Chapter Seven

And So It Begins

The beginning is the most important part of the work

~Plato

The Sorting Ceremony ended when 'Zeyers, Penelope' was sorted into Hufflepuff. After Snape had been sorted though, James hadn't really paid too much more attention. A few other girls were sorted into Gryffindor; all the boys who would be James' classmates had been sorted before him. Along with Sirius Black, who James knew was going to be a very good friend, two other boys had joined Gryffindor. One was a small, mousy boy who had initially looked nervous and was then relieved when the Sorting Hat had declared him a Gryffindor. The second boy was a tall, skinny boy. He seemed to have more confidence than the mousy boy, but there was still something about the taller boy that made James think he was nervous about the whole experience.

With the sorting finished, James expected a dinner to begin. However, instead of turning to their plates, many of the upperclassman remained looking at the head table. James turned to look that way as well, wondering what was to come next. As Penelope took her seat, an older man sitting in the middle of the table stood. James was almost positive that he was Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, but having never met the man he couldn't be 100% certain. The older wizard opened his arms in a welcoming gesture and smiled. His gaze quickly flitted across the sea of students.

"To the first year students, Hogwarts, and I as the Headmaster, bid you a very warm welcome. To the older students, I bid you a kind welcome back. I can tell that this year will be a great and adventurous time for one and all. Now, as I gaze out at all of your faces, I am reminded that now is not the time for grand speech making. It is, I believe, the time for eating and friendly discussion! So, without further ado, please join me in the traditional Welcome Feast!" Headmaster Dumbledore raised his hands once more as he finished his words.

Dishes appeared on every table and the large ones in the center were quickly filled with food. James stared in awe at the sight of the huge feast. His mother, especially in the last few months, had begun preparing larger and larger feasts for the Potter family, but this was by far, the largest amount of food James had ever seen in his life. Even a Potter Christmas party, that usually drew at least 100 guests never had this much food.

It looked like a traditional English feast, with all the favourites on plates along the table. James quickly filled his plate, wanting to try as many of the dishes as he possibly could. He then quickly dug into the meal, excited by the tastes that filled his mouth.

After a few bites of the amazingly delicious food, James decided that he should take the time to meet his fellow first-year Gryffindors. After all, they would be spending the next seven years together; they would have to get to know each other eventually.

"I'm James," he said warmly to the boy sitting across from him, "and this is Sirius. Pretty awesome that we've been sorted into Gryffindor, huh? I mean, it is the best house!" Both James and Sirius then looked expectantly at the boy sitting across from them, waiting for his response.

"Yeah, awesome," he returned after swallowing the food in his mouth. He had responded to the question, but only barely. James found that fact strange. Did this boy not want to talk to James? They would be staying in the same room every school day for the next seven years. They would have nearly all of their classes together; this year they would have all of their classes together. Not knowing each other would make things extremely awkward.

"My whole family's been in Gryffindor for years, so it wasn't really that much of a surprise. How about yours? What house were they in?" James was unphased by the other boy's lack of desire for conversation. If he had to pull the information out of the other boy, he would.

James had to wait again while the other boy swallowed a large bite of food, having obviously believed that James would give up at his minimal words.

"My dad was in Gryffindor. He'll be happy I am too. My mum's a muggle so I do not think she will really care," the other boy responded. His tone was conversational but not overly friendly. James found it was a little weird that, after he had introduced both himself and Sirius, the other boy had not responded in kind. James made a mental note to ask the other boy what his name was; he'd missed it during the sorting having had no real interest in this boy until he realised they would be in the same house.

"That's pretty cool. What's your Dad's name. Maybe my family knows him," James had to go about asking for the other boy's name in an indirect way, feeling awkward that he had already had a fair amount of conversation with him but not having his name.

"My dad?" the other boy asked, surprised and hesitant in response to the question. James thought the reaction was strange but didn't think too much of it. He didn't really know this boy, maybe he was a hesitant individual. "My dad is Lyall Lupin." The other boy then looked down at his plate and refused to make eye contact. James decided he wouldn't get any more out of the boy at that moment and turned to the other people around him.

