A/N: A big thank you to my very first two reviewers!
Quirkista: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
DivergentDancer: Oh, I love Chocolate Frogs! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I'm especially glad you think it has potential. That means I'm doing something right. Hooray!
Just to let you know, I won't be doing this thank you thing every chapter-at least I don't think so, but who knows? Maybe I will- so if it bothers you for some reason, don't worry. I just felt that my first reviewers deserved recognition. So thank you all for reviewing my story and liking it! You guys Siriusly rock!
-SirEvy
The One in Which they Meet
"Filled with Muggles as always," Mrs Black muttered under her breath in disdain as she led her shaggy-haired son through the very crowed Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. "Hurry up boy!" she snapped, looking over her shoulder.
"Yes, mother," muttered Sirius, biting his lip from saying anything else.
He walked grudgingly at a slow pace behind his mother, trying to keep his distance as he pretended that he was there with someone else, that he belonged to another family. He passed a group of rowdy boys who were surrounding an exasperated woman he could only guess was his mother and Sirius stared after them longingly, not really watching where he was going. He didn't notice the woman in front of him until he bumped into her and his mum snapped her head back, glaring at him.
"Watch were you're going, boy!" she snapped.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," mumbled Sirius and, much to his surprise, the woman laughed.
"Oh, it's nothing, dear. I remember being excited as you must be when I was your age." Mrs Black humphed disapprovingly under her breath and the woman turned her attention to her. "Why, Walburga! I haven't seen you in ages. This must be your son, Sirius," she said, smiling down at him.
Sirius frowned, wondering how this seemingly nice woman knew his mother. He looked up at her and realised with a jolt that her eyes were the same stormy grey as his own, which he knew were a distinguishing characteristic of the Black family.
Walburga gave a curt nod. "Indeed he is. He's just starting Hogwarts this year."
"My son, James, is about your age," the woman said, turning to look behind her. "That's him, over there," she said, pointing to a short boy with raven-hair, which stuck out at odd ends, wearing large, squared-spectacles, and his eyes were a soft hazel, not the steely grey Sirius was so used to seeing in members of the Black family. The girl standing next to him turned around, her bright, blue eyes finding his and she gave him a small wink, before turning around again, as a red-haired girl spoke to her.
"I suppose he'll be a Gryffindor," said Walburga, her tone of voice holding a hint of disdain and the woman smiled stiffly.
"Just like his father," she said and Sirius noted the trace of pride in her voice.
"My Sirius will be in Slytherin, like a true Black," she said, and Sirius nodded reluctantly, like his mother expected of him.
"I better be going, Walburga," the woman said, before smiling kindly at Sirius. "It was nice meeting you, dear."
"She was always a fool, that one," said Walburga as the woman returned to her family. "At least she had the sense to marry a Pure-blood. Come along, boy," she said, turning around again and Sirius followed her, staring longingly at the family behind him.
"You won't believe who I just ran into," Dorea whispered to her husband as she joined them. Her husband turned his attention away from the stout, balding wizard he was talking to and looked at her.
"Who, dear?"
"Walburga Black. She was here to drop-off her son, Sirius."
Charlus smirked. "Still as 'lovely' as always, I assume?" he asked, and his voice would have been cheerful, if not for his unconcealed sarcasm.
Dorea chuckled softly; it had never been a secret how much Charlus disapproved of her family's believes. He squeezed her hand gently as they both turned their attention to the conversation at hand.
"He's mainly been targeting Muggles," a tall, distinguished-looking wizard was saying. "So there is no real threat to the Wizarding World as of right now, but we do remain on high alert. As you can see, Lucretia, dear, you've got nothing to worry about."
"But who is to say he won't start targeting wizards next, Ignatius?" asked Lucretia in an unconvinced tone.
"That is why we at the Auror Department are doing everything in our power to stop this man," said Charlus, using his authoritative voice that many seem to find soothing, as well as reassuring. "The children are safe as long as Dumbledore remains Headmaster."
"Charlus is right, dear," said Ignatius, patting his wife's hand.
"I still worry, though."
"We all do," a short witch standing next to her said. "But we just can't pull them out of school, can we? Life has to go on, does it not?"
"Priscilla is right, Lucretia," said Dorea. "There is no safer place for them than Hogwarts."
