Then There Were Five

Chapter 1

Second-year Remus Lupin was alone. Sure, he was surrounded by his Slytherin housemates, but it was obvious to him as he stared around the Great Hall that he was alone. At the Hufflepuff table he could see the students whispering quietly together. At the Ravenclaw table he could see his older sister chattering away with a group of friends. At the Gryffindor table, he could see the four popular Marauders, James Potter, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, and Peter Pettigrew, with their heads bent together talking quietly. Remus winced inwardly at this last observation. No doubt the Marauders were plotting something nasty, most likely using the Slytherins as their main targets.

Remus turned his head as the doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall led the first years inside to be Sorted. Remus sighed. Even the firsties weren't alone. They at least had each other to huddle with until they were Sorted, and after that they would have their housemates to lean on. Remus, however, had the misfortune of being a shy half-blood whose blood status was discovered within a few days of being Sorted into Slytherin. After that, his life at Hogwarts was a living hell.

Remus glanced tentatively down the table at his fellow Slytherins. There were two obviously empty spaces on either side of him. No one was paying any attention to him. Remus wondered if anyone would notice if he suddenly disappeared from sight. Probably not, he decided. This would be a difficult year. Last year some of the Slytherins were getting curious about his occasional disappearances. Likely this year they would change from curious to suspicious. From there- that was a chilling thought. If they treated him like this just because he was a half-blood, imagine how they would react if they found out he was a werewolf. Especially Lucius Malfoy.

"Lupin, I'm talking to you!"

Speaking of the devil, Lucius looked annoyed.

"You were saying something Malfoy?" Remus asked tentatively.

"I said, I hope you got plenty of sleep on the train, because you won't be getting much tonight," Lucius drawled.

Remus repressed a shudder at the hidden meaning behind Malfoy's words. He stared carefully at the Sorting Hat as the first student walked up to it.

"Did you hear me?" a voice breathed into his ear.

Remus jumped as he realized Malfoy had walked around the table to sit beside him without Remus noticing. The werewolf's heart started to pound. "I heard you," he whispered. Loud and clear, he thought. Perhaps it would be wise to catch some sleep now, while he had a chance...

"Finally!" Sirius Black sighed when the last of the first years took their seat.

Severus Snape smirked. "And wherein lies your relief?" he asked. "In the fact that it is now time to eat, or that we are now free to perform our little show?"

"I want to eat, of course," Sirius declared, though his eyes drifted wickedly toward the Slytherin table.

"Are you guys ready?" James Potter whispered. Peter Pettigrew squirmed in his seat in anticipation.

"I suppose it is too much to ask if we could at least wait until after dinner?" Severus asked. The other boys gave him incredulous looks. Severus sighed and pulled out his wand under the table.

"On three," Sirius whispered as the others followed Severus's example. "One... two..."

But before Sirius could say three, Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"I know you are all eager to begin eating, but I am afraid the Sorting may not be over yet," the Headmaster declared.

The students murmurred in confusion and craned their heads to see who hadn't been Sorted yet.

"What's he mean by 'it may not' be over?" Sirius demanded. "Either it's over or it's not."

"Before term began last year," Dumbledore continued, "there was an incident in my office involving fireworks, Dungbombs, and an exploding cauldron. Our beloved Hat appeared unscathed from that incident, but I am informed it was not. As a result, certain students were placed in the wrong Houses during last year's Sorting. The Hat has given me the names of those students. When Professor McGonagall calls your name, please take the place of this year's first-years."

A babble of voices rose in response at this information while Dumbledore passed a scroll to Professor McGonagall, who looked utterly confused.

"What if my name's on that list?" Peter squeaked in panic. "I bet I was meant to be a Hufflepuff!"

"Imagine a Gryffindor who was really a Slytherin! The shame!" Sirius said dramatically.

"Or a Slytherin who wasn't supposed to be a Slytherin! The torture!" James added.

"A Ravenclaw who should have been in Hufflepuff," Severus smirked.

"What if one of us is on that list?" asked Peter.

"We'll still be friends," James declared. "Don't short-circuit your brain worrying about that, Pete."

