So... hiya! Welcome to the official tale of the Marauders, and how their seven years of friendship went (with lots of drama, of course, who doesn't like drama?). I love this story and will never stop it, and I really hope you guys enjoy! It's not totally canon, but it's got lots of things that (hopefully) make you laugh! If you're not one for mischief, then be warned...
This book's got a lot.
Disclaimer: I do not own or put claims on any of the Harry Potter Enterprise! If I did, I'd be a millionaire by now ;)
"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!" screamed Regulus, slamming Sirius with a pillow with every word.
"Okay, I'm up," Sirius sat up, rubbing his eyes disorientedly. "What are you doing, Regulus? Mum could catch you in my room any moment."
Regulus rolled his eyes and only then did Sirius realize he was already dressed, which meant he had already woken up. "For the record, it's 10 minutes past morning," he said snarkily. Regulus then turned around and ran, laughing.
Sirius jumped off the bed with a grumble. His mom was going to murder him for this. He quickly ran downstairs - still in his nightrobe - and his mother, who was talking to their house elf Kreacher, turned around and glared at him. His dad, who was leaving the room, shoved Sirius into the doorframe with a cold look on his face.
"SIRIUS BLACK! Why couldn't you be like Regulus? Do you realize you are ten minutes late? Did it slip your mind to wear proper clothes? Or brush your teeth? I bet you a galleon that bed isn't made."
Sirius resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he looked at his mother, Walburga. She had extremely curly black hair and was wearing a long black dress with gray curls. She was giving him such a murderous look that made it look like Sirius had done something really horrible - like murdered somebody.
"You just have to get up ten minutes earlier, is that too hard to ask? Go back to your room, finish your chores, and then come down. And since it's ten minutes past 5:30, then I expect you to wake up at 4:30 tomorrow instead, am I clear?"
"Yes," mumbled Sirius, kicking a chair. Had the world stopped spinning in ten minutes? No. So why was she making it such a big deal?
"Look at me in the eye and repeat that without moving, Sirius Orion Black." Sirius looked up, thoroughly annoyed. "Yes," he repeated.
"Good," said his father Orion, tucking his wand into his pocket and entering the room. "Also, the Lestranges are coming over. I expect you to play with your cousins. Properly. I don't want last week's incident repeating."
Sirius swallowed as he remembered last week's incident, which involved a few pressure cookers, a ripped up shirt, and a very angry house elf.
The rest of the day was spent with Sirius being excited and doing his cruel chores, the kindest of which included cleaning Orion's feet and washing the dishes simultaneously, before the Lestranges came over and Sirius was forced to play with their nasty daughters: Bellatrix looked more like Walburga than her mom and was the snarkiest and rudest of them all. Narcissa had curly blonde hair and was quite as cold and snarky. Andromeda was the last of them; kind at heart, but bossy outside. She was the only relative that Sirius actually enjoyed talking to - other than Uncle Alphard.
"Hi, Sirius," Bellatrix said nastily. "You're going to Hogwarts tomorrow, then?"
"I am going to Hogwarts tomorrow," confirmed Sirius, nodding, feeling excited.
"Shut up, Sirius, you're repeating exactly what I said so your two-year-old brain can understand it," she remarked. Sirius rolled his eyes. She loved getting an excuse to yell at anybody.
Regulus walked in the room at that moment. "Hi, Meda. Cissy. Bella."
"Hi Regulus," said Andromeda, plopping on a chair. "You want to play Gobstones, all four of us?" Regulus, unsurprisingly, shook his head. He didn't like Gobstones.
"Get ready to lose, sis," said Narcissa coldly, sinking in a chair next to her.
"ALL OF YOU, BE PREPARED TO LOSE!" Bellatrix spat, dropping on the last chair. "Sirius, you're on the floor."
In the end, Sirius won, followed by Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix in last place ("Ohh, you cheaters!").
The next morning, Sirius woke up thirty minutes later and ran downstairs with a packed trunk. They had already gone to Diagon Alley and done the needing; now all that remained was for him to board the train. They went to Platform 9 ¾ and the train whistle blew.
"You'd better make sure you got everything, or else we won't send anything you forgot to pack," snapped his mother.
"Yeah. And you know the rules," added Orion. "Be nice to fellow Slytherins. Only make friends with pure-bloods, half-bloods if necessary. Do not associate yourselves with Mudbloods. But most important," he stepped forward menacingly, "get sorted to Slytherin. On second thoughts...I don't have to worry about that. No son of mine could be such a disgrace. But...you HAVE to be a proper Slytherin and don't make contact with ANY scum. Or else." He glowered at his son. "Now go to Hogwarts and learn and be a true Black."
