When they arrived at Hogwarts, Sirius hung back, unsure what to do, but James was confident. "My dad told me," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "We've got to get boats."

James was right. A massive, bear like man called the new first years towards him, and told them to divide into groups, four to a boat. Sirius and James ended up with two girls he didn't know, though they were friendly enough, giggling as James stuck his hand into the water. Their names were Emma and Belinda, and they told them they were already best friends and had known each other since they had been little. James splashed Belinda, and she squealed as the cold water hit her. "I wouldn't do tha!" The gameskeeper called over the lake. "There's things in this lake that'll have yer fingers off in two seconds."

James hurriedly withdrew his hand, wiping it on the leg of his new school robes. He looked towards the light of the castle with glee. "I can't believe we're almost here," he whispered to Sirius. "I've been looking forward to Hogwarts since I was tiny."

"Me too," Sirius told him. It was true, to a certain extent. It seemed that all of Sirius' life had just been preparation for this moment. He thought with a flash of guilt of Regulus at home with their parents, and regretted he hadn't thought of his brother sooner. But Reg would be all right. He knew how to keep quiet, though Orion bullied him mercilessly.

One of the girls, Belinda, stroked something in her pocket.

"What's that?" James asked, and she took out a tiny teddy bear on a keychain, with bright orange fur.

Sirius had never had many toys, and stared.

"My dad won her for me down the pier. She brings me luck."

"Give us a look, then," James took it from her, then grinned at Sirius as he held it over the water. "Does she like swimming, eh?"

"Give her back!" Belinda reached for it, but James stretched further out. "I reckon she does."

"James," Sirius said, seeing how upset the girl was getting, but James grinned.

"Give it back," Emma said, and pushed him. James wobbled – and the teddy bear dropped from his hands into the water.

The four children stared as the boat rocked gently.

"You idiot!" Emma snapped as Belinda's lip wobbled. "That was her dad's. He's dead, you moron."

James was pale in the moonlight. "I didn't mean to," he said, his voice quieter than it had been all day. "I'll get it, it can't have gone far out –"

"I can't even see it," Sirius peered into the darkness beneath them. The boats had gone ahead without them, taking most of the light, and there was no sign of the little teddy bear. The boat rocked violently as James stood up.

The others gaped at him. "What are you doing now?" Belinda asked.

"Getting it back. Look – Sirius, you lift the light for me, hold it over the edge."

Sirius did as he was told, holding the lantern, and James leaned over, squinting into the dark, making the boat rock even more.

"Get back in, you dolt," Emma hissed. "You'll tip us all out. We're behind anyway. They won't come back for us."

"Yes they will," Belinda said, and she sniffed. "Look – it's okay, come back in. She's gone."

"No, I can see something – aha!" James said triumphantly, but when he leaned over further, the boat rocked so much that cold water sprayed onto Sirius' face.

"Come on, James," he said uneasily, looking back to the rest of the group, who were far ahead. "You'll fall in."

"Just a little bit –" James held out his arm, and promptly lost his balance. There was a massive splash as he hit the water, and Sirius sprang up, the boat rocking. "James!" He yelped. "James?!"

There was no answer, and he looked back at the girls. Belinda looked worried, and even Emma was pale. "James?" He called again, swinging the lantern to look into the water. He remembered what the gameskeeper had said about creatures in the water, and his stomach dropped horribly. Suppose - suppose something had gotten his friend, had eaten him?

There was an almighty kicking beneath the water, and James came to the surface, sopping wet, missing his glasses, but triumphant. He clutched the teddy bear tight in his hand, its orange fur matted. Sirius helped him back onto the boat, where he wheezed for breath.

"You're mad," Sirius said weakly.

"A world class idiot," Emma said, but her high forehead was pinched in worry as he spat out water.

"Still got it though, didn't I?" James gasped, wiping his eyes. "Blimey, that water was freezing."

