Disclaimer: The stuff you recognize does not belong to us. It belongs to J.K. Rowling. The Sorting Hat song belongs to me (Nocturna)
James Jr. and the Riddle of Life
Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express
Nick ran through the barrier on to platform 9 ¾. The Hogwarts Express was waiting in all of its scarlet splendor. His mother, Hermione Weasley, was glowing proudly as he staggered up the stairs with his trunk. He was closely followed by James Potter, whose father was too busy to take him to the train. James went into the nearest compartment that was filled with females, and started to brag about his father. Stuck up pompous brat, Nick thought bitterly. He was forced to be friends with James by his mother. She felt sorry for James because his mother had died and left Harry to raise him. After all, with Harry's great parenting skills who wouldn't be sorry for him? Nick shook his head in disgust and left, lugging his trunk after him. He came into a compartment that only had two girls in it, and they didn't look like the giggling type. One of the girls, small and skinny with dark hair and dark eyes, glared at him over her book, then went back to it, ignoring him completely. The other girl had blond hair that was tied up in a loose ponytail. She didn't even looked up. She just turned over a page in her sketchbook and stared at him, then began to draw.
"Um…hi. My name is Nick," he said nervously.
"I'm Catherine, and this is my sister Stella," the black haired girl said then went back to her book. Suddenly the door burst open, and James waltzed in.
"There you are Nick! Oh, who are these lovely ladies?" said James very loudly. The lovely ladies ignored him. Then Stella turned over the page in her sketchbook and began drawing furiously. James looked at them and tried again.
"Hi I'm James Potter, you have probably heard about my father Harry Potter. You know, the one who defeated You-Know-Who when he was just a baby."
"Yeah, too bad he hasn't been able to beat Voldemort since then." Catherine commented, not noticing that James and Nick had flinched when she said Voldemort. Just then James' fan club of giggling girls came and swept him back to where he was before. Nick sat down across from the girls. Stella smiled triumphantly. She showed a drawing to Catherine, who sniggered.
"Does your sister talk at all?" Nick asked.
"Of course I do," Stella whispered. James reentered, and grinned at Nick, then sat next to him. James then nudged Nick and winked at him. Nick rolled his eyes. Great just when the conversation was starting to…um, well never mind he thought angrily. Catherine glared at James, and Stella gave Nick a sympathetic smile. James then got up and sat between Stella and Catherine, and put his arms around their shoulders. Stella immediately got up and went and sat next to Nick. Catherine picked up James' arm disdainfully, and placed it in his lap like it was a dead fish. Nick grinned.
"What's the matter, don't you like me, um, uh, Cassandra?" James said looking hurt.
"My name is Catherine," said Catherine pointedly.
James waved his hand. "I was close. So don't you like me, Cathy?"
"Catherine."
"Fine. Catherine. Well, what's wrong with me? I'm the son of The Boy Who Lived," said James.
"Well good for you," answered Catherine.
"Hey you, Blondie, do you like me?" James asked Stella. Stella glanced at Catherine as if to say 'go ahead'.
"Her name is not Blondie, it is Stella." Catherine glared as she said this. Stella glared too, then went back to drawing.
"What, is she dumb?" asked James. Stella glared.
"No I'm not," she whispered.
"She only talks to people she wants to," Catherine added. Nick snorted with laughter.
"So she wants to talk to me, well of course, who wouldn't." He smirked and left before anyone could correct him. Catherine glanced at Nick and then at the door.
"Are you friends with that loser?" she asked.
"I wouldn't call him a loser, I prefer …"
"Stuck up pompous brat," Catherine and Nick said together. Stella looked at them both and cracked up, Catherine joined and finally Nick.
"I'm only friends with him because my parents make me, they were friends with Harry."
"Just because they were friends, doesn't me you have to be. I mean he's got his little fan club to keep him busy," said Catherine.
"I guess you're right. It's just that our families get together so often…"
"Well, we're going to Hogwarts now. No families," Catherine said firmly.
Nick smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Catherine.
"You can call me Cat." Stella glanced up, a little surprised.
"But you told James…" Nick trailed off uncertainly.
"I don't like James," was all Catherine said. Stella snickered softly. Nick smiled.
They spent the rest of the trip talking. Well, Catherine and Nick talked. Stella whispered the occasional comment, but mostly she sketched. The train finally came to a full and complete stop, and everybody jumped off.
"Firs' years, firs' years," said the biggest guy Catherine and Stella had ever seen.
"Cat, is that the biggest man you ever saw," Stella whispered
"Yeah, Star, he is really big," Catherine whispered back.
"That must be Hagrid the Hogwarts gamekeeper, my parents told me about him," Nick said. After a short walk they came to a lake with boats.
"Four to a boat," Hagrid called.
Nick, Cat, Stella and some other girl got into one of the boats. James and three select members of his fan club sat in another. They pulled up to the castle, and Hagrid knocked on the door. A stern witch answered the door.
"Thank you Hagrid. I am Professor McGonagall. You will be sorted into your houses shortly." As they waited, rumors began to be whispered about the tasks they would have to perform. Nick, Cat and Stella knew better than to think they would have to duel each other or fight a dragon, but they were all a little nervous about the Sorting. Suddenly a short wicked looking man flew over them,
"Ho ho, ickle firsties!" He began to cackle and throw water balloons. Stella dodged, and one of the girls in the James Potter Fan Club got splashed. She shrieked and jumped back, causing three other girls to fall on the floor. Cat rolled her eyes. Just then, Professor McGonagall came back and started yelling.
