A/N: Hey, this is Clara! I'm not getting many reviews for my Clique story, and I like Harry Potter too (just not as much as my OBSESSED, totally weird oldest sister Hey! I resent that! I'm sure you do…) Anyway, Kim (or Morsmordre, her pen name) has a Marauders Era first year story up on her favorites (Well, I didn't put it there, and Justine doesn't even really like Harry Potter that much, so I'm assuming Kim put it there) so I decided to write a story too. So what if I'm only 12? Don't look at me like that!!!
Chapter One – The Train Ride to Hogwarts
James Potter and his parents, Grace and Andrew Potter, were standing just outside of Platform 9 and ¾ (nine and three-quarters), all sporting identical grins on their faces. (Well, Mrs. Potter was smiling, not grinning, but I think you catch my drift).
"All right, son, this is your big day," Mr. Potter declared, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. (A/N: See? Just because I'm twelve doesn't mean I suck at writing. Take that, Lena!) "The day you start Hogwarts is—"
"Dad," eleven-year-old James interrupted with a whine. "I've already heard this speech before a million times."
Mr. Potter chuckled. "All right, James. Do you need any help getting in?"
James shook his head. "I already know how to do it. I'm eleven now, remember?"
"Yes we do, honey," Mrs. Potter said tearfully, dabbing at her eyes with a lace handkerchief. "You're so grown up!"
James rolled his eyes but he hugged his parents good-bye. "I'll send you letters," he promised.
"I'll send you Howlers if you don't behave," Mrs. Potter threatened, returning the hug.
"Remember to have fun, son," Mr. Potter added. He grinned and watched his son go through the barrier.
When James got through, he looked around, dragging his trunk. He would have to put it somewhere—but where?
"Need help?" a tall girl with long reddish-brown hair asked him. She looked like she was at least 14 or 15, maybe even older. "Here, I'll help you." She lifted his trunk and placed it into the train.
"Thanks," James panted, still out of breath. Then he hurried into the train. Now he had to find a seat…
James was early, so there were a few empty compartments. He slid into one near the end of the train and sighed. He had found a seat.
Just then the door opened and two boys came in. One was tall and thin, with light brown hair. The other boy was short and plump, with watery blue eyes. "Could we sit here?" the boy with the light brown hair asked.
James nodded and motioned to a seat next to him. "I'm James Potter."
"I'm Remus Lupin." The boy with the light brown hair introduced himself, sitting down.
"P-P-Peter P-Pettigrew," the other boy stammered.
James smiled slightly, but none of the other boys spoke again. Remus pulled out a book and began to read it, while Peter stared out the window, occasionally sneaking a glance at James and then quickly turning away.
It would be a long ride…
Lily Evans was, needless to say, shocked when she found herself simply tumbling through the solid-looking barrier. Even more so when she noticed all the people talking loudly, saying unfamiliar words like "Transfiguration" and "Quidditch."
Also, there were plenty of people with owls. No one seemed to find it amazing at all.
Lily looked around, lost and confused. She saw a boy with messy black hair and glasses being helped by an older girl with long auburn hair, so she headed in that direction.
"Do you need help, too?" The older girl asked her kindly.
Lily nodded, for her throat didn't seem to be working.
The girl smiled at her and picked up her trunk and loaded it onto the train. "I'm afraid you're going to have to carry it around with you," she said sympathetically.
"That's OK," Lily choked out, and coughed a few times. "Thanks."
"I'm Molly Prewett, by the way, and I'm a prefect. If you need help, ask me or one of the other prefects."
"Thanks," Lily repeated, and jumped onto the train, while wondering what the heck a prefect was.
As she walked down the corridors of the train, looking into the compartments and hoping to find a seat, while pushing her trunk, Lily couldn't help feeling small and lonely. There were several other people she saw who looked just as lost and frightened as she did, but Lily didn't push it and ask to sit with them. A tall boy with pale-blonde hair sneered at her and whispered something to a black-haired girl sitting next to him, who snickered, and they both looked pointedly at her. Lily felt her face flush as she hurried on.
Just then Lily passed a compartment with a bunch of friendly-looking girls her age. Lily crossed her fingers and went in.
"Can I sit here?" she mumbled, looking down at the floor.
"Of course you can," replied a girl with long, straight, dark-brown hair. "Who are you, by the way?" she added, not in a mean way.
"I'm Lily Evans." Lily pushed her trunk under a seat and sat down.
"Lily Evans. That's a pretty name," said a girl with a round face and straw-colored braids.
"Thanks. What's your name?" Lily felt relieved.
"Alice Eaton." Alice smiled, showing off two rows of pearly white teeth.
"Nice to meet you." Lily felt more relaxed now.
"I'm Anastasia. Just Anastasia. I don't have a last name, but you can call me Anna."
"You don't have a last name?" Lily questioned. Were some witches (and wizards) different?
"She does, but she won't tell us what it is," explained the last girl, the one who had yet to speak (but now did). She had light brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles. "I'm Maggie Jules."
"So are you pureblood or half-blood or Muggleborn?" Anna asked.
"What's that?" Lily felt slightly lost.
"Oh, you must be Muggleborn," Alice said. "Muggleborn people are people who have all-Muggle families—that means you're the only one in your family who can do magic."
