Descended from Greatness

Disclaimer: I don't own most of these characters, or a majority of the storyline, props to JK Rowling on that.

Just me thinking about the Next Generation and what it would be like when they attended Hogwarts.

For reference purposes: Lily, Roxanne, Hugo, Lucy, Lysander, and Lorcan are all first years. Rose, Albus, and Scorpius are 3rd years. Fred & James are 4th years. Louis and Molly are 5th years. Dominique is a 7th year. Victoire and Teddy have graduated (I've not decided if they've been married yet or not, but I don't think they have as Victiore would have only graduated 2 years prior)

Kings Cross Station was bustling as the Potter family made their way hastily towards platform 9 ¾. Lily, her bright red hair fastened securely back in a braid, found herself growing short of breath as she struggled to keep up with her family. Suddenly her father stopped, causing her to nearly ram her trunk into his rear.

He grinned down at her, eyes gleaming through round wire-framed glasses, "Ready Lily?"

Lily nodded excitedly, not trusting her own voice, this was it. She sprinted toward the brick wall and ran right through it, onto platform 9 ¾ . The platform itself was a familiar scene for Lily, she had been her twice a year every year every since James' first year at Hogwarts four years ago. But never had she been the one leaving. Her heart threatened to leap from her chest and she turned to see her mother lecturing her older brothers.

"James, no tricks, no jokes, no shenanigans, no misbehavior, and no justifying any acts that you know in your heart are wrong."

James grinned cheekily, "But Mum, what if I really need to-"

He was cut off by a sigh, "No exceptions James. I blame your father, naming you after 50 percent of the marauders, he was asking for this."

She turned her attention to Albus then, who had come dangerously close to wandering off, "Albus, pay attention sweetheart, and get out of the library occasionally alright, make some friends, and look out for your sister. Merlin knows James won't."

Albus nodded reluctantly, though Lily wasn't positive if the reluctance was in regards to her, or to the demand to leave the library. She scanned the crowded platform looking for a familiar face, being a part of the Weasley family meant that a good portion of Hogwarts students were her cousins, and she loved her cousins.

She reached up to pull on her fathers shirt, "Dad, can I go look for Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione?"

He shook his head, "You'll see them soon Lil, besides the platforms crowded I don't need you wandering off and getting lost."

As if on cue Lilly heard her Uncle Ron's familiar voice over the crowd, "Harry! Ginny!"

Just behind Ron and Hermione, Lilly saw her cousins Rose and Hugo. She and Hugo were particularly close, and would be starting Hogwarts for their first time together. She leapt up and down, waving her hand in the air, "Hugo! Over here! Come look at my owl!"

The owl had been a gift from her parents, they had just given it to her the night before and she was thrilled to show it off to her cousins. The owl was a pleasant tawny color, and a bit smaller than average, but Lily thought he was the best owl she'd ever seen.

Hugo's eyes lit up as he ran over, his own trunk thumping behind him, "Wow! Your own owl! What'd you name him?"

Lily grinned proudly, "Arnold."

She heard her Uncle Ron snort and make a comment to her mother, "Bout as good at naming owls as you are Ginny."

Her mother scowled, "Pigwidgeon was a fantastic name and I stand by it."

Ron shook his head, "Right, right, because what owl doesn't want to be called Pig?"

Ginny simply shrugged, "You nicknamed him that, not me."

Hugo began to talk then and Lily stopped listening to the adults bickering, "That's brilliant Lil, Mum and Dad say I can just borrow Rose's owl for now," he shot a disdainful look at the white owl housed in a pink cage, "But Mum promises if I pass all my courses she'll get me my own owl next year, and I'll never have to borrow Lenora again."

The trains whistle interrupted them and their parents burst into a frenzy.

"Alright time to go!"

"Do you have everything?"

"James you cannot bring those with you they aren't allowed."

"Rose close Lenora's cage before she gets out and you miss the train catching her."

"Hurry now!"

"Lily dear are you ready?"

The last one was her Mother, staring kindly down at her, only a hint of panic in her eyes. Lily swallowed hard, "Yeah, I'm excited."

Her father wrapped her tightly into a hug, "My baby girl gone off to Hogwarts all grown up," he set her back down and smiled warmly at her, "Write to us every day, as often as you can, we expect Arnold to get a good work out."

