Okay, here is the first HP fanfiction I've ever written! I hope you like it, and please, review, and tell me what you think about it, or at least a short "Hi, I've read it!" Those notes make my day, and feed my muse, so that she won't starve!

A/N: As always, thanks to my beta Sparx, and to my muse Trish! Without them, you wouldn't get anything!

Chapter 1

Sirius stared, deep in thought, at the train. His fifth year in Hogwarts was over, he had his OWLs, and he felt that they had been quite good. Not as good as they could have been, had he paid more attention to classes during the year, but still...

Then why did he feel so disappointed and sad?

He didn't need to think about the question, a little voice in his head answered immediately: "Because the term is over, and you have to go home."

Sirius knew it was true. He had to go home and face his family, most of whom he loathed. And while he was thought of as recklessness and fearless in Hogwarts, he had never undertaken those adventures alone. And he knew he could face everything as long as his friends were with him.

Of course this was another reason why he felt so sad, he had eight weeks of long vacations before him, with a horrible family, and he wouldn't see his friends. Well, perhaps he could visit them, but this wouldn't be nearly often enough...

"Hey, Padfoot, already planning pranks for next year?" James asked him with a friendly patting on his shoulders, and his eyes sparkled with life. Sirius grinned hastily back "No, actually not at the moment".

 James mocked a shocked expression: "So you want to tell me that you can think about something else?"

Sirius boxed him playfully. "Yes, I was thinking how long we wouldn't see each other..."

Now both of them, and the other two boys who had stood silently beside them during their banter, sobered. "Yes", said Remus thoughtfully, "two full moons, without you..."

Then James couldn't bear this mood any longer "but when we come back, we'll have some more good plans to put into action..."

"As if you'd need even more, James, you always have really good ones..." marked Peter with an expression of admiration.

"That's true, and Dumbledore and McGonagall surely think I have more then enough, oh, and Severus..." James laughed self-conscious. "Well, time to leave. We'll send each other a lot of owls. Don't worry, Padfoot, we won't forget you in this long time."

"You just dream about Lily, no wonder you won't think it to be long." Now everyone laughed again, and so they went with good mood to their own homes.

But Sirius' good mood didn't stay for long. As soon as he was standing before number 12, Grimmauld place, his mood dropped down to ice-level. He took some deep breaths to calm himself, before he knocked at the door. Kreacher, one of the Black's house-elves, opened the door. He bowed deeply, and whispered: "Young master is back! Welcome home. I'll tell the mistress."

"Yes, do this. But first, bring me something to eat in my room, I'm hungry."

"Yes, master, of course." Kreacher went to the kitchen, to do as ordered.

But Sirius knew that he just followed his orders, because Sirius was a Black, and Kreacher was bound to the house of Black. Secretly Kreacher hated Sirius. Sirius didn't care about this. He didn't like Kreacher, like everything that had to do with his family, and just wanted the house-elf to follow his orders.

Satisfied that Kreacher had left, Sirius stumbled up the stairs, with his package. He had yet some time left before dinner, when he would meet his mother. Suddenly he got very tired, probably because they had spent the last night talking with his friends about their future.

So he let his bag fall down where he was standing, and lied on his bed for a short nap.

Suddenly he was wakened by a knocking on the door.