Hereby There After: Chapter 1
disclaimer: Harry Potter characters, setting, items, anything else you can think of belong to the talented and very much loved, J.K. Rowling.
James Sirius Potter stood at platform 9 ¾ with his brother, Albus Severus Potter, who was only a year younger than he. James was seventeen now, and had to tote around his brother for another year.
His younger sister, Lily Luna Potter, stood a little ways away from them talking to her friend Rose Weasley., their cousin.
The legendary Harry Potter was his father. His mother, Ginny, was a Weasley, and still was.
Rose and Hugo were their cousins, and their parents were best friends.
He looked to his left and saw a pretty girl, a little shorter than he, but otherwise a good height.
She had olive-toned skin; dark, silky hair; and bright green eyes. She looked like an Egyptian Princess to him, and he felt under her spell.
"Why are you staring at that girl?" Albus asked out of the corner of his mouth.
"Don't you see she's hot?" James asked as he squeezed one eye shut for a moment, he must have displaced his contacts for a moment.
"I see that. I hope she's in my year." Albus said with a low whistle, leaning back
James smacked his brother on the back of his head and pulled him up, "Don't speak about her like that."
"You don't know her." Albus said with a satisfactory grin, for countering his brother in words.
"Neither do you." James said sourly. James only had a bit of a temper, and couldn't hold much anger inside.
They started to try to reach her first, she barely noticed them fighting next to her until James was practically panting at her shoulder.
"Uh, hello..." The girl said with a light smile.
James looked down at her bags: some instrument case, an owl, valise, and a knapsack for books.
He also noticed her outfit: A pale yellow, knee-length dress; a gray beret that held her black curls; a gray cardigan; with gray boots that reached up to half her shin, showing a bit of leg to look at and let a boy, like himself, wonder.
"Hi. I'm James Potter." He said sticking his right hand out, while pushing his brother away with the other.
"And I'm Albus Potter!" Albus called out still trying to squirm out of James' grip.
She smiled and laughed, "I'm Cecilia. Don't hurt your brother now."
James let go of Albus, who straightened immediately and rearranged his hair.
Then the Hogwarts Express pulled up, such bad timing.
James grabbed his bags and headed back to Cecilia, "Can I help you with your bags, Cecilia?"
"Um, sure." Cecilia said as she handed him the instrument case, "Thanks."
"See you kids at Christmas!!!" His parents called out blowing him, Albus, Lily, Rose, and Hugo kisses.
"No problem." He said as they got a cabin together, facing the platform.
He let Cecilia in first, followed her in, then blocked the door so Albus couldn't follow also. He wanted her to himself.
"Are you Harry Potter's kid?" She asked with a curious look.
They always asked. His last girlfriend only dated him to meet his dad. What an embarrassing time for both he, his father, and his father.
"Yeah. You heard of him?" James asked wearily, even though he knew she probably did.
"Not a lot. Just heard he defeated Voldemort with some friends. I just asked because you look just a bit like him." She said as she began reading a book.
James couldn't believe Cecilia had said Voldemort! Some kids were afraid to say his name.
"How so?" James asked putting his hand in her line of sight so she couldn't read it.
"I've seen pictures of him only. I'd say you have his hair and a hint of resembling facial features." Cecilia said as she tried to push his hand away.
The train began to pull away and he waved at his mother and father, and his aunt and uncle.
Cecilia watched him quietly, she was an orphan and had no parents to wave to.
She was a little vagabond when summers began and she wasn't at Hogwarts.
The years before she turned eleven and received the letter from Hogwarts, she just walked into homeless shelters and kept a high head. Eventually, she was adopted my an old professor at Hogwarts who knew she had magical talent, who was too elderly to make it to Platform 9 ¾ .
Cecilia closed her book and looked at James. He was cute, in a bit of a quirky way.
"Do you wear glasses?" She asked with a bit of an adorable squint.
"Yes. How did you know?" He asked rubbing his eyes.
Cecilia reached out and touched the bump in his nose, where his glasses must have sat for years, there was a little cut. James closed his eyes, dreamily, and grabbed her hand. He held it for a moment, then kissed it, and while letting go of her hand he opened his eyes.
Cecilia jumped a little at the intimate contact, and pulled her hand back, blushing a bit, but James didn't seem to notice.
The candy cart rolled by with amazing timing, "Candy, kids?" the kind lady asked gesturing to the cart.
"Want anything?" James asked pulling out his wallet as he stood.
