The First Thread
Sirius murmured as he huffed in frustration and annoyance at the loud environment, filled with crying kids to bubbly kids.
“Sirius Black!” Walburga hissed sharply, tugging on his wrist. “You will NOT embarrass me today. Purebloods are starting their year at Hogwarts with you, and I expect you to become friendly with them.” She scoffed slightly as she adjusted her long maroon skirt, ensuring her appearance was acceptable before murmuring something to Druella.
“Sirius...?” Regulus asked warily, tugging on Sirius’s robe. Sirius pushed Regulus away, his hand ruffling Regulus’s hair. While Regulus had better-maintained hair than Sirius, it was still curly and black like his brother’s, though cut much shorter, and meanwhile, Sirius was rocking frizzy black hair down to his shoulders, done in a low ponytail.
“Yes Reggie…” Sirius whined quietly. “Merlin's beard Reg, if there are any hot girls around, I’d rather not be seen with my kid brother clinging to my robe.” Sirius smirks, crossing his arms.
“quoi que tu dis, frère…” Regulus murmured, shaking his head. Regulus went closer to his mother before going to Narcissa, who was standing behind Druella, fiddling with her thin blond hair.
“Let us get on to it; the train is set to leave soon enough.” Druella declared. Sirius followed behind his family, his eyes set on a fuller girl before he followed along with his family.
* * * * *
“Come on, Petes, Pops told me that there is a trolley on the train that sells sweets!” James dragged Peter toward the train and found an empty compartment. “Bingo,” James says, setting his luggage down, Peter panting behind him. James waved out the window to his mother and father before stretching across the seats. “Think there's gonna be girls mate?” James says, sprawling across the seats more and more
. “I mean, yeah, obviously,” Peter says, opening his luggage, a patchy green duffel, as he pulls out a tuna sandwich, biting into it with his crooked teeth.
“Don´t get smart with me,” James remarks sarcastically, his nose scrunching at the smell of Peter's sandwich.
“Is…is that rotten Peter?” James says, smacking his lips (not in a tasteful way). “Don´t think so, it tastes fine?” Peter says, getting mayonnaise on his lips. James is about to say something before turning around to notice a boy standing in the door frame. Wavy light brown hair framing his face, covering a distinct claw mark scar.
“Eh, can I sit here? Everything else is full.” He said, giving a smile as he fixed his hair to cover one side of his face.
“Course,” James says, smiling as he sprung up, reaching his hand out to the boy "I'm James.” He says, smirking.
“Mornin´, I´m Peter Pettigrew.” Peter says, his mouth still full of his sandwich.
* * * * *
Sirius sat back in his seat, glancing out the window as the train started moving. He had deliberately chosen this compartment far from his family, hoping the silence would offer him some relief. He was getting too old for these forced family trips, especially when he knew what awaited him at Hogwarts: expectations, labels, and the suffocating weight of his name. He sighed, rubbing his temples before hearing footsteps approaching the door. The car door slid open, revealing the same ginger-haired girl Sirius had noticed earlier, a scrawny boy trailing behind her.
“May we sit here? I´m Lily and this is Severus.” She said, her hair done into a fishtail braid, crooked bangs framing her face.
“Be my guest,” Sirius mumbled. Lily and Severus sat across from Sirius, Lily beaming with joy as she kicked her legs. Lily bit her nails, humming a song before she turned to Sirius.
“I´m a muggle born, first witch in my family. Mum and Dad were rather happy.” Lily said, looking out the window before looking at Sirius. “You never told us your name,” Lily says. Smiling at Sirius.
“Sirius, Sirius Black.” Sirius says, his gaze not leaving the window. Severus´s eyes widened slightly, but he didn't say anything directly to Sirius as he tugged Lily's robe.
“Lily, I don't like him. I´m sure there's another cart somewhere.” Severus says, not bothering to hide his comment from Sirius.
“Why? Something wrong with me?” Sirius says defensively, looking at Severus. Severus huffs, standing up as he crosses his arms.
“Perhaps there is.” He remarks. “Let's go, Lils.” Severus mumbles.
