Imagine
Chapter 3: A Beginning
A/N: Two updates in one day? Yes, it is amazing I know. This is a long one too. Cheers!
"James, if you don't settle down, I am not going to let you go at all," His mother warned him sternly, as he continued to race ahead of his family, dodging in between the Muggles at the station. James instantly stopped his hectic little dance and stared at his mother in surprise.
"You can't," he fired back, although he wasn't quite so sure – his uncertainty came through his words.
Ginny just smiled. "Oh, yes I can. So buck up and settle down. We will get there soon enough."
James groaned loudly, causing an older lady (clearly a muggle) to give him a disproving glance. James noticed this and promptly stuck out his tongue when his mother and father weren't looking. The woman looked shocked, shook her head in his parents' direction, and quickly hurried away in a huff, mumbling things about "disrespect" and "terrible youth".
James smirked triumphantly, feeling quite proud.
They finally came to the barrier that led to Platform 9 and 3/4 of which his parents had already told him all about. In fact, they had been talking about Hogwarts ever since the shopping trip; James just couldn't get enough. His inquisitive mind fired off all sorts of questions: what did they have for dinner? Were the classes hard? Did you really have to change a rat into a teapot like Vic said she did?
His parents patiently answered all of his questions but one. And for young James, this was quite heart-breaking, seeing as it was the most important one of all; how you were sorted.
James had long ago learned that the Gryffindor flag in his father's study was actually one of the four "Houses" at Hogwarts. The others were Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house honored a certain set of characteristics. It was rather clear to James that out of all of the houses, he preferred Gryffindor. One may think this is because of his family's rather entrenched Gryffindor history, but James simply thought it sounded like the most fun. Loyal, clever, and power seemed to pale in comparison to bravery and adventure in James's mind. Clever people were mostly boring, the adjective loyal reminded him of pets, and he really didn't have any need whatsoever for power. He just wanted thrills and laughter.
He had begged to be told. He wanted to ensure that he would be able to be a Gryffindor. His mother, however, forbade his dad from telling him. "It's supposed to be a surprise James. No one else will know either."
"Can't you even give me a hint? I need to know! Fred said there were trolls, mum! Trolls! I need to learn how to fight them!"
His mum and dad had both laughed in response.
"There aren't any trolls, James. "
"But what is it then?"
"You'll just have to wait and see."
So James was none the wiser about the Sorting, something that still brought a scowl on his young, slightly freckled face.
But that scowl was non-existent now, as he stood facing the barrier that would lead him to the wonderful world of Hogwarts. He looked back at his parents questioningly and got two encouraging nods in response. With that, he set off, running straight at the barrier with rather impressive speed.
It felt as though a fog was lifted as he passed through the barrier, and soon a rather hectic scene was displayed before him. There was a large, steaming engine, painted a glorious vibrant red. There were children streaming everywhere, parents saying goodbye, and many struggling with their luggage. His excitement increased as he noticed Uncle Ron, George, Aunt Angelina, Roxie and Fred standing in a group not too far away. His parents, along with Al and Lily appeared right behind James, and the five of them quickly moved to join the rest of their relatives.
"Oi James!" Fred called out as his cousin and his family approached. The two shared giant smiles.
"We should probably get going," Roxie said, checking her watch.
Angelina bent down to hug Fred fiercely, as Ginny did the same to James.
"Be good, James Sirius," She said, with a small smile. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. James was outraged. "Mum!" he hissed and looked around to see if anyone had witnessed this humiliating display. After deeming his reputation safe, he hugged Lily, who was crying steadily, and even hugged Al, something that pleasantly surprised their family.
Uncle Ron, James's godfather, was next to say his goodbyes. The two shared a brief embrace. "Have fun, Jamesy. Give Mrs. Norris a good kick for me."
James had no idea just who this Mrs. Norris person was but nodded his head in agreement anyway. Ginny, who had overheard her brother's request, simply hit him on the arm. "Ron! Don't tell him that!"
Uncle Ron just smirked in response and winked at James.
Harry chuckled lightly, and then bent down to hug James tightly. James returned it, and even in all his excitement, he felt a little bit sad about leaving his whole family (minus Fred and the older cousins) behind.
"Your Uncle George and I still have that surprise for you and Fred," Harry said, as he straightened out.
Both of the two young faces lit up – in all the excitement and curiosity about school, James and Fred had forgotten all about it.
