Featherlegs

Chapter One: The Black Family Curse

by: angellwings

A.N.- My first Harry Potter story, so be kind. I've written several other stories in other genres, but this is my first Harry Potter Story. Please Read and Review, but remember I own nothing. Well, except the characters I created.

She sighed as she boarded the train. This was not going to be good. Yes, it was her first year at Hogwarts, but it would also be her first year living in the House of Slytherin. She did not want to live there, but she knew given her family history that the sorting hat would place her there.

"Oh, buck up, Vi. At least we'll be away from mum and dad. Which means they won't be able to force us to talk to Malfoy and Snivellus, will they?" Her twin brother said from her left side.

She looked at him thoughtfully. That was true. She wouldn't have to go anywhere near that scum Lucius Malfoy. He made her gag at the mere thought of him.

"I suppose you're right, but the minute we are situated in Slytherin you know neither will leave us alone."

"I'm not going to become Slytherin, I can tell you that much." Her brother said adamently.

"Honestly Sirius, I don't think we have much of choice." She said as she glared at her parents through their compartment window.

"Oh, how I hate them." She mumbled quietly to her brother.

"I know, and I couldn't agree more. Bloody murderers, they are." He said as he turned from the window to stick his head out the door, "Have you seen James?"

"No I haven't, at least not in the two seconds that we've been here. And you know, I still don't understand how you met him or why you carted me off to spend half the summer with his parents. Not that I don't like his family, actually they were all quite lovely, but . . ."

"But what? It got us away from our parents for a month and half didn't it?"

"Well, yes but I still don't understand why they welcomed us with open arms. Our families haven't exactly gotten along, you know . . ."

"Look, I met on that trip to Hogsmeade with mum, alright?" He answered in frustration.

"Do you mean while I was suffering through that horrible cup of tea with Aunt Pumince you were off being chummy with James Potter?" She asked indignantly, "You deserted your own sister for what? A useless chat about Quidditch?"

"You're bloody hell right I did. All I would have heard during that tea was how Hogwarts would show me the importance of being a Black, and so on. You think I wanted to listen to that for hours on end?"

She glared at her brother and was about to recount everything their aunt had said just to torture him for deserting her, when James entered the compartment.

"Well, hello you two." He said as he sat down across from them.

Sirius greeted him jovially and regaled him with their adventures of the last month and half. He immediately left his sister's side and sat by James. She rolled her eyes and returned to her window. It was time she befriended some girls.

"Excuse me, is this spot taken?" She heard a voice asked to her left, and she turned to face a slim, but handsome boy. Well, maybe just one more male friend wouldn't hurt, She thought with an inward grin.

"No, not anymore." She said with a slight glare in her brother's direction, and then she stretched out her hand to the boy in front of her, "Vivian Black, but my friends call me Vi."

"Remus Lupin." He said as he sat down and settled in. He paused. He was waiting for James and Sirius to introduce themselves. And they of course being the fowl gits they were didn't even notice his presence.

She sighed and spoke loudly, "That thing over there is my brother, Sirius, and his friend James Potter."

"What?" Sirius asked cluelessly.

"You idiot, this is Remus Lupin."

"Oh, how d'you do, mate?" Sirius said as he stretched out his hand.

"Sorry if we were a bit distracted." James said pleasantly as he shook Remus' hand after Sirius.

"S'alright. I didn't exactly make a grand entrance did I? Are you all first years as well?"

"Yes, unfortunately." Sirius said glumly as he looked me in the eye.

"You're not excited?" Remus asked in confusion.

"No," I answered him sardonically, "You see, my brother and I inherited the Black family curse."

"And that is?" James asked with an arched eyebrow.

"We automatically belong to the house of Slytherin." Sirius answered for her.

"That's rough mate." James said with a wince.

There was a knock on the door, and a girl their age entered.

"I'm looking for Vivian and Sirius Black." She said simply, "Upon request of Professor Slughorn."

"Of course, he's the Slytherin head of house." Sirius mumbled rudely.

"I'm sorry?" The girl asked.

"Nothing, I'm Vivian and he's Sirius." Vivian answered quickly before her brother could take out his frustrations on this poor girl.

"Oh, right, well can you tell me where to find Remus Lupin and-"

"I'm Remus."

"Alright, and let me guess you're James Potter?" She asked in an amused tone.

"In the flesh." He said with a cocky lop-sided grin. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Well you lot need to follow me. Professor Slughorn wants to treat us all to tea in his compartment."

"Now that you know all of our names, isn't it only fair that you tell us yours?" James asked curiously.

"Who said life was fair?" She asked him tartly.

Vivian chuckled and grinned back at James.

"Could you tell me your name?" She asked the girl with a smile.

She stopped and turned toward Vivian with a bright smile, "Pleased to meet you Vivian Black, my names Lily Evans."

"Lily, I like that name much better than Vivian. Oh, and please call me Vi."

"Alright, Vi, you know I think Vivian is wonderful name." She said with a smile.

"You wouldn't if you knew who I was named after." She mumbled to herself.

"Evans . . . I've never heard that name before . . ." Sirius said as he thought back through his knowledge of other wizarding families.

"You wouldn't. I'm muggle born." She stated plainly.

"Really?" Remus asked in interest, "How do you light your rooms if you don't use magic? I've always wanted to know. Never had anyone to ask until now."

