Chapter 1- And they were born

“Congratulations! It’s a boy!� the Healer felicitated the woman who was lying on the bed. The mother glanced at the baby, which was in the cot adjacent to her bed.

The occupant of the crib was a newly born baby boy with raven black hair, like that of his mother, and grey eyes. He looked cute and innocent, just like the typical babies.

This was Walburga Black's first child. The next moment, her husband entered the room and examined the baby and his wife. When he saw that both were fine, he said a few words to his spouse and left for work as he was a busy man. Then the baby’s aunt and uncle arrived with their daughters: Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa.

They left soon and the baby was left alone with his mother who insisted on going back home. She took the Floo Network back home with the baby, turning a deaf ear to the Healer’s protests. She had performed a spell on the baby so that he was in a deep sleep and did not mind the ashes or the weird feeling of traveling by using Floo Powder at all.

Mrs Black went straight to her room, kept the baby in the cot and went to the mirror to inspect her self. She was not up to her usual self and that was sort of surprising for her. She had not been warned that having a baby was going to be the most difficult effort of her life. There was a little bit of soot on her thick black hair (no doubt from travelling by using the Floo), which she brushed off. Then she applied mascara on her beautiful long eyelashes. She applied black eye make up, which literally made her eyes look black. But she looked beautiful all the same.

Then she turned the long deserved attention towards the infant and smiled. It was not the usual cold, artificial smile of hers. It was a genuine one which reached her eyes.

Walburga left the room after calling a house-elf to look after the baby. Then she went downstairs and into the drawing room. She went straight to the tapestry on top of which was written:

The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Toujours pur'

She closely examined it, muttering to herself whilst she did so. ‘That’s it!’ she thought to herself and left the room and went upstairs to her room.

Walburga had decided that her first son’s name should be Sirius because no one from the previous generation had been named Sirius. By the looks of the family tree, it had been a sort of a tradition in the Black family to have at least one person in each generation who would be called Sirius. She didn’t want the custom to be forgotten and had thought that she would honour her first son to carry out the tradition. So, that infant, who was born on the 25th of November, was christened 'Sirius Orion Black.'.
*****

“Wow! Can I hold her, Dad? Please?� pleaded a toddler to her father.

“Well… okay, but be careful,� Mr Evans replied back after contemplating over it.

He went to the crib, carefully took the baby in his arms and gave her to his eldest daughter, Petunia, who was thrilled.

Mr David Evans had become a proud father of another daughter. His wife Nancy had already discussed it with him before. If it were to be a boy, he would be named Rupert and if it would be a girl they would call her Lily. And so it was. A baby girl was born on 30th January 1960, who was called Lily Nancy Evans.

After three days, the mother and the daughter went back home from the hospital. Petunia was thrilled; she was only three years old and was very excited with the arrival of a sister. It was enough to make her shout with sheer happiness although she was a bit disappointed. Lily was not like her. She had dark red hair and green eyes. Lily was not at all like Petunia who was thin, blonde and had a long neck and a face.

Petunia just couldn’t wait to play with her new sister. But, she couldn’t do anything about it. Lily was a newborn, whose only way of communicating was crying or moving her chubby hands. She was quite adorable. Very beautiful, just like an angel.

*****

There was a baby lying in the cot with light brown hair and matching eyes. This child was only a week old. This infant was born on 10th March 1960 and was named Remus John Lupin.

When Mrs Rosie Lupin saw the baby, she was ecstatic. This was her first baby who was born alive. The first time she got pregnant, she had had a terrible accident, which had resulted in a miscarriage. She had then been like the living dead. She had almost committed suicide when the Healer had said that there were very slim chances of her being able to conceive again. But her optimistic husband had made her forget about the past although he had been as sad about it. But then, there was no use moaning over it. They had to carry on with their lives and not cry their hearts out for someone who hadn’t even come in this world. A year had passed since the miscarriage and she had become almost the same as before thanks to her husband. And when she had become pregnant again, she had been overjoyed. And then, she had given birth to Remus.

Mrs Lupin walked over to the cot and scooped the baby up in her arms. She considered herself really lucky. Mr John Lupin- her husband, was very, very glad. And so, to celebrate and share their happiness with everyone, they had called a few friends and neighbours over. There was no one in their family except a cousin of Mr Lupin, and he also lived abroad. So basically they did not have anyone in the family to invite and share their joy with.

Mrs Lupin looked up when she felt the warm pressure of a hand on her shoulder. It was her husband standing there, his hand on her shoulder, smiling. She was happy, her husband was happy, everyone was happy! They finally had a baby. Nothing would happen to this baby… Life was perfect!

*****

“How are you feeling now my dear?� asked a concerned voice. The occupant of the bed, whose black hair was spread on the pillows, looked up. She saw her husband; his forehead creased with worry lines, and gave a quivering smile. He held her hand and returned back her smile saying, “I have just sent an Owl to Mother and Father telling them that now they are grandparents.� His smile widened into a grin as he said this. Obviously he was very excited about finally being a father.

Mrs Dorea Potter’s eyes reverted back to the cot beside her bed. She had given birth to her first baby boy an hour back on 27th March 1960. Delivering a baby, especially the first one, is not a joke and also the fact mattered that she was not exactly young at thirty five. She felt a little weak but was excited that now she had earned the sacred title of ‘Mother’.

Soon the Healer gave Mrs Potter the permission to return home. It was huge, just like a mansion. It had to be, her husband being a very successful, highly trained Auror and had also inherited quite a bit of money. His grandfather had left around five hundred Galleons for him. After a week of rest, Mrs Potter continued with her daily tasks, such as telling the house-elf what to do.

That day Mrs Potter was sitting on the couch cradling the infant whom the couple had christened James Charlus Potter, in her arms, happy to be back home. She heard footsteps and glanced up to see Mr Charlus Potter- her husband. She gave a small smile when she thought that James resembled Charlus a lot. Her son was fair and had the famous Potter hair and hazel eyes, the only trait which was not his father’s. Mr Potter had brown eyes and his wife green, so it kind of made sense.

“Yes, dear?� Mrs Potter asked her husband after placing James carefully in the cot.

“Sweetheart, I am just going to work now. Mother wrote that now that you are finally home, she would be coming for a week or so. (They had already visited them in St. Mungos but she wanted to spend a little bit of quality time with her daughter-in-law and grandson.) My parents will be Apparating in the evening. Bye and take care of yourself and James,� he replied with a smile. He ruffled the infant’s hair and Disapparated.

Mrs Potter smiled and let her thoughts wander, only to be interrupted by James’ cries. She took the baby in her arms and went to the bed to feed him. Soon, the young boy became quiet and went to sleep. Mrs Potter also thought of resting and laid down. She hadn’t had proper sleep since the last week and soon followed her son’s example and went to sleep.

*****

“So have you thought of any name for this little baby?� Mrs Raymond asked whilst cradling Mrs Pettigrew’s one-day-old baby in her hands.

Mrs Pettigrew shrugged. “Well, we have thought of a few names but my husband will decide the final one,� the mother answered back with a forced smile.

“Okay. Well, I’ll be going now. I have my own children to look after.� She smiled and then continued, “Bye and take care!� After giving the baby in his mother’s arms, the visitor left the house.

Mrs Pettigrew had given birth to a baby boy on 12th May 1960. He was not skinny like babies usually are, but was chubby. He had small, watery eyes. His very less hair was thin and colourless.

A week had passed after the conversation with Mrs Raymond. It was on the seventh day that Mr Pettigrew finally decided the boy’s name. He was called ‘Peter Pollex Pettigrew’. Although Mrs Pettigrew had thought about ‘Harold’, naming the child after her dead father, her husband had flatly refused. It had always been like that. Mr Pettigrew had always done what he wanted to do and Mrs Joan Pettigrew’s nature was such that she always listened to him. She never fought for her rights. For her, whatever her husband said had to be correct. Even though she admitted to herself that he was usually wrong.

Mr Thomas Pettigrew was cruel. He was harsh. He had always had his way and because of this his parents had disowned him but it still didn’t affect his nature. He did whatever he wished to do.

