Chapter I
Walburga Black had always been a lonely person, ever since she was a child; not used to the loudness of others around her, she’d often found comfort in the grey halls of the library or the lonely halls of her family’s big old house. She had known her role was to wed a young man from a wealthy, respectable pureblood family, so she had been as perfectly adequate as she was expected to be; never wandering around, never asking any questions, never too quiet, never too loud.
The day of her wedding had been one of the happiest days of her life, it was a perfectly adequate party, with perfectly adequate company. The cake and the champagne were perfect, the music was absolutely tasteful. There was nothing else she could’ve asked for.
“There has to be an heir soon, a man to take on the family name!” Her father was eager to have grandchildren as soon as possible, given that he was old and probably wanted to make sure there’d be a suitable heir to the family name and fortune. After all, he’d been the one to choose her now husband, Orion Black, a well respected member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and his favourite nephew.
It wasn’t that Walburga didn’t like Orion, it was just that he was older and didn’t have much in common with her, except for the absolute commitment to make their family proud. A baby, preferably a boy, seemed to be the perfect next step in their marriage, something that would make things fall immediately into place. At the end of the day, she was there to bring nothing but pride to her noble name.
The cold morning of November 3rd, 1959 had been one of the happiest moments of her life; Walburga wasn’t sure of many things, but the moment she saw Sirius’ big grey eyes she knew for sure, there wasn’t anything in the world she wouldn’t do for him, and she never quite stopped loving the sight of her baby’s bright eyes. Not even as a new child came into their lives.
Regulus was a quiet baby, for the most part. On the day he was born, she received the news of her father’s passing, it had been bittersweet. Fulfilled with the happiness brought by the newborn baby, and saddened by the bitterness of losing the one person she had dedicated her life to. And although the baby was quiet, Regulus had brought a new type of disbalance into the house, especially for Sirius, who had been so eager to play with his brother the moment he saw him for the first time. Walburga had had to ask him not to come near the baby for the first week, because Sirius wouldn't stop pulling on Regulus’ fingers expecting him to cry.
It had been hard for her, getting used to the new loudness of the house, getting to realise that her father would never send another letter asking for an update on the heir. Now it was just her. Her and both her precious sons.
“The minister has asked us to host a party. Can you believe it?!” Orion grunted as he walked into the room, barely looking at her, kicking one of the many toys sprawled around the floor. “And without any previous notice. Who does he think he is?!”
Baby Regulus was loudly crying in her arms while she was unsuccessfully trying to shush the screams of the toddler who had been rolling on the floor at her feet for over twenty minutes now. She always thought motherhood would be easy, a natural thing, but the truth is it was the hardest thing she ever had to do. She knew it would be well awarded, once both her sons became the respected young gentlemen they were born to become. However, at that moment she couldn’t help but want to scream and lock them both in a room so she could finally have a little bit of peace and quiet. Of course, she wasn’t going to do that, but somehow, thinking about it soothed her nerves.
“Can you please make the kid shut up?!” Said Orion, staring at Sirius, who was still screaming loudly on the floor, “You need to learn how to discipline your children.” He said, finally looking at her.
Your children? Had he actually said that?
“Sirius. Stop!” She screamed, for the first time, at the two year old crying at her feet.
“No!” The boy screamed back, staring right at her. Sirius had feisty cold eyes, just like her, one could even say they were the same eyes, full of determination.
If she was being completely honest, she’d already forgotten what the tantrum was even about. But she wouldn’t let herself be humiliated like that by a toddler. So for once, she let her thoughts become a reality. Locked Sirius in the room next door, and left him in there, crying, as she and Orion planned their evening party for the minister.
Yeah, she didn’t enjoy punishing her children, but this was for Sirius’ own good. That kind of defiance would never be suitable, especially for the Heir of the House of Black. So next time Walburga asked Sirius to be quiet, he would listen, and they’d all be at peace.
One time, Sirius had behaved poorly during a big party. It had been embarrassing for his mother and extremely annoying for his father. And while Sirius didn’t enjoy making his parents angry, he did enjoy the amused, amazed looks he dragged from the adults in the room. He felt powerful and seen. It was like everything around him suddenly stopped, and then, during those few minutes of absolute domination he felt like the most powerful 7 year old to ever exist.
