(AN: so here we go again. my stab at fanfiction, take two. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW)
Chapter One
She was leaning lazily against the doorframe, the corners of her mouth turning up as she watched the two dark haired boys playfully wrestle in the yard laid out in front of her. Their yelps and shouts echoed in the expansive space, and the way the taller of the two held the other's head in the crook of his arm while pulling on his hair helped them appear much younger than their respective nineteen and eighteen years.
"They never did grow out of that, did they?"
Lily turned her head to see her mother occupy the other side of the door. Lily looked back at her brothers after watching her mother smile fondly at the scene in the dusk before her.
"No, they obviously didn't," she responded, amused. Her mother laughed her beautiful, tinkling laugh, and she wondered, now that she was sixteen, if they finally looked similar, regardless of their shared red hair, brown eyes, and slender stature she'd only just recently grown into.
Her mother was radiant while smiling.
"I SO have you now!" Albus cried, and Lily chuckled as he broke out of the headlock, tackling his older brother to the ground.
James grappled with Albus on the grass, trying to shake him off.
"You're finished!" Albus bellowed down to James' red face, a fierce grin set on his features.
Beneath him James growled. "IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL I SAY IT'S OVER!" he roared, switching their position easily as Albus put his hands up to shield his ears.
Albus gave a frustrated scream, and now it was James with the triumphant smirk.
She heard her mother sigh breezily beside her. "So who's breaking this one up?" she remarked dispassionately.
"I'm all over it, Mum," Lily grinned.
She crossed the porch, descending the three steps in no particular rush. Up close, Lily could distinctly hear the cusses and phrases her brothers were lobbing at one another, and she smiled, once again acknowledging where she'd learned them.
"Christ, James," Al choked from on his stomach, flailing his arms and kicking his legs while his brother pinned him by the neck face down on the thick grass, "you just take everything-" he halted as he, shockingly, landed a lucky hit to James' face, "so damn personally!"
"What!" James cried, smacking away Albus' thrashing limbs, his dark hair in even more disarray than usual, "I couldn't just take that shit sitting down, Al. You're my little brother for Christ's sake!"
"I only-" he twisted- "said-" he grabbed one of James' offending arms- "that your new shoes were dorky!" he grunted, trying to pull James' hands off him.
"Yes!" James yelled indignantly, "You did! Inexcusable! If anything-" he let out a poof of air as Albus shoved him off to the ground, but he retaliated by resuming his previous attempt of getting him in a headlock, "you're the dorky one!" he finished.
Lily watched her beloved older brothers continue to squabble, not even aware she hovered nearby.
"Personally, I think you both are," she interrupted.
She tried not to laugh as Albus and James both paused, comically snapping their heads simultaneously to look at her. They could almost be twins, had Albus' eyes not been her father's green and if James did not have the slightly rounder face of their mother.
Their expressions went from shocked, to annoyed, to serious in a span of three seconds.
"What did you say?" whispered James warningly. Albus jutted out his chin.
"You. Are. A. Dork. Both of you. You act like you're five," she responded pointedly, crossing her arms. She tried to hide her smile.
"Watch your tongue, young sister of mine," threatened James, letting go of Albus and getting to his feet. Albus nodded and followed suit.
"Why, what're you gunna do about it," she teased, sticking her tongue out while crossing her arms.
"Well," James began, "We," he gestured between him and Albus, "will reconcile our differences, join forces-" he nodded, Albus reading the unspoken signal and began approaching her, "and TAKE YOU DOWN!" he exclaimed, and Lily half-heartedly attempted to run as they both launched themselves at her.
Laughing, she suddenly was in a tangle of limbs, yelling and playful hitting. Lily shoved around as they rolled, alternating from being squashed to doing the squashing. It was a jumbled, chaotic mess, and the only sounds were the shouting, squeals, and laughter as the three siblings tried to best the other.
Lily, however, being the only girl and the shortest, had long ago learned a few fail-safe tricks to emerge triumphant quickly in these contests.
"Ow ow ow ow ow!" James whined, "Stop it! You're just like Mum when you do that!"
