Only three days later, they were once again together. This time, instead of dressed in black mourning clothes and set in a funeral home, they were surrounded by chaos and bright colors as parents frantically tried to get their children on the train as quickly as possible. The sooner children were on the train, the safer. The train was magically protected. Very much like Hogwarts, it was impossible for anyone to apparate into it. Plus considering the fact that no one knew the exact path it took, it would be extremely unlikely for a Death Eater attack. Still, that didn't calm many parents' worries.

"Now don't forget to write me like your brothers, you hear?" Mrs. Potter told Ursula, her hands on the young girl's shoulders before pulling her into a bone crushing hug. Ursula returned the hug just as tightly, the small voice in the back of her head telling her that this would be the last time she would hug her if anything happened to her before Christmas.

"I love you, Dear," Mrs. Potter said, her voice thick with tears.

"Love you too, Mum," Ursula responded, knowing the sentiment was appropriate. She may call her Mrs. Potter at home, a habit she had been stuck doing for the past summer, but in this moment, it felt right.

Mrs. Potter sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Get along, Ursula. Who knows what the boys will get into when left alone too long?"

Ursula laughed at the truth in that statement. As if to prove her point, a loud explosion was heard coming from the other side of the train, a loud, extremely familiar barking laugh following it. A hand grabbed hers, almost startling her, but she instantly recognized the hand. She didn't even have to look to know who was now standing beside her.

"Sorry, Mrs. Potter, would you mind if I steal Ursula away?" Ben asked, squeezing her hand once.

Mrs. Potter smiled at the young love, remembering her own Hogwarts days, before nodding, "Of course. Take good care of her Ben," she said, reaching up to hug her pseudo-daughter's boyfriend.

After saying goodbye, Ben wrapped his arm around her waist as they maneuvered through the train to their compartment, the same one they have taken since first year. A few first years sprinted past and Ursula couldn't help but think they all seemed like midgets.

"Is it me or are they getting smaller?" Ursula questioned.

Ben chuckled and laughed, "No idea. Probably us."

"You are obnoxiously tall," Ursula pointed out.

It was true. All the boys had at least begun to hit their growth spurt that summer. Remus was now nearing 6' 3'', Ben was just two inches shorter the last time he checked, and Sirius was just slightly shorter, and James was an even 6, without the extra inches his spikey hair gave him. Peter was still the shortest bloke but he still reached 5' 10''. With their increase in height, for the most part they all slimmed down. Sure Quidditch helped but their faces lost their childish roundness and the slight pudginess their stomachs had the past years. And their voices were deeper and they no longer squeaked. Their acne was gone and Ben was currently sporting some stubble that refused to leave his face. Sirius too was starting to contemplate facial hair, though Ursula personally thought he should just leave it alone.

"I don't remember us being that small," Ursula commented.

Ben shrugged, "I don't remember being a baby but it happened."

Ursula hit him against the chest playfully, "Arse."

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, "But I'm your arse."

She rolled her eyes but a loving smile still graced her lips. Seeing they were outside their compartment and that no one else was in there yet, Ursula grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him into the compartment, and with a flick of her wand, closed the blinds. Ben laughed at her antics but was quickly silenced by her lips upon his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly to him. He thanked his stars that she wasn't as short as most girls. He could kiss her without straining his neck since she was three or four inches shorter than him.

He inadvertently groaned when her hands snaked around his neck and started playing with his hair. Her touch always sent tingles down his spine and his heart racing but when she would play with his hair, it became almost unbearable.

Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, the compartment door slammed open, only for Peter to squeak and slam it shut again. Ursula and Ben broke apart, breathless, their foreheads resting against each other's with their eyes still closed.

"I guess we'll just have to continue this later," Ursula said softly.

"Definitely," he concurred. They separated completely, fixing their robes and Ben flattened his hair before opening the door to let Peter and Elyse in.

Peter was flushed a brilliant red and wouldn't look at Ben or Ursula. Elyse was smirking from the doorway.

"Havin' fun?" she teased.

