Hi! So this is my first ever fanfic! I hope you all enjoy reading it!(: Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
August 2nd 1971 was an abnormally normal day; at least, it had started out that way. The sun was shining brightly and the birds sang to each other using their own unique melodies. The Evans' family residence always had many lovely birds during the morning, but until August 2nd 1971, there had never been any owls in their yard.
The peaceful silence that had descended upon the household was broken by a giddy squeal which had come from the youngest child of the family, Lily.
"Mummy! Mummy, look! I've just gotten a letter in the post!"
Daisy Evans glanced up from her book to look at her daughter. Lily's dark, scarlet hair was in disarray and a cheeky grin had taken over her face.
"Did you, darling? Well do tell who it's from."
"It's from Hogwarts! Mum, see look here. They're telling me I'm a witch! Just like Severus did, remember?" Lily bounded the last steps to her mother and placed the opened envelope into her hands.
Daisy Evans quickly scanned through the letter, searching for some sign that would tell her this was a foolish prank being played on her daughter, but after realising it was not, she looked back up at Lily with wide eyes. She then proceeded to call out for her husband.
"William! Darling, come look at this!" Lily's father poked his head in from the adjacent room inquisitively before striding over to his wife and daughter. He took the envelope and its attachment of letters and began to read. His wife continued to ramble on to him as he did. "Oh, isn't this wonderful? A real witch in the family; and to think when Lily told us about all this two years ago we didn't believe her." Lily's father looked down at her and smiled.
"I always knew my Lily was special."
At this Lily beamed at him. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by another voice.
"What's going on in here? It sounds like a circus." The voice belonged to Petunia Evans, Lily's older and only sibling.
"Oh, Petunia sweetheart," exclaimed their mother. "Your sister has just been claimed a legitimate witch. It's marvellous, isn't it?"
Petunia scowled. "She's not a witch, mum. Can't you see? That Snape boy has been putting all these silly thoughts in her head. Honestly, I don't know why you allow people like him to befriend your own child."
Lily bristled. "That's a horrible thing to say, Tuney! Snape's a good boy, and it's not his fault that he has to live the life he does. And I am a real witch! This letter says so. It's from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They're going to teach me how to do magic, and maybe once I'm there, I can ask if you can be a witch, too. That way we can be together." Lily was thoroughly enthusiastic about the idea, but her sister was not.
Petunia's face wrinkled up in disgust. "Why in the world do you think I would want to go to a school for freaks?"
"Petunia! Apologize to your sister! She is not a freak and you shall not call her such mean and degrading names." Petunia rolled her eyes at her mother.
"I'm sorry, Lily. There, I apologised and seeing how there is little left for me here, I will excuse myself. You'll find me in my room." With that Petunia Evans departed, leaving the rest of her family to scowl in her wake.
Lily's face continued to display the hurt she felt after hearing what Petunia truly thought about her. "Mum, dad, do you think I'm a freak?"
Her parents were quick to lean down and console her. "Of course not, darling. Your sister is simply taking the news a bit different than the rest of us, but I'm sure she will soon grow to accept you and continue to love you for who you are, Lily."
Lily smiled and hugged them, for she truly thought that things would get better.
James Potter always knew he would receive an acceptance letter to Hogwarts and when he finally did get it, he was ecstatic on the inside but on the outside he played it cool. He walked into the sitting room and plopped down on to the couch next to his mother.
"Hey mum, check it out. My Hogwarts letter finally came. Though, in my opinion, I definitely could have attended earlier." Dorea Potter chuckled at her son. Her reading spectacles dipped slightly as she craned her neck to look at him.
"Is that so? Wouldn't you be afraid of getting crushed by all the big, scary Quidditch players?"
James snorted. "As if. They would be the ones afraid of me." She let out a soft laugh and stood from the couch.
"If you say so, it must be true. We can go to Diagon Alley sometime next week to gather all your school supplies, but until then, don't you dare loose that letter James Alexander." She winked down at him. "Now come along, we're set to have tea and lunch with the MacGregor's." James groaned and rolled his eyes. His mother raised her eyebrows at him.
"Mum, we just saw them yesterday. I'm starting to think that you and dad are planning to live with them."
"We were waiting for you and Freya to go to Hogwarts before we broke the news but seeing as how you seemed to have already figured it out…I suppose we don't have to tell you anymore."
James grinned. "I just know you too well, mum." They laughed and then met Charlus Potter, James' father, in the foyer. He kissed his wife on the cheek in greeting as she and James joined hands. Being way underage, James had to do side-along apparition with either his mother or father.
James felt a tug and then he experienced the feeling of being shoved and boxed into the tiniest space on the planet. At one point, he thought he felt his eyes collide with his brain as it was being smashed by his ear drums. When they finally landed outside the MacGregor's manor, James felt his whole body pop.
"Merlin's beard…that never gets any better with time." His mother smiled at him and suggested that next time they use muggle transportation, an idea which both James and his father strongly disagreed with.
The Potters walked up the stone path leading to the main entrance and when they finally reached the grand mahogany doors, Charlus gripped one of the gold lion knockers and pounded it against the wood. Three loud thumps could be heard echoing off the walls of the house. A second later the door swung open to reveal a little house elf draped in what looked to be a curtain.
"Oh! The Potter family has arrived." The small house elf opened the door wider and stepped out of the way to allow the Potters entrance into the house. "Madame MacGregor is in the back with Mistress Freya and Master is in his study room. Tael shall alert them right away, sirs and madam." The house elf bowed and then departed.
