Hey everyone! Originally I posted this story as one complete chapter, but it was really much too long and I think it works better broken up into multiple chapters. It's all finished, I just wanted to do some more minor editing after noticing a few mistakes, but I plan on updating it every other day until it's all posted. I know the Marauders' first year has been written a thousand times, but I can never get enough of the Marauders, and it was a lot of fun to write. Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

James entered an empty train compartment, feeling quite lucky to find one that wasn't full of strangers already. He ran a hand through the thick mass of black hair that perpetually fell over his eyes, but rather than smoothing it, he intentionally rumpled it – as was his habit. It was intended to maintain the air of having just dismounted a broom after a fast ride. It was a look James prized. A few years ago, he'd been lucky enough to attend a Quidditch World Cup match with his father. The seeker on James' team had made a particularly breathtaking catch, dismounting his broom midair with an impressive spin and landing perfectly on the ground, snitch in hand. James had never forgotten how heroic and smashing he'd looked with his chin length hair a tangled mess around his proud and triumphant face. James had gained an idol that day and sported the look himself ever since.

He stared out the window of his compartment at all the bustling people, parents kissing their children goodbye, and students struggling to push their trolleys. The place was a madhouse and the train was occupied nearly to the verge of chaos. It was the unique variety of chaos only found on this particular train, full of young wizards and witches free of parental supervision, headed to a new year at Hogwarts. James leaned back, ruffling his hair once again, and smirked as he thought about what his first year at Hogwarts would bring. He was already positive he would dominate in all his classes without even having to study.

James was arrogant, boastful even. He was a pureblood wizard from a long line of wizards and witches, but being pureblood was not the cause of his arrogance. James had been spoiled and pampered by his wealthy, elderly parents who had long believed they would never get the privilege of having children by the time James finally arrived. He was their pride and joy, their one and only heir. Letting him go on the train that very first day had been much more painful than they had ever anticipated. His mother could barely speak through the tears-sending an 11-year-old boy away to live at school for months at a time. Once that had seemed ordinary, a mere "matter-of-course" eventuality they had known would occur since the very day he was conceived. Now it seemed a cruel and terrible thing to have to do, not to James, but to themselves. They would be lonely without his mischievousness brightening their home.

James heard the compartment door sliding slowly open. He turned to see who was there. It was a tall, lanky boy roughly his same age. He had the thin kind of face, with large poking out ears and a long nose. You could practically see his bony elbows and knees beneath his wizarding robes which seemed to be a little too big for him. Only his hands, a bit of his neck, and his face were uncovered. He appeared to have scratches on his neck, though they were barely visible as they were mostly covered by his robes being pulled unusually tightly together at the neck. The boy hesitated at the sight of James. James fancied he was intimidated by his good looks and confidence, which in James' view this boy clearly lacked. "Hullo," James offered in a friendly tone and nodded invitingly.

The boy smiled shyly, gave a polite nod of his head, and quietly said hello back. He took a few steps toward James, held out a hand and said, "My names is Remus, this is my first year." The gesture was almost painfully polite, grown-up, and so formal that James nearly laughed out loud. He felt as if he were on a visit to the Ministry of Magic, being introduced to friends of his father. He had a feeling that, like himself, Remus had spent more time around grown-ups than around other children. He liked him immediately, without really being able to explain why. He had a kind face and quiet unassuming confidence that was a stark contrast to James' own. What James had mistakenly assumed was weakness or insecurity was actually just a quiet kind of humility.

"Nice to meet you, Remus," James said, almost-but-not-quite mocking Remus' overly formal tone, "my name is James. It's my first year as well." James gave Remus his "patented" smile that had charmed nearly every grown-up he had ever met, and purposely twinkled his eyes. "Can I help you load your bags? Mine are already put away."

"That would be appreciated, thank you," Remus replied. James grinned to himself and took Remus' largest bag in hand. Remus helped him lift it and put tidily away in an overhead bin. Just as they got Remus' last bag put away, another boy stepped into the compartment.

This boy looked like a greasier, sallower version of Remus. His oily black hair made his pale skin appear even paler by contrast. His sharp nose fairly pointed at the sneer that seemed to be a permanent feature on his lips. He looked at Remus without registering any change in expression, but after one look at James, the sneer grew, and he immediately turned and left the compartment without uttering a single word.

James and Remus looked at one another, slightly puzzled. Remus asked in a slightly wry tone, "Was that a friend of yours?" James shook his head, "No, and he definitely did not seem interested in becoming one now, did he?" Remus smiled, "Well, there's no accounting for poor taste," and gave a friendly pat on James' arm. James grinned, "That's true enough," liking Remus all the more.

