A New Generation

by Ethan-Silas

It's 2016 Sovereign Black would give anything to stay home schooled with her older brother, Regulus. Unfortunately for her, however, that's not an option. So, to Hogwarts she goes, and luckily, she manages to make two good friends very fast. Unluckily, she also makes several enemies. Will Sovie be able to survive what's become of Hogwarts?

1. One

I leaned against the cool brick wall of the Hogwarts Express station, eyes squeezed shut, trying desperately to shut out the noise and failing miserably. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be shipped off to the middle of Scotland, whether Reg and Mum were coming with me or not.

I knew I shouldn't be angry. Reg had always wanted to go to Hogwarts, just like Mum, and his dad. He'd always wanted to meet his cousins and aunts and uncles, always wanted to be a big Quidditch star. And Mum couldn't handle being in charge of Azkaban anymore; seeing my dad there, being reminded of my conception... It was bad for her.

But, I was angry. I loved being alone. I loved doing work all by myself, staying in my room, visiting my father. I loved the quiet that Azkaban offered. I loved spending time with the temporary prisoners, in there for small things, and I loved listening to their stories. It was weird, I know, but it was what I'd grown up doing. It was what I was used to.

This, however, was insane. I was so internally upset with what I had to do, where I was being forced to go, that I couldn't even use my abilities as a metamorphmagus. My hair was wild and practically untamable, a muddy orange, my skin pale and covered in freckles, my body abnormally thin on top, abnormally round on bottom, like a pear. The only thing I could do was braid my hair in two tight, wide braids, don too-baggy clothes, and slather makeup on my face. No amount of concealer covered my deep brown freckles.

I didn't know these people. Or, most of them. My god-brothers, Lorcan and Lys, were first years, but I hadn't seen them. Luckily, Auntie Luna was a professor... Unfortunately, she taught Care of Magical Creatures, a class I definitely did not want to take.

"Just breathe, sweetie," Mum's low, calming voice whispered. I opened my mossy eyes and saw hers, identical to mine.

My mum and I had the same pale, freckled skin, and our hair was the exact same other than color; hers was a deep chestnut, so dark it looked black most of the time. Our facial structure was the same, and we were the same height, but her body was much wider and curved like a perfect, full hourglass. She kissed my cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said gently, voice so similar to hers. "You shouldn't have stayed as long as you did."

"If I hadn't taken this job, I wouldn't make you go." she said for the millionth time.

"If you hadn't taken this job, we'd be homeless," I pointed out. She got a wry smile.

"That we would," she whispered.

"Besides," I added. "You've always wanted to be a professor here."

Mum smiled. "Yes, well. I'm still sorry you have to come along."

"I'll be fine," I assured her, forcing a smile. "I've got my mother's endurance."

Her eyes twinkled at me. "I hear she'd got a ton of it,"

"That she does," I giggled.

We stood in silence for a moment, before she spoke. "Where's Reg?"

"Off to find his family," I said, then nodded my chin towards him, hugging an old ginger-haired woman. His grandmother, if I wasn't mistaken. Mum looked, then smiled warmly.

"I should say hi, as well," she said, voice suddenly quite sad.

When Mum was seventeen, she started dating a boy one year younger than her, named Fred Weasley. They'd dated until his death, at the Battle of Hogwarts... right before she'd found out she was pregnant with his kid. About five months later, out popped my brother, Regulus.

After Fred died, Mum couldn't be around his family for very long without crying. To this day, she couldn't manage to look at his identical twin, George, who had been her best friend for a long time. Once every couple years, Reg would go over to his grandmother's house to visit with all of his family, though from what he told me, none of the cousins really talked to him. In fact, only his grandparents and George actually spoke more than a few words to him.

"Alright," I said. Mum only frowned, eyes sad, before looking down at my feet and croaking feebly,

"Will you come with me?" My heart melted. I shuddered; I hated when she was so sad. She still loved Fred, very much.

I nodded. "Of course."

We walked over, and the woman who had been hugging Reg saw Mum and smiled brightly, hugging her close.

"Sovereign! Oh, it's been far too long!" She hugged her for a while, and I looked at who surrounded us.

An old man with brilliant orange hair stood beside someone I recognized as George. A pretty black woman stood beside him (who was probably George's wife, Angelina), each hand on a shoulder of their kids, a mixed boy and girl, both probably around thirteen. I believed their named were Fred and Roxanne. On the other side of the old man was another interracial couple, who I knew as Ron and Hermione Granger. They also had two children, a boy and girl, though I didn't know their names. The girl was probably around my age, and she looked identical to her mother, with very dark skin, a brown Afro, and big, brilliant taupe eyes. The boy had tan skin, baby blue eyes, and curly red hair. None other than Ginny Potter leaned her head on Ron's shoulder, hand in the hair of her daughter, Lily, who resembled her greatly. I didn't see Harry or their other four children, James, Albus, Ruby, and Robby. I knew all about them from magazines.

