Author's Note: Hello readers! Before you start reading, a quick note from me. I realise I have another story up and waiting, and I have every intention to continue that. My life has been very busy lately; I graduated university and started on my new job, so that took up all of my energy for a while. Meanwhile, characters and ideas continue to 'live' in my head, so I can't help express them sooner or later :)

This story: follows along the lines of my other stories (Heart's Betrayal, and Behind Closed Doors: A Portrait of the Malfoy Family), which means that I've taken a liberty or two to change canon events. The main character of this story is Zara, daughter of Harry and Lucia (Malfoy, now Potter). The aforementioned stories will mention all of their story if you're confused about their match.

The twins: Are new , and entirely un-canon as well. For now I think the story will explain enough of who they are, and where they come from, will add more info on that in the chapters to come. I am considering writing a one-shot on their mother, and their father.

I'm not entirely sure just yet where the story will bring us, but my mind has plenty of ideas, and in the spirit of creative writing I've decided to let them run their course. Not entirely; I remain, as always, a devoted control freak :P

Last thing said: This is my first serious next generation story, and I"m a little scared on updating it! I hope you will enjoy it, and drop me a review if you do (or even if you don't). Reviews are a girl's best friend :D (and diamonds, don't rule out diamonds).

~AnnaChase

Full Circle: The Next Generation

Our story is over, though in its end lies its beginning.
-Sally Gardner: The Red Necklace

Chapter One

People always made such a fuss of coming of age. Ever since she was sixteen, Zara had heard grand stories of the amount of life-changing events that would occur when she would turn seventeen and, according to Wizarding World standards, become a legal adult. People made it seem like life would change overnight, only because she would be legally allowed to apparate and vote. And drink, the most important thing according to two of her friends; the mischievous twins Stella and Sebastian. A few hours into reaching the magical age of seventeen, Zara could safely conclude she did not feel much different. There was the giddy sensation that came with being the birthday girl, but even that seemed to decrease each year; when maturity neared, the intense joys of childhood became more and more unfamiliar.

Safely assured she was still the same girl she had been yesterday, Zara climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. She had been up early for a quick solo practice on the Quidditch field; the final match before the summer was nearing and the team could use every ounce of luck on their side. Last year the Quidditch cup had slipped through their fingers by a five-point difference. Slytherin's victory was still rubbed in their faces quite often, so the Gryffindor team was more than determined to beat Ravenclaw and restore the respect for their team once more. As she climbed through the portrait of the Fat Lady after muttering the password –Garden Gnome-, Zara allowed herself a few moments of glorious daydreaming in which she caught the Snitch at the most crucial of moments. Like her father and grandfather had done so often: Harry and James Potter had been seekers also. She had some very large shoes to fill in that regard.

"There's the birthday girl!"

Zara looked up to see her three best friends waiting for her on the sofa by the window, accompanied by a large pile of gifts and birthday cards.

"We took the liberty of collecting everything the owls dropped off during breakfast," grinned Teddy Lupin after they had all taken turns of wishing Zara a happy birthday. They were joined briefly by Felicia, Zara's twelve year old little sister. She was in second year, and after dropping off a gift she hurried back to her little friends. The second-year students giggled excitedly; it was clearly a big thing for them to associate with sixth-years.

"Good harvest this year, I'd say," piped up Sebastian Black. He ran a hand through his black curls with an air of nonchalance. Zara had met him and his twin sister Stella on their very first day at Hogwarts. Even then they had been a remarkable appearance. Confident, even as eleven-year olds, that the team the pair of them made could handle anything and everything that came their way. They were still like that. Many of the younger students that did not know them thought them intimidating with their quick-witted humour and sharp tongue, but nothing was less true. There was a deep sense of loyalty beneath the surface, and Zara was more than glad to be able to experience that. The name Black had rang a bell when they first met, as it would always be a name connected to many famous and infamous bearers in the Wizarding World. Only later their story had come out in the open, identifying them as the children of none other than Sirius Black, conceived in an affair of his during the war, too close to his untimely death for him to have ever known of the twins' existence. Zara and the twins had been close friends ever since, forming a quartet with Teddy Lupin, whom Zara had known since birth. The two of them were second cousins , but if anything he felt more like a brother. Teddy's parents had died in the Battle of Hogwarts when he was just a baby, leaving him in the care of his maternal grandmother Andromeda Tonks. She had passed away now three years ago. As Teddy was Zara's father's godson, it was only natural he should move in with the Potters. Their family timeline was all rather complicated; Zara did not like explaining it to outsiders.

