1.

To Hogwarts

It was raining. Inside the station there was a humid air, the platforms filled with all sorts of people shaking umbrellas, removing raincoats and ponchos, unsticking saturated jackets and rattling water droplets off wet briefcases. Sparely throughout the crowd were inconspicuous school children pushing trolleys. Some had their initials stamped on their school trunks. Some carried cages or wicker baskets carrying animals or birds. They were all heading towards platforms 9 and 10. Two boys, one after another were running from platform ten to platform nine, unnoticed by anyone else. They seemed to have no control over their trolleys, ready for a collision course with the barrier between the two platforms. But then…

Whoosh!

Both boys careened into and then through the barrier and out of sight and no one was any the wiser.

It was quarter to eleven, September the first, 1969, and two normal-looking boys had just run out onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters at Kings Cross Station. Puffing steam into the air was a scarlet steam engine, engines hissing billow after billow of white smoke into the station where a sizeable group of people all dressed in rather unusual clothes were seeing their children off on their way to school. The marvellous steam train was stamped with the words 'Hogwarts Express' on the engine, many carriages trailing behind it. The miaows of cats, hoots of owls and other assorted animals could be heard above the warning whistle from the train. They were getting ready to leave.

Up into the luggage racks went the trunks from the two boys' trolleys and they sprinted into a carriage as the doors were slammed shut by the station guards. Running onto the platform as they did this were two women, obviously their parents, waving farewell. Hardly noticing they were standing next to each other, both parent and son alike, they farewelled the departing train. It was now eleven o'clock and the Hogwarts Express was chugging out of the station, carrying its cargo of school children away for the year.

The shorter of the two boys, still standing by the door, readjusted his glasses turned to the taller.

"Quite a run, ey?"

"Almost didn't make it."

"Name's Potter," the shorter, scruffy-haired boy declared, offering his hand. His tall, dark-haired companion shook it.

"Black. Sirius Black. So is your name just 'Potter', or did your parents remember to give you another one?"

Potter laughed at this. "James, for your information. James Potter."

"Ahhh," Sirius grinned, flashing a handsome smile. They started walking down the carriage, looking for a spare compartment. There wasn't one to be found yet. "First year?"

"You bet. You?"

"Same."

"Yeah, I'd bet that the older kids wouldn't miss the train."

Sirius chuckled. "You a wizarding family?"

"Yeah. I'd guess you are; Black's a known name."

"Ehhh," Sirius didn't appear too pleased with that. "Maybe so."

"You guys looking for a spare compartment?"

Leaning jauntily against the doorframe of what was apparently his compartment; a sandy-haired boy looked out at them from under a silver-stippled fringe.

"There's one down the end of the next carriage. Only two people in it. They'll have you."

"There's no empty ones?" James asked. The second-year shook his head.

"Two's the least you'll find."

"They'll both be loons," Sirius muttered. Their informant laughed.

"At least it's only a day – next time you'll be early for the train."

There was answering laughter from within the compartment. The second-year was sharing his room with a group of classmates. Sirius drew himself to full height.

"Are you picking something?"

"Hell no," he laughed again, this time sharp like the caw of a raven. "I don't pick fights with first-years. See, us Ravenclaws are smart. Picking a fight with you… hah! I'm helping you!"

"C'mon Sirius, let's go."

He let himself be led away from the tall, skinny boy, who was laughing at something one of his friends said in the wake of their departure. After crossing into the next carriage, Sirius huffed.

"Hope I'm not in Ravenclaw with that turkey."

"Nah. Come on. There's the compartment he was talking about," James stopped and slid open the door. The two black-robed kids inside stopped what may have been a hushed, and if so, rather disinterested-looking conversation to look up at him. One was a girl, light framed and dark-haired with grey eyes to match the clouds outside and the other was a lean boy with a nervous but tired look to him. James spoke first.

"There's uh… no room anywhere else. Do you mind if we join you?"

They looked at each other, the boy and the girl, and then he spoke up.

"Sure… we don't mind."

James and Sirius slid in and closed the door behind them, dragging their smaller trunks in and hoisting them up into the luggage rack. James and Sirius sat opposite their two companions and paused a moment. This time it was Sirius who made the introductory move. He looked up at them and smiled. The girl looked swiftly away.

"Sirius Black. James Potter. Who might you both be?"

