A/N: And here's chapter three! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapters, I'm glad people like the story :)
Michael4HPGW: Thanks alot, I'm glad you liked it. Oh, and I'll definitely be seeing it through to end, you don't have to worry about that :)
Fairywolf: Wow, thanks :D. I'm always worried about my style of writing, it's nice to hear that you think it's good! Yeah, I think every HP fan would love a Marauders era and a Post- Deathly Hallows series, only time will tell if J.K decides to write about Harry's world again.
mimi: Thank you, glad you liked it :)
Disclaimer: I forgot to put one of these up, my bad. I don't own James, I don't own Sirius, I don't own Remus, I don't own Peter, and I don't own Lily Evans. I own my OC's, but they're not worht much considering they live in a world I don't own...so...don't sue me! It's just fan fiction, just a bit (lot) of fun.
The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years
Chapter Three
The Sorting
James glanced down at the grey jumper and black uniform he wore, noting that no matter how hard he tried, he still looked as though he'd just rolled out of bed. Sirius, who had actually fallen asleep on the train in his uniform after eating as many pumpkin pasties as James assumed humanly possible, looked perfect without even trying, as well as Aiden, who looked very studious indeed. Peter looked a little messy too; however it seemed to suit him well, and the other boys looked normal, really.
The sky outside was clear, and the night seemed surprisingly warm for September. As the train slowed to a stop, nerves began to set in through all of the first years, even Sirius who seemed the most confident of them all.
"Let's go," started James, "...uhh...what do we do with our trunks?" asked James.
Sirius scratched his head, "I think we just leave them here...yeah, we do," he confirmed, noticing the older students leaving their luggage behind and filing out of the train. James nodded affirmatively, and led his new friends out of the train and onto the platform in Hogsmeade.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!"
James turned, and his mouth fell open. Towering above even the seventh years, was the largest man – person – James had ever seen.
Sirius whistled in awe as he spotted the bearded man, "Whoa...he's huge!"
"Come on now, firs' years follow me!" continued the enormous man. James studied him for a moment. He had black, beetle like eyes, a matted black beard and matching length of hair. He was bulky, even more so by the large moleskin coat he wore. He had quite an intimidating presence, but his face was kindly and crinkled, and yet again James found himself drawn to another stranger.
"Hello ther', you mus' be Potter's boy, names Rubeus Hagrid," greeted the man named Hagrid. James wondered how Hagrid knew his parents, but waved it aside as he and his fellow first years were ushered towards a vast lake.
James watched as Hagrid began loading students into small boats dotting the edge of the lake.
"No mor' an' four to a boat now, get goin'!"
Aiden, Brian and Donald clambered into a boat already occupied by a slight, brown haired boy, leaving James, Sirius and Peter to catch the next one along.
"Is it alright if I get this one?"
James looked up to see a small boy with sandy hair eyeing them timidly. He nodded, and nudged Sirius to make room. The boy climbed in, looking rather jumpy indeed, and offered a small smile. He looked rather tired, James thought, and quite nervous. But then again, everyone seemed nervous.
James grinned when he heard cheer, as the boat began to move of its own accord.
"This is brilliant!" exclaimed Sirius, leaning over the edge of the boat and looking into the glassy lake below.
James opened his mouth to respond, when he spotted the magnificent castle that was Hogwarts appear. A series of gasps, 'ooohhh's' and 'aaaahhh's' sounded from the small boats, and James pulled Sirius's head up to see the enchanting castle that would become their second home.
"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Sirius in awe. He certainly was very loud. He glanced at Remus, whose warm brown eyes were gazing wistfully at the castle, as if he couldn't believe his luck at being here.
As the castle grew closer, the whispers of appreciation could be heard. The vast, stone building adorned with twinkling lights shining through the many windows towered above them, hundreds of turrets and towers stretching towards the heavens. James barely registered the cave they were slowly entering, and heard the murmurs of disappointment as the castle disappeared from view.
