Author's note: This chapter is mostly to set the scene and actually get them to Hogwarts. I know it's a bit slow, but the next chapter will have a bit more action.
As Rose stepped onto the train, she immediately went to the prefect carriage to receive instructions from Alice Longbottom, the Head Girl. Albus was already there, chatting away with Owen Finnegan, the prefect from Ravenclaw.
"Hey Rose!" exclaimed Alice, as she walked in. "How was your summer?"
Rose smiled. "Not bad, considering I never got a moment to myself. Our whole house was always full with cousins, Aunts, and Uncles; the works."
At that point, Albus realized Rose had entered the carriage and jumped in.
"Oh tell me about it! My annoying cousin was always barging into my room unannounced. Who needs privacy anymore?" said Albus, in a mocking impression of Rose.
"Well it's not like you had anything interesting to hide," replied Rose defensively. She turned back to Alice. "I caught Al snooping at my O.W.L results when the letter came. You should have seen his face when he realized he was caught."
Albus turned red.
"Whatever. Your marks were fine anyway," said Albus. Rose shot him a look. Her marks were more than fine.
"Alice can you give us our patrol route now? I'd rather not be here when the others show up."
"No problem," said Alice. She looked down at the parchment she was holding. "Rose I paired you with Albus, obviously, and if you wouldn't mind patrolling the last three carriages from time to time that would be great. Mostly make sure the first-years stay calm. I had a kid last year pass out on the floor from excitement." Rose and Albus laughed. "Also, the password for Gryffindor is Dirigible Plum."
"Thanks, Alice, see you later," said Rose cheerfully and they made their exit. Rose just opened the carriage door when she heard the door of the compartment reopen. She turned her head just in time to see a sliver of pale blond hair enter the compartment before the door slammed closed. Just in time, she thought to herself.
"Shall we find a compartment, Al?"
They walked down to the end of the train and found an empty compartment. Albus slipped inside and Rose darted in after him. She considered herself lucky to have her cousin as her best friend. That way, she always had someone to sit with.
"So, how was your summer?" asked Rose, mock serious. Albus scoffed.
"I saw you two days ago. Nothing new happened, except that James almost broke Mum's antique firebolt from her Holyhead Harpies days, and she threatened to send him to Durmstrang," replied Albus.
"Aw, I wish I could have seen it," said Rose wistfully. "Tell me all the details."
Albus launched into an exciting story involving James, Arnold the Pygmy Puff, and an old bewitched Muggle baseball bat. Around half past twelve the plump witch with the food trolley came around. Rose and Albus bought enough sweets to make Honeydukes jealous.
"Aw man, I got Uncle Harry again," said Rose glumly, as she unwrapped another Chocolate Frog. She watched as her Uncle waved to her and then exited the frame.
"Pass one over, I'm still missing Longbottom," replied Albus. Rose tossed one and Albus unwrapped it. "Hmpf. Dumbledore again."
As Rose and Albus talked, ate sweets, and occasionally patrolled their assigned carriages, the sky outside gradually darkened. At the crest of the hills the sun created a stunning sunset and when it finally set, stars began to litter the sky. Outside their compartment screams of the first-years could be heard as they raced up and down the corridors, unable to contain their excitement.
"Quiet out there! I'm a prefect, so don't make me come out!" said Rose in a commanding voice, but it did little to subdue the noise. Eventually she gave up and slumped back in her seat.
"It's a perfect night for the first years to cross the lake," she remarked. "Remember our first year? It was raining so hard you nearly fell in and Hargrid almost steered the boats into the cliff!"
Albus shuddered at the memory.
"I still don't much fancy taking a swim with the giant squid. Remember how Malfoy practically kissed the ground when we landed? I'll never forget it." He jumped to the floor of the compartment and mimed kissing the carpet.
"Oh floor, I'll never leave you again," he said in a loving voice. Rose laughed.
"I recall you seemed to be pretty relieved to be back on dry ground as well. Anyway, do you reckon we're almost there? I'm starting to get hung–"
Rose was cut off when the first years in the corridor started yelling.
"The train is slowing down! We're here, we're here!"
The thump thump of the horde could be heard as the first-years made a mad dash to the door, each wanting to be the first one on the platform.
"I guess we better get up as well," said Albus glumly. He stood up and yawned, stretching his arms as he did so. Rose followed Albus out of the compartment and into the crowd in the corridor, each anxious to get off the train. Eventually the ancient brakes screeched to a halt, and a great deal of pushing and shoving ensued. Rose received a sharp elbow to the back and whirled around.
"Watch it– oh hey, Hugo," she said. She realized then that Lily had been the one to push Hugo into her back.
"Hey. Do you guys fancy sharing a carriage? Beatrice McLaggen keeps hinting she wants to sit with me." Hugo shuddered.
