"JAMES POTTER GET IN HERE THIS INSTANT"
James froze in mid air thinking what he could have done this time. There was no way his mum could have found the frog spawn soap yet. That was one of zonkos latest products and he had only just planted it in the basement bathroom this morning before coming out to play Quidditch. Maybe she had found his stash of dungbombs but those had been well hidden.
"JAMES"
He spun around on his Nimbus 1000 and sped towards the sound of his mothers voice which seemed to be coming from the kitchen. He could have stopped to leave his broom in the shed but something told him he should see what was making his mums voice ten times louder than usual. He landed just outside the door to the kitchen, stumbling slightly in his haste.
Dorea Potter stood in the middle of the room holding the remains of what looked like a teacup. James gulped, he had forgotten about the nose biting teacup he had hidden in the back of the cupboard and his mum did not look impressed. Dorea was a small witch, standing not much higher than her eleven year old son. She was an older woman and James knew his parents had struggled to have a child. It was his mothers dream to have many children, she herself coming from a family of four children and countless cousins. But it was only by luck and after much heartbreak that Dorea had fallen pregnant with James. It was for this reason that James was a rather spoilt and arrogant child, having been given everything he had ever wanted from the latest broomstick to the largest collection of chocolate frogs.
At this time, James put on his most innocent face although he knew it was pointless,
"Yes mum?" He asked.
"Don't you try to look innocent for me James," her voice was sharp as she brandished the teacup before throwing it in the bin beside her, "I know this is your doing and-" she was cut off by the sound of the front door opening.
"Dory? James?" Charlus Potters voice echoed through the halls of the Potter manor. He sounded excited and James was glad of the distraction as he darted behind his mother and ran to greet his father in the hallway.
"Where is it James? Let me see." Charlus asked with a huge grin.
"Where's what?" Asked James genuinely confused.
"He hasn't seen it yet. We were still on the topic of these biting teacups before you came in." Dorea had followed her son and was giving her husband a meaningful look. Charlus seemed to shrink a little under his wife's gaze but he chuckled and even James could now see the sparkle in her eye. She smiled at the sight of her husband and son who looked so alike beside each other with childish grins on their faces.
"Mum? What is it? What are you talking about? What have I not seen?" James was looking between his mum and dad impatiently waiting for an answer.
His mum smiled, her eyes twinkling, "A letter arrived for you this morning James."
"A letter?" He never got letters, why should he? And now that he thought about it, why was his dad home from work so early? "From an owl?" He asked.
"Yes James from an owl, honestly you would think you had never seen owl post before," his mother sighed while his father chuckled.
"I heard in the office that they were being delivered today so I thought I would come home early."
"What's being delivered today? Mum what is it? Can I see it?"
She reached into her robes, incredulous that her supposedly clever son could not work out why he would be receiving a letter in the summer before he was due to start Hogwarts, something he had been wishing for since before he could walk. She pulled out the letter and handed it to her son, watching as he recognised the Hogwarts insignia and his face lit up.
"Is this-? Is it really-? I'm going to Hogwarts!" He all but screamed the last bit, as he started jumping up and down, still clutching his broom and shaking the letter above his head. "I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm going to Hogwarts!"
"Alright James open it, let's see what it says," James' father seemed almost as excited as his son.
"Hold on let's move into the sitting room instead of doing this in the hallway." Dorea tried to guide her husband and son into the next room but their excitement was too much and James had already torn into the letter.
"Read it James, go on!" Said his father taking his sons broom to allow him to look at the enclosed parchment.
"Dear Mr Potter," James read, "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"
He stopped reading because he had started jumping up and down again in his excitement. He was going to Hogwarts, finally, he was going to get a wand and learn how to do proper magic! He couldn't wait.
"What else does it say James?" His mother laughed as she watched him before she reached forward and took the letter off him, realising he wasn't going to finish reading it. She scanned the list of books and equipment he would need before embracing her son with tears in her eyes. Her little boy, all grown up.
"Mum get off," James pushed his mother away laughing at her tears face. "When can we go and get my stuff? Can we go today? Can I get an owl? Or maybe a bat! I can't wait to get my wand!"
Charlus and Dorea looked at each other, "It's too late to go now," James groaned at his dad words, "But maybe if I go back to work now, I could manage to get tomorrow off and we could all go to Diagon Alley" suggested Charlus.
"Yes! Can we? Definitely? Please mum?" James had just about stopped bouncing up and down again.
"I think that sounds like a good plan. Maybe we could ask-" The sound of the crack of apparition reached their ears from the grounds boundaries.
"Marley!" James shouted and ran towards the go front door, pulling it open to find his aunt and cousin.
"James, did you get your letter? Mine came this morning but mum said we had to wait until now to come see you!" James' cousin looked just about as excited as him, with a huge smile on her face, she waved a letter identical to the one he had just opened in his face.
"Mum didn't give me mine until now, she didn't even tell me it had arrived!" Groaned James dragging his cousin into the house leaving his aunt to close the door. "We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get my stuff, d'you want to come?"
"Yeah of course I do silly" replied Marley with a grin, "We're going to Hogwarts together, you're stuck with me now!"
"Unless you get sorted into slytherin," laughed James.
"I will not be in slytherin! Don't you dare say that, I am a gryffindor through and through as you know fine well!" Marley's face lost its grin and she gave James a serious look.
"Aww Marley I was only kidding, you know you really belong in Hufflepuff," James said.
"JAMES!" His response was lost as she attacked him and they landed on the floor in a heap.
"Marlene!"
"James!" Their parents had finally caught up with them and pulled them apart, giving them angry glares, "If this is another argument over which house you're going to be sorted into..." Started Catherine, Marlenes mum. She could tell by the children's guilty looks that that was exactly what the argument was about, but neither of them would admit it. "Honestly you've only just got your letters."She looked at Dorea and sighed, they had had this conversation with the two countless times in the last few years.
"It doesn't matter what house either of you are in," started Dorea.
"Even Slytherin," said Catherine as the two children opened their mouths to protest.
"Especially Slytherin, James you know that I was in Slytherin so you should also know that it doesn't make any difference," continued Dorea.
Marlene stared at her aunt with a mixed look of shock and disbelief, "You were in Slytherin?" She asked, "I never knew that."
"I was. You know I was a Black, and there has never been a person on the black family tree who was not sorted into Slytherin. I doubt there ever will be," she replied with a faint smile.
"We don't really talk about your family though mum so it's obvious that Gryffindor is the best," smiled James triumphantly.
"James!" His mum tried to admonish him, but he and Marlene had both already taken off for the back garden, stopping only for James to lift his broom from where his father had left it in the hallway. "And don't think I've forgotten about that teacup!" She shouted after him but got no reply before she heard a door bang and she knew they had gone outside.
"I know we've tried to tell them that house isn't important but I hope for their sakes they end up in the same house, just to avoid the arguments and competition," sighed Catherine.
"I know," replied Dorea, "I pity the teachers that have to deal with them though. You know, I would never tell James but I always wanted to be in Gryffindor, just to be different from the rest of my family"
"Imagine that, a Black in Gryffindor."
The women laughed before following their children outside to enjoy the summer afternoon.