On the other hand, Mrs Pettigrew was a sweet, innocent lady. She always used to succumb to her husbands wishes. Whatever he said was law. It had to be followed. Life was really tough.

Her chain of morbid thoughts was broken when she heard a shout. She sighed. Her man was bidding her to come downstairs and sit with him and as usual she would listen to his requests. Or rather, ‘demand’ would be a more appropriate word.

She went downstairs, leaving the sleeping baby behind.

*****

Chapter 2- Forward eleven years

Even after eleven years, Mrs Black was still beautiful. Her thick black hair was the same as before. But the little cute baby in the cot had gone through a drastic change. There was no longer a tuft of hair on his scalp; it had grown into long, thin black hair. His height was pretty good considering his age, and he was rather good-looking, though only eleven. The grey eyes remained the same, but the expressions within them had surely changed over the period of years. Now they were lonely and full of anger. That was because he was not ‘normal’. He wasn’t a werewolf, he wasn’t even a Squib, but according to his mother, he was not ‘normal’. And that was just because he talked to Half-bloods and the blood-traitors whenever he left the house. He was not a true Black. This was Sirius Black.

His mother disliked him, not exactly a feeling that mothers usually harbour for their children, especially not their first child. Mrs Black was harsh towards the boy and it was a good thing that he was tough, or he would have soon broken down. She threatened and abused him. Mrs Black compared him with his younger brother Regulus and always said that Regulus was much better.

Regulus was two years younger than he was. Sirius had brotherly feelings for Regulus, but his dear younger brother was not made of as strong of stuff as he was. And when he saw what Sirius had to go through when he didn’t listen to their mother, he became afraid. So just to keep out of danger, he always followed his mother’s commands. The brothers’ feelings for each other were mutual, but Regulus never displayed them in public- or in front of his family. When his mother insulted Sirius, Regulus just used to sit in the corner and try to block his ears. He respected Sirius because his older brother never cried. He never whimpered. He just stood there and took it all, and after their mother left, Regulus would ask Sirius whether he was fine or not and the answer was always in the affirmative. That yes, he was fine.

Sirius’ father Orion was not as harsh as his wife, but that didn’t mean that he loved his son. May-be he was just as cruel as his wife, but Sirius never knew, as his father rarely used to be at home.

Life at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place was not good. There were several rules and restrictions to be followed. Also, the muttering house-elf made it worse. When a brown owl swept down the breakfast table towards Sirius with the Hogwarts letter, he was overjoyed. He would finally be free from his family, although he would miss Regulus a bit. But then there were always the Christmas and Easter Break. He also nurtured this hope that if he stayed away from the house for a few months, maybe his mother would start caring about him, miss him even. Maybe, just maybe, she would even miss him as her eldest son, and not just as someone to abuse. There was no harm in hoping, was there?

Sirius would finally be free in Hogwarts. His mother would not be there breathing down his neck. But then, a thought struck him and he groaned. His cousins Andromeda and Narcissa would be there. He liked Andromeda, but he hated Cissy. ’But thank Merlin Bella is out of Hogwarts,’ he thought to himself.

’And they’d be in Slytherin anyway.’

‘Who said that you would not be going to Slytherin?’ piped up a small voice in his head. ’Most likely you would be, considering that your whole family has been in Slytherin.’

He couldn’t help thinking that if he didn’t go to Slytherin, his mother would have no qualms about killing him. But if he went to Gryffindor, then first his mother would perform the Cruciatus Curse, and then say ‘Avada Kedavra!’

Suddenly, Sirius felt something wet on his head. His mother had been saying something and had thought that he was deliberately ignoring her so she had ordered Kreacher- the house elf, to pour the jug of pumpkin juice on his head, and of course, Kreacher had obeyed his mistress.

Shocked and furious, Sirius looked up to see his mother grinning smugly.

‘So, I was saying, that as you have got the letter and I need to buy a book or two, we will be going to Diagon Alley today.’ She stopped grinning and said in a stern voice, ‘And if I catch you talking to any Mudblood then you will wish you were never born. Now hurry up with your breakfast and go get dressed.’

Sirius got up and went to his room at once. He had not had his breakfast; he only had a bite or two of his toast. He never left his plate empty, but he was too excited to eat. He rushed to his dresser to figure out what to wear. It didn’t take long as he only had robes and a few hats. He did not have any Muggle clothing. The Blacks had always thought that they were a cut above the rest. None of them wore Muggle clothes just because they were pure-bloods.

Sirius felt something sticky on his neck and then he remembered that there was the pumpkin juice that he had to take care of. He went to take a quick shower and carefully washed his hair to get rid of the offending beverage. He came out and quickly changed into a black robe. He remained upstairs until he felt sure that his mother must have left to change her clothes and apply makeup. He thought it might be safe enough to go down and wolf down his toast. But when he went down, his mother wasn’t there nor was the plate. Kreacher, on Mrs Black’s order had cleared up the whole table. Sirius’ stomach was rumbling with the need of food, but he would rather die than even mention it to his mother.

Mrs Black came down with a satisfied smile when she heard the roaring of Sirius’ stomach. She took a pinch of Floo Powder, clearly said, ‘Diagon Alley,’ and entered the emerald green flames.

Sirius waited for a few minutes savouring the house without his mother’s screams. He took a deep breath and let go of the Powder, shouted, ‘Diagon Alley!’ and he too vanished into the fire.

*****

‘Lily, will you get the door please?’ Mrs Evans called out as someone rang the bell.

Lily switched off the television and went to open the door. The visitor was a tiny man who was almost as tall as Lily.

‘Hello!’ Lily greeted the man.

‘Hello! I am Professor Flitwick from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,’ he introduced himself.

Before Lily could reply, her mother arrived and her mouth opened in shock to see such a tiny person, but she quickly recovered and introduced herself. Then the two retired in the kitchen. Lily went back in the lounge to watch television while thinking about what the man had said. ‘Hogwarts? I have heard that name somewhere,’Lily thought. And then it hit her. ‘Oh my goodness! That boy, what was his name… oh yes, Severus, he was right! There is a school for wizards and witches. He told me that months ago.’

Lily waited for the two to come out of the kitchen impatiently. Was it true? Was she a witch? She flipped through various channels, but never settled on any one. And then, after what seemed like years, but was only half an hour, the two came out. Mrs Evans’ face was a bit white and Professor Flitwick was smiling. He turned to Lily and started talking to her.

He told her that she was a witch and had a place in one of the best schools of witchcraft: Hogwarts. The headmaster was Albus Dumbledore. She would be taught all about magic there. But, they would have to visit a place called Diagon Alley, which was in London. They would buy all of Lily’s schoolbooks and other stuff from there. And the most important thing was her wand, which she would use to perform spells. Professor Flitwick told them how Lily would go to Hogwarts. Then, he took leave and left.

‘So, I am a witch then?’ Lily confirmed from her mother. She still couldn’t believe it.

‘Yes, that was what Professor Flitwick said,’ she replied absentmindedly, but then added, ‘By the way, how did you know about some of the things which he was talking about?’

‘Oh, I know I should have told you before, but Tuney had said that it wasn’t true, so I never mentioned it. There is a boy Severus Snape, he caught me doing things….’

Mrs Evans nodded her head; she knew what ‘things’ Lily was talking about.

‘… He told me that I was a witch and that I would be getting a letter from Hogwarts,’ Lily explained.

‘This letter?’ Mrs. Evans inquired, waving an envelope. Lily took it and examined it.

The letter was very peculiar. It was written on a piece of thick yellow parchment. Scrawled in emerald ink were the words:

Miss L. Evans
The Fourth room
House No. 5
South-east Street
Surrey

She turned over the envelope and saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter ‘H’. Cautiously she opened the envelope and extracted out a piece of parchment, also written in green.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock, Supreme Magwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

‘You go through this; I’ll call your father.’

Lily nodded and continued reading the book list. After she had finished, she sat on the couch waiting for her mother to come back. She returned after twenty minutes.