The many students tumbled out of their boats, all of them shaking with either nerves, excitement or a mixture of both. For James and Sirius, it was mostly excitement. For Peter and Remus, it seemed to be mostly nerves.
Hagrid led the first years up a winding stone path, and several moments later, arrived at a large wooden door. He grinned at James and his friends, who had pushed to the front eagerly, then knocked several times.
The door creaked open, revealing a tall, stern looking woman with black hair flecked with several strands of grey. Her square glasses glinted in the light spilling out of the door, and she nodded towards Hagrid, who quickly sidled past the woman, and hurried off towards the great hall without a word.
"I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House and Professor of Transfiguration, if you will follow me please," she waved her hand as a signal to follow, and led the students into a large ante chamber.
"The sorting will begin in a few moments, if you would please ensure you all look presentable, I will take you into the hall," she continued. James caught her eye for a moment, and decided this was a woman not to be messed with.
Professor McGonagall drifted her eyes over the students as if inspecting them, lingering for a moment on Peter, then nodded to herself. She turned, and disappeared through a side door, leaving the first years to chatter excitedly amongst themselves.
"What did you say your name was?" Sirius turned to the sandy haired boy. The boy shied back a little, and shook his head.
"I didn't. I'm Remus, Remus Lupin".
"Sirius Black," Sirius mockingly bowed, "At your service. This is James Potter, and the messy one his Peter Pettigrew".
Peter squeaked at being addressed, and James grinned, extending a hand to shake Remus'. He seemed awfully quiet.
"We didn't see you on the train, already had a run in with a bunch of Slytherins," he exclaimed proudly. Remus managed a chuckle, but it was barely heard above the noise.
James was about to say something else when stern looking Professor McGonagall returned to the ante chamber, and the chatter died down.
"We're ready for you now," she announce, smiling slightly, "Follow me, single file".
Turning swiftly, she opened the great double doors to her left, and led the students into the great hall.
James looked on in a mixture of nervousness and awe as Professor McGonagall led the first years into the Great Hall. Four long, polished wooden tables took centre stage, whilst a fifth; smaller table headed the hall, where the teachers sat. Candles floated a few feet above the heads of the students, casting a welcoming glow throughout the hall. James glanced at the ceiling, and nudged Sirius, who whistled in appreciation. The ceiling, or rather lack thereof, was composed of what seemed to be the night sky, which was currently clear and adorned with a blanket of twinkling stars.
The line of students stopped, and Professor McGonagall stepped onto the raised platform, and the chatter in the hall died down. James' attention was drawn to a rickety looking three legged stool in the centre of the platform, atop of which, was a frayed, ancient looking hat.
"We will now begin the sorting of our new students," McGonagall gestured to the hat, which suddenly, and inexplicably came to life. A rip appeared just at the seam of where the hat joined to its rim, the wrinkles forming what could appear to be two eyes and a nose. The rip suddenly opened, and the hat began to sing.
'Welcome, welcome little ones,
To Hogwarts, strong and true,
And learn great things, I'm sure you will
Before your years are through.
It may be strange to see a hat,
As old and wise as me,
But never fear, for you will find,
I never bite, you see.
But first I have a duty,
A task to carry out,
To sort you into houses,
Is what I am all about.
Perhaps you belong in Gryffindor,
For those daring few,
With hearts of lions and nerves of steel,
Is where I will sort you.
Or maybe brains are your great talent,
For then I say, RAVENCLAW!
Those witty folk never miss a beat,
The smartest of the four.
But what of dear old Hufflepuff?
Where loyalty is their game,
Fair and true, and you will see,
They'll treat you all the same.
And finally, the wizard Slytherin,
Who prized ambition above all,
With cunning minds and purest blood,
Were his choice by far.
Yet as I look among you,
I wonder, is this right?
To separate you all,
Will this be your plight?
There is one thing connects us,
Though some may disagree.
Your blood that flows within your veins,
Is all the same, you see.
Be you Muggle born, or pure-blood,
Or maybe half-blood too.
