Note: OK new story. As planned, this story will only be the Marauders; first year at Hogwarts. Mostly about Sirius and James. Remus becomes more important in later chapters, but there will be little Peter. (I hate peter…in case no one has ever noticed before…)

Warning: Contains abuse in later chapters. If you don't like, then you don't have to read.

Chapter 1

The Black family sat around their massive dinner table in complete silence. Not that this was abnormal. It was rare that anyone in the Black family ever had even a simple conversation. Sirius sat doing his best to ignore the faces his little brother was making at him. He knew that if he were to even acknowledge them, his mother would yell or hit him. Regulus got away with everything. He was the favorite.

The loud hooting of an owl interrupted the stillness in the old dinning room. A large brown owl flew into the room and circled over Sirius's head a few times before dropping a letter into his awaiting hands. On the front in bright green letters was his name along with his address, exact down to his own room. Mr. Black looked over with a frown and held out his hand. Sirius immediately handed over his letter.

Mr. Black glanced at the cover and said, "Hogwarts."

Across the table, Mrs. Black huffed. "I am amazed he even got in." Sirius lowered his head to hide his facial expression in his long bangs. Across from him, Regulus was snickering. "Sirius," she barked.

Her elder son snapped to attention. "Yes, Mother?"

"You do of course realize that it is imperative that you are in the Slytherin House, correct?"

"Of course, Mother," Sirius answered.

"Why?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"I must be in Slytherin because if I were not, then I would break our long line of tradition. Our family has been in Slytherin since the beginning of Hogwarts," Sirius recited. "Not to mention," he added, "Slytherin is the only worth while house in this part of Europe."

Mrs. Black smiled smugly. "Correct," she said. "Tomorrow Kreacher will go with you to Diagon Alley to purchase your supplies." Sirius bowed his head towards her in understanding.

The next day, shopping was uneventful, minus the few times Sirius got lost. Of course Kreacher, being lost himself, did nothing to help and all the while had the nerve to mutter under his breath about Sirius's intelligence, or as he put it, lack there of. Sirius had finally gotten sick of listening to the house elf recite his mother's opinions of him and commanded him to remain silent for the remainder of the trip.

While at Ollivander's, Sirius ran into the Snape family. He almost frowned with jealousy, but being a Black, he masked it well. Severus, the Snape heir, was Sirius's age and would be a House mate. The Snapes were also from a long line of Slytherins. Most of the old families were. Severus had just found his wand, and his mother was smiling as she took the bag from Mr. Ollivander, and his father was patting him on the back. Sirius's parents thought themselves too good to be seen around so many Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers that they had refused to accompany their son to the large and crowded Alley, despite the fact that he was only ten years old.

Sirius hid his displeasure when Mrs. Snape noticed him and brought her son and husband with her to say hello. The Black heir put up a polite façade. He would be in serious trouble if he was in any way ungentlemanly. High pure-blood society women never kept their mouths shut about anything. Sirius fought back a grimace as he shook hands with Severus. Honestly, he did not see how such a well groomed woman could let her son be so greasy. "So you got your letter, too, then," Severus said.

"Of course," Sirius said. "I'm the right age, aren't I?"

The other boy crossed his arms and pointed out, "Just probably the youngest in the class."

Sirius didn't hide his frown. Just because he had a late birthday didn't mean he was incapable or incompetent. He happened to be rather bright, thankyouverymuch. The Snapes soon left the wand shop, and Sirius was finally able to get down to business. It took a good thirty minutes before he got a wand. Thirteen inches, oak, phoenix feather core. Sirius smiled happily as Mr. Ollivander handed him the box containing the new wand. After paying, Sirius quickly walked out of the shop, Kreacher scurrying after him.

"Would Master like—?"

"Shut up, Kreacher," Sirius said as he pocketed his wand. "Do I have everything?" He watched in amusement as Kreacher attempted to read and check from the list while balancing all of Sirius's new school things.

Muttering a bit, Kreacher answered, "Kreacher believes so." He muttered something else under his breath, no doubt about Sirius, but the boy didn't care.

"Go and bring everything back to the manor," Sirius commanded. "I'm going to get an ice cream."

"Mistress will not like that," Kreacher said.

"Well, she's not here to tell me that, now is she? So how can we really know? Now get back home," Sirius snapped as he headed off in the direction of the ice cream shop. He, of course, knew good and well that his mother did not want her children eating such things. She was one some kind of health food kick. Obviously it had been going on for years and years because Sirius had heard his father muttering a few times about "Before we were married—"

When Sirius arrived home later that afternoon, the first person he saw was Regulus. The slightly younger boy looked up from his Quidditch toys and smirked at his older brother. "Some body's in trouble," he said in a sing song voice.

Sirius frowned and was about to yell at him when Mrs. Black came stomping in to the Floo room. "Sirius Julius Black!" she screeched. "Have you lost your mind?"

Sirius stared up at his mother with wide eyes and swallowed hard. "N-no, ma'am."

