A/N) Thank you for the comments for the last chapter! Here is chapter 4...

Marked

Chapter Four

A month had passed and life at Hogwarts had returned to normal. The attack on the train seemed to have become a distant memory however for those like James Potter it wasn't something he would easily forget. He went everywhere with Sirius, always with one hand in his pocket, clenched tightly around his wand, always on the lookout for any attack. He couldn't trust any Slytherin student either – they were all budding Death Eaters.

Sirius kept an upbeat image, keeping cheerful and making jokes as if the attack on him hadn't happened but James knew his friend was worried. Bellatrix was still out there. There were rumours future Hogsmeade trips for students would be cancelled and all Quidditch practices had to be supervised.

One morning in October during breakfast a black owl landed in front of Sirius at the Gryffindor table. He reached forward and took the letter and the owl immediately took off.

James leaned across the table. "Who is it from?"

"I think it is from my uncle…" answered Sirius, now unrolling the parchment. His eyes swept over the words and he lowered the letter, a frown appearing on his face. "Uncle Alphard… This situation is just getting worse."

James cast a look sideways, inclining his head towards the entrance to the Great Hall.

Sirius rose from his seat, stuffing the parchment into his robes, indicating for James to follow him.

"Where are you going?"

Sirius glanced over his shoulder and saw Remus Lupin looking suspiciously at the two of them from his seat. "I need to talk to Prongs. We'll be back shortly. If not we'll see you in Transfiguration."

Quickly the two left the hall and found a disused classroom, locking the door once they had entered. Sirius leaned back against one of the wooden desks and took the parchment out of his pocket, laying it down flat on the table so James could read.

Sirius,

Your parents are disappointed Bellatrix didn't kill you. She has other plans in motion. Avoid Hogsmeade at all costs. She will know you are there if you go. Avoid Quidditch matches. Especially with Slytherin house. Your grandfather, Arcturus, has been formally told of your impending murder. He is pleased with this development as he does not wish for a blood traitor to inherit. Be careful Sirius.

If Bellatrix cannot get you at Hogwarts, she will find a way to get to you over Christmas break.

There is only so much advice I can give you.

"Are you sure this is from your uncle Alphard?" asked James. No signature graced the bottom of the parchment after all.

Sirius nodded. "The owl belongs to him and the writing style is Alphard's own."

"Are you going to take his advice?" asked James carefully.

Sirius bit his lip. "I have the feeling if I didn't take his advice you would find ways to ensure I do."

James nodded. "I would."

"I can't exactly avoid Quidditch matches can I? I'm one of the Beaters. And I'm not resigning from the team," stated Sirius. "I doubt Bellatrix will attack during a Quidditch match."

"We didn't expect her to attack the train but she still did," said James. He handed the letter back to Sirius who tucked it into his pocket.

Sirius frowned, leaning back into the desk. "My thought is the Slytherin team may try something against me during the match on Bellatrix's orders. She's rubbish on brooms otherwise I'm sure she'd fly straight into the match to get me. I think we can handle one match against Slytherin. That is the team we have to worry about."

"I'm half tempted to expel you from the team," muttered James quietly.

"I'd be more of an easier target in the stands than on a broom," pointed out Sirius. "Easier to curse. Flying around on a broom gives me movement and opportunity to avoid any attacks."

"I could just stun you and lock you in the dormitory until the match is over," threatened James.

Sirius grinned. "You could. But you won't." He stepped forward, a stern expression on his face as his grin melted. "Look, Prongs, I can't just stop doing things I love just because of this letter. I can't just sit still and wait for the shoe to drop can I? Bellatrix is going to get me at some point – why not enjoy my life while I can? My cousin is dangerous and she won't stop. I will always be a target. I can't hide for the rest of my life because my parents want me dead."

"People are trying to keep you alive, Sirius!" The black-haired boy ran a hand through his messy hair.

Sirius stared stonily at his friend. He could understand his point but if he was on borrowed time why couldn't he enjoy himself? "When I leave Hogwarts I am going to go out there and fight. All of us will become targets – all of us will be risking our lives every single day to make a difference. We haven't got long before we will have to grow up and make our own way in the world. I doubt we will have the time to enjoy Quidditch matches!"

