A/N: Hello. I was re-reading all of my Harry Potter books the other day and fell back in love with Sirius Black. So then of course, I went onto and proceeded to read every Sirius story I could find. But of course, there are only so many stories one can read before they are inspired to write one themselves. So here I am. Please enjoy the first chapter of The Fire Within

Disclaimer: I do not own Hogwarts, or any of its inhabitants. Nor do I own Harry Potter. I do own however, Headmaster Wayford. Oh, the plot. That's mine too.

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"So Padfoot I was thinking…"

"Wow Prongs, you can think?"

James Potter gave his best friend a sharp look. However, the young Sirius Black merely smiled crookedly and gestured for James to finish.

"Why Black, I was curious about that myself. Is it really possible for Potter to have a brain with all of that ego filling up his massive head?" A female voice commented smugly from behind the two.

Sirius turned to the girl with a smirk. "Why hello Evans."

"Evans!" James shouted excitedly, leaping to his feet and nearly knocking over the bench that ran down one side of the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. People further down grumbled but James didn't pay any attention to them. "Do you want a seat? Hey Peter scoot down a bit…" The shy boy immediately moved over to offer his seat.

Lily Evans, who was well known for being the brightest fifth year girl in their House, scoffed. "As if I would ever sit with a pig like you!" She began to walk away before noticing the quiet Remus Lupin sniggering from his seat across from James. "Remus." She gave him a curt nod and he smiled slightly in return. With that, the attractive girl left the group to go join her friends.

James sighed and watched her go with a vacant expression on his handsome face, running his hand through his hair.

"Bloody hell Prongs. Try to contain yourself would you?" Sirius laughed at the forlorn expression on James' face.

James frowned. "I just don't get it. I'm always nice to her… I'm smart, I'm handsome… What more could she want?" He threw up his hands in exasperation. "I just don't get it!"

"Maybe it's because you're just so damn gorgeous." Sirius told his friend with a grin

"Or," Remus cut in, "it could be that you're a Marauder and she's a prefect."

"Why does she like you then Moony?" James asked desperately.

"Because I'm a prefect as well, and I'm not… well, 'a conceited, egotistical, pig,' to put it eloquently." The young werewolf replied with a brutal honesty that made Sirius finch for his friend.

"Way to be subtle Moony."

Remus shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

Sirius tossed his hair out of his eyes and leaned forward, the other three doing the same.

"So," He said in voice quiet enough only they could hear, "I think I've got it down now mates. Snuffles is in the game now!" The other three gasped.

"Sirius you don't mean you actually…"

"Yeah."

"Bloody hell mate! It must have taken you ages!" James nearly shouted.

"Well what else was I supposed to do while I was cooped up in that hell hole all summer? Twiddle my thumbs? And now I can teach you two." Sirius nodded at James and Peter.

"Sirius I don't think that-" Remus began.

"Oh shut up Moony. We're trying to help you! This is the perfect way to do it!" Sirius said.

Remus opened his mouth to respond before the mousy Peter Pettigrew hurried motioned for his friends to stop talking.

"Dumbledore's about to start." He whispered

"So?" Sirius gave a lopsided grin but quieted anyway.

"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts." The old Headmaster smiled warmly at the students as the last first year took his seat and the Sorting Hat was put away until the next year. "It's refreshing to see so many new faces, and yet, it seems just as refreshing to see the old ones as well." He looked around the room and clasped his hands together. "And now we shall have our opening feast. But first, let me say a few words. Pollywiggle! Oddment! And Blubber! Please enjoy the meal." And with a wave of his hands, the food appeared on the empty platters to a point where first years could barely see the person across from them from overtop of the piles.

"Blimey," Sirius said, helping himself to anything in reach, "the house elves sure have outdone themselves this time."

"Yeah, for sure." Remus agreed. Peter and James nodded in agreement, unable to respond with all of the food shoved into their cheeks.

The four Marauders looked at each other and grinned; it was good to be home.