It doesn't matter, it shouldn't matter,
We are all wizards through and through.
So though you will be chosen,
For a different house to your peers.
Keep in mind and in your heart,
Unity must persevere.
And now we are here, in this great school,
A thousand years apart,
And still I do this every year,
And look into your heart.
Are you brave, are you clever?
The loyal or ambitious kind?
We'll come on down, and let's take a look,
At what's inside your mind.'
The hall burst into tumultuous applause, and James and Sirius began whistling loudly. The noise quickly abated as the first name was called out.
"Adams, Lisa!"
A timid looking girl, with wispy blonde hair stepped forward, and tentatively placed the hat onto her head. James watched interestedly as the hat seemed to be thinking, then he chuckled at the fact that he found it perfectly normal for a hat to think. A few moments passed, and the hat suddenly cried out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Lisa Adams smiled shakily, and jumped down from the stool, rushing towards the cheering table on the far left.
"Black, Sirius!"
Sirius flashed a grin at James, and strode fearlessly towards the hat. James glanced at the second table on the right, the students expressions were smug and expectant, their eyes fixated on Sirius.
Sirius jammed the hat on his head, and waited for the decision to be made.
The hat took a little longer the it had for Lisa Adams, and James waited on bated breath to hear the outcome. Several minutes later, the hat shouted -
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The students at table on the far right jumped to their feet, cheering and clapping as Sirius made his way towards him. James noticed the table next to it, presumably the Slytherin table, and inwardly chuckled at the expressions of horror and disgust on their faces.
"Byrd, Theresa".
James turned his attention back to the hat, where a short dark girl was now being sorted.
After Theresa was sorted into Ravenclaw, and two new Hufflepuffs were sorted, Pamela Clavering and Donald Cobbett from James' compartment, "Coddlesworth, Christina," was called.
A platinum blonde head scurried through the crowd of first years, blue eyes flashing in excitement. Christina grinned at Lily and Holly, before setting herself onto the stool.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed after a moment's pause.
Chris squeaked in relief, and jumped down from the stool, waving at Lily and Holly as she passed. Sirius moved up the table to give her room, and winked as she sat down. Chris blushed slightly, and rolled her eyes.
"Cowell, Laura".
A nervous looking girl with light brown hair and pale blue eyes stepped forwards, smiling nervously at a group of girls she'd been standing with. A moment later, she was sorted into Ravenclaw.
Gwyneth Denham and Nancy Dunn became the first Slytherins of the year, and James was pleased to hear several boo's coming from the Gryffindor table. Soon enough, the snobby red head from the train was called up.
"Evans, Lily".
James perked up slightly as he watched the flame haired girl walk timidly towards the sorting hat.
Lily shakily placed the hat on her head, and squinted her eyes shut.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily grinned in relief as she heard the tumultuous applause from the Gryffindor table. James smirked at the audible groan he heard from Snivellus. Lily promptly set the hat back down, and hurried over to her new house table, hugging Chris as she got there.
Karen Fisher was next, sorted into Slytherin, whilst the rather pretty Heloise Gibson became a Ravenclaw. James positively beamed at the next name being called out.
"Knight, Holly".
She caught James eye as she passed, flushing red as she often did when she had to get up in front of people. James hid his grin, and threw a quick thumbs up.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
James clapped loudly, along with the rest of the Gryffindors. He spotted Lily and Chris congratulating Holly, and further down the table, his older cousin Jonny whooping loudly, much to Holly's annoyance.
"Lupin, Remus".
James clapped Remus on the back, and Remus shakily approached the sorting hat, placing the hat upon his head and held his breath.
For a long time, the hat made no sound. James chewed his lip, looking worriedly at McGonagall, who seemed unfazed.
After several minutes, the longest it had taken to sort anyone, he heard -
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Remus couldn't help but grin as he heard the cheers, predominantly from Sirius and James, as he approached the Gryffindor table. Sirius greeted Remus a little over excitedly, causing several students, particularly female, to break out into giggles.
