A/N- This was the very 1st fic I ever wrote, which was a while ago now lol. However I still quite like it, and I want to share it with you!!! I hope you like it =)

Sirius screwed up his eyes as he ran to wards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, sure that he was going to collide with it. However no collision came and when he opened his eyes he was standing on Platform 9 ¾, the scarlet Hogwarts Express pumping out thick black clouds of smoke.

He walked off down the platform looking for a suitable place to get on to the train. All around him were other students giving out their goodbyes to their families, who had come to see them off. Sirius didn't care that no one had come to see him off; he hated the lot of them anyway.

Looking around he saw lots of other first year students; like him self, trying to get onto the train and struggling with their heavy trunks. He passed a skinny, greasy black haired boy with a hooked nose who was staring at a family not far away. A red-haired girl seemed to be arguing with her sister. As Sirius walked past he heard the girls sister call her a 'Freak!' and watched as she stalked back over to her parents, leaving the red-haired girl looking very hurt and upset. Sirius thought his family was bad, but he knew that none of them would ever call him a freak. He wondered what the girl must have done to earn such a horrible thing.

Sirius finally came to an empty entrance to the carriages, and started to try and get his own trunk on to the train.

'Your never going to be able to do that by yourself' said someone behind Sirius. He turned to see who had spoken, and a boy with a mess of black hair and glasses was smiling at him. 'I'll give you a hand with yours if you'll help me with mine.' the boy said brightly.

'Sure.' Sirius replied, giving a brief smile back.

'Oh, I'm James Potter by the way.' the boy said as an after thought, and stuck out his hand for Sirius to shake.

'Sirius Black' he said back, briefly grabbing James' hand.

'Right then.' said James, rubbing his hands together and bending down to hold one end of Sirius' trunk 'Here we go.' and together the boys managed to heave the heavy trunks into the carriage.

'Thanks.' Sirius said collapsing down onto his trunk and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

'No problem.' James replied with a smile.

Just then and elderly witch and wizard walked up to James, who was still standing on the platform. 'Oh,' said the elderly wizard 'you've already got your trunk up.' he said in mild surprise.

'Yeh.' James replied, 'Sirius here helped me with mine and I helped him with his.' he said tilting his head in Sirius' direction.

They looked up at where Sirius was sitting, and he gave them a little smile and a nod of his head, which the wizard returned.

'Well are you sure you've got everything you need dear?' the witch asked James.

'Yes Mom.' James replied, leaning in to allow her to kiss him goodbye.

'You'll behave wont you?' she said looking a little bit stern, 'And do all your work and be nice-'

The wizard put a hand on her shoulder and said, 'Dear, I'm sure James will be just fine. Stop fretting.' James gave his father an appreciative smile and Sirius wondered what it would be like if he had caring parents like the Potters.

'You better get on the train James.' The wizard said, 'It will be leaving soon and you've still got to find a compartment.' James gave him a hug and climbed onto the train. 'Have a good time.' his father said, shutting the train door behind him, leaving James to hang out of the window to talk to them.

'Send us an owl, wont you?' said the witch 'When you know what house your in.' Sirius watched James nod in reply. 'Remember, we'll be happy where ever you end up.' She reminded him. Sirius wished his parents wouldn't mind what house he was sorted into, but he knew if it wasn't Slytherin, then they wouldn't want anything to do with him, not that it would make much difference he thought. They never wanted much to do with him.

'Well,' said James' dad, wearing the same smile on his face as his son did 'have a good year!'

'See you then.' said James, waving back at them as he and Sirius headed off down the train looking for an empty compartment to sit in.

They were near the end of the train before they came to a reasonably empty compartment. The only occupant, Sirius saw, was the red-haired girl from the platform. She was sitting in the corner by the window, her head leaning against the windowpane. One look at her reflection told them that she was crying.

'May be we should go and find another compartment.' Sirius suggested, but then the girl spoke.

She didn't look up from where she was staring, (Sirius presumed it was so they wouldn't see that she was crying) but said, "It's alright, you can sit."

Sirius exchanged looks with James, and they both silently agreed that it was best not to ask, and instead set about stowing their luggage away; finally sitting down opposite each other near the door.

A whistle sounded from out side and all along the train they heard the remainder of open doors being slammed shut. There was then an even louder whistle from the train and they were off.

'Well,' said James, 'Here we go.' he smiled 'we're now just a train ride away from Hogwarts.'

'How far away is Hogwarts anyway?' Sirius wondered allowed, as the train left the station and was now making its way through London.

