Howling

Chapter One - Bite

I pushed my trolley up through Platform 9 and ¾ of Kings Cross Station, in London. The trolley wheels squeaked as they rolled along the stone floor. I was shivering from head to toe and my heart was beating much faster than usual.
My mother walked by my side, occasionally glancing my way, fearfully. She thought that she knew how I was feeling, but no one would ever know. My father was behind us, humming. He always hummed whenever things got bad. It was his way of saying to everyone else ‘No, I’m perfectly fine. Nothing’s wrong with me. I’m having a brilliant day.’
The platform was packed full of noisy students swarming in crowds of fours and fives, all piling onto the gleaming scarlet train that sat at the station patiently, waiting for the 11:00 bell that signalled the driver to start the train on its way to Hogwarts.
Parents were standing all around, waving at children who were already on the train, or talking to their children, who were jumping around impatiently in front of them.
Of course, no one had the same problems as me. I knew that.
I could feel what little colour I had left on my face drain away from me. So many occupants of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What if they all found out? What would happen? There would be no chance at all of me staying at Hogwarts once the parents discovered that their children were in training with a monster.
My mother spun me around, gripping my shoulders tightly with her small hands. My mother was a small woman. She was about 5”3 and had thin hair, which was the same brown-ish-blonde colour as mine. Her eyes were a glistening blue. At this moment, they were glistening with unshed tears of worry.
“Be good now.” She whispered. “If you have any problems at all, you write straight home with Gretel.” I looked at the Tawny owl my parents had bought for me in celebration of getting into Hogwarts. “We’re right here. Or go to the Headmaster. He’ll know what t-to d-do.” Tears were spilling down her cheeks. I felt a lump grow in my throat and tears threaten to fall down my own cheeks. My dad pulled my mum into a hug and she let go of my shoulders. The lump grew bigger and I had to take a few deep breaths to keep myself from crying.
My father was a large man. He was tall –about 6”4- and had chocolate brown hair and the greenish brown eyes that I had inherited from him.
He looked at me and I felt for sure that he was going to cry as well. Then I remembered, my father never cried.
“You’ll be fine son. I know you will.” He said, his deep, booming voice indifferent from any other occasion.
I continued to shiver, trying with all my might not to cry.
My mother broke away from dad and gave me a hug.
“Don’t worry.” She whispered.
She let go of me and my dad hugged me gently, then grabbed my mums hand. “Go on son. We’ll see you at Christmas.”
I took another deep breath. It was time to go.
“Bye.” I out, before turning around and pulling my heavy trunk along with me. I stepped onto the loud scarlet train, breathing slowly an deeply. I tugged at my trunk, drying, and failing miserably, to get my trunk up from the platform. “Here you are.” Came a soft, girl’s voice. My trunk lifted up from the platform and onto the train.
I looked up, to come face to face with a girl who looked about 16. She had thick black hair and hazel eyes and was quite tall. She was pointing her wand at my floating trunk and smiling gently. She guided the trunk into the train and put it down, next to my feet.
“If only there was someone to help me get my trunk up onto the train when I was just startin’ here.” She said. “I’ll see you around.”
And with that, the girl stepped up onto the train, steeped over my trunk and walked off.
If only she knew what I really was, I thought, dully. I stared after her for about a minute, but the trains whistle signalling for the train to leave brought me back to my senses. I bent down and dragged my trunk along, my mind completely numb with nerves.
I walked up, peering into the compartments, looking for an empty one. Of course, every one was full. I was walking slowly, thoughts rushing around my head. I stared at all the people who talked with their friends, laughing and joking without a care in the world, envying them so much. They didn’t have to worry. They didn’t have deep dark secrets to hide. No one did. It was just me and I hated that.
I got to the end of the train, to the very last compartment and to my complete surprise, it was empty. I grinned slightly and walked in, ready to make myself at home and maybe sleep. I was shattered. I usually became tired when I was nervous.
