'ey now, come on. Ev'rybody's waitin' on ye."

As if on cue, we all began to run and catch up with him. Soon, we all were entering the foyer. I saw Professor McGonagall standing at the top of another set of stairs. We climbed them and collected in front of her. She smiled, "Good evening. We are about to enter the Great Hall so you can be sorted into one of the four houses. Please keep up."

I looked around as she spoke and saw the two girls from before. I was not the only one looking at them. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied James staring intently at the redhead. Beside him stood Sirius. His mood had quickly soured. He was glaring at another boy who was about his height and had long, greasy looking hair. I could see the other boy cut his eyes at Sirius, but not look directly at him. What could possibly be between those two that would cause such a reaction? Peter was standing between Frank and Kingsley. It seemed those three had quickly become friends. I smiled, glad someone was having a good time.

The huge doors behind the professor opened. Everyone gasped at the grandness of the hall. The ceiling looked like the night sky. Candles floated in midair to light the room. We shuffled along behind Professor McGonagall up to the front of the room.

Upon a slight rise was a stool. An old, battered brown hat sat upon it. I wondered what it was doing there. That is until it told me. The hat began to speak in a singsong voice.

Welcome back again students old and new.
I'm the Sorting Hat. Here's what I do
You try me on, slip me on your head,
Try to listen close to what I've said

Here is another year to start my annual chore,
Of sorting first years into houses; it never is a bore.
This year is important for pupils, one and all,
A shadow steals upon us, and many may fall.

But fear not, for I am sorting a truly unique year,
In which the very foundations of our future will appear.
Friendships will be vital; from all sources they can be found,
And four such rare and talented friends will find a common ground.

They will mirror the bonds of our founders; as one they will be strong,
But who, when, where, or why; to tell it would be wrong.
We will plant the seeds of something, of what we can't be sure,
And the beasts that roam among us may cause chaos and uproar.

Now onto the sorting, without haste.
To tally any longer would be a waste.
One house in four I'll put you in.
Your family it will be, close as kin.

One is Ravenclaw if you've got the brains.
Eagles of the sky that produce high names.

Or perhaps to Hufflepuff you will belong.
You won't be lacking friends for very long.

Or what about Gryffindor, the brave and the true.
Courageous to the end, they'll be there for you.

Finally we have shrewd Slytherin, if you have the cunning.
They protect their own but often go running.

Which of the four will you be?
Don't be afraid, within you is the key.

I looked around at the different reactions of my peers. We all seemed caught off guard. Some seemed to take heed in the words of the hat. I looked down and saw Peter beside me looking thoughtful. "Which house do you think I'll be in?" he asked. "I think I'd like to be in Hufflepuff. It sounds rather pleasant."

I smiled down at him. Yes, Hufflepuff did sound pleasant. But I thought of myself. Where would I be? Ravenclaw was a possibility. After all, I loved to study. Though with my background, Slytherin might be where I ended up. Then there was Gryffindor. There was no way I'd end up there.

Professor McGonagall pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. Starting from the top, she began to call each of our names. "Aberforth, Kaitlin."

A small girl with frizzy brown hair stepped forward and climbed onto the stool. She placed the hat upon her head and within moments, it spoke. "Hufflepuff!"

Kaitlin jumped down, replacing the hat on the stool and ran excitedly to the Hufflepuff table.

I was standing towards the back of the group so I could see everything. My eyes landed on the blonde girl I'd seen earlier. She was talking excitedly with the redhead and several other girls. I looked at her robe, trying to find the patch I'd seen earlier. There it is, I smiled to myself. With my enhanced eyesight, I was able to make it out clearly. It was an American flag. So, Americans study here as well. That's interesting.

My attention was snapped back towards the stool when I heard "Black, Sirius." He strode up and sat down. The hat sat on his head for a few moments. The grin on Sirius face grew wider and wider. Finally, it spoke. "Gryffindor!"

There was a moment of silence. A sharp laugh from the Slytherin table drew everyone's attention. "Nice going, Siri," his dark haired cousin said. "Once again you've sullied the family name. Your mother is going to be so upset!"

He rolled his eyes as he hopped down from the stool. "Like I care," he muttered as he made his way to the Gryffindor table. It erupted into spontaneous applause.

A few students later, I heard the name "Evans, Lily" and saw the redhead approach the hat. She was sorted into Gryffindor as well. I vaguely heard Frank be sorted into Gryffindor, too.

"Lupin, Remus."

James bumped me and I looked up. "Your turn," he said softly.

I walked towards the stool slowly. I could feel everyone's eyes upon me. Sitting on the stool, I gently laid the hat upon my head.

"Hmmm," I heard inside my head. "So you're the one Dumbledore told me about."

I blinked, confused. The hat was speaking to me telepathically. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed still.

"Let's see," it said again. "You have quite a mind, perhaps I should put you in Ravenclaw. Yet, there is a shrewdness there. You'd fit well in Slytherin. Or perhaps Hufflepuff. I see your desire for friends."

My eyes widened. How could this hat know such things? Was it reading the deepest recesses of my mind?

"Of course I am. How do you think I know where to put you? I have to see exactly who you are. And now I know where you will fit in perfectly." The brim of the hat opened and it spoke aloud. "Gryffindor!"

The house I least expected. I stood, dumbfounded, and strode towards the table. Sirius slapped me on the back. "Welcome to Gryffindor," he said with a huge grin.

Professor McGonagall continued calling names. I leaned close to Sirius and spoke softly. "What was all that with your cousins?"

