Poppet sighed, sinking back into her seat on the train. She was bored. It didn't help that she didn't want to be here. She wasn't feeling changing schools again. But yet, here she was, on the Hogwarts Express. Her parents assured her she could stay here to do her NEWTs. , but who knew if they were telling the truth or lying. They said that about her last school but then her dad took that 'permanent, we promise' job at the Ministry of Magic in London, England and here she was.

Poppet's last school had been Beauxbatons' in France, as her father had accepted a position as assistant to the French Minister of Magic, but that lasted about 6 months before he decided his true passion was to be an Auror - in England! Why he couldn't have worked in France, where he did his 3 years training, was beyond Poppet but she had a sneaky suspicion it had something to do with Harry Potter. He was an Auror for the English ministry and you would have to try very hard to find someone as enthusiastic a Harry Potter supporter than Poppet's father, Douglas.

The train chugged along the track, tearing through the British countryside. Poppet watched out of the window as trees and fields zipped by. A clattering in the hall outside her carriage drew her eyes from the window and she saw two girls peering into her carriage, pointing and smirking. She got up out of her seat and opened the door, pushing her honey-blonde hair out of her face. "Can I help you?"

"Oh – er, sorry! We didn't mean to be – er – rude!" said the clearly oldest of the two girls. She was donning Gryffindor robes and ginger hair, her face was scarlet as she muttered her apologies, "we just noticed – uh well, you seem new – and you need to put on your robes."

Poppet wasn't in the mood to be a bitch. Begrudgingly, she smiled, "Oh! Thanks for reminding me, girls. I'm new here. I don't know whether I'm coming or going." The niceness felt bitter on her tongue. Poppet needed friends, though, if she was going to have any chance of enjoying her last two years of school, "I'm Poppet. Poppet Hastings. And you two are?"

"I'm Rose Weasley," said the older of the two, "And this is my cousin, Lily. She's only a first year but I guess you two will be at the sorting together."

Ah, shit. Poppet was going to be lumped into the sorting with a load of 11 year olds. Not a good look. "Well – I'm not a first year."

"I know," Rose smiled, "I – I can see that." Her eyes panned to Poppet's very low cut top, "but you'll need a house."

Poppet coughed, "I'm actually a sixth year."

Rose beamed, "I'm a fourth year! I hope you're in Gryffindor - like me!" She showed off the red and gold tie she was wearing with pride. "Anyway, you better get your robes on because we'll be arriving soon. C'mon Lily, let's go and find Hugo."

"Okay," Lily said, quietly. She followed Rose out of the carriage.

Poppet drew the curtains and quickly undressed herself and put on her robes. She forced her home clothes into her trunk and resumed her slouched position on the train seat until the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. Poppet stood up and pulled her trunk out into the passageway and on to the platform. People were squealing and Poppet was almost knocked aside in her hustle and bustle of the platform.

"FIRST YEARS! THIS WAY FIRST YEARS! YER HAVE T'COME WITH ME!" A very large man stood on the platform, towering above everyone else. His bushy beard and stature would have made him unapproachable but his kind, deep-set eyes told another story.

"Miss Hasting! Over here, Miss Hastings!" An elderly witch in green robes and an emerald hat to match was waving frantically at Poppet over the heads of the new and returning students on the platform. Poppet hastily made her way over to the witch, taking out a second year with her trunk on her way over there, "Miss Hastings, hello. Pleased to meet you, I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house and Transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts! I am here to welcome you today, because we want to get you sorted and sat with your house before the chaos of the first years ensues!"

Poppet nodded, "Oh thank god. I was worried I'd have to stand up there with all of them looking out of place."

"No, we understand that would be... undesirable to say the least. If you come with me now we can get a carriage to the castle and get you sorted and sat down very quickly!" McGonagall smiled at Poppet in a way a mother would smile at her child and Poppet felt safe and happy that she wasn't going to be singled out.

Sat in the carriage, McGonagall tried to strike up a conversation. "So, you were at Beauxbatons before? For how many years?"

"For 4 years. My dad was training to be an Auror in France and he got a job over here so we had to move. I was in America for my first 2 years of schooling though, in Salem," Poppet said, smiling politely.

"Oh – an auror! How exciting! Has he started yet?" McGonagall asked, her sunken eyes lighting up.

"No, ma'am. He starts on the 30th of September. He's very excited. Reckons he'll get to work with all sorts of famous wizards. Including Harry Potter." Poppet enjoyed name-dropping Harry. It got a nice reaction from older wizards who remembered the Battle of Hogwarts and the victory over the death eaters fondly.

"Ah yes, Harry! I wonder how he's doing. His boys are here, you know. Albus is in his third year and James in his sixth, like you. His daughter is starting this year, actually. You might get to know James; he'll be in some of your classes!" McGonagall was clearly very excited about the Potter family. "I taught Harry and his wife, Ginny. And I taught Harry's parents, too! Lovely bunch, the Potters!"

