A/N: Hello, dear readers. This is the promised prequel to Blood and Family. It follows the adults of B&F back to their first years of school; how they hated, how they loved, how they pranked, and how they were torn apart.

Links of the Chain

Year One: Friend, Family, and Enemy

"James Jonathan Potter, get back here this instant."

James ran from his yelling mother and into his father's study. It wasn't as if he actually meant to turn his sister's hair green. It just sort of happened.

Of course, he really didn't fear what ever punishment his mother would inflict. His twin sister, Leah, was a much more formidable enemy.

"What have you done this time, James?" Jonathan Potter asked with a small grin gracing his lips.

"Turned Leah's hair green," James said casually, sitting across from his father. "She didn't notice until mum said something."

Jonathan laughed. "You do know that your sister will retaliate."

"Of course she will," James answered. "What fun would our war be if she didn't?"

"I wouldn't know," his father said with another small grin.

Jonathan Potter was by no means an old man, he had just turned forty the day that James and Leah had gotten their Hogwarts letters. His hair, though, was already turning grey and James had long since begun to think that it was from his work at the Ministry of Magic. Jonathan had been recently voted to the office of Minister.

James knew that his father hated his new position, but he wouldn't dare give it up. The Dark Lord Voldemort was quickly gaining power and the public needed a figure in charge that they could trust. The Potters were synonymous with the Light side and it was rumored that they were descendants of Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor despite the fact that there was nothing in the Potter family history to suggest any such relationship.

"I won't save you from them," Jonathan said after a few seconds when his wife's voice neared the study door. James looked alarmed for a moment, much to his father's amusement.

"I…" James began.

"You should run," Jonathan said nodding. James stood up and bolted to the secret passage on the other side of the room.

"Where is he?" Anna Potter asked, bursting into the study.

"Who?" Jonathan asked innocently.

Anna leveled her eyes at him. "Your son."

"Haven't a clue," Jonathan said. He grinned at his wife and motioned to the passage with his eyes. She nodded with a wicked gleam in her eyes and crossed the room.

"So, little brother, tell me, did you honestly think that you'd get away with it?" Leah Potter asked seriously, but her eyes held a playful gleam.

James shrugged. "One never knows," he answered idly.

"You know, James," she said, all pretense of anger fading away, "I've been doing some research."

"Wow, Leah Potter doing research. Someone should call the Daily Prophet," he said jokingly.

She glared at him. "We're going to have quite a few enemies in our year," she said seriously.

"Like who?" James asked, suddenly interested. He looked around to make sure that their parents weren't around.

"Well, for starters, Snape, Black, and Marco."

"We can't really consider Marco and enemy though. After all he is our cousin."

"So is Serena and she's in Slytherin."

James shrugged. "You never know. Anyone else?"

"Malfoy's two years ahead of us with Goyle. Avery, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Bella Black are starting second year. Evan Rosier will be in our year as well." She shrugged. "That's all I know now."

"How did you find all that out?"

"Mum and dad were talking about it after our letters came. Mum's worried that things could get dangerous with this Voldemort character about."

James looked at his sister. She wasn't at all worried about the possible threat that the Dark Lord Voldemort posed, but then again, she always had been good at hiding her feelings. They all had to be.

James, despite his reservations, grinned at his sister. They came to a silent truce to put their own war on hold in favor of pranking all the Slytherins.

James Potter couldn't deny that he was excited as he and his sister found an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express. They put their trunks away. James left his new owl, Moria, in its cage but Leah let her new kitten, Silver, out to play. James sighed when the cat decided to use his lap as a playground.

"Leah, get this blasted cat away from me," he said, trying very hard to sound firm, but failing miserably.

"Oh, hush, James," she scolded, sounding every bit like their mother and James wondered how she could do that. "Play nice, Silver. I'm going to find some people. If you leave, James, put her back in the basket."

Leah stood up and left the compartment. James looked after his twin, incredulous. She was being nicer to the cat than to him.