James' voice rang out behind her, "Your going to miss the train Lily!"

Her parents both squeezed her tightly one last time and then they were gone and she was on her way.

On the train, Lily and Hugo found an empty compartment and got comfortable, trying to bottle their excitement. The compartment doors slid open to reveal Lucy and Roxanne, their other cousins, first years as well. Roxanne had dark skin and a wild curly mane of dark hair that had always reminded Lily of a lion. Lucy on the other hand was small and pale, not an imposing character at all, her red hair was a bit dark, not as flaming and apparent as the rest of the Weasley clan, and though curly it was quite tame. Both girls already had older siblings at Hogwarts, just as Lily and Hugo did. Roxanne's big brother Fred was in James' year, also a Gryffindor; and Lucy's sister Molly was a year ahead of James and Fred, though she was in Gryffindor as well.

The four cousins shared excited and nervous glances until Hugo, exercising a trait he'd received from his father, blurted out the question they'd all been wondering, "What do you suppose is going to happen if we aren't all in Gryffindor?"

Lily elbowed him in the side, "Hugo, stop, we'll be fine. My Dad always said no one house was better than another. Besides, Rose is in Ravenclaw and your parents don't think any less of her."

Lucy piped up then, a soft voice, "Ravenclaw isn't a bad house at all. Wit beyond measure? Hard to say something bad about being intelligent."

Hugo sighed, "Alright Ravenclaw isn't bad, and I know Hufflepuff is fine as well, but I'd die before I had to write home to my Dad that I was in Slytherin."

All four fell silent, realizing they'd all been worrying the same thing, the uncomfortable silence was disturbed by the door sliding open once more, two boys entered, both fair skinned and blonde haired, which matching blue eyes. Lily recognized them from pictures around her home and the occasional brunch her parents dragged her too. Lorcan and Lysander Scamander were the twin sons of her parents friend Luna and her husband Rolf.

Lorcan, the more outspoken of the two, grinned widely at the cousins, "Mind if we sit? Everywhere else is full."

They moved as to make room for the two boys and Hugo continued on talking, "What about you lot? Worried about the sorting?"

Lorcan shrugged and nodded toward Lysander, "This one'll be in Ravenclaw, no doubt about that. Bloody brilliant he is," he sighed then, "figure they'll toss me wherever they see fit, I'm not picky."

Lysander had blushed a bit at the compliment, but hadn't spoken up. Lily looked at him intently. She and the twins had been thrown together on more than one occasion, they were the same age and their mothers were exceptionally close friends, but they themselves had never really developed a close friendship. She figured she regretted that, it was probably a bit sad she was entering her first year at Hogwarts and her only friends were her cousins.

Lucy spoke up then, "I just hope the courses aren't too bad. Molly said potions is bullocks."

Lily grinned, "My brothers hate potions as well, but if there's anything I enjoy it's doing well where they can't," she reached into her bag and pulled out a letter, "Besides we know herbology will be a breeze, I mean it's Neville, he's over at least once a month."

"Speaking of brothers," Roxanne started, "Where are they? I mean not that I'm not glad Fred isn't here to tease me about being a Slytherin, but they are suspiciously absent aren't they?"

Lucy shook her head, "They can't be planning anything, Molly's a prefect this year, Dad already told her the shenanigans have to stop if she wants a shot at head girl."

"Does Molly even want to be head girl?" Lily asked. She loved her older cousin dearly, but could barely imagine her as a prefect, much less head girl. Nothing against her, but Molly was fun, she pulled pranks with Fred and James, she acted brashly and bravely and thought about consequences second. They weren't exactly traits that made an excellent head girl.

Lucy shrugged, "Dad wants her to want it, I guess that's really all that matters."

Lily sighed, she understood that. Her parents did their best to make it clear to their children that they had nothing to live up to. They were individuals and their parents would be proud of any and all of their choices. However, society didn't always agree. James and Albus were expected to be just as brilliant as Dad in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Auror legacy would thrill the prophet. As the only daughter of The Chosen One, Lily felt immense pressure to be perfect, pretty, put together, and well behaved every moment of every day. She already knew the day she was married would be bloody mess with the press attention. She sympathized with Molly, sometimes it sucked not being able to do what you wanted.