The two men pulled the two boys aside, while Roxie said goodbye to her younger cousins, Ginny, and Ron. Harry retrieved a rather old looking, yellowed piece of parchment out of his coat pocket. George smiled at Fred, but James was slightly confused as his dad handed him the paper.
"Er… what is it?"
Harry smiled. "George, I feel like you should take it from here."
George beamed at Harry, clearly glad to be able to share this moment.
"That little baby taught me everything I know," George said with a smirk. He pointed his wand at the piece of parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
And with that, things began to happen; lines began shaping, and it wasn't long until something that resembled a floor plan was before them, with labeled dots moving all around.
"What is it?" Fred asked in awe.
"A map of Hogwarts. With every secret passage. And those dots will help you know where anyone is located in the entire school," Harry explained.
The two boys exchanged an awed look, and then both turned their gaze to their respective fathers, both of whom were smiling.
Harry pointed his wand back at the parchment. "Mischief managed" and the map was wiped clean.
"We figured it would come in handy," George smirked.
"Thanks! But where did you get it?" James asked.
"It is the Marauder's Map. Teddy's dad and the two men you are named after made it," Harry replied.
Fred and James again exchanged a look, and then each hugged the two men in thanks as the whistle sounded from the train.
"That's your cue fart-face," George said, looking down tenderly at his son.
Fred smiled and shared one more hug with his father while James carefully folded the map and put it in his coat pocket.
"Have fun with that James… but don't get in to too much trouble," Harry said with a kind smile.
James smiled back up. "Thanks again dad. And it won't be too much trouble… just the right amount!"
"You two better get going," Ginny called over. Fred and James started and scrambled to get their belongings together. They soon broke into an all out run in order to catch the train on time.
"Bye dad! Bye Uncle George!" James called out, as he ran, following Fred. The train began to rumble. Harry and George both waved as their sons boarded the train. It was a good thing they boarded when they did, as it left nearly ten seconds after they were safely on it.
The search for an available compartment began. Although they had quite a bit of cousins that they could have shared compartments with (Lucy, Molly, Roxie, Vic, or Dominique), they were all girls, and the thought didn't really appeal to either of them too much. James would have loved to sit with Teddy, but seeing as Teddy was a seventh year and this year's Head Boy, that sadly was not an option.
They finally found a compartment with only two students near the end of the train and slid the door open rather loudly, startling its occupants.
"Mind if we join you?" Fred bellowed. The two, one boy and one girl, who looked like they were first years as well, looked almost afraid of Fred and his belligerency.
"No, go ahead," the boy said finally, seemingly having to find some courage to say the words out loud. Fred and James hurried in to the compartment, and although they did struggle a bit with stowing their trunks away, it was relatively no time at all before they both got to sit down and take a good look at their companions for the journey. The girl was a bit round, with intense blue eyes that were rather unusual. Her hair was a sandy color and was braided in two long strands tied on each end with a red ribbon, which matched the color of her shirt perfectly.
The boy was rather average size, with short blond hair and small grey eyes framed by a pair of round spectacles. He was wearing grubby looking jeans and an oversized T-shirt that had the Harpies logo on it.
"I'm Fred Weasley," Fred said extending a hand to the blond boy.
The boy took his hand with a good-natured smile. "I'm Sebastian Carmichael. This," he said gesturing to the sandy-haired girl, "is Tabitha Toots."
Fred and James exchanged a look, but had to look away from each other immediately as to avoid busting out into a rancorous fit of laughter.
Tabitha had indeed noticed and looked rather upset about it. James couldn't believe that she wasn't used to that sort of reaction by now.
"I'm James Potter," James said with a small wave to the other two. Sebastian's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Tabitha Toots, however, made a strange gurgling noise.
Sebastian seemed to struggle internally for a moment before he asked timidly, "So… is Harry Potter…is he your dad?"
James had been warned that this may happen. He nodded and Tabitha looked absolutely terrified. Her expression of horror was more than Fred could take; he busted out laughing. It was a little awkward as the three of them watched Fred all but die in laughter, but soon James began to chuckle a little himself, and not long after Sebastian joined the two boys.
"I don't find anything funny," Tabitha crossed her arms, her face aflame, clearly embarrassed.
"You…" Fred wheezed, "You didn't see your face."
Sebastian agreed, and mocked it rather well, causing a new round of laughter from the other two boys. Tabitha even smiled a little, but still didn't seem to appreciate being the source of laughter.
When they settled down, they heard the witch approaching with the food trolley. All four of them bought some snacks, and they seemed to have moved past any awkwardness as they all talked rather freely now. Tabitha was clearly the shyest, but she would still quietly give her input to the conversation if sufficiently prompted.
