Author's Note:

Hi! This is the first fanfic I've written since I was a teen writing an absolutely terrible Sailor Moon/Gundam Wing/Survivor Crossover many many moons ago. I think this will be an improvement, but I can't make any promises

I live in the US and so you'll see me using American slang and referring to the education system that I'm familiar with rather than butchering the British way of doing things. I'd feel bad screwing it up so I'm just going with what I know.

Anywho, I'd love your feedback :) Here we go!

I'm afraid I'm turning out to be a bit of a letdown. I was kind of destined to be either a big deal, or a big disappointment, and I'm trending toward the second one.

First of all, I'm Potter's daughter. That's right, my dad is the famous Harry Potter, who, at age 17, vanquished Voldemort, the most evil Dark wizard of all time, by bravely sacrificing himself to save wizardkind from evil and oppression. Y'know, no big deal.

Second, my parents named me after my grandmother, who heroically died trying to protect my dad from said Dark Lord. No pressure there either.

Third, if I'm being being totally honest with myself, I just don't care about Quidditch. Which is basically a sin when both your parents played in school and your mom played professionally.

Fourth, I'm the first Hufflepuff to be born in a long line of Potter Gryffindors. Which is fine, I've come to terms with it, but I grew up hearing my brothers joking about how, well, lame Hufflepuffs are. So that's unfortunate.

And fifth, I'm a huge fraud. I'm taking my NEWTs in Muggle Studies and all the stuff that goes with it this year despite the fact that I don't really care about Muggles and have no intention of making a career out of their study. I have no idea what I am doing or how to get out of this situation, but I've been lying about it to everyone and pretending that I have a plan when I am silently panicking inside.

So yeah, I'm a little self-conscious about who I am. I can't seem to shake the feeling that I'm a little underwhelming. I'm nearly 18, have no idea what I want to do with my life, and I certainly haven't vanquished any Dark Lords.

My brothers haven't either, but they're not exactly making things easier for me.

James is following in dad's footsteps. He joined the Auror training program straight out of Hogwarts and appears to be wildly popular among the senior Aurors. I wish I could say that that's all because of Dad, but what sucks is, it's not. Jamie's always been really hardworking, and likeable too. He's confident and naturally funny. Not only that, but he had recently proposed to his Hogwarts sweetheart, Darcy Finnegan, who happens to be the daughter of Dad and Uncle Ron's old friend from school. Of course everyone loves Darcy. She's super smart and really gorgeous too, and of course she said yes.

Albus, on the other hand, ended up with Mom and Dad's athletic genes. He played Quidditch all through school and we all thought he was going to go pro. He actually received an offer from the US Quidditch team but turned it down in the end in order to "stay closer to family". C'mon. Gag. I mean, I know Granny and Granddad are getting old and won't be around forever, but I feel like he turned down what could have been an amazing opportunity to do something he's passionate about. Anyway, Al's working at the Ministry now too and it just seems so perfect that it kind of makes me sick.

Mom and Dad are constantly telling me they're proud of me and all that, and they're great, really. I love my parents. If anything, I wish they were a little less perfect. It's hard being compared to my heroically brave Dad, my talented and funny Mom, and my smart and talented brothers. I'm tired of professors looking at me like they expect something great. At least that's what they did my first few years. I guess their expectations are lowering now that I've failed to deliver anything above average on countless occasions. It's a lot of pressure. I want to be myself and follow my passions and all that...but I'm not even sure what that means. When I stop to think about it, it kind of freaks me out.

I guess you could say I'm a creative person. At least, I used to be. Art was always the highlight of my week in Elementary school. Painting, drawing, sculpture, I loved all of it. Drawing was my favorite. The first time I picked up a watercolor pencil was magical. It was the first time I actually felt like I was good at something. Like really good. The art teacher, Miss Metro, said my work was beautiful and I showed real promise. She told me I should be sure to take her Advanced Art elective when I got to Middle School. I loved the sound of it. There were so many things to look forward to. The chance to draw cartoons for the school paper or try out Photography or enter my drawings into contests. Plus, I couldn't wait to be surrounded by other kids who love art as much as I do. People who understood. It just sounded like a dream come true.

But I couldn't take that path.

The problem was, well, Hogwarts. I couldn't go to Muggle Middle School and take the Advanced Art class because I was supposed to go to Hogwarts. I mean, I know I was supposed to be looking forward to going and I was, I really was. But going to Hogwarts meant that I was going to learn magic, not art. It probably sounds silly because it's MAGIC after all. Magic. Who cares about drawing when you can do magic?

There were so many things to look forward to about Hogwarts- making new friends, finally getting the chance to do some real magic, being a part of all the hubbub everyone had been talking about for years. "You'll love it, Lily!" "Just wait til you get to Hogwarts!" So when it came time to pack my trunk for the first time, I made a decision. Art was for Muggles. I left my colored pencils and my sketchbooks behind.

