...On the Hogwarts Express! (kudos if you understand the reference in the title of this chapter ;) )

So this chapter is a bit dramatic but the drama is so much of the bulk of this chapter that I couldn't change it. But there's more drama in the whole of Harry Potter than in this chapter so I'm safe XD

Anyway, how are all of you? How's your September? I've been working on trying to get a job (long story about why I haven't gotten one yet) but since I haven't yet and I have like no other responsibilities, I do as much writing as possible everyday. I have to keep the motion up or I'll wind up losing steam. Thankfully this mentality has brought me to the end of their third year! That was the biggest challenge that kept me from finishing the first time, so it's a relief that it's out of the way.

I've also decided that this story isn't going to run straight through to Halloween 1981. I'm going to do a separate story of the Order Years so that I can take a little break and work on other projects without the pressure of trying to finish something without an upload gap. This fic alone is a huge undertaking, but taking out the later years helps. I can also structure the Order story differently since it's out of Hogwarts and there's no school years to hold the pieces together. Overall I think it's the best choice.

Also, I'm still trying to decide how AU I want this story to go. Sometimes I want to stick to canon because I don't know what I would possibly do in a Harry Potter rewrite, but I don't want to because I can't stand the idea of my poor babies being sad :/ I have time to think I guess, but it's a tough decision. Ugh.

Okay, I'm not rambling anymore. Enjoy the chapter and I'll see you in another two weeks! Love ya!

~SXS

FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER. THANKS.


Sirius was eager as a dog waiting to be let off its leash. He could almost taste the freedom, and couldn't help but grin despite himself. His parents scoffed at his silly expression and he tried to hide his joy. He had no intentions of getting on the train in bad spirits because they didn't understand happiness, so he tried to keep on his best behavior.

Upon arriving on the platform, however, it was harder than he thought. Sirius was in awe. There were more wizards and witches than he had ever seen in his life! The magic pulsated in the air to the rhythm of hooting owls and meowing cats. Not only that, but it was pure, good magic. Not the dark stuffy kind he'd been exposed to all his life. He felt alive!

Thinking that his parents really wouldn't care if he actually said goodbye or not, he tried to sneak away to get on the train. But before he could get too far, his mother suddenly snapped at him, "Sirius! Say hello to your cousins."

He held in a groan and turned back around to come face to face with Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda Black. He marveled at the stark differences between the three. Bellatrix with her manic face covered in unruly black curls and her dark crystal eyes peering out from beneath was such a contrast from Narcissa's platinum blonde hair that was neatly pulled back to reveal a regal face and calm sky blue eyes. And then of course Andromeda with her light brunette and sparkling green eyes full of genuine kindness. Although her facial shape was quite close to her oldest sister, it was hard for him to believe that they were all from the same parents.

With a strained smile, he nodded his acknowledgment. Andromeda gave him a hug and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, it won't be long now." She gave him a sympathetic look as she pulled back. Bellatrix sneered at him and Narcissa just offered a thin smile. The latter and Andromeda were dressed in their robes already, fifth and sixth years respectively, while Bellatrix was wearing a black dress being that she had already graduated Hogwarts two years before.

He lingered silently for a few more minutes while his mother doted on her nieces, though not so much Andromeda as the others. When he believed he was in the clear, he pulled the cart with his trunk to the back-most car and prepared to board when another voice called his name.

Would he ever get a break? He turned to find Regulus following him. "Reg, you'll give me away if they notice you're gone. What is it?"

For a moment, the younger boy didn't say anything, fidgeting a little in place. Then he suddenly launched forward and embraced Sirius. "Goodbye."

Sirius was not used to this sort of display of affection from his brother so he was shocked at first. However, he did hug him back, even if it was somewhat awkward. "Y-You'll be fine, Reg…I'll see you soon," he said, patting his back.

Regulus pulled back, clearing his throat, scratching beneath his eye, and nodding before going back to his parents and cousins. Sirius shook his head fondly as he watched him go. That boy never failed to surprise him. He then proceeded to get on the train, taking the last open compartment.

After he fixed his trunk into position, he settled into the plush seat. A wave of tiredness washed over him as his early rise that morning caught up. He was about to close his eyes and drift off when he heard footsteps approaching. Sirius sat up and waited to see if the duo would try to join him in his compartment. Part of him wanted to talk to some other students, yet part of him just wanted sleep.

