Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot and idea of this story. And Volcano Vittles. The rest is Rowling's.
Sorry about the wait, everyone. I've been very distracted and I had to work this summer, so I didn't get much time to work on this. And now the fourth chapter is giving me writer's block. Urrgg....
Hogwarts Express, 1991
"Welcome to the first Marauder's meeting, Remus," Peter said.
"So, besides world domination, what else are we discussing?" queried Remus. Sirius looked from James to Peter, and then shrugged.
"No clue. We were talking about which house would be the best, I think," he said casually, slouching in his seat. "We're thinking Gryffindor. How about you?"
"Gryffindor, too," Remus replied quickly. "Both my parents were in there."
"Who are your parents?"
"My Mum's name is Hermione Granger-Weasley."
Peter shot up in his seat. "No way!" James looked curiously at him and Sirius, who looked quite interested as well. Remus sighed, clearly used to the attention, and nodded. Peter's eyes widened. "So your dad is – "
"Ron Weasley," Remus provided. Sirius and Peter looked at each other meaningfully. James felt a little annoyed.
"What are you going on about?" he asked. Sirius glanced at him.
"Oh, right," he said, "you probably wouldn't know about it yet."
"About what?" James insisted.
"I'll tell him, seeing as how I would know the most about it," Remus said shortly. "My mother and father were your dad's best friends at Hogwarts." James sat up straighter. "They got married and had me, obviously. But just before You-Know-Who, er, attacked you, my dad disappeared. He didn't leave any traces of himself. Just vanished into thin air. I never got to know him." Remus sounded a bit sad. James nodded; he knew exactly how the boy felt.
"The odd thing is, the same thing happened to my Aunt Ginny a couple of years earlier, just after she left Hogwarts. No one has a clue about where either of them went. Some say that he went to be a Death Eater, but that's a load of dung. Mum's a Muggle-born, and if he had any prejudices against the like, he wouldn't have married her. That, and he personally caught several Death Eaters, which wouldn't be something he would do if he were on their side." He looked out the window. "Mum's famous now, because she writes all sorts of useful books. Half of our textbooks were written by her."
"I thought I recognized her name on the list," Sirius said. He reached inside his bag and pulled out a textbook, and flipped to the back. "That's her, isn't it?" He showed it to Remus, who nodded and smiled.
"That's her, alright."
Sirius nodded too, looking at the picture. "Not bad."
"Hey!"
"Just joking! She's much too old for me." He tossed the book to James.
Smiling up at him from the last page was a woman, who seemed to be in her thirties. She was fairly pretty, and would have been more so if not for a cloud of bushy brown hair that hung from her head. James passed the book on to Peter.
"So she knew both my parents?" James asked curiously.
"Both of," Remus corrected. "She didn't know your mother well, although she does have a couple pictures of her."
"What did she look like?"
Remus furrowed his eyebrows. "I can't remember exactly. Maybe I'll tell Mum to send me a picture."
"Do you think she could send me a couple of my dad, too?" James said eagerly.
"Sure," Remus said. "She'd probably want to give you some anyway, you being her best friend's son and all." He looked to the other boys. "Who are your parents?"
Peter answered first. "Janell and Richard Pettigrew."
"Never heard of them," Remus said.
"They don't get around much. I think they're hiding from the rest of the world, personally," Peter said.
"I'm a Black, and I hate my family," Sirius concluded. "So I don't consider it worthwhile to think about them as parents."
Remus shook his head. "I'm glad you turned out alright. From what I've heard, most of them are pure-blood lunatics. No offense."
Sirius waved a dismissing hand. "None taken. You've heard right."
A portly witch with a trolley full of snacks came into their compartment. "Would you boys like anything to eat?" she inquired. Remus and Sirius dug into their pockets to pull out the gold coins called galleons. Peter did the same, but soon found that he had no money with him. James didn't either.
The two boys bought a wide variety of candies between the two of them, and offered some to James and Peter. James realized exactly how hungry he was, having missed both lunch and breakfast.
