Chapter Text
Chapter One
The boy looked around the station. Snippets of murmured conversations reached his ears, blocking out the shrill voice of his mother. He could hear owls hooting and cats meowing; a slightly deformed choir of animals.
He felt eyes on him and turned around, before spotting a boy staring at him from afar, behind his mother. He had black messy hair, very much like his own, with hazel eyes and glasses perched on the end of his nose. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly and his eyes wide with incredulity. Sirius Black glanced at his mum, who was still talking, and then back at the other boy. He stifled a laugh. The hazel-eyed boy was imitating his mother. Very accurately, might he add. The boy frowned suddenly, bringing his hand up to touch the area just under his left eye. He raised an eyebrow, asking a silent question. Hastily, Sirius tuned in again and cringed at her high-pitched voice.
“-that pathetic excuse of a Headmaster has shamed this school! Look at the filth he’s letting in. You need to stay away from those types, Sirius. You would do well to remember it.” She sniffed indignantly, fixing her eldest son with a piercing glare. As she turned away to complain to her husband, Sirius winced and absent-mindedly reached up to touch the bruise on his left cheekbone. He remembered the day he had gotten it, when he had innocently yet bluntly asked why he couldn’t play with the muggle girl down the street. His father had gone quiet, suddenly interested in his newspaper. His mother had stared at him for a minute or two, as if expecting him to start laughing and shout ‘April Fools!’ When he hadn’t, she had screamed, brandishing her wand and hitting him. He had seen Regulus’ young face peaking around the doorway when he was slipping in and out of consciousness and had subtly waved him away, lest he get in the midst of his mother’s rage.
Out of all the things in his miserable life, Sirius regarded Regulus with the most respect. His brother, whilst only a year younger, was the only source of positivity in his life.
He recalled, smiling slightly, the night after his beating. Regulus, even after he had been shunned and told to go away for his own protection, had crept into Sirius’ room late at night and the two boys had laid together, staring up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. It was that night that Sirius had realised that Regulus was quite possibly the only person he loved.
Then Regulus had left, slipping silently out of the bed to go back to his own room. A Black never showed weakness. For all everyone knew, Regulus had never been there.
But Sirius was not everyone.
The train whistled shrilly and Sirius saw the boy behind his mother jump. He nodded respectively to both his parents, offered a sad smile in Regulus’ direction when his mother wasn’t looking and quickly dragged his trunk onto the train.
He huffed as he peered into compartment after compartment, eventually finding an empty one for him to have all to himself. He pulled his trunk in after him, lifting it up and- after almost falling sideways from the weight of it-somehow managed to get it onto the overhead racks. Panting, he collapsed onto the seat.
Shortly after, the compartment door slid open and a boy’s head popped in. His dark hair was stuck to his forehead from sweat and he was twitching and wrinkling his nose in an attempt to push his glasses, which were in the process of slipping down, further up his face.
He paused his actions, finally noticing Sirius and his face broke out into a wide grin. Sirius realised that it was the boy from the platform and readily returned his smile. The boy hauled his trunk in and, with some difficulty tried to manoeuvre it so he could easily store it on the rack. Sirius stood up and grabbed the other side and together, they succeeded in pushing the heavy trunk onto the luggage bracket.
The train beneath them lurched forward and they stumbled, arms flailing wildly for support. Looking at each other, they quickly got to the window, fighting over who got to stick their head out of the small open slot. Thankfully, they found a way in which they could both do it and they shouted their farewells to the heaving crowd of people on the steadily departing station.
When their voices were hoarse, and the station was no more than a speck of black in the distance, they resolved to sitting across from one another on the plush pea-green seats.
“What house do you want to be in?” The boy asked, abruptly breaking the silence. His eyes shined with barely contained excitement. “I want to be in Gryffindor! That’s what house my dad was in!” He said proudly, not bothering to wait for Sirius’ reply. He inhaled, puffing his chest out dramatically before singing, (in a very out of tune way):
“You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart!”
