Circle of Friends

*Chapter Two*

by Ashley (Hype)



Chapter Two: Back to the Past



Sirius couldn`t breathe. Try as he might, his lungs seemed incapable of taking in the air around him. James sat, still on his bed, completely slack-jawed for a full thirty seconds. Lily looked up through her red curly hair that was momentarily covering her face at Sirius and over to James, whose hazel eyes were wide with shock, much like hers. In most cases, Sirius would have been the one to break the deafening silence. However, he could hardly breathe, let alone speak.

"Lily Evans I HATE you!" James screamed at the top of his lungs, shattering the moment.

Lily, still wide- eyed and in massive shock, seemed to not register what he was saying to any degree. She was still stuck on the sentence James had said before she fell out of his closet.

A now extremely flustered James Potter quickly jumped up from his position, crossed the room, grabbed Lily`s arm and pulled her up. Having hold of her upper arm in his death-grip, he dragged her to the door and flung her out into the hall, shouting obscenities the entire way. He slammed the door shut in her face, shaking the pictures that were hung on his walls. Evans, however, was not quite ready to leave yet. In fact, she persisted to scream at James through the mahogany door of James`s room...

"I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID, POTTER! LET ME IN OR I`LL CALL THE WITCH WEEKLY REPORTERS, YOU STUBBORN GIT! LET ME IN RIGHT NOW!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, pounding her fists on the door furiously.

James would not have it. "THERE IS NO WAY ON THIS EARTH I`M LETTING YOU IN NOW, EVANS!"

"WHY THE BLOODY NOT?!"

James stood, back pressed against the door, dumbfounded. Well, he had just confessed his fancying of her, his worst enemy, out loud, that`s why. However, James was not about to admit it again right to her face, or more technically, through the door. The only thing that came out of his mouth was, "Lily Evans, I HATE you!"

"SIRIUS WAS IN ON IT TOO!"

James`s eyes grew wider and he turned to look at Sirius, who sank glumly into his chair, his face in his hands. "Si, is this true?" he asked, a bit hurt at his friend`s betrayal to him. Sirius Black seemed at a mix of saying yes and no at the same time, but could only manage: "It was her idea..." in a low voice, obviously ashamed at his actions.

James Potter`s hair was standing up on frantic ends, matching his patience. "Get out," he growled through gritted teeth.

"But I..."

"Get out!"

"James...listen..."

"GET OUT!" James shouted in fury, his right eye slightly twitching, his hands clenched into fists, his jaw set incredibly square. Sirius obliged reluctantly, sulking out of the room with his dark head hung, James`s betrayed and angry eyes following him. The door slammed shut behind his back. James could be heard from inside his room, throwing breakable things around, allowing them to crash into his red-painted walls.

Sirius Black looked at the door for a moment, then turned to Lily, who was visibly upset with tear stains down her cheeks. Sirius would have normally felt terrible for her, but under the given circumstances, he scowled. "Thanks a bloody bunch, Evans." He snarled, turning away from her and walking down the long corridor that lead to the front doors.

Lily watched him guiltily, kneading her hands behind her back as he walked away from her. His shoulders were slumped, his head was down and his hands were shoved into his pockets. The clicking of his shoes echoed in the long corridor, bouncing off the wooden floor and high ceilings. The light from a large stained-glass window reflected down on him, outlining him in a golden light before he passed into the shadows. Tears welled in her eyes and her lower lip quivered as she watch Sirius Black, the light-hearted and jolly boy, sink into despair.



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Sirius looked up at the Hogwarts Express, its bright red surface gleaming in the sun`s light, a steady pillar of smoke protruding from it. He stood next to his mother and four sisters, all of whom were in tears to see him go away from home for the first time. People busied around the family, not acknowledging them.

Thyme, who was three years older than Sirius, would be the only one to share the year with their beloved Sirius Black. However, Thyme had been sorted into Ravenclaw in her first year and could only hope that Sirius would be the same. It was in the back of their minds that they knew he would never be placed in Ravenclaw, though. As smart a fellow as Sirius may be, he was a troublemaker- which did not particularly agree with the Ravenclaw`s high standards. He was sure to be put in Slytherin or Gryffindor, for they were the most cunning and mischievous of the houses.

