"Rose? Rose! Blimey, where is that girl?"

Ron Weasley sighed, running a hand through his thinning red hair. It was the first of September, and the Weasley family were supposed to be leaving for King's Cross any moment now, except that seventeen year old Rose had mysteriously vanished. Of course.

"Don't scream the house down, Dad," Hugo said calmly, appearing out of what seemed to be nowhere and placing a hand on his father's shoulder. "She's outside with Mum."

Ron whipped around and saw, true to the boy's word, his red-haired daughter standing by the car, locked in conversation with her mother.

"Well... she wasn't a second ago," Ron mumbled, picking up the car keys. "C'mon Hugo, have you got everything?"

The boy scampered out from behind his father to walk ahead of him out the front door, checking things off his fingers as he went. "Trunk? In the car. All my shit? In the trunk. Wand? Pocket. Pants? On. Cat?" He paused, looking up. "Hey, Rosie!" he shouted, cupping his hands over his mouth.

The seventeen year old turned around, as her mother went to get into the car. Seeing Hugo just standing there, she frowned, waving him over with one arm.

"Hugo! Do you want to miss the bloody train? Get in the car!" she yelled, pointing at the car.

"No, wait! I can't remember what I did with Spindleshanks!" He folded his arms across his chest. "We're not going without him!"

"Spindleshanks is in the car!" Rose hollered. "Where you should be, you bloody useless thing! And where's Dad?" she added crossly, realising he wasn't in the car beside their mother.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Ron said hastily, pulling the front door shut and hurrying over to the car. "Hugo, get in the car. Rose, keep your voice down, no one's dead."

"Luckily," she muttered, getting in the car and glaring at Hugo as he shifted his cat and sat down beside her. "Some people were getting close..." She pulled her seatbelt sharply, jamming it into the buckle. Hugo poked his tongue out at her and started pulling bits of leaf out of Spindleshanks' fur.

Ron started the engine, put the car into gear, and, at last, the Weasley family left, bound for King's Cross Station. They'd been driving almost ten minutes when, fed up with grooming his cat, Hugo turned to his sister, who had been staring at the back of the seat in front of her stoically.

"Hey, Rosie," he said, turning to face her and leaning back, resting his head against the window.

"What."

"Jeez, lighten up, woman. I was going to say, sorry for this morning, don't get your knickers in a twist, but clearly they're already bloody-"

"Hugo," Hermione cut in from the front seat, and with a glance at his mother, he abandoned his comparison.

"Well... yeah, sorry."

"It's fine, Hugo," Rose said, smiling slightly at her little brother. "It's not even your problem."

"What's not?"

Rose sighed. "Nothing, okay?"

Hugo raised an eyebrow. He knew his sister better than she realised; or at least, better than she would have liked. Acutely aware of the unspoken conversation between his children, Ron reached over and turned the radio on.

"Blimey, it's The Weird Sisters!" he exclaimed, as though it was the most exciting thing ever, and turned the volume up, singing along badly. Hermione smiled and shook her head. Of all the men she could have had...

"What's wrong, Rose?" Hugo asked, deadpan.

"Hugo, it isn't even a problem. It's just..." she looked across at the fifteen year old once more, then shrugged, shaking her head at the same time. "I was writing to Scorp last night, and he just got really annoyed. I don't know why, he wouldn't say, but in the end he just got really shitty, and I've not heard from him since."

"Which makes things awkward, considering you're Head Girl and he's Head Boy," Hugo finished, nodding slowly. "Right. Well. D'you want me to talk to him? Like, for you?"

"No, Hugh, it's fine. I'll see him on the train, we'll work it out. We always do, don't we?"

"Somehow."

Rose laughed and punched Hugo on the shoulder.

"Anyway, it's not Scorp and I I should be interested in, it's you and Megan. How's everything going?"

