A Fateful Day

Thought-talk:

James

Jessie

"I wish there was an easier way to get to the station," a formidable-looking witch said.

"Dorea, it wouldn't be the same if you didn't go through the barrier," said the tall wizard who was standing next to a young girl.

Dorea Potter had her grey-white hair pulled back into a bun. You could tell by her angular features that she was once very beautiful, but time had taken its toll. There was a sense of power around her and an air of confidence. If angered, she would be a force to be reckoned with. Her warm, grey eyes gave people the impression that she is not as stern as she may seem.

Charlus Potter was getting on in the years. As with his wife, he was probably handsome when he was younger. You could almost see the power radiating off him. His muscular arms were marred with battle scars. Friendly, inviting hazel eyes sparkled with fatherly pride.

There were four people with them, clearly related.

"Cassie, look after James and Jessie," Dorea Potter reminded her oldest. Cassiopeia Potter, or 'Cassie' as she preferred to go by, was very pretty. She had sleek, shiny, straight black hair that always looked good. Her full, red lips contrasted nicely with her porcelain skin. Her angular features and grey eyes made her irresistible.

Cassie nodded. "Bye, Mum. I have to go now." Dorea pecked her on the cheek before letting her go. She rounded on the two children standing a few feet away from her.

"James, Jessie, don't give your sister too much trouble." Dorea gave the twins a knowing look. James Potter looked more like his father than his mother. Like Cassie, he had jet black hair, but instead of it being straight, it was extremely messy. His hair was at odds with his pale skin. He had a few freckles on his nose. You couldn't help but smile when he smiled and laugh when he laughed. James's eyes were the strangest colour; they were a dark hazel that seemed never-ending, but if you looked close enough, you could see flecks of purple. His hazel eyes never stopped sparkling with mischief.

Jessica Potter, or as everyone calls her, 'Jessie', looks almost exactly like James. Other than the fact that Jessie is a girl, there were only two ways to tell them apart. The first: Jessie has more freckles. The second: there is no purple in her eyes. She had curly black hair.

"Bye Mum," Jessie hugged Dorea.

"Bye Dad," James said to Charlus, who gave him a hug.

"James, Jessie!" Cassie called from behind them, beckoning them into the train. They turned to look at her. "I can't stay long." She eyed their trunks. "I'll help you find an empty compartment, but then I have to go to the Prefect's meeting. I would invite you to sit with me, but since nobody but the Heads are allowed in the Head's Compartment, you can't." While she was saying this, the train started to move. After a few minutes (and passing through many compartments), they stopped walking.

"Here, this will do," Cassie said, more to herself than to James and Jessie. She motioned to the compartment to her right before walking away.

James looked at Jessie. There's someone in there.

I'm not going in first, Jessie thought back. James gave her a look, then opened the door to the compartment just enough to stick his head through. There was a boy with light brown/sandy blond hair reading a book, whom James guessed was his age.

"Er, excuse me. Can we sit with you? Everywhere else is full." James asked hesitantly.

The boy looked up. "Sure." James walked in with Jessie at his heels. He sat across from him. James saw the title of the book he was reading; Hogwarts: A History.

"I'm James Potter, and this here is Jessica-" Jessie cut James off.

"Call me Jessie," Jessie glared at James.

"I'm Remus Lupin," the boy replied. "Are you two related?"

"Yeah, we're twins." Jessie smiled.

James opened his mouth to speak, but before he could make a sound the door opened. A boy with ebony hair and stormy grey eyes entered their compartment. "Can I sit with you?"

James nodded. The boy sat down next to him. "I'm Sirius, Sirius Black."

"I'm James Potter, and this is Jessie," he told Sirius, pointing at his sister.

"I'm Remus Lupin."

"Are you two twins?" Sirius asked James, but it was Jessie who answered.

"We are, unfortunately."

"What do you think Hogwarts is like?" Remus asked after a few minutes.

Jessie cleared her throat and brought her voice up an octave. "It is a wonderful place, where children learn to become great wizards and are train to do great things." Her voice returned to normal. "Or at least that is what mother told me."