"Here, start with ours," Stella handed her friend a small, silver parcel.

"It was my idea," said Sebastian.

"But I paid for it," his sister quickly added, causing Zara to grin as she started unwrapping the gift. It contained a little box, which revealed a set of four tickets to see their favourite Quidditch team, the Cannons, the upcoming summer.

"Oh wow, this is really great!" Zara gasped in delight. "Thanks so much, guys!"

"Yes, I will gladly sacrifice my free Saturday for a bit of group bonding," Stella said. "Provided there's Butterbeer I think I'll survive."

"Let's not mention your major crush on their new seeker," Zara chuckled, carefully putting the tickets on the side table.

"It helps," Stella snorted.

"My gift is a little less spectacular," Teddy handed Zara a rectangular-shaped gift in red wrapping paper. It was heavy, too, leaving little guess to what was inside.

"But not less valuable!" Zara grinned as she revealed its contents: a new, leather-bound copy of Guide to Keeping a Broom Ready for Use: 101 Tips to Tend to your Nimbus 5000. "Thanks, Ted, it'll help get us ready for the match against Ravenclaw," she beamed.

As always, a pile of gifts held much more appeal to teenagers than a pile of letters, so the presents were unwrapped before Zara could start on the birthday cards. She looked through them quickly, recognising her mother's handwriting on one envelope, and her uncle Draco's on the next. She also spotted the handwriting of her friend Victoire Weasley, who attended Beauxbatons. The last envelope on the pile brought a frown to her features; it was sealed with the Malfoy family crest. She only knew one couple who sent their post sealed in such an old-fashioned, pretentious manner.

"Who's that one from?" Stella inquired curiously, noticing her friend's hesitation. She sat admiring the golden watch Zara had received from her parents: the traditional gift in the Wizarding World for one coming of age.

"I guess my grandparents," Zara replied, still hesitating. She could not remember the last time her maternal grandparents had sent a letter privately addressed to her.

"You mean the grandparents your boggart would turn into?" Sebastian grinned, peeking over Zara's shoulder.

"Don't be ridiculous," Zara snorted. "Although my mum's might. Last time they came over to our house she attempted to serve them tea. The tray she charmed to float fell into a thousand pieces."

"I didn't even know they came over," Sebastian said.

"I could count the times they did on one hand. Even if I had fingers missing," Zara admitted, finally breaking the seal to open the letter. The fresh parchment contained her grandmother's elegant handwriting. Her frown deepened when she quickly skimmed over its content.

Dear Zara,

First of all your grandfather and I write to send you a very happy birthday! Coming of age is such a joyous occasion; we hope this year will bring you all the wisdom life requires of a young lady growing up in present times.

Additionally we hope you shall delight in hearing that in honour of our eldest grandchild coming of age, we intend to restore a long-lasting tradition of the Wizarding World: the annual hosting of Cotillion; a coming of age ball. A perfect occasion for young girls to be properly introduced to society. The ball will be held in the first weekend after the start of your summer holidays. While invitations will only be sent to a select company, we will of course allow you to bring a handful of your best friends- provided you choose them wisely. More details will follow in the weeks to come; we hope you shall be as honoured as we are to share this event with us.

Love,

Your Grandmother,
Narcissa Malfoy

"What is she on about?" Zara wondered, quickly laying the letter aside. But her friends would not let it go that easily. Sebastian seemed barely recovering from a laughing fit.

"Not a clue," he roared with laughter. " 'Stopped reading at the word "lady". I mean, has she seen you on a broomstick?"

"Thanks a lot," Zara shook her head in disbelief, smiling at her friends' response.

"Well, I'm all for it," Stella quickly interfered. "Who doesn't love a chance to dress up and enjoy a night of dancing?"

"Me," both Zara and Teddy replied in unison. Zara had never belonged to the typical 'girly-girls'. She had always preferred Quidditch to dancing and dolls, and dresses were highly unpractical in her opinion. Sometimes it was hard to believe she and Stella could be such good friends, as opposite as they were.

