This is going to be a story about James Potter Senior, and it is going to start when he is starting Hogwarts, although I wrote a small part in the beginning about his younger life. I will be trying to publish new chapters regularly, but I can't promise anything! I hope you enjoy and please review!

James Fleamont Potter was born on March 27, 1960 to Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. As their only son and coming later in their lives, he was loved and pampered throughout his childhood. This caused him to grow up maybe a little spoiled and arrogant, but essentially a good person. He was a pure-blood wizard, and, like many old 'pure' wizarding families, had a large amount of money. James spent most of his young years in his large manor house, and while it must be fun to live there, he eventually got bored as he was the only child of the family and rarely left the house. This could have been what caused him to become a trouble-maker, or it could have just been in his blood. The early years of James' life was quite uneventful, at least, before he got to Hogwarts.

When the time came for James to go to Hogwarts, he was excited beyond belief. He wanted to learn magic, play Quidditch, but most of all, he wanted friends. On the Hogwarts express he seemed to already find a new friend, Sirius Black. They sat together in a compartment, shared by Lily Evans, later known as Lily Potter and Severus Snape. This was when James first realized he thought Sirius was cool, liked Lily, and hated Snape. While Snape was attempting to cheer up Lily, James and Sirius have their first conversation with both Snape and Lily.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," said Snape, encouraged that Lily had seemed happier.

"Slytherin?"

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James asked the boy lounging on the seats opposite him. Sirius did not smile.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said.

"Blimey," said James, "and I thought you seemed all right!"

Sirius grinned.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James lifted an invisible sword.

" 'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."

Snape made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No," said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy —"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interjected Sirius.

James roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Oooooo …"

James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice; James tried to trip Snape as he passed.

"See ya, Snivellus!" a voice called, as the compartment door slammed. …

"Firs' years, over here! Firs' years!" called an alarmingly large man whom James did not know the name of.

"Firs' years! Only four to a boat! Get in, hurry now!" James scrambled into a boat, followed by Sirius and two other boys he did not know.

"All right, then. Everyone in? FORWARD!"

The fleet of at least a hundred boats suddenly lurched forward. James was starting to get nervous, but didn't show it. He had always tried to act cool and confident, and as Sirius didn't seem worried, he didn't see why he should be. He looked at the other two boys in the boat. One seemed very nervous and looked as if he was about to faint. The other one seemed, not confident, but not nervous, and had a shabby and poor look about him. All too soon, they had reached Hogwarts and started climbing out of the boats. He looked up at the massive castle and experienced a feeling of wonder. He had been told of the castle from his parents, but still was in awe by the sheer size of it. The man who brought them to the boats led them up to the front doors and knocked 3 times. The sound echoed loudly. Suddenly, the door opened and standing there was a lady with her hair in a tight bun and looking very strict, as though she had just caught a wrong-doer.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

"No problem, Professor McGonnegal."
Professor McGonnegal turned and led them through the doors and into a corridor off to the side of what James assumed was the Great Hall. He knew what to expect, as his parents had told him, in detail, how they were sorted.

"Okay children, as you know, you are about to be Sorted. There are 4 different houses at Hogwarts, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Whichever house you get sorted in to will become like your family while you ..."

James, no matter how excited and nervous he was, found his attention slipping. He already knew about all of this, and he just wanted to be Sorted.

"...if you will follow me, we will now enter the Great Hall, and I want you to line up along the staff table."

The first years followed her out of the corridor, all trying not to be first. Professor McGonnegal walked out of the Hall and returned a few moments later, carrying a stool and the ancient and dirty Sorting Hat.

"Anderson, Thomas"

A nervous looking boy walked forward and placed the hat on his head. After a minutes hesitation, the hat shouted out,

"RAVENCLAW!"

The boy took off the hat looking relieved and walked over to the table that broke out into cheers. A few names later, "Black, Sirius" was called.

Come on, come on! Please be Gryffindor! Thought James desperately. He really wanted a new friend, and he wanted Sirius to be with him in Gryffindor.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Yes! Thought James. I can finally have a friend!

Slowly, the line of first years shortened. "Evans, Lily", the girl who was on the train, was sorted into Gryffindor. "Lupin, Remus" was called. The shabby looking boy who James and Sirius sat with in the boats stumbled forward and put the hat on his head. The hat thought about it for a while and then shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" James noticed that he was only the second boy to be sorted into Gryffindor.

Finally, it was his turn. "Potter, James" was called and he walked forward, trying to act calm. He sat down and put the hat on.

Well, well. Another Potter, huh? Well, it's obvious where you should go.

"GRYFFINDOR!" James felt a feeling of great relief. He trotted over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Sirius. "Well, I guess you were the one to break the tradition."

Sirius smiled back at him. James didn't pay much attention to the rest of the Sorting, but he did notice that "Pettigrew, Peter", nervous boy who was also in their boat, was sorted into Gryffindor, and "Snape, Severus" was sorted into Slytherin. Later, after the feast he went up to his new dorm room that he shared with Sirius, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. He went to sleep that night feeling full and happy, thinking about his first day at Hogwarts tomorrow.