Chapter One

Remus heard the sound of giggling and he looked up from his book, seeing two girls entering the compartment, followed by a dark haired boy with a large nose. All three sat opposite him on the bench seat, the boy speaking quietly to the giggling, red haired girl beside him. As she responded, Remus saw her green eyes sparkling with excitement. The brunette was silent, turning to look out the window as the train rattled along the tracks, carrying the eleven year olds to their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Remus looked at the second girl interestedly. She was still staring out the window. Her dark brown hair hung down to her shoulders, partially hiding her face. The sun shone on it, and Remus saw a flash of red. He heard a tapping, and saw her foot moving nervously, up and down. Suddenly realising he was staring at the newcomers, he put his head back down, and tried to resume his reading.

He was distracted again after only a minute, this time by the two boys who were sitting on his side of the carriage, further along on the seat. They were laughing and talking loudly, drawing annoyed glances from the sallow looking boy. The boy with the glasses noticed Remus looking their way. "Hi!" he said, nudging his friend.

Remus smiled, a little nervous when the second boy also looked at him.

"Hi! I'm Sirius Black,' the good looking boy said, smiling at Remus. "And this is James Potter.' He indicated his friend with the untidy hair, who also smiled. "Are you a first year too?" Remus nodded.

"Do you have a name?' said James, looking amused.

"Remus, Remus Lupin," Remus answered.

"Nice to meet you, Remus Remus Lupin,' Sirius said, with a laugh. Remus couldn't help but laugh as well.

"So, what house do you think you'll be in?' James said, sliding along the seat so he was sitting next to Remus.

The brown haired boy shrugged. "I don't know - my mum and dad were in Ravenclaw, so I suppose I will be too,' he responded, noticing the red haired girl and long haired boy opposite look over at them.

The boy spoke softly to her, but the girl's voice travelled across to the others. "Do you think I'll get in?" James looked over at the trio.

"Get in where?' he said, staring at the red haired girl who'd spoken.

"Slytherin House,' she said, looking over at the big nosed boy next to her. "Severus and I are hoping we'll both get in."

Remus saw James screw up his nose. "Slytherin!?" he exclaimed, a trace of disgust in his voice. "I think I would die if I got into Slytherin - I'd rather be in Hufflepuff!"

Sirius looked over at his new friend. "All of my family have been in Slytherin,' he said, mildly.

"Really?' said James. "I thought you were alright."

Sirius shrugged, saying, "Maybe I'll be different.'

The boy called Severus spoke to James now, his voice dripping with contempt. "And what house are you hoping to be in?"

James stood up, swaying a little as he held his arm high, as if brandishing a sword. "Gryffindor, where the brave at heart dwell."

Severus snorted. "Well, if you would rather be brawny rather than brainy…" he began, but was cut off by James, who said scornfully, 'Since you're neither, Slytherin would be perfect for you.'

Remus felt very uncomfortable as he sat silently in the midst of the argument. He glanced over at the second girl, who also hadn't said anything, and was startled to see her looking directly at him. He stared at her for a moment, and she smiled at him. He smiled back, and, suddenly feeling self conscious, dropped his eyes back to his book.

'She's really pretty,' he observed, then frowned as he wondered where on earth that thought had come from. He felt heat rushing to his face, even though he knew there was no way she could know what he was thinking. Chancing another look, he saw that she was looking at her friends, though for some reason, her face looked as flushed as he knew his must be.

The red haired girl stood. "Come on, Severus,' she said frostily. "We'll go and find somewhere better to sit." Severus stalked out of the compartment, with James calling an insult after him.

'Krys…..' she said, looking at her dark haired friend as she reached the doorway.

The girl nodded, then looked over to Remus.

'Bye,' she said softly, her bright blue eyes looking into his before she turned and followed her friend.

"Good riddance,' said James, and Sirius nodded. Remus watched the compartment door close, and the girl called Krys, disappeared with her friends.

Krystal sighed as she followed Lily out to the hall. She was already feeling a little nervous about going to Hogwarts, and the disagreement in the compartment had increased her unease. She disliked change, and even though she was looking forward to going to school, she hated not knowing what to expect.

"Are you alright?' Lily asked as they found new seats.

"Yeah,' she replied, smiling at her friend.

"Wasn't that boy a jerk?' said Lily, crossing her arms and frowning.

"Mmm,' agreed Krystal vaguely, looking out the window and thinking instead about the quiet boy in the compartment. She didn't know his name, but he seemed nice. Lily and Severus were talking, and Lily turned to ask her a question, drawing her into their conversation.