‘Well, I sort of explained it all briefly to him; he’ll try to come home early today and then we will have a talk about this. Okay, darling?’

Lily just nodded and continued reading the rest of the letter. It all seemed really interesting. She was a witch! She was a witch!

The day passed with Lily daydreaming about her school when her father finally arrived from his office.

‘Hello, sweetie! How are you?’ he greeted his second daughter.

Lily smiled widely and then they sat down together on the couch. Mr Evans made no secret of the fact that he preferred Lily’s company to Petunia’s, even though the latter was his first-born. But Lily just suited him better, although she was only eleven years old.

Mrs Evans entered and Mr Evans kissed his wife’s cheek. Then they all sat down together to discuss what they knew. After an hour, during which Mrs Evans had relayed all the details of what Professor Flitwick had told her, they decided that yes, Lily was a witch and she would be going to Hogwarts.

Lily was very excited and couldn’t sit still, she wished to tell everyone that she was a witch, but the wizard had forbidden her mother to do that. They didn’t want everyone to know that they existed.

At the dinner table, Lily couldn’t eat anything. Petunia noticed this, but didn’t say anything. They continued with their dinner in relative silence except when Mrs Evans announced she was bringing the dessert.

Then Mr Evans went to watch the television while the girls helped their mother clean the table. Afterwards, they retired to their rooms. Lily’s father had promised a trip to Diagon Alley the very next day. It was Sunday, so it would be his day off. Petunia had already left without a word. Lily tucked into her bed and soon fell asleep.

*****

Life was no longer perfect. It was far from that. The perfect life had been limited to only seven years. The Lupins had been a very happy family. Mrs Lupin was unable to conceive again, but she was satisfied and happy. She had a loving husband and Remus.

Remus was a fun-loving boy, though not naughty like the boys of his age usually were. He loved his parents and they loved him in return.

Years had passed full of love and fun and happy moments. But, as always, good times always come to an end. And the Lupins were no exception.

Remus was only seven years old when he was bitten. The Lupins had gone camping during the summer vacations near the forest. One night, Remus had wandered off in the forest, unable to sleep. He was amazed, looking at the different types of trees and birds with the help of the light of the full moon. Then, he heard a noise and thought of fleeing. But, suddenly, out of the bushes came a man. He was twitching uncontrollably. Remus blinked and when he opened his eyes, he could see a fully-fledged werewolf in front of him! Remus was glued to the spot. It was unbelievable. Shaking himself he ran as fast as he could, but he was no match to the werewolf who soon caught up with him. Then, something happened which ruined Remus’ life forever. The werewolf bit the poor boy. Remus being so young couldn’t take it any more, and fainted. Fenrir Greyback had just destroyed Remus’ life.

Mrs Lupin awoke cheerful the next day and went to wake up Remus. When she saw no one in the tent, she gave a high-pitched scream. Her husband came and reassured her that maybe Remus had gone for a walk. But Mrs Lupin wanted to see her son, so Mr Lupin set off to search for Remus. He entered the forest and after using a couple of spells, he found his son.

Remus was lying on the ground. His body covered with innumerable scratches and blood was oozing out from a cut in his hand. “It looks more like a bite,� thought Mr Lupin while examining his son. Joseph knew that if his wife saw their son like this, she would start crying hysterically. So he patched up his son as best he could with spells. “Lucky I knew some of these,� he murmured to himself.

Remus looked better now. The scratches had all been cured, but there was still the blood coming out of his arm and he still hadn’t regained consciousness, but it could not be helped. He went to the tent and kept Remus on the bed. When Rosie saw him, she gave a sigh of relief, but when she saw the cut, she gave a shriek.

Mr. Lupin, who had already anticipated it, said, “Now, now, Rosie, it is just a cut. He was in the forest. And maybe he fainted because he hadn’t had his breakfast and last night he was very picky with his dinner and hadn’t had much. He is just weak.�

Mrs Lupin sobered up a bit but insisted on going to St. Mungo’s. They Apparated to the hospital and Remus was admitted. Two Healers came and inspected the boy. The lady Healer saw the ‘cut’ and shuddered. They of course knew that it was no ordinary ‘cut’. A werewolf had bitten him. They made a potion and told the Lupins that they would have to wait for another five hours until Remus was revived.

The Healers called Mr Lupin and told him about the bite.

Mr Lupin suddenly felt weak and afraid. He couldn’t think. His brain refused to work. A werewolf had bitten Remus. His boy… a werewolf! It was impossible! It sounded insane! His son was normal. Mr Lupin refused to believe it. But then, he reminded himself that he was acting like Rosie. He had to be strong for her, for Remus. The Healers could be wrong, although he doubted it. But his brain just couldn’t accept this fact. He was feeling old, angry, frightened, exhausted, all at once. He did not know what to say. Five hours passed with him deep in thought and then Remus woke up. He was looking very pale.

Mrs Lupin entered the room and started fussing over their ‘little boy’. Remus looked confused for a minute or two and then he remembered what had happened the previous night, but he kept quiet when he saw his father put his finger on his lips, his eyes pleading to Remus to remain silent. Remus understood and nodded his head. Remus was a lot like his father, quiet and composed, clever and smart, very friendly and caring.

They took the Floo Network back home. It was then when Mr Lupin dropped the bomb. Mrs Lupin promptly collapsed on the couch and Remus just stood there staring at his hands. He didn’t do anything, not even scream. He just stood there, his face pale until it couldn’t get any paler. He was quiet. Life had come to a standstill. But, just like his father, he was aware of what was going on, and didn’t rush up to his room or leave the house. Instead, he went to his mother, near whom his father was kneeling. He consoled her, saying that it didn’t matter.

Mr Lupin stood there staring at Remus. He was helpless. He did not know what to do. He could use a Cheering Charm on his wife, but he thought it would be better for her if she would let go of all her emotions and depression that she was going through.

An hour passed and everyone was in the same position, although the sobs of Rosie Lupin had decreased little bit. The whole day passed with Mr Lupin thinking his wife would never stop sobbing, was forced to perform the Cheering Charm on her. Then he took Remus to his room and talked to him.

Remus’ father asked him whether he was feeling fine or not. Remus just nodded and sat on his bed, numb. He didn’t know what to do. He was a werewolf! His whole life was ruined! He would never be able to go to Hogwarts, the place he had heard so much about. He would never be able to make friends. He would have to live a different life, all just because he had wandered off in the dead of the night in the forest. Why hadn’t he been sleeping and then nothing would have happened. Why couldn’t the full moon be on some other night? Why did it have to be that day? Most importantly, why did it have to be him? Was he cursed? Whilst having these thoughts in his mind, Remus dropped off to sleep. Seeing Remus asleep, Joseph left his son’s room and went to his room. He lied down on the bed, next to his wife who had gone to sleep during his absence, thinking, until he too went to sleep.

They spent every bit of their time reading books, talking to the Healers to find anything, which could cure Remus, but their efforts were in vain.

A month passed. Remus was in the basement. After Mr Lupin had had a discussion with his son, he had fixed metal bars at the door. On the night of the full moon, Remus was taken there and locked behind the strong bars. Mr Lupin had given a Sleeping Potion to his wife so that she could sleep. She had been very worried the whole day.

The night passed on, but Mr Lupin was unable to sleep. He had seen his son transforming. It had been horrible. He went back up when he saw that his son, now a werewolf, was tearing or rather trying to tear the metal bars apart to get to his father. So Mr Lupin had thought it would be better to go up. But he didn’t get even a wink of sleep. Who could, when they knew that their son was down there, howling and in pain. And there was nothing that he, the poor son’s father, could do.

The next day, Mr Lupin went down to the basement to check on Remus. He was lying on the floor. His body was covered with scratches and he looked very pale.

Months passed. Rosie and Joseph Lupin had gotten used to this, but they had never totally gotten over it, even though it had been four years since that incident. It was a wound that could never be healed. The scar would remain there. Always.

It was just another Saturday morning and the Lupins were having their breakfast when the barn owl came with a letter. The envelope, which was made of thick yellow parchment was addressed to Mr R. Lupin and there was a seal on the back of it which had an ‘H’ in the middle. Surrounding it were a lion, a snake, a badger and an eagle.