"Yes, I'm Muggleborn," Lily answered. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Of course not! You'll catch up soon enough," Alice reassured her. "I'm pureblood. That means all your family is magic. Some pureblood families think they're all better than other people who aren't pureblood, but that's not true. The Eatons, Longbottoms, Potters, Prewetts, and Weasleys don't care if you're pureblood or not."
"Oh." Lily's head was spinning.
"Then some families are only in Slytherin, but—"
"What's Slytherin?" Lily interrupted.
"Oh. There are four houses of Hogwarts…" And Alice launched into a long explanation about the houses of Hogwarts that I'm not going to put in.
After a few minutes, just as Lily was beginning to retain the information, the train began to move.
"We're going!" Anna squealed happily, clapping her hands.
Lily felt a thrill of excitement and exhilaration. She was going to learn to become a witch!
After Anna calmed down, Lily finally understood what Alice was trying to say. "So basically, some families who are… erm, pureblood, think they're better than the halfbloods and Muggleborns. And then some families who are pureblood but don't care are considered… blood traitors?"
Maggie and Alice both smiled encouragingly. "Yup!" Alice declared.
"And then there are four houses at Hogwarts, called Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and… Gryffindor?"
"Correct!"
Maggie and Anna cracked up for no apparent reason.
"And then most pureblood people who don't like halfbloods and Muggleborns are in Slytherin!"
Alice applauded. "You've got it!"
Lily smiled. I do, don't I? I think I've already made some friends…
Sirius Black had finally managed to escape from his so-called family. Instead of hugging him or wishing him luck at Hogwarts like most mothers did, Walburga Black had yelled after her son as he ran away from the mad clutches of the pureblood maniacs, "You'd better make Slytherin!"
Needless to say, her loud voice attracted a lot of attention and caused many people to look at him with dislike. After all, that woman had the Black family crest on her robes, so surely he was a Black too. And all Blacks were dark magic loving, Muggle hating pureblooded evil Slytherin gits.
As Sirius pushed his trunk onto the train with most difficulty, he was basically snatched up (just not literally) by his cousin Bellatrix Black.
"Aunt Walburga told me to look after you," Bellatrix, who was a fourth-year, snapped at him. "She doesn't want you to turn out like that blood traitor Andromeda." Bellatrix spat the word Andromeda as if it were poisoned.
Andromeda Black, the only cousin Sirius actually liked, was in Ravenclaw and was currently dating a Muggleborn, Ted Tonks. Because of this, everyone thought her a blood traitor.
"I don't need to be looked after," Sirius retorted, wrenching free of his cousin's grasp. "I can look after myself."
"Sure you can," Bellatrix sneered.
"I can."
Bellatrix ignored Sirius's protests and pulled him toward a compartment that was—no doubt—filled with other evil pureblooded Slytherin gits. "Narcissa already knows who she can associate with," she lectured him. "As heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, you should learn this lesson too!"
Bellatrix practically pushed him into a compartment full of people with Slytherin crests on their robes.
"This is my cousin, Sirius, heir to the Black ancestral home," Bellatrix announced, before sweeping into a seat and starting to chat (no wait, talk… Blacks don't chat) with the Lestrange brothers.
No one really paid attention to him, seeing as he was only a first year. Even if Sirius was heir to the Black home, he was a first year, and Slytherins didn't talk to first years.
Sirius saw his chance. He quickly picked up his trunk and darted out of the compartment. Even Bellatrix didn't notice.
The train was going to leave the station soon, and Sirius had to find a seat. He pulled the Black crest off his robes and tossed it on the floor. He didn't need that old thing, anyway.
Sirius passed a compartment full of girls, and another compartment with a bunch of snooty-looking Hufflepuff fifth years. A second year Ravenclaw sneered at the "ickle firsty" and raised his wand to jinx him but backed off, looking apologetic when he noticed the Black family crest Sirius had just chucked away. At least there were some good things about being a Black…
Sirius finally got to the end of the train, where there were three other boys in the compartment. One was slouched down in his chair, looking ultimately bored, another boy was reading a book, and the last one looked up at Sirius almost fearfully.
"Can I sit here?" Sirius asked.
"Yes!" The boy with the jet-black hair and hazel eyes jumped up, looking ecstatic. He was the one who had looked bored. "I'm so bored here! What do you want to do?"
Sirius blinked, surprised, but quickly dropped his trunk and sat down as the train lurched forward.
"Uh… I don't know. What do you want to do? Are you all first-years?"
"I am." The boy shrugged. "Oy, you lot!" The other two boys looked at them. "Are you all first years?"
The other two boys both nodded before returning to their respectable individual activities.
"I'm James Potter." James held out his hand and grinned.
Wonderful. A Potter. Just whom he needed to make friends with to get on his family's good side.
But you don't care, do you, Sirius Black? A little voice taunted him in the back of his head. So stop acting like all your bigoted bigheaded prats of a family!
"Sirius," Sirius introduced himself. He had to get on James's good side first, or else James would simply kick him out of the compartment. And that was not an option.
"Just Sirius?" James raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Just Sirius."
A/N: OK, that's the end of the first chappie! How did you like it??? Please read and review or I won't update the story!
