Chapter Two: Homeward Bound

Remus pushed his luggage trolley through King's Cross, swerving all the muggles ('It's just like last year, Jim,' he heard one young porter say. 'I know, it's mad, lad - every year. First of September. Like clockwork,' Jim grumbled back) and trying his hardest not to think about how this time last year his mum had been there with him to see him off.

All thoughts of Hope were rather violently pushed from his mind, however, when he emerged through the hidden barrier onto the misty platform and was immediately jumped on rather heavily by something short, scruffy and wearing glasses.

'I've found him!' the heavy lump (which was, of course, James) yelled down the other end of the platform. 'Oi, Pete! I've got him! Come on , Remus!' And now he had taken hold of Remus's sleeve and was forcibly dragging him down towards the other end of the train - while Lyall trotted on behind them, carrying the last of Remus's things.

'We're getting a carriage to ourselves. I've stuck Pete in it to bagsy it. If anyone tries to come in - he's to drop dungbombs.'

'But then we'll have to sit in a carriage that stinks of dungbombs.'

'Oh … yeah. Pete! Forget the dungbombs!' He led the way, right the way down to the very back of the train. Remus kept checking over his shoulder to make sure his dad was keeping up. They found Peter sitting in the very final carriage - and together, Remus and James lugged Remus's trunk up into the luggage racks - and then climbed back down to the platform to say their goodbyes to their families.

Lyall had shaken hands with Mr. and Mrs. Potter and they were now exchanging pleasantries. The Black family, however, were conspicuous only by their absence. 'Where is Sirius?' Remus muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

James rolled his eyes. 'Mr. and Mrs. Black aren't about to come down here and rub shoulders with riff raff like us. They're putting their little pureblood princes on the train at the front. I saw him from a distance. He'll be down when we set out.' And then he was pulled away by his mum, wanting to make sure he had everything.

'And try not to get into too much trouble, Jimmy,' Mrs. Potter said, kissing him on the cheek and then wrapping him up in a hug.'We had at least an owl a week last year about your behaviour. At least try to make it an owl every fortnight.'

'I'll try my best, mum. But it's not my fault! Trouble just finds me!'

She chuckled fondly - and squeezed him tighter … and Remus looked away, because seeing James with his mum made his heart hurt for his own. But then Lyall pulled him into a hug - and held him tight for a moment.

'I know you'll have a wonderful time,' he said. 'And I know I don't have to worry about you doing anything too stupid. But keep yourself safe…' he lowered his voice so no one else would hear, 'and do everything Madam Pomfrey tells you. And write at least once a week, you hear?' His voice was louder again. 'I want to hear about everything you're getting up to.'

'I will. What will you do? While I'm away.'

'Well, now it's just me I thought I might get back into researching my apparitions. Maybe go boggart hunting. Perhaps even earn us a bit of money. We'll need it - if you keep growing at this rate you're going to need new robes again before Christmas! You'll be taller than me soon.'

They both laughed - Lyall Lupin was a short man, and Remus had been threatening to overtake him in height for a year or so now (Hope's brothers were rugby players - and while Remus may have taken after his dad in magical ability, in build he was all Howell). Then Mr. Lupin pulled his son in for another hug. 'I'm going to miss you - it'll be quiet without you around.'

'I don't make that much noise!'

'No - but rooms are much emptier when you're not in them.'

The whistle blew just then, loud and piercing - and James and Remus gave their parents a final hug before scrambling back onto the train and leaning out of the window to wave.

…

Down at the other end of the platform, Sirius leaned his back against the door frame of the front carriage, folded his arms across his chest and watched his parents say goodbye to his brother. Regulus was being hugged. Admittedly, it was not an especially warm hug. It was the type of hug that a person who never hugged anyone might give - like they knew the theory but were a bit unclear on the practice.

But nevertheless, Walburga was hugging Regulus.

And Orion was patting him on the back and telling him that they knew he would make them proud. And Sirius was being ignored. He had not been told they were sure he would make them proud last year - and this year it seemed beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would do no such thing.