And Walburga kept locking him in dark rooms whenever he cried loudly, so he had learned to be quiet and adequate, just as his mother wanted. He lived for the thrill of the moment though. He knew she would never dare to do anything remotely scandalous in front of other people, so he pulled his worst behaviour during evening parties with important guests, public speeches, family dinners, important charities hosted by his father, you know the deal. She made sure to punish him as soon as they were out of the eye of the public, but the look of defeat on her face made it all worth it, at least in Sirius’ eyes.
On the day of his eighth birthday he snuck into the kitchen and got a taste of his birthday cake before anyone else. It wasn't like he wanted to ruin the party, he just had to make sure the dessert was of the best quality, but according to his mother that’s exactly what he had done; ruin everything, as she usually said.
“You should know better than this!” she said as she roughly scrubbed his cheeks with her hands to take some icing off of him.
“You’re hurting me!” Sirius screamed at her, pushing her hands away from him.
“That's what happens when you get cake all over your face. Now, SHUT UP!”
Sirius had never been particularly scared of his mother, if anything he liked to push her limits. So, he did the natural thing to do and laughed at her frown as she screamed at him. But he wasn’t expecting the loud slap that followed his laugh, nor the shock in his mothers eyes, just staring at him as he held back his tears. He spent the rest of his birthday quietly staring at the floor, not a word. Not even as his father made a toast to him and offered him a smile.
Actually, Orion had come and congratulated him for his perfect behaviour during the party, and Walburga had looked so proud. It was weird, because as much as he liked the defeated look on her face, he found that the look his mother was giving him in that moment had a different effect on him, a warmer feeling.
His mother tucked him in that night. She kissed him on the forehead and apologised for having slapped him earlier.
“I love you.” She said, smiling at him, “I’m so proud of you.”
“Was I good today?” Sirius mumbled, already falling asleep “I’m sorry about the cake. It won’t happen again.”
“I hope you’ve learned that your actions have consequences, Sirius” she said, “I’m sure you’ll be good from now on. Won’t you, baby?” she rubbed his cheeks, gently.
Most of Sirius’ days were boring. He did nothing but read books and play for hours with Regulus. Not that he didn’t like his brother, in fact, he liked Regulus almost as much as he liked his broomstick, he actually lend it to him once, but Regulus had fallen off of it and Sirius had told him it was strictly forbidden to touch his broom ever again or he’d face some consequences.
That day was a special day though, they were attending a fancy party at the Dolohov’s Manor, they had to wear fancy suits and walk in their fanciest postures.
“We have to show them we’re proper, Reg. You can’t be singing mother’s lullabies, they’re gonna think you’re weak.” Sirius said, as he helped his younger brother fix his robe. “There you go!” he said, ruffling his hair.
“Thank you, Sirius.”
Sirius liked taking care of Regulus. To him, it was kinda like having an apprentice. Regulus would listen to everything his brother said, and do everything he asked him without asking any questions. Kreacher, the house elf, would threaten to tell his mother about any inadequate antics the boys dared to do, but Sirius had threatened him back by saying he’d give him a piece of clothing on Christmas Day, and Kreatcher had been so scared that he immediately apologised to Sirius.
The front gates of the Dolohov Manor were huge, Sirius wondered if he could fly above them on his broomstick. The trees that were by the entrance weren’t as big as the gates, he was sure he could climb those, he had done it a few times before, in secret, of course.
The Dolohovs had a son, Antonin, he was Sirius’ age, and his best friend beside Regulus. They had met at a gala and Sirius had effectively convinced him to stick with him for the rest of the evening while they pretended Regulus had turned invisible and ignored him until he cried. And then, both Antonin Dolohov and Sirius Black had promised to be each other's best friend forever.
“Are you excited for Hogwarts this year?” He asked Sirius.
People talked to him about Hogwarts all the time now; how he’d make his family proud, how he’d be the perfect Slytherin boy, how he’d be the perfect example of what a pureblood wizard should be, how the other children at Hogwarts would be beneath him, especially mudbloods. Sirius was important, people reminded him everyday, and he loved it.
“I am.” Said Sirius, “My father thinks Hogwarts is losing its prestige, though. Too many mudbloods.”
“Yeah, same here.” Sirius knew the Dolohovs shared the same magical values as the Blacks, which is why he knew him and Antonin would be friends forever.