Ursula stuck her tongue out at her, causing the Irish girl to burst out in laughter. "We're in bloody sixth year 'n yeh's still stickin' yer tongue oot."

"Shut it pixie."

That was accurate description for Elyse at the moment. Her hair had grown since losing it at the end of last year. Now it was about the same length as James's but since her hair was curly, it looked like a pixie cut instead of the mop that was James's hair.

"Where's Prongs and Padfoot?" Ben asked when he saw Remus tiredly making his way down the hall. That only left the last two and if Ursula was there, the boys had to be somewhere.

Remus shrugged and collapsed onto a seat, exhausted and ill due to the moon tomorrow. He leaned against the wall near the window, pulled his robe over his face, using the rest of it as a blanket, and tried to get some rest before going back to school later that night.

"You know, I kind of like your hair short. It's easier to tell the Duplicates apart now," Ursula teased.

Elyse glared at her while Peter and Ben looked on in confusion.

"Duplicates?" Peter asked.

"Lily and Elyse. They both have red hair and green eyes. It's like having a spare."

Elyse was about to respond back when the door flew open and James and Sirius flew into the compartment. "We aren't here!" James shouted before throwing the cloak over him and Sirius and huddled on the floor. Before any of them could react, two Ravenclaw Prefects opened the door, their wands raised.

Their faces were perplexed. "Um…Have you seen Potter and Black?" The female questioned.

Ben innocently shook his head, "The only Black in here is Ursula," he said placing his arm around her shoulders.

The male prefect was not easily placated. He glared at the red head, "We saw them run in here. Don't even try to lie."

"I'm not lying!" Ben quickly defended himself. "Do you see James or Sirius in here?" He motioned around the small compartment where there was no place for two sixteen year olds to hide. "I don't see them, do you? I don't particularly like being accused of being a liar."

With a final glare, the duo left. There was a brief pause before Sirius and James jumped up from the ground and pulled the cloak off.

"Thanks for that King."

King shrugged off the compliment and soon the compartment was filled with noise from James and Sirius dramatically retelling the story of them putting dungbombs in the Ravenclaw Prefect's compartment to Peter, Elyse and Ursula playing a game of exploding snaps, while Ben and Remus quietly conversed, Remus needing to be kept awake before the prefect's meeting.

"How's Patty?" Sirius asked Elyse casually, though with a certain edge to his voice when she finished her game with Ursula.

Elyse gave him a look and shrugged, "He's fine. Missin' me. He starts school 'n a week. Why?"

Sirius shrugged, "Just wondering. How are your visions lately?"

Her eyes instantly darkened, looking decades older than they could possibly be. Sirius chuckled darkly, "That good huh? Care to share?"

"Sirius…"

"I know, I know. You can't tell us. But just so you know, you don't need to worry about half the stuff you see."

She looked at him confused, "Woot yeh mean?"

His eyes hardened, "I know you've seen horrible things happen to us, probably seen some of us die. But I will let you know that I am not going to let that happen."

"Yeh—"

"I'm not going to be alone. Do you understand me? No one in this compartment is dying before 100. Understand?"

He didn't care what she had seen. He honestly didn't. All he knew was that he was going to change it. There were very few things he had in life. For the first eleven years of his life, he truly believed he didn't have a home, parents, or a brother. Now, six years after that, he had two places to call home, Hogwarts and the Potters', parents, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, and a family, the people sitting in this compartment right now.

Maybe he always didn't show it but they were his family. Besides Ursula being his flesh and blood, James was his brother in every sense of the word. There was no one on this Earth that Sirius trusted more or believed in more. He and James were like two sides of a coin, different yet so very much the same. Remus was different. He was the responsible one, the one that would make Sirius see sense, the try to rein him in occasionally. And Sirius loved him like a brother. His animgus form was proof enough of that.

