Moonage Daydream [Stand-alone vers]

Growth Spurt

It was the very beginning of September and platform nine and three quarters was flooded with new and returning Hogwarts students pushing trolleys. There were families saying goodbyes and friends saying hellos, owls flying, cats darting around the heels of their owners. A boy running after a paper airplane that was gliding on its own jostled Sirius's shoulder where he stood, a couple paces away from his mother.
"How many times have I told you–" The tight-lipped woman scolded as she fussily brushed off the front of a younger boy's shirt. "I don't want to see any mess on your clothes." The boy pursed his lips, dark bangs getting in his eyes.
"Sorry, mother." The woman looked up, a hand brushing his hair back as she gave a brittle smile.
"Let's get that hair out of your eyes– See that handsome face. There's a good boy." Regulus glanced in Sirius's direction as he scoffed, kicking at the dusty ground. Their mother looked up sharply and her features pinched at the sight of him.
"And what are you laughing about?" There was a tension in her voice that seemed much more extreme as she addressed the taller boy. His gaze met hers defiantly, mouth working as he made to say something, but thought better of it.
"His shirt looks fine." Regulus looked down as their mother straightened herself up to her full height. Sirius swallowed, standing up straighter himself out of spite. She sucked in a breath before shaking her head.
"I haven't had any need for your opinion in some time, boy." There was a thickness in the air as Sirius looked into his mother's cold eyes. After a moment his gaze dropped to the ground with irritation, letting his shaggy hair fall around his face like a curtain.
"Did you ever—?" He muttered to himself. His mother tutted coldly, turning away.
"Don't mumble." She snapped and he clenched his teeth. He yanked his trunk with more force than he probably needed and headed towards the train without saying goodbye. As he went, he felt Regulus watch him go, the weight of his brother's uncertain eyes on the back of his neck unsettling him.. He tried hard not to think about it, willing himself to remember what lay ahead of him rather than what he was leaving behind.
He made his way through the crowd, hauling his trunk up the stairs and down a hallway, counting each compartment as he passed it until he reached a familiar door. Then he paused, hand moving to open it.
Inside, a large blonde boy was arguing loudly with a boy whose glasses were dangerously close to slipping off his nose. They both looked up at the noise. At the sight of him they leapt out of their seats, faces breaking into wide grins. Sirius's own smile was pure reflex.
"Pads! Good to see you, mate!" Sirius briefly abandoned his trunk, slapping James on the back and squeezing Peter tightly.
"Merlin– Don't break my ribs—" He wheezed. Sirius laughed, heaving his trunk up and stowing it in the overhead before sitting down across from James. He bit his lip, looking around.
"Where's Rems? He's usually the first here—" The other two shrugged, looking out the window at the slowly thinning crowd.
"He'll show up–" Sirius nodded, drumming his fingers against the train's seat.

He was already far more at peace here than he had been on the train's platform– He could feel it in the way the air shifted. It wasn't so tight– It wasn't brittle and crackling with unspoken words. He could breathe here–
Sirius Black endured the summers so that he could see another school year. That's how it always had been. At school he had independence and a community. The only reminder of his family at school was the occasional glimpse of Regulus in the castle halls or at meal times. That stung, but it was far better in small doses like that, especially considering what a great distraction Hogwarts provided in the form of fellow Gryffindors.
At school Sirius had friends– Real friends. James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Wherever they could be found was somewhere Sirius could consider home. They kept him sane–
Out of the three, the first he'd been properly introduced to was James– From the moment they'd met, James had been funny in a way that Sirius had admired. Sirius himself had been this sort of stiff and scared little kid sitting alone in a compartment when another boy had poked his head in, asking if they might share. He'd had these big wire rimmed glasses that made him look a bit like an owl and his hair stuck up in all the wrong places. Sirius hadn't really known what to say so he'd just nodded– And looking back, he thanked his lucky stars that he had–
After James came Peter. Peter Pettigrew spent most of their first weeks at school trailing behind James like a lost puppy. When James had joined him in the compartment, Peter had been close behind, looking so nervous he might have fainted. That, at least, had made Sirius feel a little better about the pounding in his own chest–
They hadn't been an incredibly talkative bunch that day, but James had had enough conversation to keep himself entertained for hours. Sirius had marveled at the way he could just– Talk– And keep talking. He'd wanted so badly to learn how to talk the way James did– Without seeming to care about who was listening or what they thought.
The last of their group, Sirius hadn't properly met till a couple months into their first year. He'd spent a lot of time silently observing Remus Lupin, but the boy was rather elusive. It seemed like the moment you tried to get a word alone with him after classes he was out the door– He was quiet and troubled and preferred to keep to himself, but eventually he was dragged into their little band. Sirius wouldn't be quick to admit it, but it was Remus that he was really fond of–
He smiled to himself, remembering. The feeling of the seat beneath him pleasant and welcoming under his palms. The home of many conversations over the years–