CHAPTER 2 – HOGWARTS EXPRESS

I'm so excited! It's the first of September already, which means that the new term now begins! I can't contain how excited I am, so I ended up putting butter on my cheeks at breakfast. Teddy, James and Al laughed so hard about that, but I don't care much. I just laughed with them and put butter and their faces, too.

I checked all my stuff to see if I've left something. Nothing, so I grabbed Adryll's cage and my trunk – which was charmed to be feather light and have given an Undetectable Expanding Charm by Aunt Hermione – and strolled downstairs and went outside by the car.

After putting all our trunks in the car, – which also have an Undetectable Expanding Charm for us to fit in – dad drove all the way to King's Cross Station. We arrived with ten minutes spare time. Teddy was already graduated three years previously but he went with us to say goodbye. He went first to the barrier between platforms nine and ten or what we called "Platform Nine and Three Quarters." James next, and then Al, and then I, mum and dad.

After going through the barrier with shut eyes, I opened my eyes to see the familiar scarlet train and steam engine before me. There was only one difference though – I finally get to be aboard in it. I can't help the grin that's spreading across my face.

"Hey Lils, don't forget to write to me while your at school," Teddy said and grabbed me in a huge embrace. Oh I'm really gonna miss my biggest brother.

"Don't worry Teddykins, I'll write everyday if you want to," I laughed. "I'm going to miss you Big Brother."

"I'm gonna miss you, too, Flower. Never forget that." He kissed the top of my head and helped me lift my trunk to the train. I went back to my parents.

"Mum, dad, I'm going to miss you!" I cried over to them.

"We're going to miss you, too, honey," dad said. Mum kissed the top of my forehead before letting me go.

"I'm going to find Hugo. He's ears might be burning now out of nerves," I said to them and laughed. Knowing Hugo, that might be the case. He's ears were so like his father's.

"Lily! Hey Lils!" I heard someone calling me. I recognized the voice as Hugo's and sure enough, when I turned around, he was there with his parents, waving at me. I ran to them, hug my aunt and uncle and said goodbye, grabbing Hugo with me as the train whistled, warning the students to come aboard.

I turned around, saw my parents and Teddy, and shouted, "Bye mum, dad, Ted!" over the crowd. Hugo and I went on the window and wave at our parents until the train turned and they were gone.

"Come on Lils, let's find a compartment," Hugo said.

"Yeah."

We found Katrina while on the way and the three of us went to find a compartment. We talk casually on the way and found a compartment with a little girl, obviously a first year, too, alone. She looks so nervous and by the looks of it, muggle-born.

"Hi," I said. "Can we join you here?"

She nodded nervously. I sat across her by the window beside Hugo while Kat side beside the girl.

"I'm Lily by the way. Lily Luna Potter," I introduced myself and held my hand in front of her. I smiled at her encouragingly.

"I'm Anna Maxine Richardson." We shook hands and I turned to introduce her to my fellows.

"This is Hugo Weasley, my cousin, and this is Katrina Alice Longbottom."

She shook their hands and smiled at us.

"So, what do you want us to call you? I mean they sometimes call me Lils of Flower or Lily and I call Katrina 'Kat' and Hugo is just Hugo. Shall we call you Ann or Anna or Max or Maxine? Or maybe Maxie or Annie or what?" I said straight in one breath. "Oops, sorry. I'm babbling again." I smiled, embarrassed.

"Just Max or Maxine. No ridiculous Maxie or Annie," she said with much more confidence.

"So," Kat said, "are you muggle-born?" I shot her a warning look, so she added hastily, "Not that it matters to us, just curious." She smiled at her apologetically.

"Yeah, I am. Does it make a difference if you're a muggle-born?" She looked anxiously at us and began fidgeting in her seat.

"Nope," said Hugo. "My mum's a muggle-born and my dad's a pureblood but it doesn't matter. My mum was the top in class when she was at school."

"Yeah, no one cleverer than Aunt Hermione," I agreed. "So what house do you want to be in?" I asked without thinking. Luckily, she seems to have read enough of the books so she answered the question.

"Gryffindor seems the best by far. Ravenclaw's second best I think and Hufflepuff's okay but Slytherin has the worst reputation of all."

"Our whole family is in Gryffindor, so I bet me and Lils will be there," Hugo stated confidently.

"I want to be in Gryffindor, too, like my father," Kat said.

"I hope I'm in the same house with any of you," Max sighed.

"Don't worry, you can make friends with any other house. Just be yourself," I assured her. "If you're worried, let's promise that we will still be friends even if we separate houses."

"Agreed," said the other girls. We all turned to look at Hugo."

"That's a girl thing," he complained but when we continued to stare at him, he said, "Fine."

"So, it's settled then!" I said, clapping my hands together in joy.

Just then, the compartment slid open and an elderly witch with a trolley full of sweets asked, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

I hopped from my seat, followed by Kat and Hugo and we bought a box of Chocolate Frog, some Licorice Wands, a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Cauldron Cake and shared it to Maxine.

"Be careful, the frog really moves. It's just a spell but you don't want your chocolate escape, do you?" I told Max. "And there's a card there of the most famous witches and wizards, I've got lots of those on my trunk."

"Harry James Potter," she said and frowned. "Is he related to you or something?"

I nodded and flushed, embarrassed because of the fame of my father and my simpleton. "He's my dad. He's the one who-"

"-defeated Lord Voldemort!" she squealed excitedly. "I remember reading his name in some books I bought for background reading. Is he really your dad?"

"Yeah."

"And-"she thought for a few seconds and said, "You're a Weasley right? And you're mum's name is Hermione so… You're the son of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger!" she concluded excitedly again and said, "I know I'm right, don't bother tell me." She laughed and Hugo's ears went bright red.

"And you must be 'N' something Longbottom's daughter, Kat! I'm sorry I forgot the name, but he was the leader of Dumbledore's Army during the war."

"Yeah, he's name is Neville" Kat said.

"You're quite clever, you know," I mused. "You could be in Ravenclaw."

"Maybe, but I have my fingers crossed for Gryffindor."

We chatted there for another half an hour when the door slid open. It was Al and Rose.

"Hey," Al said, "I thought we ought to visit you if you're alright Flower."

"Yeah, and ickle Huggiekins, too," Rose said and laughed as Hugo's ears went red again.

"Don't call me that!" he said angrily to his sister.

"Chill bro, we don't want any more heat in this warm. We just wanted a little chat with then we'll go. Anyways, who is this new friend of yours?" She asked, looking at Max.

"I'm Anna Maxine Richardson," she said breathlessly. "Are you Lily' brother and Hugo's sister?"

"Yeah," they said simultaneously.

"Nice meeting you Maxine, I'm Albus Severus Potter." He held his hand out and she shook it.

"I'm Rose Weasley," Rose said, shaking her hand, too, smiling. "Beware of my little brother, he's kind of a space heater sometimes.

We all laughed except for Hugo, who flushed in embarrassment and glowered at his older sister.

We talked and talked all the way. Hugo, Al and I talked about Quidditch while Rose lectured the eager Max and the scared Kat about what we are gonna do at our first lessons at Hogwarts. The lesson I'm looking forward most is flying, because I've flied in a toy broomstick ever since I was one and have ridden a real broom ever since eight. It was one thing I'm sure to be one of the best at school. I wanted to make the House Team as my dad had when he was in first year. He was the youngest seeker in the century. I wanted to be seeker to like him, or perhaps a chaser like my mum.

James and his friends Dominic Thomas and Alexander Creevey stopped by to say hello and returned to go back to their compartment. A few of my cousins waved at us when they see us while they're walking.

Suddenly, the compartment slid open again, revealing for boys, probably of Al's year. They were all smirking when they saw who was inside. One of them looks like a troll. One was ugly and small but not quite intimidating. One was tall, quite dark-skinned and rather handsome while the other was also good-looking, tall, blond, and has grey eyes and impassive face. I recognized him as Scorpius Malfoy.

"Hey Potter," the handsome one sneered, "how's mummy and daddy?" He smirked.

"Working and as famous as ever, not unlike the daddies of your two ugly buddies who're still in Azkaban, right Goyle, Nott" Al sneered back. The troll, Goyle and the ugly one, Nott, looked at him menacingly.

"Watch your mouth, Potter," Goyle said.

"Oh, and now here is your baby sister to be in addition to the shame of your parents. Pity," retorted Nott.

"In case your dad didn't tell you, Goyle, my dad saved his and Malfoy Sr.'s skins." Al said and I saw Malfoy's features turn into anger. "As for you Nott, my sister's worth ten times of your talent and a hundred times your looks."

"Leave now!" Rose said, full of authority in her voice.

"Alright Ms. Know-It-All. Come on guys, lets go before she lectures us how to walk," Zabini leered. They walk out on the aisle muttering to each other.

"Come on guys, let's change into robes," I said to alleviate the tense atmosphere.

They all nodded and we all changed into our robes, not talking. We're all silent until the train went to a stop. Al turned to us and said, "Good luck to you four. Remember to keep away from the snakes.

I hugged him and walked down the train where I met some cousins and James.

"Good luck Flower!" James shouted over the crowd. "Be sure to be in Gryffindor! Keep away from the snakes!"

"Al said that, too! I'm a lioness, remember! See you later Jamie!" I bellowed back.