That is exactly the same thing father told me.

Do you think it is a coinceidence?

No.

Same here.

"Hogwarts is a place where weird things happen," Sirius said. "There are castles inside of the classrooms, with moats and everything. The professors make the students swim in the moats while trying not to get hit with the spells the enely is throwing down on you."

Remus and Jessie stared at Sirius in disbelief.

"And what makes you think that?" James's face was straight, but inside he was laughing.

"I had a dream." Sirius stated matter-of-factly. "And that was what was in it."

Jessie's and Remus's disbelief left, leaving an open parking space for mirth. In other words, they burst out laughing.

"I'm not lying," Sirius said indignantly.

"I believe you." And James did. They exchanged a look, and then the two of them began to laugh.

Jessie's POV

"Firs' years, o'er here! Firs' years!" a huge person was yelling over the crowds. He was towering over everyone; he must have been at least seven tall. Most of his face was covered by his wild, tangled, bushy beard and hair.

"Whoa," James and Sirius chorused, looking up at the enormous man. I turned to look at them, rolled my eyes, and turned away. Have they even heard of subtle? I thought to myself.

Yes, actually, I have. James responded, indignant.

I thought that to myselfI huffed.

Sirius nudged James. I looked around. A lot more first years had arrived, and the gigantic man had started to walk. We ran to catch up to him. He led us down a path through what seemed to be a wood or a forest.

thud

Without warning, my idiotic brother stopped right in front of me, without warning. Before I could say anything, my eyes widened. The path had become really wide, leading towards a lake. All along the shoreline were about a hundred wooden boats, which had room for only three or four passengers.

The wild man stepped into one of the boats. "Everyone ge' into one o' the boats. No more an' four each!"

Gradually, the boats filled. Once everybody was in a boat, they started to move across the lake of their own accord. I was in a boat with James, Sirius, and Remus. The water was like glass; it showed a mesmerizing reflection of the night sky. The boat suddenly rocked violently, lopsided. I twisted in my seat. All the guys were squished together on the starboard side.

"What are you…" My voice trailed off. I heard a splash to my left. Many people gasped; I did too. Rising out of the water was a huge tentacle. It straightened, and then lowered back into the dark water. "You saw that before, didn't you?" Remus nodded.

"No need to be frightened! Tha' was jus' the Giant Squid! Won' hurt ye'. He's a gentle gian'." The big man called, obviously trying to be reassuring. "In a few seconds you'll be seein' Hogwarts fer the firs' time!"

By now, the boys had gone back to their original spots. "No one ever told me about the Giant Squid," Sirius grumbled. For the third time, everyone gasped. Right before our eyes was Hogwarts. It looked so majestic, towering over the lake with the starry night sky as a backdrop. After what seemed like a few seconds, the boats entered a cave and stopped. The big man led us out of the cave, up a flight of stairs, through a few hallways, and into what I assumed was a waiting chamber of sorts. He left via a small side door. A moment passed, and then the door opened once again. In came a tall, stern-looking witch wearing emerald robes. With her black hair pulled back in a tight bun and her thin lips, she looked like a person I would not want to cross. She began to speak.

"I am Professor McGonagall. In a few minutes, you will go through these doors, where you will be Sorted into either Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Slytherin. Once sorted, your House will be like your family. You will be rewarded for good things by receiving points for your house. Break any of the rules, and you will lose points. The House with the most points at the end of the year is awarded."

James's POV

"In a few moments, you will go…"

I looked at Jessie. She was paying rapt attention. It amazed me that she could manage that. I knew that I should be paying attention, but I was too anxious. Yes, I, James Potter, was anxious. I really wanted to be in Gryffindor, but nobody in my family has been a Gryffindor. They are all Slytherins or Ravenclaws. Mostly Slytherins, though. Sirius nudged me, pulling me out of my thoughts. Professor McGannogol, or whatever her name was, finished speaking. I smiled reassuringly at Jessie. She looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. Nervous?

