Author's Note: In this, the final chapter, James goes to King's Cross and takes the Hogwart's Express to school; he meets several of the usual suspects. I've decided to end this story here as I originally planned, but I may eventually write a sequel; James and his friends are kind of addictive. I have an idea for the "troubles" and "unluckiness" of Mrs. Snape's that J.P. mentioned back in Chapter Two, and it really wants me to develop it. But, if I do go that route, it won't be for a while; a big term paper beckons, so I'll be leaving James—and everyone else—for now.

To Trinity Day: Thanks so much for your very encouraging reviews! I totally forgot that Bertha is older; thanks for the reminder. I went back and fixed that. Also, I agree that Arthur couldn't be the oldest of that many kids; I'm thinking of him as the oldest son, but with at least three older sisters. (The way Molly kind of pushes him around makes him seem like a little brother of sisters to me.) I couldn't find a very elegant way to make that clearer, so I've left it as is for now; it may come up again in later stories if I get inspired to write later ones.

And thanks, too, to my other reviewers. Reviews make me happy. (Hint, hint.)

Finally, none of this belongs to me. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling—especially the descriptions of the walk from the train to the boats and of the boat ride, which are both shamelessly cribbed from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

The Hogwarts Express

The next morning, James awoke before his alarm clock sounded. "Yer up early," the clock observed.

"Excitement, I guess," James said. He threw on his dressing gown and went over to his mirror to see how bad his hair was. No worse than usual, he decided.

"Nervous, dear?" the mirror asked.

"A little," he admitted.

"Are you sure you don't want to take me along? You'll need someone to look after that hair of yours."

James laughed. "I'm sure there will be mirrors at Hogwarts; they'll take care of my hair while I'm away. . . as much as anyone can take care of it, I mean." The mirror grumbled a little, but agreed to stay.

"How 'bout me?" the clock asked. "Do I get ter go?"

"Erm, yeah, I guess you'd better."

"How come he gets to go and I don't?" the mirror asked, affronted.

"Because I know they have mirrors; I don't know if they have alarm clocks," James replied reasonably. Then, trying to boost the mirror's ego a bit, he added, "Besides, I need you to stay here and keep an eye on things for me."

"Well, I guess that's true," the mirror said, sounding self-satisfied. "After all, you certainly couldn't leave him in charge."

"Ah, bugger off!" the clock replied. Shaking his head, James headed out the door, leaving them to it. He bounded down the stairs and into the dining room.

"Mum?" he called. "I'm up!"

Flippy, one of the house elves, came into the room, carrying bacon, eggs, toast, and tea. "Madam is waking sir's brother, sir," the elf said. "She said to tell sir that she would be down soon and that sir was to go ahead and eat his breakfast."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." James sat down and tucked into his breakfast; whatever nervousness he felt didn't seem to be affecting his appetite.

Just as James was finishing the last of his tea, Mum and Nick arrived. "All finished, dear?" she asked.

"Yup; I was just heading upstairs for a bath."

"Good; I meant to have you take one last night, but I got distracted talking with your father, and I forgot."

"What did Dad need?" James asked. He didn't really expect her to answer, but he thought he'd ask anyway.

"Just some more information on werewolves."

"Is he making any progress with them?"

Mum looked at him sharply as though wondering how much he knew. "A bit," she said. "But they still don't quite trust him. He's hoping that the Healing he can do will help win them over; last night was the full moon, so they'll be needing a bit of Healing."

"Where did he stay last night? You know, while the moon was out; he couldn't very well stay with them."

"The colony isn't all werewolves; there are spouses and children, too, and there's a safe house, guarded with wolfsbane and silver and all sorts of charms, where they go every full moon; your father stayed there last night."

"Oh. Okay." Satisfied, James headed back upstairs for his bath.

