Pranks. Pranks! Of course his dormitory mates would be aspiring troublemakers. Remus's heart was racing unnecessarily fast as he stood in front of the washroom mirror. How could he engage in any kind of bad behavior when it was such a privilege for him to be at Hogwarts at all? How could he repay the headmaster's gift by sending armor flying apart in the halls, or hexing the professors' hats or even just wandering past curfew?

James Potter seemed so bright and full of pent up energy. And then there was Sirius Black, full of sarcastic humor and effortless charm. And little Peter Pettigrew, like Remus, so anxious be included, and also intriguing - the boy was complicated enough to be a Hatstall.

Remus so badly wanted to be included in the group. He knew it was silly – he'd never had friends before, surely he would survive without them. But there was something about the casual way that James already brought them all together that made Remus very much want to be his friend.

The young werewolf splashed cold water on his face, trying to reign in his sudden panic. He shouldn't be agonizing over such trivial things. Classes started tomorrow, and this would be his chance for the education he never thought he deserved. It was important not to squander this chance – he should focus on his studies, not social pursuits. He would become a skilled wizard and make his parents proud – he would become a skilled wizard that could hold the werewolf at bay during the full moon – that would be able to contain himself and avoid hurting others. If he was lucky, he may become so skilled that he could travel the world working odd jobs and having lovely adventures, never staying some place too long in order to keep his secret safe.

Yes – that was the plan, and he must stick to it. He would be polite to his dorm mates, but he could not let them drag him into any kind of mischief. His must keep his nose clean, so Dumbledore wouldn't regret his choice.

Remus brushed his teeth quickly and changed into pajamas before returning to the bedroom. Peter had already pulled the curtains around his bed and Remus thought he could hear a dull snoring coming from within. James had left his curtains open, but his lamp was out and Remus could see that he was already curled up with his back to the room, facing the window. The gentle rise and fall of his back suggested that he was also already asleep.

But Sirius was still awake, though lying prone on the bed in nothing but underthings.

"Hey Remus – can you believe these two? Asleep already," Sirius kept his voice down to avoid disturbing the others. "I'm too excited to sleep. You?"

"I am pretty excited to start classes," Remus admitted.

Sirius wrinkled his nose nd Remus feared he had said the wrong thing. "I'm not talking about lessons, mate. I'm talking about Hogwarts! The castle, the adventure! And being away from home of course," he said, sounding slightly bitter.

"Is your family really going to be upset that you were sorted into Gryffindor?" Remus asked, remembering the altercation with the Black cousins earlier. He couldn't imagine – his father was thrilled, though apprehensive, that his son was going to school at all. Remus planned to write his parents tomorrow about his sorting. Mother probably wouldn't understand the significance of a sorting, but Father would, and Remus was sure he'd be proud no matter what house he'd wound up in.

"Oh, Mum will be hopping mad," Sirius said casually. "She's a Black both by marriage and by birth. She'll see this as a grievous insult." He paused. "Maybe that's a good thing. I'm always looking for ways to get under her skin, and as long as I'm here she can't do much by way of punishment."

"She'll punish you for your sorting?!" Remus, said a little louder than he'd expected. "Surely she understands it wasn't done intentionally, it's simply in your nature."

"Well, that nature is exactly what she'll be upset about," Sirius said darkly. "I've already made her angry enough over the years, wondering over the Muggle world and even having the audacity to speak to them once and awhile. Mum - she has a certain idea of the type of people she wants her children around."

"None of us can control the state of our nature, or what happens in life around us," Remus said, thinking of the cursed wound on his shoulder. "We can only control our actions and how we react to everything, right?"

Sirius blinked and then nodded. "Exactly. You speak my language," he said. "I'Il be judging people on their character, not their blood. And I happen to know that some of these pureblood prats my mother fawns over have questionable characters, at best. Also, I'm not going to marry some distant cousin just to keep my blood pure!"

Remus was having a hard time following. "What exactly do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Oh right. Potter was raised in a pureblood house as well so he knew what I meant when we were talking on the train earlier – but you said your mum's a Muggle right? So you probably don't discuss pureblood politics in your house much, huh?"

Even if regular mixed wizarding families discussed pureblood politics, the Lupins didn't discuss much outside the current political plight of werewolves, but Remus certainly couldn't explain that to Sirius, so he just nodded.

