A/N: Welcome to my first fan fiction novel! I have the first 5 chapters written and ready to post, and a detailed plan of the rest of the story. I don't know yet if this story will indeed be one story or more, but it will go right up to that fateful Hallowe'en, and perhaps even beyond. There will be many character deaths, but they're all end of fifth year and onwards. It is largely canon, except for my OC, Lauren. But anyway, enough of my ranting, on to the story! The only thing I have to say is that while these opening chapters are in the third person, later chapters are written in specific POVs, with the first being Sirius Black.

I would absolutely love it if you could leave a little review, no matter what you think of the story. Anything you want to say, please say it! Thank you all, you lovely people!

Warnings for child abuse, which is hinted at in this chapter, and mild violence (threats).

Marissa Devine, held head high and stiff, walked with her youngest daughter into King's Cross Station. Lauren was pushing her heavy trolley, struggling to keep up with her mother's brisk walk, hair falling into her face.

"The platform is up those stairs. The muggles have signs. Anyway, you've been here before. I must get back to your sisters," she told the girl, by means of a goodbye.

"Okay," Lauren Potter told her mother.

Lauren had barely looked around before her mother had disappeared. She took a deep breath and began to search for the lift to take her onto the platform bridge. She knew her mother would be heading to Diagon Alley in search of her eldest daughters, Cordelia and Imogen Devine. It was quarter past ten and time was of the essence if they were to make the train. The older girls took after their mother, with their smooth wavy hair and haughtiness. Marissa would make sure the older girls had everything they needed, and gift them with money to spend on the sweets trolley on the train. Lauren wasn't worth her time or effort, not with what was to come.

The eleven year old girl pushed her trolley into the lift and began to take stock of her belongings. She knew she had everything, she'd packed a week ago. Her mother wouldn't be too shamed – she made sure everything Lauren had was new, at least, and decorative where it could be. She began to push her trolley along the bridge, newly placed tarmac clashing with the hand-hewn bricks and ironworks from yesteryear. She noticed a woman and a girl with a trolley ahead, waiting for the lift to Platforms 9 and 10, with the same red hair. The way they were looking around and checking the piece of paper the woman held tightly told Lauren they were muggles, and that the girl was probably a First Year, like her.

Lauren remembered what her mother had told her that morning, before they had left their house: "If you aren't in Slytherin, don't bother coming home at Christmas. Don't you dare take after your father. Don't talk to muggles. Make friends with your cousins, study hard and don't you dare break the rules!" she had screamed, before regaining her composure to address her older daughters. Lauren had shared a glance with her brother Simon and an inward sigh.

Lauren reached the lift at the same time as the mother and daughter, who held the lift for her so she could squeeze her own trolley into the remaining space. The wide green eyes of the daughter stared at Lauren and her trolley intently while the mother rummaged through their own trolley, checking the items off against the list in her hand with deep concern in her eyes. Muggles, Lauren thought and couldn't help but stifle a giggle at the amazement and worry the pair exuded.

"Lily, I'm so sorry your dad had to work today, sweetheart. He really didn't want to miss this," the woman said, looking directly at her daughter.

"I know, mum, you said already. It's fine, honestly, he can come and pick me up at Christmas," the girl, presumably named Lily, replied. "Maybe you can convince Tuney to come too?"

"Maybe," the woman replied, looking away. "Your dad and I will be here." The woman smiled, then, and draped her arm protectively around her daughter's shoulders.

Lauren felt a pang of jealousy at that as the lift arrived on the platform. She let the mother and daughter exit first, and followed them to the barrier.

The pair stopped sharp and stared at the very real-looking bricks in front of them. Marissa Devine's words rang in her ears again, "Don't talk to muggles." Lauren sighed before stepping forward.

"Are you a First Year?" Lauren asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes," Lily, the red-head girl, smiled. "Are you?"

Her mother eyed Lauren curiously and Lauren smiled back.

"Yes, but I've done this bit before, with my older sisters," she admitted.

