Author's Note:

Here are some more Marauder memories — I told you, I went a little overboard, but I promise it is important towards the next part of the story — plus its just fun; for me anyway.

Also, I just took a fun guess who the other mysterious Gryffindor was. I always felt like it was Kingsley, only because he's young and for some reason in my head canon, Frank Longbottom is always a year or two older than the Marauders. I just made up a girl name LOL.

Reviews and Comments: To E-Dett: Thank you! I agree about Sirius being physically abused as well as emotional from his parents. To Claire Fraser: Thank you! So glad you're enjoying the memories.

Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE:

The One With the Memories Part II

Remus sat down at the table with two cups of tea. "So, what do you have next on your memory agenda?"

Sirius smiled and popped open one of his own bottles, a smile on his face. "One of the rare ones of James and Lily getting along before she found him to be a complete git."

He laughed as he watched his friend pour the memory into the Pensieve. "So, still early first year then," he said on a chuckle.

Sirius grinned. "I'll say."

Then he swirled his wand into the memory …

Sirius made his way into the Gryffindor common room with James, Remus, Peter, and Kingsley, moving to stand next to Lily, Dorcas, Deanna, Marlene, and Mary, listening in on their conversation.

Dorcas smiled warmly at them as she spoke to Lily while she adjusted the girl's tie. "Of course, my Dad is terrible at it and I've been fixing his tie for him for the last six years. He's going to be completely helpless while I'm at school."

The prefect from the night before, a boy named Aidan Cross was leaning against the wall waiting for them as they settled into the common room.

"Good morning, first years!" he said giving them a bright smile. His blond hair was a little long and tied back with a leather thong and his grey eyes twinkled at them. "I'll show you to the Great Hall and Professor McGonagall will give all of you maps as well as your schedules."

Sirius followed the other Gryffindor first years out of the portrait hole and through the castle into the Great Hall. It looked a lot less menacing than it had last night. The ceiling today looked fairly normal, but Lily gasped in surprise when owls began to fly down around them and she jumped back in alarm, bumping into James.

He laughed and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Wow there, Evans, just the post!"

"The post?"

He nodded, grinning widely at her. "Yeah." He plopped himself down onto the bench and helped himself to some breakfast as Lily took a seat next to him.

"Owls?"

James nodded, munching on some bacon. "Don't your mum and dad use owls?"

Lily shook her head as Sirius sat down on the other side of James. "No, my parents aren't magical at all. They use the postman. I knew owls delivered messages, but to see so many at once is quite the spectacle."

"You're Muggleborn?" Sirius asked in surprise, reaching for a glass of orange juice.

James' face lit up. "Brilliant! This berk had never even heard of The Beatles! Evans, you've got to tell him how brilliant they are! And Elvis! Not to mention The Rolling Stones and The Animals! This git thinks that I'm making it all up!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I didn't say that you were making it up, I just have never heard Muggle music before yesterday when you played it on the train."

"His family is hardcore purebloods, which means his knowledge of Muggles is let's just say sadly lacking," James told her, grinning. "Seriously though, how wicked are The Beatles?"

Lily laughed at the excitement. "The Beatles are brill. I have a poster of Paul in my bedroom at home."

"See, Sirius? I told you! Really, though, what's your favourite album? Ouch!" he exclaimed as the white owl in front of him nipped his fingers. "Sorry, Plato! I didn't see you!" He reached for a bit of his toast and tugged a piece off to give the owl as he unrolled the parchment, his ears burning red. "I told her I'd write at the end of the week."

Sirius grinned as he looked over. "Aw, does your mummy miss you already, Potter?"

James ignored him as he read the letter aloud.

Dear Jamie,

Dad and I hope you have a wonderful first day of classes. We sent Plato just to say hi and to make you think of us at home. Write by the weekend and send Poseidon with a letter, we want to know everything.

We love you!

Love,

Mum and Dad

"She's mental," James muttered, folding up the parchment his ears still burning.

