The rest of the train ride went without much event, in fact it was rather normal. They got off and James disappeared into the crowd of first years. The Sorting Ceremony went with the normal degree of joy, and much to Ron's dismay James was placed in Gryffindor. But Harry reminded him that James was a first year and they were third years, so they wouldn't see James often.

This comforted Ron somewhat and quieted his complaining. James sat far away from the rest of the Gryffindor's and into the shadows. Soon they were seated and listened paitently as Dumbledore welcomed the new students and shared some interesting things about his trip to some strange foriegn land, fortunately before he got too involved and everyone starved he caught himself and he let them eat. The whole time Harry and his friends watched as James ate quietly, ignoring the chaos around him, his cloak still attached. They noticed he wore leather gloves of the same black rawhide as his boots.

They gulped however as Malfoy, one of the most annoying people and a bully that made Dudley look like a saint tromped over with his friends and toadies, Crabbe and Goyle, stopping right in front of James. They awaited anxiously to see what he would do.

"So first year, why are you wearing the cloak, are we hiding something underneath there?" Malfoy said with a sneer. James ignored him and continued eating with his fork. Crabbe placed a large hand on his head and prepared to yank it back. As quick as a snake James' hand grabbed Crabbe's wrist and twisted it sharply causing Crabbe to bite his tongue in pain. James continued to eat as he twisted Crabbe's arm. Finally he let it go, never stopping to put his fork down.

"Next time I break it. Don't touch the cloak." James said icily. Malfoy growled and tromped off with the moaning Crabbe and the dumbfounded Goyle.

After a numb moment, Harry and Ron clapped as they walked over to James who showed no emotion as he ate. They sat in front of him.

"Good show, we thought they'd pummel you there for a second." Ron said, now warming to James. Harry nodded vigorously in agreement. "So where are you from?" Ron asked politely.

"Around." Came the reply. Ron bit his lip.

"Okay... see you later eh?" Harry said before he and Ron returned to their plates, which were slowly cooling.

"I can't believe you would applaud something like that barbaric act." Hermoine growled as she stabbed at a piece of sheperds pie.

"It wasn't barbaric, he just told him to back off." Ron said as he munched on a piece of asparagus.

"But he twisted his wrist, and then threatened to break it!" Hermoine squealed, slamming her fork to the table with frustration. Harry and Ron shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with the practice, and rather enjoying the moanings of Crabbe. Hermoine 'hmmph'ed and ate her pie without another word spoken to them.

*O*O*
Harry and Ron arrived later that night, worn out from the festivities to their room. They spoke the new password, 'Snigglewort' to the picture of the woman in the pink silk dress and they entered and headed to their dorm, which they shared with Neville, Seamus, and Dean. When they entered their room they immediately noticed the difference from when they left. Instead of the regular five tall four post beds, there were six.

"Whoa..." muttered Seamus as he sat on his bed where his trunk was parked. At the foot of every bed sat their trunk with all their articles. In front of a sixth bed sat a wicker trunk, completely different from theirs, which were made of pressed wood.

"Now where have a seen that trunk..." Harry pondered as he paced around it. Just then Percy entered.

"Now this is highly unusual, but I guess you are an unusual person." He chattered as he entered the room, the out of the shadows appeared James. "Normally first years aren't with the third years, but Professor Dumbledore must see something special in you for you to be promoted up here." He said he pushed James in farther. He cleared his throat. "This is your new roomate, James. James, this is Neville, Seamus, Dean, my brother Ron, and of course the famous Harry Potter." Percy said with pride. James shrugged.

"Never heard of him." Almost everyone in the room gasped, including Harry. Finally there was someone who didn't know him, and was magical! That was a mindblower.