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Dinner and dessert ended too quickly for the Marauders it seemed. As James reached for the last Treacle Tart on the tray, the food disappeared and he, as well as a good number of other students, groaned in disappointment. They all quieted however, when they saw the Headmaster stand back up to the podium and raised his hands to signal everyone to be quiet.

"I'm sure we're all quite full of delicious food now and are ready to head up to bed now-"

With this, Sirius and James stood up and shouted "YES!" The Great Hall rang with the sniggers coming from the opposite side of the Hall where the Slytherins resided. The two boys glanced over and saw Bellatrix Black, Lucius Malfoy, and Severus Snape glaring at them, as well as a great number of others. The Marauders glared back with just as much hatred but sat back down at the Headmaster's gesture.

"…But there are a few announcements I need to make first." He pushed his half-moon spectacles up onto the bridge of his long nose and gave a significant look at the Marauders. "First of all, our caretaker has kindly reminded me to remind you to stay out of the Forbidden Forest, as it is strictly prohibited." The Marauders grinned at Dumbledore and he winked at them slightly. "Second, a list of prohibited items can be found outside of my office. A believe there are several new items this year." Once again, the Marauders grinned, it was after all, their fault that the list had been created. "And thirdly-" He looked up when Professor McGonagall came up beside him and hurriedly whispered something to him. The Headmaster nodded and McGonagall walked briskly down the center aisle and out the door of the Great Hall.

"Well," the headmaster spoke again, catching the students' attention once again, "it seems as if our guests have not arrived yet so we shall first commence with the school song. Everyone pick a tune and off we go!"

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts,

Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filing

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

And bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

(A/N: I'm sorry everyone, I think that this song from the first book is amazing and deserved a place in this story. It's that amazing)

The song ended at various times with voices ranging from high falsettos to low baritones. Sirius and James were some of the first finished, having had a race to see who could sing it faster.

"Ha!" Sirius gave a bark of laughter and held out his hand to James. "One sickle would suffice." He stated

James grumbled and dug through his pockets. Slapping down a silver coin into Sirius' hand he frowned and mumbled "I so would have won that if you had actually bothered to breath."

"Oh who needs air anyways?" Sirius sighed but slipped the coin into his pocket and smiled. "Thanks mate."

"Oh look, McGonagall is back." Peter noticed

Indeed she was, looking quite flustered one would notice, hurrying up to Dumbledore. He smiled and gestured for, once again, everyone to quiet down.

"It seems," he stated with a magnified voice so everyone in the hall could hear his every word, "that our guests have arrived. Would you all kindly welcome… The Salem Academy for Talented Witches and Wizards!"

Peter turned to Remus, "The Salem Academy for what?"

Remus was staring open mouthed at the Headmaster who stood patiently at the podium. "For Talented Witches and Wizards. They're from the Americas. According to records, they're all prodigies over there. You have to take a physical and written exam before you can even apply. The students start whenever the professors feel that their ready and they stay until either they turn fifteen or pass the final exams early. The School is incredibly private. Once the students leave their homes, they only go back for two weeks in July, and even then they're not to say anything about the school. No one is allowed to send mail out of the school but they are allowed to receive it. " He shook his head and smiled, "Most people don't even know they exist, they're that secluded from the rest of the world."

"No kidding?" Peter, Sirius, and James looked at him in disbelief

"I kid you not." He craned his head to look at the door, "Their Headmaster should be coming any second now…"

As the other Marauders turned to the door, it opened with a loud crash that shook the Hall.

A lone man stood in the doorway, however those close enough to the door could see a two masses of people standing behind him. His dark cloak was fastened around his neck with the emblem of the school: a tree divided into four parts with each season and a different element represented in each section. He gave a nearly blinding smile and began to march up the center aisle. The entire schools' eyes followed the man's progress up to the High Table. Well, all but one.

