Chapter 1
"Sirius" Regulus Black whispered prodding his older brother in the face.
"Huh?" mumbled Sirius sleepily, accidentally slapping Regulus in the face as he pulled the bed sheets further up over his head as he slept on.
"Sirius, wake up, you're going to Hogwarts today" whispered Regulus rubbing his cheek as he tried fruitlessly to wake his brother up.
"Hogwarts!" Sirius exclaimed shooting up in his bed but was promptly shut up by his younger brother's hand which had slammed itself against his mouth.
"Shhh," Regulus whispered nervously looking at the bedroom door.
Sirius winced "Opps, sorry Reggie, I forgot," he muttered climbing out of bed and slowly opening his bedroom door to check if the cost was clear. "They're not coming," he said shutting the door carefully.
"Are you excited to go to Hogwarts?" Regulus asked sitting down on the bed and pulling the toy hippogriff Sirius had given him on his 5th birthday closer.
"Yeah," he said happily pulling out his pre-packed trunk and stuffing a few extra items into it before storing it up against the wall. "What's wrong?" Sirius asked turning around to see silent tears running down his little brother's pale cheeks.
"I'm going to miss you," he said quietly.
"I'm going to miss you too, Reggie" he said giving his little brother a hug.
"Will you write?" he asked, his light blue eyes so much brighter than the usual grey, staring up at his brother sadly.
"Of course!" Sirius whispered into his brother's hair. "I'll write to you every day if you want me too"
Regulus laughed "Well, maybe not everyday..." he smiled. "Every second day!" he bargained.
"Oh Reg, I'm hurt!" he said "But I promise I'll write to you all the time!"
The two brothers sat like that for a while savouring their last few hours together, playing exploding snap, swapping chocolate frog cards and checking that Sirius had everything in his trunk.
"Come on," said Sirius tugging his brother out the bedroom door as the smell of bacon and eggs wafted up the stairs. "Let's go have breakfast; I reckon mother's had her coffee by now,"
"Now do us proud, you hear me Sirius, if I hear that you were sorted into Hufflepuff or have blown up a toilet, so help me you'll be wishing you'd never been born." Walburga Black threatened as she looked her eldest son up and down, determining whether or not he was worthy or not to board the train.
"Now onto the train," she said dismissing him as she turned around to talk to Sirius' Aunt Druella who was looking around the platform disapprovingly. Sirius rolled his eyes and went over to say goodbye to Regulus ignoring his older cousin, Narcissa who was now in her 5th year at Hogwarts who was watching him with her eyes narrowed.
"Bye, Reg" Sirius said sadly hugging Regulus tightly.
"Goodbye, Sirius..." said Regulus sadly, hugging his older brother just as tightly.
"Bye," he said climbing aboard the train pulling his trunk behind him as the train slowly started to leave.
"Bye Sirius, have fun!" called Regulus waving sadly from beside his mother. Sirius waved sadly as the train rounded the corner and disappeared from sight to be replaced by rolling hills...
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Sirius asked opening a compartment door which at the moment only contained a boy with messy, black hair and lopsided glasses.
"Sure," the boy said giving Sirius a lopsided grin gesturing to the seat across from him which Sirius immediately took, glad that he had at least found somewhere to sit.
"James," the boy said "James Potter" he finished making Sirius inwardly smile. Of course he'd heard of the Potters. Charlus Potter was the head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic and Dorea Potter was a well known cook who had won many cooking competitions and wrote articles about cuisine for witch weekly.
"Nice to meet you, James" Sirius said putting off telling James his name.
"What's yours?" James asked.
"Sirius..." Sirius said looking at the ground dejectedly.
"Nice to meet you, Sirius" James said enthusiastically. "Do you like Quidditch?" he asked excitedly.
"Do I like Quidditch?!" Sirius said happily and they talked about their favourite teams for the next hour barley noticing the small, red haired girl enter the compartment and take a seat near the window. Another half an hour passed before another boy entered the compartment with greasy, black hair and a hooked nose that went and sat across from the small, red haired girl.
