The Tale of Four Boys

Chapter 2- Welcome to Hogwarts

Any quote(s) that seem similar to ones you may recognize belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 2

Welcome to Hogwarts

All four boys had been talking excitedly for hours and, although Remus was still exhausted, he felt happy for the first time in a long time. These boys, these three boys- Sirius, James, and Peter- accepted him. It was the first time in a while that Remus felt like he belonged somewhere. He'd been extremely cautious and shy around others ever since who he had thought to be his best friend found out Remus' secret when he was just 9 years old; it happened on his birthday, in fact. His friend had been disgusted by him, and fled to Arkansas, in the United States.

No, Remus thought, don't think about that. You're not going to let that happen again. Not with them. Remus was being especially cautious because, even though he had only known these boys for a few hours, they were already close friends: They knew Remus was poor, and accepted that without a backwards glance; they also knew James' family was full of blood traitors, and didn't care. Not to mention the fact that it was obvious that little Peter Pettigrew was a tad slow, but if he needed help that badly, then hopefully most if not all of them would be in the same house so they could help him along; meanwhile others saw Pete as someone who would slow them down. Even Sirius had already confided in them all the things he hated about his family, which basically meant everything.

But it's okay now, thought Sirius, you have friends, and you're not going to have to face your family for a long time. Bellatrix and Narcissa are older than you, much older, and you most likely won't be seeing them much. So cheer up. Sirius grinned to himself, satisfied with his reasoning.

As for James, he loved his family very much, but he was thinking somewhat along the same lines as Remus. It was good to be accepted by children his own age. At home, he was home-schooled and had never had many friends his own age, yet it seemed he was good at making them when given the chance. And picking them out, he thought, at least none of these guys want to be Slytherins. Not even Sirius over there, he's different from the rest of his family. I know he is.

Peter himself was lost in his own thoughts. He thought about how nice it was to not be looked down upon by his friends, even if he was a little behind. Okay, a lot behind. But everything was okay now, because he had his own clique, and a talented one at that. He would show everyone. Peter Pettigrew was not someone to be stepped on, and now he had powerful friends to show it. I'll show them, thought Peter with satisfaction, I'll show all of them.

Just then, the lunch trolley rolled by, bringing all of the boys back to reality. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" asked a plump, kind-faced witch.

Sirius jumped up. "FOOOOOOOD!" he shouted, and immediately disappeared out of the compartment door, his pockets jingling with galleons, sickles, and knuts. Laughing at his antics, James and Peter followed, leaving Remus alone. James noticed this and poked his head back into the compartment.

"Hey, Ree, don't you want something from the lunch trolley?"

Remus shook his head sheepishly and gestured towards the pockets of his shabby robes to show that he had no money. James nodded in understanding and disappeared for another moment. He soon returned with a pile of food, but it wasn't for himself. "Here you go, mate," he said, thrusting the pile into Remus' lap.

"James, I- no- I can't- just..." Remus stuttered.

James held up a hand to stop Remus' protests. "No. Listen, don't worry about, okay?"