Sirius looked at him for a while, his expression a mixture of amusement and disbelief, before he started laughing. The boy looked at him, in mock offense.
“What?”
“You learnt it?” Sirius asked, stifling his laughter.
“Yes? So what? I’m a true Gryffindor!” His façade broke for a moment as he failed in concealing a good-natured grin, before turning serious once more. “Why? What house do you like?” That stopped Sirius laughing.
“Well…” Sirius began slowly. “My entire family has been in Slytherin.”
The boy recoiled, as though slapped.
“You’re a snake?” He asked suspiciously, his voice raising an octave or two.
“They are snakes,” Sirius replied quietly. “I am not.”
The boy relaxed slightly but still looked slightly alarmed.
“Why?”
Sirius whipped his head around to look at the boy across from him.
“What?”
“Why aren’t you?”
He fell silent. Why didn’t he want to be a Slytherin? The answer was easy. Simple, really.
He didn’t want to end up like his mother.
The train whistled again, as they picked up speed. The scenic view on the other side of the window raced past; a blur of merged greens and blues. Sirius frowned, he could feel the boy’s eyes on him yet again. He turned to him, pushing the cold turn of their conversation away and mock-bowed, taking on a snobbish accent.
"I am Sirius Orion Black the Third, eldest and most honourable son of Walburga and Orion Black and, quite obviously the most handsome.” Here, he inserted a cheeky wink just for added effect. “Can I just say what a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance!" The boy grinned, standing up with graceful air and bowing back.
"James Potter, heir to the Potter fortune and eldest and only son to Dorea and Charlus Potter! Please, the pleasure is all mine Sirius Orion Black!"
“The Third!” Sirius added indignantly.
“The Third,” James amended, apologetically bowing his head.
They looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Slowly, they calmed down, eyeing the other with an appreciative look on their faces. Silence engulfed them for a few minutes but Sirius felt like he couldn't leave James' previous question unanswered.
"I don't want to be."
James stared at him, confused for a second, before his eyebrows rose with understanding and he gave a small sad smile.
"I don't want to be either."
The rest of the train journey was an enjoyable affair for both of them as they feasted on different chocolate and retold stories and jokes: (“Wait a minute, you got knocked out by a house elf? Woah, woah, woah- you actually have a house elf?” “You don’t?”)
When they finally arrived at Hogsmeade, they were ushered by a friendly giant of a man called Hagrid into small boats. Sirius made sure to stick with James no matter what and so, they found themselves crammed on a boat with two other first years; a rather tall, brooding boy with greasy shoulder-length hair and a hooked nose and a pretty redhead, her emerald eyes shined with awe as she looked around at the lake.
"You know, I read in Hogwarts: A History that there are merpeople living in the Black Lake! Oh, I wonder what they look like! Do you think they'll be like those off of the Little Mermaid? No, they mustn't be. That's a Disney film, a mere figment of one man's imagination. But of course, there is always the possibility that Walt Disney was a wizard..." The girl trailed off, oblivious to James and Sirius' look of dubious confusion. 'This Knee?' What was that? An illness? "What do you think Sev?"
Both boys looked at 'Sev'. James sniggered.
"Yeah, what do you think Sev?" He mocked, his voice mimicking the young girls. She glared fiercely at them both, as Sirius let out a bark of laughter.
Suddenly, a splash of water hit James on his face, causing the lenses of his glasses to become particularly difficult to see through. He whirled around blindly, accidentally hitting Sirius in several places. The other boy reached out to try and calm his friend but instead, with a joint effort from James’ wild thrashing, managed to punch him in the face. A snap made Sirius’ face dropped in guilt, and he took on the appearance of a chastised puppy.
“Oops…”
Sev merely smirked at the display, while the girl frowned at him, before turning back to James, who was clutching his broken glasses.
