Just so you know, guys, I've checked the 'Harry Potter Lexicon' (the absolute essential to any Harry Potter fan), and there is no real information about Harry's Grandparents. As such, I've named them Adrian and Jennifer. Don't ask me why, I just liked the sound of them... It seemed right. Bear in mind they are rather old, as well.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognise from the Harry Potter Series is not of my ingenuity, but that of JK Rowling. However, Jasmine is of my creation. Please, don't use her without my explicit permission.
The Birth...
Jennifer smiled wearily as the Healer passed her her tiny son, padded in a fluffy white blanket. She looked down into her arms adoringly. He was a little bundle, already awake and alert, but not crying. She leant over and kissed him, her short brown hair still damp from the labour. As she looked up, Adrian, her husband, was cradling their daughter awkwardly. He gently touched her nose; she reached up and grasped his finger, gazing up with big blue eyes. Adrian looked up, catching Jennifer's gaze. A tear ran down his cheek, and the couple looked at each other with such love the Healer smiled. Sometimes her job was depressing, but seeing things like this made it worth it. Jennifer looked at the Healer, seeing her smile. Then she looked back to her children, tears welling.
"James and Jasmine Potter... They're perfect."
11 years later...
James ran along the car park, hurtling towards Kings Cross station. His trolley, which held his trunk and tawny owl, Bertie (named after Bertie Botts' every flavour beans). His hair, jet black, was short, and stuck up slightly at the back. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with trainers that he brought with his Father at a muggle shop, which had been a strange experience for James. He and his Father shared the same hazel eyes, and the same kind of mischievous manner. As he got to the entrance, he stopped, looking back.
His sister caught up with him quickly; she was the more sensible out of the two, but he often persuaded her to get caught up in his mischief. The two were extremely close, even for twins, and they were both loved unconditionally by their parents. Jasmine, in contrast to James, had inherited her mother's eyes; a deep, thinking blue. They both had their Father's hair however, and Jasmine's curly locks fell down to her midback, even with the ponytail she contained it in. She had her own trunk, and she had her own owl; it was a present they had both received for their 11th birthday, in preparation for their arrival to Hogwarts. Jasmine's owl was a barn owl, with beautiful brown and white plumage. She looked to her brother, excitement glinting in her eyes.
"We're finally going to school, James! We're going to do magic!" She said, whispering the last part, as if whispering the plans to a conspiracy. Their parents had told them it was a secret from muggles, and they were never allowed to reveal it. Unfortunately, the kids had taken this to heart, and whenever they were in public, they whispered between themselves as if they were spies.
"I know!" James replied, his voice quivering in anticipation. They'd been looking forward to school ever since they'd been young, not really understanding why they weren't allowed to do magic themselves.
"James! Jasmine! Don't go too far now!" Adrian shouted, shaking his head in content exasperation. It had been difficult to control them in the run up to September, but both parents knew they would miss their children terribly; after 11 years of mayhem and mischief, their lives would seem almost empty.
James and Jasmine exchanged impatient looks, with loud exaggerated sighs, waiting for their parents. Jennifer placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders.
"Now, don't forget your owls! We want letters! We want to know what you've been learning and if you're making friends!" She said gently, as they began to walk again.
"If you have any trouble, go to Professor Dumbledore. He's a kind man, but he won't tolerate you two being nuisances!"
James and Jasmine looked at each other, giving a look, before looking away quickly. They were walking up the platform now, and the children were more interested in looking to see where the big red train they'd heard so much about was. Jennifer's next words fell on deaf ears.
"Don't go out after curfew, and don't use your father's cloak but for emergencies!" She said, giving Adrian an almost angry look. They'd argued over the invisibility cloak, and if it should be given to the children, but Adrian just shrugged. It was a family tradition, and was always given to children in their first year. Technically, it was James', as he was the son, but he had always shared it with his sister.
Jennifer and Adrian stopped their children and pointed to the wall, gaining confused looks. Adrian guided James with patient hands, and softly pushed him toward the wall. They both walked straight into the wall, James unflinching, albeit perplexed, in his Father's arms. Jasmine chuckled in delight, jumping up and down as they disappeared. She practically pulled her Mother through the wall without fear. She gasped again when they walked onto the platform.
