Disclaimer: I wish this world was mine. Alas, only Aurora is... :( The rest is J. K. Rowling's.

"It's bloody HUGE!"

Those were my first words as I entered the Great Hall.

"What is, Aurora?"

I turned to the side, looking at the teen in front of me. James Potter. Prankster, Marauder, Animagus, and my cousin. Right now, his always-messy hair was sticking up in all directions, probably from this latest 'prank'. I waved a hand in the general direction of the ceiling.

"That is! I can't believe you didn't wait for me!" Oh yes, was I ever mad. After months of planning and scheming, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had stuck the piñata to the Great Hall without me. Oh the nerve! I ran a frustrated hand through my hair (an unfortunate habit I had picked up from my cousin), messing up the sheet of glossy chestnut . I shoved down my temper and smiled sweetly at James.

"Don't worry, payback's going to follow later." I walked away after I heard him gulp.

"'Rora!" I saw a head of shaggy dirty-blonde hair jogging towards me, closely followed by a smallish, mousy boy. Ah. Remus and Peter.

Remus reached me first. "Look, we wanted to wait for you, we really did. But Sirius wante-"

"S'alright, Moony. They'll be severely pranked later."I nodded at Peter as he came up to us.

"You have my blessing to give him hell from your tiny self." The brown-haired boy announced with mock formality. "Hey, I'm basically the same height as you!"

Remus butted in, "But you're almost a foot shorter than the rest of us. "

I scowled in the face of truth. It wasn't my fault I was...fun-sized (Sirius had made so many innuendos when I first used that argument). Remus, Sirius and James were just freakishly tall, 6'3, 6'1, and 6'0 respectively. Peter and I, on the other hand, ranked in at a measly 5'7 and a 5'3. Life is unfair. Of course, in First Year, it wasn't like this. The four of them were still prepubescent and gangly. Actually, it was only James and Remus that were gangly, Sirius was handsome, even at the tender age of eleven, and Peter was never gangly...or handsome...

•~*~*~*~•

"Jamie, hurry up! I want to get a good compartment." One Aurora Daphne Potter shouted to her cousin. Today was the First of September, a landmark date for the two children and many other young wizards and witches in Britain. Today they would board the Hogwarts Express and go to Hogwarts!

The boy in question, a James Charlus Potter huffed at his best friend and favourite cousin. "Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a bunch. I just want to wait for my friend, y'know, the one we met in Diagon Alley. I said I would."

Aurora wrinkled her nose, trying to remember. "Oh, you mean that Sirius boy!" She remembered him. A boisterous, loud tween, the trio of children had hit it off immediately, seeing as they all shared a fervent love of pranking and mischief-making. Suddenly, a piercing whistle vibrated in the air, signalling that the train would be leaving soon.

"Jamie, come ON." Aurora urged, "We can find him in the train!"

True to her word, Aurora helped her cousin search for their friend, meeting along the way; a redheaded girl who was accompanied by a sallow looking boy with long black hair and a skinny boy immersed in his book. Remus John Lupin and James got along surprisingly well, so he and a slightly pudgy Peter Pettigrew joined the group of children in their compartment.

"Come outside with me for a moment, Aurora " a voice interrupted the chatter.

"Alex, what do you want?" Aurora was annoyed. She had never gotten along with her older brother, her bubbly nature clashing with his darker, more sadistic one. But alas, her senior by two years, she ended up being bossed around by him a lot. She waved goodbye to her friends and trooped out into the corridor. Aurora was surprised by his angry voice.

"Stay out of my way at Hogwarts."

"I wouldn't be there in the first place, Alex." She answered cheekily.

She was surprised yet another time by his hands clasping on to her shoulders and shaking her roughly.

"I'm serious, Aurora. Don't you dare tell Mother or Father anything at school about me!"

Now the girl was a little apprehensive.

"Tell them about what?"

"Nothing, you stupid brat! No matter what you hear about me at Hogwarts, it's all bullshit!"

He was met with an innocent "Mum and Father said not to swear anymore."

"Just don't say anything!" Alex looked his sister in her bright hazel eyes; the same as her cousin's, and pushed her away with a too-hard shove. Aurora stumbled and glared at her brother.

"Stop being such a jerk, Alex" With that, she turned and flounced away, back to her compartment.

"What was that about, 'Rora?" James asked, one eye on the Exploding Snap card castle he and Peter were building.

"Oh, you know. Alex being a a moron, the usual." His cousin waved a dismissive hand. James narrowed his eyes a bit. "That was it?"

"Yeah."

Aurora turned away (a little too quickly in James' opinion) to face Sirius and Remus.

"Who wants to plan pranks?"

The rest of the train ride was filled with laughter and card castle explosions, fitting for the young magic-users first trip to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Magic.

•~*~*~*~•

I smiled, remembering my first train ride to Hogwarts and meeting my friends. Ah, the days when you were young and carefree...I shook myself out of my thoughts, back on track for my loss of hanging the piñata and grumbled

"Now, to kill one Sirius Orion Black."

•~*~*~*~•

Thanks for reading!

-Small Owl

*Please do not plagiarize any part of this story. Any spin offs, etc. should be with the author's express permission and referenced back.