Peter, well, Peter was like the little brother that he teased, harassed, was annoyed with all the time, but was still his family none the less. If he was being honest with himself, he would say that Peter was more of a cousin than a brother. Ben, on the other hand, was steadily making his way to actually being his brother. Sirius sneaked a look at him and Ursula, reading the same book. Each held a side of the book and with his other arm, Ben had it wrapped around Ursula's shoulders. As much as he had wanted to murder King for doing what he had done to Ursula a year ago, Sirius found himself almost, almost hoping that one day they would get married, making Ben his brother-in-law. He made his sister happy and was a true friend to both twins. It was especially impressive considering their families had had problems with each other going back generations yet Ben looked past that and never judged them the first time he met them in this compartment.

"Sirius…" Elyse said, breaking his train of thought. "Yeh know—"

"I know that these visions are supposed to happen or whatever but hell, I'm not going to let some bloody prediction ruin my life."

"But—"

"You guys are all I have," Sirius admitted softly, for once letting this side of him out. "I can't lose any of the guys or Ursula."

"Woot about me?" Elyse asked, semi-sarcastically.

Even though he knew she was just kidding, Sirius reached across the aisle and rested his hand on top of hers. "Especially you." He whispered, the truth heavy in his words.

Elyse stared at him in shock, not expecting him to say that all. Before she could even begin to think of a proper response, Sirius stood up.

"Well, I'm off to cause mayhem and mischief. Anyone care to join me?"

Immediately James sprang to his feet. After grabbing Wormtail and forcibly pulling him along, claiming he needed to live a little the trio was gone, not to be reunited with their friends until the train ride was over.

Walking back into the Great Hall was like being welcomed back home. Quickly, they found seats together and waited for the sorting to begin.

While waiting, they noticed the new female teacher sitting next to Flitwick.

"All right, what's wrong with this one?" James asked crassly.

"James!" Elyse scolded, hitting his arm.

He held his hands up in defense. "What?! The job's cursed, everyone knows that." At her harsh glare, James conceded the questioned and asked another, "Alright, guess what house was she in?"

After three Gryffindors, a Hufflepuff, two ravenclaws, and one Slytherin were voted on, the doors opened and McGonagall led the group of new first years to the front. Then the Sorting Hat began its song.

Centuries ago, when it all began,

With the corridors new

And classrooms not yet used

It had had already begun to brew.

Though no one knew it

Beneath the surface it was shimmering

A conflict of the ages

Already beginning.

It began with four friends

The greatest there were

So vastly different

You must concur.

For years they were together,

Teaching the students all they knew

Sorting each by different traits,

By the certain ones they each valued.

For Salazar, he valued the blood

Above all else

For he wanted the cunning ones

looking out for themselves.

Then sweet Helga opened her arms

Welcomed all students from far and wide

As long as they swore

to be honest and kind.

Godric differed from the rest

Selecting those he felt showed heart

Bravery and chivalry running through their veins

From the very start

Rowena valued differently

Looking instead looking for wit

And those who are creative

With their minds brightly lit.

They were so vastly different

Yet they found worth in each other

Often times referring to each

As sister or brother.

Times since long past gone

Problems still prevalent today

Yet you still continue to ignore

What I continue to say.

I know I'm just a hat

And I've done by duty well

By sorting you into a house

Based where your values dwell.

There are heads I've sat on

Not a decade gone

Already buried six feet below

Not even able to sing a swan song.

From all House they hail,

Death pays no mind who owe

Their soul to him no matter

If the tie is red, blue, green, or yellow.

Some around you have been suspected

Of committing a heinous crime

Some around you have been victim

Barely getting away in time.

I plead, I beg

Do not make the same mistake

As the Founders and generations before

Continued to make.

For the day of prevention is over

The damage is beyond repair

The tattoo on some of your arms

Caught on the wrong side of this affair.

So heed my advice

And quit this war now

Before you must reap

What you sow.

Look at the young in front of me

Do you condemn them to the same fate

That has befallen

You and your classmates?

While it may be too late

For you already

Do what you can

And hold your values steady.

Keep that in mind

For the rest of the year

And beyond that for you must be happy

With the reflection in the mirror.

Now, maybe you'll listen to me

And finished what has started

Till then, my friends,

Bring up the first to be sorted!