The group finally made it to the door, where they hopped onto the platform. Lily picked up the story.
"It was hilarious. Hugo and I were sitting in our compartments with Roxanne and Lucy, right? Then here comes Beatrice out of the blue, without her friends, and she invites herself into our compartment. Then, for the entire trip she bombards Hugo with stupid questions, like what's your favourite Quidditch team? What kind of broom do you have? By the end she was practically drooling over you."
Hugo turned bright red and mumbled something along the lines of "shut up, Lily."
That only fueled Lily even more.
"What's that Hugo? I can't hear–"
"Firs'-years this way!" called a familiar voice, interrupting Lily. Rose, Albus, Hugo and Lily all turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid beckoning the now terrified first-years to the boats for the traditional trip across the lake. Even 24 years later, Hagrid was still working as gamekeeper, and teaching Care of Magical Creatures. The only thing that had changed about his appearance were the copious amounts of grey hairs now visible in his bushy beard.
"Hey Hagrid!" shouted Albus. Hagrid turned and waved.
"All righ' you four? How 'bout a spot o' tea this week?"
All they could do was nod their agreement as the throngs of students forced them towards the rough track that held the horseless carriages. Of course, they all knew the carriages were pulled by thestrals, but after the war stories told to them by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the family, nobody fancied seeing one. The illusion of a horseless carriage was good enough.
As soon as they piled into the carriage it set off in the direction of Hogwarts. Rose remained silent for the rest of the journey, choosing to gaze out the window. She watched as the castle grew nearer and nearer, until finally the carriage swayed to a halt in front of the giant oak front doors. Rose, Albus, Lily and Hugo jumped down and strolled up the steps into the cavernous Entrance Hall. Without waiting around, they walked towards the double doors to the right and entered the Great Hall. It looked as marvelous as always. Thousands of candles floated above the four house tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle like the midday sun. The bewitched ceiling was sporting a velvety black sky, making it seem as if the heavens were looking down on them.
"Lily! Hugo!" A voice called. Roxanne was waving them over from her spot at the Gryffindor table.
"Well, see you later," said Lily, as she grabbed Hugo's hand and dragged him away.
"Shall we sit?" suggested Albus, and together they slid onto the bench at the opposite end of the table, closer to the staff table. Rose glanced up and took inventory of the teachers. Hagrid's seat was empty, as he was still steering the first-years across the lake. Professor Longbottom was present, however, and he gave Rose and Albus a friendly wave before resuming a conversion with Slughorn, who had also stuck around. Other teachers to return after the war included Flitwick and Madame Pomfrey. Beside Flitwick was Professor Patil. She was another fairly new Professor; she replaced Trewlaney five years ago in the position of Divination teacher. The other empty seat next to Patil was reserved for the Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher. After Harry defeated Voldemort, the jinx on the position had lifted. Their previous teacher retired the previous year, leaving an opening.
"Where do you reckon the new Defense teacher is?" asked Rose, turning to Albus.
"I dunno. Maybe he got lost."
"Or she," interjected Rose. Albus rolled his eyes.
"You sound just like Aunt Hermione," he told her. "I hope the Sorting starts soon. I'm starving."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the door of the Great Hall opened. In came Professor Macmillan leading the first-years to the front of the Hall. Squeals of delight and amazement echoed off the walls as the first-years looked around with awe. Macmillan placed the three-legged stool on the ground, followed by the Sorting Hat. It looked as patched and old as ever. For a moment there was silence and the hat broke into song. Applause rang throughout the Hall when it finished.
Unrolling a long scroll of parchment, Professor Macmillan turned to the first-years.
"When I call your name, come and sit on the stool and put the Hat on. The Hat will call out your house, and then you will sit at the assigned table."
"Aldridge, Brian!"
A short, slender boy walked up to the stool with amazing confidence. He put the Hat on and sat down.
"Gryffindor!" shouted the Hat. Smiling, the boy walked over and sat at the end of the table, near Rose and Albus.
"Welcome!" said Rose warmly to the boy. "Gryffindor's awesome. You're going to have so much fun."
The boy glared at her with apprehension; then his eyes fixed on Albus behind her and widened visibly.
"Bloody hell, you're related to Harry Potter! Duncan!" he called, as another first-year approached the table, having been sorted into Gryffindor. "Look! It's Harry Potter's son!"
"Woah," said the new boy, obviously dazed. Albus blushed. Both boys moved to the other side of the table so they were facing Albus and immediately bombarded him with questions about Harry. Rose hid a smile and turned back to the Sorting. Every year something like this happened; a child or two recognized Albus as the exact replica of his father when he was still at Hogwarts, and for the first few weeks Albus had a small fan club following him around. They usually lost interest once they realized that Albus was not going to slay a Basilisk or kill Voldemort in front of them.