'Well, my dad says that we should get there in time for the Welcoming Feast.' James replied, 'So, some time this evening I guess.'

The two boys started up a conversation about Quidditch, talking about their favourite teams and player, whether or not they they'd ever flown before, what broom they would have and what position they would play if they could join the house team.

'Chaser!' James said immediately as Sirius asked. Sirius nodded, but just as James was about to ask Sirius where he would want to be on the team, the compartment door slid open and the greasy black haired boy, with the hooked nose walked in. He completely ignored Sirius and James, walking past to sit in the seat by the window opposite the red-haired girl, and started talking to her.

Sirius glanced at James. He looked a little bit cross, Sirius thought that he might have been annoyed that the boy hadn't even asked to enter, he did think it was rather rude.

Sirius tried to start up the conversation about Quidditch again, but both their minds were more fixed on what the other two were talking about.

'So she's my sister!' the girl was saying.

'She's only a-' the boy seemed to catch him self before he said anything else that might upset her more, but she didn't seem to notice anyway, as she was still wiping her eyes on her sleeve. 'But we're going!' the boy said unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. 'This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!' the girl nodded. Now that the girl seemed to have cheered up a bit, he said 'You better be in Slytherin.'

James couldn't help him self 'Slytherin?' he said in disgust. 'Who would want to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?' he said turning to Sirius.

Sirius' heart sank as he said sadly 'My whole family have been in Slytherin,'

'Blimey,' said James in surprise 'and I thought you seemed alright!'

Sirius grinned. 'May be I'll break the tradition. Where you heading, if you've got the choice?' he asked.

James lifted an invisible sword and Sirius laughed '"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!" like my dad.'

The hooked nose boy made a small, disparaging noise and James turned on him.

'Got a problem with that?' James said coldly.

'No,' said the boy, though his slight sneer said otherwise. 'If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-'

'Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?' Sirius interjected.

James roared with laughter. The girl sat up, rather flushed, and looked form James to Sirius in dislike.

'Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment.' said the girl loftily.

'Oooooo...'

James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice, and as the boy waked past, James tried to trip him up.

'See ya, Snivellus!' Sirius called, slamming the door be hind them. James roared with laughter again.

'Snivellus!' he said weakly, holding his sides from laughing, 'That's brilliant!'

Sirius smiled, looking rather pleased with himself.

'You know,' said James when he finally started to calm down, 'at first I thought you were a bit odd,' Sirius wasn't sure how to react to that, but before he could think of anything, James said 'but that was just hilarious!' James nearly set off laughing again and instead said 'You're alright.'

Sirius grinned at him and just then the compartment door slid open again. Sirius thought that it was Snivellus or the girl back, and both he and James stood up. However it was only a lady bringing around the lunch trolley.

Sirius and James bought handfuls of everything they could reach, and spent the rest of the journey eating, talking, looking at the famous Witch and Wizard cards and trying out the Every Flavoured Beans.

Finally hours later, they had made their way through nearly all the sweets. They were now daring each other to eat the Every Flavoured Beans which neither had liked the look of the first time round.

Sirius was nearly rolling on the floor from laughing. He had dared James to eat a nasty looking grey one with mouldy spots. James had taken one tentative bite of the corner of it, and was nearly sick.

'What does it taste like?' Sirius asked, as he watched James spit out the bit of bean he had nibbled.

'Dirty socks,' James said weakly 'and milk that's been off for a year.'

Sirius roared with laughter, and James threw the empty box at him.

'Is that it?' Sirius asked, feeling that he would be rather glad if he didn't have to eat another one.

'Yeh.' said James, rummaging trough the rest of the boxes that littered the floor.

Just then the light flickered on in the compartment. Sirius looked out the window. He hadn't even realised that it had started to go dark. 'We must be nearly there, I suppose.'

'We better get into our robes and tidy this place up.' James said, looking at what looked like an explosion of rubbish.

'Good idea!' said Sirius, heading towards his trunk.

By the time the two boys had got dressed and picked up all their rubbish it had gone totally black out side. There was a loud whistle of the train that told them that they were reaching the station. As the train started to slow down they heard other students moving around out side their compartment.

'Right then,' said James, shutting his trunk with a loud thud and grabbing its handle along with his other things, 'we better get going before the corridor get too full.'

Sirius agreed, picking up his things and sliding open the compartment door. The corridor was already pretty full, but he edged his way through the crowd, James close behind him.

He shoved his trunk out of the train door and jumped down onto the crowded platform, James soon joined him by his side. 'What do we do now?' he asked.