“Reg is sad because he can’t go to Hogwarts yet. I keep telling him he has to wait a year, but he bloody whines way too much.”
“I don’t whine!” Regulus huffed.
The next few hours were uneventful, really, nothing but toasts and boring conversations. And Sirius was in desperate need of some entertainment. He was off to Hogwarts next week, so he knew the punishment he’d get for making this party a living hell for his mother wouldn’t be as terrible as they usually were.
He commanded Regulus to distract their mother, he was good at that. Walburga seemed to have a soft spot for Reg, something Sirius had never had the privilege of experiencing himself.
“Mummy, I feel dizzy!” Said Regulus as he pulled on his mother’s robes.
Mummy. Sirius was slightly disgusted, Regulus had a tendency of acting like a whiny little baby, embarrassing, if you asked Sirius. But their mother never seemed to care too much for it, and that drove Sirius mad. He’d never been allowed to call Walburga that, not that he wanted to, of course, that’d make him seem weak, and as the heir he wasn’t supposed to be weak.
While Walburga made sure Regulus was in optimal health, Sirius was able to sneak away from her sight and run straight to the centre of the room, where a big pyramid of champagne glass coupes was. It worked like a fountain, a big bottle pouring champagne from the top, filling up the bottom coupes. Sirius loved the way Champagne looked, bubbly and sparkly, he could definitely see why all the adults seemed to be obsessed with it.
His plan was simple: if he could remove the bottle at the top of the pyramid, there would be no more champagne and all the adults would be bored and annoyed (he loved when grown ups looked like that). It was only fair, that’s how he felt all the time during their parties. And maybe, if his father got bored enough, they would leave the party early. He really had nothing to lose.
Sirius quickly looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention to him. Took a little sip from one of the drinks at the bottom, made a disgusted face and decided to put his plan in motion. But as soon as he started, he noticed his mistake. He had pulled on the tablecloth as he climbed to the top, causing all of the glass coupes to go down, crashing loudly on the floor.
Every single one of the people at the party was now staring at Sirius, who had fallen at the same time the champagne pyramid did. He could feel a big cut on his hand and the wetness on his robes. But he didn’t look down, and the only thing he could stare at were his mother’s eyes, raging with fury. That being said, he could hear the indignant gasps of everybody in the room, so he did the only natural thing. He smiled at her.
When he finally dared to look around, he noticed Dolohov on the back, he was giving him a thumbs up, smiling back at him. He turned around to catch a glimpse of his brother, who had a terrorised look in his eyes; Because Regulus knew. He knew what Sirius had done would have consequences. And Sirius was sure of it too, as he looked back at his mother’s eyes.
“How dare you?!” his mother slapped him, hard.
“I’m sorry! I tripped!” he lied.
“The Dolohov kid told his father you planned this! You wanted to embarrass us and ruin everything. Like you always do!” She screamed at him as she grabbed him by the hair. “You won’t be leaving your room until you leave for Hogwarts next week! Now get out of my sight! ”
It was a long week. He wasn't allowed out of his room at all, and Kreacher had been feeding him nothing but plain toast and apples. All of his good books were taken away, so he was stuck reading Hogwarts: a History. It was a pretty interesting book, actually. If anything, it made him even more eager to go to school. He couldn’t wait to see the castle. He wondered if he’d share a room with Avery and Dolohov, they were for sure gonna be in Slytherin with him, but he wasn’t sure he could face them right now. He was still mad at Dolohov for telling his father about his plan, and surely he’d have told Avery about it too, they were probably slagging him off behind his back right now. And Dolohov would surely forget to mention the part where he had snitched on him so he wouldn't look like a prick. Not even Regulus was that much of a baby.
So he counted the days, dreaming of castles and bright scarlet trains.
When the day finally came, his mother had woken him up with a great breakfast waiting for him in the dining room. The toast had extra butter and the eggs were exceptionally delicious, maybe it was because it was made especially for him, or maybe he had missed the taste of real food way too much.
“I hope you behave at school, Sirius.” said Walburga.
“I will, mother. I’m the heir, after all.” he mumbled as he spread some more butter on his toast.
“I’m sure you’ll be an excellent student, my dear.” She said sweetly. “They’re lucky to have you there. The Slytherin house is gonna be just what you need.”
“Narcissa will be there, she’s a fourth year student now.” Walburga continued, “And there will be plenty of adequate friends for you there.” She really loved that word. Adequate.
He finished his breakfast, and he went upstairs to make sure nothing was left behind.
“Are you sure you wanna go to Hogwarts this year?” It was Reg, standing by the doorframe of his bedroom. “Maybe if I went with you you wouldn’t be scared, or lonely.”
“I’m not scared, Regulus. I’m never scared.” Said Sirius.
“What if you don’t have any friends there? or what if you want help with something and nobody helps you?”
“Ugh! Stop being a crybaby!” Sirius groaned. “You’ll go to Hogwarts when it’s your time. Please, don’t try to ruin mine.”
Regulus looked like he was gonna cry, as per usual.
“Fine then.”
They arrived at platform 9 ¾ earlier than everyone else, because his mother wanted to avoid the muggles, who according to her, always seemed to be late and totally out of place. And on top of it all, Regulus was in a mood. He knew he would go to Hogwarts next year, but for some reason he was still whining about Sirius going now.
“Why can’t you just wait a year? We’ll go together next year.” Regulus had yet again tried to convince him on their way there, frowning, as if it was a very serious matter .
“Well, Darling, Sirius is expected to be there this year and we wouldn’t want to disappoint the people at school, would we now?” Walburga tried to reassure Regulus. “Besides, Sirius will write home every week.” She said this more as an order, than a request. Then she turned around to look at Sirius and said “Now, be good.” And with that, they went away, finally leaving Sirius alone.
He went on to meet his friends; Avery was already there. It was a relief, really, because Sirius didn’t really fancy meeting new people.
“All right, Black?” Asked Avery, casually as they made their way onto the train.
“Not complaining.”
“Where’s Dolohov? I thought he’d be here by now.”
“I don’t know.”
Avery frowned. “Come on, you must know.”
“Why would I know?” Muttered Sirius.
“Well, aren’t you his best mate?” Said Avery, opening the door of an empty compartment.
“No.” Sirius replied. “Not until he apologises.”
They say down across from each other. Avery stayed quiet, but Sirius could tell the boy was curious, he was obviously oblivious as to why Sirius was demanding Dolohov to apologise. Maybe he hadn’t told Avery after all…
“Is it because you ruined his father’s party?” Whispered Avery.
“He said that?!” Exclaimed Sirius.
“I mean, yeah. He said you were being really unmannered,” Avery’s voice had become weirdly soft. “He said you decided to break some glasses to end the party.”
Wow. That was not at all what had happened. Dolohov had been very on board with the plan; he had also wanted the party to be over!
“He said you forced him and your brother to help you with it.”
And then, Sirius exploded. “Yeah- well. That’s not what happened at all!” He was suddenly standing up, his cheeks burning from anger. “I’m leaving.” He announced as he walked out of the compartment and slammed the door so loudly he thought it might break.
The train was crowded now, he knew it should be annoying, his mother hated crowds, especially crowds of loud children. But Sirius couldn’t help but to feel quite a bit of excitement.
Most of the other kids there, he had never seen before. He looked curiously into the compartments; there was one full of older girls, probably third year students, talking excitedly. There was another one full of kids in muggle clothes, totally inappropriate, he thought. Finally, in the last compartment, at the end of the corridor, were two boys around Sirius’ age.; One of them had blond hair, his haircut was probably done by his own mother, very out of fashion and slightly uneven on the back, his teeth were crooked and he had freckles all over his round face. The other one was short and skinny, he had a pair of ugly glasses and jet black hair, the messiest Sirius had ever seen. They seemed, over all, pretty normal, so Sirius decided he’d join them for the ride.
He wondered, for a moment, if his friends would search for him and apologise for their behaviour. He brushed the thought away and opened the door of the compartment.
“Hi, I’m Sirius.” He stated firmly.
“Hi, I’m James.” It was the boy with the glasses speaking. “This is Peter.” he said, smiling and signalling at the other boy with his head.
Peter waved at Sirius.
“Can I sit down with you?” Sirius’ voice went from demanding and harsh to a softer tone, a friendlier one. He didn’t want to go around making enemies, and those two, Peter and James, didn’t really seem like a threat.
