Chapter Text
~May~ Why is the train so Godric RED?
September 1st 1971
Standing in the hustle and bustle May couldn’t quite hear herself think. People are milling about like ants on a sugar spill. Everywhere around her, she could smell magic. The essence of it mixed with the air tingling on her skin.
Mum always said it was in her blood. That sensing the world a little more heightened than others was essentially just her family magic’s brewing beneath her skin. She didn’t mind it so much at home where it was only her, and her family. Where she only had to deal with other people’s magic’s on special occasions like birthdays – and even then those were generally small occasions.
Today though, amongst the smell of smoke billowing out around the front of the train, with owls hooting, and that Godric damned red that was so blindingly strong she felt like it’d forever be imprinted into her eyeballs– other people’s magic’s were a lot.
A bump on her shoulder brought her out of her mind. Beside her was all, cheeky grin, curly dark hair, and wire glasses.
James Potter. Noble heir to the house of Potter, firstborn son, soon to be quidditch star, heading straight for Gryffindor, bed-headed, pain in her arse; twin brother.
“Don’t worry if you’re feeling overwhelmed May just use our secret signal and I’ll pull you right out of there and into a corner where you can stick your nose in a book.” He’s jostling her around and his smile is bright, but she can see the worry in his puppy dog eyes.
Smirking right back at her brother, zoning her world into just him, May rolls her eyes and shoves her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “You just want a damsel in distress so you can prove a point before our sorting.”
“Wouldn’t be a bad thing for me you’re right” he nods along gazing out at Platform 9¾’s.
Following his gaze May couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down her spine, she’s been waiting for this moment for her entire life and now they were here.
It's all so big her heart wants to explode.
But it’s not so overwhelming with James pressed at her side, his magic mingling with her own, almost protecting it. May thinks even if she couldn’t sense magical signatures she would still know James’.
“you two ready to get on the train two whistles mean five minutes till send-off.”
Euphemia May Potter, of house Potter, formerly of house Olivander, mother to two darling twins, wife to Fleamont Potter, and a force to be reckoned with.
“You two look after each other now. James try to get May to remember to eat in the mornings, May please don’t let your brother fall off his broom being a show-off.”
May snickers at James’ look of dismay at their mother essentially calling him a show-off. She’s not wrong though, James’ had a taste for adrenaline like a Niffler likes gold.
“You two be good now” Fleamont Potter head of house Potter, husband to the beautiful woman standing next to him, father of two hyperactive twins, and potions extraordinaire. Also, a bed-headed mess, a genetic trait passed down to his children.
“Yes Dad” they chorus.
“Please try not to give Minnie any heart attacks, loves. All I need is for your godmother to fire call home. And don’t end up with Poppy once a week, Minnie will also call if you’re overworking her wife.” Effie truly is a wonder, even in her own children’s eyes, and she can somehow pull an expression that is both compassionate but also leans heavily into the “this isn’t a threat” territory.
“Yes mum” both of them respond before being wrapped up in a group hug by both parents. Squeezing just the right amount so that the whole platform fades away for a second.
“Okay, okay go find Peter on the train, before you make me cry, I’m sure he’s already got a compartment.”
With that, their parents are practically shooing them onto the train. Their dad shoved Sphynx into her arms. His green eyes are large with all the people surrounding them; he wasn’t much of a people person.
~James~ Long lost lovers
Slamming the door open James barges in as soon as he lays eyes on Peter.
“Pete! Petey boy, old pal! You’re looking well, how was the last few days of summer?”
James knows he has always been a bit of a tornado when it comes to his excitement and to be fair today is a very excitable day. They’ve made their way down the train all the way down to the last compartment. Honestly, James was begging to believe they must’ve missed Peter on the way down. But he’d recognize that blonde-haired git anywhere and if he one day became blind and couldn’t do that there was always May - who still stands strong in the fact that Peter’s magic smells like candy.