"You two first years?" James asked.
Sebastian and Tabitha nodded.
"Any idea what house you wanna be in?" Fred questioned further, as he ripped open a chocolate frog, only to find his Uncle Ron's card. Seeing as he already had it, he discarded it.
"I think I'll probably be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw," Sebastian answered thoughtfully. "My whole family is split between those two houses."
"Yeah, our whole lot," Fred agreed, gesturing to himself and James, "has been in Gryffindor, with only a few exceptions."
"Is it really just based on your family?" Tabitha asked as she too began to open a chocolate frog.
"I think it just happens that way. It makes sense, really, that you'd be like your parents," Sebastian said with a shrug. James felt like he had to agree. Tabitha looked skeptical.
"My family has been all over the board. My oldest sister was in Hufflepuff, the other one in Gryffindor, my dad was in Ravenclaw, and my mum was in Slytherin," Tabitha said. "I suppose that means I could go just about anywhere."
"Blimey!" James said. "I don't reckon set ups like that are very common."
"Well, me and my sisters are all adopted… so I suppose that could make a difference."
The three boys contemplated this and supposed that it could have some effect. It still seemed a little weird though, for a family who grew up together, to be that diverse.
The topic was soon changed to quidditch, thanks to Fred, who pointed out Sebastian's support of the Harpies.
"I love watching it," Sebastian agreed, "And the Harpies are easily the best this year. Have you seen their new Keeper? She's amazing!"
"And amazing to look at!" Fred said with a toothy grin. Tabitha seemed uncomfortable with the conversation. "I personally root for the Arrows," she cut in.
"Arrows are dreadful," James declared, appalled by her choice
"No way!" Tabitha said defiantly, losing all trace of her prior shyness. "They may be a bit of an underdog-"
"A bit? They have all rookies!"
"- but they are talented enough to win the championship."
"Willing to place a wager on that?" James smirked.
Tabitha looked unsure, but then nodded solemnly, determined not to back down.
"Alright," James continued to smirk, "I bet five galleons that any other team wins the World Cup this year."
"Fine."
James was impressed that she was sticking to her choice. He certainly thought she was brave, seeing as she was certainly going to lose. They shook hands to seal the deal, while Sebastian and Fred were both witnesses.
There was a bit more time left to chat in which they found out that Sebastian was an avid reader and also lived in the muggle world with his wizard father and muggle mother.
"It's a very sappy story," Sebastian assured them when Tabitha asked how his parents had gotten together, and while Tabitha didn't seem to have the slightest objection to further details, the boys were quite content with that.
Tabitha, unlike Sebastian, preferred being outside to being curled up with a good book. She was adamant about nature, and at home, she claimed to have two owls, a lizard, 3 fish, three kneazle cats, and a salamander named Hank, all of which she was going to miss dearly, except for her own owl Ginger, who she had brought along with her.
The time passed rather quickly for the children and before they knew it, darkness had fallen and it was time to don their school robes. They did so quickly, and five minutes after, while the four were busy speculating just what their task would be for the sorting, the train came to a halt. Chaos ensued as the many children tried to get off of the train as quickly as possible. A Ravenclaw prefect boy came to help the four of them with their luggage, and even with all of the people, it was no time before they were off the train and onto the platform. Hagrid was summoning them with his giant hands, his gruff voice yelling over the heads of the many passing students.
Hagrid's once black mane of hair and his beard were both now streaked with gray, giving him an almost wise look that he hadn't had before; James thought it was rather misleading.
"Hullo Fred and James!" Hagrid called out to them as they approached. They both returned his greeting.
"Alrigh' then! N'more n four teh a boat, in you go!" It took a good solid ten minutes before they were ready to depart for the castle. Some of the other first years had gotten terribly turned around, and thus made the rest of their classmates wait in agony. Finally they set of, the boats glazing over the dark blue mirror of the lake. When Hogwarts finally came into view, there was a collective gasp – it was by far Hagrid's favorite part of the journey.
They were soon off the boats, only to be ushered in to a small, dimly-lit room where a thin, balding man in robes of bright red stood waiting for them. James and Fred immediately recognized him as Professor Longbottom, and they quickly smiled up at him, a gesture he returned warmly.
He then cleared his throat to get the rest of the first years' attention.
