Disclaimer: This Fan fiction is being written with the utmost respect for Jo Rowling and her works, I'm simply using her characters and fantastic universe to feed my undying dissatisfaction with lack of more detail on Sirius Black. I don't claim, you don't sue. In addition, 'Wildest Dreams' belongs to the greatest band that ever was or will be, Iron Maiden.

To my Beta: DarkenedStar, you've been more than a friend and a wonderful beta-reader, thank you for all your opinions and time you've taken with this, even when I'm being ridiculously demanding on time scale to edit. This chapter wouldn't have been written without your support (like 90% of the things I write). Thank you sweetheart, I'm so proud that you can get to be a part in the creation of this universe!

Thank you! To every single one of my readers, followers and reviewers, your words have meant the world to me and I couldn't be more glad to share this story with you and have your opinion contribute to this world :) Happy new year everyone!

Wildest Dreams

And I just feel I can be anything...
That I might ever wish to be
And find myself just where I wanna be
Make my Wildest Dreams come true!

The morning sun invaded the compartment he'd decided to sit in, the warm rays extended their arms through the window, reflecting against soft, brown leather seats, their rich scents of polished wood filled the air, in the moment that every little boy and girl grown in a magical household dreamt of: going to Hogwarts.

Sirius carefully registered every single detail of this memory, intending to savour it later once he sent Regulus his first letter. He looked outside the window, waving enthusiastically at uncle Alphard, who had come especially to drop him off at platform 9 3/4, and screaming through the open window at a sulky Regulus, "Don't be sad! I promise I'll discover the entire castle and show you everything when you come with me next year!" The words didn't cheer the younger wizard, but for once, Sirius did not feel as heavy hearted as he normally would have.

He could not keep the grin off his face. This was it- the moment he and uncle Alphard had talked about so many times, the moment he would be able to choose what road he would lead in his life. His stomach bubbled with excitement, heart fluttering, as he saw his uncle squeeze his brother's smaller hand, grinning at him and mouthing 'do as we planned', so nobody would hear. At least he would be there to take care of Regulus for him, he had promised.

Sirius finally sat down, as his family started to leave. Even mother and father had seemed to have a twinkle of pride in their eyes as they waved goodbye, he thought grinning widely to himself… Hogwarts! The moment he had been waiting for all of his life, and he was on his way! He would be there by nightfall! His head swam in excitement and it wasn't until he looked to his side, that he finally noticed a boy sitting next to him.

Humorous hazel eyes locked into suddenly bashful grey ones and the boy offered a grin in return. "No worries mate, we're all excited! You should'a seen my old lady, she was in tears, squeezing the life out of me!" he laughed, and Sirius could not help but feel a distinct feeling of warmth and like for the boy with the dark, messy hair.

"Yeah, I suppose… I can't wait to start using this wand!" the grin only widened further, earning a laugh from the companion who shared his carriage.

"You're telling me! 11" Mahogany, Dragon Heartstring, pliable! Old Ollivander said that meant it was good for transfiguration!" he added with a glint to his hazel eyes, earning a bark of laugher from his companion. "So, which Quiddich teams do you support?" asked the young wizard, good-humouredly.

And their conversation took off like a Dwarf shot in the ass, both so excited to find someone with so much in common with each other, that neither paid any attention to the young witch who joined their compartment, sitting opposite the duo, looking out the window, or the wizard who joined soon after and sat next to her. Their conversation was interrupted, however, with a single sentence from the newcomer.

"You'd be better in Slytherin." He said to the girl, obviously encouraging her to be part of the detested house. Sirius's heart almost stopped as he heard the words, anger boiling in him.

"Slytherin?" he sneered, at what he now noted was a pale, greasy haired little boy, beside him, a red haired girl with green eyes.

"Who'd want to be in Slytherin?" boasted Sirius's travelling companion, adding in an obvious mocking tone, "I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He turned his amused eyes, with a sly smirk to Sirius.