Lily stood in line just in front of Lorcan and Lysander, awaiting their sorting. Her heart thudded in her chest, and her palms were sweaty. The conversation on the train had been a mere hour ago, but it felt like days. She barely listened as the others names were called, occasionally a few would catch her ears.

"Adam Corner! HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Ella Finnigan! GRYFFINDOR!"

At the mention of Gryffindor Lily did mention to look up. Ella Finnigan was a slight girl, with sandy hair and a splattering of freckles. Lily vaguely recalled her father mentioning a Finnigan in his classes at Hogwarts and wondered idly if there was a relation.

Before she knew it her name was called, "Lily Potter."

There was a hush in the Great Hall. Had that happened to everyone? She wondered nervously, she hadn't been paying enough attention to the prior sortings to be sure. Timidly she sat on the stool, and Headmistress McGonagall placed the weathered old hat on her head. She heard it murmur quietly, "Ah another Potter, yes, yes, quite a bit of potential here I see… loyal, intelligent, definitely cunning," Lily tried to suppress her worry, maybe she wasn't brave enough for Gryffindor, "But bravery lies in your heart girl, just as your fathers and mothers, join your family in- GRYFFINDOR!"

Grinning in relief Lily made her way to the Gryffindor table, greeted by hoots and hollers. Her brothers smiled and gave her a thumbs up, and Molly scooted over to make room for her. The roar died down and Lily strained to see the rest of the sorting, she'd already missed most of it during her panic attack.

"Lorcan Scamander," Lily gazed across the room as Lorcan was called for "HUFFLEPUFF" and a grin crossed his face.

"Makes sense," James began, "given his parents."

Lily's brow furrowed, "Mom always said Luna was a Ravenclaw."

James nodded, "Yeah, but Rolf was in Hufflepuff."

Lysander walked up next and Lily noticed he seemed to look just as nervous as she had felt, though the look of concern left his face the second the hat cried out "RAVENCLAW"

Most everyone had been sorted now, all that was left was the small pile of Weasley's at the end of the line.

"Roxanne Weasley… GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily clapped along with the rest of the table, and made sure to scoot over as Roxanne took her seat.

"Lucy Weasley"

Lucy looked even smaller from afar, and Lily felt herself lift a bit off her seat from leaning so far forward, waiting for the hat to make its decision, and then-"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Lily and the rest of the family clapped excitedly as Lucy made her way over to the Ravenclaw table where Hugo's older sister Rose, their cousin Louis and Lysander made room for her to sit.

Hugo was last, and he was almost shaking as the hat was placed on his head, the hat remained silent for what seemed like an immeasurable time before finally calling out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table greeted Hugo with roaring applause and he sat down beside Lily, grinning widely.

McGonagall stood then and the room hushed, "Welcome to Hogwarts, and for those returning, welcome back. I do have a few short announcements…" she paused to let the groaning die down, and then smiled, "that can wait until after the feast." She clapped twice and suddenly the tables of the Great Hall were filled with delish courses, and with hearty cheers the whole hall tucked in.

Eventually even Hugo and James leaned back from the table stuffed, an attribute Lily had rarely seen them express. McGonagall stood once more and began her announcements, "I would first like to make a point of informing the 1st years that the Forbidden Forest is called that for a reason as it is expressly forbidden for students to enter unsupervised, let this also serve as a reminder of that same fact for returning students who may have forgotten so over the break."

Lily may have been imagining it but she could have sworn McGonagall was looking right at James and Fred as she spoke, "Furthermore our caretaker Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that any Weasley products are expressly forbidden in the hallways, to see the full list of forbidden items you may visit Mr. Filch who has posted on his door."

Lily smirked as she heard Fred murmuring behind her, "Oi, I'm a Weasley product, am I forbidden in the hallways?"

McGonagall continued speaking, smiling broadly, "Let's have another fantastic year, prefects please escort your houses to their respective common rooms, you are dismissed."

Molly stood and raised her hand into the year, calling, "1st years, follow me please!"

