Disclaimer - Usual.

A/N - This story picks up where Part One left off, so yes, you have to have read part one to know what's going on. (Go. Read. Come back. :) ) On my computer it's all one story - hence the "Chapter 21" rather than "1." Thank you.

Chapter 21

James gave his mum a peck on the cheek, and waved to his dad before running off to get on the train that would take him back to Hogwarts. Once on board, he checked various compartments and was finally rewarded by a familiar sight – Remus reading a book.

"Hey!" James said excitedly, and plopped onto the chair across from Remus.

Remus looked up with a big grin. "Hello! How was your summer?"

"It was great! My parents got me a new broom. I'm all set to join the Quidditch team."

"Is there an opening for a new chaser?"

"Yeah. Remember, Thompson left last year… Have you seen the others yet?" James asked, looking out the window.

"You're the first. Huh…" Remus was also looking out the window, but he was frowning.

James moved so he could see what Remus was looking at. Sirius was walking down the platform. What was surprising was that, unlike last year, he was actually walking with his parents, instead of in front of them. He still had the haughty air he adopted when he was around them, more a habit of training than anything else. But Mr. Black had his hand casually laid on his eldest son's shoulder. It was a perfectly fatherly gesture, and that's what made Remus and James look at each other in confusion.

Regulus was also with them. He was standing on the other side of their mother, who had more of a protective grasp around her youngest son.

As they continued to watch, Sirius turned, gave a slight bow to both parents, and boarded the train.

James and Remus watched the compartment door until Sirius stepped through and sat down next to James, who had re-seated himself across from Remus.

"Good summer?" James asked suspiciously.

"Yes, actually," Sirius said with a smile.

"Really?" Remus asked. "So how was…" At this point, Peter joined the group and sat down. Remus nodded to Peter, but continued speaking, "staying with your grandfather?"

"Fine. He was… strict at first, but once I understood what he expected, it was fine. Good, even."

James raised his eyebrow. "And what did he expect?"

Sirius chuckled at his friends' protectiveness. "Really, it was no big deal. We… spent the summer in one long debate. It was quite interesting, actually. He…" Sirius looked out the window. "He talked to me… like a person. Like an adult. He actually respected what I had to say. I'm telling you, it was fine. We even did stuff together. I watched Muggle football. That was… different." Sirius laughed again. "They're so obtuse. They actually think that game is good. A bunch of blokes running around a field trying to kick a ball into a net. Nothing like Quidditch."

The other three exchanged an uncomfortable look at the casual insult. Remus and James both wondered how affected Sirius was by his stay at his grandfather's.

"How was everyone else's summer?" Sirius asked.

There was a moment's pause before the others started exchanging stories about the various things they had done over the holiday.

Peter spoke disgustedly of John, who was now a regular fixture at the Pettigrew home. There had been times that John and his mum had taken trips into the country or shopping for the day. Peter had never been left alone before and he didn't much care for it.

Remus said that they had done some minor traveling to obscure parts of England. For someone who enjoyed history, it was great fun, but he politely did not go into detail, knowing that his friends would be bored to tears. He also did not share that the reason for the trips were rumors of various means to treat lycanthropy.

"Did your dad do any traveling on his own this summer?" Sirius asked innocently.

"Yes, a few times," Remus answered hesitantly.

"Three?" Sirius asked.

Remus furrowed his brow and did not answer.

James picked up the conversation, changing the topic to avoid a fight. "I," he said with emphasis, "got a new broom! I'm all ready for the new season."

"Except for the minor detail of actually being accepted on the team," Sirius said with a chuckle.

"Bah," James waved dismissively. "Not an issue," he grinned.

Peter piped up, "Well, at least we don't have the old gang to worry about this year."

"What will we do for fun?" Remus snarked.

"Narcissa's still here. And Snivellus, Avery and Bulstrode. Who knows, the fun might not be over yet," James said with a sardonic smile.

