Sunday morning in Godrics Hollow usually meant lazing around chatting with the family over a bowl of cereals, but today, in Harry's house, something quite different was happening. Everything was a blur to Harry as he rushed to pack his suitcase. His father had told him to pack it sooner, but had Harry listened? No, he hadn't. He hadn't seen the need to pack so far ahead, but now he saw why. He threw the last remaining things into his trunk: his books, his quills and his ink.
James Potter ran around his house madly, trying to sort everything out. This was how he imagined the day so far. Picking up his wand from the table in the hall, he called up the staircase.
"Lily! Where's Harry?" He shouted gently to his wife. He turned away to go into the cream living room when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He knew his son was running down the stairs, two at a time at least.
"I'm here, Dad." Harrys face appeared round the door, he looked flustered, as anyone would be when they were packing for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, though incredibly excited.
"Oh, Good. Got everything?" James flicked his messy, greying hair out his eyes. Harry nodded, and ran a hand through the hair he had inherited from his father, revealing a bare forehead, clean of any scar.
"Mum's just getting the last of everything I'm going to "need"." The father and son chuckled together at Harry's joke. Lily always fussed way too much about her son which was often a topic of laughter for the family.
"I'll go help Mum." Harry broke the slightly uncomfortable silence, which no real son and father should have, after they had stopped laughing. James nodded as Harry ran back up the stairs, taking them three at a time.
James was now alone in the tiny living room and he looked around. Usually it would be stacked with Harry's things; when he was younger it was his baby toys, then his toy broomstick which he used to love whizzing round on, then his action figures of great Witches and Wizards, now, nothing, only the boring smell of the Potter family. He breathed it in deep, wondering if that smell would change without Harry there.
Everything of Harrys had moved into either his room or the attic. James would really miss his son. Only 11 years old and going off to learn magic, just as he had done many years ago. He remembered that time so well; his parents hadn't been there, he had had to get the train by himself, find the platform by himself. James was just glad Harry had his parents.
He heard Harry thundering down the stairs again and saw him whip past the living room door, out into the drive. He could also hear a bird. Hiccup was hooting softly from his cage Harry was carrying rather incautiously.
"Come on, Dad!" Harry called to him through the open window of the house. James smiled and walked over to the window.
"I'm coming." He said, beaming at his son as he shut the window and made to leave.
"Are you excited, Harry?" Lily asked her son as her husband drove the Ford out of their drive.
"I don't think you even need to ask that. He's buzzing!" James answered for Harry, lightly chuckling again. It was true, Harry had a vibe of nervousness and excitement coming off of himself.
"I can't wait! I mean, I'm going to actually learn magic." Harry squeaked, fumbling with the cage of his jet-black owl, Hiccup, who squawked as his cage was rattled around on the floor of the small car. Harry adjusted the small cage so it was sitting comfortably by his feet.
Harry pulled out his wand and twirled in his hands. Nothing had ever felt so good to his hands. He held it properly and pointed it at his mother's seat belt. She turned.
"Harry, hun, remember you can't use magic yet." He grinned at Lily cheekily. They had been to Diagon Alley three days before, but ever since, Harry had only been thrilled further and had been anxious to get to Hogwarts as soon as he could.
"There it is!" Harry leaned forward as he saw the train station, where he would get onto the Hogwarts Express. The Potters didn't live far from Kings Cross Station. They had moved when Harry was nine from Godrics Hollow to a muggle-populated area in London and, fortunately, the people around there liked to keep themselves to themselves so no one asked questions when Harry happened upon his magic abilities.
"Yep. You'll have fun, Harry." James encouraged him as he found a parking spot.
"I know, Dad. Come on! Let's go!" Harry jumped out of the car before it even stopped moving. Lily and James climbed out the car and laughed as their son tried to open the car boot without unlocking it.
"Calm down, Harry!" Lily said as her husband helped Harry.
As he helped get Hiccup out the vehicle, James took a long look at his son. The son that was going away for three months, until Christmas, who he had spent the last eleven years of his life looking after, caring for. Harry was leaving. James couldn't help but feel a little irritated at the world that Harry had to start Hogwarts so early. Then he thought of how he couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts either, all those years ago.
"Don't worry. My first day was scary too. I met some of my best friends on the train there... like your Uncle Sirius." James said, beaming once more as they entered the cool interior of the train station.