He had been deemed a blood traitor and cast aside. And, although he had no wish to be like his family, it still hurt to know he was not wanted. Not that he let that show. To anyone looking at him, he was the very essence of slouchy, sulky, teenage defiance - though he wouldn't actually be a teenager for another two months.

'And you,' his mother's sharp voice suddenly cut through his thoughts. She had let go of Regulus to allow him to board the train and was now addressing her good for nothing eldest child.

'Oh - finally remembered I'm here, have we?'

'I'd say take care of your brother. But I dare say you shall see little enough of him. He will not be placed in the house of mudbloods and muggle lovers.'

Sirius flushed angrily at her words, glad that Evans and Mary McDonald were not in earshot.

'Instead I will say - try to be more like him. Try and ingratiate yourself with the proper sort of people. Regulus can be your foot in the door with the other Slytherins.'

'I'd rather flush my own head down the toilet than have a foot in with the Slytherins,' he muttered to himself … And then made a mental note to flush Snivellus's head down a toilet should the opportunity ever arise.

'Try to remember who you are - you are a Black. The eldest son no less - the heir to the entire family fortune and position...'

'Don't tempt me to bump you off for your gold.' But his voice was so quiet now she couldn't possibly hear him.

'... You should be acting like it. You should be trying to mix with your equals - people fit to be in your society. Not the Potter family of blood traitors. Or the Pettigrew nobodies … or that son of a muggle. A filthy muggle!'

Sirius saw red - he opened his mouth … just as the whistle blew and drowned out the diatribe of eye-watering swear words he hurled at his mother. Regulus heard them though - standing right beside Sirius in the doorway - and he stared in horrified amazement at his older brother.

The train started to pull out of the station. Sirius slammed the door shut and - while all the other students were leaning out of the windows to wave their final goodbyes to their parents - he leaned out to stick two fingers up at his own. Then he picked up his trunk and began to lug it down the aisle.

'Where are you going?' Regulus asked him.

'To the back of the train. To my friends.'

'You can't just leave me.'

'Why not?' He tutted and rolled his eyes. 'Honestly, Reg - I rode the train by myself. Why can't you? Go find some other first years to hang out with, make friends.'

But Regulus had picked up his own trunk by one end and was lugging it down the train after Sirius. 'Please - I don't know anyone.'

'I didn't know anyone either. I met James.'

'But you're braver than me. Everyone knows it.'

Sirius made a disgruntled sort of noise in the back of his throat. 'Fine,' he snapped. 'You can come with me. But you don't talk to my friends - or look at them - or embarrass me in any way. Is that clear?'

Reg nodded - and together they made their unsteady and cumbersome way down the train and right to the very last carriage.

There was a roar of welcome, as he slid the door to the final carriage open - and he flushed with pleasure as, for the first time in two months, he found himself among people who were actually pleased to see him.

'Sirius, we've been waiting for you! Get in!' - And James was on his feet, helping to drag in all of Sirius's stuff and then pushing him into a seat. Regulus stood awkwardly by the door.

'Oh,' Sirius said, rather carelessly. 'This is my younger brother, Regulus. Come and sit down, Reg, if you're determined to bother us.'

Remus and Peter smiled and said their hellos … but James was frowning. ' Regulus ,' he said thoughtfully. 'It's a funny name, isn't it? Regulus Black. Makes it sound like you have a very high fibre diet.'

Sirius barked with laughter.

'James!' Remus tried to sound stern … but his lips were twitching.

Peter looked confused. 'I don't get it.'

But Regulus did and he had flamed bright red.

Remus took pity on him. 'Don't listen to James. He really is the most terrible idiot. He says about a thousand offensive things an hour, but he doesn't mean any of it. It's just that - er - his brain and his mouth aren't really connected. It's a terrible tragedy - we all only put up with him because we feel so sorry for him.'

'Oi!' James grabbed the nearest thing to hand - a chocolate frog box - and chucked it at Remus's head.

