“Twenty questions?” James asked her.
“Sure,” she shrugged. “Think of something.”
“Already did,” he said with a grin.
“Is it an object?”
“Yes, Jane, it is an object.”
“Nimbus 1500.”
“Yeah. This doesn’t work very well since we’re twins,” James sighed, watching the families out on the platform mill around, students bumbling about with trunks, parents trying to give their instructions before their children departed.
“It’s not because we’re twins,” Jane countered. “It’s because the Nimbus 1500 is all we think about.” They looked at each other and split into huge, identical grins.
“Next year, Jane, next year. Mum and Dad won’t have any excuse not to get us our Nimbuses because we’ll be allowed them at school.”
At the mention of their parents, Jane looked out the window and waved to her mother.
Perhaps they shouldn’t have insisted upon being a half hour early to board the Hogwarts Express, but there was nothing for it now except to sit and wait impatiently for the train to leave the station.
The door to the compartment slid open. A boy slipped in quickly and then snapped it shut behind him. “Mind if I sit in here?” he asked, turning around to face James and Jane.
“Course you can!” James smiled and stood to greet the newcomer. “I’m James Potter.” He stuck out his hand and shook hands with the stranger. “And this,” he said, nodding his head, indicating Jane, “is my twin sister, Jane.”
“You two are Potters? That's perfect!” The other boy smiled mischievously.
“You’ve heard of us?” Jane asked, slightly surprised. James looked pleased at this news.
“Sure. Who hasn’t heard of the Potters? Your parents used to own half the stuff in Merlins Museum of Magical History.”
“They did?”
"Yeah. I'm Sirius Black, by the way."
Jane and James shared a perplexed look and then shrugged. Sirius seemed not to notice the swift, silent exchange.
“What house do you think you two will be in?” he asked, taking the empty spot across from them, being careful not to wake the dozing boy sitting across from the Potters.
“Gryffindor would be great,” James quickly answered. “Our mum didn’t go to Hogwarts, but all our family before that has been in Gryffindor.”
“My family has all been in Slytherin,” Sirius spat, “and I hope more than anything that I’m not. I just want to be a bit different, you know? Do you know how they choose which house you’ll be in?”
“No idea,” James shrugged.
“Me either,” Sirius also shrugged. “Where exactly are you from?”
Jane opened her mouth, thinking she’d finally gotten a chance to speak, but James beat her to it.
“Southern coast, right outside of Dover.”
“Is there anyone else starting Hogwarts this year from around there?”
“Just Remus Lupin, I think. We don’t see him all that often - all the time when we were younger, but not as much now, but I guess that will change now that we’re going to Hogwarts.”
Jane was realizing that this Sirius fellow and her brother were hitting it off and were well on their way to becoming smashing good friends, and she was growing pretty annoyed. At first, she hadn’t spoken because she had been struck by how cute Sirius was. He had steely grey eyes, seemingly perfect black hair, and a warm, inviting smile. She’d gotten over the flustered feeling in her stomach but then hadn’t been able to get in a word edgewise. The conversation between Sirius and James went on in a tight weave with no room for her. After a few more minutes, Jane was so fed up that she decided to leave and see if she couldn’t find Remus somewhere on the train.
Jane passed a girl with red hair who had been crying and looked to be about the same age as she was, but Jane didn’t bother her. She didn’t know what she would have said, and she was intent upon finding Remus. Looking surreptitiously into each compartment, Jane continued the quest for her friend. She made her way a fair distance along the train before she found where he was sitting.
Inside of the compartment, there were four students who seemed to be just her age. Remus; two girls, a blonde and a redhead, whispering anxiously to each other; and another boy with curly blond hair, a freckled face, and bright blue eyes. The blue-eyed boy and Remus were conversing easily, the other boy with a book open upon his lap.
Jane slid the compartment door open, and the four faces looked up at her. “Mind if I join you?” she asked them.
“No, of course not. I mean, yes, you can come in,” one of the girls rushed.
“I’m Jane Potter,” she stated, nodding in greeting. She slipped into the seat next to Remus. “I’ll warn you right now that I’m probably not going to remember your names. I’m terrible with names,” Jane smiled apologetically.
The two girls smiled at her as if they understood. The blonde introduced herself as Jill Highman, and the redhead as Chelsea Bradley.
“Where’s James?” Remus asked.
“Back in another compartment. We wondered where you were. You should have come and found us!”
“You two know each other?” the other boy finally spoke up.
“Our families live in Dover. We grew up together.”
“Jane, this is Daniel Denworth,” Remus said.
“And this is your first year, too?” Daniel asked, almost nervously.
“Yes.” Jane’s voice showed a glimpse of nerves as well.
“I could tell you were new, too,” the blonde girl said. “I was inspecting the other compartments to try to find someone as nervous as me, so I got good at recognizing the look.”
The other girl “ Jane thought it was Chelsea “ laughed. “I’m more than nervous. I’m pretty much terrified. I have no idea what to expect, I mean, I’m the only magical person in my family. We had no idea until I got my Hogwarts letter. What do you lot know about Hogwarts?”
“You probably know more than I do,” Jane pointed, indicating the book, which Daniel had just closed and stashed on the seat next to him. It was Hogwarts: A History, and from the placement of the bookmark, it was evident that Daniel had spent a lot of time reading about their school. “I’ve only just heard things here and there. Four houses and things like that. My father just said it’s something you have to experience for yourself.”
