Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter. Or Sirius Black...or anyone else in it. And yes, we do cry every night about it. Must we go through the torture of admitting this every single time?;)

A/N: Hello there! Sooo...we're finally taking off! This is the chapter that introduces our fav boys (insert heart emoji here). And yes, we promise-again- that the chapters will get bigger. Love you guys! And without ado...

"You say that love is not that easy,

And that's the lesson that you teach me

So hypocritical, overly cynical,

I'm sick and tired of all your preaching..."

Sirius' POV:

Sirius gazed around at the resplendent hall that they were brought into. His father, the more lenient of his parents, had never bothered to discuss Hogwarts, or what to expect, and Sirius found that he liked the lofty, bright halls much better than the narrow corridors he had been confined to all his life. Something in him clicked, and he felt low bolts of energy thrumming through his veins, as if he had been tugged free from a leash.

James, beside him, was silent for the first time since they'd met on the train. Sirius had taken one look at him and recognised a Potter (with the characteristic messy hair). He knew that his mother would have had his head if she found out he interacted with a Potter, and he had taken a moment to revel in the knowledge that she wasn't there. That moment had probably been construed as hesitation, though, for the Potter boy reached over and held the compartment door open expectantly.

Sirius' thoughts were derailed when the stern looking witch McGonagall, (who seemed no fun, in Sirius' opinion) finally stopped talking, and everyone began moving.

Leaning over, he asked James quietly, "What's going on?" He expected James to look disapproving, but he simply grinned, as though he found Sirius' disinterest amusing. He said, "Nothing much, since you already know about the houses-" Yes, Sirius was tempted to say, Everybody knows about those, but he held his tongue and let James finish. "-they win us points and stuff, and...Oh yeah, we're going to be sorted." He says casually, as McGonagall directs the shapeless crowd into lines alphabetically.

Sirius didn't get a chance to respond, though, as he was beckoned up to the very front. He couldn't help but feel confused, and James frowned, mirroring his expression. Sirius was gone before he heard what he said.

He listened to the hat's song, and felt a sliver of anxiety for the first time. He was rapidly beginning to realise that his house would determine his future. Slytherin would mean his parents wouldn't be angry, and there was nowhere else to go, really, no other place he would fit in…

"Audrey, Bertram!" McGonagall cried, standing near the stool with the hat poised. Bertram Audrey looked like he might faint any moment, and Sirius took a moment to vow that he would not look so ridiculous. Through a haze, he heard the hat shouting, "Ravenclaw", the houses clapping politely. Sirius arranged his expression into one of calm, and counted his heartbeats until…

"Black, Sirius!" He made his way to the stool and turned to sit. As he looked at the collective population of Hogwarts, a gleaming prefect's badge caught his eye from Slytherin: Lucius Malfoy. He was pointing to his table, probably thinking he looked commanding. He didn't, and now Sirius was annoyed because he had been distracted from what the hat was saying.

The hat was saying something about characteristic Blacks, but Sirius was distracted yet again as he had an abrupt and rather vehement realisation: he disliked expectations, and he disliked Lucius Malfoy. His eyes dragged over the first years until he found James Potter, and he came to some sort of understanding that there was a chance being offered here, a choice to be made.

"Put me in Gryffindor," Sirius thought firmly, with a strange mixture of defiance and vulnerability. He thoroughly expected the hat to dither, (rather the way Regulus did in the face of opposition) but it simply murmured, "Gryffindor, eh? Perhaps… Yes, you've certainly the daring! A Black in Gryffindor? Merlin, if only Salazar had heard of this.."

"Are you going to sort me or not?" Sirius snapped impatiently.

"Oh, but it fits doesn't it? You couldn't go anywhere else... Gryffindor!"

Sirius shoved the hat off his head, standing up. There was a strange silence in the hall, before the clapping started. He did not dare look at the Slytherins, his cousins and family whom he had known all his life, and instead made his way down to the Gryffindor table.

He faltered in front of the table for a heartbeat before a dark skinned, lean boy stood up, holding out his hand. "Sirius Black...Welcome to Gryffindor." He shook it, and then paused, lifting his chin.

"Thanks," he said. "Who are you?" The boy gestured to an empty seat, and Sirius sat down, watching as a plate appeared before him. "I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt. First time at Hogwarts is hard for everyone," he tilted his head, and Sirius got the distinct impression that he was smiling though he remained perfectly solemn. "You got any questions?"

Sirius smirked back. "Tons," he said, "But I think I'll eat first, if you don't mind." Kingsley grinned in response, returning to a conversation with one of his housemates.

Sirius moved to pile some food on his plate, and a redheaded girl slid onto the seat next to him. Surprise flashed through him as he recognised her from the train; he'd thought she would be in Slytherin, but...well, it seemed that she was like him.

She glared at him, and turned away, scowling silently. Sirius raised his eyebrows, and went back to eating, feeling like he was waiting for something but he wasn't sure what.

When the next first year was sorted into Gryffindor, Sirius looked straight at the Slytherin table- and clapped.

James' POV:

James was not at all nervous when he ascended the stool. Really. In fact, he swept towards it rather the way someone else might ascend a throne, and wore the ratty old thing on his head the way one might wear a crown. He had heard that the famed Sorting Hat was supposed to talk to you, to whisper your choices in your ear or lay your strengths and insecurities out in a neat row to decide where you belonged. James didn't get any of that- all he heard was a deafening, "Gryffindor!", and he was making his way to the Gryffindor table, exuberant. Of course, he would never admit that he had the tiniest sliver of doubt- that he would end up breaking tradition the way Sirius had.

