The next morning, Harry woke up to Padfoot boucing on his bed.
Harry, Harry, wake up!
The boy attemped to ignore his godfather and rolled onto the other side, but the black dog was persistant.
Harry, you've gotta get up! You don't want to miss breakfast before classes on your first day now, do you?
At that moment, the young marauder couldn't care less, but his godfather was getting on his nerves, so he groaned and sat up.
"I'm up, I'm up!", he protested as he ran his hand over his face and pushed his hair out of his forehead with his fingers.
The dog barked and wagged his tail, mocking amusement shining in his eyes.
"Padfoot, you're terrible", Harry muttered when he saw none of the other boys were awake yet and the scarlet alarm clock on Dean's bedside table showed they still had an hour until the end of breakfast. Yawning, the boy got out of bed and trodded towards the bathroom. A cold shower might wake him up.
And so it happened that ten minutes later, Ron found his blanket being snatched away and the cool breeze from the open window rushing over him.
"Mooorning! Ron, wake up, we're at Hogwarts! It's breakfast time!"
When the boy started up, Harry moved on to Neville.
"Nev! Nev! Wormtail junior! Wake up! Breakfast! Come on!"
As it turned out, the shy Longbottom boy was much easier to wake up than Ronald. He squeaked a little, frightened at Harry almost bouncing on his bed, but didn't really complain and got out of bed. Ron on the other hand... had simply gone back to sleep.
"Ron! Oi! Mate, wake up!"
The ginger boy however simply snored on, entirely unbothered by his new best friend's calls.
"Pads, would you do me the honour?"
He noticed his slip-up quickly and so did Sirius, but sleepy Neville hadn't been paying attention and the others were all still asleep. The anxiety in the duo's eyes faded quickly and Sirius jumped right onto Ron. The boy started up at the weight and gave a small scream- then Sirius began boucing up and down, and took turns of barking into the ginger's ear and licking his face. Harry was on the floor with laughter.
"GAH! Harry, get him OFF me! Your dog is insane!"
"Sorry, Ron", Harry panted through his gasps of laughter.
"But I DID wake you up, and you wouldn't- so I told P-Buck to help me out."
"Not fair! You set this up? You're both crazy, you and that dog of yours!", Ron protested.
Padfoot barked happily, looking like he was grinning, and licked Ron's face once more.
"Fine", the boy grumbled and got out of bed. When he spotted the sleeping figures of Seamus and Dean- how they had slept through this noise, Harry did not know- a prankster smirk appeared on his face. He glanced at Harry and a matching grin appeared on his partner's face as they made eye contact. They crept up to their dormmates- and jumped onto them at the same time. The two boys screamed as they shot up while Harry and Ron were already running away from them, cackling evilly.
Fifteen minutes later, three quarters of the junior marauders arrived at the breakfast table. Hermione was already there, reading a worn, leather bound book while eating her cereal.
"Morning, Mione!"
She looked up as Harry plopped down beside her.
"There you boys are! I thought you were going to miss breakfast."
Harry waved her off.
"Us? Nah. You'd have to worry about Ron, but Buck is an efficient alarm clock."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at the big black dog wagging his tail, standing next to Harry.
"That sure is one unusual dog you have there. How long have you had him again?"
"Since I was four. I found him as a puppy, starved and mistreated, and took him in. Had to keep him a secret from my aunt and uncle though."
The girl nodded.
"Good moring Ron, good morning Neville. Here- Professor McGonnagal has given me your schedules as well- we have charms, then history of magic and lastly herbology- you might want to prepare yourselves."
Ron looked at her in disbelief.
"Are you saying we're supposed to study before the first lessons?"
Hermione eyed him in slight distate.
"Prepare for lessons, yes. It wouldn't hurt you, Ronald. Besides, the teachers might quiz us to see what we already know. They used to do that at my old school."
Ron appeared scandalised.
"That's mental!"
He ploppped down on Hermione's right side and Neville sat down beside him. He quickly grabbed a roll and some jam and began stuffing his face, at which Hermione pulled a disgusted grimace.
"What?", the boy asked.
"You eat like a pig", she berated him.
Ron rolled his eyes and Harry tuned their bickering out.
Were you and Remus like this?
No. We weren't that bad.
Harry shrugged to himself and began petting Padfoot's- or Buck's- ears while helping himself to a piece of toast and some strawberry jam. While he was eating, he struck up a conversation with Neville.
"You like quidditch, Nev?"