"You'd better be in Slytherin," said the boy near the window making the girl smile.
"Slytherin?" said James turning around to look at the two in disbelief.
"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James asked Sirius who was now lounging in his seat across from James. Sirius felt like a brick had slid down his throat and into his stomach.
"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he told James bitterly.
"Blimey," said James, "and I thought you seemed all right!" Sirius smiled.
"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"
James lifted an invisible sword. "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad."
The greasy haired boy made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him.
"Got a problem with that?" he asked viciously.
"No," said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy—"
"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interjected making James roar with laughter. The red haired girl sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike.
"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."
"Oooooo. . . "
James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice; James tried to trip the boy as he passed.
"See ya, Snivellus!" Sirius called, as the compartment door slammed.
"Haha, good one Sirius!" James exclaimed giving Sirius a high-five. "Do you think she liked me?" he asked a dreamy look appearing on his face.
Sirius looked at his new friend. "I don't think so, mate" he told him, watching as James' smile turned into a frown.
"Oh well," he sighed. "Are your family really all in Slytherin?" he asked surprised.
"Yeah," he muttered "I didn't want to tell you but... my last name's Black, Sirius Black"
"Really, I've heard that your parents can be downright rotten," James said seemingly unaffected that he was sharing a compartment with a Black.
"Yeah they are," Sirius agreed. "So you don't mind that I'm a Black?" he asked.
"As long as you don't mind I'm a Potter," James replied. "Friends?" he asked offering Sirius his hand.
"Friends" Sirius said smiling.
"FIRS' YEARS OVER 'ERE?" called a loud, gruff voice as Sirius and James stepped out of the train after pulling up at Hogsmeade station.
"Come on," said James pulling Sirius over to the voice.
"Hullo!" James said cheerfully. The owner of the voice was a tall man with long, scraggy, black hair and a bushy, thick beard to match.
" 'ello, James," the man said. Sirius, after getting over his initial shock, noticed that the man had beetle, black eyes which, unlike his uncle who had dark, black eyes which reminded him of dark tunnels, were filled with warmth and kindness.
"And who is this lad yer got 'ere?" asked the giant of a man smiling at Sirius.
"He's my new mate, Sirius Black!" James said excitedly.
"A Black?" repeated Hagrid turning to look at Sirius again. "You're related to Andromeda aren't yer?"
Sirius who had expected Bellatrix or Narcissa smiled and said "Yeah, she's my favourite cousin!"
"Yer, a nice girl Andromeda is. Well we better be goin'" the giant of a man said. "Firs' years follow me!" he called, and Sirius suddenly noticed that they were now surrounded by a mass of first years.
"Who was that?" he asked James as they followed the man down a path surrounded by dark, trees.
"He's Hagrid," James answered craning his head over the other first years to try to get a look at the great castle.
"Oh, Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid you mean?! My mother mentioned him to me..." Sirius trailed off. "It wasn't very nice...what she said about him I mean," he mumbled.
"Don't listen to her," James said "Hagrid's the nicest person I've ever met! Well except for his cooking... but don't worry about that, look!"
"JUS' ROUND THIS BEND!" Hagrid called.
"Wow!" Sirius exclaimed. As the group had turned the corner a magnificent, grand castle came into view. It was sitting on a great cliff and was casting a great shadow over a huge, black lake. The castle was lined with windows which were emitting a yellowish glow making Sirius gasp.
"No more than four to a boat!" he called climbing into a boat that must have been reserved for him because of his size.
James and Sirius clambered into the closest boat and were soon joined by a sandy, brown-haired boy who had a very quiet and nervous air about him. "Hello," he said smiling weakly,. and another boy with blonde, wispy hair and watery blue eyes. "H-Hello" he stuttered.
"So what are your names?" Sirius asked the two boys.
"Remus Lupin," the boy with sandy, brown hair said and Sirius noticed that his eyes were a warm caramel colour with gold specks.
