"James!" Sirius Black spotted his best friend through the sea of witches
and wizards saying goodbye to their families at Platform 9 ¾. James
grinned as Sirius pushed his way through the crowd and joined the Potters.
Sirius was tall for his age and looked a lot like his father. He was
handsome and had the black hair and blue eyes synonymous with the Black
clan. There was, however, one major difference between him and the other
members of his family. When Sirius smiled, it didn't look sarcastic or
forced. He smiled with his eyes. It made a world of difference.
"Hello Sirius dear where are your parents?" James' mother asked whilst trying to flatten her son's jet black hair down at the back. Sirius frowned slightly.
"Oh they couldn't bring me so I got the Knight Bus."
"Oh you should have said we could have brought you!" Sirius grinned broadly at Mrs Potter who was now wiping James' face with a hanky.
"Ok sweetheart, you be good, OK? I'll see you at Christmas. I love you!"
There were tears in Mrs Potter's eyes as she called these last words to the retreating back of her eleven year old son. James and Sirius made their way down the train until they found an empty compartment.
"I can't believe it!" Sirius exclaimed gleefully as they settled down and began their first journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "We're finally going!"
"I know." James sighed, grinning at his friend. The pair had met when they were just four years old and had been inseparable ever since. When James had received his letter about Hogwarts, he had vowed not to go if Sirius didn't. Luckily Sirius had gotten his letter two days later.
They were just getting down to a good game of wizards chess when the compartment door slid open and a boy their age walked in.
"Hi, erm, could I please sit here?" He spoke in a quiet, calm voice but stood proudly. The boy was tall and thin with a mop of dirty blond hair and a thin face. His eyes were storm grey and emotionless.
"Sure!" Sirius grinned at the boy who introduced himself as Remus Lupin.
"I'm Sirius Black and this is James Potter!" Sirius said brightly. Remus smiled genuinely and his face lit up although his eyes didn't change.
He sat down next to Sirius and watched them continue their game until the sky outside grew dark and a passing prefect told them to change into their robes. When they reached the entrance hall of Hogwarts, feeling cold and wet from their crossing of the lake, they were struck at once by its splendour. There was silence save for the drip drip of the rain falling from their cloaks.
"What happens now?" James whispered to Sirius who shrugged.
"We get sorted into our houses." Remus informed them, staring straight ahead as the doors to the great hall opened.
The first years huddled together as they were ushered inside and walked past the four long house tables. Sirius spotted his cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa, sat together on the Slytherin table.
"James what if we're split up?" he hissed. James looked at him, his round hazel eyes filled with fear behind his glasses. It was probable that they would be separated. Sirius's whole family had been in Slytherin, except his mother who was a Ravenclaw, whereas the Potters had been in Gryffindor for as long as anyone could remember.
"Aberfoot, George" called a tall professor with curly red hair. She smiled as George Aberfoot approached the stool, trembling with fear, and sat down. She placed the sorting hat on his head and it called out "Hufflepuff!" There was a burst of cheers and applause as the tiny boy ran over to the Hufflepuff table. Sirius felt himself grow steadily more nervous as they watched several more people be sorted. "Black, Sirius."
"Good luck!" Remus and James mouthed as he turned away and walked towards the professor.
"Ah ha! The hat whispered in his ear. "Another Black! I know what to do with you!"
"No! Wait!" Sirius screwed up his face and tried to make the hat hear his inner voice.
"Why? What's this? A Black who dares to be different?"
"Please not Slytherin! Please!" he begged.
"Hmm...Ok...I see you are different from those who have preceded you. You are clever, no doubt about that. And loyal, yes...Your friends are important I can see...hmm... it best be...GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius could hardly believe his luck and sat there, mouth wide open for a moment until the blonde professor nudged him in the back. A few people giggled as he made his way to the Gryffindor table but he couldn't have cared less. He was in Gryffindor. He had escaped following in his father's footsteps. He had escaped Slytherin.