Angela Black drew her son into her arms, crying so desperately to the point of hysterics. She held onto him like glue, not wanting him to go. Truth be told, as much as Sirius got into trouble, none of them wanted him to actually leave. He had grown a permanent figure in their everyday lives. To have him leave for a whole year would be to deny the light in their lives.

Sirius, however, was ecstatic. Which new student wasn`t? For eleven years he had dreamt of going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. His crying mother and siblings couldn`t even begin to dampen his joy. He put an arm around his mother and smiled, which perhaps did not help, for she cried even harder.

"Look, mum...I`ll be fine. James and Lily will be there. So will Thyme. I won`t be alone..."

"It`s that James I`m worried about... You two promise you won`t get into trouble? Promise?"

Sirius shifted his weight from one foot to the other, biting his lip. The whole reason he had been looking forward to going to Hogwarts was of two things. One being that you could use magic, the other being that you could get into all kinds of mischief with magic, which would eventually lead to being in trouble if you had James Potter as a best friend. Just as he was about to make a phantom of a promise to his mother, the Hogwarts Express whistle sounded as if on cue.

"Bye, mum! Love you!" he shouted loudly over the noise, grabbing his trunk and heading off towards James, who was frantically waving his arms about in the air, standing on the tips of his toes and craning his neck up to look over the vast see of wizards and witches. In one sweeping instant, Sirius disappeared into the crowd, never to be seen by his mother for almost a whole year.



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James and Sirius clambered through the isles searching for an empty compartment. Sirius, who was getting quite angry at not finding one in an instant, flung the nearest compartment door open and threw his things inside, declaring loudly: "We`ll stay here!" James, who had been rather amused with his frustrated best friend, looked over Sirius`s shoulder and saw Lily Evans, looking startled by Sirius`s outburst. Instantaneously, James turned on his heel and started off to find another compartment to stay in. It would have been successful if Sirius Black hadn`t grabbed the collar of his robes and pulled him in, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Get over it," Sirius mumbled into James`s ear before flinging him into a seat.

James straightened his black robes a bit and said, "Right then," before going into absolute silence. It looked as though he wanted to say more, but it was obvious he could not bring himself to do so. Lily went back to reading a thick book on Potions, looking as if Sirius had never bursted into her compartment.

Sirius Black looked at Lily and James. They looked ridiculously out of place sitting next to each other for the first time in months. He shook his head, partially from amusement, partially because it just felt right when you saw two enemies sitting next to each other without getting into some sort of a fight. Just looking at the two sent the memory of that day in the early summer when James had confessed liking his nemeses. He had kept the memory tucked away in the back corner of his mind, like an old, dust-covered and forgotten book in an abandoned library. But at this moment it chose to come forward, shining its awkward light on his thoughts.

James had admitted to his liking of Lily. Sirius had been shunned by James for two weeks before James would even consider talking to him. Eventually, James confessed that it just wasn`t fun without Sirius. They quickly made up and went back to the good ole days of trouble making. Still, Sirius was not quite sure if James still had feelings for Lily.

Lily, however, was a different story. She had been so stunned by James`s statement that she shut herself up in her own little world, only allowing Marreline, his little sister, past her bedroom door. Perhaps she wouldn`t talk to Sirius because she felt ashamed of dragging him into everything, or maybe it was because Sirius neglected her because she did it. To this day, Sirius Black is still unsure of the whole ordeal.

"Er...How was your summer, Lily?" Sirius asked clumsily, becoming uneasy from the silence around them.

She looked up from her book, a scowl on her face. "I believe you know exactly how it went," she snapped. James jumped in his chair from the harshness of her voice. Lily went back to reading her thick book. Sirius and James exchanged glances and James shook his head, sending a look of "don`t press on". The two boys still recalled her "raging rampages" she had when she became angry.

Sirius almost chuckled, but abruptly stopped when the compartment door burst open and shut quickly. A pale boy with dark brown hair and wild brown eyes stood near the door, panting desperately for breath.

"SAVE ME!" he choked through gasps of air.

"What? From who?" asked James, looking at him with curiosity.

"PETER!"

"Er...who?"

The boy had now caught his breath. "Peter Pettigrew...He`s been on my back since I stepped on this blasted train! I just got away and-"

Footsteps were heard outside the compartment door. Someone called, "Remus? Remus, where are you? Playing a game of hide and seek, eh boy?"