Aiden McKinnon, whom James had hoped would end up a Gryffindor too, was next, and sorted into Hufflepuff. James smiled as he passed, thankful he at least wasn't a Slytherin. Brian Milburn was next, being sorted into Ravenclaw.
"Moore, Bridget".
James watched the tiny freckled girl bound up to the Sorting Hat, eagerly placing the hat on her head and waiting patiently for it to begin.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat cried almost immediately.
Bridget grinned happily, and hurried off towards the Gryffindor table, greeting Lily, Holly and Chris as she sat down.
"Mulciber, Gareth".
The bulky, sneering boy, another that James and Sirius had argued with on the train strode forward pompously, smirking to the Slytherin table. No sooner had the boy set the hat upon his head, than the word "SLYTHERIN!" was screamed. Mulciber swaggered towards the Slytherin table, grinning slyly at James as he passed.
"Pettigrew, Peter".
Peter timidly stepped forward, with the aid of a friendly nudge from James. He stumbled upon reaching the stool, and flushed as he heard the snickers in the hall. The hat paused for a moment, and James silently crossed his fingers.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Peter squeaked at the voice, and practically ran towards Remus and Sirius, stumbling several times.
"Potter, James".
James heart skipped a beat, his legs moving of their own accord and sending him towards the sorting hat. His breathing became shallow as nerves took over, and on shaking legs, he lowered himself onto the stool. He glanced at Sirius, Remus and Peter, all three of whom had their fingers crossed. The hat lowered over his eyes, and all people and surroundings were blocked out.
"Ahhh Mr Potter....your bravery and loyalty are outstanding...not a bad mind either....you will go far Potter...I see much ahead of you...many trials and tests of character...yes there is no doubt that you belong in...GRYFFINDOR!"
James laughed as relief swept through him. He heard the roars and cheers of Sirius and Remus, and could almost hear the timid cheering of Peter. Grinning like a mad man, James caught the eye of a certain red haired girl. He grinned, and winked as he sat down next to a cheering Sirius. Lily rolled her eyes in disgust, the memory of the incident on the train all too fresh.
James watched Kathy Reed, another pretty girl, become a Ravenclaw. He scowled as another Slytherin, Evan Rosier, was added to the throng. James recognised him as one of the knuckle cracking boys from the train. Then there was Kassandra Ryan, a rather spacey looking girl, who was sorted into Hufflepuff. Yet another Slytherin, a hard looking Janet Sharpe, swaggered down to the table beside the Gryffindors, and Aubrey Smith was sorted soon after, into Hufflepuff.
"Snape, Severus!"
"More like Snivellus," whispered James, causing Sirius to chuckle loudly and Peter and Remus to look on in confusion. Professor McGonagall caught the boy's eyes and glared. James stifled his laughter, and watched the frail looking, greasy haired boy place the hat upon his head.
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat screamed instantly.
"No surprises there," muttered Sirius over the cacophony of applause from the table beside them. Snape smirked at James as he sat down, and made a point of waving at Lily, who waved back. James felt a strange tightness in his chest, and suddenly felt very angry. He turned back to the sorting, where there were only a few students left.
The last students to be sorted were the cheeky looking Timothy Stebbins, Jose Talbott who seemed quite friendly with Timothy, and Steven Wilsey. All three were sorted into Ravenclaw, much to their apparent joy.
The chatter died down, as an ageing, silver haired man took the spot where the sorting hat had once been. James's eyes lit up as he recognised in his opinion, the greatest wizard who had ever lived, Albus Dumbledore. Through half moon spectacles, Dumbledore surveyed the many students, a small smile playing across his face.
"Before we begin out wonderful feast, I have a few notices to inform you of. As always, the Forbidden Forest is of course, off limits to all students. Mr Filch has also kindly reminded me that the list of banned objects is available in his office, should any of you need to see it".