Remus's hands flashed out and caught it before it could hit him. 'Thanks.' He opened up the chocolate frog and took a bite. 'Anyone want the card? Pete?'

'Who is it?'

'The druidess Cliodna.'

'Oh - I've got about ten of her.'

'Regulus?' He held the card out to the younger boy.

But Sirius's little brother was just staring at him. 'Are you the one whose mother is a muggle?' he asked - rather stiffly.

'Shut it, Reg,' Sirius barked at him. His face had flushed again - this time with anger and embarrassment, and he glanced apologetically at Remus.

But Remus only shrugged. 'She was . Why?'

'Do you really think it's appropriate for you to talk to people like me and Sirius as familiarly as you are doing … considering your birth?'

'Blimey, Sirius,' James breathed. 'Your brother's a nutter!' He sounded quite impressed by the fact.

Sirius, on the other hand was looking deeply uncomfortable. 'My whole family are nutters.' He turned to his brother and glared at him. 'Reg - shut it. Or get the hell out. Remus is every bit as good as we are - and so was his mum.'

'That isn't true,' Regulus argued - he had flushed, as well as Sirius, and was looking annoyed.

'No - you're right. Mrs. Lupin was worth about a million of our mum. Remus comes from a much better family than we do - it's you that shouldn't be talking to him.'

If Reg had looked angry before, it was nothing to how he looked now. His eyes glinted furiously. 'Mum was right - you really are a blood traitor. I don't know why you don't snap your wand in half and go and live with the muggles, if you love them so much.'

'I'd rather live with the muggles than with you.' Sirius looked no less furious.

'There's nothing wrong with muggles,' Remus said. Regulus turned back to look at him, and he stuck his chin out rather defiantly. 'I've got loads of muggle family. They're good people.'

'They're of a lower class.'

'No one is better than anyone.'

'Apart from Gryffindors are better than Slytherins,' James said - and his words were met with applause and whoops from Peter - and even Sirius's angry expression relaxed for a moment into a smirk.

Regulus was still bright red. 'Our family is ancient and our blood is pure, Sirius,' he said to his brother. 'So why are you pretending that you think some son of a common muggle is equal to you? I know you're only pretending to think it - even if he doesn't. You're probably only friends with him to upset mum.'

The smirk was well and truly gone. 'Get out!' Sirius roared at his brother. 'Go on - go and find some stinking Slytherin pureblood maniacs to talk to. You're not staying here.'

Reg didn't move - he just glowered at his brother.

Sirius sprung to his feet. 'Out! Or I'll throw you out.' He advanced and … seeing the way his older brother loomed down at him, looking murderous, Reg jumped to his feet, dodged past him - and vanished through the door.

Once the door was slammed shut, and they were alone - Sirius took some deep breaths. 'Remus ...I'm so sorry...' he couldn't quite bring himself to look at his friend.

'It's fine,' Remus said quickly.

'No - it's not. I shouldn't have let him come here. I knew what he was like. I just … didn't think he'd start mouthing off right away. I suppose I underestimated him. You know- just how much of a dick he is.'

'There's no need to name-call.'

'Remus, there is every need to name-call.'

'It doesn't fix anything.'

'It makes me feel better.' He sat back down … he still couldn't quite bring himself to meet Remus's eye. 'It isn't true you know,' he muttered. 'That I'm … only pretending .'

'I know.'

'I don't get it,' Peter's face was scrunched up as he tried to understand. 'Why on earth would it matter if someone's mum is a muggle or not? Magic is magic - if you have it you have it. What difference does it make where you got it?'

'It doesn't, Pete,' Sirius said to him, his voice was heavy. 'You don't understand it because it makes no sense. But up and down the country there are mental people like my parents and my idiot brother making a big deal out of nothing.'

'It's getting worse,' James said - and for once he sounded quite solemn. 'My dad says it's getting worse. More and more people are buying into it. He says it's disgusting - like the whole country is going mad.'

'But … why ?'