James found some of the candy to be slightly odd. There were Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, which contained some beans that tasted horribly like sardines, grass, yogurt, and dust. There were chocolate frogs, and pumpkin pasties, and Fizzing Whizbees, and several others that James didn't even bother memorizing the names of. The strangest one had to be a box of Volcano Vittles, which looked like tiny cherry-coloured pebbles. Sirius dared James to put a handful into his mouth, and Remus and Peter let out a snort.
"With a name like volcano, I don't think that's a good idea," James replied smartly. "I would have to see you try it first." That wiped the smile off of Sirius' face.
"But I dared you! You have to!" Sirius protested. James shook his head stubbornly. Sirius tried again. "How about we do it at the same time?"
James considered it, and agreed. Remus was chuckling and shaking his head.
"You two are in for it," was all he had to say.
Sirius and James each scooped up a handful of the treats. On Peter's count of three, they would swallow.
"One...Two..." He paused. "Three!"
Both boys shoved the candy into their mouths. At first nothing happened, but then James had the oddest sensation.
It felt like hundreds of small explosions were going off in his mouth. It was soon replaced by the sensation of millions of sugar crystals shooting about and off his cheeks. Some of the rocks were still popping, and James' cheeks were quickly bloated with the pressure of the explosions and the ever expanding amount of sugar. His eyes began to water and he felt his face redden. When he felt that he could no longer hold the candy, he quickly grabbed an empty candy bag and opened his mouth. A river of dry, colourful, powdered candy poured out. From what he could hear, Sirius was doing the same.
When he could finally use his mouth again, the bag was completely filled with the sugar. "What was that?"
Sirius was still coughing when he answered. "Volcano Vittles. They explode in your mouth, and leave you with this powder candy stuff. Two at once is bad enough, but a whole handful is just too much."
"Eat the powder stuff, James," Peter instructed. "It won't explode anymore. It tastes really good, actually. You can get different flavours, too."
Doubtful, James poured a small mount into his still burning mouth. It tasted like fruit punch. "It's sort of like the Muggle Pixy Stix," he said. They looked at him curiously. "It's a Muggle candy. I had some when my grandfather took me to Canada on a holiday once. Don't know if you can get them in Britain."
"Do they explode?" Remus asked.
"No. You just get the powdered sugar in these long tubes."
They continued talking for a while, until a group of violently red-haired people came through the compartment. They surveyed the boys and one of them pointed at Remus, who looked as if he was trying shrink into the seat.
"There's Remy!" one girl said, and enveloped him in a tight hug. Remus looked mortified.
"Cassey, get off!" he said. She did. The whole group grinned at him.
Remus groaned. "Meet the infamous Weasley clan. My cousins."
"Hi," said Cassey. She had curly, dark red hair that reached her shoulders, and a bright grin. "I see you've made some little friends?" Remus was acutely embarrassed.
"They're not little," he countered, "We're only a year younger than you are."
"Pish, posh," said another girl. She and a blond boy were the only ones without red hair. She had a darker complexion, and brown-black hair with cornrows. "You're still the baby of the family." Remus buried his face in his hands.
"We were just coming to see if you hadn't gone off to sulk again, or bury yourself in a book," the blond boy said. He was the tallest, and had plenty of freckles dotting his nose. "Good thing you found some people to relate to. Otherwise we were going to whisk you off to our compartment."
"Heaven forbid," Remus said glumly.
"You behave now, you hear?" the dark girl said, and they filed out of the place, leaving their cousin as red as their hair.
"Poor Remy," Sirius said, patting him on the head. "Were your cousins bothering you?" he said in a mock motherly tone.
"One more peep out of you, and I'll put you in with your cousins," Remus said.
Soon afterwards, they all decided to get their Hogwarts robes on, because they were fairly confident that they would be arriving soon.
Their guess was accurate, because only a few minutes later the train pulled into a station and the students piled off. The first-years were shepherded away by a man so large and wide James could see him clearly above the throng of pupils.
Sirius pointed out the boy who had been picking on Peter earlier, called Lucius Malfoy. He was far in front of them, so all James could spot was a head of long white-blond hair. Remus said he had known him too, and advised all three to stay away from him.
"His father's a creep, and he's just as bad. Mr. Malfoy takes any opportunity he can to insult my mum for being a Muggle-born."