Hours later, hundreds of hungry students exited the train, all talking at once. Remus walked with his new friends, James and Sirius, semi consciously keeping an eye out for the dark haired girl. He heard a booming voice calling out for first years to 'come this way'. They followed the voice, dodging through the crowd of older students, all of whom seemed very tall next to the eleven year olds.

A group of children gathered around a very large, very scary looking bearded man, who explained that they would be travelling to Hogwarts by boat. Clouds had begun to gather by this time and all of the first years nervously climbed into the rickety looking boats. Remus sat next to a plump boy who introduced himself as Peter.

It was very dark on the water, and Remus couldn't see anyone else in the other boats. He gasped softly as he saw Hogwarts for the first time. The castle seemed huge, and it was all lit up, welcoming the students back for a new year.

Krystal was also staring up at the castle. She swallowed hard, feeling butterflies take flight in her stomach. She stepped carefully out of the boat, catching sight of the thin brown haired boy she'd seen on the train ahead of her. He was walking with a plump boy. Lily came up beside her.

"Come on, Krys,' she said, taking her hand. Severus appeared on the other side of her and gave her a small smile, as Lily dragged her up to the top of the stairs where a tall, sharp faced witch met them. She held up her hands and all talk died down.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, first years!' she said. "I am Professor McGonagall. You will be entering the Great Hall in a moment, and you will sorted into your houses. For those who don't know, the four houses are Gryffindor…' Remus saw James grin broadly as the witch continued.

"Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Please wait here until I come for you. Perhaps some of you,' she said, looking at James' untidy hair, 'could use the time to tidy yourselves up."

She moved away, and there was a flurry of movement as everyone tugged at their robes and ran hands over their hair. Remus felt his elbow bump the person behind him as he tried to shake the creases out of his robes. "Sorry,' he said, turning to see who he had hit.

"That's alright,' came the reply.

Remus smiled, as the dark haired girl from the train stuck out her hand. "I'm Krystal O'Connor,' she said flashing a smile back at him. "We didn't meet properly on the train."

He took her offered hand and said, "I'm Remus Lupin."

Her smile broadened. "It's nice to meet you, Remus,' she said, her bright blue eyes shining happily.

He was about to reply when Professor McGonagall appeared in front of them.

"Quiet, please!' she called. As all noise ceased, Remus and Krystal dropped hands. Remus turned to face the teacher, who said, "Follow me, please."

Peter slipped in beside Remus again as the first year students walked apprehensively through the Great Hall doors. There were a number of gasps as they saw the enchanted ceiling, cloudy and dark. They walked between two of the long tables to the front of the hall, where Professor McGonagall stood next to a stool, holding a roll of parchment and a bundle of material.

Krystal looked up at the enchanted ceiling, eyes wide. Her nerves were slowly being replaced by excitement at the thought of everything she was going to learn here. She stopped with the other students at the front of the hall, looking at Professor McGonagall with some trepidation.

As the first student was called to the front, Remus never felt so relieved his surname didn't begin with 'A'. He watched as the witch unrolled the bundle of fabric to reveal a large hat. Confused, he looked over at James, who was standing next to him. "What do we have to do?' he asked, but James just pointed to the front.

Remus turned to see Professor McGonagall place the hat on the student's head. There was silence for a moment, then the hat seemed to split open and the word, "Hufflepuff!" was heard throughout the hall.

The students at one of the tables began to clap as Professor McGonagall waved the relieved girl towards the cheering students. Remus looked on as the students were called one by one to the front of the hall. Sirius Black, the boy who's whole family had been sorted into Slytherin, looked a little shocked when the hat called out, "Gryffindor!". There was a murmur from the Slytherin table, none of the students there looking very happy.

"Lily Evans,' called Professor McGonagall, and the red haired girl from the train stepped up to the front, sitting on the stool. The hat had barely touched her head before it yelled, "Gryffindor!"

Lily looked surprised, her eyes searching the group of first years. Her smile looked a bit wobbly as she moved to the Gryffindor table, sitting as far away from Sirius as possible.

Krystal turned to look at Severus when Lily was sorted into Gryffindor. He was frowning, watching her as she walked to her seat. "Maybe you'll get into Gryffindor too, Sev,' Krystal said, knowing the boy had a bit of a crush on Lily.

He looked at her and shrugged. "Maybe you'll get into Slytherin,' he responded.

They had become friends through Lily, and got along alright, but she knew if he had a choice, he would prefer to be in the same house as Lily. She gave him a small smile and nodded, turning back to the sorting when she heard Remus Lupin get called.

Remus' turn came up quickly, and he felt a little thrill of nervousness as he sat on the stool. The hat slipped over his eyes, and he jumped when he heard a voice inside his head.

