Two young children gripped tight to one another's hand for support, palms sweaty and fingers clammy as they each battled their own different anxieties. They approached the worn-down brick wall that stood just between Platform 9 and 10, still gripping tightly onto each other's sweaty palms. The air whipped back and forth between her long strands while also making work in disheveling his unruly locks.

Though there was a slight difference in his breathing from the way that this was another new adventure, — an adventure he wasn't sure he might be able to control — he still managed to smile brightly with that familiar glint of excitement to his hazel eyes because, well, this would be an adventure. So, even with the tiny fear of leaving his parents, of stepping into uncharted territory, James Potter did what he did best - he slapped on the charismatic smile that he seemed to be born to wear and took whatever fears he had and turned it into an unwavering excitement.

The little girl however, didn't quite have his penchant for handling situations with a grinning, perfect face at all times. Instead she wore her own signature smile, small but genuine, and wore her worries in ways that she hadn't even realized she did. Sure, she would eventually smile just a little wider, her fears dissipated, but it sometimes took a little push, just to know that she wasn't alone in feeling that way.

Unknowingly, she gripped just a little tighter to his hand. "Mighty strong grip you've got there Kate," James said, a bemused look playing at his features. His charming smile melted to become more natural, more comforting. "Hey, don't you worry. We'll get in there and we'll wreak havoc and hell."

And that was all she needed, her fingers relaxing in his. "Think I'll just stick to havoc, you can take the hell." She grinned at him, the knot in her stomach having come undone.

Behind them, a pair of parents ambled along. The two fathers pushed trolleys with two rather large trunks on them, as the two women beside them chatted amicably about their children walking in front of them, one holding a small toddler at her hip.

One pair of parents was undoubtedly older than the others, and it wasn't a surprise that they were often thought of as one big family - grandparents, parents, and three children. It almost fit too perfectly, even though it wasn't quite the truth.

"Katie dear, this is it. Why don't you and James go ahead first. Your father will bring your trunk." The younger of the two women smiled sweetly at the two, motioning her head forward.

Nodding her head at her best friend and her family, the young brunette let go of the boy's hand. She closed her eyes as she walked quickly through the wall of bricks. Upon opening her eyes, a beautiful scarlet red train came into view. The sky was a bright blue, a contrast to the gloomy grayish-blue of the England sky.

"Woah! Cool!" James had appeared at her side, also fascinated with the large train.

Katie turned her head, looking around at the rather large train station. There were families, some small, some large. There were a few kids as well, who appeared to be her age, and others who towered over her petite eleven year-old body. She spotted a rather glum looking family across the platform, all dressed in black. A young boy trailed behind the mother and father, his rather curly long hair covering up most of his face. She recognized him vaguely; she saw him once at one of the parties her mum threw.

Behind her father, Katie saw another young girl emerge from the wall, looking very anxious. She had very pretty red hair; it looked just like the curtains hung in her sitting room. Her eyes were also a bright green, which looked like the small meadow in her backyard. She turned her head to James and found him staring at the girl as well.

She started to giggle as his mouth began to fall open until her mother's call caused him to whip his head around as he blushed bashfully.

"James I see a certain someone's already caught your eye," the eleven-year-old said, smirking—well, attempting to smirk at least.

"No!" He replied, a little too quickly. Katie looked back at the girl knowingly as James continued to blush. "We-well you better not go around finding a boy real quick or I'll tell dad!" James said, a little bit too loud, attracting the attention of some bystanders as he tried to change the topic. He was referring to her father, as each other's parents were practically their parents.

"Yes, Mr. 'I'm Older So I Get To Be The Big Brother'," she said playfully back to him.

A hearty, low voice split up whatever comeback James had for Katie's statement. "Alright, alright. Enough screaming or whatever it is you two are arguing about. Come say goodbye to your Uncle Fleamont."

"Uncle? So you're my uncle now? Does that mean Aunt Eleanor can finally adopt me?" He smiled mischievously at his parents, who were laughing, already used to their son's sense of humor.

"Oi! And who said I would want you as my brother?"

"If I remember correctly Kate, you said—"

"—wait, wait. Before you two start arguing, do say goodbye to your mum and then continue your shouting match on the train. But not too loud I don't want you two causing too much trouble." Mrs. Potter looked at them, directing a pointed stare at their two fathers as laughed in the background, already knowing how mischievous their children could be.

"Katherine dear, do keep James out of trouble for me, eh? Tell him I said you could be the older sibling if he doesn't listen to you," Mrs. Potter winked slightly, hugging her practically second daughter.

Her mum was next in line for the pep talk, and so it continued like that for a while—each parent switching between children—until Katie's father finally approached them, a wide smile on his face, still looking quite youthful, despite being in his middle ages.

"Well kids, don't be too nervous. Hogwarts is bloody fantastic. And don't worry too much about which house you'll get sorted into, they're all great. Well, maybe Gryffindor's just a bit better, but don't tell your mum I said that." He winked at the two kids, who smiled brightly at him.

"William! What are you telling them?"

"Nothing dear!" He pushed the trunk forward, allowing his daughter to take one of the handles.