"I think it's nice," Lily told him as she added a generous dollop of cream to her oatmeal and berries. "And for the record, I love Abbey Road but also Revolver, Rubber Soul, and Help and most definitely Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but honestly, I love all of them."

James' smile widened. "Lily Evans, I think we just became best friends."

"Lily?" A voice said from behind them and they both turned to where Snape stood there, his hands in his pockets awkwardly.

"Snivellus, right?" Sirius said with a smirk. "I see the green and silver work for you."

Lily glared at him. "His name is Severus."

James put his hands up in mock surrender. "Ooh, how terribly rude of us. I'd apologize, Snivellus, but I can already tell you're a git."

Lily smacked him in the arm, her green eyes blazing. "I think I know who the prat is, James Potter!" She turned around fully and smiled at her friend. "How's Slytherin, Sev? Is it everything you hoped for?"

He nodded, glaring at the boys who were talking amongst themselves now. "Can we talk?"

Lily nodded, grabbing an apple. "What's going on?"

Severus shrugged, his hands still in his pockets as he glared at James and Sirius who were clearly eavesdropping. "We're still friends, right?"

Lily looked at him in bewilderment. "Of course we're still friends! Why would you think otherwise?"

Snape looked back at the Slytherin table and then around the Great Hall where all of the students were eating breakfast merrily. "We've been separated by our houses, Lily. Everything is going to change."

Lily laughed at his pained expression. She had no idea how being in different dormitories was going to affect anything. "You're being ridiculous! Just because we're in different parts of the castle doesn't mean that we still can't be friends and that we won't still see each other. We're still going to have classes together and we can study together and see each other outside of class."

He gave her a small smile. "Gryffindor and Slytherin are supposed to be enemies."

"Frenemies then, at least in our case," she said making him smile. "Why are they enemies?"

"Not enemies per say," Snape said carefully. "But we have to be careful. Some people might not like it if I hang out with you."

Lily's eyebrow rose at that. "Who are these people and why do you care what they think?"

"Lily," Snape said in exasperation. "The magical world is different. Petunia thinks we're freaks because we have magical powers, but in this world, it's you who's different."

"Me?" she asked in surprise, crossing her arms in front of her. "How am I different?"

Snape looked uncomfortable and he shuffled his feet as he spoke. "Because you're Muggleborn and well, some people, purebloods namely, find that… repulsive. I just wanted to give you a warning incase someone says something to you that is you know, rude."

"You're not a pureblood, are you?" she asked him, not liking the way the word rolled off of her tongue.

Snape shook his head. "No, I'm not, I'm a half-blood, but that's still a lot better than someone who comes from a non magical background."

"Are you saying that you're embarrassed to be my friend now? You told me that it didn't matter if I was Muggleborn!"

"Oi!" James said, turning around in his seat. "Evans, is this git giving you grief?"

"Potter, go away," she said, glaring at him and turning back to Snape. "Well, are you?"

"No! No! I would never!" he mumbled, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I just… I just wanted you to know."

Lily stared at him for a moment. "Okay, now I know. So, what now?"

Snape gave her a small smile. "Now, we stay friends, no matter what."

"I still don't really see why this changes anything, Sev, but if it makes you feel better that I know, then all right."

He nodded. "Hopefully we'll have our first class together."

Lily smiled as she watched him head back to his own house table. She looked over at the two boys as James spoke next to her.

"Honestly, mate, you have to hear The White Album, I'll play it later for you."

Sirius merely grinned at him and turned his attention to Lily. "So, Lily, how do you know that greasy-haired git?" he asked, brushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"He's not a greasy-haired git and his name is Severus Snape!" she exclaimed, taking a spoonful of her oatmeal. "He lives near me."

"So, you knew him before yesterday?" James asked as he cleaned his plate.

Lily nodded. "We met at the park. He saw me do magic and he told me that I was a witch. I had no idea, being Muggleborn and all, and then he told me all about Hogwarts and how because I was eleven I would get a letter. I thought that he was making up stories, but then the letter really came."

