Journey To Hogwarts, old - thread closed Options

[evlpez]

Okay folks. I know many of you have no care to explore 'ships and alt universe stuff, but I wanted to get something else moving in our brains.
Here is a short installment of an AU story about James Potter, son to Harry and Ginny. This is all that is written so far.

Rather than chapter-long installments, let's try just a few paragraphs at a time and see how it develops.

The story begins with James' first ride on the Hogwarts Express. I see James as a bit of a loner, coping silently with being related to a celebrity and unsure about his own place in the world. He is more mature than his age and is intelligent, brave and has a darkness about him. (He isn't evil or bad, though.) I see a bit of a 'young Remus' in this James. I have written in one baby brother, but there may be up to 5 children in the Potter family, considering Ginny's experience with a large family and Harry's feelings about having a different, lonlier childhood.

JOURNEY TO HOGWARTS

James Potter sat in an otherwise empty compartment of the Hogwarts Express, looking out the window and eagerly waiting for it to pull away from the platform. He could barely sit still. He felt only a twinge of guilt at his hasty good-bye to his parents, having felt awkward as always standing there with one of the most famous wizards in history. He needed to get away and be by himself on this train before he was bombarded by cousins and other curious people. He loved his cousins, but he always felt a little different from all of them. Not better, but something about being who he was had made him… alone. He preferred being alone at important times like this; important to him, anyway. His first trip on the Hogwarts Express, this was the beginning of his journey to become someone. To make a name for himself that wasn't automatically followed by 'the son of Harry Potter'. He glanced at the cage he had set on the bench opposite only moments before. His new owl, a young brown Tawny, stared back at him. He still hadn't given him a name, despite his mother's prodding.

"Just pick something, James. He's just an owl, not your firstborn child," she had said that morning while juggling a breakfast pan with her wand hand and his baby brother with the other. His father intervened as he took baby Albert off her hands.

"Now, now… this isn't just any owl. It's his owl. James will name him when he needs to. It's important to some people, Gin. This little guy is going to be more than just his owl, he'll be a friend." James smiled at his dad then. He understood. He understood a lot of things about James that his mother just couldn't, not that she didn't try.

James' new owl hooted, reminding him of a penny whistle. It was such a different voice than Hedwig's. James smiled. His father had known that this owl should be as different as he could be from Hedwig.

Continue, introducing at least one new character, maybe a Weasley Cousin (one of the twins' kids?).

[zymurgy]

When they emerged from the Herbology lesson, Duke was none too happy. In fact, he was downright angry. Of course, being a bully, he felt there had to be someone to blame other than himself. He felt that that someone would have to be Serena, not to mention Philip and James.

He waited by the entrance for Serena to leave the greenhouse, and followed her closely, along with his two rather bulky friends. As soon as they were sure there weren’t any teachers in sight, Duke abruptly pulled Serena round to face him.

“What did you have to do that for?” he growled.

Serena tried to pull away, “What?” she protested, “I didn’t do anything!”

Duke grinned nastily. “That plant, you made it get mad at me,” he said, and promptly knocked her off her feet.

She lay on the floor for a moment, stunned. Then she reached for her wand. “You crazy muggle-born!” she shrieked, “The plant was mad at YOU! YOU made it that way! It was your own fault!” Before she could curse Duke with whatever it was she had in mind, James leapt in between the two.

“Stop it,” he commanded, “Now.”

Duke backed up a pace, not knowing what to do when confronted with a wand, “What?” he sneared, “Is the great James Potter scared? Scared I’ll heart this baby?”

James turned and silently helped Serena to her feet. “It’s not worth it,” he said to her, “He’s not worth getting expelled for. Leave it be.”

Serena knocked James’ arm away from her, “So I’m supposed to just walk back on to the castle and pretend that nothings happened? Am I supposed to just let people knock me over when they feel like it!?” she yelled at James, still clutching her wand.

Philip decided to join the fray. “Serena,” he said, “look. Go back to the greenhouse, and tell Professor Longbottom. He’ll help.”

Duke sneared. “Baby,” he taunted, “Going back to the professor for help. Baby’s afraid.” James turned to face Duke.

“Leave her alone,” he said.

Duke grinned. This was going to be fun. “Make me,” he said.

James turned to Philip. Philip narrowed his eyebrows, and turned back to Serena.

“If you get mad and curse him,” he said, quietly, “Than your doing what he wants. He wants you to hurt him. He wants you do break the rules so that he can see you get punished for it. Don’t let him.”

Serena made an exasperated motion with her hand. “I won’t!” she yelled, at them all. “I won’t be pushed around.”

Duke smiled again, keen on the chase, “What are you going to do about it, baby?” he asked.

Before James or Philip could do a thing, Serena had hexed Duke. Duke fell to his knees, and seemed to be having some sort of allergic reaction. Dukes friends panicked, and ran back to the greenhouse, probably to get Professor Longbottom to help.

James looked at Serena, who was shaking with anger, and sighed. “Now you’ve done it. You should have let me.”

Serena put her wand away and snapped. “Why?” she said, acidly, “I noticed you weren’t so uppity about breaking the rules before. Silencing me at breakfast! You think you're better than I am. Admit it!”

James sighed. “No, I don’t,” he said, “and I’m sorry about what happened at breakfast. I just don’t want you to get into trouble that’s all. What did you do to him?” He motioned to the prone form of Duke which was shaking and sneezing. Serena raised an eyebrow and surveyed her handiwork.

“Allergy charm,” she said, simply.

Just then, they saw a rather harried Professor Longbottom immerge from the greenhouse followed by Duke'sfriends.

“You explain,” she said to Philip and James, as she picked up her scattered books and hurried off.

Philip and James looked at each other wondering what to do now. “Finite incantatem,” muttered James.

Duke recovered, slowly, still on the ground, looking around wildly. “You cursed me,” he said, staring at James.

Professor Longbottom hurried up to Duke. He frowned in distast. “Are you allright?” he asked.

Duke sat up and shuddered slightly. “I think so,” he said.

Longbottom frowned again. “Get back to the castle, you have classes. You two, go with him,” he ordered, “If you feel badly during the day, go the nurse.”

Duke and his friends shuffled off, talking excitedly in hushed voices. Longbottom turned and stared at James. “Why did you have to do that, James?” he asked.

“I didn’t,” protested James, but was cut off by his professor.

“Stop it,” he said, “I saw you sparring in my class. I even told you to quit. But no, you had to keep it up. I’m disappointed in you, James. I figured you’d be the kind that would stand up to people without resorting to physical violence. Twenty points from Gryffindore.”

James opened his mouth, changed his mind, and shut it again. Nobody ever bothered to listen to his explanations anyhow. He’d been blamed for many thins that his siblings had done, and everybody still believed their stories over his.

However, Philip wasn’t going to stand by and take it. “He didn’t hex him,” he said to Professor Longbottom, “Serena did. Duke hit her, and knocked her down, said she’d set the plant on him. She got mad, and hexed him. James was trying to make them stop!”

Longbottom’s eyes narrowed as he looked from one to the other. “My office,” he said, shortly, “Now.’

sorry for the length- and that it happens to have gone a good deal farther than I originally intended. I only wanted a bit on Duke, and it just grew.