A/N – This is my second fan-fic, so please be nice and R&R
Disclaimer:
Methinks as thou art scrolling,
It will be obvious to thee,
That 'Harry Potter' etc. belongs to J.K Rowling,
And most definitely not to me.
Chapter 2 – A git, a new friend and a girlJames Potter was so exited, he could barely breathe. His letter was finally here, after years and years of waiting and dreaming he was almost there! Mr. and Mrs. Potter stood gazing fondly at their son who was bouncing, dancing, singing and shouting around the room.
"Can we go to the Alley to get my stuff today? Please?" Said James suddenly, stopping mid-jump.
"I guess so son." Said his father, who glanced, at his wife.
"After lunch." She added.
"YES!" James exclaimed, jumping up and punching the air. He then began to zoom around the room like an aeroplane. (Something he had seen in a film, when his parents had taken him to cinema in Muggle London.)
James raced upstairs after lunch and to get ready. He pulled on a pair of fading jeans and a lime green polo shirt, which his mother said brought out the green in his "Gorgeous hazel eyes". James liked green. It was his favourite colour.
"You look lovely darling." Complimented his mother as he walked down the stairs. "That shirt really brings out the green in your gorgeous hazel eyes." James rolled his eyes with embarrassment.
"Can I go first?" He asked excitedly as his father lit a fire, ready for them to floo to Diagon Alley.
"No!" Said his mother forcefully, trying to flatten his unruly black hair, but failing miserably. "It's a lot safer if you go between us. You never know who you could meet at the other end!"
"Yeah, Ok." Muttered James impatiently.
When Mr. Potter had disappeared, James tossed a handful of floo powder into the fire and shouted the name of his destination, before speeding off into the Floo Network after his father.
James landed heavily with a loud thump on the floor of the Leaky Cauldron and looked up to see his father staring down at him.
Edward Potter chuckled softly and helped his son to his feet. James brushed the large amount of soot that had managed to accumulate on his clothes and straightened his glasses, which were hanging from one ear. Somehow, he didn't think that he would ever get used to travelling by floo powder. James looked back to the fireplace, waiting for his mother to appear. A second later, there was a soft flump and Sinead Potter stepped gracefully out of the fireplace, her body completely devoid of soot.
James and his parents made their way through the Leaky Cauldron, greeting various people they knew as they passed. They walked into the courtyard and saw a man standing there, next to a girl with dark red hair that was done up in plaits on either side of her face. James stared at the man, puzzled as he lifted the lid off the dustbin next to the wall and said, very clearly into it: 'Lily Rose Evans'.
"Why did he do that?" Asked James, confused.
"They must be muggles." Explained his father.
James laughed quietly as when a wizard dressed in Ministry robes apparated right in front of the man, who nearly had a heart attack.
The red-haired girl beamed at the wizard.
She has a really nice smile. Thought James.
The Ministry wizard crossed out the girl's name of a list he was holding that had Hogwarts – Muggleborns written across the top. He then tapped on the wall and opened the entrance to Diagon Alley.
James smiled as he saw the girl gasp in surprise at the sight of the wall disappearing. It's probably the first bit of real magic she's ever seen. He thought.
The Potters followed the girl, the man and the wizard through the entrance to the Alley. James noticed that the girl was wearing a green T-shirt and that she had green eyes.
I wonder if she likes the colour green? He thought. Maybe I'll ask her when I see her at Hogwarts.
James and his parents walked past the girl and her father, who was now being given instructions about how to change money and a map of the Alley, and down the main road of shops.
After they had purchased his cauldron, crystal phials, telescope and brass scales and bought James his very first wand, the Potters took James to Madam Malkin's and then split up to go and purchase his schoolbooks and stationary.
James watched his parents walk away and then walked apprehensively into the shop, by himself.
"Hogwarts dear?" Asked the young desk witch.
"Yes." He mumbled, nodding his head.