Lupin and James both made Gryffindor too. They beamed at each other as the headmaster, Professor Dippet signalled the start of the feast.
"My dad's going to kill me," Sirius moaned as he helped himself to chicken pie. "He is actually going to murder me."
"Don't worry about it mate," James tried to reassure him, but to no avail. They both knew exactly how Mr Black would react when he discovered his son was in Gryffindor.
"Oh my God."
"What?" Sirius turned to see what had caused James to spill pumpkin juice all down the front of his robes.
"Nothing," James blushed bright red and began mopping up his drink with Sirius's hat. Remus followed his gaze and saw a pretty red head sat further up the table. The dark look Sirius shot the girl told Remus that he was not the only one who had spotted the girl James was still staring at.
"First years! First years follow us!" called a tall prefect when they reached the entrance hall after dinner. The three boys joined the crowd of people and followed them up the stone steps.
"Night James! Night Remus!" Sirius yawned as he collapsed onto his four- poster bed soon after. The other boys were so tired they couldn't manage more than a grunt.
The next morning the boys were on their way down to breakfast when they heard voices ahead of them.
"Give it back!" They saw a small, chubby boy close to tears desperately trying to grab his bag as it was tossed between three older students.
Sirius was just as tall as one of the boys and he looked him right in the eye as he spoke. "Give him back his bag!"
"Excuse me you should learn to respect your elders," a boy with long white- blonde hair and a drawling voice grabbed Sirius by the wrist.
"Don't you dare touch me," Sirius spat.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" the boy still held onto Sirius.
"Some deaf Slytherin scumbag I'd say. Wouldn't you agree James?"
"Yep. You forgot ugly though." James glared at the boy who finally released Sirius.
"What's going on in here? Malfoy why aren't you at breakfast?" the curly red haired professor from the sorting appeared behind the blond boy.
"We were just showing these first years the way Professor."
"Well hurry along then."
"Thanks!" the small boy spoke in a high, excitable voice. "I'm Peter Pettigrew! I think I'm in your dormitory!"
"Ok well just keep out of his way from now on Ok?" Sirius said and then started walking briskly towards the wafting smell of bacon.
From that moment on, the four were inseparable. Sirius and James would have liked to have got shot of Peter but Remus didn't want to be cruel and so he became one of them.
"Hello Sirius dear where are your parents?" James' mother asked whilst trying to flatten her son's jet black hair down at the back. Sirius frowned slightly.
"Oh they couldn't bring me so I got the Knight Bus."
"Oh you should have said we could have brought you!" Sirius grinned broadly at Mrs Potter who was now wiping James' face with a hanky.
"Ok sweetheart, you be good, OK? I'll see you at Christmas. I love you!"
There were tears in Mrs Potter's eyes as she called these last words to the retreating back of her eleven year old son. James and Sirius made their way down the train until they found an empty compartment.
"I can't believe it!" Sirius exclaimed gleefully as they settled down and began their first journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "We're finally going!"
"I know." James sighed, grinning at his friend. The pair had met when they were just four years old and had been inseparable ever since. When James had received his letter about Hogwarts, he had vowed not to go if Sirius didn't. Luckily Sirius had gotten his letter two days later.
They were just getting down to a good game of wizards chess when the compartment door slid open and a boy their age walked in.
"Hi, erm, could I please sit here?" He spoke in a quiet, calm voice but stood proudly. The boy was tall and thin with a mop of dirty blond hair and a thin face. His eyes were storm grey and emotionless.
"Sure!" Sirius grinned at the boy who introduced himself as Remus Lupin.
"I'm Sirius Black and this is James Potter!" Sirius said brightly. Remus smiled genuinely and his face lit up although his eyes didn't change.
He sat down next to Sirius and watched them continue their game until the sky outside grew dark and a passing prefect told them to change into their robes. When they reached the entrance hall of Hogwarts, feeling cold and wet from their crossing of the lake, they were struck at once by its splendour. There was silence save for the drip drip of the rain falling from their cloaks.
"What happens now?" James whispered to Sirius who shrugged.