"Of course I don't much about your world." He said softly. Percy nodded and disappeared again. James crossed between the room of silent and stunned people and opened his trunk and began pulling out what looked like long strips of cloth. One side was a black, and the other a bright yellow. Next he pulled out string and wooden clips. He stood on the bed and began to securely wrapping the cord underneath the deep red velvet curtains, around each post before tying it off. Then he began clipping on all the curtains, five in all, black side out. When he was done, he came back out and began to unpack the rest of his things. His books sat on the floor beside his
nightstand. The cauldron was slipped under the bed and his robes were placed in the chest of drawers inside the nightstand, and his wand on the top. He slammed the trunk shut, sighed, and sat down on the trunk. It was about this time that Neville came out of the stunned silence that only lasted about seven minutes.

"How... how... how can you NOT know Harry Potter?" He exclaimed. James looked like he was about to say something, from what they could tell, but then he started fidgeting. 

"I don't live near any witches or wizards." He replied, his tone sounding like it was forced. He yawned and stretched his arms out. "I'm tired. See you later chaps." He said before disappearing into the curtain. Soon two pairs of gloves appeared on the line, and boots slid to the floor, and a cloak was slung over the top of a post. There was some rustling and a cloaked hand, grabbed something out of one of the drawers, too quick for them to see except a blur of white and then a robe was thrown over the other side. And then there was silence.

They all shook themselves. Seamus creeped closer towards the bed and tried to pull back the curtain, but nothing seemed to move, there was just blackness.

"What the...?" He said softly.

"Seamus! Don't be a peeper! Man's gotta have his privacy." Ron scolded loudly. Seamus flinched and snarled at her before returning his bed and changing into his night clothes. There was a long silence as everyone got dressed for bed. As soon as they were done Ron went to blow out the lamps. He reached the final one and a voice whispered in his ear.

"Thank you." It was mostly definately James', but he was neither behind him, and his bed was on the other side of the room. Ron shuddered at the eerieness of it all before going to bed.

*O*O*
James stood in front of the window, his cloak off, as the full moon glowed upon him. He felt hot tears trickle down his face at the sight. He missed home so much.

"You will survive, just remember them for now." He said. He whimpered under his breath, as he felt a sharp pain his chest. He bit his lip and nodded. 

Harry awoke abruptly, his scar was beginning to throb. James flinched and hid in the darkest shadows, making him impossible to see. Harry shrugged, seeing nothing and went back to sleep as the pain faded. James sighed, it had been close, and silently he crept back into bed.

*O*O*
The very next morning they awoke at dawn as the sun began to hit their beds full force through the window. They bustled about in excitement in anticipation for the new day. Also they were wondering whom would be their Professor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, since Quirrel and Lockhart both had left. It was then that they noticed that their strange roomate was yet to be seen. Harry crept softly towards the mysterious bed and noticed that the wand, the cauldron, the gloves and boots, and cape were gone. He shrugged to the others.

"Guess he's already gone." He suggested. "Must have left at the crack of dawn." He offered. Ron groaned.

"Who the heck would WANT to be up that early? Who would want to be up THIS early?" He moaned as he rubbed his eyes. Everyone shrugged and left for breakfast.

They did not see James at breakfast either. One of the cooks said that they had seen the strange cloaked student, but he'd left long ago. Deciding to forget the whole mystery they took their food to their seats and began to eat.

About halfway through Percy came bustling around the Gryffindor table and handed everyone a letter. Harry and Hermoine placed it beside their bowl for later, but Ron tore it open immediately. He read the contents and groaned.

"No... they didn't... they did." He sighed. Harry looked up from he cereal.

"What?"

"Professor Snape's taken over teaching Dark Arts Defense, now we've got him twice a day, in one sitting." Ron groaned. Harry groaned with him. 

"Why, why did this happen?" Harry moaned as he beat his head on the table.

"Probably because they couldn't find anyone else to take the Dark Arts position." Hermoine said simply as she continued to eat her oatmeal. "Hogwarts hasn't got the best of records for keeping a Dark Arts Defense teacher. After Proffessor Quirrel happened to be related to He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, and Professor Lockhart tragically losing his memory. Who would want a position here? And Snape's wanted to teach Dark Arts Defense for a long time any way." She said, never looking up. Harry and Ron stared at her for a moment before shrugging and returning their cereal.
*O*O*

James stood on the edge of the forbidden forest, gazing out into the trees. They reminded him so much of home. He felt his eyes water as a sharp pain hit him in the chest again. 