"I always wondered how Muggleborns find out? I mean, do they think the letter's a prank?" Sirius asked, looking at James for confirmation. "I mean, really? How do they find out?"

"Professor Dumbledore came to my house," Lily told them as she finished her oatmeal. "He spoke to me and my parents and told us all about the school."

"Brilliant," James said, grinning widely. "I've just been bugging my parents for years about why I couldn't come to Hogwarts yet."

Sirius laughed, snagging some more bacon and looking around to see if anyone noticed him taking seconds before he popped it into his mouth. "My parents just argued whether Hogwarts was the better choice for me over Durmstrang."

James looked offended. "How could they even consider! Durmstrang doesn't even compare!"

Sirius shrugged. "They have their reasons. But they decided Hogwarts was the better choice because our family has always been Slytherins." He grinned. "Bet I get a Howler when Mum finds out that I'm in Gryffindor."

"What's a Howler?" Lily asked, her eyes on Sirius. "And there are other magic schools?"

James nodded, smiling at her. "Oh yeah, there are schools all over the world. But Hogwarts is by far the best one. And a Howler is not something you want, trust me! It's a letter that's bright red and it screams at you."

Sirius sighed. "I better write home and break the news."

"You can use Poseidon if you want."

"Thanks mate, but I have an owl."

"Miss Evans?"

Lily turned at the sound of her name and smiled at Professor McGonagall. "Good morning, Professor."

"Good morning, here is your schedule and a map of the school. Your first class this morning is with me. I look forward to seeing you all." She passed out the rest of the timetables to the first years, reacquainting herself with names and faces.

Lily looked at the map of the school in interest. She ignored James and Sirius who were bickering now over whether or not Sirius should write home tonight or wait until the end of the week. She turned to Marlene and smiled warmly.

"Want to walk to Transfiguration with me?"

"Gladly," Marlene said with a smile. "We can try not to get lost together."

Remus laughed as he finished viewing the memory, "Honestly, Padfoot, you hadn't even gone to one class yet and you were already a huge arse to Snape. It's no wonder he hated you."

"He hates you too, you know!"

Remus chuckled. "True, but I think I got the brunt of the hate merely based on my association with you and James."

Sirius grinned. "Probably true. Anyway, I'm just thinking about my first memories with James and Lily, meeting them and being introduced to them and I thought these were fun ones to share. How we met, you know?"

"I think you're starting off great, Sirius. And I do think that you should label them as I have clearly been doing for you anyway. List them chronologically too, whatever you want to do. Either way, he will be able to view them whenever or how many times he wants too in any order he fancies. It's going to be something that he will treasure forever."

Sirius smiled. "I hope it is."

After Remus left to head home, Sirius found himself still sitting in front of the Pensieve, his own memories flooding his mind and he realized that there were some memories that Harry didn't need to see. There were some memories that he sometimes wished he could erase from his own brain no matter how important they were in defining his own relationship with Lily Evans and James Potter.

Thinking of those memories now, he carefully inserted one into the Pensieve wondering why he felt the need to torture himself by viewing it as he watched it unfold before him.

It was the third day of classes, when a red envelope came soaring into the Great Hall and landed right on his plate. He gulped audibly at it.

"Guess Mum got my letter," he said with a grimace.

James' mouth opened in horror. "You better open it, mate. Get it over with."

Peter nodded, his eyes on the red envelope. "It's even worse when you ignore it. My Dad ignored one from his mum once, it was terrible!"