Remus shuddered involuntarily and looked around at the three people before him. "Hide me, please!"

Sirius and James nodded and grabbed him, lifting him over their heads and stuffing him into an overhead compartment just before the door slid open.

"Have you seen a boy named Remus Lupin?" asked a small, pudgy boy with mousy light brown hair. This was obviously Peter Pettigrew, for a slight whimper of terror was heard from the overhead compartment. The three shook their heads with impassive faces. Peter looked crest fallen for about a split second, then caught sight of James.

"Oy!" he cried, "You`re James Potter!"

Sirius mentally felt like punching James for being famous. Now there was the possibility of them never getting rid of Peter.

"Er...no. I just look like him." James said hesitantly, wondering if the boy was dense enough to believe the lie.

"Oh...Well, in that case, I`ll be on my way then. Tell me is you see Remus?"

Lily, James, and Sirius nodded quickly and Peter stepped out of the compartment, sliding the door shut behind him. Sirius let out a long sigh of relief. James reached up and undid the latch on the overhead compartment, letting Remus Lupin fall out from it. He landed with a thud, but quickly got to his feet, dusting his deep red robes off.

James extended his hand to greet the boy. "Oy, I`m James Potter."

"As I well figured," said Lupin smiling and taking his hand. "Remus Lupin."

James smiled and gestured toward Sirius: "That`s Black. Sirius Black. But you can call him Si."

Remus shook hands briefly with Sirius, then caught sight of Lily. "And who is this lovely lady?" he inquired, his eyes shining in a peculiar way. James stiffened and Sirius realized that James would not under any circumstances introduce Lily to anyone. Sirius was about to introduce her, but Lily cut him off.

"I`m Lily Evans," she said, smiling with such a sweetness that made Sirius feel nauseous. Ole Remus Lupin was a goner. When Lily Evans turned on her charm, the male species was rendered helpless. Remus smiled back like a love struck puppy, but quickly wiped the dreamy look on his face away.

"So, what house do you reckon you`ll be in?" he asked, looking around at the three of them.

James stepped forward. "I will be in Gryffindor. It`s in my blood."

Remus smiled at him, noticing James`s pompous attitude. Still, he did not mention it.

Sirius looked as though he were lost in thought. "Well, I reckon I`ll be in either Gryffindor or Slytherin. I really don`t know much about the houses, so I suppose it`s not a very accurate guess." He shrugged, not really caring about his placement. As long as he was Hogwarts, Sirius would remain content.

"And you, Miss Evans?" asked Remus, continuing his smile, which seemed to be permanently plastered on his face.

She looked up from her book. "Ravenclaw, of course," she said as if it was the most obvious thing the world would ever see. "What about you, Remus?"

Remus pressed his lips together and pondered for a moment. "I think I`ll be in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor or Hufflepuff... I really don`t know, actually. I seem to fit all of the houses, really."

Lily smiled and raised one eyebrow. "Well, we will all find out tonight, won`t we?"

The three boys nodded in agreement, James a bit reluctantly, just as the train came to a screeching halt.



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The four new friends looked up at the Hogwarts castle in awe, the rain beating down on their faces. It stood hundreds of feet tall, towering over the grounds, casting a dark shadow upon them. A busy-looking young woman rushed them inside the tall doors of the castle, exclaiming in a shrill voice, "Come, come, first years this way! First years this way!" The first years did as they were told and walked into the Entrance Hall. They were wet and muddy from the thundering storm outside and when they walked, their shoes made odd squishing sounds. They stood now in the Entrance Hall huddled together in tight groups, their teeth chattering endlessly.

Then, all of a sudden, the students heard a cackling laugh above their heads. They looked up to see a small, floating figure that was grinning madly with insanity. "Aww...Look at the ickle first years! Hmm... What ever should I do with you this year?" he asked, laughing himself into hysterics.

The busy-looking woman`s head shot up and she shouted up at the figure, "PEEVES! GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I CALL THE BLOODY BARON ON YOU, YOU MANGY POLTERGEIST!!!" Peeves sped of fat a fast pace, zooming down one of the long corridors, howling with laughter.

