One long, loud, and laughter filled train ride later, a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

The other boys including Sirius stopped mid conversation and glanced up. He glanced over at Remus whom meekly grinned, and nodded towards the compartment doors. They all stood, and then filed out of the compartment, into the halls of the train.

The train slowed down and came to a stop. The foursome walked off of the train and onto another platform.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

A large, hairy man was beckoning to them. Remus pointed the man out to their group and they obediently shuffled behind him, following him down a steep path. It was quite dark, as if they were going through a thicket of trees.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud, "Oooooh," and Sirius couldn't help but grin at the view. The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

Wicked awesome. he thought to himself.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore

The boys all shuffled into a boat. Peter craned his head out of the boat and looked down into the water.

"Everyone in?" shouted the large man, who had a boat to himself . "Right then — FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff.

And of course, Peter hadn't heard the warning. The little boats carried the others through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face, but Peter fell in the water, dragging James down with him. Sirius looked at Remus, then smirked. "Fancy a swim?"

"What?" Remus asked. Perfect, Sirius thought. Sirius pushed Remus into the water, and then jumped in himself.

The boats came to a stop.

"What're yeh four doin'?" The man said.

"Fell... in..." Peter wheezed.

"Get on, back in yeh go!" The man sad, chuckling slightly to himself, and the boys swam back to their boat and climbed in.

They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Then they scattered up a passageway in the rock after the man's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. Remus was cold, Peter was shivering, and James and Sirius grinned like madmen.

We've barely been here five minutes and I am already having the best time of my life. Sirius grin widdened. This is going to be an amazing year.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? " the man said. They all nodded.

He raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

It swung open, and a severe looking woman with black hair and red robes stood there.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the man.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." McGonagall replied.

Hagrid strode off, waving at the children.

The Professor pulled open another door. She lead the first years into an entrance hall, which seemed to be larger than Remus's mum's house. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Hundreds of voices sounded from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

She looked at Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter. She sighed.

"I'll be back to retrieve you for he ceremony. Please wait quietly." She left.

Sirius smiled to himself. He hoped that they could all be in the same house since they all were fun to be around. He could tell that much already.

Suddenly, someone screamed. He looked at the source of the scream, and laughed. His dad had spoken of the Hogwarts ghosts, too. The ghosts saw the children and began chattering excitedly.

"Icle firsties!" One cried. "Oh, what fun!"

"Quiet, Peeves! You'll scare the poor things! Look at this one, he's shaking!" A transparent man in ruffles and tights said, gesturing towards Peter.

Peter looked pale at being addressed. "I'm not scared, sir. I fell in the lake."

The ghost was about to reply, when McGonagall walked back into the room.

"Move along, now. Get in a line, the Sorting is about to begin."

They filed into a line, as McGonagall opened the doors. She led them out of the room, across the hallway, and through a large pair of doors, into the Great Hall.

It was lit by and abundance of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.

Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a stop in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver.

Sirius felt a tap on his arm and glanced over seeing Remus who was pointing upwards. Sirius grinned seeing the sky above.

"You can see me on there, you know. Look." Sirius pointed towards a brightly shining star that Remus recognised as part of Sirius Cluster. He smiled warmly at the boy.

Professor McGonagall carried a stall into the front of the waiting First Years. She placed the Hat Remus had seen in Dumbledore's office onto the stall. He noticed the older students staring at the hat and looked to it. The hat had a tear near the rim. It opened itself wide, using the hole as a sort of mouth, and began to sing.

The hat finished it's song to applause from the occupants of the hall. Sirius clapped, nudging James in the side with his elbow slightly and grinned like a mad-man.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

Sirius felt his stomach begin to form into a knot. What if he didn't get in the same house as the people he had gotten so close to on the train? He scrunched his nose, not liking the idea of having to spend his years with the Slytherin house., and more importantly, his horrid family.

"ABBOT, MARCUS!" She called. A short boy scrambled up to the stall and placed the hat onto his head.

The hat was barely on him thirty seconds when it called, "Hufflepuff!" A table on the right cheered, clapped, and generally made noise as Marcus joined them.

"AUBREY, BERTRAM"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Avery became a Slytherin, but Sirius wasn't listening. He wrung his hands nervously knowing soon his name would be called.

"BLACK, SIRIUS!"

A roar of appause came from the Slytherin table causing him to flinch slightly. I don't want to worry about blood purity and tradition of upholding the family name. Sirius glanced at James, looked at Remus, and scuffled over to the hat.

He calmly placed it on his head and there was darkness.