"You mean you don't care?" She asked him strangely, "Funny you're the first person I've met who hasn't shied away at the mention of my parents."

"You mean people have been blatantly rude to you over that?" Vivian asked with a glare.

"Yes, well with the exception of other muggle borns that is."

"Great bloody prats, the entire lot of them. To think they have the right to treat people that way simply because they happened to born pure blooded." Sirius murmured aloud.

"Yes, I have a question for you Remus," Lily asked as she leaned in to whisper something in his ear.

Remus glanced at her in shock, "I'm afraid it's very rude, Lily. Tell a professor or someone next time he's calls you that."

"Let me guess, it was Malfoy wasn't it?" Vivian asked Remus as she caught up with him, "He called her a you know . . . Mudblood, didn't he?"

"What else would a Malfoy call a muggle born?" James asked ruefully.

"I hate him." Vivian said with a violent glare.

James and Sirius chuckled.

"What? I do!"

"Yeah, and it doesn't help dad got you betrothed to him, does it?" Sirius taunted.

"Oh, shut up! What do you know?" She retorted, "I won't do it, I won't. Besides the fact that he is six years older than me, you all know I wouldn't touch a Malfoy with a ten foot pole let alone Marry one."

"Ah, Lily I see you found them all!" A balding, robust man cried with excitement.

"Yes, professor. They were all in the same compartment, sir."

"Really? A Potter and a Black? Together? Quite strange." the professor said in a perplexed tone but dismissed it, "Well, come in, come in and have some tea. Lucius and Severus are already treating themselves to a cup."

"Oh joy, two of our favorite people." Sirius said flatly.

"I want this day to be over already." Vivian mumbled as they entered with Slughorn.

"Blimey, that was a living nightmare." Remus said with a slight grin as they got off the train.

"Between Lily hexing Malfoy, and Sirius trying to beat Snape to death . . ."

"Don't forget all the insulting Lily and James did."

"Of course. You know, I'm beginning to think Hogwarts is more of a mad house than my own home. And trust me my home is pretty mad." Vivian said in shock.

Remus chuckled at her, "Yes I'd say we're all in for an interesting seven years.

The first years were herded off the train and into the boats. Lily and James were keenly ignoring each other as Remus, Sirius, Vivian, and a boy named Peter piled into one boat.

Vivian laughed, "Well, that was a train ride I'll never forget. How 'bout all of you?"

"I wouldn't mind forgetting it." Lily said venomously, "Or at least certain parts of it."

"It's not my fault you got in the way of that Jinx I threw at Snape." James told her with a glare.

"Well, you could have been a bit more careful with your aim, couldn't you?"

"You jumped in the way!" James yelled.

"What had Snape-er-Severus, ever done to you?"

"Well, he bloody hell hasn't done anything for me!"

"You're such a slimy git, James Potter!"

"So, um, about that feast . . ." Peter said nervously as he attempted to change the subject.

Vivian grinned at the chubby boy, and extended her hand toward him, "Vi Black, and you are?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Nice to meet you Peter, and don't mind them they're harmless. Not exactly fond of each other, but harmless all the same." She said with a kindly smile.

And then came the sorting.

She and Sirius glanced at each other apprehensively. Sirius was the first of their group to go. Vivian wiped her sweaty palms on her robes. She didn't know why she was so nervous. They would of course be assigned to Slytherin.

She heard the hat mumble something about "wanting" and "change" before it yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

There was a shocked hush, and then uproarious applause from the Gryffindor table.

A bright smile lit up her face as well as her brothers. They didn't have to be Slytherin! She felt much better knowing that her brother had escaped the shadow of their relatives. Hopefully she would be just as lucky.

"Black, Vivian!"

She looked anxiously back at James, Remus and Lily, and then over at her brother. He smiled at her encouragingly.

She took a deep breath as the hat was placed upon her head. There was a full two minutes of silence before the hat took a deep breath.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

She fought the urge to give up a loud cheer, and walked excitedly over to the Gryffindor table. She launched herself on her brother, and engulfed him in a tight hug. He laughed and hugged her back.

"Mum and dad aren't going to like this . . ." She whispered with a grin.

"Good." He said with chuckle.

They watched contentedly as the rest of the group they rode over with were sorted into Gryffindor, including that boy Peter. He sat quietly beside Sirius looking admiringly up at him. Lily sat down beside her.

"So had the Black family curse finally come to an end?" She asked with a grin.

"Looks like it." She told her with a bright smile.

"Or maybe it never really existed at all." Remus told her with a smile, "No one in your family ever wanted to be anything but a Slytherin with the exception of the two of you, that is."

"I don't really care. As long as I'm not in that house." Sirius said with a bright smile.

"Too bad Slughorn doesn't share your opinion." James said with a chuckle as they noticed the disgruntled look on the professors face.

"Probably upset over losing such a good keeper." Sirius said as he tossed his sister a wink.

"Oh, come on. No one is going to put me on a quidditch team. I'm not that good."

"When are you going to realize, my dear sister, that you are good at just about everything."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are, and it's quite annoying."

"You're the annoying one."

"No you are."

"You are." Vivian said as she stuck her tongue out at her brother.

Maybe first year wouldn't be so bad after all.