Chapter Two

The Hogwarts Express

"You have everything you need?" Ginny asked anxiously, tugging Lily's sweater straight. Harry stood behind his wife, an amused grin on his face.

Lily sighed and nodded, adjusting her hold on Calliope's cage. The owl hooted softly. "Yes, Mum, I have all my stuff. Besides, you'll just send along anything I've forgotten, plus a lot of stuff I had no idea I needed," she said, placing her hands on her mother's arms. "I'll be fine, Mum. I can take care of myself."

Ginny smiled. "I know, sweetheart."

The whistle on the Hogwarts Express blew loudly.

"I'd better go, I said I'd show Luce where the prefect car is," Lily said, kissing her mother's cheek. "Bye, guys."

"Love you, sweetheart," Harry said as he embraced her.

"Bye, Dad, I'll see you soon." Lily smiled up at him. "I love you too."

"Don't forget to write and tell your brothers you arrived safely," Ginny said nervously, watching Lily step onto the train.

"Yeah, Mum! I'll write them!" Lily called, sounding slightly exasperated. Both of her parents, her mother especially, had been in a state of worry, unlike any Lily could remember, ever since her Aunt Hermione announced the Triwizard Tournament in July.

After his anger at Rose's birthday, Harry's attitude seemed to have improved. He was satisfied, at least, that Lily would not be entering the tournament—she had no interest. As for Roxy and Hugo—well, they had promised Arthur. And with any luck, that would protect them.

Lily waved at her parents from inside the train, then turned to move down the car, but smacked right into Lucy. Calliope screeched, startled.

"Ow," Lily said, rubbing her forehead and looking up at Lucy, who held the hand of her boyfriend, Lysander. Though she was only fifteen, Lucy was a good five inches taller than Lily. "Hi, Luce."

"Sorry," Lucy said, biting her lip. She looked at Calliope, who ruffled her feathers and glared at her. "Are you guys okay?"

"S'All right. Come on, prefects' carriage is this way," Lily said, pointing down the car with her free hand. Lucy had just been named a Ravenclaw prefect, joining Lysander, who was a seventh-year with Lily and his twin brother, Lorcan.

"Actually, Lil, I think we're all right. We'll find it, " Lucy said, smiling at her cousin. "Go sit with your friends. I'm sure Roxy is doing something she shouldn't be," she added.

"Oh," Lily said. "Sure, okay. Well, just through those doors, and the next car," she said, feeling rather useless.

"Got it," Lucy said, squeezing past her.

"Thanks, Lily," Lysander said as he followed his girlfriend.

Lily nodded and turned back, hefting Calliope's cage more securely into her grasp. She began to hunt out the compartment where she and Hugo had left their trunks before he had departed for the prefects' carriage.

"Lily!" Henry Boot said, smiling as she slid open the door.

"Hey," she mumbled, dropping onto the empty seat between Roxy and Henry, another seventh year Gryffindor. Calliope ruffled her wings, so Lily stood again and put her cage on the luggage rack, popping a few Owl Treats from her pocket through the bars.

"Hi, Lil," said Andrew Wood from behind his Ancient Runes book.

"More late homework?" Lily asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Mmhmm."

Michael Malkin, another Gryffindor seventh year, who had very bad motion sickness, was already soundly asleep and snoring against the windowpane.

"Michael's out, then," Lily said. "Anyone else want a game of Exploding Snap?"

They played for a few hours, exchanging summer stories, but by the time the witch with the food trolley came along, the conversation had turned. Henry and Andrew had already heard about the tournament; it was, apparently, a very poorly kept secret.

"Probably Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, don't you think?" Roxanne said. Everyone murmured assent.

"Who d'you reckon will be the champion?" asked Andrew, scribbling the last few sentences onto his essay and rolling it up.

"A Gryffindor, of course," Henry said, studying his card very carefully. "It was a Gryffindor last time, wasn't it?"

"Hey now," Lily said reproachfully. "Don't forget Cedric Diggory. Two champions."

Henry shrugged. "Still, though, your dad counts. It'll probably be a Gryffindor again, too."

"Just as long as it's not a Slytherin," Roxanne mumbled.

"Wait a minute," Andrew said. "Aren't you entering, Rox?"

Roxanne glowered. "We've been forbidden. All three of us." She nodded at Lily and Hugo, who had just returned from his prefect duties.

Hugo stretched out on Lily's seat (Lily occupied the floor with Henry) and sighed. "Does it really matter? I mean, there's a pretty slim chance we'd get picked, anyway."

"Not exactly," Lily said thoughtfully. "There are seven of us Gryffindors who are of age, with maybe one or two sixth-years who could be old enough. There are only about eleven or twelve seventh-years apiece in the other Houses. Assuming we all entered—"

"Okay, Lily, we get it," snapped Roxy. "Still, I don't like to think what my mum'd do…"

"How would she find out?" Andrew asked.

"Uh, if Roxanne got picked as a champion, I'm pretty sure her mum would find out," Hugo said.

"Not necessarily," Andrew said. "I mean, if you don't get chosen, it'll be as if you never entered, and if you do…well, it's not like there's any way of getting out of it."

Roxanne leaned back, thinking. "That's true," she said. "Be pretty cool, wouldn't it? Winning the tournament? And it's not like we couldn't do it…"

Henry grinned. "Yeah, it would be."

Lily gave a great, fake shudder. "Aunt Ange would curse you into next year," she said warningly. Then she saw the determined look on Roxy's face. "I'm staying out of this," Lily announced. She leaned back on her hands. "You do whatever you want, but I'm not responsible for what Gran does when she finds out." She emphasized the word, raising her eyebrows at Roxanne.

Roxy rolled her eyes. "Hugo, what do you say?" she asked, leaning over Hugo on the seat next to her. "We could put our names in together."

Hugo shrugged. "I don't care, really," he said. He was far too used to Roxanne's dominating personality to allow her to order him around. "It might be really cool. I'll think about it."

"I swear, this family," Roxanne scoffed.

Andrew snorted.