Prologue
A boy stood by the train window, his eyes searching through the crowd of people. He skimmed the mass row by row, as if looking for someone important. He saw them. A couple in their early forties, their eyes searching as well. The lady looked perplexed, but happy too. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders, the wrinkles on her forehead more creased than ever. Her face lit up with a smile when she found what she was looking for. His did too. The man, stood tall, looking almost proud. His greying hair and aging face showed his happiness, even if his thin lips didn't.
James smiled, and removed his hand from against the cold glass. He took a step back, trying to look confident, not scared at all. His fingers fell through his hair, ruffling it. His glasses slipped down his nose slightly, but he didn't bother to push them back up. He stood there for a while, before the train started slipping away. Forcing his legs to move was easy, forcing his eyes to look away from his mothers was hard. For some reason, tears stung them. He told himself to stop being silly, and went in search of somewhere to sit.
Chapter one
James Potter was used to getting what he wanted. His parents gave him everything, and more. He was a miracle child. His mother was told she couldn't have children, so falling pregnant was amazing all on its own. Giving birth to a healthy boy was another thing. He had lots of friends back home, but suddenly James felt very alone. Children were rushing up and down the train in search of their friends. Some were performing spells. All were laughing and talking loudly. The older kids were trying to calm the youngsters down, but everyone was too excited. James felt excited too, but he also felt slightly sick. He moved slowly down the narrow aisles of the train, looking in on every compartment. Most of them were full, or filled with older children that would be annoyed if James tried to sit with them.
He felt cold, empty. The world seemed to be closing in on him, his insides tightened with fear. He kept his head down, passing two prefects with pride spread across their faces. James had no reason to be nervous. He came from a pureblood family, his father had a good job at the ministry, both his parents had attended Hogwarts themselves. He had been told about the day when he would walk through those gates, dreamt about the day even. He'd spent years preparing himself for the excitement of being able to use his brand new wand, ride a broom, meet people just like him. Shaking his head lightly, he focused on finding a mostly empty compartment.
As he walked he craned his neck round to see a girl with blonde hair shouting at another boy. He was laughing at her, but she didn't seem to mind. They must have been related, because despite the differences in hair colour and gender, they looked exactly the same. Mesmerised by the two, James lost himself and tripped over his own feet.
"Oi, watch it!"
James whipped round. A boy was standing in front of him. He was taller than James, with black, long hair that looked like it needed a good brush. He had dark, grey eyes that lingered on you long enough to make you squirm.
"Sorry" James murmured apologetically, looking nervously at his shoes.
"It's alright. I'm just messing with you." The boy pulled a cheeky grin. James got the feeling that he liked winding people up.
"I'm Sirius Black, first year." He announced. Despite his annoying sense of humour, James concluded that this guy had something about him, something that suggested they could be friends.
"James Potter, first year too." He smiled when he said this, his feeling of loneliness vanished.
Sirius asked James to join him, and they made their way to a compartment occupied by only two other students. Suddenly feeling comfortable, James talked to Sirius easily. They talked about Quidditch and food. They talked about wizard chess and exploding snap. They even talked about Hogwarts. Sirius seemed to want to stay clear on the subject of family though.
The other students in the compartment consisted of a red haired girl and greasy haired boy. They talked about family a lot. They talked together, in low voices, like they were keeping secrets. James' ears picked up the words parents and fighting. He shrugged them off as Sirius got on to the subject of the school professors.
"Professor Lanstone is supposed to be the nicest Hogwarts Professor ever, in history!"
"Yeah, but what does he teach? If he teaches history of magic then he's probably a right old man as well."
"Oh no, he teaches defence against the dark arts. Mum says that's a stupid subject really, and there's no need for it. Personally I think it sounds alright really but..." Sirius trailed off here, regretting mentioning his mum at all. The silence that followed echoed in the small room. The other two students were not talking any more. The girl was reading, but you could see her eyes staring lightly over the top of the books leather cover. Bright green eyes, the kind that were rare to most. The boy had edged closer to the window, and was eyeing the ever changing view outside.
James proceeded to look at the floor, anxiety creeping back into his system. He wanted to start of the conversation again, but didn't know what to say. His lips trembled every time he tried to open his mouth, his tongue dry with nerves.
Sirius himself was twisting his fingers between his hands, staring at the bitten nails and scarred palms. His wrists had dark red marks on them, that dug into his skin and made them look raw. His hair had dropped in front of his eyes, and he licked his lips in a fight to keep his mouth wet.
