Our House

By: Gingerlady14

Prologue

What I remember from Kings Cross on September 1st, 1971 is limited to two very key details: Walburga Black and that it was all actually happening. It had been only a few months ago that I was unaware of an entire world intertwined with my own. A world that would give me and take away my greatest gifts in life. A world where everything but peace seemed possible.

I stood with my parents, David, and Elizabeth Hart as they eyed the space between platforms 9 and 10 curiously.

"Are you quite sure this is the way?" My father asked as we approached the wall.

"That's what the letter said, just to walk straight into the space between platforms 9 and 10 in order to get to Platform 9 3/4," I replied with dwindling confidence. I had spent many sleepless nights telling myself it was all a joke. Someone with a lot of money and a very well trained owl was joshing me. It had been hard enough to convince my parents to believe it all. But my "witchy-ness" was hard to ignore after the incident in the china shop. It hadn't exactly been my fault. Thank the heavens for security tapes because the owner was ready to drive me out of London on the tail end of her broom.

"Why don't we see if someone else turns up? Maybe they can help us through." Chimed my mother. She had been the last to accept this "witch nonsense". She was a very logical person; she tossed the first letter I got in the bin thinking it was a scam. Not that I exactly blame her, I had to buy a bloody wand and cauldron. Diagonally had been a dream, I barely knew what to do with myself running from shop to shop trying to take it all in. We didn't have much, so a pet was off the table for the time being and most of my books were secondhand. It didn't bother me much; I was too elated to care that the wizard at the book shop gave my parents an odd glower as they asked where my science books were.

"Come along Sirius, I will not have a member of the noble house of Black late to the train." Barked an angry-looking woman. Dressed in a fine black robe adorned with what appeared to be emeralds and rubies she stood out amongst the commuter crowd of Kings Cross. The boy she was yelling at did not reply, he kept his head down and nodded. Thus, began possibly the biggest mistake of my mother's life.

"Excuse me miss, would you mind telling my daughter how to get onto the platform?" My mother asked meekly, normally a very proud and confident woman my mother was beyond out of her element.

"How DARE you speak to me you filthy muggles. They ought not to let your kind near Hogwarts. This world is crumbling because of this horrid abomination!" She screeched pointing at my forehead. She reminded me of the teachers at school who would berate me for not sitting still. It's not my fault it was all incredibly boring. My mother looked down as she yelled, even though none of us knew what she was referring to. It was clear we were not wanted.

I locked eyes with the boy who I assumed was the vile woman's son. He had a mischievous smile that told me something was about to happen. In an instant, it all happened. He grabbed my arm with a tug and yelled to my parents.

"RUN!" He cried not looking back at his mother, boiling in rage. My parents took off after us with my trolly of books and robes. I snapped my eyes shut as we ran towards the brick wall. As we emerged on the other side the boy laughed like a bank robber in an old American Western. "If we get on the train now" he panted, "I think she won't see me."

My father looked down at the boy still clutching my arm. With a wide smile, he placed his hand out to the boy. "Thank you, young man. I'm glad to see someone believes my daughter has a place on that train."

As he spoke, I saw it. The bright red and black train before me. We were not in the same Kings Cross. The sun was shining through the glass on the ceiling where there had been heavy rain only a moment earlier. I turned back as I felt his hand leave my arm and extend out to my fathers. It was not surprising to see my father extend such a formal curtesy to an 11-year-old. He was a secondary school-teacher and always saw his students as deserving of equal respect. As the two shook hands my mother began to snap back into reality.

"Amelia dear I think you should board, I want you to get a good seat." This began the next five minutes of fretting that I'd forgotten something and telling me to write even though she didn't understand how that "bird post" worked. I looked over to the boy named Sirius who nodded. As I gave my final hugs goodbye until Christmas it all began to set in. This was real, I was a witch. I boarded the train with Sirius just as his mother can through the barrier screaming bloody murder.

"SIRIUS BLACK HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME. I WILL BE WRITING TO NARCISSA ABOUT THIS! SHE WILL KNOW HOW TO SET YOU RIGHT." She continued to yell as the train pulled out of the station. Amongst the crowd of proud parents, she stood screaming. I wish I could thank her; little did she know her torment brought me my first ever friend.

Sirius and I walked down the train corridor as friends began huddling in compartments. We looked back at each other horror-stricken as they all began to fill. As we neared the middle of the train we stumbled upon an almost empty compartment. Stumbled is an appropriate word as someone had shoved us in from behind. A flash of silver and green sped past us as we got up from the ground. I looked over to the compartment's sole occupant and immediately felt guilt. Clearly, the skinny boy with mousey brown hair and sullen eyes had been sleeping before we interrupted. This didn't seem to bother Sirius as he got brushed himself off as he sat down.

"Do you mind?" He asked the boy, not really giving him much of a choice.

"yes, I uh mean, no it's fine. Sorry." He apologetically looked at Sirius who didn't even seem to notice that the boy had misspoken. Sirius had already sprawled out like he was in his own living room. Although after meeting his mother I guessed relaxing was not something you did in the oh so noble house of Black. I took my seat and gave a small smile to the boy.

"What's your name?" I asked, hoping to break the tension.

"Oh, I'm Remus Lupin." He replied holding out a thin hand. I gladly accepted the gesture with a smile.

"I'm Amelia Hart," I replied trying to nudge Sirius to introduce himself. He took no notice of my attempts and was now curiously inspecting a pen that had fallen out of my bag when we stumbled in.

"Like the pilot?" Remus asked, his head snapping up. Clearly, he didn't expect to hear such a muggle sounding name on the train.

