Believing in What You Will
Part Four: On the Road Again

Sirius hauled his trunk into a cabin. He leaned back against the seat, wallowing, relishing in the ability to sit full on it without pain. Riddle's favor, and someone overhearing his set down of Peter, had led his mother to left the bane on healing his back.

He was very thankful that she had done it before Mr. Ketteridge had taken him to that game. He was beginning to take a real shine to Quidditch, and had been able to move his body after the game when his uncle had gotten him a one on one with the winning coach.

"Sirius!"

Sirius sat up. 'Trust James to go up and down the train shouting my name.'

"Sirius!"

The door in the cabin next to Sirius's slammed.

"Sirius!" The door to his cabin was thrown open.

"Sirius!" James grinned in relief.

"Looking forward to seeing me?" Sirius laughed.

"Yep!" James plopped himself down. "Ready for the next semester?"

"I believe so," Sirius nodded. "Have you finished the History of Magic parchment?"

"Nope," James banged his heels against the seat.

"When do you think you'll write it?" Sirius asked.

"Depends on what our schedule is like." James shrugged.

"Did you do any work this summer?"

"Yep," James grinned. "I worked on my Quidditch."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "any school work?"

"Finished potions and Defense." James considered. "Even worked on my transfiguration."

"You could have said that you only did half the work," Sirius muttered. "You didn't have to make me think you'd done none of it."

James opened his mouth.

"Don't say 'but where would the fun in that be.'" Sirius challenged.

James stuck out his tongue. "What is with you and 'fun'? Didn't you and Snapiepoo run around those pureblooded meetings and such playing tag?"

"Did I just hear you ask about playing 'tag' at party?" Sirius gave him an incredulous look. "Tag, at a Society Party?"

"No," James gave him a strange look. "Didn't you play tag at your parties?"

Sirius just looked at him.

"Like the party you had for your birthday," James prompted. "Or maybe Severus's?"

"Well," Sirius considered this, "Is tag a game where you run around trying to hex someone before they hex you?"

"Not generally," James said slowly. "Though I guess it could be considered a type of tag, just not the type I was talking about."

Sirius grinned. "Yes we played tag. The kind where you run around trying to touch another person so they are it, not you."

James smacked the other boy's arm. "Don't do that!"

Sirius laughed. "Well, you just have this way of viewing us members of the upper class, and I couldn't help but take advantage of it."

James blinked.

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

James burst out laughing.

"Gee," Remus drawled as he stood in the open doorway. "This seems to be such a swinging cabin."

"Oh Merlin!" James groaned. "More Muggle phrases!"

"You should never have taken me to that movie," Remus smiled as he plopped down next to Sirius.

"Movie?" Sirius asked.

"A Muggle thing," Remus said airily.

"And how did you get to participate in this Muggle thing?" Sirius threw a look at James.

"That would be me," James smirked. "It was fun, I never saw anyone so floored by technology before."

"So I take it you two had fun this summer?" Sirius inquired.

"Except for when he had to rush to his grandmother's side." James nodded. "Then we weren't together."

"Also," Remus hugged Sirius. "James and I were apart for the wedding. Which is when we were together."

"True," James sniffed. "I felt so abandoned by you two." He looked at them and furrowed his brow. "I've found Sirius, and Remus has found me, so..." He glanced over at the door. "That leaves Peter."

"I saw him at the station, but lost him in the crowd." Remus told him.

"I'll go look for him then," James stood up and headed out the door. "You two stay here so I don't lose you again, and keep my owl safe!"

"He had an owl with him?" Remus asked.

"Not that I saw," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"So," Remus gave Sirius a hard look. "Do you want to talk about it freely or am I going to have to hex it out of you?"

"About what?" Sirius tilted his head.

"About why you were wincing at the wedding when Peter touched your back," Remus reached out to touch Sirius's back as if to prove his point.

"My back was sore that day," Sirius admitted. "I had been doing some Quidditch training and forgot to do the proper stretches."

Remus's didn't look convinced, and his next words proved it. "What happened after your mother dragged you out of Flourish and Blotts?"

"I got a lecture," Sirius shrugged.

"No Cruciatus?" Remus demanded.

"No curses or hexes at all," Sirius reassured him.

Remus gave him a large smile that nearly lite up the whole cabin, "I still worry though." His smile slipped and a shadow crossed her face.

"Well," Sirius could feel tears behind his eyes. "It's a friend's prerogative to worry." The two boys shared a look. "Or so James says."

Remus leaned back. "I've never had a friend to worry about before."

Sirius closed his eyes. "All I ever really had was Severus, and to worry would have been the death of both of us."

Remus reached out and clasped Sirius hand. "What happened?"

"I can't tell you," Sirius's voice caught. "I want to, but I can't."

"What's with you two?" James said as he flung the door open on his triumphant return. He then launched himself at the nonexistent space between the two boys.

Sirius laughed at the messy haired boy's antics then looked over at Peter who was still standing in the doorway with a somewhat dumbstruck expression on his face. Sirius quickly looked away before the other boy could establish eye contact.

"Come on Peter!" James had apparently just remembered the boy. "Come join in."

"Where?" Peter raised an eyebrow at the tangle that was his roommates.

"Oh just come on!" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Just hop on. What's a little space between us?"

"Yeah," Remus grinned. "Sort of like when we all fell asleep on Sirius's bed."

