Author's Note = Hello! This story will stick to events in the actual books and is based in the next generation. The first chapter will set the scene for the main plots but note that this story will get more serious and dramatic as it goes on so don't judge it until you've read a couple of chapters.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world belongs to J. K. Rowling. Not me (wishful thinking).

The young witch watched their legs swinging in time over the edge of the bridge and smiled, "Promise me that everything will be perfect for the rest of our lives."

James thought about it.

"That's a big ask," he said finally, leaning back on his hands. "You and me, and all the insanity of time and space? I don't think it possible."

"No," replied Cordelia, slightly melancholic. "When you're a kid, they tell you it's all: Grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid. And that's it." She looked at the boy beside her, "But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better."

They sat in silence, listening to the water and the feeling of nostalgia as they left a beautifully horrendous stage of their lives. Time passed, as they knew from experience and sometimes it wasn't kind, but when given moments like these - time was the saviour. Cordelia brightened suddenly, "But enough about the future, because right now all I really want is ice-cream … and lots of it."

"Alright, food for the princess," said James, jumping up and lending her a hand.

Cordelia sighed, "I told you, I'm not a princess."

"Just keep telling yourself that."

"I will."

Sixth Year

Cordelia Bode looked hassled yet excited the day she was to catch the train to Hogwarts. It was her sixth year and everything was going to be perfect. Admittedly, that morning hadn't been promising but you couldn't have everything, right?

In her mind, Kings Cross Station might have even been better than the particular platform she was headed to. It just had a sort of magic that could only be appreciated when one knew what the literal meaning of magic was. Stations are crossroads; where all kinds of people gather to then go their separate ways again. Yet, in those few minutes of close quarters, a connection is made. Not necessarily a bonding moment, but a rant-worthy story.

The barrier onto Platform 9 and 3/4 never ceased to amaze the young witch. How could something that seemed so solid defy all logic and allow people to walk through it like water. Keeping a sharp eye, Cordelia surreptitiously reached out her hand and followed it through the 'brick' wall onto the platform.

It was here that she finally let out the breath she had been holding in. She was here, she wasn't late - in fact ... she checked her watch, it read 10:23. What!? Early? Who had ever heard of such a ridiculous concept?

Clearly someone shared the same thoughts, "Cordelia? Is that you or is it some sort of hallucination."

The girl standing before her had chocolate curls piled stylishly on top of her head. With the added contrast of creamy skin, the effect made her very beautiful. Not so much now though because Ella Butterdown had something she wanted to say; therefore, her face was turning red with bottled up excitement.

"Wow. Nice to see you too," Cordelia replied in a flat voice.

"Oh, shush, you know I adore you, so where was I?" Ella inhaled, if one didn't know her, you'd think she was about to scream at you, but in actual fact it would be more like a slow motion scream, no volume, but just as terrifying.

So yeah, Cordelia didn't need to hear this.

"Nowhere. We were nowhere, because, er ... you need to tell me about your holidays. How was France?"

"Oh Cordelia it was the best," gushed Ella, making Cordelia regret every word she'd uttered, "I met this guy on holiday and he's amazing. I mean full on flowers and chocolate, the kind of guy that you just want to marry on the spot. So I kept waiting for the charmingness and romanticness to fade. But it didn't, and so then I was, like, so happy and we spent every second together, even though we were both meant to be on family holidays, we both found our families really annoying so it was, like, meant to be!" She finished with a big grin, throwing her hands into the air in glee.

"That's great, really," Ella's story wasn't too bad if compared to history. Cordelia hadn't heard anything that she didn't want to hear in play-by-play detail, so she could safely walk away without feeling the need to wipe her memory. Permanently. "So may I ask the identity of this said, suitor."

"I'll tell you once Bea and Hazel are here. It's going to be a big surprise," said Ella, craning her neck to see if their other friends had arrived yet; seeing Cordelia's suspicious face she added, "Don't worry honey, it's not a fifty-year-old man."

"Yeah, don't want to make that mistake again."

"That's not fair! He looked really young when I met him, it was just in the daylight ... "

"He looked like a troll. I'm not criticising, I just want to make sure he's not going to break your heart."

"Who's breaking whose heart?" questioned a small, curious voice from behind them.

"Hello, Bea. We were just talking about Ella's newest boy-toy." Said Cordelia to a new arrival, Beatrice Jordan. This girl was the opposite to Ella in every way. With blond hair, short stature, and blue eyes, Beatrice was not one to talk about herself. They were like yin and yang, balancing each other out to make best friends. Now, if only Hazel hurried herself up and got here (although Cordelia wasn't one to talk) it would be a complete two set piece.