Lily was standing, victoriously holding an ear of Albus and James in either hand; the three siblings had such a height difference that the boys had to stoop. They grimaced and yelped as she pinched hard and pulled.
She rolled her eyes and gave James a mock-cold glare in retaliation.
"That too," Albus added, and he gave a wince when she twisted his ear a little further.
She dragged them away, the sun warm on their backs. She strode and they stumbled up the stairs until they halted in front of the amused gaze of their mother.
She cocked one bemused eyebrow and said, "Nice work, Lily. Boys, your father will be home in a few minutes. Wash up and come down quickly, and don't start any trouble. I want a nice family dinner for Lily," she trailed off, leaving the doorway and gliding into the kitchen.
James and Albus groaned and Lily grinned as she pushed her two brothers in before her, once she had released their ears, and strolled in after them.
The kitchen glowed with the gold hues of the dimming sunlight. Lily gave a languid smile, leaning against the counter, at the scent of her mother's cooking coming from the pot on the stove. She heard dim crashing from overhead, and the sound of her mother humming as she put the food on the table.
"Lily, get the silverware, would you?" her mother requested as she brushed past her.
"Yeah," she complied. Lily walked to the drawer, opening it to fish out five sets of utensils. Grabbing the bunch of them in a fist, she returned to the table.
"Hey, Lil?"
"Yeah, Mum?" she replied, glancing at her mother working next to her as she began setting the table.
"Oh, Lily," her mother continued thickly, and Lily wondered if it was possible that she was actually holding back tears.
"Yeah, what is it Mum?" she said with wary concern, pausing in her duty and peering at her mother.
She stood with her hand over her mouth, looking embarrassed. "Oh god, I can't believe I'm starting to cry, this is absolutely ridiculous…" she gave a strained laugh before restarting, "I just, time goes by so quickly, doesn't it?" Lily hummed in agreement, inwardly sighing at how she should have predicted the coming of this emotional outburst from her mum, regardless of how out of character it was. "I mean, it seems like yesterday we were sending Jamsie off to school, and now Albus and James are both out of Hogwarts, you're nearly done yourself, what with only two years to go…"
"Jamsie?" echoed a voice from the foot of the stairs behind them.
Her mother quickly swiped a thumb under both her eyes and busily resumed laying out the food.
"Yes!" teased Lily, skipping over to James, who stood with an indignant look plastered on his face, "Oh Jamsie, my big, strong older brother!" she said, trying to maintain the appearance of exaggerated adoration while she threw her arms around him.
"Ouch, gerroff me, you still have knives in your hands," he grumbled, pushing with his arms slightly. "And don't call me Jaimsie, you little twerp."
"Wait, then what about me?"
Lily giggled and let go of James as Albus pounded down the stairs.
"She obviously likes me better, Al," James answered for her, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "I'm pursuing my dream as a profession. What are you doing, tottering around hallways serving people shitty dinners?"
"James, language," her mother distantly reprimanded. James rolled his eyes.
Albus scowled. "You," he started bitingly, "are a sodding idiot who doesn't have enough real talent at Quidditch to make a real team, AND," he pushed on loudly, drowning out James' rising protest, "I'm training to be a healer," he seethed, "not a fu-"
"Does no one care what I think?" Lily interjected, smiling as she absently twirled a knife around her fingers.
"Why, of course, Lil," James began, frowning down at her, "but it's just obvious that you're going to like the one that takes Quidditch more seriously better."
"I take Quidditch seriously, you arse! I just was able to come to terms with not being good enough to make it professionally!"
"Boys…" their mother warned them tiredly, giving them a significant look.
They both opened their mouths, preparing to strike again, but Lily cut them off and brought them both in for a group hug.
"Ew, Lily, this is gross," complained James.
"Yeah, we don't really hug" agreed Albus, and both of them remained statues as she embraced them.
"Oh, shut up, you two. I love you both equally. You're my favorite brothers," she sighed, squeezing them tighter.
"We're your only brothers, Lily," James deadpanned, but he exhaled and relaxed into the hug.