Mr. Potter headed to the study while James and his mother began to move towards the back of the house. When they arrived, only Mrs. MacGregor could be spotted.
Dorea bid her a good morning as the two hugged in greeting. They then proceeded to talk about ministry affairs as house elves popped in and out bringing teas and sweets as they did.
Nora MacGregor was quite pretty for her age. While James' mother had long chestnut hair and hazel eyes, Nora had shoulder length, dark crimson hair with large blue eyes. She was striking in her beauty while Dorea was more subtle in hers. James thought that maybe he simply had a strange thing for red heads.
Nora noticed that he was still present and told him that he would be able to find Freya in the labyrinth. James nodded politely and thanked her before leaving, taking the hint that he was no longer needed or wanted with the two older women. Not that he cared much anyway.
The MacGregor Family had dozens of gardens surrounding their house, unlike the Potters who only had a few but their yard contained a full size Quidditch pitch which James and his father used for fun and practice.
At the back of the French Garden there loomed an oversized labyrinth with flowers of all different colours blooming along the hedges. James sighed before entering, hoping this time, he wouldn't get lost. As he made his way through, he couldn't help but admire his surroundings. The sun was shining down and flowers bloomed magically as he walked between the hedges, giving off a mystical feeling. The maze itself was magical and thus the walls were always shifting. James could never figure out how Freya made her way through the thing and emerge from it alive.
After what felt like a lifetime of walking, he finally entered the centre most part of the maze. It was a square area with a large fountain in the middle. The fountain was marble and in the middle sprouted a great lion and adorned on its head was an extravagant crown. Engraved on the circular bottom were letters that formed the words ' 'S RIOGHAL MO DHREAM'. In all the years James had known the MacGregors he had never asked what that meant. He gazed around the area. A wooden bench sat on the farthest side of the square from the point in which James had entered and flowers were blooming all over it. He spotted a head of hair with a colour that was identical to Nora's and knew that Freya must be sitting on the other side of the fountain. James strutted over and sat down next to her.
Freya MacGregor was much too beautiful for her age. She had flawless creamy skin that contrasted greatly against her long, dark crimson, softly curled hair. Although she spent a lot of time in the heat of the gardens, it was never frizzy or out of place. She had a cute button nose and full pink lips. She always seemed to have a small blush, but that could have just been because of her Scottish blood. Unlike her mother though, Freya had eyes so silver they looked like liquid mercury.
But even in all her beauty, Freya and James were nothing more than friends and they liked it that way. When they were seven years old they had gone into the Italian Garden and kissed because after seeing their parents do it so often, they had both wanted to know what it was like. After, they thought it so disgusting that they made their own faux unbreakable vow to never kiss anybody ever again.
Freya smiled when she felt him sit down beside her. "Good morning, Jem." Even her voice was musical. It had a sweet English ring with a little bit of spice from her Scottish accent. James liked listening to her talk. She was also the only person he allowed to call him Jem.
"Good morning, Fey. Why are you out in the gardens so early?"
She shrugged. "Its peaceful here; always so serene and quiet. I like it."
James laughed. "What? The giant house you have isn't peaceful and quiet? Only three people live inside. How crazy does it get? Unless there's something you aren't telling me." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
She smacked his thigh. Hard. "Don't be a hypocrite. My house isn't half the size of yours, you dolt. And besides, the house is quiet but it's also empty. The gardens are full of life." James rolled his eyes and began to rub his thigh to help with the now growing sting. "So, I presume you've received your Hogwarts letter as well?"
He nodded. "Mum says we can go supply shopping letter this week. We should go together." She nodded her head in agreement. They sat in silence for a little while before James spoke up again. "Do you think we'll be sorted into Gryffindor?" Freya snorted.
"I don't believe we have even the slightest chance of being put in any house besides Gryffindor. You're bloody related to him, and everybody in my family has been in that house. Besides, my clan's crest has a lion on it. Look." She took out the necklace that had been hidden under her shirt. The pendant and chain were both gold and the pendant was circular. Inside the innermost circle was a lion that bore its teeth out in a growl with its tongue hanging out, almost like a snake's. Its head was adorned with a crown. Around the outer circle the same motto as the one on the fountain was repeated and at the bottom of the pendant it read MACGREGOR.
"What does that mean? The motto, I mean," James asked fingering the chain around her neck.
"It's written in Scottish Gaelic and it means 'My race is royal' or 'My blood is royal'. They both get the same meaning across though so you can choose whichever your favourite is." James laughed.
He paused, lost in thought. "What do you reckon it'll be like? Living there and finally being able to do magic?" Freya raised her eyebrows.
"Are you telling me that you of all people haven't been practicing underage magic?" James let a cheeky grin slide across his face. "That's what I thought, and I'm not sure. I suppose it will be frightening and exciting at the same time, yeah?" Freya looked at the sky and frowned. "Seems like it's bound to rain soon; we should probably head back towards the house then." She stood and motioned for James to get moving.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." He glanced up at the sky. "That's weird, it was so sunny when I arrived," he remarked. Freya shrugged.
"The weather is always pretty nasty in the UK." The pair weaved their way through the maze and at some point, they had clasped hands. "James," he looked up at her face. She never really used his full name. "Promise me that no matter what happens when we attend school, we'll always be friends."