Cordelia took this time to take in her surroundings. Half the school was yet to arrive so the platform had a nice buzz to it, but didn't have the added threat of being pushed in front of the giant metal killing machine. This was nice. A nice and relaxing way to begin the school ...

Of course. Nothing good could last.

The Potter-Weasley clan had arrived.

It wasn't that Cordelia had any problem with these people, how could you with their heroic qualities? It was just the two at the front who pushed Cordelia from calm to homicidal in about five seconds. They took their parents fame and used it to be something that was reminiscent to a bludger hitting a house elf (this actually happened, don't ask). Complete destruction throughout the halls of Hogwarts. How could such brave, lovely people spawn such wickedness?

"Why are you looking like you want to kick a puppy."

"Duh, because over the evil duo just arrived . . . HAZEL! It's you! I haven't seen you since June. How have things been?"

The curvy, dark girl responded, "Well, we just, sort of, did nothing I suppose . . . things have been improving and it was alright."

Cordelia felt a pang in her chest but didn't let it show. Hazel didn't want her sympathy. She was too proud.

They moved on to lighter topics then. Hazel told her about a particularly weird experience she had in a shopping centre, which included: a turnip, a pink stiletto and two men named Brent, and, in turn, Cordelia told of her holiday at the seaside. Beatrice and Ella may have balanced each other out, but Hazel and Cordelia had a friendship that stretched back since the time Hazel saved Cordelia from a couple of seventh-year boys, to whom she had ever so politely told 'stuff your ugly faces up your butts you light-eared baboons'. Through the years it had continued as thus, Hazel teaching Cordelia to pick her battles with idiots, and Cordelia teaching Hazel how to be not so cynical (a working progress). To this day, no one knew what a light-eared baboon was and how it had been transferred to Cordelia's eleven-year-old mouth, but that was the way she was. Open and light one minute, but if you make one pig-headed comment, BAM, and you've lost your right to a nose.

Muttering interrupted their light chatter and Cordelia sneakily leant her head back to eavesdrop on the snippets of Beatrice and Ella's conversation.

"No don't … she's fine."

"… first years?"

"Absolute idiot … Cordelia … explode."

These words may have been obscure, but after lots of practice, Cordelia didn't have to think hard about the source of their interest. Even the thought that Ella and Beatrice could hide what they were talking about was laughable.

"Where is he and what the bloody hell is he doing with first years?"

Beatrice gave her a sympathetic smile, "Cordelia, I know you find it your job to uphold your badge, but your efforts never work except to give them more fire, so maybe just try and ... I don't know ... shrug it off this year."

"Yeah, your face is like a tomato."

"Tell me, and I won't kill him I'll just lightly maim him." This was said with an innocent smile. Everyone in the vicinity cringed.

"No."

"Come on. Please."

"Do it for your face, Cordelia!" (That was Ella).

"Fine! I'll investigate myself, I don't need you rule-mongers anyway."

Cordelia turned away and began to systematically search the platform. 'Really,' she thought, 'I'm not that bad. Those two would drive any prefect up the wall if they hung around them long enough.' Her thoughts trailed off when her well-trained senses honed in on a head of messy black hair, and another head with black hair infused with light ginger.

"AHA!" Cordelia cried, moving towards them like a hunter stalking a rabbit. Unfortunately, her triumphant outburst meant she did not exactly have the surprise element she was relying on.

"Ms Bode, how nice of you to come and greet us. This is most welcome."

Cordelia gave them a foul look and opened her mouth to reprimand them.

"Oh, you got me, I can't hold it in. Here goes: My holidays were fantastic, thank you for asking. Fred and I went to visit Louis but he was off with some chick the whole time so we didn't really talk to him that much. But, who are we kidding? We don't need him. So we had a great time on our own, throwing things at old people for kicks, teaching swear words to handy children, picking up women who aren't dating our most boringest cousin, and basically setting our names in local legends to stay there forever." James Sirius Potter finished this off with a huge grin, as though saying, 'you've just been told the greatest and most riveting story of your life. Cherish this moment, peasant' She only got obscure details from her closest friends about their holidays, but when it came to people she couldn't care less about she was willingly told everything. The world worked in funny ways.

"That's absolutely fantastic for you both, how fun to go around spreading your charms and STD's. And, 'boringest', isn't a word."

"That's really quite lovely of you to agree, Bode. It's always nice to appreciate a beautiful summer by seeing your obsessive ways," replied Fred, happily.

