I don't own Hogwarts, nor quite a lot of the characters

Chapter 1

'Melody!'

Melody Boot stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on her bed and had been deep asleep for the last few hours. A glance at her watch told her it was ten o'clock. She wanted to close her eyes, but her mother called again. 'Melody!'

'What?' yelled Melody, slightly angry. She'd been having a wonderful dream, but couldn't remember what it'd been about.

'You have to get up, or we'll be late! It's September the first, remember?'

Melody's eyes widened. 'No way,' she whispered. She jumped out of bed and pulled on her jeans and t-shirt. She looked round her small, untidy room, to see if she'd packed everything. Books were lying sprawled out on the ground. Only her favourite books were lying neatly on a pile on her bedside table. These books included Percy Jackson, A Series of Unfortunate Events and His Dark Materials. Melody loved fantasy books above all others.

Every square inch of her wall was covered in posters of Melody's favourite rock bands, making it impossible to make out the colour of the wall. Melody stared at them fondly, wishing she'd be able to listen to music at Hogwarts.

Melody looked at her favourite books in doubt, then decided to take them with her after all. She quickly put them in her suitcase, having to use her strength to be able to close the zipper. Then she grabbed her suitcase and left her room. Today she would be going to Hogwarts! Finally, she'd be able to learn magic.

Grinning widely, Melody entered the kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table, having breakfast. Her dad, Terry, had brown hair and blue eyes twinkling behind his square glasses. He was a small, skinny man and like Melody, he loved reading. At the moment, he was reading the Daily Prophet.
Melody sat down. 'Morning,' she said.

'Look who's there!' said her father happily, putting his newspaper away. 'Our daughter – who's going to Hogwarts today!'

'Shut up, dad,' Melody said, but she grinned.

'What can I get you, dear?' her mother, Mandy, asked. Mandy was like an older version of Melody, with black hair and green eyes. She was quite tall, and skinny like her husband.

'Toast, please,' Melody answered.

'Are we going to be on time?' Terry asked, worried. 'The train leaves at eleven, and it's ten past ten now.'

'How're we going there anyway?' asked Melody.

'We're going to Apparate,' said her mother.

'I can't Apparate yet! I'm only eleven!'

'We can,' her father said. 'Don't worry.'

Melody grimaced. Her father had taken her with him while Apparating once before, and it hadn't been pleasant. She hoped it would be better this time.

Unfortunately, Apparating felt just as bad as it did the previous time. As Melody and her parents arrived at King's Cross, she nearly threw up.

'Are you all right, dear?' asked her mother, worried.

'I'm fine,' answered Melody weakly. The Muggles on the platform looked at her suspiciously, not only because of her face which had become slightly green, but also because of the trolley she was pushing forward. The suitcase didn't look too strange, but her brown owl Larry did. It's a wonder they don't realise something's going on, Melody thought. Loads of people with owls must have arrived on this platform today.

'Merlin's beard!' Terry called out suddenly. 'Look at the clock!'

Melody looked at it and gasped. 'It's eleven o'clock! I'm too late!' She started running towards the barrier between platform nine and ten. When she reached the barrier, she closed her eyes, half expecting to bang her head, but it didn't happen. Opening her eyes again, she saw she'd arrived at the platform. And the train was still there! It was a scarlet steam engine. Steam was drifting in every direction, over the heads of the people left on the platform. Quickly, Melody got on board the train, carrying her suitcase.

'That was close, dear,' a man who was standing in the doorway of the train noted.

'I know,' Melody said, panting. She looked towards the platform, and saw her parents grinning proudly and waving at her. She waved back.

The platform was packed with people like her parents, wearing wizard robes and waving at their departing children. Some of them had tears in their eyes. Melody suddenly realised she wouldn't see her parents for a long time. She'd never been away from her parents for such a long time, and it made her feel slightly lonely. But she shook her head. She was going to have a great time at Hogwarts, and she'd see her parents again in the Christmas holidays. Nothing to worry about.

As the train started to leave, Melody began walking through the corridor, but all the compartments were full. She saw boys and girls her age talking enthusiastically and showing off their wands.

'The wandmaker said mine was really special!' a glassed boy said happily.

'I got my mother's,' another boy said unhappily. 'She couldn't afford a new wand… I hope it works for me…'
Making sure her wand was safely in her pocket, Melody walked further until she reached the end of the corridor. She wanted to turn back when a door of one of the compartments slid open. 'You can sit with us, if you want,' said the red-haired boy standing in the doorway.

'Thanks,' said Melody, feeling relieved. She followed the boy into the compartment and sat down next to the window. She placed her suitcase in front of her feet and her owl's cage next to it.

The compartment was really big: bigger than you'd think possible from the outside.

Except for the red-haired boy, there was one other person in the compartment: a girl, also having red hair. 'Are you related?' asked Melody. Only after she'd said it, she realized it might sound rude. But the boy and girl laughed.
'We are,' said the boy. 'She's my cousin. I'm Hugo Weasley.' He offered her his hand, and she took it.

'And I'm Lily Potter,' said the girl.

'Potter,' Melody repeated.

'Yeah, she's Harry Potter's daughter, blah blah, she gets that all the time,' Hugo grinned. 'So who're you?'

'I'm Melody Boot,' she answered.

'Hugo and I were just discussing the Houses,' said Lily.

'Yeah, I reckon I'll be in Gryffindor,' Hugo said proudly. 'My whole family was in Gryffindor. What House d'you think you're going to be in?'

'I dunno. My dad was a Ravenclaw, and my mum's a Muggle… I guess everything is possible. One's not necessarily in the House your family was in, right?'