"Is there room for one more in here by any chance?" said a voice from the doorway. The voice was neither shy nor overly bold, and genuinely seemed to be seeking an invitation rather than acting on formality. Remus and James turned to see an unusually handsome boy about their same age standing in the doorway that had just been exited by the nameless sneerer. Even James had to admit this boy's looks practically made him look plain by comparison.

"Absolutely, come in and make yourself comfortable, mate," James grinned.

"Welcome," said Remus formally, holding out his hand as he had for James, "I'm Remus."

The boy looked at Remus' extended hand with a mixture of puzzlement and amusement. "Are you a student or a professor that got zapped by a youth spell?"

James laughed good-naturedly, though he was unsure whether the boy's comment was teasing or mocking. He did not want to hurt his new friend Remus' feelings, so he jumped in quickly, "I'm James. Let Remus and I help you with your bags." Remus neither blushed nor appeared in any way wounded by the boy's response. He politely helped the other two boys load the bags in the overhead bins with the others. Then the three of them all looked at each other, taking everything in for a few seconds, before settling down into the compartments seats. James sat on one side, Remus and the new boy on the other.

"I don't think we've caught your name," smiled James.

The new boy grinned, a grin nearly as charming as James', but with a different air. He exhibited roughly the same arrogance, the same confidence but with an entirely different feel. James' arrogance and confidence were of the open, inviting, extrovert variety. This boy's confidence appeared to come from a more closed, isolating, introverted place. "It appears I don't throw around my name as freely as the two of you," he smiled. For a moment James and Remus thought he actually wasn't going to tell them. Then he said, almost defensively, like a dark confession, "My name is Sirius…." then added with nearly forced intention, "Sirius Black." He looked at both of them, as if waiting for a specific reaction.

Remus' face registered no visible response. Either he genuinely didn't know who the Blacks were, or he was very good at hiding his thoughts. James however, had no problem letting any emotion or thought he felt showing on his face or coming out of his mouth. "No kidding? You're from the infamous House of Black, huh? Well, that's a name you see in the news a lot these days."

Sirius seemed a bit taken back by James forthrightness, but James' tone was neither judgmental nor unfriendly, just interested. "Yeah, well, my wonderful cousin Bellatrix likes to see her name in print, I guess."

James laughed outright at this rather ironic statement. The wizarding world had been in the very early stages of a brewing conflict for some time that many feared would eventually result in all-out war. A dark wizard by the name of Voldemort had been gathering followers and rising to power slowly, but more and more quickly as each day passed. His followers called themselves Death Eaters. Their methods were brutal, their beliefs unforgiving and cruel. The identities of most Death Eaters were kept carefully hidden. But Bellatrix and her husband openly followed Voldemort and were some of his first and staunchest followers. "Well," said James unsure how Sirius actually felt about Bellatrix but making a guess based on Sirius' tone, "you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family."

Sirius gave a sort of weary half-smile, "I don't think that's completely true. You can't choose your relatives, but you can choose who you call family. Bellatrix is my cousin, but she is not my family."

They all sat in silence for a few moments.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, James said, "Well, I've never had a brother…and I've always wanted one..." Sirius raised an eyebrow quizzically at this statement.

Remus smiled and quietly added, "That's true for me as well."

Sirius dropped his head and with suppressed emotion and a clearing of the throat said, "Well, I do have a brother, but I guess I have room for a few more." The three boys looked at each other with grins so wide they nearly cracked their faces.

Just at that moment, the compartment door slid open and a dumpy, overweight, messy looking boy whose only redeeming feature appeared to be an almost endearing aura of pathetic-ness stood there. This boy's appearance fairly screamed of a need for friends.

James took one look at the dumpy boy and called out exuberantly, "Another brother!" Sirius roared with laughter, while Remus merely grinned broadly.

From that moment on an enduring friendship between the four boys would grow stronger and deeper throughout their time at Hogwarts and beyond, but which would ultimately result in a betrayal by one, a murder of one, and an imprisonment of another. This friendship would come to affect the very course of wizard history. But, today, in this place, on this train, they were just four young boys who'd found friends at a time when friendship was something each needed. They passed the hours on the train ride to Hogwarts laughing, swapping stories, eating chocolate frogs and enjoying their new friendship.

It was nightfall by the time they reached their destination. The sky was still tinged with a violet hue as the darkness deepened and the stars sparkled brightly in the cloudless expanse above their heads. A loud booming voice called out, "Firs' years! Firs' years! Over here. Follow me." A big hairy giant of a man was carrying a lamp which he held high over the heads of all the students. He gestured for all the first years to follow him. Too stunned with a mixture of excitement, fear, and aching anticipation to speak, the first years silently followed behind the large man. He led them up a steep and winding path that seemed to go on for an unreasonable length of time. Just when they began to wonder if the path would ever end, they turned a bend and there it was.

