Hello all. I'm giving you this as a New Year's present (happy new year!) and because I am currently wrapped up in bed with a really bad cold and nothing better to do. If there are any mistakes in this, blame the cold and no doubt I'll find something to complain about later. Oh, yeah, meant to say it in the last chapter, but although this is ultimately going to be James/Lily, there will be elements of James/Sirius (and by elements I mean I am going to cause myself never ending pain because that's the kind of person I am).
Chapter Two
The platform was packed when they finally managed to get off of the train and they stuck close together as the crowd was jostled around. They looked at each other, unsure of where to go or what to do, until a loud voice shouted out and carried across the heads of everyone gathered on the platform. A lamp appeared a few seconds later, sending the station into a mix of dark browns, oranges and the sky was beginning to darken, bright pink bleeding into blue behind a cluster of trees.
"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" The owner of the voice was a giant of a man with hands larger than James' head and a long, tangled beard.
"C'mon!" Sirius muttered, pulling James after him by his sleeve. They darted around a tall, pale blonde boy and three of his friends and Sirius ignored the voice that called out for him when they passed.
"Who was that?" James asked, shivering slightly as they came to a stop at the back of a small group of first years.
"A friend of the family." Sirius answered darkly. James decided not to press any further and simply nodded.
"C'mon, follow me – anymore firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!"
They followed the giant from the platform and were careful not to slip as they stumbled down a steep, muddy path. The light from the lamp cast shadows from the surrounding trees and more than once Sirius whispered warnings about being able to see something further in.
"Shut up." James hissed after the fourth time of Sirius grabbing hold of his shoulder and pointing off into the branches. The other boy huffed out a laugh and grabbed James' shoulder again.
"I thought Gryffindors were meant to be brave." James turned his head to glare at him, which caused him to laugh harder.
"We are." He said, punching Sirius on the arm and snorting when he shrank back exaggeratedly.
After that they lapsed into silence, Sirius giggling to himself every few minutes and James rolling his eyes whilst trying not to smile.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," The man called from the front of the group and the two boys glanced at each other in excitement. "Jus' around this bend here."
The group seemed to push forward as one, everyone eager to get a glimpse of what would be their home for the next three months. There was a collective gasp as the path opened out onto the edge of a massive lake, the pink sky reflected in the water. James pointed this out to Sirius and both boys stared at it in fascination before the man's next words drew their attention away.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Both boys gaped at the giant castle, the lights in the windows looking like stars, the last few tendrils of orange wrapping around the many turrets and towers. "No more'n four to a boat!" He pointed to a small collection of boats moored at the edge of the lake.
The first years hurried towards the boats, eager to get out of the cold. James and Sirius clambered into a boat close to the edge of the group and settled down next to each other.
"D'you mind if we join you?" A small, skinny boy with dark brown hair and freckles asked from the shore. A taller, gangly boy with scars across his face trailed behind him, looking about nervously and he refused to look either of them in the eye.
"No, go ahead." James said, moving his feet out of the way so that they could climb in.
"Thanks a lot. I'm Frank Longbottom and this here is Remus Lupin." Sirius seemed to recognise the first boy's name because he looked up sharply.
"Longbottom? As in, son of Augusta, Longbottom?"
"Yes." Frank said hesitantly, eyeing Sirius warily.
"It's been a while, cousin." Sirius smiled and a few moments later, Frank joined him.
"Sirius? Blimey it's been at least three years."
"Everyone in?" The giant, who was at the front of the group in a boat to himself, boomed. "Right then – FORWARD!"
The boats set off, spreading ripples out across the surface and James reached into the water to flick some at Sirius. There wasn't much talking as everyone looked ahead at the castle. It seemed impossibly big as they approached the cliff it was built on and James found his neck craning back to look at it properly.
"Heads down!" The man yelled as his boat neared the cliff and they all bent their heads.
A sheet of ivy covered a wide opening and Sirius grabbed a few vines, flicking them at James with a laugh. James scowled for a second, letting Sirius see, before he grinned back and reached over for a high five. As their palms connected, the colours around them seemed to flair even brighter than they had been and both boys gasped quietly, ignoring the inquisitive look Remus gave them.
They eventually stopped at an underground dock, built into the cave, and eagerly climbed out of the boats, clustering around the giant.
