Know Where Your Loyalties Lie.

Chapter Two.

The wind rushed past him, sweeping his raven-black hair from his shoulders. His hands gripped tightly to the trolley in front of him. He pushed the trolley into and through the brick wall that separated the muggle train station from the wizarding station. Unlike the muggle trains, this one only went to one destination; Hogwarts. It was, of course, the Hogwarts Express located on platform nine and three quarters.

A matter of seconds past before Orion and Walburga Black were back at Sirius' side. It was only 10:45. The train wasn't due to leave for another 15 minutes. However, the longer they stayed, the more half-bloods or less arrived. Walburga could feel herself becoming tense. "Remember who you are Sirius and where your loyalties lie." And with those last words, Orion and Walburga waved to their son and departed, leaving Sirius alone with no one except for his owl for company.

"I'll see you in a few hours, Midnight". Sirius muttered to his owl. Leaving his trolley by the wall, opposite the train. Ready for the porter to load. He wandered over to one of the carriage doors, opening it outwards and climbing on. There were only a few other students on the train, so most of the compartments were empty. He found a suitable one near the front and walked in, sitting himself by the window. Slowly, Sirius began counting down the minutes before the train was due to depart, excited for the journey he was about to face.


"Come on now, we don't want to be late". Mr. Potter uttered, stepping into the wall first, followed by James who was then followed by Mrs. Potter. "Wow" was all James could muster, looking up at the scarlet train. Puffs of white smoke hovered above the train, making it seem all the more magical.

Mrs. Potter bent down, placing a kiss upon James' cheek. He blushed with embarrassment "Muuum! In front of everyone?" He wrapped his arms around his mothers neck and gave her a tight hug. "I'll miss you" he whispered. Mrs. Potter managed to let out a sweet smile, her eyes coated in a thin layer of water. She stood up straight, taking the attention away from herself. "Take care of her, will ya' dad?" He asked, rhetorically. Mr. Potter nodded once, smiling down at his son. "Have fun, we'll see you soon."

James stood on the step of the train, smiling at his parents before giving a wave and entering the train. Most of the compartments had someone in it. He past 5 or 6 before becoming bored and stopping at the next one. He slid the door open to find a boy of around the same age, sat by the window. "Mind if I join you?" James asked. The other boy simply shook his head and smiled. With that, James entered and took a seat opposite the boy, by the window.


"All you have to do, is run at the wall, darling" Mrs. Pettigrew told Peter. He gulped loudly, letting his nerves be exposed. He shut his eyes tightly, running into the bricks only to find himself completely unharmed. He let out a sigh of relief and waited for his parents to reappear.

"Now, you sure you'll be okay? Want me to come on the train and find you a seat?" Mrs. Pettigrew said, concerned. Peter shook his fat head. "Nono, I'll be fine". He gave an unconvincing smile and kissed his dear mother on the cheek. "Bye, remember to write". His parents said in unison. Peter nodded and gave his parents one last hug before turning on his heel and walking toward the now-rumbling train.

He took out a gummy-worm from his pocket and shoved the end into his mouth as he stepped up on the train. Viciously biting the end off, he placed the rest of it back into his pocket. He chewed on the strawberry flavoured sweet whilst he found a near-empty compartment. There were two other boys there. "Guess now's the time to make some friends." He mumbled to himself. Sliding the door open, the two boys looked at him suspiciously. He smiled awkwardly and took a seat next to the raven-haired boy. "Hi! My name's Peter".


Remus' glance switched between his mother and his father rapidly. His hands grabbing and messing with anything they could to stop from shaking. His brow was creased together in worry. A reassuring hand on his shoulder soon calmed his nerves. "Everything will be okay" Mr. Lupin promised. Remus grabbed at his mothers hand and walked with her through the wall, followed shortly by his father.

"At least try and have fun, Remmy". Mrs. Lupin joked, stroking the boys light brown locks, before bending down to his height and looking him in his eyes. "Be careful, stay discreet and make sure you write every other week". Mrs. Lupin said sternly. She kissed his forehead lightly, like she always did before Remus went to sleep and before transformations. It calmed him down a great deal. Mr. Lupin ruffled the boys hair and nodded toward the train.

With a gulp, Remus stepped onto the train, passing a few already-full compartments. He soon found one with only 3 other people in and decided to join them. Sliding the door open, capturing the boys attention. He didn't say a word, just sat by the fatter of the boys and looked down.


"Come on Sev', it's almost eleven! We don't want to miss the train!" Lily eagerly waited for him by the wall, wanting to enter the platform with him. She smiled broadly when he finally reached her. His parents lagging behind slightly. Lily's parents were unable to see her off due to their hands being tied with Petunia and their work. She didn't mind and said that she'd happily go with Severus and his parents. So Lily had already had a tearful goodbye.

