"Get up Albus Severus Potter! Get your butt up out of bed!" I groaned as my mother's shrill voice permeated my sleep fogged brain.

"Yeah yeah." I mumbled at the door as I rolled over to face the door, my eyes slowly opening and blinking out the sand of sleep.

"Don't you yeah yeah me mister! Get up!" She said. I heard her stomp away heavily, her steps loud and distinct on the stairs. I slowly sat up, placing my feet on the cold wood floor. I stood up my knees cracking as I did making me groan.

"Stupid Quidditch." I mumbled still sleepy. If I was in a cognizant state of mind I would never call Quidditch stupid, that would practically be a sin. I shuffled my feet along the freezing floor. I pulled my door open and looked both ways. I know I heard my mother leave down the stairs but one can never be too sure. She has this uncanny talent of popping up when you least expect it or when you least want her to. Growing up she would show up just when I was about to put a toad down the back of James' shirt or switch his tooth paste with Stronghold's hold strong super glue.

I lazily walked down the hall, mom's urgent voice floating all the way up from the basement. She was going on and on about dust on the windows and wanting dad to clean them.

"That woman's got to sort out her priorities." I mumbled under my breath. I mumble because her supersonic ears are just like Uncle George's extendable ears, she'll hear me. "We're leaving for school today and she's worried about washing windows."

I walked up to the bathroom door and opened it without knocking. Normally I wouldn't have opened it but I was still a little asleep. James and I share the bathroom on the third floor since we are the only ones up here. As a general rule we leave the door open if it's not being used.

"Albus! Knock first!" James shrieked at me. I blearily looked up to see my older brother buck naked reaching for the towel on the counter.

"Uh! God James, cover that up! I don't need to see that first thing in the morning!" I yelled back at him turning my head away and shielding my eyes as an extra protective measure. "My eyes! My poor virgin eyes!" I said snickering.

"Shut up! Learn to knock you little poofer." James said through gritted teeth. I dropped my hand so I could glare at him.

"I'm not a poofer you wanker. But if I was I wouldn't be trying to sneak peeks at my brother." I said crossing my arms over my chest and staring at him. His cheeks reddened slightly, he knew I had a point. He hated it when that happened. I could see his jaw working, clenching and unclenching his teeth.

"Get out." He growled.

"My pleasure." I said. I turned on my heel and stalked away. "Idiot." I grumbled.

"I heard that you arse!" He yelled before slamming the door.

"Oh slamming the door is really mature bro! What are you a girl?" I yelled to him as I walked back into my room and closed the door. I heard a bang as if he threw something. I walked over to my closet and looked through the very few articles of clothes I was leaving here while I was at school. I grabbed a grey T shirt and a worn pair of jeans. I wasn't a stickler for looks…Not like Scorpius. I smiled as I thought of my best friend. Scorpius Malfoy was always very groomed and proper. How we ever became friends is beyond me.

As I bent down to grab my trainers I heard a door slam and heavy footsteps go down the hall. James was done in the bathroom and had gone to his room. I rolled my eyes as I sat on the bed to pull my shoes on. My brother could be a real jerk. Growing up we had always been at each other's throats. I was always pulling pranks on him, telling jokes at his expense and he always retaliated with yelling and tattling. The fights always started off as screaming matches and escalated to physical. Dad always had to jump in and snatch us away from each other, mom scolding in the background while Lily yelled for James to leave me alone. Often now James would just ignore me. When he did talk to me it was usually insults, not that I care.

I stomped out of my room and to the bathroom, making sure to be extra loud to annoy James. I quickly brushed my teeth and then ran downstairs. It had been a while since mom had yelled at me to get up and I didn't want to keep her waiting any longer. As I descended the stairs I could hear her voice getting louder. She was going on about what nonsense she needed to do before we left for Kings Cross. I tromped down the last few stairs and entered the kitchen; pushing the door open with a slight flourish, like…Ta-da! My dad shook his head, keeping his eyes on his newspaper, my mother scowled at me, and my little sister Lily giggled.

"Good morning Alby." She said quietly.

"Good morning Cricket." I said fondly. I had called Lilly Cricket since she was able to walk, I always said she was knee high to cricket, perpetually short until a growth spurt this past summer. She smiled slightly at me as she bent over her parchment notebook that I had sewn together for her a few weeks previous. Lily really liked magical creatures and had long discussions about them with our Aunt Luna. She always complained about not being able to start the subject until third year. In the book she would sketch the different creatures from her talks with Aunt Luna and her notes on those creatures. Sometimes she would even make up her own. Currently she was drawing a rather skeletal and gaunt thestral. I wasn't sure how she knew what it looked like though.

