Meeting a Dog, Werewolf and... a RAT: Chapter Two
31 August, 1971 "Mum, everything is packed! You don't need to go through it. Again!" James almost yelled at his mother, who was now unpacking his trunk for the seventh time since packing it that morning. She had her own list that she had made up, including what was required as well as what she thought might be useful - which was an awful lot. But no matter how much he begged, she refused to take anything out.
"No James, I just have a feeling I have forgotten something," she said impatiently, waving him to get out of the room. HIS room! The nerve of her.
He rolled his eyes and walked down the stairs to raid the fridge. He saw tonight's dessert for his going away dinner - chocolate pudding. He shrugged, taking the bowl out of the fridge. He set it on the counter and got a spoon, then started eating it.
"JAMES WHAT IN MERLIN'S TOILET ARE YOU DOING?" his mother screeched at him.
He had been busy daydreaming about what Hogwarts might be like that he didn't even notice he had eaten half of the pudding, or that his mother had been walking down the stairs. He looked at her confused, mouth full of pudding, for a moment before realising what he had been doing. He was planning on mooshing it all down so it just looked like it had shrunk, not that half of it had been eaten. But it was too late now.
He quickly put it back in the fridge and said, "I don't know what you're talking about." He ducked out of her way as she tried to swipe him, then quickly ran up the stairs.
A few hours later his father knocked at his door.
"What?" asked James.
"It's me, dinner is ready - please come down, son," his father said through the door.
James pulled himself off the bed and followed, looking amazed at the table. It was FULL of his favourite dinners.
"Gee mum, how will I fit all this in?" he asked. "I can't take it all to Hogwarts, I mean... I'm only going to be away for just under a year," he said sarcastically, then smiled. He ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up in even more places.
"James I do wish you would let me cut that hair," his mother pleaded.
"NO!" he said, then sat down.
His dad loaded his plate up with everything, and James ate it all - then went back for seconds. And thirds. His mum and dad had got him a going away present, along with everything else they had got him for his new year. He opened it and saw that it was a cloak. He took it out, and it fell like water on his lap. "What's thi-" he started, but as he looked down at his legs, he... well he couldn't see them!
"It's an invisibility cloak," his father had replied. "Your grandfather handed it down to be just before I left to go to Hogwarts, and now I'm handing it down to you. Maybe you can hand it down to your son one day," he said.
James widened his eyes - "A son? ME? Yeah right dad!"
"It's only for when you want a little privacy," his mother said, giving him the eye. James knew that she had fought with his father for weeks, going on about "He will use it to get into trouble!" and only now had he realised what she was going on about. He smiled to himself, knowing full well that she was right. He would use it to get into trouble - or more escape trouble.
"Thanks, really, it's great," he said, still in amazement. He wrapped it around his neck, and ate dessert with just a hand and a head visible. His mother didn't like it, which made it that bit more fun for him.
1 September, 1971
At 6.00 in the morning, James was woken up by banging on his door. He was so startled that he fell out of bed.
"JAMES GET UP!" his mother was yelling through the now open door. "We will be late!"
"LATE?" he yelled. "Mum, it's 6.00 in the morning. I've been packed since yesterday, my clothes are out for today, there is nothing I need to do before we go!"
"Yes but we need to get organised, showers, dressed, breakfast, I need to pack your lunch..." she had turned around to walk to her room and James could still hear her muttering to herself. He got back into bed and slept until 9.00, a much more reasonable time. He put his clean clothes on, a black woolen jumper and a grey collar shirt, with black trousers and black shoes. He put his glasses on, and went to eat breakfast.
They were just about to walk out the door when Mrs. Potter started combing his hair with a wet comb. It dripped down the back of his shirt, and he jumped up in shock, "What the heck are you trying to do to me?" he said.
"Your hair James, it's terrible!" she said.
He looked in the mirror just by the door. "Oh you're right," he said, then ran his hands through it, messing it up even more. "That's better," he said, walking out the door.
"BYE MUM!! BYE DAD!!!" he screamed from the window in the middle of the Hogwarts Express. He was in a compartment with another boy who looked very grumpy. He wasn't waving to his parents and was sitting with his arms crossed. His mum was crying, and his dad's mouth was trembling. He laughed as the train drove out of the station, and off on its journey.
He sat down for a few minutes, feeling uncomfortable in the silence.
"So... I'm James," he said.
