A/N: Chapter eighteen is all done :) hope you all like it!

review responses:

splatteredpaint: XD I'm glad you found it funny, I thought a dose of humour was in need :D and I'm afraid Sirius is going to need a lot of hugs after you've read this chapter (at least, I wanted to hug him :( ) Oh, I'm certain they'll manage to break their record next year ;) Definitely, and better way of having love than a good old wedding (which I've started to write a little bit of) the weathers picking up a bit now, but I'm now full of cold, which sucks, but I get one every winter, so it was to be expected. I'm really happy you liked the chapter, and thank you very much for reading and reviewing (and continuing to ramble, which really makes my day), and I sincerely hope you like this next chapter!

Fairywolf: Ok, that is just too scary! Blimey, timing or what? I'm glad you likedthe voice breaking bit aswell, it was a last minute addition and I was chuckling away to myself as I was writing. Wow, you're just full of ideas! I'll definitely take that one into consideration, and it could be possible, aren't we forgetting Lily's helping Timothy Stebbins (a Ravenclaw) with charms? There you go with your psycic abilities again! Keep up the suggestions, they're great! Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this next chapter :)

evershort: Thank you :D (just make sure there's no stones mixed in with that snowball, I once threw a snowball with some gravel mixed in it, and ended up giving my friend a nasty cut on the forehead...I'm still apoligising, and it happened over two years ago!) Oh, there'll be plenty of crushed and dates and romantic drama beginning now, it may sound cliched, but at the end of the day, most teenage lives rotate around romance in someway or another, I know mine did! (although, I'm still with my 'high school sweetheart', so I didn't have as much as some of the others!) I know, poor Sirius, and the Potter's can't sign it 'cause they're not his legal guardian :( He'll find a way around it though, I promise! This is Sirius we're talking about, after all. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter. Oh, and Hogsmeade is coming up very soon!

MissWendyBird: It's such an embarassing time for them, poor guys, they'll start really noticing girls now too, if you know what I mean. Ahhhh, nightime emissions, you've given me a great idea (it won't be too graphic, I promise...funny though!) Haha, they both think with their stomachs, don't they! Thank you for continuing to read and review, and please enjoy this chapter too :)

BloodMoonRising: XD I'm glad you liked it :D I teased my male friends for weeks about it, I'm suprised they stayed friends with me actually. Thank you for reading and reviewing, as always, and I hope you like this next chapter just as much :)

quirky-as-alice: I know, haha! The poor guy's having a bit of a rough time, eh? Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Enjoy the next chapter!

Bookworm315: Thank you :D I'm glad you liked that part aswell, I was hoping it wasn't too random, you know :) and like I said, I'd rather someone told me the typo's so I could better the story and improve the writing for you guys :) Yes, it's meant to be Grover, but I'm so used to seeing Goyle followed by Crabbe in HP that out of habit I've been writing their names instead of Grover! I really need to stop that haha! Oh, not even illness will stop me from writing, besides, it cheers me up, so it's the perfect rememdy :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)

Ea: Hi there, welcome to the story :) Thank you, I'm very glad you've been enjoying it :) (I'm sorry I almost made you cry too, lol). Your english is fine, don't worry about it :) Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you continued to enjoy the story :)

Disclaimer: I made no money from this, and I never will...which sucks, coz my wage is terrible! I think I need a second job....

on witht he show....


The Marauders Tale: Hogwarts Years

Chapter Eighteen

Not of Blood

The next morning, four very tired Gryffindor boys dragged weary legs down to the Great Hall. As always, the boys had spent most of the night awake, discussing the coming year. It seemed to be a regular tradition with most students in the school; everyone far too excited to even contemplate sleeping early.

"Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew," Professor McGonagall stood behind the boys, her eyes narrowed.

The boys swivelled in their seats at the Gryffindor table to face their Head of House, wondering how on Earth they could be in trouble already.

"Your timetables for this year," McGonagall handed the boys four timetables, "And I expect you all to be at my office tonight, six o'clock sharp."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," James flashed the older witch a grin, to which she merely rolled her eyes.

"Indeed, have a good day boys," she nodded curtly, and moved down the table to the other students.

"It's Marauders!" Sirius called after her, a smirk playing across his handsome features. He, James and Remus had all grown several inches over the summer; Peter, a few centimetres, though a tall Peter wouldn't be Peter at all.

"What've you all got?" James asked, leaning over Remus' shoulder to read his timetable.

"Ancient Runes...Lupin," James whined, "We're not all together!"

