Hello, for anyone who may have glanced at this story already, nothing of the content has changed, just the format (put both chapters one and two together). If you're new, please take a look and let me know what you think. Bare in mind it is only the very beginning of the story and is really just setting up some of the characters and setting.

I do not own Harry Potter or anything Harry Potter related etc etc etc...

/

It was warm. Warm enough for the air to feel thick. Warm enough for the insects to silence. Warm enough to say farewell to what has passed without regret and sadness, but rather, with a sense of comfort as the memories of the final days wrapped around the heart and mind…

It was cold. And wet. The clouds over the station were thick pads of black; their ceaseless rain pounding down onto all who had the misfortune of being caught unawares by the sudden change in weather. Luckily for some, the need for umbrellas was not necessary, because they were safely inside a cozy building, or a snug car, or they had a wand.

Though the use of magic around muggles was frowned upon, there were always spells that could be used without the notice of others, even fellow wizards and witches. And that's exactly what four young men decided to use to their advantage. Having had to be at least somewhat discreet, the group had apparated to a place that was scarcely populated, the crackling seemingly nothing more than a returned greeting to the flashes of spidery light that now erupted in the sky. Now however, they needed to cross through a section of unprotected space in order to make it to the Platform on time.

"Alright Wormtail, you go take a look through the sewers to see if there's a shortcut to the station."

A short and stubby boy looked at the speaker with saucer like eyes before looking around the surroundings, his mouth trembling slightly.

"I – I'll be late if I do that Sirius. There's no telling what the sewers are like, I could get lost and then I'd miss the train!"

Sirius looked over at the one wearing glasses and muttered: "That's what I was counting on."

As the two sniggered at the little joke, a rather worn and tired looking teen calmed the smaller one down, then cast a glance at the two more mischievous faces.

"Don't worry about it Peter, it's simple enough to use our wands as umbrellas. Sirius is just being an idiot, as usual."

Sirius's expression became indignant as he used a simple charm to make a simple black umbrella squeeze itself out of the tip of his wand. He quickly placed it over his head, grabbed onto his luggage, and ran after the other three that were already halfway through the street.

"I am not an idiot Remus!" He yelled, waving the umbrella wand around as he stepped onto dry concrete, though there wasn't much to step onto. The entire train station was packed with people attempting to escape the very heavy downpour, and many of them were carrying bags, briefcases, suitcases, cats, rats and owls…

"Lo – and – behold the sight that is: Mayhem." A pair of glasses pushed themselves up a straight and elegant nose bridge, the handsome pair of eyes behind them focusing immediately on a blur of red. "There she is…"

Sirius looked over in the same direction and found he wore a merciless grin.

"Only you James, would be able to find anyone in this mess!"

James and the other three headed off towards the direction of the Platform Wall, jostling and pushing themselves through the crowds of people the entire way.

"I'm telling you, this year she is going to say yes."

Remus chuckled, "I'm surprised she hasn't yet, just to get you to shut up about it."

"Exactly!" James face set in determination, "It's only a matter of time before she finally gives in."

"So that's how you do it nowadays, huh James? Whittle down the girl's spirit until she can't refuse you any longer?"

"Well, not all of us are born to be swarmed by girls like you."

As the set came up to the infamous wall, Sirius put up his hands in defense.

"Hey, hey, I wasn't implying anything negative about your tactic, it's good that people like you can have a chance of getting a date."

Remus raised his eyebrow, watching from the corner of his eyes as Peter slipped through the wall, vanishing unseen by any muggles.

"People like us?"

"Hey, what can I say? You just have to face the fact that I'm…" Sirius looked around himself before giving his two friends (and the pretty brunette farther off behind them) his most charming smile.

"That you're what?" James crossed his arms in mock annoyance.

"That I'm prettier than you!" And he was gone.

/

A long sigh of exhaustion released itself from the body of a young girl who flopped herself down onto a seat by the window of the train compartment. Her red hair fluttered into her face, and she blew it away in a huff.

"Did you see the way James was staring at Lily before we got on the train?" A pretty girl with a short black bob and hazel-blue eyes grinned at the red head without restraint.

Lily rolled her eyes and huffed again. "Oh please, I don't need another year of that annoying Potter, much less another year of hearing you two talk about it non-stop." And then she proceeded to glare.

"But Lileeeee- It's just so cute how he follows you around non-stop!" A brunette commented, her warm brown eyes crinkling at the edges with amusement.

"Corazon, Yoshe, if I hear you two talk about it ONCE more, I'm going to make it my personal duty to see that the both of you spend the rest of the week in the Hospital Wing!" Lily bit back the snarl that threatened to escape, but was most unsuccessful as her two friends burst into giggles. She shot up from her seat and marched the all but two-foot walk to the compartment door. Throwing her head back, she gave the girls her most dignified glance and said rather nonchalantly.

