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Chapter Three

Arriving at Hogsmeade Station, Alanna glanced around the compartment. Remus and Peter had both fallen asleep. Sirius had left due to a crowd of girls passing by. James had caught sight of a very pretty redhead and taken off after her. So Alanna was left with Peter and Remus.

She tapped Peter lightly on the shoulder. "Peter," she whispered lightly. He snorted loudly and mumbled something in his sleep. Alanna resisted the urge to laugh. She tapped his shoulder again. "Peter, we're here. At Hogwarts."

Remus suddenly awoke abruptly and turned his head in Alanna's direction. She glanced over at him and smiled. Remus returned the smile and stood up, stretching his arms widely.

"What's going on? Are we at Hogwarts?" he asked.

Alanna pointed out the window. Remus glanced out the window and his eyes widened as he took in the sight of the massive castle.

"Wow," he breathed. "It's so magnificent!"

"Isn't it?" Alanna commented with a small smile. "Magnificent and all, but Peter's still a deadweight. Can you help me wake him up?" she asked.

Remus glanced over at his friend and grinned evilly.

"Remus ... what are you--"

"WAKE UP, PETER!" Remus shouted loudly, making Alanna cover her ears. Peter jolted awake abruptly and looked around the compartment.

"Is that ..." He yawned widely. "Is that Hogwarts? Over there?"

"Well of course it is, dingus!" Alanna laughed. "C'mon, let's go already!"

She hurried out of the compartment with Remus hot on her heels. Peter followed along, yawning and seemingly still half asleep. Alanna jumped off the train onto the platform of Hogsmeade Station. She looked around and heard a thundering voice.

"FIRS'-YEARS, OVER HERE, PLEASE!"

"This way, guys. Come on!" Alanna said eagerly. She waved her friends to follow her. Remus and Peter looked around at the older Hogwarts students fearfully. Seeing that Remus and Peter weren't following her wholeheartedly, Alanna rolled her eyes. She grabbed one arm of each boy and dragged them up so they sandwiched her.

"Don't worry about them," Alanna told the boys in a hushed whisper. "Just think; we'll be one of them one day, and they won't even be here. Imagine how that's gonna be."

Remus smiled smally at Alanna's effort at making the boys less nervous. She was obviously trying to calm herself more than anything and just wanted company. She was nervously biting her nails as they trudged along to where the thundering voice was booming to all of the first-years.

"FIRS'-YEARS OVER HERE!" the voice boomed once more. "Alrigh', is this the lot o' ya? Let's go, then."

Alanna was in shock at the sight of such a giant of a man. He was at least eight foot tall with an unruly shock of a beard and a mess of dark brown hair on top of his tiny head. Alanna almost fainted.

"That is one giant man," Remus muttered under his breath. They followed the man, who had introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, all the way down to the Black Lake, as they had been told. Sitting atop the water were many small boats to fit perhaps four first-years altogether. Hagrid would need half a boat to himself.

"Alrigh', then," Hagrid called, gaining the attention of all the chattering first-years. Alanna caught sight of James and Sirius standing near the pretty redhead James had gone after.

"You can have six at the most in these boats, bu' four is the preferred number," Hagrid explained. "Avoid the squid as best yeh can. Alrigh', then. C'mon, in the boats."

Alanna was nervous about getting on these tiny boats. She hated travelling by water. Why couldn't they have travelled up the path in the carriages pulled by those giant black horse things like the rest of the student body had?

Peter was first in their boat. James and Sirius decided to ditch the redhead for their compartment buddies and jumped in one after the other. Remus carefully stepped in after that. That was four. Alanna would be the fifth if she decided to jump in with the boys.

"Are you coming?" James called to her.

Alanna shook her head and stepped away from the water. "Hagrid said the preferred number is four in a boat," she said quietly. "I don't think I wanna risk it."

"Come on, Allie, we're lightweights! Surely you don't weigh a hundred pounds?"

Alanna glared at Sirius. "Of course not, you dingus! But still ..."

Remus stepped out of the boat and grabbed her hand lightly, meaninglessly. He pulled her slightly forward towards the boat. Alanna shook her head.

"I don't want to, Remus," she muttered, staring at the dirt beneath them. Remus frowned.

"Alright," he murmured quietly. "I'll come with you, then, and the others can go as a three."

Alanna shook her head. "No, it's not the boat. It's ... it's the water." She shook her head again. "I don't like travelling by water. It frightens me. Always has."

Remus frowned and glanced back to the boat with the three boys in it. James and Sirius were laughing about something together while Peter was watching him and Alanna with a worried expression. Glancing back at Alanna, Remus made his decision.

He hoisted Alanna up by her waist, startling her, and dropped her in the boat. She looked around at the surrounding lake with fearful, wide eyes. Remus stepped into the boat himself and sat down. He grabbed Alanna's wrist and sat her down beside him.

"There. Problem solved," he murmured. Alanna gripped Remus' arm tightly and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I don't like this already," she whispered.

"Just don't look," Remus told her. "Surely if you forget about the water you won't be as frightened?"

"Did you say she's frightened?" James asked. "Of water?" He and Sirius burst out laughing. Remus glared at the two as he felt his robes becoming slightly damp.

"She's crying, you imbeciles!" he hissed. James and Sirius' laughter immediately ceased and they heard the tiny sobs Alanna was letting out. Remus rubbed her back.

"It's alright, Al. It'll be over soon."