Hometown Glory

Chapter One: Home Sweet Home

"Family is just an accident. They don't mean to get on your nerves. They don't even mean to be your family, they just are. " - Marsha Norman

A lot of things happened here. Too many, actually. But if there was anything that happened around here and it was going to be remembered—after all, thousands of people have walked the flooring of this place for centuries, and will continue until the ends of time—then that something had to be very memorable. It had to be enthralling, outstanding, shocking, and easily exploited. Everyone knew that. It took more than having a 'Special Merit' badge in the trophy hall to have the upcoming generations know who you are; the stories and legends were built and created among the people, among the houses not the plaques.

That was Hogwarts for you, the greatest Wizarding school ever known to all magical-kind. The place were legends where made, where heroes were created, and stories lived on forever.

It was bewitching on its own, but in that very moment, with more important and secretive things going on every millisecond, the focal point seemed to have landed on a girl seating herself on the Gryffindor house-table.

Passing boys looked at her, a little more than captivated as they shoved one another forward, one after the next trying to get at least an extra second of sight.

So much attention, left and right, would make a person feel extremely uncomfortable, but the girl was now used to it. She had seven years to adjust to the stares, to the longing glances, and the whispers; so she just smiled.

Her emerald eyes were always bright and vivid, so wide and doe-like, a mixture of the past generation and a new, foreign one. They showed her kindness and compassion, and a little something hidden that no one could ever figure out. Her smile was captivating, obviously, the way her red lips stretched beautifully. Her skin a pale white, rosy cheeks, and a button-like nose. Lean and curvy, with dark waves cascading down her waist. She was always the most beautiful sight to see.

"Good morning, Miss Potter," one of the passing students mumbled to her, shy and shaky.

"Hello," the witch replied politely, a smile on her face still.

And just as the group of Third Years flushed and scurried away from the interaction, someone threw a rolled napkin in their direction. "For heavens sake, how pathetic is that?" Laughing mockingly, Alexa turned towards the girl next to her. "I wonder what would happen if you threw your used loo-paper in their direction. Do you think they would duel to the death for it?"

"Alexa!" Bliss looked instantly horrified, flushing at the crudeness of her cousin's remark.

But the girl continued to snicker hysterically, her blue-eyes looking maleficent. "There, there, Bliss, it's not your fault. Blokes would do anything for girls they fancy, that and more."

"—And she really doesn't help the situation, bet she loves the attention."

Looking up as someone budded-in to their conversation, the two witches rolled their eyes in annoyance at the two boys approaching. One of them looking especially ticked. "Of course she does, walking around the castle in her bloody towel. "

"Oh, right. I remember that," Lynx Malfoy commented casually, as the boy next time him scowled at Bliss. "Caused a riot when rumor got out. It was like an instant stampede."

"Not this again, please." Bliss sighed.

"Oh, now you're ashamed?" Orion retorted, Lynx adding agreeing comments next to him. "Well, where was that shame when I had to endure days of nasty gits talking about my sister like she was some…some..."

"Do not even continue that," Alexa warned in a sing-song voice, smiling wickedly as Bliss frowned and a new coming group came towards them.

Slapping Orion hard on the back, Alexa's twin brother smiled at all of them in greeting as the others positioned themselves across from the girls. "Oi, what's up?" Neo ruffled his cousin's hair, looking carefree and relaxed.

"Orion's upset over the towel thing again," Alexa replied to her brother. "Even though it's been over a year now."

"I remember that." Chewing loudly, bits of egg flying out of his mouth, Maxim Weasley looked at his family. "Didn't someone steal her clothes from the Prefects bathroom? That's why she was in the towel?"

Smirking wildly, Lynx nodded, elbowing Logan Greengrass on the ribs as the latter shook his head. "Yeah, I heard that they hung up her bra like a shrine in a Hufflepuff dormitory."

"And her underwear is somewhere in Ravenclaw Tower," Logan continued for his cousin, both of them looking teasing. "Oh, and her socks? Being sniffed by some perverted unknown student living in the Room of Requirements."