"Welcome! I am sure that many of you have been looking forward to this for quite some time now. It is a very exciting day. I am going to ask you to remain here for a few moments while I tell them that we are ready for the sorting to begin," He then made a gesture to move, but quickly turned back and added as an afterthought, "You may want to smarten yourselves up a bit." With that, he left the crowd of anxious first years looking around nervously at one another. The whispering soon broke out.
"Any idea on what we have to do?" Sebastian asked
The other three shook their heads.
"I hate surprises," a monotone voice sounded from behind their group of four.
The four children whipped their heads around to see just who it belonged to. James immediately recognized him as the boy who had been shopping with Hagrid.
"Oh, hi," James said, sounding almost nervous. He had quite forgotten about Weepy Wilbur, as he and Fred had dubbed him some time after their first meeting.
Will didn't say anything back, which made the other four feel sufficiently awkward.
"Er, this is Sebastian and Tabitha," Fred said hastily, gesturing to them, trying to fill in the silence among their group. Fred finished with gesturing to Will. "This is Will."
Will nodded to acknowledge them, while Sebastian gave a hello. Tabitha said nothing, once again consumed by her previous shyness.
There were other groups of children whispering, but as Professor Longbottom reentered the room, a sudden silence fell upon the room, and instead, they were all charged with anxious energy.
"Please follow me," Longbottom said curtly. A few of the children gulped audibly while others clutched to their wands. Tabitha looked as though she might not follow but Sebastian gave her a prod, and soon enough, the rather large crowd of first years were led through two huge wooden doors.
The room itself was breath-taking, and based on what his parents had told him, James could deduce that it was the Great Hall. Great was too vague an adjective for James, as he stared around in awe. There were four long tables, each belonging to one of the four houses. Above them, the house colors streamed in a vibrant array of colored flags. Candles were suspended in the air, with nothing supporting them, their flames casting a warm glow about the room. James looked up to see the enchanted velvet sky above them, with the crescent moon peaking behind a small cloud. There were tons of other students already sitting at the house tables, and they all peered curiously at the approaching first years. A few were whispering, and at the Hufflepuff table, James saw Teddy and waved. In reply, Ted smiled and lifted his goblet to salute the younger boy.
James's legs felt like jelly, and he could hear Tabitha beside him nearly gasping for air. Sebastian looked worried, although whether for his own safety or for Tabitha's shallow breathing was unknown. Even Fred had paled beneath his many freckles.
The students were directed to line up in front of a wooden stool, upon which sat an old mangled hat that appeared to be singed on the brim.
James didn't quite understand, and he was not alone, seeing the many confused faces of his classmates. It was Sebastian who pieced it together. "All we have to do is try on the bloody hat!" he whispered excitedly. Tabitha seemed to instantly calm, while Fred began to take off his elbow pads without any regard for being discreet, which caused quite a few of the other students to laugh.
The first years were soon called up, one by one, while the entire school watched on. Adams, Abigail was the first to be sorted, and was placed into Slytherin. The table under the green and silver banners cheered loudly as the rather pretty redhead joined their ranks.
It seemed as though every student was very different; sometimes the hat would decide instantly, while for others it took quite a while. James could only wonder what was taking place while the other students wore the hat, and despite his earlier fear, he was beginning to wish he had a last name more towards the front of the alphabet so he could be sorted sooner.
Will Barvish, the dull muggleborn boy, was the first student to be called up that James actually knew. The boy was rather promptly placed into Gryffindor, and the table gave quite an impressive applause for the young boy. Fred and James shared a look of displeasure, seeing as Weepy Wilbur was not their favorite person, but spoke not a word out loud.
Andrea Boot, a tiny girl with long, straight black hair followed and was sorted in to Hufflepuff.
Next, Sebastian Carmichael was sorted into Ravenclaw.
It seemed to take a rather long time, but finally it was James turn to sit upon the wooden stool. As his name was called, quite a few people began to whisper and even more stood up or shifted to get a better look. It was easy to see the Gryffindor table had come alive with hopeful anticipation.
James took the hat and shoved it rather forcefully on his head, waiting for something to happen. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but when he heard the little voice sound inside his head, he jumped.
Hmm let me see… plenty of daring, quite lively, a spot of loyalty too. Hmm… only one place for you my boy – "GRYFFINDOR!"
It was the loudest applause yet, and James couldn't help but smile vibrantly as he made his way to join those under the red and gold banners. He gave a thumbs up to Fred who returned it with a happy smile. James settled besides Weepy Wilbur, who gave him a strained smile. Molly and Roxie waved at him from their spots among the fourth years at the Gryffindor table and he waved back before turning his attention back to the sorting.
