Reborn as Petunia Evans with a System

James's Point of View

Sirius pushed open the compartment door like he owned the place, his usual confidence dialed up to eleven. "There you are, Angel," he said, grinning at the girl seated inside.

My stomach dropped. Angel? Seriously? Who even says that?

She blinked, clearly confused. "Excuse me?"

Sirius leaned against the doorframe, his grey eyes sparkling in a way that usually made people swoon. "Sirius Black, remember me? " he said smoothly. "Mind if we join you? Everywhere else is full."

Behind him, I lingered awkwardly, hoping I didn't look as red as I felt. The girl, was staring at Sirius like he'd grown a second head. It was the kind of stare that made my palms sweat.

"Sure," she said after a moment, motioning reluctantly to the empty seats.

We shuffled in, Sirius taking the seat closest to her while the rest of us—me, Remus, and Peter—settled around the compartment. I was still trying to figure out what to say when Sirius turned to her with a grin.

"What house are you hoping for, Angel?" he asked.

She gave him a flat look. "It's Petunia," she corrected sharply. "And Ravenclaw."

Figures. She looked the type—neat, precise, and probably way too clever for the likes of us.

"Figures," I blurted out, trying to sound cool. "I'm definitely going to be in Gryffindor." I leaned back, pretending I didn't care whether she was impressed or not.

"Me too," Sirius chimed in. But his voice wasn't as certain as mine. "Though my whole family's been in Slytherin. Who knows? Maybe I'll be the black sheep."

I snorted. "Slytherin? Ugh. Who'd want to end up there?"

The second the words left my mouth, I knew I'd messed up. Her eyebrows shot up, and she frowned. "What's wrong with Slytherin?"

I shrugged. "They're all ambitious, sneaky, and… well, you know, not exactly the friendliest bunch."

"My mother and grandparents were in Slytherin," Snapes poke up from across the compartment, his voice cold. "They're good people."

I rolled my eyes, but before I could say something sarcastic, Petunia jumped in, glaring at me. "That's not fair. You're being prejudiced."

My cheeks burned. "I didn't mean—"

"Fine," I muttered, crossing my arms. "But don't blame me when Snivellus here starts brewing something nasty."

That was it. The final straw.

"Don't call him that!" Petunia snapped, standing up so fast her bag almost toppled off the rack. "You're nothing but a bully."

Lily stood too, her cheeks red with fury. "Come on, Petunia. Let's find another compartment."

I watched them storm out, my chest tightening as the door slammed shut. I glanced at Sirius, who had gone unusually quiet, his eyes fixed on the empty seat Petunia had just left.

"Nice going, James," Sirius muttered, slouching back in his seat.

"Me?!" I shot back. "You're the one who called her Angel!"

"It's called being charming," Sirius snapped. "Not that you'd know anything about that."

Remus sighed, putting down his book. "Do either of you even realize how ridiculous you're being?"

"She's just…" Sirius trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, did you see her? She's… she's brilliant and very beautiful ."sirius said in a dreamy voice

I glared at him. "She's not that brilliant."

"Oh, come on, James," Sirius said, smirking now. "Admit it. You like her too, don't you?"

My ears went red. "No, I don't!"

"You're lying," Peter said, grinning like he'd just won a game of Gobstones.

"I'm not lying!" I insisted, even though I could feel my face betraying me.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "So neither of you like her?"

Sirius groaned, flopping back dramatically. "Of course I like her! But she probably hates me now."

"She probably hates both of you," Remus said dryly, his eyes flicking back to his book.

Sirius sighed. "Do you think she's always like that?"

"Like what?" Peter asked.

"Like… fiery," Sirius muttered, his expression oddly wistful.

I didn't say anything, but I couldn't stop thinking about the way Petunia had looked at me—like I was the most annoying person in the world. And maybe I was, but it still stung.