However, not a trace of humour was reflected back in the young, aristocratic face, as he lounged quietly against the window. The words were leaving him, before he could even stop them, reality hitting him for the first time in the entire journey, "My whole family have been in Slytherin."

The hazel-eyed boy seemed perplexed for a moment, "Blimey," there was an obvious note of disappointment in the boy's voice, "and I thought you seemed alright!"

It took less than a second for Sirius to remember his uncle's words and grin, as he repeated them aloud, "Maybe I'll break the tradition." He hadn't even given a thought to which house he actually wanted to be in. "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?" he inquired nonchalantly, disguising his curiosity. If he could have a single friend, one ally to start with, he might just choose their house. In addition, he seemed like a good friend to have.

The boy dramatically lifted an invisible sword, pointing it straight to the greasy haired boy, "'Gryffindor, where duel the brave at heart!' Like my dad." he stated, eyes aflame with the words he truly believed in. Sirius's heart roared with fire at the words, filling with want and hope. That was exactly who he wanted to be… no, who he was already. Looking at the messy haired boy, he could see himself in the same house he'd picked. They represented all that he wished to be a part of.

Just the same, as it had awoken those feelings in him, the words had also elicited a small snort from the boy in front of them. "Got a problem with that?" his companion's words were heated, fiercely engaging the pale boy in open dislike.

"No," the boy said, and the sneer would have been enough to make Sirius dislike him, if everything else hadn't already. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy – "

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interjected, his voice laced with venomous distaste, earning a howl of laughter from his new friend.

Just as the words left his lips, the red headed girl neither boy had paid attention to until then, was up and eyeing them both in anger, green eyes blazing furiously.

"Come on Severus, let's find another compartment," she said flushed, holding her hand out to the boy.

"Oooooooo…" they cooed in unison, mimicking the girl's voice. Sirius was howling in laughter as his companion extended his leg to trip the boy as he passed, but Sirius couldn't help one last comment as the door was about to slam on their faces, "See ya, Snivellus!"

His companion had tears in his eyes from the continuous laughter, "Snivellus?!" he exclaimed, looking at Sirius as if he were Merlin's ghost, "That's brilliant! That look on his face when you said he was neither brawny nor brainy, just priceless!"

Sirius giggled, feeling as if he'd just found his best friend, someone just like him, with the same sense of humour and obvious love of mischief. What Sirius had thought would have been impossible from the start, given his family name's reputation… his eyes widened as realization struck him. They hadn't even introduced themselves to each other yet. A sudden pang of fear gripped at his heart. How would he react when he found out? He looked towards the boy, his hazel eyes still swimming in mirth.

Sirius filled his lungs with air, as the Gryffindor motto crossed his mind again. He extended his hand, bracing himself for rejection, "By the way, the name's Sirius… Sirius Black."

The other wizard's eyes widened in shock. "Sirius Black?" Sirius gaped like a goldfish, hoping he'd believe him when he explained he was nothing like his family. "The Sirius Black? The same one who caused havoc with a Dragon Dung bomb at the Ministry's Yule Ball a few years ago?" Sirius grinned in relief; it certainly beat the reaction he'd been expecting. "I've been dying to meet you since that happened! Mum and dad were always too afraid of the influence your side of the family might have on me, but they always mentioned you seemed different from the rest of their lot." The boy grinned, finally taking his pleasantly surprised hand, "James Potter, your new favourite extended cousin."

As simple as that, the weight was lifted from his chest. He had been honest and true to himself, and was not rejected for it… Maybe his uncle was right after all. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard as he'd made it out to be in his head.

"Now you really have to get into Gryffindor! Imagine the look on your old man's face when he finds out!" The mischievous glint in his hazel eyes was enough to make Sirius laugh again.

The remainder of the ride had been filled with James's family stories about their time in the Gryffindor house, envisioning the warm welcome they'd receive, the view from the tower, the richly decorated reds of their house… And more and more, Sirius was filled with hope and warmth, and want to be in that same house.