"Everyone got everythin'?" He asked as he checked the now empty boats. When they agreed, he straightened out and James could see a smile underneath his beard. "Le's go, then!"
He led them up a narrow passageway, the lamp held above his head the only source of light and James pulled a face at the wet cave walls. With a snigger, he reached out so he could brush his fingers against the rough rock before wiping them against his friend's cheek. The resulting squawk of disgust made him laugh, which he tried to stifle with his other hand. He stopped bothering when he heard a quiet huff of amusement behind him from either Remus or Frank. They came out of the passage on to a large, grassy clearing and walked up a flight of stairs in order to congregate around a huge oak door.
"Everyone here?" They nodded and he raised one of his massive fists before knocking on the door three times.
.
They were greeted by a stern looking woman dressed in dark green robes, and James was fascinated by the fact that as she moved the material seemed to shimmer in places. He glanced at Sirius and found him staring as well. He nudged the slightly taller boy's shoulder with his own and raised his eyebrows, looking at the woman meaningfully. Sirius caught on quickly and nodded his understanding, their agreement silent; don't give themselves away, soul mates this young were almost unheard of and them both being boys was even rarer still.
"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall."
She watched them carefully for a few seconds before speaking. "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
Hagrid, the giant, pushed the door open wider and disappeared across the Entrance Hall and through a set of oak doors.
As the group walked through the hall, Sirius could hear the constant chatter of hundreds of people, which judging from the sound of it, meant that the rest of the school was behind the doors. Instead of leading them in that direction though, McGonagall directed them into a chamber on the opposite wall.
They clustered together and as James turned his head to look around, his eyes caught sight of Evans and he couldn't help but stare at her. Her hair was a dark red and was by far the nicest colour James had seen yet. The colour seemed to dance in the light, strands of orange catching in the dim candlelight.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said, drawing James' attention away from the girl. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." James and Sirius turned to grin at each other and he noticed that Evans and the hook-nosed boy from earlier did the same.
"The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."
Sirius cast James a nervous look and he nodded encouragingly back, unable to reassure the other boy that no matter what happened he wasn't going to stop speaking to him without speaking. Something he didn't think the strict looking professor would approve of much.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points in awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
"The Sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you're waiting." She narrowed her eyes at James' muddy shoes and then her gaze flickered to Sirius' cheek briefly before moving on to some of the other students. "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." With that she left the room, her emerald robes billowing out behind her as she span on her heel.
Once she was gone, the room burst into chatter, the group of eleven year olds wondering what houses they'd be placed in and whether they'd be split up from their new found friends.
James watched Sirius' face carefully, looking for any signs of him panicking. When he deemed Sirius was more than likely calmer than he was, he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Just so you know, if we end up in different houses, we're still going to be friends."
"Of course we are. You can't get rid of me that easily, Potter." Sirius teased back and he felt himself smile.
"Even if you do end up in stinking Slytherin." Sirius pulled a face at that and James' smile grew into a grin. He avoided the hand that was aiming for his head and was about to retaliate when a loud shriek stopped him.
Behind them a group of about twenty ghosts had appeared through the far wall, some of them not completely through yet, their pearly-white limbs sticking out of the stone. They glided across the room chatting amongst themselves and seemingly not noticing the children cowering away from them.
"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance –" A short, stumpy monk said angrily.
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?" A tall ghost wearing a ruff demanded, having finally noticed them.
Either everybody was too shocked by their appearance to answer him or it hadn't registered that he was speaking to them because nobody spoke.
"New students!" The Fat Friar said with a smile that a few of the first years returned hesitantly. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."
"Move along now, the Sorting ceremony's about to begin. Now form a line and follow me." McGonagall announced sharply as she re-entered the room, holding it open so they could file passed her.
She marched across the Entrance Hall and over to the doors that Hagrid had disappeared through earlier. They followed her quietly, most of them turning their heads as they walked, trying to take in as much as possible.
The doors swung open, revealing the most amazing room James had ever seen. Thousands of candles were floating above four long tables thoroughly covered in golden plates, platters and goblets. The rest of the students were sat around these tables, watching the new first years with interest as they were led down the gap between a group of teenagers with a yellow and black symbol on their robes and a group of teenagers with blue and bronze on theirs. Some of the ghosts from the chamber were scattered around the room, smiling kindly at them.