--

An hour later, James was bathed, dressed, fully packed, and ready to leave. Dad had arranged for a Ministry car to pick them up and drive them to King's Cross—the Floo network would be too crowded to be reliable this morning—and it would be arriving soon. Mum played nagging parent, running through a list of everything that she thought James might have forgotten ("Toothbrush?" "Yes." "Plenty of socks?" "Yes." "Clean underwear?" "MUM!"), and Nick giggled at James's head-shaking and eye-rolling responses. Mum didn't nag very often, and James didn't mind too much when she did, so his eye-rolling was mostly for show. Finally, the car arrived. The driver loaded James's trunk and Sophia's cage, everyone piled in, and they set off for London.

After a fairly dull drive lasting about two hours, they arrived at King's Cross. The driver helped them unload and sent them on their way; Mum and Nick would spend the day shopping in London and head home after the Floo crowd cleared. James, Mum, and Nick set off for Platform Nine and Three-Quarters with Nick riding on top of James's trunk on the luggage cart. As they neared the barrier between platforms Nine and Ten, James noticed a family standing in front of it, looking a little lost. He recognised the red-haired girl from the wand shop; her surly older sister, he noticed, was not with the rest of the family today. The girl was looking at the barrier with a very confused expression. He decided to see if he could help.

"Hi, there," he said, walking up to them. "Are you off to Hogwarts, too?"

The girl smiled at him in relief. "Thank goodness! Do you know what to do to get to the Platform? The letter says to walk through the wall, but. . . ." she trailed off doubtfully.

"Can I see your letter?" James asked. The girl handed it to him. It was much longer than his had been. "Mine didn't say how to get to the Platform; I think Muggle-borns get different letters." He handed it back. "Anyway, yeah, you just walk through the wall." He turned to her parents. "It only works for magic people, so you won't be able to go; you'd better say good-bye here." Turning his attention back to the daughter, he said, "Mum and I will go through now; you just watch us, and we'll wait for you on the other side of the barrier. Go at it at a bit of a run if you get nervous." James motioned for Mum to head on through. She leaned against the wall, and she was gone. He followed, pulling Nick and the cart behind him.

James arrived on the other side of the barrier; the scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express steamed on the tracks before him. "Train!" Nick said, pointing.

"Yeah," James said. "That train is going to take me to school."

"School," Nick agreed.

James wasn't entirely sure that Nick knew what "school" meant, or if the toddler understood what was happening. "I'll be gone for a long time," he said, "but I'll come back for Christmas, and I'll try to talk to you by Fireplace some—like Dad did last night."

"Head," Nick said. "Daddy-head. In fire."

"Yes. I'll try to that, too."

"Jamie-head."

"Exactly." James scooped Nick off the luggage cart and hugged him. "I'll miss you while I'm gone."

"Miss you, too," the boy echoed.

"But I'll learn lots of fun things to show you when I come home, and I'll bring you a nice present," James promised.

Nick nodded, then pointed up at the ceiling. "Owl!" he said.

James looked up. Sure enough, there was a large barn owl perched high on a rafter. At the bottom of the rafter stood a small, slightly chubby boy. "Please, Barney, come down!" the boy called. Another boy, this one several years older, walked over, offering an owl treat. The owl flew down to take it, and the boys managed to get him back into his cage.

James grinned. "Should have known better than to let his owl out here," he said to Mum.

"Yes, that wasn't the best idea." She looked at her son. "Take care, Jamie. And be good. And study hard. And write often. And brush your teeth. And. . . ."

"I know, I know, and take a bath every now and again, and maybe even change my underwear sometimes," James interrupted.

He heard a giggle behind him. The red-haired girl had arrived through the barrier, apparently just in time to hear James's comment about changing his underwear. He felt his face flush, but he managed to meet her eyes and grin at her. She smiled back, and he turned his attention back to Mum, who was smiling sheepishly.

"I know you know. But I still have to say it. I'm a mother; it's in the job description." She grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. "I love you, James."

"Love you, too, Mum."

"Now, you'd better get on the train." James hugged Nick once more, then set off for the Express.

James looked back at the red-haired girl, who seemed to be waiting. She stepped up to join him. "Hello, again," he said. "I'm James, by the way. I'm a first-year, too."