"Hmmm! Difficult, difficult. There's intelligence here, you'd do well in Ravenclaw, but, there's a shadow; a darkness as well - perhaps Slytherin?"

Remus remembered what James had thought of Slytherin and thought "No!" desperately.

The hat chuckled. "Not keen on Slytherin, hey? No. On second thoughts, I don't think it would really suit you. A kind nature, gentle, determined to see the best in people. Hufflepuff, perhaps? No, I don't think so. I see courage and strength. You're capable of great love, and great loyalty, but there's something else - insecurity, a longing to be accepted. Yes, I know where I'll put you. Gryffindor!"

The last word was yelled out, and the students at the Gryffindor table cheered as Remus joined them. Lily smiled at him and Sirius slid up next to him, clapping him on the shoulder. Two more students were sorted before Lily's friend, Krystal stepped up to the stool. Both Lily and Remus sat up straighter as Professor McGonagall put the hat on Krystal's head.

Krystal felt the hat slip over her eyes and nose. A voice sounded in her head, but she didn't jump in fright as the other's had. She was quite used to hearing voices in her head.

"Well, well! Lots of talent here - you have been blessed with some extraordinary gifts, my girl. But you need to take care that they don't overwhelm you. You could do a lot of good things, or a lot of terrible things, with your power."

She frowned. 'This hat doesn't know what it's talking about,' she decided.

The voice chuckled. "You're intelligent, but Ravenclaw won't suit you - you are too straightforward; too energetic. You are independent, opinionated and you dislike change - not an easy going Hufflepuff then. I can see a temper, and a shadow lurking; a darkness - Slytherin would enable you to utilise your gifts, but would also allow your shadows to thrive. Let's see: passion, courage and loyalty - there's only really one choice. Gryffindor!"

Lily jumped up and clapped as the hat finally yelled out "Gryffindor" and Krystal slid off the stool, smiling sympathetically at Severus as she walked to the table. She grinned as an excited Lily hugged her. Remus was clapping as well, and smiled at Krystal as she sat down next to Lily, across from he and Sirius. Krystal smiled back at him, then turned to Sirius, who greeted her and introduced himself.

Soon James and Peter joined them at the table. Lily turned her face away as James grinned at her, but Krystal took his hand and shook it, smiling at him. Peter flushed and shyly waved at her as she introduced herself. Lily and Krystal turned back to the front of the hall as Severus Snape was called. They waited as the Sorting Hat was put on his head and after several seconds called out, "Slytherin!"

Lily and Krystal looked at each other. Lily frowned, and Krystal turned back to look at Severus, who was walking towards the Slytherin table, glancing over to where Lily and Krystal sat. Krystal looked at him with concerned eyes, and Lily gave him a small smile. He turned away, and sat down with his back to them.

The noise of a clearing throat reverberated through the Hall and all heads turned to the teacher's table. The Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore had risen to speak. He gave a short speech, welcoming them and reminding them to keep away from the Forbidden Forest. He also mentioned that a new tree had been planted in the grounds, a rare breed called a Whomping Willow, and asked that everyone stay away from it as it would beat anyone that went near it.

Remus looked down at the table and felt his face flush as the Headmaster talked about the tree. He knew why such a dangerous tree had been planted in the grounds, and he felt guilty that so much trouble had been gone to for him and his special needs. Frowning slightly, he looked up and into a pair of bright blue eyes that were staring at him curiously, like they knew what he was thinking. Remus stared at Krystal for a moment, before they were both distracted when the food appeared out of nowhere on the table in front of them.

Krystal reached for a chicken leg, and stabbed a potato to put onto her plate. She was hungry, and quickly ate her meal. She noticed Remus looking over at her a couple of times, and wondered about the scrawny looking boy. She felt guilty about hearing his thoughts earlier, but was curious about why he thought the Willow had been planted for him. She frowned and berated herself for invading his privacy.

The Sorting Hat had mentioned her gifts: one of which was the ability to read minds. This in itself wasn't an unusual gift in the wizarding world, but it had to be taught, and was a difficult skill to master. Krystal heard other people all the time - their thoughts just coming into her mind as if they were her own. She had thought she had an imaginary friend until her parents had realised she could do this when she was two years old, and she had been taught how to block others out; to respect their right to keep their thoughts to themselves. In the excitement of the day, her mind block kept slipping. She smiled to herself as she glanced up at Remus. She'd heard his thoughts twice today. The first time was on the train when she'd heard him think that she was pretty. Her face flushed as dinner disappeared and dessert popped up in it's place.

Remus saw Krystal look up at him and wondered why she was blushing. He reached for the chocolate cake, his hand bumping into hers. She laughed, and said, "Sorry, you go first." He smiled back.

"Thanks,' he said, cutting a piece quickly and handing her the knife.

