Sirius Black stared moodily through the window of the Hogwarts Express as it raced across the countryside, carrying him closer and closer to what felt more like his doom than his destiny. While he was excited to finally get away from the grim bleakness of the Black household, he was also dreading his new place at school, fearing he might end up with the same lot he had just managed to leave behind. The entire Black family had been Sorted into Slytherin for generations, and his own parents had been speaking of nothing else since he had received his Hogwarts letter. Sirius didn’t know what he would do if he found himself living with a group of arrogant pure-blood brats for the next seven years; he’d have to do some serious plotting, or simply run away.

The compartment door opened and a brown-haired boy his own age gave him a questioning look; Sirius shrugged and the boy hefted his trunk to the rack and sat down opposite him. Sirius immediately noticed how pale the boy was, and that many scratches covered his arms. He idly wondered if perhaps this boy came from a worse home and felt an unexpected sympathy for the stranger.

“I’m Sirius, Sirius Black,� he said, holding out his hand and waiting for the inevitable raised eyebrows whenever he shared his surname. The other boy smiled and shook his hand readily, his grip surprisingly strong. Either he didn’t recognize the Black family name, or he didn’t care; Sirius found himself irrationally annoyed before he brushed it off and grinned in response.

“Remus Lupin,� said the other boy. “Nice to meet you. What year are you?�

“First-year,� answered Sirius, and they immediately began talking about their Hogwarts letters, their supplies, and the classes they might take. Sirius felt like Remus was holding something back, but decided it didn’t matter: everyone had their secrets, and for the first time, Sirius found himself genuinely liking someone for their company and not because his family had declared them acceptable society.

As the train continued through the countryside, their conversation was interrupted when the compartment door was abruptly flung open. A tall, lanky boy with messy hair and glasses scrambled in, slammed the door behind him, and ducked. He put his fist in his mouth to cover his laughter, and then a finger over his lips before Sirius and Remus could ask him what was going on.

A group of older boys raced down the corridor, wands drawn and faces scowling. A skinny boy with black hair and a hooked-nose followed, peering suspiciously into the compartments. It was fairly obvious that they were looking for someone, and when the boy in the compartment mouthed, “Are they gone?� it became even more obvious that they were after him.

When Remus nodded in bewilderment, the boy stood up, stretched, and threw himself down next to Sirius, laughing out loud. Sirius was irritated at first, but the boy’s laughter was infectious, and he quickly found himself grinning.

“So are you going to tell us what you did?� he asked, instinctively guessing the reason for the boy’s flight. He seemed the type to play pranks, with an open, friendly manner and twinkling hazel eyes behind his glasses. The boy grinned back as he caught his breath and ran a hand through his dark hair, causing it to stand on end even more than it had before.

“I met this greasy first-year named Snape, and we got into it,� he said, rolling his eyes. “Then a group of third-year Slytherins decided to get involved for some reason, so I tossed a few jinxes and ran.�

Sirius felt himself stiffen at the mention of Slytherin; fortunately Remus joined the conversation at that point and no one seemed to notice. “Why would the other Slytherins get involved?�

The other boy shrugged, but winked at Sirius. “I might have said something about the lot of them being a bunch of arrogant prats with pig-nosed pansies for parents.�

Sirius gasped at the insult even as he burst into laughter, and he ended up choking instead. The new boy clapped him on the shoulder and grinned again.

“I’m sorry if that’s rude, but those Slytherin gits just drive me crazy with their holier-than-thou attitude. My family may be pure-blood, but we’re smart enough to know it’s not what makes a decent wizard. My names is James, James Potter.� He held out his hand to Remus, who shook it with a wry smile.

“I’m a half-blood myself, so I can leave if you like.� Sirius saw James glance up and shake his head, horrified at what he might have implied; but Sirius also saw the spark of humor in Remus’s eyes and the subtle wink that Remus threw at him.