"Anyway, we shouldn't be talking about us, Bode, how were your holidays." Another big grin.

Now, this was new. If there was one thing Cordelia knew about James Potter, he was not interested if the topic wasn't one of the following; Quidditch, himself, women, his family, or, of course, himself. This by consequence made him not the most interesting dinner companion.

Acting on her gut feeling, she looked behind them onto the train.

"YOU BASTARDS!"

Both boys flinched and looked accusingly at each other as though they had predicted this reaction.

"Now look here Bode-."

"Are you SERIOUS!" Cordelia was really angry now, her hazel eyes alight with shock, just looking at the scene in front of her made the otherwise peaceful morning turn into a typical day. "You can't train first years to do that!"

"It's not that bad. Calm down," said Fred, forever the dreamer.

"Calm down! CALM DOWN! You are the limit!"

Now you may be wondering what Cordelia was seeing. Well, standing in front of her were several first years, all neat and proper for their first day, writing rude statements on the seats of a compartment. Not just any compartment, however, the front ones where the teachers sat. Although, unless Cordelia's eyes deceived her, McGonagall's chair simply said, 'You are a teacher' Instead of, 'You are an (insert insulting word from the dark corners of the terrible twosome's brains)' It was comforting to know that the legendary Fred Weasley and James Potter still were sane enough to draw boundary's.

"It's character building!" said James indignantly, "How do you think they'd act if we just let them walk into Hogwarts without showing them a sliver of the reality?"

"What reality? Detention? I guess that would seem like the only real path to people who spend more time there than at lunch."

"But we have never skipped lunch. You have to congratulate us for that right?"

"No!" exclaimed Cordelia loudly. But before she could reprimand them properly she placed a tired hand on her head, allowing her blood pressure to return to normal. She had been through a stressful morning, an even worse weekend and she just couldn't do this today.

"Are you okay there?" This voice was welcome, even if not familiar, "Have these idiots worn you out?"

"No, I'm just trying to count the number of ways to decapitate someone," said Cordelia, stopping suddenly as she realised the origins of the voice. "Sorry oh my gosh sorry you're Ginny Potter wow I love you." Deep breath.

"Don't worry, I've had the exact same kind of thoughts. You're Cordelia Bode aren't you?" Cordelia nodded. Mrs. Potter looked at James disapprovingly. "Apologise mister."

"Mum, come on."

"I'm not fooling around. Apologise."

"Mum, please."

"Really James, I'd expect from the amount that you talk about her that she's very special to yo-"

"SPOONS!" James interrupted in a high-pitched voice. "FERMENTATION! BUTTERFLIES!"

Everyone stared at him as though he'd gone mad.

Maybe he had.

Cordelia shook it off, "It's okay, after five years I didn't really expect anything." She turned back to James and looked him firmly in the eye. "I cannot take house points yet, but you will both be having a detention sometime soon."

As she left she heard an angry hissing sound emanating from Ginny Potter, almost like a boiling kettle.

Cordelia found an empty, graffiti free, compartment and sat down, sighing. That was different. She'd just deflated out there. No curses thrown? Early for the train? First-year graffiti? What was the world coming to?

With a heavy sigh, Cordelia reached slightly under her collar and, checking no one was passing the compartment, took out a large pendant and rested it in her palm. Looking at it, she allowed the weight of her previous days and the responsibilities she'd been given to finally come to the front of her mind.

'Beautiful,' was the word she had used to describe it when her father had given it to her that morning. And it was, really. Gold circles with intricate detail, and supposedly very valuable. It was her responsibility to keep it safe and hidden now that her long-gone great-uncle's Gringotts' vault was no longer safe. But ... why? It was just a necklace. What would a couple of psychopaths want with accessories?

"Cordelia?" said a timid voice at the door.

Reacting to the soft sound, Cordelia quickly dropped the pendant back down her shirt and straightened up to greet the newcomer. Beatrice.

"Hey Bea, you don't look well, do you want to sit down?" asked Cordelia, concern in her voice. Bea was pale and faint-looking like she had seen a ghost.

Beatrice sat down and peered up at her with her big blue eyes. "He talked to me, Cordelia."

"What? ... Oh."

Poor, shy Beatrice. This problem had been apparent ever since Louis Weasley smiled at her one time in 3rd year. Ever since then she had been utterly enamoured with the guy. Being friends with Louis meant that Cordelia was constantly talking to him, playing up Beatrice and how great she was. It was her duty as a friend. But he just never seemed to get the message.

But maybe now that Ella seemed to be in a stable relationship for once, Beatrice could do her own thing without waiting to pick up the pieces of yet another of Ella's material loves. This could be her chance to . . . oh no.

' . . . met this guy . . . on family holiday's. . . '

' . . . went to visit Louis . . . off with some chick . . . '

"Wait here, Bea." ordered Cordelia, rising from her comfortable seat and marching towards the door. She was on a mission.

Down the corridor, past compartments rapidly filling up with over-exuberant students, excited for another year packed with more magic than the last.

"Cordelia, I was hoping that I could talk to you. You see I really want to apologi-."

"No time for that James- wait, what?" Cordelia stopped in her tracks, eyes widening at his words.

James nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I, James Sirius Potter, am apologising for making the first year's do that. It was stupid and I didn't mean for you to get upset. Angry, yes, because you look really ho-" He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable.

"This is incredible. A James, outside his natural habitat. Fascinating. But ... er ... what was that last part." Her head swung to the side. "Got to go."

"Er . . . bye?"

Cordelia followed the figure she had spotted. "Ella!"

"Wha- Cordelia!" she cried indignantly as Cordelia shoved her ungraciously into an empty compartment. "What did you do that for? I was just about to go tell you and the others about my boyfriend's ident-"

"It's Louis Weasley, isn't it, Ella," Cordelia said in a soft tone.

"Yes! Did James tell you?"

"Not exactly, I'm just clever." Cordelia took a deep breath, "How could you do that to her."

"To who?" Cordelia might have believed her if it wasn't for the flash of guilt that passed over Ella's face as she quickly put on a ditzy smile.

"You know who I mean."

"Beatrice? Don't be silly Cordelia, it's just a little crush. Once she sees that I'm happy she'll move on, don't worry."

This was the thing about Ella. She could be very selfish at times, she could change any situation to make it benefit her, though, it had never really affected her friends until now.

"Stop kidding yourself Ella! You weren't the one she always talked to about this! Are these the words you've been saying to yourself all summer while you were snogging your best friends crush . . . in France?!"

"Look, I . . . I didn't think of it like that, Ok. I just was so caught up in the idea that a someone would actually like me because of me! Not my looks, but me."

"You still have to tell her."

"I know. I- just . . . don't want to hurt her."

"I'm going to be blunt. Tell Beatrice about this or I will. No other options."

After a few seconds, they left the compartment in a stony silence, both angry with the other for being so ignorant about feelings of the heart.

When they reached the compartment they found Beatrice still sitting there; along with James, Fred and their two friends, Henry Farlow and Jasper Heckleburn. Cordelia smiled at Henry, with whom she studied with and nodded at Jasper, who seemed to only speak with the three boys next to him, some girls would say he was ... 'mysterious'.

Hazel looked up, "Thank god, you're here. James has been a complete prat since he walked in. He seemed to be worried that you'd been frightened to death by something he said, but then I told him that he was not nearly important enough to generate such a reaction. I told him, don't worry, if you're not dead, she didn't care about what you said."

"Awww, that's so sweet Ivers," said Ella, placing herself tentatively next to Beatrice.

"What did you say that was so frightening James?" asked Henry curiously, peering at him over the latest edition of Transfiguration Today. "Did you tell her about that time we snuck into McGonagall's office and . . . no? maybe not."

"He just apologised. No big deal," said Cordelia, taking her own seat beside Hazel and settling down for a long ride. Now that Cordelia had a new drama to occupy her mind, she didn't really care about James' spontaneous bouts of regret.

"Are you ill?" asked Hazel.

"No, why?"

"James apologised to you," Beatrice added. Cordelia didn't like the way everyone was staring at her.

"I think everyone's overreacting. I am a person, contrary to popular belief, and, I can and have apologised."

Ignoring the disbelieving looks of their companions, Cordelia raised her eyebrows, "Sorry, what would people think you were if you weren't a person?"

"I don't know? Probably heaven on earth."

There was silence in the compartment until Beatrice recovered her tact. "Er . . . Let's change the subject," she said. "What's your new boyfriends' name, Ella."

Three heads snapped up at this and looked at Ella. Whilst she was stammering, Cordelia pushed her golden hair over her shoulder and looked at the ceiling, closely watched by James. It was going to be a long journey.

They survived! It was quite a simple train ride once Ella had told Beatrice that her boyfriend said he wanted to keep their relationship private. The way she pulled it off almost made Cordelia wonder how many times she had told a lie like that before. It was like watching a master at work.

They had just seated themselves in the great hall when Professor McGonagall marched in with the stool and hat.

Cordelia loved watching the sorting, to her friend's constant astonishment. Just seeing them up there, no prejudice, no pettiness, no differences. All just staring in awe at the Great Hall, not even comprehending what lay in store for them; hiding behind the corners of the days and weeks and years that would pass until they would take it for granted. But, as Cordelia knew, muggle-borns never would get over the feeling that they were treading on a world that shouldn't exist and one day it would just ... not be there anymore. Disappear.

She could understand, now she was thinking about it, why she would never share these thoughts with anyone except Henry. Even if the war had eliminated the extreme muggle and muggle-born prejudices you could never fully cleanse a society. And that was why Cordelia couldn't show insecurities, because then people might question her right to be in a world which she didn't fully trust.

The sixth year Gryffindors clapped and cheered in the traditional Gryffindor way to welcome the new students and then chatted amongst themselves while the sorting continued.

When the hat, stool and line of puny first years had vanished, the food appeared. Dinner began with the usual clamouring for the chicken legs or the juiciest piece of roast lamb, the butteriest potato and the crunchiest of chips.

"So," started Cordelia to Albus Potter whom she liked, "excited for your OWL's this year."

"Scared out of my mind actually. You should ask Rose- wait, don't. She cannot stop talking about it."

"Hey! I'm right here Albus, and I can talk about other things."

"Fine, are you going to try out for the keeper position this year?"

"I don't know, maybe. It's these stupid OWL's. Exams are like the teacher's way of getting back at my 'disrespectful' comments. I mean, I was only informing Professor Sinistra that her teaching methods were ... well, maybe it was justified," said Rose, her brow furrowing. A moments pause and then, "You're a dirty little cheat, Albus Potter."

"I didn't do anything!" Albus defended.

"Yeah right," replied Rose, taking a bigger bite of food than Cordelia thought humanly possible.

Cordelia left them to bicker and listened in on the other conversations. Across the table, Jasper and Henry were talking quietly about what they would be studying in Defense Against the Dark Arts that year, as it was sure to be more exciting and serious. Ella, Fred, and Beatrice were loudly arguing about how much ketchup was a reasonable amount to put on chips (Fred's chips looked as if a chip serial killer had had enormous fun murdering them).

That left Hazel and James to her right who were speaking tensely about something until James looked up and nudged her to keep quiet.

"That looked like a serious discussion you were having." said Cordelia casually as she poured herself pumpkin juice.

Hazel turned around, "Just discussing you and how dreadfully annoying you can be sometimes."

"Thank you?"

"You are very welcome."

James continued to stare at Cordelia as if seeing her anew. To explain Cordelia's thoughts on this would be, 'It. Was. Weird.'

"Can I help you, James?" she asked politely, trying not to be cynical at their behaviour.

James looked back to his plate, "Sorry- I ... I just wanted to ask you something.

"No James, she doesn't want to hear it, I told you." said Hazel in a long-suffering tone.

"What's going on?" Ella butted in, "Is this about the- you know." She nodded her head in Cordelia's direction.

"Subtle," said James in reply, deadpanned.

"Just say it, James, it's not as though anything will change will it?" pushed Henry, as though they'd had this discussion a hundred times; which they could have done since Cordelia had absolutely no bloody idea what they were all talking about.

"Yeah, and if so, move on. It's not as though you haven't got a queue," Fred reasoned.

"Could you all please stop talking about this now?" said James desperately. The conversation quickly changed to observing Hagrid's new hat and no mention was again made to the strange conversation that had just taken place.

As they entered the common room after supper, James pulled Cordelia aside, not realising how nervous he was making her.

"Sorry about that."

"Wow, a total of two apologies today, James, you are on a roll."

James chuckled, "Yeah, you know it's funny when people change, just like landscapes change and beliefs change and-."

"James. Get to the point. I am really, really tired and I want to go to bed."

"Right, well," (a cough), "I was just, erm, wondering. Yes! I was wondering if you," (another cough), "would like to go on a date with me sometime?"

Some witnesses said they saw Cordelia Bode explode. Other accounts may have recorded that she screamed, "WHY ME!" and punched him in the face. But the truth was that Cordelia Bode simply looked at him for exactly 10 of the longest seconds in James Potters existence, and then promptly cursed him and walked up to the girl's dormitories, and, even when she awoke the next morning she still hadn't comprehended what he had said.

And that, ladies and gentleman, was the start of everything.

Authors Note: Any comments welcome and appreciated!