Steam darted from the scarlet train engine and swirled around the platform, making everything around them misty. Platform nine and three quarters was filled with witches and wizards bidding their children goodbye.
"See you mum!" yelled James Potter-an eleven year old with messy black hair and spectacles.
His mother- Euphemia Potter- pulled him into a bone crushing hug.
"Take care James and you would behave yourself, won't you?"
James wrenched himself free of his mother's grasp and grinned at her.
"Yeah, yeah, I will" he said.
"Enjoy yourself" Fleomont Potter- James's father- said, ruffling his son's messy hair.
"Don't do that" Mrs. Potter snapped "it's already bad enough".
She tried to make it lay flat but James dived out of her way.
"Oh don't" he said, messing his hair up even more.
Mrs. Potter glared at him then sighed.
"I can't believe you're already going to Hogwarts" she said, suddenly tearful.
"Mum don't cry here" James exclaimed and his father laughed.
"Oh c'mon, you've cried enough yesterday" Fleomont smiled as his wife pulled her son into another hug, and joined after a second.
"Well, go on then" Fleomont said, as they parted.
"Bye dear" Euphemia sniffed.
James raised a hand in farewell and stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. The train gave a whistle. Grinning, he set off to find a compartment. It felt like ages until he found an empty compartment at the end of the train. He stepped in and placed his trunk on the luggage rack. He sat down and stared out of the window.
There were countless witches and wizards, and-James noted- Muggles, hugging their children a last time for months and bidding them goodbyes. He let his eyes wander for a while, until they fell on a girl with fiery red hair who was hugging her parents. Next to her, stood another girl who had a face like a horse and was scowling at the redhead. There was a greasy haired boy with a hooked nose looking at the girl. James tried to get a glimpse of the girl, who was talking to the one with a face like a horse.
"Excuse me, d'you mind if I sit here?"
James jumped and looked round.
There was another boy standing at the compartment door, looking at him. James noted that he was very good-looking, his long dark hair falling into his eyes in a casual elegance his own hadn't been able to achieve.
"Course not" James said and pointed at the seat opposite him. The boy smiled and heaved his trunk in, placing it into the luggage rack.
"Hi" he said, sitting down.
"Hi" James said "I'm James. James Potter".
"I'm Sirius...Black" the boy added as an afterthought.
James frowned.
"Black? I think I have heard my father mention it before. You are pureblood, aren't you?"
"Yes" Sirius muttered "and I think your dad probably told you that we are one of the ancient pureblood families who hates Muggle-borns and want to wipe them and Muggles off the face of the earth".
"Hmm, I guess you're right" James recalled and looked at Sirius.
"I don't agree with them" Sirius said flatly.
"Of course you don't" James said, though he didn't know why he felt so sure.
He looked out of the window again and catching a glimpse of his parents, waved at them, as the Hogwarts Express gave its final whistle and pulled itself out of the platform. He watched until his parents disappeared in the white mist and he could see them no more. He looked round at Sirius who, too, was staring out of the window.
"So are you excited about Hogwarts?" James asked, to break the awkward silence.
"Oh yes, I am, are you?" Sirius said.
"Yes, I have wanted to go there my whole life" James said.
"Hey" Sirius said suddenly, as the train gave another whistle "how do you think a train eats?"
James smirked.
"Chew chew" he replied.
Sirius let out bark like laughter and James joined in.
The compartment door opened and the red-headed girl from the platform walked in and without giving the slightest sign that there's two other people in it, she sat by the window and stared out of it.
Sirius and James looked at each other but before they could say anything, the boy with greasy hair walked inside and sat beside the girl.
"I don't want to talk to you" the girl said after a moment of silence. The boy looked taken aback.
"Why not?" he asked.
The girl turned to look back at him and for the first time James noticed that she had tears in her eyes. She had startling emerald green eyes and she was really pretty. Though her face was now twisted.
"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore" she hiccoughed.
"So what?" the boy shrugged.
"So she's my sister!"
"She's only a-" but he caught himself just in time. Luckily for him, the girl was too busy wiping her tears to notice.
"But we're going! This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" said the boy.
The girl, despite her tears, failed to suppress a small smile.
"You'd better be in Slytherin" the boy said encouragingly.
The girl nodded.
James, who up until now had shown no interest in the conversation whatsoever, said "Slytherin! Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He looked at Sirius who did not smile but said dully "My whole family have been in Slytherin".
