Magic, Mischief and Mayhem

"Now, be good," Asha was saying to Sirius, who wasn't really all that keen on listening. He was too busy being slightly hacked off at the fact that his mother hadn't allowed James to get a ride to King's Cross with him. No, she had said, let James spend time with his family. I'm part of his family too, Sirius thought, well, his extended family that consists of good friends, anyway.

"Of course I'll be good, Mum," Sirius said, his face instantly switching into his trademark "I'm so innocent" face.

"Why do I have trouble believing that?" Cygnus Black grinned as he glanced around. He was the one that Sirius had inherited the mischievous streak from. Currently, the elder Black male was holding a package that had air holes in it. Sirius kept glancing at it curiously.

Platform Nine and Three Quarters was busy, which was something that was highly usual for September the first. Polaris had already off to wherever the Prefects sat. Sirius knew it was a special compartment, something which his sister had been bragging about for the whole ride to the station.

Which was a reason why he was particularly glad that his sister was off somewhere else.

"Almost eleven," Cygnus said, checking his watch.

"And then off to Hogwarts I go, to cause mayhem and ruckus galore there," Sirius finished, his innocent smile turning into a wicked grin.

"Sirius, if I receive an owl home within the first month of school - " Asha began.

"You'll ground me for the entirety of Christmas, Easter and summer holidays," Sirius said. His mother had only given him this lecture ten times on the way to King's Cross. As his mother continued the lecture, Sirius tuned her out and listened to the snatches of conversations that he could hear.

"I can't wait to go to Hogwarts!"

"C'mon, Rosier! Hurry up, the train's leaving soon."

"Mum, I don't like it here! These people are making me feel uncomfortable."

"Oh, buck up, Petunia." Now, that voice was familiar. Sirius turned to see the red-haired girl from Flourish and Blotts - Lily Evans - walk through the crowd, with what he only assumed to be her family.

"Now, Remus, you be careful." This voice was right by Sirius and he glanced the other way to see a boy with light brown hair there. He looked very serious and was already in his Hogwarts uniforms.

"Sirius? Sirius, have you heard a word I said?" Asha's arms were folded and her eyebrows were raised in an expression that clearly said that she highly doubted that her son had heard what she had said.

"Of course, Mum." Sirius nodded, attempting to imitate the picture perfect image of the model son.

"Ah, right. One more thing before you go," Cygnus said, holding the box with the air holes out to Sirius, who took it and immediately opened it.

Inside was a bright pink bird that immediately looked up at Sirius when the lid was removed. Asha groaned as Sirius lifted up the bird, who sat docilely on his hand.

"You got him a Fwooper?" his mother demanded of Cygnus.

"Thanks, Dad!" Sirius was over-joyed. He looked down at the vivid pink Fwooper who looked up at him with keen interest. "His name will be Jean-Luc."

"Promise me you'll keep enforcing the Silencing Charms on him," Asha said, her eyes wide.

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the train whistle. "Sorry, mum, got to go." So, with a cheeky grin, Sirius pushed his trunk - which was chock full of miscellaneous prank supplies, although he would never admit that to his mother - onto the train, then hopped up after it. He waved his parents good-bye as his mother protested about not getting a good-bye hug or kiss. Personally, Sirius was rather glad that he wouldn't have to suffer through either of those. The dragging of his trunk down the hallway, was also something that was on the list of Things Sirius L. Black Is Not All That Willing To Suffer Through.

At this point in time, it was seemly for Sirius to just find a compartment, dump his trunk in it and then go off to find James, who he hadn't even seen at the Platform at all. But that didn't worry him. After all, it was James, he who kept running over to Sirius's house every five minutes the previous day to say "I can't believe we're really going to Hogwarts!" And every time he said that, he seemed to get more and more agitated. And the squeal that his sentence ended on seemed to get more and more high-pitched until Sirius had begun to wonder if Thomas had been giving James a few wedgies that day.

Shrugging, the black-haired boy continued on down the train, poking his head in to a compartment every so often to see if it was empty. His new pet Fwooper, Jean-Luc chirped a bit and flew off after his owner.

