Together Forever

Chapter 2: The Werewolf

I'm back. Already! This has not taken me long at all, 'cause it's only an intro. I've started planning the actual story, though I think you can grasp most of it from the title. By the way, I would read The Blue Unicorn before you read this, as this is the sequel. Oh yeah, and nothing belongs to me except Blackbury, the observatory, Katie, referring to Snape as a genetically-modified rat-type creature, and anything else you don't recognise as JKR's. Also, special thanks to Topaz, who is currently the only person to have reviewed all of Blue Unicorn. Read and, er, review.

The old observatory in Blackbury was not what the five hundred or so inhabitants of the village would call 'normal'. The people living there were considered very strange, and were hardly ever seen. The postal service had long ago given up on the house; theoretically, it had no communication with the outside world.

The observatory itself was a large, run-down building. It had once been an important station for planetary research, but its telescope had been removed long ago, and it had been converted into a house. A large garden surrounded the building, running all the way around it. The walls around the building were high, and covered in moss, so the grounds were invisible from the outside. Many young boys of the village had attempted to climb this wall, but it seemed that whenever they reached the top they had a sudden psychological urge to return to the ground.

Therefore, all of the citizens of Blackbury had dubbed the house 'creepy', and people were more than willing to avoid it. There were some rumours that it was haunted, but owners of the house had definitely been spotted, albeit from a distance.

Though these people were considered strange, the worst anyone thought was that they were a family of transients, or possibly gypsies. Neither of these came close to the truth. The family living at the observatory were the Potters – Stuart Potter, his wife Susan, and their son, James. It was true that the Potters were not a 'normal' family. There was a simple reason why they kept themselves hidden from the outside world. The Potters were, quite simply, wizards.

James Potter was now a twelve-year old wizard, fresh from his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A year ago, James had received a letter from Hogwarts informing him that he had a place there. He had spent the past year, along with his best friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew – at Hogwarts, and was happily anticipating his return.

However, their last year hadn't been all fun. The four friends had managed to get themselves caught up in an exploit that had been going on for nearly thirty years, and they hadn't managed to prevent the tragic death of one person, and the escape of the murderer. That, in James' mind, was a long time ago, and he had done his best to eradicate it from his memory – it had certainly been a terrible experience.

It was lucky that on the sunny Tuesday afternoon when our story starts, none of the villagers had succumbed to the temptation of climbing the walls surrounding the observatory, because an incredible sight would have met their eyes. Four young boys, hardly even teenagers, playing hide and seek – nothing amazing about that, except that one boy was flying, on the back of a broomstick, whilst looking for his friends.

These four boys – James, Sirius, Remus and Peter – were indeed lucky that no one was spying on them. James' three friends were visiting his house for the last two weeks of the holidays. At present, James was gliding on the back of his dad's old broomstick – a Lightspeed 1 – searching for Sirius amongst the bushes. Remus and Peter, having already been tracked down, were talking animatedly on the lawn in front of the house. Within a few minutes, James and Sirius had joined them, both laughing.

'You bloody cheat!' said Sirius laughing. 'Since when are you allowed to use a broom?'

'Since I went and got it out and started using it,' said James, grinning. 'Why?' he added innocently.

'Cheat,' Sirius muttered. 'No good, dirty, rotten…'

'Sirius darling, you flatter me,' said James sarcastically. He laughed, and looked round at his three friends. Sirius, a few inches taller than last year, had jet-black hair and glittering brown eyes. He also usually had a large grin plastered across his face. Remus was quite a bit taller than Sirius, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Remus always seemed to carry a somewhat apprehensive look, as though something was constantly bothering him (a/n No comment). Peter was the smallest of the group, with small, watery grey eyes and lightly coloured hair. Peter was a very cheerful person, and a smile usually adorned his face. James himself was just a few inches smaller than Remus, with messy black hair and glasses covering a pair of bright blue eyes. James was a very laid back person, which came in handy for restraining Sirius, though he could be serious when the need arose.

The four friends had had an enjoyable holiday. They had spent the first two weeks of it at Sirius' house, and the next two at Peter's. James had celebrated his twelfth birthday at Sirius' – July 15^th. Remus' house was too small to accommodate all four of them. There was only a week left before their return to Hogwarts, and they had arranged to go up to Diagon Alley together a few nights before their departure to get their things and to return to their respective homes. Unfortunately, Remus had to return home a week early to visit his mother who was still ill. At the start of the holidays he had arrived at Sirius' a week late for the same reason. He was due to leave the next morning.

The four of them whiled away the afternoon by helping Remus pack, and talking spiritedly about their imminent return to Hogwarts.