"Yeah" I replied trying to not go red. "It's all quite silly, my mum works at an airport and my dad loves history. They couldn't pass up on the chance to embarrass me I guess." I replied shrugging and attempting to get my pen back from Sirius who was now trying to take it apart.

"I think it's cool, I mean my folks just went with an odd name even by wizard standards." The boy adopted a look of shame as he mentioned his parents. My dad had always told me never to ask about anyone's home life in public. After working with school-kids he's heard so much that drew him to this conclusion. I let the feeling slip away as Sirius had discovered the spring of my pen as it popped in his face.

"Wicked" he responded. Remus and I locked eyes and burst out laughing. How could someone be so amazed by a pen? Then it dawned on me, I had to buy quills and ink for school. Based on his mother's reaction to my existence, this boy probably grew up without anything muggle. Before I could ask him about it, another body came stumbling into the compartment.

"Sorry to bother but has anyone seen the most beautiful redheaded girl in the world? I'm trying to ask her on a date." This new boy asked without realizing that while I was not the girl he was looking for, I did in fact have red hair. "Oh sorry, uh not you, not to say you aren't pretty, sorry I'm just looking for this other girl." His hand went through his hair and rested on the back of his neck. His brown skin began to almost pale at the awkwardness. His eyes lit back up again as I began to laugh. I was still so amused at Sirius and the pen that this just slid off my shoulders.

"No, I haven't," I replied, much to the boy's relief. "But if I happen to, who should I tell her is looking?" Knowing full well that I would not tell the girl. Poor thing already had this bloke after her and we just got here.

"Oh right!" He replied, digging into his robes but quickly abandoning what he was doing. "I'm James Potter." Sirius snapped up upon hearing his last name. Previously transfixed on the pen he now studied the boy in our compartment door frame. "Right! I'm off to search. Thanks again." The Potter boy called out behind him, closing the door as he left.

"Do you know him or somethin?" Letting my accent slip as I looked to Sirius for an answer. I was fine with being from a little more north but I hid my accent as the posh London boy beside me spoke.

"Not exactly, I know his family, sort of." He looked like he was grasping for words to explain the relation. Luckily he was spared the mental gymnastics by a tall boy with a bright gold badge inscribed with the words "Head Boy". He looked at the 3 of us with a wide grin.

"Better be putting your robes on soon. We'll be at Hogwarts in a few minutes." He announced looking over our curious faces he realized. "Ah first years?" We all nodded. "Well just so you know you won't have your ties until you're sorted and so just plain robes and hats for the occasion." He gave us another smile and continued his walk down the corridor. I went to grab my trunk as I became very aware that I was sharing a compartment with two boys. It also appeared at that moment that they came to the same realization. Quickly hiding a blush I grabbed my clothes and left.

"I'll be right back!" I called behind me. As I turned the corner out of the compartment I bumped right into someone. "Oh god I'm so sorry. I didn't see where I was going I was just looking for the loo so I could change." I stammered out as I went to grab a sock that fell on the floor. I made eye contact with the person who I bumped into and realized this must have been the girl James Potter had been looking for. She grabbed me and pulled me into the loo.

"Shhhh, I'm hiding." She whispered to me intently. He green eyes shone in the dim lighting. I whispered back, already knowing the answer to my own question. I figured I would humor myself.

"Hiding from who?" I asked as she began to back away from me, giving me some space to breathe.

"Not a who. A what. I'm hiding from a prat. He's asking up and down the train if anyone's seen me. I figured this is the one place he won't get me." She replied with a tone of pride in her master escape plan. She leaned over to me again, "He didn't ask you, did he? Oh please don't rat me out to him." She pleaded with a tone of humor but also holding a serious cry for help.

"I won't, promise," I assured her. "I just need to change and head back to my compartment, my-" I stumbled over the next word. Was I sure I could say it? I quickly made up my mind about the next 7 years of my life in the loo on the Hogwarts Express. "-my friends are waiting." The girl looked at me with a mischievous grin.

"Mind if I join you till we get there? He already knows which compartment was mine and I'm sure Sev won't miss me the last few minutes." She glanced at her pink wristwatch, tutting. I finished putting on my robes and nodded. I led her back to my compartment where Sirius and Remus had finished putting on their robes. Remus looked swamped in his cloak and the hat was just too big for his head so it sat on his ears instead. Sirius looked back at me with a nervous glance, clearly something had happened since I had gone. I brushed it aside and went to introduce the girl from the loo. I realized I didn't catch her name, I looked at her to ask but she pushed me inside. The second time today I had be shoved into this compartment.

"I saw him coming down the corridor, quickly cover me!" She whisper-shouted to me. A stunned Sirius was snapped out of his trance as the girl ran over and hid behind our trunks. I saw the figure of James Potter running down the corridor. As he was past the girl emerged from her hiding spot. She dusted herself off and sat down.

"And what is the name of our new fugitive?" Asked Sirius as he stood to put his things away. Whatever was troubling him had passed.

"Lily Evans." She said, peeling her face back from against the window. I could feel that we were close, then again I didn't quite know if magical trains worked the same as not magical trains. Sirius gave a wave and pointed to himself.

"I'm Sirius, that's Remus," pointing to Remus who was also looking out the window, "and that's Amelia." Concluding his introductions, he sat down and began to fiddle with his wand.

We sat quietly for the rest of the journey. Occasionally the rustle of a sweets wrapper would come from Sirius's direction.

The entire train became silent as we saw the castle in the distance. It was right out of the pages of any fairy tale. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. It was real, right there was Hogwarts.