“James hey, yeah it was alright Mum went a bit nuts with the packing, fussing all about but good nonetheless.” Peter stumbled out quickly before he’s eyes left James and grew wide as they glanced at the other corner.
“ oh! Also, this is Remus Lupin.” He smiled, a little shyly. Blonde fringe fell into his blue eyes, gesturing at the other boy, curled in his seat.
“Pleasure to meet you I’m James.” James extends his hand out to the boy, whose brown eyes barely meet his while he hesitates to shake his hand. James can’t quite get a good look at him, to be honest, the boy seems to be trying to take cover in his sweater despite the weather outside.
Still, as the boy takes James’ hand he responds “Yeah I gathered that” in a dry tone, but James can hear the small smile in it.
“What gave it away? Surely not these two idiots shouting each other’s names like long lost lovers.” James had almost forgotten May was there, that happens sometimes with her, like James is so used to her presence that she feels like an extension of himself. But James smiles at her dry humour, it sometimes goes over his head but it’s good that she doesn’t seem to be stressed like she was earlier, calm enough to let her sarcasm slip in.
“You know it might have been that,” Remus smirks up at her and for the first time James can see the small scars scattering his face underneath his freckles. One ran slightly deeper across his nose and onto his cheek from the tip of his eyebrow, faded from time.
“Well, I won’t shout it at you but my name is May, I’m this idiot’s sister.” she gestures to James with her thumb and steps forward to give Remus a quick hug hello. James notes the slight stiffness that falls into Remus’ posture, but the hug was as fast as a butterfly flap so he’s not completely sure.
May plonks herself down next to Remus and introduces him to Sphynx while James takes a seat next to Pete. Though she does turn to say “hello Pete” before punching him lightly for daring to be more excited to see James than her, Pete just gives it right back at her, asking where his hello hug was.
Soon they’re all chatting, mostly filling Remus in on how they all know each other since Pete only lives a little bit away from the Potter manor back home.
~Remus~ Familiar face
“So, you named your cat after another kind of cat?” Remus slowly reaches out to stroke Sphynx and the cat practically falls into his lap from May’s. Which is a very strange anomaly for the kneazle, May gives James a look of disbelief before turning back to Remus.
May snorts “says the boy named from a wolf story in Roman mythology with the surname Lupin?”
“She’s got you there, mate” states James as he bites into one of Pete’s chocolate frogs. He wasn’t one to be buried in various mythologies and stories, but May was always on about something or another that she’d read.
“I mean what were your parents thinking- “
There’s a click as the door slides open.
At first, all Remus sees are grey eyes and black hair. Then it’s the white smile, the aristocratic nose and by the time the boy opens his mouth to speak in the poshest accent ever Remus has forgotten that his heart had been in his mouth a minute earlier.
Really, it’s only been a few minutes, the train has barely left the station and the word wolf has come out already. Technically more than once if you count Latin.
“May I please join you, everywhere else is full except the compartment with my cousins and I really would rather not sit with them.” The words flow from the boy so eloquently Remus feels like he’s listening to water running.
James is the first one to speak, “Yeah sure mate, have a seat.”
The other boys’ eyes soften slightly, as he lets out a small breath. “Thank you.”
May moves over in the seat, making space for the new boy. “So, what’s your name?”
Remus is still staring at the boy who seems to move with the grace of a small forest stream.
“Sirius. Sirius Black.” He readjusts his posture as he says it becoming more frozen over; stiff.
Remus doesn’t miss the widening of Peter’s eyes or the inhale from May, but James seems unbothered, extending his hand.
“James Potter.”
Sirius’ eyebrows quirk up. A small smirk crept onto his blush lips. “Ah excellent, my parents would despise me sitting in here then.”
A small huff of air escapes from May, like a little laugh. She tucks her curly hair behind her ears. You can see that she and James are siblings although they aren’t identical. James has dark almost black, brown hair while May is more of a mousy brown. James has more of a tan to his skin while May blushes a lot. They both share unruly curly hair that sticks out at odd angles and the apparent need for glasses.