Reg moved towards me and pulled my by the arm closer to the group, who looked at me. I clung to my brother, anxiety taking over, and peered at him for a moment, comparing him silently to George.

Unlike the majority of the group, Reg was not a ginger. Instead, his hair was pitch black, a trait that ran in our mother's genes, and it was wavy. He was tan and freckled, though, just like George, and his face and build was remarkably similar to him, other than his eyes, which looked just like Mum's and mine. He rubbed my arm reassuringly with his thumb.

"Is this your sister, Reggie? She looks just like your mum!" Reg's grandmother cooed, then suddenly grabbed me and squeezed me tightly. I froze and breathed very quickly, reluctantly hugging her back, until she released me. She smiled at me, very pretty, very sweet. I managed a small smile in return. "What's your name, dearie?"

"S-Sovie," I whispered, then swallowed. "Like my mum."

"Oh, very nice! And how old are you?"

"Fi-fif-fi-fi-" I swallowed and hugged myself.

"Fifteen," Reg finished for me. "She's got anxiety, and people scare her."

"Oh, my," the woman said, taking a step back. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

I smiled, moving into my brother once more. "I-it's ok-kay,"

"Who's your dad?" Ron's son asked. "I didn't know your mum was married."

I shriveled into my brother, who spoke for me. "She hasn't one, Hugo. Drop it."

"Everyone's got a dad," Hugo's sister insisted, less rude and more... Something I couldn't name.

"She doesn't," Reg said in a low voice, fiddling with the kinks at the bottom of my braid.

"But-"

"Rose," Hermione said softly. The girl promptly quieted.

"So, Sovie," George smiled charmingly my way, and a little anxiety fell from my shoulders. I smiled back. "What classes are you taking? Three of the cousins are fifth years, two Slytherins and two Hufflepuffs. You'll have core classes with them, of course, but maybe you'll have some electives together, too."

"I'm taking Magical Theory, Study of Ancient Runes, Divination, and Ghoul Studies," I replied quietly.

"Dominique's taking all of those, as well as CoMC. Albus is in Magical Theory and SoAR, but I've forgotten about Molly-"

"She's in SoAR and Arithmancy," Angelina said.

"Right," George said.

"Soar? Comk?" I asked, confused.

"SoAR is short for Study of Ancient Runes, and CoMC is short for Care of Magical Creatures," Reg explained. "HoM is History, and DADA is Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Oh," I replied.

Just then, five more people walked up- two adults and three kids. The dad was tall and quite handsome, with long scars across his face. He had long orange hair and black gauges in his ears. He looked cool. The mother was stunning, with silvery skin, glittering platinum hair, and a perfect, thin body. One of the two girls was nearly identical to her mother, but covered in freckles, just like her father. The other girl had fiery orange hair and looked like a girl version of her father, still gorgeous but not quite as striking as her sister. The last child was a boy, who had mousy brown waves, smooth tan skin, shimmering blue eyes, and dimples. He was very cute.

"Alright, Sovie," Reg said. That's George, Angelina, Fred, and Roxanne," Reg pointed to them. "That's Papa Arthur, or Mr. Weasley, I suppose," He pointed to the old man who smiled and waved my way. I smiled back. "That's Ron, Hermione, Hugo, and Rose, and that's Ginny and Lily." Reg smiled at the family who had just joined. "That's Bill, and Fleur," He said, and I smiled at the adults. "That's Victoire, the blond, that's Dominique- a fifth year, like you, and that's Louis." He grinned my way and I smiled, then looked at Dominique, who was checking me out.

"I'm a Hufflepuff," Dominique said. "What do you think you'll get Sorted into?"

"Slytherin," Regulus said immediately. "Just like me, and Mum."

Dominique nodded slowly. "Cool. But hey, if you get Hufflepuff, we can hang. Well, I mean, we can hang anyway," Dominique corrected herself. "I just mean we'll see each other a bit more if you'e in Hufflepuff."

I nodded slowly. "Maybe you can introduce me to more people, too. Like, your friends, or whatever." I said quietly.

Victoire snorted. "She doesn't 'ave friends." She said in a rather startling French accent. She laughed at my reaction. "Our mo'zer is French; our fa'zer is eenglish. Domi's accent eez mainly ze latter; mine eez mainly French' Louis' ezz both."