The other three were calling out to other witches and wizards they knew, but James wasn't paying attention. His mind was on a redheaded girl near them.
"Sirius," he said, his eyes never moving from their target. The black-haired boy turned around. "Who is that girl with the red hair?" Sirius looked around until he saw her.
"Her?" He pointed, and James nodded. "No clue. Probably a Muggle-born, or one of Remus' cousins. Hey, Remus!"
But Remus didn't know her, and neither did Peter.
"Why are you so curious about her, James?" Remus questioned, but he simply shrugged. Just when James was prepared to ask her himself, the large man's voice boomed into his thoughts.
"Firs' years, this way! On ter the boats, now," he instructed.
The four boys all climbed into one boat and began to row off. James tried to see the red-haired girl again, but he couldn't see her among any of the other boats. Shrugging, he put his mind back to rowing.
"Where are we going?" Sirius asked suddenly.
Peter looked around. "I think we're just supposed to follow the giant guy."
Uncertainly, they kept on the man's trail until from behind the trees sprung a huge, glittering castle.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Remus said under his breath.
They had been led at first by Hagrid (which James had been informed was the large man's name) into the castle, then by a stern professor called McGonagall into a side room from the enormous and elaborate Entrance Hall. She then proceeded to give them a speech about Hogwarts, its four houses, and the House Points deduction system. James, having read all about this in his book, let his mind start to wander again.
He sighted a flash of red-hair, and instantly recognized the girl he had seen earlier. He could see part of her face now. She was very pretty, from the looks of it, especially when it came to her eyes. They were a brilliant emerald green.
He wanted to go ask for her name, but McGonagall was still talking, and she was very severe looking. He supposed he could wait and see which house she was Sorted in, that way he could find out her name and something about who she was.
Remus' attention had wavered, as had Sirius'. Peter was still being very attentive to the speech, most likely out of fear for being caught doing otherwise.
Sirius was waving at a moving portrait, which was in turn waving back, and Remus elbowed James in the ribs.
"Ow! What?" James whispered. Remus jerked his thumb over to a blond girl who possessed an elegant air about her. She was staring at James' forehead pointedly.
"I think you have a fan over there," he hissed. James met the girl's gaze, but she tossed her long hair and looked back at McGonagall. She was now wearing a sort of distasteful sneer.
"I hope not," James replied, "she doesn't look like a nice sort."
Finally, the professor had wrapped up her speech, and told the first-years to wait until she came back. The students began to chat nervously. One voice overrode them all.
"Are you James Potter?"
It was the blond girl. She was looking into his eyes now. Everyone else had gone silent.
"Pardon?" James repeated. He wasn't so sure he liked this girl.
"Are you or are you not James Potter?" She repeated. Many of the first-years were staring avidly at him now with – was that respect?
"Yes," James said. "Why do you ask?"
A murmur of excitement grew amongst the children, and this somehow lifted a happy bubble inside up James. They now rested their eyes upon his scar.
"You're famous," she said evenly. She began to walk towards him. "Didn't you know?"
"Yes, he knew, Narcissa," Sirius interrupted suddenly. "Leave him alone."
She ignored him. "What are you doing with Sirius? Or that Weasley riff-raff?" James felt Remus bristling beside him. "Have you no pride in your reputation?"
James glared at her. "I'll be friends with whoever I want. Why should I listen to you?" he said coolly.
Her sneer returned, and she somehow managed to look down at him despite being two inches shorter. "It figures. Your father was a stuck-up Gryffindor as well, Potter. You take after him from what I've heard, skulking about with blood traitors." She looked at Peter, who was taken aback by her sudden attention. "I don't even know who you are, but I suspect you're just as bad as the other two. A shrinking coward, from the looks of it."
"Shut-up, Narcissa," Sirius said nonchalantly. "You're making a fool of yourself. If being a blood traitor means getting away from you, I'm all for it."
She inhaled an angry breath and scowled. Narcissa retreated to the other side of the crowd, where she whispered with another girl who had an equally unpleasant look on her face. Slowly, but surely, the talk resumed, but James had a distinct impression that the topic was now him.