It was busy and bustling, with hundreds of students rushing around, with loud greetings and shouting reunions. Some were already dressed in their uniforms with the Hogwarts emblem, with colours that showed their houses. Jasmine and James once again gave each other excited looks, both wanting to get changed into their uniforms.
Jennifer looked at her husband's watch and sighed. "Your watch isn't working again, dear." Adrian looked at it, and tapped it with a frustrated hand. "This thing keeps playing up..." He turned to another couple who looked rather lost, with two small girls by their side, obviously also first years; one with blazing red hair, and the other with a sour look.
"Do you have the time?" He asked. The parents looked around with a slightly flustered look in their eyes. The man looked down at his watch, and promptly told them. Jennifer went up to them kindly. "Are you new to all this?" She asked, gently. They nodded slightly. She reached out and patted the woman kindly. Jennifer had worked in Muggle-Wizard relations for most of her life, and was a naturally compassionate woman. She smiled. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll adjust to it all fine. I can guarantee things will be easier with a couple of witches in the house!" Adrian smiled and thanked them, turning to Jennifer.
"Mark and June should be here soon with Ronan..." He said, looking around. Jasmine and James were chattering together at hyper speed, a habit they'd gotten into. A young boy suddenly ran to them.
"Ronan!" Jasmine cried, smiling. She quickly hugged him as James rolled his eyes. He never liked the fact Jasmine paid more attention to Ronan whilst he was around; he was rather possessive of his sister. Jennifer and Adrian made their way over, and greeted Mark and June, Ronan's parents. They began talking; they were going away for a weekend when the kids had gone to Hogwarts, mainly for something to do. Ronan was a boy the same age as the twins, with a strong structure; brown hair and brown eyes, with a gentle temperament.
There was a loud shout, and Jennifer walked over and hugged her children. "Right, you kids have to get on the train now. Your bags have your uniforms in them, your trunks and owls are on board. Write to us every week... And don't make trouble! I mean it James!" She said in response to James' rolling of the eyes. Adrian walked forward and embraced both of his children. "Work hard, and have fun..." He whispered, pulling away and winking. James grinned and Jasmine giggled. Jennifer gave her husband a look, not knowing exactly what he said, but knowing it was something to do with his mischievous streak. She sighed, and quickly ushered them onto the Train, where they quickly went to a window to wave to their parents.
"Bye Mum, bye Dad!" Jasmine shouted, leaning out of the window to wave.
"Bye! I love you!" Jennifer shouted back, tears springing to her eyes, although the children couldn't see them.
"Muuuuum!" James complained. Jennifer gave a watery chuckle, as the train began to move forward.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! But don't forget to write!" She cried, waving, running alongside the train.
"Bye kids!" Adrian yelled, holding his wife's hand.
As the train pulled out of the station, Adrian pulled his wife to his chest, where she began to weep. It was a gentle weeping, as she knew she would. They both knew they had to let their beloved children go, but it was one of the hardest things they'd have to do. They would be their only children; due to their busy, but well paid, careers, Adrian and Jennifer hadn't had children until quite late in their lives, and now Jennifer was unable to conceive.
"They'll be fine, Jen. James and Jasmine will be so busy there they won't even have time to miss us! You remember what it was like at Hogwarts?"
Jennifer nodded, slightly comforted, and took her husband's hand, looking once over to the rails where her children had left her.
"I know. I'll just miss them more than they'll ever realise."
As they turned around, the first thing they saw was the sour-faced little girl, with the muggles they'd asked the time from, crying, being comforted by her parents.
On the Hogwarts Express...
"In this one, Jas!"
James pulled his sister by the hand, and they went to sit in an empty compartment. Ronan had walked off with another of his friends, and Jasmine had been rather sorry to see him leave. The twins babbled excitedly for about 10 minutes, before another boy, looking rather harassed, walked into the compartment with another, elder boy in green robes at his heels.
"In here, Sirius."
"Go away, Regulus. I don't need you to show me where to sit. Leave me alone!"
The elder boy gave his, what appeared to be, younger brother an exasperated, disdainful look, before leaving. Sirius sat down, looking at the two. Jasmine smiled slightly and waved. James rolled his eyes.
