The Forming of a Legendary Friendship

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. However, since Rowling discarded my favourite characters I picked them up and took them into my care to give them the love and attention they deserve...and occasionally give them reason to need that love and attention no matter how much they deserve it without needing a reason.

Summary: As four boys begin their journey at Hogwarts, unbreakable bonds we know all about were formed. This is the story how they first formed as you follow the Marauders through moments of their first year at Hogwarts.

Warnings: Strong bromance, can't stomach boys being extremely close without it being sexual, then this is not the story for you and you should hit the return button.

Special thanks to Kitty for beta-ing this story, I swear, your patience is unearthly!

This story is part of a series called A Bond of Family. If you are interested in reading the entire series, then the chronological order can be found on my profile.

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"And so we meet again," James grinned, sitting down between the boy he'd met at the train and the short tempered redhead, ignoring her glare in favour of turning to Sirius.

"Hello again," a small smile was shot his way as the boy turned to him fully. "That was quite the quick sorting."

"No doubt about where I belong," James grinned. "I thought the Hat would never decide for you, though. That took ages!" James exclaimed as it had indeed taken several minutes before the Hat finally called out Gryffindor for his new friend.

"I told you that I might break tradition," a slightly bigger smile spread over Sirius' lips. "He was torn between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor for a while, but the latter won in the end."

"I'm glad," James told him honestly before a grimace pulled at his face. "Much better than being stuck with all those know-it-alls for seven years. Most Ravenclaws have very little sense of humour."

"Anything is better than Slytherin, so I am not complaining," he seemed quite pleased with the result despite the rocky reactions his sorting had produced, something James was quite relieved about.

It had confused everyone to not see the Black Heir immediately being sorted into Slytherin like the rest of his relatives, but it had been hilarious to see the shock ripple through the Great Hall when the Hat called out Gryffindor in the end.

"Agreed, but now we can be friends and have fun much more easily than if you had been sorted into Ravenclaw," James mused.

"You still would have wanted to be friends, even if I had been in a different house?" Sirius seemed surprised.

"Of course, why not? It would've been a bit more difficult with curfews and all, but it could've worked," realising he might be coming across a bit strongly, he hesitated. "At least, if you would have liked that?"

"I would have, but luckily we do not even have to try," Sirius smile was almost shy as he nodded and it struck James not for the first time that day how different the boy beside him was from all the other Blacks he'd met.

"I still cannot believe you are related to that lot," immediately realising he had just unintentionally insulted the other's family, James winced but Sirius didn't seem at all offended as his smile grew, a pleased expression crossing his face. "Thank you. I take it that your father will be very proud that you made it into Gryffindor as well?"

"Yeah, he will be," James hesitated as he could feel eyes burning into him and looked up to see several Slytherins glaring in their direction. "Am I right to assume yours might not be quite so happy?"

"You will probably hear that tomorrow if I am not fast enough," Sirius had clearly felt the eyes on them as well, but he didn't look up. "Dungface will no doubt make sure they already know this evening, if her vicious scribbling is anything to go by."

"Dungface?" James tried to ignore the staring by taking a sip of his drink.

"My cousin Narcissa; the blond with the bun and the expression as if she is sniffing dung all around her, never quite realising she is the dung herself."

Snorting pumpkin juice up into his nose, James burst into laughter at the rather crude description and he had no trouble locating the stuck-up blond, who was indeed scribbling away on a piece of parchment. Accepting the napkin Sirius handed him, he nodded. "Rather accurate description. Does she always look like that?"

"Usually, mostly when she deems herself to be surrounded by people who are beneath her status. Charming, is it not?" Sirius suddenly smiled. "Speaking of someone who actually is; James, I would like you to meet Remus. Remus, this is James."

The boy seated on Sirius' other side startled at being addressed so suddenly and James took in the tall boy with short but thick light brown hair he hadn't paid attention to until now. The boy had light green eyes and skin almost as pale as Sirius', but was flushed now as the boy had clearly overheard Sirius' last words.

"Nice to meet you," shaking his hand, James ignored the clamminess of it as he was quite aware the boy was likely quite nervous. He certainly looked like he was and instead of teasing him for it as he might have done at another time, he simply gave the boy a smile.

"Likewise," Remus flushed again, even as he readily answered the smile.

"I figured it might be nice to get to know one another a little better since we will be sharing a dorm for the next seven years, but lost sight of the other one, Peter, during your sorting."

The admission that Sirius had been paying attention to his sorting, left James grinning happily, though he wasn't quite sure why it pleased him so much.

"He is at the end of the table, I think that girl is a relative of his as she beckoned him to her the moment he reached the table," Remus offered.

"It'll only be the four of us?" James raised an eyebrow at the boy who had been sorted before him; a small but fairly overweight boy sporting shoulder length brown hair and was nervously looking around as an older girl was chatting to him and pointing at things.