"You two best be off, the compartments can get rather full. And don't cause too much trouble," Mrs. Potter said, smiling warmly as the two.

The two young children said quick goodbyes to their parents, saying goodbyes to each other's parents too, seeing as they were practically second family.

They heaved their large trunks off of the trolleys, turning around one more time to wave their parents a goodbye before disappearing into the train. Despite how early they'd arrived at the station, they had spent quite a bit of time talking. So by the time they'd finally gotten onto the train, many of the compartments were already occupied, James and Katie opting to take the compartment nearing the back of the train.

Katie had already stepped in when she noticed the young boy looking out the window. Off to the distance was a fairly young couple—smiling warmly from the platform–who the young boy seemed to be intently staring at. His head snapped around quickly as he heard the sound of the door being slid open.

"Oh sorry, we thought this compartment was empty. If you don't mind, could we share the compartment?"

The boy's eyes went rather wide with anxiety, so wide that Katie almost closed the door right there and then, feeling guilty of how terrified she made the boy feel. It was only because of the distinct physical features the boy held that she felt herself being glued in place by the doorway.

His light brown hair was messy, but not as messy as James'. His eyes were an interesting shade of brown, reminding her of dark chocolate. What really struck her were the long scars across his face, some deeper than others. There were a few gashes around his face, but one long one stretched from the top of his right eye to his left cheek.

"Y-Yeah, of course." He attempted a tentative smile, but almost ended up with something of a grimace. It was in the way that he spoke that even with her young mind, Katie could tell that this boy had some sort of fear with interacting with either her or the outside world—Katie rather would've liked to think that it was towards the outer world, and not by just herself, just to keep her pride intact.

Stepping into the compartment, she and James put their trunks away quickly before taking seats across from the boy. He appeared to have been watching them the entire time, seemingly running his fingers through his hair, as it was a lot messier than it had been just moments before.

She took one glance at the nervousness evident on his face, and shot him a smile. "I'm Katherine. Katherine Hart. But if you'd like you can call me Katie." She stuck out her hand to him, something her mum had always done when meeting new people.

He stared her outstretched hand for a moment before tentatively shaking it, attempting a friendly smile of his own.

"Your scars are so cool! How'd you get them? Daring adventures I bet?" James suddenly burst out, seeming to have waited this whole time to say it.

"James!" Katie hissed at him, shooting him a glare as she nudged him with her elbow.

He turned to her, his eyebrows knit in confusion. "What? Oh right, I'm James Potter." He was already getting up to shake his hand, but Katie pulled him back.

"No, not that! Stop being an insensitive prick!"

"What? What'd I do?"

Katie sighed, turning back to the boy with an apologetic look. He was watching their interaction, amusement written on his face. "Sorry about him."

"No, it's okay. Most people think they're not very nice looking. It was nice to hear that they're cool."

Katie smiled at him again, before a look of realization dawned on her face. "Wait, now that we've introduced ourselves, what's your name?"

The boy seemed elated by her statement. Why he was, was a mystery to her. He smiled again at her, and stretched out his hand like he'd seen her do. "Remus Lupin."

"First years, come along. If you would all please follow me!"

An aging lady walked swiftly in front of them, her velvet purple robes billowing behind her as her heels created click-clack sounds on the stone floors.

Hogwarts was absolutely marvelous. The large castle was decorated with large paintings and other unique artifacts that Katie had only heard about in the books her mother had read her when she was a small child.

Moments earlier, when the first years were still gathered outside of the castle, she caught a look at the tall towers and the little hints of light coming out of the various windows, looking like fireflies against the dark night sky.

Upon reaching the inside halls of the castle, the lady—who'd introduced herself as Professor Mcgonagall—had them sorted into a line alphabetically. James had said a quick good luck to Katie before walking off to his designated spot in the line. Remus had stayed with Katie, seeing as there were no first years with last names starting with the letters I through K.

The two had already gotten close from the train ride, and he'd eventually learned to be less nervous around her and James by the time they had reached Hogwarts.

She turned slightly, looking at him and nudging him slightly. "It's beautiful isn't it," she whispered to Remus, who was still looking up at the architectural design of the castle, a fascinated smile on his face. He looked down at her, and nodded quickly before looking back up again.

To their right, two large, ornate doors began to open slowly, revealing a room even larger than the one they were standing in. There were four tables all in rows, lines of empty plates upon them. Students were gathered around, sitting at the tables with an almost impatient look, but all quieting down when the doors had finally opened.

Placed at the center of the vast room was a long table, a stool placed in front of it. On the stool was a dusty looking, old hat—the Sorting Hat, she remembered her father telling her one night.

Professor Mcgonagall stepped up next to the stool, a parchment in hand. She adjusted her spectacles slightly before reading the first name on the list.

"Sirius Black."

The boy she'd seen earlier stepped up to the stool, his arms placed stiffly in his lap. She remembered him now. Her mother had sometimes spoke of his family, the Black family. One of the most famous pureblood families in the Wizarding World.

With a slight intake of breath, she saw him close his eyes briefly, waiting quietly for the hat to utter its deciding words.

"Gryffindor!"