"I can see the benefit of it," Sebastian said, once recovered from his laughing fit. "Many girls looking their best. Yea, I would survive such a night."

"You know the sort of girls they would want to include, right?" Teddy said. "Zara's grandparents aren't likely to invite any other Gryffindors, or even Hufflepuffs. The occasional Ravenclaw is all you could hope for, but it's most likely to be an all-Slytherin event. With a history of Pureblood ancestry".

"Thanks, Mr Bookworm," Sebastian grinned. "I stand by the phrase: girls are girls".

"Provided you're invited," Stella reminded her brother. "A select company of wisely chosen friends, say the grandfolks. I wonder how suitable you come across to these girls' mothers".

No girl was safe for Sebastian's charming manners and amorous skills. Except Zara: she considered Sebastian no more love-material than she did Teddy. He seemed to be more into the high heels and make-up sort of girls, anyway, so she was safe there.

"Trust me, if I lose my mind enough to attend such a party, you're all invited, " Zara assured them. "I wonder if my parents know about all this."

Assured that even if they did, they would side with her, she opened the letter that she had recognised to be from her parents.

Dear Zara,

A very happy birthday from us all! We hope you have a lovely day at school with your friends and Felicia. We also hope the gift is to your liking: your father and I selected it together, when we saw it we just knew it was meant to be yours! Summer holidays won't be long now; when you come home we will be sure to celebrate your birthday properly. For now we hope you are healthy and in good spirits. Don't forget to study hard for your upcoming exams: sixth-year finals are a good preparation for your NEWTs next year.

Good luck and love,

Mum and dad

PS: The drawing included is Anna's; she couldn't wait to draw something in honour of her big sister's birthday!

Zara paused to take the other attachment from the envelope; a colourful page full of scratches and blurry lines that left no doubt it was the work of her three-year old little sister.

PPS: We understand your grandparents have the idea of hosting a ball in the honour of your birthday. Your father urges me to write he does not at all sympathise with an event that so clearly brings back old ideas of Pureblood supremacy. We leave the choice to decide with you, but know you owe them absolutely nothing. If you don't feel up to the event, we will inform your grandparents the idea is to be cancelled and I assure you no further words will be spoken on the matter.

"Well, that's a relief," Zara spoke up once she finished reading the letter. "Now we can turn our mind to more important matters at hand."

'Yes, indeed," Teddy smiled smugly, picking up from the table a very long essay in History of Magic. "This is going to need quite some work."

Both the twins groaned in response to even the thought of homework. Normally Zara would have joined them in that, but today she was glad the topic was over and done with. She had never had the sort of relationship with her grandparents that other kids had. And then she only had the one set; her father's parents had been dead long before she was even born. They didn't see them very often, but she could not remember ever having felt enthusiastic when they went to visit grandfather and grandmother Malfoy. When she was younger, she had even felt rather frightened when her grandfather turned his grumpy, discontent gaze in her direction. Any conflicts involving them she gladly left up to her parents.

The birthday passed relatively calm otherwise. Zara enjoyed the presents and cards, and in the afternoon Sebastian surprised them with a grand selection from the stock of Honeydukes. The secret passageways were well known to them, and it being their sixth year the four of them had had enough practise trying them all out. The Marauders map Zara got from her father was a great help with that; it had never failed them yet. Unfortunately they were also bothered by the upcoming exams. Zara preferred to procrastinate, like the rest of the students, but her mother's reminder had made that harder. She had always toyed with the idea of becoming an Auror, like her father, but only since a year or so it had become a serious plan. She would need a lot of NEWTs to be able to get in the program, though, and NEWTs needed more than a little preparation the year in advance. She wasn't a bookworm like Teddy, but compared to the twins she was a real study head. She couldn't remember ever seeing either Stella or Sebastian taking their homework seriously. The week after her birthday she was preparing herself for a long day of cramming, when the twins joined her in the common room, looking like studying was the last thing on their mind.

"Lovely day to sneak out for some proper sunbathing, what do you think?" Sebastian suggested, dropping into one of the armchairs. He was followed by Teddy, who just came down from the boys' dormitory.

"Well yes. But there is the Potions essay," Teddy reminded them thoughtfully. Teddy wanted to become a Healer. Everyone envied the way how he could get top grades on a test with a minimum of studying, but Teddy never stopped taking things seriously.

