"Boys, up the stairs and to the right." The prefect, a seemingly nice and approachable fifth year, directed them kindly, pointing to the stairs in question.

A part of Remus wanted to stay in the common room for a bit, but it was already crowded with the older students and he felt more confident in following the three other Gryffindor first years up the stairs. So, reluctantly, he dragged his eyes from the roaring fire and the plush sofas that he could see himself working in so clearly in his mind.

He'd been sat near the other boys at dinner, but not next to them. He'd been sat with two very nice, chatty girls called Lily and Marlene. They'd already agreed a time to meet in the library at the weekend to do their homework together- apparently they were both as eager to do well as he was. Lily was a muggle-born, so her excitement was understandable. He wasn't so sure about Marlene, she'd only really talked about her mum, so she had to be at least a half-blood. Not that it mattered. They hadn't cared either, which had been reassuring.

The boys had seemed very nice too, even though he hadn't spoken to them. As he followed them up the stairs, he got the feeling they were probably pure-blood. They just seemed to have a confidence about them, as though they already owned the school. One of them was small and over-excited, with a kind face. Another had the messiest hair Remus had ever seen, hair his mother would insist needed brushing, and glasses. The other boy, Black, he thought his name was, was well-spoken and rather self-assured.

"Bit dark, isn't it?" The mad-haired boy commented as they filed into the room. He had a point, Remus thought. The curtains and walls were dark red, and the only light came through thin windows and a few bedside candles.

"I think it's brilliant. This much red and gold would give my mother a heart attack." Black said, grinning. His smile was sort of infectious.

"Not your father?"

"Nah. He's insane, don't get me wrong, but he cares less about Houses and more about grades. As long as I do well, he'll just ignore me as usual."

"Pleasant." The boy laughed out loud, laying back on his bed easily.

Remus moved to his own bed, undoing his tie finally. He hated the feeling of being restricted, it made him feel choked. The first few transformations he'd had, at the ministry, they'd caged, chained and collared him. It had been torture, to the point where he could barely remember it; he'd blocked it from his memory. But he remembered hating it, and that was enough to like having his neck free of restraints. The same went for the dark. At home, his mother had made sure everything in their home was bright, light and airy to make up for the one night a month that he had to be locked away.

"I'm James, by the way. We haven't met yet." The messy haired boy introduced himself, watching Remus as he sat on his bed. "James Potter."

"Remus Lupin." He replied, smiling.

"Cool name. This is Sirius Black, if you hadn't already heard." James teased his friend, and Remus understood the dynamic at once. James and Sirius had become fast friends, but James was clearly the leader. "And that's Peter."

"Did you want Gryffindor, Remus?" Peter asked, speaking for the first time in Remus' hearing. His voice fitted his face entirely; slightly meek and yet determined.

"It was this or Ravenclaw. I'd have been happy with either." He admitted. "How about you?"

"I was certain I was destined for Hufflepuff. That's where both my parents went." Peter replied, pulling a chocolate bar from inside his robes and unwrapping it.

"With no offence intended, darling, I admit I was certain you were a Hufflepuff too." Sirius said, still grinning that wonderful grin. "But that doesn't mean we're any less pleased to have you." His tone- his entire demeanour was one of complete teasing. It was like he'd adopted a persona of confidence and he was using it to its full effect. Arrogance was a good defence mechanism. Remus had tried it, once, but it hadn't really worked out for him. He'd realised he was better at keeping quiet, and to himself.

"Well I always knew I was a Gryffindor. It's in my blood and, let's be honest, gold really brings out my eyes." James said. He was equally as ridiculous, and completely in sync with Sirius.

"That either means you wear gold regularly at home or you're just basing this fact of something your mother told you. Either way, the outcome isn't good for you." Remus spoke up, instantly regretting it. He was only teasing, but what if they took it the wrong way? What if his mother was dead? What if-

"It's probably both, Remus." Sirius joined in, before promptly bursting out laughing.

"Har-Har. Very funny." James rolled his eyes. "Let's see how cocky you are at mail tomorrow when you get your mother's howler."

Remus looked to Sirius for explanation, and the boy folded his arms.

"I come from a long line of Slytherin, pure blood fanatics. Please, don't underestimate the sincerity with which I speak. They're insane. One of my delightfully inbred cousins in Slytherin will have already reported back to my mother who will likely pull me from Hogwarts by the end of this week."

"I bloody-well hope they don't."

"So, you're not a pure-blood fanatic?" Remus asked, just for confirmation. If the pure-blood across from him was prejudiced solely for blood, he was going to have to work extra hard to hide his affliction- and he was already keeping that a secret anyway.

"Merlin, no. Are you muggle-born then? Most people recognise names like Potter and Black. We're old money, you see."

"My blood can actually be traced back to Merlin." James interjected, smirking. But it wasn't cocky. It was teasing- probably true- but teasing, nonetheless.

"No." Remus replied. "I'm half-blood. My father's a wizard."

"Ah, I see." And then, the subject was dropped and James rubbed his stomach, as though in agony. "I'm so full. I shouldn't have had second pudding. I don't know how on earth you're still eating, Peter."

Peter shrugged, opting to remain silent as his mouth was still full.

"What do you say, chaps, pyjamas and then a little plotting?" Sirius said suddenly, clapping his hands together menacingly.

"Plotting?" Peter asked, his nerves surfacing once more.

"Of course, my dear Petey." The grin showed again, as Sirius crawled to the end of his bed and opened his trunk, revealing a bag of what looked like Dung-bombs. "Let's start this year as we intend to live it. Wreaking havoc."

"My darling Sirius, I couldn't agree more." James replied, pulling a bag of what had to be more pranking gear from his own bag. "And, what's more, I have the perfect tool." He said, then pulling out a cloak made of shimmery silver material. An invisibility cloak.

Remus stared at it for a moment. Invisibility cloaks were rare and extremely valuable- it had to be an old Potter heirloom. He then looked to James, who was beaming with pride at his possession, and then to Sirius who couldn't have looked more ecstatic if he were surrounded by gold, girls and food. Peter simply looked confused; he didn't know what the cloak was. And as Remus joined the others in changing for bed, he had an overwhelming sense that spending seven years with these bizarre, eccentric boys would be both the greatest and most ridiculous years of his life.

This is my first contribution to the WolfStar community. It's a series of snapshots into Remus Lupin's life at Hogwarts, heavily influenced by a number of headcanons I've seen on tumblr. Constructive criticism is welcome.