As she cut her slice, she asked, "Are you happy you got into Gryffindor?" He looked up from his cake and nodded, quickly swallowing his mouthful of food.

"Yeah, I guess,' he said, frowning a bit. "The sorting hat took a while to decide. Did you hear it talking to you?" He hoped she'd say she did - otherwise she would think he was crazy.

"Yep! It took ages to decide with me, too. I guess it wants to be sure it puts us in the right house,' she said, before taking a big bite of her cake. "Chocolate cake is my favourite,' she said, licking the frosting off her fingers.

He grinned at her, "Mine too!"

By the end of dessert, any awkwardness they had felt at first had disappeared and they were talking as if they'd known each other for years. As the prefects walked them out of the hall to take them to their common room, they fell in alongside each other, Krystal reintroducing Remus to Lily. The three of them followed the Gryffindor students up the stairs, Krystal heard a voice calling her.

"Miss O'Connor, could I have a word please?" Krystal turned to see the Headmaster standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, Professor,' she said, knowing what he wanted. She turned to the others. Remus and Lily had stopped when she had, but James, Peter and Sirius were also watching. "See you later,' she said, walking back down the steps to join the Headmaster.

The others continued up the stairs, jogging to catch up with the other students. Krystal looked up at the tall thin man standing in front of her.

"Come,' he said, putting his hand on her shoulder and leading her back into the Great Hall. The tables were clear now. He sat down at the Gryffindor table and indicated that she should sit opposite him.

"How are you enjoying your first night at Hogwarts, Krystal?' he asked, smiling down at the young girl.

"It's been fun so far, Sir. I can't wait for lessons to start tomorrow,' she responded with a grin. He also smiled.

"You don't need to call me Sir when we are alone, Krystal. Albus is fine." He looked into her bright blue eyes - the exact same shade of blue as his.

"Thanks. It does feel really strange calling you sir or professor,' she admitted, as she looked up at her cousin.

"As long as you remember around the other students,' he said. "Hot chocolate?" He waved his wand and two steaming mugs appeared. She picked one up and sipped it, the smooth, hot liquid flowing down her throat.

"Have you had any trouble with your mind blocks? I know that they can be hard to keep up when you're excited or distracted,' he said, sipping his own drink, looking at her from over the top of his glasses. Albus had taught her how to block other's thoughts from her mind, and had always impressed upon her the importance of respecting other's rights to privacy.

"A little,' she admitted. "But I think I'll get used to it.' She took another, larger swallow of her drink, wondering if she should ask him about whether the Willow was really planted for Remus.

'No,' she decided. 'I wasn't supposed to have heard his thoughts.'

Professor Dumbledore watched her carefully. "And you have your wand?' he asked, putting his drink down.

She reached into her robes and pulled out a brand new wand. "Eleven inches, willow and phoenix feather,' she said, handing it to him.

He smiled as he ran it through his fingers. "Phoenix feather,' he murmured, smiling a little. 'A fire symbol. Appropriate.' He handed it back. "And you've been practicing with it? So it feels a bit more natural?"

She nodded, frowning as she held it in her hand. "It doesn't feel right,' she said. Looking up, she saw the question on his face. "I mean, it's a good wand. Mr Ollivander said it was the best he could give me, it's just that…..well, I'm not as good with it as I am without it."

Dumbledore smiled. "I know, but you need to use it while you are here. It will not hurt to learn how to use it properly, you may rely on it one day."

She stared at her wand. "But I don't need it,' she began, but he interrupted her.

"No, you don't need the wand to produce magic, but you should use it, at least at Hogwarts. Krystal, you have been given an incredible gift. Wandless magic is something many very talented, skilled wizards never manage, but there are those who would be…… jealous of your talent. I have already told you that I think it best you keep your skills a secret - for now at least.' He saw the frustration in her eyes. 'You promised me, young lady."

He looked at her, his stern voice softened by the smile on his face.

'Yeah, yeah. I know,' she said crankily.

They spoke for several more minutes about her classes, and then he stood, Krystal copying him, stowing her wand back in her pocket.

"Well, I think you should be getting some rest now. I'll walk you to Gryffindor Tower and give you the password. Otherwise you'll be sleeping in the corridor."

She grinned, and slipped her hand in his, chattering non stop until they reached the portrait hole.

'Pumpkin juice,' he said, and the painting swung forward. 'The girls' rooms are up that staircase,' he said, gesturing to the left. 'Those lead to the boys' rooms. Get a good nights' sleep, my love,' he said, and kissed her on the top of her head. 'Remember, no wandless magic, and keep that mind block up.'

She nodded and watched him leave before walking up the stone stairs to find her room.