1971

For James Potter, growing up bedtime stories had always been about a magical castle. It sat before an expansive Black Lake, with a monster and mysterious aquatic creatures simpering within its depths. It was guarded by suits of armour, which ghosts slept in. The great hall, where people ate meals and mingled, sat beneath a ceiling enchanted to look like the night sky. Books floated back to their shelves in a cavernous library. Beautiful grounds spread out for miles around, including a Forbidden Forest filled with dark creatures which made noises in the night. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the very place James's parents had met and fallen in love. To him it was every inch as perfect as they were. He immersed himself in books about the place and listened intently to cousins and family friends home on holidays telling stories. There was a box inside his head overflowing with facts about the castle's four founders, their respective houses, the castle's history, its professors, Headmasters and prolific graduates.


When James's eleventh birthday finally arrived, it was better than Christmas and Easter put together. Despite nightmares about being a squib and teasing from his cousin Kalevela, he had received his Hogwarts letter. It had invited him to be sorted and listed books to be bought. He had plunged through the stone wall hiding platform nine-and-three-quarters from muggle view and stood staring at the Hogwarts Express, billowing smoke and packed with students. He had shared a compartment with the same family friends whose stories he had memorized. He had watched them putting on their Gryffindor red or Ravenclaw blue ties and wondered just which he would get. He had stood in the Great Hall under that enchanted starry sky and flock of floating candles and watched the Sorting Hat sing. It sorted its way alphabetically through his fellow students and seemed to take forever to get to 'P'. When placed upon his head it had declared him a courageous and loyal Gryffindor to the very core. He had sat down to wild applause and a dozen handshakes and hugs, before gorging himself on the best feast of his life. He had retired to the very same Common Room his father had spoken of so often, with its roaring fire, plush chairs and rich tapestries and finally fallen, exhausted and in high spirits, into his double bed with maroon drapes. Yet somehow James could not feel truly at home. Sirius Black made him feel uneasy.


The name Black had been tossed about at James's dinner table before and it had always come with negative associations. James's father insisted that they were some of the worst people he had ever encountered, which coming from the Ministry of Magic's Auror General (head of wizard law enforcement and dark wizard capture) made it quite a heavy accolade. He often went on to describe their family tree as 'riddled with worms of misdemeanour and extremism and rotten with inbreeding.' James wasn't exactly sure what that meant but he knew that a high percentage of the offenders his father arrested came from Slytherin house. The Black family were self professed Slytherin pure bloods which could only mean one thing: they produced bad stock. James's mother was a healer with a good heart. She gave everyone a second chance regardless of appearances, history or character. Much to James's father's disgust, people were always taking advantage of, her cheating her compassion and breaking her heart but she didn't relent. She advised her only son to make friends with everybody who was willing, no matter their house or their family. All his life she had been telling him never to judge a book by its cover and apparently she had been right.


James had stood there anxiously tapping his foot as the Sorting Hat had been burning through students, only for it to take what seemed like an age, when dropped upon Sirius Black's head. Eventually it had opened its mouth, his Slytherins cousins had stood up and it had announced the unthinkable: "GRYFFINDOR!" The verdict was not met with applause of any kind but a moment of stunned silence. Head of Gryffindor, Professor Minerva McGonagall had swept the hat from Sirius's head with an astonished smirk but he hadn't moved. He had sat there staring as his Slytherin cousins had sank back down into their seats, outraged and bewildered. The Gryffindors, though usually welcoming to new members, simply weren't expecting one of them to be a Black. James felt a sudden surge of pity and admiration for this stranger whose apple had managed to fall so far from the tree and burst into applause.

"WAY TO GO BLACK!" Everyone turned to stare at the cause of the clamour and then began a slow applause. James winked across at Sirius. He smiled half gratefully but didn't speak a word throughout the rest of the sorting. Despite James's best intentions, no friendship had evolved, as though Sirius was certain the boy had been mocking him. His father had written to Dumbledore intent on challenging the Sorting Hat's verdic,t but it had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor himself, and knew a kindred spirit better than anybody. Sirius's fate was sealed and nobody knew how it had happened despite the gossip which erupted whenever he was present. This gossip was the only thing to bridge the rift between the houses, which had existed for decades. By the look of the disgruntled Slytherins who took it upon themselves to torment Sirius, it was not going to die down for a few decades more.