'Because some people like to think they're better than other people, Peter. Some people just enjoy having someone to look down on. My parents have never done a day's work in their lives, they're a useless waste of skin - the pair of them. Their blood status is the only thing they have to be proud of … the inbred bastards. So they cling to it. The only way they can feel good about themselves is by looking down on you lot. It's pathetic.' And he folded his arms across his chest and gnawed on his lip and looked very gloomy indeed.

'Oh, come on,' Remus said, looking around at them. 'We're going back to school! Let's not ruin today by letting something a Slytherin said get to us.'

'He's not a Slytherin yet,' Peter pointed out.

'He will be,' Sirius said. But he did as Remus told him, and forced his brother and his pureblood mania out of his mind - and soon enough they were all settled in comfortably and talking Quidditch.

'I suppose you were pleased when the Wasps won, Sirius,' James said. He glowered at the memory. 'They'll probably win the league this year - if that match was anything to go by.'

'How can I be pleased - when everyone says the reason they won was because of Ludo bloody Bagman? How can I want them to win when they've got that great, Slytherin snot playing for them? You just know all the Slytherins will be cheering for the Wasps now. It makes me sick. I'm not supporting any team with Bagman on it.'

Remus smiled. 'You know he'll almost certainly play for England one day?'

'And the day he starts playing for England is the day I start cheering for Bermuda.'

'Why Bermuda?'

'Why not?' They were both smiling now.

But Peter was frowning quizzically. 'You can't just stop supporting the Wasps, Sirius.'

'Watch me.'

'But who will you support?'

He shrugged. 'Dunno - guess I need a new team.'

'You should support the Falcons with me! Pete supports the Falcons as well, don't you, Pete?'

'Yeah.'

But Sirius only snorted. 'I'm not supporting the Falcons . I have some standards. And anyway, Pete only supports them because you do.'

Peter flushed, but no one paid attention.

'Well - you could support the Tornados with Remus, then. Yeah - and then it'll be you two against us two.'

Remus squirmed a little in his seat and cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'Actually I - er - I don't support the Tornados anymore. I've changed. To - well - to the Holyhead Harpies, actually.'

All three boys turned to stare at him. He blushed furiously.

'But - they're a girl's team . Why are you supporting a girl's team?' James asked him incredulously.

'They were my mum's team,' Remus said quietly. 'Now she's gone, I'm supporting them for her.'

'Oh.' Now it was James' turn to look uncomfortable.

Sirius, on the other hand was looking thoughtful. 'Yeah, alright,' he said. 'Two against two. From this moment on, I'm officially a Holyhead Harpies fan, in honour of Mrs. Lupin.'

Remus bit his lip and looked out of the window - blinking back the tears that had just sprung unbidden into his eyes. It was a while before he could look at Sirius again, but when he did the other boy just smiled at him - and said nothing.

Meanwhile, James was making grand plans. 'Alright - but if it's two against two then we have to make it a proper competition. Whichever team finishes highest in the league wins. The losers have to pay some kind of forfeit - and the winners get to decide.'

'That's not fair,' Sirius said. 'You're an idiot and Pete will do what you tell him. You'll make us do something awful. But Remus won't let me choose anything too cruel for you lot. I'm disadvantaged because Remus is nice.'

'I solemnly swear not to be nice,' Remus told him, laughing. 'I'll make them run round the grounds with no pants on or something.'

James was shaking his head. 'Maybe the losers could give the winners their new brooms.'

But both Peter and Remus made noises of protest at that. 'I'd rather run around in the altogether,' Peter said, shaking his head vehemently. 'My mum won't buy me another broom.'

'Same! My dad can't afford to get me another one. And I'd never get another one as good even if we saved up. I've got a Cleansweep 4! We thought we'd only be able to get a Cleansweep 2 - but then the saleswizard in Quality Quidditch Supplies said he had a second hand 4 model in the back, only been used a couple of times - good as new - but he'd let me have it for a knockdown price. It's so much better than I thought I'd be able to get. It goes from 0-60 in 5 seconds. It can get up to 90 miles per hour with a good tailwind. I'm not giving that up!'

