The Houses of Magic

~James Potter~

The sun rose early in the eyes of London as I sat on my bed, shining my broom. My bedroom filled top to bottom with moving posters of  quidditch players like seeker Karkus Boardman, or chaser Mudung Jorkins. I even have a golden snitch I caught at last years Quidditch World Cup (Pete was soooo jealous)
Out of nowhere I hear my Amà screaming for me to hurry and come downstairs immediately. “Bollocks.” I whisper to myself. My heart stops, I was probably in trouble for something I didn't even know I did.

I run, tripping and falling on the stairs. I topple over headfirst groaning at the pain though I’ve felt worse being as rough of an 11-year-old as my Amà says I am. I pulled myself back up from the cold wood floor with the help of Baba. When I was steady on my feet Baba tells me to close my eyes quickly because he and Amà have a surprise for me. I do as I am told and cautiously follow the sound of his voice with a bit of fear that my Amà will trick me once again into cleaning the dishes, they almost love to pull pranks as much as I do.

Finally, he leads me to sit on our cozy burgundy couch in the living room. “Annnd open!” I hear him whisper. Once my eyes got used to the bright light from the overhead lamp, I stared at the coffee table blank faced as my mind filled with recognition. I watch and wait for myself to wake up in my bed from what must be a dream.

‘It's the letter.’ I thought.

“IT’S MY LETTER!!” I screamed at the same volume my Amà did just a couple minutes ago.

My Hogwarts letter I’ve been dreaming of since I knew what it was is finally here now with its soft grainy paper, the letters so neatly written in swirly cursive reading “Mr. J. Potter” on the front, and the hard wax melted seal with the Hogwarts sigil staring back at me.

I feel tears well up in the corners of my eyes as I try to be tough and logical like Baba, I try to remember it's just a piece of paper I knew I would obtain sooner rather than later but the wet drops fall anyway staining the once perfect letter. I grip the envelope in my hands like it will grow wings and fly away to leave the area of my falling tears. And in a magical world that's very much possible with the charms getting more inventive as the years go on.

My Amà is crying about her “Baby boy!” growing up and Baba patted my back with the proudest look on his face with an even bigger grin. It was real now. I was going to learn how to be a real wizard. And I was finally going to be able to play on an official quidditch team!!

Once my sobs passed and my Amà’s calmed down enough to actually form words, she asked me how it felt. I replied with a grin that could rival over 100 suns. “It feels like I need to go get Pete!”

~Peter Pettigrew~

It was early in the morning as I patted down the stairs of my house smelling pancakes and bacon cooking. ‘Of course, she's cooking’ I thought as I rolled my eyes at my mom's love to wake up before the sun does. I saw my father sitting in his old, ragged armchair that's been there for as long as I can remember, he sits with one leg crossing over the other with a newspaper and coffee in hand ‘how does he never spill it’ I wondered.

Immediately once my mom sees me, she hands me a full stack of pancakes with 3 pieces of bacon and sausage on the side drowning in syrup. I take my plate and eat silently as my mom plates her own meal. All I hear is this sipping of my dad and his coffee as well as the sound of plates clattering and food sizzling while I scarfed down my plate.

My dad, without looking up, says “oh you got some mail by the way, it's on the table by the door” I thought to myself ‘why would an 11-year-old get mail?’ but I instead say “ok cool” I finish my food first and start to get up as I hear something or someone storm into my house. My mom yells “Who is it!” and I laugh to myself sarcastically thinking ‘hmm I wonder who it could be?’ 

James races into the living room out of breath saying things even I couldn't decipher.  “HAFE YOU OPEENED YUR LEETER YET??? IT SHOLD'VE GUT HERE BY NUW!!! YA KNO SINCE YUR OWULS FATER THAN MENE!!!” Screams James as he shakes me relentlessly.

“DID YOU JUST CALL MY OWL FAT?!?” I say, offended for my owl Fefe!

“What?? NO! Fefe is wonderful!!! I said since she's FASTER.” He said with a long roll of his eyes like I was the unreasonable one.
I look at him with a blank stare “Stop shaking me. Breathe. Repeat.” 

James looks at me with the angry face of a toddler ‘Don’t laugh, don't laugh, DON’T laugh!’ I try to remember as his glaring eyes stare at me. 
“Have. you. Gotten. Your. Letter. YET!” he spits in my face. 

“First of all, gross. Second of all, what letter?” I say with clear confusion.

“THE LETTER” he says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

 ‘Once again, SPIT, really! I know we're close but GROSS dude!!’ I think with a grimace hoping my face illustrates my disgust.

“The lett-'' I start and then realize. 

I run to the table by the door shuffling through the mail searching, hoping, PRAYING it's what I think it is.

I stop. 

“IT'S HERE” I turn, shining a rare smile at James.

“I KNOW” he says, matching my energy and excitement like the letter has both our names on it. ‘Wait! This means he got his letter!!’ I realize.
“SHOW ME YOURS” I raced over to him immediately with my hands out, unable to control my excitement.

