The two weeks off for Christmas had gone far too quickly, and before the boys knew it, Peter's parents were driving them to King's Cross Station in their old battered seven seater car.
"Thank you so much for the lift, Mr Pettigrew." Remus said, as he stepped out into the carpark.
Remus, James, Sirius and Peter made their way into the station. James and Sirius linked arms and skipped, while Remus and Peter laughed and followed behind.
They noticed two blonde girls with Hufflepuff scarves. One girl had a black cat following closely behind her. The cat gave the boys a knowing look as it passed them. Remus noticed a muggle girl with a confused expression watching the cat follow the girl through the train station.
The boys waited several minutes after the girls had disappeared through the wall, not to cause too much suspicion, before following and arriving at platform 9 3/4 moments later.
As soon as Remus noticed the shiny red Hogwarts express on the platform, he felt as though he were home. Tufts of steam rose from the train as though it was breathing, as though it were alive. Remus felt excited. He was heading back to Hogwarts.
The boys hurried aboard to find an empty carriage. James led the way down the train, and although most of the carriages were full, they managed to find an empty one in compartment C so they they were able to sit together for the journey.
Merely fifteen minutes after the four boys sat down, the train jolted to life and began its long journey towards Hogwarts Castle.
Remus rested his head against the window and watched the English countryside whiz by. By the time they reached Scotland, the sun would be setting, and by the time they reached Hogwarts, there would be no daylight remaining. Remus zoned out as he passed by fields filled with cows, forests bare without their leaves, and small villages full of people that he would never meet. As they made their way North, they entered the mountains, topped with snow.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but soon, Remus was broken out of his trance by the Trolley Witch visiting their compartment pushing the Honeydukes Express cart piled with sweets, chocolate and biscuits.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?" She asked, as she pushed open the doors.
"One cauldron cake for me please!" Exclaimed Peter, searching in his pockets for coins.
Remus thought about buying some chocolate frogs, but he had the large bar of chocolate from his parents in his satchel, so decided against it.
Once the Trolley Witch had moved onto the next compartment, Sirius Black spoke.
"So, boys, how are we going to have some fun on the remaining four hours of this journey?" He asked, with a mischievous glint in his dark grey eyes.
"This cauldron cake is more than enough fun for me." Mumbled Peter with crumbs tumbling from his mouth.
"Don't be boring, Wormtail. The first term of the year we were far too tame. This term we're going to have to make up for it. Starting right now!" Exclaimed James, standing up and stamping his foot to make his point.
"Do you have any bright ideas?" Remus asked.
"No, my little mastermind." James said, sandwiching Remus's head between his two hands. "That's where you come in."
Remus rolled his eyes and pulled his satchel onto his lap. The other three boys watched in anticipation as Remus pulled out his notebook, bound with tattered brown leather, and began flicking through the pages for inspiration.
"I think I have just the plan." Remus smiled.
***
The four boys crawled down the main walkway of the train, stopping at each glass door to peek up into the carriage through the glass, and whisper 'anaticula'.
Remus's knees were beginning to ache from crawling across the floor. When they were near the end of the train, Peter's giggling fit started.
"Shut up, Wormtail!" Sirius whispered, poking Peter with his wand.
This only made Peter giggle louder.
"I will hex you." James threatened in a quiet tone, shuffling his way along to the next door.
Peter let out a louder laugh, and the carriage door flung open.
Remus looked up. It was Freya.
"Remus? What are you doing?" She asked with a confused expression.
Remus looked around at his friends, who all had wide eyes. James quickly stood up, and Sirius and Peter copied.
"Oh... Hi Freya." Remus mumbled. He could feel his cheeks getting warmer as they began to glow red.
Sirius gave Remus a nod, before walking away, followed by James and Peter.
Remus pushed himself to his feet. He felt really warm. His jumper clung to his skin and made him feel itchy and uncomfortable.
"Did you have a nice Christmas?" Remus asked, pulling his sleeve over his hand and using it to wipe his forehead.
"It was so nice to see my family again. It's the longest time that I've ever spent away." She responded.
Remus's nerves drifted away. It felt like it had been ages since they had spoken to one another.
"Sometimes I forget that this was your first term at Hogwarts." Remus smiled. It felt like he had known her for much longer than one term. It was strange that there was once a Hogwarts that he knew, that did not include her.
"It went so quickly. All Christmas I've been looking forward to returning."
Remus felt that now was the time to ask.
"Perhaps we could have a catch up? We could go to the library, or I've heard that there's meant to be another meteor sho-" Remus began, but he was interrupted.
"I'm not sure about that." Freya responded, her smile fading away.
"What about a picnic at The Black Lake?" He suggested cheerfully. It would be cold in January, but they could put lots of layers on.
Freya glanced behind her. She looked at her friends, before stepping out into the corridor with Remus and closing the door behind her.
"Remus... I don't think that we should be friends any more." She whispered.
His stomach dropped.
Friends.
Remus didn't want to be friends any more either. He wanted more. He had thought that she had felt the same.
"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice breaking. He felt embarrassed. He felt the warmth returning to his cheeks once more.
"It's for the best, Remus." She smiled, her small hand reaching out and squeezing his arm reassuringly.
Her touch felt electric. He could almost feel his skin burning where her hand had just been.
He was confused. He wanted to ask why, but felt sure that she would not give him an answer.
Remus nodded, and bit his lip before turning away.
As Remus passed the next carriage, the door swung open.
"Rejection suits you!" Severus jeered.
Remus didn't respond to him, he just headed back to his friends with his head down.
When he opened the carriage door, his friends laughter erupted all around him.
"Moony! Did you see all the ducks?" James asked through fits of giggles.
"Did you see Snivellus's face?" Asked Sirius with a huge grin.
"It worked!" Peter exclaimed.
Remus sat down and their laughter stopped.
"Moony? What's wrong?" Sirius asked, nudging Remus's foot with his own.
Remus shook his head. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to tell them.
What would he even say?
He didn't even know what he had done wrong.
YOU ARE READING
The Marauders: Moony
FanfictionRemus had always thought he was the only werewolf at Hogwarts. That was until one night he heard another creature howling at the moon.