But just then a tall girl, wearing a prefect badge came up to them and said 'Just leave your belongings over there, ok?' she said smiling at them, 'They will be taken up to the castle for you.' and she walked off, to tell the other first years.

Sirius and James off loaded their things and then they heard a big, booming voice calling over the students. 'Firs'- years! Firs'-years over here!' and a giant, hairy figure appeared through the loom of the darkness, holding a huge lantern.

James gaped a little, as they saw to the full extent of how tall he actually was. 'Who's that?' James asked, looking at Sirius. Sirius just shrugged his shoulders.

'He's Hagrid,' the prefect girl was back, 'he's keeper of the ground here.' she said with a smile. 'Hagrid's very nice, he'll look after you.'

'Thanks.' said Sirius as the girl walked off again, and he turned to James and asked 'Is she eves dropping on us or some thing?' James just smiled.

'All right there?' asked Hagrid, beaming down at them as they approached. James nodded quickly.

'Right then,' boomed Hagrid's voice again 'firs'-years follow me!' and they set off down a slippery, narrow path. No one was speaking, mainly because they were concentrating so hard on not falling over.

After a few minutes of walking they came to a clearing by a lake. 'There she is,' said Hagrid, pointing to something far in the distance, 'Hogwarts!' and sure enough they could see a huge castle, perched atop a high mountain on the other side of the lake. There was a collection of 'ooo's' and 'arrr's' from the students who were staring up at the castle in awe.

'Ok then' said Hagrid 'no more than four to a boat' and for many of the students, they hadn't even noticed them, bobbing in the water by the shore.

Sirius and James jumped into the one nearest them, nearly capsizing it. 'Careful there you two!' Hagrid called.

None of the other students seemed to want to get in their boat now, (probably fearing that they would end up in the lake half way across), however there wasn't enough room in the other boats for all of them so a timid looking boy with mousy brown hair climbed in and was closely followed by a blonde girl.

'Everyone in?' shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, 'Right then - FORWARD!'

The little boats set off across the lake, over to the cliff upon which Hogwarts sat. As they came to the cliff face they all had to duck down as they went through a curtain of ivy, which concealed the entrance to a large cave.

In a far corner of the cave was a pebbly beach where they all climbed out of the little boats and set off after Hagrid who was leading them down a passageway, out on to the lawn in the shadow of Hogwarts.

They walked up the steps to the castle the students whispering to each other excitedly.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door, and everyone fell silent.

The doors swung open and a tall black haired witch was standing just inside the door. 'Thank you Hagrid.' she said, giving the new students a rather stern look, for reasons Sirius couldn't explain.

'No problem, Professor McGonagall.' said Hagrid, walking past her and through a door off the main entrance hall.

Professor McGonagall lead the students in, and stood them out side the door Hagrid had jus entered. From inside, Sirius could hear the drone of hundreds of student talking.

'Welcome to Hogwarts,' said Professor McGonagall. 'The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take you seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room' she said quite quickly, which made Sirius think that she must have given this exact same speech many times before.

'The four houses are called,' she said looking around at them, 'Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.' she finally seemed to finish.

She then told them to all smarten up, and left saying that she would be back when they were ready for them.

James was almost bouncing up and down in excitement and as Sirius looked around he was about he only one. Every one else looked nervous and he knew that there were a lot of 'what if's' going around people's heads.

He watched as the blonde girl from the boat tried to squeeze past a boy who had a ratty kind of look about him; the boy jumped out of her way and bumped rather hard into a mean looking girl who looked like she was going to knock him out. Sirius suppressed a laugh as McGonagall was back.

'We're ready for you now,' she said, 'form a line and follow me.'

They all filed into and followed McGonagall, Sirius' legs felt like they had turned to jelly and that he might fall over at any moment.

They walked through the large double doors and entered the Great Hall. It was a rather splendid looking place. The whole room was filled with floating candles and there were four long house tables, dressed in the house colour.

Red and Gold of Gryffindor and Yellow, and Black of Hufflepuff on Sirius' right, then on his left was Blue and Bronze of Ravenclaw, and Green and Silver of Slytherin.

At the top of the four house tables was the head table where the teachers sat, and in the middle on his high, winged backed chair sat Dumbledore.

McGonagall stopped them so that they had the house tables were behind them and the staff table ahead. Sirius could feel the eyes of the hundreds of students on their backs and as he looked around he saw that just in font of them was a three lagged stool with a very old looking, battered hat. He wondered what it was for.

