1971

September 1st

Just a day,

Just an ordinary day

Just trying to get by

King's Cross Station bustled. Voices chattered throughout the train station, teenage children all aflutter, bubbling with excitement. Lost in the swarm of teenage witches and wizards, Emmeline stood searching with nervous eyes, hoping to make a friend. Or at least, make her way to the Hogwarts Express in one piece. Her parents, Nathaniel and Abigail, showered their only child with hugs and kisses before watching her make her way through the crowd.

Just a few yards away stood a family of four; a mother, father, and two sons. The elder of the sons wore a disgruntled expression as his mother looked pointedly down her nose, giving the boy a stern look that clearly conveyed the message, 'Don't let us down.' The father, reveling in all of his debonair demeanor, merely nodded, disengaged and detached from the moment. The younger of the two boys expressed the most emotion, tugging the sleeve of his older brother. His crystal blues orbs met those of his elder brother's stormy gray in a plea; 'Don't leave.' The older of the two bent down slightly to his younger brother's eye level and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll write," he promised and flashed what would become the trademark Black grin. Parting his brother, Sirius Black made his way to the train.

With a puzzled expression, Emmeline clutched the handle of her luggage, her eyebrows knitting in concentrated as her chocolate eyes scanned the surroundings for a sign of direction as to where to place her luggage. So lost in her own thoughts, Emmeline, who was predisposed to clumsiness, collided into a taller figure, which wasn't totally out of the ordinary considering her petite 5'2 frame, and stumbled backwards, tripping over her own luggage bag.

Emmeline let out a yelp before toppling over her worn, leather, canvas luggage bag. The fall startled her, causing her heart rate to escalate. She thought she heard someone muttered, "Merlin's beard', when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Are you alright?," Sirius asked, trying to mask his amusement.

Emmeline frowned, brushing her wild locks from her face.

"Just dandy," she replied with embarrassed indignation. She moved to push herself up, but she felt someone tug on her arm, helping her along the way. Once she was upright, she dusted herself off, her eyes shyly rising to meet the face of her collateral damage. "I'm really sorry about that. Sometimes I forget how to walk properly."

His eyes were on her feet, however. Emmeline furrowed her eyebrows and followed his gaze.

"What is it?," she asked, hoping she didn't scuff her new black Mary Janes.

Shaking his head, Sirius dismissed his thought.

"Oh, nothing. I was just checking to see if you had two left feet," he explaining, gesturing to her feet with his right hand. "All's good, though. One left, one right. By the looks of it, you just need a little tuning," he smirked, mirth dancing in his liquid pools of steel.

Emmeline pursed her lips, trying to conceal her smile. This boy, who she just met, was making a mickey out of her. Little did she know it was only the beginning.

Grabbing her luggage handle, she gave him a pointed look; however, there was laughter in her eyes.

"Ah, it tells jokes," she sighed, lifting the bag. It was rather heavy, but Emmeline didn't waver. "Aside from providing free comic relief, would you happen to know where we take our luggage?," she asked, a hopeful look in her eyes and a smile playing upon her lips.

Sirius peered down at her bag, as if realizing for the first time that it was there. "Oh yeah. It's right over there," he said, pointing to the cabin, where a train porter was loading various bags and suitcases. Then he reached for the bag and began walking in the direction of the cargo cabin. "Come on, I'll help you."

Emmeline smiled gratefully and walk in step beside him. "Thanks," she said.

"No worries," he replied with a nod.

As they walked, Emmeline decided to keep the conversation a live and asked, "So, what house do you want to be in?"

Without any hesitation, he replied, "Gryffindor." Then a moment later, he added, "Though, my whole family's been placed in Slytherin." He glanced over, prompting her to share.

Emmeline nodded without judgment. She read about house rivalry, but she wasn't raised to buy into such prejudices.

"Well, I really don't have much of a preference, but I'm leaning toward Ravenclaw," she said. Then she elaborated, "My parents were both Ravenclaws. It's a family thing, I suppose."

They shared a smile before reaching the cabin, where Sirius handed the bag to the porter. Emmeline thanked the porter before turning to the raven haired boy who voluntarily helped truck her luggage across the train station.

"Thank you…," she trailed off, hoping he'd supply his name.

"Sirius," he said. "Sirius Black. And you're welcome…," he intimidated her.

"Emmeline!," a voice cried from a sea of students. Emmeline recognized it immediately, and she smiled thinking about how quickly her best friend, Amelia Bones, tracked her down so quickly.

Sirius raised his eyebrows, looking briefly in the direction of a dark haired girl with raven curled bouncing through the crowd.

"Emmeline," she volunteered. "Emmeline Vance," she added with a grin.

"Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you around, Emmeline," Sirius said, flashing her a small grin.

"Suppose so," she replied, offering him a small wave before hurrying in the direction of Amelia.

Lyrics by Vanessa Carlton -Ordinary Day