THE LAST FIRST DAY

"It's impossible. No one can apparate in or out of Hogwarts grounds!"

"I bloody well know that Remus!" he returned, annoyed at Remus' persistence, "I've tried enough times."

"Then how did she do it?" he asked, equally annoyed at his friend inability to see logic.

"I never said she did. It only sounded like someone had apparated, only louder." James explained through gritted teeth. They both glared at each other, neither of them backing down.

"Why is she here?" Peter wondered aloud, breaking the tension.

Sighing, James turned to look at him, "No idea Wormtail, but I bet she'll be glad to be away from where ever she was." All three boys looked down at their plates, James' explanation about what happened last night playing through two of their heads.

"And you didn't recognise her? You hadn't seen her in Hogwarts, or Diagon Alley?" Remus asked, trying to figure out what had happened. James shook his head, racking him brain for a time he might have seen her.

Remus looked around thoughtfully before pulling out a spare piece of parchment with a quill and ink out of his bag. At the top he wrote Hermione Granger before underlining it.

"Okay, so we know she's a muggle-born," he noted with a grimace, scribbling it down on the parchment, "but we don't think she's going or gone to Hogwarts? So how did she find out that she was a witch, surely she would think she was like any other muggle without receiving her letter?" he queried. He rubbed his eyes wearily. This whole thing was giving him a head ache and it was only the first day back. But none of it made any sense. It was like she came out of no where!

All three boys were lost in though, trying to decipher the mystery of Hermione. that they didn't notice Sirius until he very unceremoniously sat down next to James. After sharing amused glances with each other, James shifted slightly in his chair to better face Sirius.

"By the looks of things, you didn't take my advice last night." he commented, only to receive a dirty look. Laughing softly, James reached over to a plate of crumpets.

"Let me guess, your hangover?" Remus asked with a slight disappointed tone. Sirius had the dignity to look a little ashamed. His head bowed down, the curtains of his hair covering his slightly glazed over eyes and paler than normal skin. Shaving his head Remus also reached over to the plate of crumpets but instead of eating it him self passed it over to Sirius,

"Thanks" he mumbled, his voice was hoarse and sounded as of it hadn't been used today. Remus just shook his head again, rolling his eyes.

The four boys continued their breakfast until the brisk footsteps of Professor McGonagall stopped behind James. Thrashing her arm out which held four timetables.

"These are you timetables for the year. Any problems you are to see me." she said, a look on her face which suggest that there better be no problems.

James daren't ask any questions about Hermione, expecting a sharp retort on patients from her is he did. Instead he watch her walk away, hoping she'd turn around and give him some news. He did this, with his timetable slack in his hand, until Sirius let out a loud groan.

"Double transfiguration first, and only one free at the end of the day! Could this day get any worse?" he declared. Discreetly, Peter pulled out his hand from under the table, gently touching the wooden surface. He didn't want to temp fate.

James now looked down at his timetable, confirming that in fact he did have double transfiguration first, but unlike Sirius, he had no frees that day. His last lesson of the day was Care of Magical Creatures, the only lesson he had without his friends.

"Well, at least we have potions third and if I feel as bad as I do now I can always swipe me one of Slughorn's pepperup."

"You do know that pepperup is only meant to cure the common cold?" Remus asked, momently letting slide that he was planning to steal form a teacher.

"Nah, does wonders for a hangover. Well, at least my mothers did, but I can't be quite sure what she put in hers" Sirius looked thoughtful for a minute as if imaging what she actually put in before shuddering.

Soon the hall was filled with the squeaks and squawks of hundreds of owls as they flew in through the high windows of the great hall. Three small tawny owls landed in front of the boy, each with a copy on the Daily Prophet. They waited patiently as Remus, Peter and James dug in their pockets for the right change. James simple tossed his paper aside, where Sirius picked it up and turned to the quidditch section. Peter absent-mindedly flicked through it, not really reading whilst Remus was the only one to actually read it.

Picking at some bacon on his plate he didn't notice his fathers owl, Hermes, until he emitted a loud hoot. Looking up James saw his large amber eyes, waiting expectantly for him to remove the letter from his leg. Hermes was a large eagle owl and had the ability to make you feel inferior, eve if he was the animal, and not worthy of his time. Before James could offer him any toast he flew off, leaving James with his letter. Opening the letter addressed to him self, he read:

Dear James,

I would first like to apologise for not being able to see you off on your last year at Hogwarts. Argent matters arose to which I had to respond to personally, but I can not stress to you how much I wanted to be there. You have probable already heard this from your mother but I feel as if I should tell you this myself, father to son.

This is your last year of Hogwarts. The year that every thing has led up to, the most important year at school. And although you are already of age and considered a man, this is the time to shape yourself into the kind of man you want to be, the kind of man I know you can be. Don't let anything which is happening at home distract you from becoming your full potential. Make sure you work hard in class and get the best marks you can. I cannot tell you how proud me and your mother are. How proud we always will be.

Keep looking after your friends and I will see you at Christmas,

your Father.

Looking over it once more, he folded it and tucked it in to an inside pocket of his robes.

"Any news?" Remus gently inquired.

"You tell me," he said, motioning with his head to the newspaper, "your more likely to hear something in there. They haven't been telling me nothing, and they'll continue to do so until it becomes impossible." he sighed wearily. Before getting to frustrated, James started to stand up, ready to get to class.

"Come on, we don't want to be late for McGonagall first day." he said, picking his bag off the floor. Remus and Peter followed suit. "You comin'?" he asked Sirius who was still sat down.

"Yeah, I'll just be a minute." he answered.

"All right, see you in class."

Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius had seen Evans riffle through the Daily Prophet, probable to check up on any other major thing she had missed. Sirius felt a tinge of guilt in his stomach. That, or it was the crumpet disagreeing with last nights alcohol.

Standing up Sirius winced as a wave of pain hit him. Trying to ignore it he walked up to where she was sat, almost not aware that her chatting friends went silent at the sight of him. Almost.

"Evans, I would like to apologise for last nights comment. It was unnecessary and rude of me. Sorry." he apologised, putting on his most sincere voice.

"No, no Sirius, it was..." she stated to deny.

"Evans, I'm apologising, so just accept it and we can both get on with not liking each other." he interrupted, not ready to beg her into accepting an apologise he was only doing for his best mate.

"Erm, okay." she replied, slightly taken back to his expectationally short temper this morning.

Turning around he walked out of the great hall, happy that his concision was cleared. Well, for a little while at least.