The edges of the envelope were steaming with rage and he carefully opened the flap, trying not to burn his fingers, his hands immediately covering his ears as his mother's angry screams filled the Great Hall.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! HOW DARE YOU DEFY THE HOME OF YOUR ANCESTORS! HOW DARE YOU BECOME A GRYFFINDOR OVER A SLYTHERIN! YOUR FATHER AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ASHAMED OF YOU! I DEMAND THAT YOU SWITCH TO SLYTHERIN HOUSE IMMEDIATELY SO AS NOT TO RISK FURTHER DISHONOUR UPON THE MOST ANCIENT AND NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! AND HOW DARE YOU PUT ITCHING POWDER IN ALL OF YOUR BROTHER'S BOXER SHORTS! HE'S BEEN SCRATCHING HIMSELF FOR DAYS! THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE! AND I KNOW IT WAS YOU WHO REMOVED MY SHAMPOO AND CHANGED IT TO GREEN HAIR DYE, SIRIUS BLACK! YOU WILL BE PUNISHED WHEN YOU GET HOME! AS FOR POTTER — DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THAT BLOOD TRAITOR! YOU ARE A BLACK! ACT LIKE ONE! TOUJOURS PUR!"

The letter exploded in a poof and Sirius merely smirked as everyone laughed nervously at him. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously and smiled in apology.

"Sorry everyone, my mum is right ray of sunshine, isn't she?"

James grinned and slapped him on the back. "You put itching powder in your brother's drawers and dyed your mum's hair green?"

Sirius grinned sheepishly, his eyes dancing in suppressed laughter. "Thought they needed a little something to remember me by."

James roared with laughter as his eyes met Remus'. "What are you looking at me like that for, Remus? Sirius isn't actually going to stop being my friend, are you?" he asked, suddenly looking at Sirius in worry.

Sirius shook his head. "No, of course not. She doesn't know what I do at school and she doesn't need to know."

"Mr Black?" Professor McGonagall said from behind them.

Sirius turned to grin at her. "That's me."

Professor McGonagall only pursed her lips together. "Come with me please."

Sirius shrugged, standing up and followed her out of the Great Hall. She led him down the corridor and up the stairs to a great gargoyle statue.

"Caramel toffee," she said and the statue sprang apart revealing a winding staircase.

Sirius followed her up the stairs and he found himself in a large oval office full of twirling objects, hundreds of books, and a beautiful red phoenix that perched over the grand desk where Dumbledore was sitting. He winced audibly when he saw his mother standing by the desk.

"Er, hi Mum."

Walburga Black spun on her heel and glared at him. "There's my traitorous son!"

Professor McGonagall put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly in reassurance. "Being chosen to be in Gryffindor, Lady Falmouth, is not a treasonous offence."

Professor Dumbledore stood up as well, folding his hands in front of him. "Now my dear, Walburga, you cannot come barging into the school demanding that I remove your son from such a noble house. The Sorting Hat always places our students where they belong. You know this."

"He did something to that hat to spite me! He belongs in Slytherin!" she demanded, her hands on her hips. "All Blacks belong in Slytherin!"

"Sirius," Dumbledore said kindly, a smile on his face. "Did you trick the hat?"

"No," Sirius said quickly, his eyes on his mother's enraged glare. "James Potter told me that the hat would listen to my own thoughts and that… that if I didn't want to be in Slytherin…" he trailed off and the last words came out so quietly that only McGonagall heard them. "I could choose not to be."

"You stay away from that Potter boy, Sirius Black! His parents are filthy blood traitors, consorting with disgusting Muggles and Mudbloods and he's obviously already putting terrible thoughts in your head! You are the future Viscount of Falmouth and I will not have you throwing away your life with such riff-raff!"

"Walburga! I dislike that kind of talk in my school!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "Sirius, did you ask the hat not to put you in Slytherin?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes on Dumbledore. "The hat told me that I didn't belong in Slytherin."

Walburga looked horrified at his statement, taking an automatic step away from him as if he had some contagion. "Obviously I didn't do enough to distil the importance of the Black lineage in you, boy!"

McGonagall's hand was on still on his shoulder and Sirius felt very reassured by it. "Sirius is in Gryffindor House and I couldn't be more proud to have him in my house."