"Fine, Rosie, it's all fine. She just got back from France, where apparently they're all savages, 'cause they eat frogs legs and snails and all that sort of stuff. I tried telling her not all French people do, like Louis and Dom and stuff, but she said she reckons they do in secret. So I'm meant to be spying on Louis for her now."

Rose laughed again, reaching over to scratch Spindleshanks behind the ears. She'd always been able to get along with Hugo's girlfriend, Megan, quite easily, and thought the pair of them were fair adorable, as she said. Unfortunately, her brother didn't share quite the same sentiments for her relationship with one Scorpius Malfoy, but they were getting there. She knew he was putting in the effort not to straight up hate Scorpius, at least, and she appreciated that.

They receded into silence, apparently having nothing more to say on the subject, and before the next track on the radio had finished, Ron pulled into a parking space at King's Cross Station, neatly clipping a hatchback and bumping into a rogue trolley, which rolled away.

"You're getting better at this driving thing, Dad," Hugo smirked, watching his fathers' ears redden as he parked the car.

Dragging their things out of the car's boot, the Weasleys made their way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, slipping unnoticed through the barrier and coming out the other side completely unharmed, of course.

"Hugo!" A shrill voice cut through the air, and a moment later Hugo was staggering under the weight of his cousin Lily, who had jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I thought you guys weren't gonna get here in time!"

"Merlin, help!" Hugo cried, pretending to flail about. "There's a bloody hippo on my back!"

"I am no such thing!' Lily said, affronted, sliding off Hugo's back and slapping it reproachfully. "You're so rude; no wonder Uncle Ron's your dad."

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" Ron interjected, pouting.

"You're both as bad as each other," Lily sniffed, pretending to poke her nose in the air and ignore them. "I wish we weren't related."

"Oh, the amount of times I hear that a day," Albus said, sliding over to join the group. "Get your nose down, Lil, you look like Malfoy. No offence," he added, nodding at Rose.

"None taken, Al. I'm used to it - I live with Hugo, remember?"

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself."

"Feels weird, James not being here," Hugo said, leaning casually on Albus. Which would have worked quite nicely, if not for the fact that Albus was a good head taller than him. Hugo wasn't abnormally short (unless you asked Rose, Lily, Megan, Louis, Albus, James, or basically anyone who knew him), but Albus was pretty tall for his age. "He's always here. Bet he's still asleep, the lazy prat."

"Watch it, Hugh, or I'll have to take points off," a lazy, familiar voice came from behind him, and turning, Hugo saw his cousin James standing there, smirking.

"James! What the hell are you doing here? Why aren't you... asleep?"

"Asleep on the first day of term? Merlin, Hugo, what kind of professor do you take me for?"

"PROFESSOR?" Hugo and Rose chorused, staring, stunned, at the eighteen year old.

"Flying Professor James Potter, at your service. I was gonna go and try get Defence, but... I ended up with Flying!"

"But... don't you need some sort of qualifications?" Rose asked, one hand on her hip. "I mean, James... no offense, but... do you know how to teach?"

James looked most offended.

"Do I know how to teach? Of course I do, Rosie! McG knows her stuff. I've been teaching Quidditch - well, basically - for four years anyway! Remember? Quidditch Captain in fourth year - I do believe that was a new record, too, youngest Captain. 'Sides, it can't be that hard. McG has faith in me, Rosie, and I'd appreciate a little from my baby cous, too."

"Fine, fine," Rose started, but Hugo cut over her, grinning languidly.

"Merlin, who knew it, then? There's a brain deep down somewhere?" He knocked on James' head with his knuckles, then pushed his head to the side playfully and laughed. "Well, Professor Potter, do have fun this year, won't you?"

James smirked, and was going to reply when he noticed a girl approaching them; so too had Hugo, evidently, as he detached himself from the group and went over to her. She was small and slim, with longer-than-shoulder-length light brown hair, tucked behind her ears, and warm brown eyes. Her name was Megan Abbott, and she was Hugo's girlfriend.