The lady straightened her robes and introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, the Head of the Gryffindor House. "Come along, now, you`re a bit late. Don`t want to miss the Sorting Ceremony, do we? No, I didn`t think so," she rambled, mainly talking for the sake of talking, for hardly anyone was paying her attention. Their eyes were far to engrossed with the interior of Hogwarts.



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Sirius, James, Lily and Remus stood nervously in queue waiting for their names to be called. Sirius let out a shaky breath. He would be the first to be sorted into a house out of the four.

"Asante, Amanda," was called forth by McGonagall. The hat was crammed quickly onto her head and in a split second the hat screamed "SLYTHERIN!" Amanda walked off the stage to take her seat amongst the Slytherins as they welcomed their newest member.

"Black, Sirius!" McGonagall called. Sirius walked forward and put the hat upon his head after giving a rueful grin to his friends that were still waiting in queue. Almost immediately the hat began to talk into his ear.

Well, well, well...what have we here? Let`s see.... You`re very smart, yes... Though a bit too troublesome for Ravenclaw, eh? Hmm... Very loyal. A bit too hardcore for Hufflepuff....Now Slytherin. Yes, you`d be a fine Slytherin. Very cunning, you are. Also ambitious...Slytherins love ambition...But wait! What`s this I see? Brave and valiant and all around mischievious... Hmm... That has caused you quite a bit of trouble, no? Well, quite frankly, with a mind like yours you`ll always be in trouble...

Sirius began to grow impatient. It had been a full two minutes while the hat babbled endlessly in his ear. The Great Hall was deadly silent, waiting for the Sorting Hat`s final decision. Well...spit it out already! Sirius thought in frustration towards the hat.

Tell you what, young Sirius. I`ll make you a deal. You get to pick between Slytherin or Gryffindor. Which do you chose?

Sirius thought for a few moments, then remember what house James said he was likely to be in. He made up his mind.

Are you absolutely sure?

Yes.

Alright then. Better be in... "GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius let out a long sigh of relief and walked towards the Gryffindor table, who was applauding him loudly for being the first Gryffindor that year.

He sat next to an older boy who had moved over and introduced himself as Daniel Barbecus and turned to watch the other get sorted. Soon, Lily Evans was called and Sirius waited impatiently as she sat there looking quite ridiculous with the overlarge hat that covered her entire face, only her flaming red hair could be seen sticking out a foot or so longer for almost as long as he had. Finally, the Sorting Hat`s voice rang out announcing she was in Gryffindor. Quite frankly, Lily looked crest fallen from not being in Ravenclaw. However, her spirits picked up a bit when she spotted Sirius and sat next to him.

"I was just so sure I would be in Ravenclaw," she said, looking a bit distant. Daniel Barbecus, who had kept a lingering eyes on Lily, spoke up.

"There there... Gryffindor is the best of the houses, you know. We get all of the glory," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. A boy next to Daniel nodded before cramming a piece of bread in his mouth. "So, what is you name?" Daniel asked, become more infatuated by Lily each minute. Lily smiled, turning on her irresistible charm. Sirius could almost visibly see Daniel melt into his seat. Several boys near her suddenly turned to Lily with sudden interest. It seemed as though Lily possessed a magnet that attracted every male within a thirty foot radius. "Lily Evans," she said sweetly, looking at him with her brilliant green eyes shining in the candlelight. This time, not only did Daniel melt, but nearly every boy around him did. Even those who had other girls clung to their arms. "And you?"

"D-D-Daniel B-Barbecus."

"Nice to meet you," she said smiling, then averting her attention back to the stage. "Oh look, Sirius! Remus is about to get sorted!" she exclaimed happily. Every boy turned and shot eye daggers at Sirius, obviously jealous that she knew him. Sirius shrank back in his seat a bit and turned to look at the stage. Indeed, Remus had just placed the hat on his head. Only a moment later it screamed "GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus happily took off the Sorting Hat and placed it back on the stool before he skipped off to the Gryffindor table to sit with his friends. They chatted a bit until Peter Pettigrew`s name was called. The three of them turned and Remus crossed his finger, praying for Peter not to be placed in Gryffindor. His prayers were answered when the hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"

However, Peter took no notice of the hat`s announcement. He trotted over to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Remus. Remus Lupin groaned and banged his forehead continuously on the table`s wooden surface. Suddenly, James Potter was called to be placed. When Peter caught site of him, he exclaimed, "I KNEW IT! IT`S JAMES POTTER!"

