Before They Were Angels

Before they were Angels

Chapter 1: Almost a Fairy Tale

Baby James scooted across the floor, yelling, "You can't catch me, Dad, you can't catch me!" Harry Potter laughed as he scooped his son up in his arms as he caught him.

"Oh, I've got you now!" He said as he kissed the top of James's head, the jet black hair so much like his own and his father's before him. His wife stood smiling in the kitchen doorway. She was wearing her hair down, the way Harry liked it best.

"Well, I was going to tell you that dinner was ready, but it looks like you're both occupied, so I'll just wait." She said, pretending to turn around.

"No, I'm hungry!" shouted James. "Yes, dear, there's no need for that," agreed James.

"Well," she said, pretending to be thinking hard about it, "I guess you two can come on in."

"Yay!" cried James.

After dinner was over, they sat together in their furnished living room. James sat in his mother's lap as she read him Jack and the Beanstalk, which was one of James's favorites. Harry sat in his favorite chair, cherishing the moment.

He never took for granted the times he spent with his family, unlike so many people did. He had been through too much, seen too much, not to be grateful for what he had. Years ago when Voldemort had risen again, he had seen families torn apart. He shuddered as he remembered the people, some lying dead in the streets, and some were not dead, but they would never rise again.

His wife must have seen something in his face, for she set James on the ground and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Dear, what's wrong?" she asked, worry etched onto her face. "Nothing," he said, putting his hand on top of hers. "Nothing at all."

"James!" she shouted suddenly. Harry looked up to see James standing on a chair, trying to reach a picture that was on the fireplace mantel. He succeeded in grabbing hold of it before his mother came rushing over, picking him up before he could fall off.

"James, don't ever do that again!" she scolded. "You scared Mommy and Daddy." James looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I just wanted to see this picture," he said, holding it up.

"Let me see that," said Harry, reaching out for it.

There were five people in the picture, about to graduate from their seventh year, it looked like. They were all laughing and smiling with their arms around each other. The one in the middle looked strikingly like Harry, and soon, like his son. Beside him was a pretty redhead with green eyes much like his own. Around them was a tall, dark haired boy, grinning as he ruffled the hair of a smaller, plump blonde haired boy. Behind them was a sandy-haired boy, who seemed at first to be smiling innocently, while he was actually curling devil horns with his fingers above the first boys' head.

Harry ran his finger around the edge of the photo, an indescribable look in his eyes. "Who are they, Dad?" asked James. "Well," said Harry, "I guess you could say that they are people who lived a long time ago."

"Before I was here, Dad?" asked James, his eyes round with wonder. "Yes," smiled Harry sadly, "before you were here."

Harry's wife suddenly looked a little nervous. "James, honey, I think it's time you went to bed. Your father's had a long day, and he doesn't need to be disturbed."

"But we didn't finish the story!" pouted James, sticking out his lower lip. "Wait, sweetheart," said Harry. "Let him stay up a little longer." He turned to James. "Would you like to hear a different story tonight?"

"Yes!" cried James, running up to Harry and crawling into his lap. "Is it a fairy tale story?"

"Almost," said Harry. "It's about the people in the picture."

"Tell me! Tell me!" cried James, nearly jumping of Harry's lap in his enthusiasm.

"Okay, okay," chuckled Harry. "Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a girl named Lily, who also happened to be your grandmother. And she knew four boys, who called themselves Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs..."

~*~*~

"Lily, hurry up!" shouted Petunia, Lily's thirteen-year-old sister, from downstairs. "If we don't get going right now, the Mables will think we're not coming."

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying," grumbled Lily, raking a comb through her bright red hair. Honestly, Petunia was being such a pain lately! Usually, she and her sister got along just fine, but ever since she had gotten that letter, Petunia had been absolutely unbearable. Oh, the letter. Lily still couldn't believe that this wasn't all just a dream.

It had come as a complete surprise. Lily had been sitting at her kitchen table, eating a sandwich, when she saw an owl come flying up to the window and start tapping furiously with its beak. At first Lily hadn't known what to do, her father had always told her not to touch strange animals, but when she saw the letter attached to its leg, she immediately opened the window.

When she read what the letter said, she called her parents and sister down to read it. Her dad was thrilled about it. He said he remembered seeing his grandmother perform some pretty strange things, and that he reckoned that that was where Lily had gotten it from.

At first her mother was skeptical about it. She was afraid that it might go against their religion to practice witchcraft, but as soon as she voiced her concern, out fell a letter from inside the envelope explaining that their magic had nothing to do with Satan worship at all and that they were all naturally born with the talent. Afterwards her mother was very pleased, except she was worried about finding the school and getting her supplies.

