AN: Another chapter, featuring James Potter! There's a little bit of Peter Pettigrew in it, too. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: James Potter

James Potter was absolutely excited. A radiant grin lit up his face as he gazed at the Hogwarts Express. Turning to his parents, he exclaimed, "I can't wait to get there! I know for sure that I'll be in Gryffindor." The wind ruffled his messy black hair and he took a deep breath, adjusting his glasses. He heard the train's whistle sound, beckoning children to come and take a ride.

"Well, James, write to us every week," his father, Charlus, said. Winking, he added, "And don't be afraid to get into trouble." He gave his dad a hug.

His mother, Dorea, also gave him a hug. "Have fun, make friends, and we'll see you at Christmas."

Grinning at them, he gave them a wave. He turned and scampered away, dragging his heavy trunk behind him.

Fighting through the crowd of kids filling the long corridor, he walked to the back.

As he struggled amidst the people, he accidentally bumped into someone. Looking down, surprised, James smiled apologetically at the mousy brown-haired child who had crashed to the ground. "Sorry, mate. Didn't see you there." He held out his hand for the boy to grab. Hauling him up, he said, "I'm James Potter. You are…?"

Brushing dust off of his robes, the short boy grasped his trunk. "I'm Peter Pettigrew."

Straightening, James beamed. "Well, Peter, let's say we find a compartment."

"Sure," Peter replied. "But we'll probably have to go farther back than this to find one."

James looked around. During their interaction, the once-filled hallway had nearly emptied. They were two of the few still milling about. "Well, let's go!" He grinned again, heading towards the back with Peter following behind him.

Stopping at the back, he saw a girl (?) with long blonde hair opening a compartment door. A boy with short brown hair stood next to her with sneer on his face. A boyfriend, perhaps?

Curious, James and Peter leaned against the wall to see what was happening.

They heard a young boy's voice float from the compartment. "Can I he- oh." The voice hardened. "A Malfoy. What do you want?"

James started at the name. He'd heard from his parents that there was a Malfoy was a few years above him. His parents had advised him to stay away, calling the Malfoys "bloodline-obsessed pricks." Also, James realized, this girl wasn't a girl at all. She was a boy.

Sure enough, the blonde's voice was clearly male. "Yes, I am Lucius Malfoy. This is Evan Rosier. I came to see if there really was a Black in this compartment."

James had heard about the Blacks, too. They were just as bad as the Malfoys, if not worse. They had a first year coming to Hogwarts this year. Apparently, the boy's opinions differed greatly from his family.

"Yes, I'm Sirius. Anything else?"

"Why don't you sit with us, instead of… whoever that is," Malfoy sneered.

Sirius snapped, "His name is Remus. I won't leave my friend, especially for someone like you."

James liked this boy already.

Rosier joined the conversation. "Really? I bet he's not even a pureblood!"

"Who the hell cares?" Sirius retorted, voice heavy with dislike.

"Ah," Malfoy said in realization. "You're the blood traitor." He turned to Rosier, motioning for him to move. "Come on, then. Let's not waste our time with scum like them." And they swept away, barely sparing James and Peter a glance.

The glass door started sliding closed. When there was a small gap left, the two boys in the corridor heard a new voice say, "Bit of a dramatic bloke, isn't he?" and a barking laugh.

"Come on, Peter," James said, starting forward. "I think we've found our compartment."

AN: Well, there it is. Still pretty short, but we only have one more intro chapter left. Also, I don't know if Malfoy and Rosier really went to Hogwarts around the time of the Marauders, but for the sake of this fic, they do. Thanks for reading, and thanks to anyone who reviewed!

~Teki