“Well, I’ll try not to be insulted by your parent's lack of taste then.” James laughs, causing Sirius to smile wider than the timid slightly amused one he had a second ago. “This is Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, May, my little sister and her cat Sphynx”
Sirius turns to May, silver eyes questioning. “I never knew there was another Potter, only ever heard about the heir.”
May rolls her eyes like she’s not entirely unused to this. “Well May Potter, heir of the Olivander line, born 17 minutes after him, and cat mother at your service - very much in existence, even if my bothers loudness tends to make the first and lasting impression.”
And then she winks, with a small smile and green eyes looking up at Sirius and Remus can’t stop staring at either of them.
~May~ The sorting hat’s got it all figured out and James makes a Minnie mistake
The hall is larger than she ever could’ve thought. Candles dripping wax but magic disappearing before it reaches anyone’s head, stars glimmering in the ceiling. May is eternally grateful the Scottish weather held off for tonight, giving the hall a slight cool breeze but the sky cloudless above their heads. The moon waxing already just beyond its halfway point, among the twinkling stars.
Godric loves magic. The buzz in the air around her practically vibrated from the wood and walls. With first years surrounding her, she can feel the uncertain pops of their magic, almost like static electricity. It’s strange being around so much new uncontrolled magic, growing up she and James rarely interacted with children their own age, except Peter, whose magic although defiantly not controlled, was still familiar.
She bumps her shoulder against James’ as they gather at the front of the hall. Minerva- ah McGonagall (it’s going to take a while for May to start thinking of her Aunt Minnie like that) is standing at the front with the sorting hat. It looks more fragile than May would have thought, fraying at the edges, with the fabric’s wear and tear showing in the discolouration of its folds.
How does that hat even stay on your head? she wonders. Looking at it now, it seems far too large to fit on her head, almost like it would swallow her whole. That’s not an intimidating thought. Kids shuffle forward one at a time, as McGonagall calls them forward.
To be fair if it wasn’t for her nerves May supposes she would find this whole thing rather boring if not a little repetitive. Kids sit and let the hat be placed on their head and a few seconds later it shouts their house. The receiving house claps the loudest and welcomes the newcomer over to their table and then it happens all over again.
“Peter Pettigrew”
May rolls her eyes, as Peter stumbles up the step, his one shoelace untied. Flustered he sits, the hat almost immediately covering the blush that has crept into his cheeks. At least he didn’t totally fall on his face in front of the whole hall. But may grimace in sympathy anyway.
James though has grabbed her arm, squeezing. May doesn’t know why – Peter tends to go wherever James does, so surely it won’t be any different here. Will it?
May begins to doubt this resolve though as the hat remains almost disturbingly quiet. The hall begins to quiet now that the tables no longer overlap in their applause for the newly sorted. May wonders if this is normal or not. Surely the hat takes its time sometimes. Although she thinks she can’t imagine why. Her mother let it slip that the hat takes your choice into account. Effie had been trying to reassure her daughter after one night she had expressed her nerves about being separated from James.
Her mother had only reassured her that the adventure of Hogwarts would simply begin a different way than what she thought but if she was really nervous, she could always ask to be with James.
That had just given her another stress though. What if she chose wrong…
“Gryffindor!”
Suddenly the hall roared around her, bringing her back to reality. The Gryffindor table pounding their fists onto the tabletop and stomping their feet on the ground, as Peter made his way down to the table, joining both Sirius and Remus. They were definitely the loudest table in the great hall.
“Aelia Potter.” She feels a squeeze at her hand, but her heart drops to the floor. Wide-eyed she looks back at James who gives her a little nod and slightly shoves forward.
How stupid. Of all the things really. She thinks to herself. Forgetting her full name would mean she gets sorted before James, really is top of the list. It’s just that James has always been first. First born, first to ride a broom, first to speak – it’s always James and May, never May and James.
Oh, how fate could be cruel.
