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S.B., J.P., R.L., P.P.


“Pardon me, but this is sort of our compartment,” Sirius said, bursting into their usual place on the Hogwarts Express. A couple of first year Hufflepuffs had slipped in ahead of them and were standing on the benches trying to shove their stuff up on the racks overhead.

One of them looked at the other. “Sorry, but I didn’t see a reserved sign on the door or anything,” he snickered rudely.

“Yeah,” said the other one, “It’s not like it’s got your names on it, does it?”

Sirius raised his eyebrows.

“We can just got to another compartment, there’s one right over there that’s empty,” said Peter from behind Sirius.

“No bloody way!” James said, “This one’s our compartment, we’ve sat here every time we’ve been on the express!” He shoved forward to peer over Sirius’s shoulder, “Get outta here you little pipsqueaks!”

The eyes on one of the boys widened. “It’s James Potter,” he said, recognizing James and elbowing the other one.

“Whoa, James Potter,” breathed the other.

“Yeah, it’s me, so what?” James asked.

“I saw you in the game yesterday, you did fantastic,” said the second boy.

“Yeah,” said the first, “You’re great! I wish I was in Gryffindor so I could play on your quidditch team next term. My mum’s gettin’ me a broom for my birthday - she said she would - and I’m going to try out in September and --”

“That’s excellent,” James said, uninterestedly, “Look, can we have the compartment?”

They exchanged glances warily.

“Well, like he said, your names aren’t on it or anything,” said the second boy hesitantly.

Sirius shoved his way into the compartment, drawing his wand from his pocket. “You want our bloody names on the compartment?” he demanded. “I’ll put our names on it then!”

Remus was looking over James and Peter’s shoulders. “Sirius - don’t…”

But Sirius had already leaped forward and waved his wand about the room. “Scelero!” he said and with the tip of his wand, he drew the letters S.B., J.P., R.L. and P.P. into the trim on the wall paneling. “There you have it, our names are on the compartment. Now get out of here, you lot, before I hex you all.”

The first years eyes were wide as they scrambled to get their stuff. Seeing him deface Hogwarts property had been guarantee enough for them that Sirius Black was not a force they desired to reckon with. Remus was pinching the bridge of his nose. “I cannot believe you just did that,” he murmured as they filed into the hard-won compartment.

“Little blighters,” Sirius said, shaking his head.

James was laughing. “They were rather stubborn on it. You see their faces when you drew your wand? About made a chocolate frog in their knickers!”

Sirius hooted with laughter.

“Is it really so important we sit in the same compartment every time we’re on the train?” Remus asked.

“YES!” Sirius said, “And don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. This is our compartment - this is where we became mates!” He looked at Peter, “Well. Except for you. You happened in the dormitories. Which is our dormitories, so it’s important that we keep our compartment, too. For the sake of preserving history.” He admired his spellwork on the compartment wall and shook his thumb at it. “One day, they’ll cut out this bit of the compartment wall and hang it some place, framed at the ministry perhaps for how important it’ll be once our names have been jotted down in the history books.”

“What’re we famous for in this little dream of yours?” Peter asked, crawling onto the bench.

“Dunno - maybe our map or James maybe for quidditch. Just for being the handsome, incredible lot we are, perhaps!” Sirius replied, still running his fingers over the letters he’d drawn out.

Remus sighed, shaking his head, and settled into his corner as James shoved Bubo up on the overhead. “You’re going to get in big trouble once somebody sees you’ve done that.”

“It’s just our initials, they can’t prove it was us.”

“Yes - because there are loads of S.B., J.P., R.L. and P.P.s that hang out together around Hogwarts?” Remus asked snarkily.

James laughed, “Alright, Mr. Sassy, you’ve been hanging out with Evans too much. Listen to you! Blimey, you’ll be growing lady parts next.”

Remus turned quite red as Sirius and Peter dissolved with laughter.

At that exact moment, Lily Evans stepped into the doorway. “What’s so funny?” she asked, looking from one boy to the next.

“Speak of the devil,” said James with a smirk. “Nothing’s funny, love.”

Lily glowered at him. “Do not call me that. For Merlin’s sake, how many times must I ask you?”

James shrugged. “Why don’t you just admit that you like it?”

“Because I don’t!” She sighed. “Anyway. I wanted to know if you wanted to come back to my compartment with me for a few minutes.”

Ohhhhhhhh!” Sirius drawled out the vowel, punching James’s shoulder in excitement. “Back to her compartment!” He looked at Lily, excited, “Is it for the purpose of snogging?”

Lily looked positively horrified, “Not for that purpose!”

“Why then?” James asked.

