Chapter 1-

Lily~

"Lily come on, we're going to be late!" a voice called from not far off

Lily knew she should get up, but she just couldn't. It was so nice laying in the flower, feeling them sway around her, leaning in to her…

"Lily!" a shrill voice yelled in her ear "Get up!"

She jumped to her feet, thoroughly shaken. "Petunia!" she squeaked out "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Petunia huffed and crossed her bony arms, her face set in a permanent scowl. "If you'd gotten up when I called you the first time, we'd be at school by now."

Lily sighed, taking her school bag from her sister's outstretched hand. "I know, but if we hurry we can get there, just on time." She hoped this would placate her sister, at least until they got to school. She picked a few of the flowers from the meadow and put them in her hair.

"Humph," Petunia said still irritated, but not so angry now, "All right lets go then." The two sisters walked to school, one smiling and one scowling, but both together.

"Tuney, he was staring at me again," Lily said as the two made their way back home.

"Who?" Petunia replied absently

"That Snape boy, Severus I think it is. He kept watching me during break and when we went back in. It was a bit creepy." She twirled one of the followers that had fallen from her hair, still green and as vibrant as when she'd first picked it.

"Why weren't you paying attention in class then? If that boy was staring at you, you must've been staring back to notice." Petunia smirked

Lily rolled her eyes. "No, it wasn't like that. I was looking at the board the whole time I swear, but I could feel him staring at me. Why do you think that is?"

Petunia pursed her lips, only adding to her unpleasant demeanor. "It's rubbish, that's what it is. If you can't see them, then you cant know someone's looking at you. Besides, why would anyone take the time to stare at you" she paused for a moment, thinking. "Then again, it is him we're talking about. So I think you two would make the perfect match, you're both so weird." She snickered and dodged at fake slap aimed at her.

"You're so mean Tuney!" Lily said, though she wasn't really mad at her sister. The two girls laughed as they chased each other back home, unaware of the silent but intelligent figure that followed them, always watching…

James~

'Just a few more steps,' James thought as he creeped over to the door that held his most prized possession. 'Step, shift, step, shift, step, sh-' a woman yelling from the downstairs floor interrupted his thoughts.

"James! James Potter, come down here this instant!" she yelled angrily

"Shift," he said, his heart sinking. He'd been caught. But how, he hadn't even made the floorboards squeak once. He made his way down the steps to the kitchen; wishing for the thousandth time that he could Apparate to his room, act like he'd been there the whole time…it would make sneaking around so much easier.

"James," said his mother taking deep breaths "What is this?" she held up one of his more recent tests that had a large "D" on it.

"Well," he said, unable to resist the urge to be a smart aleck, "From what I can see, it looks like a piece of paper. With words on it."

"Don't get smart with me James. Why on earth are you getting 67's on your test papers?"

"Well it not like it's that important mum. It's just Muggle school. I start learning the really important stuff at Hogwarts." James said, firmly believing his stance.

"Muggle school? Not important?" his mother said incredulously "No school is going to take a boy with that attitude, you're acting as bad as those pureblood maniacs in Slytherin!" she threw up her hands, wrinkling the paper even more.

"But, mum-"

"No buts," she said just as firmly "You can explain to your father why you got a D in "Muggle school" when he gets home."

James groaned. Usually it was a good thing when his father came home. It meant lots of jokes and magic and stories from his days at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, it also meant lots of prying into James' school life as well, and he had a funny feeling that his father wouldn't be completely ecstatic with the grade. He turned to go back up the stairs, his Cleansweep still calling to him from the attic cupboard.

"And don't even think about touching that broom. I've put quite a few charms on the door, so you can try, but you'll just have to live with the consequences for the next few weeks." She walked back into the kitchen, muttering and glaring at the extremely crumpled piece of paper in her hand.

"She thinks of everything," James said to himself, half furious and half awed, wishing his letter would hurry up and arrive.

Sirius~

"Sirius Orion Black!" A shrill voice called from the downstairs bedroom. "Get down here this right this instant!"

Sirius sighed, getting up from his bed and making his way down the staircase where his mother and cousin, Bellatrix Black, glaring at him furiously, a hairbrush hopelessly entangled in the latter's hair.

He suppressed a laugh and looked at his cousin, "Havin' a bad hair day Bella?" He asked with a smirk.

"You little imp, I know you hexed my brush!" She yelled, stomping her foot angrily.

Sirius stared at her, wondering if she could actually be that thick. "When you talk, do you hear what you say or is there a hoard of wrackspurts up the buzzing around?"

"Sirius!" His mother yelled, "I'll not have you talking to your cousin like that! Apologize!"

"But I haven't done anything! Hell, I don't even have a wand to do anything with!" He didn't feel the sting of the slap until a good five seconds afterwards.

"You ungrateful child," she hissed at him "Your cousin was good enough to come and help you with getting your things from Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express, and here you are causing all kinds of terrors for her."

"But I didn't-" Sirius stopped when he saw his mother raised her hand as if to strike him again.

"To your room," she said firmly. He looked at Bellatrix, restraining the urge to wipe the smug grin she had off her face.

"I am sorry, Bella, he can be quite a horror," he heard his mother saying as he climbed the stairs.

"Not to worry Auntie Wala," Bellatrix replied in fake sweet voice, "He'll shape up once he gets to school and meets all the other Slytherins,"

"One can only hope my dear."

It was then that Sirius made the decision in his mind, never, to be placed in Slytherin. He'd go to Gryffindor, the house that was despised most of all by his family, and if the Sorting Hat chose otherwise, he'd drop out, become a vagabond, or a street performer. Anything to keep from being associated in any way with the horrible people he had the misfortune to call family.