Moony | The Marauders Series [Book One]

CHAPTER TWO

A Fateful Encounter

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His eyes shot open, pulling Remus Lupin out of the horribly vivid dream he'd been having only moments before.

Loud talking suddenly filled his ears, as his gaze flew over his surroundings in a panicked state, calming down only somewhat when he noticed that he was no longer facing the horror of his dream, but was instead welcomed into the lively atmosphere of the Hogwarts Express.

Remus cleared his throat awkwardly, immediately feeling heat rise to his cheeks as he quickly let go of the seat he was still clutching with both hands. He'd noticed two students eyeing him cautiously from the other side of the rather small compartment.

One was definitely a Slytherin girl, Remus noticed, glancing down at the silver and green scarf around her neck. She was maybe a year older than him, but Remus couldn't miss the deep frown which made her look twice her actual age. Her mouth shut with intent, and only then his mind put two and two together and he came to the conclusion that he'd just interrupted her conversation with the Huffepuff boy beside her. He didn't look as offended as her, but he still stared at him with confused eyes, slowly shutting the textbook he was holding.

"Sorry," Remus muttered quickly, looking away from the pair and turning to the window. It had only been a few hours and he already felt painfully out of place among the many students who were starting or returning to the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry. He grit his teeth, so much for his wish to make friends.

He sighed, once again reminding himself of the words of courage his parents had given him before he'd said goodbye to them. He could be normal for once in his life, wasn't that already enough?

That thought alone made him smile a little and Remus pushed aside the last of his negativity, instead shifting his gaze to the view outside with newfound eagerness.

Just as he felt a little more at ease, a sudden poke on his shoulder almost made the boy jump up from his seat. His eyes snapped to the left, surprised to find another student sitting next to him. Had he been there this whole time?

"Hello," the boy said, words muffled by the amount of Fudge Flies stuffed into his mouth.

Remus watched the podgy boy with an unsure expression, but after a few moments responded nevertheless.

"Hello ... " he parroted, before quickly mumbling, "er- I'm Remus." The introduction sounded awkward out loud and Remus couldn't stop himself from nervously fiddling with the sleeve of his robes. He leaned forward a bit, if only to make himself appear less dejected and shy.