Mischief Managed Year One: Mayhem of the Moon

Chapter Five- Hogwarts At Last and a Dismal Train Ride

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Sirius had spent the summer for perhaps the first time ever without getting into trouble. He didn't taunt Regulus, even when his pesky brother had broken one of his secret records. Harder was the fact that he had said please and thank you to all the house elves, even the obnoxious two-faced snitch that was Kreacher. He had held his tongue when his fat stupid grandparents droned on and on about pureblood supremacy, and he had even refused to stay the night with his uncle because he was a 'bad influence on the future heir of the household.' Yeah right.

By the time he was standing in front of the Hogwarts express he was dying, physically aching to cause trouble. His very bones were in pain by how good he had been and his heart was heavy without the mayhem he took pride in causing. But no, he had to be a good boy. A perfect suck-up like his brother to ensure that the freedom of Hogwarts would be granted to him.

"It's not fair! I want to go this year. I want to go to Hogwarts with Sirius," Regulus whined, practically hanging off his brother's elbow. The boy continued complaining to Sirius as their father pushed Sirius' very full rack of luggage and their mum walked behind them. A picture-perfect woman with an unmistakable air of stuck-up royalty.

Sirius resisted the urge to gag and gave Regulus a smile. He knew that would seal the deal of his smooth attendance at Hogwarts. After all, treating Regulus nicely was at the top of the 'good list' he was sure his parents compiled just to make his summer hell.

"Don't worry Regulus, you'll be attending next year."

"Yes, that's right, Regulus. Now do stand up and walk with dignity." Came his mum's cold command from behind them. Regulus quickly straightened and Sirius unconsciously did the same.

It had been a strange summer as he and his mum had actually not been at odds. It cost Sirius a sore tongue from having to bite it often.

Soon, so soon.

He wanted to run the rest of the way to the gleaming engine, wanted to touch the train, and run his hand across the sleek-looking exterior. But no, that wouldn't be 'proper,' and he'd be damned if his precautions were blown to hell at the last minute because he did something fun.

He would have plenty of fun at Hogwarts, where he'd have more children than his stuffy family and family-friends to associate with. Surely, there would be at least one other student who shared his talent for mischief.

He grinned at the thought of having an accomplice to his crimes, someone who would understand the importance of pulling shenanigans. Then Sirius froze in his approach to the steam engine, hearing a scream of "NO" coming from some poor kid who sounded absolutely horrified from somewhere on the platform. He craned his neck to see and was about to go investigate when his mum whacked his head hard as if she was somehow reading his thoughts.

"Sirius, keep walking. Stop ogling like some urchin child who has never seen the Hogwarts Express before," she snapped coldly, clearly not caring about the scream. Regulus looked a little concerned but both he and Sirius started walking again, their own self-preservation replacing concern for the distressed kid.

Besides, Sirius was simply too excited to dwell on it long. His mum had been correct in that he had seen the Hogwarts Express multiple times due to his older cousins. But in his defense, the whole thing was much better when it was him that was going to be climbing inside the train and not just waving from the outside.

Somehow he managed to get to the train without causing his mum's wrath or shaking Regulus the sponge off his arm like he so desperately wanted to. He turned to face his family, trying to hide his impatience to be rid of them.