King’s Cross Station was absolutely packed with people that morning of September first. A little boy of about eleven was pushing his trolley as quickly as the crowd allowed him to. A distance behind him, a tall woman with black hair was quickening her pace, and she could be heard calling out to someone. The boy pushing the trolley looked back for a second, then continued pushing the trolley as if he had not heard anything at all. His resemblance to the woman behind him was strikingly obvious, and anyone seeing them together could guess that they were mother and son.

The boy slowed down as he approached platform ten. The platform was a little less crowded than the whole station. The woman broke out of the crowd, and approached the boy. She was holding the arm of a small boy, perhaps not more than nine years old, who could have been the cause of her slowness.

‘Really, Sirius! You could have slowed down when I called out to you. Poor Regulus, do you really expect him to walk that fast? Anyway, we should wait for your father, he would be extremely angry if he found out we’ve gone into the platform without him,’ said the woman in a high voice.

The boy, Sirius, looked back disdainfully for a moment, then he picked up his pace and went running into the wall of platform ten. The tip of his trolley came in contact with the wall, and when there should have been a crash, there was nothing. The boy was gone.


*


‘Sirius!’

Sirius stopped with an impatient sigh as he waited for his mother to catch up. He looked around the platform nine and three quarters which was even more crowded than ever. Not that Sirius had ever been here, but he had never imagined there would be so many people going to Hogwarts.

He felt a rush of excitement as he thought of starting school. He had waited for years to go to Hogwarts, and had dreamed of what it would be like to have friends. He only had his brother Regulus at home, and he was no fun at all.

‘Sirius, we have to wait for your father!’ his mother said from behind. She was scowling, and her face did not look very nice.


Sirius made a face and folded his arms. ‘He’s late! I don’t want to miss the train just because we had to wait for him,’ he replied sulkily.


There was a loud pop, and a tall man appeared behind them. He also had black hair and a majestic air about him that made one think he might be aristocratic. He looked down at Sirius with an impatient frown.


‘Boy, I told to wait for me! I shall have no use for a son who has no regard for my orders.’


‘Father, it’s nearly 10 o’clock and I did not want to miss the train. Look, I don’t have time for this, I have to be on the train. I’ll see you at Christmas.’ Sirius stood in front of his family for a moment. He reached down and patted his brother on the head. ‘Bye, Regulus. Take care, OK?’

Regulus nodded mournfully. Sirius stepped back and turned around, took a deep breath and walked towards the train, getting ready to go to school for the first time in his life.


*
Sirius heaved his heavy trunk onto the train with the help on an older student. He panted his thanks, then dragged the trunk down the train. Passing by compartments full of chattering students, Sirius once again felt excitement rising up inside him. He would one day have friends, perhaps be part of a group of popular students, he dreamed.

His trunk slipped out of his hand and banged on the train floor with a great crash. As he bent down to retrieve it, the door of a compartment next to him slid open. Sirius looked up into a vaguely familiar face, pointed with piercing brown eyes and pale blond hair. He looked to be about Sirius’s age.

‘Hi,’ said the blond boy. ‘Black, aren’t you?’
‘Yeah, I am.’

‘I’m Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy. My father’s a friend of your father, I believe. Why don’t you join us? Don’t worry,’ he added with a sneer, ‘all in here are of our kind.’

Sirius gazed at the blonde boy for a few seconds. There was an air of superiority about him that Sirius did not like. Maybe it was the way he looked down his nose at him, as if offering shelter to a filthy stray dog, or the way he said ‘our kind’ with that look on his face. Whatever it was, Sirius decided that Lucius was not the kind of person he’d want to spend seven years with.

‘Ah.. well, thanks, but err.. my friends are saving me a seat further down the train. I suppose I’ll see you later,’ said Sirius, picking up his trunk again and carried on down the corridor as fast as his burden allowed him to, leaving Lucius staring after him, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

He finally found an empty compartment near the back of the train. Sirius lowered his trunk, slid the door open and stepped inside, just as the train began to shake signalling the beginning of the journey.

To adventure, thought Sirius.



James Potter jumped down from his father’s bewitched Ford and looked around. So this is King’s Cross Station, he thought to himself. He had been imagining how the station looked like ever since his father gave him his ticket for Hogwarts Express. Behind him, Mr. Potter got out of the driver’s seat and opened the passenger side door for his wife. The parents stood there looking proudly at their beloved son, who was still staring at the station in awe.