"Great job, by the way," he greeted Sirius, who was eating so quickly you would think he'd been starved half his life. "I knew you had it in you." Sirius looked up grinning. "Yeah, well, you too," he said, sliding to his left to make room, and James sat down. "That's Kingsley, a third year," Sirius gestures to a boy sitting to their right.

James nodded his greetings and piled different dishes on his plate deftly. He was only mildly hungry, but eager to experience the supposedly delicious Hogwarts food. Looking up, he saw a slight, brown haired boy, who was talking quietly with his blond, chubby companion. James remembered the blond haired boy because he had been called a short while before James... and the hat had taken a ridiculously long time to place him.

"Wotcher, I'm James Potter," he said, sitting up and leaning forward, fork clanking against the rim of his plate. "What's your name?" They both looked up, almost as if they hadn't been prepared to be noticed.

"I'm Remus Lupin, and this is Peter Pettigrew," said the brown haired boy. James couldn't help but notice his pale complexion and wary countenance, and a strange feeling unfurled in his stomach. It dissipated before he had a chance to decipher the emotion.

"Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew," Sirius repeated, coming to attention. A slow smile curled across his features. "Looks like we're dorm mates, doesn't it?"

Remus' POV:

Remus felt light-headed and giddy, a feeling that had lasted since Dumbledore visited and did not seem like it would be going away any time soon. His mind wandered as he ate; a familiar process.

Peter Pettigrew was the funny sort of bloke, he mused, who despite first appearing quite dull and unsightly was nice enough once you got to talking to him. Sirius Black and James Potter, on the other hand, seemed to be the conspicuous sort of people who grabbed your attention and kept it. If he was going to be smart about his stay at Hogwarts, he had to be careful about the type of people he would associate with. He would keep his head down and nose clean, he vowed.

When Remus finished eating he studiously observed the Great Hall (riveting) and avoided eye contact with James Potter, who seemed determined to talk to him for some god-forsaken reason. Peter, unlike Remus, was eager to keep up a steady stream of chatter with him and kept glancing at Sirius Black even though the grey eyed boy paid him no heed.

Pretty soon, the crowd of first years were herded to the Gryffindor common room by the prefects. The instant Remus stepped into the common room, he took a deep breath. He was hit by a feeling of warmth and coziness that his parents' always-empty three bedroom apartment could never hope to capture.

True to Sirius Black's prediction, Remus found himself alone in a dormitory with him, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. So much for staying out of their way, he thought drily, as he silently changed into his pyjamas. For a moment, he wished that someone could tell him how to keep this particular secret, or maybe give him some advice, any advice. The thought made him feel unbearably lonely for a minute, but he instantly told himself sternly not to think about it. It was his mantra; he could deal with it. He was just lucky to be here at all.

Remus woke up suddenly and completely. His heart raced with a momentary sensation of panic, which only faded to a slightly less troubling anxiety as he recalled where he was. Sitting up and pushing aside the bed cover, he took one look at the other occupants of the room to see that they were all fast asleep. Peter, he noted groggily, was snoring so loudly that it was a miracle none of them had woken up.

Thanking the stars that he had seized the bathroom before the others, he slid into the shower and felt his tense muscles turn to jelly as rivulets of steaming water rolled down his back. He finished and dressed quickly, thinking of what would happen if he took all the hot water and made his roommates angry with him on their first day.

When he got out, he found Peter staring at him accusingly. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Remus looked momentarily surprised, then winced, padding to the mirror to check his appearance before taking a variety of stationary and some main textbooks. "Sorry, mate," he murmured, careful not to wake the others up. "I thought you wanted to sleep in, you know. I mean, we still have loads of time..." Peter sighed abruptly, cutting him off. He stood up and went to the bathroom.

A moment later, he heard a sleepy voice murmuring, "Why are you friends with him?" He looked up to see Sirius Black squinting at him, and then sitting up and glancing at the window. Remus fiddled with his bag. He had been about to leave and have breakfast alone, but now he felt obliged to stop and be polite. "He's…" he hesitated, unsure as to why he was being asked.

"Well, you need to spend time with him to understand, I guess." Sirius arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. He nodded to the drawn curtains of the bed next to him. "You should probably wake him up," Sirius said. "Otherwise he'll be late."

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Remus made his way to James Potter's bed, drawing the curtains aside slowly. He tapped him on the shoulder. "Wake up," he said loudly. "We have to leave soon." He glanced at Sirius for aid, but the boy was now flicking through the contents of his trunk, and had his back turned. Remus frowned; he had never seen anyone move so silently or quickly before.

By the time that he had turned back, James had rolled over and was groping the nightstand with his eyes still shut, mumbling unintelligibly. Deciding that he was awake, he hesitated only briefly before informing Peter (who was still in the bathroom) that he was going to breakfast. He almost expected Sirius to make conversation again, but when Remus was at the threshold, he only asked him to close the door on his way out.

Remus didn't stay to see if they came to breakfast, or got their timetables, and reminded himself that he had no obligation to them, really, and they would never be friends. Honestly, he told himself, he should just stay as far away from them as possible. Eating as quickly as he could, he found his way to the first class with barely any detours (a sense of direction was one of the few perks of the wolf in him, he supposed). He entered the empty classroom and looked around, choosing a random seat. Opening the textbook required for Transfiguration, he began to read.

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