At that, the boy opened his eyes, confusion written all over his young face. All eyes had turned to him, and Katie noticed the way his eyes darted towards the table off to the far right of the room. Getting up slowly from the stool, he continued to sneak glances at the table—many of the occupants now talking in hushed whispers as they shot unabashed glares at him.

From the way that not one person from the Gryffindor table had cheered—they instead sat there in shock, everyone too out of it to make a sound—told Katie that what the hat bellowed out went against all social normalcy.

Name after name was called, until at last Katie was standing just five feet from the stool.

"Katherine Hart."

She tried to find James in the line, and she saw a thumbs up peeking out over the line of heads. Remus gave her a reassuring smile, Katie sending a nervous one back.

Eyes were now on her as she sat, her robes draping over the stool's curvature. There was a slight pause in silence, the hat wasn't uttering a word. A small voice was rushing in her mind, almost as if it was ... analyzing. The mutters were too incoherent to make out and she just sat there, slight fear as some of the murmurs in her head got louder.

By the time the hat had said something, her mind was too preoccupied with the muttering her head that the loud 'Gryffindor!' made her jump slightly in her seat as she yelped. Many of the students laughed at that, whether it was meant to be rude or not, she didn't find out, as she raced to the Gryffindor table, a slight redness to her cheeks as she moved to sit across from the black-haired boy from earlier.

He didn't say a word to her, instead still wearing the slightly confused expression on his face as his line of sight switched between his lap and the table around him.

Finally coming out of her slight stupor as the hall silenced again, another name was called.

"Remus Lupin!" The already familiar voice of Professor Mcgonagall bellowed our clearly to the hall. She smiled at Remus as he made his way up the stool and sat on it, his legs already being able to reach the floor from his tall height.

She watched as he started to wriggle in anticipation when the hat turned silent once again. Her heart had began to beat slightly, suddenly being hit with the realization that her newfound friend could very well be placed into a different house.

"Gryffindor!" He let out a breath and she smiled widely as she began to cheer. He hurriedly walked to the Gryffindor table, a small smile on his face as he approached her. He looked as if he was about to open his mouth to say something, but the voice of Professor Mcgonagall once again silenced the hall.

The two turned their attention to the following students being called up, but it wasn't until the name 'James Potter' left the professor's lips that they really paid attention.

He had walked confidently up to the stool, a slight jazz to his step. Professor Mcgonagall placed the dusty hat on his head and Katie didn't even have time to blink before the hat bellowed out an affirmative 'Gryffindor!'

As she cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindor table, she could feel a pair of eyes on her, and she turned her head to right to see Sirius Black looking at her in slight contemplation, his eyebrows knit. He was looking around at the table again as he looked away from her.

As he turned his gaze back her, she saw the confliction in his eyes, and to her just looked—well, lonely. Remembering what her mother had always told her—always seek to make others happy—she gave him a small smile, and to her surprise, she received a shy grin in return.

Her attention was drawn back to James when she heard a yell from behind her, looking over just in time to see James nearly trip on himself in cheerfulness.

He let out a loud laugh, as he took a quick seat next to Sirius when Professor Mcgonagall's voice rang out a again. Nodding at her and Remus, he gave them broad smiles before turning his attention to the hat.

" ... and enjoy another marvelous year here at Hogwarts. Eat up!" With those last words from the old, bearded man the hall burst out in talk as several plates of food appeared at the table.

Grabbing a chicken leg, James called out her name. "Kate, how 'bout it then huh? Uncle William always knows these things."

Katie let out a small laugh, watching as James turned to his left, taking a small bite of chicken. "Hey I'm James," he said through a mouthful of chicken.

This seemed to ease some of the confliction from within the young Black and he smiled widely at James in return.

"Sirius. Sirius Black," he said, a new sparkle in his previously dull grey eyes.

There was a tap on Katie's shoulder and she turned around to find the redheaded girl smiling at her with her hand outstretched.

"I'm Lily," She said brightly.

Katie took her hand and shook it. "I'm Katherine, but you can call me Katie." She chatted with the girl a little while, a fondness for this new friend growing, and they continued to talk until a girl had come up to Lily to introduce herself.

Finally turning back to Remus, Katie grinned as he was hobbling down a piece of honey cake. Looking up suddenly at her, some crumbs were left on the corners of his mouth as he attempted to wipe them off hastily. "So are you a huge fan of honey cake or just that cake in particular?"

Chuckling, he took one last wipe at his mouth before answering. "I'd say both."

"Well then, I can't wait for third year. My mum says that the candy shop they have at Hogsmeade is heavenly. I'll just have to go and buy you all the honey-flavored sweets so you can taste them."

"Katherine you don't have t—"

She silenced him with a shake of her head. "Anything for my favorite honey-loving friend. You do like honey right?"

Remus just nodded. He seemed taken aback slightly at the words 'friend' and 'favorite' and joy bubbled up in his chest. "You're gonna keep me around for that long?" A hint of doubt was sprinkled in his voice, but Katie hadn't noticed.

"Of course I will," she said to him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. A sparkle in her eyes, she smiled widely at him. "I've got a good feeling about this friendship."