Before He Lived

1| The Letter

"James! It's here!" James' mother called up the stairs, happiness laced in her voice.

James Potter felt his heart leap as he sprinted down the great marble stairs that stood in the centre of the Potter Mansion.

"I told you not to worry. It had to come. You're definitely no squib." His mother handed him an envelope, a grin stretching across her face.

James took the envelope, his heart racing. He stared at the front, reading the swirling handwriting that danced across the parchment.

Mr James Potter,
The room at the top of the grand staircase,
13 Potter Mansion,
Godric's Hollow,
Cottondale,
London.

James grinned and turned it over, barely noticing that the ink was green.

Since he was a child, James had an irrational fear of anything green. He never remembered why, but his mother had a feeling that it was to do with The Killing Curse, a horror story that his father had read to him when he was little.

James stared at the wax seal on the back of the envelope, which beared the name of his new school, and home for the next seven years.

Hogwarts.

The wax also beared a coat of arms which held four animals - a Snake, a Lion, a Raven and a Badger.

James knew that the animals represented the four houses of Hogwarts as he had been told many stories about his parents days at Hogwarts. His entire family had been Gryffindors, the house which was represented by a lion.

Gryffindors were supposed to be brave and kind-hearted, though. James only ever pretended to be brave. He wasn't really. He worried that he would be put into another house- Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad, he supposed. Ravenclaw were generally smart and sophisticated. James didn't really understand what Hufflepuffs were supposed to be, but they were represented by the Badger.

James just hoped he wasn't in Slytherin. The Slytherins were represented by Snakes, and their house colours were silver and... green. Slytherins were cunning and evil. There were good Slytherins, of course, but any evil witch or wizard that popped up was always a Slytherin, if they went to Hogwarts.

James was suddenly snatched away from his thoughts as he realised that he was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the back of his Hogwarts letter.

He tore apart the envelope, pulling out the parchment inside. He opened it up and read it.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Turning it over, James scanned through the list of books. As he expected, it was the normal list of supplies.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes(black)

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

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

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

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshwak

A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfuguration
by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phylia Spore

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 Trimble

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, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

James grinned. He couldn't wait to get to Diagon Alley and buy everything. Diagon Alley was a street in London, which was hidden from muggles (non- magic folk) as it sold magical items and such which could be dreadful if the got into muggle hands.

"Son?" James' father called. "We're heading to Diagon Alley tomorrow, so get some rest and make sure to pack what you already have. Prepare some muggle clothes- we'll be taking the train."

"Why not just use Floo Powder?" James asked.

"We ran out yesterday. We'll get some for the way back, don't worry."

James internally groaned. He hated muggle clothes- they made him feel self conscious, especially in Diagon Alley, where almost everyone else was wearing robes.

James made his way up the stairs and into his room. He liked his room, but he always felt like it was too big. There was a huge, empty space in the middle of the room which seemed cold and the opposite of homely.

He slumped into his bed and wrapped himself in his covers, falling asleep even before his parents came to say goodnight.

The next day, James awoke and dressed quicker than he ever had before. He grinned happily as he nearly tripped down the stairs from going too fast. His heart was racing at the thought of finally being able to buy his Hogwarts things. He already had some of the books that his parents used, which were still the same books as he needed, but he needed things like robes that fitted, a wand, a cauldron and he was hoping for an owl.

James already had a broomstick, which wasn't on the list, but it was socially unacceptable for a pure blood not to have a broomstick.

The Potters were one of few pure blood families left in the world, but James' family was huge, just like the Malfoys and the Blacks. James vaguely remembered hearing that the youngest Black was joining Hogwarts this year, too. It would be nice to have a friend that understood the struggles of a pure blood, he thought, but the Blacks were notorious for being Slytherins, and James wasn't sure he wanted to be friends with a Slytherin.

Little did he know, the youngest Black was currently on his way to Diagon Alley too, but, of course, the Black family didn't enter the muggle world if they could help it, and so young Sirius Black was currently coughing and wheezing as he exited a fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Ah! Young master Black, here to buy his Hogwarts items, I see." The owner of the Leaky Cauldron grinned. "Nice to see a pure blood family that hasn't died off yet." The owner was a frail old man, who resembled a skeleton. You could see almost every bone move underneath his skin as he spoke, and Sirius shivered.
The mans smile didn't disappear until the Blacks' left the room.

It was the fakest smile that Sirius had ever seen.