"Screw the Potions essay. We can do it tonight, what do you say Potter?" he flashed a grin in Zara's direction. The sort of grin she could not really refuse.

"Actually, we can do it now!" said Stella, which caused the other three to stare at her in disbelief.

"Do mine ears deceive me?" Sebastian said, which caused his sister to toss a chocolate frog –which he caught without too much trouble, and bit off the head- in his direction.

"We can do the stupid homework now, and have fun tonight," she explained. "This is where we're going," she handed her friends a copy of Witch Weekly. "Page six."

Zara caught the magazine's copy and skipped to the page recommended.

"A party in Hogsmeade?" she questioned. "Madame Rosmerta would spot us instantly, you'd think McGonagall would have put up 'Wanted: The Fearsome Foursome' posters with our pictures by now. Professor Longbottom let us off the hook last time we got caught trying out one of the passages, but how lucky do you reckon we'll be next time?"

"It's not at the Three Broomsticks, and it's not just 'some' party," Stella replied quickly. She clearly had her mind set on it. "It's at the Hyperion Bar, and it's a celebration of the Witch Weekly's spring season."

"And we want to crash some girl's gossip club because?" Sebastian was the last to get hold of the magazine announcing the party, and tapped it with his wand, until the paper folded itself into a paper bird, soaring across the room.

"Because you want to support your sister in her prospective career? This is –the- place to become acquainted with the sort of people that got out of the boring Ministry jobs that's all this world appears to offer. I told you a thousand times, my future lies beyond the academic perspective."

"So does mine, but if you think you can show up, flash a smile, and you're starring the cover next week, you're so wrong," Sebastian laughed. "These witches on the cover, they're all goody two shoes," he chuckled, catching the paper plane and revealing the blond model on the cover: a sweet-smiling girl; very different from Stella's appearance. She would fit, though, only in a different manner. While Stella did not possess the typical features described as beautiful, she had the sort of looks that commanded all heads to turn whenever she stepped into a room. As a child she had looked a little wild, with her dark and unruly curls, equally dark eyes, and insufferable behaviour. In a way she still had that now, only she had learned to control it to her advantage.

"We can go," Zara said, more impulsively than she normally was. She had remembered the Quidditch ticket the twins gave her; having a Butterbeer at some stupid party was the least she could grant her friend. And besides: with the summer holidays so close, rules weren't what they used to be. At least, not to the students.

The girls called the ruled this day, apparently, for they had less trouble convincing Sebastian, and even Teddy, that the party was worth attending. By the time most cramming students had gone up to their dormitories, the four gathered by the fireplace. Nights were cold still in late May, so they all had on their cloaks.

"Ready to take off?" Stella beamed. Zara knew that underneath the cloak what she wore a little less decent outfit. She herself had opted for a more safe option; a little black dress that was always suitable. While she preferred more comfortable clothes to a party dress, growing up with Lucia Malfoy for a mother had taught her more than a necessity or two about dress codes. While they all headed for the portrait to climb out, Zara lagged behind: a noise by the window caught her attention.

"Hang on," she called over her shoulder to the rest. Whilst she approach the window, she recognised the faint outline of an owl tapping its beak to be let in. Quickly she opened the window, only then noticing it was Merla, the Potters' white snowy family owl. She was clearly eager to drop off the letter she carried.

"Zara? What's going on?" Stella came back into the common room to see what was taking her friend so long. "The boys are waiting in the hallway."

Zara shook her head and untied the letter from the eager owl, recognising her mother's handwriting instantly when she opened it.

Dear Zara,

We received your reply earlier this week. The choice of attending the ball was and is all yours, and while I completely understand your refusal to take part in such an event, I'm afraid I must ask you to reconsider. As you know, your father and your grandparents will never see eye to eye, and such his dislike for the matter is obvious. However, now that some days have passed it strikes me more and more how very rare it is for my parents to reach out and attempt to strengthen their bonds with us. I felt I had to write and point this out to you, so that it may help you make a final decision. We will talk about it when you come home.

Love,

Mum

Zara sighed; she had made her final decision. She didn't want to have anything to do with her cold, disapproving grandparents and anything that went on in their pretentious world. Her mother had just managed to make her feel perfectly guilty about her refusal. She handed the letter to Stella.

"How do you reckon I'll look in a ball gown?"