"Platform 9¾?"
A handsome family of three walked swiftly through the crowd. The trains surrounding them blew steam. Amidst the noise, Mrs. Potter crooned over her only son. After all, James was finally going to the esteemed school of wizardry: Hogwarts. James was a clever boy, and talented at flying as well. Raised in the hometown of the Bigonville Bombers – a famous Quidditch team known for their aggressive tactics – James was constantly seen flying on a broom since birth. He inherited the ivory skin of his mother, Dorea Potter, while he had his father's, Charles Potter, brown eyes and jet black untidy hair. He wore round-rimmed glasses and his lips smiled mischievously as if hiding a secret worth telling. The wealth of his family was of no question, being an old pure-blood family. Proof could be seen in his specially-tailored new black robes. The only possession in his hands that were not brand new was his trunk; it was tradition in the Potter lineage to send their eldest children to Hogwarts with the family heirloom.
"There it is, mum!" James pointed out.
Mr. Potter tousled James's hair, remarking on the superb skills of his son. "You go in first, son, with your mother. I'll go after with your luggage." With a warm smile, he nudged his son to go.
Excited, James stood taller and took confident strides into the peculiar brick wall between Platform 9 and 10 – a barrier no muggle could cross. He disappeared and his mother soon followed and his father. On the other side of the wall, a rush of air untidied James's already untidy hair. The Hogwarts Express whistled the 5-minute warning. James hugged his dear mother and shook hands with his father as he climbed up the steps. Mr. Potter hoisted up the heavy trunk as the wheels started turning. Tears welled up in Mrs. Potter's eyes as she waved good-bye. James stuck his head out the window, waving and shouting, "Write me! I'll write you and come home every holiday!"
"Don't get in too much trouble! Make me proud, son!" Mr. Potter responded.
Their moment of parting would have been sweeter if the boy next to James had not shouted, "I hate your lot! Better hope I even come back home next summer!" This angry boy turned and caught James staring at him.
"If you're done looking, the name's Sirius. Black, but ignore that. That's a bloody surname. And I mean bloody." Sirius held out his hand to shake. James immediately shook it. Despite Sirius's vulgar language, he had a wild charm about him, in his words and his looks. His dark brown locks curled around his face, framing it. His eyes told a mystery in the darkness it shadowed. His face was certainly handsome as well.
"Name's James Potter. Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, yeah, if we're done meeting, let's go find a compartment. It looks full around here and I bloody hell am not standing around talking." Nodding his head in agreement, James led the way through the aisles. "Reckon you're a first-year like me. Heard of your family. My parents are big on pure-blood families. To a ridiculous extent too. I might as well marry the pure-blood hag dying on her bed from down the street and they might actually call me their son."
"Heard of your family, too. Aren't you held in high esteem in the wizarding world? About as high as the Malfoys. Not as high as the Potters, of course. Ha," James joked.
"God, it's true. They'd admire me even if I exploded a Hogwarts toilet," Sirius said bitterly. He poked his head into the last compartment. "Hey, you first-year bloke, yeah you, mind if we sit in?" Before waiting for an answer, Sirius slid onto the seat and patted the seat in front of him. "Saved you a seat, mate."
Grinning, James sat down.
"Name's Potter. James Potter," James offered his hand to the tired looking boy who had made room for them. There was a strange aura around him, perhaps due to the heavy bags under his eyes and the several bandages covering his body here and there.
"Remus Lupin." Remus weakly shook James's hand, his dull-brown hair drooping over his forehead.
"I'm Sirius. Not as serious as you, though. Blimey, you could pass as an Inferius. Even vampires have more energy than you."
Remus smiled, grimly, "You'll be surprised to see me at night."
"Jesus, that's creepy," remarked James. Sirius sniggered while Remus stared out the window with a hint of a smile. "By the way, what's an Inferius? Never heard of those before..?"
"That's normal, mate. Just me being from the darkest wizarding family, I would know dark magic related creatures. There are dark wizards out there who lack the heart and turn dead bodies into puppets."
In their youth, the three of them paid no specific attention to the piece of knowledge Sirius had thrown out. However, they sat in silence, watching the mundane British countryside roll past them. This momentary silence broke when their door clattered open and a bright red-hair, green-eyed girl peered in.
"Hello, is there space in this compartment? My friend, Severus, and I can't find any other empty compartments and this is the last one." Behind her, the three boys could see a rather pale and greasy-haired boy, slouching as if in disgust.
"You're welcome, but I wouldn't sit with that slimeball back there for the life of me," snickered James. Sirius guffawed hysterically as well.
Her face aflame, the girl spoke in a terrifyingly calm manner, "Forget I asked. You disgusting swine." She shut the door with a bang.
In the background, they could hear an oily voice say scathingly, "I don't need help from a muggle like you…"
The laughter subsided quickly.
"Why would a decent girl like her hang around a disgusting creature like him?" said James in disbelief.
"I dunno, muggles are strange people. Maybe they formed an alliance just to feel secure, I hear that's what they do," yawned Sirius.
Silence fell again. Without too much talking, they bought their lot of sweets when the cart came around, sharing with Remus, who refused to buy any (they reckoned he was from a poorer family). For laughs, Sirius opened twenty chocolate frogs, letting them run wild across the train. They shrieked with laughter as they heard screams from distant compartments, as well as some shouts of joy. They traded the cards (awesome, I've been looking for Flick the Flighty), ate the pumpkin pastries and compared Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans. Before they knew it, they had arrived at Hogwarts and clamored to change into their robes in time. Stepping out into the aisle, James spotted Severus and the red-headed girl. Severus seemed to sneer at him, either that or it was his normal face. Angered just by the look, James pushed others aside while stepping off the train. Sirius encouraged him from behind while Remus followed close behind.
Before long, a massive figure loomed ahead of them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, yeh li'l first-years."
"Call me Hagrid, I'm the groundskeeper of Hogwarts and I'll be leading yer lot to get ya sorted out fer yer first year here at good ol' Hogwarts. Keep close behind me! Dun wander off into the Forbidden Forest. No one will see ya again."
The first years clamored in excitement onto the boats provided. Each boat held about six people. Hagrid, being quite large, took one boat for himself and waited for everyone to get settled. James sat with Sirius and Remus along with three others (one girl named Victoria, and two boys who were twins named respectively Pratt and Melvin). In the hushed excitement, they traded the Houses they wanted to be sorted into.
"Ravenclaw for me, both our parents met there," said Melvin.
"My dad was a Gryffindor, he says Gryffindor is the best house by far. I'd kill myself if I don't get sorted into Gryffindor," James shared proudly.
"Anywhere but Slytherin for me. My entire lineage got all sorted into Slytherin and half of them are rottin' in Azkaban now. The other half are plain miserable in their rich and awesome homes," Sirius said with a wry smile.
Remus gave a sympathetic smile but stayed his silence, like Victoria whose pale skin reflected the faint moonlight.
The boats traveled swiftly and silently across the deep, dark, mysterious lake towards the moon crescent above Hogwarts. With his wild hair lashing around in the wind, James grinned in excitement. The students were hushed, but the whispers grew louder when they reached their destination. Timidly, the crowd approached the magnificent doors of Hogwarts, which opened in a grandiose manner. However, before the first student could step in, a wild cackle sounded above their heads. Before they realized it, several students were drenched with water ("Aww these are my only pair of robes!"). A few girls screamed in horror while others laughed.
Hagrid raised his fist and shook it. "Peeves, you won't hear the end of this!"
An excited whisper overtook the first-years.
"My mum told me about him!"
"How old can he be?"
"Me pop's quite fond of him," remarked Pratt.
"100 galleons to who can catch him," smirked Sirius.
"Get a move on! Come on, now!" Hagrid ushered them into Hogwarts. The room was brightly lit with hundreds of candles aflame on the ceiling and the walls and here a stern looking teacher awaited them. To the first-years, she appeared tall, and her black hair was tied in a bun. She didn't seem to be a teacher they could cross easily. She gave Peeves (who was still cackling in the corner) a scolding look. With a flick of her wand, all the wet robes became dry. Another excited whisper went through the first-years.
"Welcome to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you will follow me." She made her words concise, and even her bodily movements were concise. Her emerald green robes swished as she turned and led them through the entrance hall. James couldn't take his eyes away from the magnificence of the walls, the draperies, the rich carpet and the burning torches. He could not see the ceiling, and the marble walls glimmered from the flames.
"Better than your house, eh Potter?" Sirius grinned to James.
They passed a pair of rich doors ("That's the Great Hall!"). James could hear the murmur of hundreds of voices from behind those doors. However, the teacher did not lead them there, but to a small chamber to the side of it. The air became tighter as the crowd stood cramped in the small room and students began to fidget nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said the teacher in her sharp, crisp voice. "I am Minerva McGonagall, and I will be your professor. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor (James's fist tightened in excitement), Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." Professor McGonagall left the chamber. As soon as she left, everyone began to fix their robes, and lick their hair down.
"My brother told me we have to prove our skill on broomsticks through an obstacle course," gulped a boy called Ben.
"We have to face a dragon!"
