fatal love

Chapter 22

Sirius got on the train, immediately going in a separate direction from Regulus with a nod. He went straight to the Marauders' compartment, but only James was there so far.

"Alright, James?" he grinned, striding inside.

"Sirius! How was your summer? What happened?" James looked worried, which Sirius guessed he should have expected. He hadn't exactly kept in touch. He glanced behind him, making sure the door was shut.

"Same as last year. Some Imperios, some fancy dinners, a lot of hiding in my room."

"I'm sorry," said James with wide, sad eyes, pulling him into a hug immediately. "Are you okay?"

"Just glad it's over," Sirius muttered, "glad to be going back to Hogwarts."

"Can I do anything?" James asked, releasing him.

"Nah, I'll be fine. It's nothing new, right?"

James just looked at him pityingly, and Sirius changed the subject quickly.

"What about you, how was your summer?"

"Fine, boring. Not much to do at home. Pete came over a couple of times, but mostly I just practiced my Quidditch."

As if summoned, Pete appeared at that moment. "Hiya lads," he greeted happily, "miss me?"

"Every single day, buddy," Sirius laughed.

"Stuff alright with your family, Sirius?" Peter asked, failing to look casual.

"As good as it's gonna be," Sirius smiled, "thanks Pete."

Peter just nodded, and the three of them started talking about their plans for the year. James wanted to properly explore the castle - so far, the only secret passage they'd found was the one to Honeydukes, and technically Andy had told Sirius about that one.

It wasn't long before Remus arrived. He'd grown a bit over summer, that was the first thing Sirius noticed - he used to be the same height as he and James were, but now Sirius reckoned he'd be about an inch taller. They'd all grown, even Pete, the shortest of the group, but Remus was now definitely the tallest. He'd also cut his sandy hair shorter at the sides, making his jawline much more noticeable.

"Hey Moony," Sirius beamed, "we're gonna find all the secret passages in Hogwarts this year. You in?"

Remus snorted. "Hello to you too, Sirius. Yeah, obviously I'm in, sounds fun."

The train started to leave the station, and the four of them settled in for the long journey. Pete broke out the snacks, James took off his shoes, and Sirius shed the formal robes his mother had forced him to wear. Things were relatively peaceful, until Marlene burst into the carriage.

"Have you lot heard?" she asked, grinning.

"Heard what?" asked James.

"Sandra Doyle started dating Marcus Tickner over summer! They're in a compartment, alone, right now. Kissing."

"Really?" gasped Pete.

"Yup. Apparently they like each other. A lot."

"That's nice for them," said Remus mildly.

"Show a bit more interest, Lupin," said Marlene, rolling her eyes, "this is hot gossip." She left the carriage to go and alert others in their year, as they all digested the news. People in their year had dated before, but not like that, not like adults. They'd only held hands, and maybe pecked each other if they were particularly adventurous. But no one had done what it sounded like Sandra and Marcus were doing.

"That's another thing I'm going to do this year," James proclaimed. "I'm going to get a girlfriend."

Sitting through the Sorting that year, Sirius realised it was very boring if you, or someone you knew, wasn't a part of it. He watched the mass of tiny First Years slowly dwindle as one by one, they went to join their respective houses.