"Right. So, short version – I'm the heir to House of Black, a pureblood house with some rather antiquated ideas about wizardings mixing with Muggles. Mainly, the idea is that wizards should never mix with Muggles. They think Muggle-borns have somehow stolen magic, and half-bloods are traitors to wizarding kind. I suspect it's all rubbish of course - if you could steal magic, there wouldn't be any Squibs right? Don't judge me too harshly on it." Sirius looked almost like he needed reassurance that Remus wouldn't reject him over it.

"You speak so openly about it," Remus said, sensing that Sirius's rejection of his family's attitudes cost the boy more than he was letting on.

"Well, my family's not exactly the under-the-radar type," Sirius said. "If you asked about House of Black, I'm sure people would tell you. I'd rather you hear it from me, before you get weird ideas about how I'm going to hex you in your sleep because your mum's a Muggle." He grinned crookedly.

Remus was far more concerned about being cursed for being a werewolf, so the thought of his half-blood status being an issue hadn't even occurred to him. "Are there people who would do that?" He asked, unhappy to think there was another thing about himself that separated him from other students.

"Plenty in Slytherin," Sirius said. "Gryffindor I doubt it. That's why my sorting will be such a family crisis. You heard my cousin Narcissa. She and Andromeda probably wouldn't hurt you, but they wouldn't associate with you either." He shook his head ruefully.

"I understand," Remus said, wrapping his head around it. He was no stranger to prejudices in the wizarding world, and the cruel lengths people sometimes went to because of those ideas. His father always reminded him that even if the majority of people believed a stereotype, that didn't mean it was right, and that he had to make conclusions about everyone and everything on a individual basis. "So is James' family like that as well?"

"The Potters?" Sirius barked, a little too loudly, and James stirred slightly in his sleep, but thankfully didn't wake. "Absolutely not. James may be from the pureblood branch, but the Potters have been marrying their neighbors and friends for centuries, and many of them were Muggles. No worries there."

"How do you know all that?" Remus asked.

"My family made me study a genealogy of pureblood wizarding families as a child," Sirius said, as if that were perfectly normal. He yawned. "Ack, sorry for talking your ear off – I guess I just wanted to get that stuff off my chest now, before everyone's gossiping about the wayward Black tomorrow. Thanks for listening." He stretched dramatically then rolled over onto his side.

"Anytime," Remus said, meaning it. He was glad to be useful.

The next morning everyone was talking about the wayward Black, primarily because of what Sirius received in the post.

"Damn," Sirius said as a handsome screech owl dropped a red envelope in front of him at breakfast.

"Is that a Howler?" James asked, poking it with his fork.

"Yep," Sirius said glumly. "Might as well get it bloody over with." He ripped the thing open.

"SIRIUS BLACK. SHAME OF MY FLESH. DEMON SPRUNG FROM MY LOINS!" A woman's voice boomed over the Great Hall. Remus, startled, knocked over his glass of pumpkin juice as Peter covered his ears. "A BLACK IN GRYFFINDOR?! HOW DARE YOU?! HOW DARE YOU CHOOSE THE BLOOD TRAITOR HOUSE INSTEAD OF THE HOUSE OF YOUR ANCESTORS?! WHERE IS YOUR AMBITION? WHERE IS YOUR PUREBLOOD PRIDE! WOULD YOU RATHER ASSOCIATE WITH MUDFLOOD FILTH? YOU BRING SUCH DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY!" The bodiless voice shrieked over the din of the students gathered for breakfast. Other students were looking over at Sirius, and most of the expressions were not kind.

"I CONDEMN THIS! YOUR FATHER CANNOT BEAR TO SHOW HIS FACE TO HIS OWN FAMILY. IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED, YOU ROTTEN, UNGRATEFUL DISGRACE OF A CHILD? I RUE THE DAY YOU WERE BORN!"

"What kind of mother is that woman?!" James cried as soon as he could be heard. "As if you had a choice. As if you picked Gryffindor just to spite her! And to use such foul language!" He was waving his knife around in the air. "I'd love to give her a piece of my mind."

"It's fine, James," Sirius said, blushing red and trying to ignore all the eyes on him. Remus noted that despite his words, Sirius looked fairly unnerved.

"It is NOT fine," James roared indignantly. "That's verbal abuse! And undignified! And how did she already know about your sorting, anyway?"