The pair saw that the compartment directly across the corridor was empty and took their seats there instead. When they had closed themselves in Sirius peeked through the windows to see a boy and a girl. The boy had greasy-looking black hair that matched his eyes, and a crooked nose. The girl was rather pretty with vibrant green eyes and flowing red locks. Sirius saw that the girl was wiping her eyes and wondered why she would be crying on a day like today. He leaned up a little further looking through the window, trying to read their lips.

Just then the train jerked forward and he flopped back into his seat. They were finally on their way! But even with the prospect of Hogwarts in his very near future starting up his heart rate, Sirius still wanted to nap and decided he could afford to close his eyes for a little while. It would help the time go faster anyway. He laid back in his seat and watched out the window as kids and parents shouted goodbyes to each other.

A small tawny-haired boy stuck out from the rest as he was running after the train and waving his arms. Sirius made eye contact with him briefly and when the boy realized he had his attention, he became even more frantic and seemed to motion for him to open the window. Sirius frowned and pointed to himself in question, causing the other to nod. Well, so much for sleeping…

.:~I~S~S~:.

Remus spiraled out of the fireplace on Platform Nine and Three Quarters and whipped his head from side to side in search of his parents. Through the thick throng of witches and wizards and their children toting pets and luggage carts, he couldn't see them anywhere. He commenced running up and down the platform calling out for them but to no avail.

Finally he spotted someone who looked like his mother from behind. "Oh, Mum, thank Merlin! " He ran up to her and squeezed her around the waist.

"I beg your pardon?" the woman said, turning to face him and revealing that she was certainly not Frida Lupin.

"Ah, I-I-I'm sorry!" Remus backed up without looking and crashed into someone else. The force of the impact knocked him forwards and he fell to his hands and knees.

"Why you insolent little creature!" cried a shrill voice from the body he had collided with.

Remus flipped over and looked up into the face of a witch with black hair and piercing blue eyes. Her expression was one of rage, but it quickly changed to one of confused curiosity (laying on top of the rage). "I sense Dark Magic…Surely you are not the child of a Dark Wizard?"

Remus paled, realizing that she must have been able to sense his werewolf aura. He silently prayed that she would not figure it out and expose his secret before he even got a chance to get to Hogwarts.

"Speak up boy! Who is your father?" she snapped, bringing him back to reality.

"U-uh…J-John Lupin, ma'am," Remus squeaked.

The woman's face contorted into anger again and she snorted. "Hmph. That Mudblood that works at the Ministry. It must have been coming off of someone else. You should watch where you're going, you wretch! Next time you won't be so lucky." With that, she walked away and it was a moment before Remus found the ability to get up and walk.

He was somewhat dazed after the encounter. He didn't like idea that someone was able to sense his 'alter ego'. What if someone who was familiar with Dark Magic got suspicious and discovered the truth? It would be all around the school in a flash and parents would expect Dumbledore to expel him. Naturally he would have to comply and Remus would never get the chance to live like a normal person. The Ministry would come after him and he'd be taken to one of those reservation places and-

A loud whistle broke his train of thought. He turned towards the tracks and what he saw made his heart stop. The train was already moving. And he wasn't on it.

"No…No! STOP!"

.:~I~S~S~:.

Sirius was a bit worried about this kid's mental stability just by looking at him. He had wild amber eyes and his clothes looked like they had seen better days. And of course he was chasing a locomotive. He still opened the window.

Remus thanked whoever was listening to his prayers for making that other boy not only notice him but actually open the window and stick his dark-haired head out. Maybe he still had a chance.

"What's the problem, mate?" Sirius called over the noise.

"I'm supposed to be on the train!" Remus called back.

Sirius casually put an elbow on the edge of the window and rested his cheek in his palm. "I hate to break it to you, but I don't think you're gonna make it. Just get your parents to fly you in."

"They don't fly!" Remus cried. "Please, just help me! Get someone to stop the train!"

Sirius knew it was a bad idea to start talking to crazy people when that was exactly what he was trying to escape at home. But at the same time, he knew the kid couldn't be any worse than his family in the insanity department. All he wanted was to get on the train. He moved away from the window momentarily and peered out into the hall to see if anyone was around.

Remus was starting to have trouble keeping up his pace as the train started to slowly accelerate. After all, he was eleven years old, and kids his age weren't supposed to be running after trains. He hadn't wanted to, but he realized he was going to have to tap into his extra werewolf strength. This was an emergency. He concentrated and suddenly felt himself speed up.

A quick glance up the hall told Sirius that there wasn't anyone around that could help. He went back to the window. "I didn't see anyone. But even then they probably wouldn't be able to stop the train in time. I think you're out of luck."

