Chapter Text
Wednesday, September 1, 1971
James Potter sat down in the empty train compartment with a feeling of excitement. He waved through the window at his parents outside, grinning from ear to ear. The fact that he was finally traveling on the Hogwarts Express filled him with excitement. Just getting to platform nine and three-quarters, through the seemingly solid brick wall between platforms nine and ten, had been thrilling and had made his dad reminisce about midnight parties and other stories from his own school days—stories that James already knew by heart and that he wished to make his own now that he was eleven years old and on his way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Hey, is this seat free?"
James turned toward the compartment door, a look of curiosity on his face, and noticed a boy with neat hair standing there, looking nervous. He appeared to be James's age and was probably as new to Hogwarts as he was.
"Sure, there's room here."
Delighted, the boy stepped in, dragging his green school trunk and a snowy owl, whose cage he placed next to James's (containing a beautiful brown-and-black eagle owl), and took the seat opposite him, though a little further away from the window.
"My name is Sirius, by the way," said the boy as the eagle owl hooted softly to his snowy owl.
"I'm James Potter."
"Nice to meet you, James," said Sirius, looking at him inquisitively.
James's tousled hair was as black as his own, giving him a scruffy but charming appearance with his smart clothes and pleasant smile that made his face—despite the glasses on his nose—look appealing. His green shirt hung loosely over his trousers, while Sirius himself felt uncomfortable in his white shirt and old-fashioned waistcoat with slacks, which his mother had forced on him that morning. His short hair was neatly combed to one side, but he ran his fingers through it to ruffle it up, muttering something about his mother and how what she didn't know couldn't hurt him.
After doing so, he decided to move even further away from the window, casting a nervous glance at the platform outside. He had made sure to go to a carriage far away from his parents, but still wanted to make sure they couldn't see him now.
At that moment, the door opened again and a petite red-haired girl stood there with red, teary eyes, looking into the compartment.
"Excuse me…Is there a seat available here? It's pretty packed everywhere else…" The girl looked as nervous as she sounded and twirled her long hair around her fingers as she stared at the two boys, unsure whether she dared to sit next to them.
"Sure, absolutely!" said James in a friendly voice and jumped up from his seat. "You can sit here by the window if you want."
He grabbed her trunk and lifted it onto the luggage rack for her before making way for her to take his seat by the window.
"Thank you," said the girl with a timid smile, but then she sniffled and had to blow her nose. It was clear that she had been crying.
"Are you all right?" said James, with surprising concern in his voice.
"Yes," said the girl, although it was clear she was lying. She wiped the tears from her green eyes and attempted a brave smile. "I-it just feels awful to leave my sister," she added, looking as if she might burst into tears again at any moment.
"You're a first-year student like myself then," James said warmly. "I'm sure you'll feel much better once we get to Hogwarts. It'll be loads of fun to be there at last, and I promise you'll forget how much you miss your sister once you make new friends at school."
Sirius, who had remained seated listening to their conversation, was surprised by James's behaviour. James didn't seem like the type to care about crying girls, but his words had brought a smile to the girl's face.
"New friends sound wonderful! And you're right, it'll be fun to go to Hogwarts," she said with genuine joy in her voice. "My name is Lily Evans, by the way."
"Nice to meet you! I'm James Potter," said James, meeting her gaze with a smile.
"I'm Sirius," said Sirius without smiling. He wasn't interested in crying girls and wished Lily hadn't come into their compartment.
At that moment, the train jerked and began to move slowly forward, leaving King's Cross station, which made James stand eagerly by the window. On the platform stood an elderly couple waving cheerfully at him, and Sirius wondered if they were James's grandparents since they were so old, but he didn't ask. He tried to stay out of sight of the window himself to avoid another goodbye to his parents. Settling down on the seat, he put his arms under his head and crossed his legs casually, so that he took up the whole seat and was effectively hidden from anyone standing on the platform.