"If you want to buy me Bertie Botts Beans." Cecilia said as she looked over his shoulder at the cart, standing as well.
"Two bags of Bertie Botts Beans." James said and paid the woman.
"Thank you kind sir. You two are a lovely couple." The lady said walking away
"We're not a couple." They said in unison as they both blushed.
He gave one bag to Cecilia, which she tucked into her bag, and opened his.
He ate a few beans, "Not going to eat?"
"Not now." She said with a small smile as she watched the scenery roll by.
James looked up as Albus stared down into his cabin with a maddened expression.
Albus was furious at his brother for claiming Cecilia for himself not letting her choose which Potter brother to sit with.
Albus wiggled the door open and slipped in, "Hey Cecilia, and brother."
"Oh, hi Albus." Cecilia said, she had gotten lost in thought again, as she opened the candy beans bag.
"How are you? When you get tired of my boring older brother, call me." Albus said with a wink.
Cecilia laughed, "I'm fine. You?"
James locked his jaw, his brother had gotten more then simple talk out of Cecilia then he had so far. "Cecilia, what year are you in?"
"Year Seven. You?" Cecilia asked eating another bean.
"Same. Little Albus is a Sixth Year." James said with a smug smile
"Albus looks more like you guys' father than you James." Cecilia commented
"Do you like my dad?" Albus asked wondering if his looks would attract her.
"Never met him." Cecilia countered "I'm going to change into my robes."
"I'll go to." James said
Albus had already changed and watched the two head off in different directions.
James returned to the cabin to find Cecilia already there, reading.
"Hey there." I said as I shut the door behind myself.
"Hey James." Cecilia said as she shut the book with a small smile.
'Arriving at Hogwarts. Hope you're dressed!' the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt crackled.
The Hogwarts Express shuddered to a sudden stop, making Cecilia nearly tumble into my arms. I wish she had.
Cecilia stood up, and I followed her lead. She grabbed me by my tie and pulled me close to her. I was completely convinced she was going to kiss me, her gentle perfume wafted away from her neck, I closed my eyes. I had seen this done in the muggle movies, then we'd get together.
"You didn't put your tie on right." She said softly as her fingers moved like they were following the patterns of a cobweb. "There."
I watched her as she finished, "Thanks." I felt embarrassed and my cheeks burned a bit.
She turned around with a sly look of amusement and reached for her bags in the overhead compartment.
I reached from behind her and grabbed my bags. Hers too.
"Thanks." She said with a smile and walked out first.
We walked into the school with the underclassmen and our peers, completely drenched by unexpected rain and Peeves.
"James! I didn't see you on the train!" Agatha squealed as she hurried towards me.
Agatha was a super-skinny, skinny-armed, no real womanly figure, too small glasses for her large eyes. She could be attractive in someone's eyes, but not mine. I felt bad for her, I rejected her ever since First year, and she still harbored a crush for me.
When she spotted Cecilia near me, she narrowed her eyes at the girl.
"Hi Agatha." I said lifting my hand for a stiff wave.
"Who's your friend?" Agatha asked
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" James asked
"Alright. Who are you and why haven't I ever seen you before?" Agatha asked bluntly, not a hint of the sweetness in her voice that she used with James.
"I'm Cecilia Richmond. I used to attend Beauxbatons until recently. I was sorted over the summer, and I live with old Professor McGonagall." Cecilia said calmly. "Anything else?"
"Professor McGonagall you say?" A middle aged woman said as she hurried past us then back again.
"Yes ma'am." Cecilia said as she focused on the woman
"She's my grandmother. How is she? Are you Cecilia Richmond? She speaks so fondly of you when we speak." The woman said
"Yes I am Cecilia. She's fine, getting older, but still strong." Cecilia said with a slight blush.
"Hey Cecilia! James. Agatha!" Albus walked up with Rose, Hugo, and Lily.
"I assume you must be a Potter." Cecilia said with a sly wink at me as she spoke to Lily.
"Yeah. And I don't know you." Lily said timidly.
"Lily, don't be so rude." I said
"Are you dating my brother? Mom sometimes calls him a lady killer." Lily said with a grin
"Really now? No, I'm not dating James or Albus." Cecilia said as she started to walk with Lily to the Great Hall.
I scowled at Albus, who was grinning like a mad idiot, and followed in and st next to my friends.