But before her brother could let out an outraged remark, Bliss cut in. "They stole my clothes, Orion! What do you want me to do?"

"—Leave."

"—Disappear."

"—Live on Polyjuice Potion."

"—Say you've been a bloke all along."

"—Wear the Invisibility Cloak."

Bliss narrowed her eyes at all the remarks tossed at her by her cousins and brother; Alexa joining her as she grunted a curse. "Honestly, just because no one finds none of you idiots attractive," Alexa spoke again. "Maybe all of you should vanish, you'll do the family a favor."

"Please." Standing up from the quick seat he had taken on the table, Andres Zabini snorted at his relative. "If anything, I have prettied this family up."

"—I don't think so."

"—Please."

"—Do you own a mirror."

"—I'm the one with veela blood here."

"—Ugly prat."

Andrew glared. "Whatever." He flipped them the finger, grabbing his schoolbag and heading out the Great Hall; signaling the others to follow behind him, all the boys leaving in a flash of ruby and gold ties.

"Remember we need to meet an hour before curfew!" Alexa shouted at them.

And as the boys moved so smoothly through the other students, everyone parting for them like they were all little Merlins or royalty, adding to their cockiness, two tall witches came into view. The blonde following after the other with a fury written on her expression.

"I'm talking to you!" Before the nonchalant girl could head to the table represented by silver and emerald, Glorie Lupin managed to grip her arm; turning her around. "Don't you walk away from me."

The Slytherin witch narrowed her eyes, the color of them a dark black as the blonde girl continued to hold on to her arm with anger.

"Don't you have any respect for privacy—or any respect in general?" Glorie huffed, her fury not withering. "Give it back to me, Angelique."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Angelique replied simply, flicking her eyes on her arm and back to the blonde. "Let go of me now."

But Glorie did not budge, she took a step closer to the Slytherin. Her anger was at a higher level than what was accustomed for the neutral Ravenclaws. "Give it to me," she repeated, her blue eyes igniting. "Now, Angelique."

Growing tired of it fast, Angelique pushed the blonde's hold away from her, her black eyes lighting into a fiery red and making Glorie take that step back. So easily spooked by the Sixth Year. "I think you're losing your mind, sister, I haven't anything of yours."

"Angelique—" But the latter was now heading towards her fellow Slytherins, holding her schoolbag especially close to her; a little smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth as her older sister looked ready to explode. "Ugh!"

"…Yeah, that can't end well," Alexa commented in a soft whisper as she and Bliss rose from their seats; already set to go after their cousin stalking off towards the exit with infuriated tears accumulating in her eyes. "And we can already guess who will win that round, and it won't be pretty."

Bliss sighed, nodding in agreement as she adjusted the strap of her bag. "Well, I have Charms with Glorie next, I'll talk to her then. See what the problem is. Can you talk to Angelique?"

Alexa raised her eyebrow at her cousin, giving her an are-you-nuts look; scoffing too. "And face Angelique's wrath? No, no. I rather see this play out, I'm not about to lose an eyeball for Glorie. I don't like mixing in family-affairs."

"But they're our family, Alex," Bliss commented, stopping for a split second before they took their departing ways. "Besides, you can expect loads of complaining and whining from Glorie's part until she gets whatever it is Angelique took. And you know we will be the ones she'll be coming to."

"We can hide," Alexa offered.

The Seventh Year Gryffindor shook her waves, not convinced. "Come on, Alex, you know she can get her way into the Gryffindor Tower. This will be unavoidable."

The other Potter girl looked calculating for a second, debating among herself on what was right and what would not involve her. "Damnit!" She cursed. "Alright, I'll talk to Angelique. But if I end up butchered and hanging from the Astronomy by my knickers, I will retell the towel story next holiday; expect an infuriated and disgraced Uncle James ."

And with that threat and blackmail being said, Bliss and Alexa Potter headed towards their class. Enough drama to start off a morning, but expected nonetheless with the amount of relatives running around loose.

