Through the Eyes of a Wolf: The Marauders Tales

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

Chapter 3: First Day

Sirius and Peter sat at the Gryffindor table with a plate of eggs and bacon between them. They were looking over the class schedule as they stuffed their mouths. "We'e go' Trans'igura'ion firs' wi' Huf'epu'," Sirius said through a mouthful of eggs before stuffing in yet another piece of bacon.

"What was that?" I asked with a grin. "Couldn't understand you with your mouth full."

"Smooth, Black. Very smooth." James rolled his eyes as he looked over his own schedule. "Next time, say it and don't spray it I think he said we have Transfiguration with Hufflepuff."

Sirius bobbed his head up and down as he continued to eat.

"I can read, you know. After that is Charms with Ravenclaw then Potions with Slytherin." I scanned down the list. "History of Magic, Herbology and finish the day with Astronomy."

James groaned. "What a way to start a Friday, though. Double Potions followed by Defence."

"It might not be all that bad. Professor Belus looks nice enough." I gazed up at the table at the head of the room. Belus was to be our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She looked quite intelligent, at least to me.

"But what about Ignatium? He's head of Slytherin and we have that class WITH his house." He moaned and put his head down on the table.

I patted his shoulder sympathetically. "It's okay. We'll all fail together."

Sirius and Peter both lifted their heads and nodded. "He's got a point, mate," Sirius said. "If we fail, it will be together. Right?"

"All for one," Peter said sticking his hand out into the middle of the table.

Sirius was first to add his hand. I was next. James was being reluctant, so I picked up his arm and put his hand on top. "And one for all," I finished the line.

Looking at my watch, I noticed it was near time for our first class. "C'mon. We'll be late if we don't hurry." I grabbed my books and dragged James from the table. Sirius and Peter followed close behind, both stuffing bacon in their mouths as they went.

I turned a corner towards Professor McGonagall's room, still with James in tow, and suddenly found myself stumbling backwards, tripping over the aforementioned boy and scattering my books everywhere. Sirius and Peter came to a dead stop behind me. I looked up to see three rather ugly mugs. Two were very gorilla like, especially in their movements and in the fact that they only seemed to grunt. This was my first introduction to Crabbe and Goyle. The third person had long, white blonde hair and unfortunately wore a prefect badge, henceforth to be known as archnemisis number one, Lucius Malfoy.

Malfoy glared down at the jumble that was James and myself. "Watch where you're going," he growled as he looked at our robes. "Twenty points from Gryffindor."

Sirius glared at him. "B-but, it was an accident," Peter complained as he hid behind the taller boy.

"Accident or no, it's still twenty points. Come along Crabbe, Goyle. I must rid my sight of these children." Lucius and the others wandered, or waddled in Goyle's case, down the hall.

Peter held down a hand to help me up. "Thanks for trying, Pete," I said as I got to my feet. We picked up my books and I noticed the scowl still on Sirius' face. "So, who were they?" I tried to ask the question nonchalantly.

"The prefect dates my cousin Narcissa," the dark haired boy growled. "His parents are really influential in Wizarding society."

"Who's that?" James queried while running his hand through his unruly mop.

"The Malfoys." A snarl crossed his face and both Peter and James gasped. I wasn't unfamiliar with the name either. Mother worked for the Northern Scotland Museum of Magic and father worked in the local branch of the Ministry. The Malfoys had several times donated works to the museum. While I'd never met them, my father had. I remember many a time him coming home and complaining about the Malfoys.

"We better get to class." I began leading the way again. The others followed behind me, a bit more subdued than before.

We entered and slipped into several seats near the back. I didn't see Professor McGonagall anywhere, but there was a tabby cat sitting on her desk. As we were getting settled, the cat leapt from the desk and disappeared. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall was walking towards us. Peter sat with his mouth wide open. I consciously closed mine and noticed James and Sirius were still fussing over their books. I cleared my throat to no avail.

"Is there a problem Mr. Potter? Mr. Black?" McGonagall had her hands on her hips and I thought I heard the faint tap of a foot.

They both looked up quickly and bonked their heads together. "Ouch, careful there, Potter," Sirius said rubbing his sore noggin.

"Well, if you hadn't mixed our books together, Black, we wouldn't have had this problem." James lifted his books onto the desk. It was then that he finally saw the now irate professor. "Oh, Professor McGonagall. We didn't see you come in."

The class burst into laughter. Even I had to chuckle. That was the beginning of James' perfectly timed innocence. He had that look down by our seventh year. I could see the corners of Sirius' mouth beginning to turn up as well.