Lily, Hugo, and Roxanne followed Molly closely along with their fellow 1st years, huddled together as if they feared they would be attacked and that strength in numbers was their only hope. A tall boy with tanned skin and dark curly locks joined Molly in leading the 1st years and introduced himself as "George Jordan" the second Gryffindor prefect. Lily decided she liked George, particularly due to the blushing Molly did every time their eyes met. Lily might have been young, but she could tell when someone was fancying a boy. They reached the portrait hole where the Fat Lady stood guard, Molly offered her the password, "Exempli Gratia" and the portrait hole swung open to reveal the Gryffindor common room, decorated lavishly in scarlet and gold it took Lily's breath away.

Molly lead the first year girls up to their dormitory, and for the first time Lily really looked at who she'd be spending the next 7 years with. There was her cousin Roxanne of course, trailing closely behind her, staring wide eyed at the common room, behind her there was a girl with dark brown hair and green eyes, who Lily was fairly certain went by Christa Walker, sticking closely to Christa's side was a tall girl with sunny yellow blonde hair and bright blue eyes named Brenda Turner, and just behind them, lagging at the end of the group was slight little Ella Finnigan, her sandy hair and freckles made her stand out a bit, and Lily once again wondered if she had any relation to her fathers past classmate.

The girls found themselves in a circular room decorated in drapes of scarlet and gold, their were 5 large four poster beds extending like spokes from the outer walls of the room. Molly and Roxanne quickly claimed beds next to one another, and Lily smiled at Ella Finnigan as she took the bed to her other side.

Lily held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Lily."

Ella shook her hand, smiling shyly, "I'm Ella, you're Harry Potter's daughter aren't you?"

Lily sighed internally, but forced an outward smile, "Er, yeah, he's my Dad."

The sandy haired girl just smiled apologetically, "I didn't mean to sound like such a prat, it's just, my father was in his class here at Hogwarts, wouldn't stop talking about it for the last few weeks actually. Apparently they fought together when You-Know-Who invaded Hogwarts."

Lily smiled, "I thought 'Finnigan' sounded familiar, I'm sure my Dad's mentioned him before."

Roxanne strode over, "Hi, I'm Roxanne, I my Dad was a few years above yours, George Weasley?"

Ella grinned, "Dad's talked about him, real hilarious bloke he was wasn't he?"

Roxanne smiled back widely, "Still is, sometimes I think he pulls more pranks than Fred!"

Lily wrote to her parents at the end of the week,

Dear Mum & Dad,

I love it here. Hogwarts is beautiful and brilliant and everyone is lovely. You've probably heard but in case you haven't, Roxanne, Hugo, and I are in Gryffindor! (Lucy's in Ravenclaw but we've talked and honestly I think that's what she preferred). The girls and my year all seem very sweet, and I've become quite close with one, Ella Finnigan, she says her father was in your year Dad?

James and Albus have been relatively well behaved, and they tell me to mention that it's been a week and they haven't allowed me to be kidnapped, hexed, or possessed (or worse yet according to James, snogged).

Oh I nearly forgot, Professor Rukin asked me in Defense Against the Dark Arts the other day when Dad was coming in for another guest lecture. I told him I'd ask so here I am.

I am enjoying my classes, Slughorn says I'm a natural at potions, he said you were as well Dad and you're bollocks at potions so I'm not sure I trust him. Transfiguration is exceptionally difficult but I figure I'll get the hang of it eventually, plus the Gryffindors have double transfiguration with the Ravenclaws so I suppose if all else fails Lucy will help me. Neville sends his love back, though I did have to wait until after class to give him your message because I couldn't exactly raise my hand in the middle of herbology and say 'Professor Longbottom my parents send their love' now could I? I'm very much enjoying Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, though we haven't really begun anything challenging yet so I suppose it's too soon to tell.

And Mum don't worry, I'm perfectly warm, and I eat enough, and I've made friends. You don't need to bug Aunt Angelina and Aunt Hermione every day to see if Roxanne or Hugo have mentioned me in their letters, I'm fine. Thanks for caring though.

Love,

Lily

On her way to deliver it to the owlery she was intercepted by James, "Oi Lily! Is that a letter for Mum and Dad?"

Lily nodded, "Yes, don't worry, I said nothing but good things of yours and Albus' protective services."