‘Come on, son. Let’s get your things settled,’ said Mr. Potter, taking out James’ trunk from the boot of the car. James reached into the car and pulled out a cage which held an owl, tawny, with white feathers on its breast. It was a present from his parents for the start of the school year. He had liked it very much and had named it Gale. School sounded adventurous to him, and although he was sad to be leaving his parents, he had made up his mind to make his parents proud of him. He cannot wait to start, so that he could see how good he was.

The Potters walked into the station, pushing through the vast crowd moving rapidly in all directions. James tugged his father’s hand as he made his way towards platform ten. He stopped at platform nine, gasping for breath, as his father patted his back.

‘Can’t wait to start school, can you, son? That’s the spirit; you’ll make us proud of you, won’t you?’ asked his father. Mr. Potter bent on his knees so that he would be level with James, and spoke again. ‘Just do your best, son, and know that whatever happens, your mother and I will always be behind you.’

Behind him, Mrs. Potter smiled sadly, knowing that her only son was growing up and leaving her. She looked at her watch, and nudged her husband on his shoulder.

‘I think we should get inside the platform now, the train will be leaving in ten minutes. Come on,’ she said, peering anxiously at the wall between platform nine and ten, as if looking through a window. Mr. Potter got up, took the luggage trolley and said, ‘You go with James, Helena. I’ll bring the trunk.’

Mrs. Potter grabbed James’ hand and led him towards the wall. They leaned lightly against it, looking around to make sure no one was looking, and was gone in a blink of an eye.

Mr. Potter pushed the trolley after his wife and son, getting faster with every step. The trolley then got out of control; it spun around, and hit the wall. But there was no crash; instead the man, the trolley and the owl in the cage was gone.


*

‘Right, James. Before you get on the train, I have something for you. Here,’ said Mr. Potter, thrusting a brown package towards his son. ‘It used to belong to your great grandfather, and the tradition is that it is to be handed down to the first son when he starts Hogwarts. It helped me a lot when I was in school. Now it’s your turn. But remember, don’t tell everyone about it. It’ll ruin the fun,’ he added with a wink.

James looked at the package in his hands. It was lumpy, as if the object within the wrapping had no proper shape. He had no idea what the heirloom in the package might be, but if it used to belong to his great grandfather, he knew it had to be something good.

‘Thanks, Dad,’ said James past a lump he felt forming in his throat. Suddenly he felt like he did not want to go to school, he did not want to leave his parents and his house and his dog at home. But he knew he had to. After all, he had waited eleven years for this.

Behind him, the whistle blew, signalling for everyone to be aboard. James looked at his father, threw his arms around his neck and whispered, ‘’Bye, Dad.’ He then hugged his mother and kissed her cheek, all the while fighting back tears. When he let go of her, he realized that his mother had tears running silently down her cheeks. But they were not tears of sadness. They were tears of pride, knowing that her only son will go to school to become a great wizard. She could see it in his eyes. She could feel it in her heart.

‘I’ll come back for Christmas,’ promised James, and with a last wave, he jumped aboard the train, dragging his trunk behind him. Mr. and Mrs. Potter stood together on the platform, staring as their only son grew up in front of their eyes. They were still standing there when the train started to move, and they stood there still, looking after the train until its scarlet carriages finally disappeared around a corner.


*

The train had started to shake right after James had managed to pull his trunk into the corridor. He looked around and realized that he had boarded near the back of the train. Leaning against the wall for balance, he made his way to the nearest compartment and slid the door open. Dragging his trunk, he stepped into the compartment backwards and closed the door. That was when he noticed another boy in the compartment from the reflection of the glass door. He spun around, and realized that the other boy was looking at him in mild surprise. A bit embarrassed about intruding, James’ hand went nervously to his hair, which was already a mass of untidy black.

‘Er, do you mind if I sit here? Or are you waiting for someone?’ asked James tentatively. He was still a bit shy around children his age, seeing as he did not have many friends at home.

Sirius was surprised when he heard the compartment door open and saw the boy backing into it. But he did not mind; in fact, he was a bit glad to have some company for the journey.

‘Sure, sit down if you want to. I’m not waiting for anybody,’ said Sirius with a smile. The other boy smiled with relief and threw himself down on the seat opposite him. Sirius studied the boy. He also had black hair, but his was in an untidy mass on his head instead of trim and slick like his own. He had on quite nice clothes, which spoke of good status and wealth.

‘I’m James,’ said the boy hesitantly. ‘James Potter.’

‘Sirius Black,’ he replied, a warm friendly feeling surging in his heart as he extended his hand for a handshake. He had a feeling he was going to see a lot of James Potter at Hogwarts.

By the time the food trolley arrived that afternoon, Sirius and James were talking away as if they had known each other their whole life.

‘I knew the Cannons would lose,’ Sirius said as he stuffed a handful of chocolate frogs into his mouth. They had just started an intense discussion about the Quidditch matches of the season. ‘They have been going downhill since Hades retired. I don’t reckon they’ll ever make it in the top five again.’

James nodded in agreement. ‘Yeah, but I still think Puddlemore is going to lose to Wasps. Remember that move the Chasers made against the Dragons last year? That was totally brilliant. And they have pretty good Beaters as well.’

‘No way, are you kidding? Puddlemore’s got an excellent Keeper, the Chasers are never going to get past Stan. And their Seeker is simply the best. Haven’t you heard that Glenn was offered to play for England for the next year World Cup? She refused though, it was a pity. Anyway, I also heard she just graduated from Hogwarts a few years ago.’

‘Oh yeah, I heard that too. They say she was in Hufflepuff. I wonder what house I’m going to be in. I hope it’s Gryffindor,’ he added as he reached out for a Cauldron Cake. ‘I’d die if I’d have to tell my parents I’d been put in Slytherin.’
Sirius sat in silence as James listed down the reasons why he’d rather go to Muggle school than stay in Slytherin. He remembered what his father had told him before they had set off for King’s Cross Station that morning.

‘Boy,’ his father had growled, ‘It is the pride of the Black family that every one of us had been in Slytherin. We will not tolerate anyone being in houses other that Slytherin. And I hope you will not bring shame on our family, like Andromeda did. Do you hear me?’
Sirius had looked coldly up at his father, and said, ‘I hear you, father.’ Then he had turned his back on him and walked away, ignoring his father’s angry summons.

Sirius jolted back to the present and shook his head vigorously to clear his head of the distasteful memory. That was the main reason he couldn’t wait to go to Hogwarts; so that he could live his own life. He was tired of being controlled by his father, of hearing his mother’s vicious talks about half-bloods and Muggle-borns.

‘And lastly,’ James said, ticking off his fingers, ‘I would rather have no magical powers than become friends with someone like Lucius Malfoy!’

Sirius jerked his head up at the familiar name. ‘You know the Malfoys?’ he asked.

James made a disgusted face, and reached out for a few Chocolate Frogs. ‘Unfortunately, yes. His father works at the Ministry with mine. I met Lucius Malfoy while we were shopping in Diagon Alley for my school supplies. He was already bragging to everyone that he was going to be in Slytherin, like his ancestors.’

James seemed to expect some sort of reaction from Sirius, so he snorted too. But in fact, he was worried that the sorting hat might see his lineage and put him in Slytherine, too, just like his ancestors.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a prefect looked in. ‘First-Years?’ he asked? The two boys nodded in unison. ‘You’d better get your school robes on. We’ll be arriving shortly.’ Then the prefect left them to pass the message to other first-years.

Sirius was preoccupied in thoughtful silence as they took out their school robes from their trunk. It felt as if his gut was twisted into knots of despair. He did not want to be in Slytherin, he’d had enough of that at home. He wanted to be different from the rest of the family; he wanted to be more like his cousin Andromeda. Andromeda was in Griffindor, and she had always had friends from other houses, too. She was his favourite cousin because she was very different from her sisters Bellatrix and Narcissa, who were very cold and snobbish. Bellatrix had already left Hogwarts, she graduated a year ago. But Andromeda and Narcissa were still at Hogwarts; Andromeda in her seventh and final year, and Narcissa in her third year.

No, he thought, he certainly did not want to end up like Narcissa and Bellatrix. He stole a glance at James. If many students at Hogwarts think like James did, then he probably won’t get many friends there. His gut gave another squeeze, and suddenly Sirius felt miserable. He was unsure of himself; all he knew was that he would not end up like his family.
That thought gave him a boost, and he felt a little better after making that resolution. He smiled grimly to himself. Sorry Father, he thought, looks like I’m going to bring shame on the family name.

They could feel the train slowing down as Sirius pulled his robes over his head. The boys quickly finished dressing and scrambled over to the window to peer through the darkness outside. To their disappointment, they couldn’t see anything. All along the train, doors were slammed open; people were scrambling about and yelling to each other. Sirius and James went to the door and opened it, looking into the chaos in the corridor. People were already getting off the train.

‘Leave your trunks in the train, but take your pets. Go to Hagrid, he’ll take the first years up to the castle,’ said a prefect passing by, then he was gone.

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged.

‘What’s Hagrid?’ asked Sirius blankly.
‘I dunno.. he must be some sort of person. Let’s go and see.’ James grabbed his owl, stepped out of the train and looked around, Sirius following behind him.

‘Firs’-Years, over here! Firs’-Years follow me!’ A gruff voice came from their right. The boys pushed through the crowd, and finally saw a group of students gathered around the biggest man he had ever seen. He had long black hair tangled around his head, black beard and moustache that fell to his chest and hands the size of dustbin lids.

‘Firs’-Years? Come over here, then!’ he shouted to the two boys. Sirius and James joined the group nervously, as Hagrid counted the students.

‘Alrigh’, everyone here, let’s go then. The Firs’-Years traditionally go to the castle by boat. Yeh there, keep close, we don want anyone left behin’,’ said Hagrid,leading the way to the edge of a big black lake, where a dozen or so row boats floated peacefully on the surface.

‘Alrigh’ now, four to a boat! Careful now!’ Hagrid’s voice pierced through the stillness of the evening air. James and Sirius scampered into a boat near them, and were soon joined by a redheaded girl, and a blonde boy clutching a cat. Right after the blonde boy seated himself, the boat began to rock gently and soon they were sailing smoothly across the blackness of the lake.

There was something about the night; maybe it was the glassy surface of the lake, or the still evening air, or the soft lapping sound of the water splashing against the sides of the boat, that seemed to command absolute silence. The first years sat in their boats in silence, shivering occasionally when a chilly breeze blew their way. James felt that the scene was so hauntingly magical that he couldn’t suppress the feeling of anticipation inside him.

Sirius stared ahead, and grinned to himself. The boat ride, to him, was like a sign; that his life in Hogwarts was indeed going to be adventurous. He pulled his cloak tighter around him and stole a glance at James. He was staring into the black water below them with an excited expression on his face, and Sirius knew that James was having trouble holding back the same feeling he was having. He then glanced at the redheaded girl behind him. Her facial expression was a cross between anticipation and nervousness. The blonde boy with the cat was looking downright scared and not at all bothering to try to hide it.

They finally reached the bank of the lake, and Hagrid told them all to climb out of their boat. They stood at the edge of the lake, looking up at the towering castle in front of them. Sirius’s first thought was that it looked exactly as he imagined, from the description Andromeda had given.
James stared up at the castle in front of them, looming high with its turrets and towers, and thought that it was absolutely beautiful. He longed to explore its corridors, find hidden passages and secret rooms.

Hagrid led them across the grounds towards the castle. He came to a halt at the great oak doors which James assumed was the front doors, and knocked the door three times with his enormous knuckles.

There was total silence except for the sound of Hagrid’s knocks echoing through the castle. Then, the doors slowly creaked open.

The doors creaked open, and a tall woman wearing dark green robes and a tall hat stood before them. She had a very stern face, and the girls at the front of the group took a few nervous steps backwards.

‘Firs’-Years, Professor McGonagall,’ said Hagrid.

‘Thank you, Hagrid. I’ll take them from here.’

She pulled the door open and ushered them inside. They found themselves in the Entrance Hall, which was bigger that any indoor space Sirius had ever seen.

‘Welcome to Hogwarts,’ said Professor McGonagall. ‘You will shortly be sorted into houses, before the start-of-term banquet begins. You will have classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend your free time in your common room. The Hogwarts houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While you are in Hogwarts, your success will earn you points, and your misbehaviour will lose your house points. By the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup.