His eyebrows knit together and he nodded. "I promise." Whilst his right hand held her left, he lifted his empty one with his little finger sticking out. It wrapped around hers and they both leaned in and kissed the fisted ends of their joined promise, or to them, their faux unbreakable vow. Sometime after that, James spoke up again. "If you're sorted into Slytherin, I just might have to break that promise."
Freya grinned. "That's acceptable." They laughed and continued to walk back together.
Sirius Black hated spending time with his family, and unfortunately for him, his family was together quite a lot. He had just received his Hogwarts letter and was now being coddled by his mother and two older cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa. Sirius had tuned out from their annoying voices but was brought back when pale fingers were snapped in his face.
"Sirius, are you even listening to what your cousins are saying," his mother asked. There was an impatient tone to her voice. Sirius nodded quickly. "Good. Now pay closer attention."
He mentally rolled his eyes. He wished that he could say his mother was an old, ugly hag but she was not. She had perfect blonde hair that was always tied into a neat bun that rested on the back of her head. She was tall and regal and emanated a dark feeling as well as power. If she had not been his mother, Sirius could not think of anytime he would ever willingly approach her.
"As I was saying…" Bella snapped. "You'll be sorted in to Slytherin House like the rest of us. Cissy still has two years left at that blasted school, but you won't be seeing me anywhere when you get there. Andromeda has graduated as well but we don't speak of the filthy blood traitor. I can't believe she just went off and married some mudblood. After everything we've done for her! You would think she would show a little gratitude." Bella was snarling by the time she finished her little speech to her younger cousin. "But you won't be like that, right Sirius?" All eyes turned on him. He shrugged.
"I don't know what I'm going to be like when I get older." Wrong answer. Bella let loose a stinging hex that hit Sirius right in the chest. "OW! What the bloody hell was that for?"
"Don't smart mouth me, little cousin. If you act out during your years at Hogwarts we will know about it and we won't be happy." Sirius wanted to snort but knew he would get in trouble for doing so. "That means no making friends with Gryffindors, no befriending mudbloods and most importantly, don't think you can just turn your back on your family, Sirius because you're just like us and no matter what you do and how hard you try, you'll always be a Black."
*†‡†*
Lily was awestruck as she and Severus walked through Diagon Alley. People were everywhere! Going in and out of shops, standing in front of shops, sitting out in front of shops, playing with animals, doing whatever. All these simple things seemed to amaze Lily because all the people around her were witches and wizards. It was…unbelievable. She never would have believed something as magical as this could happen to someone as ordinary as her.
Store windows were lined with trinkets and treasures, owl and cats, broomsticks, jars of slimy looking creatures, eyeballs and sweets and something that seemed to resemble a telescope. Lily felt she could stay there and stare forever and she still would never be satisfied until she could see more. More of this amazing world she was now a part of and more of all the amazing things it held. Everything was just…amazing!
Lily and Severus had just wrapped up their school shopping and Eileen, Severus' mum, thought it would be nice to go and have ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. They had just left Ollivanders and so Lily could not stop playing with her wand. It seemed crazy to her that she had a real, working magic stick. The owner had told her it was 10¼ʺ, made of willow wood, and the inside had unicorn hair. The moment she heard that she decided that before she died, she would see and pet a unicorn. No questions asked.
She and Severus sat outside the ice cream shop at a small table that was covered by a large, orange umbrella. They didn't speak much but shared funny glances and looks; occasionally making faces at each other as they happily ate their ice cream. Lily's ice cream cone had melted drastically and so when she finished, she excused herself to go to the loo and wash her hands.
She had no trouble finding it and once inside she noticed that she wasn't the only young witch. The girl washing her hands at one of the sinks had red hair just like Lily did. She had no idea if that was what had possessed her to speak to the girl, but once the words were out of her mouth, there was no going back.
"Hello, there." Lily found herself smiling through the mirror at her. The girl looked up with raised eyebrows, turned her head to see if anybody else was around and then answered.
"Hello." Lily noted that the girl had a really beautiful voice to go along with the rest of her perfect features. She wondered if she used potions from that beauty store she and Sev had walked past.
Lily continued to smile at the girl and carried on the conversation. "I'm Lily, Lily Evans. What's your name?"
"Freya MacGregor." The girl was straight and to the point with Lily. "I don't know any Evans… do you happen to be a muggle-born?"
Lily nodded. "I'm here with my friend, Severus. He's a…half-blood. Yeah that's what he told me. Are you muggle-born, too?" Lily hoped she wasn't coming off too rude, but it would be nice to relate to someone else who was also going through this transition.
Much to Lily's disappointment, Freya shook her head. She had finished washing her hands and had turned to leave. "Well, welcome to the wizarding world, Lily Evans. I guess I'll see you 'round, yeah?" Before Lily could reply Freya was out the door.
When she returned to the table, Severus and his mother were patiently waiting for her. Eileen smiled when she saw her approach. "There you are, Lily. We thought for a moment that you had wondered off and got lost. The wizarding world can be a dangerous place for young, inexperienced witches. Try to be careful when you go off on your own, alright?" Without waiting for a reply she began to usher the two kids back to the Leaky Cauldron so they could return home.
As they walked, a thought occurred to Lily. She turned to Severus. "Sev," he craned his head to meet her gaze as they walked. "Does it make a difference, being muggle-born?" Severus looked taken aback by the question.
"No. It doesn't make a difference. Why do you ask?" She shrugged.
"It was just a thought, I suppose," she mumbled. Severus raised an eyebrow but didn't push the matter. It would take Lily a few years to realise that he had lied to her.