“Of course not!� exclaimed James, sounding desperately apologetic. “I’m not like that at all; it’s what gets me in trouble half the time.� He turned to Sirius, the easy-going look on his face from moments before replaced by one of sincere earnestness. “I hope I didn’t offend you as well.�

“I’m not offended!� laughed Remus, and Sirius laughed with him at the look of relief on James’s face.

“Me neither,� he said, offering his hand. “I couldn’t agree more.� He shook James’s hand, knowing he had finally found a kindred spirit.

* * *

By the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade station the three boys were fast friends. Sirius found James’s openness a welcome contrast to the stuffy mannerisms of his family, and Remus’s dry sense of humor a timely diversion from the dark thoughts that began to invade his mind as they drew closer to the castle. As much as he was enjoying the trip, he dreaded the Sorting Ceremony at the end. What if he was Sorted into a different house than James and Remus? What if it was Slytherin? They had spent a good deal of the trip discussing the four houses and insulting Slytherin, and Sirius did not think that he could take their taunting if he was Sorted into that house, no matter how proud his family might be of such a dubious accomplishment.

They climbed into a boat for the trip across the lake toward the castle, sharing it with a fellow first-year named Peter Pettigrew. He was a small, mousy-haired boy who seemed immediately overwhelmed by James’s free-spirited personality and the Black family name. Sirius was both glad to be recognized and annoyed at being looked upon as some sort of pure-blood freak. Fortunately James’s easy-going friendliness quickly displaced the tension and they were soon a laughing quartet as they made their way up to the castle and toward the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony.

As soon as the doors opened, Sirius felt his stomach drop into his toes. Looking around at his fellow first-years, he noticed that he wasn’t the only one who appeared nervous; Peter seemed positively terrified, and even James was frowning. They slowly made their way up to the front, where a dilapidated old hat stood on a stool.

An older witch wearing a tight bun and square spectacles stood up front with a rolled parchment and began to call their names. Each student sat on the stool and placed the hat on their head, and within moments the hat called out the name of their house. The first time, Sirius gasped along with the rest of the first-years. The second time he just shook his head as his nervousness returned: how did the hat know where to place them? Would it know how much he disliked Slytherin? Then his name was called, and he had to experience it for himself.

“Sirius Black!� said the witch. He swallowed hard as he sat down and took the rumpled hat. He must have appeared uneasy, for she smiled kindly at him, though it did not appear natural for her to do so. Shutting his eyes, he crammed the hat on his head and hoped for the best.

To his shock, a deep voice spoke in his ear.

“Ah, another Black. I know exactly where to place you!�

Sirius shook his head, desperate not to go into Slytherin.

“Slytherin is your legacy, you know,� said the hat. “I don’t think I’ve ever put a Black anywhere else!�

I don’t belong there, I don’t believe in what they believe, he thought, hoping the hat would hear him.

“Oh, it’s not about what you believe, it’s about who you are inside,� replied the hat. “You’re cunning and ambitious, just like your forbearers, and Slytherin will help you achieve your goals.�

I don’t have any goals, Sirius thought, his mind racing. I’m not ambitious, I just want to get away from them. . .

“Exactly!� said the hat, sounding triumphant. “And Slytherin will guide your talents to that goal.�

But Ravenclaw could too, he argued.

The hat seemed to pause. “Study and learning are not your passions.�

Gryffindor would make me brave enough to break tradition. He was practically shouting in his mind at the hat, growing more and more anxious as the inevitable loomed before him.

The hat was quiet for a long moment. “I sense a great deal of courage in you, that is true; but courage without focus is too often wasted. Slytherin will give you the focus you need to achieve your destiny.�

“No, please—not Slytherin, anything but Slytherin,� Sirius whispered out loud.

“SLYTHERIN!� shouted the hat, and Sirius felt his shoulders slump. From the Slytherin table he heard loud whoops and cheers, but they did not make him feel better; he was sure he heard a gasp of shock from one of his new friends. Slowly he took the hat off, trying not to meet anyone’s eyes as he stood and made his way reluctantly toward the Slytherin table. Yet he could feel James’s eyes boring into his back and turned toward his friend one last time, expecting to find him staring at him in revulsion.