"Why is he famous?" he heard the red headed girl say. A weird pang set off inside his chest. She doesn't know about me? Must be a Muggleborn. "What's so special about this Potter boy? And what did she mean, 'Blood Traitor'?"
James focused on Sirius. "You know that girl?"
"My cousin. Most of them are like that, actually. I reckon you should stay clear of most people with the last name Black," Sirius stated. "Although Nymphadora's alright," he added as an afterthought. "Too bad she's not in school anymore."
"I'm just glad she doesn't know me," Peter said timidly. "She was already right about me being a coward."
"I'm sure you're not that bad, Peter," Remus reassured him. Peter glowed at him.
Several people screamed, and James whipped his head around to see what was the matter. His jaw dropped.
Pearly white and oddly luminescent, twenty ghosts had just floated casually through the wall. They seemed to be conversing deeply. One ghost, who had the appearance of a fat monk was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"
Another in a ruff and tights cut him off impatiently. "My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?" He had just noticed their group, and now all the ghosts were looking at them.
"New students!" exclaimed the Fat Friar jovially, "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A couple of nods were the only response. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff. My old house, you know."
McGonagall came in once more. "Move along now," she ordered, "the Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Excitement and apprehension bubbled in James' stomach, and it seemed neither was agreeing with the Volcano Vittle powder he had eaten earlier. The first-years formed a sloppy line, and stepped through the door.
It was a gigantic hall, with four long tables filled with students and a shorter table with what must have been the staff. The ceiling looked like the sky just outside, which was slightly cloudy with a few stars, twinkling like jewels. In the front of the hall was a stool with a desolate looking hat on it.
All heads were angled to look at the hat expectantly, which seemed fairly odd to James. Deciding that there must be something important about it, he stared at it as well.
To James' surprise, a rip on the brim of the hat opened wide and began to sing.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their own ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a thinking Cap!"
There was a tumult of applause when the hat finished its song. As it ended, McGonagall took out a scroll of parchment and unrolled it swiftly. She fixed the first-years with a firm gaze.
"When I call your name," she instructed, "you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted."
"Aaron, Timothy!" was the first to be called up. Slowly, each one of the students were summoned up to the stool and tried on the hat, which shouted out the name of the house it had decided to place the student in. They would then run to their house table, indicated by the colourful banners hanging above them. Gryffindor's was scarlet and gold, Ravenclaw's was blue and white, Hufflepuff's was yellow and black, and Sytherin had green and sliver. It took longer with some students than others for the hat to decide.
"Black, Narcissa!"
It was no great shock that she was immediately sorted into Slytherin, where there was much cheering at her arrival.
"Black, Sirius!"
James watched as the boy walked coolly up to the stool, only his white face showing his true feelings. The hat sat atop his black hair for but two moments when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius flung off the hat and sat down happily at the Gryffindor table, where the students were a bit shocked at the novelty of a Black being in their house, but soon greeted him very warmly. He gave a thumbs up to James, and turned his attention to the girl now sitting on the stool. James had, however, noticed whispers of outrage from the Slytherin table.
"Bones, Susan" became a Hufflepuff, but "Boot, Terry" joined the Ravenclaws.
The list sped down the C's, and there was only a handful of the D's.
"Evans, Lily!"
James was surprised to see the pretty red headed girl walk forth and jab the hat on her head. The hat thought for a little while, before deciding on "GRYFFINDOR!"
James had, of course, been set on that particular house since he had read Hogwarts: A History, but now was even more inclined because of Sirius and Lily's sorting. He knew it wasn't very likely, but he hoped that Remus and Peter were also put in Gryffindor, despite the fact that Peter had Hufflepuff stamped across his forehead.
"Malfoy, Lucius!"
Up close, James could see that he had cold grey eyes and a pale face. The hat had barely touched a hair on his head when it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" He sauntered off to the table, where several Slytherin students greeted him gladly.
James' stomach rolled over and over again as the list went on. It was taking an eternity to get to the P's.
"Palmer, Mallory!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Patil, Padma!"
"RAVENCLAW!
"Patil, Parvati!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Pettigrew, Peter!"
