This is my first fanfic! I've always loved the second-generation stories with the kids of the heros being the stars. Please tell me how you like this first chapter, I'll take ANY suggestions and I already have the next chapter typed and ready to go, if you want to read it please review and tell me! (: I'll update right away if you ask. Enjoy!
My dad is a teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
I'm a student.
The Great Hall was full to bursting with excited, loud first and second years, like me. Even though I'm only a second year, the Great Hall seemed so much smaller than it did last year.
"Charlie!" I hear from behind me. I whipped my head around, only to see an apparently flying mane of dark red hair on a very petite girl.
"Lily!" I said happily, throwing my arms out and hugging her. Lily Potter was my best friend at school.
No, a little more like my sister.
Lily Potter, you ask? The daughter of the Boy Who Lived?
Yup! And I happen to be –
"Miss Longbottom, what have you been up to?" Lily asked superiorly, in a very good impression of our Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Malfoy.
"Oh, you know, this and that…" I said vaguely, looking over in the direction of Hugo, Louis, Jake and Henry.
"Wouldn't you just love to have a good prank right now…?" Lily said ecstatically. "Especially on Dom, and Rox, and Little Freddie!" Lily added in an undertone.
The two of us busted out laughing. Fred Weasley II downright hated being called "Little Freddie." He would immediately hex the first person he saw if he even heard it muttered.
"We can do without them," I told her. "But of course, we have to get Ella to help us." I reasoned, spotting the tall, dark-haired Ella a few feet away. She was holding her broom and her trunk, talking to a couple of other third years.
"Are you kidding? She's the daughter of international Quidditch player Oliver Wood, and Alicia Wood! D'you think she would be able to concentrate on anything with a broomstick in her hand?" Lily retorted.
I laughed openly. She made a good Potter or Weasley – brave, daring, quick-witted, intelligent – I make a good what, Longbottom? Lovegood? I am dreamy like my mum, devoted like my dad, wicked smart like my mum, clumsy exactly like my dad. My older sisters Opal and Celeste are the epitomes of beauty – long blonde hair to their waists and caramel colored eyes. They had personalities like my great grandma, though. They never really listened to anybody, they always thought they were right, and they had to be in charge, I was forgetful, annoyingly stubborn, wishy-washy, and – and –
"Char—lie!" Hugo called from what seemed to be very far away. How are those snorkacks? Doing okay? Huh?" He teased.
I took a deep breath. "For all you know, they could exist. And from what I know, they do exist."
I had an aggravating tendency to be interested in fabled creatures. Also plants. But this was more than expected, being the daughter of the Herbology Professor and Luna Lovegood.
"C'mon Charlie, let's go!" Lily said, puffing her chest up and out and marching away.
Lily stopped in front of the singing Fat Lady. "Er—Hugo, what's the password?"
"Uh, pretty sire its Acendio." He said.
"Nope," Henry Finnegan corrected him. "Celeste told me it was Imperio,"
I raised my eyebrows at Henry. He was avoiding my eye contact, it was clear. "When did you talk to my sister?" I asked. "She hasn't said a word to me all morning…" I mused.
"Just, you know, earlier…" he said. "Look, the Fat Lady's hurting my ears. Imperio!" and the portrait hole swung open.
Lily and I passed through the common room, climbing up the girl's staircase to the dormitories. Rose was already there, with Opal, Rox, and a girl in Rose's year named Madeline. Lily and I returned to our old beds, giving each other meaningful glances. We listened to the older girls chatting away.
"I know I definitely wish I had Rose Weasley's hair!" Rox was saying, patting her hand over Rose's lush, rich red, softly curled hair. Rose herself rolled her eyes, probably because of Rox's thick, wavy, shiny black hair. "This is what I get, for being the daughter of Angelina Weasley –" Rox pretended to fly around on a broomstick.
Opal began to laugh loudly. "So you wish you were the daughter of Luna Longbottom? A.K.A so fair skinned that you can't be touched by the sun for more than five minutes or else you'll look like a fried Phoenix?"
There was much laughter at this proclamation. Even I laughed – it was true, we were almost as pale as Scorpius Malfoy.
"You're not the only blonde Longbottom," Lily said, side stepping over to me. "And not all Longbottoms are blonde – just look at this wonderful example." She gestured to me. "Blue eyes, and dark brown hair. What a scandal! How dare she be differently colored than her mum!" Lily gasped.
"Eh!" Opal waved her hand. "Same eyes! I'm glad I don't have them. They make Charlie look real dreamy." She said.
I quietly cleared my throat. I was always being compared to my mum, a whole lot more than Opal and Celeste put together. "I like my mum's eyes…" I said softly.
"And so do I, Charlie," Rose chimed in.
"Me too!" Lily piped up.
