Gaunt

Chapter 1

     Madge Gaunt was born on November 26, 1959. The chill of the wind could be felt through the cracked windows of her family's old shack. The crying baby was right next to her mother, the light slipping from her as she began to bleed out. Her father watched as the two suffered.

     Thoughts of her mother often plagued Madge. Since she had no memories she was able to make her own. She was able to design these moments in her head, and perfectly craft them in any way she desired. These days, those made-up memories were the only things keeping her sane.

       Many of the children, young and old, were accompanied by their parents, hugging and kissing them, not wanting to let them go. Madge was on her own but she preferred it that way. If her father had accompanied her everyone would know who she was. She was scared of the assumptions that people might make of her if she was seen with him. The slight chill in the September air was enough to will her to get on the train. She knew all about the Hogwarts Express from books she had read without her father's permission. The barred books hidden away in a cupboard were how she learned to speak. Her father only spoke in parseltongue, even when she was a little girl. For a long time, it was all she knew.

     The majority of the compartments in the first train car were empty, presumably because the majority of students were still departing from their families. She decided on a compartment towards the back. Madge didn't know anyone coming to Hogwarts this year, honestly, she didn't know anyone besides her father.

     The compartments around her began to grow louder with conversations and laughter. She took it in, trying to channel the other children's joy within her.  Soon the noises inside got softer and the hoot of the train's horn went off.  A couple of students had opened the door to look inside the compartment but left when they saw her in there. Truthfully, they left when they realized who she was.

      Nobody wanted to befriend a Gaunt, not even a Slytherin or death eater. Although they were once the most respected family in the Wizarding world, the Gaunts had fallen from glory a century ago, Madge knew this. And the ongoing war didn't help her case either. Tom was the one responsible for it. She'd never met her cousin but he was the reason her father was in Azkaban.

     About an hour into the ride, the compartment door slid open. "Oh sorry, I didn't realize anyone was in here." The boy looked about Madge's age. His hair was cut close to his head and the clothing he wore had little holes throughout. The most noticeable thing was the boy's scars. They adorned every part of his body that Madge could see. She thought about her scars, the ones currently covered by her clothing. She was much too embarrassed for anyone to see them, but the boy before her wasn't or he just didn't let anyone think he was.

     "You can sit here...if you'd like to, that is. I don't mind the company." The scarred boy nodded and took the seat across from Madge. For quite a while, neither one said anything to the other. Madge took in the scenery outside the window, while the boy was quite busy looking at something in his lap.

     "I'm Madge." The boy looked up at her then. His face tugged to one side, giving her a quizzical glance.

     "How'd you end up with a name like that?" The boy asked her. Madge hadn't been aware that her name was so strange. His words weren't meant to be malicious, she knew based on the way he became very busy with something in his lap, not looking at her,  after he said it. If Madge hadn't been looking at the boy she certainly would've missed the next thing he said, "I'm Remus."

     She wondered if he knew who she was. Most people on the train did. But his eyes didn't widen in fear when he first saw her like the others. She wondered how long she could keep her identity a secret. Maybe this boy could become a friend of hers. Her fantasy was interrupted by another thought then. If this boy didn't know her, then he must be a muggle-born and there was no way a mudblood could be sorted into Slytherin, that would be mad.