Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) - Book One (Marauder Era)

Chapter Five - Vinegar And Paint

Transfiguration went well, History was boring, Potions was awful... Remus began sucking at the end of his quill as he thought about his day. I fell on the stairs and busted my chin, and fell down an entire flight of stairs. I got covered in vinegar and paint. All in all... not a very auspicious start to my time at Hogwarts.

*

Remus stayed under his bed all evening. The others boys came in and Potter and Black seemed to still be looking for him, and they talked about him as the night grew longer. They seemed to be worried he hadn't returned to the dorm once curfew hit and they discussed finding a Prefect.

"It's the first day and you've run your dorm-mate off, brilliant," Spinnet said. "What did you even do?"

"Nothing!" Black and Potter chorused.

Spinnet scoffed. "Yeah, sure, I don't really believe that."

"Maybe he got lost in the castle," Struthers suggested. "This whole place seems really dangerous. I mean, staircases move and corridors disappear, what kind of design for a school is this?"

"I think we should find a Prefect," Black said.

"I don't want to get him in trouble," replied Potter.

Eventually they decided to just let things play out. Remus went back to reading until it was too dark and everyone else went to bed. Potter and Black stayed up the latest, whispering about Remus being missing, until finally they, too, went to sleep. Remus shut his book and ten minutes after he sensed everyone was definitely asleep he crept out and went to the bathroom to relieve the pressure on his bladder. He returned to the dorm and considered sleeping in his bed but ultimately went back under the bed since he felt safer there.

He caught a glimpse of the moon through the window. Almost full, he thought as he curled up in his little nest. Tonight... and tomorrow... and then... He shuddered a bit and finally fell asleep.

*

Friday morning Remus woke up rather early due to minor nightmares waking him up every so often. He felt very stiff and more than uncomfortable from sleeping on the stone floor. He stretched his body out and rolled out from under his bed, assuming everyone else was still asleep since it was only six-thirty.

"So that's where you were." Remus jumped and spun around, seeing Black standing in front of one of the full-length mirrors, tying a beautiful knot in his tie. He was looking at Remus in the reflection, waiting for some sort of response and when it didn't come he added, "We were very worried."

Remus looked down and went to his trunk to get a new uniform out. His paint and vinegar one had been shoved down into a laundry bin which was now empty. He knew everyone else had properly unpacked already and he was the only one who hadn't but he felt a little awkward sharing clothes space with Black. There were three huge wardrobes in the room. One between Pettigrew and Potter's beds for them, one between Black and Remus's beds, and one between Struthers and Spinnet. Remus knew that the section of wardrobe to hang clothes in was completely full with no room whatsoever for his things. Considering that the wardrobe was magicked to extend inside, that was quite the feat for Black to accomplish.

"We didn't mean to, yesterday," Black said as Remus started to silently leave the room. "It was--"

"I kn--know," Remus muttered.

Black finally turned around, grey eyes wide. "Why were you hiding, then?"

Remus clutched his clothes and bathroom bag tightly against his chest, no idea how to respond. Because my day absolutely sucked, because I don't know how to deal with people. I don't know how to deal with this. Because this whole situation is so much scarier than I ever imagined, so much more overwhelming. Because it makes me feel better. Because you're a human, you're all humans, and I'm not. Because I don't belong here. All he managed to do was shrug, and then leave the room without saying anything.