"P-Peter P-Pettigrew," the boy with watery, blue eyes said quietly.
"Nice, to meet you," James said politely. "James Potter," he said gesturing to himself. "And this is Sirius Black!" he finished gesturing so Sirius who smiled and then turned to study the castle.
"FORWARD!" called Hagrid from his boat at the front of the group and the boats suddenly started gliding across the dark water towards the castle.
"DUCK!" he called again and Sirius only had a few seconds to duck as the group passed under a huge cliff.
"Alright follow me!" said Hagrid as they all clambered out of the boats and eagerly followed Hagrid up the path to the castle.
"Wow," muttered James, and Sirius could tell that no matter how many stories about Hogwarts he had been told, he still hadn't imagined it would be quite as wonderful as it was.
The group of first years followed Hagrid up to the castle until they stood in front of two, massive, oak front doors.
'Knock, Knock!'
"Here are the first years for yer, Professor McGonagall" Hagrid said as the doors opened to show a stern looking witch who had jet, black hair which was tied up into a tight bun and piercing green eyes. She was wearing navy, blue robes and a witch's hat to match. She didn't look like a teacher to cross... not to say that would matter to Sirius...
"Thank-you Hagrid," she said sternly. "Follow me!" she said and swept away leaving the first year hurrying along in her wake.
"Now," she said turning around. "When I call your name you will try on the Sorting Hat which will put you into your house; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin, now follow me please" and she let the pale-face 1st years through the golden doors and into the Great Hall.
"Black, Sirius!"
Sirius gulped wincing as his named was called out by the stern looking witch standing next to the rickety stool. He slowly pushed through the small crowd of 1st years, nearly tripping over the foot of the red-haired girl he'd seen on the train that was standing next to a small girl with wavy, blonde hair, a very pretty girl with wavy, blonde hair now he came to think about it.
"Black, Sirius!" the stern looking witch called again clearly irritated and a tinge of pink appeared on Sirius' cheeks as he stumbled his way up to the sorting hat. He awkwardly sat down on the stool and his view of the great hall disappeared to be replaced by the dark inside of the old, sorting hat.
"Hmmm, what do we have here? Another Black... but you're not really the normal sort of black are you?" a small voice whispered in his ear.
"No, I don't agree with their... beliefs..." he replied darkly.
"Yes, I see... you are very cunning but not very ambitious..." the hat said much to Sirius' relief. "Yes, I think you're very brave... and reckless... well better be... GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, the last word echoing around the hall as Sirius tugged the sorting hat of his head and ran enthusiastically to the Gryffindor table, carefully avoiding looking at the mass of black and green over the other side of the hall and winking at the pretty girl who was still standing in the mass of first years and continued his way over to the Gryffindor table.
The sorting went on for 10 more minutes and Remus Lupin, the red-head girl he had met on the train, a bubbly round-faced girl and a girl with long brown hair had joined him in Gryffindor when finally it was the blonde haired girl's turn to be sorted. He watched as she nervously made her way up to the stool and the sorting hat was dropped on her head. Sirius nervously crossed his fingers under the table and was thinking about crossing his toes as well when the hat's brim opened up and shouted...
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius cheered along with the rest of the table as she hurried over to the Gryffindors, a big smile on her pretty face showing her perfectly straight, pearly white teeth.
"Congratulations!" he said as she took a seat across from him next to the red-haired girl who was now looking nervously over at the crowd of 1st years.
"Thanks!" she said smiling at him.
"Sirius Black," he said shaking her hand which he found oddly comforting.
"Marlene McKinnon," she replied grinning, and Sirius noticed that she had the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen and as she turned around to watch the rest of the sorting, he couldn't help watching her for the rest of the ceremony...
I hope you enjoyed the 1st proper chapter :) I'll try and get the next one up as soon as possible. Happy Reading :)
P.S- I'm looking for a Beta reader to check this story, if you're interested you'd be welcome to PM me :)