Severus held out his hand and Lily quickly grabbed it. "Ready?" He asked. "Of course" she answered. With that, they both ran into the bricks only to be transported to the platform. She giggled with enthusiasm and waited for Eileen and Tobias Snape. She backed off a bit as he said goodbye, wanting to give him some space. All he could mutter to his father was a half-hearted "See ya'". He hugged his mother and ran back to Lily. They both waved to the parents and walked up to the train.

"Everywhere's full" Lily observed. Biting her lip cutely, not wanting to have to stand in the corridor on her first train ride. "Ah, there's two more seats left in this one. Come on" Severus slid the door open, still holding Lily's hand with his right. Walking them both in and seating by the scruffy-haired boy. She giggled at the awkward silence that followed their entrance.

It was actually Peter who broke the silence with a typical ice-breaker. "So, what are all your names?" He smiled, pleased with himself at plucking up the courage to ask such a personal question. "My name's James Potter" James triumphantly told them before falling back to silence. "The name's Sirius Black the Third" Sirius cockily said, wanting to involve his whole title to make him seem superior. "I'm Lily Evans and this is Severus Snape" Lily beamed. She knew how awkward Snape became in situations like this, so gently squeezed his hand reassuringly. He responded with a smile. Everyone's eyes were now on the still-quiet Remus, wanting to hear his name. "Re-Remus... Lupin" He choked, not meeting anyone's eyes. "Oh... well.. I'm Peter" he grinned.

The compartment fell back to silence before Sirius opened up and asked an unusual question. "Blood status?" The eyes around the compartment widened slightly. "Why should that matter?" asked Lily, confused with the purpose of the question. "Because it does – Besides, I was only asking a question". Sirius retorted. Instead of waiting for each of them to respond, he just looked at them individually. First at James; "Uh.. pure-blood." Then at Peter; "Pure-blood". Then at Remus; "Half-blood". Then at Severus; "Half-blood". Then finally at Lily; "Uh... Well. I'm a muggle-born".

Sirius' grey eyes open widely in disbelief "I'm sharing a carriage... with a filthy Mudblood?!" He exclaimed. Trying to think what his mother would have done in the situation. She'd have most likely have spat unpleasant words at them before leaving. Lily looked at Sirius then at Severus, unable to comprehend what just happened. Her eyes were slowly filling up with water, a sight Severus never wanted to witness. It was this change of emotion in Lily which sparked up a sudden hatred for Sirius. Severus stood, defiantly, "Listen here, yo-" Severus started, "What you gonna do half-blood?" Sirius interrupted. "Don't you ever insult Lily again, you understand?" "Or what?!" "Or … Or.. Or I'll hurt you!". Sirius bark-like laugh echoed around the compartment.

"Come on Sev' let's just go. I don't wanna cause trouble" Lily whimpered. "Yeah, go on Sevvy, run along with your mudblood girlfriend. It's people like you that are ruining the purity of the Wizarding world!" Sirius mocked. Severus sighed and followed Lily out of the compartment.

he wandered down the narrow corridor before she thought she was far enough away. "Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?" Lily asked, tears prominent in her eyes whilst a narrow line of wetness showed on her cheek. Severus shook his head, lifting his hand to wipe away the tears. "No. It doesn't make any difference." He smiled, moving a piece of hair from her face to behind her ear. She smiled and buckled into him. Wrapping her arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her torso and rested his cheek on her head. They stayed like that for a few minutes before she leant back. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Sev."


"I honestly don't know what his problem was" Sirius ignorantly added after their departure. The other 2 boys stayed awfully quiet, not wanting to get involved in the quarrel. Not wanting to have to stay quiet Sirius quickly noted "I think we'll be good friends," He looked at James and Peter. He believed this, not because they seemed like nice boys, which they did, but because of their blood purity. "I think I can tell who to be friends with for myself, thanks" James answered. Thinking Sirius' arrogance was not something he'd like to become friendly with.

Remus, still not saying a word since he answered Sirius' status question, decided to grab a book from his bag that was still rested on his shoulder. He picked it up and began reading from where he'd left off. James, wanting to spark up conversation with someone other than Sirius asked "What's that your reading?". Remus looked up, unsure whether the question was being directed at him or not. When he finally understood it was, he simply said "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". Then went back to reading.

A few hours had passed, and not much had been said. There was an awkward air that roamed the compartment. Sirius, not caring whether he became friends with this blood-traitors or not, stared out at the window. Peter, awkwardly looked around, not wanting to invade Sirius by also looking out the window, but also not wanting to look at anybody in particular. James now had his back to the window and feet up on the bench, looked infront of him, past the see-through door and through the opposite window. Remus was still indulged in his book before noting the time.