He pulls his somehow unwrinkled letter out of his back pocket with delicacy “My prized jewel” He speaks as if it truly was a diamond.

Seeing both our letters together was like a dream come true, it was real. I was going to become a real wizard, WITH MY BEST FRIEND!

~Remus Lupin~

It was cold in Wales. And I was tired. The orphanage’s nurse, Paula, was rude and everything was blurry. I should be used to this by now but yet it seems to get worse every time.

I'm a “miracle” they say! 

It's a lie.

They lie to make themselves feel better about locking me up, tying me up, chaining me up. 

Don't get me wrong, if I tried to escape, they would come looking for me or I should say they'd track me down, trust me I've tried, I've really tried.

Whatever it's no use anyway, where would I go? To my parents? My dad who died in vain trying to save me or my mom who abandoned me because she couldn't handle some claws.

No use in fighting it anymore so I get up, in pain like always, and try not to feel every bone in my body snap back into place, lock, crack, and pop.

I chug the stale water set for me at my bedside, it always has the taste of liquid metal after the moon. I slowly walk down the short halls of the orphanage not only because I feel like needles are stabbing every point of my body, but I also just don't wanna go back to hear all the boys talking about girls and how when they get out of here their gonna “make it big” like their ever gonna be anything but blue collars or thugs.

The boys hit me, and the girls laugh at me. It's simple really.

As I finally get to the common area, I'm immediately ambushed by 3 of the older boys all wearing ratted down clothes with fake chains smelling like cigarettes. 
“Oi look at what we've got here, the sickly little child crawling back from his nursery.” Wyot says with a grin on his tatted face. His goons all laugh like little hyenas screeching at their kill. 

“What do you want, man?” I say exhaustedly. I really do not have the energy for this shit. Like if your gonna hit me do it if not fuck off.
“Heyyy I just wanna talk! Why so defensive, huh??” He plays innocent but he's obviously a really bad actor cause he keeps the grin along with a glare that could kill. 
He's trying to intimidate me. 

It's kinda hard to be scared when your worst nightmare is yourself. But he gets an A for trying.

Just as I see the glint in his eyes change, I see his fist ball up.

It hits me. I'm now on the floor. Great.

One more wound to add to the collection, right on my temple too! Not like I had a headache or anything or ya know my entire skull changed shape and then reverted back.

I close my eyes slowly and lean against a leg of a dusty chair near me as I start to breath heavily and my muscles relax. I hear “Oh shit. God damn bastard.” from Wyot as footsteps run away from the scene. Once I hear the door to the now empty common area close. I bring myself up and dust the dirt off my hand-me-down pants. 

Faking passing out really works every time, can't be responsible for the sick boy dying right?

The kids see me as sick and the keeper, Mrs. Frisk sees me as a paycheck. The orphanage gets paid by some people, I'm guessing mad scientists, to watch me and make sure I don't get out and spread my “disease”. 

I get to my room that I share with 3 other boys, a 6 yr old, 10 yr old, and a 16 yr old. They're not too bad, Jack the 6 yr old is too nice for his own good and Liam the 10 yr old has got some serious anger issues but your good as long as you don't mess with him, and finally Nick who's 16 is quiet he seems just as tired as me most the time.

As I was about to lay in my bed, I see an envelope with a red stamp on it and my name written in cursive that I struggled to understand. I make sure no one is around seeing as most are at lunch it's quiet. People here like to take things that aren't theirs, so you have to be discreet when it comes to the things you care about and for some reason, I felt a connection to this envelope.

I sit down on my unmade bed gently opening the letter. It reads,

“Dear Mr. Lupin, 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 September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.

Yours Sincerely, 

Minerva McGonagall”

“Huh?” I whisper aloud, having to voice my confusion, this must be a stupid prank, whatever.

But just as I was about to tear up the letter Mrs. Frisk knocked on the open door to get my attention. 

“Aw I see you read your letter” She speaks with a fake smile.

“Excuse me?” I say befuddled because, HUH?

“Your Hogwarts letter.” She says the word in a whisper like it's taboo to even speak of it, which it might just be seeing as I have no clue what she's talking about.

“I thought it was a joke?” I reply dumbly, I feel like a ton of bricks just got dropped on me and now I'm brain dead.

“Oh, you silly boy, no. You will need to pack up your things and head on your way seeing as it is August 15th and don't worry, I have already sent out your reply to them, of course with a different owl since you somehow got a hand on it before I was able to get it away from you.” she says these things as if she couldn't wait to get rid of me and like she didn't just say I killed an owl. My brain hurts and is filled with so much confusion. 

“Okay.” Is all I could say.

I pack my things unknowing of what's to come.

~Sirius Black~

It's dinner time in the Black manor, 6pm right on the dot like always. My father Orion Black sits at the head of the table with my mother Walburga on his right, my little brother Regulus on his left, and me next to Regulus.

