ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO JK ROWLING AND HER LOVELY WRITING SKILLS

Part one: Sirius Black

"From childhood's hour I have not been. As others were, I have not seen. As others saw, I could not awaken. My heart to joy at the same tone. And all I loved, I loved alone." -Edgar Allan Poe

September 1, 1970 Kings Cross Station 10:47 am

"Goodbye, Sirius," Walburga Black said with a tight formality. Her black hair was tied back into a tight bun, as it always was.

Sirius Black's mother stood with perfect posture in front of him, gripping tightly onto her handbag and looking in disgust at the muggle-borns and blood traitors. She wore all black, except for two sapphire earrings that decorated her ears and sparkled against the florescent lighting. Regulus, Sirius's brother, stood to her right, pretending that he wasn't jealous of his older brother.

"Aren't you going to stay 'till I get on the train?" Sirius asked.

"That would be silly, Sirius," She said harshly. "You know how to get onto a train, yes?"

"Obviously." Sirius muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, mother," he quickly corrected himself.

"Write me a letter when they've told you that you're in Slytherin. I would like to know." There was an apprehension in her voice that set her son on edge.

"What if I don't get into Slytherin?" Sirius asked.

"Then you can't come home!" Sirius' brother, Regulus shouted tauntingly.

Sirius punched his brother in the arm, leaving his Regulus whimpering and hiding behind his mother.

"Don't be ridiculous, boy. No son of mine would ever be in another house. It's simply impossible." His mother responded, curtly.

With that, she turned and walked away without a second glance. There was a very long line so she wouldn't be getting out for a while but she clutched her purse closer to her chest and proceeded to wait in line rather than spend more time with her eldest son. Mrs. Black didn't look back at her son and give him a reassuring smile like so many other parents were doing. She didn't hug him or kiss his cheek ; there were certainly no tears running down her face, disturbing the eery perfection of her pale face. That would be preposterous and embarrassing so Walburga simply bit her lip and exited the platform without a second look back at her sons face.

The scruffy haired boy started toward the train, handing his luggage off to a man before going to find a compartment that he could isolate himself in. He then proceeded to the last car at the end of the train, determined to be left alone. Looking back at his mother and brother out through the window, Sirius felt the familiar kick in the stomach when all he could see was their quickly departing forms. He thought that he should feel bad about not saying goodbye to his mother, but he decided it was better to block out all feelings so the bad ones didn't come with them. It was best for Sirius when his feelings were pushed aside, it was much easier to be numb than actually acknowledge his feelings.

Sirius Black did not pretend that he knew anything about love. Long ago he had convinced himself that he didn't want to entangle himself in something that could so easily break him. He had never felt the love of his mother and never returned it either. Before he first attended Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardly, Sirius had only felt the cold sting of isolation and had thus intended to continue said isolation throughout his schooling years. When he arrived at Hogwarts and traveled across the water on a boat, he never expected to meet the first people that would ever cared about him.

Thinking back to the conversation with his mother, he snorted and crossed his arms angrily. He would obviously be in Slytherin, right? Trying to find some semblance of comfort, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the seat. Not soon after Sirius had started to doze off, the compartment door opened. A boy with black hair and glasses looked at Sirius and gave him a lazy grin.

"Aren't you sitting with anyone?" He asked. Sirius shook his head. "Well neither are Peter and I," The bespectacled boy grinned and pulled a short and stubby boy into the compartment along with a small suitcase. The small boy, who Sirius assumed was Peter, stumbled onto the seat across from Sirius and the other boy joined.

Sirius liked the look of the scruffy looking boy; it was refreshing to see someone who wasn't prim and proper, like most of his family was. The boy looked like he grew up loved, a tinge of red was stained on his cheek where his mother had kissed him goodbye. A twinge of envy spurred in Sirius' stomach but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. What was the point of being jealous of other people's families? It wasn't like he could just be adopted into their family.

Now that was a thought he'd considered for a long time, well, as long as an eleven year old could think of such things. He often pictured a world where his mother kissed him on the cheek or even hugged him goodbye. He imagined the sad feeling he would get as he watched her walk away, wishing she could come with him. The only thing he felt was emptiness and just a smidgen of relief seeing her exit, not having to deal with her for a few months.

Sirius returned to his sad attempt at sleeping and tried ignoring his new companions.

"I'm James Potter," The boy with glasses said, clearly not acknowledging that Sirius didn't want to be disturbed. Or maybe he did and simply didn't care. He held out his hand to Sirius and they shook.

"Sirius Black." He opened on eye and replied rather shortly.

James grabbed Peter and put him in a headlock before saying, "This is Peter Pettigrew. Don't mind him, he doesn't talk much."

Sirius nodded, again trying to fall back asleep.

"It's rubbish weather, huh?" James said.

"It's going to suck riding across in the boats," Peter said quietly.

"You seem to have forgotten that you are a wizard, Petey. The teachers wouldn't let us get all wet before we even get to the school."

