Chapter 4: [mostly Sirius POV] in and out of the compartment

Summary:

The Journey

Notes:

There's a POV alternate!

Reedited2023/2/19

September 1st,1971

Sirius hated going out with his family, but on this day it was inevitable.

They were so predictable, all of them, even Regulus, had their faces forged in disgust as they tread through King's Cross Station to Platform nine and three quarters. His mother even went so far as to cover her nose with her handkerchief.

Sirius wondered if they knew they were as much of a disgrace to him as he was to them.

Sirius looked around; it was packed with muggles, of course, and his family's ideas of them couldn't be more ludicrous. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the whole lot of them, and there was absolutely everything wrong with his family.

Before Sirius set off for his freedom, there wasn't much of a discussion within the group. Perhaps his mother was afraid of engulfing in more of her opinion of filth.

His brother, ever so soft, was close to tears and hugged him tightly before he left. He then turned to his parents expectantly, even though he knew there wasn't going to be any reluctance for them to accept his departure.

"So this is where I take my leave, father, mother," he said.

"Goodbye."

As he had foreseen, his father stood proud with his back straight and only nodded at him, and his mother quickly steered Regulus away from him as if his bad influence was going to eat up his brother then and there.

But as he put his back on them, he was forced to half turn to them again by his mother, who seemed to have finally thought of something to say to her eldest son: "You will not disgrace the name of Black."

Sirius only winked at her before disappearing behind the side door.

"Typical," he thought to himself.

He walked down the train in search of an empty compartment, and he was victorious. He quickly put down his luggage and slouched on the seat.

He was not left alone for long; a moment later, a boy his age poked his head through the door. He was black-haired like Sirius himself, with the indefinable air of having been well cared for, even adored.

"Anyone else here apart from you?"

"No, just me," Sirius gestured, "You can sit here if you want."

"I think I will."

After putting down his own luggage, the boy sat himself down on the seat across from Sirius.

After a minute of staring contest, the other boy grinned and extended his hand, saying, "James Potter."

"Sirius Black."

"So Black, ever played Quidditch before?"

Sirius chose not to answer that question; instead, he asked, "Your team?"

The boy didn't seem to mind him not answering; he grinned again and launched himself into a conversation with Sirius on Quidditch games. They discussed teams they supported, teams they booed, and their favorite places in a game. And for the first time in his life, Sirius felt free as he sat there with this boy, discussing a sport that he fancied and the other adored.

Some time in their conversation, a redheaded girl rushed through without warning, and tucked herself on the seat by the window.

It was evident that she had been crying, and she kept hiccupping in her seat. Sirius wondered for a moment if they should comfort the girl, but he wouldn't know how, having never had a proper conversation with a girl his age before, so he joked," Well that was rude."

James burst out laughing, which only seemed to increase her embarrassment; she was determined not to acknowledge them, however, so they paid their respects and didn't bother her again.

That was until the train started and another boy came in, he was unimpressive, already in his school robes, and he went on to talk to the former girl. Sirius tried to tune out their conversation, but it was impossible; after all, they were all crammed into the same compartment.

"I don't want to talk to you," the girl said in a constricted voice.

"Why not?"

"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?"

"So she's my sister."

The boy then mumbled something that Sirius couldn't make sense of, but he heard his next words nevertheless: "But we're going! This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" And then he said, "You'd better be in Slytherin."

"Blimey, that was so unoriginal," Sirius thought to himself.

His partner, however, seemed to have a more offensive idea.

"Slytherin?"

James, who had shown no interest at all in the pair until that point, looked around at the word.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James then made a scene of asking him.

Sirius suddenly had in mind how his mother would probably celebrate if he was indeed put into Slytherin like the rest of his family, and he did not smile.
Instead, he said, "My whole family have been in Slytherin." And there was still a high possibility for him to be put there as well.

"Blimey,"said James."and I thought you seemed all right!"

Sirius grinned.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James lifted an invisible sword.

"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."

The boy in question then made a small, disparaging noise.

James turned on him and asked, "Got a problem with that?"

"No," he said, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy—"

To Sirius, that was a blow too low.

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interjected Sirius, coming to James' defense; he was finding this boy more and more irritating by the second.

James roared with laughter. The girl sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike; she had finally reached her limit of susceptibility to them.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Girls are so petty," thought Sirius, exasperatedly.

"Oooooo..."

He and James then imitated her lofty voice in unison; James even tried to trip the boy as he passed.

They were still laughing their heads off after he left.

Benetnasch was running.

She had just come back from changing into her school robes, and she was racing back to her compartment with Remus.

Abruptly, the compartment to her side opened, and from it emerged a redheaded girl and the dark-haired boy Benetnasch recognized from Diagon Alley.

"See ya, Snivellus!" a voice called out from inside. It was followed by hysterical laughter, and Benetnasch turned just in time to see two dark-haired boys, both of whom seemed their age and well-nourished, before the door slammed in her face.

She realized with a jolt that he had been calling the boy in front of her, Severus Snape.

"That was foul!" She protested. But the door had already shut in her face, and she couldn't exactly open it again to make a scene for everyone to peep at. That would be awful for the boy next to her, who now probably just wants to leave this place.

She turned to find the redheaded girl giving her a weak smile, which she returned. She seemed tearful somehow, and Benetnasch wondered if it had anything to do with the boys inside that compartment. But she guessed she wasn't going to find out about that now. And to her, that door might as well have a huge "Do not enter" sign sticking on the front. Meanwhile, Severus Snape was looking at her as well, and she greeted him as if nothing had happened, saying, "Hello again."

He didn't seem to know what to answer until the girl beside him nudged him, and he looked to see her looking expectantly at him.

"Ermm, Lily, this is Benetnasch Sovermerge." And Benetnasch was surprised that he actually remembered her full name despite their short acquaintance.

The redheaded girl extended her hand for Benetnasch to shake. "Lily Evens."

After they shook hands, there was an awkward silence. None of them were in a good place to socialize further, so Benetnasch broke the stalemate by suggesting, "Well, I'm off to find a friend of mine. So good to see you again, Snape, and nice to meet you too, Evens."

"You too." Evens replied, and they waved goodbye to each other.

Then Benetnasch walked into a few more compartments before finally finding her compartment with Remus.

"I'm back!" she alerted him for his reading in a sing-song voice.

Remus smiled goodnaturedly, and they picked up their conversation again.

As they came closer and closer to their destination, Benetnasch couldn't help but joke, "Well, I guess the sorting hat is finally going to put an end to my mother's inquiring about whether I take after her character or not. I'll be damned if I were in Gryffindor."

About an hour later, "Damn," she muttered as the sorting hat announced her house for the whole school to hear. But she was laughing when she walked down to the table with rows of red and gold, and she caught eyes with Remus, who was smirking and standing up in his seat and clapping for her. She joined him at his seat, grinning widely while he rolled his eyes at her, and finally they hugged as all good friends do when they are happy for each other.

On her table, there were, of course, Remus and one of the boys from the compartment, whom she learned was a Black, Sirius Black. "That explained his attitude but didn't justify it," she thought to herself, and she looked further down the table. There was James Potter; he was the one with Sirius Black; Mary Macdonald; Marlene McKinnon; Peter Pettigrew, who had been a rare hatstall; and Lily Evens, who was smiling brightly and waving at her again. She beamed back at her.

"'Where dwell the brave at heart!'" she thought to herself. "Not bad, Benetnasch, not bad at all."