‘Any questions?’ she asked in a clipped voice. No one answered, though there was an increase in the amount of shuffling around. ‘Very well, then. We shall come back for you when we are ready to begin The Sorting.’ And she left through another door.

The group stood huddled together, waiting in silence. After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open and professor McGonagall appeared again.

‘Form a line,’ she said, ‘and follow me.’

James looked over at Sirius, shrugged and joined the line heading out of the chamber and into the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was absolutely gigantic. It had four long tables full of students, and the ceiling, much to James’s astonishment, was not a ceiling at all; instead he could see up to the sky, which was now dark with heavy clouds. Occasionally, lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the dim lighted hall. Noticing the dim lighting, James looked around and saw hundreds of lighted candles floating in mid-air.

The first years stopped right in front of the hall, across a shorter table where James assumed the teachers were dining. Professor McConagall turned around to face the students, and James noticed for the first time that she was standing beside a three-legged stool on which stood a really old wizard’s hat.

‘The Sorting will now begin,’ announced Professor McGonagall to the hall, to which polite applause followed. James looked around in confusion, but everyone seemed to be looking at the hat, so he did too. Seconds later, the hat stirred, and a long rip near the brim opened, like a mouth. Much to James’s astonishment, the hat began to sing.


'Welcome, welcome to Hogwarts
Where the great and powerful dwell
If you’re wondering which house you’ll be
Give me a moment, which house is whose, I’ll tell

For those who might belong in Gryffindor
Courage and bravery must be your core
Those who dream to be in Hufflepuff
Must be loyal and be made of good stuff
To be a student of Ravenclaw
Is intelligent without flaw
And if your house is Slytherin
Ambition and cunning from within

So come up here; don’t be afraid
I don’t eat little kids
Come put me on top of your head
And I will tell you where to sit!'


The whole hall broke into applause, at which the hat wiggled a little, as if taking a bow. After the applause had died down, professor McGonagall pulled a scroll of parchment from inside her robes.

‘When I call out your names, you will sit on the stool and put the hat on your head. When it shouts out which House you are in, you may join the respective tables.’

‘Adison, Mandy!’
A skinny girl from the back of the line walked up to the stool and sat, putting the hat on her hear. She was obviously shivering from head to toe.

‘Ravenclaw!’ shouted the hat. Mandy pulled the hat off her head and went to join the Ravenclaw table.

‘Arden, William!’
‘Hufflepuff!’
‘Bell, Kenneth!’
‘Griffindor!’

Then-
‘Black, Sirius.’

James patted him on the back as Sirius made his way to the stool, struggling to show no sign of emotion. He slowly sat on the stool, and pulled the hat onto his hat. Then he waited.

‘Aha,’ whispered a voice in his ear, but it might as well have been a shout considering the fright it gave Sirius. ‘Aha, another Black, is it? Well, I suppose you want to be put in Slytherin, too?’

Sirius shut his eyes at the question, all the time in his mind thinking, ‘No!, I don’t want to go to Slytherin!’

‘No?’ asked the hat knowingly. ‘Well, where shall we put you then? You have an extraordinary mind, you know, and yes, very talented. A strong sense of adventure, I see. Well, if you’re sure you don’t want to go in Slytherin, I’ll just have to put you in… GRYFFINDOR!’

Sirius opened his eyes, aware that his heart was thudding rapidly in his chest. He got up from the stool, and walked towards the table on the right where the occupants were clapping for him. He could see Andromeda’s face, and he hurried to join her, relief washing over him as he realised that he was finally free from his father’s grasp.

*

James heaved a sigh of relief when Sirius was announced a Gryffindor. Contrary to how he’d been acting, he was aware of Sirius’s background. In fact, he’d even seen him a few times at the parties his father took him to sometimes. Sirius Black, the first son of the 15th generation of the Black Family, a family infamous for its Pure-Blood obsession. Every Black was expected to be sorted into Slytherin at birth, and anyone being sorted into other houses would be considered a disgrace to the family.

He could sense that Sirius was different, though, from the very first moment he shook his hand on the train. The fact that he had appeared hesitant and unsure about being at Hogwarts had surprised James very much. He had expected a Black to be bold, arrogant and snobbish; pretty much like Lucius Malfoy.

Oh well, he grinned to himself, there’s bound to be one black sheep in a family, even the Black family.