James sighed. "I'm surprised Professor Dumbledore hasn't revoked your permission slip into Hogsmeade. I didn't expect visits to the village would go ahead." The first Hogsmeade date had been set for the thirtieth of October, the last Saturday in October.

"He didn't revoke it because he asked me not to go into Hogsmeade," said Sirius quietly. "I promised him I wouldn't."

"You're going to keep your word?" asked James.

"Yes." Sirius looked down at his feet and then back up at James' face. "I always keep my word. This was the compromise we came to. I said I would willingly forfeit my right to go into Hogsmeade if he would allow me to continue playing Quidditch. He agreed."

"I did wonder why you didn't mention about the trip when the date was posted on the board," noted James.

"I made the Marauder's Oath, didn't I?" Sirius pointed out. "I promised you I wouldn't take any risks."

"Playing Quidditch is a risk," stated James knowingly.

Sirius shrugged. "Professor Dumbledore will be sitting in on all the matches and Madam Hooch has been overseeing all the practices as you know. Nothing has happened yet. Prongs… I need this. Next thing you are going to ask me is to stay behind during the Full Moon."

James bit his lip. "No one knows you are an animagus so it is safe for you to still be involved." Even if he felt that was a flimsy excuse. All he wanted was for his best friend to be able to live his life the way he wanted to. He didn't want him to have to be protected… But James knew the Black family. They wouldn't stop until Sirius was dead. If Sirius hadn't managed to escape from his parents… James shuddered. He didn't want to think about it.

"Look, Prongs… My uncle is concerned about one Quidditch match, right?" began Sirius, stepping forward in the dusty room, rousing a few speckles of dust as he moved towards his friend.

"Yeah…" nodded James.

"I could simply not play if that makes you feel any better. For that one match. The other two I will play in since the threat seems to be coming from the snakes." Sirius liked that pet name for Slytherin House and it seemed apt especially since the house's emblem was represented by a snake.

James shook his head. "No. You're the best damn Beater we have. Trying to find someone who is equally as good as you will be hard. And then it's the matter of training them up to your standard."

Sirius smirked. "You want me to stay safe but you also want me on your team? Make up your mind Prongs!"

James' face brightened. "I just thought of something. Take my invisibility cloak under your robes. If you find yourself under attack, fly to the bottom of the stands, get under them and put the cloak on and make your way back to the Castle."

"The idea has merit and could work…" grinned Sirius. He held out his hand. "Deal? You let me stay on the team providing I agree to flee with the cloak, right?"

"Deal."

They shook hands.

Friday 29th October 1976

"You're up to something," stated Lily, sitting down in front of Remus.

"Am I?" Remus asked casually. "I'm not usually the one up to something…"

"No, but you are undoubtedly involved in what prank Potter and Black are hoping to pull," she answered. Though Lily had not spoken to either James or Sirius since their initial discussions weeks ago she had not found their constant pranks irritating. Perhaps it was because pulling them gave the chance for Sirius to keep his mind off the death mark he had on his head or maybe it was because she was finally learning to appreciate who they were for once. She hadn't once told Potter off for hexing people – though it was mainly because she hadn't caught him in the act. "What is it?"

Remus exchanged a look with Peter before smiling gently at Lily. "I'm sorry I don't know what you are talking about."

"It's all in the name of fun," piped up Peter from Remus' right.

James and Sirius sat a little ways down the table, pouring over a piece of parchment, frantically whispering to one another whilst scribbling all over another piece of parchment.

Lily sighed. "I had to try you realise."

Remus grinned. "You did."

"Are you going to try to stop them?" asked Peter eagerly as he shovelled scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Lily considered it for a moment. She had hard rumblings that Potter and Black were planning something big for that evenings feast. Yet a part of her didn't want to stop them. Usually she did what she could to stop them, even though their practical pranks could be funny, but this time she was torn over whether to do her duty as a prefect or let it play out. Remus Lupin always let it play out – he never seemed to be able to stop his friends though Lily wondered if he had ever truly tried to reign in James Potter and Sirius Black.

The prank was probably harmless. Likely a bit of fun meant to inject some happiness into the school atmosphere. The day before, a student had been removed from Hogwarts by her aunt. Her whole family had been killed in a single attack made by Voldemort. No one knew why they were singled out – they were just unfortunate victims of a madman. The news over the last few months had been depressing. Attacks almost every day and still the Ministry of Magic could not imprison those responsible.