"PEEVES! Go away and leave the first years alone!" She turned back to the students. "All right, follow me." They followed her into a giant room where there were four big long tables. In the front of the room there was the table of the teachers, and a stool that stood alone with an old battered hat. As they watched the hat began to sing.
"Once there were four wizards
The best in all of the land
They each chose students for their house,
Picked by their own hand.
In Ravenclaw the clever rule,
Those who are wise and smart,
In Hufflepuff dwell loyal folk,
Hard workers, true at heart.
Gryffindor, where dwell the brave
Those of courage true,
In Slytherin those with ambition
Shrewd and cunning too.
So since the Founders are not here,
Just put me on your head,
I will look inside your mind,
And choose your house instead."
The crowd burst into noisy cheers. Professor McGonagall unrolled a scroll and began reading names.
"Afenlosse, Eleanor!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table. Eleanor went over to join them as "Boot, Alric" became a Hufflepuff. Stella and Cat looked bored as the other names were read.
" Malfoy, Loki!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Oh big surprise." Cat whispered. Nick glanced at her.
"You've heard of the Malfoys too?" he whispered to her. She shrugged.
Before long it was James' turn.
"Potter, James!" Whispers and murmurs filled the hall. James swaggered over to the stool and put the hat on.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Dang it!" said Nick.
"Riddle, Catherine!" Cat shot a glance at the teachers' table, then walked over to the stool. Nick could tell she was trying to look calm, but he could see that she was nervous. Before long, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Looking slightly relieved, Cat went over to the Gryffindor table. She sat as far away from James as she could.
"Riddle, Stella!" Stella did a better job of appearing calm, but her cheeks went slightly pink as everyone looked at her.
"RAVENCLAW!" Stella slid into a seat at the Ravenclaw table, looking disappointed. She mouthed something silently across the room to Cat, who shrugged and mouthed something back, nodding towards James. Stella smiled a little.
"Weasley, Nicholas!"
"GRYFFINDOR!" Joining Cat, Nick watched the twins' silent conversation.
"You guys look like fish," he commented.
"Xanthippe, Violet!" The girl who had been on the same boat as them walked up.
"Xanthippe?" Nick muttered. Cat frowned.
"Don't make fun of other people's names," she hissed. "It's not their fault."
"RAVENCLAW!"
Violet went and sat next to Stella and began talking quietly to her. Stella looked a little happier.
The sorting had finished. Dumbledore stood up and spoke.
"I'm sure you're all as hungry as I am, but I must make a few announcements. First, the Forbidden Forest is called forbidden for a reason. No student may enter the forest. Second, we have a new teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Weasley." The new teacher stood up as the students clapped.
"I don't believe it, it's my Uncle Bill!" Nick told Cat through the applause.
"One last word for you all: Balloonsquawk! Now, dig in." The plates had been magically filled with food and everyone dug in.
After the feast they were led to their dormitories by the prefects. The Gryffindors stopped in front of a painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. The prefect gave the password, "Eskimo," and they went inside. Cat went up to the girls' dorm with two other girls. As soon as they got into the dorm, one girl let out an excited squeal.
"Oh my God! We have James Potter in our house!" She pulled out a hairbrush and started brushing her long dark hair.
"Don't remind me," Cat muttered. "He'll probably lose us a bunch of points."
"How can you say that? He's James Potter – the son of the Boy Who Lived!"
"Yeah, I heard." Cat opened her trunk and began to unpack. She pulled out several large, thick books and set them on the table by her bed.
The last girl came over to her and said, "Hi. I'm Eleanor."
"I'm Catherine."
"And I'm Cassandra." The dark-haired girl put down her hairbrush and started unpacking makeup. Eleanor watched with wide eyes.
"I didn't know it was possible to own that much makeup," she said quietly.
"And she appears to be wearing all of it at the same time," Cat added.
Their conversation had been too quiet for Cassandra to hear. She picked up a bottle and started spraying it on her hair. An overwhelming smell of decaying flowers filled the air. Eleanor coughed.
"Do you have to use that nasty stuff?" Cat choked.
"It's not nasty! It's a heavenly blend of morning glories and honeysuckle!" Cassandra said indignantly.
"Well, it smells like compost to me," Cat muttered.
Meanwhile, after giving the password, "Private joke," four girls went up to the Ravenclaw dorm and started unpacking. Stella pulled out her easel, which had been magically packed in her trunk. She set it up in the corner with her blank canvases. Violet smiled and unpacked her books for school and started petting her cat LouLou, a gorgeous tabby. Violet had violet eyes and straight brown hair. The other two girls were unpacking, one girl with red hair and hazel eyes unpacked her books for school and her "light" reading books that were as long as the unabridged version of the 'Count of Monte Cristo'. The other girl had chestnut hair with brown eyes was unpacking her blue contacts and makeup. She wore just the right amount of makeup.
"Hi, I'm Michelle," said the chestnut haired girl.
"Hi, I'm Jessica," said the red head.
"Hi, I'm Violet," said Violet.
"Hi, I'm Stella," whispered Stella, then she opened her book and began to sketch.