In some bout of happy luck, you had managed to get a compartment all to yourself. Not that you were particularly unsocial, but your nerves were climbing undeniably, and you appreciated the solitude in order to pull yourself together. It was your first year at Hogwarts, and you were surely ready for the adventure. Inside the Hogwarts Express was bustling and busy, much mirroring the scene outside as well where everyone was saying goodbye to their families.

"Reg, I'm sitting with my friends. There's plenty of other stupid first years to sit with." You hear the voice as they pass your compartment, and can't help but look up, watching through the glass of the door.

They're both standing there - obviously related. One is slightly taller, with spiral curls of hair that is grown out below his chin. His robes have glitters of scarlet and gold, which tells you he's already sorted and older. The other looks younger, but more coifed - with tidy, tucked in robes and combed short hair.

The boy called Reg looks dejected as the other walks away, and your empathetic heart can't help but lurch. He looks around, seemingly nervous, and that's when you stand up. Hoisting the sliding door open, you greet him with a smile. "You could sit in here, if you like," you offer quickly. "I was just sitting alone."

An expression of relief washes over his face, and he slips in to the compartment to sit down. You introduce yourself politely as you shut the door back and then ask, "So, your name is Reg?"

"Regulus," he informs you as you sit on the cushioned seat across from him. "Black." There's a proudness he tries to convey when he says his last name and you wonder why. "And that was my brother, Sirius."

"Not very nice of him to leave you alone," you observe, letting your arms cross.

"He says 'stupid' like he was't a first year just last year." His shoulders shrug and he glances out of the window, watching things pass as the train moves into acceleration. "He has his friends. Mum doesn't really want me hanging around him anyway," he tells you. "I'll make friends when I get sorted, I guess."

"We can be friends," you blurt out, the corners of your mouth turning into a smile. "Best friends."

He agrees with a quick nod before asking, "What House are you going to be in?"

Eyebrows knitting together, you stare at him and laugh lightly. "Isn't that something chosen for us? How would I know?"

"I'll be in Slytherin. That's where my whole family has been," he explains to you. Suddenly, his expression falters and he adds, "Well, until Sirius. He's in Gryffindor. Mum says it's a disgrace, and I don't want to make her angry."

You find his candor almost amusing, and you smile at him before saying, "We can still be friends if we're in different Houses."

"You think so?" he questions, breaking into a grin as you nod in response. "Okay, deal."

Despite being sorted into Hufflepuff that first year, you were always welcome at the Slytherin table during feasts. Everyone knew you were close with Regulus, and they didn't mind at all.

The start of term feast was always a big one - loud and exciting. You had seen it for three years now and it was always better than the last. New people, new foods, new things to talk about as you heard what everyone did over summer holiday.

"Wonder when the sorting is going to start," Regulus says absentmindedly. Your eyes shift toward the teachers table, where the stool is sitting with the hat on top. The first years are crowded around, but no McGonagall yet.

Waiting further, everyone around you drifts to different conversations. "My dad finally got his mark over the summer," a boy you recognize as Rosier says loudly, with a shockingly proud smile. "Showed it to me and everything."

Your stomach turns at the mention of the dark side, but you try to keep your face from showing it. Lord Voldemort had been reigning terror - everyone knew that - for the past couple of years, and you had only hoped being at Hogwarts would distract your mind from it.

"I'm hoping to join up after I graduate," another boy pipes in. A seventh year. He would join right after leaving Hogwarts? Did they really accept people that young?

"I've been talking to mum about it," Regulus interjects himself. This makes your blood freeze and your head snaps to look at him. He hadn't told you this. Ignoring your expression, he continues, "She thinks it's a good idea. My parents always say they admire the work he's doing."

Blinking a few times out of sheer confusion, you finally find your footing to try and say something. "Reg - "

However, you don't get to start. The doors of the Great Hall open quickly, and Professor McGonagall had finally been found. And she was trailing four Gryffindor boys who looked like they were only trying to act scolded. She instructs them to sit at the end of their House table and makes her way to the stool at the front of the room.

"They seem to get more idiotic each year," a smoother voice from the table speaks up. Severus. "They're fifth years now, you think they'd have learned to behave properly."

There's a round of verbal agreement that floats around the table now - most people in Slytherin House detested that group of Gryffindor's specifically. But you can't help but look back at the boys. They're laughing uncontrollably - happy and full of energy. You wonder for a moment what it would be like to sit there instead of where you're at.

Apparently, your gaze had lingered for too long, because you meet eyes with one of them. The same grey eyes your best friend had. There was no denying, as much as they didn't get along. They were brothers.

His hair was much longer now than it was the first time you had ever seen him, sometimes even pulled back when he was really concentrated. You had only noticed from passing him in the library. He was still as untidy as ever - tie hanging loosely, and robes hanging off his shoulders. Somehow, though, he was still the most put together among his group of friends.

Regulus seemed to notice, as you feel his elbow gently in your side, pulling your attention away from the Gryffindor table. You smile at him, thin lipped and hopefully looking apologetic, and he nods towards the sorting to tell you to focus on that.

You do - but your mind still wanders as you watch the new first years get placed in their Houses. Your mind always wandered to Sirius while you were at school. He was always there, but you could never talk to him. It's not that he was significant in your life for any reason, but you suppose it was the fact that you were always told that you shouldn't worry about him that made you even more interested.

"I'm going to go back to my table to say hi to all the new people," you tell your best friend quietly, placing a gentle touch on his shoulder to tell him goodbye before standing.

He nods at you, and you venture back to your table as inconspicuously as possible. There are a handful of new Hufflepuffs, and you smile welcomingly as they sit down, but that really wasn't your intent of coming back to join your House. Sitting away from Regulus now, your gaze turns back to his brother.

There it was. A smile as you meet eyes with him again. You try to ignore it, but the heat creeping to your cheeks lets you know your body feels otherwise. Why was he even paying attention to you?

Letting your eyes turn to a spot on the table, you forced yourself to let it be interesting and stare at it rather than look at him any longer.

You knew Regulus wouldn't like you even thinking about Sirius. It was a strong dynamic between the two of them - plenty of arguing and placement of blame. Neither approved of the other.

Sirius Black was just simply off limits when you were best friends with Regulus. He always would be.