"No. I've never even been on a broom!"
The little boy looked green at the thought of flying on a thin wooden stick.
"Neither have I- but I'm really looking forward to it, perhaps I can play quidditch like my dad some day. He was a chaser- team captain- they even won the cup under his lead. I want to live up to his legacy. But I think seeker is more my position. It sounds much cooler."
Neville looked sick and Harry worried his friend thought it was expected of him to like quidditch as well.
"But it doesn't matter if you don't like it, as long as you cheer me on", he grinned, hoping to lift Neville's spirits. It seemed to work- the boy visibly perked up and the colour returned to his face.
"Of course I will, Harry!"
"So, what are you most excited about?", Prongslet continued.
"Herbology", Neville answered immediately.
"I love plants. They've always fascinated me- there are so many different ones, and they all do different kinds of things- some can be used for healing, some are quite the opposite, deadly poisonous- but they all have their advantages and uses if you know how to handle them- it's fascinating. Gran says I got my weird obsession from my mum, my parents' house was always full of plants, and that it's a pity I didn't inherit my father's talent instead."
He looked a bit downtrodden at the mention of his grandmother's disappointment and his former excitement faded. Harry frowned; he felt horrible for his friend. You should never discourage a child like that, it wasn't right. And Neville appeared to have a mature, useful fascination of an important topic he already knew a great deal about- shouldn't his grandmother encourage this?
"She shouldn't say that", the boy voiced his thoughts and could feel Padfoot agreeing through the bond.
"You should never say something like this to a child. Your parents would be proud of you, Neville. Herbology is a good subject to be interested in and if you want to work in that field later on, you could get an amazing job. She ought to encourage you- to me, it sounds as if she wants you to be a copy of your father and doesn't appreciate the person you are. If you've got your mother's interests, so what? Both your parents were- are- incredibly talented wizards."
The poor Longbottom boy seemed a bit shocked by Harry's outburst.
"Nobody's ever said anything like that to me", he blurted.
"I don't think Gran just wants me to be a copy of dad- but she wants me to be like him, you see- at least as good as he was in the subjects he was good in. But I don't think transfiguration is my type of thing and I only showed signs of magic pretty late. They thought I was a squib for such a long time."
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Of course you didn't show any early signs of magic, not with the pressure put onto you", Prongslet huffed.
"Your magic didn't come out because you were afraid- if you had shown signs of magic early on, the pressure would just have grown! There's no way you're almost a squib. What's your wand made of? I heard it says a lot about you and your magic."
Neville suddenly looked quite a bit embarrassed.
"Ah- you see", he said.
"Gran gave me my dad's wand. She said that if it was good enough for him, it's good enough for me."
Harry was scandalised.
"But- that's not how it works! Every witch and every wizard is different, everyone's magic is different! Your father's wand can't and won't work for you as well as your own one. Your accomplishments with this one would be very disappointing and well beneath your actual level! You need your own wand, Nev!"
That woman is crazy, she is! She was already a bad mother to Frank- always telling him off for tripping but showing him off for his talents and expecting him to be one of the best in the subjects she deemed important, but trying to turn her own grandson into a copy of him is just disgusting!
Absolutely and totally disgusting.
"You... you think so?", Neville asked timidly.
"I know so!", Harry barked.
"You can't work with your father's wand, Nev- I'll ask Professor Minnie to write to your grandmother. Perhaps you can get a new wand this weekend already."
Neville opened his mouth, but Harry woud never learn what he had to say, as Dumbledore- followed by a small group of people- entered the great hall and stepped onto his podium. The whole hall quietened immediately and looked at him expectanty.
"My dear students! I must inform you that due to the recent Azkaban breakout of Sirius Black, we will be having guests for some time. They are here to protect you and are to be treated with respect. Each of them is thoughtfully selected, for various reasons. May I introduce-"
Harry felt Padfoot go stiff at his feet.
Selected for various reasons? I don't like the sound of that...
Harry, too, was worried.
"Alastor Moody, former head auror!"
Moody got a round of hesistand claps. Harry remembered Moody had trained Sirius and his parents in auror training- he was brilliant, completely and utterly bonkers, paranoid to the point of checking his wand for curses, brave as a lion and ruthless as Jack the Ripper.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt, auror!"
The large man with the gold earring received a much warmer welcome.
"Nymphadora Tonks, auror trainee- I assure you she is perfectly qualified and able to protect you!"
That's my little cousin! Little Nymphie! She's becoming an auror!
