Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) - Book One (Marauder Era)

Chapter Three - A Metal Matchstick

Multiple alarms blared in the morning, dragging five of the six boys from their sleep. When Remus slithered out of his bed he saw Black was wide awake and already in his uniform.

After a few sleepy and confused blinks, Remus realized where he was. Hogwarts. Gryffindor. Dorm. He got his stuff out of his trunk and ran to the bathroom to get ready for the day. A quick shower, dressed in his uniform, brush the teeth, return to the dorm to finish getting ready. He pulled on his socks and shoes not even realizing he had one orange sock and one blue sock (and the blue one was inside out). He laced up his shoes and then tackled the difficulty of getting his tie properly tied. It had turned gold and scarlet during the night, along with the accents of his uniform, but it was still far too difficult to do.

"Hey, Lupin!"

He turned around as he (sort of) finished knotting the tie (it was very crooked and awkward). Potter was looking at him as if expecting something. "Er, um, y--yeah?" Remus forced out.

Potter smiled, teeth flashing. "You remember the way to the Great Hall?" On either side of him stood Black and Pettigrew, and all three looked hopeful now.

Oh. "Erm... th--think so."

"Groovy!" Potter exclaimed. "We'll follow you."

So Remus had three ducklings trailing after him as he made his way through the school. He only partially remembered the route from the night before however another side effect of his curse was a heightened sense of smell, and he could more or less track the most used pathway and that guided him to the ground floor and the Great Hall. He was silent the entire time, not wanting--or daring--to talk to the three boys behind him, and he assumed they'd take different seats. However when he sat down, Black, Potter, and Pettigrew sat down around him. Remus ducked his head, trying not to look too freaked out.

"I'm glad we've only got a couple days of class before the weekend," stated Black as he dumped eggs and bacon in a huge pile on his plate. "I want to explore the school."

"Same here," Potter agreed. "Ooh! Mail."

Owls began swooping in through the room, dropping letters and packages to various students. Potter and Black both got letters. Black's envelope was bright scarlet and smoking slightly at the corners. He held it up with a crinkled nose and sighed. "I suppose I better open it."

"Probably, before it explodes," Potter said, mouth full of food.

Explode?! Remus wondered then Black opened up the envelope and it almost did sound like an explosion. A woman's voice burst out, shouting in a magically enhanced volume. Remus dropped his spoon and clamped his hands over his ears, wincing in pain. Everyone in the room was watching Black, listening to the shrieks.

"SIRIUS—BLACK—HOW—DARE—YOU—BE—PLACED—IN—GRYFFINDOR! YOU HAVE BROUGHT ABSOLUTE SHAME ON THE BLACK FAMILY NAME WHICH CONSIDERING YOUR LIFE UP UNTIL NOW IS A WONDER YOU'VE MANAGED TO HUMILIATE US MORE THAN YOU ALREADY HAVE! YOUR GRANDFATHER NEARLY HAD A HEART ATTACK WHEN WE GOT THE NEWS! THIS IS YET ANOTHER STEP DOWN YOUR MISGUIDED PATH! YOU BEST CHANGE COURSE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE OR YOU WILL REGRET IT! WE WILL BE WRITING TO THE HEADMASTER TO DEMAND A RESORTING AT ONCE!"

The envelope burst into flames, ash falling down onto the table. A few students laughed, especially from the Slytherin table. Black looked like he didn't care and merely swept the ashes off the table. "About what I expected," he said and then frowned. "Er, being re-sorted isn't really a thing is it?"

Potter and Pettigrew shrugged. Remus knew the answer and debated whether to say or not, but Black looked so distressed he finally got the nerve to speak up. "N--no. Th--that's... not... a thing." Black looked exceedingly relieved and returned to his food.