James Potter and the New Marauders

Chapter One - With Relative Ease

The halls of Hogwarts were tall and long and wide- at least the ones most near to the entrance. They were lined with trunks and suitcases and all manner of similar things, presumably carrying personal items of my fellow students. McGonagall motioned for me to add the two suitcases I rolled along with me to the pile, and gratefully, I did; it was harder than I would have imagined it to be to carry two at once.

McGonagall led me into the Great Hall, where all manner of students were sitting at four long tables, each decorated with the colors of each of the four Houses. At the far end of the Great Hall, another long table with what were presumably the professors stood. I could not see the people well enough, but they seemed to be old enough. Hagrid, the very large man with his very large bead, was clearly visible.

As for the tables, the Houses-

Slytherin. Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff. Gryffindor. I knew very little about any of them.

Everyone turned to look at me and I flushed crimson, recoiling into myself even as McGonagall led me through the Hall in between the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs. When we stopped near the table, she stood in front of a pedestal, looking out at the sea of students, both younger and older than myself.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat and the Hall grew silent. "Apologies. Our transfer found herself lost."

I hugged myself, looking up at McGonagall. It hadn't been my fault; I'd been told to follow Hagrid, but there had not been room for me on the boats with the first years, so he had left me there and told me to wait for him. Long after all the students had disappeared, and the train had left, I had stood there like an idiot.

When it was clear that Hagrid would not be returning- and it had started raining- I'd begun the long trek from Hogsmeade to the castle. McGonagall had met me halfway.

"Er," Hagrid said. "That's all my fault, that is. I told her to wait, and she must have-"

"Yes," McGonagall said. I saw him glance at my rain-soaked hair and heavy, dripping cloak with guilt and shame. I pulled out my wand and cast a spell to dry myself, then ran a hand gingerly through my hair, not bothering to worry about it properly. It was far too late for that, anyway.

One helluva first impression, I'd say.

"Everyone," McGonagall said. "This is Sovereign Black. She was a student at Ilvermorny and recently moved to the UK. She's starting her fifth year here."

Gentle, almost reluctant applause.

"I'm sure most of you don't know about our policy with transfers," McGonagall went on. "If any of you do at all."

In the stillness and silence, I noticed a girl close to the front of the Gryffindor table lean over to a boy. If my lip reading skills were at all serviceable, she might have said 'I do, of course.'

"When Miss Black sits under the hat, you will all be able to hear the hat's words, so as to get to know her better. Everyone in her year is already decently familiar with one another; this is simply meant to kickstart that process with all of you."

Wonderful. I tried not to roll my eyes or fret visibly.

McGonagall stepped away from the pedestal and walked over to a short stool designed for eleven year olds and picked up an old, battered hat. Wordlessly, she slipped out her wand and cast a spell on the hat; after a moment, it roared out a laugh.

"It's been quite a while since I've had a transfer," said the hat in an almost smarmy voice. McGonagall motioned for me to sit on the hat, and biting my tongue, I did. I sat with my legs half-crossed just so that my knees weren't awkwardly high, and she placed the hat on my head. "Interesting!" the hat exclaimed. "At Ilvermorny, you were a rarity- you see, there, they also have four Houses; Wampus, the warriors; Pukwudgie, the healers; Thunderbird, the adventurers; and Horned Serpent, the scholars. Often, students will have two statues turn around for them, indicating that they are welcome in that House- sometimes one, sometimes three. Very, very rarely, they all turn. Sovereign Black was the first in over a century to have all four statues turn around for her, and it was quite the difficult decision for her, it seems!