Remus quirked and eyebrow, "You knew that, or were you not listening when I told you?"

"Probably not listening," Sirius commented, snatching Peter's timetable from him and scanning it, and ignoring the sniggers from his friends at the squeakiness of his voice, "We've got Divination first, excellent," he handed Peter his timetable back and rubbed his hands together, "I nice nap for us all."

"Is that the only reason you took it?" Remus asked with a small smirk. Sirius nodded, and turned back to his breakfast.

"I should have known."

~**~

"Welcome to Divination!"

Professor Gelbert Gero was a strange man. He was tall, with yellowing skin and matching teeth, several of which were missing, long sleek black hair tied into a ponytail, and a funny little goatee to match. His eyes were large, and seemed almost black, and he wore a fitted waist coat beneath flowing black robes; James though he looked an awful lot like somebody out of the 1880's.

"Do not think this class will be easy..."

Sirius groaned beside James.

"...Divination is a subtle, yet taxing course. I will test you skills in focus, your ability to determine the possible...and the impossible, and of course...we will learn to interpret your own," at this point Professor Gero pointed at Sirius, "And each others," he spread his arms and spun on the spot," futures," the Professor finished with a dramatic hand wave, eliciting several sniggers, mainly from James and Sirius.

Ignoring, or possibly not hearing this, Professor Gero instructed the class to pull out their text books and begin at chapter one; Palmistry.

"Pair up boys and girls, and attempt to determine the lives of your fellows," Gero glanced at James' table, and pointed at Peter, "You boy, come and work with me."

Peter squeaked, and looked helplessly at James and Sirius. He clumsily got to his feet and left his friends to their work.

"Alright then, hold out your hand," said James, pulling his book closer.

Sirius snorted, and held out his hand. James studied it for a moment, consulting his book.

"Alright then...lifeline...long but thin...you'll live a long time...but will face many troubles..."

"Great," muttered Sirius, rolling his eyes. He could think of about fifty things he'd rather be doing right now.

"Umm...heart line...thick...but short...you'll find your soul mate...but you won't be together very long..." James fought the urge to laugh. Somehow, the words 'Sirius' and 'soul mate' didn't quite fit.

"Soul mate?" snorted Sirius.

"I wonder who the lucky guy is?" mused James, earning a punch in the arm from Sirius.

"Prat...damn voice! – Just get on with it, does it say whether I'll be rich?"

James studied his hand once again, "Head line...umm...too hard to decipher, alright, do mine now."

Sirius laughed and took James' hand.

"Well...heart line is thick, and long....so you're gonna get married and have lots of little Potters...aww Jamsie."

James kicked his friend, not at all willing to consider the possibility of little Potters...or little Lily's.

"Okay, okay...life line...short...wow....really short...sorry mate, looks like you'll pop your clogs any day now," grinned Sirius.

"Oh ha ha," said James sarcastically, "What about my head line?"

Sirius' brow crossed together as though concentrating. He sighed, and looked up.

"I'm sorry James".

"What?" asked James, slightly concerned.

"You...you don't have one...you're...you're an idiot," Sirius dramatically looked away, before bursting into laughter.

James picked up his book and chucked it at his cocky friend, who ducked, causing the book to hit Heloise Gibson in the back of the head.

"Have you finished boys?"

James and Sirius jumped, and saw Professor Gero looking down upon them with a sneering smile.

"All done, Sirius is gonna live a long, loveless life," grinned James.

"And James is gonna die soon but have loads of kids and whatnot, better get started Potter."

The two boys began laughing again. Professor Gero dropped to his knees, and took both of their hands in his. He paused for a moment, then looked at them with serious eyes.

"You will both find peace under the willow tree."

He stood up promptly, and left to Heloise and Kathy Reed's table.

James and Sirius frowned at each other as Peter hurried over to them.

"What did you guys get? Gero said I'm gonna live till I'm one hundred and sixty and have fifteen children".

"It's a load of rubbish Pete, I wouldn't listen to it," laughed Sirius.

"Mate, you really need to sort that voice out....damn it!"

"Aha! Not so funny now, eh Potter?"

"Shut up."

~**~

James, Sirius and Peter sighed in relief as the torture that was Divination came to an end. The three friends slowly made their way from the North Tower towards their next lesson (History of Magic), uncaring whether they were late or not.

"Remind me why we chose Divination?" groaned James as they descended the spiral staircase, rubbing his throat every now and again. Perfect, his next lesson was with Lily too.

"No idea, I kinda hoped Divination could be like nap time," yawned Sirius.