By all rights, Remus J. Lupin felt that there should have been ominous music playing when he stepped onto the train. However, there was not. The only music playing was in his head was that annoying song by that Muggle band the Beatles that his sister liked. He didn't even remember the name of it. Just the lyrics that stuck in his head. "Mr. Moonlight, come again please, here I am on my knees, begging if you please, and the nights you don't come my way. I'll pray and pray more each day, 'cause we love you, Mr. Moonlight, Mr. Moonlight." Oh, right. The title was Mr. Moonlight. How could he forget?

"Unfortunately, not very easily," Remus grumbled to himself as he sat in the compartment, where he and his trunk were the lone occupants. It seemed suddenly very lonely for him. After all, his entire life he had been kept under almost constant supervision from his parents and then there was his sister, always bugging him. He was hit with a longing to run off the train and Floo back to his house. After all, it would be far safer there.

"Excuse me." Remus looked up at the sound of the voice. Standing in the doorway to his compartment - which he hadn't even noticed opening- were a pair of people. They were both blonde and pale skinned. The one who had spoken had been the girl in the pair - she was obviously older than the blonde haired boy. Remus suspected they were related somehow.

"Yes?" Remus asked after a moment of studying them.

"Are you a first year?" the girl continued on, non-plussed. She, like Remus, was already in her Hogwarts robes. From the colours of the tie and the emblem that was embroidered to her robe, Remus surmised that this girl was a Slytherin, like his uncle Evan Rosier had been. Her blonde hair was in curls, falling to below her shoulder and she had an imperious air about her, like she felt she was royalty.

"Yes, I am," Remus replied, a bit confused at why this girl was asking him the question.

"Can my brother Peter sit in here with you?" For the first time, Remus's attention switched to the girl's brother. He had blonde hair that was cut in a pudding bowl type cut and a rather round face. Unlike his sister's air of superiority, this boy seemed to be extremely nervous and worried.

"Sure," Remus said, standing up. "Feel free to."

"See, Peter?" the girl turned to her brother, "I told you so."

"I'm Remus Lupin and you are?" Remus let the question hang in the air.

"I'm Narcissa Pettigrew," the girl said with a nod of her head. "I'm a third year in Slytherin."

"Peter Pettigrew," the blonde boy said, somewhat shyly. Remus shot him a sympathetic look. He knew that Peter was probably feeling the same feelings of anxiety that he was.

"Well, I've got to go find Antoinette," Narcissa said, excusing herself then leaving.

"I thought we'd never find a compartment and that I'd have to sit with her and her giggling friends," Peter said the following minute.

"Not too fond of your sister?" Remus asked dryly. "I know the feeling."

"You have a sister too?" Peter inquired.

"Younger. But still a brat." Remus grinned.

"Older ones are worse," Peter returned the grin as he lugged his trunk into the compartment. After a moment, he managed to shove it under the seat.

"So, um," Remus started, then trailed off as he realized that he didn't have anything intelligent to say. However, he didn't really need anything intelligent to say, as there came a knock on the compartment door. Immediately, Peter sprang up and opened the door.

Standing there was a boy with messy black hair and blue eyes slightly hidden behind glasses. His trunk was behind him.

"Hullo," Peter began. He had a very mischievous grin on his face. "Welcome to Hell, also known as one of the only somewhat empty compartments on this train."

"Really? It's really Hell?" the black-haired boy's expression instantly changed to one of interest.

"Yep," Remus said, joining Peter in the doorway. "But before you can enter Hell, you must answer these three questions."

"All right, sling 'em at me," the bespectacled boy said, folding his arms and adopting a cocky grin.

"Your name is?" Peter inquired, trying to look intimidating. It failed miserably, however.

"James Iliad Potter," the black haired boy - James - said.

"Iliad?" Remus raised an eyebrow, then shrugged as James nodded.

"What house do you desire to be in?" Peter asked.

"Gryffindor. Or Ravenclaw." James nodded with conviction.