Apparently, however, the school of Hogwarts always added an extra part to the letters' contents for the Muggle-borns, explaining that they would be able to get in touch with a "host wizarding family," who would tell them everything that they needed to know. Their host family was the Mables.

The only one who hadn't seemed thrilled was Petunia. She sat sullen faced until they began reading what supplies she would need. It read this:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

"Gee, what a surprise," muttered Petunia sarcastically. "Petunia," said her father in a warning tone.

"Dragons?" said Lily's mom worriedly. "Oh, don't worry, Mom," said Petunia in a sweet voice, "I'm sure they won't let Lily get burned too bad."

"Oh, I hope it doesn't get too cold up there," said Lily, who hated the cold. "Don't worry; I'm sure the dragons will warm you up quite nicely."

"Petunia," said both of her parents simultaneously.

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry nametags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

by Miranda Goshawk

"Goshawk? Isn't that a type of bird?" asked Petunia. "Shhhhh," they all hissed.

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

"Let me guess, by Magic Mushroom?" said Petunia. "No, Phyllida Spore," said Lily brightly.

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Tremble

"Well, that was special," said Petunia sourly.

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

"I wonder what they would do to you if you brought all three?" mused Lily. "Probably curse you and throw you to the dragons," said Petunia mildly.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Broomsticks? Is Lily going to ride on broomsticks?" Petunia snorted. "Petunia, that's quite enough," their mother said.

"But Mom," sighed Petunia, with just a hint of a whine in her voice, "You can't actually believe all this, can you? I mean, this is crazy."

"Your father remembers about his grandmother," said her mom, a warning in her voice. Petunia didn't take the hint.

"Lily is not a witch," said Petunia angrily.

"I am too a witch," cried Lily, stamping her foot. "What about when I was five and I turned your hair blue? You're just jealous because I am and you're not."

A pink tinge appeared on Petunia's cheeks. "Well, fine," she huffed, "If you all want to believe that Lily has the power to ride broomsticks and turn us into frogs, then... then you can just keep on believing it. But don't drag me down with you." And with that she turned on her heal and ran up to her room. Petunia barely spoke to her after that.

And now it was time to go to the Mables. "Lily!" shouted Petunia, bursting into her room. "Mom and Dad are ready to go!"

"Okay!" Lily shouted back. They all jumped in the car and drove to downtown London, where the letter had said the Mables lived.

The Evans' were pleasantly surprised when they met the Mables. They had expected some hostility since they were Muggles, but the Mables proved to be very friendly. Lily especially took to Molly, their chatterbox 18-year-old daughter who was fresh out of Hogwarts and talked constantly about her boyfriend Arthur Weasley.

"Oh, of course the first thing we'll have to do is go to Gringott's to exchange your Muggle money for wizard's money. That's our bank, you know," said Molly, seeing the confused looks on the Evans' faces.

"You have your own currency?" asked Mr. Evans. "Oh yes," laughed Eva Mable, Molly's mother. "We wizarding folk have been using our own currency for a thousand years."

"Oh," said Mr. Evans.

"But don't you worry," said Eva, you'll learn all about that stuff real quick."

Finally, they were ready to leave. They walked a few blocks and then came upon a dingy bar called the Leaky Cauldron. Lily didn't even notice the place until they were right at the front door.

Lily had never seen such an odd assortment of people in one place before. There were what looked like a group of businessmen that had stopped in for a drink, old men with teeth that had long since fallen out, and a huge giant of a man that sat at a table in the far corner.

Lily loved it. Everyone she passed looked up and said "Hallo!" to her and her family. Petunia thought otherwise, however, as she complained about the smoke in the room and then went into an extremely over-exaggerated coughing fit.

"Hagrid!" called Molly, waving to the huge man in the corner. "Lily, come meet Hagrid, the brand-new keeper of the keys and grounds of Hogwarts!"

Petunia practically hid behind her parents as they conversed merrily with Hagrid, whom Lily suspected was a very gentle man, despite his rough manners and size.

After they left out the back of the store, which happened to be a small courtyard with nothing but a trash can and weeds. Mr. Mable took out his wand and counted three up and two across from the trashcan, then tapped it three times. Lily watched in amazement as the brick quivered, then stretched to become a huge archway that revealed a cobbled street with stores on either side.

Lily's head turned every which way as she walked along the street. She wanted to get her wand first, but Molly reminded her that they had to exchange their money first.

They stopped at a huge white building. Standing beside the doors was the strangest looking man she had ever seen. He was very small, with a pointed face and bat ears, and had large protruding teeth coming from his mouth.

"Oh yes, we forgot to tell you," said Eva, "The bank's run by goblins."

Since Petunia had absolutely refused to go inside any magic store, her parents waited outside with her while Lily went inside with the Mables. Lily watched excitedly as the strange little men exchanged her Muggle money for strangely shaped wizard money. Some coins were as large as hubcaps.

"But Mum," said a boy who was waiting behind them, "Why can't I have a broom? Shelby's got a broom."

"James," sighed an exasperated mother, "Shelby's a third year, and you know first years are not allowed to have brooms. It's the rule."

"It's a stupid rule, if you ask me," muttered James.

Suddenly, Eva turned around. "Bethany Brooks!" she squealed, rushing forward. "Eva?" said Bethany. "I haven't seen you since we graduated! Oh, and it's Bethany Potter now."

"You married Nathan?" cried Eva.

The grownups chatted while the two eleven-year-olds looked curiously at one another. "Hi," said Lily uncertainly. "Hello," said James. "You must be a Muggle-born."

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well, people that aren't don't gape at wizard money like that."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't gaping."

"Sure, whatever," said James absently. "Anyways, I was trying to get my mom to buy me a broom."

"Yeah, what about that?" asked Lily. "Do you actually ride them?"

"Well, of course, what did you think we did with them, sweep the floor?" chuckled James. He then went on to explain about Quidditch and all the rules to it.

"At least we have flying lessons," he said afterwards. "But all they use are those ancient Dragon Wings. Nothing good." His eyes sparkled. "What I really want is the Silver Arrow. It's the fastest broom out there. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the fastest there will ever be." Lily nodded. All of this was very interesting to her.

~*~*~

"James, time to go," called Bethany. "We've got to meet Shelby and your father at Flourish and Blotts."

As they walked to Flourish and Blotts, his mother talked cheerily about Eva and how good a friendship they had had in their school days. James didn't understand why, if they had such a good friendship, they had split apart when they graduated. "It's complicated," his mother had explained. James vowed to himself never to lose contact with whatever friends he made during his school years.

When they got to Flourish and Blotts, James looked from shelf to shelf as his mother told the attendant all the books they would need. His father and his sister hadn't shown up yet. In the third aisle, James found a dark haired boy with his mom. The boy turned right around and grinned at him. "Hullo!" he shouted. Half the people in the shop shushed him.

James grinned back. He was already beginning to like this boy. "Hi," he answered back. "The name's Sirius Black," said Sirius, thrusting his hand forward and shaking James's hand in an over exaggerated manner. "James Potter," said James. "Buying books for First Year?"

"Yep," said Sirius. "I'm going to get a wand next."

"Really? So am I," said James. "Great! We'll go together!" cried Sirius, earning him more shushing. James almost laughed with delight. What a funny person Sirius was! James had a feeling that they would be together quite often in their school years.

"Mom," called James, "Is it ok for Sirius to come with us to get a wand?"

"If it's ok with his mother," called Bethany, who had just found James's sister Shelby and his father. James noticed Sirius's mother for the first time. They both had dark hair, but there the similarities stopped. While Sirius seemed almost vibrant with energy, Mrs. Black seemed almost dead on her feet, with dull gray eyes. James felt a little sorry for Sirius.

"Go on," she said, "I'll get your other things while you do that."

"Okay, Mom," said Sirius. James noticed that Sirius spoke much more reserved with her.

"Hey, how about some ice cream before we get to Ollivander's?" said Bethany, beaming at James and Sirius. "Yeah!" they both exclaimed together.

James and Sirius sat at a separate table from the rest of the Potter family. They began to talk about their lives.

"My father worked for the dark lord Grindelwald," Sirius was explaining sadly, after James had asked about his family.

"He was in his inner circle, Robert Black, you know," said Sirius. James shivered at the familiar name. "He was beheaded in the streets right after Grindelwald's reign fell. I hadn't been born yet. He never married my mum."

Sirius slumped. James had never met anyone who discussed things openly like this, and he didn't quite know what to think.

Sirius continued. "Sh-she never got over it," he said in a soft voice. "My mom, I mean. She seems to think that my father's coming back someday." James looked at his friend sadly. To have to grow up with someone like that...

"Everyone thinks I'm going to turn out just like my father," said Sirius, pounding his fist on the table and making his vanilla malt slop over the sides. "But I won't. I'm not going to be in Slytherin, like he was. Anything but Slytherin. I met the strangest guy this morning..." he said, changing the subject. "He actually wanted to be in Slytherin. But he didn't really act like one. We got into an argument, and he started saying things like that not all Slytherins are prejudiced against Muggle-borns. And when I argued with him, he said that at least they weren't all hypocrites like Gryffindors or incredibly naïve like Hufflepuffs."

James nodded his head, although he really wasn't interested in anyone who wanted to be in Slytherin. Almost all of James's family were Gryffindors, except for a few Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff or two.

James hoped that Sirius was right in saying he wasn't going to be a Slytherin, because he wasn't sure if he could handle being friends with one. But, maybe he'd make an exception.