Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling. Although, I wrote this over a long stretch of time, and was inspired by a lot of things, so if you think that maybe my work looks a bit like yours, tell me and I'll credit you. Though I tried very hard not to let other people's ideas creep into my writing, you all know how it is.
"Now, you're sure you'll be alright?" Marium Potter asked her son nervously, she had spent the whole morning fretting and this was about the millionth time she'd asked.
"For the millionth time, mother, yes." James Potter replied with a tinge of annoyance (told you).
Unfortunately, Marium was not the kind of person who would be satisfied knowing that her son would be taking a train to a wizards school far, far away and wouldn't be returning for the whole year, which she had also asked him about many, many times.
"And you know you can come home for Christmas, dear?" she asked, raising a hand to attempt to flatten his jet black and incredibly messy hair.
This was James Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and even agreeing to that had taken quite a bit of coaxing from his father.
James tried not to hold back an eye roll and instead mussed his hair again and retorted, "Yes, and I will if it's terrible, but from what I've heard from Dad, the castle is just to cool to leave!"
They were standing in the train station, just outside the barrier between platforms nine and ten. James had started looking around anxiously. His father had gone to Hogwarts, but his mother had gone to Beauxbatons, so she didn't know any better than James did how to get onto platform 9¾.
James' father, Gregory, was gazing around the station, admiring the muggles and their magic-less ways. He wasn't paying any attention to his family, but looked up and smiled when his wife asked "But how do we get onto the platform?"
Gregory smiled and said "'We'? honey, we don't have to go in with him. I think he'd prefer to go in alone." James glanced at his father with relief pouring out of his eyes.
"Oh, but Greg!" Marium began, "What if-" but James shook his head vigorously.
Gregory put an arm around his wife and pointed his other at the barrier in the direction of the barrier in front of them. James followed his gaze and pushed his trolley in front of him, over to the barrier.
"What about it?" he asked sarcastically.
James was the kind of kid who's parents had quite a lot of money and strongly disliked scolding him, so not only was he rather spoiled but got away with just about anything.
Gregory, who had a slightly fading memory, and thought he had told his son, looked at James with disbelief, "Walk into it!" he said loudly.
"W-what?" James inquired nervously.
Gregory smiled and said as slowly as he could, "Walk…into…it…"
James was still staring at the platform in disbelief, then he set his jaw and walked right into the barrier wall, or rather… through the wall?
"Whoa…" he whispered just after he opened his eyes. He was standing in front of a huge scarlet steam engine, with the words The Hogwarts Express in appealing gold lettering on the side.
"Goodbye son, try to get into some trouble, all right?" James heard his father say from the other side.
James walked to the side of the platform, people walking quickly past him, he wasn't paying them much attention, but then he heard a cruel voice.
"You just get into Slytherin, will you?"
Poor guy, James thought. A small boy with black hair was standing in front of a very angry but very beautiful woman. James didn't want to know what that family was all about, so he pushed his trolley up to the train and set about lifting his trunk into it, along with his owl, Dana. Unfortunately, James was quite scrawny and couldn't lift it without help. For the first time in his life, he wanted his parents.
"Need a hand?" a voice behind him asked, James turned to see the small boy he had seen earlier standing there, looking at James' trunk with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure," James replied, trying not to sound like he needed it. Like he was doing this kid the favor.
"I'm Sirius Black, by the way," the boy said with a heave. They got the trunk into the train, then he looked hopelessly at his own.
"James Potter," he supplied, "Need a hand?" James mocked, then put a hand on Sirius' trunk.
Sirius grinned and grabbed his trunk, they heaved it in then climbed in after their things, James pulled Dana with him. They sat down in an empty compartment. They were early and definitely had time to waste.
James looked at the boy across the compartment from him. He didn't look like a Slytherin, but then again, he had never actually seen one…
There were four houses at Hogwarts, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Gregory had been in Gryffindor, and these things generally went with the family, so James was almost certain that he would end up there too.
"So, what house do you think you'll be sorted into?" he asked, though he knew the answer. This boy was a Slytherin, and James would scarcely be able to talk to him.
