Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I attribute that to the genius known as J.K Rowling

CHAPTER 1

Sirius black slumped in a seat, his hands outstretched in front of him, grasping the ends of the Daily Profit. His face stayed blank as he read the headline:

Farvay Family killed by Death Eaters

He skimmed through the article, his feet resting on a large trunk in front of the couch. He despised the fact that these headlines and articles were beginning to become second nature to him. The Death Eaters had been causing havoc everywhere they went, and everyone lived in fear that they would be the next victims of such treachery.

A wizard who was Sirius's age walked into the room. His hair was jet black, and stuck out around his head in an untidy matter. He was lean, and he wore glasses in an attractive way that spoke of intelligence. The glasses weren't just for show, either. James Potter was intelligent…oh, and he was blind as a bat without them.

"Oy, Padfoot, you ready yet?" James asked.

Sirius put down the paper and faced his best friend. He raised his foot and brought it down on the trunk he had been using as a footrest.

"Got the trunk right here," Sirius answered.

"Good –mum's fussing that we're going to be late. She says we'll miss the train, and she said something about that not being a good way to start our seventh year," James explained.

Sirius snorted. "It'd be okay for me, but not for you, Head Boy."

"Ah, shut it," James snapped.

Sirius couldn't hold in his laughter. He found it hilarious that James, his best friend and partner in crime for the last six years, had risen up to the goodie two shoe's coveted position of Head Boy. At first he thought it was so ironic, but then he started to understand why James had been chosen.

Rule breaker, yes, but he was a damn good wizard.

Sirius himself was also incredibly talented with a wand, but there was only room for one Head Boy, and Sirius didn't fancy the job anyways. Too much responsibility and hard work –not that he didn't enjoy hard work. It just had to be something he enjoyed and was interested in. Like James, when Sirius set his mind to something, there were no limits as to what he could do.

Sirius had been living with James and his parents for a few months. He had always been different than his family. He had different views than they did, and after getting fed up with his family's sickening view of anyone associated with muggles, he finally rebelled by moving out of the house and in with the Potters. Sirius had been rebelling for years, but this was really the bit of rebellion that made his mother insanely angry. He heard that she even blasted his name off the great big family tree on the wall of their house. He wasn't sure if he should find that funny or not.

The Potter family had been extremely welcoming, and Sirius felt more like he was at home than he had his whole life. He belonged with people like the Potters. It had simply been cruel fate that he had been born into such an arrogant family.

A witch bustled into the room, looking extremely stressed. She ran a hand through her short black hair and started mumbling to herself, unaware of the boys in the room.

"…Going to be late…what will that look like? Oh sorry, headmaster, my son and his friend were too busy screwing off to –"

"Mum," James cut her mother off. "We're right here, and we're ready to go."

Mrs. Potter blushed scarlet. She turned away from her son and marched away from him, no doubt to get his father so they could leave for King's Cross. James rolled his eyes when she left the room as Sirius stood up.

Mr. Potter came stumbling into the room behind his wife. He was dressed in what he considered to be his best muggle attire –a mismatched suit and a polka dotted bowtie. Walking up to Sirius's trunk, he pulled out his wand and muttered "Wingardium Leviosa."

Sirius's trunk rose in the air. Mrs. Potter used another levitation charm to lift James's trunk.

"Alright, boys, let's go," she announced.

Sirius and James exchanged looks and followed Mr. and Mrs. Potter out the door.

Outside there was a car waiting for them. It was something called a minivan by muggles. It would be great for their trunks and roomy enough for them, too. No one really wanted to use muggle transportation, but they didn't want to stand out as they went to King's Cross. Also, Mr. Potter had no idea how to drive, so he used a spell to make the car go the way of the road. He ushered the boys in.

The drive to King's Cross took about an hour. Mr. Potter sat in the driver's seat, pretending to drive. He huffed in annoyance as they sped down the road. Apparition would have been so much easier. His wife had refused that. She talked pleasantly about the boys' seventh year at Hogwarts, recapping on her seventh year. She doted proudly about her son. She considered being Head Boy to be a great honor. Mr. Potter just snorted, and James and Sirius laughed.

The minivan pulled into the parking lot of King's Cross. To any muggle, it parked beautifully, but the Potters and Sirius were unaware of something like that. With difficulty, they pulled their trunks free and started rolling them toward the entrance. People had to dodge the family with the ridiculously large trunks as they pushed through the crowd. Sirius couldn't help but smirk. He couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, and if all the rumors were true, seventh year was the best.

"Here we are," Mrs. Potter announced as they came upon the barrier between platforms nine and ten. "Platform nine and three quarters!"

She grabbed her husband's hand, and together they sprinted through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. No one noticed them disappear through the barrier, and James and Sirius had grown so accustomed to it that they blinked and missed it. Once James's parents were gone, they followed after them, pushing their trunks along and going straight into the barrier.

