Author's Note: This is my first story, so I need a lot of help with it. Please review (you can say my story is bad! It needs as much help as possible). Any constructive feedback is welcome. REVIEW!

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter does not belong to me, but to JK Rowling.

Shell Cottage

19-year-old Victoire Weasley sat in her room, writing a letter to her friend Teddy about how much she missed him. One room to the left, Victoire's younger sister Dominique lay on her bed, staring out the window, daydreaming about Hogwarts and her friends. Outside the cottage, Louis, the youngest child of Bill and Fleur, rode his Cleansweep Thirteen around and around the house.

"Dinner!" The voice of Fleur echoed throughout the cottage. Dominique sat up with a start and rushed downstairs, Victoire slowly following. The start-of-term letters were due to arrive today!

Sure enough, two owls perched on the counter. Dominique excitedly ran toward the nearest owl and quickly untied the letter from beneath it. The name on the front of the letter read Louis. Cursing, Dominique untied the letter of the other owl. This time, it was addressed to her. She opened it with shaking hands.

Dear Dominique Weasley,

Welcome back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Enclosed is the list of books necessary for your fifth year of studies. The train boards at platform nine-and-three-quarters on September 1st at 11:00. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Dominique slowly looked at the letter underneath and found a list of seven books necessary for the following year. A lump of disappointment appeared in her throat. She had hoped to receive a prefect badge. Her father and sister both had been prefects, and Dominique had wished to follow in their footsteps, getting all twelve OWLs and eventually becoming Head Girl. Dominique retreated from the counter and sat down with the rest of the family at the dinner table. Louis, an entering fourth-year, was happily reading his letter, and Victiore was discussing Ministry work with her father and mother. Trying to hold back tears, Dominique looked down at her food and ate as fast as she could.

The Potter House

"Are they here yet?" Lily Potter asked again.

"You asked that fifty thousand times already!" James shouted at his little sister. "Do you see any owls here?"

"James, be nice to your sister," their mother Ginny replied. "She's just excited to get her letter, since it's her first year."

"I was never that excited," James muttered under his breath. Ginny heard and gave him a stare that would have caused even her husband Harry to cringe.

James was going to be a sixth-year that fall, Lily a first-year, and Albus, the middle child, a third year. Part of the reason why James was so angry with his sister was because he was nervous about his OWL results, which were to come with his letter. His parents weren't too strict about his grades, but he knew they'd be mad if he failed all his exams, which he had a hunch might happen.

Albus didn't say anything. He was a quiet child, who rarely talked unless he was with a good friend. Currently sitting with James, one of the chief jokers of Hogwarts, he wished to talk much less.

The family ate their meal in silence. Harry wasn't in much of a mood to talk either; he had just found out that an exciting yet dangerous event would be occurring at Hogwarts this year, and needed time to process that fact. At last, when the family's plates were almost empty, three owls appeared at the window.

"They're here!" Lily cried in excitement. She ran over to the window and pushed it open so the owls could fly in. They landed on the table, and Lily and Albus grabbed their letters first.

"Go on, James," Ginny encouraged. James apprehensively untied the parcel and smoothed out the letter. The first page was the welcome-back letter, the second the list of books, the third—James let out a gasp of happiness—the news of becoming Quidditch captain, and the last the results of his OWLs. James read them over, slowly.

It wasn't as bad as he expected. He didn't get any Outstandings, but he got six Exceeds Expectations (DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology), one Acceptable (Astronomy), and only two fails (Ancient Runes and History of Magic).

"Congratulations!" Harry said, ruffling his son's hair. "Seven OWLs, the same number I got!"

James smiled, relieved. "Look what else I got!" He held up his Quidditch Captain badge.

"Good job!" Harry said again. "Exactly what I got in my sixth year too!"

"It seems like you're going to go down the same path as your father," Ginny commented. James blushed, but he was happy and proud too.