X

The bell had rung not long ago, signaling the second to last lesson before the actual school-day was over with. And exiting the selected area for Care of Magical Creatures, a witch walked by herself towards the hill overlooking the Black Lake; spotting someone already standing at the peak of it.

She was a redhead, that someone, standing with her arms extended out in a horizontal direction. The wind was blowing through her hair, sending every strand of hair flowing backwards; making it seem like a wave of fire was exhaling from that hill. Her eyes were shut, and she swayed along with the rhythm of the air and leaves.

She looked eerie, with the way she took over that hilltop, but as that lonesome girl got closer to the redhead, she already knew that it was more than that. It was always more than that with her. Some chemicals gone wrong, some extra chemicals gone wrong in her bloodstream.

"Have you ever felt free?" The redhead spoke, her ears perking up as she heard the other girl's shoes crackle the leaves on the grass. "Like loose?"

"Um, no." Kendra Weasley replied in an unsure way, clearing her throat uncomfortably as she lowered her schoolbag on the grass. "…Are you okay?"

In an instant, the redhead opened her eyes. A dark coal-like color coming to light. "Never better, little Kenny."

But at the sweet tone in the girl's voice, Kendra did not smile, did not feel warm nor welcomed. Instead she tried not to raise her eyebrow or look even more uncomfortable.

"You and I, Kenny, we're alike in too many ways." Devon Weasley smiled at her Uncle Louis' daughter, her essence giving off a fictional-feel. "Did you ever realize that?"

Kendra was not flattered, she felt a little dread at what was going to come out of her cousin's mouth next.

Devon smirked, well aware of that uneasiness in Kendra's body. "We look exactly the same, that's how we are alike," she told her, eased and soft. "Red hair, freckles, veela-blood, and same birthmark inherited from the Delacour side, but…" She smiled a little more, deciding to leave it off there as a few familiar faces started approaching them.

"I'm exhausted!" Thud. "I am never, ever, going to break curfew again, I swear it. That slave-work that Filch made me do, not even Grandmum Molly when she's mad!"

Dropping her bag next to where Kendra left hers, Elinor Scamander rolled her eyes at the girl who laid herself facedown on the grass. "You said that last year, Vi."

The girl rolled over, blades of grass stuck to her sweaty forehead. "Like you said you'd have a boyfriend by our Third Year, and I still have faith in you." Violet picked her neck up, stretching to see the blonde Ravenclaw. "Because that's what good friends do."

Elinor turned pink, scowling. "Well, then. Luckily we are cousins, and not friends."

"Alright, you two, settle down now. Don't go about handing each other your best friend charms back." Snickering as she also took a seat on the grass, Athena Malfoy looked up at her cousins playfully.

Leaning against the only tree on the hill, watching as the girls sat down, some leaning on others, Theodore Weasley shook his head to himself. "Women," he clucked his tongue after his whisper. He knew specifically never to anger them with your opinion on how think their entire gender is mad and emotionally unstable, especially the women in his family.

"So, Vi, quickly before the rest of the lot gets here, how's Abel adjusting to his new life in Britain?" Elinor asked, forgetting her anger towards the youngest of the Greengrass'.

Laying her head carefully on Devon's lap, Violet looked towards the sky as she thought about her cousin, the newest addition to the Greengrass family. Not really noticing when Kendra leaned a little closer to her, her attention on full blast. "He's taking it day by day, you know? His parents have been dead for a few months, he's still in mourning."

"Mum told me Lily says it was for the best." Everyone looked at Theodore with an outraged looked. "That she and Liam decided to take Abel in," the Hufflepuff explained himself further. "Because the Greengrass' aren't the most loving of families."

Violet sighed. "Yeah, Dad's family are total gits." And luckily for her and Logan's sake, they didn't interact with that side. They were all pompous, old-fashioned people. (And there was no place for those types of people in the Weasley/Potter clan.) "But Abel does look happier, even if he was left an orphan. A healthy home, happy heart, right?"

