For the Love of Lily

Chapter 5

James was finishing his breakfast when Lily and Severus came running in. Their cheeks were flushed from running and Lily's red hair was all over the place.

"You two look like you got caught in a tornado," he said when they walked past him.

"I really don't want to know what they've been doing!" Remus said, trying to control his laughter.

"Ok, you guys, that's enough. We haven't been doing anything like that," Lily said casting Remus a look. "Where's Sirius?"

"Talking to Tom. Trying to figure out where the cab is. If it doesn't come soon, we're going to be late," James pointed out. "Excuse me. I've go to go upstairs and make sure I've packed everything," he said as he got up from the table.

He was halfway up the stairs when he heard laughter from downstairs. No matter how innocent Severus seems something isn't right about him, James thought to himself. I've got to tell Lily as soon as we get to Hogwarts. I won't feel right if I don't.

The door to his room was ajar when he got there. When he walked in, he saw that Tom had packed his trunk and had set it at the end of his bed. James picked it up and started down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he saw everyone outside, loading his stuff into the cab. He quickly threw his trunk in the trunk of the cab and slid in next to Lily.

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The countryside flew by as James stared out the window of the Hogwarts Express. Remus was sleeping, and Lily and Severus were deep in conversation. He looked over at Sirius and noticed that he was awake.

"Hey! Do you want to play a game of Wizard's Chess?" James asked him.

"Sure!"

James pulled his set out of his trunk and set up the board. The mahogany chess set had been in the family for years. His father had given it to him when he got his first Hogwarts letter. Someday when I have a kid I'm going to give them this chess set when they go off to Hogwarts, James thought.

"Did you bring your cloak this year?" Sirius asked interrupting James's thoughts.

"Yeah. Why? What kind of trouble do you have planned?"

"Nothing yet, but you never know what kind of stuff I could come up with," Sirius said with an evil grin on his face.

James turned and looked out the window and could faintly see in the distance the sign for the Hogsmeade station.

He turned to the others and said, "We're almost there."

There was a scramble in the compartment as Sirius and James put the chess set away, and the others put on their robes. As soon as everybody had settled down, the train came to a stop and the compartment doors flung open.

James could already see the hundreds of students pouring out of the train. He climbed out behind the others. Above the din of the students on the platform, he could hear Hagrid, the gamekeeper, saying, "F'rst ye'rs o'er he'r."

For the Love of Lily