"Berkely, Mia!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Carwin, Flora!"
"Slytherin!"
While the animosity between houses had dissipated mostly after the war, Rose couldn't help but notice that many of the Gryffindors did not clap as poor Flora sat down at Slytherin table. A second year girl beside her said something to Flora, making her smile. They're not all bad, thought Rose to herself as she watched the two girls laugh together.
"Dering, Finlay!"
"Hufflepuff!"
As the Sorting continued, the numbers slowly dwindled, until only two students were left to be sorted.
"Weller, Leo!"
"Slytherin!"
"Wickham, Maisie!"
"Ravenclaw!"
As Maisie sat down at her table, Professor Macmillan picked up the stool and the Hat and carried them away. The Headmaster, Professor Applebee, got to his feet and smiled at the students. After the war, McGonagall had taken over Hogwarts as Headmistress for 18 years. She retired right before James' first year and was replaced by Applebee. He was a kind man, always a twinkle in his eyes, and Rose liked to imagine that was how Dumbledore used to be, back when her Mum was at Hogwarts.
"Welcome back to another wonderful year at Hogwarts! To new students; welcome! I have a few announcements that need to be made, but let them wait until the end of the feast. Enjoy!"
No sooner had he sat down than the empty dishes on the tables filled to the brim with delicious-looking food. Everyone filled their plates and the noise dimmed considerably as they began to shovel food in their mouths. Even Brian and Duncan took a break from interrogating Albus to stuff some steak in their mouths. Rose ate moderately, having learned her lesson first year when she ate so much she could hardly walk to Gryffindor Tower. She silently thanked the house-elves for the delicious food. When her Mum first started out at the Ministry she was immediately appointed head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she fought hard to improve the lives of house-elves and other minority species. House-elves were now bound by law to take a one hour break every day, whether they liked it or not. Her Mum now worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
All too soon the food faded off the plates and everyone was feeling rather full and sleepy. Professor Applebee stood to his feet once again.
"Before I send you all off to your warm, waiting beds. I must ask for your attention as I give out a few announcements. As you well know, every item from Weasley Wizard Wheezes is banned from the school."
At this, he flicked his eyes to the Gryffindor table, where James was sitting with Fred and attempting to look as innocent as possible. However, his the corner of his mouth kept twitching, giving him away completely.
"You also know that the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden, as well as Hogsmeade to students below third year. For those of you in second year or above who are interested in trying out for you house Quidditch team, please speak to the Quidditch Captain from your house. They all wear a badge that shouldn't be too hard to spot."
From the table, James puffed out his chest proudly, displaying a shiny new Quidditch Captain badge.
"It is also my great pleasure to announce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Professor Lupin!"
At his words, the doors of the Great Hall opened, and in came a young man with bright turquoise hair. Rose gasped audibly; she was barely aware of Albus knocking over his goblet of pumpkin juice as he snapped his head around, or James' whoop of excitement. In walked Teddy Lupin, looking very neat in his black robes and carrying a small battered case. On one corner Rose could just make out the faded initials R. J. Lupin. Teddy Lupin teaching here? thought Rose, both excited and nervous at the same time. While Teddy came around almost every week for supper, she'd received no hint that he would be joining them this year. Teddy gave a shy wave to the students and took the empty seat beside _.
"Now! It is late and I am sure you all want to be up early to start classes tomorrow."
A collective groan arose from the crowd.
"Off to bed!"
The students rose slowly to their feet, and the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the Hall. Rose and Albus got up quickly and went to the doors.
"First-years this way!" she called. "This way please!"
The group of new students walked up and formed a small crowd. Brian and Duncan were at the front, each trying their best to stand next to Albus. Rose lead the way into the Entrance Hall and up the large marble staircase. She lead them through doorways behind tapestries, up the moving staircases until they reached the portait of the Fat Lady.
"Password?" she asked.
"Dirigible Plum," replied Rose.
The portrait swung forward to reveal the Gryffindor common room.
"Girls dormitories are that way; boys are that way," said Rose, pointing. Some thanked her, but most were too tired, and just went where she pointed, yawning sleepily. Once they had all made it up their staircases, Rose headed to bed as well. She said goodnight to Albus and then climbed the spiral staircase to her dorm. Scanning the room, she realized she was the first one there. Perfect, she thought. No awkward conversations. Rose pulled on her pajamas and promptly fell back in her warm, four-poster bed. Drawing the curtains closed, her last thought was Teddy Lupin? before falling asleep.
Author's note: First day done! I hoped you like the staff; I had to invent a new Headmaster and some of the staff retired obviously but I thought it would be cool if a few of the characters came back to work at Hogwarts. Just so you know, Teddy Lupin is about 24 here, which gave him ample time to go get some teaching certifications. I thought it would be cute if he were to follow in his fathers footsteps.
:)