"Hi! I'm James Potter and this is my sister, Jasmine." He said loudly.
"Hey, I'm Sirius Black." Sirius said, with a little shrug.
Jasmine didn't say anything; she was too busy watching Sirius. He was very good looking, with long black hair that flopped casually into his brown eyes. He saw her looking, and smiled at her; it was a charming, killer watt grin, and she automatically blushed. James watched this with a slight frown.
"So, was that your brother? Is he in Slytherin? I'm going to be in Gryffindor!" He said, jumping up and striking a kind of brave pose. "Where the brave of heart dwell!" Jasmine's attention returned to her brother, and she chuckled.
"Yeah, just like Mum and Dad!" She said, jumping up and down in her seat excitedly.
"Yeah, well, my entire family is in Slytherin." Sirius said glumly. "I wanna be in Gryffindor, though."
Jasmine looked at him. "You look like you'll be in Gryffindor." She said kindly, a trait she'd picked up from her Mother. "Then we can all be best friends!" She grinned.
James rolled his eyes. "We can be best friends, even if we're NOT in the same house." He said.
"Yeah, but it'd be easier if we were." Jasmine reasoned, sticking her tongue out.
The rest of the train journey went on in this fashion, the children all getting changed into their robes at some point. Their robes were all black, but when they were Sorted by the Sorting Hat, their robes would magically change to their house colours. It was clear the boys would be friends, but Sirius' face was becoming more and more anxious the closer they got to Hogwarts. The fear of him being sorted into Slytherin was clearly on his mind, and although James didn't appear to pick up on his new friend's feelings, Jasmine did, although there wasn't anything she could do to dispel his anxiety.
Soon enough, the train began to slow, and even Sirius began to look excited they piled off the train into the throng of students, staying close together. They climbed into a boat with the other first years, led by the groundskeeper, Hagrid, shouting "Firs' years! This way!"
They glided across the lake, sharing a boat with a platinum blond haired boy, and a bigger boy who sat behind him like a bodyguard. Sirius, James and Jasmine instantly took a disliking to the boy, and gave him and his crony a wide berth. They were led into the great hall by a witch who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, and, in a little crowd they were ready to be sorted. Jasmine felt uncomfortable as the long tables went into silence, looking at the first years. The Sorting Hat began to speak, much to the twin's excitement and surprise, telling a poem of the houses individual attributes and talents. A sliver of anticipation began to harden in her stomach, as the Professor McGonagall began to call out names. Sirius went first, out of all the people she knew and he screwed his eyes up as he sat on the stool, looking at though he was going to be sick. She bit her lip, as the Sorting Hat sat on his head for over a minute. She was beginning to think he would never be sorted before the Hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"
Jasmine's heart gave a small leap. She and James looked to each other and gave out a loud cheer, as the table furthest to the right began to clap. Sirius grinned, and looked toward the Slytherin Table. Jasmine couldn't help but follow his gaze, and saw his brother, Regulus, shaking his head. His friends around him looked equally disdainful of Sirius as he walked to join the Gryffindor table. Jasmine recognised the red haired girl her parents had gone up to, Lily Evans, as she was sorted into Gryffindor. Jasmine caught her startlingly green eye as she left the stool, and smiled broadly at her, getting a tentative smile back. Lily did, however, look slightly sad as she looked at another boy stood to Jasmine's left; a slimy haired boy who looked positively distraught at Lily's sorting. The blonde haired boy, Lucius Malfoy, was sorted into Slytherin, to no one's surprise. Then James went up, giving his sisters hand a slight squeeze. He walked up confidently, sitting on the stool. The moment it touched his head, it shouted "GRYFFINDOR." Jasmine clapped and whooped, giving her brother the biggest grin she could muster. He grinned back, before giving her a thumbs up and walking to the table, next to Sirius. Jasmine noticed they left a seat between them for her, even though there was no assurance she would be in Gryffindor.
"Potter, Jasmine!"