Instead James gave him a thumbs up, followed by a wink, and Sirius knew it would be all right. Remus Lupin was standing next to James and nodded in encouragement, and Sirius gave them a weak smile in return as he walked toward his new home for the next seven years. He knew, however, that he would never truly be one of them, for he had already found his place at Hogwarts.

* * *

Sirius made his way to the Slytherin table for breakfast the following morning and sat by himself. He had no desire to get to know any of his fellow Slytherins, least of all the other first-years. He had met Severus Snape after the Sorting Ceremony the previous night, and had immediately disliked the greasy boy. The feeling had apparently been mutual, for they had both pulled out their wands to hex each other not long after unpacking, before a fifth-year prefect had stepped in to stop them with a threatened detention. Sirius knew it would be a long year with the hooked-nose git, not to mention a house full of pure-bloods who pranced around bragging on their blood status.

Glancing around, Sirius saw James Potter arrive with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. The three other boys had all been Sorted into Gryffindor, yet another sore point for Sirius. He had thought that they might all become friends, but now felt like the distance between them was too far to breach: the houses at Hogwarts tended to stick to their own. They were laughing as they made their way to the Gryffindor table, and Sirius sighed as he watched their banter with envy. James looked his way and gave him a friendly wave; Sirius returned it half-heartedly, already feeling lonely in his own house.

Snape entered then and sat down at the other end of the table. He was also alone, but already engrossed in one of his textbooks. It was a potions book, and Sirius snorted into his pumpkin juice as the thought of a much-needed hair potion sprang unbidden into his mind. He quickly finished his breakfast before he began insulting Snape again, if only to vent his frustrations.

Gathering his belongings, Sirius left the Great Hall with his head down. As he entered the foyer he heard a familiar voice call his name from behind him.

“Oi, Sirius! Wait up!� It was James, followed closely by Remus and Peter. “How’s it going?� he asked brightly.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Oh, just great. I was Sorted into the one house I detest more than any other, I have to share a dorm with that slimy berk Snape, and I’ve already been called out by a prefect for fighting with said berk. Just what I hoped for.� He heard the heavy sarcasm in his voice but didn’t care how bitter he sounded.

All three boys looked uncomfortable, although Sirius thought he saw a faint glimmer of sympathy in Remus’s eyes. An awkward silence stretched between them, until Sirius finally shrugged and walked away. “See you around,� he mumbled, disappointed yet again.

“Hang on!� called James, catching up. He waved the other two boys to class, and they both smiled and waved before leaving. Sirius frowned; he suddenly had the distinct feeling that something was going on.

“What?� he asked, a bit more abruptly than he intended. He kept walking, half hoping to be left alone, but James followed.

“Look, tough break on the Sorting,� he began, lowering his voice. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out, right?�

Sirius stopped and turned to him in surprise. “Gryffindor aren’t supposed to even talk to Slytherins, you know.�

James rolled his eyes. “You’re as much a Slytherin as Snape is Head of Hufflepuff. Bad call for the patchy hat.�

“I’ll say,� muttered Sirius, but he was starting to feel somewhat better, knowing there was at least one person who saw how out of place he was in Slytherin.

“Look, we’ve got some plans to liven up this place—why don’t you join us in the courtyard after lunch for some inter-house plotting?� James tried to look innocent, but Sirius already knew better.

“What sort of plotting?� he asked, curious in spite of himself.

“Oh, just the sort I think you might like,� James replied mysteriously. “I owe those Slytherins for that little chase on the train yesterday, and I’m guessing you wouldn’t mind getting back at Snivellus. . .� he trailed off, grinning broadly.

“Snivellus?� repeated Sirius, bursting into laughter. “I could definitely jinx him into tomorrow. I’m in.�

James clapped him on the back. “I knew you were a Gryffindor at heart!� he exclaimed, and they headed to class, heads together as they plotted their first prank and solidified their new friendship.

* * *

A/N: Many thanks to mugglemathdork for her last minute advice as I whipped Sirius into a reluctant Slytherin!