"I have some prefect duties to attend too now," Her eyes narrowed. "Behave yourselves." And the door slammed shut.

Corazon chuckled as she tied her breast length hair back into a loose not, strands falling around her heart shaped face immediately as they escaped from the flimsy rubber band.

"That girl is so blind sometimes, it's amazing."

Yoshe nodded enthusiastically. "Oh I know! It's terrible that she hasn't realized yet how she feels about James. I just hope she does so before she sends him to St. Mungo's, permanently."

"Mhmm, that'd be a shame. Funny as hell, but a shame."

"Oh hey!" Yoshe perked up, her dual coloured eyes sparkling with fresh excitement. "Did you hear the rumours about the new students?"

Corazon frowned in a rather patronizing way. Though Yoshe proved to be quite the talented young witch within several subjects, her more needed common sense still enjoyed running off for days at a time.

"Yoshe, they don't let people transfer here in the middle of their schooling. Maybe it was about first years and you just misheard."

"No, no! I'm telling you, it's a pretty big deal! I can't believe that even you didn't hear anything about it yet! And they're not first years, they're in their sixth year, just like us!"

Corazon leaned forward, her interest peaking, despite her more logical self telling her it was just Yoshe having acquired false information – again.

"How come I haven't heard about it then, if it's such a 'big deal' and they're in our year?"

Yoshe looked around, as though someone could be hiding within the small space, eavesdropping as she had probably done.

"Well, I'm not going to lie and say it's absolute that we are having transfers, but from what I heard it sounds like they come from a pretty prestigious family, one that likes to keep things quiet."

"Well, if they're prestigious give us a name, I should at least know something then."

Corazon came from a very wealthy line of Spanish Witches and Wizards, and a rather ostentatious one at that. They had made sure, for generations upon generations, that they had a personal acquaintance with as many distinguished, prominent and respected families as they could possibly get to know – globally. So having been brought up around such an environment, Corazon was quite confident she would immediately recognize the name and be able to falsify, or attest too, Yoshe's rambles.

"Hum, what was it…what was it… It was something kind of strange; they mentioned it being a Gaelic name. Hold on a sec I have to think about this."

Corazon inadvertently stiffened at the mention of it being Gaelic. Of course there were plenty of Irish families that she knew of, but only one in particular that had remained elusive to even her own determined and outgoing bloodline.

"Dealin? Deelaine? Dealee? No, no, what was it?! Dealell…? Yeah, yeah, I think it may have been Dealell, that's what it sounded like. Yes, that's what it was!"

Corazon's face shadowed as she rested her chin in her hands, her elbows pushing into her legs almost painfully.

"You mean Dalziel (A.N: Pronounced Deeyell, Yoshe was VERY close :D )."

"That's what I said…Hey, is something wrong? Do you not recognize the name?"

"No, I recognize it…I recognize it…"

Yoshe's face attained an expression of puzzlement. She would have thought Corazon would share in her excitement at the though of new students, as it appeared that the rumours were most likely true.

"Then what's the matter?"

"That family…they're cursed."

/

Lily's slim red eyebrow rose high above the other as she regarded Corazon with doubt. She wouldn't have been surprised had it been Yoshe telling her this bit of news with great enthusiasm, in fact, she probably would have indulged her more childishly naïve friend with some practiced curiosity. But it was Corazon who stood before her, fervently re-telling all of the knowledge she had retained about a certain family and their supposed…problems.

"Cursed?" Her voice was flat and disbelieving. "Really, you expect me to believe they're cursed?"

She shook her head and tried hard not to laugh a little. Really, there were a great many things in this world that she had come to realize were possible, even curses. But not the curses that are put upon helpless characters from old fairy tales such as Sleeping Beauty.

"It's true I tell you!" Corazon grumbled in frustration. "That's why they keep away from everyone as much as they possibly can. I've heard that no one's even seen the kids from our generation in public yet, just the head of the family, and only when it's absolutely necessary!"

Lily's eyebrow remained in its arched position as she slowly leaned back into the seat of the train.

"Maybe they just like their peace and quiet…and the way you two, and apparently everyone else, are making such a big deal out of this, I'd probably do the same thing."

"Say that you're cursed so everyone would keep away from you?" Yoshe looked confused as to why anyone would want to resort to such a thing.

"No!" Now Lily couldn't help but laugh. "Hide away from this madness!"

"Oh!" Yoshe jumped back into the seat opposite Lily and smiled brightly. "Well, I don't care about their supposed curses and hexes and what ever, I want to meet them anyway! They sound so mysterious-"

"That would be because hardly anyone has ever come into actual contact with any of them." Corazon pointed out.

