Disclaimer- I do not own any characters, ideas, or anything else that have to do with Harry Potter. I am not making any money whatsoever off of this.
A/N- A big thanks to my beta reader SAM!!! I never would have done this good without her! Now onward!
Chapter One
The Train Ride
The boy watched the group of red-heads arrive. He could tell they were related. There were the twin boys, oldest by the looks of it. Then there was a tall red-headed boy, walking with the messy black-haired boy and the bushy brown-haired girl. Right behind them was a girl, the youngest redhead, who was walking with the plump lady who was obviously their mom. After they entered the platform, a ragged looking young man with brown graying hair walked in with a big black dog and a young woman with spiky pink hair, who was about three years older than the twins. Lastly an old man with a bowler hat on his head that covered one eye walked in with a balding man with red hair, obviously the father of the red-haired clan.
The plump witch hugged all the children, even the two that weren't hers, and then turned to her husband. The black haired boy walked to the man with graying hair and shook his hand, then hugged the man's dog. He shook hands with everyone else, and then headed to the train with the twins, the tall boy, the red-haired girl, and the bushy-haired girl.
A younger boy sighed as he watched this from a train carriage. He hoped he would make some friends this year. He had always had trouble with that, because strange things always happened to or around him. And now he knew why.
He was a wizard, and obviously his parents were wizards too. But he wouldn't know. He had been raised in an orphanage, because his parents had died when he was little. It was a nice orphanage; they treated him well. He was never hungry; he always had someone or something to play with, and he didn't have many chores. He just had to make his bed and pick up any toys that he played with.
The horn sounded, and he watched the last of the kids scurry onboard. Then, they where off to Hogwarts.
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Harry looked around him as they got onto the magical platform 9 ¾. He smiled. He was ready for another year. He looked at his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. "Ready for another year guys?"
Ron looked at Harry like he was crazy. "Are you kidding? I've been waiting all summer to get back to school! Fred and George promised they would teach me, you, and Ginny a few pranks."
"Not anymore--" Fred started.
"Ickle Ronnikins." George finished for his twin.
Hermione looked at Ron. "For once they are right, Ronald. You are a prefect now! You have to follow the rules from now on! And if I catch any of you," she looked at Harry, Ginny, and the twins, "then I will be forced to take off house points!"
Before anyone could reply, Mrs. Weasley rushed over and started to hug the children. "It's almost time for the train to leave, so say goodbye and get on!" She ended with Harry. "Be careful this year, and try not to get into to much trouble."
"I will Mrs. Weasley. Thank you for having me over the summer." He gently pulled away from her and started to walk towards Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.
"Be careful and have a good year Harry." Remus said as he shook Harry's hand. Harry nodded and went down one knee to hug Sirius, who was in his dog form.
"Be careful Snuffles, and don't get caught!" He whispered to the dog. The dog nodded and winked, then started to chase his tail.
The train then sounded the horn. Harry stood up and shook hands with Mr. Weasley, Moody, and Tonks and he started to drag his trunk to the train. Behind him he heard calls of "Wotcher Harry!" "Constant vigilance!" and "Have a good year!" He laughed and shooed Ron and Hermione to the prefect compartment, then followed Ginny to an empty compartment for themselves.
"See ya Harry!" Fred called.
"Lee has some new ideas he wants to show us!" George added.
"We'll drop in later!" they called together as they left.
"Well, Ginny, it's just me and you. Wanna play a game of chess?" Harry asked.
"You're on! Prepare to have your ass kicked!" Ginny jumped up and grabbed her chess set, that, ironically, she stole from Ron.
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After about 30 minuets, Harry and Ginny heard a crash, and a small red haired boy, no more than a first year, came flying into the room. His hair wasn't as bright as most of the Weasleys'; it was more of a dark auburn color, like Ginny's. They jumped up as their hated rivals walked in after the boy, smirks on their faces.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't scar head and the littlest Weasel. Where's the dream team? Ditched you to go snog in a closet?" Draco smirked as Crabbe and Goyle started laughing stupidly.
Harry stood up and walked to the boy. "Hey, kid, you alright?" The boy nodded. Harry turned to Draco. "Malfoy, why don't you pick on someone your own size, or at least someone older than an eleven year old? What, too scared to pick on someone bigger?"
Draco laughed. "Are you offering, Potter? Or as soon as we start, will you go running to a teacher about it?" The blonde smirked sardonically. "And we know about the dog. We might just have to tell my father, he will know what to do with it. Maybe put it down… very painfully."
Harry launched at Draco and started beating the living crap out off him, but then Goyle grabbed him from behind and Crabbe started punching him in the stomach. Draco just laughed some more, only this time it was through a bloodied lip.
Ron burst into the compartment followed by Fred, George, and Hermione. He saw the fight, and launched himself at Crabbe, only to get a bloody, broken nose. Fred and George jumped in, punching everywhere, and actually hitting Ron a few times. Ginny, the smart one, had pulled out her wand and was muttering a hex under her breath.