The wizards nodded in agreement at this, their faces grave as they turned to look at their children, who were blissfully oblivious to their conversation.
"You're completely bonkers if you think the Canons are the best Quidditch Team," James told the young redhead boy standing in front of him.
The boy laughed. "Yeah? Then who is?"
"Puddlemere United, of course!"
"Hear that, brother?" the boy said, turning to look at the boy next to him, with the same brilliant shade of red hair, as well as nose and mouth and—well, everything, seeing as they were twins. "Jamie here thinks Puddlemere is better than the Canons!"
"Ridiculous! I've never heard anything so absurd! Have you, Alice?" the boy asked, turning to look at the petite girl beside them, sporting a chin-length bob that perfectly accentuated her round face.
"You both are wrong," said Alice. "The Holyhead Harpies are the best team."
One of the twins laughed. "Of course you'd think that, seeing as they're the only all-female team."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" the girl with brilliant blue eyes asked, crossing her arms tight across her chest.
"Oh, nothing," the twin standing closest to her said innocently.
"I'll have you know that the Harpies haven't lost a game this season. Which is more than I can say for both your teams."
"Marlene! I thought we were supposed to be best friends. You're supposed to be helping me out here."
Marlene laughed. "Sorry, James. You're on your own here. Maybe Teddy'll want to help you out."
They turned to look at a girl with blazing red hair expectantly. "Don't look at me. I'm not a big fan of Quidditch. Football's more of my thing."
"What in the name of Merlin is that?" one of the twins asked.
"A muggle sport, Gideon" said Teddy, rolling her eyes as the scarlet train made a noise, which sounded impatient to James.
"Reckon we should get going?"
"Yeah, we should."
They turned to the adults, each going to bid their farewells to their respective parents. James walked up to his, giving his mum a hug.
"I'm going to miss you, Jamie," his mum said, hugging him tightly as he greying auburn hair fell over him like a curtain.
"Please tell me you're not going to cry, Mum," said James and his mum sniffed.
"Of course I'm not. Why should I? It's not like my only son is leaving to Hogwarts, is it?"
James laughed. "I already promised to write every day."
"It won't be the same, though," she said, hugging him tighter as she kissed the top of his head. "Go, hug your father before I change my mind and take you back home."
Charlus laughed as James hugged him. "Promise you'll take care, son?"
"Of course, dad."
"And stay out of trouble," said Charlus as he patted his back, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
James grinned. "I'll try."
Dorea sighed, shaking her head, although, James noted, she was trying to hide her smile. "You're as incorrigible as your father."
"Why, Dorea, wasn't it you who managed to turn the whole of Gryffindor's common room green and silver, in accordance to the Slytherin colours, during your sixth-year at Hogwarts?" asked Charlus in a cheerful voice.
"They could never prove it was me," said Dorea, her voice holding a tinge of amusement, as well as pride.
"Here, I want you to have something, James," said Charlus, reaching into his robe's pocket for something. He frowned as his hand came back empty. "I could've sworn I put it here."
"Looking for this, Dad?" asked James innocently, holding up a battered-looking cloak that seemed to be made of watery fabric and Charlus laughed as he ruffled an awed James' hair. "Are you really giving me the Cloak?"
"Of course I am, James. It has been in my family for generations now, passed down from father-to-son or mother-to-daughter, in some cases. It is a very special family heirloom that my father gave me when I was around your age and now it is yours to have. Use it well, son," his father said with a mischievous wink and James grinned, turning the Cloak in his hand.
"Thanks, Dad," he said, giving his father one last hug, before stuffing the Cloak into his pocket.
"It wouldn't be right of me to say this, but that Cloak saved me from a lot trouble during my days, just so you know, son," he whispered in a low voice as he hugged James. "Now, remember son, the Invisibility Cloak shouldn't be used for mischief," he said much louder.
"I'll keep that in mind," said James, grinning at his father, before waving goodbye to his parents as he joined his friends.
"Go make us proud, son!" Charlus called after him.
"And remember to write every day!"
James grinned as he stepped onto the train after Marlene. "I will!"
"All the compartments are full," muttered Alice as she led them down the aisles, brushing past other students, some already wearing their Hogwarts uniform. "Here's a nearly-empty one," she said, coming to a stop.