James quirked an eyebrow as he saw the small sparkle in Dumbledore's eyes as they rested upon he and his friends.
"Now, I know I am hungry, as I'm sure you all are too...let the feast, begin!"
James jumped slightly as the empty golden plates before him suddenly filled with sumptuous looking food. Plates piled high with fat sausages, large trays full of thick, golden chips. Whole chickens presented rather elegantly were sat next to bowls of peas, carrots and various other fresh vegetables. Steaming boats of gravy were dotted here and there, whilst crispy fish fingers lay in all their delicious appeal. James laughed out loud at Sirius, who looked as if Christmas had come early, and began piling his plate with anything in reach.
As the many students of Hogwarts began digging in to the sumptuous meals before them, the noise in the hall reached staggering heights, as students recapped their summers, swapped jokes and stories and various pieces of gossip they had learned since boarding the train. At the Gryffindor table, the talk turned to the various lessons the first years would be taking.
"I'm looking forward to Transfiguration myself," started James, "It was my dad's favourite subject, mum liked it too".
"Yeah," agreed Sirius, swallowing a mouthful of mashed potato, "But I think Defence against the Dark Arts will be the one for me, I can't wait".
James nodded, and turned to Lily, Chris, Holly and Bridget, who were also discussing subjects.
"I'm looking forward to Charms I think, it seems like such an interesting subject, also History of Magic, I want to learn as much as possible about it," sounded Lily, her voice was high and full of excitement.
Holly pulled a face, "Urgh, no way. My brother says it's the most boring subject ever, apparently it's the only subject ever to be taught by a ghost!"
"The Professor is a ghost!" exclaimed Lily, "Wow!"
"Yeah, my mum said one day he just got up out of his chair and left his body behind," piped up the freckled Bridget Moore to many guffaws of laughter.
"Can you imagine that," exclaimed Chris, "Just waking up one day and being a ghost! It's mental!"
"Unfortunately, the fact that he's a ghost doesn't make the class any more interesting," sounded a smirking voice from near James.
"It's no wonder you're dropping it after this year," chuckled James, "Following into the family business, eh Jonny".
"Of course," grinned Jonny, Holly's older brother, ruffling James's hair, "Aurors till the end".
"Mum'll flip if she finds out you wanna be an Auror, you know what she's like," warned Holly, reaching for another chicken leg.
Jonny shrugged, "He's a prefect Holly my sweet," sounded another voice. The occupants of conversation looked up to see a scruffy, blond boy grinning cheekily, "Jonny boy can just sweet talk her".
"Alright, Simon," James grinned, nodding to the new arrival. Simon Meadowes, one of Jonny's best friend and 'partner in crime' mock saluted back and squeezed in next to Remus.
"Jamsey boy, always a pleasure!"
James chuckled, and turned to Jonny again.
"How did you get to be a prefect anyway, Jonny, from what you and Aunt Ivy constantly told us, you're one of the biggest trouble makers in the school," grinned James.
"My kinda guy," chuckled Sirius. Jonny beamed at the pair, and avoided looking at a glaring Holly.
"Well, it's only a couple of pranks, but I guess those days are over," he sighed, tapping his prefect badge, "I do however expect my dear cousin to carry the torch since Holly's a lost cause".
"I am not a lost cause!" snapped Holly, glaring at James and Jonny, who were cackling loudly.
"You can count on us Jonny," James mock saluted his cousin.
"Good, now if I'm not mistaken, I'll be leading you lot up to the tower soon, so hurry up with those deserts, I'm off to find Liv". Jonny patted James on the back, and left the table to greet a pretty, curly haired Ravenclaw girl.
"Your cousin seems really cool, you were right, we'll get away with murder," smiled Sirius impishly. James nodded, and glanced at Lily, who seemed to be determinedly avoiding meeting his gaze. Rolling his eyes, James continued to toy with his desert until the last morsels of food disappeared from their plates.
Professor Dumbledore stood up, and raised his hands to signal quiet.
"If our new prefects would kindly gather the first years, I wish you all good night. Sleep well".