"I'm sure Narcissa wrote immediately," Sirius muttered. "Going on about how there must have been some kind of mistake."

"There's no mistake!" James said fiercely. "You belong in Gryffindor with me and Peter and Remus – oi – Remus! You're covered in pumpkin juice." He abandoned his tirade and began tossing napkins on the other boy's lap to help sop up the mess.

"I didn't realize Howlers would be so loud," Remus said, self-conscious. "I jumped a bit."

"We certainly wish parents would utilize other forms of communication for a scolding." The boys turned to see Professor McGonagall had arrived to present them with their schedules. "But unfortunately some parents seem to think public humiliation is the best means to their ends. And some even use offense slurs without considering the ramifications of subjecting their child to such language." She looked at Sirius pointedly. "Now, Mr. Black, don't let your mother's words allow you to doubt that you'll find success in this house. I'm sure the sorting hat had its reasons for putting you here."

Remus thought that was a tactful way of trying to cheer Sirius up, but he wasn't sure his new friend would take it to heart.

The witch turned to Remus and waved her wand, drying his clothing of the spill. "Mr. Lupin, I need to see you in my office for just a quick minute before you head to class. You can catch up with your friends in Charms." She handed each boy a schedule. "Now hurry along – I won't have Gryffindors losing house points for tardiness."

Remus got up and followed McGonagall to her office, which was a tidy but well-decorated room with a merry fire going in the fireplace, which offset the draftiness of the castle.

"Now, Mr. Lupin, I'm sure you realize why I wanted to speak with you privately," she began. "Take a seat, this won't take long."

Remus sat in the armchair across from the desk, unsure of how to respond. He knew Dumbledore would be informing his head of house about the lycanthropy, but what he hadn't known was what attitude to expect.

McGonagall sat at her desk across from him. "Now, I believe in speaking honestly and candidly with children, because as a professor my job is to help my students prepare for the adult world and what better way to do that? So, I will tell you this. I know the things that are said, I know the debate over the werewolf registry and the legal status of those with your condition, as I imagine your parents have discussed with you at some point, yes?"

Remus nodded. He was very tense, unclear on what to make of this monologue. It was inevitable that the number of people who knew his secret would increase when he reached Hogwarts, but it was a terrifying idea to reconcile. He didn't know what reactions to expect, even from those the wise Dumbledore trusted with the knowledge.

"Now, all that said, I was indeed a bit shocked to learn of what Professor Dumbledore had done, allowing admittance to a young werewolf. But, I have great respect for the headmaster's judgment. I imagine you and your family have suffered a great deal from your condition, and I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to protect your secret, and to ensure that you receive the quality education any young mind deserves."

She paused. "I have never met a young werewolf, and certainly never taught one, and I will not pretend I am immune to some of the prejudices of my upbringing. But as an educated woman I'm fully aware that there is only one day a month you are anything remotely dangerous, and I can appreciate how the headmaster must have felt it was pointless to punish you for something you can scarcely help. As you are here, which I'm sure took great courage, and as I understand it you come with the drive to learn and to prepare yourself for a future. I would like very much to get to know you, and to be a resource for you whenever you need it." She gave him a small smile.

Remus blinked, trying to hold back tears of relief. Professor McGonagall was direct, and perhaps a bit less gentle than Dumbledore had been on speaking with him for the first time, but her quick acceptance of his condition and her willingness to acknowledge that he had suffered at the hands of prejudice that she wanted to push aside was clearly honest. He was grateful to have found an ally.

"Thank you, Professor," he said politely. "I very much want to be here, and to get my education.

"Well then I won't keep you from it any longer," she said, standing up. "Come along, I'll walk you to Professor Flitwick's classroom."

/

"What do you think McGonagall needed Lupin for?" James asked Sirius in Charms while Professor Flitwick was taking attendance. The other boy was still brooding over the Howler at breakfast, but James was determined to distract from it.

The other boy shrugged. "She's our Head of House isn't she? I suppose she's the one to talk to about any personal issues."

"True." James didn't consider himself to have any personal issues, and he couldn't possibly imagine any coming up that would be urgent enough to talk to McGonagall. Though after the events at breakfast James had been surprised about the casual way McGonagall spoke subtle words of comfort about the Howler. The woman seemed rather stern, but she also seemed to have her pupils' best interests at heart.