James had done his best to follow his mother's advice. He had befriended Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws alike and his two fellow Gryffindors were becoming firm friends. He had met Remus Lupin on the train, helping him heave his heavy case up off of the platform. He was a book worm and the weight of his case was the biggest clue. He was also the only son of the Ministry of Magic's Magical Creatures Hunter, John Lupin and owner to some of the coolest scars James had ever seen. The other, Peter Pettigrew was a dim witted but ultimately sweet kid who had introduced James to the joy of comic books. James's lack of brothers and stern father had produced a competitive streak within him. Throughout the first few weeks of school, he had scouted out the members of his year but found no true companions among them. His father's best friend from Hogwarts was in almost all of James's bedtime stories. He had been murdered by Deatheaters a few years ago. His funeral was the only time that James had ever seen his father cry. Aside from the magic, the mysteries and the danger, a friendship as true as theirs was what James really wanted out of Hogwarts but try as he might he had not managed to have any lengthy conversations with Sirius Black.


Most people already knew James by name and were eager to get to know him, even grateful when he chose to get to know them. Sirius Black had never so much as looked in his direction and James would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't slightly insulted. He had spent more time than he would like to admit watching his fellow Gryffindor from afar. In classes he always knew the answer when asked but never willingly raised his hand. Sirius did his best to avoid drawing attention to himself and was better at finding hiding places than James gave him credit for. He had spied Sirius studying outside on the grounds, sitting at the back of an aisle in the library and even hidden behind a greenhouse out on the grounds. On evenings after classes, his face was never lit by the warm glow of the Gryffindor Common Room fire. In the mornings it seemed as though he got up and ready hours in advance simply to avoid having to speak to anyone. Despite having shared a dormitory for almost a month James, Remus and Peter had rarely ever seen Sirius Black and it was starting to grate on James. His mother's words kept replaying in his head and he felt worse every time he saw the back of the boy's head.


Before third period Charms, a hulking Slytherin sixth year felt the need to take Sirius's books and throw him against a wall. "A little forward," Sirius mumbled sarcastically under his breath, "Ask me on a date first..." The line of waiting first year students grimaced but none made to move. James had seen similar things happen to Sirius before but he was not about to step out of line for someone who had no interest in being his friend. Remus had that look he sometimes got whenever anybody spoke about injured animals. The moment the door to class swung open James took his arm and pulled him along into the room.

"It wouldn't kill you to be a little bit more sympathetic," Remus chided as they sat down, swinging his arm out of James's grip. James said nothing and waited for Sirius to come slouching through the door. When he finally did, he had points deducted from Gryffindor for being late. Some of the girls groaned in disapproval and Sirius hid behind his hair for the rest of the class. James quietly took notes down from the blackboard and helped correct Peter's spelling. However, Remus continued on with his 'Save Sirius' campaign in Transfiguration. "He looks lonely." If James ever lost Remus he knew that the library was the only place worth looking. He was always ushered out at closing time like a homeless man from a shopping centre. For a boy so reliant upon firm facts, he seemed to be ignoring them when it came to the outsider among their ranks. James took his parents for their word and he didn't see how, with a family so corrupt, Sirius could have done the same and turned out the polar opposite. It didn't make any sense and nobody liked what they couldn't understand. James was trying to concentrate on turning his match into a needle and Remus's constant badgering wasn't helping. He had set fire to five so far. "Look, if he wanted friends he might do a better job of hanging around before breakfast or lunch or after class or ever." James's father had always told him that the best friends were made by accident and that it was only when you went looking for them that you made enemies for yourself.

"He did have friends but they've clearly disowned him for simply being placed in our house. I doubt he's that trusting at the moment..."


James set fire to his sixth match stick. He pushed out his chair and moved to an empty seat at the next desk. He stared as the redheaded, green eyed Gryffindor girl beside him effortlessly transfigured her match stick into a needle. Needless to say, she didn't have an annoying bookworm endlessly on her case.

"Well done Lily." Lily turned and smiled at him. Of the three Gryffindor girls in first year she was the brightest, and in James's opinion, the prettiest. James relished every opportunity to speak to her but she made him a little nervous. His mother had taken him to a Seer when he was seven and she had told him quite vehemently that he would marry a girl with red hair and emerald eyes and that their love would burn like a flash fire. James turned his back to Remus and got down to concentrating, intent on getting that needle for himself. "Remus is right of course. I really don't see why you don't like him." James's match stick went flying across the room into the back of Sirius's head. James smiled apologetically and the bell for their next class rang.

"I never said that..." James groaned as he packed away his books. "It's just weird isn't it?" James explained walking with Remus and Peter to lunch in the Great Hall. "How could he be told he's one thing his entire life and then turn around and be the opposite?"