"Lily." The girl offered him her hand, and he shook it. They walked together to the train, handed their owl-cages off to the porter, and boarded. James leaned out to wave to Mum and Nick, and then they dragged their trunks along the corridor, looking for a compartment. The first few were entirely full, but the fourth one only had one person in it, a slight, pale-skinned boy with light brown hair. James recognised him from the wand shop, too.

"Can we join you?" he asked. The boy nodded, and James and Lily entered the compartment. The other boy, James noted, looked rather tired; he had big shadows under his eyes, and his hands seemed to shake a bit. Maybe he was just nervous, James thought. "I'm James," he said to the boy. "James Potter."

"And I'm Lily Evans. We're both first-years."

"Remus. Lupin. Also a first-year," the boy replied. He had a very gentle, slightly hoarse voice. "Pleased to meet you. . . both of you."

James felt Lily's eyes on him. "Wait. 'Potter.' Are you related to the Minister of Magic?"

"Yeah, I'm his grandson. But how do you know about the Minister of Magic? I thought you were Muggle-born."

"I am. When I found out that I'm a witch, I wanted to learn about the magical world. So, when we went to Diagon Alley for my school supplies, I took out a subscription to the Daily Prophet." Lily looked a little embarrassed. "I know it's kind of swotty, but. . . ."

"No, it's a good idea," James said.

Lily grinned mischievously. "It does set Petunia off a bit, having the delivery owl swoop in every morning." She made a face. "Petunia's my older sister," she explained. "She's pretty horrible. She's always been kind of mean to me, but it's been really bad since I found out I'm a witch. She calls me a freak and all sorts of awful things. Really, though, I think she's just jealous."

"Probably so," James said. "I know I'd be jealous if I were a Muggle and my sister turned out to be a witch. Wouldn't you, Remus?" James turned to the boy for corroboration. "Remus?"

"Looks like he's asleep," Lily said. "I thought he looked a bit tired."

"Yeah, and a bit peaky, too; wonder if he's sick?" They regarded Remus for a moment. "Oh, well, we'll wake him when the tea trolley comes round."

"Yeah, that sounds. . . ."

What it sounded, James didn't get to hear, because the door to their compartment banged open, and Lily broke off in mid-sentence. The chubby boy with the problem owl had raced in, slamming the door behind him. He was breathing hard, and he looked terrified. "Need some help, mate?" James asked.

The boy looked at him as though noticing him for the first time. "Do these doors lock?" he asked.

"Don't think so," James replied. "What's wrong?"

"Snape's after me. He's got his two goons, McNair and Nott, with him."

"What happened?" James asked.

"Barney bit him. Barney's my owl. He didn't mean to bite him, but Snape was poking at him, and. . . ."

"Snape seems to cause trouble wherever he goes. Why don't you just stay in here with us, and we'll take care of everything. I'm James, James Potter. First-year."

"Peter Pettigrew. Another first-year. Nice to meet you." The boy managed a smile. Lily introduced herself and Remus, who had somehow managed to sleep through Peter's grand entrance. "

"I think the train's started moving," James said. "Maybe you're safe; maybe they'll go find a compartment."

Peter relaxed slightly, but stiffened again when the door flew open. It wasn't Snape, though; it was Sirius, the boy from Gringotts, dragging his trunk. "Wouldn't happen to have an extra seat in here, would you, mates?" he asked. He looked at James, and his eyes lit with recognition. "Hey, it's you!"

"So it is," James said, grinning. "Come in and have a seat."

Sirius did, and they all introduced themselves. When he heard James's name, Sirius whistled. "Got myself rescued by the Minister's grandson, did I?" he said.

"Rescued?" Lily asked.

Sirius related the story of his run-in with Snape and James's Disarming Spell. Lily and Peter looked very impressed and refused to listen to James's protests that he really hadn't known what he was doing.

"This Snape fellow sounds like a real pill," Lily said.

"He's a terror," Peter said. "He lives near me, so I've known him forever, and he's always been mean. Knows a bunch of hexes, too."

"And Sirius and I are certainly off on the right foot with him," James observed wryly. "Oh, well, we'll just have to hope we don't end up in his House."