James grinned, "Of course you did, mind if I add a note?"

She sighed and handed him the letter, pulling a quill from his pocket James scrawled on the back of the letter,

Love and miss you; SEND FOOD – James

Lily just shook her head, "Really James, you'd think they were starving you here."

He simply grinned, "If there is anything worth learning little sister, it's that you can never have enough homemade food."

With the letter sent, James' addition and all, Lily headed back to the Gryffindor common room where she was intent on finishing her essay for transfiguration. She had hoped she could persuade Lucy to meet her in the library and help her with it, but Lucy had already finished it and was bogged down with Defense Against the Dark Arts homework that Lily hadn't even gotten to yet. Ella and Roxanne joined her by the fire and together the three of them attempted to tackle the essay.

An hour later Ella sighed and measured her paper for the 4th time, "Still a foot short, at this rate I'll be finished in time to enjoy my 7th year."

The girls laughed wearily, and Lily groaned, "I'm an inch short, and this point I'm going to resort to looking up synonyms for my words that are slightly longer just to add a bit of length."

Albus walked in through the portrait hole then, grinning widely, "Evening ladies, why the long looks?"

Lily groaned, "Stuff it Al, this essay is destroying us."

Albus just shook his head, "You think that's hard? Take a peak at Molly's coursework, it's her OWL year, that stuffs cringe-worthy," he paused, "I haven't seen Dominique's work, mainly because she rarely leaves the library anymore, but it's her NEWT year so it must be worse. Consider yourselves lucky!"

He retreated up to the boys dormitory, but the knowledge that it just got worse from here hadn't cheered the girls at all. Lily finally dropped her quill and rolled up her scroll, "There, done, it might be a half inch short but hopefully they aren't feeling picky."

Roxanne let her head fall onto the table, "I've got a foot and a half left, just kill me now girls, put me out of my misery."

Lily chuckled compassionately, and then noticed Hugo exiting the boys dormitory, "Hugo!" she called, waving him over, "Have you finished the transfiguration essay yet?"

He shook his head, his shoulders falling a bit, "Nope, 2 feet left, I've barely started."

She patted him on the shoulder, "Lucky for you, I've just finished and this lot is almost done, have a seat, if you can help Roxanne and Ella finish I'll lend you mine as a basis to work off of."

Hugo took Lily's place at the table, and she made her way back to her dormitory, rewarding herself for a job well done with an early night's rest.

The following Monday Lily headed off from breakfast toward the greenhouses for her morning of double Herbology. She fell into stride with Lorcan Scamander, the only Hufflepuff she was really on a first name basis with. He greeted her cordially and together they entered the greenhouse, minutes from being late.

Professor Longbottom shot them a warning look, but Lily could tell he wasn't really mad, and she smiled apologetically back at him. Roxanne and Ella were already there, standing near the front with Hugo, she'd dilly dallied in the great hall, talking Quidditch with Fred and James and now she was paying the price. They were directed to split into groups of three, and Lily's friends sent her apologetic glances from near the front of the room.

Lorcan just smiled and gestured to a stocky cheerful boy beside him, "You could join us, if you'd like."

The grinning dark haired boy was Adam Corner, and Lily vaguely recalled hearing his name at the sorting ceremony. He and Lorcan were perfectly nice, and made fantastic herbology partners, doing most of the work, chatting animatedly the whole time.

"What's your favorite course so far Lily?" Lorcan asked as he repotted a suspicious looking plant.

Lily shrugged, "Probably potions, maybe charms, or defense as well, really to soon to tell I suppose."

Adam Corner smiled, though it seems that was all he did, "You must be bloody brilliant to enjoy potions, I don't have the knack for it. Mum says I'm meant for defense, though Dad says that's just due to the fact that she fancied Harry Potter when she was in school. Of course, Dad got her in the end, though Potter did have a crush on her from what I hear," he laughed again, "Not that it matters though, I'm not very good at defense, figure I'll have a go at Quidditch next year though, built a bit like a beater, might do a decent enough job."

Lily managed a smile, but found it odd to hear about her Dad fancying anyone other than Mum. She was certain Adam must've missed her last name when they'd been introduced, because he seemed unabashed.