Peter sighed. "I'm just nervous about the sorting."

"Don't be!" James said tiredly as if Peter was irritating him and turned to the other boy. "So, Sirius Black, what house are you hoping to get sorted in?"

Sirius looked up and considered the answer he should say but he noticed the red and gold crest on James Potter's suitcase and said, "I'm not sure."

James leaned back and put his hands behind his head, "Gryffindor is really the only option for me."

"I would give anything to be in Gryffindor," Peter said.

"It really is the only good house, right?" James responded.

"My neighbor told me that all the best parties are in Gryffindor," Peter said.

"Peter! I am appalled that you would even consider ever doing anything but study!"

The smaller boy blushed. "It's just what I've heard."

James punched Peter in the arm. "I'm just kidding, Petey. That's a very important factor to consider. You should also take into account their Quidditch team."

"I'm rubbish at Quidditch, though." Peter grumbled.

"What about you, Sirius Black? Ever play Quidditch?"

Sirius snorted. "Of course. It's ridiculous that first years can't play."

"Exactly!" James shouted.

At that moment, a young girl entered the compartment and asked if she could join them. Her eyes were vibrant green but hidden behind a flood of tears. James nodded, avoiding her eyes out of awkwardness and Sirius got out of his seat, moving to James and Peter's side. None of them asked her name, for fear of having to comfort her. All three boys suddenly became incredibly uncomfortable and remained silent for several minutes before Peter broke it.

"I'm quite nervous about the sorting," Peter said, repeating his fears.

"How come, Pete? As long as you're not in Slytherin, you're fine!"

"But where do you think I'll be sorted?"

"I mean, Ravenclaws are all a bunch of stuck up geniuses so you obviously won't be sorted there. Who knows what Hufflepuff does so you could be sorted there by default. Obviously everyone in Slytherin is the spawn of Satan so that's not an option." James said.

Sirius laughed out loud, unintentionally.

"What's so funny, Black?"

He shrugged. "If my mother heard you say that, you're head would be mounted on our kitchen wall."

"She's sounds positively lovely."

Sirius rolled his eyes and gave a lopsided grin. "Oh believe me, she's a peach."

"Now onto a more important matter," James started. "How much trouble do you think we can get into on the first day of our first year?"

For the first time in what seemed like a very long time, maybe even for the first time altogether, Sirius truly smiled.

The First Compartment, The Hogwarts Express 3:32 pm

After laughing and plotting with his new friends, Sirius had decided to meander to other parts of the train. He eventually reached the front of the train and saw a familiar face. Lucius Malfoy stood several feet ahead of Sirius, talking in secret to a group of boys in hushed tones. Sirius' cousin, Narcissa, stood off to the side looking positively peeved about being ignored by her boyfriend. Immediately, she spotted Sirius and walked over to him eagerly.

"Hello, Sirius," She said warmly.

"Hi, Cissa. Uhm, who's Lucius talking to?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "Just Mulciber, Zabini, and a few of his other friends. We were supposed to go find an empty compartment to have lunch in but we've been standing her for nearly an hour."

Sirius really didn't care nor did he want to hear any more so he just said, "Oh." Then he started to turn away so he could go back to his compartment.

Narcissa on the other hand, clearly needed something to occupy her attention so she reached out and grabbed Sirius' arm, pulling him back. "So are you excited for the sorting?"

"I guess," Sirius looked down at his shoes. Actually, he was very much not excited for the sorting because that would mean he would finally have to choose between his family and what he thought was right. It seems insignificant but being sorted into Slytherin was basically like becoming an official member of the Black family. Sirius just wasn't too sure if he wanted to be part of that. For one thing, it meant that he would constantly be reminded of the blood prejudices his family had. For another thing, he would never be control of his own life.

Of course Narcissa had no idea of the turmoil inside Sirius' mind so she just gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Sirius. It'll all turn out okay and once you're in Slytherin, you can come hang out with me even though you're just a first year and I'm in sixth."

Before she could speak anymore, Sirius had to excuse himself for he thought that he might vomit. He returned to his former compartment, paler than he was before and thankful that his companions didn't mention it.

The Black Lake, Hogwarts 5:05 pm

The three boys arrived at the school and decided to share a boat for the ride up. It was pouring rain but not a single drop landed on them as they all climbed in. They sat in the rocking boat and looked up towards the magical castle in silence and in awe, unable to find the words to describe their amazement. Golden light flooded from ever window and each boy strained to see inside. Sirius' nerves were at their peak and he had to sit on his hands to stop them from shaking.

In a few short minutes, Sirius would sit underneath a magical hat that would decide his fate and ultimately, his future. If the hat shouted "Slytherin!" Sirius would write to his mother immediately, expressing his faux happiness. He imagined her writing back to him and saying how proud she was. Maybe he would finally getting along with his family and fit in. And while it was very nice to imagine this future, he also knew how idiotic it was. It was an impossible dream and he already knew what house he wanted to be in. The question still remained, though: was Sirius willing to lose his family for this? He imagined the hat shouting "Gryffindor!" and Sirius would smile and join the two boys he'd met on the train. Maybe he'd try out for the Quidditch team next year and make a few friends. But if the hat decided that Sirius would be living in a room adorned with crimson, gold, and known for courage and loyalty, his mother would never be proud of him. Sirius black was stuck at a crossroad.