Albus looked at the ceiling.
James glared at him with his brown eyes. "Albus…"
"Yeah, Albus," Lily whined, looking up at him, "You're the biggest softie out of the three of us. Stop pretending you aren't, coward."
He rolled his eyes, sighed, and returned their hug.
"I'm going to miss you this year."
"Yeah…"
"…That's cruel. You didn't say that when I left Hogwarts."
"Nice to see you three getting along," came a voice from the entryway.
The three siblings jumped apart, Lily almost dropping the knives, Albus scratching his head and avoiding eye contact, and James shuffling his feet, spinning around to face to opposite way.
"Mother dearest, is there any way I could assist you?" quipped James hurriedly, walking around the corner and out of the room.
"Hello Harry," her mother chuckled from her actual place by the counter, "How was work?"
Her father stood in the door leading to the entryway, a smile lighting his face despite the tired pull at his eyes. He walked in, kissing her mother on the cheek.
"Oh, you know," he sighed, gesturing in a fashion with his hands, as if it would substitute for the words. "Sometimes I wish I had regular hours," he muttered, the smile slipping, and my mother squeezed his hand.
"Dinner smells lovely, by the way," he remarked, his grin returning.
"Oh, you know," her mother began, waving her hand passively, "Last dinner at home for Lily until Christmas, a proper send off, all her favorites."
"Oh, right. The train is tomorrow, correct?" her father asked, turning to face her and Albus.
"Yeah," she responded, smiling slightly at her father's momentary disorientation.
A whistle chimed and her mother jumped.
"Dinner's ready!" she called over her shoulder as she pulled the chicken out of the oven.
Albus sighed gratefully and looped over to his chair. Lily and her father followed. Her father sagged into the chair at the head of the table, and Lily took the seat next to Albus.
"So…" her father started, green eyes glancing around the room suspiciously, "where'd your brother go?"
"Dad, come on. It's James," Albus noted, plucking a dinner roll off the plate in the center of the table, "and food is on the table. He'll be down here right about-"
"Chicken is delicious, isn't it," exclaimed James, pulling out the chair across from Lily with gusto.
"And especially when your mother makes it," her mother replied sweetly, a warning flowing through the undercurrent. She glared as she grinned, red hair swaying as she set the chicken on the table.
"Of course, Mum," declared James boisterously, and her mother relaxed, sitting down next to him.
There was a brief silence, save for the sound of the shuffling of food as the family loaded their plates. Lily took double portions of everything; the house elves at Hogwarts were excellent cooks, but nothing quite had the spice of her mother's cooking. And her mother only cooked on very special occasions; Lily then felt the right to be pleased.
Her father munched thoughtfully on his vegetables. "So, Lily," he paused to take a drink of water, "How d'you think the Quidditch team's going to shape up this year?"
She shoveled another spoonful of potatoes in her mouth before opening her mouth, "Well-"
"Why are you asking her, Dad? She's not the one making cuts this year," James interrupted, smirking at her across the table.
"Now, James-"
"Shut up, James!" Lily slammed down her fork on the table; Albus jerked in response, moving his hands safely off the surface. She half-rose out of her chair, leaning across the table to yell at James more directly, "I am SICK of you holding that over my head. Just because you were Captain in your 6th year doesn't mean anything! Everyone on the team besides Al was at least two years younger than you, and they weren't going to make a fourth year Captain!"
"Lily!" her mother reprimanded, sending her a severe look, "We're in the middle of a meal right now! Calm down!" Lily fumed silently, glaring as her brother's smirk became more pronounced.
"And James!" her mother rounded on him, red hair whipping as she turned her head to look at him, "Behave yourself! You still act like a thirteen year old, and for heaven's sake you're almost twenty!"
At James' reddening face, Lily allowed herself a small smile, and crossing her arms, she lifted an eyebrow up at James. His smug look dropped, but shot a look back at her.
Poorly smothered sniggering from her left made her want to roll her eyes.
"And Albus Severus!" her mother yelled, eyes flashing, "Don't you be laughing!" His face quickly sobered. "You almost have a job now!" she continued. "You should be looking to move out instead of laughing at the childishness of your siblings!"
