Chapter One
Welcome Back To Hogwarts

Hogsmeade Station filled with students after the Hogwarts Express had boarded, and masses of children and teenagers were fighting their way through the crowds to get to the self-pulling carriages.

James Potter's father had always told him that a magical winged creature called a Thestral pulled the carriages and that you could see these Thestrals if you'd seen death. James never wanted to be able to see them in the sense that witnessing death didn't appeal to him, so he had therefore gone along with the myth of the carriages being charmed to move without help.

The oldest Potter boy entered a carriage already containing some Hufflepuff girls in his year that he didn't mind all that much along with two of his best friends (and also his cousins) Fred and Dominique Weasley, who were also two of his fellow sixth years.

Nikki (as Dominique preferred to be called) automatically got into a conversation with the Hufflepuffs about their summers and naturally moved aside to make room as some Gryffindor boys in the year below them filed into the carriage alongside them.

Soon enough, the carriage headed off towards Hogwarts and the journey flew by in no time when they realised they were almost at the school gates already.

"How about you, boys?" Iris Moore, one of the Hufflepuff girls, asked, looking towards James and Fred – both of whom had been eavesdropping on the conversation being upheld by the younger Gryffindors about Fred's younger sister.

"Huh?" Fred asked, snapping over to the girls' conversation.

"Your summer," Iris established.

"Oh, yeah, it was good," Fred replied, nodding slowly. "Sapphire broke up with me, but I got over that quickly enough."

Nikki glared at her cousin, still slightly annoyed at his attitude towards his break up with her best friend, but kept her mouth closed so as not to start a scene. She and Freddie were practically always at each other's throats, yet somehow they still classed each other as close friends.

"Mine was good, too," James said, diverting the awkward silence in which everybody had been waiting for Nikki and Freddie to start a brawl in the middle of the carriage.

"Are you still with your girlfriend?" another of the Hufflepuffs, Chloe Fawcett, asked James. It was hard to tell whether she was saying it because she was hoping he'd say no, or just out of plain curiosity. Most girls in Hogwarts would have a hard time saying they'd honestly never considered James as more then a friend.

"Nah, that ended ages ago. I started going out with another girl afterwards, but that's completely over too."

Thankful that the conversation went back to Nikki and the Hufflepuffs while they talked about their love lives, Fred and James exchanged an eye roll between them, and continued eavesdropping on the Gryffindor boys, whose conversation was still on Roxy Weasley – Fred's year-younger sister who'd surprisingly been sorted into Hufflepuff.

The boys obviously hadn't realised that Fred was there. Luckily, they didn't have anything horrible to say, or Fred probably would have caused some kind of big-brotherly homicidal rampage. Nobody ever had anything bad to say about Roxy, really. She was too sweet and down-to-Earth for any negative attention.

The students of Hogwarts were soon seated at their House tables, ready for the sorting ceremony. When it had finally started, both James and Fred were quietly messing around while the ceremony proceeded. As soon as they heard Professor Flitwick, the Deputy Head call out, "Weasley, Louis," they soon perked up and watched closely as their younger cousin, and Nikki's little brother, walked up to the stool and had the hat placed upon his head.

After no less than twenty seconds of silent waiting – one of the longer ones – the Sorting Hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" and the look of plain happiness on the first year's face was evident.

"GO LOU!" Fred called out as the Gryffindor table erupted into applause and the little one ran towards the table, almost tripping twice, and sat next to his sister who gave him a one-armed hug and a kiss on the head.

Two more students were sorted after Louis before the feast finally appeared on the tables, and ravenous eleven to eighteen year-olds all dug in, stuffing their faces with the best food they'd ever tasted.

William Rosendale, James and Fred's other best friend with whom they had no relation, moved up the table to sit with them after having abandoned both of them to sit with his girlfriend, Holly, who was a Gryffindor in their year. "Hey!" he greeted, squeezing himself between James and Nikki (who huffed at the boy's rudeness before continuing to talk to Sapphire), "Sorry I missed you on the train, I was with Holls."

"We know, we were mocking you the whole way here," Fred replied casually.

"Thanks, man," Will replied sarcastically, slapping his friend on the back. "But seriously, I can't get enough of her. She's just so amazing."

James made a gagging noise in the back of his throat and rolled his eyes. "Don't fall for her, mate, it'll be a stupid mistake."

"Too late," Will replied, shrugging. "So if it goes to shit, you both have the full right to say 'I told you so', deal?"

"Deal. As long as you stop talking like a mush bucket."

"Fine. No girl talk."

