It was funny how one decision, one single decision, could shape the ending for an entire world. For example, if Sirius Black had decided to sit in a different compartment on the Hogwarts Express on September 1st when he was just 11 years old, he would not have met James Potter. And if he had not met James Potter, there would have been nothing to stop him from being sorted into the house his family had thrived in for generations. And if he had not been sorted into the house of the lion, he would not have become best mates with James Potter, which would mean they would not figure out why Remus Lupin disappeared every full moon or taken Peter Pettigrew under their wing. And if he had not become best mates with James, Remus, and Peter, then they would not be the Marauders, and e might be chummy with the likes of Severus Snape. And if they had not become the Marauders, he might not have been able to rebel against his mother. And if he had not rebelled against his mother, he would not have been kicked out.
Of course, later on, the fact that Sirius Black had chosen that very compartment to sit in on his first day to Hogwarts with James Potter would lead to a friendship so strong that he would spend 12 years in prison for it. And he would die protecting his godson, the son of his best mate that he met when he was just 11 years old. And he would walk along with the same young boy, who looked exactly like his father with his mother's eyes, as he descended to his own death. But of course, Sirius Black did not know any of this now.
All he knew was that he had been kicked out of his house with nowhere else to go, and the first place he could think of going, the only place really, was to the house of his best friend, James Potter.
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. James opened it and looked down at the bag Sirius had brought. He hadn't taken much with him, short of a few clothes, his wand, and a picture of the Marauders he secretly kept. Everything else reminded him he was a Black, and that was something Sirius was ready to forget.
James stepped back to let him in. "You can have the room next door to mine," he said, closing the door behind Sirius. And just like that, Sirius knew he had come to the right place. James knew him so well. He was his brother, far more than Regulus had ever been. The Potters were more his family than the Blacks.
"Who was at the – oh hello Sirius," Dorea Potter smiled, coming into the foyer. "I was wondering when you'd stop by for a visit. James has been utterly bored without you. I'm quite sure only one of his father's bottles of firewhiskey has gone missing."
James rolled his eyes at his mother, though he smiled. "Mum, Sirius is going to be staying with us."
For the first time, Dorea's eyes fell onto Sirius's bag. She smiled sadly, and nodded. "I'll tell Charlus to restock his supply. I'm sure someone will drink through it quickly."
"Thanks, Mrs. P," Sirius grinned. Dorea Potter had once been a Black too, and Sirius knew, that more than anyone, she would understand. She had left the family too. She had had her name and picture blasted off that damned tapestry, and he was sure he mother was doing to his own at this very moment. She had married a Potter. Oh sure, they were Purebloods, but they were blood traitors as bad as the Weasleys. The only difference was that the Potters, unlike the Weasleys, were just as rich as the other old families, maybe more so. Which meant, of course, that at public events, they were all cordial and just lovely. It sickened him. Still, he knew she would understand why he had left, why he had had to leave. He knew he had come to the right place. He had always felt more at home here than at his own house, more welcome.
Sirius Black wasn't sure if he believed in fate. He wasn't sure if his friendship with James was preordained, or if he had been born in the family he was on purpose. He didn't know if he believed that some higher power had pushed the four marauders together. But he did believe that everyone had a choice in their life. How could he not? When he was the heir of the Black family and had chosen to move away from the bigotry his family followed? And now, here he was, being welcomed into the Potter home, as if he were actually part of the family. At that moment, Sirius Black still wasn't sure if he believed in fate. But he was sure as hell glad he had chosen to share a compartment with James on their first train ride to Hogwarts.