His mum only glared at McGonagall. "Can I have a few moments alone with my son?"

Dumbledore nodded, gesturing for McGonagall to follow him out. "Of course. Minerva, shall we go have some breakfast?"

Sirius simply gulped as the door to Dumbledore's office closed behind them and he turned to stare at his mother. "Why did you bother sending me a Howler if you were just going to show up and make a scene anyway?"

His neck hurt from the impact of the slap and he carefully licked the blood from his lip.

"Don't question me, Sirius." she said coldly.

"Yes, Mum."

Walburga stared at him for a moment. She cast a quick privacy charm around them, blocking the two of them out from the prying eyes and ears of the portraits in the room.

"I've never been so ashamed when your letter arrived and you told us that you had been placed into Gryffindor — and with a Potter at that!"

"He's a pureblood!"

"Who consorts with Muggles! Euphemia Potter is well known for working with Muggle charities and foundations and it's disgusting! You are not to talk to that boy, Sirius, do you understand me?" When he didn't answer, she slapped him again. "Do you understand me?"

"He's my roommate! I can't promise that I won't talk to him!"

Walburga's eyes hardened. "I've had enough of your smart arse remarks. And those pranks you pulled before you left the house were immature and childish! You better beg for forgiveness because when you come home for Christmas, I can promise — you will be punished accordingly."

"It was just a joke," he said, his heart pounding in his chest when her wand turned on him.

"Imperio!" she said and he felt the familiar feeling of being completely relaxed, the tension leaving his body. "Beg for my forgiveness, Sirius."

He felt his body bend as he fell to his knees. Why did she want him to beg? Oh, right, because he had pranked his little brother. But did he have to beg? As the thought drifted through his mind, the spell lifted as he stood up and she backhanded him so hard that he fell back to the ground.

"I had hoped that you would have stopped fighting that by now," she told him as he climbed back to his feet. Her eyes moved to the closed door of Dumbledore's office before her wand turned on him again. "Crucio!"

Sirius bit his tongue so hard it bled as the pain hit him, but he knew better than to scream. It felt like his insides were tearing apart as he tried to fight his body to be still. It only lasted about thirty seconds, but it felt like eons and tears were in his eyes when she dropped her wand.

"Beg for my forgiveness," she said again, her voice cold.

Sirius caught his breath as he kneeled in front of her, blood dripping out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, Mum. I'm sorry I pranked you and Regulus. I'm sorry I dishonoured the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. I'm sorry that I'm a Gryffindor. Please, please, forgive me." he begged, his eyes on the floor.

Walburga took his chin in her hand and forced him to his feet. "That's better. You need to learn to respect your elders, Sirius. And remember what I said about the Potter family. Make friends with the noble families that are part of Slytherin House and trust me, I WILL know. Your cousin Narcissa will be reporting to me and don't think that she won't tell me exactly what you are up to. Understood?"

Sirius nodded, tears in his eyes. "Yes, Mum."

She pulled him to her for a brief hug. "I don't like to punish you, Sirius. Why do you make me?" When he didn't respond, she pulled away. "Go finish up your breakfast."

With one last glance at his mother, he hurried down the stairs and out of Dumbledore's office, his breathing hard. He stepped into one of the alcoves and leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. He could still taste blood in his mouth and he winced as he realized that he had bitten his tongue hard enough that it was still bleeding.

He hastily wiped the blood from his lip and moved out of the alcove, almost knocking Lily to the ground. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Damn! I'm sorry, Evans!" he said, grabbing her book bag and putting it over her shoulder with a small smile.

"It's all right," she said, smiling back at him. She frowned as she looked up at him. "Sirius, your lip is bleeding."

"Yeah," he said, licking the blood off. "I bit my tongue."

Lily stared at him for a moment. "You have the beginning of a fat lip."

"I er, I bit my lip too."

Her green eyes only stared into his. "You know, what your mum said in that Howler… you're not a disgrace. I think she was just disappointed that you aren't following in the family footsteps."

