It was the end of October when things finally settled into a natural rhythm for the first years. Some of the classes, mainly Transfiguration and Potions, proved more than difficult for many of them, as the most magic many had ever done before entering school was waving around a toy wand. The same, however, did not apply to Gryffindors Evie Bloxum, Lily Evans, and Remus Lupin. Naturally clever and determinedly studious, the three students were easily tied for top of their year. Lily it seemed dominated all else at Potions and Charms, making herself a notable favorite of both Professors Slughorn and Flitwick. Nobody could touch Remus when it came to History of Magic and Herbology. Evie and Lily often had trouble keeping conscious in History of Magic, and the fact that Herbology could get pretty nasty at times often put them out. The three of them were a definite tie in Astronomy, while Evie held her position at top of the class in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration.

Evie had grown close to Remus and Lily in their nearly two months at school. She found them to be a breath of fresh air as they were both well mannered and patient, which was more than anyone could say for James and Sirius. Evie liked her group of friends very much. She'd been fast friends with Lily after her apology, and the fact that Evie knew loads about Muggles because of her mother who'd worked in the Muggle office and insisted Evie be a well rounded individual.

James, Sirius, and Remus had formed their own little trio when they defended Peter Pettigrew from a group of third year Slytherins. Since then, it seemed their reward was him tagging along everywhere they went. Evie, it appeared, was the only girl they acted normal around, with the exception of Sirius who unnoticed by Evie sometimes became a bit flustered around her. Aside from her boys, Evie often found herself in the company of Lily, Matilda, and Marlene. Marlene McKinnon was a nice and very pretty girl. She was soft spoken and kind, which made the other girls defensive of her when their annoying roommate Mary saw it fitting to throw snide comments at her. Mary was, for lack of a better word, slightly deranged. So the other girls kept their distance.

Halloween was in three days and the first years could not be more excited. There was a party to be held by Professor Slughorn, to which Evie, Lily, James, Sirius, and Tiberius McLaggen had been invited to. Evie had heard from Fabian and Gideon, who'd made it as chasers on the Gryffindor team, that the feast on Halloween was more impressive than any other during the year.

It was a crisp Saturday morning as Evie sat down for breakfast with her friends. She and Lily sat across from Marlene and Tilly as they dug into their usual pancakes and eggs. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter came in a few minutes later laughing at the top of their lungs as they sat down.

"Who'd you prank this time?" Asked Evie as Sirius sat down next to her, James on his other side.

"Whatever do you mean, Evie?" he said with a sly grin. She lifted a brow at him before he gave in, "Our roommate. McLaggen. Bloke is more annoying than the Fat Lady singing opera. So we shut his curtains and froze them that way. Then we blocked out the sound. We're expecting a rather peaceful weekend."

"I know what you mean about unwanted roommates. McDonald is a nightmare. But then again you know that as she's your number one fan." Laughed Evie at Sirius's dismay.

He gave her a reproachful look. "I prefer not to dwell on it." The owls swooped in a few minutes later. Evie recognized James's owl, Quaffle, swoop down and drop his usual care package from home. His owl was followed by the Bloxum's owl, Titan, also carrying a family care package.

"Usual?" Evie smirked at James.

"It would appear so. Cakes, sweets, quills, and a loving letter from my parents. Fills me with such joy." Said James in a sugary voice.

"You should be appreciative, Potter. Some people's parents don't have owls and can't contact them." Said Lily reproachfully.

"Well, Evans, you can always borrow my owl. Standard fee is a kiss." Grinned James hopefully.

"You disgust me."

"You love me."

Everyone chuckled as Lily, exasperatedly, returned to her breakfast. A large eagle owl swooped down interrupting Sirius's breakfast. His face, Evie noticed, paled at little at looking at the envelope it carried. She realized it was the first time she'd seen him get any post at school.

"Is that from your parents?" she asked quietly. He nodded solemnly before taking the letter and opening it. The bird flew off, obviously not instructed to wait for a response. Sirius's hands shook slightly before banging down on the table and storming out of the hall.

"The hell was that?" asked James.

"Letter from his parents," sighed Evie, "I'll go check on him." James nodded, not taking his eyes of the doors. It took Evie quite a while to find Sirius. She figured his intention was to not be found. She realized he'd never really talked about his family, only mentioning that they were all Slytherins and that he didn't have a good relationship with any of them, save one uncle and a cousin. Aside from that she was pretty much in the dark when it came to Sirius's family. Much like everyone else, aside from James and Tilly, were about her home life. Finally, she found him sitting at the highest point in the clock tower, watching the gears and hands move and shift. She could have sworn she saw his shoulders shake a little. "Sirius?" He stiffened a bit before turning and seeing her there.

She was the last person he wanted to see him like this. He felt weak and stupid for getting upset over what his family thought. But they were his family. He was their child. Their rejection of him would hurt no matter what he told himself.

"Hi, Evie." He said leaning back against the wall.

"Mind if I sit with you?" she asked softly.

"Not at all." Maybe, he thought, she'd make him feel better. She always did. Evie sat down next to Sirius on the platform, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about whatever they said to you." She whispered.

"I've disgraced my family by getting sorted into Gryffindor. First letter I get from them and that's what they have to say to me," he hissed, "Surprised it wasn't a howler actually. They said not to bother coming home for Christmas."

"Then it's settled. You'll come home with James and me. Look, your parents are upset Sirius, but it doesn't give them any right to treat you like this. They'll realize that." Said Evie. He let out a sigh.

"Evie, my parents aren't like yours and James's. I mean yeah, they're all from old pureblood families, but my parents stick to the old ways. They're all about blood purity and all that nonsense. Keeping magic in magical families, it's ridiculous. They're fanatics. I hate it. I hate them for not being better parents. They didn't even wish me a happy birthday." He mumbled sadly.