Lily and James' jaws dropped indignantly, but Albus' protest beat theirs as he began, sputtering, "Wha- But Mum! James is older than me and he still hasn't moved out and you don't yell at him! That's not fair!"
James' smirk reappeared. "Goodness Al, hasn't anyone told you that life isn't fair?"
Albus growled.
James smiled innocently back.
"Boys. Lily. Let's try not to fight. This is the last night Lily will be here for awhile." The boys rolled their eyes. "I would also like to apologize for asking what I thought was an innocent question," her father said levelly, but a hint of amusement tinted his voice.
Her mother sighed, irritation deflating. "What your father said. And listen to your father."
The three of them grumbled their agreements, and got back to their plates. Silence reigned as forks moved from plate to mouth. Lily cut her chicken into bite size pieces.
"It's going to be interesting," she commented after some time.
Her family looked at her skeptically.
"Tryouts," she clarified, rolling her eyes, "To answer your question from earlier, Dad. We lost a Beater and a Seeker, and we lost Al, and God knows it's going to be hard to find an adequate replacement for him as Chaser."
"Aw, thanks Lil," Albus replied teasingly, but they were both aware of the validity of her statement; she, Albus, and Matt, a returning 6th year like herself, had made a flawless team that had been instrumental to Gryffindor's two successive Quidditch Cup championships.
"I really want to see one of your matches this year…" her mother sighed, acquiring a faraway distant look.
"Mum," Lily muttered, looking at her lap, "Parents don't really do that…"
"I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem," piped her father, and her mother perked up at the thought.
Lily tried to suppress a groan. Of course there would be no difficulty in her parents attending one of her matches. Her mother was Ginny Potter, famous retired Quidditch star, and her father was Harry Potter, famous practically since he was born, and the defeater of Voldemort. Everybody knew who they were. If they came, if people found out they were coming… the whole school would explode and she would have to lock herself in her dormitory in order to avoid the barrage of fake friends begging to be introduced.
"Hey, don't worry about Quidditch so much," Albus said from next to her with a reassuring pat on the back, and effectively diverted the conversation. "Teague knows what he's doing. He's a good captain, he'll pick the right people," he reassured, and promptly turned back to his piece of chicken.
"Ah, Teague Canning," James said wistfully from across the table, leaning back in his chair. A corner of his mouth lifted up as he looked across at Al. "Does he still have that horrible attraction to Lily?"
Her cheeks heated as Albus laughed beside her. "James, you are just, ugh! There's not even words to explain what you are!"
"Does he?" inquired her mother, ignoring her outburst and addressing her brothers. She propped her elbows on the table, an amused glimmer in her eyes.
Her father scratched his head and looked at the boys, puzzled. "Which one is Canning again? Is he the one with the blonde hair?"
"No, Dad," she groaned, covering her face with her hands. "That's Matt, you know, my friend of only, what, five years?" She dropped her hands down only to see Albus put on a knowing smirk. "And he doesn't fancy me either!" she exclaimed, cutting off Albus' next remark. He grinned.
"No, Dad," James continued, "Canning is the strong, handsome one," he emphasized, eyes flicking to the vexed Lily, "the one with the dreamy eyes and dark, curly hair."
Her father continued to look confused.
"The Quidditch captain," James finished lamely with a wave of his hands.
"She said that?" her mother questioned skeptically, gesturing at Lily.
Lily put her forehead on the edge of the table.
"Why, of course!" her brother exclaimed the same time she screamed, "NO!" to the floor.
"Really?" her mother said.
"Mum," Lily raised her head to look at her exasperatedly. "No. It's not like that. We only talk Quidditch, you know?"
Her mother grinned, showing a dimple, but nodded.
"Ugh, you don't believe me," Lily groaned, and put her head in her hands.
She saw James give a triumphant smirk across the table from between her fingers. She scowled.
Albus, James, and her mother continued on eating their meal, and silence reigned for a few passing minutes until her father, not having touched his food since the mention of Teague Canning and skeptically looking around the table as they ate asked, "So, wait… Who am I supposed to believe?"