*†‡†*
James and Freya were currently outside of Broomstix. James had his face fully pressed against the window, the heat from his breath fogging up the outside. Freya was attempting to drag him away.
"Jem! You already have the newest model! You aren't even allowed to keep one at Hogwarts this year so there is no point of drooling all over the window." Freya pulled on his robes but his feet were planted firmly to the ground. She growled in frustration.
"Who cares if I can't bring a broomstick? That sure isn't going to stop me from sneaking out to play." Freya rolled her eyes and pointed out that James already owned the broomstick on display. "Yeah but it looks beautiful here, under the spotlight. Simply breath-taking." James sighed and continued to make googly eyes until Freya was finally successful in dragging him away. She dragged him down the streets until they reached Ollivanders. She pushed open the door and they walked inside. James' face winkled up. "It smells like old people." This earned a smack from Freya and a quick scolding which James paid no attention to. They walked to the counter and he rang the tiny silver bell. There was a shuffling noise in the back and then an old man with wild, white hair appeared.
"Hello, children! Welcome to Ollivander's Wand Shop, I'm Garrick Ollivander. How may I be of service to you both?" He had a cheery voice and he came off as somebody who would always be happy.
"Hello, we're going to be first years at Hogwarts and we've come to get our wands," Freya said politely. Mr. Ollivander seized them up and then proceeded to ask them a couple of questions before disappearing into the back of the store.
"He seems like kind of a nutter, don' he," James whispered once he thought the old man was out of ear shot. Freya scowled at him and told him to play nice. James grinned. "You totally agree with me." He watched as the corner of her mouth turned up into a small, quick smile, but he knew what it meant.
Mr. Ollivander shortly returned holding two, dusty, small boxes. He held the one in his left hand towards Freya proclaiming that ladies go first. She shot James a smug look which he responded to by sticking out his tongue. She gently opened the box and took out the sleek, black wand. There were thin lines of silver flowing through it. Like a pulse. It looked beautiful in her hand. "This wand is 10¾ʺ, made of Elm wood, pliable with a phoenix feather core. Very good for charm work and experimental spell making." He winked at her. "You can go on and try a simple charm, now." Freya set the box at the feet and pointed her wand down at it.
She swished her wrist and spoke. "Wingardium Leviosa." After a second, the box began to float off the ground. She lifted it higher and higher until it was almost at the ceiling, it shifted slightly and then she dropped the charm, causing the box to fall and smack James in the face, knocking off his glasses. He cried out as the same time Freya burst out laughing. Mr. Ollivander smiled.
"A perfect fit," he complimented. "What was your name again?" As Freya told him his eyes lit up. "I will be expecting great things from you, Freya". He then leaned down and presented James with the other box he had been carrying. James took out the wand and tested its fit in his hand. Perfect. There were carved cobwebs into his wand which James found he enjoyed tracing. Mr. Ollivander seemed to agree. "That there is 11ʺ, Mahogany, pliable as well and also contains a phoenix feather core. It will be great for transfiguration. You may also have a go at a simple spell."
James smirked, he had been practicing all different sorts of spells in his free time and had a fun one in mind. He turned quickly and pointed his wand at Freya "Tarantallegra!" Freya's feet began to dance involuntarily, in a sort of Irish jig.
"James Alexander Potter! If you don't take this jinx off of me in ten seconds I'll tell your mother it was you that set her rose bushes on fire last year!" After hearing this James' face sobered and he quickly cast the counter-curse. Due to lack of equilibrium from her dance, she fell back onto her bum. She scowled up at James who returned it with a grin.
Mr. Ollivander was smiling at the two as James helped her off the ground. "I can already tell that you will both be very powerful one day. And those wands will help you a long as you go. A perfect match, if I do say so." As they left the store, both James and Freya wondered if he had still been talking about the wands at the end.
"What an old hoot," James remarked as they made their way to Magical Menagerie. "So what kind of a pet do you want, Fey?"
She sighed. "I really want a kitten but I know I need an owl and mum and dad say I can only have one for now. I haven't been able to choose yet."
James considered this. "Well why don't we share an owl? I'm sure it could just bring both of our mail and then that way you can also have a cat."
Freya beamed at him. "Oh would you really do that for me, Jem?" He nodded. Freya smiled even bigger and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! We can pick out the kitten and owl together!" Being overly excited, she grabbed onto him and sprinted the rest of the way to the store. Once they arrived, she headed straight over to the kittens and James followed loyal behind. James thought they only spent a second but Freya had already picked out the kitten she wanted. It was grey with white spots, and white booted feet. The kitten purred against her chest and looked at James with its big eyes. He noticed that the cat had one blue eye and one gold. "He's perfect! Don't you think? Here you can hold him." She handed James the tiny kitten that grew comfortable in his arms right away and fell asleep. He couldn't help but smile. "He likes you," she observed. "Do you want to get him?" She looked at him with her silver eyes full of hope. James nodded and reminded her that they now had to go pick out an owl. They walked among the cages with the sleeping kitten still in his arms and came across a brown, tawny owl with innocent yellow eyes. When it saw them it let out a shy 'hoot.' "What do ya think of this one? Cute isn't she?"
James inspected the owl. "Yeah she looks alright. Grab her cage and let's get outta here so we can get this little one home," he said motioning to the cat. As the two waited in line they began to discuss names for their new pets. They had agreed on the name Athena for the owl and had been arguing about the cat for a while. "What kind of a name is Ghaol for a cat," James argued.