'True,' Hugo admitted. 'But often, family members are in the same House. I definitely hope I'll be in Gryffindor.'

'You know, Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad,' said Lily.

'Slytherin though…' Hugo pulled a face.

'Hugo! Seriously, there's nothing wrong with Slytherin! You may think all Slytherins are dark wizards, but they're not! They're ambitious, that's what Slytherin is.'

'Well, then I don't want to be ambitious.' Hugo changed the subject. 'What's your favourite Quidditch team?' he asked Melody.

'Oh, I don't care for Quidditch too much,' she admitted. 'I don't really like sports – I prefer reading.'

'What? That's impossible!' exclaimed Hugo.

'No, it isn't!'

'How can you like books and dislike Quidditch?'

'I don't like spell books or something,' Melody hastily said. 'Fantasy books are my favourites.'

'You're still strange.'

'Thanks.'

They kept talking for a while, discussing Hogwarts, until there was a knock on the compartment door, and it opened. 'D'you want to have something from the trolley?' an old lady with grey hair asked. In front of her was a trolley full with all kinds of colourful sweets, some of which Melody had never seen before, even though she'd grown up as a witch.

'Yes, please,' said Melody, getting up. She looked at all the sweets on the trolley and felt her mouth watering. 'D'you guys want anything?' she asked.

'Everything's better than sandwiches with corned beef,' said Hugo. 'I wish my dad had made my sandwiches – he'd understand I don't like it!' He frowned. 'But I don't have all that much money…'

'Don't worry, it's on me,' said Melody, ordering all different kinds of sweets and handing the lady money.

'You can't–'

'Oh yes, I can. Watch me.' She threw the sweets onto the empty seat next to her, as the trolley lady disappeared. 'Take whatever you want.'

Hugo considered, clearly not wanting to eat sweets Melody bought, but finally, unable to resist the temptation, he took a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Lily picked up a Chocolate Frog, unwrapped it and quickly stuffed the frog into her mouth before it could wrench itself from her grip. She examined her Famous Witches and Wizard's card. 'Gwodric Gwyffindor,' she said, her mouth full.

'I cwan't underswand you,' said Hugo. Melody wasn't sure whether he was joking or not.

When all of them were full, they decided to change into their Hogwarts robes. 'Now I feel like a wizard,' Hugo said happily. Melody silently agreed with him, feeling happier than ever before.

'I can't wait to see Hagrid again!' said Hugo brightly.

'Who's Hagrid?' asked Melody.

'A half-giant.' He chuckled at the look on Melody's face. 'Don't worry, he's a friendly one. Good friend of my family – visits us regularly. He's gamekeeper of Hogwarts.'

'And there's Neville,' said Lily brightly.

'You mean Professor Longbottom,' Hugo corrected.

'You know a professor?' asked Melody, impressed.

'Yeah, he's our Herbology teacher,' said Hugo proudly. 'A good one, too. And he fought in the Second Wizarding War!'

'Wicked,' Melody said.

At that moment, a boy and a girl entered their compartment. They sat down. 'Hey, bro!' the boy said. He had black, untidy hair and green eyes.

'Hey, Al,' smiled Lily. She turned to Melody. 'This is my brother, Albus,' she explained. 'He's a third-year.'

'Nice meeting you,' said Melody, shaking Albus's hand. 'I'm Melody.'

'And this is my sister, Rose, also a third-year,' grinned Hugo.

'Wow,' Melody said. 'You don't look like family.'

'You'd expect me to have red hair, like Hugo, wouldn't you?' Rose smiles. 'But no, I got my mother's hair. Brown and bushy.'

'Have you got any brothers or sisters, Melody?' asked Hugo.

'No,' said Melody sadly. 'I wish.'

'Brothers can be very annoying,' said Lily wisely.

'Oi!' said Al, but he was grinning. 'I have to admit, James can be terrible.'

'He's my oldest brother,' explained Lily. 'He's a fourth-year, and a jerk.'

'He's funny,' said Hugo.

'You wouldn't say that if he put a spider in your bed in the middle of the night,' said Albus.

'Wh-what? A spider?'

The others laughed. 'Hugo's afraid of spiders,' grinned Lily.

'Oh, shut up,' said Hugo, his ears red.

'You're just like you're father,' said Rose.

'He's your father, too.'

'Yeah, but I don't mind spiders.'

'No, because you're perfect, aren't you?' said Hugo irritably.

'Well, we'll be going,' said Albus, opening the compartment door and entering the corridor. 'Just wanted to make sure you were okay.'

'By the way,' said Rose, following her cousin. 'We're almost at Hogwarts.' She closed the door.

And she was right. After thirty minutes, the train stopped moving and together with Hugo and Lily, Melody stepped outside. She looked up at the castle in wonder. 'It's huge,' she muttered.

'Isn't it?' Hugo grinned, looking up too, his mouth slightly open in surprise.

'Firs'-years, come with me! C'mon!' a really tall, bearded man shouted. Melody looked up at him. This had to be Hagrid. Hagrid grinned down at Hugo and Lily. 'How're yeh, Hugo, Lily?'

'Fine, Hagrid!' shouted Lily.

'Excited, righ'? Yeh don' need ter worry!' Hagrid assured them.

'Hagrid must be old, though,' said Hugo conversationally. 'He was already gamekeeper when dad was at Hogwarts!'

'I heard tha',' said Hagrid, but he was smiling. 'C'mon, firs'-years, into the boats! No more'n four to a boat!'

The three of them got into one boat, and sailed off across the lake, towards the large castle that they would soon be calling home.

Please review so I'll know if I should continue writing about Melody (: