Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything you might recognize from the books or movies. I do own Patty Doge and her storyline though.

Author's Note: This story has originally been published in German on another platform but never been finished there. It has since been translated and rewritten. Also since English is not my original language, please don't flame for possibly occuring mistakes. You are welcome to contact me so I can correct them, though.

1 – Trouble Arriving

Platform 9 3/4 was crammed with students, their luggage and pets, with teary departures from parents and confused first years. Some of the students were already patiently boarding the waiting train, others… not so… This picture would never change, Patty Doge thought as she hauled her own trunk onto the train and went to search for a free compartment. She was early – for once. At least for her own relations… Some other students who had already boarded the train were looking her way sceptically or backed away into their own compartments. Patty had to stifle a smile. She definitely had made herself a name during the last years.

Still grinning she finally got to the compartment she usually shared with her friends – a compartment the other students wisely avoided – and shoved her trunk under the seats before she took one of the window seats. Staring outside she took in the students hugging friends and family or simply staring aimlessly ahead. Six years ago she had been one of those helpless first years herself…

It had been too much. Too many people, too crowded, too loud. Patty had just said goodbye to her parents and grandparents and wound her way through the throng of students to get to the train that would take her to her home for the next months – Hogwarts.

The young girl had been excited since the letter with the Hogwarts-seal had arrived and had come close to driving her family crazy.

Now everything was a little different… Patty was actually nervous. After all she would be on her own for the first time ever and, Merlin, she was just eleven… And she knew absolutely no one on this train. Would she make it?

A loud whistle made Patty snap out of her thoughts. If she didn't hurry the train would depart without her. The girl hauled her trunk and the cage with her precious barn owl onto the train and pulled it behind her past fully occupied compartments. Great, she thought. She should have thought about that and been there earlier…

Finally, Patty got to a compartment, with just a tiny girl with fiery red hair and a boy with long black hair who seemed to be first years as well since the girl was jumping up and down anxiously while the boy just stared ahead. Patty pushed open the door and stuck her head inside. "Hey, do you mind if I join you?", she asked cheerfully and looked from one to the other.

"Not at all! Take a seat", the girl cheered while the boy didn't bother to look up.

"Great, thanks!" Patty shoved her monster of a trunk next to the girl's underneath the seats and sat down next to the redhead. "I'm Patricia Doge, but you can call me Patty", she introduced herself.

"Lily Evans. And that moody fellow over there is Severus Snape", the redhead answered giggling what earned her a dark look from the boy. "Don't mind his attitude, he is just shy", she whispered to Patty.

Patty couldn't suppress a grin too. "Are you first years as well?", she finally asked.

"Yes!", the other girl exclaimed and started fiddling with her hair again. "And isn't it unbelievable? You know… I've already read so much about Hogwarts…", she went on and on until they could see the lights of the train station approaching and within this short time Patty had found her first true friend in the little redhead called Lily Evans. And they had been best friends ever since.

Patty still had to smile whenever she thought about her first encounter with Lily but she got pulled out of her memories when that red haired, green eyed goblin stumbled into the compartment, her unruly hair in a wild twist. Right behind her a dark haired beauty with chocolate coloured eyes.

"There you are!", Lily exclaimed. "What's going on? Did you not sleep at all or why are you already here?" She pushed her trunk next to Patty's but before the blond Gryffindor could answer, the girl behind Lily interrupted.

"You are blocking the door, Evans. I'd like to join you in there", she joked and pushed Lily who fell into the seat across from Patty.

"Hey, McKinnon! Watch it! I'm not a Quaffel!", the redhead complained but raised her legs to make room so the third trunk could find it's place beneath the seats.

"You don't say!" The dark haired girl stared at her in disbelieve. "But your hair has just the same colour!"

Patty couldn't stop laughing. This game between Lily and Marlene had become something like a tradition and everyone knew they were just messing with each other. The three of them were a team, best friends, inseparable since their first year.

Before they could go on the door to their compartment was pushed open again and none other than James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew entered. Three of the four infamous Marauders of Hogwarts.

