Disclaimer: Okay I own nothing Harry Potter. Some of the characters are my own. You will meet them in later chapters.

"James?" his mother's voice called through the door and reached him as he was lying on his bed reading a Quidditch magazine. "Honey? There's a letter for you downstairs."

"I'll be there in a minute mum." James Potter called back his eyes still skimming the magazine.

"Oh. Okay then. I made cookies as well if you want any."

"Thanks mum." James closed the magazine and walked to his door. He pressed his ear lightly to the cool wood and listened as his mother walked down the stairs. He pulled open his door and stepped into the hall. He walked down the stairs stopping only once to mess his hair up in the mirror that hung on the wall. He stepped down into the kitchen and smelt the freshly baked cookie smell that hung in the air. His parents were sitting at the table, smiling and laughing quietly with each other.

"Where's my letter?" James asked bluntly stepping forward and holding out his hand.

"Right here honey." James's mother rushed around the table and handed him a heavy envelope made of thick, creamy coloured parchment. Without reading the address, James tore open the seal and unfolded the parchment. He skimmed it quickly and whooped with delight.

"Yeah. I'm going to Hogwarts." James shouted happily pumping his fist into the air.

"Really? Honey that's wonderful. Congratulations." Both of his parents stood up, his mother to hug and kiss him, his father to pat him on the back and shake his hand.

"So when can we go to Diagon Alley?"

"Next week honey. We'll have to throw a party and invite the family to celebrate."

"Aww mum. Do we have too?"

"Yes."

James hugged both his parents and went back up to his room. On his Quidditch calendar he circled September 1st. The first day of Hogwarts. He couldn't wait.

"Lily?" a soft voice called down the hallway into the living room where Lily Evans sat, reading her new book.

"Yeah mum."

"Sweetie you got a letter. Strange looking letter."

"I'll be right there." Lily marked her page and stood up, stretching her lean body and rolling her necks to work out the kinks that had set up residence after reading for two hours straight. She walked down the hallway and into the large, airy kitchen. Her mother handed her a heavy letter on pale, creamy parchment. Lily carefully undid the seal studying the intricate design; a badger, a lion, an eagle and a serpent on a shield with a capital H in the middle. She pulled out a letter written on the same parchment as the envelope. She quickly scanned the letter and her eyes widened.

"Petunia!" she shouted up the stairs.

"What do you want?"

"Did you send me another fake letter?"

"No. Why would I send a letter to a pathetic little nobody like you?"

"I really don't like her mum." Lily said in a hushed undertone to her mother. Her mother sent her a cautioning look and held out her hand for the letter. She read it quickly and then gripped the edge of the bench.

"I... I don't understand this. Who would pull such an elaborate hoax?"

"Maybe it's for real." Lily put in.

"Maybe. I'll have to talk to your father about this. You being a witch is news to me as I've known you your entire life. I wonder what Hogwarts is like."

"Well we'll just have to wait and see wont we?"

"How do we get your school supplies?"

"Says here, Diagon Alley. I've never heard of it before have you?"

"No. But it can't be too hard to find could it?"

"Sirius! Get down here you have a bloody letter that I want out of my kitchen before I finish counting to thirty."

Sirius Black rushed down the stairs cursing under his breath. Lucky for him he was wearing socks so he slid the length of the hallway and jumped the steps into the kitchen. He grabbed up the letter and sprinted from the room just as his mother pulled her wand from her robe pocket. Sirius raced back up the stairs, slamming his way into his bedroom. He kicked his chair and sank onto his bed. He examined the thick, creamy envelope with the address on the front. Sirius ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter. He read it slowly; absorbing each word then muttered a curse under his breath. He was a wizard. And not just any wizard; he was a member of the old and in his opinion dishonourable Black family. And that honourable title was probably a sure bet that he would be placed in Slytherin House. The most horrible house of all from all the things he'd heard about it. Shaking his head he threw the letter across the room and return to reading his Quidditch magazine.