Chapter 2: Snakes and Lions

Authors Note: This is an AU fic I suppose. New characters in a cannon setting. Disclaimer: The characters belong to HP's world and his creator, JKR.

The characters: Ben S. Cecile S. Laura AS. Belong to Sketchywolf.

Claimer: Rainbow Kellett.

As the ceremony concluded Ben watched Cecile and Ginny sent to Gryffindor and Rain was sitting nervously at the Hufflepuff table. As "Lovegood, Luna" became the last to be sorted skipping her way to the Ravenclaw table all the students turned to face the back of the hall.

'Good Evening everyone!'

'Good Evening Professor' chorused the students. Ben thought the wizard at the top table looked rich. His robes were magenta and the gold trim shone underneath the candlelight. A long white beard was tucked round a thick belt around his middle.

'The summer has not been a kind one, our former Defence Against the Arts Professor, Mr Quirrell has been removed from his position following a nasty incident with a Devils Snare.'

A blonde haired boy with a thin nose and pale lips curled his mouth into a smirk which quickly fell from his face when the new DADA teacher was announced.

'Please welcome Professor Lockhart to Hogwarts our new Defence teacher.'

There was a muted applause at the Hufflepuff table, but raucous cheers from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor and Lockhart lavished the attention standing up bowing and waving like a member of the Royal Procession. He winked and grinned as the catcalling calmed down Professor Dumbledore gave him a small smile and pointed look before Professor McGonagall tugged fiercely on his robes forcing him back to his seat.

'There is only one thing to remind you off this year.' Professor Dumbledore bowed his head. 'The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. Including you Mr and Mr Weasley' he said his eyes glinting mischievously towards the Gryffindor table. 'The journey was long for all of you, and I will hold you no longer. Feast! Apprecium Turoe!'

The gold plate in front of Ben filled with chicken, potatoes, Yorkshires and vegetables. Large bowls of soup and gravy lined the table, surrounded by high towering cakes painted delicious multicolours. Ben was starving. He had never seen so much food in all his life, painfully he began to think of Remus and wondered if his godfather was eating tonight.

The girl next to him who had been sorted just before Ben had had moved over to create a space for Ben to sit. She introduced herself as Maia. Just Maia.

'My mum lives in Hogsmeade.' Maia said peering at Ben's plate of food curiously as it refilled itself twice. 'Dad works away… a lot. He plays in a band, I'm a famous jazz kid.'

'A Jazz kid? What is that?'

'You've never heard of JAZZ?' Maia dropped her mouth wide open gaping at Ben.

'I know what jazz is, but why are you a Jazz Kid?' retorted Ben shovelling his third leg of chicken into his mouth. Maia relaxed. She poured herself a large helping of gravy over her dinner.

'Dad took me to all the gigs he did, its only now I'm here that I can't go on tour with him. '

'Are you a muggleborn?' Maia asked him. Ben stiffened.

'Why does everyone ask me that.'

'I'm not. I'm a pureblood. But who cares, right?' said Maia smiling brightly at him.

'Because it determines how good you are at magic.' The blonde hair boy sneered at Maia and Ben, he wore a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. His high cheekbones and pale skin reminded Ben of the vampires from Cecile's book. 'If you're a pureblood you should you watch what you say to people like him.' His eyes lingered directly over Ben.

'How do you know I'm not a pureblood.'

'If you were I'd know who you are.' Replied the pale boy. 'Draco Malfoy. You've probably heard of me. And you are?'

'Ben Scamander. And I have never heard of you.'

\/\/\/\/\/\/\

'Hufflepuffs follow me.'

'Slytherins- No don't follow him!' said the tall boy grabbing the robes of a Slytherin girl with a narrow nose and thick caramel coloured hair. 'This way.' He scolded her but the look of indifference on her face told Ben she really didn't care if he told her off. The students followed the tall boy down a long staircase until they reached the end of a broad corridor lined with paintings of fire breathing dragons and several depictions of goblins rising up against their wizard counterparts.

