Chapter 2 - Return to Hogwarts
James woke up on the morning of the first of September feeling very excited. Today he'd be going back to school. He jumped out of bed and dressed quickly; hastily throwing the last of the things he needed into his trunk and ran down the stairs for breakfast. Cara was sat there with his parents, eating her scrambled eggs. She looked about the opposite of how he was feeling. She really would miss him. He realised suddenly that he would miss her too. He had got used to hearing her voice again, and seeing her everyday. He wasn't sure he'd be able to cope without her.
He went and sat next to her and ruffled her hair. She squealed and then laughed. He always did that to her hair, and she always shrieked. A good natured, high-pitched tirade about the state of her hair and how long it had taken to brush. It was a little known fact that she had as much trouble with her hair as James, but she tried harder to control it! James could only guess at what time she got up to start brushing her hair, and how much hair potion she got through a week to get her hair looking good. It wasn't a waste though; she was very pretty. She was going to break hearts when she got older, James was certain of it. He smiled at her and told her not to be sad; he'd be back before she knew it. She smiled back gratefully; her dark eyes gleaming with unshed tears. He nearly cried too at the sight of her looking so miserable, but he resisted the urge and ran upstairs to make sure he had everything.
His dad drove them to Kings Cross. James was glad; he really wasn't in the mood to face floo powder again. He approached the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, deciding to just walk through. Unfortunately he stumbled as he approached and fell right through and onto platform 9 ¾, right at the feet of Sirius, who burst out laughing. James felt a flush creep up his face and burn. How embarrassing. He took the hand Sirius offered to help him back up and playfully punched him on the arm, and then he saw the person he'd been trying to forget all summer. Lily Evans. The previous year he'd had reason to suspect she knew all about his plots and secrets. He didn't know how, or why, but it unnerved him. He looked quickly away; she was looking at him sympathetically, he didn't want to meet her gaze. He looked at his sister instead.
She was crying. He hated saying goodbye to her. He smiled at her and tousled her hair playfully, making her smile weakly through the tears and kissed her forehead. She smacked him round the head playfully and kissed his cheek softly. He got onto the train and hurried to find his friends. He found them all sitting in a compartment together. He felt the train move beneath him, and he saw the landscape outside slowly change. He waved to Cara, who seemed to be torn between laughter and tears, and his parents, who were smiling at him. He could see his mother calling to him not to get in trouble; he didn't need to hear her to know that. He also saw his father's mischievous grin and sparkling eyes telling him not to listen to his mum and to have as much fun as he could. He decided to take his fathers unspoken advice. It seemed much more fun.
Back in the compartment, an argument had begun about that years Quidditch world cup. England had done terribly, again. Sirius insisted it was because the beaters were terrible, but Remus was more inclined to believe the seeker was crap. James privately agreed with Remus, but thought it best to keep out of this one. 'In fact,' he reasoned to himself, 'I'd probably better try interrupting the argument.'
"Sirius." He began. He had to repeat this a few times to get his attention, getting gradually louder each time. He tried again, "Sirius, didn't you have an idea for a way we can help Remus? Did anything come of it?" James was referring to the discovery he and Sirius and Peter had made last year, that Remus was a werewolf. They had decided they wanted to make the experience more comfortable for him, but they had no idea how to go about it. At the end of last term Sirius had said he'd had an idea, but he'd refused to say more until he'd done some research or something. James couldn't believe he'd forgotten about it until now.
All eyes turned expectantly towards Sirius, who puffed out his chest importantly, obviously enjoying being the centre of attention. He'd probably been dying to tell them all about it for ages, but he hadn't really had a chance. "Well, my dear friends, I have searched high and low, faced adversity and danger, racked my brains and thought, yes James, don't look like that, thought of a possible solution to Remus' problem." James snorted with laughter and rolled his eyes, the thought of Sirius thinking was very funny. He didn't think Sirius had ever thought about anything, that was his biggest problem. "We," he paused for dramatic effect, enjoying the way they were clinging to his every word, "are going to become," he paused again. They waited obediently; James rolled his eyes again, "Animagi." He finished, finally. He watched, smugly as the word had its desired effects. Peter let out a frightened squeak, and Remus' jaw dropped. James understood their reactions. The animagus transformation (turning at will into an animal) was notoriously difficult and very dangerous. Sirius was obviously nuttier than a fruitcake. James couldn't see what on earth he was thinking about, they couldn't possibly pull off the Animagus transformation; they were only twelve for Pete's sake, and how would them being animals help them anyway? Sirius seemed to understand James' misgivings, however, and he proceeded to address them in the same pompous tone,
"I see my dear James, you are not yet convinced. I must offer you some reasons. First, a werewolf is only dangerous to humans, animals would be quite safe, and we could keep Remus company. Secondly, I know it will be difficult, but we have James and Remus to help us, how can we fail?" James thought about it for a while. Maybe it was possible after all. It was going to be hard, no doubt about it, but they could do it, if they tried. Anyway, no one else had come up with a better idea, so it was their only hope. They spent the rest of the journey trying to figure out ways of getting to the restricted section in the library. That was going to be difficult. He knew it would somehow involve his invisibility cloak, but James was at a loss for ideas. They were still thinking as the train slowed and approached Hogsmeade station, but after that they had no more time to think. They piled out of the train and into one of those little carriage things that seemed to pull themselves. It was very uncomfortable, and only the sight of the great gates topped with winged boars could stop Peter's complaining. They were back at Hogwarts!
James woke up on the morning of the first of September feeling very excited. Today he'd be going back to school. He jumped out of bed and dressed quickly; hastily throwing the last of the things he needed into his trunk and ran down the stairs for breakfast. Cara was sat there with his parents, eating her scrambled eggs. She looked about the opposite of how he was feeling. She really would miss him. He realised suddenly that he would miss her too. He had got used to hearing her voice again, and seeing her everyday. He wasn't sure he'd be able to cope without her.
He went and sat next to her and ruffled her hair. She squealed and then laughed. He always did that to her hair, and she always shrieked. A good natured, high-pitched tirade about the state of her hair and how long it had taken to brush. It was a little known fact that she had as much trouble with her hair as James, but she tried harder to control it! James could only guess at what time she got up to start brushing her hair, and how much hair potion she got through a week to get her hair looking good. It wasn't a waste though; she was very pretty. She was going to break hearts when she got older, James was certain of it. He smiled at her and told her not to be sad; he'd be back before she knew it. She smiled back gratefully; her dark eyes gleaming with unshed tears. He nearly cried too at the sight of her looking so miserable, but he resisted the urge and ran upstairs to make sure he had everything.
His dad drove them to Kings Cross. James was glad; he really wasn't in the mood to face floo powder again. He approached the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, deciding to just walk through. Unfortunately he stumbled as he approached and fell right through and onto platform 9 ¾, right at the feet of Sirius, who burst out laughing. James felt a flush creep up his face and burn. How embarrassing. He took the hand Sirius offered to help him back up and playfully punched him on the arm, and then he saw the person he'd been trying to forget all summer. Lily Evans. The previous year he'd had reason to suspect she knew all about his plots and secrets. He didn't know how, or why, but it unnerved him. He looked quickly away; she was looking at him sympathetically, he didn't want to meet her gaze. He looked at his sister instead.
She was crying. He hated saying goodbye to her. He smiled at her and tousled her hair playfully, making her smile weakly through the tears and kissed her forehead. She smacked him round the head playfully and kissed his cheek softly. He got onto the train and hurried to find his friends. He found them all sitting in a compartment together. He felt the train move beneath him, and he saw the landscape outside slowly change. He waved to Cara, who seemed to be torn between laughter and tears, and his parents, who were smiling at him. He could see his mother calling to him not to get in trouble; he didn't need to hear her to know that. He also saw his father's mischievous grin and sparkling eyes telling him not to listen to his mum and to have as much fun as he could. He decided to take his fathers unspoken advice. It seemed much more fun.
Back in the compartment, an argument had begun about that years Quidditch world cup. England had done terribly, again. Sirius insisted it was because the beaters were terrible, but Remus was more inclined to believe the seeker was crap. James privately agreed with Remus, but thought it best to keep out of this one. 'In fact,' he reasoned to himself, 'I'd probably better try interrupting the argument.'
"Sirius." He began. He had to repeat this a few times to get his attention, getting gradually louder each time. He tried again, "Sirius, didn't you have an idea for a way we can help Remus? Did anything come of it?" James was referring to the discovery he and Sirius and Peter had made last year, that Remus was a werewolf. They had decided they wanted to make the experience more comfortable for him, but they had no idea how to go about it. At the end of last term Sirius had said he'd had an idea, but he'd refused to say more until he'd done some research or something. James couldn't believe he'd forgotten about it until now.
All eyes turned expectantly towards Sirius, who puffed out his chest importantly, obviously enjoying being the centre of attention. He'd probably been dying to tell them all about it for ages, but he hadn't really had a chance. "Well, my dear friends, I have searched high and low, faced adversity and danger, racked my brains and thought, yes James, don't look like that, thought of a possible solution to Remus' problem." James snorted with laughter and rolled his eyes, the thought of Sirius thinking was very funny. He didn't think Sirius had ever thought about anything, that was his biggest problem. "We," he paused for dramatic effect, enjoying the way they were clinging to his every word, "are going to become," he paused again. They waited obediently; James rolled his eyes again, "Animagi." He finished, finally. He watched, smugly as the word had its desired effects. Peter let out a frightened squeak, and Remus' jaw dropped. James understood their reactions. The animagus transformation (turning at will into an animal) was notoriously difficult and very dangerous. Sirius was obviously nuttier than a fruitcake. James couldn't see what on earth he was thinking about, they couldn't possibly pull off the Animagus transformation; they were only twelve for Pete's sake, and how would them being animals help them anyway? Sirius seemed to understand James' misgivings, however, and he proceeded to address them in the same pompous tone,
"I see my dear James, you are not yet convinced. I must offer you some reasons. First, a werewolf is only dangerous to humans, animals would be quite safe, and we could keep Remus company. Secondly, I know it will be difficult, but we have James and Remus to help us, how can we fail?" James thought about it for a while. Maybe it was possible after all. It was going to be hard, no doubt about it, but they could do it, if they tried. Anyway, no one else had come up with a better idea, so it was their only hope. They spent the rest of the journey trying to figure out ways of getting to the restricted section in the library. That was going to be difficult. He knew it would somehow involve his invisibility cloak, but James was at a loss for ideas. They were still thinking as the train slowed and approached Hogsmeade station, but after that they had no more time to think. They piled out of the train and into one of those little carriage things that seemed to pull themselves. It was very uncomfortable, and only the sight of the great gates topped with winged boars could stop Peter's complaining. They were back at Hogwarts!