"Stand and fight you scurvy dogs!" shouted a nearby painting.

"So I was thinking we should get straight back into the Animagi researching, what do you guys think of Saturday?" continued Sirius.

"Works for me, I reckon we'll figure it out soon," grinned James.

"James Potter's to do list, become an Animagi, marry Lily Evans...anything else?" asked Pete with a smirk.

James laughed, "No, that's all I can think of right now."

The three boys entered Professor Binns' classroom, Peter promptly walking into a desk.

"Sorry," he mumbled red faced to the mousy haired Hufflepuff at the desk.

"It's okay," she smiled.

Peter walked to his seat beside Remus, muttering under his breath about desks being too close to doorways.

~**~

"This is hopeless!"

Peter slammed his head forward onto the open book, finally having given up. It was Saturday, and the four Marauders had headed to the Room of Requirement, and Remus had dubbed it, to continue their research of Animagi. What seemed like hundreds of books were scattered haphazardly around the room, various passages underlines or circled. On the large desk set in the middle of the room, piles and piles of notes on what they had discovered so far towered, and the boys were still nowhere near finding out how to do it.

"This passage mentions meditation," James pointed out, "'Only those with a clear mind and focused energy via meditation can successfully find the key to their inner animal', that sounds like meditation to me."

Remus leaned over to read the passage, the boys having put him in charge of reviewing the notes.

"But how do we know what to focus on?" cried Sirius in exasperation.

"I told you it wouldn't be easy," Remus chastised, "You're the ones who wanted to go through with it."

Sirius crossed his arms, and huffed, "Yeah, well..." he trailed off, "Sod off Lupin."

Remus merely smirked, and circled the passage James had been reading, whilst James jotted down a few notes.

Sirius glanced at his watch, and ran a hand through his dark hair, which seemed to be getting shaggier and shaggier as the days passed, "I think we should head off now, it's almost one."

James nodded, "Good job it's the weekend," he yawned, "Come on Pete," James prodded his friend, who squeaked, glancing around wildly.

"Wha – oh, right."

"How long do you think it'll take to fully transform?" whispered Peter as the boys made their way back to the Gryffindor tower.

"No idea, they don't give a specific amount of time, it just depends on the strength of the wizard," replied Remus quietly.

The boys continued on their path, until James suddenly stopped.

"What?" hissed Sirius.

"Snivellus," whispered James. The four boys watched as Snape grew closer. James brought a finger to his lips, and guided the boys into a shadowy doorway. They watched Snape wander past, looking around as thought waiting to catch somebody. He rounded a corner, and disappeared.

"Come on," started Sirius, going to follow him.

"I think we should just get back guys," whispered Remus.

"No way, I wanna know why he was skulking around near our common room," protested James.

"Guys its way past curfew," moaned Peter.

The boys were so busy arguing they didn't notice the invisibility cloak had slipped from around them. They also didn't see the four figures race around the corner and slam right into them.

"What the hell was that!" exclaimed James, pulling out his wand and lighting it. Sirius and Remus did the same, and three narrow strips of light rested upon four shocked looking young girls.

"Ladies...what are you doing out here?" asked James in surprise whilst Sirius, Remus and Peter offered hands to help the girls up.

"The same could be said for you," said Lily defiantly, adjusting the pile of brightly decorated cakes in her arms.

"Where've you been?" asked Remus, "Where did you get those cakes from?"

Holly slapped Sirius' hand away from her chocolate éclairs, "None of your business."

"Oh come on, how did you get all of these!" asked Sirius, eyeing the brownies in Chris' arms.

"Ahh, so you don't know everything," smirked Bridget, her arms full of doughnuts.

"Wait," said Remus slowly, "You've been to the kitchens, haven't you?"

Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris' faces split into identical evil grins.

"Perhaps," smiled Lily.

"Tell us how to get in there," demanded James, his voice cracking ever so slightly, causing him to blush.

"Nope," chuckled Holly, the other girls sniggering too, "It's a secret."

"Come on guys," Sirius wrapped his arm around Chris and flashed his most charming smile, "Please?"

Chris bit her lip, "Oh alright, go to the portrait of the fruit near the dungeons and tickle the pear."

"Chris!" cried Lily and Holly in unison whilst Bridget laughed.

"Thanks Chris," beamed Sirius. He turned to his friends, "Come on, to the kitchens!"

"Oh no you don't, it's far too late to be out," protested Lily.

"Fine," conceded James, "But you have to give us some of those," he pointed to the fat, fluffy cakes in Lily's arms, "Instead."

