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?).

[McGonagall's Cat]

"Right," James smirked. "Might as well come clean, Freddy."

Freddy looked increasingly uncomfortable, finally clearing his throat he said, "Oh that... Well, Lily left a part of her assignment and we went to get it so she could finish it propperly. So, after dinner we..."

James rolled his eyes. "My sister hasn't forgotten anything since she was three years old. And I do guess six hours after dinner counts as after dinner."

Freddy looked even more uncomfortable, though unwilling to give away any advantage he might still hold unless there was no other choice.

"This can be easy, or this can be hard," James earnestly looked at his cousin. "I followed you last night. I already know when AND where you two went."

"Lily and I are Marauders! Marauders never give up one another," Freddy grinned, as though that was all there was to it.

"Fine. I'm sure your Mum will be delighted to hear that you are so dedicated to your studies that you go to the room at all hours of the day and NIGHT..." James let the last word hang over the head of his poor fidgeting cousin like a sword of Damocles. He waited.

"NO! You wouldn't!" Freddy looked around furtively. Then a realization dawned. "If you tell my mother, you'll be getting your own self into just as much trouble!" he shot back.

James tried to keep his demeanor convincing, though he was certain that his face betrayed him. He was fairly sure that any passing first year Hufflepuff could glance at him and know he was bluffing, but he continued to look at Freddy unflinchingly. "Hmmm, let's see... My Dad, Your Mum... my dad, YOUR mum... my dad, Your MUM.. oh yeah, and Lily would get into trouble too, bet she'll love you for that one..."

Freddy let out a sigh of defeat. "Ok, ok... Some of it was for our little starry experiment today. But we have some other things planned and, trust me, the less you know the better." He kept a watchful eye and ear out for others that might overhear as they walked along.

"Did you get caught when Professor Krum went into the room?"

"How do you know about that?!" Freddy seemed startled, he had assumed James had only seen them return to the Common Room and guessed the rest.

"I followed you last night... and... almost got caught, too..." James confessed.

Freddy looked at his younger cousin with a bit of pride. "Almost?"

"Yes. I heard footsteps and ducked into the classroom nextdoor and hid under a table," he said shrugging as though it was the only logical possible course of action.

"Jamesy, I had no idea you could be so creative! Lily thinks of you as her annoying kid brother.. welll, one of them anyhow. We heard the footsteps, too, and hid in the shadows behind his desk. It was pretty close. If it hadn't been so dark in there we probably would have gotten caught." Freddy paused for a moment, then asked, "Did you see the other one?"

"Well, yeah. We have to talk about that, Freddy. I think something wrong is going on. And I think Professor Jacobsen is in it up to his eyeballs. Last night was the second time Phillip and I overheard..."

Freddy cut him off, "Phillip!"

James hesitated. "Ummm... both of us followed you. I didn't want to get him in trouble, but since you and I are being totally honest, yes, Phillip and I followed you and Lily last night." James felt embarassed at letting that slip, but it was going to be a lot easier to discuss what he and Phillip had stumbled across concerning Jacobsen with all the details out in the open.

"Lily's not going to be happy about this, but I think all of us should sit down together and figure this out. We've come across some suspicious things in the last little while, too," Freddy said, a very serious look crossing his face. "Let's go up to the library and get those two, then see if we can find a quiet place to talk."