[A/N] As stated in the summary, this is the sequel to Dream Catch Me When I Fall, which you can read here:

.net/s/5183966/1/Dream_Catch_Me_When_I_Fall

This story can, however, be read on its own, but I would advise reading Dream Catch Me first so you don't get confused. I think I explained everything well enough, though, for you to read this without having read the prequel. Enjoy.

"The post is here!" James Potter yelled, clambering down the stairs and pushing his brother, Albus, out the way as he reached the bottom. Lily, who was the youngest of the three Potter children and who had turned fifteen the previous week, was behind James; and together the two redheads raced into the kitchen, Albus not far behind.

The three siblings were all excited for the incoming Hogwarts post for different reasons: Lily was eager to find out who had been made Prefect - though she doubted it would be her; she had caused way too much mischief in the four years she had already been at Hogwarts with a varying mixture of James, Lysander and the Weasley twins, all of whom had left the previous year; Albus had his OWL results due; and James, having just finished seventh-year, was anxiously awaiting his NEWT grades, which would determine which career, if any, he would pursue next year.

He had already dove headfirst into a part-time job at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, his uncle's shop, with a Ravenclaw boy of his age called Maxwell Fawcett; Lysander Scamander, James's best friend and Lily's boyfriend, had immediately applied for a post at the Ministry, and until his own results came he was forced to follow his potential bosses in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, running errands and delivering coffee; and Fred and Roxanne, the dreaded Weasley twins who had caused more mayhem than anybody at Hogwarts put together yet still somehow managed to outperform the entire year in their NEWTs, had turned down every offer they had received from business-owners and were spending their summer with Louis Weasley and Lorcan Scamander – who had been expelled two years ago due to a rather memorable incident with a mandrake, a Muggle chainsaw and a suspicious looking onion – lounging around Shell Cottage, scheming pranks and playing the occasional game of Quidditch. Dominique had returned to Beauxbatons to take her exams herself, and was set to come back from France today to be with her family for the last few weeks of the summer holidays; and Frederick Poliakoff had not been seen or heard from since term ended, though he and his two fellow champions had all exchanged addresses with promises to write. James privately suspected he was so ashamed at losing the Triwizard Tournament he had gone and committed suicide, a theory that had made Lily laugh and Albus frown.

"You shouldn't make jokes about that," Albus had said, in the sort of patronising voice that was extremely common from their cousin, and mutual close friend, Rose.

James had replied with a simple move - a small push of his brother down the stairs. Albus's arm had since mended, but he still bore the memory of the awful event. Lily had thought it hilarious when she found out, but at least their cousin Rose sympathised.

"All right, Jamie, calm down!" said their father, who had just entered the room with Ginny, his jet black hair sticking up at all angles. "Oh, Lily, your Auntie Fleur says she'll pick you up later to take you shopping with Victoire and Dominique. A late birthday present of sorts."

Lily cheered loudly, the excitement of the incoming mail and a day out with her cousins and aunt wreaking havoc on her sense of maturity.

"Oh goodie," she beamed, turning away from her father to look back out of the window with James. "It's the mail!" she yelled at once, as three large tawny owls came into view. "Don't just stand there, Albus, open the window!"

Once Albus had successfully opened the window - a manoeuvre that was rather difficult nowadays due to all the extra 'security measures' on it that, according to their father, were there to stop Death Eaters coming in but, as the three children had rightly guessed, were actually there to prevent James from sneaking out in the dead of night to play Quidditch in the large garden without his brother or parents to nag at him about flying too high - the three owls swooped in and perched on the edge of the dining table.

"James," said Harry, who had reached the owls first, "the middle one's for you - here -" he handed his eldest son a thick envelope "- and you two - they're yours."

The three siblings tore their post open eagerly, the three owls disappearing back out of the window, which Harry quickly locked.

There was a subdued silence as the three of them scanned their letters; Albus looked like he was having a heart failure whereas James seemed close to laughing hysterically.

"Failed everything," the latter said cheerily, waving his parchment in his father's face. Ginny choked, staring at her eldest son, horrified. "Only joking, Mum ... I got an 'Acceptable' in Charms, though, which isn't too bad, considering ..." The brief image of him turning his own hair blue flashed across James's mind, but he pushed it away quickly. "How did you do, Al?"

Albus swallowed, looking close to tears from behind his glasses, something all three of them wore.

"I failed Defence," he whispered, staring at his father for his reaction. But Harry just smiled - he knew his middle child was not the carbon copy of himself, no matter what he looked like or what people commented when they passed the Potters in the street.

"That's fine," he said, and Albus visibly cheered up.

"Other than that," said Albus, "I passed. Isn't that great?"

James grinned, being surprisingly nice to his brother due to the euphoria of passing his NEWT examinations, and slapped Albus on the back. Ginny nodded, pulling both of her sons into a tight hug.

"Well, we'd better go and tell the others," she said fondly. "You two go and get dressed. James, wait for your sister – Lily?"

Ginny stopped, looking back at her daughter, who had her back to them and had not said a word since the owls had come. James also paused, throwing an arm out to stop Albus too. Harry swallowed.

"Lily?" he said cautiously. "Are you all right?"

Lily didn't make any sign that she had heard him; instead she stayed as silent and as unmoving as she was before.

