"Mum, sod off!" Sirius Black growled at his mother, who was trying to wipe a bit of dirt of off his face at King's Cross station. He backed away a few small steps, putting necessary distance between them. No matter how much he tried to hide his fear, she could see it. That was the one thing she was always good at. Preying on fear and weakness.
She knew he hated her. She only tried to act like this, act so motherly, in public when people were looking at her and judging her and trying to see what the famous Mrs. Black would do. If nothing else, she was a beautiful woman. She had long black hair, she was well built, and her clothes always fit her very well. She was attractive, but her sons could see the ice behind her eyes. "If you speak to me like that again, Sirius, I won't be as gentle as I was last night." She said through clenched teeth in a whisper. He winced, but held her gaze. She couldn't touch him here.
"Boys, what can you do?" quipped the regal looking woman to a passing mother, letting out an airy, fake laugh. The woman smiled a tight smile, and Sirius became scared. If she had heard his mother's threat, that would not be good. The one thing Sirius hated most in this world, beside his family, was pity. It was not that he did not deserve it; it was that the young boy could take care of himself, thank you very much.
Sirius shifted his weight from one foot to the other during the awkward silence that ensued. He winced at the pain in his side, resulting from the "gentle" fight he had with his mother the night before, when he told her that if he had his pick, he would beg the Sorting hat to put him in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. He thought one of his ribs might be broken, but he knew he healed fast. He would be okay. And he would be a Gryffindor, no matter what she said.
Mrs. Black waved to her sister-in-law across the forum, but did not go over to greet her. Sirius pretended he couldn't see them. He avoided Narcissa and Bellatrix, his twin cousins exactly his age, whenever he could.
He was really excited to escape, and to finally get away from his horrid family life, especially from his mother, the most horrid thing of all. But in addition to his excitement, he felt an undeniable pang of guilt. He was leaving his little brother, Regulus, along with her to be the brunt of everything his mother could do. When Sirius knew that the punishment would be especially bad, he would take the blame instead of Regulus. He wouldn't be there to do that anymore. He was so scared that Reggie wouldn't be able to handle that, handle her, all alone. But Sirius had no choice; he had to go to school. So giving Regulus a hug, he turned his back on the only family member he even cared about any more and walked through the barrier to platform 9 ¾. He looked back twice, each time a single tear falling down his cheek as he tried to forget what that little boy would be forced through soon. He made himself a promise he would write Regulus every day, and if that woman dared touch him, so help him God he would kill her.
"Yes Mum, I'm sure." Remus said in a tired voice for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day. Catherine, his mother, was a worrier to begin with, and the fact that he was leaving for school was not helping her in any way. Her old, beat-up, brown shoes scuffed against the floor of King's Cross Station as the drab looking woman shuffled along with her son, a look of pure worry etched on her face. If any of her friends had seen Catherine, they would barely recognize her. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. Her hair was a rat's nest, and her clothes hung off of her in a manner that made her look small and frightened. Remus knew better. Catherine Jane Lupin was probably the strongest woman he knew, and it was quite possible she was the strongest woman in the world.
"Remus, I can take you straight home right now if you want. We can write a letter to Dumbledore and thank him for the offer but politely decline." Her voice was scratchy and high, almost childlike. This was Mrs. Lupin's last resort, her last way to hold onto her ever so special son.
"Mum, I want a chance at this. Please, I need to do this," said Remus, smiling at his mother in what he hoped was a reassuring way. He meant what he said, but he really hoped that she would stop arguing with him, he didn't have the strength right now. He knew he had to go before he could give his mother more of a chance to change her mind and take him home, so he quickly kissed her on the cheek and whispered one last "I'll be fine" before walking through the barrier backwards, waving. Once across, his façade melted away as he became extremely nervous for what was to come. He made his way through the throng and found an empty compartment near the back of the scarlet Hogwarts Express, where he tried to bury the feeling that either something very, very good or something very, very bad was about to happen. He wondered what school would have in store for a boy as extraordinary as him as he quickly fell asleep, the bustle of the students his lullaby.
"Mum, I don't want to go!" whined a small, plump boy as a much taller woman dragged him through King's Cross Station. His black boots dug into the floor as he tripped over himself every few feet. His mother continued, undeterred. She seemed to be used to this kind of behavior from her son.
Polly Pettigrew was by no means a pretty woman, and by no means was she a rich one. She had many shortcomings. A temper, no focus, and she might have been the slightest bit crude. But Missus Polly Pettigrew was a right strong woman, and she took good care of her only son, Peter. Not even her worst enemy could say anything to the contrary.
"You have to go Peter! You're eleven years old, and eleven year old wizards go to Hogwarts!" said the tired-looking woman, in a voice that seemed too high to be her own. Something inside of her was screaming to take him home, but the more rational part of her mind disagreed.