"Then why, pray tell, did you send Kreacher home before you? And for ICE CREAM?! Someone could have tried to steal Kreacher and sell him or the packages he had!"

Sirius remained silent. It was always better when he just stayed quiet. Mrs. Black hit him over the back of the head and said, "Get up to your room. Some one will send you up supper."

Sirius shut his door quietly behind his and calmly walked over to his bed where he proceeded to beat the daylights out of his pillow. How stupid did she think he was? He knew good and well that it was impossible to steal Kreacher. His mother liked the house elf too much and had placed an Anti-Stealing charm on him. And Kreacher could keep a few packages safe for the short trip from Ollivander's to the Leaky Cauldron.

Sirius grunted and sat down on his large bed holding his previously beaten pillow to his chest. She didn't care at all about what could have happened to him. He could have gotten lost or kidnapped or something, but all she cared about was that stupid house elf. Sirius covered his head with the pillow. She loved it more than she loved him.

Finally it was the first of September. Finally it was time to go to Hogwarts and get away from Grimwauld Place. If Sirius had believed in God, he would have praised Him. Predictably, Sirius's parents were not going to see him off. Unfortunately, his much older cousin Bellatrix would be bringing both him and Narcissa, who was a few months older, to the station. Sirius wished Andromeda could have brought them, but she had been blasted off the family tree just last winter when she ran off with a Muggle-born named Ted Tonks. Sirius had met Ted. He was nice, but unfortunately, in the Black family only Sirius and Narcissa (and her just barely) thought so.

The three high class cousins walked haughtily into the station. Bellatrix was in the lead followed closely by Narcissa, who was cradling her snowy white Persian cat Miss Trista Mary Necia Pouncy Wigglefeet. God, Sirius hated that name, and Narcissa always made everyone say the entire thing. Sirius walked a pace behind Narcissa, currently holding a staring contest with dear Miss Trista Mary Necia Pouncy Wigglefeet, while his large black owl Allecto perched contently on top of his head. Two human servants followed behind pushing the two first years' carts.

Bellatrix quickly dumped them off at the train offering Narcissa a quick good-bye and Sirius a nod of the head. The two children rolled their eyes at the woman's loftiness and went to find a compartment.

They quickly found an empty one and sat down together. Neither would admit it, being Blacks, but both were extremely nervous about being away from home for the first time. Although they would technically know everyone in their House (both were praying for Slytherin, even if only to please their parents), it would be different.

Narcissa placed her cat in the seat next to her and turned her ice colored eyes to her cousin. "Sirius," she asked, "Are you excited?"

"I'm getting away from home, aren't I," he said. Narcissa nodded. "Then there's your answer." The blond girl smiled slightly and shook her head.

"Well, at least we'll both be there together. I don't think I would like to go without someone from the family."

"Well," Sirius said with a frown, "apart from you and 'Dromeda, I think I could stand it." Narcissa bit her lip. She knew just how much Sirius hated the family. She didn't mind her lifestyle much, but since Sirius was one of her favorite relatives she wished he was a bit happier. She liked him so much because of his pranks and silly escapades. Never in her life would she tell him that because she knew he would drag her into them, and she had no wish to be yelled at by his mother.

Sirius himself was glad that Narcissa was on the train ride with him. She, apart from Andromeda, was the only one in the family who would do nothing to stop his pranks. Every time she caught him preparing one, his cousin would observe for a few minutes and walk away to find a safe place to hide. If Regulus ever spotted him, then his mother would be yelling within seconds. Sirius suspected that they had some kind of telepathic link that worked only when occasions that could result in trouble for the elder Black son emerged.

A few minutes into the train ride, the door slid open and a boy who looked their age poked his head in. Narcissa and Sirius stared at him in a critiquing manner. The boy seemed the opposite of the clean, kempt, and proper Black cousins. His black hair was sticking up in every direction imaginable and some that weren't. His glasses had smudges and were askew on his face. He was wearing a wrinkled tee-shirt and pants with grass stains. Sirius saw Narcissa's nose crinkle and knew they were thinking the same thing: Who lets their child out looking like that?

The boy ran and hand through his hair in attempts to calm it, but Sirius thought it did the opposite, and he took off his glasses to clean them. "Do you mind if I sit here? All the other compartments are getting crowded." Sirius and Narcissa shot each other wary glances and scooted further from the door, Narcissa scooping her cat up as she went.

The boy raised a dark brow in confusion but shrugged. "I'm James Potter, by the way," he said. The Black cousins looked back at each other with wide eyes.

"Potter," Narcissa said flatly. Sirius raised his own dark brow at James and asked, "The blood traitor, shame of the wizarding world, Mudblood loving Gryffindor Potters?"

James blinked down at Sirius in shock. Narcissa looked back at her cousin. "Is that what your mother says?" Sirius nodded. "Word for word." Narcissa nodded. "My mother says so, too."

Sirius shrugged. "Well, they are sisters-in-law. They do talk about this sort of thing a lot."

