Quickly drawing up their various luggage and book bags, Sirius and James hastily fled to board the train. "I heard," Sirius hissed into James' ear, as they finally stopped and began to load into the car, "that if you're late for boarding, they make you walk all the way to Hogwarts." Grinning broadly, he added, "But that's not the worst part. Then they make you eat nothing but bread and butter for the opening feast and send you to sleep in that horrible forest. Then they..."
"Hang on a minute!" James interrupted harshly. "None of this seems terribly...credible. Where do you get all this information, anyway?" he pressed as the boys sat down. "And who, exactly, are 'they'?"
"Them," Sirius intoned darkly. "And what planet have you been living on, Potter? Of course I know all there is to know of our fine school. I," he stressed the world importantly, "am Sirius Black, of the fine Brighton Blacks, heir to the most respected and knowledgeable students Hogwarts ever had!" He finished with a flair, a smug smirk plastered across his face.
"No," James began, incredulously, "I don't believe I've heard of any Brighton Blacks...Though I think I've heard of the boastful ones," he added, sneering.
Sirius glared at him for a long moment, then sighed. "Well, actually, I just made that up," he admitted. "Truth be told, my mum's a Muggle. Dad was ready to call in the Daily Prophet when they found I had magic in me. Of course, my magic is nothing to laugh at." With a quick twirl of a wand, previously hidden among his bags, Sirius shot a spray of pumpkin juice toward an angry-looking boy who, though faced cautiously away, was listening intently to their conversation.
In a flash, the boy turned, his face redder than his newly orange robes. "You aren't to use magic," he spat, shooting Sirius a piercing stare, "before we get to Hogwarts. You're bound to be in some awful trouble when we arrive, Mudblood."
"Thanks, but I prefer magically challenged," Sirius murmured calmly, giving an air of innocence like none James had seen before. "Which, as you've seen," Sirius added, his voice going on with a peaceful certainty, "I'm most certainly not." He grinned, watching the boy's already horrible expression change into one of pure hatred. "Ah, yes," he continued, quite amused, "I'd actually say I have the advantage. If I had no power, I'd be readily welcomed into the Muggle world I've been raised in. Since I do, I'll be exposed to the life my ancestors used to live. Either way, I'll prosper, but there's no place in the world for a fool like you, no matter what you try to do."
"I'll have you know," the boy sputtered, fuming from the speech and muttering a quick cleaning spell under his breath, "I'm no one you want to cross paths with. My family's been magical forever…and - and…remember my name," he warned, his face moving into what looked somewhere between a wince and a scowl. "I am Lucius Malfoy. And I shall see to it that you two -" Lucius continued, gesturing to Sirius and James, "shall never forget it."
"Surely," Sirius retorted. "I'll have that written down in my day-planner, I will...'Eat breakfast, go to classes, remember Malfoy's name...'" With a growl, Lucius turned back in his seat.
"That was...interesting," James said finally, after a long silence.
"Wasn't it, though?" Sirius replied, a thin smile still curved on his face. "What fun this year shall bring."
"Hang on a minute!" James interrupted harshly. "None of this seems terribly...credible. Where do you get all this information, anyway?" he pressed as the boys sat down. "And who, exactly, are 'they'?"
"Them," Sirius intoned darkly. "And what planet have you been living on, Potter? Of course I know all there is to know of our fine school. I," he stressed the world importantly, "am Sirius Black, of the fine Brighton Blacks, heir to the most respected and knowledgeable students Hogwarts ever had!" He finished with a flair, a smug smirk plastered across his face.
"No," James began, incredulously, "I don't believe I've heard of any Brighton Blacks...Though I think I've heard of the boastful ones," he added, sneering.
Sirius glared at him for a long moment, then sighed. "Well, actually, I just made that up," he admitted. "Truth be told, my mum's a Muggle. Dad was ready to call in the Daily Prophet when they found I had magic in me. Of course, my magic is nothing to laugh at." With a quick twirl of a wand, previously hidden among his bags, Sirius shot a spray of pumpkin juice toward an angry-looking boy who, though faced cautiously away, was listening intently to their conversation.
In a flash, the boy turned, his face redder than his newly orange robes. "You aren't to use magic," he spat, shooting Sirius a piercing stare, "before we get to Hogwarts. You're bound to be in some awful trouble when we arrive, Mudblood."
"Thanks, but I prefer magically challenged," Sirius murmured calmly, giving an air of innocence like none James had seen before. "Which, as you've seen," Sirius added, his voice going on with a peaceful certainty, "I'm most certainly not." He grinned, watching the boy's already horrible expression change into one of pure hatred. "Ah, yes," he continued, quite amused, "I'd actually say I have the advantage. If I had no power, I'd be readily welcomed into the Muggle world I've been raised in. Since I do, I'll be exposed to the life my ancestors used to live. Either way, I'll prosper, but there's no place in the world for a fool like you, no matter what you try to do."
"I'll have you know," the boy sputtered, fuming from the speech and muttering a quick cleaning spell under his breath, "I'm no one you want to cross paths with. My family's been magical forever…and - and…remember my name," he warned, his face moving into what looked somewhere between a wince and a scowl. "I am Lucius Malfoy. And I shall see to it that you two -" Lucius continued, gesturing to Sirius and James, "shall never forget it."
"Surely," Sirius retorted. "I'll have that written down in my day-planner, I will...'Eat breakfast, go to classes, remember Malfoy's name...'" With a growl, Lucius turned back in his seat.
"That was...interesting," James said finally, after a long silence.
"Wasn't it, though?" Sirius replied, a thin smile still curved on his face. "What fun this year shall bring."