"What do you mean nearly-empty?"
"Well, there's a girl in there already."
They all peered in through the small window and saw a petite, young girl of around James' age, sitting with her back to them, completely oblivious to the small crowd gathered around her compartment door. Her hair was a dark red, darker than Teddy's, and it fell down her back in small waves. James shrugged as he slid the door open, poking his head inside.
"Mind if we join you?" he asked smoothly and the girl turned to look at them. Her eyes were the most brilliant shade of green James had ever seen and he grinned cockily as they lingered on him for a moment, before she turned back to the window.
"No, you can take a seat if you'd like. There's plenty here," she said softly, shrugging her small shoulders.
James strode into the compartment, taking a seat opposite the girl, sprawling out in the seat. His friends filed in after him, all looking curiously at the girl, who seemed to have gone back to ignoring them as she pressed her face against the window, staring outside. Finally, Teddy broke the silence.
"Are you a Muggle-born?" she asked and the girl turned to look at them, her eyes wide as she looked uncertainly between them.
"I'm sorry?" she asked, an her voice reflected that tone of uncertainty that her expression held.
"Teddy! You just don't go around asking people that!" said Alice, slightly slapping her arm, before turning to the girl. "I'm sorry if my cousin offended you. Most of the time, she doesn't think before she speaks."
"I didn't mean to be rude," said Teddy, looking at the girl apologetically. "I was just wondering if that's why you seem so lost. I know how confusing this all might seem to you."
The girl smiled, although it did not seem to reach her eyes and James wondered, for a moment, if she had been crying prior to their intrusion.
"That's all right, then. And, to answer your question, yes, I am Muggle-born."
Teddy broke out into a smile. "Finally! Someone who will understand what in Merlin's name I'm going on about," she said eagerly. "Most of the time, I feel as if I'm from a different planet. My mother's a Muggle-born, see, which is why I more or less know a lot about the Muggle world. It just seems so fascinating to me. Are you a fan of the Beatles?"
"Is that some sort of musical insect?" asked a red-haired twin curiously.
Teddy laughed. "See what I mean? I'm Theodora Prewett, by the way, but you can call me Teddy."
"I'm Fabian Prewett," one of the red-haired twins spoke up, before pointing to his brother. "And that there's Gideon."
"We're both Gryffindors, him and I," said Gideon, smiling proudly.
"It was like a two for one deal, since none of the other Houses were brave enough to take us."
Alice smiled, rolling her eyes. "I'm Alice Prewett and those two idiots are my cousins. They're second-years, so don't mind them."
"I'm Lily Evans," the girl said, giving them a small smile.
"Nice to meet you, Lily. Are you a first-year?" asked Marlene and the red-haired girl nodded. "We are too," she said, pointing to herself, then Alice and finally James. "I'm Marlene McKinnon and that's—"
"James Potter," said James, giving the girl another grin. She smiled at him, before turning her attention back to Marlene, who was speaking again.
"Are you nervous?"
"A bit. I feel as if I'll be behind everybody else."
"You won't be," Teddy assured her. "You'll learn quick enough, like I did."
Lily nodded as their compartment door flew open and a boy with bright, blue eyes stuck his head in, grinning at them. "Hey, snot-face, Roger's looking for you."
"Tell him I'll be there in a minute, arse-face," Marlene shot back, rolling her eyes.
"You tell him. I'm not your bloody owl," he said, before turning to the twins. "Where the hell have you two been? I've been looking for you everywhere."
Gideon smirked. "Well, will you look at that, brother? Caleb's missed us!"
The boy laughed. "Like hell I did. Come on, Frank's waiting for us."
Alice, who had seemed uninterested in their conversation, sat up suddenly. "Frank?"
"Don't tell us you're still crushing on Longbottom, cousin," said Fabian, laughing at his cousin's sheepish look.
"Am not," she mumbled, turning away from them. "He's just a friend."
"Sure he is," Gideon winked. "Come on, then, we'll take you to him. Only if you promise to behave yourself."
Alice blushed as Teddy yanked her to her feet. "Come on, we both know you want to see Longbottom again. Even if you just saw him, what was it, three days ago?"
