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Chapter Text

Chapter 1 : Prefect and Yellow Hat

Year : 1975 - Fifth Year

POV - James Potter/ Prongs

I stepped outside into the crisp September air, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. The leaves were just starting to turn, hints of golden yellow and orange peeking through the green. It was a beautiful day, and I felt a thrill of excitement as I thought about returning to Hogwarts. Today was September 1st, the day I could go back to my second home. 

I was not really surprised when i received an owl from Dumbledore explaining that i have been assigned the prefect duties. After all, Sirius, Lily and i are the most brilliant students in our year. My mother proudly showed off my prefect badge to our relatives while i could see a proud smile on my father's face. Both of my parents cared about me a lot, perks of being an only child i guess. However, i am not a spoiled brat or anything like Lily frequently mentions. 

Speaking of Lily, i am looking forward to meet her at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had mentioned about Lily being the other Gryffindor prefect in the letter. I send an owl to Lily as soon as i received the letter from Dumbledore. She just replied ' Okay Potter, Congrats.' Well, that is something considering the fact that this was the first letter to which Lily had replied. 

I also received owls from Moony and Wormtail last week as i informed them of this news. Henry ( my Owl ) returned with a heavy looking basket and 2 letters.

Moony gifted me some homemade butter cookies which he baked himself ( he took a muggle class for baking and he is pretty much proud of his cooking skills) and wrote  a very, very long parchment congratulating me. No wonder he writes rolls and rolls of parchment for assignments. That boy loves to write!

As for Wormtail, he wrote a letter and i found a chocolate frog dangling from the edge of the letter which i assumed was meant for me. I could imagine him fumbling with the chocolate. I treated the tired Henry with the chocolate and returned to my writing desk. 

I also wanted to write to Padfoot but he never gets any of my letters. So i have stopped writing to him since 4th year. My guess is that, his father might be intercepting my letters because there is no other explanation for this. His family seems like a crazy lot, with padfoot being the only exception. He is mostly quiet about his treatment at home, but his moodiness which persists for a while after returning from his house speaks for itself. 

"James dear, come and have your breakfast. It is already half past 8." 

My mother's voice shook me from my thoughts. I went back in and had my breakfast. After that, I quickly ran upstairs, packed my trunk with a wand swish and returned downstairs. My mother tried to comb my hair flat but that was a futile attempt. My hair was gorgeously windswept and i liked it that way.

I waved both my parents goodbye, as i reached the train station. I needed to board the train now. I ran quickly, aiming for the wall between the 9th and 10th platforms. However, as i ran, i bumped into a girl and we both crashed our trunks and fell down. As i got up, I found a yellow hat on top of my Henry's cage. As i picked the hat, the girl snatched the hat from my hands, muttered something that sounded like a thanks and disappeared into the wall. 

-

Chapter Text

POV - Remus Lupin / Moony 

I pushed through the crowd of students and parents, the air thick with excitement and anxiety as families reunited and said their goodbyes. My luggage bumped against my legs as I struggled to make headway through the chaotic mass of robes, trunks, and tearful farewells.

As I struggled to board the train, my gaze fell upon a bespectacled boy with unruly black hair, his eyes darting about in confusion as he scanned the crowd .

"James!" I called out. 

At first, he spun around, his eyes scanning the crowd to locate the source of the familiar voice. Then, as our gazes met, his face broke into a radiant smile, and he waved enthusiastically before making his way through the crowd. 

"Hey, Prongs! How was your summer?" I asked, eyeing the bloody scrape on his elbow. "And what happened there?"

James dismissed the injury with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just bumped into some Hufflepuff girl on my way to the platform. No idea who she was, though."

I followed his gaze to a short, brunette girl wearing a bright yellow hat. As she turned around, I grinned. 

"You mean Evelyn, of course."

James looked perplexed. "Evelyn who?"

I chuckled. 

"You don't know Evelyn from Hufflepuff? Really, Prongs?"

James's response was cut off by Peter's shrill cry 

"Prongs! Moony!!"

We turned to see our friend struggling to board the train. With a joint effort, we hauled him aboard and set off to find an empty compartment. 

As we searched for an empty compartment, we stumbled upon one occupied by Sirius, who was gazing wistfully out the window as parents and children bid each other farewell. Upon hearing our approach, he swiftly switched to his signature cheerful tone. 