"Black, Sirius?" Flitwick called out from his register. There was a dull murmur from the other students - clearly everyone had heard the Howler at breakfast. James resolved to do his best to defend his new friend - he hadn't known him long, but he could already tell Sirius was struggling with his family's reputation.

"Yo!" Sirius said, raising his hand.

The professor nodded and made a mark on his parchment, continuing down the line.

James was looking around the classroom – as this was the first class, it was his first good look at his fellow Gryffindor first-years. One of the older students had told him they were one of the largest classes in years - which accounted for the multiple dormitories. He spotted the red-head girl from the train – he vaguely remembered from sorting that her last name was Evans.

"Corsica, Eliza?" Flitwick called. A girl with olive skin and curly brown hair raised her hand.

"Denbright, Roger?" A small boy with a buzz cut and pale eyebrows raised his hand.

"Evans, Lily?" The red-head with the striking green eyes raised her hand. James thought it was a shame she was such a stick in the mud – she was very pretty.

"Fawley, Alice?" Flitwick called. A girl with dark blonde hair and a rather round face raised her hand. James tuned out again.

"Fraser, Elena?"

"Here!" A girl with long dark hair sitting next to a girl who must have been her twin sister.

"Then you must be Fraser, Jenny?" Flitwick said. The twin nodded.

James was beginning to lose interest and tuned out. "What do you suppose we'll do first?" he asked Sirius.

"I don't know, but I've tried a few charms at home already and they're great fun," he finally smiled for the first time that morning. "We should try our hands at a prank or two in class today. I've heard Flitwick is a friendly sort." James decided then and there he would get up to a bit of trouble in class in an effort to make Sirius laugh.

"Lupin, Remus?" James perked up at his friend's name.

"He'll be along in a bit, professor," James said. "He had a quick matter to discuss with Professor McGonagall."

"His Head of House, of course," Flitwick made a little mark on his sheet and continued onward.

Right as he reached Pettigrew, Peter, the classroom door opened and Professor McGonagall stuck her head in. "Sorry to interrupt, Professor. I'm just returning Mr. Lupin to you – I had to borrow him for a quick word."

"Of course, of course," Flitwick said. "Come in, Mr. Lupin."

Remus walked in and looked around uncertainly for a seat. James and Sirius waved him over –they'd had the foresight to save him a seat between Sirius and Peter. When Remus spotted them he smiled gratefully and quickly sat down.

"Potter, James?" James raised his hand casually.

Once Flitwick made it through the list, the fun began.

"Now, the theory of Charms is simple," the elfish professor told them. "The spells you'll learn in this class add certain properties to an object without changing its overall nature. For beginners, it is easiest to take something that is already prone to a certain property, though a well-trained witch or wizard can cast all manner of charms on all manner of objects. I find practical lessons are most effective in this subject, so wands out!"

James pulled his wand out of his pocket excitedly and placed it on his desk. Flitwick waved his wand and feathers appeared on the desks before them.

"Today, we will be attempting the levitation charm, Wingardium Leviosa." Flitwick waved his wand again and all the feathers floated off the desks. "The key to this particular spell is to swish and flick." He moved his wand again to demonstrate.

James was positively bubbling with anticipation. His father had already shown him this particular spell and he was quite confident he could pull it off on more than just a feather.

"Sirius, mate, this is the spell!" He whispered.

Sirius glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes. "So what do you propose, Potter?"

"I propose a perfectly practical prank, following the principles the professor provided."

"James, you can't really mean to cause trouble in the very first class," Remus hissed from Sirius' other side.

"Shhhh, Remus, you shouldn't talk while the professor is explaining," James responded. Remus, looking annoyed, turned back to the piece of parchment he was taking notes on. Peter, on his other side, was looking over at James and Sirius curiously but was too far to make conversation without drawing the professor's notice.

"Now, everyone pair off – that way we have enough feathers – and begin practicing," Flitwick said.

"Now, on my count, the partner on the left - swish and flick...Three...two...one."

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The class chanted. Sirius had gone first - seeing as James already knew he could perform the spell. His feather floated gently into the air. Remus had also succeeded, and had almost a look of wonder of his face. James wondered if it was the first magic Remus had tried to perform.

James clapped his hands together. "Great, next time, aim for the books on Flitwick's desk."