Gregory had had an amazing time a Hogwarts, full of adventure and trouble making, he enjoyed reminiscing to his son, so James probably knew more about the old castle than any other first year, he also knew that a hat decided what house you would be sorted into.
"Well," Sirius began sourly, "I suppose I'll be sorted into Slytherin, everyone else in my family has been… but I really don't want to be,"
James sat there for a moment, wondering if he should interrupt the boys brooding and tell him what house he expected to be in.
He said, "I'm a Gryffindor, and proud to be one. Not that there's anything wrong with Slytherin, but my Dad was a Gryffindor, and so was everyone in my family, so I'll probably get into there."
Sirius let out half a snort but before James could say anything the door opened and a sort of sickly looking dirty blonde boy walked in.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked quietly, his dark blue eyes shining with hope.
James glanced at Sirius and said "Uh, sure… I'm James Potter, by the way,"
The boy that had just sat down next to Sirius looked thoroughly frightened, but neither dark haired boy really knew why.
"Remus Lupin," he said quietly, then turned his attention to his shoes. James gave Sirius another glance, which Sirius retuned. They seemed to be having a silent conversation, which apparently James won.
"I'm Sirius Black." He said shortly. Remus looked frightened again, but managed to look up from his shoes and give them both a very small, very quick smile.
James and Sirius had hit it off, even though they knew they would be put into different houses, and right now they looked like they had known each other for a very long time. Remus felt quite out of place since he generally didn't meet many people at all, let alone make friends with them.
James, on the other hand, was very out going and talked to many people, he surely wasn't about to be scared off by a sickly eleven year old.
"So, Remus, what house do you think you'll be sorted into?" he asked with a smile.
Remus' dark blue eyes widened slightly and said "H-House?"
Sirius half-snorted, but looked at the boy and explained, with James' help, everything they knew about Hogwarts.
"Anything from the trolley?" a short woman asked from the doorway. She actually looked rather frightened, which highly amused Sirius. James strode over to her and cleaned out her stock of Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. He dumped them on the seat next to him and gestured for the other two boys to help themselves.
"James," Sirius said with a grin, "Mate, try to get into Slytherin, all right? I'm just too evil to get into Gryffindor,"
James laughed but secretly wished that Sirius wouldn't get into Slytherin, he had heard from his father, and cousin, and uncle, and basically everyone that had gone to Hogwarts, that Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't get along, and it wasn't okay to try.
A few hours later the train came to a halt in Hogsmead, a completely wizard-city, a bit away from Hogwarts.
"Firs' years! Firs' years! Over here!" a booming voice came from outside the train, the three boys exited to see the hugest man they had ever seen, calling them over to him. they made their way to where he stood, next to a narrow path.
"This all?" he asked, as if they'd left someone behind. Then he gestured down the path and told them all to follow him. They did, without question, and without much conversation. It wasn't a terribly long path and soon enough they were at the end of it.
There was a beautiful lake in front of them with a little fleet of boats floating in it, and across the lake lay Hogwarts. There was a collective gasp from everyone present, a great castle with sparkling windows and high towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant man announced. James, Sirius and Remus climbed into a boat, and soon a chubby boy named Peter Pettigrew joined them. "Everybody in? All righ'. FORWARD!" he shouted. With a jolt every one of the boats drifted forward, carrying the nervous first years to their new school.
They entered the castle through the huge front double doors. When they reached the other side, a stern looking woman in green robes ushered them in, looking disapprovingly at them all. Nobody had told them to change into their school robes.
"Good evening. I am Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration department. I am also the head of house for Gryffindor. In a few moments you will walk through those doors and be sorted into your houses." She paused for a moment, her gaze resting on Remus.
"I will call your name alphabetically. Sit on the stool. I will place the sorting hat on your head and it will tell you which house you will be sorted into. Trouble making will lose points for your house, classroom achievements will earn your house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the house cup."
James already knew all of this, which was fortunate because he wasn't paying attention. He was letting his eyes and his mind wander through the other first years.
The next few minutes passed fairly quickly. A few people got sorted into this house and that house and then 'Black, Sirius' was called.
