01/09/1971

"James! Wake up! We're going to be late!" Jamie yelled from their bathroom, her voice slightly muffled by the toothbrush in her mouth.

"Ugh, what time is it?" he called back, sitting up in the mess of covers.

"It's ten o'clock and mum said we're leaving at half past!"

A groan could be heard from the bedroom as James pushed the covers off of him and stood up to go to the wardrobe.

"Jamie! James! Are you ready?" Fleamont's voice called from downstairs, "we're leaving in a bit!"

"Coming dad!" James called back as he came out of the wardrobe fully dressed in a burgundy t-shirt and jeans. Jamie stepped out of the bathroom in a matching, burgundy dress - her hair damp and falling to the bottom of her back.

"Ready?" Jamie asked.

"Ready," James responded, waving his hand slightly to dry her hair.

"Thanks. Lets go," Jamie said, the twins grabbing their trunks and cages, heading for the top of the stairs. They both waved their hands to lift the trunks and cages as they headed down the stairs.

"Come on guys, the earlier we get there, the better chance you'll have of finding an empty carriage," Euphemia said, grabbing James' hand and his trunk while he grabbed Tiger in his cage - Fleamont and Jamie doing the same - apparating to the platform.

"Come on!" Jamie said excitedly when they arrived on the platform, grabbing her trunk and running towards one of the train doors.

"Hold on Jam!" James called, grabbing his trunk and running after her - Fleamont and Euphemia trailing behind.

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After placing their trunks and cages in the overhead compartment, the twins stepped off of the train to say their goodbyes.

"Now, both of you need to promise to behave, no pranks and no tricks," Euphemia said as she pulled the twins into a hug.

"We promise," the twins recited, crossing their fingers behind their backs with a smirk.

"Come here, the both of you," Fleamont said, pulling them into his arms.

"You need to remember not to use your...extra abilities," Euphemia warned.

"Of course mum," Jamie started.

"Only when we're on our own or with uncle Albie or auntie Minnie!" James finished.

"Goodbye, we'll see you at Christmas," Euphemia called over the loud whistle of the train.

"Goodbye mum, goodbye dad!" the twins called in unison, jumping onto the train as they apparated away.

Walking into their claimed compartment, the twins were surprised to see the boy that they had bumped into in Diagon Alley.

"Hello again," Jamie said as she sat across from the boy, James sitting next to her.

"Remus Lupin right?" James asked, the boy nodding in response.

"Jamie and James Potter?" he responded, the twins nodding again.

"So, you are in Hogwarts then. Are you a first year aswell?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, are both of you?" Remus asked, a confused look on his face.

"Yeah, we're twins so we're in the same year," James said as the door burst open again to reveal another - familiar - boy, this one with piercing, silver eyes and curly, black hair that fell to his shoulders.

"And who might you be?" Remus asked as the boy sat next to him.

"Black, Sirius Black."

"Black? As in the noble house of black?" Jamie asked.

"Sadly. Who are you lot anyway?" Sirius asked, looking between the trio.

"Well, I'm Remus Lupin."

"James Potter."

"Jamie Potter."

"Nice introductions," a voice called from the compartment door - it was a tall, thin boy with greasy black hair. A red head stood behind him with a shorter, chubbier boy.

"What do you want?" Sirius sneered, looking at the boy's hair.

"The other compartments are full, could we join you?" the girl asked, stepping forward.

"Of course, I'll just sit on James," Jamie responded, standing up as James moved to sit by the window. Sitting on his lap, the new group sat down. The short boy sat next to Sirius, the girl and the other boy sitting next to James and Jamie.

"Well, you know our names. What are yours?"" Sirius asked.

"I'm Lily Evans, this is Severus Snape," the girl introduced the two.

"What about you?" Remus asked the smaller boy.

"P-peter Pettigrew."

"Now that the formalities are over, what houses does everyone want to be sorted in?" Remus asked.

"Gryffindor! Where dwell the brave at heart!" the twins recited in unison.

"Gryffindor," Sirius replied, Severus laughing slightly causing everyone to look at him.

"What's wrong with Gryffindor?" Remus asked defensively.

"Nothing, if you'd rather be brawny over brainy," Severus responded.

"Well where do you want to go?" Peter asked.

"Slytherin, where else?" he answered snidely.

"How is that better than Gryffindor, Snivellus?" Sirius asked, laughing at the nickname.

"How dare you call him that! What's wrong with Slytherin?" Lily retorted.

"Oh, nothing if you're, um, evil!" James exclaimed.

"Come on Severus, lets find another compartment."

The duo stood up and left the compartment, leaving Peter with the four of them.

"Well, what about you, Peter?" Jamie asked as she got off of her twin's lap and sat across from Sirius.

"I w-want to be in G-gryffindor but I'll p-probably be in H-hufflepuff," he stuttered.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff! Remus smiled.

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After a few hours, a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

"We're finally here!" Jamie said excitedly, "we should probably change into our robes quickly."

"Yeah, if you go into the toilet down the hall, we'll change in here," Remus said, reaching up to where everyone's trunk lay.

"I'll go with Jamie, we'll meet you on the platform," James said before the twins exited the compartment and made their way to the toilet down the hall.

"I can't stand this, it's only been a few hours but I automatically went to change magically," Jamie sighed as they both entered the toilet, closing and locking the door behind her.

"I know, i don't know how we are going to hide it. Especially from our roommates," James replied before waving his hands and changing them both into their school robes, their normal clothes now back in the trunks.

With a screech, the train came to a stop, ending the conversation between the twins. Unlocking the bathroom door, they looked at the train doors that were being flooded with students. 

"Ready?" James asked, holding out his hand for Jamie.

"Ready," Jamie responded, grabbing his hand and heading for the train doors.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" a voice echoed through the platform. Looking towards the voice, the twins could see a large man holding a torch and gesturing for the group of first years to approach him.

"Come on now!  Any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed the man down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. 

"Oh, this is fantastic. I love slipping and sliding in mud!" Sirius' voice called out from behind the twins.

"Same, I find it just ravishing!" the twins called out in response.

"Wondered where you two disappeared to," Remus said as the trio finally caught up to the duo.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid interrupted the, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!" from most of the students as the narrow path opened onto the edge of a great black lake.

"Bloody hell, it's my lake!" Sirius called over the noise.

"It's not your lake, Sirius!" James called out.

"Yes it is, it's the Black Lake! Duh!" He retorted.

"Look, it's H-hogwarts!" Peter called, looking to the high mountain. Perched atop the other side of this mountain, it's windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the man called as he pointed to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.

"James, I'll go with the group of girls by here, go with the boys," Jamie whispered to him before heading over to a boat with three girls whilst James and the three boys hopped into another one.

"Everyone in?" shouted the man, who had a boat to himself. "Right then -- FORWARD!"

　　And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

All of a sudden, a splash crashed through the silence. Everyone looking over to the source, they could see a boat had tipped over. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were treading water - laughing hysterically.

"Why is it always you James? Mum's gonna kill you!" Jamie called, laughing at the scared look that crossed over his face with the mention of their mother.

"It wasn't my fault! Sirius pushed me, I just brought the boat with me!" he called back, the four boys somehow managing to flip the boat back over and jump in. Finally, the group could continue on.

"Heads down!" yelled the man as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

  The group  clambered up a passageway in the rock after the large man's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door. The man raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.