'Ben- where is the door?' Maia said curiously as they watched their guide point his wand at the wall. Suddenly the wall vanished and the students filed in down a further set of stone steps.

'This will be your home. No talking! I am Robin Huxley, your Prefect. If you have problems you see me or Eugenia,' said Robin indicating to the purple haired witch stood next to him. 'First years your dorms are that way- boys to the right and girls to the left.'

'Oh Ben look!' whispered Maia pointing at the lavish furnishings, the fire had burst into life and the room was throwing warmth out into the room. Ben thought about Remus and when he had settled into the dorm room he was going to write a very lengthy letter. He wondered if Remus would be bothered about him being sorted into Slytherin. The way his history books described Slytherin house had not been complimentary. Cecile had been sorted into Gryffindor the second the hat touched her head and ran off excitedly to join Ginny.

Despite what his books told him Ben wanted to discover for himself what his house meant to him. And the narrow minded opinions of one boy were not going to define him.

\/\/\/\/\/\

'Professor Snape is sick.'

Maia withdrew her hand immediately. This was there second week but their first potions lesson and Ben could already feel his eyes drooping. Sleeping comfortably for the first time in months had disturbed his sleep and he was nearly late on his first day had it not been for Maia shouting up the staircase. He was the only boy in his dormitory. All his fellow Slytherins in his year were girls and he had the dormitory to himself or so he had thought. A grumpy looking boy with mousey brown hair and an overgrown coat had turned up late in the middle of the night. Ben slept with one eye open and saw the small boy heave a heavy trunk onto the bed and he made one hell of a racket but Ben didn't say anything.

And in the morning his new companion had already left and he was woken by Maia screaming his name.

'I am Professor Magee and today we are going to be learning how to brew a potion and to recognise when things go wrong.'

Her thick Irish accent was hard to understand but Ben saw Cecile trying to hang of every word Professor Magee was saying. There was a steady river of steam rising from the cauldron that was sat stewing above a purple lit flame. The contents were a bright, shiny blue and smelt strongly of pickled onions. Cecile said she wanted to know how to ward off vampires with a potion she could comb through her hair. Remus had told Ben that garlic was a wholly made up premise designed by a wizard who had been turned into a vampire who happened to love garlic.

'Mine won't go wrong.' Cecile beamed.

'Miss Sherwood speak up.'

'I won't do it wrong Professor.' Cecile responded.

'You have to learn what is wrong because.' Magee floated around the room like a fairy, her long purple cardigan nearly snagging on the corners of the desks a she patrolled the classroom. 'How will you ever learn what is right.'

The lesson ended with many frustrated students staring angrily at the boiling pots. Maia had successfully turned her potion from bright blue to clear and sat waiting for the rest of the class to catch up. Cecile had been overly confident at the start of the lesson but glowering at Maia's cauldron she turned her attention back to her creamy white coloured concoction.

'How did she do that.' Cecile hissed at Ben.

'If you want to ask me a question don't ask Ben.' Maia grinned. She peered into her own cauldron before looking into Ceciles pot. 'Beginners luck I think.'

'I bet you cheated somehow.' Said Cecile profoundly. 'Slytherins always cheat.'

'How?' challenged Ben perturbed at Cecile's accusatory tone. 'How did she cheat?'

'She must've done. I know how to brew a potion!'

'It doesn't mean you can't do it you know, just because Maia did it-'

Cecile shook her head.

'But I can do it.' Cecile pouted.

'Yeah and so can I.' Maia pointed out. She threw her dark green jacket over her school robes and lifted her satchel above her head. 'Come on Ben, I need to go to the library.'

'We have to get to transfiguration! You won't have time!'

'Who cares about time, it ties you down unnecessarily. Come on. You aren't going to burn up if you do something that isn't on your timetable, Sherwood.' Maia retorted

'I am never going to say no to a library visit.' He grinned at Maia. 'And if it shaves five minutes of Transfiguration I am not going to argue.'

