Year One

Chapter One

She was sitting on the train looking out of the window, gazing at the fields of grass, and reflected on what had been a hard and mentally demanding day. Lily thought of the last words her sister, Petunia said to her before she went away to Hogwarts for 4 months, "you're a freak!"

Severus looked up at her, "you're not still upset about Petunia, are you?" he asked.

"What do you think, Sev? She's angry because I'm a wizard and I'm going away for months, and now I've made things worse by telling her about the letter we found," Lily looked as though she were about to cry, "I don't know what to do, what if she hates me forever?" She asked.

"Well, you shouldn't let it affect you so, Lily- I mean look at where we're going to go" he exclaimed, seeing that Lily looked a bit happier he continued, " Hogwarts! Its going to be an amazing adventure." He looked out of the window and then back at Lily smiling, "you'd better be in Slytherin" he said.

"Slytherin! I think I'd leave if I had to go there" a voice said. Lily and Severus whipped their heads around to look at the black haired, bespectacled boy sitting next to them. "What about you?" he asked another boy sitting across from him.

"My whole family have been there" said the boy, who had long jet black hair that reached his shoulders, he sat there with an air of elegance, and Lily had to admit, his hair looked good and suited him nicely.

"Wow, and I thought you were alright?" said the boy sitting next to Severus.

"Don't worry, I think I'll probably break the tradition" said the long haired boy, "what about you, where do you think you'll go?" he asked the bespectacled boy.

"Gryffindor, where the brave dwell at heart- like my dad!" he said triumphantly.

Severus snorted, "yeah, if you rather be brawny than brainy." Lily smiled.

"Where are you hoping to go seeing as you're neither?" said the boy with glasses.

Severus tensed up and was beginning to rise out of his seat, "come on Severus, let's sit somewhere else" said Lily, walking out of the compartment. Severus trailed behind her.

The long haired boy tripped Severus and said, "See you later Snivellus."

His friend with glasses laughed, "So what's your name?"

"Sirius, Sirius Black. What about you?" he asked.

"James Potter" he said quickly, "wait, did you say Black?" he asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'm not as crazy as my family" Sirius said with a laugh.

The two boys continued speculating on which houses they might be sorted in to until they caught a glimpse of the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts. They began to change into their robes and Sirius mentally prepared himself for the potential fact that he may, jut may, end up in Slytherin.

James, however, new exactly where he was going to end up, Gryffindor! Just like his father, he thought with a pang of excitement. Yet there was the small fact that a few Potters had ended up in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, and some even in Slytherin. He pushed such thoughts out of his head and turned towards Sirius, "ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've got this" said Sirius, denying the fact that he was light headed and very anxious.

They both tottered towards the door of their compartment and joined in the hustle and bustle through the packed corridors of the Hogwarts Express. They stepped out on to the platform and suddenly heard a man calling, "Firs' years, firs' years this way." They both weaved their way through the many students until they were right in front of the man. He had a large, wild beard and enormous hands and feet. The two boys were shunted aside as more and more first years came around. After about ten minutes of waiting the platform soon became less and less crowded. The giant man led the first years toward a fleet of boats and said, "Yer all goin' up ter the castle in these boats, four students per boat and le's get going."

Sirius and James went to sit down in a boat and were soon joined by another squat and plump boy with short blond hair and another thin and tall boy with light brown hair. The squat boy turned and looked at them from behind his somewhat scraggly hair and said, "Hello, my names Peter, you are?" as he stuck out a pudgy hand.

"James Potter" said James, taking it politely, "and this here is Sirius, Sirius Black."

Sirius shook hand with Peter and looked at the other boy siting at the bow of the boat, "hey you, what's your name?" he asked.

James shook his head in disbelief, "really" he thought "this kid doesn't have very good manner, not that I care though"

"my name's Remus, Remus Lupin" said the sandy haired boy.

Suddenly the boats began to move toward what they knew was the school. Everyone sat in silence as Hagrid began to talk of the forest, the lake, his hut, and some of the teachers. "Now" he said "the lady that I am goin' ter drop yer off with is Professer McGonagall, head o' Gryffindor house, she'll take yer all frem there." The rest of the students shifted uncomfortably as they began to come to terms with the fact that they all might potentially be split up from one another.

They reached a slight curve in the river, and soon came about it, and in front of them, was a magnificent castle made of stone, and parts covered in ivy. Lily and Severus were sitting in a boat a little ways from James and the other boys. Lily had her hands clamped over her mouth, and all the snide comments that Petunia had said to her were wiped from her mind, "it was beautiful" she thought. She continued to look at the castle in wonder. She didn't notice Severus who was watching her reaction bemused. He really liked Lily and was glad that she was going to Hogwarts with him. Each student was so entranced in what lay before them that they hadn't even noticed that the ride had stopped. They all clambered out of their boast, ad made their way up a small, narrow staircase that led them to two large oak doors.