Meet James Potter

September 1 finally rolled around and Mera's brother Cornelius came to help them move Sirius' things to the train station. He strapped the trunk with all the school supplies to his broomstick and covered himself and everything else with his invisibility cloak. Then he flew to Kings Cross Station to wait for them on Platform 93/4. Sirius Side-Along Apparated with his mother to the platform and there they waited for Cornelius. Suddenly, he was knocked down from behind by something heavy.

"Will you watch where you are going?" he heard his mother ask whoever it was. He looked up, as annoyed as she was. It was a trunk on a trolley that had knocked him over and behind it was a boy not much older than he was with dark hair and round glasses. The boy had an apologetic look on his face but the woman next to him, his mother, was looking at Mera with a scowl on her face and her hands on her hips.

"Well, why were you and your boy standing right in front of the portal just waiting to be hit by people coming in?" she asked.

"Are you alright?" the boy asked Sirius. Sirius mumbled an affirmation and got up looking for any bruises. "Sorry. I was just in such a hurry to get on the train and finally go to Hogwarts, I forgot to be careful," the strange boy continued.

"It's fine, really," said Sirius.

"Why, Mera Black!" exclaimed the boy's mother.

"What is it to you?" said Mera, still in a bad mood from watching her son get knocked over by another boy.

"Jane Potter! We went to school together. Well, actually, you were Mera White back then. Fancy our firstborn sons now going together, too!" replied the woman.

"Not if Sirius gets into Gryffindor," snarled Mera.

"I see you have not changed a bit. Tom and I hoped you would since you married Patrick."

"Do not talk about my husband as if you knew him. I knew him better than anybody and he was a Slytherin through and through."

"Well, sorry we bumped into you, but you really should not stand in the middle of the portal like that. Come, James."

Jane Potter led her son away from the Blacks toward the train and Mera and Sirius went back to looking for Uncle Cornelius. Finally, he entered the portal wheeling Sirius' things along with his broomstick on a trolley. After wishing Sirius godspeed on his journey and his studies, he Disapparated with his broom. Mera and Sirius went to find a seat for him on the train and she levitated his things into the overhead compartment. Then, with a goodbye kiss for Sirius, Mera left the train and waved as the train left the station.

As the train pulled away from London, Sirius felt a balloon of joy inflating inside him. He was finally away from his protective mother and her constant muggle-hating banter. At that moment, the door opened and James Potter poked his head in and saw Sirius.

"Do you mind?" he said with a sheepish smile. "Everywhere else is full."

"Not at all."

James entered and sat down opposite Sirius.

"Sorry for knocking you down before. It wasn't on purpose, you know."

"I know."

Just then, a red-haired girl poked her head in.

"Has anyone seen a rat?" she asked. "A boy called Peter has lost one."

"No," said Sirius. James stared at the girl as if he was under a spell.

"Well, I'll keep looking then," said the girl. And she went off further down the train.

There was silence for a little while, and then Sirius said, "I guess our moms went were classmates."

James shook his head as if to clear it. "Oh, yeah, I guess so."

"Do you hope to get into Gryffindor?"

"Yeah. Both my parents were in it."

"Both my parents were in Slytherin."

"Do you hope to be in Slytherin, too?"

Sirius paused, and then said, "No."

"Good," said James. "Because you're actually civil. I would hate it if you got into Slytherin."

Sirius nodded, but he did not feel any better because he was thinking about his mother.