Sirius arrived at Platform 9 ¾ an hour before the students came. The professors had to arrive early, where they would have coffee together and discuss a few issues before school started. Sirius boarded the train and headed towards the teacher's carriage.

"Sirius! How nice to see you!" Dumbledore was at the entrance to the carriage.

"Hello Albus." Sirius greeted the old professor.

'The other professors are in the coffee room, I'm sure they'll all be delighted to see you," smiled Dumbledore.  "Tell them I'll be right along would you? We are just waiting for Sybil."

"Yes Professor Dumbledore," laughed Sirius.

The teachers sat around gossiping about which students they saw up in the Astronomy Tower without permission last term and drinking coffee until Dumbledore came in.

There was a chorus of "Hello Albus!" as Dumbledore sat down.

"Hello, Hello! It's so nice to see you all again. I trust you all had a good holiday. Just a few things, firstly as you know Sirius got his charges dropped and he has accepted the job of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Also, we will be putting a charm on the Forbidden Forest; with the threat of Voldermort it is too risky to have even the possibility of an intruder.  Only Hagrid and myself will be able to enter and exit the forest, and though we can take people with us, it detects the usage of the Imperious Curse. I think I can leave everything else until our staff meeting tomorrow, I trust I will see you all at the feast!"

As Dumbledore continued on about mundane beginning-of-the-year things, Sirius' mind wandered. i Typical, my first time on the train since I was a student and I'm sharing a compartment with Snape, thought Sirius.  Dumbledore meant well, he always hoped that he could somehow persuade them to be friends. i Friends with Snape! For such a great wizard Dumbledore did have his faults/i  , Sirius continued to think.

As Dumbledore's speech came to a close, Sirius and Snape retired to their train compartment.  Sirius looked to the corner seat where Snape was reading 'i Amo, a History of Love potions'. Snape looked and glared. i Well if he won't make an effort, neither will I. Some people never change. /i 

Sirius heard the sound of footsteps. i How peculiar, who would be in the teacher's carriage? /i 

"Would you like to buy anything dear?" Sirius' face lit up, it had been too long since he had eaten wizards chocolate (as it wasn't on the menu for mass murderers at Azkaban). Sirius tucked into some Berty Botts Every Flavor Beans. He felt like he was 11 again, on his first day at Hogwarts. Sirius was going to be the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. It was his top subject at school, and it would also mean he could watch over Harry. Harry had a knack of getting himself into trouble; he was just like his father. Sirius smiled to himself. i James and Harry could have been twins; they would give Fred and George Weasley a run for their money. /i 

Sirius decided to go say hello to Harry now that the students were arriving on Platform 9 3/4, he hadn't told Harry about him teaching at Hogwarts, he wanted it to be a surprise.  Harry thought he was of holidaying in America for a year, not in a comfy chair on the Hogwarts Express.  "Severus," Sirius spat out, "I'm going down to the student's carriage.  If Dumbledore wants to talk to me, tell him I'm there."  Snape just glared at him, but at last gave a slight nod to acknowledge what Sirius had just said.

Sirius made his way down to the student's carriage; he heard some shouting a few compartments down. He rushed down to the compartment and saw Draco Malfoy standing there with his two sidekicks (Harry had told him all about them, Grabbe and Coyle or something like that).  Malfoy was standing there with his wand out at Harry, and he made out a few words, Lily and Mudblood. Sirius was enraged. Harry looked like he was about to punch Malfoy, and Sirius wouldn't stop him if he did, calling Lily a Mudblood.

"MALFOY put your wand down this instant. And you, Potter." Snape, who had snuck up behind Sirius, shouted.  "What is going on here? Professor Black, I know you are new to teaching here, but surely even you could have controlled this?"

"Professor Snape," Harry butted in, "Malfoy was insulting was my mother. He called her...a...a Mudblood."  Sirius turned around to look at Snape, and as Sirius had expected, his face had gone even whiter –if that was possible- than it was before.

"Is this true Malfoy?" stuttered Snape.

'Yes Professor, but it's true,' Malfoy shot Sirius a look, 'she was nothing but a filthy Mudblood.'

Harry looked like he was about to lunge out and punch Malfoy, when Snape stopped him.

"Potter! That does not give you an excuse to attack Malfoy." Snape said in a rather strained voice.

i Yes it is, /i   thought Sirius. i  And you think that too. /i 

"Malfoy, 20 points from Slytherin and a detention.  I do not want to ever hear you using such language again.  Understood?" Snape said.

Harry looked gleeful but puzzled, and Malfoy looked livid. Malfoy walked out of the compartment, but Sirius heard him mutter, "When my father hears about this…"

"Sirius! What are you doing here? I thought you were in America!" Sirius told him all about being appointed as the DADA teacher, and apologized for not telling him earlier.

When Sirius had finished talking to Harry, he went back to his compartment. Snape still looked furious.

"Are you okay?" asked Sirius.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be? Just because you think you are better than all of us doesn't mean you have to lay on the sympathy."

Sirius sighed. And he thought Snape might have changed a bit, but this was Snape.

Thanks to Gaia: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=282787 for helping me with this fic.