"Wow," Poppet whispered. She had zoned out from the Potter-babble and saw the castle in front of her.

"Ah, yes. Impressive, isn't it?" McGonagall smiled fondly at the castle, "Get ready, we're nearly here."

Poppet hopped out of the carriage that was seemingly drawn by nothing and followed McGonagall up the large stone steps into the entrance hall. They walked into the Great Hall and Poppet looked up at the famous ceiling, bewitched to look like the night's sky. She was led down the length of the hall between two large, wooden tables and up to the end where a bunch of teachers sat and chattered in hushed tones. They smiled at Poppet who smiled back, before McGonagall sat Poppet down on a chair in front of them and placed a dusty black hat on her head. The hat erupted to life causing Poppet to scream as it whispered in her ear.

"Mmm, interesting." It said.

"Excuse me?" Poppet coughed.

"Feisty, you are. A bit of a spitfire. But not a dark heart." The hat mumbled.

"Hey – I'm not a spitfire!" Poppet protested.

"Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but spirited..." The hat continued to insult her, "I think I know where to put you... GRYFINNDOR!"

McGonagall cheered, "Fantastic!"

Students were starting to file in now, sitting at their tables. McGonagall directed Poppet to a table and told her she had to meet the first years. Poppet sat down as the table around her started to fill. She felt a whoosh of air and suddenly Rose Weasley was beside her, excited. "They sorted you already?! You're a Gryffindor?!"

"Yeah," Poppet said, unenthusiastically. She was starving and apparently they did good food here, "That piece of shit hat called me a spitfire."

Rose laughed awkwardly, "It does that."

"So, I better get to know you all. I'm Poppet Hastings. Originally from Britain, then from America, then from France and now back in Britain. And, apparently, I'm a spitfire," Poppet said, looking around the table. Everyone was looking at her. She smiled weakly.

"I'm Albus, but everyone calls me Al," A boy with messy black hair and green eyes smiled across the table at Poppet, "I'm in the fourth year."

"I'm Roxanne," A girl with dark skin and a warm smile sat next to Albus, "I'm in the sixth year."

"Yeah, unfortunately," a boy next to her snorted, "I'm James. James Potter. You may have heard of my dad. He kinda killed the Dark Lord. It was kinda a big deal. I'm also in the sixth year."

"Don't be an ass, James," Roxanne smacked him on the arm, "Everyone knows about Uncle Harry. Al didn't feel the need to bring him up."

"That's because he hates dad because dad gave him a stupid name," James laughed. Albus looked hurt.

"I don't hate dad," Albus retorted, "You're the one who hates dad. You must be; why else would you get such bad O. ?"

"Shut up, runt," James hissed.

Poppet seemed to have found herself amongst a family row. Was everyone here related? Was Gryffindor the house for the incest?

"That's enough, you two!" Roxanne snapped, "You're scaring Poppet."

All attention was drawn back to Poppet. She smiled shyly at the table of Harry Potter's relatives. Never had she felt more intimidated, "so, are you all related?"

"We are, but not everyone in the house is, obviously. And not all of our relatives are in this house. Obviously. My brother Fred was, but he left last year. He's a beater for the Wimbourne Wasps reserves now. Victorie, our cousin, also was but she's also left. Got married this summer," Roxanne explained, "Let's see. We have Dominique in Ravenclaw. Louis in Hufflepuff. Lily and Hugo are being sorted today, as they're first years!"

"Wow. Big family," Poppet smiled.

The sorting began and to the delight of the Potter-Weasley-Whatever gang, Hugo and Lily were sorted into Gryffindor. A large feast followed. Poppet chatted to Roxanne. She liked Roxanne. She would allow Roxanne to be her friend.

"Christmas is always hectic but Granny can cook a feast," Roxanne said, "Hogwarts could learn a thing or two from Molly Weasley!"

Poppet laughed, "If the food is better than this then I'm spending Christmas at yours. My dad would come too. He'd have kittens sitting at Christmas dinner with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley."

"Oh, is he a fan?" James interjected, "Does he want an autograph from Harry's flesh and blood. His first born. His favourite."

"Shut up, James," Albus snapped, "Why are you trying to wind me up today?"

"It's funny," James shrugged, "Come on, Al. You know I don't mean it. Lily's not crying about it. Are you, Lil?"

Lily ignored him and continued talking to another first year girl she'd made friends with.

"Where are Lars and Thomas, James?" Roxanne asked, looking up and down the table, "Usually you're with them at feasts."

"Yeah – uh – we had a falling out on the train," James grumbled, "they're just jealous because I'm Quidditch Captain this year, now Fred's left."

Roxanne didn't press any further and Albus changed the subject to how excited he was to have dropped Muggle Studies this year and the rest of the feast continued without a cross word.

Poppet looked around at this family. A strange bunch they were. Some had fiery ginger hair, some had deep black hair, some had blue eyes, and some had brown eyes. Some were dark-skinned and some had fairer skin. Poppet wondered how long it would be until the whole world was taken over by Weasley-Potter-whatevers.