"Shall you wreak havoc upon the school?" Remus inquired.

"Of course," James said, grinning widely. "I'm a terror at home. Well, me and my friend Sirius are."

"Is he Muggle?" Peter asked as he and Remus stood back to let the new boy enter into their compartment.

"Nope," James replied as he dragged his trunk in. "He's on here somewhere."

The somewhere in question for Sirius Black was being detained by his sister's complaining. She had found him wandering around the train and immediately started scolding him for not finding a compartment. Then, she had yelled at him for bringing a Fwooper on the train. Of course, Jean-Luc had been very upset at this, which was shown by his attempting to dive bomb Sirius's sister. By now, however, Polaris had resorted to her favourite item to complain about - Lucius Malfoy. Apparently, he was this year's Head Boy.

"I can't believe they let that - that thing become Head Boy!" Polaris screeched. Sirius felt that they were going to attract an audience soon, with the volume of his older sister's voice. Jean-Luc chirped nervously as he circled lazily above the Black siblings.

"Well, maybe he's really smart?" Sirius suggested in a tiny voice. When Polaris got like this, it was usually wise for the person she was ranting to for them to remain silent.

"Not bloody likely!" Polaris shot back, her eyes narrowed into little slits. She was now looking at someone behind Sirius. Turning, the Black boy noticed an older student standing there.

Well, not really standing. More like lounging. The student was male and had a pale, pointed face that was framed by shoulder length platinum blonde hair. He was dressed in his school robes - Sirius wondered for a fleeting second if he should have changed into his uniform before - which plainly told that he was in Slytherin. And he wore a badge upon his shoulder that had the initials HB on it. Head Boy, Sirius thought curiously, so this is Lucius Malfoy.

"Charming to see you again, Polly dear," Lucius said, his voice smooth as silk, even when he was faced with the rage of the eldest Black child. "I take it this is your younger brother?"

"Yes, he is, Malfoy," Polaris said through gritted teeth.

Lucius's eyes looked up and down Sirius and he smirked slightly. "And what house do you think you'll be in, Black?" At this, Jean-Luc let out a small chirp and flew to rest upon Sirius's shoulder. Lucius raised an eyebrow at the vivid pink Fwooper.

"Presumably one of the four houses, unless there's a fifth one no one's told me about." Sirius returned the smirk.

"Amusing," Lucius said, in a tone of voice that clearly meant he thought the opposite. He returned his attention to Polaris and Sirius took that as his cue to sneak off, dragging his trunk behind him. He wandered down the train some more, pushing open compartments along the way and apologizing when he didn't find James in them. Although it was fairly funny to see those two Ravenclaws jump apart from their snogging when he pushed the compartment door open.

Soon, he reached a compartment where a blond boy stood outside. He was slightly chubby and there was a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hey, have you seen anyone named James Potter?" Sirius inquired. Jean-Luc had retreated from his perch on Sirius's shoulder and now was flying in circles behind the boy, letting out a chirp every so often.

"He's inside," the blonde boy said, thumbing at the door. "But before you enter Hell, also known as one of the only somewhat empty compartments on this train, you must answer three questions."

"All right," Sirius said, a bit confused. This boy was obviously slightly mad. Probably one of the reasons that James had met up with him, Sirius reflected with a grin.

"Your name is?"

"Sirius L. Black, at your service. Or not."

"What house do you desire to be in?"

"Any house away from my Ravenclaw sister."

"Will you wreak havoc upon the school."

"Of course," Sirius said, patting his trunk. Unknown to his parents and older sister, he had managed to pack some of the paint that was left over from when they had redecorated Sirius's room. It was magical paint, charmed so that it was psychedelic colours. A perfect addition to any common room.

"Come on in then," the blonde boy said, pushing the compartment door open. "I'm Peter Pettigrew."

"Hi, Sirius!" James said as his friend stepped through the doorway. "This is Remus Lupin." James pointed at the brown haired boy he was playing Exploding Snap with.

"Nice to meet you." Remus Lupin waved with a smile.