He snorted. Disappointed was not the word he'd use. "Yeah, maybe. Listen, if you see James, tell him that I'll see him at lunch."

"Aren't you coming to class?" she called out after him, but Sirius ignored her and made his way down the hall and up to the Gryffindor common room. He barely made it to his own bed before he fell into it, finally letting the tears fall as he clutched his pillow in his arms and sobbed.

The memory faded away and the Pensieve swirled into the second half of his day…

When he went down for lunch, he took a seat at the table a few seats away from James, Remus, and Peter, reaching for a sandwich. He looked up in surprise when Lily sat next to him.

"Er, hi Lily."

"Sirius, are you all right?" she asked him, placing her hand on his arm.

He forced a grin onto his face. "Of course."

"You skipped Potions."

"I just had a bit of a headache; needed a nap."

She stared at him for a moment. "Why aren't you sitting with James, Remus, and Peter?"

"Felt like sitting here," he said stubbornly as he buttered his bread. When she only continued to stare at him with her green eyes intently on him he put his knife down. "What?"

"I don't know," she told him honestly. "But something changed about you. Are you sure that you're all right? I'm a really great listener, you know."

He gave her a small smile. "You wouldn't understand."

"Doesn't mean that I can't listen."

He only continued to butter his bread, staring at his plate. He could imagine his mum's face if she found him talking to a Muggleborn. He had enough trouble on his plate, he didn't need to add any more.

"Thanks, but I'm fine."

Lily smiled warmly at him and squeezed his arm gently. "Offer's always open." Then she turned to smile at Mary who sat down across from her.

Sirius ate his bread quickly, dipping it into his beef stew as his eyes moved to the Slytherin table where his cousin Narcissa, a fifth year, was watching him with her cool eyes. He swallowed. Yeah, he didn't need to add to his troubles.

The memory still made him grimace. He had almost let his mother convince him to push away his new friends. He remembered how miserable he had made himself that first month of school. The second week of classes he had even gotten into a fight, still torn between being happy with his new friends or listening to his mother. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

He didn't need the Pensieve for the memory to consume him.

They were leaving the greenhouses after a grimy Herbology class in which they were all desperately anxious to wash up when Snape, Rosier, and Avery surrounded Lily and Mary who were walking in front of Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter on their way back to the castle.

"Was kind of nice to work with our hands a bit, wasn't it?" Avery asked, eyeing the girls. "A little gardening work the good old fashioned Muggle way."

Lily shrugged. "It was kind of nice, yes, but I do want to clean up now. Even my neck has dirt on it from those bouncing bulbs."

Mary nodded sympathetically. "One of them bounced right over my head!"

Lily giggled as she remembered how it had jumped over Mary's head and landed on Peter who had screamed like a girl. "That was hilarious! Peter's scream was so high!"

Rosier sneered at her. "You shouldn't have laughed at him."

"Even he thought it was funny," Mary said, smiling at him. "Everyone was laughing. Potter told him to man up as it was just a plant!"

"But some of us aren't beneath him," Rosier said with menace, spitting on the ground in front of them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily demanded, stopping in her tracks.

Avery smirked at them. "It means that filthy Mudbloods like you two have no right to laugh at your superiors."

"Don't call her that, Avery," Snape said, softly.

"You know that's what she is, Severus. Honestly, I don't even know how you can stand the stink of her?"

"What did you just say to me?" Lily demanded, her neck flushing. She had never heard the term before, but the derogatory way that he had sneered it, she knew that it wasn't good.

"I said that you're a filthy little Mudblood who should show her superiors — her betters — some respect!" Avery spat.

"You apologize to Evans and McDonald," James demanded from behind them, his eyes dark in outrage.

Avery snorted and looked at Rosier who only laughed. "Why should I? It's what they are, Potter! Filthy — little — Mudbloods."