There were quite a few people in between James and Fred, so waiting to see if his cousin would join him was pure agony for James.
Rudd, Lauren, a pretty blonde was sorted in to Gryffindor as was a short brunette girl named Genevieve Roth.
Tallow, Hank was placed into Slytherin, while Thomas, Patrick became a Hufflepuff.
Toots, Tabitha was placed into Gryffindor and sat beside James wearing a big smile. Tabitha smiled at Will too, but the boy either ignored her or didn't notice, seeing as he made no motion to reciprocate it.
The wait continued until finally Weasley, Fred was called by Professor Longbottom. Fred marched up to the hat, and rather boldly placed it on his head, without sitting on the stool. A few of the teachers raised their eyebrows at this behavior, and a few students chuckled, but Fred didn't notice. It seemed that the sorting hat had decided before he had even put the hat on – it roared "GRYFFINDOR!" as soon as it touched his head. The Gryffindor table had been expecting this; they roared their approval of gaining yet another Weasley. Fred smiled and merrily skipped to the table, causing more than a few students to look at him questioningly, while others, especially the two blonde first year girls of Gryffindor, giggled.
The sorting concluded with Zabini, Analiese becoming a Slytherin. Immediately after Professor Longbottom had picked up the hat and the stool, Headmistress McGonagall stood to address the entire student body. James had met her before, and even though he knew her to be quite a nice lady, she certainly was not someone you would ever want to cross. She had a no-nonsense air about her, and was as strict as they came. Her silver hair was pulled up tight in a bun on top of her head and her lips were pursed as she waited for the hall to become silent.
"Good evening and welcome, both to our new students and our returning ones," She said with a smile. "We have some new additions to our staff this term. I would like you all to welcome Professor Creevey, who will be taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts now that Professor Hoover has left us and Professor Turpin, who will be the new Potions Master in place of Professor Slughorn, who decided to retire."
There was a round of applause and James looked up to the High Table in order to get a better look at new teachers. Professor Turpin had long blonde hair that framed a youthful face. In fact, James believed that she would have been quite attractive if it wasn't for the scowl that seemed to permanently grace her face. James had met Professor Creevey before at the Memorial service that he had attended annually with his family. He was a rather skinny, bespectacled man with a giant mustache and wavy brown hair; he, unlike Professor Turpin, looked absolutely delighted to be there.
"I must inform all new students that Forbidden forest is just that; forbidden." The Headmistresses words were stern as she looked around the Great Hall with narrowed eyes. "Anyone who is caught out of bed after hours will be subject to detention. There is to be no magic in the corridors between classes. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch is still continuing the ban on any Weasley products, as well as Zonko's and other joke shops. Any such item will be confiscated and not returned to the owner. You are the best and brightest and I expect the utmost from all of you, and therefore will accept nothing less."
There was a silence as she allowed her words to sink in. "I believe that we have a wonderful year ahead of us," She started again, her voice much less stern this time around. "Now, let's begin it, shall we?"
With those words, James watched as food on golden plates appeared out of nowhere. Everyone began to happily dig in. Fred, who sat across from James, helped himself to a little bit of everything. Tabitha soon got over her shyness, and began talking to the other first year girl next to her.
Will methodically dished out his food, and in the end, his plate was so organized, it was almost a shame that he was going to destroy it by eating it. Fred and James looked on this process rather curiously, but soon gave up trying to understand Weepy Wilbur's rather peculiar ways.
"I wonder what we will have first tomorrow," James said aloud to Fred, who contemplated it as well. The boy sitting beside Fred, another fellow Gryffindor first year, took this as initiative to enter the conversation.
"I'm hoping for Potions… I wouldn't mind staring at the Potions Master that early in the morning."
Fred and James smirked in response. The young boy introduced himself as Matthew Moon. "Of course, I know who you are," he said when they made move to introduce themselves. James wasn't quite sure he liked the way Matthew had said it. Fred, however, didn't seem to mind. The boys were soon all chatting amongst themselves, with the exception of Will, who ate very little and said even less.
It wasn't long until the feast was over and the boys were being herded up to the Gryffindor common room. James memorized the way as he followed his cousin Molly, the Gryffindor prefect, up the staircases to the Gryffindor tower.
When they reached a portrait of a rather large woman in a vivid pink dress, they came to a halt. "Password?" she prompted as she saw Molly.
"Dungbombs," Molly answered happily.
