By Eratosthenese
Some days, you get up and you just know that it's not going to be like most days. Then, other days you wake up and you know that absolutely nothing interesting or out of the ordinary was going to happen.
This was one of the mornings in the life of James Potter.
His fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had ended last night and it was like the end of every single other year.
He sat at the Gryffindor table alongside his best friend, Sirius Black, and across from his two other best friends, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Dumbledore gave his usual end of the year speech announcing that Ravenclaw had won the House Cup, Ravenclaw cheered, everyone ate and went back to bed, all packed and ready for summer at home, when they could peacefully dread the arrival of their O.W.L. results.
Nothing interesting. Not until next year.
And as usual, he was right.
James Potter was always right.
But this time, he was off. Not only would nothing interesting happen to him for a year, but for 22 years.
The Hogwarts Express pulled into Platform 9 and ¾ at King's Cross Station. Hogwarts students were piling out of the train by the dozens.
The four friends were some of the last people off the train. Sirius was not looking forward to going back home. He hated his family. They were all Slytherins, and had ideas in their heads that only purebloods should be allowed.
James looked sadly at Sirius, as if wishing he could do something to help. "Well, running away is always an option…" he said unsurely.
"Where would I go?" he said gloomily.
James ran his hand through his hair. "Well, my parents like you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind letting you stay with us, if you needed to."
"Look, Padfoot," said Remus reassuringly. "Everything's going to be fine. You stay the same person you've always been, and if they can't take it, we will."
Sirius let a smile slip by him. Without another word, he, James, Remus and Peter got off the train, pulling along their trunks and pets.
After having said their "adieu's", James was the only one still on the platform. He took a deep breath, sad to see Hogwarts left behind for nearly three months. Sad to see Lily Evans, the girl of his fancy, leave his life for the summer. He wouldn't see Hogwarts' towering stature or Lily's brilliant green eyes for one entire fourth of the year.
His thoughts were taking him mindlessly towards the apparently solid barrier that would take him back to the Muggle station. He got in the back of the short line for entry, and it was soon his time to pass through it.
Waiting the same, boring, familiar sensation of passing through the doorway, he was surprised to find that instead of falling sideways into an almost separate dimension, he fell down.
Down.
There was no longer any floor holding him up.
James opened his mouth to shout, but his head was knocked against one of the brick walls that enclosed him as he fell, and all went black.