"I'll see you lads later," said Caleb, putting two fingers to his temples in salute, before turning to Marlene. "Hurry up and go find Roger, will you? I don't want him barging in to my compartment anymore. Having the Head Boy there might ruin my reputation."
"I'll go when I feel like it, bloody git," Marlene called after him as he closed the door, his laughter barely audible as he did so. "Brothers," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head, before turning to Lily. "Have you got any?"
"No, just an older sister," she mumbled, before turning to look at the window again.
"You're so lucky. I always wanted an older sister, but instead I got stuck with five older brothers." She sighed as she opened the door. "I'll be back, then, before Roger starts tearing down the train."
"Are you excited for Hogwarts?" asked James as soon as the door had closed once more.
Lily nodded eagerly, smiling at him as the train lunged forward. "I am. I just can't wait to start learning all about magic. I did a bit of reading over the summer and it all seems so interesting."
James laughed. "Blimey, I didn't even open my books. You like to read?"
Lily shrugged. "A bit."
James nodded as he extracted a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from his pocket, plunging his hand into it and pulling out a colourful array of beans. He studied them, before popping them into his mouth.
"My mum does too. Me, not so much. I'm more of a sports type of bloke. Want some?" he asked, offering the box to Lily.
"What are they?" she asked, taking it from his outstretched hand.
"Wizarding candy. My mum got them for me from her last trip to Hogsmeade. That's the—"
"Wizarding village near Hogwarts," Lily interrupted as their door flew open, this time revealing a young, shaggy-haired boy.
"Room for one more?" he asked. "Everywhere else is full."
"There's plenty of room, here," said James and the boy smiled as he walked in, sprawling out in the seat opposite James'.
"The name's Sirius Black," he said, his voice holding a hint of mischievousness.
"I'm James Potter and this here is Lily Evans." He frowned thoughtfully. "You're Black, you say? My mum's a Black, too; I wonder if we're related."
"I suppose we are. I mean, isn't everyone in the wizarding world related one way or another?"
"Yeah, I suppose you're right."
"You should be careful with those," said Sirius, nodding at the box of sweets Lily was holding. "When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour."
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking uncertainly at the brown bean in the palm of her hand.
"It's no big deal," said James, plunging his hand into the box and extracting a green one. He shrugged as he popped it into his mouth, before spitting it back out in disgust. "Undercooked cabbage," he managed to choke out and Lily giggled as she pressed her cheek against the window.
"I think I'll pass then."
"Smart move," Sirius smirked as the door flew open yet again.
A pale, gaunt boy with black hair that appeared to be unwashed stood there, ignoring them completely as he stared intently at Lily. She turned away from him quickly, looking as if she were on the verge of tears. The pale boy took a seat opposite of Lily's and smiled at her, which James found extremely creepy.
He turned his attention away from them then, feeling slightly bored as he stared at the people bustling by their compartment window.
"I don't want to talk to you," he heard Lily say bitterly.
"Why not?" the pale boy asked.
"Tuney h-hates me," she said in a constricted voice. "Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."
"So what?"
From the corner of his eye, James could see Lily glaring at the gaunt boy in deep dislike.
"So she's my sister!"
"She's only a—" He seemed to catch himself just in time; Lily, who had been busy wiping trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed, seemed not to have heard him. "But we're going!" he said in an excited voice. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"
Lily nodded as she mopped her tears, smiling in spite of herself.
"You'd better be in Slytherin," the slimy-haired boy encouraged.
James snorted at the mention of that House, finally turning his attention back to them.
"Slytherin?" he asked incredulously, as if there was no worse place to be than in that House. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he asked in a mocking voice, turning to look at Sirius, who suddenly appeared to be uncomfortable.
"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he muttered.
James laughed. "Blimey, and I thought you seemed alright!"
Sirius grinned. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"
James lifted an invisible sword over his head, grinning proudly. "'Gryffindor, where the brave dwell at heart!' Like my dad."
The boy made a disparaging noise and James turned on him, eyes narrowed.
"Got a problem with that?" he asked challengingly.
"No," he said, although his tone of voice said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy—"
"Where are you planning on going, seeing as you're neither?" interrupted Sirius, smirking at the pale boy.