Sirius smirked, tilting his head. “No, go on, what was it, Sniverus, Snivellus? Tell me.” His voice was laced with mockery. “You’re pathetic, I can tell that much.” Sirius taunts, Severus’s lip curled in disgust
. “And you’re a Black.” Severus’s voice was cold, deliberate. “No matter how hard you try to act different, it’s in your blood.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’ll end up just like them.” Sirius’s smirk faltered for the briefest second before he scoffed.
“Please, I’d rather drop dead.” Sirius says, faking confidence. Severus gave a slow, knowing nod. “We’ll see.” Then, he forcefully tugged Lily’s robe before storming out. “You can cut off a snake’s head, but it still writhes like the rest of them.”
“Yeah, go and piss off, Snivellus!” Sirius shouted after him, but the weight in his chest lingered. He exhaled sharply, slumping back into his seat. “So much for a new beginning…”
* * * * *
Just as James, Peter, and Remus got settled down. They heard commotion two compartments down, James stuck his head out, watching two first years walk the opposite way.
“I'm going to check out the theatrics. Be back, yeah?” James said to Remus and Peter, peeking his head into Sirius´s compartment. Sirius barely looked up when the door slid open, too annoyed to care.
“I told you, shove off, Snivellus—”
“Snivellus?” A voice interrupted, amused. “Sounds like an unfortunate sod.” Sirius glanced up, expecting Severus, but instead, a boy with round gold glasses and a mop of untidy dark brown hair stood in the doorway, grinning like he already owned the place.
“I’m James. James Potter.” Sirius froze for a fraction of a second. Potter. The name was familiar, whispered in his house like a curse. A proper bloodline gone soft. Blood traitors. The thought made Sirius smirk.
“Sirius Black,” he said, leaning back with easy arrogance. “You’ve got some nerve standing there, Potter. Don’t you know what my lot thinks of yours?” James didn’t even blink.
“Oh, I know. My mum goes on about it every time she gets a howler from my grandparents.” His grin widened. “But between you and me, I don’t give a bloody arse what your lot thinks.”
Sirius barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I reckon we’ll get along just fine.” James grinned, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
James snorted, "Sirius Black, huh? I've heard of you. Well, your family. Not particularly known for their open mindedness.”
Sirius slumped back, stretching his legs out like he owned the place, rolling his eyes. “You could say that. They’re all about blood purity and ‘keeping the Black name intact.’ I, on the other hand, am just trying to survive the bloody circus filled with baboons.”
James grinned at Sirius’s words. “I like you. Me and my friends are in the compartment two down, care to join If you don't mind?”
Sirius hesitated, eyeing James with wary curiosity. There was something about his grin—mischief, recklessness. Sirius almost smirked. It was like looking in a mirror. Sirius smiled, “I don’t think I mind, Potter.”
***
Sirius trailed after James, the rhythmic clatter of the train against the tracks filling the corridor as they made their way toward the compartment two doors down. His fingers twitched at his sides, a deep-rooted instinct urging him to be cautious. Making friends had never been something he struggled with—charming people was practically second nature—but this was different. These weren’t the people his parents would have chosen for him. And that was precisely why Sirius was interested. James slid open the door with an effortless confidence, stepping inside like he belonged there. The other two boys inside looked up—one with a friendly but hesitant smile, the other with quiet, observant eyes.
“This is Sirius,” James announced, plopping onto the seat like it was his throne. “He’s a Black, but he’s all right.”
Sirius raised an eyebrow, smirking. “High praise, Potter. I’m honored.” The boy with light brown hair and faint scars on his face regarded Sirius carefully. He didn’t speak right away, but his sharp gaze made it clear he was sizing him up. The other boy, round-faced and slightly hunched over what looked like the remains of a questionable sandwich, gave a nod, just focusing on his odd sandwich.
“Well, don’t just stand there, mate, take a seat,” James said, grinning as he patted the spot beside him. Sirius hesitated for only a second before dropping onto the seat, stretching his legs out with feigned ease. He had a feeling this was going to be one hell of a train ride. “His eyes landed on each of them, finding James’s cockiness amusing “What houses do you lot want to get? My dad was a Gryffindor, and my mum went to Beauxbatons—she grew up in Spain, so Hogwarts wasn’t an option. But I’m certain I’ll be a Gryffindor.” James states proudly, fixing his slightly oversized round golden glasses.