I nodded slowly. "Good to know."

"I have Teddy," Dominique shrugged.

"Teddy eez my boyfriend," Victoire explained to me. "And Domi's only friend. He eez a seventh yeer 'ufflepuff."

"I see," I said quietly.

"But yeah," Dominique said. "We can hang."

"Teddy's my god-brother," Reg said.

"The metamorphmagus?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah... But, unlike you, he likes to use his god-given face."

I rolled my eyes. "If God intended me to look the same everyday, why would I be a metamorphmagus?"

Reg laughed at me. "Alright, it's getting close to eleven. We should get on the train."

As if on cue, what I could only hope and pray to be the last of the Weasley family came over; there were so many.

The famous Harry Potter came up behind Hermione, and James, Albus, Ruby, and Robby swarmed their parents. James looked a lot like a young Mr. Weasley; very tan, covered in freckles, and sporting short, brilliant orange hair. His eyes, however, were a deep hazel. Albus looked truly identical to the images of young Harry in all the magazines, minus the lightning scar and silly glasses. Ruby was pale, with eyes that looked just like James', and long, thick red hair. Robby had messy brown curls, bright blue eyes, peach skin, and a face full of freckles.

A nerdy looking ginger with crazy glasses, arm around a pretty, tan blonde, with two daughters came up, one with a short orange bob and one with long red hair. The orange haired girl was short and plump, and the redhead was tall and scrawny.

And, finally, (most likely Teddy, the metamorphmagus), walked in and stood beside Harry. He was as tall as a tower, which smooth, light skin, big, round, outrageously blue eyes, full pink lips, a chiseled jaw, and bright teal hair, shaved down on the sides and fluffy on top, complete with a single, bubblegum pink streak on the side. He grinned at Dominique, who rolled her eyes at him, then winked at Victoire, who gaze him a flirtatious glare. Dominique, seeing me watch the strange exchange, fake-gagged at me. I giggled gently.

"Who is that lovely lady?" Teddy grinned.

"My sister," Reg said, voice harsh. Teddy quirked a brow at him.

"So," Hermione announced. "Decide who's sitting with who."

Suddenly, everything was blurry. All of them started moving, and many people brushed past me, and I immediately starting hyperventilating. I looked for Reg, or Mum, but somehow, in my panic, I couldn't see them, so I stood there and struggled to breathe, until-

Someone took my arm gently and swiftly moved me away from the group. I closed my eyes tight and hugged myself, breathing hard, reeling, for a long moment, until-

"-Vie? Sovie?" I opened my eyes to see golden eyes. Manila skin. Round lips. Orange hair. Dominique. "Sovie?"

"Y-y-ye-y-yea-yeah?" I breathed.

"Is that your trunk?" she asked calmly. I turned and saw my trunk, as well as all of the Weasley clan's faces, staring at me. Reg was coming towards me, worried; Mum was so scared that her eyes were wet. I swallowed as Reg grabbed and hugged me. I breathed into his chest, smelling his cologne. My breathing calmed.

"You're okay," he whispered to me. "Yeah, that's hers."

I pulled away, face flushed with mortification, and stood close to Dominique. "M'fine."

"Do you need to sit with me?" He asked. "I was going to sit with James and his friends, but-"

"I'm fine. Go. Make friends. I'll live." I said. Reg looked at me for a long time, then nodded.

"Yeah. Okay." he said, then poked me gently in the cheek. I flipped him the bird, and he smiled.

I looked over at my mother, who looked much calmer, and smiled. She reciprocated, then motioned away. I nodded, and she slipped away.

Teddy picked up my trunk and I smiled thankfully at him, and he smiled back. Him, Dominique, and I set off, Dominique saying goodbye to her immediate family as we walked. The clan started talking as we left.

We went into the compartment that was as close to the front as possible, and Dominique stowed away her three trunks; Teddy his two and my one.

"Thanks. Both of you," I said quietly.

"Of course," Dominique smiled at me. Teddy nodded.

They both sat by the window, across from each other, and I thought about it quickly before sliding next to Dominique. She grinned.

"So," Teddy began. "What was Azkaban like?"

I smiled softly. "Beautiful. Quiet. Serene."

"Really? The prison?" Dominique asked, amused.

I laughed. "Yeah. We had our own little part of it, since Mum was the warden, but everything was pretty. I'm told it wasn't nearly so when the dementors were there, but now it's clean and well-kept. I helped serving the food, but other than that, and school, I stayed in my wing."

"Cool." Teddy grinned.

"So," I said. "What's Hogwarts like?"