No. This place needs laughter.

A small smile crossed her face as she answered Peter's question. "No, I will not try to stop them. I think the students need it…" she hesitated, running a hand through her wavy red hair, "especially after everything that has happened."

"Thank you, Lily," smiled Remus.

The prank went off spectacularly. Even Lily couldn't help laughing. Turning everyone's hair in the hall to a multitude of colours as well as long noses and bushy eyebrows was a stroke of genius. The effects only wore off the next day. The two had even ensured the teachers were pranked as well, which was something they very rarely indulged in doing. Surprisingly only James and Sirius were the only ones to not be affected by the prank.

It did result in James and Sirius being issued with detentions for the following day however thereby ensuring they missed the first Hogsmeade visit of the year. Unbeknownst to Sirius this was exactly what James had planned to happen. Though Sirius had given the headmaster his word he wouldn't venture out, James wanted to be sure his friend couldn't go, even hidden under the invisibility cloak. Both Remus and Peter had elected to stay behind in the Castle as well which James was thankful for.

Life went on in Hogwarts. News worsened and the world got steadily darker as the first match of the Quidditch season came ever closer.

A day before the match Sirius was sought out by his younger brother.

"What do you want Regulus?" asked Sirius. He stood in front of his brother with Regulus leaning against the wall. It was between lessons and Sirius had reluctantly followed his brother, though ensuring James and Remus were lookouts for him. He had already known James would not have let him to talk to his brother without protection in place.

The younger Black brother brushed a hand through his hair. His hair was shorter than Sirius' and combed in a smart manner which was befitting for an heir of an ancient and noble family. He was less handsome than Sirius was, taking more after their mother than their father. Sirius had been fortunate to inherit his looks from his father, though there were enough similarities between the two brothers that one would not be able to deny that they were related.

"I wanted to warn you," the younger Black said quietly.

Sirius raised one eyebrow. "Really? You don't want me dead then?"

Regulus shook his head. "No, I don't! No matter what you are, you are still my brother! I don't want you dead!"

"But you still think Muggle-borns and half-bloods and blood traitors are scum though," Sirius pointed out coldly.

"The Dark Lord –"

"Don't praise that bastard in front of me, Reg." hissed Sirius quietly. "I know what he's like! Don't forget he tried to force me to serve him!"

"But-" Regulus began but Sirius started to walk away. "Wait! Please!"

Sirius stopped, not turning back to his brother. One hand was in his pocket clenched tightly around his wand. "Whatever you want to tell me just do it. I'm not talking to you just so I can hear you praise that murdering, torturing bastard!"

"Don't play in the match tomorrow! The team… They're planning something!" Regulus blurted out.

Sirius sighed. "I know. Care to tell me what it is? You are on the team after all." His younger brother played Seeker on the Slytherin team.

"The Beaters are aiming for you. They'll have their wands too. And the Chasers are going to try to get you off your broom," answered Regulus.

"And you?"

Regulus was silent for a few moments, his feet shuffling. "I'm just gonna play to end the game quickly."

"Right. Thanks for the warning." Sirius began to walk off but Regulus chased after him, rushing around him and stopping Sirius.

"Don't play. I don't want to see you die."

"I'm a blood traitor, Reg, in case you haven't noticed," Sirius sneered. "You know cousin Bella won't give up. She has orders from mum and dad. They want you as the perfect Pure-blood heir to carry on their great legacy." He rolled his eyes. "The sooner I'm dead the quicker you can join up to Voldemort."

"Don't say his name!" hissed Regulus. "He forbids it!"

"Pfft. I don't obey him. I'll call him what I like! For all I care I could call him Mr Flobbypants. In fact I think I will. Mr Flobbypants does not scare me!" snarled Sirius, leaning into his brother. Though that was true in some respect, Sirius was afraid of Voldemort. But if he was ever faced with that murdering lunatic again he wouldn't try to run away. He'd stand up to him even if it meant his death. He'd be brave. In the hours before his escape from his parents nearly a year ago, Sirius had vowed to face death bravely. When Voldemort had nearly succeeded in branding him with the Dark Mark… "I bet you can't wait to have his brand on your arm, can you?"