It didn't even bother me all that much. I mean, I'm a witch. I was getting ready to learn how to do real, actual magic. I couldn't wait to figure out what my talents were. I knew something great had to be waiting for me, something greater than art. There probably wouldn't be a whole lot of free time for Muggle stuff like drawing.

So here I am, about to start my 7th and final year at Hogwarts, and I guess I am still waiting. I'm waiting to do the thing I'm made to do. I have no idea what it is, and I'm freaking out a little.

Last year, during Career Counseling with Professor Sprout, we decided it would make sense for me to follow the Muggle Studies career path. We sat and talked for a while and I think we both felt awkward about the fact that there was no clear choice for me. No obvious path. My marks were OK, nothing special. I didn't get a single O on my OWLs. I think we were equally embarrassed about my mediocrity. Seriously. So after it seemed like the conversation was going nowhere, I told her I wanted to do Muggle Studies. She looked relieved and then went on and on about how it would just make sense for me to do that, even though I was grasping at straws when I suggested it. I'm not sure which of us was more relieved when I left her office.

But that relief is gone because here I am about to actually start this pathway we decided on, that I've been pretending to be excited about. I'm taking what I have heard described over and over again as "the slacker way". Because that's kind of what Muggle Studies is considered around here. A bit of a joke. What the heck was I thinking? I would love to go to Sprout and tell her it's a mistake and I need to get into some other classes, but honestly, I have no idea what else I would suggest. I'm so screwed.

I spot my bouncy, brown-eyed, cousin in the crowd as soon as I climb through the barrier with my trunk. "Roxanne! Over here!" I call.

Even though we're a year apart and she's in Gryffindor, we're still close, even when we're at school. Mom says in their day, people used to stick with people from their own Houses for the most part. It's not really like that anymore, we all kind of intermix. Which is especially nice since the Weasley cousins are in several different houses. Dad says he thinks the Battle of Hogwarts had a lot to do with bringing everyone together.

Roxy makes her way over to me, grinning ear to ear. She's been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain this year and ever since she found out, she's been going on and on about her plans for whipping the team into shape. I have no doubt that she'll do just that. "Hey! Are you excited? Last time getting on the train!"

I mean, if I really dig, I can say yes, a part of me is excited. It'll be nice to have more free periods this year. The NEWTs are going to suck, and I feel like a fraud about the whole Muggle Studies thing, but once I'm done with those exams, I'm done with tests, forever. Which is great news, because tests suck.

Before I can say anything, I'm tackled from behind by our cousin Hugo. He lifts me off my feet and into a bear hug.

"Laaaast yeeear!" Hugo cheers in a sing-songy voice, setting me down and throwing his arm around Roxy's and my shoulders. Hugo and Roxy, they're my best friends. Hugo's a genius like Aunt Hermione, but he's really modest about it. He's can be kind of a nerd, but he's also really funny and is one of those collected people who lets everything roll off his back. He's lucky. He's really good at Potions and I don't think he'll have any trouble with his NEWTs or finding a job after school. He's obviously found his path.

"Let's get a picture of you two on your last first day!" Uncle Ron pulls out the Muggle camera that Grandpa Arthur insists he bring on every trip to Platform 9 ¾.

Hugo and I squeeze together and smile, then pull Roxy in with us. Uncle Ron insists that I get a picture with Mom and Dad, then takes a picture of every possible combination of Potters and Weasleys that he can think of. The whistle blows.

"Oi! Is that Bill and the kids? We should get one with Louis and Dominique in it too! Dad would love that." Uncle Ron waves his arms, trying to attract their attention through the crowd.

"Yes, I'm sure he would, but if we hang around to take a picture with every single Weasley we run into, the kids will miss the train!" says Aunt Hermione, giving Hugo a squeeze. She pulls me into her arms next and hugs me tightly. "You're going to do great! Let me know if you need anything." Aunt Hermione's excited that I chose Muggle Studies because her parents are Muggles and she thinks I'll be some great advocate for Muggle rights at the Ministry. She has no idea I'm a fraud and I have no intention of telling her.

I turn to Mom and Dad for the final goodbye.

"We love you, and we're proud of you." Dad says. "See you at Christmas?" He kisses my hair and I nod. Maybe by then I'll have figured something out. I don't want to let him down.

"Bye Mom," I say, wrapping my arms around her next. When I pull away, she wipes her face. Was she crying? I start to ask if she's okay, but at that moment, the train starts to move and I have no choice but to get on.

I give them one last smile, wave to my aunts and uncles, and board the Hogwarts Express for the very last time. I hope the next time I'm standing on this platform, I'm not so freaking clueless. Here goes nothing.