Remus cursed, realizing there was only one thing that he could do. "Put your arms out! I'll jump for it!"

"Are you mental?" Actually that question didn't need asking. "That'll never work. There's only so much platform left and you'll get splattered on the wall!" The dark-haired boy was now mildly regretting having a better nature than his family, as surely none of them would have paid any mind to the boy if they saw him.

"Don't worry, it'll work! Put your arms out!" Remus repeated, getting desperate.

Sirius hesitated, looking down the platform and seeing that they were only meters away from the end. But nevertheless he put out his arms and waited to try and catch the crazy boy.

Remus built up all the speed he could and bolted faster than the train to get ahead of where the other boy's window was. Thankfully the train wasn't anywhere near top speed yet, but it was still going to be risky with so little platform left. He stopped, bending his knees low and concentrated on building up power. When the window was a meter away, he suddenly sprang into the air and grabbed the outstretched arms on his way back down. He clung onto his wrists with inhuman strength and his feet scrambled for traction on the smooth side of the car.

"Pull me up, pull me up!" he cried and Sirius, who was frozen in shock at the feat, shook his head and began to pull. The boy's foot barely made it in before the platform ended and their scenery changed to open green landscape.

The boys tumbled onto the floor. For a minute they laid there catching their breath. Then Sirius sat up, clutching his head and shaking it. "Merlin, mate. That was the craziest thing I've ever seen. How'd you learn to jump like that?"

The tawny-head sat up as well, a bit too fast. "Uh, it's just something I was born with. But thanks though. You saved my arse."

Now in closed quarters and face to face, the two got a better look at each other. Up close, this kid looked stranger than before. He was thin, and his face had faint slash scars over his cheeks and nose. His amber eyes were huge and shining and they almost seemed unnatural. He was a bit unsettling, yet there was something about him that he immediately felt drawn to.

Remus noticed right away that this boy was handsome for his age. His face was sharp with high cheekbones yet he still had a childish softness around some edges. His hair was raven-black and silky. Not to mention his pale skin was flawless and made Remus self-conscious of his own marred body. He saw the boy's blue-gray eyes graze over him and immediately he blushed, sure that he was thinking about how weird he looked. He bowed his head and turned away.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"N-nothing," Remus said without looking up. "I'll just...g-go find somewhere to s-sit I guess." He stood without lifting his head.

"Wait, you don't have to leave," Sirius said. "What's your name?"

"Um, Lupin. R-Remus Lupin," said werewolf replied, turning back. "You?"

"Sirius Black. Please don't let the name deter you." Remus didn't understand what he meant by that, but brushed it off and shook the hand he was subsequently offered. Then Sirius's eyes narrowed on him. "You're not mental are you?"

"Me? Well, I'm a bit…d-different from other people our age. But I wouldn't say mental. Are you mental?" Remus asked, causing the other's lips to draw into a frown.

"Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know. Because you just helped a complete stranger in a somewhat dangerous way that almost cost you your arms?"

Sirius laughed lightly. He had a point there; maybe he was mental after all. It did run in the family. "Merlin only knows what made me decide to do that. I guess in the end I'm just a wonderful person."

Remus raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. Just then the compartment door opened and the girl and boy from across the hall peered in.

"Is everything alright in here?" the red-head asked. "We heard a commotion."

"We're okay," Remus said. "I just jumped on the train last minute is all." He inwardly giggled at the double meaning and Sirius barely held back a snicker.

The pair stepped in, even though the girl looked a bit wary. "Well, I'm Lily Evans. And this is Severus Snape." She gestured to the hook-nosed boy who simply sniffed, arms crossed over his chest.

Remus offered a hand towards her. He was actually talking to other people long before he'd thought he would. Maybe he wouldn't have so much trouble making friends after all. "I'm Remus Lupin."

"Sirius Black," the dark-haired boy said, jerking a thumb at himself.

That got Severus's attention. "A Black are you? So I'll be expecting you in Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" Remus turned to Sirius, a little crestfallen. He hadn't expected that one of the first people he would meet would be in the House that he least wanted to be in. But Sirius looked a little angered by the comment. He was about to say something when someone else spoke.

"Who'd want to be in Slytherin?" came the new voice from the hall. A boy with messy black hair and hazel eyes hidden behind glasses poked his head in. He had the same brand of handsome face as Sirius, but with a more pronounced jaw than cheeks. "I'd rather be in Hufflepuff than in the snake pit." His eyes scanned the group and when he saw Lily he immediately sidled up next to her with a charming smile. "I hope you're in Gryffindor with me." Lily's face burned all the way to her ears and she turned away, scooting closer to Severus.