Regulus faltered. "He's a great man. If only you could just be a bit less rebellious then maybe mum and dad wouldn't have you killed…"

Sirius laughed, throwing his head back. Did his little brother actually believe that? "They want you as heir. You won't get anything unless I'm dead. The house and the positions are inherited through blood. Even grandfather cannot stop me inheriting. I was bound to the house and positions through blood when I was born. I'm not going to change who I am just to please them or you. If they want you to inherit, they'll have to try a lot damn harder to kill me. I won't go down easily. They will never accept me as heir. It's too late for me." But then he turned to face his brother. "It's not too late for you."

Regulus looked stunned. "What?"

"Do you really believe in what Voldemort stands for? Do you want to be a murderer 'cos that is what you'll become when you join him! He'll send you out to kill people. If I'm still alive, he'll send you out to kill me. Would you do it?"

"No! Never!" stated Regulus.

"Then you're dead," replied Sirius. "Even if you stand by his beliefs, if you do not follow his orders to the point you'll find that wand of his in your face casting the killing curse, snuffing your life out in mere seconds."

Regulus was shaking his head. "He wouldn't."

"I said no to him. I refused to join him." Sirius pushed past Regulus and headed towards James and Remus at the other end of the corridor. "You saw what happened. And you didn't like it. That's why you hid my wand so I could escape. You saved my life for that and I won't forget it. I just hope that when you come to your senses it isn't too late for you to back away."

He walked away leaving his younger brother standing there, confusion wrought over his features.

Saturday 13th November 1976

With the invisibility cloak stuffed under his robes and his wand in his pockets and bat in his right hand, Sirius mounted his broom and took his position in the field. His eyes washed over the Slytherin team. The two Slytherin beaters – Crabbe, a seventh year student and captain Lucinda Talkalot – had their eyes focused upon him. The three chasers, one of whom was Barty Crouch Junior, a skinny fourth year boy was glaring daggers at Sirius.

Regulus was watching, looking down at his brother from higher in the air.

Sirius shook his head and urged his broom forward as the whistle blew. He reached the first bludger before any of the others could, whacking it towards Crabbe who in turn swerved allowing Talkalot to hit the Bludger back at Sirius. Twisting in mid-air, Sirius dived on his broom, allowing the other Gryffindor beater to hit it towards one of the oncoming Chasers who held the Quaffle in one hand.

Two Bludgers rocketed towards him. Raising his bat Sirius hit both away towards the formation of Slytherin Chasers, sending them scattering. Sirius swerved in mid-air as one of the Beaters came alongside him and attempted to hit him on the head with their club.

A whistle rang out as Sirius dived.

"THAT WAS NOT A BLUDGER!"

Sirius laughed, eyes swerving around as he saw Crabbe being yelled at by Madam Hooch. His excuses of 'I thought his head was a Bludger' did not seem to be working.

The match continued – Sirius' eyes swept over the stands, seeking out Remus and Peter in the stands and giving them a thumbs up. James flew past him, Quaffle in hand, mouthing 'be careful' at him as he sped past.

Another Bludger veered towards him but Sirius was ready. He swung his bat, hitting it hard and it careened right into one of the Slytherin Chasers, knocking them off their broom. Sirius didn't spare a glance as the player fell to the ground.

Then he was surrounded by Crouch Junior and Talkot who bashed into him, refusing to leave him room to manoeuvre. Sirius growled, swung his bat, only for Talkot to counteract and use her own bat to smash Sirius' right wrist. He howled in pain and his fingers opened, involuntarily dropping the bat.

Shit!

His right wrist was broken and his wand was in his right pocket! He had to get to the ground! He tried to veer downwards but he couldn't steer properly as the two Slytherins directed him higher and higher.

Crouch Junior grinned. Then the blonde-brown haired boy lunged forward, gripping Sirius' neck in a head-lock. "Hit his head now!"

Sirius struggled in the grip, aware of shouts coming from the stands but they'd be unable to prevent what was about to happen.

But then something came barrelling towards them and Crouch Junior released his grip on Sirius, however Talkot had already started the swing of her bat and as Sirius raised his head, the bat smashed into his face.

Sirius fell.

"Well… at least your face looks normal again."

Sirius blinked. James was sitting at his bedside. "I'm in the hospital wing, aren't I?"

"Yep. Have been for three days. You've been unconscious," explained James. "They nearly killed you."

