BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP.
Lily Luna Potter shot up out of her bed, and leapt onto the group. She turned off her alarm, and rushed into her parents' bedroom. Her father stirred as she entered the room, and her mother sat up, wand in hand, as Lily jumped on the bed. "Lil, honey, its 7:00 in the morning." Ginny Potter mumbled, as her husband sat up. Ginny tucked her wand back under her pillow case, and Lily sat back sheepishly. "But Mum, today is the day!" She squealed quietly, and she heard a laughing sound coming from her father's side of the bed. Harry Potter, the Chosen One, sat up in his bed, and ruffled his only daughter's hair. "Give the girl a break Gin. I remember being this excited on my first day at Hogwarts."
Ginny scoffed, but smiled and lent onto her husband, as Lily crept over to them. "I'm so excited! I'm going to Hogwarts!" She squealed, and Lily heard a moan from the door as her parents laughed. "D'ya have to be so noisy on a Monday morning sis? I was fast asleep." Albus groaned from the door, and Lily pouted slightly as her father rolled his eyes. "Albus Severus Potter, you were equally excited two years ago, so watch yourself. And besides, you haven't finished packing yet, so I'd thank Lily if I were you." Albus spluttered, but he was drowned out as James Sirius Potter walked into the room laughing. "Poor lickle Al. Dad's right, you were just as annoying on your first day. I, however, was cool as a cucumber."
Lily giggled as Ginny laughed behind her. "James, on your first day at Hogwarts, you unpacked your trunk about eight times, and I had to apparate back five minutes before the train left because you panicked because you thought you left your wand at home." The whole family laughed as James curtsied, then leapt on the bed besides Lily, wrapping his arms around her. "Excited Lily Lu?" He asked his little sister, and she nodded eagerly. "I can't wait! Hugo and I have been planning all summer!" Ginny narrowed her eyes at her daughter slightly. "Planning what, Lily Luna Potter?" She asked, and Lily's eyes widened, before playing with the edge of her pyjama top. "How to be… the best at Charms?" She said meekly, and the family, including Ginny, laughed. "That better be the truth. Now, who wants pancakes?"
The Potter kids cheered, and Harry laughed, ruffling his daughter's hair once more before kissing his wife on the temple. "I'm going to grab a shower first. I have to be at the office by eleven thirty." He said, and Ginny sighed as Harry walked towards the bathroom. "Seriously? Do they even give you time to say goodbye to your youngest child? Or any of your children?" She asked, remembering back to last Christmas when Harry had to work instead of saying goodbye to Albus and James. Harry smiled slightly, nodding his head at Lily. "They wanted me in at nine, but I told them eleven thirty or not today. My little girl's going to Hogwarts!" Harry disappeared into the bathroom and Ginny shook her head, smiling. "He's got such a soft spot for you Lily." She said, as she walked downstairs towards the kitchen, Albus following her.
James pulled Lily closer to him, and she looked up at him adoringly. James and Lily had always had a special bond, ever since they were younger. Lily was the youngest out of the cousins, so James always favoured her over everybody else. He would choose her first for Quidditch, and if she wasn't on his team, he would cheer her on happily whenever she scored a goal. And in return. Lily adored James, and had a tendency to listen to him better than she listened to her father.
"You're getting bigger Lily Lu. Off to Hogwarts today. You excited?"
"You bet!" Lily grinned, and she bounced off the bed, grabbing James' hand. "Come on Jamie, mums making pancakes!" She squealed happily, and James laughed as he followed her off the bed and down to the kitchen.
"Honey, don't forget to write every day, okay. And if you've forgotten anything, Harry and I will send it to you okay. And send us a letter as soon as you get settled in your dormitory." Ginny smoothed Lily's wavy hair over her shoulders and Harry laughed next to her as Hermione did the exact same thing with Hugo. James rolled his eyes as he hugged his mother goodbye. "Mum, chillax. Al and I will look after her, and we'll send you a letter tonight from Gryffindor common room." Lily fidgeted slightly as soon as James said 'Gryffindor.' Nobody noticed but her Uncle Ron, who levitated her and Hugo's trunks. "How bout I help you and Hugo put your trunks on the train, okay Lils?" he said, and Lily looked at him gratefully whilst the other adults frowned slightly. "Thanks Uncle Ron." Lily said, as she, Ron and Hugo walked towards the train. Ron found them an empty compartment, and helped levitate the trunks onto the rack. Before they got off the train, Ron pulled them back into the compartment.
"Okay you two, what's wrong?"
The cousins paled and looked at each other, both terrified of someone finding out their secret.