McGonagall's lips were pursed tightly together. "See that you get here earlier next time." She spun on her heel and walked back to her desk where she proceeded to begin class.

Our first project was to turn a toothpick into a needle. James did it on the first try. Sirius was a close second. Peter and I, however, had a much harder time. By the end of class, Peter at least had gotten his toothpick to look like a needle, though it was still wooden. As for me, I had no luck at all. It stayed a toothpick the entire time.

I was really frustrated by the end of class. As I gathered my books and prepared to leave, Professor McGonagall approached me. "I need to speak with you before you leave, Mr. Lupin." I nodded and continued getting my things together.

"I guess she's going to give you homework," Peter whispered, "since you didn't change your toothpick."

I shrugged. "I guess so. You three go on and I'll catch up with you. Charms isn't that far."

The small blonde boy smiled. "Okay!" He ran to catch up with James and Sirius who were already outside waiting.

I walked up to the professor's desk. She was busy making notes, so I waited patiently for her to finish. Finally, she looked up, her eyes softening from their usual hardness. "Remus, I know my class is going to be very hard for you. While your body does transform, it is not at will. Despite the difficulties, I expect you to try your best."

"Yes ma'am," I replied. Being a werewolf has its disadvantages in the Wizarding world. The fact that I'm a magical creature means that some subjects will be difficult, like transfiguration. My body changes, but not by my hand. That means it will be hard for me to excel in Professor McGonagall's class.

"Your grades will reflect that. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Now, you need to go see Madame Pomfrey in the hospital at some point today. She will be expecting you."

I remembered she was the one who would be helping me through those times of the month. "Yes ma'am. I will do that on my way to lunch."

"Good. Now, move along to your next class. You don't want to be late." She smiled and shooed me out of her room.

I caught up with Kingsley on my way and we walked into Professor Flitwick's class together. He had just gotten out of Herbology. We discussed what each of us did in our previous classes. I immediately saw Peter waving us over as we entered. He was sitting with James, Sirius and Frank. Kingsley and I moved over to join them.

The room was set up very differently. The desks ran along the walls leaving a long path in the center of the room for the diminutive professor to walk up and down. At the moment, he stood at his desk, which was in front of a huge window at the head of the room.

I let my gaze travel the length of the room from the professor back to the door. Directly across from us sat Lily and Katherine. They were chatting with a few of their friends. For some reason, I couldn't tear my eyes off them. It was as if they had cast a spell on me. From the corner of my eye, I noticed James was looking as well.

For some reason, I felt a pang of jealousy. It really shocked me, as I'd never been around many girls before. Why would I be jealous of a boy looking at a girl I happened to be looking at myself? I mean, really? Girls are supposed to be disgusting at this age, right? But, for some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off them.

Luckily, Professor Flitwick stepped between us and broke my concentration. He chuckled, as only he could, and began class. Charms was a bit easier than Transfiguration, much to my relief. This time, however, James was the one having troubles. Peter seemed to be having an easy time of it. He was quite thrilled when the feather in front of him floated gently into the air.

I glanced across the room to see all the girls giggling as their feathers performed a dance together. The white plumes entwined and swept together in complex patterns. Professor Flitwick was ecstatic. He gave both houses twenty points.

James had gotten extremely frustrated. He saw the girls and suddenly slammed his wand on the desk. He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest glaring.

"Problem, Potter?" Sirius questioned.

"Oh, no problem," the dark haired boy growled. "No problem at all. Bloody girls can do it, but I'm a stupid git who can't get it right."

I leaned towards him, hoping to help. "You just need to loosen your grip a little. See?" I held up my wand to show him. "Swish and flick. Wingardium Leviosa." My feather, with a slight hesitation, lifted from the desk.

It didn't work. The sullen boy picked up his feather and chucked it across the room. It just so happened to land right in front of the cute little redhead, Lily. I turned and looked to see his face go from red with anger to red with embarrassment. He slid out of his chair and under the desk. Lily looked over in confusion. Our eyes met and I just shrugged. She smiled, a beautiful sight, and waved her wand to make the feather join the others.

Peter leaned over and looked under the desk. "Er, James? You can come out now. She's not looking."

"No," he muttered. "I'm staying right here until class is over."

As if on cue, the bell rang. "Class is over." Peter grinned broadly.