"I can be homeschooled!" Peter seemed close to tears as he dragged his cart behind him, a small kitten asleep in a kennel on top. Yes he could, she and her husband must know enough between them to teach him everything he needed to know! Oh, who was she kidding…
"No you can't Peter…" Said Polly for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. "Your father and I both went to Hogwarts, and so will you." Polly and Oliver had met in Hogwarts, and she was not lying to her son. She did attend, and she failed several of her courses. Her lot in life was the result. She knew if she had tried harder she could have been so much more than what she was, and that was what she wanted for Peter. And so help her, he would have a better life than her or Oliver could ever have dreamed of. Her boy was going to be someone someday. He was going to make an impact on the world.
"But I don't want to be like you or Dad! I want to be like me! I want to be like Peter!" said the boy as a last resort. Peter knew that would get somewhere with his mother. She told him all the time. "Don't be like me, sweetheart. Don't be like me."
"That's ridiculous. Off you go now!" she pointed to the barrier, but her son wouldn't budge. A part of her didn't want him to.
"By Merlin Peter!" she said as she pushed her son through the barrier.
Peter got onto the train, sat himself down in an empty compartment near the front, and started to cry. His mother apparated, and the moment she got home, so did she.
"Yes Mum, I have my owl. It looks like I'm ready to go!" said James Potter in an excited voice, looking over at the tawny owl he had recently named Lovely. He had woken up before dawn this morning to wake his parents, Michael and Penelope, brimming with excitement over finally being able to go to the school his father had told him so much about.
"You're sure you're ready for this? And you'll write us every week?" said Penelope, frightened at watching her only son go off on his next great adventure. He was still so young...
"Of course, Mum" said James, rolling his eyes in a cocky way. James had always been a confident child, but he had been raised in a loving, tolerating environment. He knew, above all, that everyone deserved a chance. His mother tried to smooth down his hair in the back. She thought to herself that it was always sticking up, and that she should try that new potion that she had read about in Witch Weekly.
"Mum, it hasn't worked for eleven years, what makes you think it's going to work right now?" he asked, letting out his signature, confident laugh. Penelope couldn't help noticing what a good-looking boy her James was becoming, just like his father had always been.
"Oh, I don't know darling, just promise me you'll be careful." She pleaded while Michael looked on, beaming and giving his son a mischievous smile, showing James that he wanted him to do the exact opposite of being careful.
Michael, in his Hogwarts days, had been a minor prankster and mischievous as a boy could be. He and his friends had been popular athlete scholars, the boys who had everything. He had spent the last eleven years trying to make his son as much like him as he could. Michael was a bit arrogant, but he admitted it readily.
"I don't make promises I don't intend to keep, Mother" said James. And with a wink to Penelope, he strutted through the barrier without looking back.
"That's my boy." Michael grinned as he disappeared. Penelope swatted his arm, only half playfully. As James, separated from his parents by a wall of brick and a wall of people, stepped onto the train; he smiled. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something very, very good was about to happen.
James was one of the last students to file onto the train. Almost all of the compartments were full, and so far he had only seen two that only contained one other student. One contained a scarred, sleeping boy he didn't want to disturb, and the other contained a crying boy he also didn't want to disturb. James was by no means heartless, but he didn't have the time. On his third trip 'round the train, he found a compartment with a single boy in it, who wasn't in robes yet and looked to be about his age. He had long black hair, piercing, calculating grey eyes, and when his lips curled into a smile at James, they seemed to scream "I will so prank you the second you come in here." He looked dangerous, on edge, and like he didn't want to be messed with. James liked him immediately.
He walked through the door and returned the boy's smile. "Hi, I'm James. I'm going to be a first year." He sat down opposite the other boy, not asking if he minded.
"Hey, I'm Sirius, and you already are a first year." Sirius smirked, feeling as though he had the upper hand over this new boy. Having the upper hand was something Sirius was not used to and something he thoroughly enjoyed.
"True enough mate. What house are you hoping for?" James rolled his eyes. This boy really thought he could beat him in a battle of wits! The nerve!
Sirius hesitated for a long while, suddenly hyper aware of the sharp pain in his ribs. "Gryffindor." He said. "I am going to be a Gryffindor."
"Not with that scaredy-cat attitude you won't! Say it like you mean it, Sirius!" James grinned.
"It like you mean it" he leaned back a little, becoming more comfortable with this boy.
"Smart ass. I'm going to be a Gryffindor too. Have the scarf and everything." James seemed a bit prouder than he should have been over owning a scarf. His smile faded a tiny bit, but the ghost of it could still be seen on his face. "I don't really know anyone, can you tell?"
Sirius rolled his eyes a little. "Other than the socially awkward part, no! But seriously, mate. I'm deathly serious here. Literally. I'm Sirius." He paused as James laughed. "I don't really know anyone either, just my cousins. And they're, to put it nicely, horrid. Bellatrix and Narcissa. Merlin, even their names sound horrid." He shuddered, exaggerating for the benefit of James. There was a small pang of guilt inside Sirius. This poor boy didn't know what he was getting into by befriending him. He had no idea at all.
As Sirius shuttered then broke eye contact, James smiled to himself. The first thing on his checklist for today had been to make a friend, and he saw a lot of potential in this Sirius kid. He might be useful, and he had spunk. James had always admired spunk over everything but bravery and loyalty, and a little voice in the back of his mind told him Sirius had quite a lot of those things too.