The temperature must have risen, because James felt the sudden need for air. After determining whether or not to announce he was leaving the room, he scrambled out in silence. The air outside was less dense and James heaved a sigh of relief when the cool atmosphere took over his body. Wiping sweat away from his forehead, whether from nerves or from the heat, he noticed the aisle empty. The students had settled down and the noise had been reduced. He could still hear people talking, but the tones had been lowered.
He had cramp in his leg, but ignored it as he shuffled down the train. Even without the mass of students he could barely walk without hitting his arms against the sides. He felt his speed excel, but for no reason. Soon he felt himself running, his legs moving faster than before. Needing to feel alone once more, he crashed into the toilets at the end of the train.
Even though there was even less room in here, James suddenly felt more comfortable. He brushed his hair from his eyes and peered into the slightly grimy mirror. He looked tired, his skin pale but his cheeks flushed. His eyes were wide and his hands were shaking. He needed to calm down, he needed something to eat.
Swinging open the door he stumbled out, expecting to set foot in an empty aisle, he groaned.
"Something wrong?" A feminine voice startled him.
His eyes darted up, searching for the owner of that voice. Sure enough a girl was leaning on the window. She was young, no older than a first year, though James believed she looked hardly that. Her appearance was intriguing. She had soft, blue eyes. That shone in the light. Her hair was long, and fell down her back in neatly. It was blue. Her hair was blue. Navy blue, with sunlight streaks of silver. Her mouth was verging on a smile and her skin was pale. She looked like a child model, but her height was what perplexed him most. She barely came up to his chest, and even then all her features were small. Almost pixie like. He gaped at her in awe, his eyes staring into hers. This didn't bother her though, instead she just held his gaze and smiled.
"Are you done in there?" She said, nodding towards the toilet. James felt the urge to move and forced his head up a down unconvincingly.
"Cool, thanks." She exclaimed and skipped over to the door, sliding past him. His eyes followed her as she moved, he didn't even know her name. Besides, he was too young for girls.
Food. That was what he needed.
When James made his way back to the compartment, he saw no sign of the pixie girl. Trying to push her out of his head was difficult, if not impossible, but he kept telling himself what his mother always said, he was too young for girls.
Making his way into the compartment, he was greeted by someone who was obviously not too young for girls.
Sirius had returned to happy mode and was sat with two first year girls, both giggling like idiots. N0t taking much notice of their appearance but noting down their names, James settled down in his old spot.
Their names were Marlene and Jayne. They both looked alike but were not related, with bouncy bronze curls and creamy skin. Although they talked to James, they seemed must more interested in Sirius and focused on every word he said, agreeing with everything. Talking improved James, and his cockiness. Soon he was laughing and joking with the others.
By the time the trolley lady came round the conversation had gone a little dry, and they were going over the same topics. James was grateful for the sweets in his mouth, for now he didn't have to make conversation. Whilst sat in silence, James learned a lot of things.
The greasy haired boy had the nick name Sev and he came from a disturbed home, where his parents often fought.
Marlene was an only child, and considered an angle, more spoilt than James himself. She lived in Bristol with her parents and her father was a doctor. A muggle doctor.
Jayne was less spoilt. She had a sister and two brothers, all younger than her. Her mother had died three years ago, not long after her youngest brother was born. She shared a bedroom with her sister, who was called Anna.
James could only gather information about Sirius, as he never actually stated anything about his home life or family. He came from a wealthy family, well known in the wizard world. James was surprised he hadn't recognised the surname. Black. Sirius had siblings, though James wasn't sure on how many and the genders. His father was a complete prat, as Sirius has described him, and didn't say anything on his mother.
The red haired girl didn't have a name. She was muggle-born. She had a sister, Petunia. Her father was an accountant.
All in all, James believed he had gathered a considerable amount of information about his companions.
"You'd better be in Slytherin." Sev whispered to the read-haired girl.
"Slytherin! God, I'd leave, Wouldn't you?" Marlene and Jayne nodded. James had directed his question at nobody in particular, but it was Sirius that replied.
"My whole families in Slytherin." He said softly.
"C'mon Sev, we're leaving." The red-haired girl stood up and left, closely followed by Sev, and then the other girls, leaving a displeased Sirius and James alone.
Chapter Two
The rest of the journey was awkward. James apologized, and Sirius accepted, but their conversation did not flow as well as it had before. However, when they arrived at Hogsmead Station, the boys stuck together.