"That's rather good Cricket." I said leaning towards her.

"Thank you Alby. Did you know they're really smart? The herd in the dark forest are the only domesticated herd in all of Britain. Hagrid trained them to take you anywhere you want you just have to tell them." She said smiling brightly.

"No I didn't know that. That's really cool." I said as I moved away from her to take a drink from the cup my mother had just set in front of me. She nodded adding a little cross hatching to the thestral's underbelly. All of a sudden she picked up her head and looked at me. She leveled me with a stare. When she stared at me like that it was a little unnerving, it meant she knew something. Usually it was something I didn't want her to know.

"You had another argument with James again." She said. I sighed and placed my cup down. Dad's newspaper rustled a little but it didn't come down. I knew he was listening.

"I might have. Don't worry about it Cricket, older brother stuff." I said.

"Right…knock next time." She said turning back to her book. I raised a brow at her.

"How do you do that? I swear to Merlin your ears and mum's ears are like Uncle George's extendable ears." I said. I heard dad chuckle as he turned a page.

"Who do you think helped Uncle George develop those?" He asked softly. I glanced over at mom to see her smiling slightly. She still helped Uncle George from time to time as did Uncle Ron.

"I'm psychic." Lily said bringing my attention back to her.

"Don't say that. You've heard what Dad has said about Trelawney." I heard Dad snort.

"You know what I mean." She said continuing her sketching.

"James Potter! What is taking so long?" Mom yelled. All four of us were silent. She stared up at the ceiling as if she could see through the three floors to the top where my older brother was presumably getting ready. Mom sighed in aggravation as all was silent. She clenched her fists by her sides and stomped off out of the kitchen.

"She's crazy." I mumbled.

"She's your mother." Dad said. I smirked a Slytherin smirk at him. He cringed slightly at it. He may be okay with me being a Slytherin but that doesn't mean he's okay with me acting like one.

"She's your wife." I retaliated. Dad finally dropped his paper completely. He ran his hands through his hair making it stand even more on end then it usually did.

"Touché." He said smiling. I snorted into my cup as I drank. "Are you two all packed? You know your mother will have an aneurism if you're not ready by the time we need to leave." He said looking between the two of us.

"Of course father. I've been ready for days." Lily said her voice muffled from having her face nestled so close to her book.

"More like weeks." I mumbled. She reached up without looking up and poked me on the arm.

"What's that going to do?" I asked her laughingly. She looked up at me and narrowed her eyes before swiftly turning her head to the door.

"Good morning James." She said. Dad and I both looked to the door.

"Lily what are you talking about James isn't there." I said. But just as I said that he walked through and smiled at her.

"Morning Lil." He said walking towards the table. "Man I'm starving." He said about to sit down.

"Too bad James we gotta go!" Mom said walking in behind him and accioing him an apple. "Let's go Potters! Go go go!" She yelled. I snickered.

"I think mom fancies herself a muggle drill sergeant." I mumbled to Lily. She giggled as she packed up her book and charcoals in the little canvas satchel I had made her to carry her art supplies.

"More like your Grandmother." Dad mumbled as he walked by me. We both snickered. James glanced at us disapprovingly as he passed. I stuck my tongue out behind his back. Lily pushed my arm and shook her head. We came up the hall to see Dad shrinking down our trunks and stuffing them into his pockets for easier transportation. We normally walked to King Cross because our house 12 Grimmauld Place was in London.

"Let's go! We're going to be late." Mom called again opening the door and shepherding us out.

"Relax dear we will get there on time." Dad said. Mom snorted.

"We have to meet Andromeda and Teddy Harry! Not to mention my family." She said shooting him a glare. "If we are late mum will have a cow." She mumbled.

"Like you are now?" He asked under his breath. Lily giggled as she reached for dad's hand. He laughed and swung her up into his arms.

"Dad put me down! I'm not a baby anymore I can walk!" She crowed while giggling.

"Oh you'll always be my baby Lily- Bee!" He said blowing a raspberry on her cheek before placing her on the pavement. She slowed her steps up so she would draw even with me and slipped her small hand into mine.

"You excited?" I asked her quietly. She looked down at her feet as she walked and for once I saw my sister as something other than all-knowing and confident.

"Yes but what if I can't make friends?" She asked. I raised my eye brow at her in surprise.