His companions murmured assent. The conversation turned away from Snape to Houses and teachers. Grandfather's information came in quite handy, as James was able to tell the other four a lot.

Suddenly, James realised that his morning tea was catching up with him. "Anybody happen to know which way the loo is?" he asked.

"Go left when you walk out the door; I passed it on my way up the car," Sirius said.

"Thanks." James dug into his pocket and pulled out his pouch of money. "If the tea trolley comes while I'm gone, get me a roast beef sandwich, an apple, some Every-Flavour Beans, and a Chocolate Frog, would you? Oh, and some pumpkin juice." Sirius assured him that he would, and James thanked him again and set off to find the lavatory.

He found Snape first, with two friends in tow. These must have been the "two goons" that Peter had mentioned; they were both huge. One was taller than James, who was pretty tall for his age, and both were much broader and heavier.

"You." Snape's voice was full of loathing.

"Hullo," James said neutrally.

Snape jerked his head at James and spoke to the two goons. "That's the guy that was giving me trouble in Diagon Alley." He turned his cold, black gaze back on James. "Who are you, and why shouldn't we get even with you?" he said.

James tried not to let himself sound nervous, even though he felt quite outnumbered. "James Potter. And you shouldn't 'get even with me' because you have nothing to get even about; I'm just minding my own business."

"That's a change," Snape said sarcastically. "Nott, do you think he's minding his own business?"

Nott, the lighter-haired goon, looked confused. James figured that he must not be too quick on the uptake. The darker one, McNair, looked smarter; there was a cunning look in his eyes that made James decidedly uncomfortable.

Snape gave up on Nott. "You're pathetic, Nott. McNair, do you think he's minding his own business?"

"No. But I also think beating up the Minister's grandson would be a pretty stupid move." James hid a relieved grin. He had guessed right; McNair was smarter.

Snape didn't look happy, but he recognised the truth of McNair's observation. "Fine. We'll settle for a fat little squib instead." The three set off down the corridor, and James hurried the other way. He hurried not from fear that the three would change their minds about trying to fight him, but because he knew that the "fat little squib" in question would probably need his help soon. He found the lav, took care of things, and hurried back up the corridor. He heard angry voices, and he broke into a jog.

When he arrived outside his compartment, the door was open, and Snape and his friends were standing inside. James surveyed the scene. Peter was scrunched in a far corner, holding out a hand as though to ward off a blow. Remus, seated next to him and now awake, wore an expression of confusion quickly turning to anger. Sirius was standing in front of both of them, facing the other three, his eyes blazing. Lily was nowhere to be seen. James started to walk in and join the fun when he saw Lily coming down the corridor, an older boy following her. The older boy had a badge in the shape of a "P" pinned to his shirt. James stepped aside to let the older boy and Lily enter the compartment. "He's a Prefect," Lily whispered as she passed. "I thought we might need one." James nodded approvingly. He stayed outside in the corridor, as the compartment was now rather crowded.

"Is there a problem, guys?" the prefect was asking. "I'm Frank, Frank Longbottom. I'm a Prefect. Fifth year." James was struck by his way of saying "I'm a Prefect;" he didn't say it arrogantly, like someone high on his position, but rather said it like someone who still couldn't quite believe his luck. "Maybe I can help sort things out."

"Maybe so." Remus was first to speak. "Could you get this lot to leave us alone?"

"Are you bothering these fellows?" Frank asked the three.

"The little fat one there started it," Snape said. "He let his owl bite me."

"Barney only bit you because you were poking him; if you'd left him alone, it wouldn't have happened," Peter replied, sounding a little squeaky.

"Shut up, squib!" Snape ordered.

"Don't you call him that, you oily-haired git!" Sirius said angrily, taking a step towards Snape.

"Who's going to stop me?" Snape replied.