"You have?" Lily asked, her eyes bulging with relief.

"Yes," Lauren laughed a little. "It's easy, I promise. There's nothing to it. You just have to walk."

"Are you sure? It looks pretty solid," Lily replied, looking nervous.

"Why don't I go first so you can follow?" Lauren asked, to which the girl nodded gratefully. Lauren took a quick glance around her, anxious not to be seen by the wrong people talking to this pair, who were so obviously muggles it was frightening. Further down the Platform, grinning ear to ear, stood the eldest Black son, alone, with an eyebrow raised questioningly. She felt her cheeks burn slightly and looked away as quickly as possible. His family was just like hers. His mother knew hers. He was exactly the wrong sort of person.

"Thank you for your reassurance, and your offer of help," Lily's mother smiled. "I'm afraid we're rather new to all this. Should you not wait for your parents first?" she asked.

"Oh, no, it's okay, my mother is with my sisters. They had trouble getting everything they wanted at Diagon Alley." Lauren replied simply, editing the truth. "I'll see you on the other side," she said, and before any more questions could be asked, began to make her way through to Platform 9¾.

The sight of the Hogwarts Express, red, gleaming and billowing smoke was like a breath of fresh air. Welcoming and impressive, Lauren only now let herself begin to imagine what awaited her. She didn't wait for the redhead mother and daughter, she had already been seen by one person – she didn't have to make things worse for herself. Too many people had mothers like hers, and they all knew each other. Well, most of them were related.

She began to weave through the crowd, blending in as much as she could. She couldn't help but think that the sight of a lone child must have stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the doting parents, but she did her best. She spotted a few familiar faces, but none she liked. Narcissa Black stood primed to perfection, blonde hair smoothed perfectly, demure with her parents and their idle chatter. She was about to begin her sixth year, being a year older than Lauren's sister Cordelia and a year younger than Imogen. Evan Rosier, Lauren's cousin, stood with Patrick Avery, his cousin on the other side, with their parents before they too began their First Year. Lauren allowed herself a moment of imagined bliss as she pictured the looks on their mothers' faces if they were to find out their sons had been placed anywhere but Slytherin.

Just as she realised she'd begun dawdling, she felt two hard taps on her left shoulder. She turned slowly, anxious as to who it might have been, to find the same raised eyebrow above grey eyes she'd seen moments before.

"Lauren Devine, I believe," Sirius Black said. She immediately decided she hated the sound of that name on his lips. It wasn't even her name, and hearing him say it, a Black, reminded her of everything she hated, and everyone that seemed to hate her. It reminded her of the history she had with him, the dinner parties she same him at once or twice a year, the Hallowe'en parties, and New Year's Eves. She didn't know him all that well, of course. Well enough to match the name to the face, but she couldn't remember ever having a real conversation with him. She knew, however, that she didn't want one. She didn't want any kind of reminder here, where she was supposed to start fresh.

"Not after today," Lauren replied, guarded, proud of herself for remembering he'd spoken. She had become so distracted with her own train of thought too easily. "But yes, that's me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, curious, not connecting it to the fact they both knew. That at Hogwarts, you are known by your birth name only. You are chosen as a young child for the school, there was no long application process, no 'chosen name' box on a form to fill in. Just the name that was chosen for you when you were drawn, kicking and screaming, into the world.

"I'm still Lauren," she replied. Then he got it.

"Lauren what, exactly?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together in query.

"You'll find out soon enough," she replied, and left it at that. She wasn't letting the cat out of the bag herself.

"So, who were you talking to?" he asked, realising she wouldn't say anything else and remembering the reason he'd come to talk.

"No one," Lauren replied, too quickly.

"She was definitely someone," he replied. "I even heard them talking about you when I passed them. They were wondering where you'd gone. Her mother said, 'There's something that seems odd about her'. Maybe it's your age."

Her age was odd, at eleven, she'd give him that. "A muggleborn, that's all. She was taking too long at the barrier, so I sped her up. No one did anything wrong," she replied, trying to dismiss the situation in a way he would expect.