"James!" Remus had heard and had a look on his face that reminded James of his mother.

"I'll go now," James said. "Wingardium leviosa!" He aimed for a chair, and despite being a rather heavy and sturdy wooden piece of furniture, it flew into the air.

"Oh my, Mr. Potter!" the professor said, running up to him. "Good work, but you need to work on your aim." He waved his wand and the chair came down gracefully.

"Wingardium leviosa!" Sirius said, getting excited. He'd aimed for the books on the professor's desk as James had suggested, and now they were flying in the air. Only it was much more difficult to control multiple items at once, and they started to come falling down.

"Ouch!" Lily Evans and Eliza Corsica cried as they both were knocked in the head by Sirius' poorly controlled subjects. James burst out laughing.

"Mr. Black! You didn't even try to aim for the feather!" Flitwick said, waving his wand.

"Sorry, professor, got a little excited is all," Sirius said. "Sorry ladies!" he called over to their classmates. Evans scowled, but Corsica shrugged and gave him a little smile. At least she had a sense of humor.

The class devolved into chaos - it seemed even trying to aim several of the students managed to hit stray items on the desks. Some went floating into the air, some flopped around, and Peter somehow set a feather on fire. James had thrown caution to the wind now - he wasn't even pretending to aim for the feather. Instead he shot at everything that wasn't bolted down. Camouflaged by the frenzy of activity, he may have gotten away with sending books and chairs and chalk around the room - but he miscalculated when aiming for one of the Fraser's bags and hit Professor Flitwick instead.

"Oh no…" the professor said as he flew into the air, flipping upside-down. "Mr. Potter, while I'm pleased to see your skill level is so advanced, I'm going to have to give you detention for this…."

Sirius was laughing hysterically, along with several other members of the class. Peter was chuckling, and even Remus had a small smile on his face, though he was shaking his head. James reveled in the attention.

"Seems reasonable, professor," he said, a bit sheepishly. He waved his wand and gently guided the professor to the floor. The goal had been to cause general disorder, not to get detention on the first day, but hey, occupational hazard. His mother would understand.

"Thank you," Flitwick said, brushing his robes back into place. He tapped his glasses thoughtfully. "Five points to Gryffindor for the impressive skills, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black. But next class, stick to the assigned object. Mr. Potter, stay after class so we can work out your detention."

James was grinning. Clearly Flitwick was the kind to appreciate a good old performance. James made note of this for future reference.

/

Peter was sweating, and it had nothing to do with the temperature in the room.

Charms had been a a dismal failure for him - he'd somehow managed to set his feather on fire instead of floating it in the air. To add insult to injury, his three new friends seemed particularly gifted - James had sent an actual person flying through the air, for Merlin's sake. Sirius had mastered the spell almost immediately as well, and even Remus, who'd told Peter he'd never tried any magic at home, sent his feather flying into the air on the first try.

And now they were in Transfiguration, and he was having absolutely no luck changing his match into a needle. He'd only understood half of what Professor McGonagall had said in the first place, and struggled to take notes.

He tried to remind himself that it was only the first day, and plenty of other students seemed to be failing at the task set before them as well. But yet again James appeared to be at the top of the class - his match still had a decidedly round end but it was already sleek and silver, and anyone with eyes could see that he was going to accomplish the task by the end of class.

It seemed Sirius and Remus were struggling more in this class than they had in Charms, which made Peter feel better.

"Are you having any luck?" he asked Remus, who was to his right.

"Not really. She said to visualize a key component of what you're trying to transform it into, but so far nothing."

"Right, visualize, of course." Peter had forgotten that part - he made a mental note to ask Remus for his notes later.

"Oh, bugger," Sirius muttered as his match suddenly caught fire at the end. "That's not what I was going for. He picked it up and threw it carelessly toward a wastebasket, but that proved to be a mistake - there was parchment in the trash and it promptly went up in flames.

"Mr. Black, do be more careful," Professor McGonagall said, putting it out with her wand and handing him another match.

"But Professor," Sirius said cheekily, "isn't that the whole point of matches? Don't Muggles use them to start fire?"

She turned and looked at him. "Are you cold, Mr. Black?" she asked.

"Huh?" Sirius looked confused.

"Are you cold?"

"No ma'am."

