Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I just own my original characters and the plot for this story.
Two young children gripped tight to one another's hand for support as they approached the seemingly normal brick wall. The two could have been seen as siblings had it not been for their differing hair colors and the pair of parents ambling along behind them. The two fathers pushed trolleys with two rather large trunks on them, as the two women beside them chatted amicably about their children walking in front of them, one holding a small toddler at her hip.
"Don't worry Kate. We're gonna get in there, and we're gonna rule the place," the young black-haired boy said to his best friend, who had an anxious look on her face.
The young girl took a deep breath, looking back at her mum and dad. "I suppose you're right James." A look of determination replaced her anxious look as she shared a mischievous smile with James.
"Katie dear, this is it. Why don't you and James go ahead first. Your father will bring your trunk." The middle-aged woman smiled sweetly at the two, motioning her head forward.
Nodding her head at her best friend and her family, the young brunette let go of the boy's hand, closing her eyes as she walked quickly through the wall of bricks. Opening her eyes, a beautiful scarlet red train came into view. The sky was a bright blue, a contrast to the gloomy grayish-blue of the England sky.
"Woah! Cool!" James had appeared at her side, also fascinated with the large train.
Katie turned her head, looking around at the rather large train station. There were families, some small, some large. There were a few kids as well, who appeared to be her age, and others who towered over her petite eleven year-old body. She spotted a rather glum looking family across the platform, all dressed in black. A young boy trailed behind the mother and father, his rather curly long hair covering up most of his face. She recognized him vaguely; she saw him once at one of the parties her mum threw.
Behind her father, Katie saw another young girl emerge from the wall, looking very anxious. She had very pretty red hair; it looked just like the curtains hung in her sitting room. Her eyes were also a bright green, which looked like the small meadow in her backyard. She turned her head to James and found him staring at the girl as well.
"Well kids, don't be too nervous. Hogwarts is bloody fantastic. And don't worry too much about which house you'll get sorted into, they're all great. Well, maybe Gryffindor's just a bit better, but don't tell your mum I said that." He winked at the two kids, who smiled brightly at him.
"William! What are you telling them?"
"Nothing dear!" He pushed the trunk forward, allowing his daughter to take one of the handles.
"You two best be off, the compartments can get rather full. And don't cause too much trouble," Mrs. Potter said, smiling warmly as the two.
The two young children said quick goodbyes to their parents, saying goodbyes to each other's parents too, seeing as they were practically second family.
They heaved their large trunks off of the trolleys, turning around one more time to wave their parents a goodbye before disappearing into the train. Many of the compartments were already occupied, so James and Katie opted to take the compartment nearing the back of the train.
Katie had already stepped in when she noticed the young boy looking out the window.
"Oh sorry, we thought this compartment was empty. If you don't mind, could we share the compartment?"
The boy turned around and gave her a nervous smile. His light brown hair was messy, but not as messy as James'. His eyes were an interesting shade of brown, reminding her of chocolate. What really struck her were the long scars across his face. There were a few gashes around his face, but one long one stretched from the top of his right eye to his left cheek.
"Y-Yeah, of course." His smile was more genuine this time, with less anxiousness. But she could still see his obvious anxiety in his eyes.
Stepping into the compartment, she and James put their trunks away quickly before sitting across from the boy. He appeared to have been watching them the entire time, extremely nervous about their presence.
"I'm Katherine Hart, but you can call me Katie." She extended her hand toward him giving him a friendly smile.
He stared her outstretched hand for a moment before tentatively shaking it, attempting a friendly smile of his own.
"I'm James Potter," James said, waving at the boy and giving him a grin.
Katie realized that she still didn't know the boy's name. "What's your name?"
"Remus Lupin."
"First years, come along. If you would all please follow me!"
Hogwarts was absolutely beautiful. The large castle was decorated with large paintings and other artifacts. The hall they were escorted to was rather huge with domed roofs and grey stone floors.
They were sorted into a line, alphabetically by last name. Katie remained with Remus, whose name was behind hers in the order. The aging lady that was escorting them looked rather strict and many of the children had remained silent.
"It's beautiful isn't it," she whispered to Remus, who was looking around in awe of the place. He merely nodded.
Suddenly, one of the large doors had opened, revealing another large room, even bigger than the hall they occupied. There were four tables all in rows, with students already sitting excitedly. There was a stool near the front center of the room, a rather dusty looking, old hat upon it.
The same lady, who introduced herself as Professor Mcgonagall, stepped next to the hat, carrying a small parchment with her.
"Sirius Black."
The boy she'd seen earlier stepped up to the stool. She remembered him now. Her mother had sometimes spoke of his family, the Black family. One of the most famous pureblood families in the Wizarding World.
He looked slightly anxious but seemed to remain calm.
"Gryffindor!" The hat had spoken loud and clear. Suddenly the hall came to a quiet silence, all staring at the young boy. He looked contemplative and confused, but the look in his eyes was one of slight fear. He ambled off the stool, making his way to the table clad in red.
"Katherine Hart."
Sitting down on the stool, she took a deep breath. She had only been on the stool for about 20 seconds when the hat bellowed loudly, "Gryffindor!"
Katie made her way down, sitting in the empty space next to the red headed girl she saw earlier.
"Remus Lupin."
She watched silently as he walked up to the stool as well, eyes downcast. He seemed frightened and nervous, more than he was on the train.
She hoped that he would get sorted into Gryffindor. They had become friends of some sort, her and James getting along well with the nervous young boy. After he loosened up and began to get more comfortable with them, he was actually a great person to talk to.
"Gryffindor!"
He ambled down the stool, taking a seat next to her. His face lit up in a smile, one that wasn't covered in nervousness, and she couldn't help but smile back at him.
Katie could feel eyes on her and she turned slightly, catching the eyes of Sirius Black. He looked somewhat conflicted, and, well, loney. Tentatively, she gave him a smile as well. She hadn't expected a smile back, so she was surprised when he sent her a shy grin.
"James Potter."
The hat barely touched his head when it yelled out a loud, "Gryffindor!"
Shooting up off the stool, he nearly tripped as he walked quickly to the Gryffindor table, a wide small on his face. He took a seat across from Katie, next to Sirius.
"Hey I guess our dads were right, Kate," James said to her, referring to their fathers' predictions that they would both be in Gryffindor. Katie nodded at him.
"I'm James," he said, turning to the long-haired boy.
That seemed to have broken the boy out of his conflicted state, reaching out his hand to James.
"Sirius," he said, with a grin on his face and a new sparkle of life in his black orbs as James shook his hand.
There was a tap on Katie's shoulder and she turned around to find the redheaded girl smiling at her with her hand outstretched.
"I'm Lily," She said brightly.
Katie took her hand and shook it. "I'm Katherine, but you can call me Katie."
Turning back to Remus, Katie grinned. "I guess we're friends now. And that also automatically makes you James' friend too."
"Really?" He seemed surprised, so Katie nodded at him, trying to reassure him.
"Then, I suppose so." Remus smiled back at her, feeling a small comfort from his newfound friend.
So I'm adding this chapter after I've already posted up to chapter 4. If you're new to this story, then you don't have to worry, just carry on reading. But if you already saved/read the posted chapters, then you should read this chapter.
Also, I'm aware that James sat with Sirius, Snape, and Lily on his first train ride, but just for the sake of the story, this happened instead.