'Sherwood?'

The bell signalled the end of lesson and the flames beneath the cauldrons all extinguished, Magee instructed them on their homework and they left the dungeon. Cecile fidgeted with her pigtails looking apprehensively at Ben for advice.

'If we get detention I'm blaming you two!'

\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Remus rolled the newspaper firmly under his arm and walked away from the bar returning up the stairs to his room above the Hogs Head pub. His breakfast had consisted of a single black coffee and dark chocolate biscuit. Catching a glimpse of his reflection he pulled at the skin, he looked like a slice of dry bread with too little butter spread across its rough surface. The dark circles pinned beneath his green eyes showed no sign of fading and his sandy coloured hair was becoming increasingly flecked with spots of grey.

Reaching his room an grey fluffy owl was tapping impatiently on the window.

'Why am I not surprised by your presence Erin.' The owl flew once around the room before perching on Remus' bed and in a flash of blue smoke where the owl once sat a short curvaceous witch now sat. Her neatly curled hair and immaculately painted face and wide eyes still reminded Remus of her Animagus form, her nails were long and painted thickest darkest black, her lipstick bright red and her long eyelashes swept the curve of her rosy coloured cheeks.

'Am I not permitted to check on the one remaining Marauder still alive-'

'You know I am not the only Marauder still alive Erin.' Remus chastised her.

'You are the only one I care about.' Erin said curtly crossing her legs. Her high thigh sided leather mini skirt crawling up her leg, she pulle dout a long filtered cigarette. 'See what you like, Wolfy?'

'I believe the phrase is "like what you see" Erin'

'Whatever' she said coolly blowing a puff of smoke from the end of her cigarette. 'How is the little puppy settling in?'

'He was sorted into Slytherin Erin.'

'Shit. No fucking way. Oh my god if he ever gets out-'

'Which he won't' interjected Remus sharply.

'I'm not here to argue about that today Remus' Erin sighed. 'Slytherin eh, Well old Walburga would be proud.'

'I have great contempt for Sirius is true, but for Walburga I reserve even more.'

'Our little Benji bear a snake. This is going to be very interesting, why aren't you at Hogwarts Remus?'

'Dumbledore said he found someone else for the job' Remus shrugged.

'Owl shit Remus John Lupin. I know you turned it down. Again.'

Remus sneezed. He closed the window.

'At least I'm close this time' he coughed.

'You aren't well love.'

'I'm fine.' Remus growled wiping his nose on a dirty handkerchief. Erin tutted loudly vanishing her cigarette she crossed the room removing the dirty rag from his hand and pointing her wand at it.

'Scourgify' handing it back to him she said. 'You never were good at taking care of yourself Remus, I don't know how you managed to raise the boy on your own.'

'I wasn't entirely alone was I? You popped in from time to time.'

'Remus it was you who raised him after Laura died. A lot might have thought you incapable but there were a few of us who knew you had it in you.'

'Erin I hardly think I did a good job.'

Scowling at his own reflection when he closed the cupboard door he poured out two glasses of water. Erin scoffed at it, cocking an eyebrow at him she muttered a quick but complicated charm. The liquid turned amber and Remus smiled appreciatively at the witch who had been in his life longer than he cared to remember.

'Remus. If it weren't for you the boy would've died- death eaters were still rallying after Sirius was sent to Azkaban- it took them months to catch Lestrange. Without you the boy could've been given to his actual family. Remus Lupin you are his real family. You are the family Sirius chose for himself.'

He wasn't going to argue with her because he didn't have the strength to do it. He drank deeply from the imitation Firewhisky. Erin drank too and smacking her lips together she said.

'Enough of that. I need a proper drink. Coming down Remus?'

\/\/\/\/\/\

Authors Note: Please leave a review. Thank you.

Disclaimer: HP doesn't belong to me. Thanks to JKR for creating them and letting us borrow them.

Claimer: Skywolf you own Ben and Cecile. I won Rainbow Kellett and Maia.