'Ooh,' said Sirius. 'Can't wait to see rat boy again, can you Jamesy?'

'Course not. Poor Snapey, I wonder if he misses us?'

'What, if he misses our torturous ways?' asked Remus, grinning.

'Precisely,' said James and Sirius in unison.

'Torturous ways?' said Peter, laughing. 'I think you need to use a dictionary more often, Remus.' Remus shrugged.

'I wonder what our new teachers will be like,' said Sirius suddenly.

'As long as they're not long lost brothers who want to kill each other, I'm happy,' said James. Remus and Peter nodded – they certainly didn't want a repeat of last year's incident.

'Hopefully one of them will be some deranged psychopath who has a deep enmity towards Slytherins,' said Sirius hopefully.

'Yeah, he could help us torture Snape,' agreed Peter enthusiastically.

'Should be interesting,' said James. 'Who knows? We may have another little adventure.'(a/n I like this dramatic irony stuff).

Presently, Remus had packed his trunk. After dinner, the four boys enjoyed a furious game of exploding snap before going to bed. James was sharing his room with Remus, and Sirius and Peter were sharing the spare room along the corridor. James helped Remus to get his trunk to the door (it was remarkably heavy) so that it was accessible next morning.

'Remus,' James asked, after they had got into bed. 'You know your mother's ill?'

'Mmm,' came Remus' reply.

'What's wrong with her?'

'Bad memory loss. I think Muggles call it "Alzheimer's" or something.

'Oh,' said James. 'Fair enough. Does she remember you, then?'

'Yep. That's why I visit her once a month. She recognises me more than my dad. He got special permission from Dumbledore for me to have one day off a month.'

'Fair enough. You do know we're sorry about it Remus. Anything we can do,' said James, clapping him lightly on the back.

'Thanks James,' said Remus, smiling.

Remus' departure the next morning stimulated a flurry of activity at the observatory. He had to leave fairly early, so it was a good thing that he had packed the previous night. Remus' parents, being as they were slightly poor, lived in an ordinary Muggle house in London. James lived further north than this. Therefore, it was difficult for Remus to travel by Floo powder directly to his house. He had arranged with his parents to travel to King's Cross – the station was linked to the Floo network because of platform nine and three-quarters – and his parents would pick him up from there. Though it was probably not necessary for the boys to wake up at eight – Remus was leaving at nine – they still did, so that they could spend a bit of time after breakfast having a few last games of exploding snap.

Shortly, it was time for Remus to leave. James and Peter managed to help him haul his trunk down the stairs (with Sirius directing them) and into the living room to where the fireplace was. Just before he left, Remus turned to them all.

'Thanks for having me, Mrs. Potter,' he said, before turning to James' dad. 'Thanks, Mr. Potter.'

'Oh, it was nothing, dear,' said James' mother amiably.

'Have a good year at Hogwarts, Remus,' said James' father. 'Don't let these two,' he motioned at James and Sirius, 'corrupt you too much.' The four boys laughed.

'Seeya Pete,' he laughed.

'Later.'

'You too, "Siri"'

'Oh, Remus,' said Sirius, in a falsely high voice. 'You know goodbyes like this make me miserable.' He started pretending to cry. James, Peter and Remus all tapped their heads.

'Bye James. Thanks.'

'No problem. Seeya next week.' Remus took a handful of Floo powder, and, through Sirius' fake tears, managed to shout goodbye.

'Ciao,' yelled Sirius, just as Remus disappeared.

For the rest of the day, James, Peter and Sirius went up to a small grassy knoll near their house to practice flying. James was still something of a natural, and even Sirius and Peter were improving. It was lucky that the hill was far from civilisation – it was in the deserted countryside behind the observatory – as James, Sirius and Peter would have difficulty explaining to Muggles how exactly they could fly on the back of items designed for spring cleaning. When they returned, they were all very tired, so they all opted to go to bed a bit earlier.

The next morning, when the three boys came down to breakfast, James' mother gave them all identical letters, bearing the Hogwarts crest. James' read:

Dear Mr Potter,

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave platform nine and three-quarters, King's Cross, at eleven o' clock. A list of all the required schoolbooks and equipment is enclosed. As second-years are legitimate to play for their House Quidditch teams, the ownership of broomsticks is permitted.

Yours Sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Sirius and Peter's letters were identical except for the obvious fact that they were addressed to Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew respectively. James' mother and father had decided to take the three boys up to Diagon Alley on the twenty-ninth of August. This would mean that Sirius and Peter could meet up with their parents.

