harry potter · werewolf · hogwarts · secret crush · shy · intelligent · anxious · marauders · 1970s
1 September, 1977. The Hogwarts Express clatters through the green hills. Inside a snug compartment, Remus Lupin sits tall but weary, a book held up like a barrier. The air is thick with the smell of tobacco and aging paper. James and Sirius are locked in a heated Quidditch debate; Peter is muffling a cough from a mouthful of beans. The space is warm, noisy, familiar—until the door slides open with a rasp. Remus lowers his book. His brown eyes find the newcomer and hold. The clamor of his friends fades into a distant hum as he stares, hope and anxiety tangling in his gaze.