"'Muggleborn'?" Sirius questioned. Damn it. She'd slipped up and used the correct term instead of the one he expected her to use. She couldn't even bring herself to think it, that word. She said nothing and hoped it would go away. She hoped he would go away. She looked straight into his eyes, holding his gaze, refusing to be caught out or back down.

He seemed to understand the challenge in her eyes. "You know, I'm sure I saw the two of you smile." He smiled at her like she was caught in his web.

"Then you were wrong," Lauren replied, her face set hard.

Sirius sighed with a slight smile on his face and glanced away from her.

"I think you've got the wrong brother," he told her. "I'm not going to say a word."

Lauren frowned at him, unsure at what he was trying to say, unsure if she should trust him. She pushed her trolley away from him and headed to the train, hoping he wouldn't follow her. She didn't have to decide about him right now. She boarded the train and found a quiet carriage, settling down, pulling her book from her bag as soon as she could. She was going to enjoy this freedom, and possibly even finish To Kill a Mockingbird before they arrived.

She wasn't left wholly alone, that feat was not an easy one in an enclosed space packed full of teens and pre-teens. After the train departed, Lauren looked up at the carriage door to see Cordelia and Imogen, her perfect older sisters, staring at her like she was a rat caught in a trap. They opened the sliding door and stepped in, ignorant of the other people sat around Lauren. The younger students openly stared, but the older ones, knowing how malicious the pair could be, kept their eyes diverted.

"You didn't get lost, then?" Imogen asked. Lauren stayed silent.

"When mother told us she'd left you at the ticket booth, we were… worried… you wouldn't make it here," Cordelia added, a sickening smile on her face.

"You're about to bring unprecedented dishonour on our family," Imogen started. Lauren thought she was being over-dramatic, and kindly declined to mention that it was, in fact, their mother's fault Lauren had even been born. "But you can redeem yourself, if you try. It's in your blood, or at least, half of it. But this is your final warning. Your last chance. I'd rather see you dead than disgrace this family further."

Lauren tried to let the words wash over her head, knowing her sister's bark was often worse than her bite. She couldn't help but think this threat carried weight. There was something in those cold blue eyes that meant every word. As usual, Cordelia stood nodding at Imogen's words, lapping up the power like a puppy in awe of its master. A small part of Lauren felt sorry for her, trapped by her own blindness. The rest of her thought that Cordelia didn't deserve the pity.

They left then, and Lauren was more than glad at the peace and quiet. Lauren was hoping she wouldn't have to speak to anyone else for a while, so she could relax and restore before the revelries of the evening. She caught the eye of the girl sat opposite her, a small figure with short brown hair who was staring at Lauren with a sad smile.

"Who were they?" she asked, curiously.

"My sisters, Imogen and Cordelia Devine," Lauren replied, announcing their names with a sarcastic flair.

"Oh," her eyes widened, "My brother warned me about them. He's a Fourth Year. He told me they were plain nasty if you ever got on their bad side."

"Your brother was right," Lauren replied with a small smile, "I should know, I've been on their bad side since I was born."

"He said Imogen was the worst," the girl said.

"Definitely. I would warn everyone to stay right out of her way, especially." Lauren said, with a fake confidence that this girl seemed to buy as she smiled at Lauren.

"Are you a First Year? I'm Holly Nott," the girl said, by way of introduction.

"Lauren." She decided it was best not to give a surname.

"Do they want you to join Slytherin? Because you can't really choose that, can you? The hat chooses," Holly Nott replied, asking more questions than Lauren was comfortable with.

"They do. I don't know where I'll end up. Where I'm meant to be, I guess, " Lauren replied with a shrug.

"My brother is a Slytherin, and my family want me to be, too. I'm not sure where I'll end up, but at least Slytherin will keep me out of trouble," Holly replied, nervously. Lauren couldn't help but think the girl seemed more like a Hufflepuff.

