The Ghosts of the Past (The Marauders' Story)

THE THIRD YEAR BEGINS

1st September, 1973

James and Sirius reached station Nine and Three Quarters together. They spotted Remus and Peter at once. The Marauders had a joyful reunion.

Peter had got a ridiculous haircut.

"It makes you look like a fox—no— a lizard..." said Sirius teasingly.

Peter flushed. "I didn't want to. Mum made me do it..."

Remus took James aside and said in a low voice, "I'm glad your family let Sirius stay with you, James—he looks so much happier this time."

James had noticed this too, and he smiled. He hated to see his best friend down.

The Black family arrived at the station. Everyone noticed them arrive as they were such a large number of people.

"Hang on," muttered Sirius to his friends. "I've got to make them sign my Hogsmeade form."

"Er...d'you think that's a good idea?" asked Remus nervously.

"Don't have a choice, do I?" Said Sirius, and he recklessly went up to his mother.

All of them fell silent as he approached.

Sirius had second thoughts about his action. But he could not bear to give up. He bowed his head in front of his parents.

"What do you want, you ungrateful brat?" said Bellatrix.

"How are you, mother?" asked Sirius, ever so politely.

Walburga Black was thrown off balance at his attitude. "What—what has happened to you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. But my stay at our house ended on a bad note, so I wanted to apologize. Mother, Father—I am sorry."

Everyone in the group was glaring suspiciously at Sirius.

The Hogwarts train whistled. Sirius mentally cursed it. He had planned a roundabout way of asking the favour. But the time was too less.

"And I—I wanted to ask a favour, mother—would you please sign my Hogsmeade form?"

Bellatrix cackled. "So that's why—"

"Bella, be quiet," said Walburga Black. She looked at her husband.

Orion Black pulled Sirius aside. "Ok, I'll sign your form. But you can do us a favour in return."

"I won't stop talking to James!"

Orion's eyes narrowed. "We have a huge family event planned at the end of January. We'll take special permission from Dumbledore to let you all have a four day holiday. And you'll have to come."

"All right," said Sirius obligingly.

Minutes later, Sirius was striding down the corridor of the train, grinning.

"I got it," he told his friends.

"I knew you would," said James proudly, high-fiving him. "I told them so."

--------------------

The Gryffindors were catching up on news during the Sorting.

Suddenly James, Remus and Peter noticed a name. "Black, Narcissa."

A blonde girl walked to the stool.

"She's also a cousin of yours?" asked Remus.

"Yeah, Cissy is Bella and Andy's sister," said Sirius casually.

Narcissa became Slytherin. Bellatrix clapped very loudly for her, and both she and Regulus stood up to welcome her between them.

In a flash, Sirius remembered the holidays before he came to Hogwarts. When Bella, Cissy and Andy would come over to stay at their house, and the five of them used to play rowdy games of hide-and-seek and tag in the house. Cissy had been especially close to him. But all that had long since changed.

"Will you try for the team this year, Sirius?" asked James. "You flew well in the holidays."

Sirius grinned. "That's a great idea. Then we'll be in the team together."

James, Remus and Peter just didn't allow him to dwell on the past days.

That's what friends were for, reflected the heir of the Black family fortune.