When they got on the other side, the Hogwarts Express greeted them. The train was huge, stretching backwards on the track several feet. It was scarlet with Hogwarts Express printed on the front, and smoke was shooting out of it. Students were getting on, and parents were hugging their children. Mr. and Mrs. Potter found James and Sirius and hugged them. Even though Sirius wasn't their actual son, they loved him as such. Sirius never got that kind of affection from his own mother.

"I want you to be good this year," Mrs. Potter said firmly. "You two are the best, but I don't want you wasting your talents on practical jokes. If I get one more letter from Hogwarts concerning you –"

"Those letters always talk about the great magic you use," Mr. Potter piped in. When his wife shot him a nasty look, he added quietly. "But even if you are using really good magic, you shouldn't be using it to break rules."

Mrs. Potter nodded contently. Then she gave them another hug, tears in her eyes. James hugged his mother back, but he didn't really understand the water works. Sirius on the other hand was pleased by it. It was nice to know that you were cared for.

"Bye mum, bye dad!" James called out as he boarded the train.

"See you later, Mr. Potter. Bye, Mrs. Potter!" Sirius shouted as he followed his best friend onto the train.

Once they were on board, James marched toward the special Head Boy and Girl compartment. Sirius followed behind him. As they walked down the train's corridor, people watched them in awe. Black and Potter were legends at Hogwarts. For being known as such arrogant rule breakers, it seemed like they could still do no wrong. Everyone wanted to be their friends.

"Alright, here's the compartment," James said, sliding the door open. "No one will care if you're in here, Padfoot."

"Really?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Well, probably, but when have we cared about rules?" James asked, an evil smile spreading on his face.

The two snickered and entered the compartment. They fell down in the seats and began talking.

"So, do you think Moony and Wormtail will find us here?" Sirius asked. "You did tell them that you became Head Boy, right?"

"Obviously," James replied dismissively. "They'll be here. This compartment is supposed to be only for the Head Boy and Girl, so hopefully the Head Girl this year won't be a prick about my friends in here."

"Doubt it. If she's the average girl, she'll be overjoyed to have all the Marauders in a small area with her –well, maybe not Wormtail, but you know what I mean." At that they laughed, and Sirius continued. "Speaking of girls, do you think you'll score with Evans this year? It's your last chance."

James looked out the window.

To James (and to many other boys), Lily Evans was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts. James wouldn't pass a chance to go on a date with her no matter what. He secretly adored her, but there was one problem with that.

Lily hated James.

"Forget me," James said, waving a hand. "Let's talk about your love life. Are you going to settle down with a girl, or are you going to bounce back and forth between them?"

Sirius shrugged. In one point of view, Sirius had never actually had a steady girlfriend during all his years at Hogwarts. No, he had had girlfriends. The handsome wizard with hauntingly good looks was known for seducing girls. The sad thing about it was that the girls knew he was doing this horrible act, and one of them cared. It was worth it to spend a night with the legendary Sirius Black.

"Ah, I don't know," Sirius answered. He stretched out. "It's just that there are no interesting girls. They're all nice, and definitely attractive, but I can't imagine spending every single minute of everyday with them. The only interesting one is Evans." James glared at him. "And I wouldn't think of taking my mate's girl. Nah, I like having more than one girlfriend. As long as the ladies don't mind, neither do I."

"Man whore," James muttered under his breath.

They got on the topic of who the Head Girl was again. They came up with the worst case scenarios and the most ridiculous stories. All of them ended in fits of laughter. After a little while, the compartment door began to slide open.

"It's her," James whispered, crossing his fingers. When the compartment door opened all the way, James's fingers uncrossed themselves and his face fell. "Damn it, Wormtail! I was expecting a girl –not you!"

In the doorway stood Peter Pettigrew, a short chubby boy with a pointed face that reminded people of a rat, and Remus Lupin, a lanky wizard with brown hair and a couple of scars crisscrossing his face.

"S-s-sorry, Prongs!" Pettigrew squeaked. He even had a voice that resembled a rat's.

"Relax, Wormtail," Sirius said. "Prongs was only joking."
"No I wasn't," James shot in. "No offense, but I was expecting a pretty Head Girl, and I got you instead. Sorry, Wormtail, but you are not a pretty girl."

Sirius and Remus busted up laughing, but Pettigrew shifted his eyes around nervously, like he wasn't sure if he should laugh. After sobering from their laugh, Remus came into the compartment and took a seat on the other side of James and Sirius.

"Nice to see you guys again," Remus said cheerfully.

"Nice to see you again," Sirius and James chorused back.

The Marauders caught up on each other's summer breaks. They had all written to each other, but recapping everything in person was so much better. They went into full details of the events and roared with laughter at the end of each story. There was never a dull moment with the Marauders. Each of them was incredibly talented (save for Wormtail) and they were also quite the lookers. (Once again save for Wormtail.)