"No way," started Lily, pulling the cakes out of reach, "These are for an emergency."

"Emergency?" asked Peter.

"A girl thing," explained Holly, again slapping Sirius' hand away from the éclairs.

"Whatever, just give us a cake," demanded Sirius. He turned to Chris, "Please?"

"Oh here you go," snapped Chris, shoving a handful of brownies towards the boys.

"Can't you keep anything to yourself," said Holly in exasperation.

"It's the eyes," groaned Chris, "Get's me every time."

"Right, you've got what you wanted, now leave us alone!" snapped Lily.

The four girls bade goodnight and hurried off down the corridor.

"Kitchens?"

"Yep!"

~**~

The Gryffindor girls hurried quietly through the deserted common room, taking the staircase two at a time until they made it to their dormitory.

"That was close," Holly commented, dumping the éclairs onto her bed, "What do you think those lot were doing?"

"I don't even want to know," grumbled Lily, carefully unwrapping a cake, "Breaking rules, no doubt."

"Nothing like us, then," Chris giggled, chucking a brownie at Bridget, "I thought you two were sort of alright at the end of last year?"

Lily shook her head, "Just because we won the cup doesn't mean I want to be best friends with him – any of them!"

"Remus and Peter are alright," Bridget countered, "And you have to admit, James and Sirius are funny, they all are."

"You would say that," mumbled Lily, frowning, "Can we not talk about Potter, please?"

"Alright, alright, onto more important matters," Chris grinned, "Hogsmeade!"

"Here we go," Holly rolled her eyes to a sniggering Bridget and Lily, "What about it, Chris?"

"Dates, of course," the blonde replied promptly, "Who do we want to ask us?"

Holly, Bridget and Lily exchanged amused glances, "I don't think any of us actually thought of anything like that," Lily started, "Just you."

Chris rolled her eyes, "Reckon James'll ask Lils?"

"I thought we weren't going to talk about him," Lily groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Oh, definitely, remember the Quidditch incident, he'll be wanting to make up for it," smirked Holly, "That, and I overheard him telling Jonny over the summer that he wanted to take you to Hogsmeade."

"Why me," Lily whined, dodging the doughnut tossed at her by Bridget.

"Lils, you should be flattered! At least you have someone interested in you," she added darkly.

"And at least you don't like a boy whose goal in life is to snog the entire female population of Hogwarts," Holly continued bitterly. Lily, Chris and Bridget quirked an eyebrow.

"Black? I thought you said he wasn't worth it?"

"I don't know!" Holly cried, flinging her arms in the air for effect, "I try not to, but he's too damn good looking!"

"That he is, love," Chris patted Holly sympathetically on the shoulder, "He'll come around."

"What about Steven, he asked you last year, remember," Bridget said brightly, "Oh! And Tim! Lils, are you still tutoring him?"

Lily looked slightly taken aback, "I don't know, I haven't spoken to him since last year, and just because I'm helping him out doesn't mean he's going to ask me to Hogsmeade, I don't want to go with anyone!"

"Am I the only one who wants a date?" sighed Chris. The three girls nodded quickly in response.

"Urgh, fine! We'll just have a girl's day."

Lily, Holly and Bridget rolled their eyes, and simultaneously threw whatever cake they were holding at Chris, resulting in a rather fierce food fight. The girls knew how to have fun too, never to be upstaged by the Marauders!

~**~

Sirius,

After talking it over with your father, we have both decided that as a punishment for your continued bad behaviour, we will not be allowing you to go to Hogsmeade. Please understand that it for your own good, and that until you start behaving yourself, we will ensure you miss out on all upcoming trips.

We have informed your Head of House of our decision, and any further letters bearing this question will go unanswered until you turn yourself around. We warned you, Sirius, but you continued to mock us with unruly behaviour and rash decisions.

Yours sincerely,

Walburga Black.

"DAMN IT!"

James winced as the sound of yet another lamp being hurled against a wall could be heard, and quickly waved his wand to repair said lamp.

Beside him, Remus re-read the letter Sirius had received, whilst Peter quietly fed owl treats to Holly's large black owl, Vespa. The owl hooted in what James swore was a concerned manner, and turned large dark eyes to Sirius, who was currently balling his hands into fists and cursing loudly.

"Why?! Why do they always have to bloody do this to me!" this time it was a water jug that met the same fate as the lamp, the liquid splashing the boys a little and soaking into the crimson carpet, "Bad behaviour my arse! We all know why they're doing this!" the newly repaired lamp was flung across the room, "BLOODY HELL!"