"'Ey boy! Whatcha doin out 'ere?" Bellowed a kind voice. James whipped around quickly to see a tall, bushy haired man in large leather boots. He gulped as he approached. He ducked his head even though he was sure no on could see him close up.

Hagrid drew closer to the small boy, who looked even smaller compared to him, standing on the edge of the forbidden forest. He placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"'Ey you know that you aren't supposed ta be ou' 'ere. Whatcha doin' 'ere?" Hagrid said forcefully. The figure trembled under the cloak.

"S... sorry, s... sir. I was just... l... looking at the forr...est." He stuttered before pulling back from Hagrid. "And I'm sorry for what happened." He said softly, just barely catching Hagrid's ear, before dashing off towards the school. Hagrid shrugged as the mysterious student disappeared into the school. Calling Fluffy, a large three headed dog, who was rummaging in the forest in search of birds, he continued patrolling the
grounds.

*O*O*
Classes seemed normal as ever. First Period they had Proffessor Binns, a ghost who had left his body on accident, and the only ghost teacher around, continued his lessons in the History of Magic, which normally put the class to sleep, while occasionally being aware enough to take a note or too.  

Second Period they had Proffessor Flitwick, a miniature magician that taught about Charms. He was quite an interesting person, and really enthusiastic, but not much more was known about the petite proffessor, because they never saw him anywhere except the classroom. Of course it might have been that Flitwick was around a whole lot, and they'd never looked to the floor before.

Third Period they had Transfiguration with Proffessor McGonagall, the second in command at Hogwarts, and the Proffessor of the Gryffindor house. She had announced that they were going to begin working on changing slightly larger objects (like books and other knicknacks) into various things, and if they worked hard they might start on animal/animal transfigurements. Then they broke for Lunch.

Fourth was added to the dreaded periods along with Fifth for Harry and Ron, for this was when they had Proffessor Snape, a hook nosed and gaunt Potions master, as well as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. 

Sometimes they had other classes, like Herbology three days a week to learn about various plants, and Astrology on Wednesday nights. Slowly they trudged into fourth period along with the Slytherins, practically the Gryffindors' arch enemy. James entered solemnly, his posture giving away nothing. As soon as he entered, Snape glared at him, squinting nastily at him for a long while. James froze, and remained motionless, nothing showing. He sneered. James still remained motionless.

"Well Mr. James..." He said haughtily, before he was cut off by James, which was a surprise, since NO ONE DARED cut off Professor Snape, and Harry figured that the news about Snape would have gotten around to him by now. 

"Professor Snape, sir, due to custom, I must ask you not to use my second name, for various reasons, and if you were to use it sir, it would make me very uncomfortable." James said primly, silver lights glowing out of his hood. Snape glared fiercely at him, but once again met defeat. Still snarling and huffing a bit, he pointed to a seat in the back, the far far back, closest to the supposedly abandoned cells, which occasionally made snapping and growling noises.

"Sit back there Mr. James. I do hope you will be able to keep up with these third years with the lack of experience you have in any magical art." He said roughly, not sounding concerned at all, and more of that he would be rather pleased if James were thrown out. James nodded and walked off, his footsteps not heard on the hard brick flooring.

"Look it's hood boy!" Crabbe hooted as James passed him. A couple of the Slytherins snickered. Malfoy stood and stepped in front of James causing him to stop abruptly.

"I do say, old chap, are you that hideous that you must wear a cape?" He said with a pompous tone. James walked right on passed him, knocking him into his as he went, not saying anything in response.

Hermoine leaned over to Ron. "I see what you mean by walking death." she whispered in his ear. Ron slapped her playfully. 

"Hermoine! What a rude thing to say!" He scolded in a high voice. Hermoine scowled and focused back on her text book.