‘Merlin! He has got the letter from Hogwarts!’ shrieked Mrs Lupin, her mouth wide open with shock.

Mr Lupin didn’t say anything. It was true that he wasn’t sure whether Remus would be able to go to Hogwarts or not. But then, the current Headmaster was Albus Dumbledore, so it was possible. All the same, he was very happy for his son.

Then the next moment someone knocked on the door and Mr Lupin got up to open it.

‘Professor Dumbledore!’ greeted Mr Lupin.

‘Hello, Joseph. How are you? And you, Rosie?’ he asked, looking at the couple. Rosie had now revived and was standing up next to her husband.

Remus, seeing his parents standing, dropped his toast and got up too. ‘Good Morning, sir!’ he said.

‘Good morning, Remus,’ Dumbledore said with a smile and then added, ‘Joseph, Rosie, I have some important business, so I am sorry if I am hurrying on you.’

‘No problem, sir,’ said Mr. Lupin.

‘Yes, well,’ started Dumbledore, but he was interrupted by Rosie Lupin.

‘Sir, Remus got his letter. You do know that he is… well,’ she paused searching for the right word, ‘not normal,’ she finished lamely, while looking down at her shoes.






Remus started to leave the room when Professor Dumbledore called him back and addressed him by saying, ‘Remus, there is no reason why you should be ashamed and hide yourself. It is not your fault.’

Then Dumbledore continued, ‘Yes, so Remus Lupin has a place at Hogwarts and I see no reason why he should not be able to attend just because of his bite. If we take proper measures, I am sure that there will be no problem.�

Remus’ eyes widened with astonishment while Rosie just stared at Dumbledore. Joseph Lupin just smiled, always the calm man.

Dumbledore resumed, ‘I have planted a tree outside Hogwarts which will grow to full size within two weeks…’

Remus was stunned. He was actually going to Hogwarts! He couldn’t believe it! He wasn’t even listening to what Dumbledore was saying. He only caught on to a few words, ‘once a month… smuggle out… Madam Pomfrey… tree… tunnel…’ He was going to Hogwarts! When he snapped out of his reverie, he heard the Headmaster saying, ‘Excuse me, but I must leave. Make sure he gets to Diagon Alley to get his books.’

Dumbledore turned to Remus and said, ‘Well, I will meet you on September the first,’ and he winked at him. Remus was dumbfounded.

Mr Lupin started with, ‘Thank you, sir! You don’t know what it means to us…’

‘I am sorry to interrupt you, Joseph. I can only imagine how you are feeling right now. As much as I would like to have a chat with you, it is a pressing matter. I am really needed at the Ministry. Good day!’ He bowed and then left the house.

Mrs Lupin had been too shocked to say anything. Life was getting better. Remus was going to Hogwarts and become a fully educated wizard. It was a cheering thought. Her eyes started to shine because of tears of happiness.

‘Well, Remus. Continue with your breakfast and then we will all go to Diagon Alley,’ said Mr Lupin. He was grinning.

Remus had to force himself to eat his toast. He was very happy! It was like a dream come true. His life would finally be normal. ‘Well, almost normal,’ he muttered to himself, but the negative thoughts weren’t enough to take control over the good ones and Remus got ready to go to Diagon Alley with a smile plastered on his face.

*****
Eleven years had passed in the Potter household. The infant had now grown up into an eleven-year-old boy. He had black hair, which stuck up at odd ends and never flattened, no matter how hard one tried. Mr Potter had the same kind of hair and Mrs Potter had given up a month after she had gotten married to Daniel. James now wore black spectacles, behind which his hazel eyes shone with love and warmth. They twinkled whenever he did mischief and that was often.

James Potter was a handsome young boy with good manners. He was a sweet boy who loved others. But when it came to hating, he was not behind. He hated those wizards who thought that they were a cut above the rest and would call the Muggle-born wizards- Mudbloods just because their parents weren’t wizards. His parents had told him not to listen to this rubbish. All were equal. And James, the dutiful child as he was, listened to them.

James loved his parents. Mr and Mrs Potter were a lovely couple who loved their son and tried their best to stop themselves from indulging him. He was their only son and they would do anything for his happiness, so they had finally given him a broomstick on his tenth birthday when he kept on whining and complaining for it. James loved Quidditch and he was a pretty good player already. May-be the fact that Mrs Potter had been a Chaser during her days at Hogwarts had counted for something. His father was also a good flyer, but was not as good as his wife.

James was very excited; it was mid July and he knew that he would be getting the letter from Hogwarts in the last week of July. It would be wonderful! James had shown many signs that he was a wizard just like his parents. Only last month he had caused his neighbour’s glass window to shatter when she was telling him off.

James had heard a lot about Hogwarts. Its Headmaster was Albus Dumbledore. James had made out that Dumbledore was a very intelligent man, as well as witty. He was not really strict or rule abiding. He loved jokes as long as they were made to make others laugh. His students felt very comfortable talking to him. James had made it out when his father had told him about the countless times he and his friends had been caught by Dumbledore. They had lost several points and earned many detentions, but in vain. His father and his friends had carried out many pranks using… -something. His father always used to cut his sentence short. He never said what that ‘thing’ was. It remained a mystery.

James was confident that he would make new friends easily at school. People just couldn’t resist him. At times he became arrogant. And unconsciously he boasted about himself. James smiled when he thought about all the jokes. He knew that Dumbledore wouldn’t really mind.

James had seen Dumbledore. His mother had bought him a packet of Chocolate Frogs and Dumbledore had been on one of the cards. He had white hair and an extremely long beard. His eyes twinkled behind his half moon glasses, which were placed on his long, crooked nose. He was also wearing a wizard hat and robes.

Other than Chocolate Frogs, James liked Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. He was very daring and always tasted each and every one of them, even sprouts and earwax.

The week had passed and the Potters had just had their breakfast. James was sitting on the couch daydreaming. Mrs Potter was Levitating the plates, bringing them to the sink. (The house-elf was cleaning the table.) Mr Potter was sitting on the chair reading the newspaper, which the owl had just brought.

Suddenly, a brown owl flew in carrying a letter. James just glanced up and saw Hogwarts emblem. He got up quickly and rushed to the windowsill where the owl was and he snatched the letter. All this excitement made Mr and Mrs Potter look up.

‘Mum! Dad! I got the letter!’ James shouted. He ripped open the envelope to take out the letter and read it (even though he didn’t look twice at the book list). Yes! He had a place in Hogwarts.

Mr Potter put the Daily Prophet aside and said, ‘Well, son, congratulations! I know that you will have a great time there.’

‘Dad, you need not be so formal,’ said James, grinning.

Daniel Potter chuckled and said, ‘Well, of course I don’t need to be formal with my son. But still, congrats, James!’ and he got up and patted James’ back.

‘Thank you, Dad!’ James said, with even a wider grin.

Mrs Potter came to hug James. ‘I can’t believe that you have grown up so fast; you will be leaving us in a month!’

‘Yeah, that’s right!’

Mrs Potter sniffed and then said brightly, ‘Looks like we will have to go to Diagon Alley soon!’

‘Yes, please. I just can’t wait any longer for the wand,’ James said.

‘I meant the books and all, sweetheart,’ his mother said. Then she added, ‘I forgot about the wand. I just can’t get over with the fact that James is old enough to be going to school!’

‘Son,’ said Mr Potter turning to James. ‘Is it okay if we go tomorrow? Because if you want to go today then I can’t accompany you. We can go tomorrow, together, that is if you want to.’

James was a bit disappointed, but he covered it up with a smile and said, ‘Sure Dad, no problem at all.’ He had waited all these years. One day wouldn’t make that much of a difference.

‘Then tomorrow it is.’ Mr Potter ruffled James’ hair and then turned to his wife. ‘Darling, I’ll be leaving now for the Ministry. Bye! Bye James!’ He kissed his wife and Disapparated after tucking the Daily Prophet under his arm.

The whole day passed slowly for James. He just couldn’t wait to get his hands on his wand. The sun finally rose the next day. He bolted through his breakfast. He had very less to eat as compared to what he usually had every day.

James dashed upstairs and into his room. He quickly changed into Muggle clothes. He was wearing blue jeans and a red shirt.

Then they Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.

*****
The owl had been continuously tapping on the window with his beak and Peter had finally heaved himself up from the bed to open the window. The barn owl swept inside. Peter took the letter. The owl ruffled its wings, then stretched out and then flew outside and vanished in the darkness of the night. It was lucky that Peter had been up or the owl would have had to wait until the next day. Peter was a very heavy sleeper. His mother usually had a hard time because it took ages to wake him up. Peter was an only child. In fact, his parents had only had him in the first place because Mr Pettigrew had wanted to carry out his progeny. One son was enough. There was no need of any other child.

Waking up in the morning was very difficult for Peter. He went to bed after his parents went to sleep and that was usually late. And then he spent half the night on bed, pondering, thinking about something or other. And when he finally dropped off to sleep, he would wake up several times in the middle of the night because of nightmares.

Peter had mousey hair and watery eyes. He was short and chubby. He could even be called fat. He had, indeed, inherited this from his mother. She was stout and he was fat. His life revolved around food. A pile of good food always made him happy.

Another trait he had inherited from his mother was his timid nature. He didn’t dare voice out his opinion about anything. He just listened to whatever the others said, usually his father. There was nothing like truth and falsehood in Peter’s mind.

Peter shoved away these thoughts as he ripped open the envelope and eagerly read the Hoqwarts letter. He sighed when he read the book list. He was not good in studies. He would have difficulty keeping up with the rest of the class.

Peter was not intelligent and so he often misunderstood things and often did the opposite of what he should have done. His father lectured him long and hard about this. He could not help being stupid. It was not his fault that he was unintelligent.

Peter lay down on his bed and thought about which House the Sorting Hat would choose for him. Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor or Hufflepuff? He was not clever, so he would probably not be going to Ravenclaw. He would not be in Slytherin. He knew that he was not powerful; in fact, he was the opposite of it. Gryffindor was rumoured to be the best. But then, Peter was neither brave nor courageous. Gryffindor was certainly a no. That just left Hufflepuff. He was dumb and no brave. He did not know about being loyal, though. Was he loyal or not? Maybe he was. He hoped so, anyway. He wanted to have some good quality about him. With this comforting thought, he allowed sleep to overtake him.

Peter woke up the next day at seven or rather, he was roughly woken up.

‘Good Morning, Mother!’ he said. She returned the greeting and continued with the dusting of the room. She preferred to do all the work herself. But then, they didn’t have a house-elf. She opened the curtains and the rays of sunlight hit Peter’s face. He was fully awake now. He sat on his bed rubbing his eyes. And then he remembered the previous night’s events and said, ‘Mother! I got the Hogwarts letter last night.’

Mrs Pettigrew shrieked with happiness and flew towards her son. ‘That’s wonderful! We will go to Diagon Alley right away after breakfast. Go and get ready quickly!’

After a few minutes, Peter came out of the bathroom. His mother was not in his room; she had done all the cleaning. He changed clothes and went downstairs and they had a quiet breakfast.

Mrs Pettigrew cleaned up the table and Peter went upstairs. She asked her husband’s permission to go to Diagon Alley and he just nodded his head. She rushed upstairs and got ready. Then she called Peter downstairs.

The next moment they were in the fireplace and then in Diagon Alley.

*****

Chapter 3

Sirius came out of the fireplace, dusting his robes to get rid of all the soot. His mother was standing right in front of him, her hands on her hips.

“What took you so long?� she asked him.

“I --� Sirius started, but he didn’t get a chance to make his excuse, since a woman wearing maroon robes approached them.

Walburga’s attention immediately turned to her friend.

“Hello, Agatha! How are you?� Mrs. Black asked the woman.

Agatha gave an appropriate reply before noticing Sirius standing behind his mother. “Is that your son Sirius? It’s been ages since I last saw him! How old is he?� Agatha questioned.

Mrs. Black nudged Sirius, who went forward to shake hands with the woman. He had only bargained for clasping his hands with the old lady’s wrinkled ones, but he had never dreamt that what happened would actually happen. The old hag actually brought her dirty lips, on which she had applied blood red lipstick, to his cheek and did what his mother had, as far as he could remember, never done: Agatha Muriel Gutson actually kissed Sirius Orion Black on his cheek! And what was more? She left a ‘souvenir’ behind in the ruddy red, lip-shaped mark on his handsome face.

Sirius felt nauseous, but ended up giving a watery smile. He knew that his mother never made idle threats, so he replied to the questions that Agatha had asked.

Then Agatha turned to Mrs. Black as if nothing had happened and started doing what women do best: talk. It didn’t seem like the two witches were ever gong to stop talking, and Sirius was left, standing aloof and trying to get rid of his boredom. However, there was a problem – They were still in Flourish and Blotts.

Sirius was still stuck in a bookshop, and what was more, the books on the shelf in front of him were all about Muggle Studies. His mother would curse him if he even touched them. And he obviously couldn’t roam around without permission from Mrs. Black who, at the moment, was quite busy.

His hand also itched to get rid of the mark on his cheek, but he couldn’t do that. Not when Agatha and his mother were still standing in front of him. What would happen if anyone saw him like this? They would make fun of him, of course. But his thoughts were interrupted by Agatha as she turned to look at Sirius while speaking to her friend. “Poor boy,� she said. “He’s getting bored just listening to us. Let him roam around for a bit, Walburga.�

Walburga glared at Sirius, but agreed all the same. Sirius's heart whooped with joy. Mrs. Black handed him a pouch full of the coins, told him to get his school things, and meet her back at the same place after an hour and a half.

"And don't be naughty, Sirius. Act like a good boy," she added with a smile that only Sirius understood. She was warning him not to talk to the wizards that were anything other than Pureblood.

Sirius nodded and walked away, feeling his mother's eyes boring into the back of his skull as he left.

He handed the book list to a shop assistant, who got all the books and packed them in a bag. Sirius handed him some Galleons and Sickles, leaving the shop with the packet of books in his hand.

The minute he stepped outside the shop, he used his free hand to get rid of the red mark on his cheek. It took him a full one minute to remove it, and after all that rubbing, his cheek became pinkish, but he decided to ignore it. It was better than the mark, after all.

Sirius walked around Diagon Alley, whistling to himself, and bought the stuff written on the school’s list. He strolled on until he came to a halt before Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, and he felt the rumbling in his stomach again. He glanced at his watch, seeing that there were still ten minutes left before he had to return to the bookshop. Then he felt the pouch, smiling as it jangled.

He had the time, money, and the stomach to eat an ice cream. He didn't waste any further time and ordered a sundae. When it was in his hand, he started walking towards Flourish and Blotts. He finished it quickly, arriving just in time in front of Mrs. Black, who was still standing next to Agatha, talking.

Sirius 'ahemed' to get the attention of the two ladies. Mrs. Black's eyes automatically went to her watch, but she was disappointed when she saw that he was exactly on time. Not one minute more or less.

Mrs. Black hugged Agatha and there was a 'good bye' session. Then Agatha hugged Sirius, but thankfully didn't kiss him this time. She Disapparated, and Mrs. Black went to buy a few books. After fifteen minutes, the Blacks Flooed back home.

*****

Lily stood there, her eyes wide with astonishment. They were in the Leaky Cauldron. Professor Flitwick had explained the address to the Evans’, promising that he, himself, would come there to help them buy Lily's things.

"Lily dear, let's go. I think I can see the professor at the table on the left," Mrs. Evans said.

The Evans’ went towards the table and greeted Professor Flitwick. They then walked to a wall that the professor had pointed at. He whipped out his wand, tapped on a few bricks, and the bricks moved apart to allow the family entrance to the street on the other side.

"Wow!" Lily muttered. Diagon Alley was weird, but at the same time, it was really cool! She could see many wizards and witches, clad in robes, walking along. There were many shops – some small, some large; some straight, some crooked. Lily specifically noticed a large, marble building about halfway down the street.

