1st year.
James Sirius Potter propped his feet up on the bench seat across from him. He was seated all by his lonesome in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. His cousins, Fred and Louis Weasley, who were also beginning at Hogwarts, hadn't gotten on the train yet so James was forced to be by himself for a bit.
James didn't particularly like being by himself. It wasn't a common thing to come across in a family like his. Sometimes it was good. On the first train ride to Hogwarts, ever? Not so good.
Victoire had offered to sit with him until Louis finally said good-bye to their parents, but she was a prefect and had to go to the meeting. Teddy, though like another brother to James, was in his seventh and final year, and after giving Ginny, Harry, Al, and Lily hard hugs had given one to James and disappeared, off to be with his friends. Teddy had also offered to hang out with James, but James wasn't that desperate for comfort and he was pretty sure it was just Teddy pitying him in the first place, anyways. Molly and Lucy had just scurried off someplace; they'd never really taken an interest in him since he really only cared about getting to play Quidditch instead of attending the classes at Hogwarts. Dominique had attempted to talk to him for a bit, but she was anxious to find her boyfriend, Eric, so James had made her go find him. Roxanne didn't want to spend time with her brother, Fred, who was usually found with James, so she'd gone her own way.
James sighed. Three other people had all come in his compartment to find a seat, but upon seeing him they broke out into whispers and then stared heavily. He'd rolled his eyes and faced away from the intruders. They'd gotten the message and left. They were probably already spreading rumors about Harry Potter's rude child.
The compartment door slid open again and a tan, blonde girl who was probably only a little shorter than James was in the doorway.
"Hi," she smiled. Her smile was so big James thought he could see every one of her teeth, each one a pearly white. "Can I sit here? There doesn't really seem to be any room anywhere else and you looked kind of lonely anyways." She looked hopefully at him.
James snorted. Here this random girl was going to pretend to pity him just to meet the famous Harry Potter's son. It was like this all the time and he didn't want it anymore.
"Don't pretend you don't know who I am," James spat.
The girl looked confused, and just a little bit hurt at James's attitude. "Er, I don't."
She walked inside and sat down across from James, who lowered his feet off the seat. "I'm Callie Monaghan," she grinned, looking confident.
"You talk funny," said James, not keen on liking anyone outside of his family. They just wanted to know him for his name. He'd realized he had a slim chance of making any friends not related to him once he'd gotten to the platform and seen the stares.
She shrugged, still smiling. "I'm from California. It's in the States. So basically, I have an American accent. But I could say the same about you."
"That I have an American accent?" he asked in disbelief. How stupid was this girl?
"Nooo, that you talk funny, Silly."
James chuckled, more at her than with her. "Did you just call me silly?"
"I guess I did," Callie was still smiling. James wondered if she was always smiling. He didn't really want her to stop though, it was making him feel better about going to Hogwarts.
"Is your face stuck in a smile or what?"
Callie laughed. "Nope," she shook her head. "But what's not to smile about? It's sunny outside, a first for England, I'm told. The weather is still like summer. And I'm starting a school for magic when I didn't even know magic existed."
"You're muggle-born, then?" James asked, taking an interest. If this girl was muggle-born, then she definitely didn't care about his parents or family or anything. She was honestly here because she needed someplace to sit and because she thought he was lonely.
"What's that?" Callie asked.
"It means you come from parents who aren't magical."
"Well, my dad isn't. But I don't have a mom. So I guess she might be."
"I'm sorry about your mom."
"She didn't die or anything; I've just never met her," Callie shrugged. James thought her eyes looked like pictures he'd seen of the Pacific Ocean: sea-green. "What about your family?"
"I've got a younger brother and sister and a ton of cousins and uncles. And my mum and dad. And when I say a ton, I really, really mean it."
"That must be so much fun whenever you guys all get together and stuff. It'd be like having ready-made friends." Callie practically bubbled with enthusiasm.
James smiled. "I guess you're right. Oh, here two of them come."
Sure enough, Fred and Louis bounded through the door, Louis with lipstick marks all over his cheek.
James snorted. "What'd Aunt Fleur do, Louis, attack you with her mouth?"
Louis rubbed his cheek ruefully as he flipped his curly, blond hair out of his eyes. "Apparently her 'leetle boy eez all grown up' so I was subjected to this."
"Who's this?" Fred asked James, motioning to Callie with a freckle covered arm.
"This is Callie Monaghan from California. Callie, these are my cousins Fred and Louis."
"Hi, nice to meet you guys," Callie smiled and waved.
"California? Like in America? I've always wanted to go there!" Louis sat down abruptly and started chatting with her about all she knew about America and everything he wanted to do. James grinned at the sight and Fred sat down and joined in.
Boom. A great friendship of four was born.
"Monaghan, Callie," a witch called Callie's name and she stepped up the stairs to the sorting hat.
The ragged piece of fabric barely touched her head before it shouted, "Gryffindor!"
James breathed a sigh of relief and watched her grin at him before skipping down the steps to join the other Gryffindors at the long table on the end. She wasn't a Slytherin. She hadn't seemed like it, but at least this way there was a larger chance of them being in the same house.
James bounded up the steps when his name was called and gave the professor a haughty grin. "Gryffindor!"
A few people later and Fred was being called up. The hall felt completely silent as the hat deliberated, even with the whispers of students carrying across the huge, stone, cavern-like space. James checked his watch. It felt like it had been five minutes.
"Slytherin!" the hat shouted. Instantly, the sound in the Great Hall was silenced. No one said anything. Except for Fred, who cried, upon going towards the green-clad occupants at the table on the opposite side of the hall, "Move over Snakes, another weasel is joining the ferrets!"
James laughed. Fred would be fine. He went with the flow.
Roxanne was called up next and she was tossed into Hufflepuff after a much shorter time span than her twin brother's. Everyone's parents were going to be really surprised with the way all of this was turning out, James thought. Molly and Lucy were in Ravenclaw. Victoire was in Gryffindor and Dominique was in Slytherin. The family had two people in every house.
Louis stepped up to the stool and the hat proclaimed him a Ravenclaw. Guess Ravenclaw was taking three people, James altered his earlier statement.
Well, even if his two best mates (and favorite cousins) weren't in his house, he still had Callie, who was grinning at him as she passed him the mashed potatoes.
So, here is the first chapter of the story of James & Callie. There are a few set-up chapters, so bear with me. It's not going to be very long, only fifteen chapters or so. But I'll be updating quickly and will get to the main storyline in a few chapters.