"I never said no girl talk," James clarified, "Just no soppy-love-crap girl talk. But, say I commented on Arianna Tomkins or Khloe King's ass... that would be acceptable." The aforementioned girls were both Slytherins in their year. Though they didn't like them as people, they couldn't deny that the girls were incredibly good looking.

"Say something, Nikki?" Fred asked, fully aware of the fact that she'd just coughed, "Pigs," at them.

"Yes. I said you're pigs. And you know it's the truth so don't even attempt to defend yourselves. And just, while I'm here, Rosendale," she looked towards Will with a serious expression, "Holly's one of my best friends and I swear to Merlin's saggy left testicle that if you hurt her in any way, I will find no shame in castrating you with a painfully blunt object. Okay?" Then she smiled as though she hadn't just threatened him and sweetly added, "But you're both adorable together, congrats!"

The three boys just exchanged confused glances between themselves, never having understood how Nikki could be so hostile one second and sweet the next.

The excited atmosphere in the Great Hall was starting to fade as the students grew tired and many were already leaving their tables for an early night, or finding siblings in different years or houses to bid them goodnight.

James's little sister, Lily (who was just starting her third year), appeared behind her oldest brother and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Lils. Enjoy the feast?"

"I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life," she replied, grinning.

"You seem happy," he commented.

"Yeah, Francesca just told me that Billy Daniels has a crush on me." The younger girl giggled as Francesca caught up to her.

"What? Who the fuck is Billy Daniels?" James asked, getting all big-brother on her.

Lily just rolled her eyes and kissed her brother on the cheek, saying, "Night, Jamie," and then leaving with Francesca and a gaggle of giggling third-year Gryffindor girls who'd caught up to them.

James complained about his sister's growing up too fast for a good five minutes to Fred before he saw his brother, Albus, start walking past them and called his name, beckoning him over. "Al, do you know who Billy Daniels is?"

"Yeah, Lily pointed him out to me earlier."

"What's his deal?"

"James, Lily is thirteen. You were eleven when you had your first proper crush."

"That's different."

"Not unless different means the same. Just leave them alone, he seems like a decent kid." And with that, Albus Potter continued walking off towards his dormitory.

Fred, James and Will were practically the last people in the Hall and decided to call it a night after Holly walked over to them with her friend, and the last of the four Gryffindor sixth years, Ingrid Law. "We're going up now, are you coming?"

Will shot up immediately, and took his girlfriend's hand as she started walking from the Great Hall; Ingrid, Fred and James in their tow.

"I hate being the third wheel," Ingrid huffed, her words heard by neither Will nor Holly because they were too busy in deep mushy conversation to hear anything but each other.

"Maybe you and Will can swap friendship groups. As long as you can accept gentle but affectionate bullying," Fred joked.

"If they get any more overindulgent I'm definitely holding you to that offer," she replied sulkily, crossing her arms and pulling back a little so she was walking with the two boys. "I'm pretty sure Holly's forgotten about my existence since she started dating him."

"Is it me, or so I sense jealousy?" James asked teasingly, grinning at Ingrid because he'd actually realised.

"Of course I'm jealous, I haven't had a boyfriend for almost a year," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Everyone notices Holly first; I don't even get a look in."

"I don't see why," Fred replied, shrugging, "I think you're both equally attractive."

James nodded in agreement before adding, "Holly's just always had a way of subtly demanding to be noticed. You seem a little reserved in comparison... in the nicest way possible, of course. Please don't hit me."

Ingrid sighed in defeat and shook her head. "Then I guess I'll be alone forever. I'm not changing who I am for attention."

"Now that attitude will get you noticed. I mean, if you weren't Isaac's ex, I'm sure most of his friends, including us, would have hit on you by now," Fred said, unabashed.

Ingrid laughed a little in disbelief and shook her head. "Not likely, but thanks for trying. Anyway, I'm taking a detour, see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Fred replied, "See ya."

"Bye," James said in departure, before turning to his cousin. "I didn't suspect a thing until you said about Isaac's friends hitting on her."

Isaac, one of the boys' dorm mates and Ingrid's ex, was probably the nicest of all the Gryffindor boys and usually stuck with Elijah Thurman, the boys' fifth and final dorm mate. They were good friends, but hardly saw each other out of class or away from Gryffindor Tower.

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't play dumb, you so like her."

"Do not," Fred muttered, shoving his best friend a little and digging his hands in his pockets as they climbed the last staircase. "Fine. So what if I do like her? What's not to like?"

James just grinned at his triumph of figuring something out by himself and remained quiet as they followed Holly and Will through the portrait hole.

Boy, was it good to be back.

A/N - Here's the first chapter of the new fic I've been working on in my absence. I'm hoping to update it as often as I can - if not, feel free to pester me with reminders to update! Please review, I like feedback! -Ti