Sirius Black was watching the girl who had slunk in the door nearly directly after the man had entered. She had her black cape drawn tightly around her and had the hood over her head to hide most of her face. She crept her way over to the corner and pulled out her wand before muttering a few words and putting it back in the folds of the cloak. To Sirius' surprise, she took two steps before she disappeared completely from sight. As he continued to stare down the aisle between the Gryffindor table and the wall, he could have sworn he heard a squeak of surprise. He smirked, knowing she must have realized he'd seen her, and returned his attention to the front of the Hall, where the two Headmasters were now shaking hands.

"Good evening Albus. It's good to see you again." The man smiled

"It is a pleasure to have you grace our halls Nigel Wayford." Dumbledore greeted him

The man, Nigel, laughed. "Please," he smiled, crinkling his startling aqua eyes, "call me Nigel."

Dumbledore smiled as well. "Yes. But at the moment, I think, your students are awaiting their ques."

"Ah, yes." Nigel cleared his throat

Dumbledore looked at the Hogwarts students assembled in front of him and smiled warmly. "Please welcome Headmaster Wayford to our school."

There was polite clapping as the Headmaster stepped up to the podium and surveyed the crowd intently. The entire hall was completely silent as he continued to stare out into the crowd until he jumped suddenly, as if someone had poked him with something quite sharp. Then he smiled. "Ah yes. Sorry." He straightened his cloak and pulled out his wand from a hidden pocket. With a mumbled spell, the crest on his cloak magnified in a shimmering image above him as the Hogwarts students looked at it with awe.

"The Salem Academy for Talented Witches and Wizards is a school very much alike the one I am standing in now." He began. "We too, have four distinct Houses. Like your Houses, the Salem houses were founded by powerful wizards or witches from long ago. However, due to unknown reasons, the founders chose to not give their House their name, but to instead give it a season. In addition, each House has an Element. Under most circumstances, the Element of a student in a specific House is the type of magic the user possesses."

He looked over the crowd. "The four Houses are as follows: The House of Autumn-Earth, The House of Spring-Wind, The House of Winter-Ice, and The House of Summer-Fire. However, to make our journey, it was necessary for us to only bring the top members from two Houses. So without further ado, I give you… The House of Winter!" And with that he stepped away from the podium with a grin.

"Impressive man," Remus told his friends as the whole student body clapped, "for someone his age to be the Headmaster of such a prestigious school."

"Yeah but why are they here then?" Sirius questioned, asking this rather loudly over the amount of applause

Remus shrugged and continued to clap.

"I hope they don't take too long to get started!" James shouted. At that exact moment, every candle in the Hall blew out.

Murmurs broke out among the students. What was going on?

Soon, a number of students began to shiver.

"It's so c-c-cold." Peter whispered, teeth chattering.

As everyone heard a soft crunching noise, they looked down to see a thin layer of ice covering the entire floor. As a matter of fact, all of the walls, the tables, the benches, and even the empty plates on the table were covered in ice. It spread rapidly, covering the entire Hall in merely a few seconds. Moments after, what seemed to be statues of ice rose from the floor at the front of the Hall. The statues continued to grow until two of what seemed to be approximately forty, reached the size of a full grown male. The two statues seemed to spring to life as they lifted their frozen feet from the ground. The two ice creations pulled out icy wands and a burst of water shot out from both of them. But, because of the freezing temperature of the room, the water merely turned to ice in the shape of crude swords. They began to fight, each attempting to beat the other with their weapons.

"Wow…" James muttered. The others nodded

The other statues were finished growing now. As everyone tensed, thinking more fighters were about to appear, all of the statues (including the two fighting) burst from the inside out. Screams were heard throughout the Hall as people dove under the tables to avoid the sharp pieces of ice. However, the small shards froze in midair as the students of Hogwarts noticed the forty or so people standing in place of the statues, their wands aloft. Under their control, the ice held by each person was directed to the center of the ceiling, where all of the pieces came to together to create an image of a giant, frozen tree, devoid of any leaves. Snow fell from the ceiling over the tree, but not for long as the students called off their spells and the ice melted.