The boat that inhabited the boys wasn't moving and they couldn't understand why until another raggedy-looking boy stepped onto the boat and it started lunging forward. The boy had sad eyes and was more pale than the waxing-gibbous moon that peaked through the clouds. He looked sickly and pitiful with dirty clothes that hung limply across his thin frame. Given that fact, a kindhearted boy leaned forward to introduce himself.

"I'm James Potter."

The young boy just looked at James and gave him a small smile. It looked as though the boy hadn't slept in years. He had a book in his left hand and a chocolate bar in his other. A few seconds passed before the boy realized that he should introduce himself.

"I'm Remus Lupin."

"This is Sirius and Peter. We all want to be in Gryffindor, how about you?"

Remus sighed. "That or Ravenclaw. I can't imagine being in Slytherin though."

James gave Remus the same smile he had given Sirius. "I think we're going to get along well, Remus Lupin."

Sirius spoke up, "We still haven't decided what to do to start the year."

"Quite right, Mr. Black!" Potter said.

"What are you talking about?" Remus asked.

"Well, I think we should put a stink bomb in the sorting hat, Sirius thinks we should set some firecrackers off, and Peter doesn't think we should do anything at all."

"Um," Remus started. "Why would you do any of that in the first place?"

"To start the year off right, my friend!"

"Maybe we should wait to do anything until we know we're in the same House," Peter suggested.

Sirius shrugged, now worried, but tried to sound nonchalant. "What are the chances that we're all in the same House?"

"It won't matter if we're in the same House, we can still pull a prank," James said.

Peter sighed. "But I don't want to get in trouble on the first day."

Remus agreed, somehow dragged into this boat (excuse the pun) simply by association.

"Fine," Potter grumbled. "We wouldn't have come up with a good one on such short notice anyways."

Sirius began to utter a reply when Hagrid, the groundskeeper, shouted that they had arrived. All four boys looked up at the large castle and Peter even gasped. It was even more magnificent than they could have ever imagined. Sirius's stomach did flips in anticipation but he remained silent, unlike Peter who kept telling them how nervous he was. The boys stepped out of the boat, still in awe, and started walking up to the castle where a tall lady, who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall began telling them about what awaited them inside the Great Hall.

"Inside, you will all be called up in alphabetical order to be sorted into your houses. Once you've been sorted, you will go sit at your respective house tables for a feast. Immediately following the feast, you will be escorted up to your dormitories by prefects. You will find your belongings waiting for you there." The tall woman turned and with a wave of her wand, opened the grand doors to the Hall. She turned back and flashed all of the first years a reassuring smile which didn't help Sirius' shaking hands. "Everyone ready? Come along."

The first years followed hesitantly, not wanting to seem too eager. James Potter took the first step of all of the children, swaggering in front of the crowd. Sirius grinned and jogged to catch up to his side. Remus and Peter quickly joined behind them, followed by the rest of the first years.

They were sorted by last name and Sirius was fourth in line, his hands sweaty and his head spinning. As the line quickly diminished, Sirius realized which house he really wanted to be in. He realized that it never could have been what his mother wanted, it had to be what he wanted. So when his name was called and he approached the stool, his hands had stopped shaking. Professor Mcgonagall placed the hat on Sirius's head and he grinned, defiantly.

Gryffindor First Year Boy's Dormitory 10:47 pm

Several hours later, when the first years were all in a food coma after their first Hogwarts feast and were separated into their houses, they all went to their designated common rooms. There were eight first year boys and girls for each house; each of them nearly bursting from food consumption and also from excitement. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus now inhabited the first year dorms in their house.

James lay on his crimson sheets with his hands underneath his head. He closed his eyes and sighed in complete blissful satisfaction. Remus and Peter did the same. Sirius sat on his bed, feeling somewhat guilty. There was a mahogany desk in the corner that held several rolls of parchment along with a plethora of quills. Sirius walked toward it as though walking to his own death. He sat down and pulled out a piece of parchment. He started writing a letter.

"Dear Mother," He started.

He thought of all of the things that he should say. There should be a lot of groveling and apologizing and asking her to forgive him. Instead, Sirius Black wrote one word. One word that would explain all of his troubles. One word that would be branded on him for the next seven years and quite possibly the rest of his life. Just one word, that's all it took for his mother to understand.

"Gryffindor.

Love, Sirius"

A/n: hi lovely reader! so I haven't decided if I want to make this just a oneshot or continue it and do the first day from several different student's pov. I would probably do the Marauders (James Remus and Peter) Lily and Severus. Let me know in the reviews if you think it's a good idea! (: