The Marauding Five - Year One

The Marauding Five : Year One

Chapter 3: Platform 9¾

Lily yawned as her alarm clock rang in shrill notes at 8:30 in the morning. It is September the first and she, Lily Evans, will be boarding Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one of the best magic schools out there. Lily Evans, a red head mischievous girl of eleven, is no ordinary person. She is, in fact, a witch, ready to start her first year in Hogwarts, just like how her Grandmother and her mother had been in her age.

The day before, she, James, Remus and Sirius had coated the village doors with invisible paint, leaving the doors invisible to eyes. So people just walked in, thinking that the doors were already opened and smashed themselves straight into the solid door. Jumping beanstalks were placed in every garden as a shock to those who came out in the evening to tend their gardens. Nose-biting teacups replaced every teacup (but theirs) in the village, giving all the villagers a shock when their teacups bit their noses. Mrs. Ferment, who had an abnormally large nose, was bitten hard and her nose is now swollen red. Along the street, Lily and Sirius had skillfully painted the words ‘We’re leaving tomorrow! Don’t miss us too much! James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin’ The villagers weren’t pleased with them. That had been a goodbye present to the villagers from the Marauders.

Lily grinned at that thought and jumped out of bed, hurriedly put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before pulling her trunk from her cupboard. She threw open the cover and poured in her books (she had another read at them last night) and her willow wand. Quickly, she ran her brush through her silky hair, right till the end of her fine curls. She added in necessary things (hairbrushes, pins, clips, scrunchies etc.) and dragged her trunk out of her room and run down the stairs, making a loud clunking noise on the stairs. Her Gram was already awoke and frying omelets on a pan when Lily bounced in.

Lily’s parents and her sister, Petunia, were on a holiday and won’t be back until January. Gram greeted her cheerfully as she levitated the omelets to Lily’s empty plate. ‘Good morning, Lily! Ready to go to Hogwarts, dear?’ she asked questioningly. ‘I’ve been waiting all my life for this, Gram! I mean, at least I know what those weird things happening around me when I was young mean now. Goodness, being a witch is surely a very lucky thing that could’ve happened to anyone!’ Lily chattered excitedly. When she was younger, weird things kept happening around her, James, Sirius and Remus. Flying bedpans, hovering plates… whenever they’re in trouble, luck seems to fall by them and they’d always managed to get away from it as easily as can be. There was once when they were to take a test and Lily hadn’t memorised everything, the test papers for grade 6 turned into one for grade 2. The teachers had somehow thought that Lily and gang (James, Sirius and Remus) had swapped the papers and they were given a detention. Teachers blamed everything on them because, mainly, they’re a huge set of troublemakers. Next, they were awfully smart and very full of themselves, causing them to grow even more of a troublemaker.

‘Eat up everything, dear. The Potters will bring you to King’s Cross Station any minute!’

‘I’m done, Gram. Lovely omelets.’

‘Thanks, dear.’

Just then, the doorbell rang shrilly.

‘Gotta go now! Bye Gram!’ Lily said as she hugged her Gram and collected all her things before opening the door to reveal five pairs of twinkling eyes and smiling faces. ‘Hi James, Sirius, Remus, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter! How about leaving now? It’ll be a mess if we get stuck in the traffic!’ Lily said as she jumped down towards them.

‘Sure. They’re as eager as you are, too,’ Mr. Potter said in a merry voice as he led them to the car. Lily dumped her trunk in and carried her owl’s cage with her to the backseat. Lily slipped in beside James before banging the door close as they chatted merrily about their holidays and most of all, Hogwarts. Mr. Potter cut in sometimes, as they were discussing about the tricks they’ll play, to give them several suggestions and interesting spells to use. They were glad about this, of course. Mrs. Potter gave them another load of Dungbombs, nose-biting teacups, shrinking toffees and more magical tricks as their parting present.

They reach King’s Cross Station without any problems, and Mr. Potter showed them the way to cross the barrier that separated Platform 9 and 10. Lily had gasped in fright but was calmed down by Mrs. Potter, who gave her more dungbombs and tips to annoy people. She ran forward with Sirius, and her stomach had churned tightly, afraid of knocking down. To her surprise, she found herself staring at a scarlet steam train and standing right in front of the sign reading Platform 9¾.

She gaped in surprise, staring intensely at the sign, when James and Remus collided in with her. ‘Yeow! Why’d you stand there for? Everyone crosses the barrier and if you stand there forever, think of how many casualties there’ll be!’ James said as he shook his head, tutting at her. Lily turned around, sends a dungbomb in his direction and back off, just as it exploded in James’ face.

He coughed and start spluttering (it went into his mouth). Everyone had turned to stare at them by that time. Sirius had doubled over with laughter and Remus was grinning broadly beside him. Lily merely smirked at her friends as three dungbombs were sent into the air once again. Lily, Remus and Sirius glared at James. ‘JAMES POTTER!!!!!!’ they cried in annoyance.

‘Well, don’t do that to me. Never! Look, my clothes are starting to stink and the train’s leaving. Let’s go now. We’ll talk in the compartment.’

They hurried their things into an empty compartment, just as the train whistled and chugged off.

Lily used a charm to remove the awful smell the Dungbombs had just started, but she couldn’t seem to get rid of the gooey stuff (remainders of the Dungbomb) in James’ mouth. He took to washing his tongue with water for 30 minutes. By the time he returned, his tongue hang over his lower lips like a dog’s.

James and Lily were teaching them spells they’d found in Gram and the Potters’ library, which proved to be really useful and interesting. Both had spent time practicing on counter-curses and hexes during the holidays, whilst Sirius and Remus had a list of plans for the year.

‘Boy, I’m starving!’

‘Sirius, didn’t you eat this morning?’

‘No. I woke up kinda late and mother shook me out of bed.’

‘Want a cookie?’

‘Who baked it?’

‘Mother.’

‘I think I’ll pass.’

James’ mother had a bad reputation for a cook. Mrs. Potter can do almost everything but cook, even with her magic spells. She could hardly even boil an egg!

‘You think so?’

‘Yea.’

‘How about sandwiches?’

‘I’ll go for that.’

Sirius snatched a packet of sandwiches from Remus’ hands and start attacking it like a dog. The others merely rolled their eyes on his when he spitted out something green.

‘Eeew, yuck! Remus, why’d you have alfalfa in your sandwich?’

‘Mother thinks it’s good for health. I’d seriously thought of throwing it, but you simply snatch it from me and eat it. Thanks for saving my trouble.’

‘No problem. Remind me next time. I hate alfalfa.’

‘Well, Gram gave me some butterbeer. She thinks that someone-’ Lily cocked her eye on Sirius ‘- might go hungry on the train ride.’

‘Oh, goody! I love butterbeers!’

Lily drew out four tall bottles of butterbeers from her trunk.

The four were drinking their butterbeers whilst chatting on which house to go to when the compartment door burst open. Wondering who could not have found a compartment this late (it’s halfway to Hogwarts), they glanced up. James was drinking his butterbeer when that person barged in. He looked up, only sprayed his mouthful of butterbeer at that person’s face, who wiped it off angrily.

‘Who’re you?’ Lily asked, glancing from her butterbeer. ‘Severus Snape,’ came the reply. It was a greasy haired boy with an oily voice. Remus shivered slightly at it. ‘Introduce yourself,’ Snape demanded. ‘And just why must we?’ James asked, trying not to burst at him. His hair was in such a way where you think one might’ve just gotten out of a fight, as it stuck up at odd ends, worst than James’. His greasy hair and weird face added up the funny look of him.

‘Because I’m a Snape,’ he snapped.

‘Oh? What if we don’t want to?’ Sirius started, patting at his butterbeer-filled tummy fondly.

‘Then you’ll pay.’

‘How?’

‘A hex.’

Lily scoffed at that.

‘You aren’t stupid, are you?’ Snape said, annoyed at how the conversation was going.

‘Sorry to disappoint you but no, I’m not stupid.’ Lily replied casually, sipping on her butterbeer.

‘What are you doing here anyway?’

‘Looking.’

‘At…?’

‘New kids. You’re in first year, aren’t you?’

‘Hit the nail right on the head.’

‘What?’

‘Muggle phrase.’

‘You’re a Mudblood?’

Lily jumped up as James, Sirius and Remus drew their wand at him.

‘What did you just call me, Snape?’

‘Mudblood.’

‘Sorry, but maybe you’re too imperious to notice that I’m no muggle.’

‘That’s right. She’s a witch.’

‘Hah!’

‘Excuse me, if I am a muggle born, you’ll be an earwig or better still, a dead fly.’

‘You’re not serious, right, to offend me? Here I am, trying to be friends and there you are, acting so know-all and goody-goody. Everyone knows that Snape can do good hexes.’

‘Sorry, I’m Lily.’

‘I’m Sirius.’

‘I’m James.’

‘I’m Remus.’

‘And she’s not Sirius. We don’t think you can do any hexes at all, just because someone in your family line can.’ The three boys chorused together, pointing at Lily who bowed gracefully, followed by the boys.

‘At you service, kind master,’ Sirius said in a pleasant voice.

‘That’s better. Not kind, you dolt. Nasty. Cruel.’ Snape replied in his oily voice, pleased with the given attention.

‘Sorry, dolt. No can do,’ Sirius yawned.

‘Yep! If you’re hoping for services, you could always ask the brains here,’ Remus pointed to James and Lily.

‘How about a simple body-bind?’

‘Deal.’

‘Petrificus Totalus!’

Snape was soon on the ground; his hands and legs stiffen up as soon as the spell hit him.

‘And that,’ Lily cried triumphantly, ‘should shut him up. Know some good hexes, eh? Well, try to counter that first, slimeball.’ She polished her wand, as if disgust to use it on Snape. ‘Right. I guess we’d found our rival. I don’t need anyone telling me so, but even if we hadn’t really fight yet, I can feel that we’re rivals already. Might as well say it early,’ James said shrugging.

‘Any more butterbeer, Lily?’

‘Sorry Sirius. I’m saving them.’

‘Dang.’

Just then, a cheerful witch walked in with a tray filled with goodies. ‘Want anything? First years, aren’t you?’ They nodded as they crammed over the tray. Snape lay forgotten in a corner, mouth gagged by a piece of cloth.

Lily grabbed a couple of chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes and Liquorice Wands. She winced at the Cockroach Clusters and Spider Spinnerets. The boys, especially Sirius, took at least one of each food served. They paid for them and sat huddling together, sharing their goodies.

Just to pass the time, they thought of playing with Snape. James had transfigured a tissue into a quill and had started writing on Snape’s clothes ‘Wash your greasy hair, you fat slimeball!’ Lily had taken the quill and had stated a few interesting lines on him:

‘Thus the name is Severus Snape,

Snapping all over the train;

Teasing helpless kids and all,

Was just what this slimeball thought;

Thinking he’s the greatest git,

Pompous, cruel, with yellow teeth;

Oh, beware, those out of his lair,

For this is the dirty, greasy pig!’

‘It doesn’t has to rhyme. All I need to tell others was this git has terrible manners with an equally terrible look to go with,’ Lily said pointedly, grinning at her work on Snape. Sirius had rolled over with laughter at the line ‘Pompous, cruel, with yellow teeth’ had deciding that since Snape’s teeth weren’t yellow enough, Lily should perform a charm so that it turned yellow. Remus snatched the quill from Lily and start doodling a childish picture of Severus Snape running from his bath. Sirius had taken the honour to cast the spell to make it dance around Snape. Lastly, Sirius took the quill and wrote over Snape’s face ‘I am Severus Snape; King of all idiots, Emperor of all gits and the God of all Geeks’. The compartment doubled over with laughter as Snape glared at them through the process of all.

The train slowed down to a crawl and a voice echoed through the train: ‘We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes’ time. Please leave your luggage on the train as it will be taken to the school separately.’

Hurriedly, the boys changed into their robes as Lily turned around to do the same. Snape was kicked out of their compartment, courtesy of Sirius’ thoughts that he looked too greasy, and into another, where all the students were of seventh years, of which two of them were the Head Boy and Girl. They looked shocked at Snape’s appearance in body-bind, his looks and the doodling and writings all over him. Soon, the compartment burst out into endless laughter. The Head Girl pointed over to the little poetry Lily had wrote and they doubled over. The Head Boy laughed at the doodling of a running Snape from his bath. At last, when they had enough of laughs and restored Snape back. The boy snarled and growled, but couldn’t do anything much as the seventh years were much bigger and older than he. Sirius grinned gleefully.

‘Serves him right,’ Remus smirked. ‘It always does. God, did you see the Head Boy’s face when he saw Snape? He looked like he half wanted to die of laughter at that very moment!’ Sirius said, bouncing back in with the others. James and Lily were howling with laughter on the floor when the train slowed to a stop.

They quickly pulled their faces straight, but thoughts of the seventh years’ frantic and ludicrous looks kept replying themselves in their minds. A large shadow called loudly, his voice booming echoes all around. ‘Firs’-years! Firs’-years over ‘ere! Mind your step, now! Firs’-years, follow me!’

The first years gathered quickly over Hagrid as they followed him, stumbling and slipping down a steep, narrow path. He lead them through what seems like a forest to Lily. ‘Yeh’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec!’ Hagrid called, ‘Jus’ round the bend.’

The first years held their breath as the path open on to the edge of a great, black lake. Sitting on top of a high mountain on the other side, with a thousand many windows sparkling in the starry night, was a huge castle with many turrets and towers. ‘No more’n four to a boat!’ Hagrid called as Lily, James, Sirius as Remus rushed to one of the gently floating boats at the edge of the lake.

‘Ev’ryone in? Then FORWARD!’ Hagrid called loudly.

The fleet of boats moved off all at once, gliding gracefully across the lake. They sailed near to the cliff on which the castle of Hogwarts stood as Hagrid yelled, ‘Heads down!’. Everyone bent their heads as the boats carried them through a curtain of overgrown ivy which hid an opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel which seemed to be running underground until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out on to rocks and pebbles.

They climbed up a flight of stone steps and in front of them lay a huge, oak door. Hagrid raised his gigantic fist and knocked the door three times. Lily was pretty sure that it must have echoed throughout the castle, judging by the sound of it and had made note to come a little later next year, so as not to be deafened by those knocks. Half the first years had already covered their ears in fright of the sound. Must be one huge headache for the school inside, Lily mused as the door opened slowly.