You told me about her! She's the metamporphmagus you used to babysit- Andy's daughter, isn't she?
She is!
Tonks received a round of claps, but she only glared at Dumbledore.
"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora."
The students gasped as her hair turned red. Harry smirked- he wondered what their reaction would be once he revealed he had the same gift.
"And finally, Remus Lupin!"
Harry's head snapped around and he stared at his uncle- Remus looked old and tired. His face was sad and there was little mischief left in his dim green eyes. Deep, painful-looking scars formed an entrancing pattern, unique and quite captivating, on his face. They made you wonder about the stories behind them. Moony was tall and thin, almost skinny, and he slouched just a little. The robes he wore were threadbare and patched in places, and his shoes looked like the leather was a hundred years old. A small polite yet friendly smile played around the corners of his mouth, lighting up his whole face. There were lines on his brow and grey hair at his temple and his eyebrows looked heavy, as if they had not arched in a laugh for a long time, but to Harry, he looked perfect.
Despite the joy of the reunion, there was the nagging worry in his stomach- Padfoot had gone as still as stone at his feet, and the marauder's heir could not help but worry about Remus spotting the dog. There was no doubt he would recognise Sirius. Had the two of them not been friends for six years, a couple for five?
Remus gave a little bow and his smile broadened for a moment when he looked at the students- small signs of friendliness that ought to make him an immediate favourite, yet his applause was hesistant. Harry fumed with anger as he realised the others were judging him by the state of his clothes and his scars.
Moony. It's Moony! It's Remus- oh my Merlin, it's Remus, how can I stay in the same school as he? How can I avoid him? I don't want to avoid him, oh my God- it's Moony!
Harry didn't really know how to respond, so he just grabbed Padfoot's head a little stronger and dug his fingers into the soft fur behind the dog's ears.
It's going to be all right, Padfoot- we'll make sure he doesn't see you, and one day soon, we'll prove your innocence and the two of you can get back together.
But what if he doesn't want me back?
Don't be silly. Of course he'll want you back, he's Remus Lupin. And he loves you. We both know he must've been utterly destroyed after he lost everyone. You'll be fine.
...
"Uncle Moony!"
Remus turned around, stunned.
"H-Harry?!?"
The werewolf barely had time to react before his nephew tackled him into a hug, almost knocking the wind out of him.
"I missed you! How've you been? WHERE have you been? What've you been up to? Why didn't you ever visit? Why didn't you ever write? Oh, never mind, that doesn't matter now- you're HERE!"
Remus had put his arms around Harry, stunned, and was barely able to comprehend the boy's rant.
"You... you remember me?"
"Of course I do! You're my uncle Moony- you came over every day, and you were always rolling your eyes at dad and... well, you know. Sirius."
Harry pretend-sobered only for a moment before starting his rant up again.
"You've got to meet my friends- Ron, Mione and Nev- they're the best! Ron is crazy about quidditch and he has five older brothers- can you believe that? Hermione is crazy into books and Neville loves herbology. They're my best friends in all the world already! It's going to be even cooler with you here- I've got to introduce you all! Come on, Uncle Moony!"
Harry freed himself from the embrace, grabbed Remus by his sleeve and begun tugging him in the direction of Gryffindor tower. The poor man, flabbergasted as he still was, could only stumble along behind him, a stunned expression on his face. Nymphadora Tonks, who had observed the scene, was cackling at him from behind, sounding quite a lot like her crazy aunt.
Possible Animagus forms for Neville as we never learn what his corporeal patronus would be:
Brown Hare – Brown hares are typically characterized as shy, but that doesn't mean they can't be bold. They often outsmart predators by hiding in incredible stillness, but they can run at formidable speeds if they need to get away. In the spring, brown hares can be found "boxing" with each other in open farmlands. Your brown hare Patronus will not hesitate to get in a fighting stance and face the Dementors head-on.
Hedgehog – Cute and loveable inside and out, those who possess a hedgehog Patronus may thrive on giving and receiving love and may feel they need more of it than others realize. While upfront about their endearment and affectionate personality, hedgehogs are also known to be anxious and overly cautious. They often worry about their own and others of their kind's safety. Those around must approach the hedgehog with care and precision, though, because when defensive and hurt, hedgehogs are remembered not for their sweetness, but for their sharp spikes. (I love this one for him!)
You get to decide! And I'd be delighted about nickname suggestions for Neville and Hermione- Harry is Prongslet of course and I already have a name for Ron.