There was a knock on the door. It was Scorpius and Ian, I could tell by the voices that said, "May we come in?"
"Sure, Ian!" Rox said, pulling the door open. Rox planted a kiss on
Ian's cheek before ushering them inside. Lily and I sat down on my bed, which was the bottom bunk. Madeline silently waltzed over to us.
"Hey, Rose," Scorpius said. "If you guys aren't doing anything, the boys are having a movie night in the common room, if you wanted to join us." he said, smiling.
Rose beamed back. Opal whispered to Ian, "Matter of time before Fred figures out they like each other." She giggled. Ian grimaced; the thought of Rox's twin punching him when he found out they were going out was still fresh in his mind.
"So…no Quidditch tonight?" Rose teased. "I thought that took up every night for the rest of you and Albus' lives." She said, getting off her bed. Lily and I did the same, following them down the stairs. Opal and Madeline were whispering behind us.
"Well, you know. It's the first day back, we just thought that we should have some bonding time with our favorite girls." Scorpius replied sweetly.
The common room was full with Weasleys, Potters, Longbottoms, Woods, a Thomas, a Finnegan, and of course the one Malfoy. In all, it was about twenty-five people. Like I said, very full.
Fred and James occupied their usual armchairs, Rox was on Ian's lap, Rose was smashed in the middle of Albus and Scorpius, Hugo, Louis, Jake, and Henry were ordering Lily and I to sit with them on the large sofa, and Opal, Celeste, Ella, Dom, and Madeline were all seated on the floor. Madeline seemed to be leaning against Albus' legs. Scorpius and Rose were kicking each other's feet.
"Looks like footsies," Lily pointed out, following my stare. I was now sitting with Henry to my right and Lily to my left.
Suddenly Fred stood up, his red hair gleaming and royal blue eyes dancing.
"Hush up you stupid little brats!" He called to us.
"Hear, hear!" Rose yelled. Scorpius elbowed her.
"Now, ladies and gents," Fred continued, standing precariously on the ottoman. "We will now use a fine muggle contraption called a television to watch what is called a movie –"
"C'mon, Fred! Everyone knows what a television is! Grandpa Weasley would cry if we didn't!" Louis said.
"—That will be horribly and terrifyingly scary," Fred kept on, stopping only to toss one of Rose's extremely heavy textbooks at Louis. "It may make your eyes and ear bleed - all at once,"
"I know a hex that does that!" Hugo said, while Rose muttered, "No, you don't."
"I know one that attracts fwoopers," Henry said from beside me. I turned to look at him.
"I can't say anyone would want one of those," I said to him.
"They don't. That's why it's a hex." Henry responded in his thick Irish accent.
Fred jumped off the ottoman. "James, hit play!"
James was the only one who knew how to work a remote control. He fumbled with it for a moment before finally hitting the "play" button.
It started off with a girl looking into a bathroom mirror, screaming when she realized there had been a vampire in a long, chocking cape behind he the whole time.
The movie was hilarious. Of course, not the horribly bloody scenes, but the vampire and the ghosts were so unrealistic it was comical.
Henry, Louis and Hugo didn't miss their chances to make fun of Lily and I when we screamed at the genuinely scary parts. Every now and then, I turned and found Henry looking at me with unusual hazel eyes. I smiled at him every time caught him at it; I never really had anything against Henry like I did Louis and Hugo. There was something about his warm, friendly smile; light brown hair, freckles and swirly green-blue eyes that made me want to get to know him…
"Come out of la-la-land, Charlie! Almost time to hit the sack!" Lily chanted, hopping up from the sofa and stretching.
"It's my favorite vacation spot, though." I argued, frowning.
"Attention, attention!" James said loudly. I noticed he was using his wand to magnify his voice. "Quidditch tryouts begin tomorrow at seven! Even though we already know who we want to put on the team, ehem, it's worth a try!" James tapped his throat and his voice went back to normal.
Hugo walked over to my side. I know you two losers won't be trying out." He said to Lily and I.
"I don't see the point, really." I said, looking off into space. "The bludgers are awfully dangerous, aren't they?" I said with a bit of worry.
Louis snorted. "Longbottom is as Longbottom does." I guess I had sounded like my dad.
I sighed impatiently. "You only make fun of me because I'm not in your family," I said.
"Trust me, you're lucky you don't have THAT for a cousin." Lily jerked her head towards Hugo, who was now trying to teach Louis, Henry, and Celeste the hex that made your ears and eyes bleed – all at once.
Wait, Celeste?
"Hey, Celeste?" I said, coming up to her. "I haven't talked to you since the train."
Celeste smiled at me tensely. "I'd rather not –" she tried to say.
"Something's wrong?" I wondered.
"No," She said stubbornly. "It's none of your business anyway! You're just like mum, you think you know everything about everyone!"