"Hey babe," Hugo said with a smile, sliding one hand behind her, pulling her close to him and kissing her. "Miss me?"

"You know the answer to that," she said, rolling her eyes, "but for the record, yes, I missed you heaps."

"Good," he smirked, just like James had, and kissed her again. "Hey, Megs, check it out," he added, pulling back and pointing over her shoulder. "It's a bunch of Frenchies - well, half Frenchies - who don't eat every second animal they come across."

Megan turned around, taking one of Hugo's hands in both of hers, in time to see Bill and Fleur Weasley and their three children, Victoire (whose boyfriend Teddy Lupin was in tow), Dominique, and Louis, approaching. Louis half-waved at Hugo, raising one eyebrow and looking meaningfully at Megan with a self-satisfied smile. Hugo rolled his eyes, just as Megan turned back to him.

"Shut up, Hugo, you know they totally do. I mean, your Aunt Fleur went to Beauxbatons. Beauxbatons. Isn't their coat of arms, like, a snail and a frog or something?"

Hugo snorted, looking briefly at Louis as he passed the couple. "No, babe, I think it's just a couple wands jizzing all over the place, isn't it?"

"That's disgusting, Hugo."

"What? I meant our kind of wands, like, this," he said, pulling his wand out of his pocket. "You know, the wooden wands, the ones we use at school? Merlin, Megs, you make me sound so perverse."

"Only 'cause you are."

"That's true," he admitted, stowing the ten inch oak stick back in his pocket and pecking her on the nose. "You love it anyway, though, right?"

"Obviously," she said, rolling her eyes. "You'd never shut up if I didn't."

He laughed, turning around and starting to walk over to the gathering of Weasleys, which had grown considerably since he'd left them. Megan followed, letting one hand drop so she was holding his hand with just the one, now.

"Hey, Megan," Rose said, half-raising a hand, and Lily poked Albus in the chest and came over to talk to her best friend, sticking her middle finger up at Al behind her back.

As well as his own family and the Potters, Bill, Fleur, Victoire and Teddy, Dominique, and Louis, Percy, Audrey, Molly, and Lucy, and George, Angelina, Fred Jr., and Roxanne had all arrived, and were congregated in the one spot, talking amongst themselves.

Hugo let go of Megan's hand as Louis made his way towards him, stepping aside at the same time.

"Hugh; what can I say?" Louis said, briefly grabbing his cousin by the shoulder. "Have you ever been away from her, at all? Or are you guys, like, surgically attached?"

"No, we've never been apart," Hugo replied, his face straight. "I get this sort of pain, in my chest, when I get more than about ten or fifteen feet away. It physically kills me, man. You don't understand!"

"Oh, I do, cous. It's the same kind of pain I get whenever you two suck face in public."

"It's the same kind of pain I get when I see your face."

"And I love you."

"You better. Shit best friend you'd be otherwise."

Louis laughed, and Hugo embraced him quickly, patting him on the back the way he always did, for the reason he still didn't know.

"Have fun in France?" he asked, letting the slightly older boy go. Louis rolled his eyes.

"Don't mention France to me for a good ten years, thanks. Okay, so, I don't mind the family. Nan and Pop are pretty good, and they've got a wicked house. Plus, I reckon Nan could give Grandma a run for her money when it comes to cooking - don't tell her I said that. But the people... oh, Merlin. Every second bloody girl that walked down the street tried to throw herself at me-and I'm not being modest. I bloody well mean it. It's why I sound so British-Dom and I worked on getting rid of our French accents the first night we were there. They all wanna speak English to you, you see, and they think it's just so dreamy when you're talking about zis and zat and how eet ees so much colder in Eengland. No thank you."

"It's the man-Veela in you," Hugo said, trying to contain the hysterical laughter that threatened to break free. "That, or you've inherited Uncle Bill's dashing good looks."

"My dashing good looks? Oh, thanks Hugo. You've just become the number one favourite nephew," Bill grinned, appearing beside the pair of them.