Freya scowled. "You're saying it wrong! And it means love in Scottish Gaelic. It's a fine name."
James rolled his eyes. "Well sorry to break it to you, but not everybody is Scottish!"
"Oh like you have a better idea. I'd bet 100 galleons that you want to name him something dumb that has to do with Quidditch." James was silent for a second.
"Nothing in Quidditch is dumb…," he mumbled.
"So I was right?"
"Okay, fine I wanted to name him Snitch." She groaned. "What? It's not half as bad as Ghaol!" The two bantered for a few more minutes before finally deciding on the name Ace. "I guess it fits him…though it's not better than Snitch."
"Uh huh, keep telling yourself that, Jem. Now hurry up, we're going to be late to meet our parents." The two rushed the rest of the way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. They found their parents sitting outside eating ice cream like they were still teenagers, which they obviously were not. Mr. MacGregor noticed the children approach first.
"There you are," he exclaimed standing from his seat. "You're a tab bit late now, don't you think," he scolded pointing at his watch.
Freya attempted to catch her breath before answering. "It was…his fault. He…was drooling…all over…," she gestured wildly with her hands. "Broomsticks." Mr. Potter and her own father laughed. James was smiling cheekily.
Mrs. Potter spoke up. "You did manage to get everything?" He and Freya nodded. "Good. We should be on our way now, unless there is anything at all you could think to get?" They thought about it for a second, and then shook their heads signalling they had gathered all the necessities for school. Their parents stood to leave, but Freya said she needed to run to the loo before taking off.
She weaved her way through people to get to the back of the store and then entered the loo. It was empty. She quickly picked a stall and then once finished, went to wash her hands. As she did, another red headed girl walked in and started to clean the ice cream off of her hands. Freya felt her eyes on her and then the girl spoke up.
At first, Freya thought the girl may have been taking to someone who had just walked in but when she saw that there was no one else, she replied. The girl introduced herself as Lily Evans and had a sweet voice and face. Freya immediately took a liking to this girl, who she found out was a muggle-born. She looked at her watch and knew her parents would be getting impatient.
She turned to leave. "Well, welcome to the wizarding world, Lily Evans. I guess I'll see you 'round, yeah?" Freya made her way quickly back while thinking about the sweet, muggle-born she had just met. As she approached, her parents led the way as she and James followed closely behind. As they walked together James asked what had taken her so long in the loo. "I met a really sweet muggle-born," she paused. "I think her name was Lily. She had red hair like mine! Isn't that crazy? Maybe we'll make good friends." James told her that the muggle-born girl couldn't possibly be prettier than her and Freya laughed. "You haven't met her yet, Jem." She winked at him and they continued on.
*†‡†*
Sirius stood at Platform 9¾ with his family as they were saying their goodbyes. Narcissa was the only one coming with him on the train. His mother was rambling on about things he ought to remember but he couldn't be bothered with her. He was so close to freedom, so close to finally getting away from his awful family. The last thing he heard his mother tell him before they left was 'Make us proud, Sirius.' And he intended to do the exact opposite, for Sirius Black cursed the day he was born and cursed his own name.
There was a short line to get on the train and as he and Narcissa walked over to it, a lot of people parted with fear in their eyes when they saw her. Sirius looked up to see a satisfied smirk on her face. They were almost on the train when a short boy with messy black hair and glasses too big for his face stood in their way. Sirius' older cousin growled in frustration. She told the kid to move once, but the boy completely ignored her and stared on ward like she wasn't there. Sirius liked this kid. He could tell his cousin was starting to get frustrated waiting and he took the opportunity as it presented itself.
"Maybe you should just leave, Narcissa," Sirius suggested nonchalantly. She gaped down at her younger cousin.
"Excuse me, what did you say, Sirius?" Her eyes narrowed down at him and she glared with daggers. Sirius calmly repeated himself and couldn't help but let the corner of his mouth lift up in a tiny smirk. She huffed. "Just wait until your mother hears about this. You'll be dead meat in a second." She stomped away and he rolled his eyes. The women in his family had such bad attitudes.
The short kid with glasses grinned up at him. He held out his hand. "I'm James Potter, and you are?" Sirius took his hand in a firm shake and introduced himself. "I think we will be great mates, Sirius Black." The two boys grinned at each other and got on the train, picking an empty compartment. James sat down and looked out the window, searching for someone. When he spotted whoever he was looking for, he waved his arms frantically and yelled. "Freya! Get in here!" He leaned back in and closed the window. His hair was even messier and his glasses askew on his face. "So, I'm guessing you don't really like your family much?"
This caused Sirius to bark out laughter. "Not at all, mate. They all ramble on about pure-blood supremacy and dumb things like that. They don't even realise how wrong it is. It disgusts me." James nodded in agreement.
"I come from a pure-blood family, but they're not like that. My mum and dad help out with muggle-born rights occasionally in their free time. In my opinion, a witch is a witch and a wizard a wizard no matter where they come from originally." Sirius liked this James fellow a lot. He seemed to have the same thoughts as Sirius. James opened his mouth to say more but the compartment door slid open to reveal the most beautiful girl Sirius had ever laid eyes on. James stood when as she came in. "Good thing you're here now. You can watch the compartment while Sirius and I go grab some sweets for the trip." He stood at the door and motioned for Sirius to follow. As they walked down the narrow train corridor, his mind wandered back to the beautiful red head.