James and Lily stood at the window, waving side by side to their families—James with a cheerful face and Lily with a sad one—until the train left King's Cross and they were on their way through London, heading north. Then, they turned away to sit down again, James opposite Sirius and Lily on the seat where Sirius was laying. She was absent-minded enough to sit right on his feet, before quickly jumping up again and giving him a reproachful look. He grinned, but moved his feet to make room for her on the seat.
"We're finally on our way!" James said excitedly from the seat opposite.
"We are," Sirius said and took a better position, sitting up so he could lean against one corner of the compartment and continue to sprawl across the seat. He smiled at James and they began to speculate together about how long the journey might be and when they would arrive at Hogwarts, only to be interrupted by the compartment door suddenly being torn open.
A boy with greasy black hair, already dressed in the dark Hogwarts school robes, entered without saying a word and pushed past Sirius and James to sit opposite Lily by the window. James gave him a sidelong glance. His shoulder-length hair looked like it hadn't been washed in at least a week.
"I don't want to talk to you," Lily said in a husky voice. She glanced at him with her tear-stained eyes, but then turned back to the window to look at the city outside. The movement of the train made it seem as if the houses were passing them by, even though it was, of course, the other way around and they were leaving London on the train.
"Why not?"
The words belonged to the greasy-haired boy. James sneaked another glance at him and realised that he knew Lily Evans from before. He gave her such an intense look that James felt a chill run down his spine. Instinctively, he knew he disliked the newcomer.
"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore," he heard Lily say.
"So what?" the boy answered.
Lily gave him a sharp look. "So she's my sister!"
"She's only a—" The boy stopped abruptly, and James's eyes narrowed. The contempt behind the words was clear, but James didn't have time to think about it as Sirius caught his attention.
"Well, what do you say?" Sirius said, looking at him expectantly.
"About what?" said James, so confused that Sirius burst out laughing.
"Are you daydreaming or what?"
"Seems like it," he replied, laughing with him.
Once their laughter subsided, the greasy-haired boy could be heard saying, "You'd better be in Slytherin."
James started and turned towards the quarrelling couple. "Slytherin?" The word was like an epithet to him since childhood, as was evident from the clear contempt in his voice when he added, "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
He looked expectantly at Sirius, waiting for him to agree, but Sirius shifted awkwardly.
"My whole family has been in Slytherin," he said grimly.
"Blimey," said James, taken aback, "and I thought you seemed all right!"
"Maybe I'll break the tradition," said Sirius, unable to resist grinning at the thought. "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"
James stood up and drew an invisible sword. "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad!"
The greasy-haired boy snorted, causing James to turn towards him.
"Got a problem with that?"
"No," he replied, though his sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy…"
"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius countered, causing James to roar with laughter.
Lily stood up, blushing with indignation, and looked at the two with sudden distaste.
"C'mon, Severus, let's find another compartment."
"Oooooo..."
James and Sirius mimicked her lofty voice as she left the compartment, and James tried to trip Severus.
"See ya, Snivellus," Sirius shouted as he stumbled out and slammed the door behind him.
The two boys burst out laughing, meeting each other's eyes with a mutual sense of camaraderie and respect.
"That was brilliant!" James said gleefully. "Your nickname for that filthy swine was awesome! 'Snivellus' sounds a thousand times better than 'Severus'!"
Sirius seemed pleased with the praise, but then said with a wry smile, "I just hope I don't end up in Slytherin with him now. It'll be a real party otherwise…"
"Oh, just make sure you get into another house, then," James said calmly. "Who the heck wants to end up in Slytherin with scum like those two?"
It wasn't easy to find new seats on the crowded train, as it had already left London, and all the hundreds of students on their way to Hogwarts had settled into their seats. However, in a compartment in the following carriage, there were four girls and a lone brown-haired boy, who looked utterly uncomfortable in their company. The seat opposite him was free, and Lily politely asked if she and her friend could squeeze in there.