Aunt Minnie gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Her brown hair is tied up in a half bun out of her face. She really should wear it like that more, May thinks before she feels the weight of the hat on the crown of her head and the hall disappears from existence.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A low voice whispers, it's warm and comforting, the tone not too deep or high, but she doesn’t feel as panicked as she had a few seconds ago.
“Ah another Potter, haven’t had one of you in a while. Olivander blood in you too. Very interesting.”
“Um yeah hi,” May says, or thinks? Can you even talk in this hat or is it like mindreading her brain? What if the whole hall can hear?!
“A curious mind I see that. No child, it’s only us that can hear each other right now.”
“Oh, okay that’s better then.” She can feel her fingers fiddling with each other but her whole body seems far away. Separate to the space she’s in.
“I can sense a lot of questions in your mind child. You would make a god Ravenclaw.”
Alarm ripples through her, James’ face at the front of her mind.
“Ah not so keen for that then. Your reaction to wanting to keep your brother safe, and cared for is rather Hufflepuff, although it could be that you also want him rather to keep you safe. That kind of self-preservation is rather Slytherin.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve had this much trouble with a sorting, child. Despite the Pettigrew boy who came before you. There’s something of each house in you. Normally there are two at most that conflict with each other so strongly. But no I see it now loyal and hard-working as a badger, curious and witty as an Eagle – that sly humour you protect yourself with – determinate and resourceful like a Slytherin an-“
“Look um ah, Mr? Ms? uh hat, you’ve been doing this a long time and to be honest I know my mum said I could tell you what I want but I mean my brother is going to be next and normally he’s the one to jump first. If he had gone first, I almost certainly would have begged to be placed with him. But I think I think I want to be the one to jump first. So umm could you maybe just put me where you think that’d be for me?”
“Ah, Miss Potter very interesting indeed…”
“I don’t like giving up control, not really, but I guess it’s now or never, right?”
“an act of bravery and courage in yourself Miss Potter, I know just where to put you for your first jump.”
A swirling motion seems to occur on the inside of her head, a weight lifting off her crown, coloured blurs coming back into focus from the dark and then…
“Gryffindor!”
The hall is back in full force, an assault on her senses. Magic everywhere, voices and thundering claps. It’s a lot.
Minnie leans in front of her, brown eyes darting all over her face, lips puckered slightly. May has seen that look a hundred times in her childhood, particularly after she’s fallen off her broom.
“I’ll just help her to her seat Minnie, back in a jiff” James is there, pulling her up. The crisp scent of rain surrounds her, casting a slight chill over her skin. The heat ebbing through her veins subsiding a little. “I’m not a damsel.” She mutters to James.
“No, but this certainly isn’t hurting me,” James responds chuckling.
At the bottom of the stairs, Peter is already there holding his arm out. May takes it with a grateful smile, although her head still feels like it’s been pounded into a wall, the ringing in her ears subsiding thankfully.
“I’ve got her James, go get bloody sorted you git,” Pete says tightening his grip on her.
She feels James pause but summons herself enough to wave him off.
“James Potter” Minerva’s voice rings over the hall.
“Right behind you yeah?” he squeezes her arm before bounding back up the steps to Minnie.
Sitting down next to Peter opposite Sirius and Remus, May rests her head on his shoulder.
“Pete?”
“Yeah?” he jostles, shuffling to pass her a glass of water one of the older kids must have conjured.
“Did James call McGonagall, Minnie?” she chuckles out, her head still slightly spinning but the cold water is practically the best thing she thinks she’s ever put in her mouth right now.
“Gryffindor!”
The table roars again with laughter and excitement at their new bouncing, baby boy. Bounding over to the table.
“I’m sorry did you just say Minnie?” an older boy, with a slightly round face and brown hair asks or at least he must be older, May doesn’t recognise him from outside.
Pete chuckles “Yeah she did, and yeah if I know James he definitely did.”