"Here," she murmured softly, taking his chin gently to position his head in her direction. He blinked. "Oculus Reparo." She waved her wand placidly and almost immediately, the two separate pieces of his glasses sprang back together; the material weaving in and out before they were connected once more.
James took them off and looked through the other side, while Sirius stared at her in unconcealed awe.
"Woah..."
"Wow," James said gently. "Thank you."
He smiled at her and she only hesitated slightly before returning it.
"You’re welcome."
"How did you do that?" Sirius asked, taking James' glasses off of his nose and looking through them. James reached out blindly for Sirius' hands but was met with empty air.
"Erm... Sirius mate, sort of need those..."
"Oh yeah, sorry," he replied, positioning the glasses back on his friends nose.
James turned back to the girl, holding his hand out.
"Lily Evans," she said, a slight blush colouring her pale freckled cheeks. He shook her hand.
"James Potter, at your service."
Lily smiled, turning back to her friend. Sirius sniggered at James' expression.
"I'm going to marry her, one day..." He said dreamily, his hazel eyes glazed over as he looked at the small redhead. Sirius grinned, patting him on the back.
"In your dreams Potter..."
*
The hat was heavy and far too big on his head, almost completely obscuring his vision.
“Where to put you. Where to put you,” its grisly voice murmured. Sirius’ eyes scanned the Great Hall. He looked at the four house tables individually, his eyes resting for a second longer on the Slytherin table, where he could see the unruly black curls of his eighteen year old cousin. Bella was entering her final year, and was by far his least favourite of the three sisters. Andromeda, his favourite, had been blasted off the tapestry just last year after she announced her engagement to a muggleborn. He had felt saddened when he heard the news, as she had become his only companion during the family gatherings. Then there was the youngest of his cousins, Narcissa. Sirius could see her signature golden hair lower down the table, sitting next to a matching head that he knew belonged to the renowned Lucius Malfoy. He could feel his blood already starting to boil as he recalled the last party he had been forced to go to, where Lucius had insulted the girl down the road. Sirius had argued back, defending his one and only friend for a secret three years. She had died four weeks previous in a car accident, and he swallowed, hearing once more the echoing sneers at muggles and their technology.
“Slytherin eh?” The hat questioned curiously, and Sirius jolted, momentarily remembering its presence. He shook his head.
“No.”
“Really? You do have the characteristics. You’re ambitious, there’s no doubt about that… And you have family honour to carry on… Not to mention pure hatred…No? But it could help you on your way to greatness…”
Sirius closed his eyes, not caring that multiple pairs of eyes were fixed curiously on his young, worried face. It was in that moment that he made a decision.
“I don’t want to be ‘great’.”
He knew that if the hat had eyebrows, it would have raised them in shock then. Whilst he might not have said it directly, the hat knew perfectly what he meant.
“Well, seeing as you are adamant about that, let’s see what other options there are… Not Hufflepuff, your loyalty knows no bounds to those you care for but your kindness seems to be hard to gain. Ravenclaw would only dampen your spirits but your thirst for knowledge is unmistakable. Yet… Ah, here it is. You see, it’s all in your head. You have a strong will, young Black, and a nerve that rivals that of your stubbornness. You will do well in this house, very well indeed… In that case, it better be… GRYFFINDOR!”
Sirius sighed in relief as the Professor lifted the old hat off of his head. He walked down the raised dais’ steps, holding his head high as he was taught to do so as soon as he could walk. They knew what the name Black meant, and no one, not even the uneducated muggleborns, were foolish enough to question it.
It was the only perk of being from the blasted family, Sirius thought, brooding to himself as he took his seat at the Gryffindor Table. The Great Hall had been silenced for a second or too, shocked at hearing the news of a Black joining the House of the Lions. After most had regained their shock, the entire scarlet-clad house had erupted in cheer.
“Evans, Lily.”