"Trouble isn't always a bad thing, " Lauren said with a smile. "But you'll go where you belong. Everyone does."

"Thanks," Holly replied with a smile, as if Lauren had just imparted some great wisdom.

Lauren looked away from the girl then and back to her book. She didn't mean to be ignorant, she just wanted some time to herself. The girl sat awkwardly for a few moments, before picking up a copy of Witch Weekly from the seat beside her and beginning to flick through.

By the time the train arrived at Hogwarts, Lauren's apprehension had worn off and excitement had taken its place. She climbed down onto the Platform at Hogsmeade station and smiled. Ducking and diving amongst the other students, she made her way to where a man was stood, besides what could only be a giant, shouting for First Years to follow them. Lauren had been told that the Groundskeeper and his assistant gathered the First Years to lead them to the dock on the lake, where they would board the boats and sail to the castle. Ogg was his name, Lauren thought she remembered, and his assistant was Hagrit, or something like that.

Like a herd of cattle, they followed the men down a shady path, smooth from decades of wear and tear, and found the boats that were waiting for them. Four students to each boat, Lauren headed to the nearest one, not thinking to check who was on the boat before her. She climbed on and sat down, before looking up at the two boys opposite her. Sirius Black was sat smiling at her, clearly excited, and next to him sat a boy with the messiest hair Lauren had ever seen and a pair of round spectacles resting on his nose. Lauren uneasily returned their smiles.

"Lauren, you again!" Sirius began, "Meet James Potter. James, this is Lauren. She apparently doesn't have a surname yet." Lauren rolled her eyes at Sirius before looking at James. So, this is him, she thought, and her heart skipped a beat. She was suddenly grateful for the dim light which wouldn't reveal too much detail of her face.

"Nice to meet you," she said, and James smiled in return.

"She had a surname, Devine, but apparently that's not her birth name. Her family is really Pureblood, like mine, not yours, so I can't wait to hear the story, " Sirius told James, giving out too much information than Lauren was comfortable with. James grinned at Sirius, an easy smile.

"I love a good story," he replied, unaware or uncaring of Lauren's uneasiness. It was clear at least that the pair had hit it off right away. It made Lauren feel sick.

"It's not that great a story, and it's definitely all my parents' fault," Lauren said with a sad smile.

The conversation was interrupted when Lily, the red-haired girl from earlier, climbed in and sat next to Lauren, opposite James Potter. Lily looked up when she sat down.

"Oh, it's you again," she said to James in a deadpan tone, before looking at her other companions. She smiled when she saw Lauren, "Oh, it's you again! I didn't get a chance to thank you for helping me this morning, I'm Lily." She held out a hand for Lauren to shake.

"Lauren," she replied with a small smile and a quick handshake.

"So we all know each other, wonderful," Sirius said with a grin that James returned, Lauren and Lily gave small smiles, both too polite to ignore him outright.

Lauren looked at Sirius and the pair exchanged a look of knowledge and slight distrust. Neither would let their guard down around the other until they understood each other, that much was certain. James and Lily, on the other hand, sat with contented smiles and an air of naivety. Lauren felt a pang of jealousy when she looked at them, understanding they were both adored children, from loving homes. They were trusting and honest, it was clear. She tried to quell the feelings, but wasn't sure she managed all that well.

It was at that moment that Hogwarts came into view, beautiful and imposing as it always had been, lit as if by candlelight against the darkening, starry sky. The moon was almost full, giving the view an ethereal glow. Lily's gasp interrupted the silence that had fallen as she took in the size of the great castle before her, with its towers and turrets reaching up to meet the night. It carried an air of timelessness and history.

"I am definitely going to get lost," Lily announced. The others agreed with smiles and laughter.

"Yeah, you are," Sirius agreed, "But everyone does, even those of us who think we know it already."

A/N: Nearly at Hogwarts, nearly! Thank you for reading! In the next chapter: A Sorting Hat song, the Gryffindor Tower and the Devine sisters being, well, less than divine...