"Mate, we'll figure something out – we'll go to Dumbledore," James assured, waving his wand once again to repair the broken lamp.

"You don't understand," Sirius replied through gritted teeth, "They said they'd get me for this – for staying here," Sirius scrubbed his hands over his face, and slumped down onto his bed. James eyed him warily; sure that Sirius was finally going to tell the boys what had happened that night in the meeting with Dumbledore.

"When they came up to the school...they threatened to pull me out," Sirius' voice sounded broken (and not because of his entry into puberty), "They even had a go at Dumbledore...accused him of encouraging wizard/Muggle relations..."

Sirius glanced uneasily at his parents, who were currently sat either side of him in three squashy chintz armchairs. He watched as Professor McGonagall entered the room, striding over to the polished wooden desk set before them.

Dumbledore's office was odd; but refreshingly so. Small wooden end tables supported bizarre silver instruments, ticking and whirring and making the most peculiar noises. The walls were lined with hundreds – maybe even thousands – of books, from large leather tomes to thin, brightly coloured paper backs. Candles floated in the corners and up near the high ceiling, casting a friendly glow in the circular room. Near Dumbledore's desk, and empty perch stood, probably to house an owl or some form of bird – you could never tell with Dumbledore.

Sirius glanced again towards the door, wondering if James and the others had made it into the room. He had no way of knowing of course; he hoped they had.

Minutes later, Dumbledore strode into the room, tall and mighty looking, his deep crimson robes making him seem to glide. Sirius inwardly snorted; trust Dumbledore to wear such colours. The old headmaster caught Sirius' gaze, and in an instant, Sirius knew the boys had been caught. Feeling slightly downhearted, Sirius returned his gaze to the floor.

"Mr Black, Mrs Black," Dumbledore inclined his head towards Sirius' parents, "It is a pleasure to meet you, once again."

Mrs Black maintained a stony silence, however Mr Black responded quickly, "Please do not waste out time with pleasantries, Headmaster, we have a serious matter to attend to."

Sirius fought to keep a straight face; he'd have to tell the boys that one.

Dumbledore, however, seemed unfazed by the stinging response, and merely smiled, his blue eyes twinkling in the candlelight. He conjured another chair for Professor McGonagall, who quickly took a seat, and then moved behind his own desk.

"Indeed. I understand you are not happy with Sirius' placement in Gryffindor. I can assure you, Mr Black, the Sorting Hat chooses only the house best suited to the child; it is of nobody's fault that young Sirius here was sorted into Gryffindor – it was simply meant to be."

Dumbledore fixed his eyes upon Sirius, unblinking and unmoving, and Sirius had a strong feeling that Dumbledore was actually looking into his mind; his parents had told him that was possible.

"I don't care about the bloody hat!" Mr Black pounded a fist against the arm of his chair, "He is a Black! Our family has been sorted into Slytherin since our line began! Something is clearly going on here, and I intend to find out what it is!"

"Mr Black, please refrain from using such language around minors," Dumbledore's gaze turned from kind and calm, to rather stony, "Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. I happen to know many families who have had a set house for centuries, only to find that their children are to be sorted into a different house. In fact, Miss Coddlesworth, a fellow Gryffindor of your son, is the first Gryffindor in her family for many a year. I happen to know her mother was a Ravenclaw, and her father was a Hufflepuff. Terribly brilliant at Charms, they both were...not so good at Divination –"

"I DON'T BLOODY CARE! LET ME GUESS! THE SPAWN OF A PAIR OF MUDBLOODS –"

"DO NOT USE THAT WORD IN THIS CASTLE!" Sirius jumped as Dumbledore rose to his feet, eyes blazing. The sheer power radiating from his Headmaster was enough to reinforce Sirius' belief that Dumbledore truly was the greatest wizard alive, "I will not tolerate such names, blood status is of no significance when it comes to my students," Dumbledore had lowered his voice now, and slowly sat back down. Mr and Mrs Black both looked as if the Headmaster had stunned them, their moths hanging slackly open, their eyes wide.

"If Sirius wishes to be moved to Slytherin so desperately, I can assure you we will do everything in our power to help him. We do not hold our students in their houses against their will – no organization within this school demands such devotion," something in that statement seemed to anger the older Black's to no ends. Mr Black had turned an interesting shade of purple, and Mrs Black gasped.