The grumpy boy crawled out from his hiding place, staying low and scooping his books from the top of the desk. He began making his way to the end of the row, still on the floor. Peter and I got out of his way. As he was about to exit, he looked up into the eyes of Professor Flitwick. "Is there a problem with your legs, Mr. Potter?" His eyes glimmered with mischief.

James blushed, embarrassed to be caught. "No, sir. I dropped my quill and was trying to find it. Ah, here it is." He pulled the feathery writing utensil from his books. "Guess it was there all along." He climbed to his feet and quickly headed for the door.

Peter and I shrugged at each other and moved to catch up with him. The entire time, Sirius had been sitting on the edge of his desk watching. A slow grin crossed his features and he soon followed us.

As much as we all wanted to tease James as we walked towards Potions, we kept quiet. I glanced over at him several times. He was very stoic. I guessed that he'd never had problems with anything before. This was a new and frustrating experience for him.

Sirius on the other hand was silent, but grinning. That unnerved me for some reason. It wasn't the fact he was grinning. It was just HOW he was grinning. It was very mischievous. While I admit I didn't know Sirius that well, I could just tell he was up to something.

Professor Ignatium's class was dank and dark, the perfect room in which to brew potions. We sat at two adjoining desks and waited patiently for the Potions professor to begin class. The look of playfulness on Sirius' face had turned to one of disdain. I followed his line of sight to see Severus Snape sitting near the front of the room. I nudged him with my elbow and asked, "What's up?"

He tore his eyes away from the boy with the greasy hair and looked at me with a smile plastered on his face. "The ceiling. Good thing, too. Without it, we'd have an entire castle on our heads."

I rolled my eyes at his jest. Granted, it was funny, but I knew he was pulling the wool over my eyes to cover something. "Who's the oily bloke with the hooked nose?"

"Nobody," he muttered as Professor Ignatium began prowling through the room. I let him get away with it this time. Next time, however, I was going to find out what was going on between Sirius and Severus.

Class really wasn't that bad, except when Peter spilled an entire canister of chameleon tails. It took the four of us until the end of class to find them all. Funny how the silly things still blend in when they aren't even attached any longer.

The bell rang and I stood up. "I've got to go. I need to get to the infirmary."

"Are you sick?" Peter queried with curiosity.

"N-no, not yet at least." I knew exactly what to tell them. I've been doing it for so long. "I get sick a lot and Professor McGonagall wanted me to go check in with the nurse so she knows me."

"Give us a minute and we'll walk with you," James' voice floated out from under a desk.

"No, it's okay, really." I hadn't expected this. "I'll meet you in the Hall for lunch."

"You're sure?" It was Sirius' turn to question me.

"Positive. Now, get those tails picked up or we'll be doing detention for a month." I ran out the door to avoid any more inquiries.

The hospital was fairly quiet when I entered. Madame Pomfrey was fussing over a girl who looked quite pale. She looked up when the door closed behind me. "Ah, you must be Mr. Lupin. Have a seat and I'll be with you shortly." She turned back to fuss over the girl again.

I took a seat in the sparsely appointed lobby area. Examining the room, I noted eight beds lined along the walls. Near the back were several doors, which I assumed led to private rooms. I wondered exactly what was going to happen each month. Was I going to be sedated? Would I be put in a safe room? The answers were as endless as the questions.

She smiled as she approached me. I returned the smile a bit nervously. "Why don't we go talk in my office?" She turned and I stood to follow.

Her office was simple. There was a desk and a few chairs, plus a filing cabinet and a bookcase. I waited for her to sit before taking the chair before her desk. She smirked slightly before speaking. "Well, Mr. Lupin, it looks like you and I are going to get to know each other quite well over the next nine months."

"Yes ma'am," I replied reflexively.

"Your father is John Lupin. I remember him well. Tall, handsome Gryffindor. You have followed in his footsteps, I see."

I frowned and said nothing. Following in my father's footsteps was not my intention at all. He hated what I am. He hated me.

She raised an eyebrow and made a note on the parchment in front of her. "Well then, perhaps we should move on. You are to come here no later than two hours before sunset. At that point, I will escort you through a secret passageway to an old house that will serve as your home for the night. It is rather spacious, so you will have room to wander. There is no need to worry about the interior. The Headmaster has assured me it is safe."

I nodded as I listened to her. Their plan certainly had merit. Hopefully I'd never be able to get out of the house. That would be a bad thing.

She must have read my mind. "There is no way for to get out of the house. There are many wards and all the windows and doors are securely locked. From everything I have read, you revert back to yourself at dawn." I nodded. "I will come to retrieve you then. Is that satisfactory?"