Their compartment had been joined two other boys, later on, a skinny one with mousy brown hair, with his nose stuck in a book, who didn't make any eye contact, and a chubby boy who seemed happy just to be in their presence. They didn't really talk to them much, even when the chubby one tried to chirp in and join their conversation here and there, he was easily ignored, not out of malice, but simply because they had met each other. And they knew they would be best friends to the end of their lives, and nobody could ever understand the bond both shared. One had been accepted for once, the other had found a companion who matched him in every way, and both would ease each other's solitude.

"I'm excited to see Hogwarts," said James as he put on his wizard robe, preparing to leave the train, and following after Sirius's lead. The two boys, followed by the two who had shared their compartment, walked together from Hogsmeade Train Station to the shore of the Black lake, located south of the castle. The sun already hiding from view, and the water was reflecting the twilight sky, which glowed in hues of violets and blue.

Making their way into one of the enchanted boats, Sirius was joined by James, and the two other boys who they had learned were called Peter, Sirius would remember him for his hamster-like mannerisms and appearance, and Remus, a bookish, frail-looking boy. Sirius heard a collective gasp escape many of the young wizards' and witches' mouths, their gazes elevated to the skies above, and looking in the same direction, Sirius could see the dark silhouette of dark, winged horses, pulling carriages. This must be the older years' mode of transportation that uncle Alphard had told him would carry him to Hogwarts after his first year.

"Wicked!" he heard James gasp, "The carriages pull themselves!" He looked at Sirius with a grin from ear to ear. Sirius looked to him as if he were insane.

"James, there're winged horses pulling those carriages." He stated flatly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you mean winged horses? All I see are the carriages! The joke's not funny at all!"

Sirius sighed, exasperated, about to retort with a cheeky comment about his glasses needing some serious checking, when a deep, but serene voice interrupted their soon-to-be-argument.

"He's right, you know? The carriages are pulled by Thestrals." All three boys in the boat looked at the owner of the voice. Bookish-looking Remus had spoken, and his tone was a lot more confident than any would have expected him to be.

"Thestrals?" asked Peter.

"Thestrals," he started in mode of explanation, pointing up, "They can't be seen by those who have not seen and accepted death into their hearts." His eyes met Sirius's for a brief moment, filled with curiosity and understanding. "That would be why the both of you can't see them." He finished diplomatically, looking at both James and Peter.

"Yeah…That would explain things…" said James feeling thoughtful, if a bit silent.

Sighing as a flash of a memory he'd tried long to forget crossed his mind, Sirius looked ahead of the thestrals, into the nearing Castle ahead. It was absolutely massive, bigger than any structure he'd ever seen, full of tours and windows, and for a while he let himself remain captive of its mystery and charm.

It had been a dream turned read to finally study at Hogwarts, to be able to learn magic that wasn't dark, that he could use, instead, protect the ones he loved when he grew older. He could hardly contain the excitement at the thought of discovering all its secrets and mysteries, the hidden pathways his uncle had told him no one had ever been able to find and he knew then he would be exploring the castle top to bottom, to find every single one of them. He made it a point to remember to note them all down as well to make sure he never forgot them. Above all, Hogwarts would be the place he could finally be free to change into the person he wanted to be. He was sure he would change his life just as soon as he got there. So the next time something horrible was about to happen, he'd be strong and wise enough to make a difference.

He briefly looked at his companions, eyes meeting James's, who grinned that cheeky grin to him that promised a good friendship. Sirius smiled back, looking into the castle. Yes, this would be a new era for the Blacks.

A.N.: Hey, hope you guys liked this chapter! Hopefully this Arc will be a lot more cheerful for Sirius as we follow him and the Marauders in their time at Hogwarts! I can't begin to tell you all how excited I am to be able to explore all their characters and friendships, and the crazy stuff they got up to in their days there and what made them famous! Now, for the bad news...due to a lot that's been happening in my personal life, I'll only be able to update once ever two weeks, I'll keep doing it on Mondays :) Hopefully I'll be able to add a comment at the end with the update date if I can do it sooner, either way, thank you for sticking with this story and I hope you continue to enjoy it as much as I do!