All Sirius could do was grin at him. "You lost your glasses."

"I can get new ones," he said dismissively.

The boat began to follow the others again, James shivering violently, though he handed Belinda her lucky bear.

"I'm sorry," he said meekly. "I didn't mean to drop it in. I didn't know about your dad."

"It's okay," she said, and gave him a smile. "You got her back for me."

"I bet the Sorting has started already," Emma said, and sniffed. "We're going to be in so much trouble. All because of you."

"I aim to please," James said. He was still shivering, but he gave Sirius a grin.

There was a big fuss when they caught up with the others, who had already reached land. A tall severe looking witch with the thinnest lips Sirius had ever seen dried James with her wand, and snapped that it was a new record for a student to get into trouble so quickly. They stood in line with the other first years, James still quietly dripping onto the tiles as he dried.

"It was amazing," Belinda was telling the others. "He just jumped right in!"

"Well," James said modestly. "I fell in. But yeah, it was pretty cool. Reckon my dad will be proud of me."

He held up his hand to Sirius, who looked at him blankly. "High five," James said, in explanation. He looked at him oddly. "You know, where you hit my hand? Don't you know what a high five is?"

"Of course I do," Sirius lied, and held up his hand, grinning at his new friend as James hit it. His nerves had returned now they were standing in the hall. He had always been sure he would be a Slytherin. The Blacks had always been Slytherins. But now he wasn't sure he wanted to be Slytherin if James didn't think much of the House. But he thought of his father, and how he would react if he knew Sirius wasn't Slytherin, and shivered.

"Cold?" James asked. Steam was rising from his school robes, and his damp hair was sticking straight up. Without his glasses, his eyes looked large and round.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "Cold."

The witch who had scolded James began to call the new first years forward, and as they cleared Sirius saw his cousin Andromeda. She sat alone at a corner of the Slytherin table, looking lost in her own world, not paying attention to the first years. Sirius followed her gaze and found she was looking towards the Hufflepuff table, but she saw him looking at her and gave him a smile. He smiled back, though his stomach was twisting again. Unfortunately for him, his name was early on the list, and it wasn't long at all until the teacher called, "Black, Sirius!"

He stepped forward slowly, and sat on the polished stool as the teacher put the battered hat on his head.

Hmm, said a low voice in his ear. Another Black.

I'm a Slytherin, Sirius thought. Right? Blacks always are.

Usually, the hat mused. But you don't seem to be a usual Black. Cunning, yes, plenty of it, and intelligence too. A lot of bravery......foolishness, some would call it. Yes, I think you would do well in GRYFFINDOR!

The last word was yelled to the entire Great Hall, and for one moment, Sirius thought he had imagined it. But then he heard the low whisper that spread through the room, saw the shock on Narcissa's face. Her hands were together but stood still, as though she had been about to clap but had quite forgotten how to. He looked quickly for Andromeda, but she too was staring at him, her face full of shock. He looked towards the teacher, hoping she would say the Hat had made a mistake, that he should sit down again. But all she said was, "Well? Go to the Gryffindor Table, Black."

His legs felt like they were in concrete as he stumbled forward, sitting down at the table. A tall prefect clapped him on the back but he hardly felt it. The rest of the Sorting passed in a blur. The red haired girl from the train was Gryffindor too – Sirius saw the disappointment on her friend's face as she came to sit at the table. When she saw Sirius, she turned her back to him pointedly. Emma from the boat was a Slytherin, Belinda a Ravenclaw. It occurred to him as he watched the Sorting that he did not know James' surname, and he curled his fingers tight in his palms, guessing that his new friend was pureblood, hoping that he was. It was only at "Potter, James!" that he realised his guess was correct. He had heard the name Potter before, from his father, but Orion had not been kind.

James was a Gryffindor too. When he came to the table he gave Sirius another high five, grinning so hugely that Sirius could only grin back, though he felt ill at the thought of his parents.