Her brown eyes flashed.
None of this intimidated me. It had all happened before, and she was my sister. I loved her and it was my job to make sure everything was okay.
"Is this about Fred?" I asked in a whisper.
But she yelled, "Gosh, Charles! You just don't know when to keep quiet!" and she stormed away from me.
I considered following her, but thought better of it as everyone was already staring at me.
Lily and I walked up the dorm steps, saying out goodnights to the older girls. Rose wanted to come too, but Scorpius was asking her if she wanted to compare schedules with Albus. Opal sauntered up the steps sometime later, reading her herbology book upside down. Rox and Ian were playing a heated game of wizard's chess, Hugo and Louis giving advice intended to mess them up. Albus shyly asked Madeline if she had D.A.D.A at 9:00 or 10:00. She was blushing.
Lily and I talked for a couple of hours, only my sister was there with us anyways.
"What do you suppose second year will be like?" she asked from the bunk above me.
"Quite a challenge," I answered, laying my head back on the soft pillow.
"Any boys you like?" She said, smile in her voice.
I secretly smiled, too. "They've all gotten more and more charming. How about those Krum brothers?" I said teasingly, knowing full well Lily's opinion of the Krum brothers.
Lily snorted. "They aren't and will never be anyone's type. You should have a boy as hardheaded and dreamy as yourself. Definitely can't see you marrying a Weasley or a Potter!" she remarked.
I pretended to gag. "Charlotte Weasley, can you imagine anything more horrendous?"
"Eugh, you're right. It sounds awful." Lily thought for a bit. "what about – what about Lily Thomas?" she asked me slyly.
I could not stop from grinning. "Lily and Jake, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!"
Lily threw a pillow at my face.
"Alright, alright! I like him! Now shut up, Longbottom!" Lily whisper-yelled.
"Make me!" I jumped off the bed. Lily did the same, trying to grab me. I skipped out the door, all the way down the stairs, and into the common room.
Hugo wolf-whistled when we came barging in, jokingly, of course, but Lily and I started laughing because of the conversation we had been having.
"Charlotte—Weasley!" Lily chocked out between chuckles, which only made us laugh more.
"Hugo, that was totally inappropriate!" Rose scolded him from across the room. She and Scorpius had been arguing over if your hair color determined part of your personality. Scorpius was in the middle of telling Rose that her red hair made her twice as vulnerable to ridicule and ginger jokes.
"Charlie," Henry waved me over to him. He held up a book titled Mysterious, Dangerous Creatures. "Did you know that you're quoted in this book?" he asked me.
I looked closer. "Huh? No, where?"
"Here. It says, 'Luna Longbottom's youngest daughter seems to be the only Lovegood descendent still believing in the rare snorcack. When asked her opinion by one of our reporters, Charlie Longbottom said, 'Oh, yes, mum and I go searching for snorkacks at least twice a year – funny creatures they are. Witty and elusive." Henry shook his head as Hugo doubled over with laughter. "Have you seen one before?" he asked me seriously, eyes shining.
"You really want to know? Or are you going to laugh like Hugo?" I asked apprehensively.
"I won't laugh. You have seen one, haven't you?" Were his eyes always shining like that? How come I had never noticed them before?
Lily yawned loudly. "I'm going to bed, Charlie." She dragged her feet as she walked away. Hugo turned to play one more game of chess with Louis. I took his spot on the sofa next to Henry.
"I saw one," I began. He was actually listening. "It was itty bitty, with fuzzy greenish-purple fur and great big brown eyes – it's claws were long and sharp, but it's back legs were hooves, no tail, one large, stone-like horn protruding out of the top of it's head – made a noise sort of like a honking horn. It was absolutely beautiful in every peculiar way." I finished, now off in space again.
Henry was looking at me from a new angle. "I think I believe you," he said finally, pulling out his timetable. "Show me your classes."
At first I was taken aback that he wanted to compare schedules with me. But then he made a joke about Hugo possibly being on the challenged side, and I realized it could be possible for me to get to know Henry Finnegan.
When I finally got to bed, I thought Lily was asleep. Then –
"Charlie and Henry, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g," she whisper-sang.
"Awww!" Rose suddenly mumbled.
"Potter!" I grumbled under my breath.
"Yes, Professor Longbottom?" Lily said sassily.
I sighed. "Night, Lils."
"Night Charles." She replied sleepily.
The night drifted over us and we fell asleep, thinking about what we were going to make of second year.
How did you like it? Review please! If you have any questions I'll get back to you when I put up the next chapter.
(I know Neville didn't really end up with Luna, I'm a big fan of the books and I've read every interview with JK Rowling you can imagine, but I've always liked Luna and Neville together). Tough Luck if you don't like it this way!