"Hey, Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail! How was your summer holiday?"

"It was good, Sirius," James replied. "How was yours?"

Sirius's expression flickered for a split second, a shadow crossing his face before he masked it with a carefree grin. 

"Oh, let's just say my parents are trying to drill family purity and tradition into my little brother's head. I'm already a lost cause in their eyes, so they're focusing on their precious Regulus."

The compartment fell silent, the only sound the soft clinking of luggage. James broke the silence, his voice laced with concern.

"Hey, mate, try these cookies Remus baked."

I knew James was worried about Sirius, and a glance at his gaunt figure confirmed my suspicions - he looked like he was starving.

Sirius's eyes lit up as he devoured the cookies. 

"Merlin, Moony, who knew you had a knack at baking?"

His laughter was infectious, and I found myself chuckling along with him. Meanwhile, Wormtail was trying to sneak a few cookies from Sirius, who generously offered him some, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

James got up and left for his prefect duties with Lily. We could all see the radiant beam on his face as he left.

As the train rumbled on, we chatted ceaselessly, catching upon recent quidditch matches and pranks. Periodically, the treats trolley would make its way down the corridor, its bell ringing out as it stopped at each compartment. We indulged in a few of our favorite sweets: Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, and Liquorice Wands. 

As night began to fall, the compartment grew quieter, and I gazed out the window as the Hogwarts castle came into view. The train's whistle pierced the air, and I felt a thrill of excitement. We had finally arrived at Hogwarts.

Chapter Text

POV : Peter / Wormtail

The Great Hall was packed with students. The pale faced first years reminded me of myself a few years back. 

Back then, even though i knew some details about Hogwarts from my mum, i was really nervous about which house i will be placed in. And maybe, what if, i did not fit into any of the houses and was send back home? I will be letting down my mum. 

The sorting hat took its sweet time to decide my house. It kept murmuring in my head "Not too bright in certain aspects, but ambitious i see" " i sense your allegiance to be tied closely with those who own power"..."i could easily place you in Slytherin, but... Huh, do i sense a bit of bravery... Hmm.. Put it to good use. Better be in Gryffindorrrrrr!". 

I remember shakily walking towards the Gryffindor table as the crowd cheered. Gryffindor. The house of those brave at heart. Did the sorting hat make any mistake? It seemed to sense a few of my thoughts, but bravery? Really? I don't know. Maybe the hat predicts the future. Maybe one day, i might become a very brave person. 

That very day, i met James, Sirius and Remus who shared my dormitory. We soon became best friends. I often look upto James and Sirius, who could easily talk and get things done. They are naturally charismatic and very active. Remus too, is very brilliant yet the silent type. However, the mastermind behind most of our pranks was Remus. And then there was me. 

The whole speech by Dumbledore was a blur. I couldn't focus on anything due to my hunger. After what seemed like ages, finally the table was filled with various dishes. I grabbed all that i could, filled up my plate and ate to my heart's content. 

James broke the silence at the table.

"Do you think i finally have a chance with Lily? It almost seems like Dumbledore planned this , don't you think Padfoot? " 

I looked over at Sirius, as i ate my dessert. He disinterestingly replied "I don't know mate, maybe he is planning about your love life every summer holiday".

Moony sniggered at his suggestion. "Prongs, you need to stop obsessing over Lily. This will only drive her away. " he chimed in. 

"I think you need to buy Lily a gift. Girls love gifts, don't they? " I offered my piece of advice.

James' face seemed to brighten up at my suggestion. Remus was about to say something but held back, rolled his eyes and went back eating. Sirius was blankly staring over the Hufflepuff table. I finished off my dessert and washed it down with a cup of pumpkin juice. 

James got up and joined Lily for Prefect duties. She had an annoyed look on her face, when Prongs said something in her ear. We all got up and followed them to our common room.

I was happy to see the Fat Lady showing off her singing skills. I missed our common room. It was the place where we spend most of our time, planning pranks, playing gobstones and exploding snap, and writing assignments. We all sat on the sofa. Remus was already reading some book, probably for his class tomorrow. Sirius looked bored without James, who went to report to Prof. Mcgonagall, who was the head of our house. I was just content to be here. 

James came in through the door, yawning 

" Today was so exhausting. Come on, let's go up to our dorm."