“Well I don’t know why she would, but there’s a girl that wants to meet you. Her name’s Annalee McKinnon and she’s in third year and I apparently sort of half promised her during the party last night that I would and --” Lily rolled her eyes, “Anyway, are you going to come or not?”

“Not with that attitude,” James answered.

Lily snapped, “James Potter! You come meet Annalee McKinnon or else!” She stamped her foot and put her hands on her hips.

James raised his eyebrow. “What’s the magic word, love?” The look on his face was a challenge… a dare.

Lily took a deep breath, pursing her lips up in frustration. She stared at him, wishing she could hex him and wipe that awful smirk right off his face. “Please,” she said in the flattest, dullest tone she could possibly muster, refusing to indulge him.

The smirk only grew on James’s face, “Maybe I will in a little bit.”

“But I said please!” Lily snapped, instantly firing back up again.

Peter, Sirius, and Remus were all three just looking from one to the other as the conversation progressed, as though watching a match.

James leaned back, putting his hands up behind his head, “Do you always get what you want, love?”

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” Lily shouted and she turned away, slamming shut the compartment door behind her.

Sirius nearly doubled over in laughter the moment she had gone, “What in the ruddy name of Merlin’s beard was that?” he demanded, “You two are utterly ridiculous!”

Remus looked exasperated and Peter was snickering.

James shrugged, “She’ll get over it.”

“You better hope so! Lily’s bright, she might curse you or something,” Peter pointed out. “And she’s rather good at holding grudges. What if she won’t talk to you next term?”

James shrugged, “So let her. It’s her loss. I don’t give a damn about Evans.”

Sirius looked rather amused and awestruck at exactly the same time as he looked up at his mate. “You’re absolutely blind to it, aren’t you?”

“Blind to what?” James asked.

He shook his head, “Nothing,” he replied, but he shared a look with Remus that said they both knew better.




“Is he coming?” Annalee McKinnon looked desperately up at Lily when she returned to the compartment down the hall.

“Dunno,” Lily answered, “Maybe later.” She sat down next to Ali Prewitt, across from Annalee and her sister Marlene.

“Didn’t you talk to him?” Annalee asked, looking as though Christmas had been cancelled.

“You do not just talk to James Potter,” Lily replied, “Every conversation is like a ruddy sparring match.”

Marlene laughed. “He seems like a handful. You sure you want to get into that mess, Annalee?”

“You’ve seen Potter,” Annalee answered, “I’d get into any mess he wanted me to get into with him.”

Lily rolled her eyes as Marlene snorted and Ali Prewitt looked about, lost, “Is James a slob or something?”

“No,” Marlene replied, “Annalee’s just dirty.”

Lily laughed, too, as Ali continued to look lost in all her innocence. “You seem very clean to me…” she murmured.




Back in the boys’ compartment, Remus was trying to talk James into going down to Lily’s to see Annalee. “The least you could do is go say hello,” he said, “She made the effort to come see you to ask and she said please and everything, like you wanted.”

James made a face, “I don’t wanna go meet some third year… that’s just weird.”

Sirius looked astounded, “I’d ruddy meet any girl that wanted to meet me!” he said, “You should go.”

“It’s uncomfortable,” James argued, “I don’t know this girl and she’s going to be all talking to me and expecting me to care and I don’t really… I just want to sit here with you lot and think about how we don’t have to do any school work.”

“Well you’ve got your summer reading assignments and that essay for McGonagall,” Remus reminded him.

James waved a dismissive palm.

Remus said, “James, please, she thinks you’re going to come by. What if she’s excited about you visiting the compartment?”

“Who? Lily?”

“No, Annalee.”

“I already don’t you, I don’t care about Annalee. I don’t even know who Annalee is. Do any of you lot know who Annalee is?” He looked around at Sirius and Peter, who both shook their heads. “Yeah, see, neither of them know who Annalee is. Do you have any idea who she is, Rey?”

Remus shook his head, “Well no, but --”

“So see? Why the ruddy hell do I need to haul myself all the way down the hallway to a compartment full of girls just for some stranger to titter and wave and say hello all shy-like? I’m alright here where I am. If she really wants to say hello then she can come here. Lily knows where I am.” James crossed his legs and turned, half laying across the bench so that his head was on Sirius’s leg and his feet were up on the window.

Remus sighed, “Bloody hell. I’ll go tell her you aren’t coming, then, so they don’t sit there expecting you all day.” He got up and put his bookbag down on the bench where he’d been sitting. “I’ll be right back.”

When the door had closed behind Remus, James sat up, spinning himself to face Peter and Sirius. “Alright, quickly before he gets back -- let’s figure out when and how we’re doing Operation Animagus this summer!!!”