The boy looked at him as if Sirius was an alien, and then he replied as if it were the world's biggest effort to speak.

"I'm Remus…" then, as if he had forgotten to add it on, "…Lupin. But as for her, I don't even know if she can speak. She hasn't said half a word all morning. Kinda good… I'm a little tired myself."

"Are you first-years?" James asked, making conversation even though Remus said he was tired. He nodded in reply.

"Yeah."

"Good, so are we."

Sirius had since turned his attention on their female friend. Since he'd started looking at her, she'd turned to the window and pretended to ignore their presence. But she'd glance out of the corner of her eye to see if he was still looking at her.

"So… are you deaf… dumb… shy? What's your name?"

It was as if she hadn't even heard him. Sirius sat back and raised his eyebrows, looking to James who shrugged. Remus sighed.

"Told you."

"Mana."

The three of them turned. She'd looked away from the window, and was now staring intensely at her hands as if they were the most interesting things she'd seen in her life.

"Mana?"

"…Elmerfean."

"Mana Elmerfean, huh?"

Sirius gave that smile again and she blushed furiously, breaking her newly made gaze as she looked back to her hands. Remus gave a little smirk that was mirrored by James. But Sirius wouldn't consider that as being the end of the conversation.

"Elmerfean… I haven't heard that name before. What background are you?"

"Pure," she replied simply and quietly. Then as an afterthought she added, "But not from around here."

No matter what she couldn't seem to look Sirius in the eye. James winked and chuckled. It seemed to put her off and she looked up at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Are you shy?"

Her grey eyes seemed to flash with dislike, but quickly they softened again. But she didn't answer him. Sirius fought to keep the conversation going.

"Looking forward to tonight, Mana?"

"Hmmmmm?"

"You know, the Sorting, the feast, first night at Hogwarts…"

"Oh… I guess so."

"What house do you want to go into?"

"Any is fine."

He wouldn't give up, and searched her for something to talk about. His eyes alighted on a pendant she wore. A crystal ring which enclosed a bright golden bird with its wings creased.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing. Mana glanced down at it.

"Just something my uncle gave me."

"Oh yeah?"

"It's supposed to be Altithuse, the Lord Phoenix. A protection charm."

"Those are pretty sought after nowadays," he commented as James and Remus started talking between themselves. The train chugged along through the rainy countryside. Mana shrugged.

"Trivial things like this aren't much of a protection against much. Unless of course it has some sort of queer power I've yet to see."

"Well if it's a Phoenix, maybe it gives you a second chance at life if you die wearing it."

"I don't really want to go finding out."

"Well neither would I."

"You said you were a first-year too? Aren't you nervous?"

"Maybe a little. I think everyone is. It's just starting school, that's all. If you're nervous now, you probably won't be by this time next week, even sooner. Me, I can't wait till broomstick lessons. I have an old Comet One Eighty at home, used to be my dad's. Mother said she wouldn't buy me a proper one until I'd learned to fly one properly. What about you? Ever ridden a broomstick?"

"…Once or twice. Not enough to know whether or not I'm any good."

"You'll be good at something, I'm sure. Hey, what's your wand? Twelve inches, birch, rigid, single unicorn hair."

She pulled something long and white out from under her black school robes. Gazing at it a moment, she replied automatically.

"Fourteen inches, flexible, ghostbark, Occamy feather…"

"Bizarre…" he breathed, looking at it. "I didn't know they put Occamy feathers into wands. What's it good for?"

"Charms and hexes… particularly defence and functional."

Sirius smiled and said nothing more. After a moment of his silence, Mana looked up at him curiously. He laughed.

"That was really hard, you know?"

"What?"

"Getting you to talk was really hard. I was getting stuck thinking up things to talk about."

At last she gave, giggling. The rest of the trip through the countryside was quiet. Night fell and the rain started to peter out. By the time the Hogwarts Express began to slow down in the dark night, Remus, Sirius, James and Mana were considering themselves friends. The train jolted to a halt.

Clambering out of the carriage and down onto the station platform, they were lit by lamps and surrounded on all sides by loudly chattering students all in pointy hats and black robes, some with crests others without. These without crests perked up and faced the same direction at the sound of a voice lifting above the clamour.

"First-years this way please! First-years this way!"

A middle-aged man wearing a thick coat over his purple robes held a lantern aloft and continued to call until the rest of the students had headed off elsewhere.

"First-years! This way please!"

