Chapter 1: Promise

"Lily Luna Potter, you'd better be down here in 5 minutes dressed, packed and with a very good explanation as to why you're not yet ready to go!"

Uh brilliant! I unwillingly open my eyes and looked around my room, I took in everything for the last time before finally looking at my open trunk all packed bar a few essentials and misplaced goods. "Lily..?" Oh right yeah school, train, I'm late. I drag myself out of bed and stumble towards the shower.

Ten minutes later I'm finally walking down the stairs to be greeted my pissed of parents and Al.

"Where have you been?" asks my dad. He's less than impressed; thank Merlin mum's distracted by Al having a mini panic attack about being late. I really don't need both of them having a go at me this morning. "Alright everyone in the car, we can probably still just about make it on time." Dad says with a pointed glance at me. Albus too is looking worryingly homicidal as we pile into the car.

He became a prefect last year and something about that badge turned him into a royal pain in the ass. I don't know, maybe it's the water in the prefect bathroom?

Being the shortest I'm sat in the middle of the car which always seems too small for all three of us no matter how much dad tries to expand it.

James is sat to my left still half asleep, since he left Hogwarts in the summer he's rarely out if bed before midday. If he'd had his way he wouldn't have been coming with us this morning, however mum hadn't taken to that idea and so James we coming with us. Before, almost certainly returning straight to bed.

Albus was the polar opposite of James. He was sat on my left, and it was all he could do to keep himself for jumping into the front seat, grabbing the wheel from dad and putting pedal to the metal in a race to get us to the station on time.

James had noticed this as well but chose to ignore, preferring to just shut his eyes and let Al get on with it. That's what I never understood about him how he could just let it be. James hadn't made prefect in fifth year, but he hadn't cared. Both mum and dad had been disappointed, but James nothing. He just carried on as if he couldn't care less.

On one hand I found this characteristic intriguing and cool, being able to brush off detentions and criticism. But sometimes it was the most annoying thing in the world, when you're trying to tell him something and James refuses to listen.

I guess I'm somewhere in the middle of my two older brothers. Never too uptight, but never too easy going. I guess I always had to be, so I could get on with both my brothers, I never wanted to be left out. Especially when we we're younger they always had this gang of two, and there we me always desperate to barge in.

I was so deep in my own thoughts I didn't even notice when we pulled up to the station. It was only when James nudged me as he was getting out that I realised where we were.

I grabbed my trunk and dragged it to the trolley mum had found. We walked hurriedly towards the pillar which marked platforms 9 and 10.

A few minutes later I found myself on platform 9¾ surrounded by noise and slightly shell shocked people. I spotted Hugo and Rose and rushed over to hugged them both.

"How was your summer?" I asked them both.

"It's not like you don't know, I mean we saw each other practically every other day," replied Hugo. He was right we'd all spent a lot of time either at the Burrow or at each other's houses over the summer holidays. I glanced around at the rest of my family.

Albus and Rose we in deep conversation, probably about prefect duties or something. James we talking to Uncle George about something. I was on the verge of going to find out when my mum dragged me into a bone crushing hug.

"I'm going to miss you so much this year Lily, you know that, and you know that you can write whenever you want and that it's ok to be homesi-"

"Calm down mum," I say cutting her off mid-sentence, "I'm a fourth year now, I think I know how things work by this point."

"But you'll still write?"

"Yes mum I'll still write, I promise." She looked a little calmer at my words however I knew that she'd still worry. I looked over at dad.

"Have a good year kiddo, try hard and all that," Dad was never as emotional as mum when it came to saying goodbye. He always reassured me instead of worrying me.

I was just about to board the train when James came over to me and gave me a hug. He didn't normally hug me, but today it felt right.

"So you gotta' make me a promise ok?," He said seriously "I need you to keep the pranking you for me, and I need you to be the best seeker Hogwarts has ever seen."

"What, but that's your thing. You've always been the seeker, like dad." He smiled slightly at that.

"I've seen you, I mean you're a good chaser, but man are you a brilliant seeker. I'm good but dad and I both know that you're better." I smiled at him with tears in my eyes, "No crying or else you'll set me off and some of us have and image to uphold, now go on get on the train. Go have the best fourth year ever."

I turned away and ran to board the train, I rushed to a window and waved at everyone. My eyes focused on my eldest brother and as they did I promised myself and him, that I was going to do everything he asked and more.

I promise.