Here is the updated first chapter! Some extensive rewriting done here, I need to introduce the updated characters, and make the events of First and Second Year a bit more prominent, though still short compared to the rest of the story.

I want to make one more thing perfectly clear. This story is meant to be read, alongside the MAIN SERIES OF BOOKS WRITTEN BY J.K. ROWLING. The reason for this is because the prequel, The Marauders Era, details the events of Summer 1971-Halloween 1981, detailing every relevant character (Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Marlene, Alice, Frank, My OC's Parents etc.) The sequel on Split 2, A Second Chance, follows the entire main cast. As such, I'm not rewriting scenes from the main series unless it applies to my OC's in this story. Cool? Cool.

Main Series Segment: Book 1 is represented here. I would suggest reading it first, then reading this Chapter. (If you want a more intricate way of reading, do this: Start of this chapter till beginning of Flashback, Book 1 Chapters 1-5, The Ride from Platform 9 3/4 till the Sorting, Book 1 Chapters 6-8, The Potions Class, Book 1 Chapters 9-17)


There is a famous tale, a tale of three friends, who, against all odds, put an end to the Second Great Wizarding War. These people were Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. However, this story is not about them, although they may appear frequently. This story is about a group of four friends, who all led lives of horror and pain, well, three of them did. Despite everything, they played a huge part in the Second Wizarding War, bringing the four houses of Hogwarts together. They were...

Gemma Pritchard, a spunky Slytherin girl who always expresses what is on her mind, who's life has been riddled with misfortune. She has led a life of terror, anger and sadness. Although with bad things also come the good. Romance, friendship and hope await her just around the corner. Her struggle is finding the strength to go around that corner.

Quentin Mumps, an outgoing Gryffindor boy with a tendency to swear no matter the situation. A boy who vows to protect anyone who cares for him and who he cares about. His life is also one riddled with misfortune. Hogwarts being his only real home. He will also receive great fortunes and misfortunes. Romance, Friendship and Adventure also awaits him, however, he must first deal with things that he is not so overly fond of. His challenge is to accept life as it is, to create a better future for himself.

Laura Duvall, a quiet Ravenclaw girl, a knowledgable girl, and one who has also led a terrible life. Once she can push through her shell and enter the world, she will receive her fortunes. Romance awaits her, as well as long lasting friendships and an adventure she never thought she'd ever go on. She just needs friends to reach that point.

And Tye Shine, the only one of the four who hasn't led a hard life, living with a loving family. A flirty Hufflepuff boy who, while flirting with anything that moves, only really has eyes for one. He'll face his misfortunes as his years go by, except he'll have friends with him, to help him through them.

As such, our story begins...


The Great Hall was a mess, the bodies of those who died fighting were lying, ordered on the ground as the survivors sat around them. Of them, the group of four friends who had been together since the beginning, were reflecting on their years at Hogwarts. Quentin sat with Gemma, her head resting on his shoulder. Tye and Laura also sat with them, Laura sitting in Tye's lap, Tye playing with Laura's black hair.

"I can't believe Professor Lupin is dead." Laura sighed as Tye hugged her close.

"Not only Lupin, but Tonks, Colin, Lavender, Fred... Hell, even Snape." Quentin said as Gemma started crying into the crook of his neck. Gemma never cried, she'd told herself not too after the abuse her father put her through.

"I can't... we won... but we lost so many in the process..." Gemma sobbed, barely audible under the tears. Quentin kissed her, pulling her close, as the Slytherin continued to cry, melting against him, letting her feelings take over.

"Hey!" Tye shouted, startling the Gryffindor and Slytherin. "We get it, you've finally admitted your feelings for each other which you should've done years ago I might add." Gemma glared at Tye as he smirked. "But save the love making for later." Gemma stood and slowly walked towards the boy, a fist raised to punch him. Sure, Quentin and herself had only recently started dating, that's what a Battle at their school does to you, but she didn't need to be reminded of her last boyfriend.

"Okay. Tye shut up, Gem, calm down." Quentin stated calmly, Gemma turned to him quietly, before sitting down and resting her head against his shoulder again.

"He shouldn't have said anything." Gemma mumbled as she sat, thoughts running through her head.