Another witch came out and lead him off into a fitting room at the front of the shop.
Another boy was being fitted for Hogwarts robes too. His sallow skin and greasy hair didn't make him look very friendly, so James decided to look out the window at a boy, who looked about his age, who was sitting with a women and a younger child at a table at the café across the road. That boy looked a hell of a lot more friendly that the one standing next to him, even though he looked like he had started to quarrel with the woman. James had to pay attention to the sallow haired boy when he began to speak to him.
"Hogwarts, I presume." The boy drawled.
James had to stop himself from almost rolling his eyes. He was being fitted for Hogwarts robes, right that second. Maybe the boy had seen him trying on Hogwarts robes and automatically assumed that he was going to Beauxbatons or something.
"Yes..." James replied slowly, in case the boy had mental deficiencies.
"So, you're a pureblood, of course?" The boy shot at him.
This must be one of those pureblood obsessed Slytherin loonies. James thought to himself, as the greasy boy started ranting about mudbloods and the ignorance of muggles.
"That's you done Mr. Snape." Said one of the fitting witches, stopping the boy, mid rant.
"See you at Hogwarts, I suppose." Drawled the boy.
James just nodded in response and watched the greasy boy as he paid for his uniforms and joined the boy, woman and younger child at the café table across the road. James watched as the greasy boy said something to the other boy, who scowled at him and stalked across the road and into Madam Malkins. The desk witch showed the boy in and he stood on the stool next to James, where the greasy haired boy had stood, only moments before.
"Greasy haired git..." The boy muttered darkly to himself, watching the greasy boy laughing with the woman and the child across the road.
"Love to stick a sign on him saying 'wash me', or get his hair to scream "Please shampoo me! I'm suffocating under all this grease! ... Stupid, snivelly, Snivellus ... What a git!" James watched the boy, muttering to himself. Suddenly, he couldn't stand it anymore. He had to ask.
"Is that boy your brother?" James blurted out. The boy looked affronted
"That, my brother?" He spat. "No, thank Merlin. He's only with my family getting his Hogwarts stuff today because our mothers are friends and she's of doing something with his sister."
James and the boy both watched as the greasy boy smirked at them from across the road.
"He seems like a bit of a git." James supplied.
"A bit of a git? That's an extreme understatement! Snivellus is the gittiest boy you're ever likely to meet." James smiled.
"He did seem very pureblood obsessed." James added.
"Yeah, he's fanatical." Said the boy venomously. "He's such a git. Doesn't even think that half-bloods should be let in, let alone Muggleborns!"
"Which house do you want to be in?" Asked James curiously.
"Definitely Gryffindor." Said the boy. "If I get into Gryffindor, I'll be the first Black ever to be one. My cousin Andromeda caused a right stir when she was the first Black ever who was sorted into a house other than Slytherin. She's by far my favourite relation. She'll be in fifth year Ravenclaw this year."
"Yeah, I want to be in Gryffindor too." Said James. "Both of my parents were Gryffindors."
"Both of my parents were Slytherins." The boy said bitterly. "They both want me to be in Slytherin, but I can tell that they think that I'm going to end up in Hufflepuff."
"Better Hufflepuff that Slytherin." Said James darkly.
"Yeah ... I guess." Said the boy, before grinning at James. "I'm Sirius by the way, Sirius Black."
"James Potter." James replied, grinning.
"So, what's your Quidditch team then?" The two boys talked about Quidditch and Hogwarts until James had finished being fitted.
"See you at school then!"
"Yeah. Bye Sirius!"
James met his parents outside Madam Malkins.
"I met a really cool guy while I was getting fitted in there." James told his parents as they all walked down the street. "We have so much in common! We both want to be in Gryffindor and we both support the Devon Dragons!"
"That's great James." Said Mrs. Potter. "What's his name?"
"Sirius Black."
James felt his parents stiffen slightly on either side of him.
"Black?" Growled Mr. Potter.
