DISCLAIMER: Still not JK. Still disappointed everyday on waking up and realising that the wonderful world of Harry Potter will never be mine.

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Now, the proper story is starting now so it's back to Marauder time (the characters are now 15, 16 and 17 as opposed to adults and it is the beginning of their story) and one POV per chapter. Hope you likey... :)

Cissy:

"Out of my way" decreed my sister to a scared looking Muggle boy who had the misfortune to be standing right where we wanted to go; somewhere where, when you are in close proximity to Bella Black, you really do not want to be. I sighed, this could take a while and I did notwant to miss the train on the first day of my fifth year.

"Honestly Bella", sighed my other sister Andy, as I'd known that she would, "Seriously, how much would it hurt to say please once in a while?"

Seriously, Andy, how much would it have hurt to have kept quiet once in a while? It's done now, and we need to get on that train! I kept these thoughts to myself; as the youngest of the three Black sisters I had grown up acutely aware both of my sisters' need for dominance, and also of my own position to act as a bridge between them when situations like this arose.

"Quite a lot, I'll have you know, and besides why should I waste my breath on scum like him?" She tossed a glance behind her and looked a good deal pleased at the reaction of the boy to her presence – namely scurrying away as fast as possible and, in doing so, knocking over the nearby luggage rack and causing a great deal of clamour.

I decided that if I didn't intercept now then all hell would very likely break out. "Bells, calm down. The whole station's looking – how are we ever to get onto the platform subtly with half the Muggles here gaping at us?"

"They're only caring to look because they haven't got any better to do", she said. But after sighing deeply, she turned towards the platform barrier and in a second she had disappeared. Stage One of operation 'getting-through-the-barrier-before-its-too-late' was complete.

"You don't think she was right to do it, do you?" inquired Andy. Stage One may be complete, but Stage Two was still very much underway...

I think my exasperation must have shown in my face, for Andy backtracked and moved forwards (funny you can do that at the same time, really!) and in a second she too was gone.

Enjoying my brief moment of independence and freedom, I moved to follow – and my whole world changed.

At home I was Cissy, the only flower in a family of stars, the only blonde in a family of Blacks, the youngest child, the deepest regret. I did not begrudge my sisters their more desirable position as favourites, but often blamed my parents for finding it so hard to see my worth. There was, however, one advantage I'd been given: being as I was not some strange burning ball of flame, I, unlike others around me, could always keep a cool head. In fact, some people said I was too cold in my approach; but they didn't have to live my life.

Once I stepped through the barrier on to Platform 9 ¾, everything slightly, imperceptibly shifted. Though I saw my sisters out of class, in it I could step out of their shadows. Andy had always been irritated at the fact she was always made to walk in Bella's footprints, but I revelled in it. Here at Hogwarts they expected me to equal my sisters in skill, breeding and looks – and I was happy to rise to their expectations. I was happy to be perceived as one of them, because in my opinion that could hardly be a bad thing. Here, I was not overshadowed by them; I was allowed to share their light.

Lost in my thoughts, I rushed headlong into somebody. Looking up, a pair of azure blue eyes swam into my vision:

"Careful there, Miss Black – or I might think you intended to knock me flying." Lucius Malfoy tossed his golden locks out of his face and winked.

"Flying, you? Funny that, you look perfectly normal to me."

"If by normal you mean devilishly handsome, articulate and charming, then why, yes, I would have to agree..."

I growled in response, unwilling to admit that was what I meant.

"You know" continued Lucius, completely unfazed, "there were days when those of the Black lineage could summon beautifully singing birds when courting, but growling...dear God whatever has happened to the ancient and most noble House of Black?

"Dear God, whatever has happened to courtesy?" I replied, thanking my father for his quick wit that I had inherited, but something else was pressing on my mind: "You think we're courting?"

"Would you like to be, Miss Black?"

It was then – when finally my conversation with Lucius was going in a direction I'd hoped since the third year it would – yes then, that Bella decided to interrupt.

"Oi, you, Malfoy – quit terrorising my sister!" Polite Bella, really polite...

"Dear God, whatever happened to courtesy?" repeated Lucius, winking at me. Unfortunately, I blushed (damn pale skin tone – my sisters never blushed!) and this did not go unnoticed by Bella, who raised a perfectly shaped eyebrows disdainfully in my direction, before laying the full force of her tirade onto Lucius:

"Get away from her, scum – she's my sister!"

"I am aware of that, Bellatrix, but thankfully she shares only your desirable traits, and has not inherited your fearsome temper" replied Lucius. That's good, right? He may be insulting my sister but think he is also praising me...?

Bella growled – much like I had – and Lucius chuckled a cold, distant yet melodic laugh. "On the other hand, you do share your extremely strange ways of growling..." Excuse me - extremely strange? Now that is not good at all!

"Bella, my dear, you're conversing with Malfoy, in an apparently a civil way? Whatever has the world come to?" The slime ball Rodulphus had crept up on us and was laying his hand sickeningly on Bellatrix's arm.

"You're calling me 'my dear' now, Lestrange? You repulse me" Bella snapped.

By this time the guard had blown his whistle and Andy had stuck her head round the train door to see where we had got to.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help overhear" she started – "did Rodulphus just call you 'my dear'? Are you to like a thing now?"