The stars made an interesting pattern when framed by her window, she noted, staring up at the bright dots contained by the slats of wood. She had finally found a way to lean against her now packed trunk in a way that didn't pinch her back, and had been distracted by the pinpoints of light.
It was odd how quiet her house was at night. She linked her house to noise and commotion and Albus and James arguing and her parents joking; she never thought of it as quiet. Her family was full of life, as stupid as she thought that sounded, but it was the best phrase she could come up with. Now, all she could hear were the hush sounds of the night penetrating from her open window, where she could see the stars. A heaviness set in on her chest, and she felt connected to the floor.
Lily could feel loneliness creeping in. She was going to be in sixth year. Her brothers weren't going to be there. She still didn't have that close girlfriend. There was going to be new people on the Quidditch team.
She started as the click of the handle announced the opening of her door. Rather groggily, she whipped her head around, trying to identify the figure entering her room as they shut the door again quietly.
"I knew you would still be up."
Half of her mouth turned up, she patted the floor next to her, and relaxed back into her trunk.
Albus slid in next to her, sighing as he brought his legs into his chest. Resting his arms over his knees, he turned to look at her.
"What's on your mind?" he asked, nudging her slightly with his shoulder. She glanced over at him and brought her hand up to run through her loose hair.
"I dunno, Al," she exhaled, staring at her toes.
"Is this about not being Quidditch captain?" he began skeptically. "Cause Lil, everyone knows you're a shoe in for next year. Teague is just, he proved himself a really good captain last year, you know? and he had us working better than even James did. It's not that you aren't an excellent player, I mean, you're brilliant, it's just-"
"That's not it, Albus," she objected. He closed his mouth. "I'm not that petty, I know that Teague would lead better than me this year. It's just… I dunno. It's stupid I guess. Nothing really to worry about at all."
He gave her a look. "Don't give me that," she protested. "Look, it's not a big deal. It's stupid."
"Tell me what it is. It's obviously bothering you, if you couldn't sleep."
Her cheeks flushed. "It's… I dunno, embarrassing, Al."
His face tightened a bit, but he appeared firm in acting like a good brother as he didn't move.
"Go on," he urged.
"Well…. Fine," she conceded as he shot her a warning glare. She looked at her hands, twisting her fingers. "It's just that… I mean James wasn't there last year, but you still were. And this year…" she hesitated, staring resolutely at the stars, "you both won't be there, you know? And, I dunno, it's stupid, but I just want the team to treat me the same, you know? I mean, what if they start acting weird or something and not talking to me the same?" She turned her head away from him, her cheeks heating.
"Well… I dunno what I expected, but I don't think you have anything to worry about there," he reassured, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Come on," he insisted, shoving her a bit, to which she halfheartedly slapped him back. "To be honest, I think the guys on the team like you better than me. Or at least they give you more respect."
"Respect?" she scoffed.
"Something like that, yeah. Maybe it has something to do with you being the best player, I dunno, but don't worry about them acting differently. If they do, just shout at them like you usually do. Just because I'm not there doesn't mean that they'll stop listening to you."
"Yeah?" she said, glancing back at him. "Well, what about the new people he's going to pick this year? What if they're completely off base?"
He rolled his eyes. "Well then you deal with them, Lil. You'll've been on the team a lot longer than them. And Teague should be on your side, he's got on the team the same year you did, you were both new together."
"Well… okay, I suppose," she mumbled, but she was slightly cheered.
"Jesus, what will you do without me next year?" he admonished playfully, getting up. He prodded her with his foot. "Get to bed," he suggested. "God knows you'll be hell to wake up in the morning. Probably oversleep and you'll be late to the platform."
"Oh shut it," Lily grumbled, but he only grinned as he walked out the door. Sighing, she stood up and flopped on her bed. Rolling her eyes at what Albus said, she closed her eyes and wished herself asleep.
(AN: I know, I know, it's the first chapter. Stay with me, though, please. I feel like this is going to be something good. please please please review. it keeps me going)