He nervously sat down on the stool in front of the whole school. Professor McGonagall set the hat on his head. For more than a long moment Sirius just sat there, then a voice said in his ear,
"Well, well, well. Sirius Black… I expect you want to be put into Slytherin, eh? Oh, no? Well, you would do well there, and your parents would be very pleased- oh? Oh, haha, you don't want to please your parents, you wish to rebel? Hmm, well, there is quite a bit of courage here… and loyalty to friends… brains…. You would do well in any of the houses but I see… Better be GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table cheered, though some not nearly as loudly as they had done the others, Sirius sighed in relief, and joined his new house.
A few more people went by, then "Lupin, Remus" was called, and the sickly boy walked up to the stool. He glanced at the ceiling, which was enchanted to look like the night sky.
The stars gave him comfort but the nearly full moon mocked him. He shuddered, sat down and was shut into darkness as the sorting hat fell over his eyes.
"Hmm…" a voice said to him, "Hmm…. Well, you are very brave, and you will have to conquer many things on your journey… Loyalty, you will need to give and receive in large quantities… very smart… GRYFFINDOR!" it announced. Remus sighed too, very glad that nobody else could hear the hat, the Gryffindor table cheered and he sat down across from Sirius.
James was getting bored while he waited, but got anxious when Pettigrew, Peter was called. Peter looked stupidly around the Great Hall, and up at the ceiling. Remus had mentioned it in his nervous fit on the boat. He had muttered many facts that Peter didn't know how he remembered.
Pretty he thought to himself, then the hat was dropped over his eyes and instantly a voice whispered in his ear.
"Hmm… Peter… I would say Hufflepuff, like your mother. Your father was in Ravenclaw, wasn't he? Hmm… fierce loyalty, a bit of stupidity. Hehe, sorry, hmm… All right, GRYFFINDOR!" it announced.
Finally, it was Potter, James' turn. He shuffled up to the stool and sat down. He glanced out at Sirius, sitting at the Gryffindor table with a huge grin, giving him a thumbs-up. James tried unsuccessfully to smile back, then was plunged into darkness. The sorting hat was on his head.
"Hmm…" a voice said in his ear, "James Potter… Courage, plenty of that, a stubborn streak. Loyalty to friends. Brains beyond anything… Well, I can't say that… Under normal circumstances, I would immediately say Gryffindor… unless there's some reason you would prefer to be somewhere else? And no, I don't give this chance to many, so if you think you should be somewhere else, tell me now. No? I didn't think so. GRYFFINDOR!" it boomed, the whole table applauded loudly, and James sat down next to Sirius, across from Peter.
Food appeared magically on their plates and while they stuffed themselves, James listened intently to a sixth year a few seats down.
"McGonagall was so mad! Who forgot to tell them? I'll bet it was Dung… How could he disregard tradition like that?" the older girl ranted on and on. James smiled then joined the conversation that Sirius was having mostly with himself, as nobody else was talking.
The rest of the feast passed like that. Then, before they knew it, Dumbledore was on his feet, dismissing them all. The first years followed their prefects to their respective houses. They reached a large painting of a large woman in a large pink dress. The prefect they were with told them all the password, and the portrait swung open.
James stared, there was a blazing fire in the fireplace, couches and chairs strewn about, tables were here and there too, it was wonderful, and James was surprised that it felt like home.
"Girls dormitories are on the left, boys to the right," the prefect said loudly. the four boys trooped upstairs and found the door that had a gold plaque that read First Years. They opened the door and stepped inside.
Their things had already been brought up. James' trunk was at the foot of the bed that he plopped down onto. The others did the same with their beds.
James looked at Sirius and said "Glad you're in Gryffindor, mate." Then immediately fell asleep.
Sirius was glad too, and his last thought before he fell asleep were something along the lines of 'Won't mother be happy?'
A/N- There you have it. I wrote this at least a year ago, but didn't have the patience to go through it. I could've sworn I've proofread it before, but…C'est la vie! Well…That's my life, anyhow.
Kisses and Cupcakes (to reviewers)
DANI