"Who was that," he found himself asking. James looked confused for a second.
"Who? The girl in the compartment?" Sirius nodded. "Oh, that's Freya MacGregor. She's practically my sister. She's a first year, too. Wait…you are a first year right?" He replied with a quick yes and James continued on. "Our parents are really close so Freya and I were raised together and she's the only real friend I've had until you." James looked a little sheepish. "But I never did any girly things with her, ya know," he was quick to add that. Sirius laughed and they reached the trolley containing all of the sweets. While they waited in line, they saw a tall, lanky boy standing alone in the corner of the train car. James called out to him. "Hey!" The boy didn't look up. "Hey, kid in the corner," he called again. This time the boy glanced up to meet James' face. He and Sirius motioned him over to where they were in line. He looked hesitant until he finally seemed to convince himself to go.
He stood awkwardly next to the two shorter boys, James being the smallest. Sirius introduced himself first and held out his hand. The boy shook it gently and said his name was Remus Lupin. The boys were next in line and James asked if Remus wanted anything. Remus looked hesitant again but then shook his head no. James looked him over and then bought more candy than necessary. He handed Remus five Chocolate Frogs and handed Sirius two bags of Jelly Slugs and James himself carried the rest of the candy back to their compartment. Remus and Sirius followed behind him.
They entered to see two more people sat opposite Freya. A boy with clothes that didn't fit him and greasy, long black hair and next to him was a girl with red hair similar to Freya's and bright, sparkling green eyes. James looked between the two new comers before turning to Fey.
"Who're they," has asked plopping down next to her and setting all the candy in his arms on the table by the window. Freya grabbed a bag of Jelly Slugs and popped a few in her mouth.
She pointed to the boy. "That's Severus Snape," she moved to point to the girl next to him. "And that's the Lovely Lily Evans, whom I met a few weeks ago in the loo at the ice cream parlour." James remembered hearing her say something about that.
He remembered Freya saying that she had been muggle-born. "Right, so you're both muggle-born, then," he asked looking between the two of them. The Snape bloke snorted.
Lily shook her head. "Severus isn't but I am." She smiled sweetly.
James grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "When we get to school, you'll want to be Sorted into Gryffindor. It's the best house of all the four. That's where my whole family has been in, Freya's too." He motioned between the two of them. "It's where we're going. What about you lot? Where do you think you'll go?"
Sirius sighed. "Unfortunately, everybody from my family has always been in Slytherin, but I refuse to be like them." He stopped and thought for a moment. "I have no idea which house I'll end up in."
The all looked at Remus who shifted uncomfortably under their gazes. He shrugged. "My father was in Ravenclaw and my mum is a muggle. I haven't a clue where I'll end up tonight."
The next person in question was Lily. "I don't know…I don't really know how this Sorting works but Severus thinks he and I will be in Slytherin." Sirius couldn't help but burst out laughing. Lily looked taken aback and narrowed her eyes. "What's so funny?"
The moment he calmed down, he spoke. "You're a muggle-born and you think you'll be Sorted into Slytherin? You must be a nutter if you think you can survive one day in that house without getting hexed by some pure-blood supremacist." Lily went to speak but Snape interrupted her.
"Lily would have me to protect her, and Slytherin house will be great for both her and me," he said defiantly glaring at Sirius. This time it was James who burst out laughing.
"You think that you could protect her? That being Sorted in to Slytherin could be beneficial to anybody?" James scoffed. "That's hilarious, Snivellus."
Severus bristled at his new nickname and narrowed his eyes at James. "That's rich coming from some stupid, oaf who only wants to be Sorted into Gryffindor house because of his blasted father," James went to jump at Severus but Freya held him back with one arm and drew her wand. She pointed it into Severus' chest.
"Don't you dare talk about Charlus Potter like that," She warned. "His blasted father is twice the man you'll ever be." Freya sneered at him and Severus glared back.
Lily stood up and grabbed his arm. "Maybe we should leave, Sev. I get the feeling we aren't wanted here anymore."
Freya shook her head. "You are, Lily. You'll always be welcome around me, but he," she jabbed her wand at Severus. "He is not." Lily nodded in understanding and she and Severus left anyway. Freya then turned and glared at the three boys. "Honestly! We haven't even arrived at school yet and you three are already causing trouble. You should be ashamed of your selves." The boys bowed their heads in shame. She eyed Remus and Sirius before asking for their names. Once they were given she went on to say that they shouldn't let James influence them too much.
"Hey! They make their own decisions and besides, I can tell these two are going to make great mates for someone like me." Freya raised an eyebrow. James continued on. "See, I've figured it all out. Remus is level headed and can monitor us and be our reminding, good friend, and Sirius looks like he could cause enough trouble to destroy the Ministry of Magic in one day. And with me, well," he grinned. "We'd make the perfect team." Freya shook her head and laughed.
"I'll never understand what runs through your tiny brain, James Potter." They all laughed at that. The rest of the ride to Hogwarts wasn't as eventful. They stayed in the compartment, only leaving to change into their school robes, and told each other about one another. And slowly, they became friends.
*†‡†*
Once the train arrived at the station in Hogsmeade, the first years were corralled to the shore by a big, friendly man named Hagrid, who then got them situated into boats. Lily and Severus sat with two other girls who didn't attempt to make any conversation with either of them. The castle loomed up over the lake with a strange, intriguing ambiance that Lily couldn't particularly place as anything she had ever felt before. There were towers sprouting out of thick stone buildings, lights illuminating every beautiful and intricate window. The only thing Lily could compare it to be was something out of a muggle story book and it was she who felt like the princess.
