Just Kids

A Marauders Fic

Summary

Their lives will shape the fate of the world, magic and muggle. They will help drive back the darkness, their names will be known to everyone, they will be loved and hated in turn. Not quite yet though, right now…they're just kids.

Disclaimer

You are gullible if you believe the following:

That the word gullible has been taken out of the dictionary.

&

That I am our beloved JKR. I'm not, I don't own the rights to the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in them. I am not making any money out of this so please don't sue. Since I don't have much money you wouldn't get much out of me anyway.

Author's Note

Thank you so much to the people who have been reviewing this fic, I will soon have to change my summary. I am sorry I didn't get this chapter out sooner, but you know school has started and I just haven't had time. Anyway here it is, answers to reviews are at the bottom of the page. Enjoy.

A Shadow On Your Back

The doors opened spilling light and warmth out into the grounds, there was a sudden surge as everyone tried to get in at once, a few people got trampled but that wasn't James' problem. Up until that point he hadn't realized that it was almost freezing outside, the combination of excitement and a good wool cloak had kept him warm, but now he was eager to get inside where his future and a feast awaited him.

The Entrance Hall was huge, a vast room decorated with portraits and tapestries ending in a sweeping marble staircase flanked by four enormous hourglasses, each decorated with the symbol of their house. The room felt familiar to James, at first he couldn't think why, he had heard Edward tales of school from an early age but none of them had been descriptive enough to promote this instant feeling of recognition. He stared around hoping to find the source of his emotion, his eyes fell upon the Gryfindor hourglass and he realized that the Hogwarts Entrance Hall was strikingly similar to the Hall of Fort Leo. Maybe Gryfindor had wanted to make the school feel more like home.

Voices mingled with laughter came from two double doors to the right of them, the flock of first years turned instinctively towards them but a rumble from the back brought them up short.

"Hold your Hippogriff's you lot, Professor Shadow's got t' see you before you go in there." He turned to go "Just wait here till she comes."

As so as he had left the Hall murmurs and whispers broke out among the abandoned eleven year-olds, everyone was very confused, they had not thought that upon entering Hogwarts they would be deserted so everyone felt a bit lost.

"What do you reckons happening?" James asked Sirius, trying to appear unconcerned in front of his friend especially since he seemed to be taking the whole situation in his stride.

"It's Shadows way of welcoming us to the school." Sirius replied shortly, James took back what he had thought about his handling of the situation, the taller boy looked like he was going to be sick.

"I've heard about her, she's meant to be as old as Dumbledore and know every thing about every one because she can go invisible with out any aid from charms or magical items!"

Talking about a prospective teacher seemed to distract Sirius from his stomach problems, he felt that he had been challenged, he should be able to add to James' knowledge of the subject.

"Well I heard that she was raised by Demiguise and they taught her how to disappear." He delivered his speech with the air of one imparting wisdom upon the unworthy. James was just about to respond when he was startled when a voice from just behind his left ear spoke.

"Really dear, I wouldn't believe everything you hear, people are so often wrong." Sirius went greener then he already was and James spun around quickly.

Standing in front of him, despite the fact before she had defiantly not been there a moment before, was some one who could only be Professor Shadow, no one else could look like that. Pale and grey with almost transparent skin she seemed to fade into the background, it would be easy to overlook her, dismiss her from your mind as no more then a shadow. Every thing about her was designed to help you do that, she was a small women and her silvery grey hair fell down her back like an cloak, softening her lines and helping her blend in. Her skin was very pale, like a baby bird's fresh from its egg, it made her look frail, as though a healthy sneeze could snap her in two. She didn't seem to mind the fact that the two boys had been talking about her, in fact she seemed amused, there was a smile on her face and a sparkle in her misty grey eyes as she swept past them.

"Follow me" she said in a quiet voice.

They were led into a small stone chamber to the side of the Great Hall's doors where they immediately congregated in the middle. Professor Shadow closed the doors and turned to address them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry first years, I am Professor Shadow, Deputy Head and Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I am hear to tell you a bit about Hogwarts tradition before you take part in one of our most ancient traditions. There are four houses…"

James tuned out the rest of the speech, most of it he already knew, if you are bad you will lose house points. Well James didn't intend to get caught carrying out all the dastardly deeds he intended to perform and he would be hailed as a genius for coming up with such great pranks. He lost himself in pleasant daydreams for the rest of Shadows speech only awaking from his imaginings when Sirius nudged him, Shadow had left the room.

Contrary to normal procedure no one started up a conversation when she went, every one was too busy contemplating their own worst imaginings to worry about other peoples. Of course there was still noise, it isn't possible for a room to be silent when it is filled with eleven year-olds in varying stages of fright. A tall girl with blonde pigtails was sobbing in a corner, one boy seemed to be giving himself a pep talk and another's teeth were chattering so loud that the sound was echoing around the small room. There were those locked in silent fear, people shivered, shook and turned all kinds of strange colours. Some people tried to hind their fear, others just didn't seem worried at all in fact a girl with a clever face and hair pulled back in a messy bun had got out a book and was busy reading, oblivious to the world around her.

James wished he could be so unconcerned but the fact was that he was petrified, Edwards story about the rigors of the Sorting actually seemed plausible now that he was about to go through it for himself and since it had included an encounter with a Graphorn, his brother had claimed to still have the scars but had declined to show him. James would have quizzed Sirius on the prospect of going one to one with a very dangerous creature with two very sharp horns but he was busy trying to ignore the black haired girl and her followers who for some reason seemed to find him very funny. His friend had a very strange look on his face, something between anger, disgust and fear.

So he just stood, staring at nothing desperately wishing to be home and safe. Afterwards he proclaimed loudly that he hadn't been in the least bit frightened but at that moment his jokes and laughter failed him, James couldn't think of anything that would make a Graphorn spearing him funny. So when Professor Shadow returned he was literally a bundle of nerves held together by the fact that Edward would laugh himself silly if James ran away from his own Sorting.

Well, what do you think? Review and tell me.

I have decided that since people are actually reviewing I am going to answer them.

Thanks to

Alycia

Elsawriter: Yes Bellatrix is the girl on the boat and yes she is in their year. But since I started writing this I've changed my mind, there was a remark in OotP that Sirius hadn't seen her since he was 15, so I am going to have to think about that when writing future years but for now yes she is staying.

Mirkwood: A LotR fan I see

Celebrean: Please do review again

Justarandomperson: I have

Hilde: thanks Sirius is really difficult, I think that quite a few fic writers portray him as too idiotic so I am trying to make him darker

cascadingmagic: Your review was really encouraging

Amalynne O'hara: Thanks for making me feel that there are other people out there experiencing the same difficulties as me, also for your 3 lovely long reviews and your blessing. Yes I am English, it says so in my bio, not that I expect you to read it and I really can't help using my vocabulary in their thoughts, I thank you for your comment and I have tried to improve.

marauding-siriusly: Here's your chapter, I really didn't think the last one was a cliff hanger but maybe it is for the person reading it.

Comments and criticisms are appreciated and fingers crossed that I finish the next chapter before the Christmas holidays. Happy Half Term!