Chapter 4 – New Beginnings

"I was thinking I should go and stay at Ron and Hermione's for the rest of the week," Harry said as he sat at Sirius's kitchen table the day after the party. Harry had been feeling very out of place since he came to stay at Sirius house. When Harry had left Sirius had just been freed now he had his own family and Harry felt his substitute father had replaced him.

"Why? Don't you want to stay here?" Sirius asked looking shocked.

"Of course I do it's just..."

"Come on Harry stay,"

"No I just... feel like an intruder,"

"Don't be stupid Harry. You will always have a place here no matter how old you get. I made a promise to your father and I haven't had much of a chance to live up to it. You will always be my first son." Harry sighed and smiled, he finally felt home.

"Come on let's go get your brothers and play a game of Quidditch," Sirius said throwing an arm around Harry and leading him out to the garden.

The night before the train was to leave to go to Hogwarts Harry went to visit Anna. He found her sitting at a table by herself eating dinner and reading her charms book. Harry sat down opposite her and she looked up.
"I just came by to wish you luck tomorrow and to give you this." He said holding up a badly wrapped small package. Anna looked at him question, he nodded and Anna opened it. It was a heart shaped locket with a picture of her mother and her father in it.

"It was your mother's that was the only day she didn't wear it. There was a picture of you in it instead of your mother so I changed it to a picture of her." This was one of the only things of her mothers she had, her heart ached as she looked at it. Ever since her mum had died there had been a hole in her heart that lessened slightly when she put it on.

"Thanks," Anna replied. They spent the rest of the evening talking until Anna decided she had to get some sleep before tomorrow Harry left.

The next morning Anna woke up quite nervous, she was usually nervous before starting new schools but this one was different she could make friends this time she didn't know if she would be able to what if no one liked her? What if they all thought she was a freak? She got up dressed in muggle clothes and decided on curly hair today and packed up her things and dragged her trunk down to the entrance, she took a taxi to Kings Cross Station and walked to platform 9 ¾ . She did as Harry told her and lent on the barrier in between platforms 9 and 10. The scarlet steam engine was puffing out smoke merrily as students greeted old friends or huddled close by their parents until they had no other choice but to get on the train. Anna dragged her trunk to the door of a compartment and struggled with it but finally got it on the train, she went to find an empty compartment. She found one at the very end of the train and sat down. The train started to move and the compartment doors opened. The train started to move and the compartment doors opened.

Four people walked in, it was Jason, Lily, Lupin, and Sirius.

"Hi," Lily said brightly, "can we sit here?" She asked. Anna nodded.

"I recognize you but not from school," Sirius said after a few minutes.

"I was at Lily and Jason's birthday party," Anna said looking at Lily and Jason who she was introduced to at the party.

"Oh yeah that's right. Why haven't you been at Hogwarts before that then?" Lupin asked.

"I have been at other schools I just moved her," she replied.

"We have to go to the prefects compartment Jase," Lily said suddenly.

"Oh yeah I forgot," Jason replied getting up.

"We'll see you lot in a bit," Lily said.

"Hey if you two see James or Remus tell them where we are I haven't seen them
yet," Lupin told Lily. Anna sat with Sirius and Lupin for the next 20 minutes talking about everything; she had never met 2 people who she could talk to so easily. The compartment door slide open again and Remus and James walked in.

The five students talked about the Quidditch World Cup for the next hour. Anna hadn't gone but was very interested in Quidditch although having never played.

"Are you good at Quidditch?" Sirius asked.

"I've never played, but my dad was brilliant, still is actually," Anna replied

"You've never played!" Lupin said in an outraged voice. Anna grinned.

"We are all on the team except Sirius, he's more of an intellectual," James said.

"I am not!" Sirius exclaimed as though there was something wrong with the whole learning environment, "there was never a space on the team, you all know I am a keeper."

"Well the keeper position is open this year, as well as seeker and one chaser," Lupin said.

"What positions are you three then?" Anna asked.

"Chaser," said Lupin.

"Beater," Said James.

"Beater, and I'm captain," said Remus proudly.

"Are you twins?" Anna asked suddenly.

"Wow I have never seen anyone change the subject so quickly before." Lupin said grinning.

"Who me and James or Lupin and Sirius?" Remus asked ignoring Lupin.

"Both," Anna asked, she had been wondering it for sometime now, they were all in the same year and both were brothers.

"James and I are 11 months apart He was born in September I was born in August. Lupin and Sirius are 11 ½ months born about 2 weeks less than a year, August and September again. Our parents wanted a family soon," Remus explained.

"Oh that explains a lot then," Anna said she thought it would be a bit weird to have two sets of twins from two different friends.

A few hours later, when the sky had turned from a white cloudy morning to a dark grey afternoon, the two people Anna disliked so far about Hogwarts walked in.

"Hey guys," Alison said to Lupin, Remus, James and Sirius, whilst glaring at Anna.

"Hi," they all replied kissing their respective others.

"Have you girls met Anna?" James asked.

"I have met Alison and Mary," Anna said smiling at them hoping they would stop glaring at her.

"Well this is Beth, my girlfriend," Sirius said. Beth as opposed to the other two girls shook Anna's hand and said hello quite politely. Alison, Beth and Mary stayed for the rest of the ride and Anna spent the time talking to Remus.

"They have been going out since January. I have had to hang out with Jase and Lily that has been great fun. They are nice but they remind me too much of their mother, well Jase more than Lily. Hey, if you get into Gryffindor you can hang around with us then I won't feel like a seventh wheel when they go all couply on me."

Anna laughed, someone was giving her an opportunity to be friends, and she could have friends if she got into Gryffindor. She always thought she would be in Gryffindor because of her father, but now she wanted to be in Gryffindor for another reason to have friends, but now she thought of what it would be like if she didn't get in. Would Harry be disappointed? Where would she be put if it wasn't Gryffindor? "Anna? Anna!"

"Huh, sorry," Anna said looking at Lupin who was standing by the door waiting for her.

"Are you coming? We're here?" Lupin said.

"Yeah I'll be right there." Anna got up and looked out the window it was pouring with rain and she could hardly see the station outside. She walked outside and stood around not knowing what to do.