"Gentlemen!" Frank said loudly, stepping between Sirius and Snape. "First, you." He looked at Snape. "Unless I missed the Daily Prophet headline, Hogwarts has not started accepting squibs. So do not use that term to refer to your fellow student; it's rude, and it's not true. Also, don't call people fat. And keep your fingers away from other people's owls. Got all that?" Snape nodded resentfully. "And you." He turned to Sirius. "Hogwarts does occasionally accept oily-haired gits. However, that term is also rude, so don't use it to refer to your fellow student. Got it?" Because Frank's back was to him, James couldn't see his smile, but he could hear it in his voice. Sirius smiled back and saluted smartly as if to say, "Yes, sir." "Good. Now, who originally claimed this compartment?"

"Me, I guess," Remus said.

"Then you get to choose who can stay in it."

"Everyone but those three can stay." He pointed at Snape, McNair, and Nott. "Sorry to point, but I don't know their names."

"Ah, yes; what are your names?" Frank asked. "All of you." They all gave him their names. "Okay. So Snape, McNair, and Nott, you three have to go. And Lupin, Pettigrew, Black, and Evans, you can stay. And, if that's all you need, I am going to get back to my chess game." He turned to go, but he waited outside the door, on the opposite side from the one James was standing on, to make sure that the three evicted students did leave.

They filed out, first Nott, then McNair, then Snape. Before he stepped out of the compartment, Snape turned to speak to Sirius. "You might try being a bit politer, Black, and choosing your friends more carefully. Hang out with people like Pettigrew, and you'll go the same way your father did."

He walked out the door before Sirius could reply. James stepped halfway into his path and said softly, into his ear, "At least his father was able to stay on the right side of the bars at Azkaban. Unlike some fathers we might mention." Snape turned paler, and James could see fear in his black eyes. "Don't worry. I haven't told anyone. Yet. And I won't, unless you push me to it. So think long and hard about just who it is that needs to be politer." He eased past Snape and through the doorway of the compartment, flashing a grateful smile at the Prefect before he shut the door. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" he said.

"Loads," Remus replied. "Anybody want to fill me in on what that was about? And who are you two?" he asked Sirius and Remus. "I said that you could stay because you were obviously the ones getting picked on, but I have no idea who you are."

Sirius and Peter introduced themselves, and everyone talked over one another trying to explain about Snape and Peter's owl, Sirius's package of robes, James's Disarming Spell, and Lily's brilliant idea of summoning the Prefect. James couldn't imagine how Remus took it all in, but he seemed to get it, and he settled back into his seat looking content. "Looks like I was asleep for a good bit. Has the tea trolley come?" he asked.

"I passed it on the way back from the Prefect's car," Lily said. "It should be here soon."

On cue, there was a knock at the door, and a smiling, dimpled witch slid it open, asking, "Anything off the trolley, dears?" Among the five of them, the students bought fourteen sandwiches, seven pieces of fruit, a huge flask of pumpkin juice, and at least two of every type of candy. Then they proceeded to munch and chat their way north.

By the time the windows started to darken, James knew a lot about his four classmates. Remus and Peter had no siblings; Sirius and Lily each had a sister, Sirius's younger than he by two years. Remus's mum had some sort of illness, and he'd have to go home to take care of her when his father was out of town, which, given his Dark Arts Hit Man work, was often. Lily, whose mother was a nurse, asked a little about her illness, but Remus didn't seem want to talk about the details. James figured that was why Remus looked so tired; he had probably be been up tending to his mum the night before. Lily's dad was a teacher; he taught something called physics. James had never heard of it, so he figured it must be a Muggle thing. Peter's parents didn't work at all; he said he wasn't sure why. James guessed that Peter's family, like his own, was fairly wealthy. He knew that Dad would have had enough money not to work if he didn't want to, but Dad couldn't stand what he called "idling." James supposed that Peter's father didn't harbor such feelings.

And those were just the things that James knew about them; what he had managed to learn of them—of what they were like—he considered more interesting. Sirius was just as he had seemed the first time James had seen him—fun-loving, daring, likeable, not serious at all. He was quick to anger (as evidenced by his "oily-haired git" comment to Snape), but, James could tell, also quick to forgive, if forgiveness were deserved. Peter was a little hapless; James could see why his family despaired of him, and he realised that the rest of them would probably have to get Peter out of a lot of scrapes. Remus was quiet and reserved, almost secretive, but there was a gleam in his light-colored eyes that hinted at a mischievous streak. And Lily was, well, nice—a little nervous about this odd new world that she was entering, but quick to pick things up. Quick-thinking, too; James was impressed that she had thought to go for a Prefect when Snape and his friends arrived. He himself had totally forgotten that there would be people on the train to sort out problems. All in all, James thought, they were a nice bunch. He thought of the way Grandfather had urged him to make friends across House lines, and he vowed to himself to hang onto these four, no matter what Houses they were Sorted into.

