Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter except for the hair detangler I got for Christmas (I think my mom was trying to tell me something). The rest is Rowling's.
A/N: Sorry about the title of the first chapter—I couldn't resist. J
CHAPTER ONE: Quidditch and Quarrels
A chilly wind swept over the snow-covered Hogwarts grounds. Sirius Black shivered, pulling his cloak further over his face as he walked up towards the castle. He'd been a bloody idiot not to wear his gloves and hat.
"Damn good quidditch game," said Remus, his cheeks flushed with excitement and cold.
"I s'pose so," answered Sirius absently. Now, he supposed, Remus would go off on one of his analyses of the match against Slytherin. Usually he joined in, but today he just didn't feel up to it. He hadn't even enjoyed the game much—he'd had other things on his mind.
Peter pushed up to Sirius. "Hey, look, there are those girls, Si," he said shrilly, pointing at the giggling gang who had lately taken to stalking Sirius.
"Oh, go stick it up your ass," Sirius said exasperatedly. His fan club always tended to annoy him, and Peter was being especially clingy today—the one day when Sirius just wanted to be alone. He saw Remus' startled look, but ignored it and trudged ahead. He didn't think he could stand any more of Peter's worship.
Halfway up the hill to the castle, Sirius stopped and glanced back. He saw Peter lagging behind the mass of students, but kept searching. Finally he spotted Remus, who looked worried, talking to James, who had his arms around two girls. Shortly James detached himself from the Ravenclaw chaser and her friend and fought his way through the crowd up towards Sirius. Reaching his best friend, the two walked quietly for a while. Finally, James broke the silence. "All right, Sirius, want to tell me what it is? Remus says you're royally pissed about something."
Sirius half-smiled. Remus always knew when something was up, but would never confront Sirius about it. "Yeah, he's right." After thinking about it for a moment, though, Sirius added, "Well, not really pissed. More…anxious, I suppose."
James waited for Sirius to continue, with a quizzical look on his face. "So…care to tell me why?"
"Well, long story. Here, I'll explain it once we get to the common room fire. I think I've lost circulation in my nose."
"Serves you right for having a bloody great honker," James shot back, grinning.
Sirius gave him a shove, grinning for the first time that day. "Stuff it, mate. Anyhow, you're not exactly one to talk!"
********
Back in the Gryffindor dormitory, Sirius thawed out his nose in front of the common room fire while James changed out of his Quidditch clothes. Seeing James come down the stairs from the dormitories, Sirius gestured with his head towards a spot away from most of the activity. James nodded and the two headed over to the corner. "So, Sirius, what is it? More girl troubles?" James asked with a twinkle in his eye. Sirius was infamous for utterly ignoring every witch at Hogwarts, no matter how enthusiastically they flirted with him.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Merlin, James, you can be such a berk! No, I'm serious about this."
"Well, aren't you always Sirius?"
"James, that joke was old the first time I heard it. So do you want me to tell you or not?" Sirius said, starting to get a little exasperated.
"All right, all right, sorry. Now will you begin already?"
"Well, that's what I've been trying to do, you git! Ok, here goes." Sirius took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then spoke. "I left home over the holidays."
"Is that all? I left home too! Went to Diagon Alley, went to Remus' house, went to a pub, even went to the post office!" James said, counting on his fingers. Sirius just stared at him, shaking his head. "Well, all right, so you ran away! I've been waiting for you to do it for the last five years, the way you talk about your family."
"Don't you understand, James? I ran away from home! Dear old Mum's probably blasted me off of the family tree by now! There's nowhere for me to go—I don't have any other relatives I'm willing to stay with, I'm too young to get my own place, and I'm sure as hell not going back!"
"Whoa, Sirius, calm down!" James said, raising his eyebrows. "Of course you have somewhere to go. My house!"
"Yeah right, James. As if that would ever work. Don't know what your parents would say to that, either," Sirius said, looking at James and rolling his eyes.
"Well, since they've already agreed to it, I think that they would probably ask you when you're moving in," James remarked, a smile on his face.
"How do you work that one, James? You just found out that I ran away about two minutes ago, so how would they know, much less agree to let me live with them?"
"You're not listening to me," James said, grinning now. "I told you, I've known that you were leaving for the last five years! Last summer I asked them what they would do when you finally ran away for good. They said of course you could come live with us. 'Oh, Sirius is such a nice boy, and after all, anyone would want to run away from that dreadful family!'" James said, mimicking his mother's voice.
"James, if you're taking the mickey I'll kill you," Sirius said, a smile starting on his face.
"Sorry, Sirius, I was," said James, an apologetic look on his face. The grin on Sirius' face disappeared and he slumped down in his chair. "Didn't know you'd take it so hard," James said, leaning over to pat Sirius on the shoulder. "See, actually I asked them two summers ago."
Sirius jumped up and grabbed James in a headlock, which James broke out of by rolling over a table. Their impromptu wrestling match continued, knocking over half of the chairs in the common room and creating a ring of cheering Gryffindors around the two. Finally, when James and Sirius rolled dangerously close to the fire, a prefect stepped in to break them up. Sirius stood, a grin splitting his face.
"You bastard!" James said, panting in between bursts of laughter.
"Ah, you know you love me."