"You cut to the quick, don't you? No holds barred. It's true, but what can I say? Seems as if the burden of being the good-looking Marauder falls upon you this year. We can't count on Peter or James. His hair is ridiculous. At least with you, we have something to work with." Sirius' smile was bright as it often was, the kind known to be as infectious as his laugh.

Finally he ended up back in front of Remus and he took his arm, dragging him along and past some younger students onto the train. There were a couple of first years, so of course Sirius couldn't resist. "Did you hear about the dragons they got for the Sorting this year?"

He let his eyes wander over the faces of the children whose heads had snapped around at the word 'dragon' and whose expressions had grown fearful at the word 'Sorting'. "It's tragic when they die so young."