James finally found his voice. "You're Blacks, aren't you?" The other two children looked up at the interrupter of their conversation. "Quite a few families have some things to say about you, too, you know," James retorted.

"Jealousy is most unbecoming," Narcissa said flinging her long blond braid over her shoulder. Sirius just shrugged. Truthfully, he could see nothing to be jealous about. Who would want a dark and nasty family that blasted people off the tree for loving and who only paid attention to their children when—

Sirius thoughts were cut off when James snapped. "Why would I be jealous of a bunch of Slytherins?" Narcissa and James argued for a few more minutes with Sirius just watching. He was finding it very amusing how easily flustered James was while Narcissa looked as though she were only discussing the weather. Obviously, the Potters, although one of the old families, did not put much stock in high class etiquette.

It wasn't long before James stormed out of the compartment and down the hall. Narcissa laughed. "Barely ten minutes on the train and we have gain ourselves an enemy," she said gleefully. Sirius laughed at her attitude and settled down into the seat. He might as well get comfortable. They were in for a long train ride.

After the ride across the lake (which the Black cousins knew of: the Blacks were a practical family, and the silly tales of getting into the school were below them), the first years were gathered in front of the doors to the Great Hall waiting for the deputy headmistress, Professor McGonagall, to lead them inside to be sorted.

Narcissa snorted as she heard someone nearby say something about fighting dragons to be accepted. "Honestly," she whispered to Sirius, "no one has even touched their wands yet. How ridiculous to think that they would have us fight dragons." Sirius nodded in agreement.

Professor McGonagall soon led them in and explained the nature of the Sorting. Narcissa was one of the first to be called up. Sirius gave his cousin's hand a quick squeeze before she made her way up. She sat on the stool, and the hat was lowered onto her head. About ten seconds later it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" Narcissa smiled as she hopped off the chair and ran to the cheering table. She looked back up at him and held up her crossed fingers as McGonagall said, "Black, Sirius."

Sirius walked up calmly to the stool and sat down. The hat was placed on his head, and he heard a voice say, "Well now, what have we here? Let's take us a look…Hmmm, you are a hard choice, young man, a very hard choice. Bright, extremely bright, but you are no bookworm. You have an astounding sense of loyalty about you…"

'Oh, Christ,' Sirius thought, 'Not Hufflepuff!'

"No Hufflepuff, huh?" the voice said. "No, you're right. Helga is not your answer."

'No, she's not,' Sirius thought. 'But Salazar sure is.'

"Slytherin? Is that what you want?"

'Of course it is. Mother says that—'

"Ah! What Mother wants," the voice noted. "But what does Sirius want?" Sirius found that he could not answer that. "Hmm, one more peek around should do the trick…yes! Yes, I see it now. The perfect House for you is…"

'Christ, it's going to say…'

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Hall was silent. The jaws of every Slytherin and Gryffindor had fallen through the tables. Narcissa looked as though she were about to faint. Sirius felt the hat being removed from his head, and McGonagall, still very shocked, was giving him a slight nudge towards her table.

Sirius, however, spun around to face her. "Professor, can I try the hat on again? Something must be wrong. I can't be a Gryffindor. The hat is wrong."

From the staff table, an old voice spoke. "The Sorting Hat is never wrong, Mr. Black," Headmaster Dumbledore said.

Sirius did his best not to frown at the old man. His mother had some nasty things to say about Hogwarts's headmaster. "But, Professor," Sirius protested, "I'm a Black. We have never been anything other that Slytherin. My cousin just—"

"I know what House Miss Black was just placed in," he said. "Now, if you will please take a seat at the Gryffindor table, we may continue." Sirius was unable to move. Dumbledore raised a brow and said, "Perhaps the Sorting Hat knows something about you that you yourself do not. It is this that makes you a Gryffindor. Now please, sit."

Sirius blindly made his way over to the red and gold clad table. He plopped down in the seat and looked over the Hall at Narcissa, who was staring back at him sadly. In a very un-Black like manner, Sirius slammed his head on the table and threw his arms over his head.

Sirius barely registered the rest of the Sorting, but he did distinctly hear the hat put "Potter, James," into "GRYFFINDOR!" very quickly. Sirius let out a loud groan as the others around him cheered. Sensing motion across from him, Sirius saw through a crack in his arms that James was sitting in front of him.

After Dumbledore had given a short speech, the food appeared. Sirius idly picked at his food. He felt that if he ate anything, it would be coming back up for a visit shortly. Sirius glanced up through his bangs and saw that James was staring at him with a smug smile. "So," he said, "how's it feel to be a Gryffindor."

Sirius lifted his head and gave James his iciest glare. "You know something, Potter," Sirius said in a strained voice, "I'm kind of in an extremely troubled state of mind right now. You have no idea what my parents will do to me when they learn of this, so I would appreciate it if you could back off."

James raised a brow. "You deserve it," he said before turning his attentions back to his food.

Woohoo! James and Sirius don't like each other right now, hee hee.

Please review! Reviews make me update more often.