Remus, who was drawing something in a tiny sketchbook, looked up. “My dad was a Hufflepuff and my mom was a muggle-born, but I don’t think any house really suits me…I’m like a…I don’t know.” Remus said, shrugging. Though, my sister, Evangie, was a Ravenclaw. She was brilliant.” Remus said, smiling slightly, pulling his knees to his chest as he glanced down
“Both my parents were Gryffindors. All I know is Ravenclaw is the last place I’d end up,” Peter remarked, finally finishing his Merlin-awful smelling sandwich. He licked the mayonnaise off his fingers, completely unaware of the way the others subtly leaned away. “What about you, Silius?”
“Erm—Sirius,” he corrected, raising an eyebrow but deciding to let it slide. “And I don’t know… I don’t really care.” He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to sound indifferent. Reckon, he already knew the truth—he just didn’t want to be a Slytherin.
“Not caring is bollocks. You’ve gotta have a preference.” James chimes in, leaning forward with an excited glint in his eyes. “And if you’re even half as cool as you seem, the obvious choice is Gryffindor. I could go on for bloody weeks about how many quidditch players were in Gryffindor.” Sirius smirked, crossing his arms.
“Oh yeah? Because Quidditch is the only thing that matters?” Sirius remarks sarcastically, though he was a fan of Qudditich himself.
James scoffed. “It’s not the only thing, but it’s bloody important. Besides, Gryffindor’s just—better. Braver, stronger, more fun. Who’d want to be in some boring house? Like Ravenclaw. Though I guess they’re better than Slytherin.”
Remus, who had been absentmindedly sketching, spoke up. “Ravenclaw’s not boring.”
“Sure, if you like reading all day,” James teased.
Remus rolled his eyes but smiled. “My sister, Evangie, was a Ravenclaw. She was brilliant.” His voice softened slightly. “She always said it wasn’t about being smart, just about wanting to learn everything you could.”
Sirius glanced at him, intrigued. “Sounds decent.”
“You know, She once read an entire book of spells in a day, just because she wanted to know more about protective enchantments. Said she liked the idea of magic being able to keep people safe.” Remus said, his tone soft as he raveled on about his sister.
Peter, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly spoke up. “Protective enchantments? My gran used to say those are the hardest to break.” He looked at Remus, curiosity replacing his usual nervousness. “Did she ever teach you any?”
“She taught me how to cast a patronus, mines, er…a wolf.” Remus says, biting his tongue.
“Is your sister still attending Hogwarts?” Peter asked, finally warming up to the group.
Remus hesitated for half a second, then shrugged, eyes back on his sketchbook. “She died.”
A brief silence fell over the compartment. James, never one for awkward pauses, shifted. “Well… she sounds like she was properly brilliant.”
Remus gave a small nod. “Yeah. She was.” The compartment fell into an awkward silence once again.
“Well, er, my cat Salmie died a few weeks ago…?” Peter said, trying to lighten the mood but looking like an idiot as Sirius snickered. The train rattled on, and just like that, the conversation moved forward, but Sirius found himself looking at Remus with newfound curiosity. Everyone fidgeted for a moment, Remus whistling at the silence.
“Oh! Mum told me that the library is the size of a cathedral! I heard it has millions of books- oh, and there's a forbidden section.” James said, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Forbidden?” Peter whispered in a hushed voice. “Like illegal?” Peter said, his eyes widening.
“Bloody… Petes, no. Like…er… restricted!” James said, rolling his eyes.
“You probably need a professor’s permission or some nonsense like that.” Sirius snorted. “Sounds like an open invitation to me.” James responded. Remus, who had been quiet, finally glanced up from his sketchbook.
“They’re probably restricted for a reason, you know. Dark magic, dangerous spells… things students shouldn’t be messing with.”
James waggled his eyebrows. “Exactly. Which makes them all the more interesting.”
Peter still looked unsure. “But what if—”
James threw an arm around his shoulders. “Oh, come on, Peter. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Remus shook his head, but there was the ghost of a smile on his face. “You lot are going to get us expelled before we even get sorted.”
James grinned. “Now that’s the Gryffindor spirit.”