We all picked ourselves from the sofa and climbed up the stairs to our dorm. Moony was still reading while getting up the stairs. Sirius grabbed the book out his hand.

"For Merlin’s pants' sake, Moony, just stop reading. You don't have to take the O.W.L.s tomorrow."

Remus tried to snatch back his book but in vain. At last, he gave up and walked beside me. 

We reached the dorm and flopped onto our beds. We were all so sleepy, so we turned down the lights and laid down to sleep. It was a happy day. 

Chapter Text

POV : Sirius Black / Padfoot

I was in my bed, unable to sleep. As the lights were turned off, darkness crept in, reminding me of the days that i had spent in that place -The Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. The Noble and The Most Ancient House of Black. The pure-blood maniacs who believed themselves to be royalty. 

I stared at the ceiling, recalling the Howler i had received the day after arriving at Hogwarts - for becoming a Gryffindor. However, the real punishment awaited me that christmas holiday. My father and mother cursed and hurled spells at me mercilessly, reminding me that i had ruined the reputation of the Black Family. I remember seeing my brother, Regulus, watching with fearful eyes, hiding behind the door. 

My growing friendship with James and Muggle borns did not suit my family's taste.The endless torment throughout the holidays, insults hurled at me during family gatherings, my own relatives treating me like filth, mother performing the unforgivable curses on me.... It all continues to this day. And yet i was afraid to leave. Because of Reg. I wanted to save him from their twisted beliefs.  

But i fear it's too late. 

Reg has already come under their control. His constant company with slytherins, their little meetups during summer- he's changed. My parents, too, now see him as the only one worthy of upholding their values. Toujours Pur. I felt a wave of nausea come over me. I opened the window slightly for some fresh air. 

My thoughts returned to Reg. I can sense the changes in him over the years. He is no longer the boy who cowered behind the door, watching in terror. He is a wizard who stands for blood purity and elimination of mudbloods. Slowly, painfully i realise - he is becoming the very thing i despise. 

Sometimes i wonder, what might have happened if i hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor. Maybe, i would never have met my brothers James, Remus and Peter. Maybe, even worse, i might have become their enemy by joining the Slytherins and my blood purist family. Meeting James turned me into what i am today. He made me question everything i was raised to believe. I remember struggling not to use the word Mudblood after learning from James that it was an offensive and vile word. In my family, that word was so casually thrown around. 

This summer was the worst of all. I spent most of my time locked in my room. I had sneaked in some muggle magazines, which infuriated my mother, leading her to use the cruciatus curse on me. I could not even move an inch for nearly two hours. Then, slowly, i dragged myself up the stairs into my room. As i reached my room, i saw Reg, in my room, with a disgusted look on his face, trying to tear off the muggle pictures stuck to the wall.

"Aww! Our dear old mother has given you a task, hasn't she? Well, too bad they won't come off the Wall". 

Regulus turned to me, his features strained with emotions.

"Why can't you behave for once and try to uphold the honour of our family, Sirius? Even though you're in Gryffindor, you could actually utilise your abilities for our good instead of wasting them on those mudbloods. Maybe then our family will accept you " he said, eyeing the bruises forming on my body and face. 

"Reg, if i wanted to be part of this bloody household, i would have done it ages ago. So, don't expect me to fall in line with this pure-blood mania".

"It's all because of that blood traitor Potter. He has brainwashed you into believing his nonsense. Sirius, don't forget our family's values and traditions." Regulus spat. 

I narrowed my eyes "Reg, don't you dare speak a word against James. He is my brother -maybe even more than you- if you choose to stand with these blood maniacs. "

After a pause, Regulus looked at me.

"Then maybe what mother did was right. You deserved it." He said in quiet tone, glancing at my bruises before storming out of the room.

And just like that, i was alone again. 

My thoughts were interrupted by Peter's loud snoring. I turned back to the window, and stared at the sky. There, next to the moon, i found a star, shining more brightly and clearly compared to the rest, in the sky. It was Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

As i admired its beauty, sleep finally crept over me, my eyelids growing heavy. 

Chapter Text

POV - Sirius / Padfoot

As usual, i woke up at 5.00 in the morning. This is part of my routine when i am at Hogwarts. I looked over at James, who was lying on his bed, with his feet resting comfortably on the pillow, while his head hung over the edge at the foot of the bed. Remus had his blanket pulled over his head, completely covering himself. As i walked toward bathroom, i saw peter mumbling something in his sleep.

I quickly freshened up and went down to the quidditch pitch. 

The summer holidays were not exactly the time when i could practise quidditch. The lack of training had made my quidditch skills rusty- i needed to polish them. I flew until i could i see the orange hues of sunrise in the sky.

When I returned to my dormitory, I found Remus sitting at his desk, scribbling on rolls of parchment.

"Moony, what are you writing this early in the morning? Our classes haven't even yet started!! " 

Moony mumbled about it something being schedule for his daily routine but i didn't have the patience to hear the rest. 

I turned to wake James, who was now drooling with his mouth open.

" Wakey wakey Prongs!! Rise and shinee!!!"

I did my best impression of Lily's voice. James groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.

" Stop it, padfoot! You're being too loud".

Saying that, he went right back to sleep. I was bored. I glanced at wormtail who was snoring and an idea struck me. Pointing my wand at Peter, i grinned.

"Aguamenti! "

A jet of water splashed onto his face and he screamed, jerking upright and waking Prongs in the process. I had a good laugh as Remus shook his head in disapproval and returned to his work. James grudgingly dragged himself towards the bathroom, mumbling something like" why would you wake me so earlyyy". Meanwhile, Peter sat on his bed, trying to figure out what had just happened to him.

I changed myself into robes and went down to wait for the others in the common room. 

In the common room, I lounged on the couch, waiting. As usual, Lily was sitting in her usual armchair next to the fireplace. She was furiously ripping through the pages of some book (was it a book on herbology?).

I decided to pester Lily while i waited.

" Hey Evans! Are you and Moony planning to finish reading the entire year's books on the first day itself? " i chuckled.

Lily looked up at me.

"Well Black, unlike you and Potter, i do not intend to waste every waking minute, planning stupid pranks and earning detentions ". 

She retorted and went back to reading her book.

I smirked."Ouch Lily! But if you remember our pranks this well, you must've missed them."

I gave a lopsided grin. I could see Lily rolling her eyes while keeping her gaze fixed on her book. 

" Hey, padfoot! Hii, Lily!! "

I saw Remus come down the stairs. 

"Hi Remus, I have prepared the schedule for our classes. And where is Potter? Prefects must report to Prof. McGonagall before -"

"Did i hear that Lily wanted to see me?" James strolled down the stairs, followed by Peter. Lily rolled her eyes at his remark. 

" Potter, follow me".

I shot James a quick thumbs up as he followed Lily. Before disappearing through the portrait door, he turned around and gave me one back.

Laughing, I threw my arms around Remus and Peter and went down to the Great Hall. 

I was starving, figuratively and literally - so i loaded my plate with chicken and mashed potatoes. 

James soon joined us, and we all ate a hearty breakfast. As I was drinking pumpkin juice, i heard the owls swooping overhead, packages and letters landing all around me.

James got a letter from his mother, enquiring about his new classes and reminding him to eat well. Remus received a package containing home-made chocolates from his mum along with a subscription of daily prophet. He immediately unfolded the newspaper and started reading.

I tried to sneak some chocolates, but moony beat me to it. I gnawed on the chocolate piece that I had managed to snatch and glanced at Peter, who was struggling to unwrap his package. 

Then, across the Great Hall, I spotted an owl-one I knew all too well-swoop down in front of Regulus.

My dear old mother must have send him a letter.

What was it this time? A list of approved Pureblood handshakes? Instructions on how to sneer with the appropriate amount of arrogance? That fire- breathing banshee.

I turned my gaze to the other students who were receiving letters and packages. It seemed like I was the only one who did not recei-

oh, wait.

There was someone else. A girl, sitting at the hufflepuff table, right in front of me, hadn't received an owl either.

I stared at her, hoping she did not receive any owl. Was i being too selfish? Maybe. Maybe not.

She was slowly eating her food, trying to read a history book, propped open in front of her. Her eyes flicked across the pages of the book. 

Then, finally, after it seemed like a long time, she looked up at me.

She immediately dropped her gaze back to her food.

"Padfoot, come along. We need to get to the class". James tugged my arm, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

I got up and followed my friends.