Back once again. I was
asked in a review for part one of this whether I deliberately made Katie's name
Evans and Lily's name Burns. The truth is – unbelievably – that It was a total
coincidence – I didn't know about Lily's name until I had uploaded parts one
and two of Blue Unicorn, and I was too lazy to change it by then – oh well.
Please read and review. James and co. return to Hogwarts. Sirius is a little
bit too cheeky for his own good…
James woke extremely early on the morning of the first. He changed into his Muggle clothes, and by seven o' clock he was downstairs eating breakfast. Though it was only two days since he had last seen his friends, James was missing them already. It was hardly surprising – the longest Remus, Sirius or Peter had ever been somewhere without James in the last year was the Christmas or (in Remus' case) Easter holidays.
Presently, James' mother and father joined him, both looking bleary-eyed, as though a few more hours' sleep would do them good. James and his father finally managed to get James' trunk packed, after several unsuccessful attempts at shutting it. Unfortunately, they had run out of Floo powder, so James' father was going to have to drive James up to London in his car. As James' father worked in a department of the Ministry of Magic, his car was not a normal Muggle one – special features had been added to it – such as being able to avoid traffic jams – to make driving much quicker and easier. As the Potters lived in the northern part of England, they had to leave relatively early, to allow James time to get up to London and board the Hogwarts Express.
After James had packed all his important items into his smaller rucksack, such as his wizard's robes and his recently inherited Invisibility Cloak, it was time for them to leave. James' father and mother loaded his heavy trunk into the boot of the car, and all of them got in. They left the house in plenty of time, and during the first part of the journey James' father entertained his wife and son by telling them of the tricks he had played at school using the Invisibility Cloak.
They reached King's Cross half an hour before the Express was due to leave. James mother fetched James a trolley to place his trunk on, and then the three of them made their way over to the solid ticket barrier between platforms nine and ten. James went first. As casually as he could, he leaned onto the barrier, and suddenly the scarlet steam engine materialised in front of him. His mother and father appeared behind him a few minutes later, and the three of them walked along the crowded platform until they reached an empty compartment. Just as James and his father were loading James' trunk onto the train, they heard a familiar voice.
'All right, James?' came Peter's voice. James looked up and saw Peter and Lily walking towards him, with their parents shadowing them. The three of them climbed aboard the train and started talking, as did their parents outside.
Presently, Frank, Sarah, Michelle, Katie and Heather joined them. There was no sign of Sirius or Remus. The eight of them were talking happily up until five to, when there was still no sign of Sirius or Remus. James was wondering what was taking so long. Four minutes to go – three minutes – two – one. Jets of steam were issuing from the train – it was starting to move. James threw his head out of the compartment window, but the station was now only full of waving parents. James shouted to his own parents, but the train was making too much noise for them to hear. Eventually, the train had pulled right out of the station – Remus and Sirius had missed it.
James continued playing chess with Peter. Evidently Remus was off visiting his mum again, but where on earth could Sirius be? The train had now left King's Cross far behind, and was hurtling along at high speed. James heard a small noise, but went back to his game, his mind reeling.
'Trying to leave without us?' came a loud voice. All eight Gryffindors started. They looked up to see Sirius and Remus, both looking exhausted but extremely happy with themselves. They were grinning like Cheshire cats.
'Where were you?' asked James, laughing.
'Getting held up,' said Remus. I met Sirius and his family outside the barrier – my dad dropped me off – at ten to. But then my trunk opened somehow, and everything fell out. We spent almost ten minutes trying to pick things up before the Muggles got suspicious. Sirius' dad fixed it,' he held up his trunk. 'I'm just glad none of the Muggles spotted this,' he held up Hogwarts: A History, 'or we would have had some nasty explaining to do. We just managed to jump onto the end carriage; we've worked our way up here; we guessed you would be at this end.'
'We saw rat boy,' said Sirius suddenly. 'He looked happy to see us.'
'For some reason, the sight of us seemed to upset him,' said Remus thoughtfully. James laughed.
'I'm not surprised. Sirius' face is enough to upset anybody.' Everyone except Sirius laughed.
'You, sah, have insulted my honour,' said Sirius seriously. 'I demand satisfaction, sah.' Pulling a glove out of his pocket, he slapped James around the face with it. James laughed, and pulled out his wand, smiling serenely.
'I think, "sah", that you have insulted my honour. Rictusempra!' Sirius doubled up, and sank to the floor, gasping for breath. James had used the tickling charm, and Sirius could barely move because he was laughing so much.
'Alri – all right,' he gasped. 'I'm so – sorry,' he continued, almost unable to breath. He burst into more laughter, as did everyone around him.
'Roll up! Roll up!' Remus was shouting out of the compartment door. 'Come and see the amazing – Laughing freak!' Presently, there were about seventeen people – mainly Gryffindors, who knew Sirius – standing in the compartment, laughing at Sirius' inability to do anything but laugh himself.