Jasmine heart was beating hard in her chest, as she began to move through the crowd of people. She bit her lip, and the slimy haired boy next to her stuck his foot out and she tripped over it, stumbling slightly. She looked to him with a confused look, before looking to her Brother, who was glaring at the boy with loathing. No one else had really noticed, as she was surrounded by people. She took a deep breath, embarrassed, and walked to the stool sitting down, wringing her hands on her lap. The hat touched her black locks, and she was shocked to hear a voice in her ear.
'Hmmmm... Intelligent and sensible but brave... You are a difficult one to place, young one. You'd do well to be in Ravenclaw, with brains like that, but you have the personality of a Gryffindor... What to do with you, what to do with you... Hmn.'
Jasmine clenched her fists and closed her eyes as the voice went silent, before shouting for all to hear; "GRYFFINDOR!"
Jasmine opened her eyes in jubilation with the brightest smile she thought she had ever managed. She got up as the hat was lifted off her head, and nearly ran to her brother and hugged him, sitting in the place he and Sirius had reserved for her. She looked to Sirius with a huge grin and he smiled at her, but this was a different kind of smile. It was gentle and comforting, and it made her heart jump nearly as much as when she had been sorted. She blushed and lowered her eyes. She looked in front of her, surprised to see Lily smiling at her too. She smiled back with a little wave, before looking back to the sorting.
"Snape, Severus."
The slimy haired boy walked up, looking to Lily as he sat. Jasmine looked at him with distaste. As with James, the hat barely touched his head before shouting "SLYTHERIN!" Jasmine couldn't help but sneak a look at Lily, who looked on the verge of tears. Jasmine bit her lip, and reached out her foot, catching Lily's. Lily looked at Jasmine reluctantly, and Jasmine smiled reassuringly at her, as if to tell her it was going to be okay. Lily smiled thankfully back.
With that, the Sorting was finished, and the Headmaster, Dumbledore, stood, making a speech about the new year at Hogwarts and how everyone should behave as they should. Jasmine could have sworn he'd glanced at the twins; he was a friend of their Father and knew of their reputation. They simply grinned at him. Then the Feast began.
The boys talked animatedly among themselves, James occasionally talking to Jasmine. They'd befriended another couple of boys; Remus Lupin, a skinny, quiet kind of boy and Peter Pettigrew, a large and shy boy, who Jasmine pitied slightly. Jasmine spoke to Lily for the most part, and they became good friends, also talking to a girl called Susan, who was to be sharing a dorm with them.
The feast, although delicious, didn't taste the same as it did at home, and for the slightest moment, she missed her parents, though amidst the excitement, the feeling was fleeting. Looking to her brother, she knew he had felt the same. Soon enough the feast was finished, and the first years got up first, following their prefects through the big castle to the northern tower, to a portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Hippogriff." He pronounced almost bored, and the Fat Lady nodded, and swung open to reveal a hole behind it. They climbed though single file, and found themselves in the spacious common room. The prefect directed them to the girls and boys dormitories, and Jasmine remembered with dismay that her and James would not be allowed to share. She looked to James, and he seemed to be thinking the same thing. As the students filed into their dorms, Jasmine and James hung back, Sirius waiting at the foot of the stairs for James.
"Promise you'll meet me here tomorrow, first thing in the morning?" She asked him, nervously. He nodded and smiled.
"Of course, Jas. We're going to have loads of great classes, especially now we're in Gryffindor together!" He said.
"I can't wait to write to Mum and Dad and tell them!" Jasmine replied enthusiastically. James nodded.
"Okay... Well... Night." James said, awkwardly, heading toward Sirius. Jasmine bit her lip, not liking being separated from her brother. She headed for the foot of her stairwell, looking back.
"Night James... Night Sirius." She said softly.
Sirius grinned, secretly thrilled to be included. "Night Jas." He said, easily using the nickname only James used for her. She smiled back at him, walking up the stairs to the dorm and into the lush, decorated room, with red four poster beds. Lily and Susan smiled, already sitting on Jasmines bed in their night clothes. Jasmine giggled and jumped on the bed. The girls chatted for well over an hour, before finally being told to shush by the elder girls and being forced to bed. Jasmine lay for a while, trying to ignore the empty feeling she was getting; she'd never spent a night away from her brother before. She finally smiled.
"I think this year is going to be a good year..." She murmured, before the excitement of the day finally caught up with her, and she fell asleep.