‘Evans, Lily,’ called out the grim Professor. The red headed girl in the boat with them earlier walked forward, her head held high as she passed Lucius Malfoy, who was whispering something to a boy beside him, smirking. James rolled his eyes, disgusted with the gesture, which James guessed was meant to intimidate the girl. She must be Muggle-born, then, for Malfoy to act that way.

‘Gryffindor!’

Considering he was from a pure-blood family, it’s quite strange that James had been totally ignorant about Hogwarts. The truth was that his father had not wanted to tell him anything. ‘Finding everything out for yourself is going to be part of your education in Hogwarts,’ he had said. ‘Believe me, you’ll find out more about Hogwarts than any other student there. You’ll need some help, of course, which I’ll be giving to you before you leave. Don’t worry about it, you’ll do fine there.’

Recalling the conversation with his father, James remembered the brown package his father had thrust upon him before he boarded the train. That must be the ‘help’ his father had been talking about. He wondered what it was. His father had been very secretive about it.

‘Potter, James!’

James jerked himself from his train of thoughts, and walked up to the stool. Oddly enough, he did not feel nervous anymore, just an uncomfortable feeling from having so many eyes on him. He sat on the stool, took the hat in his hands and slipped it onto his head, flattening his untidy black hair.

‘Potter, Potter…’ whispered a voice in his ear. James nearly yelled in shock, but managed to restrain himself from letting out any noise. ‘Yes, a great mind, very great, if I do say so myself. A Pure-blood, huh? A long ancestry in Gryffindor. I suppose that’s where you want to go? Courage seems to run in your veins. Very well, then… Gryffindor!’

James took the hat off his head, grinning in a relieved sort of way and slipped into the seat beside Sirius, who was already holding up his hand for a high five. He looked around the table and realised for the first time that he was extremely hungry. Being nervous must have used a lot of his energy, he thought. There was golden plates and goblets on the table, which were really beautiful but would have looked better with food on them.

Perhaps because he was so preoccupied with his thoughts of food, he did not pay much attention to the rest of the Sorting. He only raised his head when he heard a familiar name or two. Finally, after ‘Snape, Severus’ was sorted into Slytherin (Malfoy, too, had been sorted into Slytherin), Professor McGonagall carried the stool and the sorry-looking hat out of the Great Hall. At the High Table, Professor Dumbledore (who, of course, everyone knows) got to his feet and a hush fell upon the Hall.

‘Welcome to yet another year at Hogwarts!’ he said, beaming around the Hall. ‘I have a few things to say, but before that, let’s tuck in!’

The Hall broke into hearty applause, and the noise level increased. James looked in front of him and noticed that the golden plates and goblets were laden with all sorts of food. Without wasting any time, James leaned forward and began piling his plate with a little of everything.

*

Sirius leaned back on his chair, eyeing the treacle pudding in front of him wearily. He would have wanted to finish that along with the other dishes he had just swallowed, but he wasn’t at all sure if he could do that without bursting his robes. Just as he decided to take just one last bite, the pudding vanished, along with every other leftovers on the table.

Another hush fell upon the Hall as Albus Dumbledore stood again. He cleared his throat for attention, and spoke aloud. ‘Now that we are full and happy, let me first remind you of the few rules that you must remember to follow. No wandering into the Forbidden Forest, no spells in the corridors, and please, no vandalising the stone gargoyle outside my rooms.’
‘We would like to welcome a new member of the staff, Professor Orsino, who will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Orsino is a man of great experience and knowledge, so I assure you that last year’s fiasco with Professor Greyish will not be repeated.’

Sirius leaned over to Andromeda and whispered, 'What happened with Professor Greyish?'
'Shhh!,' she hissed back. 'I'll tell you later, it's quite funny, really.'

‘Very well, I will stop prattling like an old man now so that you may fulfil your wished of lying in your warm beds. Good night!’

Sirius got up from his seat and followed a Gryffindor prefect who had taken command of the First-Years. They were directed up to Gryfindor Tower through about a dozen staircases, finally coming to a stop in front of a portrait of a fat lady dressed in pink.

‘Nutcase,’ said the prefect clearly, and the portrait swung open to reveal a door. The First-Years scrambled inside, where they found themselves inside a cosy circular room with a large fireplace at one side, and two doorways leading off the room.