"Hey, remember when we started at Hogwarts?" Quentin asked, which earned a collective nod from the group. "I met Tye first, on the Express, then Gemma in Potions, then Laura a year later."

"Yeah, do you remember what happened?" Tye asked.

"Well, I think it went like this..."


The 11-year-old boy hurried to reach the barrier in time. Being an orphan had its bonuses, and it's downsides as well. One of those being that he couldn't get out of the Orphanage until the last minute, the caretakers were nice, but they did get on his nerves. Pushing his brown hair out of his face, he glanced left and right, checking that no muggles could see him, then he rushed through, smiling as he saw the scarlet engine in front of him. He rushed towards the train, grabbing his trunk... and immediately having a lot of trouble with it, he struggled as he tried to pull the trunk onto the train.

"Need any help?" The boy turned quickly, noticing a young light blonde haired boy watching him with a smirk on his face.

"Yes please." The other boy smirked, taking the other end of the trunk. Pulling it onto the train and into a compartment. The boy smiled at finally getting onto the train as the other boy smiled back at him, then rushed out. The boy walked to the window and looked out it onto Platform 9 3/4. He noticed some people, including a young black haired girl quietly saying bye to her parents. He also noticed another blonde haired girl rush onto the train, with a look of relief on her face, she was closely followed by a young platinum blonde haired boy, and his mother he presumed, who looked completely stuck up. There was also a family of redheads having an argument on the platform. Finally, the boy that had helped him before was hugging his parents goodbye. The boy smiled slightly, before remembering he didn't have a family, as they had abandoned him when he was young. He sighed sadly as the blonde boy came back in, sitting across from him.

"Are you excited?" The boy looked up.

"Sorry?"

"Excited? For Hogwarts?"

"Oh." The boy looked surprised, "Yes, of course."

The other boy grinned, sticking his hand out, "Well, you've made your first friend. Name's Tye Shine." The boy took the hand and shook it.

"I'm Quentin Mumps."


There was a collective awe at the initial sight of Hogwarts Castle. Quentin and Tye had entered a boat with the same black haired girl that Quentin had seen back on the platform. She didn't speak to either of the boys, instead staying unnaturally quiet, not speaking for anything, even when the boys tried to introduce themselves.

Once the group was in the Entrance Hall. Professor McGonagall entered and gave a short speech about the houses of Hogwarts. During this, a boy, Neville Longbottom, found a toad, and another boy, named Draco Malfoy, definitely made himself known to Quentin and Tye. He was trying to get into the good books of a boy named Harry Potter. Quentin had to spend the rest of the time telling Tye, who was muggleborn, how Harry was famous, as Quentin was a half-blood.

Entering the Great Hall earned another collective gasp from the First Years as they approached a stool, with a battered, old hat sitting on top of it. Upon the hat bursting into song, the group of First Years collectively gasped again.

The Great Hall broke into applause as the Sorting Hat finished his song, before McGonagall returned and started calling out names to be sorted.

"Duvall, Laura." The Black haired girl that Quentin and Tye rode the boat across the lake with quietly walked up to the stool. She sat, while the Sorting Hat looked around in thought.

"RAVENCLAW!" The girl, now known as Laura, slowly got up and quietly went and joined the Ravenclaw table. Quentin and Tye watched, before the sorting continued. A few people got sorted, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger, a young girl who was way too knowledgeable for her own good, both got Gryffindor, and Draco Malfoy got Slytherin.

"Mumps, Quentin." Quentin turned to Tye, who gave him a thumbs up, before he went up and sat on the stool, hat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Quentin smiled and headed towards the Gryffindor table, meeting his prefect Percy Weasley, and his troublesome twin brothers, Fred and George Weasley. Quentin enjoyed chatting to the twins, while names were still being called. Then the Hall went silent.

"Potter, Harry." Quentin glanced around, everyone was staring at the Boy Who Lived, as he stepped up to the stool. The chorus of "We Got Potter!" from the twins brought Quentin back to the world as the Sorting continued.

"Pritchard, Gemma." The blonde haired girl from the platform stepped up and sat down slowly, Quentin found himself watching when he didn't really care before.

