Harry Potter and the Lost Black

By November Falls

Part One:

The Marauders and The Girls

Chapter One: Seventh Year Begins

Sirius Black followed a tall, black-haired girl through the train station. He had a large smile on his face as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at her shoulder-length curly hair. As he started whispering a spell, she stopped, turned around and pointed her wand at him. She smirked and made his wand fly into her free hand.

"When will you learn dear brother, I will always be faster then you and I know when you are going to do something." The girl smiled.

"How was your summer Kate?" Sirius closed the gap between him and Katherine Black, his twin sister.

"Wonderful. Miranda and I saw everything that there was to see in Ireland." Kate smiled as she hugged him.

"Did you bring me some of those lollipops you wrote about?"

"Yes, they're in my trunk." Kate smiled as she looked over his shoulder. "I see the Potters are all in one piece, so that means you managed minded your manners over the summer."

"Somewhat." Sirius smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"So living with the Potter's is all you wanted it to be?" Kate wanted to make sure he was happy.

"Better then with mum." Sirius assured her as the Potters walked up.

"Hello Kate." Mrs. Potter greeted the girl. "Was your holiday good?"

"Yes, Mrs. Potter." Kate smiled. "Hello, Mr. Potter, James."

James Potter grinned at the young woman he had known since he had arrived at Hogwarts seven years ago.

"I have some of your things in my trunk," James said. "Mum thought you might need them."

Kate nodded gratefully. James smiled again, at which Kate grinned and blushed a little, before turning to her trunk and adjusting the lock a little.

"Well, young man, Head Boy, I don't think I need to tell you to be on your best behavior do I?" Mr. Potter asked.

"No father." James rolled his eyes while Sirius laughed.

"The same goes for you Sirius." Mr. Potter turned the other boy. "I don't want any owls arriving about you either."

"KATE!" A voice yelled from behind them.

"There's Miranda. I have to go. We'll find a compartment and be waiting for you." Kate walked off, as James watched her go.

"Well, we better be off. We'll see you at Christmas." With that Mr. And Mrs. Potter disappeared with a pop.

"And I thought that they would never leave," James sighed.

"What a way to talk about one's parents." A voice said, as a shaggy blond-haired man popped up in front of the other two boys.

"Remus ol' chap. How are you?" Sirius asked as he wrapped his arm around the taller boy.

"I was fine till you touched me." Remus Lupin said, feigning a disgusted look on his face before he breaking out in a laugh.

"Funny." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Have you seen Peter?" James asked. "The girls will be wanting us to get on the train soon and we all know how lost he can get."

"Evans got a hold of him before she went off with Kate and Miranda," Remus answered.

The other two boys nodded and they started to walk toward the Hogwarts Express. Within a few minutes they found the compartment. Kate, Miranda Tate, and Lily Evans were in a the far corner giggling over a picture. Peter Pettigrew sat nearest to the door; he was looking through a large book.

"Nice of you to join us boys." Miranda said sarcastically.

"Well we thought that it would be nice of us to grace you with our presence." Sirius smirked and winked making Miranda's cheeks turn a little pink.

Miranda turned her head to face Kate, who laughed.

"James, we have to go up and meet with the prefects." Lily said, standing up and handing Kate back one of the pictures that they had been looking at. "We won't be long."

Lily walked out of the compartment, dragging James behind her by his collar as the train pulled off.

"How was your summer Remus?" Kate asked as her trunk started to shake and fall off the rack barely missing Sirius' head.

"Bloody hell, Kate!" Sirius yelled as Kate and Remus rushed over to the trunk, which, was still shaking violently.

"What's in there?" Remus asked as they kneeled down in front of her trunk.

"Kate, you didn't bring it with you, did you?" Miranda asked rolling her eyes.

"Bring what?" Sirius asked curiously as she opened the trunk.

Out of the trunk jumped a cat like creature that curled its self around Kate and started to purr. It was a white, speckled ginger animal with a tail like a lion's and a flat face.

"Is that a Kneazle?" Remus asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes, her name is Kit." She smiled as Kit jumped back into the trunk and fell asleep.

"You are going to be in so much trouble when we get to school," Sirius laughed.

"Kate, I told you not to bring it with you," Miranda said in a disapproving manner.

"Well I wasn't going to leave her with that old woman who was beating her with a broom. Poor little Kit, she needs a good home and I can give her one." Kate smiled as she petted the Kneazle.

"You have to have a licence to own one," Peter said from his corner, without looking up.

"I know. I'm sure my dear brother wouldn't mind making one up for me." Kate smiled innocently.

"No, I'm not getting into this one," Sirius said.

"Now you decide to be a good boy." Kate rolled her eyes as she closed the trunk back and pushed it to the side to keep Kit from making it fall again.

"You could go to Azkaban for this Kate. Why didn't you take it to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?" Remus asked.

"You of all people should know why I wouldn't take her there. You read about what they're doing to animals they think are over populating," Kate said. She was starting to look very unhappy, in fact she was starting to turn red. "I was not going to let her be hurt and that would happen if I took her anywhere but with me to Hogwarts. So the four of you, and James and Lily when they get back, will just have to keep your tongues in your heads, end of story. Kit is mine and she's going to stay with me."