‘This is the Gryffindor Common Room,’ he said to the group. ‘You may spend your free time here. Up there’- he pointed to the left doorway- ‘is the boys’ dormitory. The girls’ are on the right.’ Then the prefect went back through the portrait hole, mumbling something about seeing the Headmaster about some new rules.

As Sirius settled himself in his bed a few minutes later, feeling full and warm, he smiled thinking that finally, something was going right in his life. That was the last thing he remembered before he fell into a deep sleep the smile still on his face.

James woke up early the next morning with a funny sort of feeling in his stomach. He rolled onto his back and reached under his pillow for his watch. Fifteen minutes to eight. He wondered why the pillow felt different, though. In fact, the whole bed felt different; a bit harder and wider than his normal bed.

Then it hit him: he was at Hogwarts! With that realization, he sat up and hopped down from bed in one quick motion, suddenly alert. He looked around the circular room. There were four other beds besides his and each one was still occupied. James got dressed quickly and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Because it was still early, there were only a few students at each table. James pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from inside his robes and began to write a letter for his parents.

By the time Sirius slipped onto the bench across from him half-an-hour later, James had already finished the letter, and was reading it one last time before sending it with Gale to his parents.

Dear Mum and Dad,
The journey was quite good, I sat in a compartment with Sirius Black. I know he’s a Black, but he’s OK, really. In fact, he’s not even in Slytherin. He’s in Gryffindor, with me. You were right, Mum, Professor McGonagall looks a bit scary. And I saw Professor Dumbledore at the feast last night, he looks very old.
I still haven’t got my new time tables, but I expect to be getting them sometime this morning. In fact, I can see Professor McGonagall entering the Hall now, she must be about to give them out. I’ll tell you how my classes are later this week.
I think that’s it, really. Write back soon and tell me how things are at home. Give Groggy a hug for me, don’t forget his Muggle dog food, he loves them.
Love you,
James

He finished reading the letter, rolled it up tightly and put it away in his pocket. He’d send it with Gale as soon as he finished breakfast. He looked across the table at Sirius, who was sitting with his elbow on the table and his head in his hand. The other hand was holding a piece of toast, on which he had apparently been nibbling before he dozed off.

‘Oi!’ yelled James loudly. Sirius jerked awake with a loud snort and glared blearily at James, who grinned. He reached out for a piece of toast and began spreading butter lavishly onto it. Sirius resumed his nibbling of the toast, and was just about to fall asleep again when Professor McGonagall came towering over to them.

‘Potter and Black...’ she muttered under her breath. ‘Ah, here you go, Mr. Black, and this is yours, Mr. Potter. You’ll be having Potions in the dungeons with Professor Slughorn, Herbology in the greenhouses outside, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms and Transfiguration in the castle. Good day.’ She handed them each a piece of paper which turned out to be their time tables, and moved along the table to seek out other First-Years.

James peered down at his piece of paper and frowned thoughtfully. ‘Double Transfiguration this morning,’ he said out loud. ‘And Herbology. Double Potions this afternoon.’ He looked up at Sirius with a worried frown on his face. ‘I don’t know a single spell yet, my father never taught me any. He said underage wizards shouldn’t do magic at all. Yeah, well he works at the Ministry and all… What about you, though?’


Sirius shook his head glumly over his goblet of pumpkin juice. ‘Nope, my father isn’t really teacher material. He’s hardly ever home.’ He took swig of pumpkin juice and put the goblet down on the table a bit too forcefully. He stared in silence at a spot over James’s left shoulder for a while, then grabbed another piece of toast. ‘Well, we still have another thirty minutes before class starts. Want to look over the Quidditch pitch?’ he asked.

James looked at his watch and shook his head. ‘Nah, I’m going up to the Owlery. Need to post a letter to my parents, they’ll be worried about me.’ He gulped down the rest of his juice and stood up. ‘Coming?’

‘Yeah, OK.’ Grabbing a few more toasts, Sirius, too, stood up and followed James into the Entrance Hall.

*

‘Transfiguration,’ said Professor McGonagall half-an-hour later, ‘is the magic of changing something into something else.’ She pulled her wand out from under her robes, and flicked it at her desk. There were many gasps when, right where her desk had been, a hippo appeared. But with another flick of her wand, the desk was back in place.