The boy looked up at him frowning, but soon cleared his face when he looked out the window to see trees. "I'm Sirius," he said.
James smiled as he looked at Sirius' hair because it was just as messy as his.
"First year?" James asked, knowing he was.
"Yep! You?" he asked.
"Yeah."
When the trolley came, the boys both got some Chocolate Frogs and a few Pumpkin pasties. That seemed to break the tension, because they were both now sitting on the ground scoffing down the chocolate and comparing cards.
"My stupid brother keeps stealing mine," Sirius said annoyed.
"Oh you have a brother? I have no siblings," James said.
Sirius looked up at him, pausing, "No siblings? None?" he said.
James shrugged, "Nope. Why?"
"Siblings are horrible. You can have my brother if you like? Filthy pure blood, like the rest of them. Only care about one thing."
"What's that?"
"Keeping muggles out of our world, including muggle born people," he said sadly.
"You don't think the same?"
Sirius eyed James off, "Of course I don't!"
After a moment of just staring at each other with suspicious eyes, they both resumed to talk about cards. "Well I guess I'm lucky that I have nobody to share the chocolate or the cards with," James said.
"Yeah, you got that right. Who are you?" he demanded of the boy standing behind James. He had just walked into their compartment and was looking around curiously. Another boy joined him, but this one didn't look so annoyingly curious. Like a rat.
"P-P-Peter. This-" he started, getting all flustered.
"I'm Remus," the other boy said. "Can we come in? Most of the other compartments are completely full," he said, looking very... distracted? Worried?
"Yeah, 'course," James said.
Remus came in and sat on the chair, looking down at their piles of cards. Peter just stood frozen where he was, staring at Sirius.
"You're a Black, aren't you?" he asked, and James looked up. He was quite worried about how Peter was looking at Sirius - almost like he wanted to climb into his lap for a cuddle.
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"I-I-My... My mother know-ws your mo-mother. And I've m-m-met Regulus b-before. You l-look like him," he said as if it were a compliment. James had the feeling it wa definitely not a compliment, and his feelings were confirmed.
"I LOOK LIKE HIM? He is the one that looks like ME," Sirius said angrily.
Okay, so obviously he was a Black, James thought. He had heard of the Black family, and he was sure Sirius would have heard of him. All the pure-blood families have heard of each other.
"Oh-" was all Peter could say. He looked deeply upset that he had been yelled at by Sirius. James turned back around and gave Sirius a look, implying 'What's the deal with him'.
"I've heard about the Black family too," James said.
"Oh yeah - what family do you belong in?" he asked.
"I'm a Potter," he said.
"Potter.... yes, YES! Your mother is she.. uh Dorothy?" he asked.
"No, her name is Dorea," he said. "Why? How do you know?"
"Oh there is a tapestry at my house - the entire Black family tree. Did you know your mother is on it? And... well, and you too, and your father," he said. James considered this for a moment. Sure it made sense, as most Pure Blood families were somewhat distantly related to each other in some way.
"Oh awesome!" said James. "I think she may have mentioned it but I don't remember. I'll have to send her an OWL and tell her I've met my..." he tried to think of what Sirius would be to him, but couldn't... "Cousin or something," he said.
"And what about you two?" Sirius said, eyeing the two others.
"I'm Remus Lupin. Mum is muggle born and dad is half," he said.
"Oh," Sirius said. "Sorry you're not on my tapestry. But I guess... good to meet you?" He held out his hand and the two shook hands.
"And you?" he asked Peter.
"M-m-my parents are both half blood," he said.
"Not on my tapestry," Sirius said, somewhat relieved.
Whilst Peter refused to move any closer to Sirius, the other three spent the rest of the train ride talking about Hogwarts.
"I want to be in Gryffindor, like my dad and his family," James said.
"I want to be in anything BUT Slytherin, unlike the rest of my family," Sirius said angrily. James hoped he wasn't in Slytherin, because he was sure if he was he would probably be at the Train stop immediately after wanting to go home.
"I don't mind," Remus said.
"I-Gryf-f-findor," Peter said.
They all quickly changed into their robes as they felt the train coming to a stop. They got off the train and together walked to meet the half Giant who introduced himself as "Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. Now, follow me into these boats and they will take you up to the Castle. Four to a boat," he said, and ushered them to the River. James, Sirius and Remus quickly jumped in one boat, followed by the incredibly slow Peter. None of them spoke the entire way to the castle, for they were all amazed at the sight of the Castle.