"Yes ma'am." What else could I say? These people had taken a lot of time out of their lives to see that I could get an education and not cause harm to anyone. I would be forever grateful.

She smiled warmly. "Do you have any questions?"

I shook my head. "No ma'am, at least not yet."

"I am sure you will have plenty after Sunday." She stood and I took that to mean I could leave. I followed her back out into the main room. There was already a boy waiting for her. I thanked her and headed for the Great Hall.

I knew something was up the moment I entered. Sirius still had that "look" on his face and now Peter was grinning from ear to ear. James sat picking at his food, still looking downtrodden. I made my way over and sat across from them. "How's lunch?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Not bad," Peter replied. "How's the hospital?"

"Pretty nice," I answered as I began filling my plate. We ate in silence, yet Sirius and Peter still grinned. I wanted to ask what was going on, but I was soon going to find out.

"Here she comes," Sirius whispered.

Peter leaned behind James. The next thing I saw was a feather rising up above the bespeckled boy's head. Looking down the isle, I saw Lily walking towards us with several of the other girls. Just before she got there, Peter removed the charm and allowed the feather to float down before James.

"Ah!" The dark haired boy flailed his arms and fell backwards off the bench. He looked up to see beautiful red hair hanging down towards him.

Lily stopped short when James fell. She looked down at him curiously. "Problem there, Potter? Can't stay in your seat?"

The feather had fluttered off the table and landed on his chest. He looked at the offending plume then up to his friends who were laughing. Grasping it in his hand tightly, he stood and dusted himself off. "No problem, Evans. I believe the boys were just playing a prank on me." He glared at Sirius and Peter who quickly busied themselves by digging into their food.

She cut her eyes at the others and then looked at me. I gave her a smile, which she returned. "If you will excuse us, we were on our way to Professor Binns' class. I'd say you four should probably get a move on as well." She pushed past him and headed for the door.

"She's right, you know," I said as I finished the last of my juice. Standing, I grabbed my books and waited for them near the door.

Sirius offered his hand to James. "No hard feelings, mate?"

The other boy scoffed at him. "That was so totally unnecessary, Black. I don't know why the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor. You belong is Slytherin with the rest of your family."

He blinked in shock. It was just a harmless little joke? Why was James taking it so personally? Sirius sighed and scooped up his books. Peter frowned as he looked at him. "'s okay Sirius. I thought it was funny. If James is going be that way then let him."

The taller boy broke into a smile and ruffled the small blonde's hair. "You're right, Petey. If he doesn't want to join in the fun, that's his problem."

James stormed past me as I watched Sirius and Peter interact. When I was sure Sirius was okay, I spun on my heel and headed to catch up with him. "Hey James, wait up."

He was muttering under his breath, staring at the floor. "Stupid Black. Stupid racist pure-blood. Dad warned me. I should have listened."

I got ahead of him and stopped, making him slam into me. He looked up, fire in his eyes. "What is it, Lupin?" he asked with venom in his voice.

I raised an eyebrow. "No need to get snippy with me. I had nothing to do with it."

I saw the anger drain from his face. It was replaced by a look of almost desperation. "Sorry. It's just... I've never had a hard time with anything. Charms really frustrated me."

"How do you think I felt in Transfiguration?" We started walking again. "Even Peter got his to look like a needle."

"No, I mean I've never had a hard time with ANYTHING." He waved his arm in emphasis. "My dad works for the Ministry and is a very talented wizard. My mum, well, she's from a long line of Seers. I have never, ever had problems before."

"Things are different here, James. We're all going to have to give and take a little. I've had to do that all my life. You, well, obviously haven't. But don't worry, we're here to help you. And don't be mad at Sirius. He was just trying to loosen you up. I'm glad to see him and Peter being friends."

I think my words got through because he had a pensive look on his face. He shook his head. "Are you sure you're only nearly eleven? You seem, how does Mum put it, wise beyond your years."

I blushed. My mother had said that to me since I was a baby. "Yes, I'm nearly eleven. I've just been through a lot in my short life."

We stopped in front of Professor Binns' room and waited for Sirius and Peter. James turned to the dark haired boy. "Sorry for being so short with you, man. I've just got to learn that I'm not going to be able to do everything on the first try."

Sirius slapped him on the back jovially. "No problem. I knew you'd come around."

"Fab, we're friends again," piped Peter.

I just smiled and shook my head. This was going to be one very interesting friendship.