Time in a Bottle (A James Potter Love Story)

Chapter 1

A man and his niece stood hand in hand on the busy platform September 1st, 1971. The small 11 year old bounced up and down in excitement. She had only known about magic since March. Not much was known about the Sallow family. For many years they had bounced around the world as if trying to run from something. Cassius himself was a wizard, but he had raised Aurelia as a muggle after her parents died in a freak accident when she was 3. So when she got her letter, they moved to a small farm in Scotland and he told her the truth about magic. Honestly, one could mistake her as his daughter. They sported matching messy dark hair with dark eyes and similar facial expressions. However, as he scowled at the large amounts of families, she smiled at each and every person they passed. Where he was intimidating and broody, she was a strong presence of joy. Cassius hated magic after what happened to his brother and his wife, but never would he take away this opportunity from his niece.

"Papa hurry up! I think I see who my first friends will be!" His grasp on her hand stayed strong as she tried to pull him through the crowd. Her dark locks started falling from the hair tie he tried to use to hold it back. She wore overalls over a white shirt and a pair of old combat boots. One of the shoelaces slowly untied with every step she took. Cassius searched the crowd wondering what poor souls she decided to target.

Once they got closer to the train, he placed her trunk down on the ground and kneeled in front of her. A rare smile broke out on his face, "I expect to hear from you every once in a while. Cause trouble kid, you're only going to be young once. Have fun and work hard." Her smile faded as she thought about not seeing him for a while. He caught sight of the bottom lip that threatened to quiver and pulled her into a hug, hiding her face away from the passing families. "Shhh, don't cry. You'll see me at break. I'll be fine at home. Trust me, you'll be too caught up in your friends and school work to even notice I won't be there." The young girl nodded and her small hands grasped at his shirt.

"I love you papa."

"I love you too kid." He pulled away and took off his muggle baseball cap he bought on a trip to America. Looking it over once, he placed it on her head and pulled her ponytail through the hole in the back before tightening it. "Remember, if anyone is mean to you, fight back. Not everyone here is friendly." His eyes glanced around the platform, nearly grimacing at some of the stuffy parents.

She nodded with a fierce determination and punched the palm of her hand, "They shall fear me." Aurelia couldn't keep the serious look on her face long before bursting into a fit of giggles. "Oh I have to go Papa, I see some friends!" She grabbed the trunk which was nearly as big as her and dragged it along the ground. "I'll write to you somehow!" The girl called over her shoulder before running up to two boys.

The first boy was tall and lanky. He had sandy brown hair that was combed nicely and scars that littered his face. The other one was a bit shorter and a little stocky. He had lighter hair, a form of blonde, with light colored eyes. They both looked nervous and that's exactly why Aurelia chose them. "I'm Aurelia Sallow, you can call me Rellie though!" She didn't offer a handshake since both of her hands were occupied trying to hold up her trunk.

The taller boy broke out into a smile at the sight of the disheveled girl. He was thrilled that she wasn't intimidated by his scars. "I'm Remus Lupin. Let me help you with that, switch with me." He passed two books to her and grabbed her trunk from her.

Aurelia turned to the shorter boy "And what's your name?" He shifted nervously on his feet, and the tips of his ears turned pink. His mouth opened to speak but he had issues forming the words. But Aurelia was patient, and waited for him to find his confidence.

"Peter Pettigrew." He managed to squeak out.

"Nice to meet you boys, what do you say we stick together and find a seat?" She started walking, and nervously hoped the boys followed her. From a distance, her uncle had witnessed the whole interaction and shook his head with a small smile. When the trio boarded the train, the smile faded into a scowl before he walked away.