He bit his lip, not really wanting to speak up, breaking the silence, but he eventually did. "Uh, we should probably get dressed in our robes, I expect we'll be arriving soon." James and Peter nodded, getting their robes from their bags they'd brought with them. Sirius sighed and did the same. The other 3 boys stripped down to their boxers quiet comfortably and placed on their robes. Remus, however, was a little more awkward. He took off his trousers, trying to cover himself with his robe before quickly pulling up his new school trousers. Next he took off his shabby chequered shirt. He faced away from the other 3 boys, not wanting them to see his scarred stomach and chest. Before anyone could get a glance, he shoved on his shirt and sweater, quickly followed by his black robe.

He looked at the other three boys who were now sat down and noticed the new-ness of their robes. The black of them was deep. The whites, pearly. He then looked at his own. The blacks slowly turning a dark grey, the whites turning an off-white. His robes were second hand. It was the only way the Lupins would be able to afford them. His jumper even had patches missing that were filled with other fabrics his mother could find. He looked shabby. He sighed, placing his own clothes in his bag and sitting back down.


The train pulled up to the station in Hogsmeade in the early evening. A man was heard shouting "First years to me". Severus and Lily, walked off the train with some other first years and met up with the half-giant. Their jaws dropped, as did everyone elses at the size of him.

James, Remus, Peter and Sirius left their comfortable compartment in order to join the others. They formed a small crowd infront of the half-giant. Sirius, pushed his way to the front whilst James, Remus and Peter stayed at the back. "'ello, the name's Rubeus Hagrid. I'm the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts and I'll be directin' yer' to the front gates via boat across the Black Lake. So, without further ado... er... Let's go!".

Soon enough, the bunch of first years were all placed in boats. Each boat could hold approximately 6 people and much to the annoyance of Lily and Sirius; The 6 from the same compartment were put in the same boat. Lily grumbled in frustration and sat, with Severus, at the other end of the boat from Sirius. They sat quietly whilst the boat sailed itself across the black lake and to the front of Hogwarts.

Before long, they were able to leave the boats. Hagrid, directed them up the steps and through the front door where the deputy headmistress was waiting. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup." She informed the students. Her voice prominently Scottish. "The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily". Professor McGonagall shortly departed, leaving the first years alone for a short while.

Before too long had passed, the Scottish professor returned. "We're ready for you now. Follow me." The first years followed her up the steps and into the large dining hall. There were four long tables with house colours assorted around it. At the top of the dining hall was a large table and sat the teachers of Hogwarts. In front of that was a stand with an eagle on the front. They walked through, still following the professor.

When they got to the front, Albus Dumbledore said a few words. Mainly the same old rules and witty quotes. "Now, when I call your name you will come forth, I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. James Potter". She added, at the end. James arrogantly walked up the steps and sat on the old wooden stool, letting the woman place the hat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat spoke out immediately. "Peter Pettigrew". "Oh Merlin's beard" Peter sighed. Walking up slowly and steadily, this was the moment he'd been waiting for. To see what house he was truly a part of. He sat down, and watched as the hat was placed on his head. All eyes in the room on him. He though he might faint. "Hmm.. A tough one. I think... GRYFFINDOR!" He sighed with relief, jumping down and taking his place at the now-cheering table. A few students more passed, being placed into Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. "Next; Remus Lupin". Remus stood up, trying desperately not to show his nerves to anyone. "A lot of courage and also intelligence. I know just where to put you – GRYFFINDOR!". "Sirius Black". Sirius strutted his way up. Placing his bum down on the stool triumphantly. Not a second had passed before the Hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" His whole world stopped. The room started to spin. What?! Gryffindor?! But...No... What would his parents think? Being put into a house full of blood-traitors. He looked over to the Slytherin table – where he should be. His cousin – Bellatrix LeStrange looking undoubtedly disappointed. It took a while but he finally left the stool and took his place at the Gryffindor table. Sighing and smacking his head down.

"Lily Evans". She smiled, letting go of Severus' hand and walking up the steps. Severus smiled at her. "GRYFFINDOR!". She walked down the steps, "Good luck Sev'" she whispered before taking a seat. "Severus Snape". He ran a hand through his greasy black locks and sat down on the stool. "SLYTHERIN". His eyes took a while to readjust. He frowned, looking at Lily. She mouthed the words 'Its alright' to him. He sighed and walked over to the separate table, not taking his eyes off of his best friend who would now not be with him constantly. He tried to make conversation with fellow Slytherin but his mind kept wandering to Lily who was deep in conversation with a fellow female Gryffindor.

"Let the feast, begin!"