Author's Note: Thank you for reading and I really hope you are enjoying the story. Please leave a review! JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.

14 - Hogwarts Express Rides Again

"It's beautiful, isn't it? I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be nice to do it again as a free man."

~Sirius Black~

The next few days passed quickly and soon it was time to leave for Hogwarts. Sirius wasn't as excited this time around, in fact, he almost dreaded it. He couldn't help feeling pessimistic. The next few days could spell absolute disaster for the future. His grandfather had lectured him at length about controlling his temper. His stunt at the World Cup had done untold harm to the timeline, perhaps irreconcilable harm. It wasn't something that had happened in the past. So he couldn't predict the consequences. He had drawn unwanted attention to himself. There was even an account of his altercation in the Daily Prophet. Thankfully it was buried and not more than a mention really. He did receive owls from both James and Remus about it, James going so far as to frame the article and sending it to Sirius with a note of congratulations for becoming his superhero.

Platform 9 and ¾'s was bustling when they arrived through the barrier and Sirius was nervously standing with Arcturus and Dora and Regulus for their goodbyes. Regulus looked forlorn but Sirius promised to write often. It didn't hurt that he had left his broom in Regulus's care since he wasn't allowed his own broom at Hogwarts yet. Reggie was so happy he had a bout of accidental magic and somehow ended up floating on the ceiling and begged to stay there for hours. Sirius thought the memory might become his new Patronus memory.

Dora gave him one of her famous bone-crushing hugs and Arcturus shook his hand wishing him well.

"Mimsy will be delivering you a package tonight. Tell me if you're gonna need more." The old man smirked, "I'm planning for more." Chuckling and then nodded, "Owl me if you need me for anything," Sirius promised he would, and then with a huge breath, feeling not unlike he did standing before the veil he took the plunge and boarded the Express, ignoring a fat boy who was trying to get his trunk on the train while another boy taunted him. The last time he had stopped to help him, this time he barely gave him a glance.

He found James in the same car he had been in the first time around, and he smiled as Remus was seated next to him in robes that were new and tailored rather than second-hand, with his nose still buried in a book. Across from the boys was another student he expected. Lily Evans sat looking sadly out of the window tears in her eyes, he knew she'd just said goodbye to her family and her sister had hurt her feelings.

James didn't look comfortable dealing with crying girls, and he knew that this was a test the boy would fail if left to his own devices. He gave James and Remus welcoming smiles. Ignoring Lilly's tears at the moment, as he knew she really just wanted to be left alone. James and Remus followed his example and they stored their trunks.

Severus then appeared and nodded to James and Sirius who he had met but went immediately to Lily's side speaking to her quietly about her sister's hurtful words. Lily finally pulled herself out of her funk and the boys began talking about which houses they thought they would be sorted into. The conversation was exactly as it had been, except when Severus said he hoped for Slytherin, Sirius jumped into the moment by saying that all of his family were Slytherins. and it was a fine house, but he didn't think that he himself would fit into it, derailing any derisive remarks James might have wanted to make about the house of Snakes, and continued giving the boys something to think about.

"My grandfather told me this morning not to let which house you are in define who your friends should be. That hating someone just because they were in a house different than your own was stupid. Judge a person by their merits, not by the color badge they have on their chest." He mimicked. Though Arcturus had said no such thing. "I think that I'll be friends with anyone that I find interesting regardless of what house they are in." He nodded to Snape. Let him make of that what he will. James, always willing to rub the traditionalist's noses into their own shit, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. If I want to be friends with a Slytherin, I'll be friends with a Slytherin."

He grinned at Snape. Who nodded a bit and said, "Let us promise to be friends then. All of us. Regardless of where we are sorted." Sirius just stared for a moment unable to quite comprehend that this had come from Snape of all people.

Lily smiled at Severus and the other boys in the car then and said that she quite agreed. All the boys fell into line when Sirius said that was a promise he could keep. He almost expected Fate to intervene right there. Cause this was one of those impossibilities Death had warned him about. That they could all be friends with Severus Snape. That Severus Snape could be friends with them. Fate however must have thought that boyhood friendships weren't earth-shattering enough to intervene.

Sirius watched the future potion master for a moment and then said, "What's your favorite subject?" Trying to draw the conversation into less dangerous waters. Snape smiled again which kept blowing Sirius away. He couldn't remember ever seeing Snape smile, at least not at him. "Potions. I want to be a potions master someday." He said.

Sirius leaned forward and said, "Potions huh? I bet I'm horrible at the subject, but there are potions that are absolutely brilliant!" He looked at Lily, "What about you?" She shrugged, "I'm muggle-born. I'm not exactly sure yet. I'm interested in all of it."

"Muggle-born?" James asked. He blinked, "I've never really been around muggle-borns before. How do you live without magic?" He asked the car at large.

Remus laughed at James and told him, "Well I'm a half-blood. My father's muggle. He lives quite easily without magic." He shrugged, "And some muggle things are just as good as magical things. I'm a little miffed that I have to live without a TV actually."