Once the boats docked on the other side, they were led by another, older witch into the castle and up to the doors of the Great Hall. The witch assembled all the students into neat lines. Lily noticed that the woman was tall, and severe-looking. She was adorned with emerald green robes with a sort of pattern on it as well as a pointed hat that had been cocked to one side. She wore on her face a very prim and professional expression and her black hair was pulled tightly back into a neat bun. Lily immediately knew she never wanted to cross this specific professor.
"Listen up, please," she spoke with authority and riled down the students quickly. "Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts. Now, through those doors is the Great Hall in which you will be Sorted into your individual houses. Once Sorted, you will go and sit at the table of your designated house and the headmaster will then give a short speech and the feast will begin. You will receive more information pertaining to your schooling tomorrow during breakfast which promptly begins at 7:30 am. Do not be late." With that she turned and flicked her arms out causing the doors to open.
The first years walked through the middle of the Great Hall until they reached the front of the room. The headmaster stood and gave a brief welcome and then motioned for the Sorting to begin. Directly in the centre a few meters from the head table was a stool with a plain hat sitting on it. The hat then belted out a song which, Lily soon realised was about the school itself. There was lots of humour and many times the students would all burst out laughing. Once it had finished its song, the witch in green robes picked up the hat and then unrolled a scroll.
"Addison, Courtney," she called out. A blonde girl emerged from the crowd and sat herself on the stool. The teacher placed the hat on the girls head and then a soft murmuring could be heard coming from it, but no one could make out what it was saying. Then very quickly it yelled out, "Hufflepuff!" The girl slid from the stool and happily made her way over to the table that was cheering and clapping. A yellow and black banner hung above their table.
"Agerwall, Patricia." Another girl went up. This time the hat called out for Ravenclaw. Lily felt a hand touch her arm and she turned to see Freya standing behind her smiling.
"Hey, I just thought I'd come by and apologize for what happened on the train. I hope we can still be friends even though I kind of threatened your other friend." She smiled sheepishly and Lily beamed back.
"Of course! It wasn't your fault that happened." Lily rolled her eyes. "You know what they say, 'boys will be boys' and all that." Freya laughed and then turned her attention back to the ceremony. A few more people went by and then a familiar name was called.
"Black, Sirius."
*†‡†*
Sirius made his way through the crowd and then sat down on the stool. He felt the leather hat being placed on his head and then a low, almost sinister voice.
"Hmmmm, interesting. A Black with so much courage, and loyalty as well, but you're much too good for Hufflepuff…where to put you, where to put you. You're smart and ambitious but not the Ravenclaw type." Sirius clenched his fist and willed the hat to say anything but Slytherin. "It's got to be…GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius smiled so big his cheeks began to hurt; he walked over to the cheering table and sat down. He glanced over at the Slytherins and saw many of them had dropped their jaws. Narcissa especially looked surprised and angry. Sirius on the other hand, had never felt better in his life.
*†‡†*
Lily and Freya stayed close and when she was finally called, Freya squeezed her hand and wished her good luck. Severus smiled at her and mouthed a quick encouragement. Lily sat on the stool and then once the felt the hat being placed on her head she waited for the voice. It was silent for a moment.
"A muggle-born…very, very smart. Lots of potential in Ravenclaw for you. Also kindness, yes and loyalty…what a hard decision…but look at your bravery. You know what is right and you do it. There's only one place to put you and that's…GRYFFINDOR!" Lily smiled and hopped off the stool. She padded her way over to the table where Sirius moved over to make room for her but she ignored him and instead sat with a boy named Jonathan Davies. The next person to join the Gryffindor first years was Remus Lupin.
"MacGregor, Freya."
James squeezed her hand for good luck before she ascended the short stairs and sat down on the stool. The hat was placed on her head for a mere second before it bellowed out a loud Gryffindor. Freya smirked as she made her way to the table and sat next to Sirius, and across from Lily.
"Well that didn't take very long," Sirius remarked. Mostly everyone laughed. Freya was smiling.
"I guess I'm just a true Gryffindor all around." By the end of the sorting, there were ten first years in Gryffindor house. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Jonathan Davies, Lily Evans, Freya MacGregor, Marlene McKinnon, Paige Williamson and Sylvia Parker. Unfortunately for Lily, Severus was sorted into Slytherin and she only caught a couple of glances at him before the headmaster stood to give his speech.
"Quiet, please," he called out to the students. The hall quickly fell into silence. "Thank you, now I want to wish all returning students a welcome back, may this school year be as prosperous as the last. To the new students, welcome to your new home, I hope you find all things accommodating and to your liking. I know you are all hungry but before we start the feast a few rules must be gone over." A collective groan sounded in the hall but the headmaster simply smiled. "Professor Sprout has planted a new tree on the grounds and students shall not, under any circumstance, approach the tree. The consequences of doing so may be deadly. A warning to all adventurous first years, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students unless they are accompanied by an adult." His eyes scanned the crowd from behind his half-moon spectacles and then he smiled. "On that note, let the feast begin." He waved his arms and dozens upon dozens plates of food appeared on all the tables.
