James took a while to grow on him. The boy was a natural Gryffindor, a saint compared to Sirius' family stereotype of Slytherin, Slytherin everywhere. James talked loudly, he did homework loudly ─ Merlin, he even walked loudly! He was a loose cannon who was liable to be absolutely stoic and staid, then turn rapidly to a friend (James Potter seemed to be friends with everyone he laid eyes on) and discuss something, whether it was about a passing girl, Quidditch, the amount of schoolwork, Quidditch, or Quidditch. Yes, James was a Quidditch fanatic, and constantly tried to engage Sirius in conversation about the Wasps, or Puddlemere United, explaining how he would be a Chaser one day.

James knew everything about the Wizarding World, like Sirius, but had been brought up differently. While Sirius was initially judgmental of all the Muggle-borns and even Mudbloods like Lily Evans, James didn't seem to care. It confused Sirius, and made him suspect of everything the other boy said.

When they were sorted together, Sirius was uneasy being in the same dormitory as James. He asked the headmaster if either of them could be sorted somewhere else, petrified that James would make fun of him, or worse, be his enemy. Coming from such different families, it seemed impossible to rectify any disagreement between them ─ they would rile each other up until neither could see straight for all the bruises on their skulls. Lily made constant remarks about the "numb skulls" they were, and also had. Nonetheless, they continued to bicker for practically all of first year.

Eventually, the two became best of friends. But James Potter's brotherly love didn't come easily to Sirius Black, far from it. Their relationship was like beef stew ─ slow cooking, but delicious in the end.

-o-o-o-

Remus' disease initially unnerved the squeamish Sirius, having been unaware of it and logically fearful. It was obvious to him after only a few weeks of study, why did none of the other students work it out? Surely they were more educated, and more qualified to know such a thing. Yet lycanthropy wasn't in the Hogwarts curriculum; most wizards liked to forget about its existence, happy to degrade the reputations of those who had it without a second thought, yet somehow unable to help them. Sirius wondered often how Remus had gotten the frightening illness.

Their personalities clashed frighteningly as well. On one side of the dormitory would be Remus, studying, while on the other Sirius would be doodling, eating, or talking to James. In an instant Remus would be upon him, complaining about the noise, no matter how quiet he had been.

Like the time Remus was preparing for a Transfiguration exam.

"Sirius, what are switching spells again? Dumbledore was describing their effects on animals in a lesson when you two started prodding things with your wa─"

"Shuddup, you, I'm making a love potion for Marlene McKinnon."

"Sirius, you should be working! I don't know a thing, and you skipped class twice as often as I did!" exclaimed Remus, running fingers through his hair.

"No, 'my wrist hurt flicking my wand in charms,' remember?" hissed Sirius.

And so on, until both parties were exhausted and the time was well past midnight. Those nights, neither of them was prepared, and Sirius and Remus blamed each other. Oh, eventually, the pair would embrace each other after a lifetime of mutual misunderstanding, but now they were combatants. Together, a criticism contest; apart, insulting indifference.

-o-o-o-

Peter, sweet, boring, Peter, was Sirius' first true friend at Hogwarts.

Peter met Sirius at the first year Sorting ─ two little boys giving control of their futures to a mangy old hat with a fabric jaw. Sirius had clambered to lead the line, while Peter tried to slouch to the back end, hoping to escape the public pressure of Sorting. Then Professor Dumbledore, the man orchestrating the event, ordered the pair, who had somehow been shoved out of the line together, to greet the hat before anyone else ─ even though Pettigrew and Black had vastly different first letters.

Sirius became a Gryffindor, then Peter as well. They sat together at the red-and-gold-colored table, amidst cheers of fellow Lions, taking in the sight of the Great Hall, packed with hundreds of students. Sirius asked Peter's name and Peter asked Sirius' (although he had remembered it, he was trying to be polite) as they dug into dinner and dessert. They entered the dormitory together, meeting James and Remus there, but sharing a special connection from the very beginning. Although James and Sirius were the more popular ones, the more outgoing students, Peter reserved a special place in Sirius' heart.

Peter was the first of the Marauders he knew he could count on; yet the only one he couldn't trust in the end. The one who betrayed the Potters, leaving Sirius with no one to cry with when he was accused of giving away the Secret. He was alone the day he was sent to Azkaban for 'murder,' and he never forgot why.

Peter had joined the Dark side. And by the looks of it, he wouldn't easily be brought back to the Light.