"James, darling." Said Mrs. Potter. "The Blacks aren't very nice people. I want you to be careful around this boy."
"No! ... No, he's different from the rest of them! He wants to be in Gryffindor for Merlin's sake! He's different!"
They were now walking past Florean Fortescues's Ice cream Parlour.
"James, would you like an ice-cream?" Asked Mr. Potter, changing the subject. James looked through the window of the ice-cream parlour and saw the red-haired girl from earlier.
"Yes please!" Said James. Sinead Potter handed her son three sickles, enough for three scoops, and went with her husband to buy more Floo Powder and find a special, 'Going away to Hogwarts' present for James.
James entered the shop and stood in line behind the red-haired girl.
"Are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" James asked.
"Yes, I am." Said the girl, turning around to face him and smiling. "Are you?"
James nodded. He looked down at her green T-shirt, up to her smile and then into her large, sparkling, almond shaped green eyes.
"Do you like the colour green?" He blurted out.
She smiled at him. "Yeah, it's my favourite colour, although, after what I've read about Slytherin, I don't think I'll be advertising that once I get to Hogwarts." James nodded again.
"So what house do you want to be in? Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?"
"Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, but I suppose being in Hufflepuff wouldn't be too bad."
"Yeah. I want to be in Gryffindor."
"What would you like dear?" The woman behind the counter asked the girl.
"I'm sorry! I haven't decided yet." She replied.
"What should I get?" She asked James, panicked.
"What's your favourite flavour?' James asked her calmly.
"Peppermint."
"Ok. Get one scoop each of Peppermint, Choc-Mint and White Chocolate."
The girl ordered and James placed his order. (Pumpkin; Triple-chocolate Brownie and White Chocolate, Coconut and Macadamia Swirl). They each paid three sickles for their ice creams and took them outside, sitting down at a pink and white striped table.
"Where are your parents?" Asked James.
"My mother and my sister are shopping in real London and my Dad is trying to buy me a Birthday present."
"Is it your Birthday, today?" He asked. The girl nodded.
"Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks." She said shyly. "So, what's Pumpkin ice cream like?"
"It's really good! Pumpkin is my favourite flavour for everything. Pumpkin juice, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin fizz, pumpkin jam, pumpkin pasties, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream..." He paused. "Would you like to try some?"
"Yes please." She said blushing.
She dipped her spoon into his bowl of ice cream and took out a chunk of pumpkin.
"Hmmm, that is good." She said, smiling at him and causing James to blush.
"Are your parents are witch and a wizard?" She asked, after and awkward silence.
"Yeah." He answered. "How about yours" He asked politely, even though he already knew the answer.
"No." She answered. "The rest of my family are what you'd call muggles. Isn't that a funny word?"
"Yeah, I guess it is." He answered, contemplatingly
"You know, I don't even know your name yet!" She said suddenly.
"Yeah. I guess you don't. I'm James Potter." He said, holding out his hand.
"I'm Lily Evans." She replied, smiling and shaking his hand. Lily Rose Evans. Thought James, remembering from earlier that day.
Lily and James continued talking and finishing their ice creams until Mr. and Mrs. Potter arrived.
"We have to go now darling." Said Mrs. Potter. "Who's your new friend?"
"This is Lily Evans." Said James. "She's going to be in my year at Hogwarts."
"It's nice to meet you dear." Said Mrs. Potter as she and Mr. Potter shook Lily's hand.
"Are you going to be Ok Lily?" Asked Mr. Potter. "Where are your parents?"
"My Dad is coming right now." Said Lily as she waved to her father in the distance. "It was nice meeting you." She said, turning to James. "And you Mr. and Mrs. Potter." She turned her attention back to James and smiled shyly at him. "I'll see you at school James."
With a final wave, she walked up the street to meet her father.
"She seemed like a nice girl, son." Said Edward Potter.
"Yeah, she is." Said James softly, watching Lily walk away until she disappeared.