"Sirius," Dumbledore continued as if nothing had been amiss, and turned to face the younger boy, "If you so wish, I will not hesitate to arrange for you to be moved into Slytherin house. Just say the word, and it will be done. Or would you like to remain in Gryffindor?"

Sirius was a brave boy; at least, he liked to think he was. He knew where he wanted to go, or rather, where he wanted to stay, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous to admit it in front of his very clearly riled parents. Sure, he had told them over the Christmas that he wanted to stay in Gryffindor, but right now, something made him hesitate, just a little.

"Well," Mrs Black hissed, "Out with it boy."

His mind was made up.

"I – I want to stay in Gryffindor," and rather than stare at the floor, Sirius met Dumbledore's eyes, and could have sworn the ageing Headmaster smiled for a second.

"Very well, you may –"

"NO!" Mr Black rose from his seat this time, "I will not have it! I demand he be placed in Slytherin! I will not have such shame brought upon the noble name of Black!"

"Mr Black, it is Sirius' decision," Professor McGonagall spoke up for the first time, and Sirius was more than a little surprised to hear the finality in her voice, "Gryffindor is where he will say, as he has already decided."

"Boy, what have we told you," Mr Black rounded on Sirius, who shrank back a little, "Do you not care about the shame you bring upon us?"

Sirius stared back defiantly into his father's grey eyes, so much alike his, yet so different.

"I want to stay in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat gave me a choice on that day; Slytherin or Gryffindor. It said I would be best suited to Gryffindor, the only thing that made my Slytherin choice was my name...I won't go."

Mr Black looked ready to explode.

"Why, you insolent little..." his father raised his hand, ready to strike. Sirius flinched, waiting for the blow...but it never came.

Suddenly, Sirius felt himself being dragged out of his seat by Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore had somehow managed to place himself between Mr Black and his son, his arm gripping Mr Black's wrist, his wand in the other.

"I will not allow you to manhandle my students, Mr Black," Dumbledore's eyes were flashing dangerously, undoubtedly filled with anger.

Mr Black glared at Dumbledore, and shook his arm out of the Headmaster's grip.

Sirius watched the exchange with a mixture of anger, fear and awe, barely aware that McGonagall still had a firm grip of his arm where she had pulled him out of harm's way.

"You'll regret this," Mr Black rounded on his son once more, "Mark my words, if we have to pull you out of this godforsaken school, we will. Don't think you've gotten away with it."

Sirius narrowed his eyes, but didn't respond. Mr Black smoothed down his black robes, then turned to his wife.

"Walburga, come."

Mrs Black stood at once, and without a backwards glance, strode from the office. Sirius watched in a stunned silence, before turning to Dumbledore.

"I...I..."

"Minerva, could you please take Sirius back to his room, no doubt Mr Potter, Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew will be awaiting to hear what had happened, " Dumbledore smiled slightly at Sirius, "Do not worry, Sirius. You will remain in Gryffindor as long as you choose to."

Sirius nodded, unable to find words, and allowed McGonagall to lead him out of the office...

James, Remus and Peter sat in a stunned silence, and even Vespa was unusually quiet. They exchanged concerned glances with each other, then turned back to face Sirius.

"Blimey, mate...you should have told us sooner –"

James was cut off by Sirius, "What, and let you all know just how evil my family actually is?" the dark haired boy ran a hand through his hair, "Why did I have to be born into the mental family?"

"Test of character?" James shrugged. Sirius was silent for a moment, before he quickly started to laugh.

"Bugger off...listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, I just –"

Remus waved a hand, "No, don't worry about it. We all have secrets; I didn't even tell you lot mine."

Sirius watched his friends for a moment, and suddenly understood just what Remus had meant that night they discovered his lycanthropy. They weren't condemning him because his parents were so clearly crazy, they weren't judging him...they were just being how they always had...his best friends...his brothers.

Soft swoosh sounded, and Vespa suddenly appeared beside Sirius, large brown eyes gazing dolefully back at him.

"See, even Vespa agrees," chortled James, "Mate, we promise we'll find a way around this, even if we have to sneak you out."

Sirius tore his gaze from the owl, and his face broke into a wide grin.

"Cheers mate...it means a lot."


Any good? Load of old coddswallop (I love that word), let me know :)

quick authors note: the title comes from a wonderful, and very suitable quote I found.

'The bond that links your true family, is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each others lives'

I thought that was perfect to describe Sirius' relationship with the Marauders.

Also, throughout this whole chapter, i was listening to 'We All Stand Together' by Paul Mccartney and the Frog Chorus (amazing song). I thought that was extremely fitting too :)

Grace ~