DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that's not mine (characters, certain plot points and objects, etc, etc) All of that would be JK Rowling's.

James Potter's head kept drooping to the side, his eyes half-closing in sleep as he watched the sun slowly and steadily pull itself above the horizon. He had his head in one hand, propping up his weary head and causing his glasses to shift slightly out of place. It had been a full six hours since he had awoken himself at midnight with an alarm clock and crept downstairs to the kitchen window where the owl post was dropped off. Six hours of waiting, an excited knot in his stomach that kept lurching every time he thought he saw motion.

He had hoped the owl would come at midnight, but it wasn't for a full six hours (and three minutes, according to the old clock on the wall) that it finally came; a strong, handsome tawny owl with a heavy parchment envelope tied to its leg. James hopped right off the chair he had been sitting on, knocking his thick glasses right off his face as he did so.

His hands shook as they fluttered around, searching for the lenses that he could hardly see. When they finally made contact he slammed them on his face with unnecessary force, just in time to see the owl swoop right past his nose, close enough for him to make out the Hogwart's crest stamped on the envelope it was carrying. Barely able to suppress a whoop of excitement, the young boy tore the letter away from the owl, who hooted in an almost understanding way, and flew up the stairs, shouting.

"Mum! MUM! DAD! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!" James yelled, crashing through his parent's door with the letter held aloft. Mr. and Mrs. Potter raised themselves groggily out of bed at the sound of their son's excitement. Neither one seemed sure of exactly what was going on; Mr. Potter was squinting at his son, unable to see what was causing all the ruckus without the help of his own thick glasses. He groped around the polished, wooden nightstand beside him until he found a thin stick of wood.

"Accio glasses," he muttered sleepily, pointing some distance across the room. Unfortunately, James' glasses were closer to the direction that his father pointed to, and as a result, zoomed off his face and into his father's waiting hands.

"Dad, I can't see!" James grumbled impatiently, almost panicked, as if afraid that he would never get his glasses back and, as a result, never see glorious letter that lay on the inside of the envelope he was holding.

He launched himself, half-blind, upon his parents bed, where his mother pulled him in her arms and placed his glasses gently back on his face. "What's here, dear?" she asked gently, pulling the letter from James' tightly clenched fist.

"My letter! My letter to Hogwarts!" he said, his voice ringing with joy as he pulled himself out of his mother's arms and began to bounce on his parents' mattress. His grin stretched from ear to ear, and his hazel eyes lit up with joy as he gazed upon the seal on the letter: a lion, a raven, a badger, and a snake, all intertwined around a regal letter H.

James was not the only one who was excited by this news. As soon as his rather tired parents realized just what their son was so excited about, both their faces lit up. Mr. Potter especially seemed excited at this news. "That's right! I almost forgot: you'll be heading off to Hogwarts this fall. It's not like you've mentioned it every, oh… five minutes since the beginning of June." James smiled sheepishly at his father's teasing, but was too eager to open the letter to respond.

"Can I open it, Mum? Please please pleeeeease?" he asked, his eyes growing huge and round with anticipation. She ruffled his already untidy black hair and simply handed over his slightly crumpled letter before falling back into her bed.

"Read it out loud, James," his father instructed, still unable to read the letter due to his lack of glasses. James began to read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Below that was another piece of paper, with more writing:

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain white work robes(black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamandar

Defense Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

James looked up at his father hopefully. "I can smuggle one in, though, right?" he asked quickly, clearly hoping Mr. Potter would just agree without thinking. His father, however, just smiled and winked at him.

"Broomstick smuggling's out, young man. Wreaking havoc in the good name of Gryffindor, however…"

"And who's to say he'll be in Gryffindor?" Mrs. Potter jumped in, "Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin have all produced fine witches and wizards as well. And what's this about wreaking havoc? Don't encourage him to get expelled in his first week there!"

"Mum, I don't want to be in Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin," James said, ignoring the second half of her statement. "Who would want to be in Slytherin? They're all greasy gits up to their ears in the dark arts, Dad's always said—"

"Oh, has he now?" she asked, giving her husband a stern look. "I'll remind you that half my extended family's been in Slytherin, as has yours. As well as Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff!" James and his father both shook their heads; James with disgust and Mr. Potter with a resigned sort of air. "Oh, the both of you just calm down. Whichever house you're put in dear, you'll do wonderfully in. I'm off to make breakfast, now that the whole family's up," she said, slipping out from underneath the covers and grabbing her wands. "Pancakes for the family—a special treat for our new Hogwarts attendee."

As soon as his wife left the room, Mr. Potter turned to his son. "Don't you be worried James, you're off to Gryffindor without a doubt. Why, you're the best description of a Gryffindor I've seen since myself," he said as his son beamed at him.

Mr. Potter pulled himself up out of bed with a groan and cracked his back, raising his wand in his right hand to summon his glasses again. Before he could mutter the incantation, James interrupted.

"Dad, could I try?" he asked hopefully, pulling on his father's wand arm. His father contemplated for a moment before handing over his wand: mahogany, 11 inches, with the core of a dragon heartstring.

"You remember the incantation, right son?" James nodded, screwing up his face and holding the wand at an arm's distance.

"Accio glasses!" he said, pointing toward his father's rather thick-lensed pair. They rose a few inches off the dresser, wobbled unstably a foot forward, and fell to the floor. James watched, disappointed at his failure, and stuffed his wand back into his father's hand.

"That was a great try, James!" his father said, patting the small boy on the head. "That's a fourth year spell, you ought to remember; you're way ahead of your time." James still looked sulky, though a flicker of pride lit itself inside him at his father's words.

Unaware that his compliment had worked to cheer his son up, the elder Mr. Potter continued speaking. "And, since we've got your Hogwarts letter, I say it's high time you get a wand of your own. What do you say we head over to Diagon Alley after breakfast and stop in to Ollivanders-?"

"My own wand? Today? Really?" James nearly shouted, spinning around so fast he almost threw his glasses off. His father smiled.

"If you'd like. But," James' smile dropped, "your own wand means responsibility. No magic outside of school. Not unless I give my—ah—permission."

James nodded eagerly. "Yeah, fine, fine. Let's go eat breakfast!" He grabbed his father by the hand and dragged him down the stairs, ready to wolf down his breakfast and get to Diagon Alley within the hour.

I'd just like to say I wrote most of this at one in the morning, so forgive me if it's bad. I'd like to continue it though, so tell me what you think. I'm trying to incorporate as much detail from the Harry Potter books into my James fan fictions as I possibly can, so forgive me if you feel like you've read a piece or two in the Prince's Tale or something like that. Hope you had fun reading the first chapter