Even though all four boys had grown up with at least one magical parent, and so were entirely accustomed to the beauty and mysticism found in the wizarding world, their first glimpse of the Hogwarts' castle took their breaths right out of their chests. "Woah," James practically whistled under his breath, "brilliant." No place anywhere in the world compared to Hogwarts. Set in the mountains, its turrets soared majestically into the skies like the mountain peaks that surrounded it. On the grounds surrounding the castle, there was a large dark lake and a forest that both radiated magic so strongly you could feel it in your bones.

The large hairy man led them to a fleet of small boats onto the edge of the lake. The moon and starlight danced on the water's surface along with the boats that gently rocked this way and that without leaving their docked positions. "No more'n four to a boat," their guide told them. The four friends rushed to a boat together, James in the lead. "Let's grab that one!" James called as he ran toward one near the end. Just as he grabbed the boat's edge and was ready to hop inside, another student stepped a foot into it. James looked up to tell the student the boat was already taken but stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of the student.

It was a girl. A very pretty girl, with long auburn hair and eyes that sparkled noticeably green even in the light of only the moon and stars. James was immediately smitten when she flashed a smile at him and said, "Taken," before he could say anything himself. He rumpled his hair. "Oh," he said coolly, "I wasn't going to take it, I just saw you getting inside and wanted to hold it steady for you."

The girl gave him a look like she didn't believe him but said, "Thanks." Then to two other girls who had been following her she said, "Hop in." The three girls climbed inside. James barely looked at the other two girls, he was outright staring at the auburn-haired girl.

"James, James…." It took several moments for the words to reach his brain. Remus had grabbed another nearby boat. Sirius had already climbed inside, Remus was standing on the lake's edge holding it steady waiting for James and Peter to board, while Peter was standing awkwardly between James and the boat Sirius occupied. Peter didn't want to get into a boat without James. He had already begun to develop a sort of hero worship of him, and if there was any chance James was going to board a different one, Peter didn't want to be in the wrong boat.

"Err…." It took James a bit of effort to tear his eyes from the object of his attraction. "Coming, coming." As the girls had already all settled into the boat, there was no longer any reason for him to be holding onto it anymore. "Smooth sailing," he said and winked. The girls, except for the auburn-haired girl, all giggled. James' good looks and charming ways tended to have that effect on most people, but there was something different about the auburn-haired girl. She seemed entirely immune.

James strode over to the boat occupied by Sirius and smoothly leapt into it, landing deftly next to Sirius. Remus boarded next, followed by Peter. James gave one more purposeful look at the auburn-haired girl. Her face shone radiantly in the moonlight. James vowed to win her over one day. He was arrogant enough to assume it would be easy, but this was in part because most everything came easy to James. True challenges were rare for someone with his skill and intelligence level. "Castle ho!" he called out playfully. Sirius laughed, Remus grinned and Peter (a little pathetically) echoed after him enthusiastically, "Castle ho!"

If possible, the inside of the castle was even more splendid than the outside. The four boys followed along with the other first years as a tall, severe-looking witch with long black hair, whom the large hairy man introduced to them as Professor McGonagall, led them through the enormous entrance hall into a small, empty chamber.

They all crowded into the chamber feeling anxious and nervous, except for James and Sirius, who were neither anxious nor nervous in the least. James took the opportunity to get a good look at his fellow students. He noted several interesting looking kids, including the girl he had vowed to win over and the greasy, sallow boy who'd taken an apparent instant dislike to James. It was definitely an odd collection of students. Some, like Sirius, fairly exuded wizardry in their blood. Others, like Peter, failed to exude confidence they could even function in the Muggle world. Some, like Remus, appeared nervous with anticipation but not nervous as to the foreignness of being in a magical place. Others, like the auburn-haired girl, appeared nervous at being in a foreign environment, looking around with wide eyes and gaping mouths. James, being James, assessed himself as ranking high in this group. He had no doubts whatsoever that he would be near the top, if not at the top, of his class.

"Before the start-of-term banquet begins, it is necessary that you all be sorted into your houses. The Sorting process is a very important ceremony here at Hogwarts, as it impacts your entire experience here within these walls and, to some degree, beyond these walls. The people within your houses will become like family to you. You will eat with them, sleep with them, attend classes together, compete against the other houses together, and root for each other." She looked around, meeting each of their eyes. No one spoke or moved a muscle.

"As you may well already know, there are four houses. They are each named for one of the four founders of this great institution. Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each founder had unique strengths, skills, and qualities that added something necessary and important to the success of the school as a whole. Each house reflects the characteristics and qualities of the founder whose name it carries. You will be sorted into your houses by the Sorting Hat, a special magical object that can look into your hearts and minds and will sort you into the house that best matches you. Remember that no house is better than any of the others, despite what some may tell you. All the houses are equally great, and each offers a unique experience. It's important to remember that throughout all the rivalries."

For some reason she seemed to purposely catch Sirius' eye here and lingered for a moment. Sirius tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat as discreetly as possible. Apparently his family's reputation preceded him. She obviously thought he was going to be a stuck up Slytherin, like almost every single member of his extended family. If there was anything Sirius had intently tried to do his whole life, it was to be different than the rest of his relatives. He wanted so badly to escape the legacy bestowed upon him by his family. He sincerely doubted being sorted into Slytherin would help him on that path, but Slytherin would be his house whether he liked it or not. The consequences would be too great otherwise.

He had a brief urge to run away as they entered the Great Hall, to escape before his future became decided for him. But then he looked over at his new friend James, and for some inexplicable reason he felt a glimmer of hope. If a boy like James could meet him and instantly call him a friend, a brother even, then maybe, just maybe his fate was different than he feared. He was even able to ignore all the eyes staring at him.

He smiled at James, "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James answered without hesitation, "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad..." as he said that, the sallow greasy boy who had taken an instant dislike to James made a small, disparaging noise. James eyed him and asked, "Got a problem with that?"

The boy scoffed, "No. If you'd rather be brawny than brainy..."

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as your neither?" Sirius interjected, already fiercely protective of his friend. James laughed out loud at that, earning him a sharp look from McGonagall.

Before the greasy boy could respond, Professor McGonagall announced, "We will proceed alphabetically after the Sorting Hat sings." A shabby looking brown hat was placed on a chair at the front of the large hall. It looked like the sort of hat that ought to be thrown away. Sirius shuddered as he thought about all the heads that hat had touched. Without any introduction, the hat began singing:

Lend me your ears and I'll tell you a tale
How a plain wizard's hat was put under a spell
And came to sort witches and wizards so well
Be they brave, bold, wise, witty, cunning or sly
Stalwart, resourceful, loyal, daring or wry.

I look into their minds and into their hearts
On the very first day they step into Hogwarts.
I see inside them like nothing else can
To me no part of their soul is hidden.

I was once Godric Gryffindor's favorite hat
But fate did not intend me to stay like that.
Rowena Ravenclaw, intelligent and witty
Her eagle and blue and bronze colors are gritty.
Helga, hardworking, loyal, stalwart and trusty
Her badger and yellow and black are lusty.

Salazar cunning, ambitious, resourceful
His serpent and green and silver colors are artful.
Godric brave, bold, daring and chivalrous
His lion and scarlet and gold colors are marvelous.

The four joined together and started this school
But needed some help to sort students by rule
So Godric offered me for use as an enchanted tool.

Rowena, Helga, Godric, and Salazar too
Endowed me with bits of magic through and through.
From that day to now Hogwarts has been my home
Though the students I sort grow up, leave and roam
I stay here in this castle playing the part I've been given
I'll start you out right on the path you'll be livin'.

When the hat finished singing its awkward song, the first student's name was called out, "Hazel Abbot!"

A slightly shy-looking girl with hair the color of dirty gold and eyes hazel like her name, stepped out of the group and headed toward the hat. She picked it up, fingers visibly trembling, and gave a furtive look around the room before placing the hat on her head. It barely had time to settle on her hair before the hat yelled out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table exploded in cheers. Encouraged by the applause, Hazel appeared to lose some shyness, jumped up, placed the hat back on the stool and practically ran to the table that had just applauded her.

Sirius' heart began beating madly. His last name started with B, so it would be his turn any minute. The next name called was "Bartimus Bassett!"

A skinny, mousy-haired, wiry boy was sorted into Ravenclaw. Then, "Sirius Black!"

Sirius felt all the blood drain out of his extremities and he could barely hear over the sound of his heart beating wildly in his chest. He felt a hand clap on his back and turned to see that it belonged to a smiling James, "Good luck mate." He walked as coolly as he could manage, given the wild beating of his heart and numbness of his hands and legs, to the stool and picked up the Sorting Hat. "Well," he thought resignedly, "here goes nothing. I'm going to be doomed to follow in the path of my evil family." He sat down on the stool, hat still in his hands, took a deep breath and with a swift move pulled the hat down hard on his head.