James stood nonchalantly. His father had told him not to worry, although he wouldn't disclose what the sorting would be like. He pointed out several of their peers shaking nervously and made bets on who would break down with Sirius and Remus (who only contributed smiles). He caught sight of the red-head girl, and blushed mildly. When she looked back, she ignored him and began discussing the ceremony with her so-called "friend" Severus.
Before he could share a couple of laughs with Sirius regarding Severus's pasty skin and oily hair, the doors into the Great Hall opened. The enchanted ceiling mesmerized the innocent eyes, and the thousands of floating candles. The hundreds of voices were silenced as the first-years shuffled forward. Some older students waved to their younger siblings.
"I will be calling your names in order, and when your name is called, please step forward, and be seated on that stool. Put the Sorting Hat over your head, and you will be sorted. Once your decided House is declared, sit with your House table and let the next person be seated." Professor McGonagall unraveled a piece of parchment and read the first name off, "Amarachi, Elaine." A tall, high-boned black girl took confident steps to the stool. As soon as the hat touched her head, it exclaimed, "Gryffindor!"
"Azar, Kimmel" was sorted into Hufflepuff along with Jenny Bell.
"Black, Sirius." Sirius playfully punched James on the shoulder and walked to the stool. He sat there with the hat covering his head for a good five minutes before it finally called out "Gryffindor!" As he walked to the cheering Gryffindor table, his face seemed a little shaken and surprised, but very happy.
Taylor Castor went to Ravenclaw and Carl Crice to Slytherin. The list went on. James's face flushed when "Evans, Lily" was called and became even more determined to get into Gryffindor as she walked to join Sirius.
Pratt and Melvin Gregg were separated to different Houses – Ravenclaw for Melvin and Hufflepuff for Pratt. Victoria was sorted to Ravenclaw.
Professor McGonagall's eyes flickered when she called "Lupin, Remus", but showed no other sign. A series of movements also went through the staff. His sorting took a long time. When the hat finally shouted, "Gryffindor!" Remus looked as if about to faint.
As Peter Pettigrew was called, James's heart tightened a bit. However, he relaxed after Pettigrew tripped over himself while walking to the stool and even walked off with the hat all the way to the Gryffindor table.
"Potter, James."
Calmly, James walked to the stool, took the hat from Pettigrew's trembling hands, and put it over his head. The hundreds of students watching him vanished into the black felt of the hat.
"You have the brains, certainly, and a lot of courage. Definitely a Gryffindor!"
Face beaming, James almost skipped with joy over to the table where his new friends, Sirius and Remus sat. After snickering (to the disgust of Lily) at Severus's sorting, the Headmaster, Dumbledore rose up from his seat, commanding a silence with a gentle force.
"I welcome you all to another grand year at Hogwarts! I prepared a speech, but my hearty appetite overrules. Enjoy!"
Much to the joy of James and certainly the rest of Hogwarts, a magical feast appeared before them. Hungry, James grabbed a slice of the roast pork, a turkey leg, chicken, beef, fries, the steamy apple pie, pumpkin pie, cream pie, while gulping down plenty of the never-ending butterbeer.
"Sirius Black, what are you doing in Gryffindor? Your household is famous for being in Slytherin," grinned Henry, a fifth-year, as he clapped Sirius on the back.
"Ha, I might as well be kicked out of the Black household now. They never accepted me into the household anyways, thought I was a mistake and that they picked up the wrong baby," laughed Sirius with his charming voice.
"You're certainly different from your cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. Scary girl, that one, almost made my dingo disappear," chimed in a seventh-year, Merry. Everyone laughed at the spontaneous statement.
"What about you, Elaine? Where do you hail from?" joked Phineas, a second-year as he saluted her.
"I'm half-half. Pure black, no question, but my mum's a muggle, my pop's a wizard. My mum swears she only married him because he fascinated her with his magic tricks. She was glad that I inherited the wizard blood. She's mad for magic, I swear."
After finishing off his dessert, James's full belly brought him to a slumber. Dumbledore then rose again, clapped once (and the food disappeared much to Sirius's disappointment).
"I welcome you all again, but before I send you off to your dormitories to dream of greater adventures than life, I must go over a few notices. First, students are not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest without permission. Second, Filch would like to remind the students that Filibuster's Fireworks are not an instrument to celebrate the first day of Hogwarts in the dormitories. Third, the cordial ghosts of Hogwarts apologize for not making it to welcome their Houses. They are caught up in a meeting. Alas, time has ensnared us in its dream and we must go forward to our beds. Prefects and Heads, please lead your House to the dormitories. Sleep well, children."
The next half hour was a blur to James as his eyes closed the distance between each other, and all he could remember was falling into his soft bed, filled with fantasies of the sweet magic lulling him to sleep.