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A/N: Meh… wow, this is the third chapter I've written in one day.  I'm quite happy with myself actually.  I am ADDICTED to this story so far; it's giving me a high like a drug, sort of like I'm addicted to my original story that I hope to get published.  And in between writing that and this, my updates might be a few days apart, but I will update as much as I can.  Any suggestions or ideas I would gladly take in reviews or e-mails.  Sorry about the last chapter (the summer with the boys) because I couldn't really think of much to happen with them.  I was trying to focus around what the girls had been focusing around; just to help show that Erin, Suzuki, Sirius, Remus and Peter have the same mind tracks, while Lily and James are disgusted with each other.  For now.  And yes, I did read OotP, but I'm making James not ask her out in fifth year, even if she would just say no, and I'm making them get together in sixth year, rather than seventh.  And I'm going to make them friends beforehand.  Just warning all of you, so don't come complaining to me!  It's the way the plot flows; you don't like it, you shouldn't be reading it.

And I'm basing the Marauders, Lucius and Snape on how I see them in their school years; so if you don't like how one of them is acting, feel free to complain, but it's how I see them, I can't make them act any other way if I tried.  Apologies for ranting.  Good day.

Ooh, and by the way, Erin is my character counterpart.  She is identical to the way I would behave if I were in these situations and with these people.  Trust me.  And Suzuki is like my best friend. XP

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Chapter III – On the Train and the Sorting

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When James and the other Marauders reached the train station, and reached platform 9 ¾ they were pleased to see that they were some of very few Hogwarts students there; they would have a very high chance of finding a compartment to themselves.  The boys then loaded themselves onto the train after putting their trunks where they belonged.  They found an empty compartment, the large one at the back of the train, and all of them sprawled out in there.

Remus seated himself on one of the seats, and began to read some muggle book he liked.  Sirius was lying, sprawled out on the floor as if he were dead, tongue hanging out of his mouth.  James was lying on his stomach up in the luggage compartment above the seats, which was empty other than him, and he was looking down at them all.  Peter was sitting on the other seat nervously.

"What's wrong Wormtail?" James asked, looking down at him.

"Ooh, nothing," Peter answered.  "Just… a little nervous about fifth year, that's all."

"That's a wonderful excuse Wormtail; would you like me to translate what he said for you Prongs?" Remus asked, not bothering to look up from his book as he spoke.

"Sure," James said, looking down at Remus.  "Go ahead Moony."

Peter seemed to become even more nervous.  "Well," Remus said.  "Peter's rather attracted to Erin, Suzuki and Lily… and some other girl from Slytherin, but I can't remember her name," Remus added, with a wave of his hand as he kept reading, trying not to lose his place.  Peter started to shake his head quickly, as James gave him a look; and Sirius flopped his head over to face the other way to look at Peter oddly.

"You like Suzuki, Erin and Lily?  How come you didn't tell Prongs and I?" Sirius asked lazily.

"I thought you two would make fun of me, and then I found out that James liked Lily and…" Peter was interrupted.

"I don't like Lily!" James nearly shouted.  This caused Remus to jump and drop his book.  "Oops, sorry Moony."

"It's okay Prongs," Remus said, reaching down he picked up his book, but Sirius snatched it first.  At first he looked at the cover upside down, then right side up.  He then slowly looked at Remus, as if Remus were crazy.  Remus's blushed heavily.

"You read romance books!" Sirius asked.  "What is it with you and – and that… that stuff?  First you try and convince me that love is real; and now you're reading a book like this!"

"Relax Padfoot, there's nothing wrong with it," James said.  "It's just the way Moony is; it's just what suits his interests."

"Ooh, you mean like Erin?"

"Shut up Padfoot and give me my book!" Remus said, snatching the book back from Sirius, stuffing it into the small bag he had brought with him.  Sirius stuck his tongue out at Remus.  Remus glared at Sirius.

"Anyhow," James said.  "I thought we were supposed to be mocking Peter here?"

"Hey!" Peter squeaked, but it seemed nobody else was paying any attention to him.  Sirius nodded, but then shrugged slightly and looked up at James.

"I don't know, I kind of like teasing and mocking Moony," Sirius said.

James just rolled his eyes, and then the compartment door slid open; Erin, Suzuki, Lily and a much younger boy, who was clearly just starting first year, were standing there.  "Ooh, sorry," Lily apologized.  "We'll go and find a different compartment," she then turned to walk off, but Erin and Suzuki each grabbed one of her arms.

"You don't mind if we stay in here with you guys, do you?" Suzuki asked.  "There are no better compartments, and Erin needs to be with her 'pets'."

Erin merely grinned at the words.  James and the other Marauders nodded; and Erin and Suzuki practically dragged Lily into the compartment, the young boy scampering in after them and shutting the compartment door.

Lily sat down grumpily in the corner of the compartment, arms crossed over her stomach and knees pulled up to her chest.

Suzuki lay on her stomach beside Sirius, who looked over at her and grinned; looking her over. (Sorry Steph, again, I'm giving him the air of a player-type guy.  Sorry. XP)

Erin climbed up, lying in the luggage rack beside James; who had moved over for her to lay there.  The younger boy went over and sat down at Remus's feet.