Bella shuddered at this idea but Lestrange leered. Once again, Lucius took it upon himself to say what I was thinking:

"I think you'll find that Rodulphus would like to be – but as always Bella takes some persuading."

"As always?" questioned Andy, chaperoning us onto the train before the guard choked himself on the whistle, "You make it sound like you have experienced Rodulphus' position first hand?"

"He's not interested in Bella", interjected Lestrange, "but young Cissy here."

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say, and something Lestrange seemed to regret in later moments as both of my sisters held him at wand point against the wall. Lucius himself had a lucky escape, as he'd vanished momentarily into a nearby compartment. When faced with the Black sisters' wrath, you could not fight, only run and hide: something Lestrange had yet to grasp.

I approached him, fully aware that people were beginning to stream out of the compartments nearby, eager to witness a Black-Lestrange duel, and raised my wand to his neck before hissing:

"I am not young and I would prefer scum like you addressed me as Narcissa". I turned around and left, in what I hope was a stately manner, towards the Slytherin compartment further down the train, but he unfortunately didn't have the sense to listen to the angry wands raised at him.

"Nonetheless, Narcissa,Malfoy is undeniably interested in you, and who's to blame him – you are a very pretty girl."

As the bangs, shrieks and curses ensued behind me I was glad that I had had the sense to withdraw before the situation got out of hand.

The preferred Slytherin compartment was right at the front of the train, and rightly so – for as I passed the other compartment on my way and saw pureblood blood traitors chatting with mudbloods in a way that frankly, made my stomach roll - I was persuaded all too clearly that really the small group who called themselves friends (though I was not so keen on such a term) were the Hogwarts elite. A small group compromised of well-bred, articulate, dutiful and talented individuals who the sons and daughters of the most sought-after families in the wizarding world.

When I pulled open the door, I scanned the compartment in front of me and smiled demurely at the recognisable faces: Amycus Carrow, Travers and Mulciber were all seventh years like Bella, Lucius and Rodulphus but I only saw them occasionally, while Alecto Carrow was one of Andy's closest friends and, along with Rodulphus' younger brother Rabastan Lestrange and Wilkes, were all sixth years as was my sister Andy. In my year were Avery, Snape, my cousin Regulus Black and Travers' sister Talitha who was one of my closest acquaintances. Lucius Malfoy was sitting nearest to the entrance and was one of the few who looked up to acknowledge my entrance, scooting over to clear the seat closest to him. Praising my good luck, I sat down and willed my brain to think of something interesting and amusing to say... it was then my luck ran out and awkward silence ensued until Talitha looked up from her game of Exploding Snap.

"Hi Cissy!" she gasped, "How were your holidays? I have missed you so much, love!"

I nodded in agreement of this, though the fact I hadn't seen her recently only highlighted to me the fact she was considered too inferior to have attended this year's Midsummer Ball.

It was around this time Bella, Andy and Rodulphus entered the compartment – still arguing, of course.

"No seats?" inquired Andy, and Mulciber, Travers and Yaxley leapt to their feet to clear the space – they were aware they were only really on the fringes of our little gang, and should always make room for the Black sisters.

The journey drew on reasonably uneventfully; I played both Lestrange brothers, the Carrows and Talitha at Exploding Snap and was declared champion, much to my surprise.

Unfortunately it was then that Andy returned from a prefect meeting she had been reluctant to go to and beat me. Earlier she'd claimed she would hate the meeting: ("Rabastan and I will be the only Slytherins there, and that hideous Evans mudblood will be there with the shabby Marauder who she is always tagging around with.." here she broke off and shuddered, "…our blood traitor cousin. It's just a collection of hideous do-gooders determined to sit for hours debating issues of House Unity – can you think of a worse notion? And that Tonks boy will be there..."), but now she looked at me with sparkling eyes and a spring in her step, positively gleeful. Bewildering as that may be, there was one logical explanation – Rabastan, the other Slytherin prefect, had been there too and he wasn't quite as bad as Rodulphus... could it be that she had a crush on him? Our parents would be pleased if they got together, desperate as they were to have an aristocratic pure-blood son-in-law - not that any of us would entertain any ideas to the contrary, of course.

"A penny for your thoughts" remarked Lucius, whose close proximity in the crowded carriage was sending –gulp - shivers down my spine. "You may have noticed people getting off – we're here."

Here. That one word promised so much and as the train drew to a stop and I, in my haste, pulled my luggage off the rack so far I dropped in on Snape's disgruntled and somewhat greasy head. I couldn't wait to be there; to be walking in the Great Hall and carrying out my studies, and meeting people and...

Hogwarts was a place where dreams were broken and mended and where even someone like me could find their place and revel in the delights of a place so steeped in ancient magic. From the moment I had first glimpsed it from the boats on the lake age 11, I knew it was for me. Every step there was an adventure – and one I was all too willing to embark upon.

AN/ Hope you likey!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!! :D Thanks for all my great reviewers it means so much and may I recommend some of my darling best friends' stories in particular The Recovery by BookWormVicky – and thanks to Vicky for proof reading all my chapters and giving constructive criticism! Also xAmy Blackx has some great stories, in particular Crescent Hope. Thanks for reading, I'll try and upload chapter 3 tomorrow!