I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am that this has been so long. I was extremely busy with the end of school, and I meant to get a chapter up at least a week ago, but I went on vacation, and I just got back yesterday. I am so so so sorry everyone.

Reviews:

Ghostunderasheet: Luke will be evil, and he will die, but he won't really be dead, if you know what I mean. I can't explain it now, but you'll see. Nico will become a little brother to Sirius for all intents and purposes. And when Nico meets Regulus, the conversation will most likely be hilarious, I promise. Don't worry. I take absolutely no offense to your reviews. I really love them, actually.

Sianna Scale: Thanks.

Booklover5434: Thanks a bunch. Sorry about the wait.

DaughteroftheHuntress: I plan on making this a trilogy, so wizards won't find out about demigods until probably the last book, but James will definitely meet a bunch of demigods in this book, and Regulus most likely too.

AthenaDiamond: Thank.

You.

Very.

Much.

Guest: Percy and Sirius will be fairly good friends. There relationship will play a much bigger part during Sea of Monsters, though.

Sirius was the first one of the Marauders to reach their compartment. He put his trunk up on the rack and flopped himself down into the seat. He buried his face in his hands. It had been a long month after Luke had disappeared. It had been so abrupt and unexpected, and Sirius couldn't help but feel immensely guilty. He should have gone to Chiron as soon as Luke came to him about Kronos, but he didn't. It was his fault Percy had been poisoned. His fault Percy had almost died.

"Sirius, you alright?"

Sirius looked up from his hands. The compartment door had been opened without him noticing, and James was looking at him worriedly. Sirius started to nod his head yes before quickly shaking it. Tears were beginning to pour from his eyes.

"No," Sirius said, voice cracking. "It's my fault. Luke."

James quickly shut the door and locked it upon hearing the name. He knew he was the only one who knew about where Sirius went over the summer, and it would be bad if Remus, Peter, or anyone else walked in right now. James dropped his trunk in the middle of the floor and sat down next to his brother in all but blood, wrapping an arm around Sirius' shoulders.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked.

Sirius looked up at James, silver meeting hazel. When he opened his mouth, he didn't intend for everything to come spilling out, but spill it did. James sat and listened as Sirius recounted his entire summer, from meeting Percy, his lessons with his father, going to Manhattan with his father, to his conversation with Luke, and Luke's disappearance.

By the time Sirius was done, he had cried all his tears and was dry sobbing. James just sat silently and pulled Sirius tighter against him as Sirius calmed himself. Slowly, Sirius sat up, wiping away the tear tracks with his sleeve.

"Does it look like I've been crying?" he asked.

"A little," James said, shrugging. "Here, Mum always used to use this spell on me after I finished crying." James pulled out his wand and flicked it, muttering the spell under his breath in complete concentration. The redness from Sirius' eyes left, and the remainder of the tear tracks disappeared. "There."

"Thanks, mate," Sirius said. He stood up and stretched, his back cracking. Sirius moved to the door and unlocked it.

Remus was standing on the other side of the door, fist raised, poised to knock. Sirius grinned at him and moved to the side so Remus could enter the compartment, only to trip over James' trunk.

"Argh!" Remus shouted. "Bloody hell, James. Why didn't you put this up on the rack?"

"Sorry, mate," James grinned sheepishly. "We had a slight problem in here."

"I don't want to know," Remus sighed. He and Sirius easily lifted James' and Remus' own trunk onto the rack. "Say, have any of you seen Peter?"

"Thought he was with you," James said shrugging.

"Hey, guys!" Peter squeaked as he came running into the compartment, his trunk bumping around behind him. "Sorry, I had to use the loo."

"No problem, Pete," Sirius said, smiling easily as he lounged on the seat next to James. Maybe Hogwarts was exactly what he needed right now."

Sirius fell back on his bed laughing. James was standing at the foot of the bed, wand held aloft and grinning crazily.

"Tell me I'm pretty!" James demanded. "Or I won't take off the curse."

"Never!" Sirius managed to shout between laughs. He was wiggling incessantly as James held him under Rictusempra.

"Oh for the love of Merlin and Morgana," Remus sighed. He flicked his wand and said, "Finite Incantatem." Sirius' laughs died down and his wiggling stopped. "You'll kill him, James."

"Nah," James said, shrugging his shoulders. He jumped and landed face down on Sirius' bed. He turned his head to grin over at Peter, who was sitting eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "He's good. Right, Sirius?"

James turned to face Sirius who grinned cheekily back at him.

"All's good, Remus," Peter said, laughing.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Remus said fondly, opening his Defense book.

"Why do you take Muggle Studies?" Marlene asked Sirius as he and James sat down across from her at the round table. "Don't your parents hate muggles?"

"That's kind of the point," Sirius said, doing his best to concentrate on Marlene's words and not the game of footsie James had just started up with him. "Call it a small act of rebellion. I hate my parents." Sirius didn't find it necessary to mention to Marlene that he no longer lived with his mother, or that Orion Black wasn't actually his father. Remus, Peter, and James were the only wizards privy to that information, and James was the only one who knew Orion wasn't Sirius' real father.

"Fair enough," Marlene agreed. "My mum was a Longbottom, and she always says she hated going to events with the Blacks because they're a bunch of nasty old codgers. No offense, Sirius. I don't think you're like that."

"None taken, Marlene," Sirius said, smiling slightly. The butterflies from last year were back in action. "They truly are."

"Yeah," James agreed. "I mean, Sirius here is a right arse by himself. I can't imagine meeting the rest."

Marlene just laughed as Sirius punched James rather harshly in the shoulder.