Then to Sirius' amazement a rip appeared at the base of the hat and it began to sing.

*(I'm no good at writing songs, so if anyone can and would let me use it I would be most grateful. If not you know how they go: It describes each of the 4 houses and their qualities and sometimes gives out advice. Thanks. -x- )

The hall erupted with applause as the Sorting Hat finished its song, and Professor McGonagall stepped forwards as the clapping died down.

Sirius became very fidgety and nervous, he knew this was it; in a moment they would be sitting at their house tables having just been sorted.

What if the hat put him in Slytherin though?

McGonagall was unrolling a long roll of parchment. 'When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and I will put the hat on for you to be sorted' she said, 'I will be going alphabetically."

Sirius stomach churned. He was going to be one of the first!

A tall boy, with slick brown hair and narrow black eyes called Avery was up first. He sat on the stool, his expressionless face disappearing as McGonagall place the large hat on his head. There was a few seconds of silence, and then the hat shouted. 'SLYTHERIN!'

The green and silver table erupted with applause, and the boy who now had a smirk on his face, swaggered off to join them.

'No surprise there,' said James, in Sirius' ear.

But before Sirius had chance to agree, McGonagall called 'Black, Sirius!'

His heart stopped in his chest, he could not more. He was going to be in Slytherin he knew it. Then someone pushed him.

'Go on!' said James.

He slowly made his way forward, carefully sitting down on the stool, and the last thing he saw before McGonagall put the hat on his head, was the faces of the hundreds of students all looking up at him and James giving him the thumbs up.

The hat slid down over his eyes and he was in complete darkness, waiting for the hat to shout out his house.

But the hat did not shout out, and instead Sirius heard a little voice in his ear. 'Hmm,' it said, 'your not like the other Black's I've had to sort, I think you'd be better suited in-' and the hat shouted the last word. '- GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius felt the floods of relief washing over him. He couldn't believe it. He wasn't in Slytherin, he was in Gryffindor, and he could hear the applause of the other Gryffindors as McGonagall took of the hat. He ran off to the red and gold table and gave James a great beaming smile and returned the thumbs up.

As he reached the Gryffindor table he saw the prefect girl from the station, who shuck his hand welcomingly, and sat down.

He watched as a few more students were sorted and then McGonagall called 'Evans, Lily.' and the red haired girl from the train tentatively walked up to the stool.

McGonagall had barely put the hat on her head, before it shouted 'GRYFFINDOR!'

Sirius clapped along with the others as Lily came to join them and he move up so she could sit down, however the girl took one look at him, folded her arms and turned her back on him. Apparently, Gryffindor or not, she was still going to be friends with Snivellus and wasn't easily going to forgive him for what he said to him.

The roll continued and the next Gryffindor to be sorted was the timid looking boy with mousy brown hair from the boat.

Sirius applauded and as the boy approached the table, he still looked very nervous so Sirius decided to say hello and try and make him feel a bit more relaxed.

'Hi!' said Sirius cheerfully. 'Do you want to come and sit here with me?' he asked.

The boy nodded appreciatively, and sat down next to him.

'Sirius Black.' he said holding out a hand.

The boys looked at it, and then tentatively shuck it. 'Remus Lupin.' he said in a small voice.

Sirius smiled and said 'It's alright, I wont bite you know.'

Remus winced, but Sirius had already looked away and didn't notice.

Next to be sorted were, 'McDonald', 'McKinnon' and 'Mulcider' going to Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Then McGonagall started on the 'P's' and the ratty face little boy called Peter Pettigrew came to join them at the Gryffindor table.

'Hi.' he said.

Even his voice was squeaky, Sirius thought, before moving up to let the boy sit down.

Finally McGonagall called 'Potter, James!' and James positively ran to the stool, glee and excitement all over his face and as McGonagall dropped the hat onto his head it shouted.

'GRYFFINDOR!'

James absolutely beaming, bounded to the Gryffindor table, with the loudest applause yet, and as he reached Sirius, they Hi- fived, which made a few of the other students laugh.

'I wish they'd hurry up with the sorting,' said James, as he sat down on Sirius' other side to Remus and Peter, 'I'm Starving!'

Sirius laughed; after all they had eaten on the train, so he couldn't possibly see how James could be 'Starving'.

Then to Sirius surprise, Remus spoke up. 'Yeah me too.' he said, 'I didn't eat much on the train.'

Sirius smiled and said, 'Well, he ate loads, yet he's still hungry.' Remus laughed.

'I did not!' said James defensively.