Screams tore throughout the Great Hall as the newcomers were cheered with such enthusiasm that many teachers covered their ears. The Salem students bowed and took their seats at a table near the teachers; their black cloaks had the hoods down so all could see their faces. Studying each of them carefully, Sirius noticed that the girl was not there. He realized she must be in the other House.

As the cheering continued, Headmaster Wayford stepped up to the podium and shouted in a loud voice, "Thank you to the House of Winter! However..!" The school quieted down. "We still have one more House to meet! Please welcome the students of the House of Summer!" More cheering.

BUM

BUM BUM

BUM

BUM BUM

A loud drum sounded from an unknown source in the Hall. The sound was so strong that it shook the silverware on the now unfrozen tables.

BUM

BUM BUM

BUM

BUM –

BANG!

The doors to the Great Hall sprang open with such force that they were nearly knocked off their hinges. First entered twenty boys who marched down the aisles with a ferocious look in their eyes. Their capes were pushed back over their shoulders so that the hoods were off and their arms were free for movement. In each of their hands a tambourine was being beat in tune with the drum.

BUM

Shake

BUM BUM

Shake Shake

They swept down the aisles in such coordination that each step, each shake of the instrument, was taken in perfect rhythm with the others. When they reached the High table they abandoned the tambourines and stomped.

High pitched battle cries were heard at the door. Everyone turned their heads to see twenty girls in dark crimson leotards standing at the door with grins on their faces. With a loud cry, they broke off into five lines and sprinted down the aisles. Halfway through the girls began to flip and do cartwheels in the air. At the same time, the boys raised their wands and bursts of flames shot from their wands to fly towards the girls. With perfect timing, the spells would hit where the girls had been a moment before and burst into bright fireworks. The girls reached the end of the hall as well, but did not cease to quit their screaming, and the boys began to shout as well, keeping the flames coming out of their wands. It seemed to be utter chaos. Utter, perfectly planned chaos.

This went on for about thirty seconds before a girl appeared out of nowhere, her hood flew off of her head and she pulled out her wand.

"It's her!" Sirius shouted in recognition

"Who?" James asked

Before he had the chance to respond, the girl leapt onto the High Table and ran down it, avoiding the platters and goblets still on the table. The teachers looked outraged, but the Hogwarts students were buzzing with curiosity. What did this strange girl think she was doing?

Suddenly, the screaming stopped as well as the fire. The girl continued to run, her long red hair streaming out behind her. She took the last step and stopped directly in front of Dumbledore's throne-like chair. She flung out her wand and shouted

"Dragon's Fire!"

And with these words, a massive dragon, made entirely out of flames, swooped down low over the students' heads and gave a ferocious roar of triumph.

It roared again and flew up to the ceiling where it burst into the most spectacular fireworks the Marauders had ever seen.

If it was possible, the Hall was filled with even more cheers as the girl stood on the table, wand by her side, breathing hard. Somehow, in all of the commotion, her eyes locked with Sirius and he grinned roguishly at her and nodded his head. She blushed and smiled widely before jumping off of the table to be caught by her housemates and lowered to the ground.

"GO SPARKY GO! GO SPARKY GOOOOO!" The House shouted, huddled together and bouncing up and down in pure happiness. The mass of people was so enthusiastic that it took them nearly fifteen minutes to get them to quiet enough for Dumbledore to be heard.

"…And a large 'thank you' to both Houses!" Dumbledore exclaimed, his ancient face crinkled with a smile. "Hogwarts students are dismissed for bed. Salem students please remain behind for an announcement."

The Great Hall was once again filled with noise as the Hogwarts students proceeded to exit.

"Blimey," James stated, running a hand through his hair, "that last House was bloody brilliant!"

"Yeah." Peter agreed, nodding his head

Remus frowned, "I think both Houses have considerable amounts of talent. Though…" He admitted with a smile, "…that last group did seem to remind me of Gryffindor. What do you think Sirius?"

Sirius didn't hear them though; he was too busy thinking about the girl and her strange eyes, which had appeared to be a dark red.

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A/N: Review please? Anything is good, be it nice or not. But please be nice… -begs-