“Is all your family witches and wizards?” Daniel asked, clearly intrigued.
“Yes, as far as I know. There might be a Squib somewhere or other, but...”
Chelsea and Jill looked puzzled (no doubt Daniel had read up enough to know), and Remus was kind enough to explain a few things, like the terms Squib, Muggle, and Muggleborn.
“I didn’t know that it could go the other way,” Chelsea said, “that there could be only one person without magic in a family, but I guess that makes sense. Does it happen very often?”
Remus shrugged. “Most people don’t talk about being a Squib or about they people they know that are Squibs. It’s hard to say.”
Everyone was equally engrossed in the conversation now, and remained so for the next few hours while Jane and Remus told the other three things about the magical world, and they told Jane and Remus about the Muggle world. Long shadows were starting to cast their fingers across the countryside, and they realized they’d better be changing into their robes. “Mine are in the compartment back with my brother,” Jane remembered.
As if on cue, a face appeared in the window of the door to the compartment. Jane smiled and beckoned the boy in. “Thought you might need these,” he said, holding out Jane’s robes. He was already dressed in his own robes.
“Well, don’t you just look smashing?” Jane smiled at her brother.
“Naturally.” He cocked his head arrogantly, winking and smiling a goofy smile. “Would you expect anything less? I am a Potter, after all.”
Jane remembered that most of her companions had no idea who James was and made the introductions.
“I’m sorry, this is my twin brother, James. James, you know Remus, and then this is …” she paused for a moment, “Daniel, Jill, and Chelsea. Right?” They all nodded at the pronouncement of their names. Truthfully, Jane wouldn’t have been so comfortable around her new acquaintances if Remus hadn’t been there with her.
“Hullo,” James greeted brightly. He was always one to enjoy meeting new people. “Well, I’ll see you lot later at Hogwarts, I’ve got to get back to my compartment. All sorts of people have been in and out there. Lots of people to meet.” James shrugged, then smiled and left.
Making his way back to the compartment, he was glad that Jane had already made a few friends of her own. He’d felt a bit guilty for hitting it off so well with Sirius, and he didn’t want her to resent that. Since they were twins and the only children their parents had, they’d been virtually inseparable all their lives. Other than the fact that James was a boy and Jane was a girl, they were almost exactly identical, their features only differing in a more feminine curve in spots for Jane, a more angular feature for James. They even had the same piercing hazel eyes.
James thought Jane might have been able to talk to that redheaded girl who had come in just after Jane left. Honestly, it would have been good to have Jane there. He and Sirius had been vehemently discussing whether chocolate cauldrons or chocolate frogs were better, discussing the finer points, debating pure chocolate over chocolate pastries, and the drawbacks of each.
The girl, Lily, had walked in, crying, and had brought in a blanket of awkward silence with her sniffling. James hadn’t even been able to look at Sirius for the awkwardness of it all. Then that other boy had come in, the one with the greasy hair, and he seemed to know the redhead because that’s when they found out her name. Lily and, as she called him, Sev, began having a discussion better suited to a private compartment.
If either of those two held it against James and Sirius for joining in, James was going to hex them. They couldn’t be blamed for speaking up when they were right there, listening to the whole thing, against their will.
It hadn’t mattered anyway. The girl left; the greasy boy brooded, argued with them, and then left. The moment they were alone, James and Sirius recommenced their debate about chocolate cauldrons and chocolate frogs as if there had been no interruption. When a lady poked her head into their compartment, offering an array of sweets for purchase, they loaded up with an armful each, and eventually decided that it was necessary to have both the cauldrons and the frogs and that they were equal in level of goodness.
Then, a few decently agreeable people joined them, and they all started up a game of Exploding Snap. After a few rounds, a Prefect came by to let them know how soon they’d reach Hogsmeade station, and James realized he probably ought to get Jane’s robes to her.
It was on his way back to where he’d left Sirius that James passed by a compartment with only one person in it. He was a short boy, with dirty blond hair, a round face, and a rather stubby feel to him. The boy was looking morosely out of his window, and James only gave him half a glance before continuing past.
Then he paused and turned halfway back, but then turned to continue on his way again. He stopped a second time and let out a long sigh. Jane wouldn’t just pass by a compartment with only one lonely person. He blinked. Clearly, she had passed this compartment while looking for Remus. James frowned, knowing that it must have been different when she passed.
He quickly turned back and poked his head into the compartment. The blond boy jumped a little in his seat. James grinned. “Are you a first year?”
The boy nodded.
“Why don’t you come sit in my compartment? We’ve got some rounds of Exploding Snap going.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Course not. Come on,” he answered, jerking his head invitingly in the direction of the compartment.
It was only ten seconds of walking for them to reach James’ compartment.
“What’s your name?” the boy asked.
“James Potter. You?”
“Peter Pettigrew.”
“Welcome to the best compartment on the train, Peter.” James smiled heartily as he pushed the door open, and they were met with a happy din of noise.
A Smile That Explodes by electronicquillster
Chapter Notes: Thanks goes to ByMerlinsBeard for editing the original version of this chapter, then to Roommate of the Quillster for editing the post-DH modifications, and Joybelle423 for editing the edits I made off of RQ's notes.