Sirius and Lily groaned in unison at Peter`s stupidity, but kept their eyes on James. He strode confidently from the queue, not a mistake in his practiced stride, and placed the hat upon his head. There was no hesitation what so ever as the hat screamed "GRYFFINDOR!!!" to the audience. James took the hat off his head and smiled his award-winning smile before walking across the Great Hall and joining Sirius at the Gryffindor table.

Now it was the girls` turns to melt. Sirius was sure that one of them would faint from being James`s presence eventually. He was right. A fourth year girl fainted when James asked her a question. It all happened so fast that James just sat there slack-jawed for a full minute before he did anything. The girl was soon revived, but James was sure never to ask her a question for the rest of the night.



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Remus, Sirius, and James were laying on their four-poster beds talking about these past events. Peter had left for the Hufflepuff dormitories, much to their great relief, after being shooed away by a very angry Professor McGonagall.

"Lily Evans is in Gryffindor...I can`t believe it..." James grumbled.

"I`m glad Lily`s in our house!" piped Remus, propping himself up on his elbow. "Why aren`t you, James?"

Silence fell across the room. Sirius and James exchanged glances, leaving Remus even more confused. Sirius rolled onto his back and craned his head to the side to look at James imploringly. He had a question- a question he had asked several times before, but to no avail. "James, why do you hate Lily?"

James sighed and pushed his glasses up on the ridge of his nose. "I really don`t want to tell you..."

"Why not? James, what is so bad about Lily?"

James closed his eyes and swallowed hard, then began to tell his story. "Lily Evans and I used to be great friends a long time ago. We`ve known each other since we were babies..." he paused, only to sigh again. "When I was eight, her mum was diagnosed with cancer. At the time, Lily`s mum was pregnant. She died four months later, with Lily`s little brother in her womb," James said, his throat beginning to seize up. "Lily went into depression....I tried to cheer her up, but nothing seemed to work. I tried everything; at least, everything you could try when you were eight. The loss was too much to bear for her. One day I tried to tell her that it was all in the past and....and we got into a fight. She didn`t want to think of her mum as the past. She just wouldn`t have it," said James, with much difficulty. James turned over on his stomach and looked at his hands, obviously trying to muster up to go on. "After the fight, we didn`t talk for months. Then you came, Sirius," said James, looking up to face his best friend. "When you saw me trying to steal all of that candy...Well, it was for Lily. I was trying to apologize to her. You see, Lily has a sweet spot for sweets..." James Potter smiled, but it quickly faded and his brow furrowed. "All this time..I didn`t hate her; she hated me. She still does."

Neither Sirius or Remus knew what to say. They just laid on their four-posters, stunned into silence. It had never occurred to Sirius that he had never seen Lily`s mum when he was over at her house. He had only seen her father, Jonathan Evans, who was constantly working outside on some project. A feeling in the pit of his stomach rose. It was an empty feeling; the kind you get when you feel upset. He never knew....

James rolled over on his bed, curling the covers up around him, and reached for the light, turning it off. The room grew dark, only allowing the small light from the room and the gray hands of sleep envelop them. Sirius began to drift off to sleep, but before he did, he thought he heard crying coming from James`s bed.



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DISCLAIMER: I own the plot, though it`s terribly sad in this chapter. David Barbecus, Amanda Asante, Thyme, Rosemary, Angela, Flora, and Marreline Black belong to me. All other characters and names mentioned belong to J. K. Rowling and her publishers and her sponsors. Yada yada yada....



NOTE: Well, this was kinda a sad chapter, but it was *important*. ESPECIALLY the conversation between James, Remus, and Sirius. (HINT, HINT:)



****THANK YOU`S: (1st chapter) You realize this adds like 5 kb, right?****



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AND A MAJOR THANK YOU TO EVERYONE OUT THERE WHO REVIEWED AND I DIDN`T MENTION THEM. Chances are I wrote this chapter before you reviewed, so I didn`t have time to catch your name. But trust me, your review is well appricated. Every time I see a new review on the Statistics page, I flip out and go read it, grinning like a great idiot.:)