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?).

[agrippa]

After a quick lunch, James, Philip, and Serena headed to the dungeons for double potions with the Ravenclaws. The stone corridors were filled with chatter, but the dark atmosphere of the classroom dropped everyone's voices to a whisper. The three found their seats and took their cauldrons out of their bags.

"Wow!" said Philip. "Look at that big cauldron on the desk."

Indeed, at the front of the room, a gigantic iron cauldron bubbled, steamed, and sparked. Its turqoise smoke filled the air, and every student seemed to be breathing deeply. James felt calmer than he had in a long time.

"You know," he said to Philip, "Dad was never much for potions. But I think this might be pretty cool."

The door of the professor's office opened and a tall, thin, duck-footed man slouched towards the front of the room.

"Velcome to your first potions lesson," said the professor. "I am Professor Krum. It is very good to see you all here, and I think that I will be seeing many of you on the quidditch pitch, as vell."

He smiled at the class.

"So, I imagine you are all feeling very relaxed?"

"Yes, professor," sang the students.

"You've been breathing the fumes of a Stupor Daught. You." He pointed at Serena. "What is your name?"

"Sally Wilson," she said in a dreamy tone.

"Is that right?" he smiled. "And you?" He looked at a curly-headed boy in Ravenclaw robes.

"Walter Wilcox," the boy droned.

"I'd be willing to bet," Krum continued, "that neither of you gave me your correct name. Let's find out."

He pointed his wand at the cauldron. "Gelidus!" The cauldron stopped steaming. He waved his wand in the air, drawing a small circle, and the air in the dungeon classroom cleared. Suddenly, the room was alive with chatter.

"Calm down, everyone, calm down," shouted Krum. "Miss Wilson, I believe you said? Is that really your name?"

Serena went bright red. "No. I'm Serena Weasley."

"And you, Mr. - ah - Wilcox?"

The curly-headed boy stared at the floor. "I'm William Walters."

"Lesson one, then," said Krum as the words appeared magically on the blackboard behind him. "When you see a potion you aren't familiar with, don't breath it, don't touch it, don't taste it."

The students scribbled furiously on their parchment as Prof. Krum began to explain how to identify different types of potions and how to know which ones might be harmful. He lectured so long that James' hand was hurting, but he didn't mind. He was finding all of this facinating.

Finally the end of the double lesson drew near. "Any questions?" asked the professor.

James' hand went up.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Potter, isn't it?"

For once, James didn't even think to be embarrased that the professor knew his dad. "What should we have done, professor, when we first came into the room? I mean, we couldn't leave the lesson, and the cauldron was smoking."

"An excellent question. But rather than me telling you, I have another idea. Fifty points to the house of the first student to find a way that you could have remained in the room and not suffered the effects of this potion. Just write your answer on a slip of parchment and send it to me. That's all for today. Please have read chapter two in Primary Potions for next lesson."