His mother feebly pushed him onto the train. Orion gave a stiff glare, and Regulus cried, "Don't be an idiot, idiot!"
Sirius didn't wave back. He climbed onto the train, excited to live a new life with friends and excitement. He climbed onto the train and bumped into a grinning boy with messy black hair.
"Sorry," he said, smiling at the boy. "I sort of wasn't looking."
"Don't worry about it," replied the other boy, laughing. "It's a sport for me to bump into people. Do it all the time."
Both boys laughed.
"I'm Sirius by the way," said Sirius, holding out his hand. "Sirius Black."
The boy's face immediately soured a little bit, and Sirius felt his spirits plummet slightly. Maybe he shouldn't be introducing his name as "Black." Nobody but the stuck-up Purebloods liked the Blacks after all. He'd been hoping to create his own legacy in Hogwarts, not immediately be stereotypes as someone like his dad or cousins.
"James Potter," said the boy, accepting his hand.
"Potter," mused Sirius. His family knew them as Blood-Traitors. Okay, it was time to clear the air quickly before the encounter got awkward and he wouldn't be able to make one friend in this place. "Let's find a compartment."
They found an empty compartment and sat inside it. Nobody talked for a while, but James looked like he was itching to say something.
"You play Quidditch?" blurted James. Sirius looked up, amused. "Sorry," He mumbled, not looking very sorry.
"No, no, it's fine," laughed Sirius, quickly showing he wasn't like his family. "I love Quidditch. I play it sometimes. Do you follow the Despicable Daisies?"
"They're called Despicable for a reason," said James, eyeing him carefully. "But I follow them. They're so horrible, they're consistently last every year."
"You know it actually isn't Despicable Daisies...it's the Dancing Daisies, but Despicable has a better ring to it, you know?" asked Sirius.
"Yeah," said James, fiddling with the corner of his shirt. "Actually...I had a question for you. You're a Black-" Sirius's heart fell, "-but you're not acting like one at all. From what I've heard, they don't mingle with non...well...Pureblood supremacist type people." Sirius frowned. James was definitely an extrovert who didn't mind saying what was on his mind. Sirius decided to mirror that and be honest.
"You're correct. They don't. And if they do, it's to hex them or murder them. But I am not a Black." As James's face tightened in confusion, Sirius went on. "Technically, I am. But I am not like a Black. Please don't judge me as a typical one. I am my own person. Blacks don't laugh at or make jokes."
James pondered that. "Alright. Sorry for...judging you. Blacks don't make jokes?"
"Not normally," responded Sirius.
"Odd." They were both silent. "Hey, so, did you watch the London League last year?"
They both started talking about Quidditch until a red-haired girl opened the door, her eyes puffy and red, while Sirius was laughing at a joke James had told him about a Bludger, a Seeker, and a Devil's Snare. She didn't talk to either of them, just went in and sat in the corner, looking out the window.
"You reckon she's all right?" asked Sirius, frowning at the girl.
James shrugged. "Are you alright?" he asked the girl, who sniffed and nodded.
"I think we should leave her alone," Sirius advised, and they continued their talk of whether Butterbeer or Firewhiskey was better during a Quidditch Final.
A few minutes later, the compartment door opened again, and the two boys turned around to see a tall hook-nosed boy walk in, without paying attention to either of them but went and sat with the girl. Sirius didn't care until they started their talk about houses and the four of them got into an argument about Slytherin vs Gryffindor. The boy and girl left after quite a while of teasing.
Then a short mousy boy walked into the room, scrunching his nose.
"And what do you want?" asked Sirius, as this was the 3rd time they'd been interrupted by somebody else.
"I've just been kicked out of another compartment with 5 seventh years," He sniffed. "They said it was crowded. Can you believe that?"
"Er…" Sirius was tempted to say yes, but this boy looked extremely sensitive so he refrained from saying anything.
"What's your name?" asked James, looking at the mousy boy.
"Peter Pettigrew," he said. He had a high pitched voice which sounded like he was pinching his nose as he talked.
"Cool. I'm James. That's Sirius."
Peter nodded as the trolley lady came. "Anything off the cart?" She asked. Sirius wondered if those were the only words she knew.
Sirius bought Fizzing Whizbees and Droobles Gum, and James bought Cauldron Cakes. Peter Pettigrew bought Licorice Wands, Taffy, Chocolate Covered Galleons, Pumpkin Pastries, Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, and Chocolate Frogs, plus what Sirius and James had bought.