While Remus was talking, the door had slid open again. 'God, Lupin - are you really so lacking in pride that you're actually boasting about buying something second hand?' A sneering voice said. They looked up - and saw Mulciber - their fellow second year, albeit from Slytherin - standing in the doorway. Avery and Snape were with him. 'Or is it because you have a filthy muggle for a mother that you don't know any better than to not be ashamed at how rubbish all your stuff is?'

Remus flushed bright red. Peter squeaked in fright. But James and Sirius had jumped to their feet and drawn their wands. In a flash, the Slytherin boys all had their wands out too - and they stared at each other, waiting to see who would curse first.

'Get lost, Mulciber,' Sirius snarled.

'Oh - defending your muggle boyfriend are you?'

'Do one.'

'What type of broom did you get, Black?'

It was Sirius's turn to blush.

'Same question back at you,' James said. 'Seeming as you have so many opinions on Remus's broom.'

'Me and Avery both got Shooting Stars,' Mulciber said - sounding very smug.

'Yeah? What about you, Snivellus?'

Snape flushed - and didn't answer, instead he hexed. The knockback jinx caused James to stumble back a step or two. But once he had recovered his balance he was grinning. 'I'm guessing that means you didn't get a Shooting Star? Am I right? I'm guessing you didn't even get one as good as a Cleansweep 4.'

Snape swore at him. But that just made James laugh. Which made Snape angrier. He raised his wand to hex again. Peter was cowering in his seat looking terrified, James and Sirius were moving forward to launch an attack of their own … and that was when Mulciber and Avery were suddenly bumped out of the way by the lunch trolley - and the trolley witch appeared in the compartment, smiling. 'Anything off the trolley, dears?'

The Slytherins cast her a dark look and then slunk away. Peter was breathing rather heavily in his seat.

The trolley witch seemed oblivious to the fact that she had interrupted something, though Remus wondered if that was really the case.

'Anything at all?'

'No thanks - I have sandwiches.'

'Don't bother with your sandwiches, Remus,' James shoved his hands into his pockets and brought out a fistful of gold. 'We'll have a bit of everything.'

Once they were alone again and settled down with pumpkin pasties, liquorice wands and cauldron cakes, their conversation turned back to the Slytherins. 'We're not taking any rubbish from them this year,' James said. 'We jinx first and ask questions later, understand, men?'

Sirius nodded - but Remus looked uncertain. 'Maybe we should just … not? We all came too close to getting expelled last year. Maybe we should keep our heads down and…'

'Absolutely not,' James interrupted. 'You saw them just now. You think they're going to let us just keep our heads down and stay out of their way? And anyway - if we're gonna be expelled - might as well be for a dragon as an egg.'

'Here here,' Sirius pounded his armrest in agreement.

'But we're not planning on getting expelled!'

'And we're definitely not planning on letting Slytherins walk all over us. If we get chucked out well … we had a good innings. And we'll wipe the smirks from their faces when we get to flying lessons. I bet you and Pete have much better brooms than Snivellus got. And I'll wipe the floor with Mulciber and Avery on my Silver Arrow.

Sirius suddenly looked very glum. 'I'll look a right berk, though - only second year on a school broom. Dawdling in the rear.'

'We'll let you share our brooms - won't we, boys?' James said.

Remus nodded. 'Yeah, of course.'

Though Peter looked less than thrilled at the idea.

'Listen - we can rotate them. So we all get a go on my Silver Arrow and we each only have to ride the school broom once a month. How about that?'

Peter seemed to perk up a bit - realising that the trade off for a week on a school broom was a week on a broom vastly superior to his own Comet 180.

Sirius was flushed - looking somewhere between pleased and embarrassed. 'You don't have to…'

'Nonsense! We leave no man behind. This way we all get an equal chance - and no one knows which one of us doesn't have his own broom.'

'Well … I mean … alright … but you still don't have to.'

'We want to.'

'OK then.' And he grinned - and the matter was settled.

…

The train rattled along on it's journey northwards. The landscape outside the windows grew more wild the further they went. The boys played a game of exploding snap. 'It's good to be able to use magic again,' James said.