Because why would my parents want to sit by their oldest fuck up right, their biggest mistake, their disappointment.

It's quiet in the house of Black always as we all sit at the mahogany table, more chairs than we need, more anger than we need.

I sit in my chair head down with my pristine gelled hair shining more than a bald man's head, scraping my food back and forth, back and forth, you could hear the fork scrape against the expensive China that my mother just had to have imported from France.

I was waiting for something.

Waiting. And waiting. And-

“MY DEAR MERLIN WOULD YOU STOP WITH THAT EXCRUCIATING NOISE BEFORE I HEX THE LIVING-”

My mother was always the first to break. You could breathe and get punished. It wasn't hard.

“Walburga.” My father of course cut in cause that's what the man of the house was meant to do. Squish annoying bugs. I would know.

“Yes dear.” She says it like it physically pains her to stop yelling at me.

“Why on earth are you playing into his little game?” He says looking into my eyes with the glare as sharp as Godric Gryffindor's sword. 

‘If he heard me ever compare him to a Gryffindor in any way, I'm pretty sure he'd burst a blood vessel, I thought, trying not to giggle at the image.

Oh no he knows my plan ya know the one where I distract them and steal all their money to run away to the states. 

Hey, it's a good plan. Maybe not thought out but good, nonetheless.

Reggie of course keeps his head down whilst eating his food, because of course he has to be perfect all the time.

They say I'm playing games when all he does is play theirs.

I hear our family owl, Tear drop, fly gently onto the end of the table with an envelope strapped to his foot. Immediately one of our elves, Kreacher got the envelope and with a glimpse and a sharp eye I saw my name on it but yet he of course handed it to my father no matter whose mail it is my father always has to see first. When we were little my mother would justify it with him “checking for curses” so we would stop annoying her with questions or should I say I would stop annoying her.

My father opens it with a ripping charm still staring into my eyes making me flinch back into the chair. 

‘Merlin, I need to stop doing that, calm yourself Sirius’ I think as my body betrayed me and started to shake at what might be in the letter.

He finally stops glaring to read said letter with a face unchanging that entire time.

‘It's not fair he's been in my head more times than I could count but I never know what he's thinking.’ I think briefly and bitterly.

Reggie and mother have finished their food by now, sitting in silence as they drink their tea, like mother like son.

“Well, well, well. You've finally done something right in your life Sirius.” He says as he hands the piece of paper to my mother.

“Huh. It seems he has.” My mother says laced in surprise and insult.

“You've gotten a letter from Hogwarts; you'll be starting September 1st.” My father starts.

“Can I leave now?” I rush to say before anything. My brother shoots me a glare and my mother seems offended.

“Why in such a rush my dear? Trying to leave us so soon?” She says it like it's not what I've been dreaming of since I got my first curse at 7 yrs old. 

“Just curious.” I say with the bite of a lion.

“Now, Now let's all breathe shall we.” My father speaks like he's trying to tame zoo animals while holding a spear.

“Well can I?” I ask once again praying ill finally be able to leave this place as soon as possible.

My brother looks at me with something I don't quite understand in his eyes. I brush it off.

I stare into my father's eyes knowing he'll be the one to make the final decision. 

My breath catches when my brother slams his tea down and asks, “May I be excused.” still continuing politeness even when obviously angered. ‘Merlin he's such a pet’ I think to myself.

My mother looks at me accusingly like I pushed him out of the room or something. My father seems confused for once but bats it off quickly.

“Look what you've done now. How in the world would we let you leave when you have the manners of a foreign goat!” Mother screams in my face across the table.

“Excuse me! What does Reggie leaving have anything to do with my leave??” I speak with fury, because of course my perfect brother would mess this up for me too.

“I knew you were a mistake you always have been! You should be grateful we’re even letting you go in the first place!” Who knew she could get even more narcissistic!

“Father. I know you don't want me here since I'm such a stain on the family name so won't it be easier to get rid of me as soon as possible?” I now have given up on reasoning with my insane mother, speaking calmly to the man who can make or break my future.

“You may g-” My father starts before hearing a loud screech from the kitchen.

One of our house elves, Dolly, runs out chasing a flying owl with a butcher's knife. 

“Come back you damn rascal!” She screams with an old witch's rasp like she's not yet another slave in the house of black.

Everyday I wonder why my father hasn't put her head on the wall, since he threatens mine enough you would think it'd be easy.

My mother looks as if she's gonna pass out.

And my father begins to message his temples in a way he does when he has a serious meeting. 

“NOT NOW DOLLY.” My father yells with the growl of a beast.

“Yes master.” Dolly holds the owl by the feet. “We will be having boiled bird for breakfast sir.”

“Okay Dolly.” He says like he just ran 10 miles.

“Sirius,” I turn to look back at him “you may leave under one circumstance” He begins. 

“What is it? I'll do whatever you want!” I blurt out

“Take Dolly with you until the term starts.” 

‘Shit!’ 

“Okay.”