"I think we should leave Narcissa alone this year," Sirius said casually, looking out the window again. When he glanced around the cabin, he noticed the incredulous looks of the others. "What? She's not like her sister. She's… not that bad, really."

James made a face. "Who are you and what have you done with Sirius?"

Sirius laughed. "Funny. I'm serious… and Sirius for that matter," he added with a grin. "But really. I had a chance to spend some… very little, mind you… time with her right before leaving. She's all right."

While squinting at Sirius, James said, "Remus… What have you done to him? I think you've influenced him… badly."

Remus held up his hands. "Don't look at me. I had nothing to do with him taking away your toys."

Sirius just rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Maybe I just understand them better now."

"Yes," James said, all pretense of joking gone. "That's what I'm worried about." He held Sirius' gaze as if trying to see inside his head.

Sirius broke eye contact. "Besides, it's not like I said I wasn't still up for fun."

"Do I need to make a list of off-limits people?" James was suspicious of Sirius' new alliance with his family.

"No!... Just Narcissa. She's family," Sirius snapped back.

"Since when have you cared about that? In fact, as I recall, that was your main motivation last year."

"Whatever. Sorry I brought it up. Just because you're not getting your way…"

"What?" James jumped to his feet. "When did this become about me?"

A sharp whistle pierced the compartment, startling James and Sirius. They looked around for the source of the sound. Peter was practically cowering in his seat. He did not know what to do when his friends were fighting. Add to that the whistle, and Peter was too frightened to move.

"Can this wait until we get to school? At least there I can get away from your bickering." Remus' tone was light, though a little sarcastic, but his eyes flashed that yellow-bronze color they took on when he was angry or upset. It was not something the other boys saw often, and it was enough to stunt their argument.

The rest of the train ride was a long thaw. But by the time the boys got to school, the anger had melted away and they were joking with each other again.

Over the next week, the subtle shift that had taken place in Sirius became more evident. It was small things, usually. While it was normal for him to be gregarious and yet still keep people at arms length, this year he seemed dismissive of other students in general, and muggle-borns and half-bloods in particular. And while he was not known for his patience, he was especially short with muggle-borns. James even thought he heard Sirius mutter "Mudblood!" under his breath once, in a bout of frustration with a student who was holding up the Charms class because she couldn't get the proper wand movement.

During the second week of classes, James let things slide. Remus was gone for two days and he really didn't want to confront Sirius without Remus there. If anyone could be fair and impartial, it would be Remus. Second week was also Quidditch trials. James was too nervous to worry much about… anything else. Sirius and Peter sat in the stands yelling and cheering James on. At the end of the week the list of students on the team was posted on the notice board.

James stood just far enough away from the board so that he couldn't read it. "You look," James told Sirius.

"Nuh-uh. You'll have to do it. Come on. Where's that famous Gryffindor courage?"

James nodded, took a deep breath, and walked to the board. After just a moment, he whooped and started jumping around the room.

The other Marauders celebrated with laughter and clapping. Sirius threw his arm around James' neck and led him up onto one of the tables near the middle of the common room.

"Attention everyone. Please meet Gryffindor's newest chaser, James Potter." He gave James a noogey before letting go of him. James bowed for the clapping Gryffindors and hopped off the table.

"Practice starts Monday. You're coming, right?" James asked.

"Wouldn't miss it," Sirius replied.

Unfortunately, the joy of the moment soon faded, and the next day James had had enough of the odd behavior Sirius was exhibiting.

"So, who are we going to prank first?" Peter asked.

"Ugh. I could list a number of people who I'd like to see hexed," Sirius answered.

"There aren't too many people who haven't annoyed you of late," Remus observed.

"What can I say? I'm a man of discerning tastes," Sirius said with a smile. He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

"And by discerning tastes, you mean pure-bloods?" James decided that now was as good a time as any to address the issue.

Sirius leaned forward in his chair, his face clouding slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

"You tell me? You're the one who doesn't seem to want anything to do with… anyone… who's not from a pure-blood family."

"Hey, it's not my fault some m… people don't…"

"Some what? What were you going to say?" James interrupted.