"What do your parents think about all this?" James asked the redheaded girl a few people over from him. Lily. He remembered her name. "Being muggles do they have opinions about houses? Do they even know about the different houses?" However, Lily, who was focused on her dinner, simply ignored James' question. He felt a little crestfallen but decided that everyone was too busy eating to talk and if he tried again later, he would surely have better results.

Trying to appear upbeat, James tucked into his food, enjoying the tastes and textures of the well-prepared feast.

Dinner slowly blended into dessert. Eventually, the platters holding hot, savoury, and salty food stopped refilling themselves. They then filled with various sweets and treats. James' eyes grew large at the selection that lay before him. He had a fairly large sweet tooth and always favoured dessert. He wished he hadn't eaten quite so much at dinner, but still took a few sweets. If need be, he could squirrel them away for later.

As James ate his sweets, he took a moment to observe his fellow Gryffindor first years. He started with the girls. There were four of them. The first girl he noticed, as if his eyes were drawn to her, was Lily. James spent maybe a second more looking at Lily, watching her enjoy her sweets and hold a friendly discussion with a few of the other girls sitting around him. Sitting beside Lily was a dark haired girl with a pinched expression. She sat tall and rigid, as if she'd been taught to sit that way her entire life. James thought that she must have been a pureblood from an ancient wizarding family. Then there were two brunettes; one with a confident air about her. The other brunette was much mousier and quite. She had large wide eyes that seemed to shimmer with enjoyment at everything around her.

The girls were all busy in their own conversations amongst each other. James figured that now would not be a good time to try and get to know these girls. Interjecting into their conversation would not be beneficial. Instead, he turned to the boys. There was Sirius, sitting beside him hurriedly stuffing pasties and pies into his mouth. It seemed to James like Sirius had never had a sweet in his life, which seemed strange. James then turned his attention across the table. There were two other boys sitting there, though he hadn't initially noticed the second of the two. The first was the boy he had talked to at the start of dinner, the one who hadn't really accepted James' attempts at conversation. The other boy was so mousy and quiet, so unassuming that James hadn't even really noticed him initially. He had mousy brown hair and he seemed to be so nervous that he wouldn't look up from his plate.

James, feeling like this boy would be a potentially good friend. He looked so anxious and socially awkward that James was almost positive that if he reached out to this boy, he would not be rejected like he had been by the other boy in his year.

James was just about to introduce himself to the quiet, mousy boy when, suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd. The food that remained on the platters disappeared. James, and the rest of the Gryffindor table and the Great Hall, slowly turned towards the head table, certain that the changes had occurred because of a forthcoming speech. Dumbledore, his father explained, always gave a speech welcoming the students and commencing the new year. His first address had been a little short, James had thought. Now, it made sense. There was most likely a longer speech about to be made.

"Once again, welcome. I am looking forward to quite the amazing year with you all! Just a few reminders and statements about rules. The forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students, except with the express consent and supervision of a professor. I know it may be tempting to venture into its depths, but let me assure you, there are a great number of beasts that dwell in the forest that will kill you without a second thought.

"Jinxes, hexes, and other forms of magic are not to be used in corridors between classes. Practice of skills you have learned is strongly encouraged, but not on other students without their permission!" James frowned slightly at that rule. Not being able to use magic in the hallways would make it a lot harder to execute his plan of causing mischief and mayhem.

"Now that those rules have been explained, a few start of term remarks. For those who have just entered Hogwarts for the first time, know that you are a part of something quite special. For the next seven years, you will hone your magic and explore your boundaries. You will develop deep bonds and lifelong friendships. Your houses will become your families, the people that will make the journey with you.

"And with that, I dare say, it is time that you be off for bed. Prefects, if you will." Dumbledore motioned with his hands into the crowds, then returned to his seat. Slowly, students began to stand and trickle out of the Great Hall. James and Sirius, who hadn't said much to each other since dinner had started, quickly turned to each other. They, along with the rest of the first years, remained sitting and waited for the prefects to show up. They began talking about what Dumbledore could have meant by the beats that roamed the Forbidden Forest and ways they could get around the no mafic in the hallways rule.