James's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Nearly there, folks. Time to put your robes on," came Frank Longbottom's voice through the door.

"Erm, Lily, I think we're going to have to kick you out for a bit," James said.

"I was just on my way to the loo," she said. "I'll knock before I come in." She headed out, carrying her robe with her. The boys quickly changed into their robes—James had to loan one to Peter, who had left his trunk when he ran off to avoid Snape; it was far too long—and, at Remus's suggestion, their cloaks. They packed their Muggle clothes into their trunks.

A voice suddenly echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes," it said. "Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

"Good," Sirius muttered. "Trunk's heavy."

"Do owls count as luggage?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, so long as they're in cages," Remus said. "Especially since most of us don't even have them with us in our compartments."

Just then, Lily knocked, and they told her to come in. She packed her Muggle clothes and put on her cloak, and then they all sat. Nerves seemed to have caught up with them, for no one—not even Sirius—seemed to have much to say. James heard shuffling noises out in the corridor.

"Sounds like people are starting to line up outside," he said. "Think we should?"

"Yeah, guess so," Sirius replied. The five students stood and left their compartment to join the crowd in the corridor. The train stopped, and the line of students pushed toward the doors. It was chilly outside, and James was glad Remus had suggested cloaks. He felt bad for Peter, whose cloak was shut up in his trunk, wherever the trunk was.

A voice that seemed to come from high up called, "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" James looked toward the voice and saw that it belonged to the biggest man he had ever seen. This must be Hagrid, the half-giant gamekeeper, and, if he was only half-giant, James didn't want to think about how big a full-blooded giant would be. At first glance, he looked rather wild, with a huge, bushy beard and long tangles of black hair, but, as James got closer, he could see twinkly eyes and a big smile.

"Any more firs'-years?" Hagrid called. "Mind yer step, now, and follow me!" The first-years followed Hagrid down a steep, narrow path. Peter tripped a few times on James's too-long robe, but James and Sirius managed to keep him from falling.

"Jus' round this bend here, yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts," Hagrid called over his shoulder.

They rounded "this bend here," and everybody stopped and said, "Oooooooh!" The path had suddenly opened onto the edge of a great black lake. A vast castle with more towers and turrets than James could count sat on the lake's other side, perched high atop a mountain, its many windows lit invitingly.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, indicating a fleet of small boats that had appeared at the lake's edge.

"Remus and Lily, why don't you take that boat, and Peter and Sirius, come with me," James said. They climbed into their boats. James, Sirius, and Peter were joined by a girl with hair of a red lighter and brighter than Lily's, and Lily and Remus were joined by two students with light blond hair, a boy and a girl.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid called. "Then—FORWARD!"

The fleet of boats set off across the smooth, clear lake. Everyone sat, silent, watching the castle loom nearer and nearer, seeming to tower higher and higher above them.

"Heads down!" Hagrid called as the boats began to reach the cliff. They bent their heads, and the boats sailed through a curtain of ivy that hid a large opening in the cliff face. They sailed on through a tunnel that seemed to run right under the castle, and they finally arrived at an underground harbour. They all climbed out and followed Hagrid up a rock passageway that led them, eventually, to the lawn in front of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and gathered at the huge, oak front door. Hagrid checked to see that everyone was there, then raised one huge fist and knocked three times. The door opened immediately, revealing a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes. Because of her stern bearing, James guessed that she was Professor McGonagall. This impression was confirmed when Hagrid said, "The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She opened the door wider so that they could all pass through. James looked around at his four new friends, smiled, squared his shoulders, and walked through the door to begin his school days.