She smirks into her glass as James sits down, of course, the idiot would completely forget that their godmother had a reputation to maintain, and within the first few seconds of being here, he’s introduced the whole of Hogwarts to the childhood nickname of Minerva McGonagall; transfiguration professor, their new head of house and overall badass.
The older boy whistles and sizes James up as he sits down, “Jeez kid that might be the fastest anyone has ever proven they belong in Gryffindor.”
James shrugs but May can hear the slight groan in his voice as he replies, “It just slipped out”.
“Well happy to have you all in the Gryffindor pride.” the boy laughs.
The night went on, they were one of the last sorted. Dumbledore, a wizard dressed in the most obnoxious, red velvet robes, stands and gives a welcoming speech before the food is summoned to the table.
There's almost so much food it seems impossible to know where to start. Potatoes, chicken, green beans, the list goes on. It feels like every time May looks up there’s a different dish in front of her that she hadn’t noticed yet.
“Longest hat stall the older years have ever seen, mind you longest one I’ve ever seen as well.” The boy from earlier says – Frank Longbottom – he’s a year older than them, Fabian and Gideon Prewett and their cousin Alice Fortescue are all in his year too and are sat right next to the newbies.
There are also the other girls sorted into Gryffindor, Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon and Mary Macdonald. All of them seem nice, which is a relief to May she’d hate to have to share a dorm with horrible girls, she’s a little stressed, most of her childhood she’s been surrounded by boys, and she and her mum outnumbered at the Pottery because of Sphynx.
“oh, hush Frank,” the girl called Alice says, leaning into the conversation, nose spotted with brown freckles, thank goodness her hair is a bob otherwise it’d be currently draped over Frank's food. “That just means she’s interesting, must have a lot up there if the sorting hat struggled.” She taps the side of her head as she says this.
“Never mind the hat stall, your name, what was it Aelia, that’s so interesting I’ve never heard it before, is it like a family name or something?” the redhead Lily asks her. The girls have kind of worked their way on the table so Mary a brown-haired girl with beautiful ringlets of curls, is sat next to May while the other two are opposite them. The boys shoved down the table a little bit.
May snorts “If you find that interesting you should hear James’ middle name.”
Instantly the girls’ heads whip around to James eyes wide, grins spreading on their faces. James seems to have been staring at Lily right that second, but now that all eyes are on him he opens and closes his mouth like a Grindylow out of water.
They all turn back to May and in a second James has recovered his eyes finding hers “Oh no, don’t you dare tell them May, or I will do something worse than a permanent sticking charm to your bookshelf.”
May lets out a gasp, her mouth shaping into a horrified “O”. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“oh, I would and worse” James replies his brown eyes almost ember with amusement. They lock in on each other’s eyes, coming to an unspoken agreement. Finally, May sighs as she tears her eyes away, and finally blinks.
“Fine I won’t tell them” she says, James smirks back at her with a slight nod, turning back to the boys ever so slightly. She can’t help but let the smirk slip into her voice though when she follows that with “But I can’t stop them from guessing.”
“Ooooo yes, you tell us if we’re warmer or colder!” Marlene giggles.
James looks affronted by this notion but it's already too late. The girls throw names about at random.
“Elias”
“Not really”
“Finlay?”
“No, think really bad”
“Silas?”
“mmmm close but still cold”
“How the hell is Silas close?!”
“shhhhhh James we’re trying to guess… I know Octavius” Mary shouts.
That one actually makes May laugh “Oh yes can you imagine James Octavius Potter; oh I’m going to write Mum and tell her we have to change your name.” May snickers.
James is looking less impressed, especially since the boys have joined in. Well, not Peter anyway he’s been sworn to secrecy although he does help May decide whether something is more hot or cold.
“Traitor,” James huffs but he’s got a small grin. Mostly because May thinks he knows the likelihood of them guessing correctly is extremely low. “But fine, fine guess away, you’ll never get it.”
And so, it carries on, the more absurd the names get, the more hysterical their end of the table is in laughter. Until it is announced that dinner is over and the prefects lead them to the common room.