"And what makes you so sure that you'll be there?" Sirius asked. The new boy's head snapped towards him and he raised an eyebrow at the challenging question.

"For your information, my family has been in Gryffindor for generations. Us Potters are famous for it." He stood tall and tried to puff his chest out.

"Ah, lovely. One of my long lost third cousins or whatever. I should have known you were a Potter when your head barely fit through the doorway." Sirius smirked and the boy sneered.

"And who are you, Mr. Know-it-all?"

"Name's Black. Sirius Black."

The Potter boy jumped back in surprise, almost as if he were afraid the name carried some sort of plague. "No wonder we're fighting! We're destined to be enemies." He composed himself a little. "You'll be stuck in the dungeons while I rule the school from the tower." The boy ran a hand through his hair with a smirk.

Sirius frowned, anger flaring in his stomach. "Just because I'm a Black doesn't mean I'm the same as the rest of them. I would never let myself become a Slytherin. Get used to me, Potter, because if you're in Gryffindor, you're going to be seeing a lot of me."

"Forget it, Black. You'll see. There's no changing tainted blood." Sirius growled at that and Remus feared that things were about to get more heated. Thankfully, he just took a deep breath and balled up his fists.

"You're lucky, Potter. I don't want to get in trouble for beating up a useless prick like you before we even get to school, so I won't hex you yet. But just wait. Next time I'll-"

"Whatever you say Blacky. Hey you," he said looking at Remus. "You'd better watch yourself with this one. He'll probably wind up stabbing you in the back." Just before he was about to leave, he looked at Lily and gave her another dashing smile, coupled with a wink. "I hope to see you later, my dear. James Potter, as I'm sure you were dying to know."

"Sod off, jerk!" she said, moving away. "Come on, Sev, let's go back to our compartment. It was lovely to meet you two," she added, looking directly at Sirius and Remus. Then Lily took Severus's arm and led him back across the way. James pouted as he watched them leave, then gave one last glare to the other pureblood before leaving. The pair was left alone once more.

Remus let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding and wandered over to one of the seats. He sat down, putting his hands in his lap. Suddenly the whirlwind of events and the use of his extra energy was catching up to him and he felt drained.

Sirius sighed exasperatedly and dropped onto the opposite chair, burying his face in his hands. After a minute he lifted his head and said, "You can't listen to Potter. I'm trying to make my own reputation. I'm nothing like my family."

Remus looked across at the other boy, remembering that he'd mentioned about his name being a deterrent. "I don't think you're bad, or you wouldn't have helped me."

Sirius's blue-gray eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you don't care that my family is Dark?" His brows furrowed and then realization dawned on his face. "Wait…You didn't even know about my family did you? I thought everyone in the wizarding world knew the Blacks were a Dark family. Are you a Muggle-born?"

"N-No," Remus stuttered with a light flush. "I'm just a little…naive I guess." He had been rather sheltered since the 'accident' so he wasn't up on all the gossip of the world he was soon to become a bigger part of.

"Really naive, mate, if you don't know the 'Moste Anciente and Noble House of Black'," Sirius said with mock regality. "But, like I said, I hate being a part of it and I hate being judged for it. Someday I'm going to change my name. Maybe when I get married I'll take the girl's late name instead."

They both chuckled and faded into silence. Sirius looked Remus over again. Perhaps this was an opportunity. This was someone who didn't see 'Black' as an indicator of who he was. Maybe he was one of those people Regulus had talked about.

Remus watched as Sirius's eyes scanned him again and he bent his head down. He didn't think that Sirius was a bad person, but it seemed that he was rather focused on Remus's appearance. At least he hadn't said anything about it. Maybe it was just something he was going to have to learn to deal with. No one was ever not going to notice his scars, but if they gave him the chance, he could show them he wasn't a freak. At least, most of him wasn't.

After a moment, Sirius cleared his throat and cast his eyes down. "You really don't think I'm bad?"

"No," Remus said quietly and looked up. "I've had no reason to."

Sirius nodded lightly, and then lifted his head again. "So does that mean we're friends?"

The question was something that Remus hadn't expected to hear. Was it really that easy? He couldn't help the hope shimmering in his eyes that all that he had feared with the coming year would be prevented because of this one person, his first ever friend. He smiled bigger than he ever had before and nodded.

Relief flooded over both boys at the confirmation of their friendship. Sirius smiled, and said, "Great!" The short period of him letting his guard down passed and he was back to being upbeat. "So, my new friend, what else don't you know about the wizarding world?"