"We were sitting in another compartment before, but the boys there were rude to us, and we'd rather sit somewhere else," she explained, still upset about what had happened.
The brown-haired boy got up from his corner. "I can move, so you'll have more room here. It's easier for me to find a seat on my own than for the two of you together."
"How kind of you," said Lily, delighted.
"Oh, it's no problem," assured the boy, lifting his trunk from the overloaded luggage rack. "It's best if I take this with me so I can change into my school robes."
"Oh no! My trunk is still in the boys' compartment!" said Lily, dismayed.
"I'll get it for you. Sit here, and I'll be right back," said Severus.
"Thank you," she said, sitting down with relief next to the girls.
The brown-haired boy heard a girl calling herself Donnie start talking to Lily, but he didn't stop to listen. He hurried out of the compartment with a sense of relief and followed Severus to the carriage in front. Ever since the train had left the platform, he had wanted to change seats, as he didn't want to sit with four girls for the entire journey, but he hadn't dared.
"I should warn you that the two lads we were sitting with before are pretty cocky," Severus said to him as they approached the compartment where Sirius and James were sitting.
"It's fine. I just need to get my trunk somewhere so I can change into my school robes."
"Yeah, it'll be easier in a compartment with just lads," Severus said with a grin before opening the compartment door.
He ignored James and Sirius in their seats and quickly lifted Lily's trunk, hurrying out of the compartment with it before they could speak to him. They stared after him in surprise, but said nothing until they caught sight of the brown-haired boy behind him. He was quite tall, but clearly the same age as them.
"Can I sit here with you?" said the boy tentatively. "It was a bit crowded in the compartment I was sitting in before."
"Come on in. None of us bite," said James.
The boy flinched, turning slightly pale, but forced a smile. "Thank you," he said and quickly got in.
He dug out his school uniform and a bag of sweets from his trunk before lifting it onto the overhead rack. He thought it best to change straight away, so he wouldn't have to lug his heavy trunk around for the rest of the day. Severus' warning echoed in his ears, and he wanted to make sure he could leave the compartment if things got too ugly with the two boys.
"Do you think we should change into our school robes already?" said Sirius, puzzled.
"I figured it'd be better to get it over with," explained the boy, his cheeks slightly red.
"I can't be bothered yet. It feels a bit stiff for my liking," said James.
"It can't be any stiffer than these Muggle clothes Mum forced me to wear this morning," said Sirius with a grimace.
James laughed heartily. "You're right. Those do look uncomfortable."
"They are, but I'm too lazy to change yet," Sirius said dismissively, but then opened his waistcoat and pulled his shirt out of his trousers to be more comfortable.
The brown-haired boy had changed during their conversation, but now sat down next to James.
"My name is Remus Lupin," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Remus. I'm Sirius."
"And I'm James Potter."
"Are you also on your way to Hogwarts for your first year?" said Remus eagerly.
"Absolutely. It'll be fun," said James with a smile.
"I think so too. It's incredibly exciting!"
He had taken out his bag of sweets, which were of a kind that James and Sirius had never seen before. When he held it out to the two of them to offer them some, they looked at the contents with hesitation.
"What kind of sweets are those?" said Sirius, wide-eyed.
"They’re Muggle sweets. I promise you'll like them."
"Really? How interesting!"
"Well, I guess, we'll need to try them then," said James, taking a handful of sweets. They were all different colours and shapes, and he looked at them with curiosity.
"What are the flavours? " said Sirius, also helping himself to some sweets.
"There are all different kinds. The black ones are liquorice, and the coloured ones are all kinds of fruit flavours," said Remus. "I like this mix, so my mum bought them for me for the trip."
"Thank your mum for us," said James, sucking contentedly on an orange-flavoured piece of candy.
"Yeah, it's not every day you get to taste Muggle sweets," Sirius said, smiling.
"Are you Muggle-born, Remus?" James said.