Ron and Hermione's House

Hugo and Rose Weasley sat playing wizard's chess on the floor of the family room. Nearby, their parents were talking to each other in low voices. "Rook to D4," commanded Rose, and her rook violently smashed Hugo's pawn.

"Aw…" Hugo said sadly. "I thought you were going easy on me!"

"I am, Hugo," Rose replied. "This is nothing considered to how I play with Albus." She looked up, waiting for Hugo to make his move, and saw her parents whispering in the corner. "What are you whispering about?"

"Mind your own business," Ron replied.

"Ron!" Hermione snapped. She turned to Rose and said, "It's something that has to do with Hogwarts, but it's a secret, and you can't find out until the start of school."

"Please, Mom, please tell!" Rose begged. "Please?"
"I'm sorry, Rosie, but I'm not allowed to tell." Trying to change the subject, Hermione spotted two owls at the window and walked over. "I think your start-of-term letters are here."

"Yes!" Hugo jumped up from his spot on the floor and raced over to the window. Hermione handed him his letter. "Dear Hugo," he read aloud, "Congratulations on being accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Hogwarts is… wait, this part is boring… OK, here… Enclosed are the lists of supplies necessary for your first year of school. We look forward to seeing you on September First!" Hugo looked up at his parents. "Can we go to Diagon Alley, then? To buy my school supplies?"

"Now?" Rose laughed. "Don't you want to wait until tomorrow, so we can go the same time as Lily or Albus?"

"Oh, I forgot," Hugo said. "Let's go tomorrow, then."

Hermione laughed and patted her son on the back. "Congratulations, Hugo. We're proud of you."

"You'll have so much fun at Hogwarts, Hugo," Rose remarked, opening her letter and handing the permission slip to go to Hogsmeade to her mother to sign. "I can't wait for September 1st."

The Burrow

Percy, George, their spouses, and their children were staying at the Burrow for a few days, much to the delight of their children. Unfortunately, for the parents, that meant that Fred—another chief joker—and Lucy were together. Whenever that happened, nobody wanted to be in the room with them.

Lucy, entering fourth year, was somewhat like her dad. She was extremely smart and had the best grades of the Weasley family. She had a sense of humor too, but it was different from Fred's. Fred just played mean jokes on other people, and Lucy hated that.

It was dinnertime at the Burrow. Lucy and Fred already weren't speaking to each other. Fred had placed a whoopee cushion specially made by his father—which meant that it had an especially loud sound—on Lucy's chair before the meal.

Roxanne and Molly, George and Percy's daughters respectively, were chatting together happily. They were best friends, in Hogwarts and out. "Aren't our start-of-term letters supposed to come soon?" Roxanne asked.

"They're supposed to come today," Audrey, Percy's wife, replied.

"So they should come any minute," Molly confirmed. "They've always arrived during dinner." She continued eating, but looked up at the window every minute in case of owls.

"There they are!" Fred shouted, making almost everyone look up.

"Fred, shut up," Lucy replied, not even bothering to look. "There's nothing there."

It was true. Roxanne and Molly had run over to the window in excitement, but, of course, there was nothing. Just as the two friends returned to their seats, Lucy declared, "They're here for real this time!" and ran to the window herself. Four owls waited at the window with one parcel each.

Lucy let the owls in and found her letter. Entering fourth year, she didn't receive anything special. Molly opened hers and gasped. "I'm a prefect!" she exclaimed.

"Congratulations," Roxanne said. She knew it would never have been her, but her other friend Dominique might have been chosen.

"I'm so proud of you," Percy said to her daughter.

Meanwhile, Fred was looking at his OWL results and shrugging. "Five OWLs," he said. "That's good, right?"

"It's okay," his father replied. "Better than me, anyway." He had received three.

"Tomorrow, we'll all go to Diagon Alley and purchase supplies," Angelina, George's wife said.

"Yes!" Lucy exclaimed. "I can't wait."