All of a sudden Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were hit with her infamous Bat-Boogey Hex. Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately—for them, McGonagall also walked in the compartment. It so happened that some of the other students heard the argument, and told her about it. The sight that met her did not make her happy.
McGonagall raised her wand and shot off sparks to get everyone's attention, but it didn't work, as everyone's attention was elsewhere. She then resorted to yelling. "Mr.'s Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle! Not to mention you, Ms. Weasley! I expected better from you, all of you! And what's this? Ms. Granger! Why didn't you stop them? I want an explanation, now, from all of you!"
Ginny and all of the boys started talking at once, trying to explain it. Hermione and the first year were both quiet, but the young firstie looked scared.
"Enough! One at a time! Fred and George first, then Ron, Harry, Ginny, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Hermione, and…. What's your name, child?"
The young boy paled as soon as he was pointed out. "J-James, Professor."
"Ok, and James here will go last. Begin."
Fred started immediately. "Well, we walked in this here compartment-"
"—and Malfoy and his cronies were beating the bloody hell out of Harry." George finished.
Ron picked up where they left off. "I dumped in to help 'et Cwabbe off 'Arry, and 'ee punced meh in the nobe," he said, speaking with difficulty through his bleeding nose.
"What he said, Professor, was that he jumped into the fight to get Crabbe off me, and then he got punched in the nose." Harry cleared up at McGonagall's confused look. "What happened was Ginny and I were playing chess, then all of a sudden that kid there," he nodded to the boy who said his name was James, "flew through the compartment door, all beat up like he is now. Then Malfoy and those wankers—"
McGonagall cleared her throat. "Language, Potter."
Harry nodded, muttered an apology, then continued, "Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle… followed him in. Ginny and I jumped up, and he started insulting us. I checked on the kid, and told Malfoy to pick on someone his own size, or at least someone bigger than an eleven year old. He asked if I was offering, and then started to say how he was going to have his dad put down my dog very painfully, and you know how protective I am of my dog… Snuffles… so I started… er…started… persuading… him… to change his mind, then Crabbe and Goyle grabbed me and started hitting me."
Ginny picked up the story after Harry. "Fred, George, and Ron then came in. They jumped into the fight to help Harry, and I took out my wand to…stop Malfoy…because he was about to hex them. I couldn't hear what hex he was using, though."
"They're lying! They attacked us first, and she hexed me with that stupid hex of hers! We didn't touch our wands or that little brat! Isn't that right, boys?"
Crabbe and Goyle just nodded. Hermione shook her head at the desperate lie.
"Well, Ms. Granger? What about you." McGonagall looked sternly at Hermione.
"I saw the same thing that Fred and George saw. I tried to stop them, using sparks, but like you, they went unnoticed. I couldn't think of anything else to do. I was about to go get you when I saw James on the ground and went to see about him." They all looked at James, waiting for his explanation.
James gulped, then added his part. "Well, I-I was walking down the isle, looking for a compartment with room, when I accidentally ran into him." He pointed at Malfoy. "He… got mad… and they started… hitting me. Then they threw me into the door to this compartment, and I landed next to where they were playing chess." He waved a hand in the direction of Ginny and Harry. "He got up and asked me if I was alright, then stopped the blonde boy before they hit me again. They said some things that I didn't hear, and then they started fighting. You know the rest." He rushed to finish, not liking the attention everyone was giving him.
McGonagall nodded and looked at James for the first time. She noted the red hair and hazel eyes, thinking that she had seen someone like him before. It all of a sudden hit her, and she quickly looked at Harry, then back to James, then back to Harry again. She paled suddenly, and hurried to the door. Before she left, she said to the people in the compartment, "Detention, all of you, except for Hermione and James. The rest of you will get a note. And if you are hurt, see Madam Pomfrey after the sorting. I must… attend… to something immediately. Good day." She hurried out of the compartment, then turned right back in again. "Might I borrow your owl, Harry?" Harry nodded, and McGonagall walked out of the compartment again, this time with Hedwig on her shoulder.
Everyone just stared at the doorway that McGonagall disappeared from, some in wonder, all in confusion. Draco sneered at Harry then turned and stalked out, followed by his lapdogs.
Harry turned to the auburn haired boy again. "You said your name was James, didn't you?" he asked. James just nodded. Harry looked thoughtful.
"Well, mate, at least we got to beat the crap out of Malfoy." Ron said excitedly.
Fred and George corrected him. "Nope, you didn't beat the crap out of that little git—"
"—Ginny did!"
"Do you always finish each others sentences?" James asked the twins.
"Yes—"
"—we—"
"—do!"
James just shook his head, while everyone laughed at the twins' antics.
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As soon as the train stopped, Minerva McGonagall rushed up to the Headmaster's office. Once she reached the stone gargoyle, she said the password ("Skiving Snackboxes") and hurried into the office, not even bothering to knock.