Lorcan however, seemed a bit uncomfortable and tried to steer the conversation away from the Potters and back to coursework and Quidditch, "Er, that sounds brilliant Adam. I personally think Lily should try for seeker, she's got the build for it."

Adam sized her up, not in a crude way, just as if he was evaluating a broomstick on it's wind resistance, then he shrugged, "Probably, though don't know if you have much of a chance at seeker if one of Potter's kids goes for it," he was off on his tangent again, grinning obliviously, "neither of my parents ever played for a house team, but Gryffindor's more into legacy than Hufflepuff. Which I s'pose is a good thing considering I'm the first in my family to be in Hufflepuff, Dad was a Ravenclaw, but I wasn't bright enough for that, I'm no troll but no one would mistake me for brilliant. Mum was in Gryffindor, makes sense for her, but I'm not nearly as outspoken as she was, too timid I s'pose, to be a lion."

Lily nodded, Adam was a nice enough guy she figured, blissfully unaware of the world around him as he rambled on about this or that. It was sort of nice, it gave Lily a break from having to make conversation. Lorcan smiled apologetically at her, seeming a bit embarrassed at his friends antics. But Lily didn't mind, Adam didn't mean any harm, which was really all that mattered to her. Class wrapped up and she said goodbye to the two Hufflepuffs, waiting outside the greenhouse for her friends. Roxanne, Ella, and Hugo emerged looking much worse for the wear, and they eyed Lily's dirt free clothing suspiciously.

"Why don't you look as bad as we do?" Roxanne grumbled, pulling dirt clumps from her wild curly hair.

Lily just shrugged, "Lorcan and Adam did the majority of the work, guess I didn't really notice how beat up they were getting."

Roxanne called her something that sounded like "prat" but then grinned endearingly.

The foursome made their way to the Great Hall for lunch, and soon after they were seated Lily pulled her potions book from her bag.

Ella groaned dramatically, "That sorting hat and I need to have a chat, the way you carry on with that book is enough to make me think you're a Ravenclaw."

Lily ignored her, and opened to an early page in the book titled, "Antidote for Common Poisons". Slughorn had mentioned that they'd be brewing it in class this week and Lily refused to be underprepared for the one class she was actually excelling in.

Hugo groaned, "We don't even have potions until Wednesday!"

Lily continued to ignore him, taking notes of the ingredients, bezoar, mistletoe berries, and unicorn horn. She recognized the first item immediately, her father had pounded that into her from day one, if someone is poisoned, "just shove a bezoar down their throat". She and her brothers would laugh and laugh, but Dad was serious. She knew he'd used a bezoar once to save Uncle Ron, and he always had them in the house, claiming that if someone was poisoned he sure as hell didn't have the time to brew a potion. She shook her head fondly at her fathers slightly paranoid antics and continued to read.

Roxanne tossed a roll at her, and it landed in the middle of her page, "Earth to Potter, we have charms in twenty minutes, if you're going to be a colossal nerd you could at least prioritize."

Lily closed the book, giving up for the time being, and retorted, "You know as well as I do that all we're doing in charms is taking notes on the proper pronunciation of 'wingardium leviosa' thanks to Lorena Goyle."

In the week prior Lorena Goyle, a Slytherin 1st year, had hexed someone in class, Lily knew very little about it as she tried to stay as far away from the Slytherins as possible, even when she did have classes with them. All she knew was that Professor Flitwick was enraged and had punished the whole class with notes. Thereby turning what had been the most social carefree course of the day into another long boring session of transcribing, nearly as bad as History of Magic. Not looking forward to it at all, the four reluctantly trekked to class.

Lucy met the four of them outside of the Gryffindor common room the next morning and together they walked to Transfiguration.

"How's Ravenclaw treating you?" Lily asked conversationally, and saw Lucy grin.

Say what you might about Ravenclaw but Lucy really had blossomed there. In less than two weeks she'd become more outspoken, she smiled more, and she carried her self with three times the confidence she had previously.

"Fantastic," Lucy exclaimed, "the girls in my dorm are all quite nice, and I've actually become decent friends with Lysander Scamander, he's nice enough as well."

Roxanne, unable to ignore any sort of drama, raised her eyebrows suspiciously, "Lysander Scamander huh?" She waggled her eyebrows mischievously, "nice enough doesn't sound like even the tip of the iceberg."