‘It is, however, not just flicking and waving your wand. You will need concentration, undivided attention and confidence when doing Transfiguration.’ Behind him, James heard a low groan. He turned around and saw a boy with blonde hair slouched low in his chair. He recognised the boy as the same one in the boat with him when they were sailing across the lake last night.

‘Any problems, Mr. Pettigrew?’ came the clipped voice of the professor from the front of the classroom. The boy reddened and shook his head, slouching lower still so that only his eyes were visible.

‘Very well, today we will begin the most basic Transfiguration. You will attempt to Transfigure these matchsticks-,’ she waved her wand and a matchstick appeared in front of every student- ‘into a needle. You will need full concentration for this, so please, no talking.’

James looked doubtfully at the matchstick in front of him. Beside him, Sirius was prodding his with his wand, giving a loud yelp as it burst into fire. James picked up the matchstick, then laid it back down.

Oh well, he thought, looking around. Nobody had yet managed to turn their matches into anything besides ashes. At least I won’t look too stupid.

He took a deep breath, concentrated on an image of a needle in his head and gave the matchstick a tap with his wand.
‘Blimey! James, you did it!’ gasped Sirius from beside him. James looked down at his matchstick in surprise, but there was no matchstick there. Instead, a needle lay on his desk, its point gleaming in the morning sunlight.

He was aware of other students turning their heads to look at him, and he could feel his face grow warm. Then suddenly, Professor McGonagall was at his side, picking up his needle and examining it. Satisfied, she laid the needle back on his desk and, to his surprise, gave him a small smile.

‘Excellent, Potter. I haven’t seen anyone getting it right on the first try. Were you taught to do magic at home?’

‘N- no, Professor,’ stammered James, a bit nervous by the attention he was getting.

‘Well, in that case, take twenty points for Gryffindor,’ she said and walked back to the front of the class. ‘Alright, concentrate now. You still have one more hour to turn your matchstick into a needle.’

He could not believe he had been able to do magic on his first try. James turned his attention back to his desk. There was another matchstick there, beside his needle. He looked at Sirius beside him, who was frowning in concentration, muttering under his breath. He prodded his matchstick with his wand again.


Sirius glared at his matchstick, hoping to scare it into Transfiguring itself. But the matchstick appeared impossible to be intimidated. He took another deep breath, concentrated on a needle and prodded his matchstick again.

To his absolute surprise, he saw the matchstick turn silver, then growing pointy at one end. He gave a whoop of triumph, then held up his needle as if it was a trophy.

‘Good work, Black, take fifteen points for Gryffindor,’ announced Professor McGonagall, seeing the perfect silver needle in Sirius’s hand. James thumped him on the back.

‘Alright! We’re the only ones who’ve managed to do it. It isn’t so hard after all, magic, is it?’ said James, tapping his wand on another matchstick and turning it into a needle.

Sirius grinned. ‘Yeah, I thought we’d be complete dungbrains here. Pheww,’ he wiped his forehead on his head in mock relief. James laughed, though relief was evident in his laughter, too. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then Professor McGonagall swooped down on them.

‘Right, then,’ she said, ‘now that you have completed your tasks, you can move on to the second one. Here,’ she handed them each a teacup, ‘try to turn this into a saucer. You will find it a bit more difficult, but if you can manage it, fifty points will be awarded to Gryffindor.’


By the time the Gryffindor first-years were making their way through the grounds for Herbology, James had already won the house fifty more points.

‘I don’t know how you did it, mate. My teacup didn’t budge at all,’ complained Sirius. James laughed. He was feeling very good indeed. He had managed to turn his teacup into a saucer on his third attempt, and Professor McGonagall had seemed very impressed with him. She had even given him the next task; turning the saucer into a teapot, in which he had been unsuccessful. He did not feel very bad about it, though, since Professor McGonagall had told them that they were only supposed to be turning saucers into teapots next term.

‘Believe me, I was pretty surprised myself. I never thought I could do it. You weren’t too bad, though. You were the second one to turn the matchstick into a needle, and only four of us managed to do it by the end of the class. I mean, for a first timer, that’s quite an achievement.’

‘Yeah, you’re right. Still, that’s only Transfiguration. We still have Herbology, Potions, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Transfiguration might be the easy one!’

James gave a shudder at the prospect. ‘Well, let’s hope not!’