He looked to be a bit of a spoilsport and quite tame, though James didn't voice his opinion as his first impression of Remus was fairly the same and the brown-haired boy was being nice and pleasant so far. Sirius hadn't struck him as a prank-liking person either and yet the other had laughed when James had shared some small tricks he had used to pull before, even offering some pointers for a next time. So James would withhold judgement until he got to know them all a bit better.

"The sorting is just done, so yes. We'll have three girls in our year," Sirius' words pulled James' attention back to the other two.

"Who?" Remus asked curiously before James could.

"McKinnon, McDonalds and Evans."

"I know the first name well and the second faintly, but the third doesn't ring a bell," James admitted.

"She's the testy red-head we met in the train," Sirius explained and James grimaced at the remembrance of their first meeting, aware his response had been a bit strong when the other boy had insulted his father.

"Think she's still mad about that?"

"From the way she turned away from me immediately when I sat down and the fact that she moved down the row to sit elsewhere when you joined us, I would say she is."

"What happened that she is mad with you?" Remus asked curiously.

"Oh, she came into the compartment we were in and was crying until another boy joined her and told her she'd better be in Slytherin, yeah, I know," James smiled as Remus pulled a face. "I made the mistake of butting in and asking who would ever want to be in Slytherin."

"You probably should not have," Sirius admitted. "But he had no reason to insult you or your father like that over your comment. That was just rude and mean."

"So was me calling him by that nickname as they left."

"There are much worse things one can be called. I do not think there will be any friendship lost there."

Food suddenly appeared before them on the table, making James remember that Sirius had said the sorting was over.

"It's kind of stupid the other boy let himself be pulled aside so quickly. The feast is one of the best places to form friendships and connections."

"It is also a bit stupid of the girl," Remus remarked softly.

"It is, though she is probably just excited that he is in her house. We will no doubt meet him before the evening is through," Sirius reached forward to put some food onto his place and both James and Remus followed his example. "How do you like Hogwarts so far?"

"It is huge," Remus commented. "It is much bigger than I had expected from the stories Dad told me."

"There are probably tons of hidden passages and chambers throughout the castle," Sirius noted and James couldn't help but grin.

"We will just have to find them all as my Dad wouldn't tell me anything. I think he was afraid I will cause mayhem."

"I have only known you for a few hours now, but I am already inclined to agree with him," laughing at Sirius' teasing, James nodded.

"You'd be right in doing so. I can't even remember how often I got into trouble at home. Though it was usually Mum who would be strict while Dad would try to hide his amusement while she berated me."

"Are both of your parents magical?" Curiosity poured out of Remus as he leaned forward eagerly.

"My whole family is, yours?"

"Just my Dad's side, Mum is a Muggle."

"How did she take it when she found out about your father's magic?" Sirius asked interested.

"Surprisingly well. They met through a Boggart and Mum actually arranged for their wedding cake to be shaped like one."

"That's rather odd," James laughed. "In a good way, but odd nonetheless. I can't imagine having a cake of something I feared at my wedding."

"What form did it have on her cake?" Sirius looked at him curiously, making Remus laugh.

"A field Mushroom; it is what Dad changed the vicious-looking man into when he saved her."

"She sounds like she has a wickedly good sense of humour," the praise Sirius gave made Remus smile happily.

"She does and also a very open mind. What about yours?"

"I do not think the word humour exists in their vocabulary and open minds even less so," Sirius huffed, the words not surprising James at all as the Blacks had quite a reputation indeed of being strict and regal.

"Are both of your parents magical as well?"

"Yes. Do you see the Slytherin table?"

"Yeah?" blinking, Remus shifted a little nervously as he spotted the dozen or so students who were still glaring towards them between bites.

"I have the unfortunate displeasure of being related to most of those glaring and they, by default, do not seem to understand the mere concept of humour."

"But you are in Gryffindor," Remus said surprised. "I thought family members usually went to the same house?"

"Usually, not always," James hummed thoughtfully. "But then again, he might as well be related to half the students here, myself included."

"I think your mother is my mother's first cousin," Sirius confirmed. "So that would make you my first cousin once removed, I think."

"You are not certain?" Remus looked confused, though it took James a moment to figure out why.

"Most Pure-Bloods are interrelated in some way. The connections get a little vague at times and I suppose especially for him since most Pure-Bloods married into his family."

"Your father did not," Sirius noted. "He and your mother married under marriageable conditions. I have to say that was a very smart move."

"You are both Pure-Bloods?" Remus' eyes widened in shock and James wondered how he could have missed the uproar Sirius' sorting had caused before realising the other had probably been so nervous about his own sorting that he'd hardly paid any attention to the others around him.

"James Potter, and from your reaction I assume he only introduced himself with his given name to you as well. He is Sirius Black."

His own name didn't seem to ring a bell, but Black did and Remus' eyes widened even more.

"You're..."