The boy shyly stepped up to the stool, occasionally twitching. James was sure that he had a hiccough. The hat came on to the end of his nose. A few moments passed by slowly by, and then the brim widened once more and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Excellent, thought James, as Peter received a clap on the back from Sirius. Now, if only I can get into Gryffindor...
"Potter, James!"
The stool came closer and closer as James approached it, trembling. He heard wild whispers from the crowd of students, and he managed to glimpse several heads leaning in his direction, their eyes squinted, trying to get a good look at him. But it disappeared as the hat fell over James' eyes.
A little buzzing voice sounded in his ears. "Hmm," it said. James suddenly didn't like the idea of some magical being prodding his brain. "A bit uncomfortable, are you? Not to worry, all first-years are. But where shall I put you?"
Gryffindor, James thought as hard as he could. Gryffindor!
"Yes, I know that you would rather be in Gryffindor, but please be patient. I have the decision, after all. Hmm, you're very loyal, and eager, oh yes, very eager. Fairly good mind, and plenty of courage. Perhaps you were right. You belong in GRYFFINDOR!"
A very large burst of applause came from the tables as James joyously set down the hat, but none so loud as his new house. A dozen people leaned forward to shake his hand excitedly. Grinning wildly, he shook every one of them, and placed himself between Sirius and Peter, who were clapping the hardest.
James looked up at Remus, who smiled very weakly in return. He looked sicklier than ever.
Years seemed to passed as a mass of students were Sorted, and Remus was second to last.
"Weasley, Remus!" cried McGonagall.
Taking his cue, Remus went forward, and stiffly put the hat on, as if firmly resolving to not shake with fear. The hat was silent. James was getting impatient.
He could see Remus' lips moving, but he couldn't understand what was being spoken. After some extensive muttering on Remus' part, the Hat made a decision.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
James beckoned Remus to take a seat beside him. He was blushing wildly while the Gryffindors applauded him happily. "Zambini, Blaise" was made a Slytherin and Dumbledore stood up to make a speech.
"Welcome!" He said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
There was much clapping at his nonsense words. James looked at his three friends for an explanation. Sirius merely shrugged. Then the food appeared on the table.
There were so many delicious meats and salads and fruits and desserts that James could scarcely count them all. He scooped as much of the food onto his plate as he felt he could hold and proceeded to stuff his face. There was never any food this good at the Oak Street cafeteria. His drink was an unfamiliar, sweet tasting juice, which was a great improvement on the sour milk he was used to.
"Remus, what took so long under that hat, anyway?" Sirius asked between mouthfuls. Remus' ears went as redder than his cousins' hair.
"I – It tried to put me in Ravenclaw," he said nervously. "I convinced it to put me in Gryffindor, that's all."
While Peter seemed content with this explanation, James and Sirius exchanged curious glances. What was that embarrassing, or secretive, about which house Remus could be Sorted into?
When all the students seemed to have had a fair share of the wondrous food, Dumbledore stood up once more. The hall went silent.
"Ahem – just a few more words now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you.
"First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils."
James caught Sirius grinning mischievously from the corner of his eye. He felt the sudden urge to explore the forest, against all logic.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
Whispers fluttered around the room as the students digested this information. Only a handful of people laughed.
"What would they keep in the school that's that dangerous?" Peter squeaked, his small eyes darting about.
"And why?" Remus asked suspiciously.
James felt very much like a celebrity during his first few days of school. People gazed at him when he walked by, or began whispering and pointing. Somehow, this really didn't bother him. It was more reassuring than unnerving, since they admired him, rather than hated. It was an extra boost of confidence to know that he was at least somewhat popular, particularly with the Gryffindors.
It appeared, however, that plenty of people weren't too proud of Sirius' Sorting. The very first day of classes, an owl had come for Sirius during breakfast, and had dropped off a smoking, red letter. The boy had blanched, and reluctantly opened it.
There was such a loud roar of a sound that James had thought that his eardrums had exploded. The Hall had gone completely silent. Then a shriek sounded that could only have issued forth from one person.
"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!"
Sirius' mother.