"And she goes on at me for the stupid things I do." Sirius mumbled as he pulled Remus over to his trunk. "One of these days her and her weakness for animals is going to get her into major trouble."

An hour or so later James and Lily returned, Lily looking very pleased with herself and James looking as though he was bored out of his mind.

"Can anyone tell me why I got this stupid badge?" James asked as he fell down beside Kate who was asleep with her head against the window. "I think that Dumbledore put it in my letter by mistake, meaning to put it in Lupin's."

"Stop complaining James," Kate mumbled, without opening her eyes.

"I'm not complaining, I just think I should be able to appeal against this decision." James sighed.

"And your father would have your head on a plate," Sirius said.

"Why is everyone so loud?" Kate mumbled some more and laid her head onto James' shoulder.

"Why are you sleeping?" James poked her.

"Stop it," She whined.

"Stop it." James mocked.

"Lily, tell him to be still and hush," Kate said, her eyes closed.

"James, be still and hush." Lily smirked as James winked at Sirius.

James allowed Kate to fall asleep and once he knew she was sound asleep he moved over, so that she would fall.

"AWW!" Kate whined. "James, I was having a nice dream about pushing you off a cliff," Kate whined as she rubbed her head where it had hit the seat.

"You would miss me. Everyone would," James said in a cocky manner that made Lily roll her eyes and shake her head.

"I don't think so," Miranda said.

"Really, you wouldn't miss me Miranda?" James asked, flashing his most charming smile at her.

"Well let's see here. Who would miss not knowing if something is going to pop out at them if they open a book or turn a corner? Who would miss not knowing, when four young men were in a corner whispering about something, they are about to play a prank on you and your friends?" Miranda pointed out.

"She's got a point there," Remus smirked.

"Side with the girls, Lupin, you only are because you fancy Kate." James smiled.

"He does not," Kate said, looking horrified at Lily and Miranda, who were laughing.

"Yeah, I do not," Remus said.

"Yeah, he does not." Sirius exclaimed.

"Back on subject, you guys really wouldn't miss me?" James said in a much more serious tone.

"James, stop being a big baby, of course we would," Kate said shoving him a little, "Who else would we have to stop Sirius from being a total loser all the time?"

"Hey." Sirius said, looking slightly hurt.

"Only joking." Kate smiled.

"Kate, your trunk's shaking." Lily pointed to the brown trunk.

"Let her out Remus," Kate said as Remus opened the trunk. Kit jumped out, and started licking her paw.

"Kate! Is that what I think it is?" Lily exclaimed.

"Not this again." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yes and no lecturing. I'm keeping her no if, ands, or buts. So get over it," Kate said as there was a knock at the door and Peter opened it to see the Food Trolley.

"Anything off the trolley?" The little, old witch who had been pushing the trolley since they were first years asked, in a cheery voice.

All four of the boys jumped up and rushed to the trolley. Within a few minutes they had returned with enough Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, and Pumpkin Juice for everyone.

"I knew there was a reason we kept these guys around, they always pay without us having to ask them," Miranda smirked.

The afternoon went on, slowly, but they were enjoying themselves and the last ride that they would ever be taking to Hogwarts for the start of the year. After they had eaten Kate and Miranda went back to showing Lily the pictures of their trip to Ireland. Remus and Sirius played Wizards Chess, Peter continued reading the book he had begun reading when they got on the train and James sat in the floor fiddling with his broom.

"Do you have an idea as to who you're going to get as a seeker, James?" Remus asked as one of his knights ran it's sword through one of Sirius' knights.

"No. I'll have to hold try outs and I hate it. I was hoping that Lucas would have failed last year." James said, putting his broom down and looking at Remus.

"That's a nice thing to want to have happen to someone." Lily rolled her eyes.

"He wouldn't have came back anyhow. He was offered a place on the Falmouth Falcons; they lost their seeker at a match last year. She hasn't turned up yet," Kate informed them.

"And you know this how?" Sirius asked suspiciously, his protective, brotherly instincts kicking in.

"He wrote and told me." Kate grinned. "You need to stop being so over protective. It gets really annoying after a while."

"He'll fit in perfectly on that team. I don't know how many fouls we got because of him each game," James said.

"In the one against Hufflepuff it was thirty three." Miranda said with a disgusted look.

"And when you played Slytherin he had fifty nine fouls." Lily added.

"I'm starting to get the idea that you three fancy Lucas," James said curiously.

"Yes for Kate, no for Lily and I," Miranda said as she dodged the book that Kate threw at her.

"I'll correct that, she use to fancy him, but then again she also use to date him too, so that might be why he writes her all the time."

"You dated Lucas?" Remus asked, laughing.

"As a matter of a fact I did and I don't see what's so funny about that," Kate said, getting a stern look on her face.

"It's just I never took you as one to date a Seeker, I always saw you being a Chaser kind of girl." Remus laughed as James threw his broom polish at him.