"SLYTHERIN!" Gemma smiled as she stepped down and headed to the Slytherin table, starting up a conversation with Draco Malfoy as she sat. Quentin let his attention wander again until Tye was called up. The blonde boy sat down and waited.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Quentin smiled as his friend joined his house, he was slightly disappointed that they weren't in the same house. Only to be snapped out of it as the Sorting Hat proclaimed there was "another Weasley!" ending the Sorting.


Quentin quickly became friends with the people in his Dorm. Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley, and Harry Potter. The boys spent some time going over their classes, or learning about the various branches of Magic from Ron, who had five older brothers who had either, already graduated or were currently at the school. Quentin went to sleep that night with a smile on his face.


Tye quickly met his Hufflepuff dorm mates, Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Tye liked Hufflepuff, the house was full of extremely nice people and he liked it. The Yellow colour calmed him, as he lay in his bed. While he definitely wanted his first friend, Quentin in his house, he knew the Sorting Hat knew best. Tye also went to sleep with a smile on his face.


Laura sighed softly. She was quiet, but it was a facade she put up so she wouldn't be hurt. Being part of a Pureblooded family wasn't always the greatest, just ask the Malfoys, Notts, Parkinsons etc. She had spent many years being harrased and bullied by the snobby pureblooded families that she formulated this persona onto herself, to protect herself. She did get to sleep eventually, feeling somewhat bad about pushing those people in the boat with her away, they did seem nice.


Gemma was not happy. As soon as she had told Draco in the Great Hall that she was a half-blood, the entirety of Slytherin house turned on her. The friend she thought she had, had turned his back on her. She lay on her bed in tears, it didn't help that her roommates, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass, continued to tease and bully her. 'Well,' she thought, 'Daphne is not that bad, but Pansy and Millicent...' Gemma went to sleep in tears, she hoped that something would happen soon.


Quentin rushed to reach his first Potions class. He hadn't figured out where everything in the massive castle was, so he simply hoped for the best. Especially regarding the Potions professor. Snape.

Snape had asked the class to partner up, today he was going to show them how to brew an extremely basic potion. Quentin wasn't great at meeting new people, so he had trouble finding a partner to work with. That being said, a blonde Slytherin was also struggling to find a partner. A Gemma Pritchard. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor working together, it went surprisingly well. "So...Slytherin?" Quentin asked trying to make conversation.

Gemma nodded. "Yeah, I'm Slytherin... Stupid." She replied, rolling her eyes. "Can you not tell by the uniform?" She asked, turning to face him. Quentin couldn't help but notice a certain spark in her blue eyes.

"Hey," He began "No need to be so rude."

"I thought that's what I was meant to do, I mean I'm in Slytherin and all." Gemma countered.

"Okay... sorry." Quentin sighed turning his attention back to to the cauldron in front of them. But then the Slytherin giggled. Quentin snapped his head to the side, staring at her. This blonde haired, blue eyed Slytherin girl was giggling as if he had just said the funniest thing known to man. "What's so funny?" Quentin asked, confusion making its way onto his face. Gemma continued to snicker her hands coming up to cover her mouth. Muffling the sounds. As she calmed down she said in a surprisingly soft voice.

"N-nothing, I was just joking around. I've heard rumours about what others think of my house, so... I just decided to play along." She held out her hand for him to shake, he took it with a smile.

"I'm Gemma Pritchard." She said. Quentin smiled.

"Quentin Mumps." he introduced himself.

And after a few weeks the two of them became best friends. Taking a while for the two of them to get used to each other. Gemma seemed shy at first and weary of Quentin but warmed up to him enough as the weeks past. He found comfort in her presence glad he had made a friend, even if she was in his rival house. Quentin quickly introduced her to Tye and they quickly became a trio.


First Year ended quickly, although Quentin, Gemma and Tye stayed friends throughout the year, although their efforts to include the black haired Ravenclaw didn't work very well. Despite some of the major events of the year, none of that mattered to them. Yet.


Whoo! First Chapter finished! If anyone wants to know when the plot of the original version of this story will start to come in the rewrite, about Chapter 4 or 5 I'd say. With this rewrite I want to make it as similar, but also as updated as possible, some plot lines from the original story are kept the same, some changed, and some removed all together. Second Year will occupy the next chapter, and it'll be a bit longer, as events of Year 2 end up being a bit more personal to the group. Until the 2nd...