She glared at me. Professor McGonna-thingy led us into the Great Hall. My eyes widened when I saw the ceiling. Well, at what should have been the ceiling. Instead, there was the night sky, exactly as it had looked outside. I was not the only one marveling at the ceiling. A girl with flaming red hair, who was standing some ways in front of me, was gazing up at it, and I assumed she was telling something to the girl next to her, since her lips were moving rapidly.

Five long tables were in the Great Hall. The ones I assumed were the House tables were vertical to the doors, two on either side of me. The fifth table was at the top of the room, only it was positioned horizontal. The other teachers all sat up there, gazing down upon their students. In the middle of the table was Albus Dumbledore. I have seen his picture before, on Chocolate Frog Cards, but that is nothing compared to the real thing. The man who took us across the lake was sitting at that table too, smiling.

McGonagall cleared her throat. "When I call your name, please come up to the stool. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once you are sorted, take a seat at your House table." She was standing behind a three-legged stool, on top of which an old hat sat. The hat came to life (a mouth and eyes appeared) and started to sing.

The Great Hall broke into applause at the end of the song. The stern-looking Professor-whose-name-escapes-me stepped forward, unrolling a lengthy bit of parchment. "Arshoin, Daniel" The Hat was placed on the head of a short boy with blond hair.

What if I got sorted into Hufflepuff? That would be embarrassing on so many levels, not to mention how Mum and Dad would react. I shuddered at the thought. But then again, Slytherin- Somebody brushed passed me, bringing me back to reality. I was too preoccupied in my thoughts to notice where Daniel got sorted.

"Black, Sirius." I gave my friend a quick smile. He looked really nervous. Heck, I would have been very nervous if I were him.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I smiled up at Sirius.

"Evans, Lily." The red-headed girl I had seen talking earlier got sorted into Gryffindor. She was the first girl to be sorted, I think.

Many names later (two Gryffindors; Remus included, five Slytherins, four Hufflepuffs; including Peter something, the kid who just got sorted, and five Ravenclaws), only five of us remained unsorted.

"Potter, James."

It took what felt like an eternity to reach the stool. I looked at the Ravenclaw table. My hazel eyes met with grey, and Cassie gave me a warm smile. The next thing I knew, the Hat was placed in my head, covered my eyes, and I heard a voice in my head. Not that the last thing was unusual, but still.

"Ahh, let's see. Another Potter, is it? Hmm…well, if you are anything like the rest of your family, that leaves only two options: Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Yet you also seem suitable for Gryffindor. You have a fear of being inadequate. Very ambitious, I see, and you have a very quick wit. All are qualities that Salazar sought above the rest. Your mind is sharp. Perhaps Ravenclaw? You love knowledge, but you aren't very fond of work. Never mind. Ahh...your loyalty to your friends and family is great. Brave to the point of stupid, also. I know...GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat shouted the last word to the Great Hall. The majority of the students were silent, shocked at what had just happened. The handful of people who clapped were most likely muggleborns. I sat down next to Sirius, who clapped me on the back. It wasn't so silent anymore. A murmur grew throughout the Hall, everyone whispering. Sirius had received a similar reaction when he was sorted.

"Potter, Jessica."

Sirius and I watched as Jessie walked up to the hat. After a moment, the hat called out Gryffindor. Once again, only a few people applauded. The rest of them stared in shock before emitting harsh whispers from their mouths. Only one professor seemed taken aback. I assumed he was the head of Slytherin. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The Sorting ended, Dumbledore said a few words, and the feast began. I was so hungry, and by the looks of it, so were Sirius, Remus, and Jessie. I turned around to look at Cassie. I don't know what I was expecting to see, but what I saw definitely wasn't it. Her lips were pursed slightly. I could see confusion, anger, shock, and disappointment on her face. I returned to my friends, subdued.

The feast ended, and we went up to our dormitories. I lay awake for hours that night. I couldn't stop thinking about Cassie's reaction. Was that a preview of what is to come with mum and dad? I fell into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning.