The Chronicles of Sirius Black

The Chronicles of Sirius Black

Prankster and Lover Extraordinaire

Chapter 5

Girls and Gambling

As the train lurched to a stop, a trunk fell from above and landed on Peter's hand. He let out a yelp, yanked his hand out from under the trunk and examined his hand. His thumb was already beginning to swell.

Sirius and James were struggling to get their robes over their heads. Remus stood patiently by the door.

"What are you crying about Peter?" asked Sirius as he straightened the hem of his robe.

"Your trunk nearly took off my thumb!" Peter said with a pout and shoved the black leather trunk away from him.

"What do you need your thumb for anyways?"

Chatter filled the corridor outside as students began pouring from their compartments.

"Madame Pomfrey can take a look at your thumb when we get to the castle, Peter," said Remus sympathetically.

James opened their compartment door and led the way through the throng of students and off the train.

Sirius felt someone shove him from behind. He spun around with his eyes narrowed.

"Sirius Black."

"Ignatius Wilkes," Sirius growled.

The boy glared back at Sirius with dark grey eyes. He tossed his silky brown hair and pulled a pretty Slytherin girl closer who was clinging to his arm.

"Hello, Sirius," said the girl coolly, but her deep blue eyes twinkled seductively.

Sirius flashed a grin and replied, "Good evening, Silvia. I see you're doing well."

And she was, thought Sirius, as his eyes dropped to her bust. Last year's school robes were too small and showed off a figure that seemed to have ripened overnight.

"Oh, Sirius!" said Silvia. She brought a delicate pale hand up to her chest and made a graceful attempt to be modest, but Sirius noticed as she arched her back and stuck her breasts out further.

As Silvia batted her eyelashes, the rough hand around her waist that belonged to Ignatius pulled her to him and led her away.

"You better keep a tight hold on that one, Ignatius!" Sirius called.

Ignatius grunted, and flashed Sirius a last malevolent look before stepping off the train.

After more shuffling and Peter stepping on the bottom of his robes several times, Sirius made it off the train. James stood waiting by one of the horseless carriages, and Remus was frozen beside him, staring up at the sky.

Sirius felt a lingering warm summer breeze and looked up at the bright numerous stars. The moon was plump and three-quarters full. They had a week to plan their first full moon with Remus.

"Oy! Sirius! Peter! Get your arses over here!" James shouted.

~*~

Sirius sat at the center of the Gryffindor table. To his right, sat James who was listening aptly as Lily told him about her trip to Paris. Remus sat across from him, and Peter beside him. On Sirius's left, was Gideon Prewett and his brother Fabian.

Fabian's best mate, Felix Frisby, was in the middle of a fabulous story about a veela he met over the summer on a tour of Europe.

"At first, she just snogged me senseless. Then I took it up a notch, and it was all tits and arse. By the end of the summer, she was moaning my name as we shagged in her parent's bedroom while they were out to dinner with the Minister."

Sirius and the other boys groaned enviously.

"She's going to meet me for the next Hogsmeade weekend. I hope it's soon. I'm used to getting a good shag in twice a day," said Felix.

"Well, I suppose you'll just have to control your animal desires until then," said a petite blonde girl named Helen with a disgusted look on her face.

"Unless you want to do something about it, Helen," said Felix with a wink.

"Bugger off, Felix."

Helen and Felix were interrupted as the doors of the Great Hall opened, and the First Years entered uneasily.

"I hate the Sorting," grunted James.

"I'm hungry," whined Peter.

"I'll just tell Dumbledore that James Potter is bored and Peter Pettigrew's stomach is rumbling, and I'm sure he'll understand and skip the whole thing," said Remus sarcastically.

"I have a way we could make the Sorting more interesting," Sirius muttered just loud enough for the boys around him to hear.

"How's that?" asked James leaning in closer.

"We'll place bets on the first years. I place five Galleons that the red-haired boy goes to Gryffindor," said Sirius pointing to a swaggering boy in worn robes.

"Can we get in on this?" asked Gideon Prewett.

The next ten minutes were spent examining the First Year girls and boys. Sirius made Remus conjure parchment and a quill. He then proceeded to record all the bets placed. James even got Lily to place a bet on a small girl she'd sat with on the train.

Quite the contrast to only ten minutes before, much of Gryffindor table was now eager for the Sorting to begin.

Professor McGonagall finally entered the Great Hall with a stool and the Sorting Hat. She stepped aside as the Sorting Hat came alive and began to sing:

In days a long time ago,

Before you and even I,

There was no place to go

To study, learn, or pry.

Two wizards and two witches

Would not let this do!

They would fill this niche

With a magical breakthrough.

With this came Hogwarts.

To teach and explore magic;

A special school of sorts.

But there came another topic:

Who shall come to learn

At this fine institution?

The founders each began to discern

Their most valued student contribution.

The magnificent Salazar Slytherin

Valued the noble and pure of blood

Looking for students with ambition.

These were traits for which he opted.

The brilliant Rowena Ravenclaw

Preferred sharp intelligence

Those students that left others in awe

Finding no value in the dumb and dense.

The kindhearted Helga Hufflepuff

With spread arms, welcomed all.

A want to learn was enough.

She'd take any oddball.

The great Godric Gryffindor

Hoped for those who were boldest.

He wanted heroes to mentor.

Those with courage and the bravest.

With these qualities in mind,

They created a hat.

Each House was defined

And made clear so that

When the founders were gone,

I would remain here

To divide the students on

Those qualities most dear.

The Sorting Hat finished, the students cheered, and Professor McGonagall read the first name.

"Abercrombie, Jillian."

A small brunette girl went timidly to the stool and placed the hat upon her head.

"Gideon wagered 5 Knuts that this one would go to Ravenclaw," read Sirius from the piece of parchment.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bloody hat!" yelled Gideon, but the shouts from the Hufflepuff table thankfully drowned him out.

"I'm going to rip that piece of parchment to shreds if you yell anything else derogatory just because you didn't win your bet," scolded Lily. "I don't want these poor children thinking they did something wrong!"

"Alright, Lily," said Sirius putting his large hand over her mouth so he could hear the Sorting Hat.

"Appleby, Robert."

"James bet an entire Galleon on this one for Gryffindor, but Fabian is putting four Sickles on Ravenclaw," announced Sirius.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James leapt to his feet. He began to cheer wildly and pump his fist in the air. Everyone at the table turned to him and Robert Appleby turned five shades of pink. Lily tugged on James's robes to get him to sit down.

"You didn't say I couldn't cheer. You just said I couldn't say anything derogatory. I probably just made the little fella's year," James whispered to Lily as he sat back down. "He'll probably owl home to his mum about me."

"Could you be any more stuck on yourself?"

"Fitzgerald, Elliot."

"James bet seven Knuts on Gryffindor, and Remus gambled a Sickle on Hufflepuff," Sirius read as Remus began to wring his hands.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Remus let out a sigh of relief, and James mockingly shook his hand.

"Gibbons, Wallace."

"Here we go! A three-way face off between Gideon, Fabian, and Felix!" said Sirius excitedly.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Gideon raised both his arms in victory, and Fabian pushed Gideon's head down into the table while Felix attacked him by making a mess of his strawberry blonde hair.

The names went on and other tables began to notice the commotion coming from the Gryffindors. Peter lost four bets to Felix. All of which he wagered on Slytherin, and he began to empty out his pockets to count his funds.

"Sirius, I might have bet more than I possess," said Peter worriedly.

"Then you better hope you win one soon."

"Malone, Stuart."

The hat barely touched the boy's head before it belted out, "SLYTHERIN!"

"There you go, Peter," said Remus as he checked the parchment. "You just won a Galleon from Gideon."

"Peterson, Victoria."

"This little sweetheart, is going to Ravenclaw," stated Felix boldly.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Felix's jaw dropped as he watched the girl skip over to Slytherin table. The rest of the boys laughed.

"Reynolds, Marian."

"That's the delightful girl I met on the train!" said Lily chirpily.

"Who's getting excited now?" teased James.

Lily punched him softly and turned back to the Sorting Hat.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"I won!" Lily shouted as she threw her arms around James.

Sirius winked, and James flushed a deep red.

"Weasley, Bill."

"And, finally, the biggest bet of the night!" broadcasted Sirius. "I placed five Galleons that this kid would go to Gryffindor."

Peter sucked in a breath, as the table fell silent.

The small red head strutted up to the stool and took his time placing the hat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The entire Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, but none was louder than Sirius who jumped on top of the House table and began to dance wildly, pointing at the little Weasley boy.

Laughter filled the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall rushed over and ordered Sirius to have a seat, but even Dumbledore was chuckling to himself.