James roared with laughter and Lily turned her attention to them, her nostrils flared and her nose wrinkled in disdain as the compartment door opened once more to reveal slightly irritated Marlene. Marlene looked between them, from Lily's flustered appearance, to James' superior smirk.
"What's going on?" she asked, frowning slightly.
"Come on, Severus," said Lily, looking rather flushed as she stood up and picked her bag off the floor, ignoring Marlene. "Let's go find another compartment."
"Oooooo…" James and Sirius called after her, in an imitation of her lofty voice.
Lily tilted her chin up arrogantly as brushed past them, ignoring them. Severus stood up after her and James tried to trip him as he walked past his seat.
"See ya, Snivellus!" he called after him and Lily turned one last time to glare at him, before slamming the door shut.
"What was that all about?" demanded Marlene, looking at James accusingly.
"Hey, don't blame me! It was that slimy friend of hers' fault!"
Marlene rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Can you stop acting like a prat for one minute, Potter?" she asked as she opened the compartment door once more.
"Where are you going, Lenny?" James called after her retreating back.
"To convince her that not all wizards are arrogant gits," she called back as the compartment door closed.
"Feisty, that one is." Sirius nodded at the door.
"Like you wouldn't imagine."
"She your girlfriend?"
James stared at him, as if the idea of that happening was too gross to contemplate. "Blimey, no! She's like my sister," he said, before smirking. "Why? You interested?"
Sirius shrugged. "She's pretty."
"I suppose she is, but she's not my type. I'm more of a red-haired girl type of bloke."
Sirius barked out a laugh. "What? Like the lovely redhead that was here just a few moments ago?"
James shrugged. "It's not like I want to marry her or anything. I just think she's cute."
"Well, sorry to disappoint you, mate, but I don't think you're her type. I think she's more interested in ugly, slimy-haired gits."
James laughed. "You're alright for someone who comes from a Slytherin family. Mind you, not all Slytherins are bad. My mum was one and she's awful nice. Like I said, she was a Black, too, so I also know that not all Blacks are Pure-blood fanatics. I'm guessing you're not one of them?"
Sirius shook his head. "My parents' are though. They're a bunch of maniacs, if you ask me. I'd be the family shame if my parents knew."
James laughed. "My mother thinks so, too. That's why she hardly talks about them."
"Who's your mum anyway? Maybe I've met her before."
"Dorea Potter."
Sirius burrowed her brow. "Pretty lady with bright auburn hair?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"I met her today. I think my mother said she was her aunt or something like that."
James nodded as their compartment door flew open once more and he laughed. "Blimey! I didn't know we were popular," he said, before turning to look at the newcomer.
He was a boy of around their age, with sandy hair and kind amber eyes, although they looked tired as did the rest of his appearance. He looked as if he had endured a much older person's suffering and a few, faint scars adorned his face. He was wearing muggle-clothing that looked new but seemed to hang loosely on his scrawny figure. He smiled at them a bit shyly as he stepped into their compartment.
"Mind if I join you? Everywhere else is too loud."
Sirius shrugged. "I don't mind, do you?" he asked, turning to look at James.
"Not at all," said James. "But I'll have to warn you, if its peace you're looking for, then you've come to the wrong place."
The boy smiled as he took a seat, placing a book on his lap. "I don't think you can be worse than the other people I've met recently. One of them looked as if he hadn't washed his hair in a few days and kept muttering something about having to find a lily."
James laughed. "I see you've met Snivellus. He's a downright git, if I do say so. What's your name anyway?"
"Lupin. Remus Lupin," the sandy-haired boy replied, pulling at the sleeve of his jacket unconsciously.
"Well, nice to meet you, Remus. I'm James Potter and that there is my new best friend, Sirius Black."
"What's with the scars?" asked Sirius curiously.
James laughed. "Didn't they teach you any manners? You just don't go around asking people those kinds of things, you know."
"What? I was just curious. Remus doesn't mind, do you?" he asked, turning to look at the boy in question.
Remus laughed nervously. "Cat scratched me this morning."
Sirius shrugged, taking it as a plausible answer. "That's why I hate cats. I'm more of a dog type of person."
"So, Remus does your father work for the Ministry?" asked James. "Your surname sounds oddly familiar."
"Yeah, he works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," he said, sounding oddly nervous to James.
"That's right. I think my dad might have mentioned him once. His name's John Lupin, right?" asked James and the boy nodded.