I took a few steps forward, just happy that I had a compartment to myself, when something made me jump out of my skin.
“AHHHHHHH!” Someone screamed, jumping on my back.
“AHHHHHHHHH!” I screamed, thinking that I was being attacked.
I shook the person off, who landed on the ground with a large THUMP.
“OW!” The person shouted, in pain.
I spun around, to look at whoever had tried to attack me and look down at the ground, to see a boy of about my age sprawled on the floor.
“What the…” Someone else said, from the doorway.
I looked up and saw another boy of about my age. He had scruffy black hair and warm hazel eyes and was quite tall.
“I can…explain…” I said feebly.
“Owww…” Moaned the boy from the floor.
“Get up Sirius.” the boy in the doorway said, looking down at the boy on the floor and shaking his head.
“Can’t.” Sirius whined. “I’ve been crippled!”
I could feel all the colour that I had in my cheeks leave. What if the boy really was crippled? What a great start to my new school life.
The boy in the doorway saw my reaction to Sirius’ words.
“Don’t worry.” He said kindly. “Sirius is just playing around. He’s an idiot.”
I nodded slightly, no where near reassured.
“I’m James, by the way.” James stuck his hand out, stretching over Sirius, who was still on the floor.
“Remus.” I muttered, shaking his hand.
“Right, well, this is Sirius. We can just leave him hear. He’ll get up when he gets hungry.” James said, staring at Sirius again. He stepped over Sirius and sat down on one of the seats in the carriage.
“You’re in your first year, right?” James said to me.
I spun around to face him.
“Er, yeah.”
“Yeah, I could tell. You’re scared.” Luckily, James didn’t say this in a teasing way. It was more of a fact or a statement, than anything else.
Still, that didn’t stop me from flushing.
“Come and sit down.” He said, motioning to the seat next to him.
“Uh, sure…” I said, making my way over to the seat.
“So, tell me about yourself.” James practically demanded.
“Umm, well, My name is Remus Lupin, I’m 11 years old, my dad's a muggle and my mother is a witch, I live in the country side and I can’t wait to start Hogwarts.” I said, in that small, quiet voice that was definitely not my own.
“I’m James Potter, 11, pure blood, live in London and I can’t wait to get to Hogwarts.” James said quickly. Obviously he wasn’t nervous.
“And I’m Sirius Black.” Sirius had gotten off of the floor and walked over to me and James. “Listen, I’m sorry about jumping on you, I thought you were James.”
“Sirius, I know your brain is kinda…non-existent, but Remus looks absolutely nothing like me.” James said, rolling his eyes.
I laughed, causing Sirius to glare at me playfully.
A few hours later, James, Sirius and I were all messing around, chatting and joking. I had calmed down considerably, but I still had that small, uncomfortable feeling in the back of my mind, telling me that no matter how nice these two seemed, if they found out about me, they wouldn’t stick around for long.
I stepped off the train and waited for James and Sirius to get off.
“First years, over here! This way first years!” I heard a familiar voice shout. I looked over to where the voice was coming from, to see Rubeus Hagrid, an old friend of the family.
Hagrid had been my mother’s friend since she was very little. I had met him quite a few times and he had to be the sweetest person alive.
You would never have known that, though, because of his rather frightening appearance. Hagrid was about 10 foot tall, with huge hands and a long scraggly beard covered the bottom half of his face.
I waved, trying to get him to recognise me.
“Hey, HAGRID!!!” I heard Sirius shout from behind me.
Hagrid looked over to us and grinned.
“You know Hagrid?” I muttered, as we fought our way over to the giant of a man – or should I say half-giant. That was another reason why I liked Hagrid so much. He wasn’t pure human either, so I felt that I could understand him. At least you couldn’t tell what I was just by looking at me. My curse was practically invisible.
“Sure I do! Everyone knows Hagrid!” Sirius exclaimed, louder than I would’ve liked.
