Summary: The Marauders were more than friends; they were brothers. A blood-traitor, a reject, a werewolf, and a... Potter. Follow their journey throughout this *magical* time.

A/N: This is my first story, so please feel free to leave me tips and comments in the review box!

Sirius

An ornate trunk, perfectly polished, treasured from generations before. Yet, none of it was worn. In almost perfect condition, it dauntingly sat right next to the front door. Carvings were etched into all sides, depicting clear images. A vine and serpent, snaking their way through all of it, as a definable constant.

Majestic swirls and spirals spun themselves around the center of the top, where in a dignified script, one important motto was written.

Toujours Pur

For Sirius, those two words meant everything. Everything he stood for, everything he was, the past, the present, the future. All in two seemingly innocent words. Without toujours pur, he would be a commoner, dirty with the blood of muggles and mudbloods alike.

But what was so bad about them?

No. Sick with himself, Sirius quickly pushed thoughts like those away. They were dangerous. Those thoughts - they were the kind that got Uncle Alphard blown off of the family tree. His family - they were all he had.

Yet some part of him hoped - no, foolishly thought - that maybe his family wasn't right, that maybe muggleborns - no, mudbloods, he reminded himself, weren't that different, that maybe it was the Black family that was different, not the other way around.

But this pureblood thinking was all that he had known. Ever since he was little, those thoughts were drilled into his mind, and now he could barely muster up the courage to even bother thinking these rebellious thoughts. One day, when he had long since become the perfect Slytherin, he would look back and see just how foolish he had been. He must. There was no other option. There couldn't be.

But he had never been able to be the perfect heir. He was always wrong, he always wore the wrong clothes, he always used the wrong fork. His looks, manners, everything about him was not good enough. He was not perfect. He was not good enough. The bruises showed that well enough. He couldn't help what he thought, even despite the way that he had been raised. He had always been more defiant, willing to face his father's fury rather than back down, unlike Regulus.

These corrupt thoughts were put out of his mind as his mother's voice came shrieking from upstairs. He realized, with mixed emotions, that he had been standing by the front door for almost ten minutes now. A quick glance at his watch told him that they had only ten minutes until the train for Hogwarts left. He couldn't miss the train!

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! WE HAVE TEN MINUTES TO GET YOU IN FULL ATTIRE AND OUT THE DOOR! HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT YOUR FAMILY LIKE THIS! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS WHOLE PAST HOUR, FROLICKING WITH THE MUDBLOODS?! GET UP HERE THIS INSTANT! YOU'RE DISRESPECTING THE HOUSE OF BLACK, SHAME ON YOU!"

With a somewhat subdued eye roll, Sirius Orion Black, future Slytherin, hurried up the stairs, not at all prepared to face his mother's wrath.

Getting 'fully dressed' was no easy task. Managing to wriggle into his tightly fitted underclothes, he then put on his casual robes, followed by slightly more formal robes on top of that. On his dark blue robes sat the Black crest, a representation of where and who he was. The day was bright and sunny, so there was no need for a cloak.

He grabbed a hairbrush and brushed his hair, even though there was no real need, as each strand was already perfectly in place, as though he had led an army of hair into an organized battle against each bristle of the hairbrush… He really hadn't slept much over the excitement of finally going to Hogwarts, and now the fatigue was really starting to set in.

His mother came down the stairs in a rush, somehow still with grace and a certain haughtiness unrivaled. He grabbed his trunk as his mother took his hand, preparing to side-along apparate him. Just at that moment, Regulus came up to him.

He looked afraid. So afraid that Sirius would forget all about him, that he would have to face his mother alone. But Sirius shared that fear, just in a different way. While he knew he wouldn't forget about his brother, he did fear what may come to pass in those months without Sirius there, backing Regulus up. Regulus had always been more easily molded than Sirius. He had always found it more right to believe what they were told. Sirius was the only seed of doubt in his mind. But without him there, his mother would have the perfect opportunity to brainwash her perfect son.

Regulus approached him, cautious that their mother would stop him. Although she looked on disapprovingly, she did nothing to stop him.

"Please, Sirius, be careful."

It was barely a whisper, quiet enough so that the matriarch of the family couldn't hear it. Those four words seemed so irrelevant, but to Sirius, they were the world. If you knew Regulus at all, in the tone of voice, you could hear the unspoken plea for Sirius to stay. You could hear the desperation behind every syllable, willing Sirius not to go. And for a second, he almost didn't. Part of him just wanted to stay, if only to protect his little brother, who wouldn't be going to Hogwarts until Sirius was in his third year. The brothers were different, sure, and they had their arguments like all brothers do, but at the end of the day, they were all each other had.

But Sirius pushed all these thoughts away. It would only be a few months until he was back for the holidays. So instead of all he wanted to say, he just quietly whispered four words back, hoping he could convey the same meaning that Regulus had to him.

"And you too, Regulus."

And just like that, his mother's hand was on him, and the entrance room was no more than a blur of shapes and sounds and colors, swirling around endlessly.

A/N: There will be counterparts of this chapter with the other three. Please review! I'll definitely post the next chapter soonish if I get at least one review! (Hey, I'm shooting low) See you soon!