Welcome to my first Harry Potter story!
For quick reference, in my story, Albus, Rose, and Roxanne, and Louis are all 11, James and Fred are both 12, Dominique is thirteen, Victoire is fourteen, and Teddy is fifteen. The Weasley cousins that are too young to go to Hogwarts yet are Molly, age 10; her sister Lucy, age 8; and Hugo, age 9. Lily Potter, younger sister to Albus and James, is 9.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1- Dominique
The picture is ten years old now and is covered with a thin film of dust, garnered from years of sitting on top of the fireplace mantel. It shows a little boy with curly blonde hair propped up on a mountain of pillows, next to two girls who have to be his sisters. One girl has blonde hair almost identical to her brother's. She has flawless skin, bright blue eyes, and the biggest dimples I've ever seen. That's Victoire, my perfect older sister. Of course, she's too nice to admit that she's perfect, but she is. Everyone knows that.
Next is a little girl with reddish-blonde hair that's really, really frizzy. To call it a hot mess would be an understatement. Her cheeks are too red and she has a spot of chocolate on the side of her chin. That little girl is me, Dominique. Everyone calls me Dom, though. I'm the one piece in my perfect family that doesn't fit-and the only child that inherited my dad's red hair. Unlike Victoire, I can never get my hair to lie still, even when I apply mounds and mounds of hair creams and gels. Also unlike my older sister, I'm not perfect. Not by a long shot.
Finally, there's a little boy with blonde hair and an angelic face. It's clear that he and Victoire are related. They look like part of a set, like they belong together.
The three kids are all laughing at something off camera. The little boy laughs so hard that he spits up all over himself, making his sisters laugh even harder. That boy is Louis Weasley-my sweet, adorable little brother.
He's now dead.
This picture is kept over the fireplace, next to a few books, board games, and clothes-a reminder of a life that ended way too soon.
"Dom! Time to go!" Vic called from upstairs, jolting me out of my reverie.
I sighed and picked up my trunk. The Hogwarts Express was leaving in an hour to take my sister and I back to school, and we were way behind. We hadn't even left the house yet, and would be lucky if we made it in time. I had to say my good-byes now, if I was going to at all.
"Bye Louis." I said as I left the room, trailing one finger across the glass. It left a small trail in the dust. In the picture, the three kids laughed on, oblivious, lost in their own world of fun that would never end.
Platform 9 3/4 was crowded with students and their families. Some kids were already boarding the train, while some hung out of windows to talk to their teary eyed mothers and stoic fathers. I was almost run over by a boy commandeering a trolley, and I guessed that he was late. I knew what that felt like. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever be early, for a change. It was easy to pick out my relatives, though. There's a huge group of us-and most of us have red hair.
Seven of us, out of my cousins, Victoire, and I, were going to Hogwarts this year. Eight, if you count Teddy, which we all do, even though he isn't technically family. He was a fifth year, Vic was a fourth year, I was a third year, Fred and James were second years, and Roxanne, Rose, and Albus were first years. The first years were suspiciously quiet. I remembered the feeling well from my own experience: a weird mix of nervousness and excitement, like your stomach is tying itself in knots. If Louis was still alive, this would be his first year, too. He'd undoubtedly be feeling the same way, even though inside he'd be really, really excited. Ever since he'd gotten his Hogwarts letter last June, he'd been talking nonstop about the Sorting, his new wand, what he thought the school would be like, and even his new pet owl, Hamlet. I blinked away tears.
"Is something wrong, Dom?" Teddy asked, coming up behind me.
"No."
"Are you missing Louis?"
Teddy knows me too well, having known me my entire life. I slowly nodded, feeling a tear trace its way down my cheek. He hugged me fiercely for a minute. "It's all right. He's at peace now." he said. I nodded again, still not trusting myself to speak.
Just then, the whistle sounded, and we hurried to board the train. Teddy squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Ready?"
"Yeah. Let's do this."
We all crowded into one compartment, everyone talking loudly and swapping stories. It was easy to get lost in the uproar and happiness, but I still felt a little hole where Louis should have been, playing Wizard Chess with Albus or chatting casually about current events with Rose. However, I soon began to enjoy myself as we traveled through the beautiful English and then Scottish countryside, talking, laughing, and snacking on candy from the trolley.
As we got closer, Vic and I headed to the back of the train to change into our robes. "Are you excited?" my sister asked me. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement. She loves anything school related.
I nodded. "Yeah, I am." In fact, I was getting more excited with each passing minute.
"Do you think this year will be…interesting?"
I knew exactly what she meant. When my parents had gone to school, they'd had really cool adventures-every year. This was my third year, and I was still waiting for something extraordinary or noteworthy to happen to me-an experience that I could pass on to my kids as something of a bedtime legend. "Yeah, I think so."
"Me too. Something's going to happen this year. I can feel it, if you can believe that."
"So do I." We shared a smile and went back to the compartment so the first years could take their turns getting changed.
Little did we know just how exciting this year was really going to get.