Theodore and Athena shared a quick look. (Not in their family, that was certain.)

"—Ow, what is your problem!"

"You are, now move!"Coming up the hill, Dustin Rowle pushed a redhead towards the rest of the people waiting by the tree. Her carbon-copy walked behind them, looking worried for the two as they both became more aggravated by the passing millisecond.

Being pushed one final time, Riley turned on her heels to smack Dustin on the chest. "I do believe this is some sort of harassment, Rowle," she snapped. "You can't physically attack a student—especially a girl for that matter."

"You're hardly a girl," Dustin spat, fixing his robes as he glared at his cousin. "But go right on ahead, report me to the Headmaster. I assure you, with your temper and attitude, he'll wonder why I didn't curse you."

Theodore chuckled by the tree, and Riley turned her head towards him. She gave him her nastiest glare. "Little brother," she said coolly in greeting.

"Can - Can we, um, just get this over with?" Rory asked hesitantly, looking nervous as her twin started tapping her foot impatiently. She was growing afraid that the redhead was about to combust and murder everyone around her.

But just as Dustin was about to open his mouth, agreeing with Riley's tolerable, nice, duplicate, Riley raised an eyebrow as she spotted a figure down the hill trying to walk past them incognito. Trying to make her way so fast and undetected, sparing herself from something Riley was not able to get out of. "Sidney!"

The Gryffindor feet away stopped, gritting her teeth at her rotten luck. She slowly picked her head up, pulling her red hair away from her face and behind her ears at all the faces she was trying to avoid. "…Hey."

Riley smiled too sweetly, adjusting her Slytherin-tie carefully. "Did you miss the memo, cousin? We're having a family meeting."

Sidney Weasley cleared her throat, looking down at her watch. "Um, yeah, I can't stay. I have a meeting with the Headmaster - I'll just have someone catch me up later."

Dustin sighed, annoyed. "Get up here, Sid," he ordered the redhead, crossing his arms in frustration. "It'll only take a few minutes."

"What's so important, Dust?" Devon asked her brother, tilting her head to a side; her eyes looking glazed over. "And where are the others?"

Dustin scoffed at her. "Are you mental? If I told all of you together it would take all day, and I don't have time to waste, alright?"

"Then get on with it!" Riley retorted.

The older boy took a deep breath, remembering that he was in fact an aid for the professors in the school, and that one bad move could cost him his future career. "I got a letter from Uncle Ron in the morning, wanting me to tell all the lot of something that's recently happened back home."

Athena's eyes opened instantly, whatever relaxed feeling in her body leaving. "Is it my Gran?" She asked instantly. "Is it my Grandmother Hermione? Is she sick again? I thought Angelina was looking after her. She said she was better and—"

"No, no, 'Thena, it wasn't about Hermione. She's alright, okay," Dustin interrupted the frantic Ravenclaw. "The letter was about the announcement that your parents are renewing their marriage-bond next week."

Athena's worry was replaced with excitement, clapping her hands cheerfully as the girls squealed with her.

"—How cute!"

"—That's adorable!"

"—Yeah, Scorpius always outdoes himself, doesn't he?"

"—Ugh."

"—Oh, Riley, it's romantic!"

"What does this exactly mean to us?" Cutting across the witches, Theodore raised a hand to get the attention to him. "What's going to happen now?"

At all the comments coming in every angle, Dustin was really glad he had decided to split the meeting; there was just too bloody much of them. "Simple," he began, voice calm and low to make sure every one of them was giving him their undivided attention. Almost like if he was revealing to them his darkest secret in a murmur. "Go back to your dormitories and pack your trunks, mates. We're going home."

And may Merlin have mercy on them then.

AN: Well, here we go again! Lol. Another attempt to this sequel, and I hope all of you enjoy it.

Thank you so much for always reading my stories, and demanding that I redo this one. It makes me feel fussy and warm that you all looked the last installment that much.

XOXO.