"No, but my mum's a Muggle."
"Wow!" Sirius said, wide-eyed. "I've never met a wizard who married a Muggle."
"What? It's pretty common nowadays," said James, surprised.
"Maybe so, but I don't know any. I happen to be pure-blood."
"Do you mean to say that pure-bloods aren't allowed to associate with Muggles," said Remus, his voice suddenly sharp.
"Oh no! My mother thinks that, of course, but I'm not really bothered. I think it would be interesting to meet Muggles."
"You're funny. We actually have neighbours who are Muggles, and we've always had a good relationship with them," said James.
"Of course, we also have Muggle neighbours, but we don't interact with them at all. They don't even know we live next door to them," said Sirius, with a twinkle in his eye.
"Dad says it's quite common for wizards to live in hidden homes, but we don't," said Remus.
"Neither do we," said James. "We only have spells on our home that hide the magic from Muggles, but not the house itself."
"It's the same with us."
"Well, not with us. Everyone I know lives apart from Muggles," said Sirius, a sudden note of sadness in his voice.
"Listen, do you want to play Exploding Snap for a bit? I packed a deck of cards in my trunk," suggested James.
"Great idea!" said Sirius, getting excited. "We can use our new wands now that we're finally on our way to school."
Remus stayed in the compartment with James and Sirius, enjoying their company, and the three boys had a fun journey together, playing Exploding Snap, joking with each other, and eating lots of sweets. After they had emptied Remus's bag of sweets, James bought them more from the lunch trolley, and they ate until they weren't able to swallow one more Chocolate Frog. Night was already falling when they finally reached their destination.
In high spirits, they stepped off the train together. It was a bit chilly outside after the warm train, but they were all so excited that they didn't care. The crowd of students filed away from the platform towards a bunch of waiting carriages, and the three boys headed that way until they heard a voice call out:
"Firs'-years, this way! Over here, follow me!"
They turned to look and saw a huge man with long, bushy hair. He was twice as tall as everyone else and had arms as thick as tree trunks and hands as big as shovels.
"Woah! What a behemoth!", whispered Sirius, making James giggle.
"Any more firs'-years?" continued the giant, looking for the smallest students in the crowd. "Firs'-years, c'mon an' follow me!" The words were spoken in a thick West Country accent, making it clear to everyone that he was not from Scotland.
"Everyone here?" he said when a group of eleven-year-olds surrounded him a moment later. "Good! I'm Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts—an' I'm takin' yeh ter school. Now, follow me!"
He turned onto a steep path that led down towards a lake, which loomed pitch-black in the darkness of the night. James took the lead with his friends, eager to get there, when Hagrid stopped at the end of the slope to turn towards them.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," he said cheerfully, gesturing towards something behind him.
"Merlin's pants!" Sirius cried out, while the others around him squealed with delight, staring in disbelief at the view before them. Set against the starry sky across the lake stood a huge castle, which seemed to defy the laws of physics with its many turrets and towers, perched high on the cliff.
"Yeah, that's Hogwarts," said Hagrid, grinning at his enthralled audience. "Now, we're headin' over there." He waved his hand towards the shoreline below them and added, "Yeh can see the boats down there. Hurry up an' get in! No more'n four to a boat."
James turned towards the pitch-black lake in front of them and only now noticed the small boats docked on that side of the shore.
"Brilliant!" said Sirius with a grin. "This is much more fun than riding in those carriages we saw at the station."
"Right!"
They quickly ran ahead of the others and jumped into the first boat they saw. Remus fell behind them, as the other students pushed past him, and he lost sight of his friends. The clouds had covered the moon, making the beach pitch dark, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find James and Sirius. That's when a chubby little boy asked if he wanted to sit next to him in a boat that already had two girls in it, and he thought it best to do so. He could find James and Sirius again at the castle.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the red-haired Lily stumble on the beach and her friend, Severus Snape, help her back to her feet. They were the last to find seats and walked over to a boat moored furthest away at the docks. The moon emerged just then, and Remus noticed that it was the same boat where Sirius and James were sitting. They had spread out so much that no one else could fit there, but now, they were forced to move to make room for Lily and Snape.