"Right you are my dear!" The fat lady replied back cheerfully as her portrait swung open to reveal a large hole to climb through. The first years followed their Prefect, and soon found themselves in the large common room. There was red and gold everywhere the eye looked; some plush red armchairs sat by a roaring fireplace, and a few tables were scattered about with antique lamps casting light upon them. The whole atmosphere was rather cozy, and James couldn't keep a smile off his face. Molly directed them to their rightfully dormitories, but just before James and Fred climbed the stairs, she pulled them aside.
"Congrats on being Gryffindors, you two," She said with a motherly smile.
"Thanks Molls. You too, on Prefect," James replied
Molly blushed modestly. "Thanks James. But listen, try not to be too much trouble this year."
"Molly, when have we ever been trouble?" James asked rather innocently, feigning hurt.
"Yeah, really Molls. What are you trying to say here?" Fred asked crossing his arms in front of him while he wore a rather devious smile.
"Oh, you know very well I don't buy that innocent act. Now off to bed you go."
And with shared smiles, the two boys headed up towards the dormitory.
The dormitory itself still had the same cozy vibe. There were five four-poster beds with silky red curtains. Fred and James both went to their beds, which had their trunks placed near them. Will was already asleep in his own bed, but Matthew and another boy who James and Fred had yet to be introduced to, due to the fact that he had been sitting further down the table, were still up and moving about.
"I'm Jason Vance," the boy said with a smile as he continued to get ready for bed. He had a mop of curly black hair that was nearly as messy as James's own. He was rather gangly, and taller than all of the rest of the young boys. James and Fred returned his smile and introduced themselves as well. The four boys chatted for a bit longer, wondering aloud about how classes would turn out the next day. When they were too tired to carry on, the candles were blown out, and four very happy boys went to sleep with great anticipation for the next day.
The next day, the five Gryffindor boys found an overcast sky that promised rain. They all silently hoped that their first day of classes wouldn't be nearly as dismal.
Their schedules were delivered by Molly at breakfast. Matthew got his wish, seeing as on Tuesdays they did indeed have Potions scheduled for first thing in the morning with Professor Lisa Turpin, followed by Transfiguration with Professor Macmillan. There was a short break for lunch and then Herbology in Greenhouse one with Professor Longbottom.
The boys soon set off for the dungeons after getting directions from Molly, and made it there with little to no trouble. They shared the class with the first year Ravenclaws, and James and Fred were happy to see Sebastian when they entered the dungeon. He was, in true Ravenclaw spirit, already prepared for class, with his cauldron out, Potion book open, and quill in hand.
The three boys exchanged greetings.
"Too bad you weren't in Gryffindor, mate," Fred said with a good-natured smile.
"At least we've got Potions and Charms together," Sebastian said. "I've got a free period this afternoon too. Maybe meet in the library to get our homework done?"
"Blimey, you think they are going to give us homework the first day?" James asked incredulously.
Sebastian looked unaffected by the question. "Of course they are Potter. We did come here to learn after all."
"You seem way too excited about it, Carmichael," Fred said shaking his head.
Sebastian just smiled, and began flipping through his Potions book. Fred and James grabbed a desk, while Matthew and Jason paired up, leaving Will to be with one of the girls. The two blondes, Lauren and Leslie, who had been joined at the hip as soon as they had been sorted, naturally paired up, while Tabitha went over to Sebastian's table. That left Genevieve Roth and Will Barvish to be partners, but neither seemed particularly bothered by this at all.
Professor Turpin swept in, her deep purple robes swooshing behind her. "Good morning class," she said, her voice dry, void of any emotion. The first year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors echoed back a response.
"Potions is a very delicate art," Professor Turpin explained strictly. "It is very important to note that one tiny misstep can cause a world of misery. Do you know, Mr. Weasley, how many steps differ from that of a simple sleeping draught to that of an ulera concoction, an irreversible memory potion?"
Fred gulped. "Er… three?"
"No, Mr. Weasley. All it takes is one step… the only difference between a peaceful sleep and never remembering your own name again."
"Well that's a bit bleak," James said quietly, but still loud enough for the whole class to hear him. A few people chuckled.
Professor Turpin carried on as though she hadn't heard the comment.
"Today we will be preparing something very simple, a way to sort of let you in slowly to the world of potion making. The directions are on the board for a simple healing draught – its Cabasagua, a simple potion to cure migraines and headaches. All of the ingredients can be found in the student cupboards. The team with the best potion will be awarded five points to their house. That is all. You may begin."