"Really Cricket? You have Corvus and Hugo, they'll be in your year! And you'll have Rose, Teddy, Scorpius, Cosmo and Alice. Not to mention me!" I said pulling her into my side and wrapping my arm around her shoulders. She lauged.

"Me too Lil." James said walking up from behind us. He reached up and smoothed her bright red hair back from her forehead. His hand bumped my arm and I glared at him. He glared over her head back at me.

"Thanks boys." She said. We both managed to stop glaring at one another to smile at her. The rest of the walk was relatively silent with the exception of mom's occasional grumblings. It didn't take long to reach platform 9 ¾.

"Come on Lily I'll take you through." James said holding out his hand.

"No I've got it. Wouldn't want you to ruin your rep by toting your little sister around." I said pulling Lily closer, my arm still around her shoulders.

"I can do it." He said crossing his arms over his chest and jutting out his chin.

"Oh I don't doubt it Jamie but I've got it, really." I said smiling condescendingly.

"No really Alby I-"He started.

"Just go through James!" Mom grunted out in frustration. She turned him towards the barrier and pushed him. He disappeared stumbling through the brick.

"Come on Cricket." I said softly grasping her hand tightly. She smiled up at me and we moved forward together. As we passed through the seemingly solid brick her grip on my hand tightened slightly. I returned the pressure reassuringly. When we passed through and came out on the other side she gasped softly. She had seen the platform every year since James started school but she was still amazed every time. I had to admit the scarlet engine that was the Hogwarts express was a rather striking sight.

I felt rather than saw mom and dad come through the barrier behind us. Mom's urgent touch moved us toward the rather visible cloud of red hair down the platform. James had already found them and was talking to our cousin Victoire who was a second year. Lily let go of my hand and ran over to embrace our Aunt Luna. She pulled her book out of her satchel and opened it to today's sketch to show her. Aunt Luna waved to me as did Uncle Neville before turning to Lily's drawing. I waved back. Every year the Professor's Longbottom took the train with their students and children to reach the school.

I turned my head away from my vast family group and to the surrounding crowd. I saw a flash of turquoise farther down and started to move towards it but in an instant it was gone. I turned on the spot but couldn't find it again.

"Looking for someone?" A familiar voice said from behind me. I twirled on the spot to face one of my best friends Teddy Lupin, his hair had been the turquoise flash I was looking for.

"Hey Ted! Where's Scorp?" I asked slapping his arm in greeting.

"Don't call me Scorp." A smooth voice said to my left. I smirked at the familiar pale and pointed face of Scorpius Malfoy as I turned to look at him. Scorpius and Teddy were my best friends.

"Didn't hear you there, rather light on your feet aren't you twinkle toes?" I asked snickering. Teddy ducked his head to try and hide his smile.

"I thought we agreed to stop all jokes pertaining to my dance lessons. I told you they are necessary for entrance into Pureblood society." He said turning his nose to the air, his cheeks paling in embarrassment.

"Whatever you say Scorp." Teddy said. Scorpius's head whipped down to glare at him.

"We'll never mention it again Scorp." I said.

"Yeah wouldn't dream of it Scorp." Teddy said.

"You two think you're so funny." Scorpius said scowling and crossing his arms. Teddy and I laughed, leaning on each other for support. "Oh yes laugh it up." He grumbled.

"Oh come on don't be such a poor sport Scorp." I said. He pursed his lips, a sure sign he was about to start on a rant.

"Seriously? I didn't miss you two at all, I don't know why I thought I did, because I didn't not in the least. I could go the rest of my life without seeing you two again." He grumbled.

"Aw you missed us?" I asked.

"Is that all you got out of that?" He asked.

"He's lying you know." Said a slightly high pitched voice behind Scorpius. Scorpius whipped around to level the eaves dropper with a glare.

"Merlin Corvus, why are you so annoying?" He asked drolly. I walked forward and placed an arm around Scorpius's younger brother Corvus's shoulder.

"Aw come on Scorp, be cool." I said smirking at him. Scorpius rolled his eyes at me but turned back to Teddy.

"And you be cool two Corey. Say why don't you go find Lily, remember it's her first year too. You two can hang." I said pointing over to my little sister who was still enraptured in conversation with Aunt Luna.

"Okay Allllby." Corvus sang out smiling at me. I smiled back and his small face paled slightly with embarrassment. He turned away from me quickly and ran to Lily. I watched him go smiling as Lily received him warmly.

"Why so nice to my brother?" Scorpius said, eyebrow raised.

"Someone has to be." Teddy said. I shrugged and sighed.

"Come on guys. Let's find a compartment." I said.