Riding in the small boats was fun, if not exciting, but all the students were over-whelmed with happiness as Hogwarts came into view. It was no less brilliant than his parent had described it, and James found himself in awe at the castle. It was built to perfection, with tall turrets and large grounds. The huge trees were nothing compared to the highest windows, lit with a soft glow. The vast forest hid its secrets away from the students, but its gloomy presence kept them all leaning over the sides of the boats. The stars in the dark night sky seemed like an excellent addition to the castles already beautiful landscape, and for James, it felt already like a second home.
The students had to make their way into Hogwarts without the gamekeeper, Hagrid, at their side. James thought this would cause utter chaos between the students, but it only caused everyone to silently stumble through the castles great doors.
The castle inside was made entirely of stone. Stone walls, and floors and ceilings. The window panes had black crosses over them and house tapestries hung on the walls. The ceilings were so high that you could have fit a bus underneath most of them, the stairs were magnificent themselves and surprisingly, the rooms had warm glows to them. The students climbed a considerable amount of stairs, before finding themselves in front one of the school professors. McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall was an ageing lady, with greying hair tied up in a tight bun. She wore skin that folded it's way around her sharp facial bones, and a stern but fair look etched upon her face. Her black pointed witches hat sat neatly on top of her slick hair, and her black dress and cloak fell smartly to the floor.
"Welcome first years," She said with an accent, "to Hogwarts School. Now, before we begin the sorting ceremony, I would like to explain this to you. Whilst you are at Hogwarts, we expect you all to behave."
James looked around, Sirius at his side, as grin imprinted on his face.
Fat chance. He thought. Like were going to behave.
"Your house," McGonagall continued, eyeing the students one by one, "will be like your family. Hogwarts your home. We expected you to treat the castle, the other students and the Professors, with the utmost respect. Now, shall we join the others?"
She turned on her heel and walked towards two great oak doors. The students followed like puppies. Behind the doors, no talking could be heard. The excitement inside the first years was building up. Sirius was hopping between two feet, as if desperately waiting for the toilet.
Now I should probably explain. Hogwarts is a boarding school for witches and wizards between the ages of eleven and eighteen. You attend the school for seven years, completing several exams in several subjects. Whilst at the school, all the students are sorted into one of four houses. The stay with this house for the reminder of their time at Hogwarts. The four houses are: Ravenclaw, which values intelligence, knowledge and wit; Hufflepuff, which values hard work, loyalty, patience and fair play; Slytherin, which values resourcefulness, cunning and ambition; Grythindor, which values bravery, daring, nerve and chivalry. The houses are named after the four houses of Hogwarts, each have a house ghost and each have a house Quidditch team.
The doors opened, and the ringing in James' ears had stopped suddenly. Now he couldn't hear anything. He couldn't hear the other students clapping as they walked in, or the footsteps on the stone floor, all he could hear was his heart thumping in his chest.
The Great Hall surely was great. It contained four long tables with benches along the sides of them. Golden plates and cutlery were laid out along the tables, and students were sat on either side. These were the house tables, one for each house. Hufflepuff was on the far left, with Ravenclaw to its right. On the far right was Slytherin, with Grythindor to its left. The first years were walking up an aisle between Grythindor and Ravenclaw. At the top of the hall was another table, facing the students. This is where all the Professors were situated. The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, was sat on a golden throne like chair in the middle. Above the high table, the four Hogwarts house crests hung on tapestries, livening the huge room. Along the far sides, long, thin windows took their place, behind them fell the night sky. The room was lit with candles, all around the room, and it was warm. The most amazing part of the room though, had to be the ceiling. It was bewitched to look like the night sky, and right now stars hung in a dark ocean of blue and purple.
McGonagall, James noticed, had stopped at the end of the tables, and in front of her was a small stool and a very grubby hat. The hat has been patched up and was faded, and it was a weird item to have in such an amazing room. But, James knew that it wasn't just a hat. It was the Hogwarts sorting hat, and it was folded into a way that made a face. The hat opened its eyes, and began to sing.
Oh,You May Not Think I'm Pretty,
but Don't Judge On What You See,
I'll Eat Myself If You Can Find
a Smarter Hat Than Me.
you Can Keep Your Bowlers Black,
your Tops Hats Sleek And Tall,
for I'm The Hogwarts Sorting Hat
and I Can Cap Them All. There's Nothing Hidden In Your Head
the Sorting Hat Can't See,
so Try Me On And I Will Tell You
where You Ought To Be.