James and Fred set to work, James rather meticulously getting the ingredients ready while Fred set up the cauldron – it wasn't the first time they had made a potion. In fact, they had often experimented with the more dangerous potions that they found in Roxie's old textbooks in the shed behind Fred's house where Uncle George did his own experiments. There had been a few explosions, but nothing that they couldn't handle. Mostly, they had just mixed things together to see what would happen – that was, until Aunt Angelina had discovered this and gave them quite a tongue lashing about it. Still, it had been enough to make James and Fred both rather fond of potions and explosions.
They were seemingly the only students, except for Sebastian, that seemed to know what they were doing. Will and Genevieve were having the worst time out of everyone; they must have added a wrong ingredient somewhere, since their potion had begun to hiss violently and turned out to be a sickly green instead of the vibrant yellow that was expected.
Other students were having problems with getting their cauldrons within the right temperature range, which resulted in an orange, goopy substance.
James and Fred managed to pull off a rather impressive draught of Cabasagua; it was very thin and very yellow. Professor Turpin seemed impressed, but then when she caught sight of Sebastian and Tabitha's draught, she declared them to be the winner of the five points. Seeing as they were both from opposing houses, five points were awarded to each house, which left the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors feeling quite happy about their potion lessons. That was until Professor Turpin assigned an essay about the uses and specific properties of Cabasagua.
Transfiguration followed with the Hufflepuffs. Professor Macmillan was tall and husky. He had wispy, brown hair and very blue eyes. He gave them a brief overview and was generally very kind with the young students.
"Transfiguration is very complicated stuff – it's important not to become discouraged if you don't succeed right away."
This turned out to be quite an understatement as none of the young children, except Genevieve Roth, succeeded in transforming their pin into a feather. Professor Macmillan was beside himself with delight when he saw Genevieve's feather, and it was rather easy to see that she was his new favorite pupil.
The break that followed was very welcome since James was starving. He helped himself to rather large helpings of mash potatoes and roast chicken.
"We've got Herbology next," Jason read off from the time table, "with the Slytherins."
They all looked apprehensively over at the Slytherin table. With the exception of Will, they all knew the stories from the war about the Slytherin house; most of them were not very favorable.
"I take it that's bad?" Will asked dryly, apparently noting the expressions on the other boys' faces.
Matthew rolled his eyes and gave Will a rather haughty look in return. "Of course! It's bloody awful. Slytherins are the worst of the lot."
"What's so bad about them?" Will asked back, his tone matching that of Matthew's.
Matthew seemed to be flustered by the question. "Well… they… they just are."
"The Dark Lord was from Slytherin," Jason added seriously in defense of Matthew. "A lot of his followers were too."
The discussion was interrupted by a few loud screeches, and James, along with nearly every other person in the Great Hall looked up to find the source of the commotion. What looked to be nearly a hundred owls swooped through the Great Hall, dropping letter s and parcels as they flew to their rightful owners. Fred's very own snowy Paprika dropped a letter in front of him and Fred fed her a bit of toast in gratitude.
Thor, too, appeared with a letter for James from his parents. He offered the grand owl some of his leftovers, but after giving James a rather disdainful look, as though he was insulted by the mere idea of eating someone else's scraps, he departed.
James just shrugged of his owl's snobbish behavior and ripped the letter open.
Dear James,
We heard from Professor Longbottom last night during his visit that you were sorted in to Gryffindor. Congratulations! Your father and I are so proud. Be sure to give Fred our congratulations as well. We hope that you two are behaving yourselves – if not, I am sure we will hear about it somehow. Remember, we've got quite a bit of friends in your school.
We all hope your first day of class goes well. Hopefully you will enjoy most of them. We sincerely wish you luck with getting through History of Magic. You'll understand why when you get there.
Again, be good and study hard! We are all eagerly looking forward to seeing you back around Christmas time. Don't tell him I told you, but Al misses you quite terribly. He's been mopping ever since you left. It would be very nice of you to maybe drop him a line. And dear, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We expect you to write often to your poor old mum and dad!
PS: please forget what your Uncle Ron told you.
Love,
Mum and Dad
James smiled as he tucked his letter away in his bag. "Hey, do you lot know who Mrs. Norris is?"
Matthew and Will both gave him a blank stare and Fred was still busy reading his letter. Jason, on the other hand, quite noticeably perked up.
"Yeah, that's Filch's cat… you know, the caretaker? She's downright creepy too." Jason pointed over to where Filch currently was standing, apparently in a rather heated discussion with Hagrid at the end of the staff table. There was a cat at his feet, rubbing against his legs. It was almost as if Mrs. Norris somehow knew they were talking about her, because she glanced up with her beady, yellow eyes and met their gaze. The boys immediately turned away.