"There aren't just good and bad people though," Peter said simply. James watched Lily walking ahead with her Slytherin friend, doubting the truth in that statement. Remus nodded in agreement and James rolled his eyes, thinking of his father's sometimes roaring temper.

"That's true. You're always saying how unlike your cousin Kalevela you are-"Remus tried to add but James cut him off with a shake of his head.

"That'll be those giant balls I have, that you're so clearly lacking." Peter started sniggering. Lily turned around looked slightly disgusted and carried on into the hall to sit down. James pointed at Sirius's retreating back as he made his way out of the main doors. "Look, if you love him so much, you go and talk to him."


Remus may have been knowledgeable about many things but social interaction just wasn't one of them. Over the next few days, James took much amusement in his many attempts to speak to Sirius. However, Friday night marked his last chance for awhile, as Sirius left for home. He did not return until Sunday afternoon but the last book Remus had borrowed from the library went back on Sirius's hideaway aisle. He was desperately scrawling Transfiguration homework which was due the next day. At first Remus did not see the tears on his face and assumed he was laughing. He kept twisting his face up as though in pain but seemed determined to carry on writing. Not wanting to intrude, Remus replaced the book and made to leave the aisle. Then he tried to imagine what he would want if he was crying. "Excuse me...but are you alright?" When Sirius said nothing in reply, Remus became worried that he had spoken too quietly, as he often did, and repeated himself. "Are you alright?" Sirius merely nodded, wiping his face with his other hand. "Are you sure because-"

"Just go." Remus had not heard Sirius talk much and he sounded much younger than he looked. "I shouldn't be spreading my evil around alright. You don't need to be talking to me..."

"What?" Sirius knocked over his inkwell in his hurry to gather up his things. Remus cleared the mess away with a quick spell. "I don't know much about you Sirius but you're certainly not evil."

"You're right about one thing: you don't know me." Sirius continued to stuff things into his bag ready to make a quick getaway, but his right hand was heavily bruised and he kept dropping things. "Remus please, I can do that myself. Just stop-"

"You know my name?" Remus asked astounded, from his position at his feet, gathering up fallen parchment.

"We share a dormitory." Remus rolled up the parchment and tucked it inside of Sirius's bag. He looked thoroughly uncomfortable with the close proximity and stepped backwards into the bookcase.

"Why have you never spoken to me before?" His discomfort became guilt. He hid behind his hair and edged away down the aisle.

"I...I don't belong there." Sirius's voice became quieter with every word. Remus let him pass, watching him retreat.

"The Sorting Hat's never wrong, you know." Sirius stopped and turned around. "It put you in Gryffindor for all of the right reasons. You belong here as much as the rest of us." Sirius strode up to Remus, looking exasperated. "There's nothing wrong with you-"

"You don't know anything!" Sirius slammed his bruised hand into the bookcase and tears welled in his eyes. He dropped to the floor holding his hand to his chest. Remus was shaken by his angry tone, ready to walk away and tell James that he had been right. The tears in his eyes, and the way he wiped them away like they didn't deserve to be there made him stay. "Why do you even want to be my friend?"

"Sleeping beside a stranger is starting to get a little bit like a blind date," Remus quoted James and Sirius smiled. Remus took a small pot of bruise healing paste from his bag and handed it to him. Sirius stared at it perplexed. "I'm clumsy."

"Me too..."


The next morning James woke to the small of bacon. The floor of their dormitory had been laid out with breakfast, and Remus and Peter were sitting down piling it onto plates. "To whom do I owe my undying love?" Sirius came out of the bathroom smiling sheepishly.

"I'm kind of in cahoots with the house elves...and I always liked breakfast in bed," he admitted. James jumped out of bed and crossed the room to extend a hand towards Sirius. He shook it tentatively. "You're not going to kiss me are you? Remus mentioned something about blind dates."

"Not unless you want me too...but would it be too bold to say that I'm in love with you?" James asked.

"That depends. Are you always this informal?" Sirius replied without missing a beat.

"Only with lovers," Remus added smirking, and the four of them sat down to breakfast. James and Peter both noticed Sirius's hand as he reached for the toast.

"Please tell me you're not as clumsy as Remus. I can't keep an eye out for both of you. How would I look at girls?"

"I...My father wasn't exactly pleased with my sorting," Sirius explained truthfully and Remus realised that he had been lied to in the library.

"There are worse places you could go," James said and they all stared at him clueless, "Like Hufflepuff" before breaking into laughter.