The students of Hogwarts simultaneously rose, and filed out of the great hall, chatting admittedly and yawning. Jonny and his fellow prefect Nora Weathers waited for the first years to line up behind them, and led them out of the hall after bidding goodbye to Simon, and the Prewett twins Gideon and Fabian, who had seemed to have wanted to hang around and show the first years around too.
"Now you wanna watch out for the staircases, they tend to move," narrated Jonny as they climbed the stairs and winded through the twisting corridors, "Doors too, some of them aren't even doors, but you'll get used to them, I know I did and I'm not exactly the brightest of the bunch".
James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all sniggered, and pushed to the front so they were directly behind Jonny.
~**~
The small gaggle of first years stopped before a large, ornate painting of a rather voluptuous woman dressed in a rather over the top frilly pink gown.
"Hello Jonathan dear, congratulations, I knew you'd make prefect," smiled the portrait of the fat lady.
"Stop it, you're making me blush," joked Jonny. He turned to the first years, "Password's Mischief Managed," his grin faltered under Holly's glare, "Yeah, I made that one up...come on sis lighten up".
Holly shook her head, but couldn't hide her smirk as they climbed through the portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room.
"Wow!" breathed Peter, speaking for them all.
A large fire crackled merrily on one side of the room, casting a warm, inviting glow over the scarlet walls. Banners adorned with the Gryffindor crest hung from the walls, and squashy chairs and sofas of various colours and sizes littered the room. Polished wooden tables were set around the perimeter of the room, and James noticed the common room gave a wonderful view of the Quidditch pitch.
"Boy's on the left, girls on the right," called Jonny, snapping the first tears from their observations of their new common room, "And guys," he turned to James and his friends, "Don't bother trying to get into the girls dormitories, the bloody stairs turn into a slide".
James and his friends howled with laughter at the bitter look on Jonny's face, and bade him goodnight, hurrying towards their dorm room.
~**~
"Fantastic!" grinned Sirius, rushing over to one of the large, four poster beds in the room and proceeded to bounce up and down merrily on it. James picked one in between Sirius and Remus, and flopped down onto the squashy mattress. He glanced at the foot of his bed, where his trunk had already been brought up, and noticed his tawny owl Merlin hooting cheerfully near the window.
James crossed the room, and opened Merlin's cage. The owl hooted its thanks, and spread its wings, soaring through the window and off into the night.
"This place is brilliant," he smiled to himself, glancing over at Sirius, who was in such a rush to get into his pyjamas he had both of his legs stuck in one of the legs. Remus seemed to take pity on him, and tried to help him whilst Peter giggled quietly.
James felt his smile grow, as he looked at the three boys he was quickly becoming very fond of.
"And I was worried about making friends," he scoffed to himself, before running to tackle a newly freed Sirius.
~**~
Lily giggled as she; Holly, Bridget and Chris bounded into their new dorm room and began jumping on the beautifully carved four poster beds.
"Can you believe this place?! It's even better than I imagined!" cried Chris, jumping from Lily's chosen bed to her own, her face flushed with excitement. Holly flopped down, sinking into her pillows and kicking off her shoes.
"I'm so excited to start my lessons," smiled Lily, pulling out a pair of emerald green pyjamas. Her mother seemed to be fond of buying Lily things that were green, citing that they made her eyes stand out even more.
"Me too, though Jonny says the homework for the first years is awful, did you know we have to pass our tests to even get into the second year," exclaimed Holly. Lily felt a small knot form in her stomach. She had read the books she had bought from Diagon Alley, but she had no idea about magic. It was okay for Holly, Bridget and Chris; they had all grown up with magic. Bridget, who strangely seemed to sense something was up, crossed the room and hugged Lily.
"Don't you worry about the tests and the magic, 'cause I haven't got a clue either".
Lily giggled, and watched as her three friends resumed bouncing on their beds. They weren't going to get a wink of sleep tonight, that was for sure.
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