"Then there's no need to set fire in the classroom, through Muggle or magical means. Return to the assignment please."

Peter and a few other students chuckled when Sirius stuck his tongue out as the professor moved her eyes off of him. It was obvious after less than two days of knowing him that Sirius was the type that naturally drew attention - even though this morning's attention had been the bad kind.

Peter thought back to the Howler. His mother yelled at him from time to time, but never so harshly as Sirius' mother had through that Howler. The whole thing had been rather frightening. But Sirius had shrugged it off and somehow ignored the stares and whispers as they'd walked down the halls earlier. Peter wished he had confidence like that.

"Professor!" James called out, his voice excited. "I think I've done it - take a look!"

McGonagall walked briskly between the desks until she reached James. "Good work, Mr. Potter." She held up a perfectly smooth silver needle for the class to see. "It certainly looks like a needle, though it's a bit dull. See if you can sharpen the points a bit more by the end of class."

"Challenge accepted, Professor," James said, saluting her before taking the needle back.

A few minutes later another voice spoke up. "Professor, I think I may have done it…" This time it was Lily Evans who'd spoken. Again McGonagall walked over to the desk and lifted the work for everyone to see.

"Excellent work, Miss Evans," McGonagall told her. "Sharp enough to begin needlework right here and now. Five points to Gryffindor."

The girl smiled, and Peter sighed. It was obvious that even with hard work, he wouldn't be top of the class.

By the end of the period Peter hadn't managed to transfigure his match, but he had managed not to set it on fire. Sirius had turned his match pointy at the ends, but it still felt like soft matchstick wood, and Remus had turned his in color, but not shape or hardness. Peter was afraid one of his three new friends would mock his lack of progress, but no one said anything about it as they hurried outside for Herbology.

"I hear the professor in this class is relatively new," James told them. "Maybe we can stir up a bit of ruckus."

This class the Gryffindors took along with the Hufflepuffs, and James waved to one girl as they walked inside.

"Hiya, Marlene," he said pleasantly. Peter tensed - he wasn't used to talking to girls, and she was rather pretty.

"Hello James," she said in a musical voice. "How're your lessons so far?"

"Brilliant!" He said. "I've managed everything quite easily so far."

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "You would," she said. "Who are your friends?"

James grinned and took her hand in a dramatic gesture. "My dear Marlene, allow me to present one Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Gentlemen, Marlene McKinnon."

"Pleasure," Sirius said, taking her hand from James and touching it to his lips. It was a rather gallant gesture that Peter never would have dared, but she just giggled.

Remus went a more normal route and put out his book-free hand to shake. Peter decided to follow his lead.

"Is James here driving you crazy with all that energy yet?" She asked them. "I remember at my parent's Christmas party one year he decided he wanted to play with the white doves we keep, so he opened the cage and just let them fly wild! They pooped all over the tree and my mum's favorite table runner."

"I didn't know that would happen," James said. "But it was hilarious. That was a great night."

"I'll bet," Sirius said. "Reminds me of the time my mum decided she wanted enchanted candles floating around for Easter dinner, but my brother knocked into one of them and caught his robes on fire." He paused. "Well, not so much knocked into as got it thrown at him. By me. I wanted to see what would happen."

Marlene and James laughed while Remus made a face.

Peter marveled at the easy way James and Sirius carried the conversation. He noticed that most of the class was quiet, still shy and unsure of who to talk to or the right thing to do. That would certainly have been him had he not been standing with James and Sirius.

He was working up the nerve to contribute something to the conversation when the professor walked in. "Good morning class. I'm Professor Sprout - no name jokes please! Let's talk a bit about what I plan to teach you in Herbology…."

/

Sirius had almost managed to forget the ghastly events of the morning in the whirlwind that was the first day of classes, until he saw Narcissa coming around the corner.

"Bugger," he said, grabbing Remus to use as a shield.

"Sirius, what -"

"Don't use my name," Sirius hissed, trying to wiggle between two suits of armor and melt into the wall. Narcissa had been laughing loudly at something Lucius Malfoy had said and had yet to notice his presence.

"Hiding from your problems isn't very Gryffindor-like," James said casually, though he was leaning against the wall in a strange position clearly meant to help Sirius hide from view..