They came to a stop before an equally laden table where the teachers were sitting. As he waited for whatever was going to happen next, Sirius found himself looking up at the ceiling and he inhaled quickly, nudging James with a shoulder and nodding upwards. The ceiling matched the sky outside; now a navy blue so dark it looked almost black. Bright silver stars twinkled and both boys quietly started to count as many as they could, whispering the numbers to each other every couple of seconds.
Professor McGonagall placed a stool on the flagstone in front of them and as she put a ratty old hat on top of the seat. The ripped seam near the brim opened and began to sing, something his mother had warned him of and they paused their game long enough to listen to what it was saying.
.
McGonagall pulled a large roll of parchment out of her sleeve as the song came to an end at strode to the front of the group.
"When I call your name, you will put on the Hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She said clearly, her eyes sweeping over the first years critically. "Avery, Arman."
A stocky, scowling boy pushed forward from the back and sat down on the stool, a look of disinterest on his face. It took the Hat less than ten seconds to loudly declare "SLYTHERIN!" The table to the far left erupted into thunderous applause and James ducked his head to hide the face he pulled.
McGonagall read a few more names out, each of them going to either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff and Sirius felt his breathing speeding up as she got closer to his name.
"Black, Sirius." The hall went silent, as it usually did whenever a child of a family as notorious as the Blacks first went to Hogwarts. Sirius took a deep breath, glanced at James for reassurance and only moved forwards when he nodded at him.
He didn't miss the expectant looks that his cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa were sending him from the Slytherin table when he glanced nervously over his shoulder, but he did ignore them. He lowered himself onto the stool slowly and inhaled sharply when the Hat slipped over his eyes.
"Anywhere but Slytherin. I don't care where I go as long as it's not Slytherin." He thought before he could stop himself and startled when a deep chuckle answered him.
"Not Slytherin, eh? No, dear boy. Slytherin is most definitely not the house for you." The Hat murmured in his ear and Sirius felt himself slouch slightly in relief. The Hat continued to talk quietly, Sirius relaxing more with every word. "But where to put you? Your loyalty would serve you well in Hufflepuff, oh yes, and your thirst for knowledge would benefit you in Ravenclaw. But your bravery… Oh, your bravery surmounts them all." The Hat became quiet for a second and Sirius pushed it up so he could look out at the crowd in front of him.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The table on the far right looked unsure of whether to cheer or not, until one person started clapping. Then the table burst into the loudest applause yet and as Sirius passed the Hat back to a bemused McGonagall, he shot a startled but pleased look at James, who was grinning so widely it looked like it must have been painful.
A few of the Slytherins hissed and he risked a peek over at his cousins. Bellatrix looked furious, her black eyebrows drawn tightly over her dark, deep set eyes and her mouth pulled into a thin line. Beside her, Narcissa was wearing a look of confusion, her eyes not really focussing on anything as she gaped in his direction.
McGonagall ushered him onwards and he stumbled towards the Gryffindor table still shocked that he'd somehow made it into the house he'd made fun of only hours before. As he waded through the other first years, he made a point to walk as closely as he could get to James, reaching out to brush their hands together quickly. When their skin connected, their smiles grew as the colours around them became almost overwhelmingly bright.
Sirius slipped away as McGonagall read out the next name on the list, sitting down next to a burly fifth year with bright ginger hair. His smile became sheepish when the ginger boy grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder. He turned back to the Sorting in disinterest, watching as a few more students were sorted into their houses, clapping along when Benjamin Fenwick became the next member of Gryffindor.
"Evans, Lily." Was read out and Sirius paused long enough to watch the girl from earlier on the train, who'd returned James' watch approach the stool. She had an apprehensive look on her face which Sirius completely understood and he watched curiously as she placed the Hat on her head.
Not even a minute later the Hat bellowed "GRYFFINDOR!" and he joined in with the cheering. He saw her give her friend a sad smile as she passed him, but as soon as she was behind him the smile became happier. When she reached the table he offered her a quick quirk of his lips and moved away from the burly boy slightly so she could slip in beside him. She took one look at him, her lips twitching and she shook her head, moving around the benches so she was sitting opposite him instead. He nodded at her in understanding and scooted back to where he had been.
