The four Marauders boarded the train, laughing and joking. They found their own empty compartment, and sat.
"So Moony, what're you most looking forward to when home for the summer?" James, also called Prongs, asked.
Remus, or Moony, shrugged. "Probably my own bed again. And of course Mum's food." They all laughed at that.
"What about you Padfoot?"
Sirius shrugged and stared out the window. "Nothing."
They all winced, especially Remus. He had forgotten not to ask about his friend's summer.
"Stupid pureblood freaks," Sirius muttered under his breath. They never said a word to him, unless it was insulting or demeaning in some way. He hated them. His own family!
"Sorry mate. Why don't you come over my house this summer? I'll ask mum and you could be over in less then two seconds!" They had all passed their Apparating test that year.
Sirius nodded, a slight grin at his tan face. "Sure."
The atmosphere lightened and they passed the time playing Exploding Snap, and laughing when pumpkin juice the snack lady brought came out Peter's, or Wormtail, nose.
Finally, the train stopped, much to Padfoot's dismay.
"Cheer up Padfoot," James told him. "I'll send an owl as soon as mum says yes. And I know she will." Sirius returned his grin with a rather weak one of his own as his friends split up with shouts of "Bye Padfoot!" "Send me an owl or else Padfoot!" "Prongs, Padfoot, you guys better open a book during the summer!" The last one made him grin slightly. Only Moony.
He spotted his mother immediately and made his way over, the grin a mere memory.
She sniffed at him. "So you did come back," she said haughtily.
He glared. "Unfortunately, yes. And it's not because I like the stench either."
She feigned a gasp rather well, trying to sound hurt. But before she could say anything, his brother Regulus stepped off the train.
"Regulus dear!" his mother shouted as she ran up to him and hugged him tightly.
"'Regulus dear'!" he mocked under his breath in a high voice remarkably like his mother's. "I wish I could just leave. They'd be fine without me after all."
The ride home was littered with constant questions and praise-for Regulus. Silence greeted Sirius, and he was fine with that.
"So dear, did any of those horrid Gryffindors bother you?"
He's gonna tell her! He froze on the steps up to his room, listening.
"Yes, they did."
"Aw, what did they do this time dear? Who was it?"
"It was Sirius and his stupid friends!" He heard his brother relate the event of the past January.
"Sirius!" His mother's angry face appeared at the bottom of the steps.
"You'd better stay up there! I'll talk to you after your night of no dinner."
No dinner. Pah. Did she think that bothered him anymore? Truth be told, he hated his mother's cooking and did anything and everything to be rid of it.
He sat up in his room, stroking his black owl, Flit, thoughtfully.
"Why don't I just leave?" he said suddenly. Flit flapped her wings in reply.
"You're right! I can just pick up and go if I wanted!"
He jumped off the bed so suddenly it caused Flit to fly over to perch on his wardrobe and hoot at him angrily.
"Sorry girl," he said as he rushed around, packing his stuff into his trunk. He had only just unpacked his clothes, so that was all he needed.
"C'mere Flit." He held his arm out and she perched on his shoulder, nipping his ear in reproach for scaring her.
"Ow! Okay, okay, I said sorry. Now, is that all I need?" He looked around the room once more, and nodded. "Right. Now, I've never transported things before and I'm not sure it'll work, so hold on Flit."
He clenched his eyes shut and opened them. He stood on a dark curb in front of James's house. But no trunk. And no Flit. Ah, well, Flit would come eventually and he could always go back for his stuff.
"Sorry Flit," he muttered as he walked towards the dark house. It was either really late, or really early. But he knocked on the door anyway. No answer.
Damn! He thought, biting his tongue. But he spied James's window. Bingo.
He screwed his eyes shut again, and when he opened them he was sitting on James's feet.
"Ow!" He tumbled off the bed and when he opened his eyes he found two rather frightening things. One, he felt all of his friend's weight dropped on his stomach. Two, he found a wand pointed at him. And it was rather familiar.
"Prongs wait!"
The wand lowered.
"Padfoot? What're you doing here?"
"Let me get up, and I'll tell you."
They stayed up until dawn light shone through the window and then slept until Mrs. Potter banged on the door.
"Jamesie, wake up!"
Sirius opened his eyes sleepily, but snickered. James threw his pillow at him.
"Shut up. Uh-oh," he said suddenly.
"What?"
"Mum doesn't know that you're here."
"So tell her Smart One."
"Mum? C'mere!"
The door opened and Mrs. Potter's eyes widened as she saw Sirius lying on the floor.
"Sirius! When did you get here? Why are here?"
"Sorry to surprise you Mrs. Potter. But I ran away," he said sheepishly.
The good thing about Mrs. Potter was that she didn't ask too many questions of him. So she nodded and left. After James had changed out of his pajamas, the two boys followed, talking earnestly about plans for next year.