Sirius gave his bark of laughter. 'I've been using it all summer.'

'But what about the trace?' The other three all said at once.

He laughed again. 'If you're in a magic household they don't know who cast what spell. It's down to the parents to enforce the no magic rule … and my parents are too busy pretending I don't exist to make sure I'm following the restriction on underage magic.' He looked a little smug, though perhaps the smugness did not quite light up his eyes. 'Sometimes there are benefits to coming from the worst family in the world.'

'I think there's more benefits than that for coming from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black,' James teased. 'Living the life of a little pureblood prince.'

'Sod off.'

'With your name on page 394 of Pense's Peerage,' Remus laughed, 'And a family coat of arms.'

'Toujours Pur,' Peter sniggered.

'I said sod off, ' though he was grinning.

'All that political power,' James listed on his fingers, 'the Minister just doing what you tell her, and the society parties and the bushels and bushels of gold.'

'I'm only interested in the gold. And I have to wait for my mum to die before I get it … which will hopefully be soon…' He caught Remus's eye - and his natural, rather haughty, expression became mortified. 'I mean…' he looked down. 'Sorry,' he mumbled.

Everyone looked uncomfortable for a moment - and then Peter suggested another game of exploding snap - and they gratefully stopped talking and started playing.

Another hour or so passed. Peter fell asleep against the window and began to snore softly. James flicked Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans at him, trying to land them in his open mouth.

Then James fell asleep. And Sirius got out a quill and drew a moustache on him. It began to get dark - and the lamps were lit. Remus got out the paper and he and Sirius attempted the crossword (and Remus tried his best to ignore the article on the next page, by Mable Grable - investigative journalist extraordinaire, calling for harsher treatment of werewolves following last week's attack).

Finally - once it was pitch black outside - the train began to slow down, as it approached the tiny train station at Hogsmeade. The announcement came telling them to leave their belongings on the train, and they pulled on their robes and cloaks and headed for the doors.

'Firs' year, Firs' years - this way. Any Firs' years,' they heard Hagrid, the giant, booming across the platform. He was gathering the new students together ready for their traditional crossing of the lake.

'So where do we go?' James asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'Just follow everyone else.'

The older students all streamed out of the station and out into the road, where there were dozens of carriages waiting for them.

'There's nothing pulling them!' James said, as he saw the front carriage start its jerky way up the road towards the school - though nothing was between the shafts. He ran over to investigate the nearest carriage - banged straight into something unseen and fell over on his backside. 'There is something there! It's invisible!' And he got back to his feet and started to cautiously pat at the air.

'James, mate, you look like a nutter,' Sirius said to him. 'Stop petting the air and get in.'

'But what is it?'

'It's probably one of Hagrid's thestrals,' Remus said - and James yelped and jumped back.

'Get in.'

And still casting glances back at the invisible horse, James did as Sirius told him and scrambled up into the coach. Once all four of them were in and the door was shut - they began to lurch away towards the castle.

…

The Great Hall was exactly as they remembered it. The four house tables were just as they left them, the gold plates glinted in the candle light. The enchanted ceiling still hung overhead, looking for all the world like the Hall was simply open to the stars.

They took their places at the Gryffindor table and awaited the arrival of the First Years. After about ten minutes, the doors opened and Big Macca led the new students inside, and lined them up in front of the staff table. Most of them looked absolutely terrified. Regulus was visible among the crowd - he looked nervous, but there was an air of confidence to him - which Remus recognised from Sirius's own usual demeanour. And yet he remembered all too well that Sirius himself had been anything but confident before their own sorting the year before.

'I wonder what happened to Regulus for the rest of the journey,' he said.

But Sirius only snorted. 'Who cares?'

'Aren't you curious to know where he'll end up?'

'I know where he'll end up.'

'Don't you wish he would wind up somewhere different - like you did?'

'There's no point wishing for impossible things, Remus. You heard the way he spoke to you - where else is he going to go?'