"I thought you didn't want to sit near us," Sirius said with a wry grin.
Snape gave him a nasty look but said nothing. Instead, he made sure Lily sat comfortably in the bow and took a seat next to her as far away from James and Sirius as he could.
The next moment, the small boats left the dock and began to glide across the lake all by themselves, as if an invisible hand had pulled them forward. James and Sirius looked around in delight and decided to ignore the two in the bow. The water lapped around them, and Sirius watched the black waves with interest. He reached out his hand and tested the water.
"Woah, it's freezing!", he said, shivering involuntarily.
"What? Did you want to go swimming?", said James with a grin.
Sirius laughed. "That'd be fun."
James met his gaze and they grinned at each other when they realised that the idea wasn't bad at all.
"It's already September, and we're in Scotland. No one wants to swim in a Scottish lake at this time of year," Lily chimed in, sounding snotty.
"Oh, really! And how do you know what we want or don't want to do?" Sirius replied mockingly.
"Well, we could at least feel the water a bit, couldn't we?" said James, and began to rock back and forth in his seat. He was sitting at the back of the stern and made the small boat rock with him, causing both Lily and Snape to squeal in fright.
Sirius burst out laughing and followed James's lead, sitting in the middle of the boat.
"This boat is so small that it could capsize at the slightest ripple," he said with a smirk, rocking the boat so violently that water began to seep in from both sides.
"Stop that immediately," Snape cried, his face ashen, staring in terror at the water.
Lily had grabbed hold of the boat, her green eyes flashing with anger at James and Sirius. "You're both nuts, you know that?" she said with contempt, then froze, waiting for the inevitable.
The next moment, the boat capsized and they all fell into the pitch-black water. Snape's voice shrieked the loudest as they were engulfed by the icy water, the sound fading as they disappeared beneath the surface with the capsized boat. The water was even colder than James had imagined, but he ignored the cold and struggled his way back to the surface. When he got his head above the water and gasped for breath, he could hear laughter echoing all around them. The other boats had stopped around the scene of the accident, and James looked around for Sirius.
Just then, Sirius resurfaced and swam towards the nearest boat to their right. James followed, taking long strokes to get quickly out of the freezing water. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily swimming just as quickly towards a boat with four girls, who helped her on board, but Snape had grabbed hold of the overturned boat and remained where he was. He seemed too afraid to swim anywhere and just stayed afloat with the help of the boat, which bobbed up and down in the waves created by the capsizing.
It was easy for Sirius and James to climb out of the water when helping hands grabbed them and pulled them up. Sirius was helped into the boat where Remus was sitting, and James into a boat next to it, where a tall blond boy sat in the bow staring at him in disbelief, while his mates helped James climb in.
Sirius was the first to get up and made a grand bow to his audience with a big grin on his face, which made everyone laugh even more. James laughed along and bowed too, beaming at everyone. He relished the attention; some of the boys whooped, while others whistled and applauded.
Meanwhile, Hagrid had got his boat moving and reached Snape, who was still in the water, clinging desperately to the stern of the overturned boat.
"C'mon here," said Hagrid, leaning forward to lift him out of the water. It seemed as if Snape weighed nothing at all when he grabbed him with his giant hand and swung him up into the bow of his boat.
"Right, let's get goin'," he said unperturbed, then muttered something about boys before the boats began to move again.
Snape scrambled into his seat, shivering with cold, wet to the bone. He turned his black gaze across the water towards James and Sirius and shot them both a resentful look. Sirius sniggered back and didn't seem to take it to heart at all, but James felt a tinge of regret upon noticing the miserable state of Lily Evans in the boat with the girls.