"Two boys who are the same as you; new, excited and a little nervous," Sirius sighed.

"But you are a Black," Remus' mind seemed stuck on the surname and James finally understood why the dark-haired boy hadn't given him his surname upon meeting.

The Black family name held a certain expectation to it and most formed a judgement before even meeting the person behind the surname.

Their reputation assured that his parents had cautioned him thoroughly against them and he probably would have left the compartment if he had known who he had taken the seat across of, never even giving the other boy a chance if he'd known exactly who he was. And with good reason as most Blacks proudly embraced their reputation.

But as it was, he had been speaking with the other for over an hour already, long before the disdaining stuck-up prick or the crying red-head had found them and had quickly grown to like the boy; something that had not changed when the other's ancestry was finally revealed.

He hadn't acted at all like the Blacks James had the displeasure of hearing stories about or had met at times; bigoted and stuck-up. Their clear and proudly worn arrogance was putting a serious damper on their genetic good looks as far as James was concerned.

But the short-haired boy beside him, though in possession of those same good looks and likely to grow up into a very handsome man, didn't have a trace of that same arrogance in him. His expression was neutral instead of filled with disdain or pride.

"The surname doesn't make the person," James decided. "My Mum is a Black by birth as well, and she's not at all like the people you are imagining. Sirius is right. We are the same as you; new and excited to learn here, like everyone else."

"Right, of course," Remus blinked rapidly a few times, looking a bit unsure.

"Now that that is out of the way; your parents met through a Boggart?"

The nervous brunet shyly nodded, relaxing more and more as he told Sirius about his parents, becoming more animated when the other inquired further and looked genuinely interested in what he had to say.

The change was remarkable, but James had already noticed Sirius had the same effect on his own nerves as the other's mere presence had been enough to take his homesickness away as the train left the station; leaving his parents behind for the first time. He had a soft kind of aura about him that had a calming effect on those around him.

"So does either of you have any siblings?" Remus' question drew James back into the conversation once more.

"I have a younger brother, Regulus."

"Another star?" Remus inquired curiously, clearly eager to learn more about Sirius, too.

"It is a family tradition to call children after stars. It doesn't matter that it results in some fairly odd names, but the Wizarding world is filled with those."

"Tell me about it," James laughed. "Dad's got a cousin who is called Fleamont and he married a woman named Euphemia."

"That are rather odd names," Remus admitted. "But you both have fairly normal names, though."

"Luckily," Sirius agreed.

"We did. Imagine being stuck with something like that. I don't know what the obsession with odd names is in our world. I'm an only child by the way, though I've always wanted a younger sibling."

"Your parents didn't want a second child?" Remus asked.

"They did, but it was not meant to be. They've wanted children for most of their marriage and had actually already given up by the time I finally came along."

"Your parents are a bit older, then?"

"In their late fifties when they got me, not at all old for a magical person, but fairly old to still expect a child," James smiled. "What about you?"

"I'm an only child as well. My parents wanted a second child, but eventually decided then that one was enough," Remus swallowed thickly and James refrained from asking further as it was clearly a painful subject. "Never could quite make up my mind if I wanted to have a sibling or not."

"If you would like, you could have mine?" Sirius' offer broke the sadness that seemed to have pulled over Remus as he choked out a nervous laugh, clearly not sure if he was quite serious or not.

"You don't like your little brother?"

"No. I'd have fed him to his beloved snakes if I thought I could have gotten away with it," Sirius seemed to catch onto his disbelief and elaborated. "He is only a year younger and a Slytherin through and through. We are the complete opposites and any interaction we've had has always been strained and filled with arguing."

"I see," Remus trailed off, clearly unsure.

"You are more than welcome to have him, I'll even wrap a bow around him," Sirius' smile was slightly manic, though Remus' resulting laughter was more freely this time.

"I think I will pass if you are that eager to get rid of him."

"Wise decision. I've met Regulus once at a gathering and he is a stuck-up little prick with disgusting views of the world, no offence," James tossed at Sirius, aware that even if he claimed not to like his brother, he was still family.

"That is putting it lightly, actually. I often felt the desire to strangle the little brat and that is when he is not even talking or being particularly annoying," Sirius raised his glass to his mouth to take a sip, pausing before it could reach his mouth. "Though I feel that way about most of my relatives, so it could just be me, too."

Once more pumpkin juice shot up James' nose as he'd just taken a sip, coughing roughly between his laughter and from the coughing echoing his own, Remus had suffered the same response.

Calmly patting both of their backs before taking a sip of his water, Sirius smiled. "So, what do you guys expect from the first few weeks?"

It didn't take long before all three were laughing at the new topic. Remus was very pleasant and had a great sense of humour as he relaxed completely and Sirius proved to be utterly wicked in his responses, more than once sending them both into fits of laughter.

James had no doubt that the upcoming months would be utterly interesting.