"Your dad's Head Auror, isn't he?" asked Remus and James grinned.
"Yep," he said proudly. "That's my dad."
"And what about you, Sirius, wasn't it? What does your dad do?" asked Remus, trying to make some conversation.
Sirius snorted. "My father doesn't work. Says he's much too important for such a commoner thing."
"Blimey, the more I learn about your family, the more I like them!" said James, letting out a laugh and Sirius smirked.
"You and I both."
Remus looked at them uncertainly. "Am I missing something?"
"How much do you know about the Black family?" asked Sirius, turning to look at Remus.
He hesitated. "Well only that they are, erm, strong believers that Half-bloods and Muggle-borns shouldn't hold the same rights as Pure-bloods."
"In other words, they're Pure-blood fanatics. That's where I come from, my whole family believes it and I should, too. But I don't. I think it's just a load of rubbish, my cousin does, too. Regulus is not so sure about where he stands, yet. He tries to please Mother, but he still has his doubts. But with me gone…" Sirius trailed off, his brow furrowed.
"Regulus is your brother, I'm assuming?" asked James, trying to change the conversation, which seemed to be steering in a direction that Sirius seemed uncomfortable with. He realised too late that asking more about his brother wasn't the brightest thing to do.
"Yeah, two years younger than I am," said Sirius, staring out the window.
"I always wanted a younger brother or sister, but it's always been out of the question. My parents' had me quite late in their life; mum always says I'm her 'little miracle'."
Sirius smirked. "That explains why you're so full of yourself."
James tried to appear indignant as he turned to Remus. "Mind letting me borrow your book so I can throw it at this bloody git?" he asked and Sirius barked out a laugh.
"I'd rather stay out of this, thank you," said Remus, smiling uncertainly at them.
"Then, what about being my new best friend? I think I'm done with this bloke."
Sirius pouted. "I thought you said I was your best friend."
"You were, but that was before you started acting like a downright git."
"So you're going to throw away everything we've got over a petty comment?
"Petty comment? You insulted me!"
"But why, James? I love you!" exclaimed Sirius dramatically in mock-hurt.
"I'm sorry, Sirius, but we can't be," said James, placing a hand to his chest. "I already told you, I'm attracted to redheads. And girls."
"I'll charm my hair red, although I can't make any promises about the girl bit. Just give me a chance!"
They boys burst out in laughter then and Remus stared at them, wide-eyed.
"Is this how people normally act when they've just met each other?"
"You haven't been let out much, have you?" asked James his voice full of mirth.
Remus shrugged sadly. "No, not really."
"You've got a lot to learn, then."
"Lucky for you, you've got us to teach you."
The door opened again and a frail looking which poked her head in, smiling kindly at them. "Anything from the trolley, dearies?"
Sirius grinned widely as he stood up. "Finally! I'm starved."
"You coming?" James asked Remus and the sandy-haired boy shook his head.
"No, not hungry," he said as his stomach growled.
James nodded, before turning to the squat witch. "I'll take a few of each."
Sirius grinned. "In that case, I want everything. My friend's buying."
James laughed. "Anything you want in particular, Remus?"
"No, that's okay, you don't—"
"Come on, it's my treat. We're your friends now and that's what friends are for, right Sirius?"
"Right." Sirius nodded energetically.
Remus hesitated. "A bit of chocolate then, if you don't mind."
James nodded as he accepted the sweets from the squat witch, passing them on to Sirius as he dropped a few Galleons into her hand. He noticed a stubby, blond-haired boy that brushed past them, looking uncertainly into the compartments, most likely trying to find an empty one. A group of older boys pushed past him, making him tumble onto his back. They continued on their way without a backward glance at the boy and James frowned as he strode over to him, offering him his hand.
"Thanks," the boy mumbled sheepishly and James smiled.
"If you're not headed anywhere, you can join us if you'd like. We've got plenty of space."
The boy looked at him uncertainly, before nodding slowly. "Okay."
James grinned. "I'm James Potter, by the way. Who are you?"
"Peter Pettigrew," the boy said as the approached his compartment.
"Well, nice to meet you, Peter. As I said, I'm James and those are my two new friends, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."
"Hebbo," said Sirius, his mouth full.
