Yay! Another chapter! I hope you like it! And thanks to LOTRRanger. She suggested the name for the child that I decided to use!!! :D
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Ashlynn awoke suddenly. She stayed in her bed, very still, staring at the ceiling, wondering what it was that woke her.
"Ashlynn René!" Her mother called from down stairs. "Wake up! We have to be at King Cross soon!"
This made Ashlynn jump from her bed. That was right! It was the day that she would be leaving for Hogwarts! Ashlynn danced to her closet, which had only a few of her regular clothes in it, since she had packed a lot along with her new uniforms.
After Ashlynn had picked out her clothes, she ran across the hall to the bathroom. "Offt!" Ashlynn stumbled back, but a strong hand caught her arms.
"Whoa, what's the rush, Ash?" said her father, his mostly gray hair in his eyes. He steadied her and she laughed.
"Sorry, daddy. But I have to get read to go to King Cross!" She exclaimed.
Her dad laughed. "Oh, I should have realized. Of course, the night before I went to Hogwarts, I couldn't even sleep." Dad ruffled her already sleep tussled hair. Ashlynn ducked away from him and into the bathroom, laughing.
Thirty minutes later Ashlynn was skipping down the stairs, two or three at a time. The moment she jumped down the last two steps and walked into the living room, which was next to the kitchen, she smelled the wonderful smells of bacon and eggs.
Her mum and dad were sitting at the table already. Her mum was sipping her tea and having some toast, a her dad's plate was full of bacon and eggs. Once her mom saw her she grinned and jumped to her feet. "Oh, Ashlynn René!" Her mum brought her into a hug, and since she was the same height, her face went directly into her bushy brown hair.
"Oh! My little girl is going to Hogwarts!" Her mum crooned.
"Mum," Ashlynn moaned, embarrassed. "Its not that big of a deal."
"Of course it is," sniffed her mum after releasing her. "My only daughter going to a magical school - of course it was exciting for me to go, but I had only just found out I was magical. You've known all your life! I've been waiting for this for eleven years!"
Mum sat back down, and Ashlynn followed the suit, sitting down and immediately attacking her breakfast. She was halfway done with the food when the sound of the Floo came from the living room, then again. Mum and Dad just continued eating, knowing whoever it was would be coming in the kitchen soon.
"We're here to see my Goddaughter before she goes to Hogwarts!" said her Godfather, Harry, as he walked into the kitchen, 'Uncle' Ron coming in after her.
"Harry!" She exclaimed, jumping up and hugging him.
"Hey, Ashy," he greeted.
"Ron!" Then Ashlynn hugged him, too. As soon as Ashlynn had released Ron, he was already halfway to the stove to get some of the breakfast still in the pan.
"Oh, Ron," said her mum. "Didn't your wife already feed you?"
"Yeah, Hermione, but I'm still hungry. You know how Fallon eats - he inhales everything the second Luna puts it on the table." Ashlynn laughed. At that moment Ron was the one inhaling.
Her mum rolled her eyes. "You have only yourself to blame - its your genes that gave your son his stomach, not Luna." Ron just decided to ignore that jab.
"How are you, Harry? Would you like anything before Ron eats it all," asked her dad.
"Oh, and Ginny doesn't make him a good breakfast?" said Ron.
Harry rolled his eyes this time, along with her mum. "No, Remus, I'm good. My kids don't inhale everything."
"How are James, Sirius and Lily?" asked mum.
"James is jealous that Ashlynn is going to Hogwarts. He doesn't want to wait another two years. And Sirius is sorta the same way, only because his older brother is. Lily is only six, so she is only interested in her dolls." Harry smiled as he poured some tea.
"Yeah, Fallon is the same way," said Ron. It was probably a sad thing that everyone in the room could understand him with his mouth so full. "But like Lily the twins don't care either way." Star and Luna (Jr.) were five.
Ashlynn's nerves suddenly flared up. All of these people were basically her cousins, and she was the oldest of them all. Of course, Bill and Fleur's daughter, Victoire, was her age, but a few months younger. She would be starting at Hogwarts, too. She would be the first Weasley to start at Hogwarts for eleven years.
Ashlynn would be the first, and only, Lupin to attend for over thirty years. And, technically, Granger, in ten years.
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A while later, Ashlynn and her family had just arrived outside the entrance to platform 9 ¾. Ashlynn nervously clutched the bar of the trolley that held her trunk.
"Okay, dear," said her mum. "Run straight for the wall, dead center. Don't hesitate."
Her dad set a hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be fine." Her dad was always good at seeing her emotions. Ashlynn nodded and decided that she should just go for it. After taking a deep breath, Ashlynn started running straight for the wall….
….and found herself at platform 9 ¾.
Ashlynn looked around her in awe. The platform was very busy, students and parents milling around. It was only a moment later that her parents arrived behind her, and Harry and Ron.
The group began to move down the platform until they ran into Bill and Fleur with Victoire. The adults talked adamantly, as did Ashlynn and Victoire.
Her mother looked at her watch. "Oh, we should get going! The train is due to leave in ten minutes, and Ashlynn and Victoire still have to find a compartment."
