The Tale of Four Boys

Chapter 1

Where it All Began

"Come on, Mum! We're gonna miss the train!"

"Relax James; we still have 40 minutes left! I've never seen you so excited to be up early," laughed Mrs. Potter, "Don't worry; we're going to make it with plenty of time. Besides, your father would kill me otherwise!" she added, laughing as her husband nodded seriously.

"Still…" James said, trailing off as he tried to think of a valid argument to hurry his parents. He gave up, and settled on running ahead with the trolley regardless. Mr. and Mrs. Potter simply laughed and hurried along after their son. Soon enough, they made it to their destination- Platform 9 ¾. Of course, they couldn't see it due to all the Muggles in King's Cross Station, but they knew it was there; right there between the barriers of platforms 9 and 10. James' excitement grew, if that was even possible.

"Come on!" James repeated, this time becoming slightly irritated with having to wait for all the Muggles to pass by so he could get through the barrier. Finally, the opportunity came and the family of three rushed through the seemingly solid brick wall, breaking into the hustle and bustle of Platform 9 ¾. James grinned; he felt at home already, surrounded by so many witches and wizards.

"James," began Mr. Potter slowly, "I know that you want to get on the train, but we need to talk first." James groaned. What was he going to talk to him about? How to be a good little boy during his 7 years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? He snorted. Yeah, right, like that would happen; he had been planning pranks since he was 7! Now all he needed to do was find some partners in crime…

"James!" repeated his father, snapping him out of his daze.

"Yeah, Dad? What is it?" inquired James.

His father grinned, "I just wanted to tell you how proud of you I'll be, no matter what house you end up in. Even…" He shuddered as he choked out the next word, "Slytherin. But perhaps that's just because I know that won't happen; you're too good a kid." Mr. Potter ruffled his son's hair playfully and James grinned that silly, infectious grin of his. "I also wanted to tell you that I miss Hogwarts, and I'd rather like a souvenir. A toilet seat, perhaps?" he finished with a wink.

"Definitely," James managed to choke out between fits of laughter. His mother sighed and muttered something that sounded very much like "boys,", but she was grinning nonetheless.

"Alright, son, that's really all I've got to say; so you can go on and get on the train now."

James grinned and pushed the trolley over to one of the train cars. His father helped him get his trunk up onto the floor of the train, and James stepped back out to say good-bye to his parents. "Good-bye, Mum, Dad. I'll write lots, I promise." Mr. and Mrs. Potter each gave their son a watery smile and waved to him as he got on the train.

James was sad to be leaving his parents, of course- being an only child; he had a very close relationship with his parents. Yet the sadness was very nearly forgotten with the excitement of finally going off to Hogwarts. Nearly. He sighed and set off to find an empty compartment, finding one near the back of the train. James settled into his seat and watched the chaos outside his window, awaiting someone to talk to, perhaps even someone he could befriend; someone that was not aspiring to be a Slytherin.

Walburga Black was not a joy to be around by any means. Not even to Pureblood extremists such as herself, and especially not to her eldest son and the heir to the Black throne, Sirius Black. Sirius groaned as his mother continued on her rant. "You better be in Slytherin, or I'll snap that bloody broomstick of yours in half," blah, blah, blah. One of the very few things Sirius would enjoy even more than the excitement of riding his Cleansweep was not being in Slytherin…but, he thought, the broomstick still made his "Top 5 Things that Make My Miserable Life Worth Living" list, and he cringed at the thought of the glossy wood laying splintered on the ground of his house, bristles askew. Yes, that's all it was- a house. That poor excuse for a building would never be his home. He wanted to be away from it and his family as soon as humanly possible.