'Glad to see you know how to deal out punishment, James,' said the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Ben Coates, grinning. James laughed, but silently muttered the counter-curse. Sirius finally managed to stop laughing, much to the dismay of the people who had piled in to see him, who all piled out again. The girls and Frank went back to their Exploding Snap game.
'Damn you and your hyper-intelligence,' Sirius groaned at James.
'Sirius, you flatter me. I have, at present, only achieved super-intelligence.'
'I think I should get rid of my gloves.'
'It's OK if you hit Snapey with them, just don't do it to someone who knows clever curses.'
'Snape was telling me in one of our charming Potions lesson encounters that he could do the Cruciatus curse.'
'Yes, and I'm a three-headed hippopotamus with five hundred arms,' replied James sardonically. '
'I can see the resemblance,' said Remus pensively.
'Snape could talk for hours about his beloved curses,' said James, ignoring Remus' comment. 'But he couldn't ever do them. The only way Snape could torture someone is by making them look at him for more than thirty seconds.'
'Thirty seconds!' said Sirius. 'It's only ten and you start turning to stone.'
'I see,' said Remus, grinning. 'Snape is now a genetically-modified rat-type gorgon creature?'
'Naturally,' said Sirius seriously. 'But it's all do to with appearance. We never exaggerate.'
'No, never,' said James. 'Look, I really think we should stop talking about Snape. It is quite on the disturbing side.'
For nearly the remainder of the journey, they spent their time playing Exploding Snap with the girls and Frank. Lily and Sirius eventually gave up, as the cards seemed to be exploding in their vicinity more than anyone else's.
At around lunchtime, the smiling witch who carried the food trolley entered their compartment to see if they were hungry. The ten friends decided to pool their money and buy a lot of things for them to share. After they had bought almost half of the trolley, they resumed their game, eating and drinking at the same time.
Before long, however, the familiar voice of the driver came in over the loudspeaker.
'We will be arriving at Hogwarts in approximately five minutes. Your luggage will be taken up to the school separately, so please leave it on the train. Thank you.'
Within a few minutes, the corridors outside the compartments were filled with students. James could see one first-year girl looking remarkably excited, as she waited for the train to stop. He was reminded strongly of Katie, and how excited she had been a year ago.
The train soon came to a halt. All the students disembarked, filling the silent night air with chatter and laughter. James and Sirius, their faces being bitten by the cold, made their way, with Remus and Peter, over to where the carriages were waiting to take them up to the castle. As they were walking, they heard another familiar voice.
'Firs' years! Any more firs' years?' Below Hagrid were standing around forty students, obviously new students, some looking very apprehensive and some looking very excited. The first-years at Hogwarts always reached the castle by sailing across the lake. However, before they could say anything to Hagrid, he had started leading the first years over towards the lake, and had soon disappeared from sight.
The four boys clambered into an empty carriage. James could only assume that invisible horses pulled the carriages, as when he looked at the front of theirs, it seemed to be moving of its own accord; there was nothing pulling it. They travelled along a long, winding path, their carriage and the carriages around them rattling, before they finally came to a halt. James got out, and looked up at Hogwarts. Its windows were once again sparkling in the moonlight. James could see some of Gryffindor tower protruding over the top. He was glad to be back.
James approached the front doors with Sirius, Remus and Peter. He looked across to the lake, and could see the silhouettes of around fifteen small boats about halfway across it. It would be a while before the first years arrived.
The four of them walked into the gigantic Entrance Hall, and walking past the magnificent marble staircase, entered the Great Hall. The Hall looked just as splendid as it had a year ago. Looking through the enchanted ceiling, James could see thousands of stars glittering in the inky black sky. The moon was behind a cloud, though James could see its pearly-white light shining around it. In the Hall itself, the four huge house tables were being gradually filled with students from the four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The teachers were sitting at the High Table, at the front of the Hall. Before very long, the Hall was full of students from second year and above. As James was explaining to Katie and Lily exactly what Aurors did, the first years, lead by Professor McGonagall, entered the Great Hall. Most of them were looking very nervous, and James saw a group of them looking up at the enchanted ceiling, clearly amazed. When Professor McGonagall had taken the new students up to the front of the hall, just in front of the High table, she left them, and returned with a patched and frayed hat – the Sorting Hat.
The Sorting Hat was the thing that chose the house for new students. James remembered last year, when he had tried the hat on. The hat had put him into Gryffindor without any shadow of doubt. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on a stool, and the whole Hall sat waiting. James knew what they were waiting for. Suddenly, a rip appeared in the hat, and it started singing:
'I was put down on this earth,
For really just one thing.
It wasn't to be comical,
Or stand around and sing.
They wanted me to do for them –
These tremendous Hogwarts Four,
They wanted me to sort new students,
So that is what I'm for.