"If things don't stop getting thrown someone's gonna get hurt," Lily said as Kate rushed over to Remus who was holding his nose. "Or maybe someone already has."

Kate pulled his hand away and saw all the blood that was pouring out of his nose.

"Wonderful Potter, you've broken it," Kate said as she took out her wand.

"Wha..what are you doing?" Remus looked in horror at her wand.

"I'm gonna fix it," Kate answered in a matter of a fact tone.

"No. Don't you dare come near me with that thing." Remus backed away and into Peter.

"Well something has got to be done or you're going to bleed to death," Lily said as she came up beside Kate.

"Remus stop acting like that, Kate knows how to mend bones just as well as Madam Pomfrey," Sirius said.

Remus looked curiously at Kate and then nodded. She pointed her wand at his nose and within a few minutes the blood had stopped and his nose was fixed.

"There," Kate said handing him a mirror. "That's as straight as I could get it."

"It looks the same, what do you mean, as straight as?" Remus asked.

"Well there's a little bump right about there." Kate ran her finger down his nose.

Her finger rested on the place where the bump was at and she smiled at him. He smiled back as she tapped the bump with her finger and it disappeared.

"And now it's perfect." She grinned and turned to go back to the corner with Lily and Miranda.

"Sorry bout that mate," James said as Remus grinned and watched Kate, who had started giggling with Lily and Miranda.

*~**~*

"And welcome to another year at Hogwarts. A few start of term announcements are as follows; everyone is to keep in mind that the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden to any student. The Whomping Willow is not to be approached by any means. It does like to hit out at anything that gets in its reach. All first years need to meet your house prefects, they will be around to help you to whatever class you may need to find." Albus Dumbledore smiled over the Great Hall. "With that said, tuck in."

With that the platters in front of the students filled with food. James, Sirius, and Peter started pulling everything they could get their hands on onto their plates. Remus, Lily, Miranda and Kate sat back watched with amused looks on their faces.

"The three of you are all pigs." Miranda made a face of disgust.

"We don't roll around in mud," Peter said before he stuffed a fork full of steak and kidney pie into his mouth.

"Sirius does." Kate laughed as she helped herself to some roast chicken.

"Only when I need a bath," Sirius smiled, a bit of something hanging out of his mouth.

"I'd believe it," James said smelling him, "You stink."

"Funny." Sirius scowled.

"You do you smell like a wet dog," James laughed.

"I've said that few times myself," Kate said.

"Eat your dinner and keep you two Sickles out of it. I don't need you hounding me too Kate," Sirius said and started focusing on his plate.

"I think you might have hit a nerve James," Kate laughed.

"Me?" James questioned. "I think that was directed at you Katie Bell."

For the rest of dinner the friends concentrated eating, talking very little. When it was time to go to the Gryffindor tower James and Lily had to stay behind to have a word with Dumbledore. Once Lily and James had returned to the common room things settled into the norm and everyone was content with watching the fire, and not talking. Slowly one by one everyone started going to their dormitories. By eleven the only people remaining were Kate and James.

"Weird to think that next year at this time we'll be full fledged wizards and witches with jobs," James smirked from the couch that he was lounged on.

"Yeah. No more classes, no more feasts, no more pranks, I'll miss it." Kate sighed as her blue eyes glowed in the firelight.

"No more pranks? You're kidding right."

"You have to grow up sooner or later Potter."

"Pranks will always be a part of my life. And your brother's."

"I gave up on him ever maturing a long time ago, so that's not news to me," Kate laughed.

"Fifth year we all talked about what we wanted to do when we left, you never said."

"I wasn't sure at the time."

"Surprising, I thought you would have had your whole life planned out."

"No, James, my life was about as planned out as your next prank."

"We plan those out very well," he said indignantly.

"But not the next one, yet."

"How do you know?"

"Sirius tells me about most of them."

"Oh," James nodded. "Wait, he's not suppose to tell anyone."

"He can't keep anything from me. We've always been able to know what's going on with each other."

"So no plans?"

"No, I have one now. I made up my mind last year when that Muggle family was killed and it shocked the wizarding world because it was a wizard that done it."

"Really, what did you decide on?"

"I'm going to become an Auror. I took some practice NEWTs before I went to Ireland and the head of the training course said that if I made as well on my real ones that I wouldn't have any problems getting into the program. Only problem is finishing at Hogwarts."

"And what's going to keep that from happening?"

"I don't know. A few more late night runs with the four of you and it might not happen," Kate smirked as she stood up. "I'm going to bed. I want to get up early and go and talk to Hagrid about the possibility of Kit staying in his hut while I'm at classes, so no one sees her."

James nodded and stood up in front of her. She began walking to the staircase, with him beside her. They got to the staircase and both tried to go up at the same time.

"I don't think this is going to work." Kate smiled.

James looked down at her and smiled back.

"I believe you're right." He stepped back. "Ladies first."

"Night, Potter," Kate called over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs to the landing and then turned to the right to go up the other stairs that would take her to the seventh year girls' dormitories.

James watched as she closed the door, from the landing and then smiling to himself he went up to the seventh year boys' dormitories.