"HOW DARE YOU LET THAT WICKED HAT SORT YOU INTO GRYFFINDOR!? DO YOU REALIZE THE RUCKUS YOU HAVE CAUSED? YOUR FATHER IS READY TO GO STRAIGHT TO SCHOOL AND TEACH YOU A LESSON YOU'LL NEVER FORGET! I DEMAND THAT YOU REQUEST TO TRANSFER TO SLYTHERIN!"
Everyone was staring at Sirius, who had his fists clenched and whose face was pale, no longer from shock, but from rage. Peter had his hands pressed firmly against his ears, and Remus was shrinking into his seat, sending apathetic glances in Sirius' direction.
"ONLY BLOOD TRAITORS AND MUDBLOODS ARE IN GRYFFINDOR! DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF BAD INFLUENCES YOU COULD ENCOUNTER? YOU'LL TARNISH THE BLACK FAMILY REPUTATION, BOY! WHAT EFFECT DO YOU THINK THIS COULD HAVE ON YOUR BROTHER?! BEFORE I KNOW IT, YOU'LL BE PARADING AROUND WITH THOSE VILE PIECES OF SCUM, AND MIXING IN WITH MUGGLES! IF YOU DON'T TRANSFER TO SLYTHERIN THIS INSTANT, WE WILL BRING YOU HOME AND YOU WON'T LEARN ABOUT MAGIC AT ALL!"
With that said and done, the letter burst into flames, leaving only a pile of ash to tell of its presence. Everyone was still, and watching Sirius, most with apprehension, some with pity, but others (the Slytherins in particular) with satisfaction. Sirius was too livid to do anything for a few moments. He just sat there, breathing hard through his nose.
Finally, he brought out a piece of parchment and a quill from his bag, and wrote a response. Only James, Peter and Remus could see what he had put down.
Dear Mother
Sod off.
Sirius
James watched as Sirius folded the letter and left the table, going to the Owlery. As soon as he had left the Great Hall, people began asking in loud shouts what he had written. It was Remus who shyly answered.
"He told her to sod off," he said. Most of them grinned at this, and said things like, "The old bat deserved it," and "Poor kid, he should get a medal for putting up with that," or "Who does she think she is, insulting Muggle-borns in a Howler? That's an offense, that is!" James noticed that only the Slytherins had nothing to say aloud; they were all muttering darkly with each other.
James turned to Remus and Peter. "I'll go find Sirius, we'll catch up with you two later." They nodded, and he picked up his bag and walked swiftly towards the Owlery.
He found Sirius, just sending off an owl with his letter. He was still seething. When he saw James, he motioned for him to join him. James obeyed.
"It's bad enough that she does it at home," he said, glaring out the window, "but she has to rub it in my face when I'm at school, or in public even. She's going to be right behind me for the rest of my bloody life, screaming about the family honour and purity of blood, and all the other stupid things-"Sirius ranted, his voice getting harsher with every word.
"Listen, she isn't in charge of your life," James said quickly, not wanting his friend to start yelling. "You are who you want to be. She's just too stupid to see that she can't control you. Besides, it's not like you'll be with her for the rest of your life. You can act however you like at Hogwarts, and once you finish school, you can leave her forever." Sirius looked at his feet.
"I know," he said quietly. "It's just so frustrating. She won't leave me alone for one second. I hate her. I really do." He was looking at James now. "And don't give me that 'But she's your Mother!" dung, because I don't care. She's horrible, to everyone."
"I wasn't going to," James confirmed. He nodded.
"Good." Sirius started walking. "I'm going to do whatever I want to do, and I'm going to ignore everything she says. Mum is not going to control me here, like she did when I was a kid." He now sounded like he was talking to himself. James said nothing as they continued on to classes.
Sirius' troubles weren't going to end there, unfortunately. The next day, a gang of Slytherins from several different years cornered the four boys. Narcissa Black and a large burly boy, who had been identified later as Gregory Goyle, grabbed a struggling Sirius' arms and pulled him away.
"What do you think you're doing!?" James demanded, getting his wand out, Peter and Remus copying his actions. He stood no chance in a fist fight with most of these people, and knew no spells that would be of any use, but he had to do something.
The Slytherins glared at him. "We're going to give him a little talk, Potter," Narcissa spat venomously. "About how a proper Black should behave."