Finally, a tall, fairly muscular guy and a stick thin girl with straight brown hair approached the awaiting Gryffindor first years. The boy had a warm smile on his face that continued up to his chocolate brown eyes. Instantly, James liked him. The girl, Patricia, on the other hand looked like she was judging each of them right then. Her expression was closed and haughty, the complete opposite of Frank.

"Hello, I'm Frank and this is Patricia. We are fifth year prefects and we'll be showing you up to the Gryffindor common room and dorms. We'll also tell you all you need to know about Gryffindor and Hogwarts. Ask any questions that come to mind! Now, shall we be off?" Frank's voice was cheerful and welcoming.

The first years all stood and followed Frank. James and Sirius walked directly behind Frank, peppering him with indiscriminate questions about what they'd be learning, what life was like in Gryffindor, and if Frank, who happened to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, had any tips on making the team. A first year hadn't made a house team in over fifty years, but both James and Sirius were determined that at least one of them would break the streak.

The small group made their way through the halls of Hogwarts. They ascended and descended several sets of stairs, some of them having moved and changed their final terminus. Finally, the group came to a halt in front of a large portrait. The hallways were lined with various paintings and portraits so at first James wasn't sure what was going on. What did a painting of an overweight woman have to do with them?

"Well, first years," Frank said, turning in a slow circle to face their direction. He had a strange glint in his eyes. "Beyond this door is the greatest common room in Hogwarts. It contains the best furniture, the warmest fire, the most comfortable beds, and, most importantly, the best people."

Frank stepped aside giving the group a good look at the portrait. James had distinctly heard the word door and so began trying to locate a door, or something that would pass as a door. Growing up in the magical world, James knew that wizards often hid things for security purposes. However, no matter where he looked, he couldn't find a thing like a door.

"Good evening," the portrait suddenly spoke. "Speak the password and enter the great Gryffindor dormitories!"

"The Fat Lady guards the entrance to the common room and dormitories. She requires a password, which changes every month or so. The new password will be posted on the bulletin board in the common room. The bulletin board will also hold any and all important notices so check it out every once and a while," Frank spoke in explanation. He smiled down at the first years, enjoying the little trick he'd played on them before continuing.

"Girls and boys dormitories are up separate staircases. They are rigged so boys can't go up to the girls, so don't even try. Your things have already been brought up, so you don't have to worry about that. Tomorrow at breakfast you will be given your class schedules so don't sleep too late and miss it."

Frank then turned back to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"In omnia paratus!" Frank spoke in a clear and commanding voice. The Fat Lady nodded, accepting the password. The portrait then swung open, revealing a low entrance and a warm glow beyond. Frank stepped into the entrance and towards the common room. The first years followed, and Patricia brought up the rear.

James' mother and father had talked lovingly of the Gryffindor common room; the warm cozy space had been one of the many things that James had been looking forward too. The minute he stepped into the Gryffindor common room, he felt exactly like he thought and hoped he would. It was warm and homey with a crackling fire in the hearth and plushy comfortable furniture through the room.

"Girls' dorms are up those stairs," Frank spoke, motioning to one of the spiral staircases flanking the entrance. "Boys' are up the others. First year dorms are the third door up each flight. That's the tour. Feel free to explore your dorms and the common room. It's past curfew so exploring the castle at this time would result in a deduction of house points and a possible detention. My advice is stick to Gryffindor and explore elsewhere tomorrow.

"So, with that, I bid you goodnight. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate." Frank gave them one final smile, then turned and climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitories. James turned to Sirius, ready to decide what their next move was. One of the other two boys, the taller, thinner one, followed Frank up the stairs. The girls, already moving as one group, walked into the relatively empty common room and sat before the fire.

Sirius returned James' look and then the pair turned to the second boy who was standing, rather awkwardly, just behind the pair.

"Peter, right?" James asked warmly. The other boy, looking more and more awkward with each passing second, turned bright red and nodded instead of speaking. "I'm James and this is Sirius. We're both excited about being in Gryffindor. It seems like it is going to be pretty awesome, don't you think?"

Peter remained silent. James was instantly worried that his estimation of this boy had been wrong. Maybe he didn't want to get to know James, to be his friend. However, he refused to give up after such a small setback. He would befriend Peter, and the other boy who James was pretty sure was named Remus, even if it took him all year.