You Might Belong In Gryffindor,
where Dwell Brave Of Heart,
their Daring, Nerve, And Chivalry
set Gryffindor's Apart;
you Might Belong In Hufflepuff,
where They Are Just And Loyal,
those Patient Hufflepuff's Are True
and Unafraid Of Toil;
or Yet Wise Old Ravenclaw,
if You've A Ready Mind,
where Those Of Wit And Learning,
will Always Find Their Kind;
or Perhaps In Slytherin
you'll Make Your Real Friends,
those Cunning Folk Use Any Means
to Achieve Their Ends.
so Put Me On! Don't Be Afraid!
and You Won't Get In A Flap!
you're Safe In My Hands(Though I Have None)
for I'm A Thinking Cap!
When the hat had finished the song, the whole hall clapped in great chorus. The first years moved the hands robotically, impressed and amazed with what they had just seen. James smiled as Sirius thumped him in the arm.
McGonagall cleared her throat.
"When I call your name, you come and sit on the stool, and I will place the hat upon your head. Once your house has been called, you will join that table." She unrolled a piece of parchment and began:
"Alex Americe."
A small boy with piercing blue eyes walked up from in the crowd. He had a freckled face and blond curly hair. As he walked over to the stool, he tripped over his own feet. He laughed and shock his head in embarresment.
It took him awhile for him to manage climbing onto the stool itself, as he wasn't the tallest boy, but his did it in the end.
"Umm, I think you'll have to be..." The hat spoke so openly James felt kind of scared, "Hufflepuff!" The last word itself was a shout, and the hall erupted into applause, especially the Hufflepuff table.
Alex jumped up and almost skipped over to the table, looking overly pleased with the hats choice of house.
McGonagall continued, "Bellatrix Black."
Sirius leaned in towards James, pressing his arm against his. "That's my cousin." Was all he whispered.
The girl had pushed her way through the first years, and was now perched on the stool. She was pretty, James couldn't deny it, but didn't look at all happy. If looks could kill, let's just say.
She was very similar in looks to Sirius, with black untidy hair and enduring grey eyes. She was average height, and had small, longs hands that made her posture look more elegant and feminine.
It wasn't long before the hat was screaming out her house, as if it had known all along.
"Slythein!"
Slytherin table whopped and clapped, with mild applause from the rest of the hall. Sirius had uttered something under his breath that James couldn't work out.
By now, Sirius was hopping from one foot to another like he needed the loo. He was nervous though, and so was James.
"Sirius Black." McGonagall called out questioningly. The whole room turned around at once, probably because of the same surname as Bellatrix before. Sirius won over the crowd with his winning cheesy grin and his great amount of humor as the hat was placed on his head. He bit his lip tenderly, and rocked backwards on the stool impatiently.
"Grythindor!" The hat called out suddenly. Sirius, who seemed surprised sat in silence and stared at his shoes. The hall did not clap, but instead gasped in shock and looked around nervously at each other. By this time, James had guessed the Sirius came from a well known Slytherin family that would not be pleased with a Grythindor son. Sirius' eyes darted up, and as he looked at each and every student, one by one the started to applaud. James joined in too. Sirius smiled, then laughed, and bounced of the stool and ran over to Grythindor table.
McGonagall once again continued, obviously trying to speed up the sorting process. It took awhile, but James enjoyed watching the students reactions.
The red haired girl had been sorted in to Grythindor. Her name was Lily Evans. Marlene and Janye were both placed in Grythindor too, the three girls sat together.
Dmitri and Edward Gale were cousins. They were the two kids James had seen at the beginning of his journey. Dmitri, believe it or not, was a girl. She had long blonde hair that fell down past her shoulder blades. Edward had sandy coloured hair that fell in a styled way around his face.
They were both placed in Slytherin.
James was called soon after and slowly made his way up to the stool. There were only a few of them left now. He anxiously rubbed his hands through his hair and scrunched up his eyebrows, trying not to have a huge panic attack. He sat down silently and the hat was lifted onto his messy, brown hair.
"Ah James. Welcome to Hogwarts, I see you took you time walked up here." The hat was being sarcastic, and who could blame him? He had been here all night, reading personalities and calling out houses. He does this year after year – James thought. Someone should give him a break.
"Well I guess you better be.. Grythindor!" James let out a relieved sigh. He was bored of standing now, and was happy when he had found Grythindor table and had squeezed in between Jayne and Sirius.
The few students left were sorted, and 'Sev' was placed in Slytherin, much to Lily's dismay.
The blue haired girl was Sally Rivers. Even though James kept telling himself to stop staring at her, he couldn't do it. She lightly skipped up to the stool and almost ran off after her house was called. He had an air about her that made James stare. She was young and care free, or so it seemed. She made her way to Ravenclaw table with a sweet smile on her face.