Change - James F. Potter

chapter 3: Great, I Just Love Opera *sarcasm*

Chaos reigned over the Hogwarts students as they all scrambled to exit the Hogwarts express. Cassie held her brother's hand tightly as they attempted to follow Potter through the bustling crowd. 

"I didn't realize so many people attended Hogwarts..." Cassie murmured under her breath. After seeing so many people who all seemed to be different in their own way, Cassie realized that she might not be in the same house as her brother after all. What if she was placed in Slytherin and Sirius went somewhere else? She thought back to Lily and Snivellus. They both seemed very close, like her and Sirius. The greasy-haired git seemed like he would be in Slytherin but Lily didn't. She seemed to outspoken and had a different sort of fire to her. Was it the same with her and her twin?

"What if we're separated?" She whispered to herself, to mainly herself.

Nobody seemed to hear her, due to the loud noise surrounding them. She could only make out one voice in the crowd. Her eyes followed the sound and she found a man three times the size of any normal man with a big scraggly brown beard. His hair was long and scraggly like his beard. 

"Firs' years ove'r 'ere" his voice boomed out again. Cassie figured that this must be the groundskeeper. His name was something like Hairy... Stagri... Happlehog? She couldn't quite remember what his name was but knew that her cousin Narcissa had not taken a liking to him. Cassie found it strange that she had not seen Narcissa, seeing as it was her 5th year. Before she could think to scan the crowd for her cousin, she was jerked over to where the hairy groundskeeper was calling out for the first years. 

"My Merlin mates! This is awesome!" James Potter was jumping up in down at a rapid pace, one that her mother would never deem as ladylike. "No one told me we got to ride boats to reach the school! Do you think that something is going to try and eat us? That's what my dad said. My mum just said not to fall into the water. Blimey, I thought she was kidding or meant something bloody metaphorical." 

Remus, who had joined the three a few seconds previous, rolled his eyes. "Can't you be civil for just one minute Potter? C'mon, there are only four people per boat so we better board one soon."

Potter simply stuck his tongue out and kept going on about a squid, "I wonder if what dad said about a giant quid is true too! How cool would that be?" 

"It's all fun and games until someone falls in and said squid grabs them. 5 sickles the one with glasses falls in at least once before we get there." A girl with wavy blonde hair said with a mischievous smirk to rival Potter's own, causing the four to jump. She seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Cassie looked Potter up and down and turned to the curly-haired prankster, "I think you have a deal"

"CASSIE! Plotting against me?? How dare you?!" Potter clutched his chest in mock offense.

"Just calling them as I see 'em Potter" She retorted with a shrug.

Cassie turned to face the new girl, "Cassiopeia Black, Cassie for short. And you are?" The strange girl shook her hand and responded, "Marlene McKinnon. Marley or Marls for short. Heck, I've got a younger brother who calls me a heck ton of crap so I will most likely respond to anything. His current favorite is Lenny." 

Cassie laughed at how outgoing the girl was, definitely the type of person she wished she could be, only she would be punished for it. "Looks like we have got ourselves a feisty one. Sirius, Sirius Black." He reached his hand out for her to shake and she eagerly took it. It was strange to see someone who looked forward to meeting new people. It had always been either people she had always known or her family had known. Cassie was never excited to meet new people. Marlene made her genuinely excited for one of the first times to meet new people. She knew she would have to if she were to be separated from Sirius, although she wouldn't think about that at the moment. She would cross that bridge when she came to it.