He was intently watching the rest of the first years get sorted. "I'm not a Slytherin," he replied without looking at me.

"And I take it that's a bad thing?"

He grinned broadly. "To my parents, yes, it's a horrendous thing. To me, it's the best thing that could ever happen. Hey, here goes Peter."

Peter was quickly put into Gryffindor followed quickly by James. Kingsley was sorted into Ravenclaw. He smiled and nodded to us as he walked towards their table.

"Snape, Severus." The greasy haired boy strode up and lowered the hat. Before it ever touched his head, it declared "Slytherin!" He and Sirius locked eyes. Severus smiled smugly and went over to the Slytherin table to sit with the other boy's cousins.

"Stonewall, Katherine." It was the blonde girl. She was chewing on her lip as she sat down. It wasn't long before she giggled and smiled. The hat proclaimed her a Ravenclaw and she jumped down, waving at Lily as she passed our table.

Finally, all the first years were sorted and Professor Dumbledore stood. He welcomed us and told us of the places that were off limits. He mentioned a Whomping Willow had been planted this year. I wondered if that had anything to do with me. In his next breath, he proclaimed the feast to begin. The tables were suddenly laden with food.

Peter and Sirius were the first to dive in. They began filling their plates with all sorts of delicious breads and meats. Poor Frank was sitting between them and getting squished as they each tried to reach over him. James sat beside me staring at Lily. "Pretty, isn't she?" I said as I picked up a roll.

"Mmm-hmm," he replied. "She looks like a goddess."

I chuckled. "Earth to James. You may want to eat something before the wonder twins over there finish the whole table."

His attention snapped back to the immediate area. A broad smile covered his face as he saw Peter and Sirius fighting over a piece of bread. Frank was sinking slowly under the table to let them go at it.

I sat back and took in everything. At the front of the room was a long table where all the professors were sitting. Professor McGonnagal was sitting just to Dumbledore's right. They were chatting away.

The four long house tables were aligned perpendicular to the head table. The Hufflepuffs were all talking to each other animatedly. They seemed to be getting along great. At the Slytherin table, Sirius' two cousins sat beside each other. The blonde one had a boy with hair so blonde it was almost white leaning on her with his arm around her shoulders. He wore a prefect's badge and looked very smug. That was until he noticed Professor McGonagall frowning deeply. He slid his arm down to his side.

Kingsley was sitting with Katherine at the Ravenclaw table. She was talking excitedly with him. Her arms moved about as she described something. Close by, I heard Lily speaking with several of the older Gryffindor girls. "Oh, so I guess that makes me Muggle-born," she said slightly miffed.

"But that doesn't mean you won't be a great witch," one of the other girls replied.

The poor redhead looked depressed. "Thanks." I didn't want her to be upset, but I couldn't very well just walk up to her.

Finally, the prefects for Gryffindor stood and called all the first years to follow them. We strolled along, James and I towards the back. We were both watching Lily. "She seems really distracted now," James said. "I wonder what happened."

I shrugged. I couldn't very well tell James I heard what was said when she had been at the end of the table a good distance from us. We were led up the changing staircases to stop in front of a portrait. "This is the entrance to the Gryffindor dorm," stated Hannah, the prefect. "In order to enter, you must give the password to the Fat Lady." She turned to face the portrait. "Chocolate Frogs."

The large lady within the portrait smiled. "Enter," she said as her frame came away from the wall like a door. We stepped into a large common room with tables and chairs and couches. It felt very "lived in."

Hannah stood with us gathered around her. "The boys rooms are at the top of the stairs to the left. Girls, follow me. Breakfast begins at seven in the morning and you will receive your class schedules then. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

So, with Sirius in the lead, we climbed the stairs to find our room. It was a round room with five canopied beds. Our trunks had been placed at the foot of each bed. Peter immediately jumped on his bed and began bouncing up and down. "Sturdy and springy. Just like I like it."

I chuckled and began unpacking a few personal belongings. I placed a photo of my mother on the bedside and then pulled out my books. A shadow fell over me and I looked up into James' and Sirius' eyes.

"Books?" Sirius questioned. "You brought more books?"

I nodded. "Of course. I love to read."

James looked over the titles. "A little light reading, eh?" He picked up one in particular and read the title. "Defensive Magical Theory. Right, that's light."

Sirius snatched it from James' hands. "Got high hopes, hmm?"

I reached for the book. "Be careful with that. My mum gave it to me."

"Whyever for?" Sirius queried. He held it above his head and away from my grasp.

"Just 'cause." I was starting to get very upset. I don't like it when I get upset.

"Hey, did you hear that?" Peter was looking around the room.

"Hear what?" Sirius lowered the book just enough for me to grab it back.

"It's gone now. I thought I heard like a dog growl or something."

I paled and busied myself with taking out several more books, burying my head in my chest. The other three boys passed it off as Peter's imagination. I sighed in relief.

James flopped down on his bed. "You know. I think this is going to be a great year. We've already become friends and are all in the same house. It's like... destiny."

Peter looked up from where he was munching on some biscuits his mother had packed for him. "Yes, I think so too."

"I don't know about you," Frank said, "but today was a long day and tomorrow is going to be longer. I think I'm going to get some sleep."

"Good idea, Frank," I agreed. We all dressed for bed and despite being so excited, everyone fell asleep rather quickly. I could hear their steady breathing. Looking over at the photograph of my mother, I whispered, "Goodnight Mum. So far, so good." I closed my eyes and slumber soon overtook me.