Teddy and Dominique looked at each other for a long moment, then back to me.

"Well," Teddy said.

"The students suck. A lot. The professors are great, and the classes, and the castle. Oh, and Quidditch is great- do you play?" Dominique asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm a Keeper. Why do they suck?" I questioned, worried.

"Oh, I'm a Keeper, too. Dominique's a Beater." Teddy said brightly.

"They just... They all have their little cliques, and they rarely talk to anyone else. Some people are worse than others... And some people absolutely suck." Dominique answered.

"Cliques?" I asked.

"Yeah. There are only, like, eight you need to worry about, though," Teddy assured me.

"Nine, if you count us." Dominique said.

"Which you shouldn't." Teddy said fiercely. Dominique rolled her eyes.

"Who?" I asked.

They glanced at each other again. "Well... They don't exactly have labels, you know..." Teddy said.

"But we have kind of branded them, you know, amongst each other." Dominique grinned.

"We don't like spreading it around, though. Some are kind of rude, and we don't want to be the reason people get called them."

"I won't tell anyone. I swear," I said, then bit my lip. They did another silent exchange, then Teddy nodded slowly. Dominique grinned again.

"Okay. But, you like, totally have to hang with us now. Okay?"

I smiled and nodded. "Alright."

"Okay. So, there are two groups that are universally loved by all-" Teddy began.

"-Or most. We kind of hate them." Dominique corrected. Teddy frowned.

"The Marauders and the Perfs. The Marauders are the only ones who gave themselves the name, because James' grandfather had a friend group called that. It's James- he's the leader, Beck Goyle, and Nolan Corner. James is a sixth year Gryffindor, a damn good Chaser and the captain of their Quidditch team, and kind of an arse, but in a good way. Usually." He glared at Dominique's raised brows and wide eyes. "Vincent Beck Goyle, or just Beck, is a sixth year Gryffindor, too, and the co-captain of the team. He's a Beater. He's a giant arse in the worst of ways. Nolan is a seventh year Ravenclaw, a Seeker for the Quidditch team." Teddy explained.

"Based on interactions whenever he sees him, James is probably going to bring your brother into their clique." Dominique said.

"Maybe," Teddy said thoughtfully.

"Anyway, the Perfs. They're a group of girls every Hogwarts boy has wet dreams about, nightly- including Teddy here." Teddy glared at Dominique, but she didn't look. "Victoire's the leader, and the only one in the group who isn't a total bitch... She definitely has her moments, though. She's a sixth year Ravenclaw, captain of the Quidditch team and Keeper. Dahlia and Delphi Zabini are identical twin sisters. Dahlia is that type of girl who's patronizing, like she doesn't know better, or something. She's a seventh year Hufflepuff, and she's our Seeker. Delphi is extraordinarily rude, but insists she's just 'brutally honest'. As if. She's a seventh year Slytherin, and a Beater. There's Victoire's best friend, June, short for Juniper, Malfoy. She's insane. Rumor has it-"

"-Don't." Teddy said.

"Whatever." Dominique rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she's co-captain for the Ravenclaws, a Beater. She's a sixth year. Then, there's Gretchen Finnigan- a total gossip machine. She knows a crazy amount about literally everybody at Hogwarts. She uses it, too, and clutches onto her blackmail like a rat to cheese. She's crazy evil." Teddy interrupted by clearing his throat and Dominique sighed in reply. "She's a sixth year Gryffindor, their Seeker. Finally, there's Satan, better known as Polly Chapman. She terrorizes literally everyone. She's a fourth year Gryffindor."

"Next popular... Probably the Jocks," Teddy said. "There isn't a real leader of the group, to be honest. There's Louis, he's a fourth year Hufflepuff, and our best Chaser. Then there's Fred and Roxanne. Fred's a third year Gryffindor Beater, Roxanne's a second year Ravenclaw Beater. Finally, there's Cal or Callum Thomas, a second year Gryffindor Keeper."

"There are the Posh Nerds, as we call them. Some are more liked than others," Dominique giggled. "Most liked would be Lily. She's a fourth year Gryffindor, and a Chaser. She wants to be a prefect quite desperately. Then there'd be Frank Longbottom, a second year Hufflepuff who plays as Chaser. Uhh... Lucy, a fourth year Hufflepuff, plays Chaser for us... Molly, her sister, who people don't really like. She's in our year, and she's our prefect. Plays as a Beater for us. I think that's it."

"Rose," Teddy said.

"Oh! Right. Rose. Everyone manages to forget about her. She's a great know-it-all, plays as Gryffindor Beater. She's a sixth year, and she's a Prefect."