"Who's idea was the 'Welcome to Hell' thing?" Sirius asked as he and Peter managed to stash his trunk in a corner of the compartment.

"Peter's," Remus replied, flipping over a card. "Ha! I win again!"

James scowled. "I usually beat Sirius."

"That's because I'm hopeless at that game, Jamie boy." Sirius grinned, petting Jean-Luc on the head. The bright pink bird had landed on his knee and was enjoying the attention from his owner.

"You got a Fwooper?" James gaped at the brightly hued bird. Jean-Luc chirped like he knew he was being observed.

"Yep, from my dad." Sirius grinned, as Jean-Luc took off to explore the compartment. As the bird was flying around, the four boys heard angry footfalls coming closer to their compartment. They stopped when the door was flung open and Lily Evans was revealed, her face flushed and her eyes bright. She was wearing the grey skirt and white blouse that made up part of the female Hogwarts uniform, and she didn't look all that happy.

"Welcome to Hell," Remus said, standing up and grinning. "Before you enter Hell, also known as this compartment, you must answer these three questions."

"Stuff it," Lily Evans ordered, her tone almost a growl. "I have just been hit on by five guys - one of which appears to be the Head Boy. Now, if you don't shut up, I am going to kick your ass so far that you won't need this train to get to Hogwarts."

There was silence for a moment as the angry girl's words sank in. Then Remus paled visibly.

"Come in, come in," he said nervously, standing aside so that Lily could pull her trunk in. "Here, let me help you with that!" Without waiting for a reply, Remus grabbed the trunk and somehow managed to lift it onto the overhead rack.

"Thank you," Lily Evans smiled at Remus as she sat down on the seat beside Sirius. She took a few deep breaths and appeared to relax slightly.

"So you've met Lucius Malfoy, too?" Sirius asked as Jean-Luc landed on the seat near Lily. The pink bird hopped forward hesitantly and looked up at Lily with large, curious eyes.

"Who?" Lily asked blankly.

"This year's Head Boy. Blonde, sneering, Slytherin, hits on my sister," Sirius elaborated.

"Oh. Him." Lily's face darkened. She then looked curiously at the Fwooper. "It's so cute!" she exclaimed as the Fwooper hopped onto her hand. She raised her hand to eye level so that she could see the bird better. Jean-Luc seemed to enjoy the attention.

"Lucius Malfoy?" Peter raised an eyebrow. Then he made a face. "My sister's been mooning about him all summer."

Lily's expression betrayed the inner feelings of disgust she currently had. "He's like a lecher or something."

"Sirius hit your sister with a book, didn't he?" James asked, looking at Lily as he shuffled the Exploding Snap cards.

"Yep," Lily said, grinning. "Funniest moment of the day that was."

"You hit her sister with a book?" Remus's eyes widened.

"Accidentally," Sirius admitted sheepishly. James let out a false cough that sounded suspiciously like "Yeah, right".

"Whatever," Lily waved it off. "It was still funny. And incidentally, I'm Lily Evans." She was now smiling, acting as if she was perfectly at ease.

"Remus Lupin."

"Peter Pettigrew."

"James Potter."

"And I, lovely Lily, am Sirius Black." Sirius stood up and executed a sweeping bow. "Prankster extraodinaire, charming gentleman, and completely at your service."

"Is he always like this?" Lily inquired of the rest of the boys.

"Yes," James replied as he began to deal out the cards. "Wanna play Exploding Snap?"

"Exploding?" the red-haired girl suddenly looked rather apprehensive.

"You're Muggle-born, aren't you?" was the immediate question out of Sirius's mouth.

"Damn straight," Lily said, grinning. She returned her attention to James. "Now, what do you mean Exploding?"

It was Peter who answered the question. "The cards randomly explode." This caused Lily's expression to contort into one of slight fear and apprehension.

However, by the time the witch with the trolley came by to offer them snacks, all five new first years were deeply involved in what seemed to be their umpteenth version of Exploding Snap. Lily still continued to jump every time one of the cards exploded.