The Sorting passed quickly after that, the scarred boy from the boat, a girl with insanely curly blonde hair and a girl with icy blue eyes that promised mischief joined him as Gryffindor first years. As McGonagall worked through the 'P's, Sirius felt nerves begin to bubble up in his chest and he started dry heaving when a boy named Pettigrew moved to sit next to Lupin.
"Potter, James."
.
For the first time since he'd entered the Great Hall, James felt the niggle of doubt in the back of his head. It whispered that he wasn't good enough to be a Gryffindor and that he'd be sent straight back home because he wasn't good enough for any of the houses.
He swallowed heavily and inched forwards to sit on the stool, his palms sweaty as he rubbed them against his legs. The Hat was placed on his head and he tried to slow his breathing down as he waited for the verdict.
"Please be Gryffindor." He silently pleaded, staring at the underside of the Hat's brim and he jolted when a snigger that he hadn't made whispered to his ear.
"As if you belong anywhere else." The Hat's voice laughed and James relaxed slightly. "GRYFFINDOR!"
The noise the far right table made felt louder than any they'd made before, but all James could hear was the pounding of his own heartbeat, and after he'd handed the Hat back to McGonagall he searched for Sirius' face in the crowd. Once he'd found him, he stumbled over to the Gryffindor table on shaky legs, collapsing down next to Sirius with a relieved grin.
"Not too shabby, eh, mate?" He asked on a laugh, letting out a heavy sigh.
Sirius watched him for a few moments through silver eyes lined with blue and grinned suddenly. "Not too bad at all."
.
The Sorting went on for a while after that, a few unpleasant looking sods being welcomed into Slytherin that Sirius tried to ignore so as to avoid Bellatrix's heavy glare. A few more people had been sorted into Gryffindor, but it didn't really matter to Sirius and he focussed all of his attention on James. The two of them were playing a game of how many candles they could count without moving their heads when in front of them, Evans froze in her seat.
"Snape, Severus."
The greasy boy from the train stalked forwards, his head lowered so he was looking at the floor and the Hat had barely even touched his head when it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!". He sloped off towards the Slytherin table, where they were cheering loudly for him and he sat down next to the platinum blonde boy from the platform, a silver badge gleaming under the lights on his chest as he beamed proudly at the newest member of his house.
Evans groaned quietly, burying her head in her hands for a minute before looking up again. James met her eyes with his own, startled by just how intense they were, the bright green not what he had been expecting at all and it took him a moment to get his bearings back.
"Tough luck, Evans." She quirked a brow at him but didn't answer straight away so he expanded. "He was your mate, yeah? S'tough when you're split up."
"What would you know about that, Potter?" She asked sarcastically, her eyes flitting between him and Sirius briefly. "You've got yours with you."
That stopped him short and he glanced over at Sirius. The other boy smirked at him and raised his eyebrows expectantly.
"What, you don't think we're mates? Come on now, Potter."
"No – I – no." James stuttered, responding to the amused look he was being sent with a weak glare. Evans watched them with a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth before she sighed again and looked over at the Slytherin table.
"He's my best friend and he's the one that told me about magic." Sirius snapped his attention to her.
"You're a Mudblood?" He asked curiously and didn't notice the heavy glare James sent in his direction for a few seconds. "What?"
"Don't call them that." He hissed, his glare still firmly in place and Sirius flinched.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not very nice, you prat." James answered with a scowl.
"But my family uses it all the –" Understanding dawned on his face and he winced noticeably. "Sorry, Evans."
She waved it off with a shake of her head, confusion written across her face. Before she could voice the question she was clearly building up to, James spoke quietly and quickly.
"'Mudblood''s the word that Dark wizards use to describe magical kids born to Muggles. Kids like you." Evans nodded thoughtfully, then leant forward on her forearms.
"But what's so bad about it? It's just a word." Sirius stiffened at this and had the decency to look extremely sheepish.
"It's something, or a variant of the original, that Purebloods have been using for centuries to describe those born to Muggle parents. It's… not a nice thing. It means that to the ones who use it, you're unclean and unworthy of magical talent." Sirius muttered guiltily, refusing to look at either Lily or James until he felt a shoulder nudging his own.
