When We Fell In Love

Chapter 1: Hogwarts Express

A flash.
Blue eyes pierced him.
A second.
Just a second.
He was petrified, a small shell of a human passing through the corridor, too young to understand the grandiosity of the moment.

𑇐𑇐𑇐𑇐

1st September 1975

Harry was not bothered at all by the amount of people flooding platform 9 ¾. It was reassuring, in a way, knowing another year was before all of them. Obviously he had friends. Not many of them, but he had a few.

Every first of September he watched, with a pang of jealousy, the so-called Marauders reunite after a summer being separated. Every single time they made a show of being together again: they were not scared of being loud, flamboyant and kind of cheeky.

Harry walked slowly, dragging his trunk with him, taking the group in. James Potter was in the middle, evidently telling some kind of joke that made everybody giggle and laugh; beside him was, as always, Sirius Black with his aristocratic manners that made everybody fall at his feet. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were laughing as their life depended on it. Remus had his hand on Sirius' shoulder, completely at ease with physical affection. Harry was always surprised by this, because, beside them, not many boys were that comfortable with each other.

Other people, from their year and below, were there too, absorbing the energy emanating from that group. There was Lily Evans, who looked at James with suspicious eyes even though she was laughing too; Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, Mary Macdonald and other girls were hysterically giggling but trying to compose themselves and look pretty.

And there he was, between other three boys which Harry did not know: blue piercing eyes, bright as ever, more beautiful as he remembered them. Harry could recognize these eyes everywhere, anytime. Three years had passed since he first saw them, fleetingly passing in a corridor.

Ever since that moment, Harry promised himself that he would find out who those breathtaking eyes belonged to. And he did. He searched discreetly, trying to stay as anonymous as he could. At last, after a few weeks prying and looking and observing, he gave a name to those eyes: Louis. Louis Tomlinson. He was a year above Harry; he was outgoing and fun and loud. He was not a Marauder, but he was a friend of Remus. Sometimes they studied together; it was a group of people who sometimes got together at the library. There was Remus, Louis, the three boys Harry did not know and a few others.

Harry kept on walking towards the train, trying not to stare too much. He sighed and diverted his gaze, scanning the platform and hoping to see his best friend. Niall was a blond Irish boy who approached Harry the very first day of the very first year at Hogwarts. He was sitting on the train, alone, watching lazily as the landscape changed outside the window, when Niall burst into the compartment where Harry sat.

“Are these seats taken?”, Niall asked, panting and breathless. He was dragging his trunk through the train for at least half an hour, if not more. He must have been exhausted.

“No, they’re free”, said Harry, relaxing a bit. Niall seemed okay, and he desperately needed to make at least one friend if he was going to survive seven years.

“Niall Horan, nice to meet you.” Harry grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. “Harry Styles”, he replied.

“Well, that’s a fucking cool name, let me tell ya. Cooler than mine anyway.” Niall put his trunk away and sat spreading and stretching his legs. “I’m exhausted, honestly. This train is packed.”