"Then... Us, I suppose." Teddy said. "Everyone knows about us. No one really cares about us, though."

"Them!" Dominique said and pointed at the window out of the compartment. Two girls walked by. The first one was short and thin, with a choppy black bob, porcelain skin, a pixie nose, and bright blue eyes. "That's Alice Longbottom," the next one was slightly taller, and had honey blonde hair, shoulder length, with less pale skin, light brown eyes, and a similar face. "And that's her little sister, Augusta. Alice is a Ravenclaw, and some people hate her, because she's weird, and some people don't. Augusta... Well, again, some people hate her, some don't, but her weird is different. I'm not sure how to describe it. They keep to themselves, though."

"Then, there's the Too-Goods. They're Goodie-Two-Shoes', and they think they're too good for everyone else." Teddy explained.

"Clever," I said.

"None of them are liked, per say, but Theodora Nott is the least disliked, I suppose. She lets anyone copy off her homework. She's a second year Ravenclaw, plays Chaser. Then Taylor Higgins, who makes a point of telling everyone who copies off Theodora that she won't snitch. She's a second year Slytherin. Then Veronica, who's a first year, so we don't really know much about her. She is Taylor's sister, though."

"Then, there's the Outcasts. They're all weird, and they're all really different, but they hang out because they're all disliked. There's Ruby and Robby. Ruby is a Hufflepuff, and acts as Announcer for Quidditch. Robby is Ravenclaw's worst Chaser. They're twins, and they're in their third year. There's Vernon Dursley, a muggleborn, who's a Ravenclaw Chaser, also in third year. You should watch out for them, because people tease them horribly."

"Why?" I asked.

Dominique shrugged. "People suck. They do that."

I frowned, then hugged my knees.

"Finally, the Silver Trio." Teddy said. Dominique made a face.

"They're totally rude."

"They're misunderstood," Teddy corrected.

"And it's made them rude." Dominique assured.

"Hugo, you met him. He's autistic, and can hardly do magic. Albus, who's treated weirdly by the family because he's a bit odd."

"He's super rude," Dominique said. Teddy sighed.

"He's sweet, if you get to know him."

Dominique scoffed.

"Anyway... Then, finally, there's Scorpius Malfoy. He's an odd one, and I don't know much about him."

"He's kinda nice, but generally ignores people." Dominique said.

"They're all Slytherins. Hugo's a third year, and Albus and Scorpius are fifth years. Scorpius is a prefect and Quidditch captain, he's a damn good Seeker. Albus is okay at Quidditch, he's a Chaser, and is co-captain. Hugo's their best Chaser, though."

I sat there, absorbing everything, then nodded. "Okay."

"Any questions?" Dominique asked brightly.

"Nope,"

"You don't want to know the hottest couples? The sad singles? The most promising cute boys? Or, y'know, hottest single birds, if you're into that instead?"

Teddy rolled his eyes, laughing.

"Sure," I laughed gently. "But only because you seem so excited to tell me."

Teddy laughed harder and Dominique grinned.

"Of course I am! Anyway. Of course Teddy and Victoire are the hottest couple-"

"Oh, please-"

"Because the single hottest girl in school started dating this total nobody-"

"If I'm a nobody, then so are you," Teddy grinned.

Dominique laughed. "I never claimed any differently. Anyway, there's also Nolan and Delphi, Beck and Gretchen, and Louis and Polly. Other than that, there are rumors that Albus and Scorpius are dating, or that Scorpius and Hugo are, or even that Hugo and Albus are."

"They're cousins!" I exclaimed. Dominique grinned as Teddy shook his head.

"So? It's legal."

"Still gross," Teddy said.

"Whatever. Hottest dudes... Everyone likes James, Beck, and Nolan. Beck has long black hair, a deep tan, smoldering eyes... A total hunk. Nolan's cool, if you like ginger nerds, which I do not. Louis, I hear, but ew. Hottest girls, every single Perf. Lily. Me. And, now, you," Dominique grinned. My eyes widened and I immediately shook my head.

"Me? No. Definitely not, I-"

"Dude! You're smoking hot!" Dominique laughed, she smacked Teddy. "Dude, tell her!"

Teddy met my eyes, seeming very amused. "You're very pretty, Sov."

"In fact, you're right on par with Victoire, which is just a hair prettier than me."

"Oh, no," I insisted, incredulous. "You're way prettier than me."

We continued to argue about it for a while, before Teddy finally made us agree to disagree. We spent the entire train ride like that, talking and goofing off, and for a while, I actually forgot to hate my life.