Sirius walked beside his mother down the steam train side. According to his mother he should always walk with his head down. In his opinion though, he thought it was ridiculous because he couldn't see where he was going.

As if to prove his point he crashed into another person. SMACK! They rebound and Sirius raised his head, looking at the person who he had run into. The boy grinned running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Sorry 'bout that, wasn't looking where I was going." Sirius said.

The boy laughed, "Yes, it's a bit hard to when your too busy staring at the ground."

Sirius laughed, he instantly liked the boy, "I'm Sirius, Sirius Black."

"James Potter."

Sirius glanced over his shoulder at his mother; she was too busy putting on another layer of make-up to notice the exchange. James stood beside him rocking on his heels, scanning the crowd.

"Bye Mother."

She turned around to look at her eldest son disdainfully, "Good-bye. Make sure you get into Slytherin and don't make friends from other houses."

Sirius was about to reply when James gave a great shout, "MUM! HERE!"

The crowd suddenly parted to revel a strikingly attractive woman, "Jamie! I thought I had lost you! On your first time catching the train too!"

So James was also in his first year as well. Well, at least he would have a friend in his year. He looked over at James to see him in a choking embrace.

"Mum… choking… not ..breathing… you.. can …let… go.. now."

"Ok, Jamie, better go now, your father needs me at his at his work."

"Bye Mum."

"Toodles Jamsie."

And then she disapparated. James straightened his glasses and proceeded to mess his hair up.

"Ever call me Jamie or Jamsie and I'll hex you."

Sirius sniggered. Then James stopped his hair messing and gawped at something over Sirius' shoulder.

"Bloody hell, she's pretty."

Sirius spun round to see too girls their age talking. He glanced at James, she stared openly at the red-head, but for Sirius, the other was far prettier. She had golden hair that just reached her waist and hung their loose. She was telling a story, but she used her whole body to make the story really come alive, when she laughed, it sounded like bell chimes tinkling in the wind. She spun around and started walking with the other girl following her, as the cam closer to the boys, Sirius saw she had sky-blue eyes that seemed to sparkle.

Then, she disappeared. They both did. James continued to just look at where they had disappeared. Then he looked at Sirius with a particularly lovestruck expression. He shook his head and said, "Come on we'll find a compartment."

They had just found an empty carriage, bar one pale boy who introduced himself as Remus Lupin and then fallen asleep. They sat there talking about their families when the door slid open. The golden-haired girl stood there, and behind her was the red-haired girl and a greasy dark-haired boy. She nodded to both of the boys and flopped down on the seat beside Lupin which had been unoccupied a few minutes earlier.

The red haired girl looked disapprovingly at her and said. "Hi, I'm Lily, that's Emma and this is Severus." She pointed at the girl and then the boy at their names.

James looked a Sirius as if Christmas had come early. "Sure you two can but he can't," James said.

Lily's face fell and she said, "Oh, well, we'll just find somewhere else to sit. Emma, let's go and you can show me the spell you can do."

Emma gave a dramatic sigh, stood, stretched and replied, 'Oh, ok Lils, coming." She looked almost as disappointed as Sirius and James felt. Sirius looked up as she spoke, she had the slightest accent that he couldn't identify.

Several hours later and Sirius, James and Remus had been playing Exploding Snap for what seemed like eons. Once again, for perhaps the 50th time, a burst of laughter came from the compartment behind them. This was the compartment that Lily, Emma and Severus had sat in.

The train slowed to a stop and a prefect popped his head in the door and said, "Right, all you all first years? Good go out until you find the giant man, he'll look after you. "

Throughout the train trip, Sirius, James and Lupin had become fast friends. As they walked toward as giant shadow, a frightened squeak came from behind them and a small boy cannoned into James and promptly hid behind him. The small figure sobbed and begged for James to protect him. James looked at him and nodded and took a deep breath and yelled out, "Look at that fat boy running away Sirius! What a massive coward." James elbowed Sirius and they began to laugh.

"That wasn't the most convincing laugh I've ever heard," said a slightly amused voice came from behind him. He turned to see Emma standing there, her eyes dancing in the moonlight.

"Yes, well… I'm Sirius Black - I never got the opportunity to introduce myself to you on the train. She smiled and let out an adorable giggle,

"Serious – your name is Sirius Black." She let out another delightful laugh. Normally Sirius would have beaten the crap out of anyone you laughed at his name but she looked so… beautiful when she did it, the anger just, melted away.

20 minutes later

"Sirius Black."

Sirius made his way through the throng of people gathered around the sorting hat. He was the second person to go up, after Susanne Alchemia – the newest Hufflepuff. The crummy old hat sat on his head for a minute thinking of all the reasons it should put him in Slytherin – the last place Sirius wanted to go. Then, finally, all long last it declared,

"Gryffindor!"

Sirius gave an excited bounce and walked to where the first year Gryffindor's where to sit. In next to no time, James, Remus, Lily, Peter and another kid were proud to be the latest Gryffindor's. There was one person left,

"Emma Winesmith."

So that was her last name. A second after the hat touched her head:

"Gryffindor!"

She skipped down to the table and plopped herself down on the bench between Lily and Remus. As the food began appearing Sirius became aware that she was singing, albeit quietly but it seemed to ring out and fill the air.

"Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong, under the shade of a coolabah tree.

And he sang as he watched and waited til his billy boiled,

You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me."

She became aware of the fact that everyone had frozen and were watching her sing to herself. She blushed light pink.

"Sorry, I'll stop that." Clearly she wasn't aware of the power and majesty that seemed to roll off the words, Sirius didn't know what a half the song meant but he felt like he had just been there. When no-one said anything, she looked up and down the table proclaiming, steak sambo's are there any steak sambo's? Suddenly 2 appeared on her plate. She looked at it and shrugged, digging in…