"I see what you mean," James agreed. "My uncle wanted me to give her a good kick from him."
"I don't think I would do that, James," Jason said wearily. "Filch loves that cat. And don't think I would want to be on his bad side."
James didn't know if it was the challenge of the whole prospect, the fact that his mother had blatantly told him not to do it, or both, but suddenly he felt like it was a new mission. Fred recognized the look of determination in his cousin's face and although nothing was said, both understood perfectly.
Lunch finished up, and soon the first year Gryffindors were walking the vast Hogwarts grounds. Greenhouse one proved to be rather easy to find, much to the relief of all of the students. The Slytherins met the Gryffindors on the way down, and except for a few dirty looks being thrown about, not a word was exchanged by the two houses.
They entered the Greenhouse only to find Professor Longbottom wearing drab brown robes and a rather perky smile.
"Good morning first years! Today, we will be working with phelis flowers. Can anyone tell me what these flowers are used for?"
There was silence, then the short red headed girl James remembered to be Abigail Adams raised her hand.
"Ms. Adams?"
"Their juice is one of the main ingredients used in Veritaserum."
"Correct. Five points to Slytherin. Can anyone else tell me how such juice is attained?"
No one else seemed to know the answer, and even Abigail looked uncertain.
"Ah, well that is, I suppose what you are here for after all," Professor Longbottom smiled. He turned and gestured for them to follow him. He led the students down a few rows of various plants and stopped before a rather massive set up of great red flowers. They had a tropical look about them, and just one of the petals was about as large as James's whole hand. The flowers had very little stem holding them up. However, what little stem they did have looked ridiculously thick.
"The whole process isn't too tricky," Professor Longbottom began, "The trouble is just getting the flower to grow. These are relatively small ones. The conditions have to be just perfect – it's a rather picky plant."
James couldn't even imagine how big they were supposed to be.
Longbottom continued. "The phelis flower is sadly going extinct due to the high demand for Veritaserum that began back after the war ended and still continues today. We are hoping to be able to make enough here to restore a bit of the population. Their juice is also their seed you see, so when it is taken away, the flower is unable to reproduce. We will be using the juice to plant some philus flowers in a more natural habitat than the one in this greenhouse."
"Now, to juice the philus flower, it's really quite simple. If the plant is threatened in anyway, the flower head will shrink back in to the ground and may not come back out for weeks at a time. The key is to be very kind and gentle to the plant. It has to trust you." Longbottom then demonstrated this by tickling the center of the flower. The flower seemed to enjoy this a great deal, as it squirmed around happily, and Longbottom continued the process until he could access the small leaves that were hanging gracefully from the stem. He squeezed the leaves rather forcefully while holding a jar to collect the cloudy, murky juice that poured out. The flower did not seem to mind, however.
"If you go for the leaves first, you will regret it," Longbottom stated. "The flower is peaceful, but can defend itself quite efficiently if it feels threatened. I'd like you to work in pairs, one tickling the center of the flower, while the other extracts the juice from the leaves."
James and Fred immediately paired up, Fred declaring himself to be the tickler. "That is even you don't mind, Jamesy."
"Not at all, fart-face," James replied smiling. The two got to work promptly, yet it wasn't quite as easy as Professor Longbottom made it out to be. Their flower didn't see to quite enjoy being tickled, and James couldn't get access to its leaves.
"It doesn't trust you, Mr. Weasley. Show it that you mean it no harm," Professor Longbottom stated, as he watched Fred's struggle.
Fred sighed, clearly frustrated, as he tried switching up his tickling tactics.
James and Fred were surprisingly having better luck than Matthew and Jason, who had already sent four flowers into the ground before they had even touched them. Professor Longbottom eventually had to step in for fear of losing the whole flock of flowers for several weeks.
A few of the Slytherins were having the same problems, with the exception of Abigail Adams, who had partnered up with Tabitha. The two girls, despite seemingly very different attitudes and natures, clearly worked well together since they nearly had three full jars of philus juice by the time James and Fred were just beginning to squeeze their very first leaf. Will and Genevieve were doing even better, with five jars completely filled.
When the class was completed, a few of the students were muttering darkly about the rather frustrating flowers, while those who had done well were quite happy with their individual results. Longbottom assigned some reading for homework, and dismissed class after he happily collected the jars of philus juice. All in all, it had been quite an interesting day.