Remus watched the two boys go back and forth. He had seen this fight coming since their time on the train. While he didn't like the changes in Sirius any more than James, he hoped Sirius would eventually grow back out of them. He knew what it was like to be told something every day of your life. You tend to start believing it after a while, and he figured something similar had happened to Sirius over the summer.

Sirius didn't answer the question James had asked. Instead he said, "What I was going to say was, 'It's not my fault some people don't fit my standards for friends. It's kind of hypocritical of you to get on me about it."

"What are you talking about?" James asked.

"Answer this – If I had been put in Slytherin, would we be friends?"

"That's not the point…" James protested.

"It is the point. You didn't have a problem last year when we were hexing my cousin. This year, I haven't hexed anyone, but you seem to have a problem with me."

"I just find it interesting that suddenly everything is kosher between you and your family. You're even starting to act like them, thinking you're better than everyone else."

Sirius smirked, "No, just better than mu…" Sirius clamped his mouth shut.

The incomplete sentence hung in the air. The nearly-voiced admission had taken all four Marauders by surprise.

"I don't know who you are, but you are not my best mate!" James' voice dropped to a whisper, "And I miss him." James turned his attention to Remus and Peter. "I'm going to supper." He walked out of the dorm and away from Sirius. Remus and Peter followed.

Sirius made himself scarce over the next day and a half. He did not show up at meals and came back to the dorm room late at night. He was usually the early bird, so instead of waiting for the others in the morning, he left, before they got up. He sat in his usual place next to James in class, but neither boy spoke to the other.

James glanced in his direction once or twice, but Sirius stayed focused on what he was doing. Sirius always had been thorough when blocking someone out.

That night, while James was at quidditch practice, he noticed someone sitting in the stands. He knew immediately who it was. So when practice was over, he glided to the stands and dismounted. Then he took a seat next to Sirius.

Sirius was quiet for some time, and James was forcibly reminded of the conversation they'd had the year before.

"My grandfather was a surprisingly good guy. He was… strict, especially at first, but once I started doing what he wanted, he… was actually proud of me. He didn't want much. He just wanted me to have an ongoing debate with him about pure-bloods versus… everyone else. Since I disagreed with the pure-blood side, I was supposed to argue for that stance – their superiority." James noticed he had disassociated himself from them again. "And he would argue the other side, for the muggles." Sirius paused. "Smart man, my grandfather."

James waited. He hadn't known what had occurred over the summer and, while it didn't sound bad or evil, he could see the manipulation in it.

"You know, at the end of the summer, my grandfather took me home. I wasn't looking forward to it, but he told me not to worry… They had a party for me. Would you believe it? My mother said she had heard only good reports from my grandfather, and decided to celebrate with a party." Sirius banged his head in frustration into the seat behind him. This startled James and he looked over at his friend. Sirius' eyes were closed. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "I'm still a dog, James. Only this time, I learned my lessons well, and I pranced around for them because they held out their hand and patted my head. I just wanted…" He broke off here and rubbed his eye, nonchalantly trying to wipe away the tear that had dared escape. James looked away, letting Sirius keep his pride. "I've been a real arse and I'm sorry."

James nodded, hardly able to speak himself. "Well, you may be an arse, but you're our arse." He gently nudged Sirius. "Come on," James said, getting up. When he'd gotten a few feet ahead of Sirius, he turned and whistled, "Come on, boy, come here." James patted his knee.

Sirius snorted and smiled, and then ran up to James, cuffing him on the back of the head.

"Welcome back, mate," James said.

"It's good to be back."

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again to all who have been with me thus far, and to new people who join us along the way. I hope you continue to enjoy the story as our boys grow up some. I do not plan on breaking this story up by year, but I'm not really sure how it will break down, yet. Thanks again for the reviews and encouragement. Thanks also to the ever faithful editors (Mom and mei mei) and my beta (J.A.Carlton - when do we get the next chapter of "Field of Deans," eh? ;) ). Love.