"What do you mean Dad?" Hugo asked, feigning a look of innocence. Ron scoffed, but smiled at Hugo's innocent face. "Don't play dumb with me Hu. Your Uncle George and late Uncle Fred both had that false innocence face. Now tell me the truth. Lily flinched when James mentioned Gryffindor, and Hugo, you left the room last night when Rose and Hermione started talking about Gryffindor Tower. What's wrong?"
Lily and Hugo exchanged another look, then both sighed. Lily began to talk as Hugo fidgeted nervously. "What if we aren't put in Gryffindor?" Lily asked, and she felt her eyes burn slightly as Ron patted her on the shoulder, and gave Hugo a one armed hug.
"We don't care what house you're put in. As long as you feel comfortable, we will be happy for you. And you'll always have your cousins and siblings." Ron said, and he pulled the two eleven year olds off the train as more people began to board. "Besides, the sorting hat will listen if you ask it too. Just ask your father Lily. He's only said it a billion times." Ron joked, and the two kids laughed. They both hugged him as they reached their family again. "Thanks Uncle Ron." Lily said, and she left Hugo with his dad as she went to her own family. Dominique Weasley was there now, with her parents, Louis, Victorie and Teddy Lupin.
Lily squealed as she leapt into Teddy's arms and she heard everyone else laughing as he hugged her back. Her god-brother had his own flat now, and didn't stay with the Potters anymore. However, he still came over for tea at least twice a week, more in the summer. Teddy was going through a move, having finally asked Victorie to move in with him. Victorie had graduated Hogwarts in Albus' first year, two years ago. She was the first Weasley-Potter child besides Teddy to move, and Lily's Uncle Bill wasn't happy.
Lily hugged all her family aside from Dominique when she finally detached herself from Teddy. Dominique had a bit of a reputation around Hogwarts as an 'Ice Queen,' and Lily knew that it was to protect Dominique from finding a 'mate' too soon, like she believed Victorie did.
A train whistle sounded, and all the kids began to move towards the scarlet red train. Lily gave her mother one last hug before jumping onto the scarlet red train with Hugo. Before they knew it, the train was whisking them away from Kings Cross and from their parents, and to an unforgettable 7 years.
Lily departed from all of her cousins, who were going to find their friends. She made her way back to her and Hugo's trunks, without Hugo, who was going with Albus and Rose. Unlike Hugo, Lily always felt like she had to prove herself, and a good way to do that would be to make friends. Without her brothers or her dads last name.
When Lily got to their compartment, she entered, and turned to set her owl, Clara, on the table. However, she jumped slightly when she saw four people already sat in the carriage. The older two girls looked at her in surprise and distrust, whilst the younger two smiled at her. Lily smiled nervously back, and decided to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Lily." She said. The oldest looking girl with blonde hair frowned at her slightly, and made a funny noise before leaving. The other three smiled back at her, the other older girl looking apologetic.
"You're Lily Potter, right?" She asked, and Lily sighed and nodded. Great. She had probably walked into a child of one of her father's enemies. Surprisingly, the three in the compartment didn't beat her up. They just smiled at her, and the older one looked thrilled.
"Great! Okay, my names Juliette Goyle! These are my younger siblings, Carter and Pippa. They're in first year like you, but I'm a fourth year, like your brother James. Sorry about JoJo, she has little respect for anyone she doesn't know." Julie smiled as if it was a joke, but Lily knew she wasn't kidding. She also knew who these people were. Their father, Gregory Goyle, was a friend of her father's old nemesis in school, Draco Malfoy.
Juliette hugged her younger siblings tightly, erecting a squirm of embarrassment from them both. She waved at Lily, before rushing away to another compartment. The twins in the compartment stared at Lily, who blushed before the girl, Pippa, smiled at her, seeming equally nervous.
"You can sit down. I mean, if you want to. You can just leave if you want to find some other Gryffindor's'." She said, stumbling over her words slightly. The boy, Carter, smiled and laughed at his sister. "Pippy, chill. If she wants to stay, she'll stay. If she wants to be like her brothers, she can get lost." He said, and Lily frowned slightly. She didn't want to be like her brothers, if her brothers were mean to the Slytherin's. Lily knew the house's reputation, but she had been drilled by her mother that she should judge the people before their houses. She decided to stay, thinking these two first years looked pretty fun.
"Hi. I'm Lily Luna Potter." She said, and stuck her hand out towards Pippa. Pippa grinned, and shook Lily's hand. "Hi Lily, I'm Philippa Serena Goyle, but usually it's just Pippa." She said, and Lily grinned back at her as the two became friends in that moment. Carter, however, was oblivious to what the girls were trying, and flopped back in his chair. "Well I'm Carter Gregory Goyle, and I'm confused."
Lily laughed as Pippa rolled her eyes. "Whatever Carter. So Lily, what house are you aiming for?" She asked, and Lily thought carefully about the answer. She had grown up in a home filled with Gryffindor's, and the first non-Gryffindor were Teddy and Victorie, who were Hufflepuff's. Most of her relatives were Gryffindor, aside from Teddy, Victorie and Lucy who were all Hufflepuff's, and Molly who was a Ravenclaw.
"Don't tell anyone, but I don't think I want to be in Gryffindor." Lily said, and Pippa's eyes widened while Carter smirked. "Why?" He asked, and Lily fiddled with her fingers, looking out at the beautiful scenery of the countryside. "I just, I want to be different. It's hard to stand out when you have three brothers and nine cousins, plus five close family friends in your generation. Most of them are Gryffindor, and a couple of Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's." Carter's smirk became bigger, and a twin smirk grew onto Pippa's face. "Have you ever considered Slytherin?" She asked, and Lily blinked, slightly taken back by the question. "Before now, no. I've always been told that Slytherin was, quote, "an evil snake house that produced dark wizards."" Pippa scoffed and Carter tensed angrily. "Hey, that's our father you're talking about!" Carter said angrily, and Pippa placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Carter, that's just what she's been told. How is Lily to know any better without having seen our side of things?" Pippa turned to Lily with a determined glint in her eyes.
"That's all people ever say about Slytherin house. But they're wrong. You'll see. Did you know, Merlin himself was a Slytherin. And our father told us something about Slytherin house. He told us that people in Slytherin were told they had to be bad, so many of them started believing it. You see, Salazar Slytherin believed in wizardry being kept in the family, so no one aside from pure bloods could be at Hogwarts. But no one ever mention that it was Godric Gryffindor who first proposed that idea."
Lily gasped, unable to help herself. Was that really true? Could the great Gryffindor himself be the cause of the hate against Slytherin house?
"Seriously?"
"Seriously." Carter continued, taking over Pippa's story.
"Gryffindor proposed wizardry to be kept in family. Helga Hufflepuff opposed him, believing in accepting everyone who had the ability. It wasn't until Rowena Ravenclaw agreed with her, saying we can learn from non-wizarding families. Gryffindor eventually agreed, but the idea was stuck in Slytherin's head after everything. Besides, Slytherin himself was from a pure-blooded family. All old pure blood families believed separation was for the best."
"They also believed in practicing Dark Magic, according to James and Al."
"Dark magic used to be legal." Pippa countered, and she laughed at the shocked expression on Lily's face. "Wow, you've been sheltered haven't you? Dark Magic used to be legal, before the Unforgivable Curses were created. That's when people started to make some magic illegal."
Lily sat back in her seat, and took in all of what Pippa and Carter just told her. Dark Magic used to be legal? Gryffindor put the ideas of blood purity into Slytherin's head? Her own head spun as she took in all this information. Whilst Lily was thinking, the carriage door slid open, and Juliette Goyle slid back into the compartment. "Hey guys, I just need to grab something from my trunk." She said happily, before pulling her trunk on the table. Juliette opened the case as Lily and Carter began to talk about Quidditch.
As Juliette passed Pippa her book and lifted her trunk back up onto the rack, the compartment door slid open again. This time, it was Lily's older siblings. James, Albus, Rose and Molly Weasley stood at the compartment door, and all four of them frowned at Juliette. She just smiled at them, and took her book from Pippa. "Bye guys! Good luck at your sorting." Juliette flashed a grin at Lily's siblings, flouncing out of the compartment. Molly growled, and the rest of her siblings glared at Juliette's retreating back.
"Come on Lils. We got some of your favourite things from the food trolley. Sugar Quills, your favourite." James said, completely ignoring Pippa and Carter. Lily frowned at James slightly, glancing at her new friends.
"It's okay. Mum gave me some money, I'll just wait until the trolley comes here." James growled in frustration slightly, and Molly stepped forward as Rose laid a hand on his shoulder.
"What he's saying Lily, is you should come sit with your family."
"Why?" Carter asked, and Molly reeled back, not expecting him to talk. Lily glanced at her new friends, shocked to see an identical steel look in her new friends' eyes.
"Because we're her family. You two are just a pair of snake children." Albus spat, and Lily moved away when Rose reached out a hand towards her. "Come on Lily." She urged, but Lily shook her head.
"I think I'm going to stay here thanks." She said icily, and James' eyes widened as Albus' face turned red, the same bright scarlet as Molly and Rose's ears. "No Lily. Come on, now." Albus said, and Lily shook her head.
"I've made some new friends, I'm sitting with Pippa and Carter. Go back to your compartment." She said, and with some hesitation, and many glares, her siblings finally retracted out of the compartment. Lily turned to get a hand in her face. She laughed, and smacked her palm onto Carter's.
"Now, I believe we were discussing the best Quidditch team?"