Yoshe just continued on dreamily. "-Maybe one of them is a boy…or they both are! Cute boys too – No! Handsome boys, from a rich and mysterious family, who've had no contact with other girls except for their family…and then I can…"

"Oh brother." Lily and Corazon muttered in unison, both rolling their eyes at each other before leaving Yoshe to finish off her fanciful daydream as the train chugged itself slowly to a stop, finally arriving at the site where everything would change.

/

"Ow! Stop shoving!"

"Hey, I need to get my wand!"

"Kelly, where are you?"

"Who stepped on my foot?"

"Where are the carriages? I can't see anything!"

Students were scrambling, fumbling and tripping about as they got off the train and joined the mass of bodies on the platform. First years huddled together, completely unsure of what to do, while the others were busy searching for friends and empty carriages to ride in.

Sirius looked about with an overall feeling of boredom and slight tinge of arrogance. Even in his first year, he had come across as someone who had seen and done it all, that this was nothing new and exciting to look forward. Obviously a sham, since he had been more than overjoyed to get away from his family. And when he had been placed in Gryffindor house and had come across his three now best friends, he knew that no matter how he acted on the outside, inside his mind would always be racing with the new adventures and pranks they'd be sharing together throughout the year.

The hordes of girls weren't a bad trade off to his old life either.

"Hey there Kristine how was your summer?" He had slunk his way over to a tall and thin blonde bombshell; her chest jutted out, her lips were in a glossy pout and there was a sly little mole at the corner of her eye just screaming at him to come over.

Her mouth curved up slowly, her canines peeking over her bottom lip in a smile that made Sirius want to buckle. He thanked his knees for holding out.

"It was pretty good, we went down to France for a few weeks."

"Oh yeah? Did you learn any French?" He quirked his mouth over to a corner in a wolfish grin as he imagined all the French she could teach him. His fantasy had to come to an end sometime however.

"Did you eat any frog legs?" James' head peeked over Sirius' shoulder as Kristine's mouth dropped and her face obtained a look of disgust.

"That's disgusting, why would I eat Frog legs?"

James shrugged. "I heard it was a delicacy over there. What about snails, did you have any of those?"

The blonde looked as though she was about to wretch, and quickly made her exit before James would permanently ruin her appetite for France, and for food in general.

Sirius turned on his friend and whacked him roughly on the arm.

"What the hell was that for? I was making my moves on her damnit!"

"Well, I figured your moves could use some rest…you know, after such an eventful summer and all."

The two burst into sloppy grins as they re-called their…outings over the two months they weren't under the watchful eyes of teachers.

Remus, who had managed to push his way through the throngs of students had found the two, and could only shake his head as he got a view of their expressions.

"Reminiscing are we?"

"Oh yes…so many wonderful things to reminisce about…"

"Careful there, you're starting to drool."

Both boys instinctively wiped at their mouths with the sleeves of their uniformed sweaters, inciting laughter from Peter, who had just squeezed through a large pack of squealing girls.

As the foursome located a free carriage, they unceremoniously got in, James and Sirius arguing about who got to sit in the 'good' seat – James wanted to sit near the side Lily's carriage was on, while Sirius wanted to sit there in order too continue his earlier conversation with Kristine.

"Give it up man, you won't be able to carry on any kind of conversation from this distance!"

"Well, you'll hardly be able to see Lily from here either!"

"It's more than you could do!"

"You see her all the time! All you ever do is stalk her around! Give it a rest and let a man finish his business!"

"All I ever-! Well, all you ever do is get on with your 'business'!"

"Seriously guys, how about Peter or I just sit there, then neither of you can complain."

The two stopped, James on his back, one hand pushing Sirius' face away at an awkward angle, and his foot pushing up against the other's abdomen. Sirius was in the process of trying to hold James' arms down as he slowly began to slip from the seat. They took a look at each other and conceded.

"Yeah alright."

"Sounds good to me."

Two minutes later Peter and Remus were the ones sitting on the 'good' side, looking out at the other carriages carrying the older students up the road to the magnificently lit castle up ahead.

Peter's eyes crinkled as he noticed a particular carriage carrying some people he'd never seen before. Sure, he didn't know everyone at the school, in fact, he hardly knew anyone by name except for some particulars of his House, and of course, the other three sitting with him. However, he could recognize almost anyone, having spent the last few years of his life with the same people, and he was certain he'd never seen those two before in his life.

"Hey…" He started, lifting a hand to point over in their general direction. "Who are those two? Are they knew or something?"

Three pairs of eyes followed his finger and landed on the supposed strangers, observing with interested at the apparent new-combers.

"I've never seen them before." James answered.

"I haven't either… But it seems kind of unorthodox for Dumbledore to take in transfers, maybe we just never noticed them before."

Sirius gave the pair another look, "Well, I'm not one for checking out guys, but the one with the crazy hair, I would have noticed before."

James stretched his arms and slumped back into the seat.

"We'll find out eventually, right now I'm just looking forward to some good eatin'."