I don't own anything Harry Potter!
Please enjoy the story! (: By the way, this is just an opening chapter. Nothing 'exciting' is really happening yet, but it will come, I promise!
James and Albus Potter were in a hurry to pack their belongings into their trunks. But Lily Potter had been packed for a week. Tomorrow morning, the three siblings would head off with their parents to King's Cross Station. From their, they would take the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9 ¾. This was a routine. Every year on September 1st, Harry and Ginny sent their children off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At this school, they would learn how to control their magic. This was young Lily's first time to Hogwarts, and there wasn't a young girl out there who was more excited than she. She acted very much like a young Ginny Potter (formerly a Weasley.) Harry remembered how much Ginny anticipated going off to Hogwarts for the first time, after watching her six older brothers start school before her.
"James? Al? Where are you…oh, there you are. Still haven't packed, I see. Well, Mummy wants you both down for supper. She won't be happy when she sees you haven't gotten everything together." Without another word, Lily turned back down the stairs to the kitchen.
James tried to squeeze his new Nimbus 3000 into his Quidditch bag, but it wouldn't fit. James suddenly wished he was of age. Then he could cast an undetectable extension charm on his bag. He'd ask Dad when Mum wasn't around. Mum would have his head if she realized he hadn't finished packing.
"James, we'd better go." Albus said, already walking out the door. Downstairs, the table was set for nine. The Weasleys must be coming over, Albus thought. Not a minute later, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Rose, and Hugo arrived by Floo.
"Hugo!" Lily jumped up from her seat at the kitchen table. They hugged and ran to the living room to play. The two were inseparable. Albus moved to greet Rose, and they too ran off to play. Well, they were 13 now, so they didn't call it playing, they 'hung out.' James sighed. He wished that one of his cousins was his age. Rose and Hugo were around the most. Uncle George's son, Fred was his age, and Bill's son, Louis was a year older.
"Mum, can't I ask Louis or Fred over?" Then at least he'd have some company. Mum usually said yes, because she felt bad that he was the only one who didn't have a good friend when Rose and Hugo were over.
"Absolutely not, James. It's the night before school; you'll see them tomorrow morning. Besides, you aren't in a position to entertain guests. I know you haven't finished packing." Well, so much for that.
"Aw, Mum! Did Lily rat me out?"
"No, but I know you, James. You do it every year. Go get the younger ones. It's time for supper anyway." He obeyed his mother, and left the room.
Hermione, who had been listening to Ron and Harry argue over some Quidditch match, walked over to Ginny, who was placing a pot of potato soup on the table. She helped set the rest of the food down, and then took a seat.
"Ginny, can you believe our little ones are starting their first year tomorrow?" Hugo would be joining Lily on their first ride on the Hogwarts Express.
"I know, doesn't it seem like just yesterday you were boarding the train for the first time? Not that my first year was really such a great thing to remember." Ginny's smile was a little grim. She recalled being possessed by the dark wizard, Voldemort. Harry, always the knight in shining armor, had defeated the memory that was Voldemort, slayed a basilisk, and saved Ginny from dying. Who could have blamed her for having a crush on the boy?
"Well, Hugo and Lily don't have anything to worry about. Voldemort is gone. He's not coming back. The only thing they'll have to worry about is the Slytherins," Suddenly, Hermione blushed. "Oh, listen to me! After all these years, Ron is finally getting to me! And you'd think, since Rose is so taken with little Scorpius Malfoy, that I'd be nicer to the Slytherins, even if we did hate them at school. Oh, I guess old habits die hard, Ginny." Hermione laughed just as everyone was seated at the table.
"What's this I hear about Slytherins, Hermione?" Ron asked, reaching for a slice of meat.
"Nothing you need to worry about, dear."
"Oh, Mummy, you'll never guess the joke Hugo told me!"
"Oh I'll tell it!" Hugo cut in. "How do you speak to snakes?" He waited a second before delivering his punch line, "You put parsley on your tongue! Get it? Parsley-tongue? Parseltongue?"
And so the conversation continued. Rose, James, and Albus told Lily and Hugo more than they wanted to know about Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, James, Hugo, and Albus talked about Quidditch, to no one's surprise.
"Ron, even your own son doesn't like the Chudley Cannons! It's time to choose a new team. Your sister played for the Holyhead Harpies. Why not root for them?" There was general laughter at Harry's comment. Since Ron was a little boy, he'd been rooting for the Chudley Cannons. No one else had really ever been into following the Cannons.
"I've supported them forever! Leave me alone! We have this argument every time we get together for dinner!"
"You still ought to support a different team. The Cannons haven't won a match this year yet."
"They've had better years, I'll admit…"
"Goodnight, Mummy. Night, Daddy."
"Sweet dreams, Lily, dear."
But Lily did not have a sweet dream. She had quite the opposite. She had a nightmare. She dreamt that she would be running through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, and just like her father in his second year, she wouldn't be able to get through. She dreamt that it meant she wasn't magic enough to go to Hogwarts. She had to live in the muggle world with Uncle Dudley. Luckily, that wasn't what happened.