"First, I'd like to introduce some exchange students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang." Our Headmaster, Padma Patil, announced. "Cecilia Richmond, Angora Curbstone, and Frieda Taylor all from Beauxbatons. Lucas Krum, Jared Figg, and Martin Brown all from Durmstrang."
Everyone applauded, and the students sat back down again. They had all been sorted over the summer to avoid making them be stuck with nervous First Years.
"So we heard you hung around Cecilia like a new puppy on the train here." James' buddy, Tyler, said in a teasing tone.
"Dude, have you seen her? She's hot!" I muttered as the Sorting began
"We see. Of course we see!" Michael, another one of my friends, said as he leaned back to get a look at her behind.
"Stop being pervs." I said as I pulled him up by his collar.
After Sorting and the feast they finally let us go.
The boys started loosening their ties, but Cecilia must have bewitched mine, it wouldn't budge.
"Cecilia....its stuck." I said a little grouchily to her, with a tart expression.
"Did you use magic?" She asked, as if it were an obvious solution.
My face reddened, she was embarrassing me, "No." I replied coolly with a hint of annoyance and anger.
Cecilia whipped out her wand, muttered some words and it came spinning off and landed in my hands. "Happy?" She asked with a small scowl that made me want to kiss her to see her smile.
~Cecilia's P.O.V~
WHAT WAS WITH JAMES POTTER!? He acted all sweet on the train, and now he was all grouchy! And I had to share a Gryffindor Tower with him! Why couldn't I be in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff? I certainly wouldn't want to be in Slytherin.
"You're Cecilia right?" A boy I recognized as Lucas Krum came up to me. He was the son of Viktor Krum, and took every girl's breath away, except for me. Well, he was kid of cute with nice dimples and brown hair that covered a bit of his eye- Cecilia!
As I mentally scolded myself I didn't answer his question. "What?" I asked
"You're Cecilia right?" He asked again with simple patience, not like screwed up in the head, James Potter.
"Yes I am. And you're Lucas Krum, right?" I asked with a smile.
"Yeah. So you're in Gryffindor?" He asked as I reached the staircase to take me to the picture frame that would lead to the tower.
"Yep. And you're in Slytherin. Natural Born Enemies." I said with a light shrug.
He leaned in a bit, hands in pockets, "We don't have to be." He whispered and left.
Leaving my heart thudding against my chest. He was certainly a dream boat and a lady killer like James. Why the thoughts of James?!
I opened the door and caught up to my peers already at the picture frame, debating the password.
"Excuse me." I politely said as I squeezed to the front. "Banana Fritters."
The Fat Lady smiled and swung open the door into Gryffindor Common Room.
"Good night." I said to Lily and Agatha, both whom I'd spent dinner talking with.
The boys and girls separated to their separate staircases. All the girls rushed forward so I hung back for a moment.
"Hey, I'm sorry." James said as he came up to me. His brown hair hanging in a saddened, cute way.
"I don't like being snapped at. I don't take crap from people." I said with annoyance ringing high in my voice.
I had never really been snapped at since I was orphaned at a young age. Natural Causes. I traveled at my own pace and met very friendly people along the way, life-long friends. I sometimes looted homes for a decent meal, when Professor McGonagall had caught me in her home. I remembered the day clearly.
"What are you doing in my home young girl?" the elderly woman had asked.
She was tall, slender, and pretty for her age.
"I-I-I din' do nothin' !" my young self had stuttered out
"You were trying to steal food. Such a dirty girl with terrible manners. Where are your parents?!" She had only raised her voice a bit, but it scared me nonetheless
"T-They're dead. " I said sorrowfully maybe I could convince her to let me go?
"Then you stay with me. I will take care of you. My name is Minerva." The kind lady said as she lead Cecilia to the bathroom, "What's your name?"
"Cecilia." Cecilia said as she watched Minerva run the hot water into the basin.
"Hold still." Minerva said as she seated Cecilia on the toilet cover, and scrubbed Cecilia's face with a warm cloth.
In a way, from that day Minerva had adopted Cecilia, and Cecilia grew fond of the woman and even became part of her family.
"I realized that. Then why talk to Lucas Krum?" James said with a hint of jealousy.
"He was nice. And why talk to you also?" I countered tactfully. Minerva may have raised me to have manners and be polite, but I still had my spunk and I had my ways.
"Because you like me." James said pretending to be hurt by my comment, clutching his heart.
"Try again. Good night James." I said with a nicer smile and I climbed the steps to the girl's tower.
I left James standing in the Common Room, a smirk on his face.
To be continued.