"Morning, ladies!", James greeted them and stored his trunk like the girls earlier while Remus and Peter did the same. The unofficial leader of the Marauders threw himself into the seat next to Patty while Remus took his seat next to Marlene, Peter on his other side. "Did you miss us?", the dark haired Marauder asked still grinning from ear to ear. The day they all went to Hogwarts was the only day he was social in the morning.

Patty could see the changes on her friend's faces. The usually quick-witty Marlene gazed at the boy next to her, trying to keep the colour from her cheeks a useless effort, while Lily just glared at James. The redhead was one of the most peaceful human beings Patty had ever encountered but when it came to James Potter she became a fury. Why ever… "The day I miss you, Potter, hell will freeze over", she spat.

Watch out what you promise, Patty thought now grinning too.

"Oh, Evans! You're hurting me! I thought this would be the year when you would confess your undying love for me!" James touched his chest. "Why are you so cold to me?"

"In your dreams, Potter", Lily hissed. "You can compare me to a new ice age!" Patty caught Remus' observing gaze and rolled her eyes. This year would definitely be fun…

But James got her attention back to him when he put an arm around her demonstratively. "But you love me, right, Patty?"

She turned towards him and smiled. "Sure, Prongs. We are made for each other!" Patty had not fully finished when another loud whistle sounded and the train started moving.

"Guys, where is Sirius?", Marlene asked quietly while James leaned across Patty to look out the window.

"That damn dog! He is not outside", he stated eventually and took his seat again. Leaving enough space for Patty again so she didn't get squished between James and her seat.

"You think he missed the train?", Peter asked cautiously.

"No", Lily answered and simply pointed at the door that was pushed open at that moment, revealing a seething Sirius Black. He just shoved his trunk in and stared at James.

"My seat", he growled through gritted teeth and James didn't need more input to figure out he better started moving or he would be missing body parts.

The compartment was quiet when Sirius let himself fall to the now vacant seat between Patty and James. It was a well-known secret that Sirius only insisted on his seat between his two best friends when something really bad had happened. Why he sought out James was logical. They were like Siamese twins attached at their hips since they had been in their first year. But Patty? Well… she simply was his Patty. Nobody knew the real reason since they had never been dating but over the years they had become friends as close as James and Sirius. Some even thought that there was more than friendship. The term soul mates was discretely whispered within the Hogwarts walls. Not that Patty or Sirius knew about that…

"How bad?", James asked eventually and threw a worried glance at Patty above Sirius head when the other Marauder had sunken even further into his seat.

"Your offer still up?", he asked and glanced at his best friend who knew exactly what Sirius was talking about.

"Sure, you can move in anytime."

"That's a deal, Prongs…", Sirius murmured and held his hand out to James. With this handshake they all knew that the case was closed and nobody in their compartment would nag Sirius to give away more than he was willing to. His familiar situation had always been unsteady at best and would never get better – or at least it seemed so. Considering that Patty also sunk deeper into her seat and leaned her head against Sirius' shoulder, feeling him relax slightly.

"It will be okay", she whispered only for him to hear and was surprised when he took her hand and squeezed it tight. Yes, everything would turn out to be fine…

Later, as the Sorting Hat was placing the first years into their respective houses, Patty glanced over the faces of the other students, eventually stopping on Sirius, who was sitting across from her by now. Personal crisis successfully averted – for now. Sirius Black, the one and only Black who was ever sorted into Gryffindor. This fact had started an uproar six years ago…

Patty stared at the ceiling, mouth gaping wide open while she followed an older, frightening looking witch, who had introduced herself as Professor Minerva McGonagall along with the other first years into the Great Hall. Unbelievable! It was as if she could see the stars on the night sky outside the castle! And then the four House tables seated with uncounted students, some talking to their friends, others examining the newcomers. There were candles levitating in the room and House banners on the walls and Lily's elbow in Patty's ribs…

"Ow! What are you doing?", she hissed to the redhead next to her, rubbing her acing side.

"You will have a stiff neck by tomorrow if you keep staring like that", Lily whispered back and grinned at her friend.

"You are one to talk…", Patty grumbled back as the girls and the other first years reached their destination in front of the teacher's table and a stool with a worn, ancient looking hat on it.