Professor McGonagall put the four legged stool down in front of the line of first years, and then placed the sorting hat on top of it. A hush descended on the hall as all eyes turned expectantly to the hat … waiting. And then a tear around the seam opened up - and it began to sing.

Each journey starts with just one step

A truth all of us must know

And it's a step that each must take

No matter where we wish to go

And though for years you'll walk this path

Your journey starts today

There's no knowing where your road shall lead

But I'll help you find your way

For I'm the Hogwarts sorting hat

And I look inside your head

And in your mind I'll find the map

Of the path you ought to tread.

Will you join bold Gryffindor

Where dwell the brave at heart?

In times of trouble, strife and woe

Lions always play their part

Or perhaps you're right for Slytherin

The proud, the shrewd, the quick

The serpents could be home for you

If ambition makes you tick

Or maybe Hufflepuff is home

For the good and just and loyal

To nurture you and help you grow

The Badgers prove rich soil

Or then it could be Ravenclaw

If for wit you care

Learning will allow you to

fly where eagles dare.

And now the time has come for you

To make your mark among your peers

To find the house to see you through

Your triumphs, hopes and fears

So try me on, I'll take a look

To see where each of you belong

No need to fear as you take this step

For I've never yet been wrong!

The whole hall broke out in applause as the hat finished it's song. 'That was a different one to the one it sung for us,' Remus said.

'Probably sings a new one every year,' James said to him. 'Probably spends all year making the next one up. Must be a pretty boring life being a hat.'

Up at the front, McGonagall had unfurled her long scroll of parchment and was reading out names - and, one by one, the frightened first years took their place on the stool and were sorted into their new houses.

As Sirius had been the year before, Regulus was one of the first children called. He sat on the stool - and the air in the whole hall seemed to grow more tense - expectant - as if people were waiting to see if there was going to be another upset. Professor Slughorn, in particular, was watching very closely.

Despite his words earlier, Remus felt Sirius grow still beside him, could practically feel him holding his breath.

But the hat had no sooner touched Regulus's head than it was screaming out ' Slytherin!' The table second to the right exploded into cheers - and Remus felt Sirius deflate beside him.

He turned and gave him a sympathetic smile. Sirius just shrugged. 'I told you so.'

'At least your mum will be pleased.'

'Well - that's just depressing.'

The sorting ceremony continued right the way down to Yaleman, Francis ( Ravenclaw! ) and then - after a few words from Dumbledore - it was time for the feast.

The food was as good as they remembered. The mint humbugs were still piled up in abundance … and even Sirius forgot the disappointment of Regulus living up to the family name in the face of so many good things to eat.

Once the very last plate had been scraped clean, the very last mouthful vanished, Dumbledore got back to his feet again. 'Wonderful wonderful,' he said, beaming around at them all. 'I cannot tell you how good it is to see you all back - all gathered together once more to continue along this mysterious path we call education. And while we can but hope that you manage to learn a least a little something in your lessons - I know for many of you the most important lessons you will learn will be outside the classroom. Knowledge is a prize and the gaining of it one of our greatest adventures - but there is more than one way to come by it - and we must reach out and grasp every opportunity. So - as I look around and see our new faces and our old, all ready to embark on another year's journey into knowing, I wish you all good luck in your travels … for you will need it.'

And with that - it was time for bed. The benches scraped back, everyone got to their feet - and the boys slipped their way through the crowds and took one of their shortcuts to Gryffindor Tower.

They gave the new password to the Fat Lady ("bristly whiskers" ), the portrait swung open and they scrambled through the hole into the cosy and familiar common room. And then it was up the stairs to the top of the tower, where the plaque on the door now read "Second Year Boys". Their trunks and brooms had already been brought up and placed at the end of their beds.

Chatting away, they got out their pajamas and got changed. Remus drew the curtains of his four poster around himself before he took his clothes off - but the other boys were too used to that now to mention it. They knew about his scars - and they knew he liked to keep them hidden and pretend they weren't there.

Once they were all in bed - and just before he switched the light out, James beamed around at them all. 'It's good to be home,' he said.