"You don't think that though, right?" James questioned anxiously, as if Sirius' answer was the most important thing in the world and the future of their friendship depended on it.
"Not really…? I don't mean to, I've never thought the way my family treated Muggles was right." He risked a look at James and his shoulders slumped in relief when he saw him smiling slightly. "I've never thought people without magic were any less than those with it, but my family isn't exactly accepting."
The Sorting had finally come to a close, McGonagall removing the stool and the Hat before returning to her seat to the right of the man James recognised as Dumbledore. His blue eyes twinkled behind his glasses and he rested his chin on interlocked fingers, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
He got to his feet slowly, the smile growing when the buzz of noise stopped, students old and new watching him expectantly.
"Welcome!" He said softly, yet his voice carried as if it had been amplified. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words."
.
The feast had been delicious; mountains of food that James and Sirius had been hard-pressed not to drool over and goblets of pumpkin juice that they had guzzled down. When it was finally over and they'd been led by a fifth year prefect to their dormitory, James collapsed face first onto the bed that had his trunk at the end of it.
"I'm bloody knackered." He managed to get out around a yawn, burying his head into the crook of his elbow and watching Sirius from beneath his fringe.
Sirius lowered himself onto the edge of his bed; he'd managed to convince Pettigrew to switch with him when he'd first seen the arrangement with the promise of chocolate frogs, and stared at the floor for a few minutes without moving. Just as James was about to say something, he sighed heavily and flopped backwards, pillowing his head on his crossed arms.
"You alright?" James asked quietly, casting a nervous glance at the rest of the room, although he needn't have bothered. Remus was tucked up in bed, his head buried in the pillows and his back moving slowly as he breathed; Peter was snoring loudly from his position next to the window, and Fenwick had fallen asleep sprawled out across the mattress, his head falling off of one side uncomfortably.
"I'm fine." Sirius answered stiffly and then snorted derisively a few seconds later. "Well, that's not true. My parents are going to kill me over this, you know. They'd have given me a right bollocking for ending up anywhere but Slytherin as it was, but Gryffindor? I wouldn't be surprised if they blasted me off the family tree and disowned me for this." He rubbed a hand across his face.
James remained silent, not knowing what to say and watched Sirius instead.
"You watch, they'll send me a 'strongly worded letter' tomorrow morning after Bellatrix has written to them to express her outrage at me daring to taint the family name. They'll demand I speak to Dumbledore to try to find a more acceptable house to move into."
"You don't know that." James said as supportively as he could, not knowing how to make his friend feel better about the situation. "They might leave it alo-"
"They won't! I know they won't!" Sirius cut across him loudly and then cast a quick, anxious look around the room to make sure he hadn't woken any of the others up. "It's what Andy's parents did to her when she got sorted into Ravenclaw."
"You couldn't help where you got sorted, though." James offered instead.
"I could, though." Sirius groaned, lifting himself up onto an elbow so he could stare at James with dark grey eyes. "Your dad was right; the Hat does listen to you. I asked not to be in Slytherin and now here I am." He laughed mockingly. "I don't bloody believe this."
James was still stuck on what he'd said before that and he felt himself begin to grin. "You asked not to be put in Slytherin?"
"Well, yeah. I mean… shut up, Potter." Sirius grumbled back, a matching smirk starting to stretch across his face and he reached behind him to grab a pillow and throw it across the space between them. James quickly rolled out of the way, laughing as he retrieved the pillow and threw it back. It landed true with pinpoint accuracy, although Sirius batted it away with a huff of laughter and put it back. He sobered for a second. "This is all your fault, you know."
"I know." James said with a happy smile, rolling onto his back and tilting so he was looking at an upside down Sirius. "D'you hate me yet?"
"Not yet, but I'm sure it won't take long." Sirius wiggled up the bed, pulled the covers down enough to get underneath them and pulled them up to his chin. He gazed back at James seriously, his eyes oddly pensive. "The fallout's going to be horrific. Are you sure you want to be friends with me?"
James got settled into bed before he answered, his glasses resting on the bedside table next to him and he squinted across the room at Sirius. "Sirius, you're my soul mate. That means you're stuck with me, whether you want me or not."
He didn't see the smile on Sirius' face as they fell asleep and by the time they woke up the next morning, it was gone.