'Oh Yeh,' Sirius retorted with a huge grin on his face, 'So that mountain of pasties you bought, ate them selves did they?'

Remus was laughing hard now, but luckily 'Rosier, Evan!' had just been sorted into Slytherin and his laughter was drowned by applause.

James rolled his eyes and shuck his head slightly. 'Your Remus Lupin, aren't you?' James asked.

'Yeah.' said Remus, calming down.

'James Potter,' he said, and Remus nodded in acknowledgement.

They watched as Snivellus joined the Slytherin table, and Lily clapped along sadly.

James of course noticed this and said 'Oi Evans!'

She turned and looked at him angrily, 'What?' she retorted.

'What's your boyfriend going to say about you being in Gryffindor?' he said loudly.

'He's not my boyfriend Potter!' she snapped back.

'Oh good.' said James with a smile on his face now, 'Will you go out with me then?' he asked.

Sirius' jaw dropped, but that was nothing compared to Lily's reaction. She was so taken aback that she had nearly fell off the bench.

'Well?' James persisted.

'NO!' she said with a look of disgust on her face. 'I would never go out with you Potter!'

'Oh come on,' said James 'Why not?'

'Why??' asked Lily incredulously, 'Why do you think?'

'I don't know Evans, I really don't' he said.

'Because Potter, you're a horrid, arrogant, toe rag!'

It was James' jaw that dropped this time, and Sirius and Remus had to suppress a laugh.

'Now Evans,' James said recovering, 'there must be something you like about me?'

'Nope.' she said defiantly, 'Besides your boyfriend,' she said glancing at Sirius, 'looks the jealous type.'

'Hey!' said Sirius angrily. But Lily turned away with a smug smile on her face.

'Evans 1, Potter 0.' said Remus, ticking it off in the air.

Neither James or Sirius laughed, but Peter did. They all looked up at him.

'Sorry.' he said apologetically.

'Naa, don't be' said James with a slight smile on his face, 'It was pretty funny.'

'That's alright for you to say,' said Sirius objectively 'but you weren't the innocent by-stander that got dragged into this, were you?'

'What do you mean?' said James in a teasing, hurt voice, 'Don't you like being my boyfriend?'

Sirius scowled, but Remus and Peter started to roar with laughter before they remembered that the sorting was still going on.

However, James still looked rather pleased with himself and lent back on the bench, brushing his hand through his hair, making it stick up ridiculously.

Finally Zabini was sorted into Slytherin, and Dumbledore stood up to speak. The whole hall fell silent.

'Welcome to Hogwarts!' he said in a soft, calm voice. 'Let the feast begin.' and he clapped his hands together and the empty gold plates in front of them were filled with food.

'Exellent!' said James reaching forward, piling every thing he could reach on to his plate.

Remus watched in amusement, before piling up his own plate.

'So,' said Remus, after they had all started to get tucked in to their food, 'How long have you two been friends?' he asked Sirius and James.

'Only since about eleven o'clock this morning.' answered Sirius.

'Really?' said Remus in surprise, 'You sound like you've been friends for years.'

Sirius and James both laughed.

'Do you know any one here?' Peter asked Remus.

'Erm no.' he said, 'I'm a half blood, my dads the only other magical person I knew before I came here. How about you?' he asked Peter

'I'm a half blood as well,' said Peter, 'but both my parents were magical, so I occasionally got to meet other witches and wizards, but never anyone our age. You're the first. How about you?' he said to Sirius and James.

'I'm a pure blood,' said James, 'so I've met loads of witches and wizards, but there weren't any kids in the village where we lived, so I used to hang out with the muggle kids,' and then he turned to Sirius

'Well, I come from a pure blood family as well,' said Sirius miserably 'but they were all in Slytherin, and have a very clear idea about what makes a wizard, and any one who was muggle born or less was like muck on their shoe.' he said bitterly, 'Apart from my perfect brother and my cousins, I had no one.'

'Your family don't sound very nice.' said Peter.

'No they're not.' said Sirius, 'If a half decent person was produce in our family, they would be blasted straight off the family tree and disowned. My cousin Andromada was the last to get blasted off, she married muggle-born Ted Tonks, I think.' he said picking at his food.

'Will they disown you then?' Remus asked. 'You know, for being sorted into Gryffindor.'

'Probably.' Sirius said gloomily, 'I don't care though, I hate that lot of them!'

There was an awkward silence for a moment before James said 'Well it looks like we've all got friends now.' and all four of them laughed.

Sirius could tell that he was going to have a really good time with James, Remus and Peter!

THE END