Patty stared again as the hat started to sing. In it's story it told about the Houses, about Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and Patty wondered not for the first time, where she would end up. Her favourite would be Gryffindor… Patty had nothing in common with the purebloods of Slytherin – with a Muggle-born witch for a mother – or the brilliant Ravenclaws, but Hufflepuff didn't seem to fit either… so there was only Gryffindor left, right? At one point of the song, the young girl frowned…

Trust your hearts,
not always your mind
and you will form friendships
one-of-a-kind…

Friendships one-of-a-kind… Patty glanced at Lily who was standing next to her. She had probably already started with that.

When the hat had finished it's song Professor McGonagall started to read the names of the new students and one after the other stepped up to her and sat down on the stool so the hat could be put on their heads to sort them into their future Houses.

"Sirius Black!"

Patty's head jerked up when she heard that name. She was in the same year as a Black? Damn… that couldn't be good… There was no family in the magical world that had a closer connection to the dark arts than the Blacks. Everybody knew their name and did everything they could to avoid them.

A low murmur went through the students at their tables and the first years, waiting to be sorted, as a boy with wild, dark locks and stony face stepped up to the Sorting Hat and sat down on the stool. Wasn't it logical to sort him into Slytherin? Where all dark witches and wizards had come from? Patty was surprised as the Sorting Hat took its time for the decision. Was she fantasizing or was the hat actually talking?

"A Black… interesting… seems to be an easy decision, right, boy?", she heard the hat whispering. "On the other hand, … no… no doubt… GRYFFINDOR!", the hat shouted and from one second to the other the Great Hall became eerily quiet. Everywhere mouths gaped open. A Black in Gryffindor? What the hell!

Even the boy seemed to be surprised and a small grin started to spread on his face as he stood and walked over to the Gryffindor table, where the other Gryffindors exchanged worried looks.

"Patricia Doge!"

While another student had successfully been sorted, Patty still couldn't believe what was happening so she didn't move right away when her name was called out. It was Lily's light shove that got her to move forward and sit down on the vacant stool to be sorted. "Elphias' little girl…", she heard the hat babbling and started to grin at the mentioning of her grandfather. So she hadn't been wrong when she thought it talked. "But where should I put you…", the hat went on. "I see ambition, pride, loyalty and courage… and a certain stubborn streak… well, young lady, then it shall be… GRYFFINDOR!"

A shout of joy escaped Patty as she made her way to the Gryffindor table but her happiness was dulled as she became aware, who was sitting across from her – none other than the infamous Sirius Black. Oh blimey…

It seemed as if he had felt her gaze on him since he looked up and stared back at her out of his storm grey eyes, what made Patty flinch slightly.

"Yeah, I'll hex you…", she heard him murmuring. That boy made her jumpy.

At that moment Lily – freshly sorted into Gryffindor too – came to Patty's rescue and sank to the seat next to her friend. "Isn't it great! We are in the same House!", she whispered excited. The redhead was already bouncing up and down again and Patty began to think the other girl had been the victim to a bouncy hex as Lily smiled at the boy across them. "Hi, I'm Lily Evans. Nice to meet you", she introduced herself Patty's mouth falling open again.

Sirius Black – THE Sirius Black – just stared at the outstretched hand for a second before he took it. "Same here", he said. "I'm Sirius. Sirius Black."

That was how it had begun – with Lily's big heart. If Patty thought back at how afraid she had been of Sirius in the beginning, she had to suppress a laugh now. They had taken the Sorting Hat's advice seriously, followed their hearts and formed unbreakable friendships.

When Sirius raised his head now his stormy eyes caught her icy blue ones. There was light and laughter behind his grey irises and the joker that Sirius had become within the shortest time with his new friends shone through. He was so different from his family. His good heart was the reason the hat had sorted him into Gryffindor; to James and Remus, to Peter, Marlene, Lily and herself, Patty. They were friends – the best friends there could be. They simply belonged together.

Both, Patty and Sirius, leaned forward across the table until their faces were barely an inch apart. "So? Party today, Padfood?", Patty asked grinning, already knowing his answer.

"On that you can bet, Pats. Did you guess anything else?", he answered with an even wider grin.

The traditional Marauder party with butterbier and every kind of sweets that was available was in full swing. It was one of those parties where only a fraction of the older Gryffindors ended up in their own bedroom and where the younger ones were shooed to their beds by their prefects at a certain point. And even considering that the parties at the start of the school year were harmless compared to those at the end, that was probably a good thing.