"Bloody hell," James exclaimed. "I've never seen this much food in one place!" His hazel eyes sparkled gold behind his large, square glasses. All the boys nodded with their mouths agape and then in a second they had mountains of food piled onto their plates, quickly stuffing as much as they could into their mouths at once. Freya and Lily glanced at one another and rolled their eyes as they giggled. Freya asked Jonathan Davies to switch seats. His mouth was too full to respond verbally so he nodded his head and then they crawled under the table both emerging on the opposite side from where they had previously been sitting. The girls grinned at each other and then began to look at the food the boys had graciously left for them. It was close to nothing.
Freya scowled. "You are all pigs, the lot of you. Not even saving any for the ladies at the table. What would your mothers say?" All the boys looked slightly sheepish save for Sirius who just snorted and kept eating which won him a short glare from both girls. Freya grabbed James' plate and hauled it over to her. He let out a mangled protest as small pieces of food fell from his mouth. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust as Freya just grinned at him and settled for putting the plate between them. Jonathan regarded them weirdly.
"Are you two going to get married or something," he asked.
The two looked at each other and then burst out laughing. They gripped onto their stomachs and didn't stop laughing until they were both crying. James sobered first.
"You think…," he had to stop to catch his breath. "That we…could actually ever…get married?" He continued to laugh.
Freya was grinning when she replied. "Jem is like my brother not my boyfriend. We've known each other far too long to be able to look at one another in a romantic way." She grabbed a chicken wing. "I've seen Jem piss his pants and cry like he was about to die. You just don't think of people that way after a certain point." James was blushing as he glared at her.
"That wasn't half as bad as when you saw me go to the loo and you thought you could stand up and pee and made a huge mess in the bathroom. You cried for like an hour thinking the house elves were going to tell your parents." Every boy at the table broke out into a fit of laughter save Remus who tried but failed to hide his smile. Peter, on the other hand, just stared off into space. Freya's face flushed so red it matched her hair.
Lily glared at him. "Oh shut it, Potter."
James chuckled and made a face at her. "Make me, Evans." In retaliation, she picked up an apple and threw it at his face. Lily missed, though and it ended up hitting him in the chest.
Freya regained composure and her eyebrows rose. "How do you ever expect to play Quidditch if you can't even catch an apple, Jem?" He blushed but continued to glare at Lily before changing the subject.
The rest of the feast was spent exchanging stories and getting to know one another. There was a slightly hostile feeling anytime words were exchanged between James and Lily but other than that, all the first years seemed to get on fine. Remus only added his opinion once or twice throughout the conversation and Peter generally just agreed with whatever James and Sirius said. It would be an interesting couple of years for sure.
*†‡†*
At the end of the evening, when all the students and teachers lay asleep in their beds, Lily Evans lay awake in anticipation for the following school day. She had always been one of those kids that stayed up all night thinking about how the first day of school would go but this was different. She wouldn't be attending muggle school anymore and that terrified her. She barely knew anything about this world but she vowed to herself that she would learn and that by the end of the month, she'd fit in just like Freya did. Freya. Lily turned to the bed next to her own and whispered to see if she was still awake. After a moment the curtain was pulled back and a sleepy-eyed girl with startling red hair stared back at Lily. She looked around the room as if searching for a problem and when she couldn't find one, her eyebrows knit together in a silent question.
Lily toyed with her sheets. "Are you nervous," she whispered, stuttering. "I mean for school tomorrow."
Freya thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Why? Are you?"
Lily blushed but in the darkness of the room, it wasn't noticeable. "I'm just scared that…that I won't fit in. People like you belong in this world and I'm just…not like you." She shook her head. "It's a hard feeling to explain. I know I'll always have Severus but it doesn't make me feel more connected in anyway." Lily sighed. "I'm rubbish at explaining this."
"It's okay, Lily. I can't imagine how weird all this must be weird for you, but I promise that I'll try to do everything I can to make you feel more welcome." She paused. "Do you wanna come sleep in bed with me? They're kinda big." Lily nodded and crawled out of her own, her feet padding quickly over to the bed next to hers and got in before sliding the curtain closed. Their scarlet hair was almost identical to the deep velvety sheets for Gryffindor house. The girls smiled at each other and then closed their eyes, taking comfort in the feeling that only a friend could provide.
*†‡†*
Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and James Potter sat in a circle eating candy and talking as the other two members of their house slept. Being boys, the conversation was obviously about girls and Quidditch. Sirius popped a jelly slug into his mouth and eyed Remus. "So, Remus…fancy any girls?" He winked and flashed a cheeky grin at the taller boy who just blushed.
His eyes darted around the room, unsure of how to answer. "Well, they're all very pretty," he answered vaguely. He opened his mouth to say more but shook his head. "None of them would ever like me though." James chucked a chocolate frog at him.
"That's rubbish! With friends like us," he gestured between himself and Sirius. "You could have any crazy bird you wanted." He winked at Remus. "Sylvia Parker did seem to be ogling you at the welcome feast." Remus' face flushed.
"Well then what about you, James," Remus asked quickly, wanting to shift the attention form himself. "Would you really never consider Freya? She's absolutely beautiful. So is Lily Evans."
James snorted. "Lily Evans," he began. "Is going to be the death of me. If we were the last two people on this planet, and there were only sheep left a long with us. I'd snog the sheep." Sirius burst into laughter and Remus smiled.
"Maybe your opinion will change." Remus suggested with a shrug.
James' face wrinkled up. "Not bloody likely."
Okay so that was the first chapter! I hope you liked it and will read on(:
Angela xxx