James' fist plowed into Avery's face and Lily gasped in shock as the boys fell on each other, pounding. When Rosier kicked James in the ribs, Sirius jumped forward and punched him in the face as Professor Sprout hurried over shouting, using her wand to separate the four of them.

"Muggle duelling! What on earth are you boys doing? Detention all of you and ten points from Gryffindor and Slytherin!" she shouted as James wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

Avery and Rosier scrambled to their feet, glaring at James and Sirius before they marched ahead, pulling Snape with them who turned and mouthed an apology to Lily as he was pulled away.

"Worth the loss of points," James muttered as he helped Sirius to his feet. "Tossers. Thanks for coming to my aid, mate."

Sirius nodded as he dusted the dirt off of his clothes. "Of course, not a fair fight when someone kicks you in the ribs." he said, poking James where he was tender and watching him wince. "You going to live?"

"Think so," he said with a grin. He turned to Lily and Mary and his expression sobered. "I'm so sorry that you girls had to hear that. Avery and Rosier should be given more than detention."

Mary nodded, her eyes wide. "Thank you for coming to our aid like that, it was really noble of you."

James grinned, draping his arms around each of their shoulders. "Chivalry is alive and well!"

Lily smiled as James pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and attempted to wipe the blood from his lip. She took pity on him and helped him, her eyes on his bloody lip as she spoke. "I know what he said was bad, but I'm afraid that I didn't understand it."

James froze slightly, his hand covering hers. "It's a really foul name for someone like you and Mary, someone who comes from a non magical background. It basically means dirty blood which is complete bullshit. It doesn't matter where you come from, it matters that you are witches, both of you, and most importantly, Gryffindors, and we stick together."

"Here, here," Remus said, smiling at his friend. "Well said, James!"

Mary stood on her toes and kissed Sirius' cheek and then James'. "And they say chivalry is dead. Thanks boys." She took Lily's arm and tugged her towards her. "Come on; let's go get a quick shower in before dinner."

Lily nodded, her green eyes on James and Sirius. "Yes, thank you, both of you."

"Can you believe Avery and Rosier?" James demanded twenty minutes later as he ran the towel over his wet hair while he continued to rant about the incident after Herbology.

Remus shrugged. "They're tossers. I'm glad you stepped up, James. I was moving towards them myself."

James tossed his towel at the hamper. "Disgusting is what it was! I don't get how people can use language like that. Lily and Mary are both so nice! I never even would have known they were Muggleborn if they hadn't told us. Why does it even matter?"

"Some people are just better human beings than others," Sirius said as he buttoned his pants.

Peter shook his head, combing his wet hair. "I don't believe that. You two were really brave though, punching those blokes."

James grinned. "It felt good. They deserved it."

Sirius only smiled as he tugged his shirt over his head and he found James staring at his back again. "Jealous of my battle scars, Potter?"

James caught himself staring and shook his head. "Nah, just wondering why you tried to make yourself uglier. You'd already scare a troll as it is."

Sirius laughed and threw his wet towel at James. "Piss off, Potter!"

James laughed, catching the towel before it hit him in the face. "I'm starving!"

Remus nodded, standing up. "We should head down to dinner."

"I'll meet you down there," Sirius said, reaching for his comb.

"I'll wait with you," James told him, plopping himself on his bed as he tugged socks onto his feet.

Remus and Peter headed out and James watched Sirius for a moment.

"Are you okay, mate?"

Sirius continued to comb his hair, not looking at James. "Yeah, why?"

James shrugged. Ever since the Howler had arrived he had noticed a definite change in his friend. He seemed a bit withdrawn and he didn't joke around with them as much anymore. Half the time he didn't even sit with them at meals.

"Dunno, you've been acting strange."

Sirius turned to look at him, his grey eyes carefully blank. "Look, Potter, the truth is, I don't really know if I want to be friends with you blokes."

James' eyes widened in surprise. That was the last thing that he had been expecting. "What?"