Sirius was busy with a leggy blonde from fifth year, Remus was on his way to find more butterbier and Peter had already left for his room – something more than untypical for the Marauders. James too was nowhere to be seen, a fact that made at least one of the girls happy. Patty, Lily and Marlene were sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, each of them a bottle butterbier in hand. They were happily chatting away as Michael Hamilton, a Gryffindor from seventh year stepped up to them.

"Lily?", he asked unsure and put his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he stepped from one foot on the other when all three girls turned towards him.

"Yes? What can I do for you, Michael?", the redhead answered, giving him a quick onceover. Tall, but not overly muscled, short, dark hair, friendly, brown eyes and a charming smile. Promising, she thought.

"I… well… I wanted to ask you…" He didn't get a chance to finish when another Gryffindor demanded their full attention.

"Hey, Evans!", James called out and leaned over the back of the sofa. "How about a dance?"

Lily just stared at him for what had to be five seconds before she just shook her head in disbelieve. "No!", she answered definite and turned back towards Michael who had somehow gotten green around his nose while not letting James out of his eye. "You were going to say?", she tried to encourage him, her brightest smile on her face. But Michael only shrank back under James' murderous stare that would have made every Slytherin wet their pants and stated unmistakably hands off.

"I… I think I…. ähm… have to go now… See you, Lily…", he stammered before he fled the scene.

"Or not…", Patty heard James murmur and had to suppress a grin. A grin that faded quickly as Lily turned back towards them, now a similar murderous glare. James, contrary to Michael, didn't know when to run for cover and just looked at Lily, a puppy-look on his face.

That was the point, where Lily snapped. "What in Merlin's name was that about!?", she shouted and got the attention from some Gryffindors around them. "You idiot! Do you have to stuck your nose into everything?"

"Oh come on, Evans! Michael Hamilton? Seriously? What do you want with him?" James made the last word sound like an insult. Raising his hands in defence he wanted to continue – or so it seemed – but the bottle of butterbier Lily poured over his head shut him up quite fast. And with him the whole room got quiet, every pair of eyes on the scene that took place at the fireplace.

"Keep. Out. Of. My. Business", Lily hissed. "I'm done with your shit!" With that she turned on her heels and stormed upstairs to the girl's dormitory, leaving her fellow Gryffindors gaping behind her.

Patty and Marlene were the first to recover, breaking out into hysterical laughter. They had to grab the arms of the sofa to keep from falling over and soon the other Gryffindors joined their laughter, if not that hysterical. It was one thing if a Marauder's friends were laughing about him, but a whole other, if the entire House did so.

James on the other hand only stood there crestfallen and wiped the butterbier from his face. When Sirius – free of his newest conquest – joined them and let his hand fall onto James shoulder, his friend jumped. "What the hell, Prongs! That was another brilliant performance!", he stated and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Well done, Prongs", Remus joined in and stepped up on James' other side, watching the two girls on the couch with worry. Or better the one girl since Patty had fallen off the cushions anyway and was holding her stomach, still laughing hysterically. "Are you alright?", he asked finally.

Marlene just raised her hand and gasped for air while Patty pulled herself up on the couch again halfway and leaned on her arms so she could look at the guys. She too had tears in her eyes. "Oh Prongs… You should know better by now…", she said, still gasping for air. "Lily isn't the type for a one-nighter."

"And if you really want more from her…", Marlene joined in, trying to clean the smeared mascara away from her cheeks. "… then you should start to think about a better way soon."

"Oh, leave me alone", James growled and left them in the direction of the boy's dormitory.

Sirius sat down at the armrest of the couch, pulling Patty up into a sitting position on the cushions again. "Dumbass…", he murmured. "Even I can see that this is never going to work out between them if he keeps going like that…"

Patty sighed. "You are right, Pad. Although they would be perfect for each other…" She started to lean her head from side to side what made Sirius examine her closely.

"What are you up to?", he asked the blond girl next to him.

"I'm not sure… yet…", she just murmured while he started to massage her neck gently.

"Oh, Circe… why do I sense trouble ahead?", Marlene sighed and leaned back against Remus' folded arms on the back of the couch.