"Hmmm…." He heard the hat say, "You've got an interesting mind. Not discernibly better suited for one house or the other. The strongest trait I sense is your desire to depart from the path of your ancestry. Are you sure? That won't make an easy path for you, but then ease has never made for a great wizard… so the house for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius just about fell out of the chair, and he heard an audible gasp from the Slytherin table, before the explosion of applause from the Gryffindor table. His eye easily found the face of the gasper. It was his cousin, Narcissa Black, who was four years older than him and seated at the Slytherin table. She glared at him as though he had just betrayed his entire family. Sirius could not care less what Narcissa thought, though some distant part of himself was anxious over what his parent's responses would be. But in that moment, he was so filled with elation that he could have flown-even without a broom. He grinned at her, shrugged his shoulders and ran to the Gryffindor table, forgetting all about looking cool. He was immediately greeted warmly and with enthusiasm. His heart returned to its normal pace.

There were more than a dozen students called after Sirius before the next of the four new friends was called for sorting. Among those was the auburn-haired girl, whose name turned out to be Lily Evans, and like Sirius she was sorted into Gryffindor. James caught Sirius' eye and gave a nod and a wink that clearly indicated his approval that Lily was in Gryffindor. Sirius rolled his eyes in response.

There were several more names before, finally, "Remus Lupin!"

Remus strode smoothly and stealthily to the chair, and without betraying any hint of anxiety or nervousness, sat down and put the hat on his head in one swift movement. Like Sirius, though, Remus had his own reasons for being nervous about which house he belonged to. He had secret reasons for being afraid that Slytherin would be his fate as well. He feared that his future held a darkness he would not be able to control someday, and he desperately, desperately wanted his fate to lie another direction. He felt if he was sorted into any one of the other three houses it would be a sign that the fate that lay before him did not have to be dark. He was so nervous he forgot to breathe as he waited to hear the words the hat would speak. "Hmm… you're an interesting specimen. Wise and kind, loyal and chivalrous, but the beast that lies within you is cunning and wild. Something tells me though, that the path that is right for you will best be assisted if you are sorted into GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table exploded with applause, with Sirius applauding loudest of all and having to restrain himself from running up to Remus and throwing his arms around him in excitement.

Peter Pettigrew was called immediately after Remus. He awkwardly sidled up to the stool, and almost knocked the hat off the chair when he tried to pick it up. When the hat was on his head it gave a slight pause, "I see an interesting fate for you. You are not right for Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, being that you are neither loyal nor sufficiently bright to fit well in either of those houses. But you are not easily placed in either of the two remaining houses either. You are cunning and resourceful but not particularly ambitious; you are bold and can be daring but not particularly brave or chivalrous. However, I see dangerous things for you if you are encouraged down one path, so in hopes of saving you from your own weaknesses, it better be GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius and Remus jumped up, they could hardly believe it. Three of the four placed into the same house! It was as if the four were fated to meet and became friends. Now, of the four, only James was left to be sorted. And, he was up next. "James Potter!"

James walked confidently up to the stool, and purposely rumpled his hair (which made Sirius laugh out loud) before placing the hat on his head and sitting down.

"Oh," the hat whispered excitedly. "I can say nothing more than this, you would fit equally well in any of the four houses. You share strengths and weaknesses with all four of the founders, but it will be in your choice of companions that your fate will become sealed. The obvious choice for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius, Remus and Peter practically screamed with excitement. They jumped up and down and pumped their fists into the air like they had just won the Quidditch World Cup. The four friends would be brothers, living together in the same house for the next seven years.

James strode happily and excitedly toward the Gryffindor table and joined his friends in a group hug, laughing and cheering in triumph. But inside, James was troubled by the Sorting Hat's words. What did the hat mean that his choice of companions would seal his fate? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Immediately after the sorting ceremony, the headmaster, a renowned and ancient looking wizard named Professor Dumbledore, gave the opening speech and then announced the beginning of the banquet. Food appeared before them which they needed no encouragement to devour. While everyone else continued to stuff their faces, Professor McGonagall pulled Remus away. He followed her out of the room. Sirius, James and Peter exchanged puzzled looks but had no way of answering what Professor McGonagall wanted with Remus. He did not return until after the other Gryffindor's were well settled in Gryffindor tower. When he finally joined them, he did not give them satisfactory answers to their questions. All he told them was that she had spoken to him about a private family matter and it was nothing they needed to worry about. Remus was not a chatty person and it quickly became apparent to the other boys that if Remus did not want to discuss something, he would shut up like a clam. A polite, friendly clam, but one that was still indelibly shut. There was no point in prodding him or inquiring further, so they let it go. For now.