Now those two super wizards,
And those witches of renown,
Wanted me to put the students,
In the houses they'd laid down.
First there was great Gryffindor
Who was mighty, bold and brave,
The skills of which I now converse,
In his students he did crave.
Next came noble Slytherin,
Whose ambition did make cower,
His rivals and his enemies;
His students needed power.
Next came humble Hufflepuff,
Whose ways were loyal and just,
She trained her students up to be,
People of great trust.
Finally came Ravenclaw,
For talent she had a will,
Her students all had virtues
Of intelligence and skill.
So put me on,
I will not bite,
Don't be afraid of me.
Try me on, and you'll find out
In which house you should be.'
The hat finished singing and bowed to the four house tables. A large amount of applause rang around the hall. When the Hall was again silent, Professor McGonagall returned with a large scroll in her hands.
'When I call your name,' she said to the relieved-looking first years. 'You will come up here and try on the hat.'
'I reckon that hat could become a pop star,' James heard Lily whisper to Katie. He laughed to himself. Professor McGonagall began reading names.
'Brown, John!'
'GRYFFINDOR!' screamed the hat. The whole of the Gryffindor table began cheering. Sirius was banging his fists on the table to create lots of noise. He was succeeding.
'Coates, Rachel!' The small girl that James had seen looking very excited on the train leapt up.
'Oi, Ben!' James whispered to Ben Coates, who was just a few places up the table.
'Yeah?'
'Is that your sister?' Ben nodded. James looked back at the hat. It seemed to be making up its mind. It finally shouted
'GRYFFINDOR!' Rachel Coates made her way over to the Gryffindor table, in a storm of applause. James saw her brother speaking happily to her.
'Cross, Michael!
'SLYTHERIN!' shouted the hat. Michael Cross, a rather miserable looking person, made his way over to the Slytherin table. James saw Snape welcoming him.
The Sorting continued for some time. Every time a student joined their new house, there was rapturous applause.
'Smith, Helen.'
'RAVENCLAW!' James watched tiny little Helen Smith make her way over to the Ravenclaw table and give Jake Smith a hug. She was evidently his sister. The Sorting finally ended with 'Young, James.' becoming a Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall took the Sorting Hat out of the Hall. When she had returned, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster, stood up. James could see Sirius massaging his stomach.
'As I see many of you clutching your stomachs, I fear, Mr. Black, that you may pine away.' Everyone laughed at Sirius, who bowed. 'Therefore, I will leave the announcements until after the feast. Thank you.' Dumbledore sat down, and immediately plates of food appeared on the tables. James suddenly realised that he too was very hungry, and piled food onto his plate. The Hall was soon filled with the clattering of knifes and forks and the babble and laughter of the students. James and Sirius were telling a joke to all of the people around them. When they finished it, half of the Gryffindor table exploded with laughter. All heads in the Hall turned to see what was so funny, and presently the whole Hall knew the joke. The Slytherins were not so amused.
When the feast finished, Dumbledore stood up once again.
'Welcome!' he said, raising his arms. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. I have a few notices to hand out. Firstly, two new teachers have joined our ranks this year. I would like to introduce Professor Turner, who has consented to teach Potions, and Professor Loughran who will teach Defence Against the Dark Arts.' Both of the new Professors stood up and smiled amiably. The Sorting had driven out of James' mind the fact that they had two new teachers. He hadn't even noticed them. The Professors sat down, and Dumbledore continued.
'Again I must remind you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all pupils, and the village of Hogsmeade to all students in first and second year. Again, I must stress the importance of keeping away from the Whomping Willow. There were some incidents last year,' James and Sirius grinned at each other nervously, 'and I will punish severely anyone caught near the tree. Now, I think that is everything of importance. Oh, Quidditch trials and flying lessons begin in the second week of term. Now, off to bed. Could Mr. Lupin please stay here? I need a word with him. Thank you.' The Hall began to empty, but James and Sirius were staring at Remus.
'It's about my mum again,' said Remus uncomfortably, reading their thoughts. 'My dad's asked if I can take one day off a month again.'
'Oh, fine,' said James. 'We'll see you in the common room.' They made their way up the marble staircase, and kept climbing until they reached the seventh floor. Peter was waiting for them outside.
'Where've you been?' he said. 'The new password's 'Merlin's beard', but –' His words were cut off, as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, and they all climbed into the Gryffindor common room. Most people had already gone to bed, but there were still some playing chess in a corner. James was feeling suddenly tired, so he left Peter and Sirius playing chess, and made his own way up to the dormitory, where he found Frank half-asleep. He looked around at the five poster beds, and couldn't help feeling very glad to be back.
Yes, and now we stop.
Yay! I managed to write a Sorting Hat song in twenty minutes so I could upload
this today. It would be very kind and considerate of you to review.
Ciao