"If you remember," Peter said slowly. "I wasn't quite involved in that party."

James shrugged. "Well come and join in the party now."

Almost shyly Peter entered and sat down next to Remus. His movements were very cautious.

James squirmed around until he was laying across the other's laps.

"Explain to me how I ended up with your feet." Sirius looked down.

"Eh," James saved his hand lazily. "Just the luck of the draw."

"So I am lucky to get your hands hitting me?" Remus said as James's hand hit his nose.

"A yep." James smiled.

"Peter," Sirius leaned forward and nearly dislodged the feet.

"Yes?" Peter's head whipped toward him.

"Can you gag him?"

"Who?" Peter's brow creased.

"Yeah," James agreed. "Who."

"James," Sirius pleaded. "Gag James."

"But why?" James demanded.

"Because you annoy me?" Sirius hazarded.

"Sirius," James sat up and pouted. "I thought..."

Remus rolled his eyes and pushed James off his lap. "No Potter, you didn't think."

"Ouch!" James moaned from the floor. "Watcha do that for."

"Because you annoy me?" Remus smiled at Sirius.

"See?" Sirius pulled his legs up to his chest. "Its not just me."

"Neither of you are fun." James groused.

Sirius and Remus burst out laughing.

"What are you two on about?" Peter asked.

"Nothing," Sirius gasped as he leaned against Remus.

"Just James," Remus agreed.

"Having fun?" James asked haughtily from the floor.

"Just a little," Remus smiled.

"I'm so glad I could be your whipping boy." James muttered as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Potter," Sirius smiled as his attention was drawn to doorway, with Severus standing in it. "I couldn't be happier that you have accepted your lot in life."

James frowned. "How now?"

"Easy there four eyes," Sirius said lazily as the train lurched round a bend and James was nearly sent sprawling. "Let it go."

"The slimy snake comes in to our cabin and insults me, and I am supposed to 'let it go'?" James asked.

"At least until we have discovered why he's here," Sirius reasoned. "He may want sanctuary from his so called 'friends' after all, and as Gryffindors we may have to grant it."

James sat down and fixed a glare upon Snape. "Well?"

"I was merely attempting to check upon a friend," Severus drawled. "And warn him that his betrothed is in a bad mood. She should probably be approached and soothed at his earliest convenience."

"Since none of us here are betrothed to anyone this obviously doesn't involve us." James said dismisively.

"Speak for yourself Potter," Severus smirked. His face clearly stated that he not only knew something, but he would be more than delighted to impart it.

"Severus," Sirius cut in before James could get even more annoyed. "Are you quite done with what you came to say?"

Severus nodded shortly.

"Then you should probably depart post haste," Remus smiled. "Who knows what will upset James next."

"Then I take my leave," Snape gave them a short bow. "After all, I would hate for anyone to have detention on the first night."

Peter jumped up as the door shut behind the Slytherin. "Merlin, but he's annoying."

"I agree," James huffed. "He is so smug, like he knew something I didn't."

"Maybe he does," Remus grinned. "He did get the top marks in Potions."

James shot Remus the glare that had recently been trained on the absent Slytherin. "You know full well that I was talking about him knowing something about the subject about which he was talking about me not knowing anything about."

"Now that wasn't a confusing sentence at all." Remus teased.

James rolled his eyes.

"So are any of us betrothed?" Peter laughed. "It seems so unlikely."

"Well I'm not!" James snapped. "And I could never be called even remotely friendly with Snape. I leave that up to the rest of you."

"Hey!" Peter protested. "We may have to attend some of the same social functions, but I don't ever talk to him."

"Well good for you," James smiled. "But the rest of our little group is conspicuously silent on the issue."

"I wouldn't exactly call myself and Snape friends," Remus shrugged. "I'm friendly, don't doubt that, but we've only talked once or twice."

"I'm Severus's friend." Sirius stated unapologeticaly. "I've known him since birth, don't expect me to give him up just because you, my new friends, don't all like him."

"But are you betrothed?" James asked as the train came to a stop. "And I don't mean to Snape."

"Not yet," Sirius grabbed his bag as he stood up. "However I wouldn't be surprised if it happened soon."

"Really?" James prodded as he followed Sirius out the door. "Why's that?"

"So that my mother can rest assured that my legitimate children will be pureblooded." Sirius looked over his shoulder at James.

"Uh?" James was so caught up in processing the information that he nearly fell down the stairs.

"Just telling you what I was told," Sirius grinned as he stepped onto the Hogsmeade platform.

"Mr. Black," a voice from his right said coldly. "May I request your presence in my carriage up to Hogwarts?"

"Who are you?" James demanded as the two boys spun around.

"Sirius knows," Impetua smiled. "And I am sure that once he remembers his manners he'll introduce us so you will know as well."

Sirius shook his head to clear it. James and Impetua were two people he had never been able to think of in the same space, not really anyway. "Impetua Malfoy, may I present James Potter?"

"Certainly you may," Impetua's smile got wider. "Though I am sure my mother would counsel me to refuse."

"Huh," James grunted.

"So my dear," Impetua leaned toward Sirius. "Will you join me? Or will you leave me to the wolves?"

"The wolves have nothing on you," Sirius grinned.

Impetua raised an eyebrow.

Sirius sighed and gave James an apologetic look. "I will join you."

End Notes:
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