"Lee?" tried James, taking a step forward to his sister.

But Lily had at last turned, and she had a very strange look on her face as she looked at her family. In her hand she clutched the parchment letter and new booklist she had received from Hogwarts.

"Fifth-year Prefects," she read aloud in an unusually high voice. "Slytherin: Olivia Reynolds and Jonny Watson ... Hufflepuff: Cedric Davies and Natalie Kendrick ... Ravenclaw: Hannah Goldstein and John Kemp ... And Gryffindor ..."

"Gryffindor?" Albus prompted.

Lily didn't say anything, just held out her open palm to her family. Ginny shrieked.

"Prefect!" she screamed, throwing her arms around her only daughter, knocking the small red and gold badge onto the floor in the process.

"Well done!" yelled Albus, slapping his father a high five. "I can't believe it - you're finally following in my footsteps!"

Lily glared at him, releasing herself from her mother's grasp.

"Just because I'm a - a - a Pre - Pr - one of those -" she pointed at the badge, which Ginny hastily picked up "- does not mean I'm going to be like you."

Albus laughed, catching the well-disguised humour in his sister's speech. Lily turned to James.

"Jamie?" she said softly, looking at her eldest brother, who was well-known for skirting around responsibility and had had a nasty habit of co-plotting the downfall of the Prefects with his friends.

"Congratulations," he said in an odd voice, but after a moment's painful silence his face split into a wide grin. "Holy Voldemort, Lee, you're a Prefect? I wish I was going back to Hogwarts next year to see you wreak havoc on the Slytherins ..." He winked at Lily, who saluted proudly.

"Is Hugo, you know, a Prefect?" asked Albus as an afterthought.

"Er," said Lily, grinning mischievously, "about that ..."

"YOU'RE A PREFECT?" yelled Hugo, staring at his cousin in horror. "YOU? MCGONAGALL MADE YOU A PREFECT?"

Lily glared at him. Hugo Weasley's face was flushed; his usually perfect appearance was tarnished by his uncombed hair and hastily put-on robes. Rose, on the other hand, seemed to have acquired her brother's obsessively neat nature over the summer: as Lily opened the door wider to let the two siblings in, Rose patronisingly straightened the pile of envelopes that were sitting on a cabinet by the door.

"Yes, me," Lily snapped, turning to her favourite cousin. "How did you do on your OWLs?"

"'Outstanding' in everything, thanks," Rose beamed, tucking a long strand of her bushy red hair behind her ear. But Hugo wasn't finished yet.

"Why do you get to be a Prefect?" he cried, throwing his hands up into the air with outrage. "I'm not a Prefect, but I'm so much more well behaved than you … I don't believe this!" He stormed through the hallway and into the living room, furiously slamming the door behind him as he went.

The trio were in Shell Cottage, awaiting the return of Dominique and Fleur, who were on the train home from France and would be back any minute. Louis, the youngest child of Bill and Fleur, was upstairs in his room being unusually quiet; Victoire, the eldest, was conversing loudly with her father in the kitchen. As the two girls lingered in the hallway they heard Hugo's voice join Victoire's soft one.

Rose and Hugo Weasley had arrived with their parents a good half hour ago; Rose bearing a warm hug and a particularly suspicious looking parcel for Lily which, in James's opinion, bore uncanny resemblance to a book. Hugo, on the other hand, had stormed into Shell Cottage as soon as Lily had first, foolishly, opened the door, ranting about 'Prefects' and 'behaviour' and the like.

"Sorry about him," sighed Rose, as the two girls followed in his footsteps and entered the living room. It was a closetlike room, but quite filled with light; the walls were obscured entirely by floor to ceiling bookshelves, broken up by delicate, springtime green curtains on the windows.
The two girls sat down opposite each other on armchairs by the long window. Rose sighed and folded her arms across her chest, staring around her with vague interest. "He's been like this all week."

Lily shrugged, finding the fact that Hugo was annoyed to be a rather funny experience, but was saved from responding to her cousin by a sharp rap on the door.

"I'll get it," she said in place of a reply, but Rose followed her out to the entrance to greet the newcomers. Lily opened the door.

"Bonsoir! 'Appy late birthday, Leely!" Dominique cried, bending down to kiss her cousin on the cheek. Her thin wrists jangled with sets of bracelets and she carried a bulging blue bag over her shoulder. She still had a few scars on her face from when she took part in the Triwizard Tournament last year; but other than that she looked happier than ever. Her mother Fleur, who was behind her, lightly shooed her through the door.

Lily stepped back to let the two women in.

"How were your exams?" she said politely, holding her arms out for Dominique's coat.

"'Orrific," said Dominique throatily. "I almost did not pass – but –" she held out a piece of crumpled parchment to Lily, who put the coat down on a stand and took it.

"Horrific?" echoed Lily, showing Rose Dominique's results. "Nikki, you passed everything with flying colours!"

"Flying colours?" repeated Dominique, wrinkling her nose; but she didn't wait for an answer, instead pulled Rose into a tight hug as her mother shut the door behind her and called up the stairs for Louis, muttering to herself about her middle child's success in the Triwizard Tournament which was, at any rate, in stark contrast to the rare achievements her son had ever had.