Professor Flitwick followed her gaze and spoke. "Yes,� he said. “We will go there first. It's Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank. We need to exchange your Muggle money for the wizard coins."

The Evans’ just nodded and continued their walk there. Seeing the sight, Lily's eyes boggled out of her head. There were goblins there! With dark complexions, pointed beards, and all! How in the world was that possible? But then, if magic was possible, anything was possible, she explained to herself.

Since the Evans’ were flabbergasted, Professor Flitwick did the talking for them. Soon, they were back out on the street with a pouch containing a hundred Galleons.

Then they turned to one of the shops: “Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.� Once inside, a witch told Lily to stand on a stool and after the girl had done so, she slipped a robe over her head and started pinning it to the right length. After everything was done, the witch left and returned with a bag containing Lily’s new uniform.

Their next stop was a shop where they purchased parchment, quills, and the other stationery items, all of which were things that Lily would need in school to complete her assignments.

Professor Flitwick then led them to Flourish and Blotts. Immediately, Lily went wild with pleasure at seeing so many stacks of books in front of her. Her parents bought the course books, and after paying for them, left the shop.

They stopped at a few more places to pick up some other items, like Lily’s new pewter cauldron that she’d use for her Potions class and an apothecary to pick up the ingredients she’d use in said Potions class.

The final shop that the family visited had its sign hanging above the store that proclaimed “Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.�

Professor Flitwick led the Evans family inside, Lily almost jumping with excitement. She waved several wands, none of them working, until the owner handed her one that was ten-and-a-quarter inches long, swishy, and made of willow. The moment she touched it, she knew that it was the right wand for her, and the owner agreed. Upon spotting Professor Flitwick, he also mentioned that the wand was good for Charm work, a comment that made the short professor smile widely.

“Well, I believe that is everything,� Professor Flitwick said as they left Diagon Alley and entered the Leaky Cauldron.

“Thanks a lot for all your help! We really appreciate it,� replied Mr. Evans.

They said ‘goodbyes’ and the professor Disapparated, leaving the Evans’ alone.

“Well, let’s go then,� Mrs. Evans suggested. “Petunia will be waiting.� She sighed as she thought of her other daughter; Petunia had not wanted to visit the ‘freak place’, as she had termed it.

Mr. Evans nodded his head and they left the pub. All of them entered the car and after everyone was comfortable, Mr. Evans drove them home.

*****

Remus stared around. He had been to Diagon Alley quite a few times before, but it had never seemed to cease to amaze him.

“Well, all’s done, and only the books are left,� Mr. Lupin said.

“Yeah. Let’s go to Flourish and Blotts,� Remus said eagerly. He loved the place for one very simple reason: Remus John Lupin loved books, and they held an important place in his heart.

The Lupins entered the bookshop with several bags in their hands. The bags had all of Remus’ school things, which they had bought that day.

Remus looked around. The place was filled with loads of wooden shelves. And each had stacks of books on them. Remus wondered how many books there were in total.

After buying the school books, they wandered around the shop, Remus checking the different books out. His parents knew that he would love to have a proper look around, so they excused themselves. They said that they had to go to Madam Malkin’s to buy formal robes, and soon left the shop, leaving a very happy Remus behind.

Remus took a deep breath. He loved the scent of the place. It smelt of wood, paper, and … err … books! Remus had just gone through a few books when a girl bumped into him.

“Sorry!� she muttered. As they moved backwards, Remus noticed that she had applied kohl beneath her brown eyes and had a mole on her upper lip. Once she had straightened up, he saw that her hair, which was tied up in a plait, reached to her waist.

“I am really sorry,� she apologized again.

“It’s okay,� Remus replied.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I came here for the first time and I haven’t seen so many books ever before,� she explained as she waved her hand around, gesturing at the shelves.

“Oh� was all that came out of Remus’s mouth.

“Well, my name is Nikki Sen, and this will be my first year at Hogwarts,� the girl introduced herself as she extended her hand.

As the two shook hands, Remus returned the girl’s greeting in kind, saying, “Remus Lupin.� Then, after a pause, added, “I’m going to Hogwarts as well.�

“Great!� Nikki exclaimed, and the both of them soon started chattering about how Hogwarts would be.

It turned out that Nikki was a Muggle-born and the only witch in her family. She didn’t know much about Hogwarts except what the visitor, Professor Slughorn, had told her. She wanted to know everything about the magical world. She was really thrilled with everything she’d been told so far and was looking forward to the first of September.

Their conversation continued for a bit more, until after fifteen minutes, she departed from the shop, saying, “Good bye!� to Remus as she left.

Remus summed her up in one word: a chatterbox. Merlin! She talked nonstop! But, Remus admitted to himself, she was sweet and innocent, and how could he forget, very excited. It would be great to know more about her, especially when she was from a totally different place like India!

The young wizard shrugged his shoulders and went on looking at the books. He ended up with a selection of four new books, which he was sure he would be able to complete in the one month left before he went to Hogwarts.

Remus paid for the books with the Galleons that his father had given him before leaving and left the shop. He saw his parents walking towards him, and he ran towards them, as well, the bulging bag of books in his right hand, swinging to and fro as he ran.

“Done with all the shopping?� Rosie inquired.

“Yeah!�

“Let’s go then.�

They held each others hands and Disapparated.

*****

“So, what do we have to buy?� Mr. Potter asked his son, smiling.

“A wand,� James replied quickly.

“Okay! Let’s go and buy your wand first, and then we will get the other things,� Mrs. Potter agreed.

They started walking towards Ollivanders when James asked, “Other things?�

“James! You should have cared enough to go through the list at least once,� his mother reprimanded.

“Now, now, Jane,� Mr. Potter said, shaking his head but still grinning all the same. “The boy was very excited. Still is, as a matter of fact. Surely you didn’t go through the list that first year during your time, right? I mean, even I didn’t.�

“Wrong,� Mrs. Potter immediately said, and James grinned. The corners of Mr. Potter’s mouth twitched but he restrained himself from smiling. “I practically learned the whole list,� she continued.

“Oh, right!� Mr. Potter said, now failing miserably to hide his smile.

James intervened by saying, “Yeah, so, what things?�

“Well … books, a cauldron, robes, parchments …� Mrs. Potter started but was interrupted by her husband as he said, “And a little of this and a little of that.�

Both father and son smiled, and by then, the Potters had reached Ollivanders.

They went inside. As they entered, three people were leaving the shop, but James only looked at the kid with the couple, who would most probably be with him at Hogwarts. The boy had a shock of brown hair and matching eyes.

While James had been looking at the boy, the magical measuring tape had done its job and James hadn’t even noticed.

Mr. Ollivander handed him a wand; he waved it, but it wasn’t the right one. James practically waved around twenty-five wands until he got the satisfied result. But the moment that he touched the twenty-seventh wand, he knew that it would soon belong to him. Mr. Ollivander thought along the same lines, and Mr. Potter paid for the wand -- a mahogany wand that was eleven inches long and supple. Mr. Ollivander had also mentioned that it was good for Transfiguration.

Mr. Potter congratulated James on finally getting his hands on the wand and then they left the shop. Now James felt that he was ready for anything. With his own wand in his hand, he was thrilled!

They went to Madam Malkin’s and bought James’ robes and other required uniform. From there, they headed to Flourish and Blotts, emerging from the shop later with two bulking bags, each filled with four books. Then they went to buy the rest of the things: a cauldron, parchment, and as Mr. Potter had put it, “A little of this and a little of that.�

After most of the shopping seemed finished, James was looking around while his mother consulted the list, checking to see if they had missed anything.

“Well, we have got everything except an animal. So, James dear, what pet do you want?� Mrs. Potter asked.

“A dragon,� James replied instantly, smiling broadly as he saw his father wink at him from behind his wife.

“James! I am serious!� Mrs. Potter cried exasperatedly.

“Well, an owl, of course, Mum!� James said.