"Blimey," said James. "Thanks, but we're not hungry."
"I'm not sharing," said Peter, looking up as though that was a stupid question. "This is for me. If you want more, go buy more."
James and Sirius exchanged looks and started talking about Hogsmeade as the train gently rolled into Hogwarts.
"Firs' years, come this way! Over here, firs' years!" called a tall man with a giant beard. James and Sirius followed him and Peter Pettigrew scrambled behind them.
The three of them got in a boat with a tall sandy-haired boy who introduced himself quietly as Remus John Lupin.
The Sorting came, and Sirius's heart sank. He had been torn between his family's legacy or his own. He didn't want to be Slytherin one bit. All his family had been in Slytherin, but he didn't agree with their views on the world, thinking only purebloods were great. He wanted to be Gryffindor...or maybe Ravenclaw. But he preferred Gryffindor. He knew he would be disowned by his family if he was Gryffindor, but what was he supposed to do?
"Black, Sirius!" screamed the tall teacher, Professor McGonagall. Nervously, Sirius clambered up and allowed the hat to drape his head.
Let's see, the hat mused quietly. Another Black? So that would make you a Slytherin by tradition...but what's this? You don't really want to be a Slytherin? Okay then...loyal, very loyal, but somehow I feel there is more to you than that...studies aren't really your interest, so not Ravenclaw. But you seem daring and brave...okay then, GRYFFINDOR!
Sirius stayed rooted to the spot, smiling, looking shaken up. The great hall quieted down, even the Gryffindor cheer wasn't as loud as it normally was. James Potter roared and smiled at Sirius, though on the opposite side of the hall, Narcissa was looking furious, her eyes glinting with rage and anger as the Slytherins hushed, looking shocked. All Blacks were Slytherin. Sirius...wasn't? What did that make him? When it was Remus Lupin's turn, he also got sorted to Gryffindor, and so did Peter and James. James and Sirius sat together. Peter waved at them, but went to sit at the edge of the table, and Remus sat alone at the opposite end.
Finally, they went to their dormitory, and Remus, Sirius, Peter, and James all got a dormitory together.
As James was walking into the dormitory, he dropped his trunk and his contents spilled out.
"James, you use this type of quill?" Sirius asked enviously. "That costs a fortune!"
"Yeah," mumbled James sheepishly, bending down to pick up his spilled books and luggage.
"I can help," Remus said politely. James and Sirius both looked up, surprised. Remus was bending down, offering to help pick up James's supplies, while Sirius (who knew James better) was lounging on his bed, chewing on the pastries he had nicked from the train.
"Sure! Oh, uh, thanks," James muttered, winking at him. Remus smiled back politely and helped pick up the bag of galleons James had dropped.
"Here you go," Remus said after five minutes, dropping the last prank nougat into his trunk.
"Thank you!" James gave him a broad smile.
"You're welcome," Remus said, nodding his head.
"See that?" asked James. "See that, Sirius, this guy barely knows me and offers to pick up my supplies, whereas you eat some stolen pastry?"
Sirius stuck out his tongue and popped another pastry in his mouth.
"Alright, I'm going to bed, and I value my sleep," said Remus, looking at them. "And this bed is mine, if that's alright."
"Okay," said James, jumping on his bed. "Mine. Let's sleep it off then, we have classes tomorrow. But not like that's a concern. I'm planning to go exploring tonight. You coming?"
"No," said Remus, staring at him as though he had expressed the need to grow a third eye. "And you shouldn't either. That could get you in trouble!"
"Does it look like I care?" asked James. "Please, Remus, come?" Sirius could tell that James liked Remus a lot, and he couldn't help but agree. The guy was nice from what he could tell, but quiet. Not in an introvert-ish way, though, almost as if he had a hidden self to him...
"No," repeated Remus, and closed his curtains.
"I'm going to bed," said Peter. "Night, all. I like mischief though...just not on our first day." He shut his curtains.
"You're better than Remus," James laughed. "He doesn't ever want to explore."
Sirius broke into a grin. "That's a point. Peter, you need to help us bring Remus to like mischief. And in return, we'll teach you not to get too upset with bullies."
"I don't cry!" said Peter from behind his curtains.
Sirius exchanged looks with James. "Yeah," said James. "But we'll teach you to stand up for yourself. So you can beat everybody up. Sirius, are you coming to explore?"
Sirius grinned, glad to have a friend like James who didn't care about the rules.
"I'm in," he replied.