Struggles~ Remus J. Lupin

1.-Platform 9¾-

The platform is filled with students saying their goodbyes to their families. Rushing to the train to find a compartment with their friends. Getting ready for another year at Hogwarts.

Lyra was waiting her turn to hug Amos and Mary goodbye. Cedric was finally finished with his goodbyes, Lyra jumped into both of their arms. It was the final year they would be seeing her off to Hogwarts.

She was sad it was her last year but she knew she was gonna make the most of it by pulling the best pranks and having a laugh with her friends. She and one of her best friends Ben were known for their pranks around the school and causing mayhem with the staff. They loved the reactions they got.

Pulling away from the hug she noticed both her parents having tears on the edge of just dropping from their eyes.

"Now now, I don't want you both to get all emotional or else I'll start crying, and I don't want to ruin the mascara I put on" Lyra smiled as she was watched her mother and father get all emotional.

"I just can't believe how fast you've grown up, it feels like it was just yesterday I was chasing you, after you stole Cedrics toy and flushed it down the toilet " Mary said as she was trying to hold back the tears.

"Yeah about that, I'm still pretty pissed about it" Cedric stated.

"Oh shut it pretty boy, I'm pretty sure that 7 years is long enough for you to get over it" Lyra smirked remembering his face when he watched her flush his teddy bear down the toilet.

"No it is not, I loved that toy" Cedric retorted earning an eye roll from Lyra.

"Anyways" Amos cut in just as Lyra was about to retort  "I just want to say how proud I am of you, of the both of you and that I love you both very much and to enjoy your last year Lyra, but not too much I don't want another letter home from professor Mcgonagal about your pranks"

"Awww thanks Dad and I can't make any promises " Lyra cheekily winked before she went in for another hug.

"Ok come on Lyra we really have to get going, the trains about to leave" Cedric stated after giving Mary another hug.

"Love you both" Lyra called over her shoulder as she rushed to the train.

********

Lyra was walking down the corridor of the train, looking in each compartment for her friends. When she finally heard the laugh of Maya coming from the compartment right next to the one she just looked in.

"What's up fuckers" Lyra voiced as she walked into the compartment.

"Lyraaaaa!!" Maya shrieked as she jumped up and gave Lyra a bone crushing hug.

"Too...... tight.... maya" Lyra tried to say as maya strangled her in this tight embrace.

"Oops, my bad," maya sheepishly said as she pulled away from the hug, "I just missed you so much."

"I missed you too maya," Lyra then looked over to the two boys sat across from each other, "what, no hug for your favourite blonde ?" She mused as they both stood and gave her a hug.

"So how was everyone's summers?" Lyra questioned as she sat down and placed her legs on Ben's lap.

"Well, dad brought us over to Paris for a holiday and to tell you they have nice food is the understatement of this century," Jackson beamed as he remembered his trip to the land of love and in his case the love he found was the french food. "no joke I'd kill for another one of those chocolate croissants."

"Of course the food is what made you fall in love with Paris." Ben observed with an eye roll as the girls chuckled.

Jackson was a big fan of food, all foods to be honest. It always made Lyra wonder how he wasn't fat with how much food he ate, but he just had lucky genes she guessed. He has a secret stash of food and sweets in his dorm and if you ever decided to take the food from his stash, he will know. Let's just say you'd have to sleep with one eye open for awhile, Lyra's learned from experience.

"Well what about you Benny boy , what did you get up to this summer?" Lyra asked.

"Ugh stop calling me that" Ben groaned at the nickname Lyra loved to call him "Well the usual really, just chilled at the beach, surfed, read and slept the whole summer, nothing much to my summer break just as I like it" He smiled.

Ben was pretty laid back at all times. He loved to surf and read, but for obvious reasons he can only surf in the summer as the cool weather of England didn't make the water the nicest temperature. Ben and Lyra loved to pull pranks on the students and teachers of the school and often got detentions, in the end it was always worth it.

"Booorinnngg" maya chimed in with a fake yawn.

"Oh shut it Butler" Ben retorted "please do tell of what the amazing maya butler got up to this summer"

Well for starters my family and I went travelling around Europe and visited France, Ireland, Poland, Spain and Portugal which were all amazing. The french were kind of ignorant I won't lie but other than that I had an amazing time" maya beamed as she was remembering her travels with her family. "But I also missed ye guys a lot and wish ye were there with me"

"Aww we missed you to maya" they all gushed at the girl.

Maya was definitely the sweetest girl ever. If she wasn't sorted into gryffindor, hufflepuff was definitely the house she'd be in as she was so loyal and kind to all of her friends. She loved to talk, that was her thing. She was a chatterbox, which sometimes annoyed Lyra, but she loved her anyways. She loved animals, and care of magical creatures was definitely her favourite subject, not to mention she was unbelievably good at it. She helped Lyra with studying for her O.W.L.S. in previous years.

"What about you Lyra"Jackson asked "what did you get up to this summer?"

"Well I spent most of it with Cedric playing quidditch and fighting over the chores in the house" Ben snorted at this which earned an eye roll from Lyra "anyways before I was rudely interrupted, I also went to the burrow a lot to see the Weasley's as we were always invited for dinner and what not. I also snuck into a few muggle pubs and got wasted with the twins a few times" Lyra beamed as she remembered her summer.

The Diggorys were always close with the Weasleys as both Amos and Arthur worked at the ministry. So relatively both families spent a lot of time together. Lyra considered the Weasley children more as siblings then friends.

"How did you get away with that?" Maya questioned.

"Ced covered for me, while Ginny covered for the twins" Lyra stated.

"Ohh makes sense" Maya noted.

As the conversation went on for awhile they all relaxed and were off doing their own thing. Benjamin was reading, while maya and Jackson were talking about France. Lyra was just watching the scenery out the window.

All of a sudden the train came to a halt and a dark and cold feeling filled the air of the compartment. Lyra never felt this way before, it wasn't just cold she was feeling, it was almost as if death was just around the corner.

Little did she know.