"How long was I in the match for?" asked Sirius. He didn't think he'd been on his broom for long before he'd been attacked.

"About ten minutes. They converged upon you from the moment the match started. They were willing to forfeit the match just to kill you," said James darkly. "Your brother caught the Snitch five minutes after you got knocked unconscious. Slytherin won because of that…"

"Who stopped them from hitting my head?" Sirius understood if they had hit him on top of the head, he'd likely have suffered from skull fractures leading to brain damage and potentially death.

"Me," answered James. "I wasn't going to let them kill you. I barrelled straight into them but you still got a club to the face. When you fell from your broom I managed to catch you and get to the ground safely. Your face was a bloody mess, Padfoot. Every bone in your face was broken. They nearly transferred you to St Mungos. Madam Pomfrey wasn't sure if she could mend the damage."

Sirius swallowed. It had been a very near miss then. He sighed. "I should have listened to Regulus and not played. Let someone else go on in my stead…"

"Padfoot…"

Sirius held up his left hand – the right was still wrapped in bandages. "Don't say it James. I was being stubborn. I could have forfeited one match just to keep myself safe. I decided not to." He wasn't going to mention James had had to convince him to play a few weeks previously – his friend likely blamed himself for Sirius' injuries. They had thought they had a good back-up plan if anything was going to happen in the match. They had both assumed Sirius would have been able to escape easily. They hadn't bargained on Sirius getting trapped between two Slytherins. He did feel sorry for himself. "What happened to the two wannabe Death Eaters?"

James snorted. Almost every member of Slytherin house was known to be part of that group. "Crouch Junior and Talkot have both been suspended, impending further investigations by the school board. And Crabbe has been banned from Quidditch for the rest of the year and has a month's worth of detentions with McGonagall."

"Serves them right," muttered Sirius. "Crouch Junior will be back before long. His daddy will make sure of it."

"He will but at least you won't have to play against him again," said James.

"How badly did we lose by?"

James shrugged. "We can salvage our loss and make up for it in the last two matches. We're only twenty points behind Slytherin."

Sirius laughed dryly. "At least something good has come out of this."

"How long until the blood traitor is dead, Bella?" Walburga Black closed the door to her husband's office. Her hard face flickered in the light. She sat next to her husband watching her niece pace in front of them.

"Soon. I knew the Quidditch attacks would be unsuccessful but I had to try. I will not stop until he is dead at my feet," hissed Bellatix venomously.

"You had better not fail, Bella," Orion Black said darkly. "Regulus is now our only heir. Only he can bring honour to this family. But he cannot do that while the traitor lives on to tarnish our family name."

"You have my word he will be dead on Christmas Day." Bellatrix's eyes shined as she spoke.

Walburga's eyebrows rose up. "The blood-traitor will be with the Potters."

"If the Potters are intelligent they will have ensured no one will be able to find their home unless shown by one of them," pointed out Orion. He sat back, searching his niece's face. "How do you intend to get there?"

A sly, evil grin crossed the insane witch's face. "Dorea Black."

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

So I made the decision to only write about certain events during the school year rather than go into explicit detail. I could make this fic really long by explaining their lessons and what they get up to between lessons however I think this would be rather boring which is why I decided to skip over frequent passages of time. I think this type of story works better that way.

I enjoyed writing the Sirius and Regulus scene. Regulus is only in the year below Sirius. Regulus was sixteen when he joined the Death Eaters and seventeen/nearly eighteen when he died in 1979. It must be assumed Regulus was barely out of school when he discovered the Dark Lord's secret Horcrux. I like to think that Sirius' opinions slowly began to sway Regulus away from Voldemort. As seen in the scene between them, he is already having some doubts but not big enough doubts that he wouldn't stop praising the Dark Lord.

The Quidditch match. Short and sweet and the Slytherins in this case were not interested in winning. They were interested in taking Sirius out. And if it wasn't made that clear, they were attempting to break Sirius' skull apart before throwing him off his broom to his death. Instead they smashed his face in and his fall from his broom was stopped by James. This was another one of Bellatrix's attempts to kill Sirius...

And as you can see by the last scene in this chapter... Christmas Day may not go as planned for the Potters...

All will be revealed in the next chapter which will be posted next week!

Until then,

the-writer1988