"Blimey" James said in mild surprise "and I thought you seemed alright".
Sirius grinned.
"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, you've got the choice?"
"Gryffindor" said James, holding an invisible sword in front of him "where dwell the brave at heart, just like my dad".
The greasy haired boy made a derisive sound.
"Got a problem with that?" James asked.
"No" said the boy "but if you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"
"Where d'you intend to go, seeing as you're neither" Sirius interrupted.
James roared with laughter as the boy flushed.
The girl got to her feet and looked at James and Sirius with dislike.
"C'mon Severus, let's find another compartment" she said.
"Oooh" James and Sirius imitiated the girl's voice and James tried to trip Severus as he passed.
"See ya, Snivellus!" Sirius called as the door snapped shut.
"Git" Sirius shook his head.
"Wonder what that girl was doing with a greasy git like him" James muttered "Snivellus, yeah, that's better" he added.
Sirius laughed as the compartment door slid open again and the trolley witch came in.
"Anything off the trolley dears?" she said.
James leapt to his feet, pulling out Sickles from his pocket as he did so.
"Yeah, we'll take Pumpkin pasties, Cauldron cakes, Chocolate Frogs..."
They spent the rest of their journey eating and talking and by the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, they had become really good friends.
"C'mon we're there" said James, jumping to his feet.
Ten minutes later, they got off of the train and the wind wiped their faces.
"Firs' years, over 'ere, firs' years!" came a voice.
James and Sirius turned round and saw a man twice the size of both of them put together, holding a lamp, beckoning them towards him.
"So that's all? yeah" he said and looked around at them.
"I'm Rubeus Hagrid. But you call me Hagrid, am the gamekeeper at Hogwarts" said the man "now, follow me".
Hagrid led them towards the coast where a fleet of boats stood, waiting for them.
"No more than four ter a boat" said Hagrid.
The first years all obeyed him and moved towards the boats. James grabbed Sirius's arm and led him to the nearest boat.
A small mousey haired boy and another boy with light brown hair and slightly scarred followed them into it. Once they were all aboard, the boats gave a twitch and jerked to life, pulling away from the banks on their own.
"I never thought they'd have something like this" said James.
"Neither did I" admitted Sirius and looked at the other two boys.
"Hello" he said.
"H-hi" the brown haired boy said but didn't make eye contact. Sirius surely didn't notice.
"Hi" croaked the smaller boy.
"I am James Potter" James introduced himself without the slightest sign of shyness.
"Er, I'm Remus. Remus Lupin" said the brown haired boy shyly.
"Peter Pettegriew" offered the small boy.
"Hello Peter and Remus. I'm Sirius" Sirius said.
"Have you heard about the Giant Squid in the lake?" James asked. He was thinking about this for a long time, though he wasn't frightened of the Squid.
"Yes I have, but I doubt it's true" said Remus.
"My mum said it's there, though" James said thoughtfully.
"Will-will it bite us?" Peter squeaked.
"No Peter, but if it does, we'll bite it in return" Sirius said, half concealing his laughter.
Peter was visibly scared.
"If there really is a Giant Squid, it wouldn't harm us because if it did, do you think the teachers would've kept it?" Remus said.
Peter looked relieved and nodded.
They didn't talk anymore because the castle came closer and clearer in view. The first years held their breaths at the sight of the castle.
"Wow" James breathed, awestruck.
"Brilliant" Peter said hoarsely.
The boats stopped as it reached the other end of the shore.
"Everybody out!" came Hagrid's voice.
The first years all stumbled out of the boats, followed the game keeper as he walked to a giant oak door and knocked at it.
They waited, the wind blowing in their ears, and shivering in the cold night. And then, the front door opened to reveal a severe looking witch, with her hair in a tight bun.
"The firs' years Professor McGonagall" said Hagrid.
Professor McGonagall looked at the first years and then at the game keeper.
"Thank you Hagrid, I'll be taking them from here" she said.
A/N: Thanks for reading. As I'm really obsessed with the marauders, I decided that I need my own version of their lives at school and the first wizarding war. So basically this is a fanfic where starting from their first day at school, it will go on till their deaths.And I'll be finishing it, cause I just can't live without them.Anyways, see you'll soon. And please review and let me know if I can improve.
~Nat