The quiet throng of soon-to-be students gathered around him. Sirius appeared at Mana's side, followed by Remus and James. Their caller looked over them, and then waved his lantern towards a path leading off into the dark.

"This way to the boats, please make groups of four and follow me, mind your step."

"Well this is picked for us," James commented, trailing along with the rest of the first-years. Remus snorted in something that could be construed as a laugh. The path wound down through the darkness. Remus had caught onto Mana's sleeve to prevent himself from getting separated. Then they came out into the light on the shore of a lake, its water black and reflecting the starlight that was beginning to show through the clouds.

The portly man waved his lantern behind him towards a castle set into the background, lights agleam with bright yellow light. Along the bank of the lake were many small boats, all waiting for them.

"All right first-years, remember, no more than four to a boat please."

He himself climbed into a boat with two scared-looking girls. The four managed to claim themselves a boat before losing out, finding themselves next to a group of twittering girls trying to sort out who'd go in what boat of the two they'd 'reserved'. After being told to hurry it along by the man with the lantern, they wasted no time in clambering in. James gave a laugh that seemed a little nervous.

"Here we go, huh?"

"Can't wait," Sirius added, though his voice had become a little shaky. Mana didn't say anything; instead she leaned on the edge of the boat and touched the cold water. Remus merely yawned, but covering his mouth with his hand they could see it was shaking, and not from the cool breeze.

"Been waiting for this my whole life," he added on in a dead voice as at the cry of 'Forward!' from the lantern-man sent the boats gliding along the clear surface of the lake. The tittering girls were quiet now, but somewhere far off to the left another boatful had started chattering loudly. The castle loomed ever nearer, and as the little boats got nearer to the cliff on which it sat, they could see where they were headed. An overhang shielded by ivy was the entrance they were going to take into the castle, and they knew this as the first boat carrying the lantern-man disappeared under it, followed by the next boat and then the next. Eventually they were all passing underneath the overhang and they soon found themselves against the opposite bank. The castle loomed overhead.

Clambering out of the boats, they waited as the lantern-man checked them all to make sure nothing had been left behind. Then, with a beaming smile he led them up another path and around the front of the castle, up the stone front through a set of heavy-looking doors. They crossed the wide entrance hall and ascended one more set of stairs until they stood on the landing in front of another set of great doors. The lantern-man stopped there.

"Okay, now if you'll please wait here while I get Professor McGonagall, and then you'll all be sorted into your houses. Don't wander off!"

He turned and walked into the room beyond, the momentary opening of the doors letting in a rush of chatter and sound. The four turned to each other.

"Wonder where each of us'll go?" James pondered.

"I hope I don't end up in Slytherin," Sirius put in. "I love to break family traditions."

"It'd be good if we all got in the same house," Remus said. He waited to see if Mana would add, then continued. "It'd be a bit rough if we all got split up after getting to know each other so well."

"…And quickly," Mana put in. Sirius made sure to acknowledge it.

"So does anyone actually know how we're sorted?"

"No," James replied. "I hear its some sort of test."

"I don't have a clue whatsoever," Remus added in. Again Mana didn't say anything. There was an anticipating buzz around them from their fellow first-years. Then the doors opened again and out strode a tall woman with her hair in a tight bun, a tall hat on her head. In one hand she held a rolled up scroll of some kind.

"Now first-years, please. I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of this school. You'll now proceed with me into the Great Hall to be sorted into the four houses: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Please form a line and follow me."

She paused to make sure her instruction was being followed and then turned, pacing swiftly back into the hall, the bravest of the first-years following close behind in a nervous single-file formation. The four of them managed to not be split up as they jumped in line close behind, having to move at a reasonable pace to keep up with their classmates keeping up with McGonagall.

They were led into the Great Hall, its vaulted ceiling filled with awe: it reflected the night sky outside. Thousands upon thousands of candles hovered between the tables and the roof-sky, the entire school was watching as they were led through the hall to the front. The four tables that stood apart from each other in the hall were for the separate houses as they could see by seas of red and gold crests, black and yellow, blue and bronze and green and silver. But facing the tables at the far end was another, and at this was seated the teachers of the school they had entered.