After a pleasant last two days with Peter and Sirius, August the twenty-ninth came. James' mother woke all of the boys quite early, and soon Sirius and Peter had packed and brought their trunks down to the living room. They were going to travel to Diagon Alley by Floo powder. James' father went first, with the two trunks. He sprinkled some of the powder into the fire and shouted 'Diagon Alley!' at the top of his voice into the glittering emerald flames. He disappeared with a small whoosh.

Sirius was next. Clearing his throat, he approached the towering flames and bellowed 'DIAGON ALLEY!' He too disappeared. Peter then approached the fire, and within a few seconds, he had gone. Then James approached it. He took a deep breath, making sure not to inhale any smoke or ash, and shouted 'Diagon Alley!' Suddenly, he was pulled into the fireplace and was hurtling along at immense speed. He threw out his hands, and suddenly came to a grinding halt, and felt solid ground beneath him. He looked up to see Sirius, grinning at him.

'You took your time,' he said, chuckling.

'Terribly sorry sir. Won't happen again,' said James, grinning.

A few minutes later, James' mother joined them, and they all turned and began walking towards the snowy white building that was Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Gringotts was where they had arranged to meet Peter and Sirius' parents, and sure enough, when they entered the large doors, they spotted the four of them talking to each other in a corner. The group walked over to them, and Peter and Sirius greeted their parents. Sirius looked especially happy to see his parents, as he hadn't seen them for almost a month.

Presently, all nine of them were standing outside Gringotts, blinking in the sunlight shining down on Diagon Alley. They had all been down to their vaults and extracted their money and were ready to go and buy their things. The three women went off chatting to go and buy robes and books for their sons, and the three men headed back in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. This meant that James, Sirius and Peter were free to wander around Diagon Alley and look at its many shops. They spent nearly ten minutes outside Quality Quidditch Supplies, ogling the Silver Arrow, and quite a long time in the joke shop, Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. They had already spotted some of their friends from Hogwarts. They had seen Frank Longbottom, buying books with his mother, and they had also seen Michelle Lewis, a Gryffindor girl. They hadn't seen Remus, though, even though they had been looking for him all day. They decided to walk back and have another look in Quality Quidditch Supplies, however, when they were walking past Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, they heard a voice.

'James! Sirius! Peter! Over here!'

They looked around to see three people sitting at one of the tables outside the parlour. It was Remus who had shouted, and he was sitting next to Lily Burns and Katie Evans, two of their fellow Gryffindors. Remus was looking slightly pale, as he always did, but very cheerful. Lily looked quite a bit different. She looked as though she had grown quite a bit over the summer, and she had grown her dark red hair. She still had the same bright green eyes. Katie had already been tall, and she looked much the same as she had last year; she still had blonde hair down to her shoulders. The three of them approached the table.

'Lily m'dear,' said Sirius, as they approached. 'You look simply stunning.' Lily laughed.

'It's a shame the same can't for you, Siri,' she said, laughing, though she also blushed slightly. Sirius noticed this and burst out laughing. James, Remus and Peter again all tapped their heads.

'Good to see you two again,' said James, as they all sat down. 'I've been with certain primitive life forms,' he motioned at Sirius, 'all summer. Had a good holiday?'

'Yeah,' said Katie, laughing. 'I went to Spain, it was great.'

'What about you, Lily?'

'Yeah, we went to France. It was good, but it would have been better without Petunia. She's become so irritating since I started going to Hogwarts.'

'Ah,' said James. 'Is this your ever-loving sister you are referring to?'

'Ever-hating more like.'

'Oh, Remus, by the way, how's your mum?'

'A little better. She was glad to see me.'

'Did your dad bring you up here?' Remus nodded.

They talked for quite a while with Remus and the girls. Before too long, however, it was time for them to leave. They all promised to meet each other on the Hogwarts Express on the first. James, Sirius and Peter made their way back to Gringotts to where they were meeting their parents.

'Where have you been?' asked James' mother when they returned.

'Talking to some friends,' said James.

After saying all their goodbyes, James and his parents headed back to the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron. James' father took out a pinch of Floo powder, and threw it into the flames. Within a few minutes, all three of the Potters had returned home.

For the sake of keeping this as a kind of intro, I think I will stop here. I have been writing a fair bit of this over Christmas, but I am back at school in two days so the flow of stories may slow down. I would extremely grateful if you could review this, even if nothing has happened yet. The next part will involve the train ride and the sorting (I'll think up a song). You really should review. Tell you what, if you review this, I'll come and review your stories (if you have any). It'll be my own fault if I get fifty reviews, but I can't see it happening. Oh, and if you don't like my story, please review anyway (though you might not get a great review back…)

Ciao.