Sirius wrenched his arms out of their grips and rounded on his cousin. "Do you think I give a bloody damn about how a Black should behave?! I don't care what you or anybody else thinks! You're just sad, with your pathetic Pureblood mania, thinking you're better than everyone else is just because you happened to be born a Black! Any Muggle is worth ten of you!"
Narcissa's cheeks had flushed crimson. The bigger boys of the group cracked their knuckles ominously.
"How dare you," Narcissa hissed, "you brat, you blood traitor...you don't deserve to be a Black, you stupid Mudblood lover-"
SMACK!
Sirius had slapped her square across her cheek. Remus looked surprised, and Peter and James cheered.
"Don't you ever say that word again," Sirius threatened. Narcissa looked at him, shocked, and the others were too astonished to do anything. Sirius turned to walk away.
"ARGH!" Narcissa shrieked as she jumped right onto Sirius, knocking him to the ground. He quickly retaliated, punching her in the face. She kicked him, and he threw her on the floor.
"Fight!" someone was shouting – a crowd had now formed around the two, who were kicking, clawing, punching, and maiming one another in any way possible. Goyle had moved forward to help Narcissa, but James had jumped on his back, holding his neck with one arm and boxing his ears with the other.
There was a loud BANG, and all that had been fighting were suddenly blown apart. James looked around and saw that many people had joined in – the whole Slytherin gang, of course, and Remus, and some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws who had been moments before just observers. Peter had been standing aside, watching the fight avidly, but now he looked afraid.
James quickly spotted the one who had separated the brawl. He was a sour faced, pallid professor, who couldn't possibly look any more horrible. His black hair was extremely greasy, and he had harsh black eyes and a large, hooked nose. He was looking coldly at the display before him.
"Who started this disgusting display of violence?" he said softly, but his voice had a distinct biting edge in it. James was instantly reminded of a snake.
The Slytherins pointed at Sirius, while all the others accused Narcissa. The man's mouth curled into a cruel smile.
"I see," he said. "A little inter-house brawl, perhaps? A fight with three against one? Hardly fair, I assure you."
"That's not what happened!" James protested. The professor glared him straight in the eye with an unfathomable hatred. "They were going to beat on Sirius for being a Gryffindor, and he was trying to get away! But they-"
"1 point from Gryffindor for your cheek Potter," the professor said venomously. "I hadn't asked for your - shall we say - spiced version of the events. Don't assume your fame can get you through anything. Lying will do you no good." James was about to retort a heated reply, but Remus clamped a hand over his mouth. "Miss Black, what happened?"
Narcissa looked more smug than one should be with a red cheek and a split lip. "We were just going to talk to him, Professor Snape, he is my cousin, after all, and they got mad at us. Sirius is still mad about that Howler, and he and his friends decided to take it out on us, because they thought we felt the same way." Sirius made an indignant noise. Narcissa ignored him. "Sirius hit me, and then they called in the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws to help them fight us." She put on a disgusting pouting look. "You won't punish us for trying to defend ourselves, right, Professor?"
Snape smiled at her, but it somehow remained sinister. "Of course not, Miss Black. I suggest you and your friends report to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey will be able to heal you all immediately." He rounded on the rest of the students. "Let's see now – 5 Ravenclaws, 6 Hufflepuffs, and 3 Gryffindors." His smile turned upwards nastily. "That will be 20 points from Ravenclaw, 30 for Hufflepuff, and 15 for Gryffindor."
Curses and groans issued from the students.
"In addition," He stared pointedly at Sirius and James, "Mr. Black and Mr. Potter will each receive a week of detentions for initiating the conflict."
Sirius looked ready to tell Snape to shove something very large up his arse, but Remus gave him a scolding look, and he held it in. The Professor swooped away, and the students slowly gathered themselves up and headed to their classes, trying to ignore the jeers of Narcissa and her group. But no one felt as horrible as James and Sirius.
"Don't worry about Snape," Remus assured, "He's a biased git. My cousins are always complaining about how unfair he is. He favours Slytherin, everyone knows that."
"No one will blame you," Peter said half-heartedly. "I hope."