Lily laughed at this and admitted that she really was going to miss her record player.

James just looked mystified. "TV? Record Player?" For a while, they talked about muggle inventions. It wasn't until Lily told about how muggles had been to the moon that James completely lost it.

"What do you mean they went to the moon?" James asked in disbelief. Lily explained what little she knew about rocket ships and space exploration which was quite a lot considering that she was 11.

Remus told them about computers and some of the things they were capable of to the fascination of James and even Sirius hadn't known that one computer had access to more information than any library in the world.

By the time the trolley had arrived, they had moved past the awkward first stages of friendship and everyone seemed to be getting along. Sirius was surprised that he hadn't even had to try very hard. James pulled out a game of exploding snap and Sirius had bought everyone chocolate frogs and licorice wands. Snape and Remus pulled out books and laughed when they realized they both were reading Hogwarts: A History. James was introducing Lily to the chocolate frogs and the cards they carried. She grinned when she got Dumbledore.

The perfect moment was interrupted when their door opened. Sirius looked up to see a sneering boy he couldn't immediately place and to either side of him two more boys. One he recognized all too well. Peter Pettigrew had already found a niche.

Sirius stood and smiled at the boys, "Can we help you?" James slowly climbed to his feet and moved right up to Sirius's elbow, a silent sentry. The short fat one said, "Yeah. Are you Black?"

Sirius nodded, "I am."

"Good. Cause I wouldn't want to hex the wrong person. You attacked my father at the World Cup. Now my dads a laughingstock at the ministry. . You shouldn't have attacked him." The boy sneered and brought his wand up, pointing it at Sirius. The boys with him also pointed their wands although it was more at the whole compartment, moving from one to the other of them.

Sirius nodded, "You're right." not even moving to get his wand, though he could tell by the rustle of fabric and movement behind him that he was probably the only one.

"You admit it then?" The young McNair glared.

"Yes. I admit it. It was a terrible breach of protocol. I should have let Heir Potter attack him instead, or of course as Lord Potter is a gentleman, he likely would have simply challenged your father to a duel.." McNair's face turned red with anger. Sirius calmly kept talking, though now everyone in the compartment was watching him.

"Now I'm sure you are thinking that your father could wipe the floor with James here. He is kinda skinny. So you would be right. But James is also smart. Wicked smart. And he would know that since Your father insulted the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, all James had to do was tell his father about your father's words and Lord Charlus Potter would have no recourse but to challenge your father to a duel. Your father did insult his son after all. So in order to save your father's life, I kicked him in the head. Better a kick in the head from an 11-year-old, than rotting away in a tomb." James gave Sirius a sidelong glance of surprise, but then straightened and looked on like the king surveying his realm.

Serious continued. "Now I can see that you are thinking." he studied the boy intently. "You are thinking right?"

McNair nodded. "I'm thinking. I'm thinking I should tear your head off your shoulders."

Sirius chuckled, "No you aren't. You are thinking that your dad is a pretty good duelist. Maybe he has some friend out there that can kick ass in a duel that he can call as a second." Sirius nodded and said, "But. You would be wrong to think that. Because it's not who your father is McNair that matters. It's who Potter's father is." He had thoroughly confused everyone in the world but he kept valiantly on. "Tell these fine boys what your father does for a living James." Sirius still hadn't taken out his wand or done anything to provoke an attack.

"Dad's the head of the Auror Department," James stated.

The Rat and the other bruiser standing behind McNair disappeared like smoke. McNair's gaze was fixated on Sirius and then he lowered his wand and cast one last sneer as he turned and left their compartment, "Tread carefully McNair." Sirius said to his back. Throughout the conflict, Sirius never once raised his voice just bombarded the boy with consequences most severe. Unlikely, but severe.

"That was brilliant!" James finally said. Then rubbed the back of his neck, "I sorta don't like using my dad's position though." James admitted. "Feels like cheating."

Sirius nodded looking at the door. "Oh, that didn't put paid to it. He isn't the type to let bygones be bygones. I humiliated him today." He shrugged. "We'll have to keep an eye on him." He shrugged a bit as if he wasn't really that concerned, but he really was. McNair had barely been on his radar when he was a student before. Things were changing.

Before they knew it they were pulling into Hogsmead and they all followed the sound of Hagrids voice to the boat dock. "First Years! All First Years this way!" Hagrid's booming voice could be heard over the noise.

Sirius found himself in the same boat as James and Lily and Remus. He wondered at that as last time he thought that Snape and Lilly had taken a boat together. He watched the pair closely for a moment and was surprised to see James helping her into the boat like a gentleman and she smiled at him. SMILED! Sirius gulped. Did that mean he'd already messed things up? What if their friendship peaked too soon? Merlin! He was going to make himself old worrying over every little different detail.

He turned his attention to the castle across the lake and thought about the enormity of what he was trying to do. Change things for the better. He glanced again at James and Lily and their mutual expressions of awe at their first sight of the Castle that would be their second home for the next 7 years. He followed their gazes and smiled. "Live more, laugh more, love more." He whispered, resolving to do just that.