There was dead silence. No one, not even Dumbledore seemed to know how to respond to the hat's message. After years of hearing it say that they should start working together to bring an end to the war for it to change to pick a side and fight…it was quite the change.

But still, the sorting commenced without interruption. After the first year was sorted, all the older years and the professors held their breaths as they waited some prank to befall the first year. Instead, to everyone's shock, nothing happened. And thus that continued. The Marauders clapped accordingly for their new housemates but there was no sign of any of them doing anything to anyone.

That is, until the very end.

Dumbledore had just stood up at the pulpit to address the school when one small bit of what looked like glitter fell in front of him. Then, like shooting stars, the colors of the Houses fell from the ceiling. The stars, leaving their bright tail, made loops and swirls in the air before finding a first year and covering them in one of their new house's colors. Other stars were falling and going to some of the older students and wrapped around them a few times before flying off back into the ceiling to create a fireworks display that left everyone gaping in awe or clapping loudly.

Lily looked down the table and saw James smirking, accomplished with his trick. Their eyes met for a moment and she watched as his arrogance dimmed and for the first time, she saw the pure joy in his eyes as he heard the laughter and joy of the students around him.

'Good job.' She mouthed to him.

He smiled wider and pulled his hand out from under the table and blew on his hand causing a gold, glittering star to fly down the table. It landed on her plate and swirled around a moment before disappearing to reveal a singular, perfect red rose.

A blush spread furiously across her cheeks as she picked up the flower. When she held it, the petals glowed slightly and after a shy glance at James's eager and vulnerable face, she tucked it behind her ear. The smile that formed on James's face was bright enough to light the entire castle, Lily thought.

And for the first time in all her years at Hogwarts, Lily didn't listen to Dumbledore's speech. Instead, her thoughts and concentration was stuck on a messy haired boy with hazel eyes that was winning over her heart.

She found him later that night sitting in the common room near the fire with his Quidditch playbook in front of him.

"How's the team looking this year?" She asked him as she sat down next to him.

He didn't seem startled by her entrance, "We're going to win the Cup this year. We should have won it last year but with everything that happened…but that doesn't matter. The team is strong and I'm not going to make the team retry out. This team is going to stay together for the next two years and we are going to win no matter what."

"You sound quite determined." Lily commented.

James nodded but didn't respond at first. He made one note on the side of a play he was writing out, designed to work best for Moira's left hand throw and his and Ursula's right hand. "My dad," He began slowly, "love playing Quidditch here and when he was captain, they won the Cup. I want to win at least one Cup as captain while my dad is still—" He cut off, afraid of finishing that sentence.

Lily had heard over the summer about his father's rapidly declining health so she decided to change the topic, "What you and your friends did was impressive today. I was expecting mud pies to fall from the ceiling or demonic snakes to rise from the ground and attack all the Slytherins."

"Not bad, Lily-Flower," James said chuckling at her ideas. "But with the summer everyone has had, from friends and family dying, I didn't want those kids to be terrified of coming here. We wanted to show them that there is still joy and happiness in magic. I don't want anyone to ever lose that." He admitted. "That's why we didn't discriminate against the Slytherins this year. Usually we would have but those kids haven't done anything yet. And maybe, just maybe, if we can show them that we all aren't that bad, they won't get pulled to the other side."

Lily stared at him a good, long moment before shaking her head incredulously, "James Potter, will you ever cease to amaze me?"

She hadn't meant to actually say that and she immediately flushed thinking he would just ridicule her ridiculous question. To her amazement, James grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it.

"I hope not."

"Me too." She admitted faintly. "Me too."

Sorry this took so long to publish. I had some writer's block with this and my Doctor Who story (that chapter is still in the process of being written and will hopefully be up in about a week) and time was a problem. In the past two weeks alone, I have had six papers, two presentations, and a band performance. Yup, not a lot of brain down time but I'm managing. Hopefully I will get a bit quicker with updates but who knows at this point.

Let me know what you think! As bad as it is, reviews are wonderful motivators and often times, one suggestion or comment can inspire a whole scene or concept.

Until next time, mis amigos.