As they talked, the compartment door slid open again, and this time the Head Girl did enter.

"Oh no," she said faintly. "Potter?"

James stopped talking and looked at the doorway. His mouth fell open, as did all the other Marauders when they saw who was in the doorway.

Lily Evans stood there. She was attractive, and like James, she was incredibly talented at magic. The difference between her and James, though, was that she followed the rules with exactness. Lily was of medium height and had long, straight red hair that fell down her back. Her eyes were large and green and they glared at the Potter boy. Oh, she loathed him. To her he was a good for nothing git.

After the awkward silence, Sirius was the first to recover and he roared with laughter.

"Things are looking up for you, Prongs!" He laughed loudly. "You'll be seeing Evans all the time now!"

Lily flushed and imagined how miserable she'd be if she had to spend every moment with Potter. She pointed at Sirius.

"Why are you even in here?" She asked. "Why are all of you in here? This compartment is strictly reserved for Head Boy and Girl! None of you are supposed to be in here! What would the Headmaster say?"

James stood up and patted Lily on the back. She moved away from his touch like a cheetah's.

"Lily, it's alright," he said gently. She gave him a glare that could have killed when he referred to her by her first name. "Dumbledore will understand. Besides, rules are made to be broken. These guys don't mean any harm anyways."

"You expect me to believe that, Potter?" She spat. "You have been a troublemaker since you first set foot on Hogwarts soil! What was the Headmaster thinking when he appointed you with the incredibly serious task of Head Boy?"

"Ah come on, Evans," James said coolly. He ignored his friends burying their faces in their hands to stifle their laughter. "Will it really be that bad to spend so much time with me? Do you really hate me that much?"

"Yes! I do hate you, Potter! You're an arrogant jerk! You don't know anything about rules! Peeves would have been a better choice for a Head Boy!" She cried.

James pretended to flinch. "Come on…that was harsh."

Lily didn't seem to care about how harsh she sounded, though. She was absolutely outraged by the fact that her seventh year was going to be ruined by the asshole, James Potter. How could Dumbledore do this to her? Had she committed some heinous crime and this was the punishment?

James, on the other hand, thought that his seventh year had suddenly gotten a lot better. No matter how much Sirius made fun of him for having the ultimate goody two shoe position, he could handle it. He imagined walking around with Lily, patrolling the corridors on late nights. He had charmed every other girl in the school, and he wasn't going to give up on Lily. To him she was just a tough challenge.

And James Potter was always up for a challenge.

Sirius listened for a while to James and Lily argue with one another. He snickered behind his hand. It was definitely amusing. He wished the best for his friend, but damn, it sure was fun to listen to his attempts at wooing Lily. As he listened, he felt his stomach rumbled. He'd forgotten to eat breakfast, and he was starting to regret it.

Sirius stood up and let himself out. Only Remus and Pettigrew noticed, because James was busy with Lily. Sirius walked out onto the train's corridor to find the trolley. He knew that it would come to their compartment, but he couldn't be patient. His stomach growled and he cursed himself for not getting breakfast while he had the chance. He headed down one side, praying that the trolley had gone the way he was going.

Something caught Sirius's eye. He wasn't sure why it did. There was nothing spectacular about a text book falling from someone's arms. He watched as a girl bent down to pick it up. He smirked to himself, ready to help her. It wasn't that he was so gentlemanly; he just couldn't pass up an opportunity to appeal to a girl.

"Here, let me help you with that," he offered. Girls loved a gentlemanly wizard.

He knelt down to help her. He subtly shot a look at her, curious as to what girl this was. He might have already had a relationship with her. Apart from the younger girls (and Lily of course), Sirius had had relationships with most of the girls. This one was probably one of those girls, but he figured he'd try anyways.

The girl was not one of the girls Sirius had previously had a relationship with. She was definitely cute. Her hair was straight, brown, and it sent down to her shoulders. Her eyes were focused on the text book, and Sirius noticed they were hazel. She was wearing square glasses. A flush was spread across her cheeks like she was in awe that one of the famous Marauders had even noticed her. Sirius stood up, and she slowly rose with him. He handed her the book, but he couldn't help but realize how much shorter she was than him. He knew this girl, but he was drawing a blank. Sirius Black, the extremely talented wizard, was having difficulties remembering a girl's name.

"Thank you," she said shyly as she took the book from him.

Sirius smirked. Maybe he could get her name by talking to her for a few minutes. Though she was small and easy to make blush, she was still cute, and Sirius never left a cute girl.

"It's no problem," he replied.

He was extremely distracted by her. He needed to think of a way to remember her name.

"No, no, it was very nice of you," she squeaked nervously.

Then, before Sirius could say anything else, she disappeared through the compartment door.

He just stood there. He was used to girls blushing at his presence, but to run away from him while he was obviously trying to flirt was another story. Had he really just failed at talking to a girl?

His stomach was empty, but he didn't think it was from lack of food anymore.