"Even if said person ends up in Slytherin?" Severus asked uncertainly.

There was a brief pause as the four Marauders considered this possibility. "None of us was meant to be in Slytherin," Sirius stated. "We would have known it by now."

"Quiet, please," Dumbledore said. He smiled. "There is no need to look so worried. The list is quite short, only five names."

The students quieted down, and Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Will the following students please step forward? Bulstrode, Violetta."

A heavyset girl stood up from the Ravenclaw table and made her way to the front.

"Diggory, Amos!"

A boy from the Hufflepuff table joined Violetta Bulstrode.

"Lovegood, Xenophilius!" Another student at the Ravenclaw table stood up.

"Lupin, Remus!" Everyone waited, but there was no response. "Lupin, Remus!" Professor McGonagall repeated as she looked up from the list and frowned at the Slytherin table. Still no response, though all the Slytherins were smirking at a small boy who appeared to be asleep. One large Slytherin lifted the sleeping boy out of his seat by the collar of his shirt and deposited him on the floor roughly, bringing a startled yelp from the boy.

"Detention, Mr. Mulciber," Said Professor McGonagall. "Mr. Lupin, please come forward."

Remus stumbled to his feet in confusion, blinking sleepily.

"Snape, Severus!"

Severus froze in shock. "It'll be fine," James whispered, giving Severus a slight nudge.

"No matter what happens, you're still a Marauder," Sirius assured him.

Severus stood up. "Even if I'm sent to Slytherin?" he asked.

"You aren't Slytherin material," Sirius declared. "I would know, after all, I'm related to half of them."

After a careful glance at the other Marauders, Severus joined the other four students.

Dumbledore addressed the five students directly. "It appears the Sorting Hat made a mistake in your placement last year," he said. "However, I realize that you may wish to remain in the House you were placed in, as you have likely already made friends there. Whether you stay in your current House or join the House you would have been placed in is entirely your choice. Be warned, this choice can only be made once. If you wish to stay in your current House, you may return to your seats."

Severus wasted no time in racing to the spot between Sirius and James where he had been sitting.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Sirius said brightly. Severus shot him a weak smile and glanced at the front of the room, where two students were still standing.

"Are you positive you wish to change Houses?" asked Professor McGonagall. The two students nodded. "Very well, Miss Bulstrode, sit down and try on the hat."

The girl sat down on the stool and it took but a second for the hat to call out, "Slytherin!"

"Imagine that!" Sirius hissed. "A Slytherin, sullying Ravenclaw's good name! Thank Merlin she wasn't in Gryffindor."

"Hush, I want to know where the Slytherin goes," James said.

"Ex-Slytherin," Severus corrected.

"Don't blame the fellow for wanting to get out of the serpents lair," Sirius commented. "Five Galleons says he goes to Hufflepuff. He can't possibly be anything else."

"Don't be ridiculous," James argued. "He spends an unhealthy amount of time in the library so five Galleons says he goes to Ravenclaw."

"You two disgust me!" red-headed Lily Evan hissed. "Everything is a game to you!"

James nudged Sirius. "Do you see the looks the snakes are giving him?"

Sirius glanced over and indeed the Slytherins were giving Lupin looks of pure disgust. Remus gave the Slytherins a bright smile and a little salute.

"A Gryffindor for sure," Severus said as the Slytherins hissed in anger.

"How much you betting?" asked Sirius.

With a glance at Lily's glowering face, Severus said quickly, "Nothing, of course."

"Mr. Lupin, have a seat," Professor McGonagall commanded.

Remus sat down on the stool, feeling a sense of déjà vu.He lifted the Sorting Hat and dropped it over his head. "Hello, again, lad," the hat whispered in his ear. "Didn't do so well in Slytherin, did you?" Remus shuddered as an unwanted image of Malfoy's sneering face rose in his mind. "None of that, now," the Hat chided. "It took a lot of nerve going through a whole year in Slytherin, knowing what would happen if they found out either of your secrets. I would have placed you in Ravenclaw with your brains, but I see now you are better suited for GRYFFINDOR!"