"It's your birthday?" She asked looking up at him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Didn't want to make a fuss. It's not really a big deal in my family. It's usually just a proper dinner with a bunch of old purebloods I don't even know. I've never had a birthday cake." Said Sirius. Evie was aghast. She'd never realized how truly awful his home life really was.

"You'll get your cake, Sirius. I promise." She said smiling at him. "And you know, thanks for telling me about your family. I understand it better now. I didn't realize how…unpleasant it was."

"It's not without exchange," He said giving her a look, "Tell me about yours."

She ran a hand through her dirty blond hair. "Mine? Why?"

"You talk about yours about as much as I talk about mine." He said pointedly.

"I guess it's only fair," she cleared her throat, "Well, I'm an only child. My dad's name is Aldion and my mum's name is Metrodora. My dad is lieutenant in the auror office. But he's probably going to be in charge after Mad-Eye retires. It's kind of a tradition in my dad's family to work in the auror office. Every first Bloxum son born to every generation has been head of the office. I intend to be the first that's a girl. My dad…well, this might sound weird, but my dad's been training me since I was four."

He looked a little confused at that. "You're dad's been training you to be an auror since you were four? But how? I mean, you can't do magic at that age."

"For six years my dad made me read anything and everything about magical theory and trained my reflexes. He's a really talented auror and I can out run and duck any spell he throws at me. When I got my wand he pulled a few strings and got me a permit so that I could practice dueling with him. I bet you I could take any fifth year at this school in a duel." She smirked.

"That's really cool. I reckon that's why you're so good at defense," he said making her blush, "What about your mum though?"

"What about her?" said Evie quietly.

"Well you just told me about your dad. What about your mum and the rest of your family?"

"My mum. She's not the most pleasant person in the world anymore. She's a bit stern and protective. Gets aggravated easily." Muttered Evie.

"Well with a daughter like you I can imagine," he chuckled, "What do you mean by anymore?"

Evie didn't like talking about the incident. It had been three years but it still felt raw to her. Looking at Sirius though, at his honest gray eyes, she knew she could tell him.

"My mum and aunt were attacked three years ago. You know my cousin Felissity?" he nodded, "Her mum was killed. My aunt Perdita and my mum were best friends at school. Back then their last names were Longbottom and Dearborn. They were both in Hufflepuff and it was my mum who introduced Perdita to my uncle Caradoc. Well, Caradoc and my dad are really well connected in the ministry. My dad being the auror that he is, and my uncle being an unspeakable, they've each got substantial power. You-Know-Who wanted them to join him."

Sirius felt his jaw slack. "You-Know-Who?"

"Yeah. He wanted my dad because of his skill at dueling, the fact that he's an animagus, and his connections. My uncle is also a skilled duelist, and he could get You-Know-Who access to whatever he wanted that the Ministry kept secret. They refused him though, so he did something about it."

"He attacked their wives?" he asked softly. She sniffled, nodding her head as a few tears formed.

"I was a target too. But I was over at the Potters' home with Felissity when it happened. They were in the backyard. I can still remember my mother's screams. They were pruning around the garden when they were ambushed by five of his followers. My mum stunned one, Rosier, he's in Azkaban now. My aunt killed another, Avery, that stupid Slytherin's grandfather. But the other three…I still don't know who they are to this day. They tortured my mum and killed my aunt before James's parents got to them. Charlus fought the others off while Mrs. Potter got to my mum," she heard a sob escape her as more tears ran freely down her pale face, "she was pregnant at the time. But after what they did to her there were complications. My mum lost the baby and the ability to have children. And Felissity lost her mum."

Sirius didn't know what to do. He'd never imagined something so horrific in Evie's past, least of all what she'd just told him. There she sat, crying, the wounds still clearly there, and all he could do was sit there unsure of what to do.

"It's like ever since it happened, she's not the same. She's not as warm. She's not as motherly. She's sharper and she's so willing to see the bad in people." Cried Evie. Sirius brought her to him, rubbing her back as she cried into his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Evie. I…I don't know what to say. But you must know your mum loves you. She's probably just scared of losing you like she lost the baby." He said softly. "I'd be scared to lose you too."

She steadied her breathing and looked up at him with watery chocolate eyes. "Do you mean that, Sirius?"

"How could I not?" he smiled. She gave another sniffle and wiped away the last few tears.

"So, we need to celebrate this birthday of yours. No more bad thoughts. Just you, me, James, Remus, and Peter. That is if he doesn't wet himself from all the excitement." She giggled. Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

"It'll be a real struggle for him, won't it?" he laughed before getting to his feet. He helped her up, keeping her hand in his slightly longer than was necessary. He found himself thinking about how soft her hands were as he looked at her, wondering if her lips were softer. Granted, he was only twelve now and not all that interested in girls yet, but Evie had that effect on him. "Thanks, Evie. It's nice having you to talk to."

"I'm always here for you to talk to. So is James, but I'd like to think I'm a better listener." She said smiling. They met up with James, Remus, and Peter after they made their way back to Gryffindor tower. James was slightly offended that Sirius had kept his birthday a secret, and insisted on marching him down to the kitchens and getting him some impromptu birthday cake. They'd manage the second week of school to find the kitchens and as a result spent much of their time knicking food and taking it up to the tower.

Sirius was overwhelmed by how much his friends cared about him. After threatening him with beatings for withholding his birthday, they all swore he'd have his presents by the end of the week. He couldn't remember a better birthday, mainly because he'd never actually enjoyed himself on any prior celebration. If this was any indication to how he'd be spending every birthday and holiday with them, he was expecting to have a rather happy life.