Sirius, James, Mana and Remus all looked at each other in silence as they waited, lined up in front of the teacher's table. By now, even Sirius was trembling a little, with both nerves and anticipation. McGonagall walked up to this table and waited until the first-years had lined up in front of her, then brought forward a stool and a battered old hat. She rested the hat on the stool and stepped back. A seam opened up and the hat began to sing:

Though bruised am I and battered

From many years of wear,

And my seams are ripped and tattered

And my patches hardly there,

I'm still sharp as a dart

So try me, put me on.

I'll read what lies inside your heart

And see where you belong.

If you belong in Hufflepuff

You must be just and true

Your will is strong, your heart is tough

And you're loyal through and through.

If you should go to Ravenclaw

Then bless your witty mind

For if you are smart and sure

There you'll find your kind.

But what if you're a Slytherin,

A cunning little make?

You'll achieve anything

No matter what the stake.

Or maybe you're a Gryffindor

Where the brave and headstrong go

Where you'll find a strength inside you or

You're bolder than you know.

But no matter where I put you,

Just remember that

We must work together, that's really true!

From me, the Sorting Hat!

The Great Hall erupted into applause. McGonagall stepped forward again, unrolling the scroll.

"Now I will call your names one at a time, you will come forward and sit down on this stool; the hat will then sort you into your houses. Aberley, Harvey."

She placed the hat over his head. Little Harvey Aberley disappeared beneath the rim for a little while before the hat's seam opened and it cried out in a loud voice:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

It wasn't long until the first of them was called.

"Black, Sirius!"

Sirius chanced a nervous grin. "Wish me luck," he murmured as he stepped forward. The remaining three looked at each other in silence and then up at Sirius. As far as they were concerned, he was about to set the standard. McGonagall dropped the hat over his head and he disappeared beneath it for a good half a minute or so before the hat quite suddenly cried out.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat was lifted from his head and Sirius stood, trotting down towards the Gryffindor table. He glanced at them and gave them the thumbs-up. There were others.

"Dwyer, Theodore!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Then further down a little.

"Ebercroft, Louise!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

And then.

"Elmerfean, Manevitrae!"

Both Remus and James turned their gaze to Mana as she stepped forward, nervously sitting down. She too disappeared under the hat. It thought for a moment and then called its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Mana was off the chair as soon as the hat was pulled from her head, quite in a hurry to be away from the hat. She followed Sirius' wave as he beckoned her over with a wide grin. Remus turned to James and dared to whisper.

"Two down."

"Two to go. You're next."

"Don't remind me."

"Gudgeon, Gladys!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

They waited in silence until at last McGonagall called the next one.

"Lupin, Remus!"

Remus wandered up still looking a little under the weather but rather shaken up as well. He sat down, the hat dropped and it didn't take long before:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"You watch me be the odd one out," James whispered in his ear as he passed him on his way to the cheering Gryffindor table. Remus laughed.

"Marker, Polly!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Midges, Louie!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Slowly and surely.

"Pettigrew, Peter!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James braced himself.

"Potter, James!"

Eager to get it over with, he sprang forward quickly and sat down. McGonagall dropped the hat on his head. It felt like an instant drawn into forever.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James stood up as fast as Mana had. Bouncing down the stairs, he moved as fast as he could down the Gryffindor table. Sliding into a seat between Sirius and a fourth year, they congratulated each other profusely. Even tired little Lupin was bright-eyed.

"The odds were endlessly against us," he laughed. "But will you look at that! All four of us! Gryffindor!"

But no one had taken it quite so well as Mana. She was laughing hysterically at Sirius' attempts to pronounce her full name. Lupin tried to have a go at spelling it. But even she managed to muffle herself when the headmaster, an elderly man with a long white beard and half-moon spectacles stood up to speak. The hall went silent.

"Welcome back to all out old students and welcome to our new ones. For you who do not know me, I am your headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Now briefly some start of year announcements, to all first-years and some older students," he seemed to look towards the Ravenclaw table, "the Forbidden Forest is, as its name states, forbidden and no student is permitted to enter there. Also in addition to last year's list, the following items are banned in the corridors: self-throwing Frisbees, Filibuster's fireworks and no-string yo-yo's. And on a much happier note, let the Welcoming Feast begin!"

As soon as he sat down the golden plates all along the tables magically filled with all sorts of foodstuff and drinks imaginable. Even Remus had trouble staying tired, the trembling, relieved first-years all through the hall forgetting their nervousness and brightening up. It was a celebratory occasion indeed. They had all just been sorted into the four houses and were ready to start their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.