Lucy just shook her head, "Not even Roxanne, I like Lysander well enough but, lets just say being in Ravenclaw has succeeded in putting me off of ever dating a Ravenclaw boy."

"Why's that?" Hugo asked, in between bites of a chocolate frog.

Lucy just smiled, "They're all so bloody brilliant and they know it. I mean, Lysander isn't exactly pompous, not at all to be honest. But I'm talking more about personality. I'm calculating enough, if I'm going to date a boy he better bring the passion because I don't have enough for the two of us."

She blushed at the end but Lily understood, she herself was Lucy's opposite, fiery, a little too wild, and often acted first, reacted second, raged third, and then finally thought fourth. She needed someone calm and calculating to balance her out. She smiled to herself, maybe she should date a Ravenclaw. They entered the Transfiguration room then and the conversation went unfinished as they took their seats, Lysander waved Lucy over and they followed.

"Hello Lily." Lysander greeted me as I sat down on the other side of him.

I smiled, "Hey."

At first I found it odd that Lysander had chosen to only greet me, until I remembered that other than Lucy he knew me best. Sure most of the Weasley's had met Lysander or his brother on varying occasions that their family attended, but it was our mother's friendship that lead to us spending about a weekend a month in each other's company. I wondered vaguely about what he would have done if Lucy hadn't been sorted into his house, if I was his closest friend other than his twin.

Professor Switch called us to order. She was one of the younger professors on staff, and many a boy had been caught remarking what he'd like to do with her during detention. She had medium brown hair that she tied back into a low bun, and a slight but well developed figure that went nicely with her warm smile. She was no bimbo though, Valerie Switch was directly related to Emeric Switch, the author of their book "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration", and as a result she knew her stuff.

"Settle down class," she called, and hush fell over the room, "Today we will be continuing on in our work of turning a match into a needle. Last class many of you were able to achieve either a needle shaped match, or a match shaped needle, but none were successful in performing a full transfiguration. Your homework was to practice and study the proper technique, today we will see if you have done so. Begin."

Nearly half an our later Lily was glaring at her match and waving her wand angrily, "Dammit you little shiny git, be a match!"

Lysander nearly doubled over laughing at her and she frowned, looking at his slowly filling matchbox, "Showoff."

He shrugged, "I could help you if you'd like."

She took a moment to consider, deciding which she valued more, her self respect, or her grade. Realizing she needed to pass this class she conceded, "Alright, how'd you do it?

He raised his eyebrows a bit, "A Potter who knows when to ask for help, impressive."

Lily ignored the jibe and simply gave him a look that communicated 'go on'.

He picked up his want and pointed it at the needle in front of him, "The trick," he explained, "is to be confident and forceful, but not angry and uncontrolled," he shot her a pointed look and waved his wand with a decisive flick and suddenly there was no longer a needle on the desk but yet another perfectly formed match for his collection.

Lily looked at her wand uncertainly, "You're telling me it's all a state of mind?"

He shrugged, "Basically, it helps if you very clearly envision a match in your head, clear directions are always helpful."

After a few failed attempts Lily started to see some improvement, and by the end of the class, with a few more pointers from Lysander, Lily turned in a fully transfigured match. Sure it was a bit pointier than your average match, but it was a huge step up and she was proud of herself. She even received a "Well done Potter" from Professor Switch.

Lysander grinned at her as they left the room, "Well done Potter indeed."

Lily smiled shyly, unsure about this budding friendship, "Thanks again, you saved me."

He laughed and shrugged it off, "All in a days work Potter, all in a days work."

He and Lucy walked off then, headed towards the Ravenclaw common room, and Roxanne stared Lily down, "I take it back, he doesn't fancy Lucy, he fancies you."

Lily just shook her head, "Our Mum are friends, really close, have been forever, I've known him since we were in diapers."

But Roxanne didn't look convinced.

Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Please review! I really appreciate commentary and criticism as long as it's constructive!
Also I am not sure if the story will remain in Lily's perspective, I may branch out in the next chapter and focus on another Potter or one of the Weasleys.
(Let me know what you think/who I should write from next. I live to please!)

Reviews make me write faster :)