"You mean... you mean I wasn't already?" Hugo gasped, clapping a hand to his brow in mock horror. "Uncle William, I don't know if we can be friends any more."

"Then who'd play dragons with you?"

"Uh, I hardly think you making dragons out of toast and charming them to attack me counts as playing, my dear Uncle."

"Nah, I was just making sure you didn't turn out like your Uncle Percy. Bit of playing around never hurt you."

"You made the Chinese Fireball scorch half my hair off when I was four."

"Oh, that was you? I couldn't remember. Gosh, that was funny."

"Gosh, Mum went mental."

"True, true. Anyway, you two lovers, train's getting ready to go, so get your skates on." And with that, Bill left. With a wink, Louis swept after him, and Hugo rejoined his girlfriend, taking her hand and kissing the side of her neck.

"Oh, look who it is," Rose remarked, eyes flicking from Megan to Hugo, but another, taller boy caught her attention, and she straightened up a little as he walked towards her. So, too, did Hugo, who let go of Megan's hand to go and stand by his sister.

"Malfoy," he said calmly, looking up at the tall, blond-haired boy in front of him.

"Good morning, Hugo," Scorpius Malfoy said, emphasising his use of the fifteen year old's first name. "I trust you're well?"

"As well as I could be."

"Excellent. Well, if you don't mind, your sister and I need to be up the front of the train. Head Boy and Girl, you know the drill." Scorpius offered his arm to Rose, who, with a glance at Hugo, who nodded almost imperceptibly, placed her hand on his forearm and walked off with him. The younger boy remained where he was, carefully watching the two seventeen year olds' body language. They didn't seem to be fighting... yet.

"Relax," a voice came from behind him, and he twisted his head to see Megan there, one arm around his waist. "Scorpius isn't half as bad as you think he is. You just make him out to be worse 'cause he's dating Rose. Really, though, you wouldn't mind him if he wasn't."

Hugo scoffed, watching Scorpius help Rose up onto the train, then turned away abruptly, taking Megan's hand again. "Who cares about those two?" he asked, swinging her hand and heading for his parents. "Clearly, we're the better couple anyway."

He said his goodbyes to his parents, who in turn said their hellos to Megan, and then the pair of them boarded the train, entering a compartment where Lily and Louis already sat.

"Who are this year's Gryffindor prefects?" Hugo asked, realising they comprised forty percent of the fifth-year Gryffindor students, and none of them were prefects.

"Kate Longbottom and Cameron Finch-Fletchley," Louis said, casting a meaningful look at Hugo. "Cam; that's a bit of a weird choice, don't you think?"

"Eh, I don't know... my dad was one in his time, you know. Both Mum and Dad were, actually."

"Your mum and dad are waving," Lily observed, and Hugo darted over to peer out the window beside her.

"So are yours."

"Where are your parents, Meg?" Louis asked, sitting on the table and stretching his legs out in front of him.

"Dad's busy working and Mum's with her sister, whose got some terrible case of dragonpox. So Mark and I just came down here by ourselves this year - I don't think Mark really minded."

"Where is Mark?" Louis mused.

"Somewhere."

"Be thankful it's not here," Hugo grumbled.

"That's my brother you're talking about, there," Megan said, throwing him a look.

"Yeah, the same brother that told me he'd cut my throat if I ever hurt you. When I was twelve."

"So," Megan shrugged, "he didn't mean it. Besides. It's just like you and Rose and Scorp. Brothers will be brothers."

Hugo didn't grace this with an answer, instead waving to his parents until the train creaked into motion, where he climbed off the table and sat down, resting his feet on it. Once the train had rounded the corner, Lily sat down opposite Hugo, and Megan, giving up on waiting for Hugo to reply, sat down next to him, opposite Louis. The train kicked into a steady motion, and then they were off, to their fifth year at Hogwarts. Who knew what it held? Certainly not them, that was for sure.