"Why, Minerva, what a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to see you til the feast." Albus Dumbledore exclaimed, customary twinkle in his eyes. "Lemon drop?"
"No thank you, Albus. I have more urgent business. Are you aware that there is an almost perfect copy of—"
Albus cut her off with a sigh. "Yes, Minerva, I am aware of James."
"Is he their son?"
The Headmaster nodded.
"But how, Albus?"
"Well, Minerva, when two people really love each other—"
"You know what I mean, Albus!" The Headmaster's damn twinkle was even more twinkly, if that was possible.
"I will explain it all in due time. He has his father's hair and eyes, does he not? Except, the hair color goes to his mother, only the messiness to his father. And the hazel eyes are definitely his fathers."
McGonagall nodded weakly, and then asked, "What do we do?"
"We go on as if there is nothing different, and deal with any problems as they come. Now, shouldn't you be collecting our first years?" He gave a clear dismissal. So she left.
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As they climbed off the train, they heard a booming voice yelling. "Firs' years this way! O'er here! Firs' years! Alright, Harry? Hermione? Ron? Firs' years this way!" The older kids waved to Hagrid, and James headed that way.
"No mor' 'n four t'a boat."
James climbed into a boat with a boy and two girls. The girls looked at him.
"Hi! I'm Melanie!" stated one of the blonde girls.
"And I'm Melody!" stated the other. "We're twins."
"You can call me Lan." said Melanie.
"And me Mel." said Melody.
"What's your name?" Lan asked James.
"James. It's nice to meet you Lan and Mel. What's it like to be twins? I met some others on the train. They where very interesting, always finishing each others sentences." James questioned them, trying to start a conversation.
"We can do that too, but we don't very often." Lan informed.
Mel then added, "It's sort of annoying."
All of a sudden, Lan and James gasped. "What is it?" Mel demanded, turning around to see what they were looking at. She then gasped too. The castle had come into view.
"It's beautiful, like a fairytale castle!" squealed Lan, grabbing onto James' arm. James just nodded; he was in awe.
Hagrid watched the first years, with a smile on his face. "Beautiful, ain't it?" he asked softly. No one answered him. They where too busy looking at the castle to hear him.
They got out of the boats and walked up to the giant oak doors.
"Everyone here? Good."
Hagrid raised a giant fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
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"All right, Harry?"
"Hey, Potter!"
Harry smiled and waved to the various people as they called out greetings. He followed Ron and Hermione to the table and sat near the other fifth years. Ginny waved and ran down a bit further to sit with friends from her year.
Harry looked up when he heard his name being called, and realized that Seamus was asking him a question.
"Hmm? What was that, Seamus?" he asked.
"I was just wondering if ya knew who the new DADA teacher was, Harry." Seamus repeated patiently. His best friend, and other dorm-mate, Dean, sniggered at Harry's lack of attention.
"Sorry. No clue. Lupin hinted that he knew in his letters, but he wouldn't spill." Harry shrugged his shoulders apologetically.
Neville the turn his gaze away from the staff table, which he had been studying carefully. "I don't see Snape anywhere. Think they sacked him?" he asked hopefully.
Ron snorted. "With our luck? No, see, there he is now, coming through the side door, followed by… BLOODY HELL! Harry, Remus is here! Think he's the DADA teacher again?"
Harry looked to where Ron was pointing. Sure enough, there was Remus, who sat down at an empty seat on the staff table. He looked up and saw Harry looking at him. He waved and winked, then whistled sharply. At that, a giant black dog bounded into the Great Hall, barking merrily. He laid down at Remus' feet, panting. Snape had a look of utter loathing on his face as he looked at the pair.
Harry laughed and motioned Ron and Hermione closer. "Look guys, Moony brought Snuffles."
All of a sudden, Fred and George where there, standing next to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Do our ears deceive us?"
"Or did someone-"
"Meaning you-"
"-mention a Marauder?"
"Meaning Moony."
Harry shook his head. "Nope, you heard correctly. I was talking about Moony. Or, in other words—"
"Stop right there, Harry James Potter!" Hermione interrupted him, mischievous twinkle in her eye, eerily similar to Dumbledore. "I think we should let them find out on their own, or we should at least ask first. Moony might not want us to give out his identity." Hermione had a slightly evil look on her face, which rivaled the twins' in there finest moments.
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but he never got the chance. Dumbledore stood up, and the twins went back to their spots, all the while sending Hermione mock glares. Dumbledore looked around, that twinkle in his eye, and waited for everyone to quiet down.
"Here they are, the first years. Now, everybody is lined up? Ok! Let the sorting begin!" Dumbledore clapped his hands once as McGonagall brought the sorting hat in, and sat back down in his place.
xxxx TBC xxxx
A/N- I hope you enjoyed it.I will try to have Chapter Two- Enter Sorting Hat out soon.
R?R!
-Syd-
Kitsune Skye
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