Remus, who seemed to have more sense in him than Sirius, smiled at Peter as he swallowed what he was chewing. "Hullo. First-year too, I assume?"
"Unless there's another year before that that I don't know of, then yes, I am a first-year," said Peter, smiling uncertainly at them.
James laughed. "I like him. He's got spunk."
"Is that good or bad?" asked Peter.
"Depending on who you ask," said Remus. "I'd prefer normalcy."
Sirius smirked. "Fat chance, Remus. You'll never get normal if you continue hanging out with us."
Remus laughed. "I'm screwed then, aren't I?"
James shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."
"How long have the three of you known each other?"
"We just met, actually," replied Remus as he opened another Chocolate Frog, before offering one to Peter, which he took immediately.
"I'm guessing you didn't have friends before us," said Sirius and Peter shook his head sheepishly. "Don't worry; we're all on the same boat here. Well, except for James, but he's a big-headed prat, so don't mind him."
James threw an empty wrapper at him. "Bloody git," he muttered and Sirius barked out another laugh.
"Anyone else excited that we're finally going to Hogwarts?"
"Are you kidding me? I've been waiting for this day for ages!"
"What classes are you most eager to take?" Remus asked as he opened his third Chocolate Frog. "I think I'm most interested in Transfiguration."
"I'm more interested in the food! My cousin, Andromeda, says the food is absolutely delicious. And it better be, or else I'm getting on a train back to London."
James laughed. "Do you think on your stomach or something?"
"Hey, food is important, you know!"
"More important than you're education?"
"Oh, well excuse me, Mr Enlightened," Sirius said, throwing his arms up in the air. "What are you most excited about, then?"
James grinned. "Quidditch."
"And he lectures me! Sorry to burst your bubble, mate, but first-years aren't allowed to try-out for the team."
"But we still get to take flying lessons! What about you, Peter?"
"I'm just glad I'm here. My whole family, except my mum, thought I was a Squib for ages."
"Well, you're here now and that's all that matters, isn't it?" Sirius asked, throwing and arm around Peter.
He smiled. "Yeah, but I was still surprised when I got my letter."
"You and I both," muttered Remus and James turned to look at him curiously.
"What was that?"
"Oh, nothing," said Remus as a disembodied 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."
James stood, stretching his stiff muscles as he reached into his trunk, pulling out his school uniform. The rest of the boys followed suit and they pulled on their robes hastily, joking around as if they had known each other for ages. The train gradually slowed down before coming to a complete stop and James grinned as he flung open the compartment door and stepped out, with his friends following closely after him. Together, they pushed past people eagerly making their way past them, each trying to get out onto the tiny, dark platform first.
They passed Marlene, who gave James a small wave as she stood next to Lily, who lifted her chin again, turning away from them. James smirked, pushing past Snivellus as a bobbing lamp came into view and booming voice broke out into the darkness: "Firs' years! Firs' year's follow me! C'mon firs' years! Follow me! Mind yer step." A very large man with a wild, tangled mane came into view, his eyes barely visible over his equally bushy beard.
"Me name's Rebeus Hagrid, Hogwarts' Gamekeeper. Yer lot can call me Hagrid," he said as they stumbled after him, down what seemed to be a narrow path.
"Alrigh' no more than four ter a boat," Hagrid called and James clambered into one, soon joined by Sirius, Peter and Remus. "Everyone seated?" he shouted as he climbed into a boat all to himself. "Right then—FORWARD!"
And with that the fleet of little boats moved off all at once of their own accord, gliding across the lake, which seemed to be as smooth as glass. Everyone was rather silent, staring up at the great castle overhead, trying to take it all in. Above them loomed a vast castle with many turrets and towers, its windows sparkling and blending into the starry sky, seemingly lying peacefully against the September night. Just behind it was a bright, crescent moon, casting its shadows across a dark lake and illuminating all their eager faces with a ghostly glow. James grinned as he tried to take it all in and, odd as it was, he felt as if he were coming home for the first time.
A/N: I know some fics describe Peter as being awkward and too shy to even function, but I've never pictured him like that. I mean, there's a reason why he's a Marauder, right? Right. Anyway, hope you all liked this Chapter. If you did, how about letting me know through a review?
-SirEvy