They went to Magical Menagerie. Every animal was available here: from rabbits to rats and cats to owls. James looked at all the owls and finally chose a tawny coloured one with brown, shiny eyes. They left the shop fifteen minutes later with the owl – named ‘Ablazet’, according to the shopkeeper – in its cage and the object in James’ hand.

“Finally all the things have been bought!� Mrs. Potter cried in a relieved voice, wiping her forehead with her handkerchief.

They walked towards the Leaky Cauldron and sat in the pub. After having some refreshments, the Potters left the place via the Knight Bus to return home.

*****

“C’mon, Peter!� Mrs. Pettigrew called at him. “Let’s go.�

Peter brushed off the dust and soot that had settled on his robes, courtesy of the Floo, and started walking towards his mother.

“Right, so where is the list?� Mrs. Pettigrew asked him.

“Umm … I don’t know,� Peter replied worriedly.

“Oh, yes. I just remembered, I had kept it in my bag,� his mother said and dug out the piece of parchment from her handbag.

At seeing the list, Peter became relieved. Mrs. Pettigrew started reading it aloud.


HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags.

COUSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
• The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
• A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
• Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
• A Beginners’ Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
• One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
• Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
• The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.


“So, let’s go now,� Mrs. Pettigrew said.

They left the shop where they had first Flooed into and went to Flourish and Blotts, which was just right next to it. A shopkeeper assistant at once came up to them and soon brought them the books required for a first-year student at Hogwarts. After Mrs. Pettigrew had paid for them, they left the shop.

On their way to Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions, they passed through many shops, where they bought a cauldron, one set of crystal phials, a telescope and one set of brass scales.

They stopped at Madam Malkin’s, and outside the shop, Mrs. Pettigrew saw an old acquaintance of hers. So she stopped to talk with her and told Peter to go and get his robes after handing him some coins.

Nervously, Peter entered the shop. Madam Malkin at once came up to him. He told her that he was going to Hogwarts. She bid him to stand on a footstool and slipped a long robe over his head, pinning it to the right length for the shorter boy. After a few minutes, she was finished, and once he’d paid her for the robes, Peter left the shop.

Peter went outside to see his mother still talking to that witch. He cleared his throat to get her attention and the next moment, Mrs. Pettigrew was looking down to see her son standing next to her.

“Well, Jennifer, I will be going now. Nice talking with you. Bye!� Mrs. Pettigrew said to the witch.

Both the women hugged each other and then the Pettigrews set off for Ollivanders. They entered the shop and left it within the next five minutes.

Ollivander had been pretty surprised at how little time it had taken for the right wand to choose Peter. The shop owner barely received customers who were able to find the correct wand so quickly. Usually, all of his customers waved at least ten to fifteen wands. This boy had found one in only the third attempt.

Peter left the shop very excited. He had finally gotten his own wand that he would use to do spells in Hogwarts! He was so happy that he didn’t notice someone in front of him until he actually crashed into the boy.

“Watch where you’re going!� the boy shouted. He had thin, black, greasy hair and a long countenance; he looked pretty disagreeable, as far as Peter was concerned.

“S- Sorry,� Peter faltered.

Without answering, the boy brushed passed Peter.

Mrs. Pettigrew, who hadn’t noticed anything, told him to quicken up his pace, as all of Peter’s school shopping had been done. Very soon, both mother and son had Disapparated from Diagon Alley to return home.

*****

Chapter4

Tring, tring, tring

Lily opened her eyes as soon as the alarm clock on the mahogany table next to her bed started ringing. Now, this was very unusual, because it usually took Lily five to ten minutes to wake up. She would press the ‘snooze’ button a couple of times in the hopes of catching some more sleep in the extra minute or two. But then, this wasn’t a normal day. It was the first of September -- the day Lily was to go to Hogwarts. Quite an occasion, since Lily hadn’t known that magic existed, let alone the fact that there were schools to teach it, a year ago. But both things were true -- and today was the day when she would step inside Hogwarts for the first time.

Lily was, to say at the least, excited. She had asked Severus questions regarding the magical world, and he had supplied the answers eagerly. She knew about some of the teachers, subjects, ghosts, the houses, the castle, Azkaban – everything. But, of course, she wanted to see it all with her own eyes. Experience it all herself. And now the day had finally arrived.

She pushed her bed-covers aside, got out of the bed. Then she put on her slippers and walked towards the bathroom to freshen up.

She emerged from there a quarter of an hour later, clad in a bath robe, her red hair wound in a towel. After changing into a white dress, she dried, then brushed hair and slipped on her shoes. She glanced at the clock; it was eight-thirty A.M.

After having a quick look at herself in the mirror, Lily went downstairs. As she crossed the lounge and entered the kitchen, she smelled bacon and realised how hungry she was. She wished her mother, who was frying bacon, and father, who was sitting on a chair reading the newspaper, a good morning, she took the stack of plates from the kitchen slab and started setting the table.

As she was placing the last plate, she heard footsteps and looked up to see Petunia descending the staircase. Lily smiled at her sister, but Petunia refused to acknowledge the gesture.

Trying not to look crestfallen, Lily walked to the stove and took the dish of bacon from her mother. Soon the family sat down for breakfast. Lily had been very hungry only a few minutes before, but when she saw the full plate in front of her, she suddenly felt very well-fed and ended up eating only half the amount of her daily consumption. When breakfast was over, Mr Evans went out to put Lily’s trunk in the car boot whilst Lily and Petunia helped their mother clean the table.

Once all their tasks were complete, all four of them got into the car. Lily turned to talk to Petunia, but the elder sister was making a point of not looking at her. Instead, she stared outside the window as they drove to King Cross Station.

It took them an hour or so to reach the station. As Mr Evans took out the trunk, Lily looked around the crowd, searching for Severus. She had told him to wait for her, but she couldn’t see him anywhere.

She turned to face her mother when she felt a hand squeeze her right shoulder lightly. Mrs Evans smiled warmly at her younger daughter as Lily took the trolley, which held her trunk, from her father’s hands. Recalling and then repeating everything Professor Flitwick had said about reaching Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Lily got ready to walk towards the wall. She was about to break into a run when Mr Evans stopped her. He was worried about what would happen if Lily crashed into that seemingly solid wall. The professor had instructed them about it, and Mr Evans was aware of the fact that whatever Professor Flitwick had informed them had come true so far, but that didn’t mean that they could take chances. No. He would run first.

Signaling the three females to stand back and watch, he started jogging, trying to appear normal. When he was near the wall, he shut his eyes and took a step forwards. Nothing happened. Feeling braver, he took another step, and when he didn’t feel the expected crash, he opened his eyes and saw a red, shiny steam engine named the Hogwarts Express right in front of him, the smoke coming out of it.

Carefully, Mr Evans looked down at his body. All his limbs were intact. He touched his face. Yes, everything was fine; there was no blood, and he didn’t feel any pain. No bones had been broken either. Apparently, the professor had been correct about this too.

He was about to turn back and tell his family that it was safe to come when someone appeared behind him. He turned to see Lily with her trunk -- so excited she was that she had ignored her mother’s protests and had followed her father, disregarding the supposed danger. Mr Evans was about to tell her off, but then thought the better of it and stood waiting for his wife and elder daughter to arrive. They waited for a couple of minutes, but when neither arrived, Mr Evans decided to go back and get them. As soon as he said this thought out aloud, Petunia and Mrs Evans arrived. The latter explained that it had taken them so long because Petunia hadn’t wanted to come, but Lily wasn’t listening to the excuses. She was looking at the train.

She kept on staring at it, admiring it. ‘Isn’t it beautiful, Tuney?’ Lily asked.

‘No, it’s not,’ Petunia answered back coldly.

Lily faltered, but bravely continued, ‘I know you wish to be on that train yourself. I know you want to come with me, but I’ll try...’

Petunia ruthlessly interrupted her, ‘I don’t care, Lily.’

‘I’m sorry, Tuney-–I’m sorry! Listen—� Lily grasped her sister’s hand and held it tight, even though Petunia tried to wrench it away. ‘Maybe once I’m there—no, listen, Tuney!--- maybe once I’m there, I’ll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!’