"We get sorted into our houses." Remus informed them, staring straight ahead as the doors to the great hall opened.
The first years huddled together as they were ushered inside and walked past the four long house tables. Sirius spotted his cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa, sat together on the Slytherin table.
"James what if we're split up?" he hissed. James looked at him, his round hazel eyes filled with fear behind his glasses. It was probable that they would be separated. Sirius's whole family had been in Slytherin, except his mother who was a Ravenclaw, whereas the Potters had been in Gryffindor for as long as anyone could remember.
"Aberfoot, George" called a tall professor with curly red hair. She smiled as George Aberfoot approached the stool, trembling with fear, and sat down. She placed the sorting hat on his head and it called out "Hufflepuff!" There was a burst of cheers and applause as the tiny boy ran over to the Hufflepuff table. Sirius felt himself grow steadily more nervous as they watched several more people be sorted. "Black, Sirius."
"Good luck!" Remus and James mouthed as he turned away and walked towards the professor.
"Ah ha! The hat whispered in his ear. "Another Black! I know what to do with you!"
"No! Wait!" Sirius screwed up his face and tried to make the hat hear his inner voice.
"Why? What's this? A Black who dares to be different?"
"Please not Slytherin! Please!" he begged.
"Hmm...Ok...I see you are different from those who have preceded you. You are clever, no doubt about that. And loyal, yes...Your friends are important I can see...hmm... it best be...GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius could hardly believe his luck and sat there, mouth wide open for a moment until the blonde professor nudged him in the back. A few people giggled as he made his way to the Gryffindor table but he couldn't have cared less. He was in Gryffindor. He had escaped following in his father's footsteps. He had escaped Slytherin.
Lupin and James both made Gryffindor too. They beamed at each other as the headmaster, Professor Dippet signalled the start of the feast.
"My dad's going to kill me," Sirius moaned as he helped himself to chicken pie. "He is actually going to murder me."
"Don't worry about it mate," James tried to reassure him, but to no avail. They both knew exactly how Mr Black would react when he discovered his son was in Gryffindor.
"Oh my God."
"What?" Sirius turned to see what had caused James to spill pumpkin juice all down the front of his robes.
"Nothing," James blushed bright red and began mopping up his drink with Sirius's hat. Remus followed his gaze and saw a pretty red head sat further up the table. The dark look Sirius shot the girl told Remus that he was not the only one who had spotted the girl James was still staring at.
"First years! First years follow us!" called a tall prefect when they reached the entrance hall after dinner. The three boys joined the crowd of people and followed them up the stone steps.
"Night James! Night Remus!" Sirius yawned as he collapsed onto his four- poster bed soon after. The other boys were so tired they couldn't manage more than a grunt.
The next morning the boys were on their way down to breakfast when they heard voices ahead of them.
"Give it back!" They saw a small, chubby boy close to tears desperately trying to grab his bag as it was tossed between three older students.
Sirius was just as tall as one of the boys and he looked him right in the eye as he spoke. "Give him back his bag!"
"Excuse me you should learn to respect your elders," a boy with long white- blonde hair and a drawling voice grabbed Sirius by the wrist.
"Don't you dare touch me," Sirius spat.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" the boy still held onto Sirius.
"Some deaf Slytherin scumbag I'd say. Wouldn't you agree James?"
"Yep. You forgot ugly though." James glared at the boy who finally released Sirius.
"What's going on in here? Malfoy why aren't you at breakfast?" the curly red haired professor from the sorting appeared behind the blond boy.
"We were just showing these first years the way Professor."
"Well hurry along then."
"Thanks!" the small boy spoke in a high, excitable voice. "I'm Peter Pettigrew! I think I'm in your dormitory!"
"Ok well just keep out of his way from now on Ok?" Sirius said and then started walking briskly towards the wafting smell of bacon.
From that moment on, the four were inseparable. Sirius and James would have liked to have got shot of Peter but Remus didn't want to be cruel and so he became one of them.