“Sure! We’d love to meet some new friends.” This time, it was Peter speaking. He sounded excited, maybe a little bit overly excited. “Are you a first year as well?”
“Yeah.” He answered. “Don’t know anyone here.” He wasn’t sure why he was lying, but something about being someone other than Sirius Black, the heir of the House of Black felt strangely liberating.
“Well, you can stick with us!” Said James. “We were just talking about quidditch.”
“Oh. I like quidditch.”It was a relief, really, they found a conversation starter and things hadn’t been awkward at all. Maybe Sirius had nothing to worry about, maybe he’d just stay friends with these kids for the rest of the year. He didn’t need Avery or Dolohov. Maybe he’d be just fine.
“So, Puddlemere United or The Montrose Magpies?” James asked. “It’s a very important question.”
They talked so excitedly and quite honestly very loudly for a while, they didn’t even flinch when a girl with red hair came into their compartment. She was wearing muggle clothes and had red puffy eyes. But James, Sirius and Peter were so immersed into their own conversation they didn’t even ask, or cared, for that matter.
A boy, with greasy black hair had followed the girl. They seemed to be fighting over something, but none of the boys paid attention, hopefully if they ignored them enough they’d both leave.
“You'd better be in Slytherin,” said the boy.
Slytherin. So he’d have to share a common room with those two as well. How dramatic.
“Slytherin?” Suddenly, James seemed very interested. “Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?” Sirius did not smile.
“My whole family have been in Slytherin,” he said.
“Blimey,” said James, “and I thought you seemed all right!”
Sirius grinned.
“Maybe I'll break the tradition.” Ha. It was a funny thought. But he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he wasn’t put in Slytherin. “Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?” He asked James, who immediately lifted an invisible sword.
“Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad.”
James seemed mad proud of his heritage, Sirius didn’t think he would ever lift a sword in the name of the Slytherin house, nor his family if he was being completely honest.
The greasy boy made a small, disparaging noise.
“Got a problem with that?” Asked James defensively.
“No,” he said, although he said it with a slight sneer that implied otherwise. “If you'd rather be brawny than brainy”
“Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?” Sirius jumped into James’ defence almost instinctively.
James laughed, a roaring genuine laugh, not one of the forced giggles, or the discrete chuckles he was used to getting from his friends.
“Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment.” the girl stated, suddenly raising her voice.
“Oooooo…” James and Sirius imitated her high raise voice, and James tried to trip the boy as he passed.
“See ya, Snivellus!” Sirius shouted, as they both left.
“What an annoying pair.” Observed Peter, who had been quiet up until that moment.
James and Sirius nodded in agreement.
“Is it true then? Your fam’s always been in Slytherin?” Inquired Peter, hesitantly.
“Yeah.” Sirius felt uncomfortable, a turn on his stomach. Ashamed.
“Well, you said it yourself. Maybe you’ll break the tradition.” James encouraged him.
“Yeah, well. I don’t think I’ll have a choice.” Sirius admitted sadly.
“We all have a choice.” Said James, smiling at him, warmly.
“I bloody hope you don’t end up going to Slytherin” Said Peter. “We’d end up being mortal enemies.” He chuckled out.
“I bloody hope not.” Sirius smiled.
They returned to their conversation about quidditch, had some sweets from the trolley, and laughed, for hours. Just them, and their tiny little world.
The castle was huge. It was, by far, the biggest building Sirius had ever seen. He felt a rush of excitement and looked around to meet James’ eyes. He bet there were no dark rooms to get locked in at Hogwarts, and then he breathed, a breath of the most fresh air he had ever breathed.
“Oi, Black!” He heard a voice calling him. “Where were you?” It was Dolohov.
“Black?” This time it was James speaking. “Your last name is Black?”
Sirius didn’t answer and instead turned to Dolohov.
“I was expecting an apology.” He stated. “But instead, I hear Avery saying that I ruined your daddy’s party. I don’t want to talk to you.”
“My father was severely displeased. You ought to understand that, Black.” Said Dolohov, very smugly.
“Woah! Elegant words!” Intervened James. “Bet you think they make you look smart.”
Sirius smirked.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Potter.” Snarled Dolohov, looking away from James. “Come on mate, Avery is waiting.” he told Sirius.
“No. I think I’ll stay here.”
“With the blood-traitor?” exclaimed Dolohov
“Yes.”