“It’s kinda hard to miss him.” James added in, through muffled laughter.
“You boys alrigh’?” Hagrid said, clapping us all on the back in turn.
“Fine thanks.” Sirius said, grinning up at him.
I looked up as well.
“Where do we have to go?” I asked.
“Just go get yourself seated in the boats.” He said, looking over by the lake.
“We’re going across the river?” James said, his voice suddenly growing quieter. “It’s a lake, doofus!” Sirius said, staring at James.
“Yeah, we’re going across the lake. How else d’you think we’d get to Hogwarts?” Hagrid said, now looking at James.
James gulped.
“No, it’s nothing...heh…nothing…”
Sirius was suddenly wide eyed, smiling as if his birthday had just come early.
“You’re not scared are you?”
“What?!?” James yelped.
“James Potter scared of water? Brilliant.”
“No I’m not! No way! No! Nooo. Nope. No.”
“Shall I take that as a no?” Sirius said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
“Pity I don’t believe you, eh?” Sirius said casually, and then walked away towards the lake, digging his hands in his pockets.
I stifled and laugh and turned around, to try and catch up with Sirius.
We sat in the boat, the cold wind roaring and rushing around all three of us. The boat rocked dangerously as the waves crashed up against the sides of the dozens of the little wooden boats that moved across the large lake of Hogwarts. Sirius looked like he was having the time of his life. He was rocking the boat from side to side, laughing manically.
I was feeling slightly sick and absolutely freezing. I just wished that Sirius would stop trying to give the boat holes with a long stick he found on the ground before we got into the boats.
Of course, whatever I was feeling was nothing compared to how James must have felt. He was deathly pale and looked as if he was about to throw up. He remained silent through the whole trip and spent his time breathing very deeply, as if trying desperately not to pass out.
“Enjoying the ride mate?” Sirius shouted over the raging winds.
James didn’t reply. In fact, James didn’t do anything.
“Is he dead?” I shouted, staring warily at James.
“Nah just terrified!” Sirius replied, his grin becoming wider.
James still did nothing.
I looked away and decided to stare at the water instead.
My heart was still bashing against my rib cage and fear was bubbling in my stomach, moving almost as quickly as the blue-grey water that continually splashed in my face and fell into the little boat, making me completely wet. I was still afraid, though not as afraid as before. Sirius and James had both calmed my nerves slightly, as did Hagrid. That didn’t mean that I wasn’t absolutely terrified though.
Finally, the boat ride finished and we were all getting out, onto dry land. We walked to a large door, on which Hagrid knocked briskly.
A few seconds later, the door creaked open, only to reveal a man of about mid-forties, his dark hair greying considerably and his hazel eyes dull and expressionless.
“Welcome first years.” The man said, smiling down at us all. He then turned to Hagrid. “And thank you Hagrid, I’ll take it from here.
“I am Professor Dorjan, the deputy headmaster of Hogwarts, Defence against the Dark Arts Teacher and head of Slytherin house.” Oh, I could just imagine Snape and Lestrange smirking at the mention of their future house. “If you’ll all just follow me.” Dorjan spun on his heel and walked briskly away. I followed rather quickly, desperate to get away from Scary-girl, who, I noticed, was still staring at me.
Dorjan led us all to a room and stopped. Once all the first years had gathered in the small room, he continued with what he was saying.
“The start-of-term banquet will begin very shortly, but before you can all take your seats, you must be sorted into your Hogwarts houses. Whilst here, your house will be like your Hogwarts family with whom you share classes, share dormitories and share your free time in your house common room.
“There are four houses: Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor and each house has produced amazing wizards and witches. All of your triumphs whilst at Hogwarts will earn your house points, but you can also lose points from breaking rules. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points will win the house cup. I hope that each and every one of you will be a tribute to your house.
“The sorting ceremony will commence in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school.
“I shall return shortly, when we are all ready for you. Please wait quietly.”


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