Chapter 2

As we left the train, Sirius took my luggage into his hands and took care to sit next to me on the carriage up to school. James spent the whole journey with a sour look on his face while Sirius pointed out the castle to me. As we left the carriage, Sirius stuck out his hand to help me down and James actually moved towards Sirius as if going to punch him. Remus looked over the top of his book in interest, seeing if there was going to be a fight. Sirius looked at him straight in the eyes as if saying 'what are you gonna do about it?' and James turned away and started talking irritably to Remus. I laughed quietly and Sirius grinned at me. "Prongs isn't happy!" Sirius almost sang.

"What is Prongs anyway?" I asked.

"James didn't tell you?" Sirius asked smirking. "I can't tell you that."

"Why?" I asked sticking out my bottom lip and giving him my puppy dog eyes. Sirius pulled me in close and whispered in my ear. "I can't tell you, because it's a secret." When he let go of me I saw James with his hands curled into fists, frozen with an ugly look on his face. I looked at Sirius's face and for the first time saw his grin falter. "Come on Kate, let's go inside." He said guiding me through the huge oak doors into a huge entrance hall. I heard Sirius laughing at my awed expression as he guided me into an even bigger hall. "Do you know what house you're in yet Kate?" Sirius asked me.

"Yeah I do. I'm in Gryffindor." I answered, not really hearing him. I looked around the room and saw hundreds of eyes staring at me. "Why are they all looking at me?" I asked as the four of us sat down at one of the four long tables. "It's because of your amazing, incomparable beauty." Sirius said. Peter scurried across the table and sat next to James. I tried to smile encouragingly, but he just stared at the table. Suddenly the front doors burst open and a group of midgets led by a strict looking woman walked along the aisle between the two middle tables. The woman placed a ragged hat down on a stool and everyone looked at it. "Why are we staring at a hat?" I asked.

"Don't ask. Just stare." Sirius replied. I was about to say how stupid that was when suddenly there was the sound of someone singing. I looked around wondering who would be singing at this particular moment in time when something important was obviously supposed to happen. As I looked to the front I saw the hat, singing about houses and sorting. I was so overwhelmed (I mean, at Beauxbatons we didn't even have sorting) that I didn't even hear any of the song. I didn't snap out of my awestruck trance until the song ended and everyone started clapping. I absentmindedly started clapping too, before the strict woman opened a scroll and started reading names off of it. I looked at my brother. He seemed to be trying to catch a pretty redheaded girl's eye, but she was looking pointedly away from him at the sorting. A shiny prefects badge glittered on her chest. Now THIS was interesting. James had a crush!

When the sorting FINALLY ended the Headmaster stood up. "There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in." I saw food materialise in front of me. I grabbed as much of everything as I could and piled my plate high. "You've got to love Dumbledore." Sirius said with a mouth full of food.

"Now, now Sirius. Don't talk with your mouth full. You're in the presence of a lady." A voice said behind me. I turned and saw a tall, dark-haired boy with a strong resemblance to Sirius. "The name's Regulus. Regulus Black." He said sticking out his hand. I shook it and said, pointing to him and Sirius "So you two are … brothers?"

"Unfortunately." I heard Sirius say behind me.

"Now, now Sirius. I am simply trying to make the acquaintance of this beautiful lady Miss…" he looked at me expectantly.

"Katherine Potter."

"Well Miss Potter," Regulus said with a slight look of unease on his face, as if he were unsure how to feel about my name. "If there is any task you need assistance with; don't hesitate to call." With that he scooped up my hand in his, kissed it and walked off to sit at the table across the hall. A few seats down from him I noticed a scrawny boy with dark curtains framing his face that looked as though they had never been washed. His hooked nose was too big for his face and gave the impression that it was weighing down his head as he was constantly looking at his feet. I was snapped out of my studying of this boy by Sirius's mutters beside me. I turned to see him staring at his brother calling him every name under the sun, helped occasionally by James or Remus (Peter was still looking at the table). "So, I'm guessing that you two don't get along that well." I said half-laughing.

"Sirius doesn't get along well with any of his family." James said

"That's because they're all pure-blood mania freaks who shun their own son because he doesn't want to turn out like them." Sirius said.

"Aww, don't worry Si – OMG DESSERTS!" I yelled as suddenly the golden plates were covered in all my favourite desserts. James scoffed as I piled a mountain of sweet, sugary goodness onto my plate. "Still love desserts then Kate?" he said through muffled giggles.

"Yep." I said, tucking in. "Why do you think I eat the rest of the meal?"

"What about my pep talk?" Sirius said pouting.

"Sort your own problems out, I want cupcakes." I said whilst eating a cupcake.

"Fine." Sirius said, pouting.

"Awww don't be sad Sirius!" I said and put a dab of icing on his nose.

"Okay, I've got to put a stop to this before it becomes overly cute." James said pushing himself in between Sirius and I. I caught Sirius's eye and grinned before finishing my cupcake. Finally the golden plates cleared and Dumbledore stood up to make a speech. "To our new students, welcome. To our old students, welcome back! We have a new addition to the staff this year. So please join me in welcoming our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Corvi." There was a polite smatter of applause. The new professor smiled at the students with a strange smile, like he was surveying us. He had cold, grey eyes, an overly long nose and severely thin lips. His eyes paused for a second on mine and I felt slightly nauseated before he continued his analysis of the students. "Now go enjoy a well-earned goodnight's sleep before bed." Dumbledore concluded, gesturing towards the doors. Sirius took my hand and said "Let me show you to the common room." I looked back at James who was clutching his goblet so hard his knuckles had turned white. I giggled and turned back to Sirius and said "Let's go."