Fragments/// R. J. Lupin

Two: Kings Cross Station

The days after the break up was a bit of a recovery for me. Well, that's an understatement. It was hell. There's nothing like trying to just I don't know... LIFE and then boom, all of a sudden you remember the way he smiled and suddenly you're crying and listening to sad songs. Truth be told, I never understood why it was so hard for me. Crying out begging Michael to come back. It just wasn't me. For fuck's sake! I am Archer Rose Lewis! The new Gryffindor Prefect. 16 years old with a foot in the door toward a life of success.

When I was with Michael I got wrapped up in him. I used to be absolutely amazed by everything he was. I disappointed my friends because I would always choose him. For a while, I thought I would not even have friends left, but I suppose I didn't care as long as I had him. But now that I'm free from Michael I feel as if my head is clear. No more Michael. No more foolishness. And by far no more neglecting everyone and everything I love for a person who doesn't feel the same.

****

"Madam, your parents are requesting your presence downstairs," I hear the house elf, Ella, say. I turn my head towards her, with my long silky brown hair flipping towards my back. I nod in acknowledgment and reply that I will be down shortly.

Once the elf was gone, I turned my head back towards the mirror in my vanity. I took a deep breath in and finished applying clear lip gloss to my lips. I felt unsure of how this year would go if I was being honest. I knew that things would be different because I wouldn't be wrapped up in Michael. I was free to be my true self. And I was able to hang out with my friends more. And that thought alone brought a smile on my face as I ran down the stairs to see my parents.

"Hi momma, papa!" I say kissing them on the cheeks. "What did you need?"

My parents looked at me and smiled. My mom's blonde hair flowed down her back as she turned to turn off the stove. My pa ruffled my hair and chuckled. "Do you not remember that we have to get you on a train soon?" To answer that question: No. I did not remember. So you could just about imagine the speed I traveled upstairs to take out my chest and throw my entire closet in. I made sure to throw in my favorite books and my stash of dark chocolate.

Taking a deep breath after a good 5 minutes of hecticness, I pop in a piece of dark chocolate in my mouth and walk to the window of my room. My owl, Tilly, flew onto my shoulder and looked out the window with me. For a second, I just looked out into the street. We lived in a rural wizarding community, so it was not surprising to see families appearing and disappearing sporadically. Most families were bringing their children to Kings Cross Station, leaving them to depart to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the next abundance of months. Without another glance, I turn around and grab my chest. I knew this was going to be a better year, and I couldn't wait to see what adventures my friends and I would have.

With Tilly still on my shoulder, I hopped off the last few stairs and greeted my parents once again.

"Are you ready for your sixth year of Hogwarts, Miss. Prefect?" Pa asked while grabbing my chest. We walked outside with my mom and got prepared to apparate to the train station. "I'm always ready, Pa. Just like I'm ready to go see the girls and have a Michael- free life!" My parents smiled at this and took this as a queue to leave. Tilly left my shoulder to make her way back to my room as she stays here, and I grab my parents' hands.

It took nothing but a split second to feel my body twisting and turning into nothing until I felt my feet brace hard grown again. It took another second to walk into the platform of 9 3/4 to see the great Hogwarts Express. And it took nothing but a split second to see my best friends, Autumn and Stephanie, scream and rush towards me. Stephanie dragging her boyfriend, Sirius Black, behind her was a slight to see, especially when they stopped, as his shoulder-length hair was profusely messy now.

"Hey! I missed you, ya nerd. You totally left us in the dark this summer. I even managed to get a Dragon Toad! Did you know that? No, of course, you didn't because you didn't write!" Autumn said in a joking tone. She held up her toad to me for me to get a better look and then went towards my parents, her complaints of my absence gone.

"Everything just happened so fast, I don't even know what happened," I say with wide eyes, looking at Autumn who was now in a conversation with my parents. "There is literally not one person Auttie can meet and not have a good ten-minute conversation with."

"Yea, don't I know it. You should've seen her when we saw the boys! A fucking nightmare of words that I don't have the mental capacity to process so fast." Stephanie said. I turned back at her and smiled. "I missed you," I say and pull her into a hug away from Sirius. Her long pink hair was literally tangled into my fingers once I tried to escape the hug.

"New length, huh?"

"I have the power to do whatever to my appearance, yea, we are going with long hair today. And pink for the hell of it." She says dramatically flipping her hair and untangling my fingers. "Nice to see you, Archer. And you look great, baby, don't worry." Sirius says, pulling his girlfriend into his chest.

Before I even had the time to respond, my parents and Autumn, with her toad still in her hand, approached us and ushered us towards the train.

"Now are you sure you have everything, Archer?" My mother says. "All clothes, supplies, your wand?" She pulled me into a big hug and I reassured her that I had everything.

"Do great this year, alright? If you need us, just owl. We love you so much. You remember to stay safe and don't get into trouble, young woman." Papa says wrapping his arms around mom and me. We all held onto one another for a little longer before we heard the train whistle blow, signaling that it was time to leave. I let go and say one more 'I love you' towards my parents and turn to walk with my friends and Sirius.

We stepped onto the train and said our goodbyes as I had to go to the prefect's compartment for a meeting. The girls and Sirius went to the Marauder's place and left me to wander to the front of the train. There I saw the Gryffindor boy prefect: Remus Lupin.

Remus came across as a shy person compared to his friend. Being 1/4 of the mischief producing Marauders, it was a shock how reserved he was. But there he was. Sitting down, reading what looks to be a copy of The Great Gatsby, and patiently waiting for the meeting to begin. I walked towards him and quietly sat down, also waiting for what the meeting would hold.

****

The meeting didn't last very long, and it was nothing but us being informed about what we will have to do once we get to Hogwarts. Simple enough, we only needed to bring the first years to the common room and inform them of the password: Hippogriff.

As we were allowed to now go to our friends, I silently follow the quiet marauder to our compartment. I wasn't friends with the marauders, per se. I didn't know them nor did I want to. I simply only sat with them because of Stephanie and Autumn. Remus allowed me to go in first, and we walked into pure chaotic energy. The girls were playing exploding snap, James was trying to catch a golden snitch with his mouth, and Sirius and Peter were throwing Berty Bott's Every Flavour Beans at one another. I did nothing but sigh with a smile and take a seat closest to the door.

"Thank you, by the way, Sirius, for bringing up my chest for me," I say appreciatively to the shaggy-haired boy. I reached up and grabbed a book of my own and curled my legs up to my chest.

"No problem, Archie," he says and then resumes his game with Peter. I smile to myself and open up the cover of my book, ready to emerge myself into the story.

Already I was happier this year, and I couldn't wait to see what Hogwarts would offer once the train journey came to an end.

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