"Ah, a Black eh?" said a voice in his mind - oh, right, the hat, "You must want to be i-"

"NO!" screamed Sirius fearing the sorting hat would call out the house before he had a chance to think. "Not Slytherin, please anything but that."

The Sorting hat paused, and Sirius wasn't sure if it would hear his plea. Finally the the voice called spoke.

"But you family has been in there for generations. All your cousins, aunts, and uncles have been put in that house." said the Sorting Hat softly. "Ah, but you don't think of them as family... do you? Being a pure blood means nothing to you. Surprising since you are the heir of the House of Black."

"I never asked to be the heir. I don't like the values of my family."

"You've made some friends, I see." the Sorting Hat said shifting through his mind. "On the train?"

"Yes."

"Even if your family does not agree with half-bloods or mudbloods?"

"I don't care. They've treated me more like family then my actual family has ever felt like to me. I feel like I can be myself." Sirius thought, surprised at what he was saying. But it felt true. He did feel like he could be himself around the three he had met on the train then any pure-blood, stick-up-their-ass person he had ever met while he was living at home.

"Very brave, I dare say. You be best suited for..."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

An odd cry from the Slytherin table sounded from Sirius' sorting as Sirius ran over to the Gryffindor table. Remus caught his eye, and Sirius grinned. After a few more names, "LUPIN, REMUS!" was called and Sirius gave him, a unnoticed thumbs up.

Remus looked pale as he sat there with the hat on his head, and Sirius leaned more towards the hat, waiting with bated breath at what his new-found friend would get into House-wise.

After a minute the sorting hat declaired. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius cheered loudly as Remus made his way next to him. Before the new Gryffindor could sit, Sirius high fived him. "Awesome, mate." he said with a grin, clasping him on the back as Remus sat down next to him, "Now we just have to cross our fingers and hope James and Peter to get sorted in the same house. Though I suppose Jame will no problem. Pete... Not so sure."

"I'm sure they'll be joining us shorty," replied Remus ,looking over at the students still waiting to be sorted. More names were called and finally, their two friends were sorted, "Gryffindor!" for both. Sirius couldn't help but grin when they all were at the same table.

Peter and James sat across from Remus and Sirius, laughing and beaming like madmen. As more names were called, the more Sirius's fondness of the other boys grew. James, he noted, often started new topics of conversation, and Peter hung onto his words like a lifeline. Remus was more reserved, but that added to the sense of mystery that Sirius was beginning to find endearing. How could he crack the polite front Remus wore? He was going to make a loud, obnoxious child out of that boy yet!

After a fair bit of time, the last first year was sorted. As, "ZABINI, ARMANDO!" became a Slytherin and took his seat, Dumbledore stood.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Before we eat, I'd like to say a few words, and they are: Nonoxidation! Tussilago! Anuech! Legendizing! Thank you!"

Dumbledore sat down, and the hall was filled with the sound of clapping. Peter was giggling into his hand, Remus wore an amused expression, and James and Sirius were huddling over the table in laughter.

Without warning, the plate in front of Sirius filled with food. Sirius grinned. Throughout the Pureblood circle, Hogwart's food was famous. He grabbed his silverware, and fogetting the Black family etiquette, literally dug in. His friends around him did the same, and he had the opportunity to observer their behavior, making metal notes to himself.

The first thing he realized about Peter Pettigrew was that he never was the first to do something. He seemed to be seeking constant approval from James.

James Potter, on the other hand, leaked confidence in every move he made. He never hesitated, acting on impulse and speaking his mind.

Remus Lupin seemed defensive towards everything around him. It was like he was expecting someone to jump out at him at all times. He didn't show a lot of emotions, hiding behind a mask of proper social manners. Sirius got the feeling that he was hiding something, a vibe had been getting from the boy all of he time that he was around Remus. Judging by his response when Sirius had asked or his name (I'm nobody," or something along those lines) he was guarded and had a low self esteem.

He was completely intrigued by Remus Lupin. The air of mystery that surrounded his aura was perfect entertainment for a brilliant, if curious, mind like that of Sirius Black.

For this reason, he only half listened to the banter between his new dorm mates, and was taken by surprise when Dumbledore stood again, an his plate was cleared. (At least, more that it was before.)

"Now I'd like to go over some rules. The Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students-"

"-AKA we have to sneak out." Sirius said, elbowing Remus with a grin.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Flich, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors." Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling behind his glasses, "Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"Too bad we can't play." James murmured, Sirius nodding and said, "Stupid rule, really."

"And with that. Bedtime. Off you trot!"


Author's Notes:

There you are, thee next leg of their journey. :D