‘I don’t—want—to—go!’ said Petunia, and she continued trying to pull her hand away. ‘You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a—a… ’

She looked over Lily’s shoulder and to the owls hooting and people dressed in robes, ‘—you think I want to be a—a freak?’

Lily’s eyes shined with tears as Petunia succeeded in retrieving her hand.

‘I’m not a freak,’ said Lily. ‘That’s a horrible thing to say.’

‘That’s where you’re going,’ stated Petunia with relish. ‘A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy… Weirdoes–-that’s what you two are. It’s good you’re being separated from normal people; it’s for our safety.’

Lily looked fleetingly at her parents, who were gazing around the platform enthusiastically, enjoying themselves and drinking in the scene. Then she looked back at her sister, and her voice was low and stern.

‘You didn’t think it was such a freaks’ school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you,’ she answered back.

Petunia blushed.

‘Beg? I didn’t beg!’

‘I saw his reply. It was very kind.’

‘You shouldn’t have read—’ whispered Petunia, ‘that was my private—how could you—?’

Lily glanced at Severus, who stood a little distance from them, next to his mother. Petunia caught the momentary gaze and gasped. ‘That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!’ she accused.

‘No—not sneaking—’ Lily said with a defensive air. ‘Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn’t believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that’s all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of—’

‘Apparently, wizards poke their noses everywhere!� exclaimed Petunia, looking pale now. ‘Freak!’ she spat at her sister and stormed off in the direction of Mr and Mrs Evans, whilst Lily stood there, her eyes filled with tears.

Lily barely listened to the whistle of the train and replied off handedly to her parents as they stood waving at her. She stepped up into the train and waved back at them, tears pouring down her cheek. Once they were out of sight, she took hold of her trunk and dragged it to the nearest compartment, which was already occupied by two boys. She was greeted by enthusiastic hellos. The boys helped her place her trunk on the rack and asked a few good- natured questions, but since she only mumbled replies, they soon lost interest in her.

She sat on the seat below the window, thinking. But her reverie was interrupted by the entrance of her friend. Severus slid open the compartment door, dressed in his school robes. Lily turned to look at him and then averted her gaze back at the window, trying not to cry.

‘I don’t want to talk to you,’ she said in a small voice.

‘Why not?’ he asked.

‘Tuney h-hates me because we saw that letter from Dumbledore,’ she explained.

‘So what?’

She glared at him.

‘So she’s my sister!’

‘She’s only a—’ He stopped himself from completing the sentence, but Lily never noticed the abrupt pause.

‘But we’re going!’ Severus added quickly. ‘This is it! We’re off to Hogwarts!’

Lily nodded, mopping her eyes, and she half smiled.

‘You’d better be in Slytherin,’ said Severus, glad that Lily was no longer moping.

This caught the attention of one of the boys in the compartment.

‘Slytherin?’ the boy with messy hair repeated.

‘Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?’ he continued, looking at the boy sitting opposite him. The grey- eyed boy did not find this amusing.

‘My whole family has been in Slytherin,’ he said dejectedly.

‘Blimey, and I thought you seemed all right!’

The boy removed his mournful look and instead smirked.

‘Maybe I’ll break the tradition,’ he said hopefully. ‘Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?’

His friend raised an invisible sword.

‘“Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!� he quoted. ‘Like my dad.�

Severus made a small, disapproving sound. The Gryffindor hopeful turned towards him.

‘Got a problem with that?’ he asked.

‘No,’ said Severus, though his face expression said the contrary. ‘If you’d rather be brawny than brainy—’

‘Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?’ interrupted the grey- eyed boy.

The other boy roared with laughter. Lily sat up straighter, flushing and throwing a look of dislike at the two boys.

‘Come on, Severus, let’s find another compartment.’

‘Oooooo…’ the boys hooted.

They copied her haughty voice, and the messy black haired boy tried to trip Severus as he passed.

“See ya, Snivellus!� one of the boys said from behind them, and then they heard the door slam.

*****

‘What a sissy!’ Sirius said to James as the two other first-years left their apartment. Both boys then burst into laughter.

‘Yeah,’ James agreed after they had stopped laughing. Then, recalling part of the conversation they’d had with the red headed girl and “Snivellus�, as Sirius had termed the boy, James asked, ‘Were you really serious when you said that your whole family is from Slytherin?’

‘I wish I hadn’t been, but I was,’ Sirius replied with sobriety. ‘All of them have been in Slytherin. I have a cousin—Meda. She’s all right; she doesn’t care a fig about being a pure-blood, and is dating a Muggle -born.’ Here he stopped and smiled as if he approved of his cousin’s doings. ‘She’s in seventh year, but…’ He sighed and then continued, ‘She’s still in Slytherin, so I’m sure that I’ll be in the same house, too.’

‘Oh,’ was all James was able to say to this confession. ‘It’s okay, Sirius. Maybe there are a few other people in Slytherin like your cousin,’ he said, trying to comfort his new friend.

‘I don’t think that’s possible. Meda is a Slytherin, and she’s going against the rules, but that doesn’t mean that she shouldn’t have been placed in Slytherin. There are a good many obvious traits in her, because of which she was sorted in that house. She herself has changed over the years. Her falling for a Muggle -born was the last straw for her… “conversion�.’ Sirius ended in the only word he could think of using. ‘Most of them are heartless gits who think of themselves as the kings of the world, just because of their “lofty blood status�.’ He grimaced. ‘I’m sure I wouldn’t fit in there at all, but it seems that I don’t have any choice really.’ Sirius smiled ruefully.

James blinked Sirius had been so funny and happy since the moment they had met, and now he was sad. Sirius had spoken feelingly, and James couldn’t help but feel sorry for his friend. In an attempt to change the subject, James said, ‘Nice nick name, by the way. How did you think that up?’

When he saw Sirius confused look, he explained, ‘Snivellus.’
At hearing this, Sirius cracked a smile, much to James’ relief, and they started talking about the ‘greasy boy’.

Their conversation ranged from the “Slytherin geek� to Dumbledore, and from the headmaster to Quidditch. All in all, the two were having a really good time together. Their lively talk was only interrupted when an elderly witch arrived outside their compartment with the food trolley. Then they emptied their full pockets and filled their mouths.

*****

‘Anything from the trolley, dears?’ a kind witch asked, stopping in front of another compartment. The occupants of the box were four young boys, seemingly first-years.

Before the witch had arrived, the boys had been busy with themselves. The boy sitting in the seat by the window had been looking at the beautiful scenery outside through his brown eyes, and feeling the wind blow against his face and ruffling his brown hair. He looked calm and peaceful, and held an expression of contentment on his face.

Sitting next to him, a slightly plump boy had been taking a nap. His head drooping, and drool on the side of his mouth.

On the opposite side sat a boy reading one of the course books. He seemed deeply engrossed in it, flipping a page every few minutes, a frown appearing when he couldn’t understand something, and disappearing when he made it out.

The fourth boy had just been sitting idle. Probably day dreaming about something or the other.

When the witch opened the door, the boys looked up from their respective occupations.

The fat boy got up from his seat. Apparently, he was a light sleeper and had been woken up by the sound of the witch’s voice. He looked over the contents of the trolley, selected some treats and paid for them before he went back to his seat.

The brown haired boy came forward, and after picking a few packets of Chocolate Frogs and Cauldron Cakes, he paid for them, muttered a light ‘thank you!’ and returned to his place.
He was followed by the lazy boy, who bought a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavoured Beans, and retired to his seat, one bean already on its way to his mouth.

The other boy was clearly too much into his book, and he didn’t even look up, so the sweet old witch left the compartment, only to stop at the next one. The boys ended up making small talk, and offering each other part of their food purchases. And before they knew it, an hour had passed. Around fifteen minutes were left for the train to reach the school, so they got up and opened their trunks and took out their uniforms. They changed into their robes, brushed their hair and got ready for school. Then they dumped all their belongings into their trunks and locked them as they waited for the train to stop. And stop it did.

The train had finally reached its destination.
*****