He recognised the young girl from the boat nervously sit on the stool. Her freckles stood out against her sickeningly pale skin, which seemed to have drained of all colour when her name was called. After a few minutes of the girl frowning and muttering every now and then, the hat called out the same word.
“GRYFFINDOR!”
The girl smiled, closing her eyes briefly before she approached the clapping table and sat down on the opposite side, next to another girl. He saw her cast a sad, wistful look at her greasy-haired friend, ‘Sev’, who swallowed, seemingly determined on looking straight ahead.
Sirius zoned out for most of the sorting, perking up only when a quiet boy sat down next to him and jolted him out of his thoughts. He studied his companion. Light brown hair, streaked with different highlights, was swept across his forehead. His amber eyes were bright but seemed dark despite their colouring, as though the boy was always sad for one reason or another. The light of the thousands of candles above shifted and Sirius noticed a thin, white scar marring the boy’s pale skin. It stretched from the corner of his right eye down to his ear and blended with his almost white complexion. He must have felt the familiar prickly sensation of being watched for he looked up suddenly and amber met grey.
Sirius gulped.
“I’m Sirius, Sirius Black,” he said, holding out his hand. The boy looked shocked at being addressed, as if he wasn’t expecting anyone to notice him, let alone take an interest in him.
“Remus Lupin,” he replied, shaking hands.
“Potter, James!” Sirius’ ears perked up as he watched his friend walk confidently to the Sorting Hat. It had barely touched his head when it yelled, “GRYFFINDOR!”
This time, both he and Remus joined in and cheered as James took the space directly opposite the shaggy-haired Black.
He grinned, “I told you,” he laughed and Sirius joined in, nudging Remus playfully.
“It’s only because you don’t have the ambition, intelligence or loyalty to be even considered for the other houses! I mean, the thing didn’t even take a second to realise that with your blatant recklessness, you belonged here!”
James clutched a hand to his chest while Remus snorted with amusement, the previous crease lines disappearing and making his face look youthful for once.
“Oh Siri, why do you wound me so!?” Sirius scowled at the nickname but James just carried on. “Anyway, why did it take so long for you?” He lowered his voice so as to not interrupt the rest of the Sorting. Sirius licked his lips solemnly.
Leaning forward and motioning for the other two to do the same, he muttered, “It wanted to put me in Slytherin… because it heard me thinking about my family…”
James’ eyes widened behind his glasses and Remus frowned, patting him on the shoulder in a friendly but strangely comforting gesture.
The three boys were pulled out of their thoughts by the end of the Sorting. The Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, stood up. His typical midnight blue robes twinkled in tune with his eyes as he looked out at his students. A long white wispy beard flowed from the lower half of his face and was tucked into the thick black muggle belt that he wore around his waist. He opened his arms in greeting.
“Welcome students, be you old or young, comfortingly familiar or refreshingly new. Before we start devouring our delectable feast, I am afraid I must take a minute of our precious time to inform you of the rules. As our first years will no doubt be unaware and I believe a few of our older students need reminding one too many times,” he looked over his half-moon spectacles and cast an amused glance to the Gryffindor table. “The forbidden forest is, as the name suggests, forbidden to all students who do not wish to lose themselves or quite possibly play dinner for a ravenous beast. I hear that the arachnid are particularly hungry during the Autumn mating season…”
Sirius, Remus and James exchanged looks of horror, mingled with confusion.
“Any breaking of rules or misbehaviour in lessons will be dealt with accordingly by the present teacher. Oh and just a few words before we delve into the fine food; Hubbub! Toil! Burdwad! Soil! And now, dig in!”
Almost as if those very last words were a trigger, the entire hall reached forward to help themselves to various piles of food and drink. James bit into a drumstick, chewing quickly whilst looking at Sirius oddly.
“I knew you wouldn’t be,” he said, smiling and pointing the end of the bone at the boy in question. Sirius looked vaguely confused before he too smiled softly. “You’re too good, Black.”