The other boy had brown hair like Erin had, and had glasses that were too big for him.  He had blue eyes and was short.  Shorter than Peter was.

"So, who's this?" Sirius asked, nodding to the boy.

"That's my little brother, Patrick," Erin said.  Kesh and Drogan were also in the compartment, Drogan had fluttered onto Remus's stomach, curling up there and falling asleep.  Kesh was sitting in a dark corner, shoulders slumped, watching everyone as if glaring at them all, except for Suzuki.

Sirius nodded.  "Nice to meet you Patrick," he said.  "I'm Sirius.  That's Peter," Sirius said, motioning to Peter; since Erin had Remus to her house several times before, he knew that Patrick had already met Remus.  And since James was her cousin through their mother's side; James knew him as well.

"Nice to meet you as well," Patrick said with a short nod.  It was clear he was nervous, since it was his first year and all and he was in a compartment with a bunch of fifth years.

"Don't worry Patrick, Hogwarts isn't bad, it's really fun," Erin said.  "I am sure you'll meet a lot of people you like, and you'll make good friends."

"Aren't we good friends?" Sirius asked, glaring up at Erin as if accusing her of saying otherwise.

"Of course dimwit, but he needs friends of his age too," Erin said.

"You hurt my feelings," Sirius pouted, folding his arms over his chest.

Erin rolled her eyes.  "Don't worry Sirius; Suzuki will make you feel much, much better."

"Ick!" Suzuki looked up at Erin, glaring.  "I wouldn't!  Sirius just wants some sympathy, he's being really pathetic!"

"In a cute way though," Lily pointed out, and Suzuki sent her a glare too.

"I thought you didn't like my pets Lily," Erin accused, looking down at her, smirking however, from her place next to James in the luggage rack.

"I-I don't…" Lily said, flushing.  "B-but I was just… just saying…"

Erin laughed at her, and the train started to slow to a stop.  Erin and James climbed out of the luggage compartment, and Drogan hopped onto Erin's shoulders.  Remus got to his feet, as did Sirius, Suzuki, Peter, Lily and Patrick.

With that the gang made their way off the train to find a carriage, and to help Patrick find Hagrid (which wasn't all that hard).

After they sent Patrick to Hagrid; James, Erin, Remus and Lily found a carriage and loaded into it.  Peter, Sirius and Suzuki got into a different carriage.  They would meet up with the others in the Great Hall.

The carriages began to move; and rain began to patter atop the carriages.  The poor first years would be drenched by the time they reached the school.  The older years moved out of the carriages, many of them had the hoods of their cloaks up so that they wouldn't get too wet.  Except for Erin and Suzuki though.

Both girls had their hoods down, arms open, standing still, letting the cold rain fall on them.  Well, until they were dragged into the castle by the others.

Everyone took their seats in the Great Hall; Erin splitting off and going to Snape and Malfoy to sit with them at the Slytherin table where she belonged.  Suzuki sat beside Lily at the Gryffindor table, far away from the Marauders.  Erin was the only reason the other two girls hung around with the Marauders.

"Potter is so… urgh…" Lily clenched her fists on the table.

"Lily, you're talking about Erin's cousin," Suzuki said.  "Besides, why did you just bring him up if you hate him?  Why wouldn't you be trying to avoid the subject?"

"I…" Lily just shook her head.  "You wouldn't understand," she then went about watching as the first years marched in for the sorting.

Everyone turned their attention to the already-nervous first years, some of which were trembling slightly with fear.  Some of the older years smiled reassuringly at them, while others whispered untrue things to them that made them even more scared.

Erin, Lucius and Severus watched with detached expressions, as if they were talking telepathically to each other or something.  Even if they weren't.

Sirius was trying to scare the first years as best he could, saying that he was thankful he wasn't the one having to be part of the sorting ceremony.

"Padfoot," Remus elbowed Sirius in the ribs, and tried to reassure some of the first years that Sirius wasn't being… serious.

Soon after that the sorting ceremony began, and the entire Hall fell silent to listen to the sorting hat, breaking into cheers in the appropriate places.

"Where do you reckon Patrick'll be?" James asked softly to Sirius, Remus and Peter.

"Probably in Slytherin, with his sister," Peter squeaked out.  James nodded slightly.

"I don't know though…" he said.  "Everyone in Erin's family was in Gryffindor except for her father and herself; even her older brother was in Gryffindor.  Her father and her were both in Slytherin…"

"She's related to you mate," Sirius said.  "Through her mother; so that's probably why her mother was in Gryffindor."

"But then why is she in Slytherin?"

"Can't clear that up for you," Sirius said with a shrug, as a couple of first years moved to their appropriate tables.

"Moonshadow, Patrick!"

Patrick stepped forward, sitting on the stool; the sorting hat was placed on his head; ready to make the choice of where to place him.

"Hmm… Moonshadow… but related to the Potters… where to put you?  Gryffindor or Slytherin…" The hat ranted on softly to itself, and seemed to finally make up its mind.

TO BE CONTINUED (even if where he's going to be placed is obvious)