"Alright, settle down," the professor said, standing from his desk. "We're starting class now."

"Sirius," a voice whispered in his ear. "Wakey, wakey, let's eat some cakey."

"Wha'?" Sirius mumbled, his speech slurred. "Wha's goin' on?"

"Happy birthday!" four voices shouted, and Sirius screamed, falling off the bed. He looked at the four people standing in front of him.

"Don't do that!" he yelled, clutching at his racing heart. "Bloody hell."

"Sorry, mate," Peter said sheepishly. He held out a hand and helped Sirius stand up. "We had the house elves make you cake, though."

Sirius looked over at where Peter gestured. A beautiful chocolate-frosted cake with 'Happy 15th Sirius!' written in cursive with silver icing. And standing behind the cake, was Marlene Mckinnon. Sirius shouted again and quickly pulled the quilt off the top of his bed to wrap around himself.

"Dammit, you guys," he snapped. "You know I only sleep in my pants!"

James, Remus, and Peter all started laughing at the blush rising heavily on both Marlene and Sirius' cheeks.

"I'm gonna get dressed," Sirius, mumbled, his entire face, and the back of his neck, a bright red. Sirius grabbed a pair of muggle jeans and his Gryffindor quidditch jersey and rushed into the bathroom. He quickly pulled them on and pulled his long hair into a ponytail before exiting the small bathroom the boys had in their dorm.

In the short amount of time Sirius had been changing, Marlene and the three boys had managed to put candles in the cake and light it.

Happy birthday to you, they began to sing.

Sirius felt a smile creep up on his lips. This was turning out to be the best year at Hogwarts yet.

"I think we should learn how to become animagi," James said out of the blue.

"What?" Peter squeaked.

James, Sirius, and Peter were all sitting in their dorm together. It was the night of the full moon, and Remus was locked up in the Shrieking Shack all by himself.

"We should become animagi," James said again.

"To help Remus?" Sirius asked. James nodded and Sirius smiled. "That's actually a good idea."

"I'm missing something," Peter grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Werewolf bites don't affect other animals, Pete," Sirius said excitedly. He jumped up from his bed and started pacing. "We'd be able to help Remmy through the change!"

"Exactly," James said, grinning. "Come on. I already checked out a bunch of books from the library. Told Pince we were researching for a new prank. She wasn't happy, but she believed us."

"You're a genius, James," Sirius said.

"Hey, Sirius," Marlene called, running to catch up with the Marauder. "Wait up!"

"What is it, Marls?" Sirius asked, automatically using the nickname he had come up with for her.

Marlene's cheeks heated up ever so slightly. "I was wondering if you might want to go to Hogsmeade with me this Halloween," she said, starting slowly, but her speech speeding up near the end of the sentence.

"Like a date?" Sirius asked, nervously.

"Well, yeah," Marlene mumbled. "That's what I had in mind."

"Definitely," Sirius said, his mouth spewing the word. "I mean, yeah, I'd love to."

"Great," Marlene cheered, a wide smile lighting up her face. "Want to meet outside the Great Hall at nine?"

"Sounds good," Sirius said. Marlene gave him a wide smile before turning and sauntering off. Sirius could feel himself swooning.

"Merlin," Sirius groaned, staring wide-eyed at James. "What should I wear?"

It was seven in the morning, and James was rather amused that Sirius had woken him up to ask what he should where on his first date.

"First off, I'm not Merlin," James teased. "My name is James. Say it with me. Jay-ames." Sirius glared heavily at his best friend. "Well," James said, laughing, "I recommend a pair of muggle jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Nothing too fancy, though. It's just Hogsmeade. I also recommend you where your brown loafers."

"Who knew you were a fashion guru," Sirius joked as he pulled out the items James had suggested. "Honest, though. You're a lifesaver James."

"Just go get the girl," James laughed, clapping Sirius on the back. Sirius grinned and went to the bathroom to change.

"I had fun today," Marlene said cheerfully as she sipped her butterbeer.

"Me too," Sirius agreed, putting his own mug back on the table.

The pair, after a long day of window shopping and buying sweets, had settled into the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer.

"Uh, Marlene," Sirius started. He paused, trying to think of the right words. "I really had fun today, and I would love to do it again sometime. Would you be my girlfriend?"

"I'd love to, Sirius," Marlene said, reaching across the table to take Sirius' hand in her own. "I honestly thought you'd never ask."

Sirius hid his grin behind another sip of butterbeer.

The next two months flew by for Sirius. Here at Hogwarts, he could pretend there were no problems. The world was just him, his friends, and his new girlfriend, who he was hopelessly infatuated with. It was Christmas break now, and Sirius was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his dorm with James, Peter, and Remus. Marlene had gone home for the holidays, leaving Sirius with a light kiss on the lips, their first.

"Concentrate," Remus reprimanded Sirius as he noticed the older boy's mind start to wander. "You need to focus if you want to find out your animagus form."

"I know," Sirius grunted. He squeezed his eyes shut as he delved further and further into his own mind. There came a started yelp from James as the boy fell over.

"A stag," he shouted gleefully. "I'm a stag."

Sirius and Peter both clenched their fists as they concentrated harder and harder. Sirius looked as deep as he could into his mind and found himself face to face with a large, black dog. Sirius instantly recognized the creature as a grim. How fitting, he mused as he opened his eyes. Remus and James turned to him expectantly.

"A grim," Sirius said, almost proudly. James winked at him as Peter opened his own eyes.

"It was fuzzy," Peter said, "But I think I'm a rat."