“Fine.” he deadpanned “We’ll talk about this later, in the dorms.”
Dolohov left, and Sirius could feel James’ eyes on him.
“Huh.” James exhaled. “What?” Asked Sirius with a slightly defensive tone.
“Nothing. I thought you said you didn’t know anyone here.” observed James. Sirius stayed quiet, staring at the floor. “Hey, I'm not judging you. If I was mates with Dolohov I’d bloody lie too.” James chuckled out. “Wouldn’t you Pete?”
Peter snorted.
Sirius was thinking what to say, but couldn’t say anything else, because at that moment, a tall witch with a pointy hat and a sharp face had come out of the hall.
“Welcome to Hogwarts, first year students. I'm Professor McGonagall.”
She had a stern look that kinda reminded him of his mother, but Professor McGonagall seemed far more welcoming than his mother would ever dare to be.
“The banquet will begin shortly, but before that you’ll all be sorted into your houses-” She kept going on about the sorting system and how your house would become your family within the school.
Sirius knew all that, he read it in Hogwarts: A History this summer while he was locked up in his room. He knew all about Hogwarts, at least all the information the book had to offer. Still, he couldn’t help but to feel like was gonna be sick. He was sure he’d get sorted into Slytherin, there was no doubt. But now, listening to the Professor- he couldn’t help but to think about the what ifs.
He was cunning, of course, resourceful, no doubt, but the truth is he wasn’t sure he wanted to be a Slytherin, he didn’t feel like it was fair, getting out of Grimmauld Place just to be trapped by his family all over again. His father had told him he ought to make the Slytherin house proud and be an excellent student. He’d told him how the Slytherin house would provide him with the best connections for his future, how it was in his veins…
When the doors finally opened, he couldn’t help but to feel mesmerised. He had read about the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, but to read about it was totally different to actually seeing it for the first time. He could see every star above him, and he tried to find the Leo constellation so he could tell Reg all about it.
They all walked their way down the hall, where they would be called to the front where the Sorting Hat waited for them.
Avery was the first one to go, he got into Slytherin, of course. The Slytherin table cheered loudly, and in between the bustle he spotted Narcissa.
His dear cousin Narcissa was a fourth year student, she had a pointy face and long blond hair, quite a rare occurrence in the Black family tree given that most of them shared the same luscious dark hair. You could still see very clearly that she was a Black, by the look on her face, daring, sneer, feisty. Directly staring at him.
Sirius felt like the air was stuck in his throat, his stomach was flipping violently and his head spinning around. He could hear the cheers of the people around him, celebrating, he could hear the Sorting Hat announcing the houses, he could hear McGonagall calling the students, but his vision was blurry.
What if he and Dolohov never made up? What if James ended up hating him for being a Slytherin? What if he broke the tradition and Narcissa told his mother? What if-
“Black, Sirius.”
Sirius froze for a moment. And then made his way to the hat, feeling like passing out.
Hmmm… I can feel the conflict going through your head, kid.
He heard a voice in his head. The hat, he realised.
Wouldn’t you like to be in Slytherin, where all your ancestors have been? Surely, you’d do great things in Slytherin.
He couldn’t help but to think. No.
Or perhaps you’d like to be a Gryffindor.
Ahh, yes. I see bravery within you, I see a bold soul. Fearless… A bit of a rebel, aren’t you?
‘Yes. Put me in Gryffindor’ Sirius thought .
Hmmm… yes. That is it.
“GRYFFINDOR!” roared the hat.
Sirius felt his limbs become numb. Gryffindor? Had the hat actually said that? Had he actually asked the hat to put him in Gryffindor? Merlin’s beard! What had he been thinking?!
There was utter, complete silence. Sirius wanted to cry.
His eyes wandered across the room; Avery, at the Slytherin table, had a pure shock look. Narcissa was deadpan, staring at him. Dolohov was glaring at him, a mixture between anger and disgust on his face.
He felt ashamed. He wanted to beg Professor McGonagall to do the sorting again. But then, he saw James in between the first years, smiling. There it was, the same prideful smile he had given him at the train, and that was enough. Suddenly he didn’t feel so scared anymore.
He could hear the cheers of the Gryffindor house as he made his way down to the tables to join, as Professor Mcgonagall had put it, his new family within the school.