"Daddy?" Lily asked her father as the Potter family walked toward Platforms 9 and 10 in King's Cross Station, the three children pushing trunks and owls.

"Yes, Lily?"

"Do you think I'll get into Gryffindor?"

The whole Weasley/Potter family was all part of Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat had sorted everyone, from James I to Roxanne to Victoire, into the house of the braves. To not be part of Gryffindor was a disgrace.

"I'm sure you will, Lily," Harry replied gently to her daughter. "You're a very brave girl, and you completely deserve to be in Gryffindor. Where else do you think you'll end up?"

"Ravenclaw? Or Hufflepuff?"

"Those are two fantastic houses, Lily, and they'll be glad to have a smart girl like you there," Harry said. "But I promise you, the Sorting Hat sorts you into whatever house you want."

"I can ask it?"

"Yep," Harry replied. "But right now, let's enter Platform 9 and ¾. There're no muggles around."

"Okay. Race you!" Lily shouted to Albus, and he groaned, reluctantly running after his sister. Once the front of his cart touched the wall, it disappeared, and Albus vanished.

James followed, walking after them. Harry and Ginny went last. For a second, all they could see was darkness, but then they emerged into a new, busy, platform, full of wizards and witches waiting to board the Hogwarts Express. Harry spotted his two youngest children talking to two other redheads: Rose and Hugo Weasley.

"Harry!" His best friend Ron appeared in front of him. "I haven't seen you in ages! How's life?"

"Good," Harry replied. "How are you? And Hermione?" he asked, as Ron's wife Hermione appeared next to him.

"Very well, thanks," she answered. "Hugo isn't, though. He's all worried about going into Slytherin."

"The phase all eleven-year-olds fall into," Ron said to himself, shaking his head. "At least this is the last one I'll have to deal with."

Harry laughed, but Hermione looked disapprovingly at him. She walked over to Hugo, who was nervously listening to Albus. "Come on, Hugo, Albus, Lily, Rose—don't you want to see you aunts and uncles?"

"Okay, Aunt Hermione," Lily said, and was the first to follow Hermione to a large group of redheads. Once she got there, however, Lily stayed back with the three other children. Most of the other children there were in older years; Lily didn't know them as well.

The four continued chattering for some time, until Harry ushered them onto the Hogwarts Express. "It's nearly 11," he said. "Don't be late."

Albus nodded and headed onto the train; Rose and Hugo followed. Lily stayed behind, and gave her father one last hug. "Will you write to me?"

"Of course. Don't worry, you'll have fun. You have so many cousins and friends there, it'll just be like home."

"Except you're not there."

Harry smiled at her daughter and gave her a push toward the train. "Don't make Hugo wait for you forever!" he said. "Have fun!"

Lily nodded, and ran onto the train. Harry stepped back, and fell into line beside Ginny and Ron. The train puffed smoke twice, and began moving. All the students leaned outside and waved toward their family and friends. Harry could see Lily's small hand waving at her. He waved back, and watched the hands grow smaller and smaller.

"Ready to live life without children?" Ron asked Harry. He nodded, staring at train as it grew smaller and smaller.


Lily and Hugo sat in a compartment by themselves. Rose and Albus had left to find their friends, and the rest of the Weasleys were in their own compartment, laughing away. The two first-years had their own compartment, but it was really quiet and awkward. They were two busy worrying to talk.

The compartment door opened and a face looked in. "Can we sit here?" The speaker was a small girl with brown hair and brown eyes, who looked extremely nervous. Next to her was another girl, looking equally frightened, but with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Of course," Lily responded. "Are you both first-years?"

They nodded. "I'm Elena Mills," said the girl with blonde hair. "She's Layla Longbottom."

"Longbottom?" Hugo asked, interested. "Could you be related to Neville Longbottom, the Herbology professor?"

"He's my dad," Layla replied. "What's your name?"

"Hugo Weasley," Hugo replied.

Layla gasped. "That surname is so famous! So you're related to the founders of the Weasley Wizard Wheezes?"

Hugo nodded. "But I'm not as famous as her." He pointed to Lily.

"Shut up, Hugo," she said jokingly. "He's just kidding," she said to Elena and Layla.

"No I'm not!" Hugo insisted. "Her father is the Chosen One, who killed You-Know-Who!"

Layla looked at Lily and smiled. "So you're Lily Potter, then?"

"Yep, that's me," she replied. "But enough about our families. That doesn't matter. What house do you want to go in?"

"Anything but Slytherin," Layla replied, and Hugo looked relieved. "If I could chose, either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor."

"Me and Hugo have to be in Gryffindor," Lily said. "Our whole family was. What about you, Elena?"

Elena looked thoughtful. "I don't know…" she said hesitantly. "I'm Muggle-born, see, so I don't know much about houses or anything."

"Oh, it's simple," Lily said. She began explaining all about the houses and Hogwarts, when the door of the compartment opened again. Two people stood at the entrance. One was Rose, and the other was a boy Lily didn't recognize.

"Hugo and Lily," Rose said. "Do you want to join our compartment?"

"No thanks, we're fine," Hugo replied. "Who's that?" he pointed to the other boy.

"The reason why I asked you to join us," Rose answered. "He said that it was very rude that Albus and I left you alone, and insisted on letting you join us. But, it looks like you've made your own friends, right?"

"I was just being nice," the boy said. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy. See you later, then." He waved and left.

"Was she your sister?" Elena asked.

"Yep," Hugo replied. "Two years older."

"She's my cousin, too," Lily said. "Hugo and I have 9 siblings and cousins attending Hogwarts right now. Rose, Albus, Louis, Dominique, Roxanne, Molly, Lucy, James, and Fred," she counted.

"Whoa," Layla commented. "That's a lot. You must have a lot of knowledge about Hogwarts, then."

For the rest of the train ride, the four discussed their families, until the train stopped at Hogwarts. "Excited?" Lily asked the others.

"Very," they responded.


I'll try to update every day. I already wrote the next chapter (it's kind of long…) but I'll always be once chapter ahead of the current one posted.