"I'm a Black. I can't be friends with someone like you who comes from a family of blood traitors. Lupin's mother's a Muggle for Merlin's sake, even speaking to him is basically a crime in my family and Peter's okay, but a whiny little bitch. Don't even get me started on Shacklebolt, not that he really hangs out with us anyway, but I think it would be for the best if we were just roommates and nothing more, okay?"

James simply stared at him, his eyes hurt. "Are you serious?"

"Sirius Black, yes."

James' mouth twitched at the joke. "No really, mate, you're just going to decide we can't be friends, what the hell is wrong with you? You defended Evans and McDonald today! You didn't even hesitate!"

"I didn't like seeing two against one."

"You're lying," James told him.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't need you so… just leave me alone." He grabbed his wand and stormed out of the room as James stared after him in shock.

But later on that evening as Sirius was lying in his bed, his thick red bed curtains closed around him (to avoid seeing his roommates), were rudely pulled open by James who then proceeded to plop himself onto the end of the bed.

"Hiding, mate?"

"No," Sirius said, shoving him off the bed. "Get lost!"

James merely sat back down, crossing his arms in front of him. "No. I'm bored."

"Well, go and find Remus or Peter or Kingsley. I'm busy."

"Brooding? Doesn't sound like too much fun." James said simply, leaning his back against one of the poles. "So, other than suddenly deciding to be a stuck up little bitch, why can't we be friends?"

"I don't like you, Potter."

James snorted. "Now that's a lie if I ever heard one, Black. I'm amazing. Everyone loves me."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Right, you keep on thinking that."

James simply stared at him. Sirius was pointedly not looking at him, his arms crossed in front of his chest rather defensively and he could see that he was trying to not show how annoyed he was.

"Is it because of the nightmare that you had last night?" James asked. He had heard his friend thrashing around in his sleep muttering no under his breath and apologizing but when James had woken him and asked if he was all right, he had muttered fine and rolled over.

"You're a nosy berk, do you know that? It's not your business what I dream about!"

He shrugged good naturally. "Sometimes talking about bad dreams helps. I had a nightmare once where this huge dragon came crashing through the roof of our house and set everything on fire. It was terrifying! I woke up in tears and after I told my mum and dad about it I felt better."

"We're not going to hold hands and plait each other's fucking hair, Potter. Go away!" Sirius demanded, kicking his leg out at James again.

James ignored him and stretched his long legs out across Sirius' bed so that his feet would butt him in the ribs repeatedly. "No. Not until you tell me why."

"BECAUSE MY MUM SAID SO OKAY!" Sirius shouted, climbing off of his bed and moving to brood out the window.

James stayed where he was, watching his friend's back. "Because I'm a blood traitor is that it? We all bleed red, you know."

Sirius only nodded, his eyes closed. "Look, James, it's better this way. For everyone."

"Not for you," James said stubbornly, climbing to his feet. "You're effing miserable! What's the worse your mum is going to do if you decide to be friends with me? Come on, Sirius!"

Sirius only continued to stare out the window. "My cousin Narcissa is a fifth year Slytherin. She'll spy on me and tell my parents. They will know."

"I spent all last summer being grounded," James said with a smile. "Not playing Quidditch totally sucked, but overall it wasn't so bad. Plus, we can find in-clandestine ways to communicate."

"James," Sirius said, opening his eyes. "No."

"You really just do whatever the hell your mother wants you to, huh?" James said in disappointment. "Well, I'll have you know that I'm a great friend and you're going to miss out on that if you do this."

Sirius closed his eyes again and bit his bottom lip, wincing as it was still tender. "I don't want to be friends with you, Potter."

James let out a huff of breath. "Fine. Sit up and here and brood all alone then, you bloody wanker!"

Sirius heard the door slam closed behind him and he winced. It was for the best, he thought. It had to be.

"We all bleed red, you know," Sirius whispered aloud to himself.

Those six little words by James Potter were words to live by and ones that had affected him his entire life.