"Shove it, Potter," Sirius grumbled back. It would have been bad enough to run into his cousin alone - but she was with the Malfoy boy. He knew Lucius would have some kind of caustic remark about the scene in the Great Hall at breakfast, and was probably already planning to write his father about how Walburga Black was losing her marbles. The last thing Sirius needed was for gossip about his mother to spread through the ranks and reach her ears - that would give her more reason to direct her fury at him.

Sirius still couldn't believe his mother had gone so far as to send a Howler - surely she realized the entire student body would hear the malicious words. Had that been her intention, or was she so angered by his sorting that all logic had flown out the window?

Luckily, Narcissa and Lucius passed the group without even glancing down for a look at their faces. Sirius sighed and released his death drip on Remus' arms.

"Off to supper then?" James said airily, stepping away from the wall

"I'm not really hungry," Sirius said. Lunch had been a painful affair. He'd held his head high and done his best to convince himself that the whispers and stares meant nothing, but he knew otherwise. The children of pureblood families that might have been his friends now regarded him as a blood traitor, a son that disrespected the values of his ancestors at their very core. Maybe that was true - but he had also effectively alienated the rest of the student body by being born to a woman who screeched damning slurs at her son.

Admittedly, he'd found solace in James Potter, who'd reacted to the Howler with reasonable indignity but focused his grievances on Walburga, not Sirius, and Remus Lupin, who made no comment about the contents of the Howler whatsoever despite his having a Muggle mother. He was even grateful for little Peter Pettigrew, who had been visible disconcerted by the Howler but simply followed James and Sirius out of the Great Hall and later watched their antics in class like they were objects of great reverence, and not despicable troublemakers.

"Don't be stupid, Black, I can hear your stomach rumbling from here," James said. "A boy needs a good meal after a long day's work."

Sirius threw his head back and stared at the stone ceiling for a moment, weighing his options. Go back to the Great Hall and endure the muted persecution of the other students, or hide away in the quiet dorm and forgo dinner like a coward.

"Ugh. Fine. Let's go." He finally said. Going back to the dorm was the easy way out, but nothing about this was going to be easy.

"Great!" James slapped his back in approval.

But Sirius' resolve was shaky when they reached the Great Hall and he saw Andromeda standing at the entrance. He considered fleeing, but with James on one side and Remus and Peter on the other he felt he must be brave.

"Sirius." His cousin strode toward him, her slender ankles peeking out from under her flapping robes. He braced himself for a nasty remark or even a slap, but instead, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You know those things Auntie Burga said aren't true. I'm sure she didn't mean them."

"Are you?" he said, looking up at his cousin and giving her a skeptical look.

Dromeda hesitated. "Sirius, she's your mother."

"Well I don't think it was an appropriate way for a mother to discuss her feelings on her child's sorting, personally," James broke in. "A normal letter would have sufficed." Both Sirius and Andromeda turned to him in irritation.

"Ahh, you again," Andromeda said, looking down on James with her hooded eyes. "Just who are you?"

"James Potter. Pleasure." He held out a hand and Sirius suddenly had the absurd urge to chuckle.

"I see," his cousin said, allowing James to take her hand. Sirius knew she had recognized his surname and was allowing him to touch her in respect of his pureblood status. "And James, you do realize that this is none of your concern, don't you?"

"On the contrary," James said. "Sirius is one of my dear dormmates, and I am deeply concerned about his well-being."

"Is that so?" Dromeda asked, still looking down her nose at the boy. "And I suppose you feel that you, an 11-year-old boy, are in a position to offer unsolicited opinions about things you know nothing about? This is a Black family matter."

James raised an eyebrow and set his jaw stubbornly. "I might not know much about the way the Black family conducts itself behind closed doors, but I do know a thing or two about common decency."

Sirius thought he should step in before things escalated further, but to his surprise, Dromeda laughed – and not a mocking laugh – it sounded genuine.

"Well, I'll admit, Auntie Burga certainly doesn't know much about anything common. Perhaps that's to her detriment. But you know it's only because she wants the absolute best for her sons, in her own way." she turned back to Sirius and ruffled his hair the way she often did when he was far smaller.

"Aww, stop it Dromeda," he said, trying to duck away while James rolled his eyes.

"Just keep your head up," she told him. "And remember, no matter what others say, you're a Black."

"But that's the problem," he muttered as she walked away. She didn't turn back, and he was fairly sure she hadn't heard.