"Lily Luna Potter, get up now!" Harry called to his daughter. "We're leaving in an hour, you'll miss the train!" Lily shot out of bed. She didn't need another wake-up call. There was no way she was going to miss the Hogwarts Express. Lily slipped out of her pj's and into a dress her mum had picked out for her. It consisted of a blue and pink floral print with a thin tie at the waste. Lily really liked it and she was so excited to show everyone. She combed through her red curls, and brushed her teeth. Albus walked into her room then.
"Good morning, Lily. Want me to take your trunk downstairs?" Lily nodded. Al and James were such good brothers to her most of the time. Whenever they weren't teasing her, Al and James were very loving towards their little sister. They were always so protective of her, and they always helped her out. "Okay, Mummy and Daddy want you downstairs in ten minutes. They want you to have some breakfast before we go. They set up a Floo Network in a nearby Ministry building, so we'll be taking that." Al left the room, with his and Lily's trunks in his arms.
When Lily got downstairs, Ron, Hermione, Rose, and Hugo were waiting for her. One by one, the Potters and the Weasleys took turns stepping into the Potter family fireplace and transporting themselves to the Ministry building. After that, it was only a short walk to King's Cross. They didn't look out of place. So many people go to the train station each day. They were all dressed in Muggle clothing, except for Ron, who was dumb enough to wear a Chudley Cannons t-shirt. Hermione hit him over the back of the head when she saw it. Not that any Muggle would understand, but leave it to Ron to not wear good Muggle clothing that would really blend in.
"Next time, try wearing a Manchester United Football shirt, Ron." Hermione, who was Muggleborn, advised.
"Aw Hermione, no one will notice!" And they didn't. Muggles didn't really give the Weasleys or the Potters a second glance. Soon enough, they were all on Platform 9 ¾. That was when they ran into the whole family!
Rose could see Scorpius talking to Edmund Crabbe and Bethany Goyle. Bethany was nice enough, but Rose really couldn't stand Edmund. Why Scorpius was friends with him, she had no idea. Rose longed to say hello to her Slytherin friend, but her dad had his arm around her shoulders, so she knew it wasn't the time. You can say hello on the train, she told herself.
Teddy Lupin and his long-time girlfriend, Victoire Weasley had come to see their younger friends off. Teddy and Victoire had already graduated from Hogwarts. Teddy felt something weighing down his coat pocket. He knew it was the little black box with a diamond ring inside it. He'd been carrying it around all week, just waiting to seize the opportunity to propose to Victoire. He loved her more than he'd ever loved anyone else. But he didn't know when to do it. He wanted to make the proposal special. So he carried it with him everywhere.
"Teddy, aren't you listening?" Victoire asked him. She had a slight French accent that she'd picked up from her mother, Fleur.
"Sorry, Victoire, what did you say?"
"I asked if you miss Hogwarts," she smiled. They'd shared many memories at the castle they'd called home for seven years of their lives.
"Yes, I do. Victoire…?" This was it. He would ask her now.
"Yes, Teddy?" She looked up at him.
"I love you," He couldn't do it. Not now. Aw, Ted, stop chickening out! I'll do it by the end of the week. He promised himself.
"And I love you, Teddy." She leaned up to give him a kiss, when James and Fred interrupted.
"Hey, Teddy! Hey Victoire!" They said in unison. "Watcha doin?" They asked, although it was pretty clear what the couple had been doing.
"Aw, don't you two have a train to catch?" Teddy snarled. James and Fred smiled cheekily.
"Yep, just thought we'd say hello. Catch you later!" The two boys ran off, laughing.
"James, James! I never got Dad to pack my broom! What will I do?" Albus was panicking, tugging at his brother's sleeve.
"Relax, Al, tell him or send him a letter when we get there. He'll send it to you or Dumbledore or something. It's not a big deal. You can use mine or a school one if you need it in the meantime!" Sometimes, Albus overreacted to things. Just the other day, he'd thought that James had stolen some of his chocolate frogs that he'd gotten for helping Grandpa Arthur de-gnome the lawn. He'd kicked up such a fit, yelling and throwing James's belongings all over the floor. It was only about an hour later that Albus found his chocolate frogs under his bed. Albus had his chocolate frogs and James had a very messy room. Mum felt sorry it had happened to James, so she magically cleaned it herself. And here Albus was overreacting again.
"But James! I need my broom now!"
"What are you going to fly to Hogwarts?" James questioned, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Albus stuck his tongue out immaturely at his brother, who returned the loving sentiment. James glanced at the large clock hanging from one of the pillars on the platform. "It's nearly 11, Al. Let's go say our good-byes to Mum and Dad."
"Lily, do you think we'll miss our Mums and Dads?" Hugo, who had just bought candy from the trolley, asked his best friend curiously.
"I think maybe a little bit, but no one else ever has trouble. James told me it's so much fun that it feels like the blink of an eye when holiday break comes around. We'll be okay, Hu," she soothed. There was a knock on their trolley cart. Lily stood up to open the door. A small boy with pale skin and blonde hair stood before them. He had big blue eyes, and he looked rather frightened.
"Could I sit here?" He appeared to be especially interested in his feet, for that was all he could look at. Lily, always polite, was quick to answer.
"Of course. I'm Lily, and this is Hugo." Hugo nodded in the boy's direction.
"I'm Jonah."
And so a friendship was born.