To Lau for Christmas, the New Year, your back to school, and everything else.

First year: 1971-1972

1/9

Inauguration

Within the short month they had been here, Sirius had been twice in the deputy headmistress' office, had had eight hours of detention, and as a substitute for running from his mother's lectures, he ran from his cousins.

"We'll get you Sirius!"

He speeded up. "Better lose some weight for that, Bells!"

"I'm going to hex that smile of-of" She coughed, trying to catch her breath and to keep up with him in the same time. "Yours!"

"You try and do that!"

Sirius turned after another hallway and slid down two stairs, still smiling happily during his everyday jogging. He avoided the professors coming his way, sometimes bumping into students whom he shouted a quick sorry to. The Gryffindor's common room was within reach. He jostled someone, hurriedly said the password and got in.

Home safe home. Or as safe as a Gryffindor common room could be when you were a Black.

Two very familiar yelps of surprise caught his attention back to what was going on outside instead of carefully studying the room for welcome jokes. He couldn't determine what had made his pursuers scream like children but it definitely was his friend.

"Another smartass, heh? You won't get away!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to harm you. I'm so sorry."

He really didn't need another innocent murdered added to his family's history while he was here, Sirius thought as he went out again and cast as quickly as he could a stunning spell on each of his relatives.

He tugged the victim's sleeve inside the common room. "Gryffindor, right?" He checked with delay. One red tie and then one slow nod. He had been positive he had seen that timid face somewhere. "Are you all right?"

"I… yes, thank you."

"My pleasure. The name's Sirius, at your service." He bowed in a parody of a proper reverence. "May I know yours?"

"Remus."

"Lovely."

He met his eyes for a second before he looked away. Shy but Gryffindor? That was new. Then again, all the encounters he had with them at the moment was eloping, retorting and setting up paybacks.

"I… I need to get out…"

"I reckon they are gone indeed."

He affably opened the portrait for him and gestured that he went out first. With a wary look, the boy stepped outside. He kneeled to gather the books sprawled on the floor, shaking his head slightly.

"Oh, that is why they yelled." Sirius smiled. "Well done."

"I didn't- I didn't do it on purpose… It… was an accident."

The boy seemed to struggle more to reply than to smile graciously. Sirius frowned, scanning him as he took three of the books that had flown further. He looked rather ill and seemed to lack much sleep. Unfitting clothes highlighted his thin frame and the sight of his unpolished shoes would have made his mother scream at the top of her lungs.

"Do you need help getting them to the dorm?" He asked, doing his best to look genuine at his attempt to befriend. "Of course you do! You're too skinny to carry them all, which must be why they fell."

"I'll be fine." He quietly attempted to shake his hands off. "Thank you."

"Too late, Princess. I've got three of them and I'm either burning them or taking them to your dorm. Whichever you prefer."

We'll let Remus ponder over this dilemma and I'll see you tomorrow.

07/01/11