He sighed and pushed the cat off his lap and onto the floor. Silver hissed in annoyance and swiped at him with her claws before jumping onto the other seat and into her basket.

James shook his head and closed the basket so the demonic cat couldn't get out. He didn't have much time to himself before the compartment door opened again. He turned, expecting his sister, but instead saw a sickly boy his age. The boy had brown hair and was his height. James didn't recognize him from anywhere so assumed that he had to be a Muggle-born.

"Hello," the boy said hesitantly.

"'Allo," James answered. "I'm James Potter. If you're looking for a seat, you can sit in here with my sister and me."

"Thank you," the boy said, stowing his trunk. He didn't have an animal. "I'm Remus Lupin."

James smiled and the two began to talk about Quidditch.

Leah walked to the front of the train looking for her two cousins, Serena and Marco Lewis. Despite the fact that Serena was in Slytherin, she was still a distant cousin to the Potters who had been in Gryffindor for generations.

"Well, if it isn't a Potter," a cold, sneering voice said from behind her.

Leah closed her eyes for a moment before she turned and looked at the person who'd spoken. "Malfoy," she said in greeting. She looked past him to see two of the new Slytherins. "Snape and Rosier. Recruiting, Lucius?"

"And you're not?" he asked.

Leah shrugged. "Not really, I was looking for my cousin."

"Serena is busy now."

"Oh, so you're her keeper? Wonder if she knows that."

"Go back to the Gryffindors, Potter. Something could happen to a little first-year Gryffindor down here with the Slytherins all by herself."

Leah's eyes flashed dangerously. "And what makes you think that I'm here by myself?"

"I don't see your fool of a brother around here anywhere," Lucius sneered.

Leah smirked. "You're a fool, Lucius."

Lucius glared at her. "Go save some Mudbloods, Potter. It's what you do best after all."

"And how would you know what I do best, Malfoy?" She grinned at him and walked past him and the other two first years that parted for her to pass.

Once Leah was far enough away from them she began to laugh.

Sirius Black really didn't want to go to Hogwarts even though he had been looking forward to it all his life. The second that he stepped foot on the train, he had become everyone's enemy. He was a Black. His family had been in Slytherin for centuries.

He was the enemy and a follower of darkness.

He was accepted by the Slytherins automatically and was now talking to a rather interesting second-year Slytherin named Serena Lewis. He recognized the family name. The Lewises were distant cousin of the Potters and Jonathan Potter had just been named Minister. For Sirius, that could be a good thing or a very bad thing.

"So," Serena continued, "tell me, Sirius, are you like your family?"

The question caught him off guard and he wasn't sure how to answer. If he answered yes, it would make the Slytherin happy, but he'd be lying to himself. If he answered no, he'd anger the second-year who most certainly knew many painful hexes, but he'd e telling the truth.

He was saved from answering, however, when the compartment door opened and a young girl, probably a first-year, walked inside and closed it behind her. She had hip length black hair and dark brown eyes.

"Serena, I've been looking for you," she said, barely glancing at Sirius before turning to the Slytherin.

"Hello, Leah," Serena said. "Sirius, this is my cousin, Leah Potter, Leah this is Sirius Black."

Leah smirked. "I see that Lucius isn't the only one recruiting."

"You've already met with Lucius?"

"Unfortunately. I need your help with a project, darling cousin."

"Would this involve certain Slytherin abilities?"

"Perhaps. James and I are in the middle of a prank war."

Serena smiled. "Any ideas?"

"A few. Dad gave James and I Invisibility cloaks before we left, much to mum's horror."

"Oh I'm sure. Aunt Anna gets quite upset when Jonathan helps you with pranking."

Leah shrugged. "So you'll help?"

"Of course," Serena answered. "You better go before Lucius comes back. He's not in a good mood today."

"Are any of the Malfoys ever in good moods?"

"You have a point," Serena answered with a laugh. "Get out of here, Gryffindor."

"Later, Slyth," Leah said leaving.