Everyone exchanged hugs and farewells, then we started to board the train. Victoire and Ashlynn went to the student compartments, while Ashlynn's mom and dad went to the professor's compartments. It was then that Ashlynn really realized it…
Her parents would be with her at school, all year.
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There were no open compartments, so Ashlynn and Victoire opened the door to one that only had two other girls in it.
"Hello," said Ashlynn. "I was wondering if we could sit here. Everywhere else is full."
"Of course," said the girl, who even sitting down, looked very tall. She had an amazing amount of freckles on her face. When they had sat down, the girl began to speak again. "My name is Andrea Wood. And this is Kylie Andreson," she pointed to a quiet looking girl.
"Hello, Andrea. Kylie. I'm Victoire Weasley," said Victoire in her elegant sounding voice. Ashlynn was always amazed by Victoire's grace. As pretty as her voice was in English, it was downright beautiful in French.
"And my name is Ashlynn René Lupin. But I usually just go by Ashlynn. Only my mum calls me Ashlynn René," she told the two girls.
"Oh," said Andrea. "Aren't your mum and dad professors at Hogwarts?"
"Uh, yeah," said Ashlynn. "My mum is the Transfiguration professor, and my dad is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
"Wow," said Andrea. "It's nice to meet you. My dad talks about your parents a lot, and their friends." She grinned. "He was the coach for the Gryffindor Quidditch team when Harry Potter was on the team, so he knew Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley pretty well, too."
"Oh, Harry is my Godfather," Ashlynn mentioned.
"Oh, wow," said Kylie. "The Harry Potter?"
Ashlynn laughed. "Well, he's just my Godfather. I don't really know him as 'the' Harry Potter. He's just really cool." Kylie and Andrea laughed.
"Okay, I guess I get that. You are surrounded by war heroes all the time. Your parents, for one," said Andrea. Ashlynn shrugged. She didn't really think about it that often.
It was then that the train started moving. Andrea grinned. "Oh, we're starting! I can't believe we'll be at Hogwarts soon!"
"I know," gushed Victoire. "I've heard so many stories from my parents and uncles and aunts. I can't wait to see if they are true."
"Me neither. I haven't been to Hogwarts for since I was seven. And I can't wait to actually be a student," said Ashlynn.
"Wait, what?" said Andrea. "You haven't been to Hogwarts since you were seven?"
"Well, yeah," Ashlynn said. "I was pretty much raised at Hogwarts. My mum had me in May, her first year of teaching. She stopped about a month before she had me, going on maternity leave, and my dad on paternity leave. But when the new year started, they brought me to Hogwarts. Grandma Weasley - who isn't my real grandmother, of course - came with them and took care of me when my mum and dad were teaching. When I was a toddler, sometimes I would sit in with my mum or dad on classes and color or something. When I hit seven, I had a habit of wandering away from who ever was watching me and getting into things I shouldn't. I sorta found a new secret passage way and got stuck in it for five hours. My dad says it was the Marauder in me, as he used to be a jokester in school, and so my parents decided that maybe Hogwarts wasn't the best place for me to be anymore.
"So I lived with Harry or Ron or Grandma Weasley during the school year - basically whoever I felt like spending time with that day is where I slept - and during the summer and holidays I lived at home with mum and dad," Ashlynn explained.
"Wow." Andrea just shook her head. "That's so cool."
Ashlynn laughed. "Yeah, it is pretty awesome."
Andrea laughed. "You should tell us about Hogwarts!"
"Oh, I couldn't," said Ashlynn. "I don't remember too much. I was seven or younger. And besides, you just have to experience it for yourself."
Victoire looked at Kylie. "So, Kylie, what about you? You seem pretty quiet." Kylie blushed.
"Oh, I always am. I'm not too talkative. And when I'm nervous, it gets even worst." Kylie's voice was incredibly quiet and soft.
"So you're nervous about going to Hogwarts?" asked Victoire.
"Yes," admitted Kylie. "I'm Muggleborn, so I don't know much of anything, and my parents couldn't really tell me what to expect."
Ashlynn grinned. "My mum is Muggleborn. She had to do the same thing when she first came to Hogwarts. But she found Harry and Ron, and they became the 'Golden Trio' or sorts. And she is commonly said to be the smartest witch of her age."
"Oh, and she's a professor?" Kylie said in awe. "That's amazing. I've been reading since I've gotten my textbooks, and I've read all about the last war with Voldemort, and all the prejudice against muggleborns."
"Yep," said Ashlynn. "But what people didn't see back then was how smart and talented muggleborns are. They can be brighter than a pureblood witch or wizard."
Kylie nodded, and Ashlynn was sure she saw some of her nerves evaporate.
For the rest of the ride, the four girls talked. Andrea admitted that she couldn't fly a broom to save her life, something her dad was pretty disappointed about, as he was on a professional team. "It's okay, though," assured Andrea. "My little brother, Evan, is really good at it. He's two years away from coming to Hogwarts, so three years away from joining the Quidditch team, but dad is already training him and letting teaching him plays."
"Oh, my 'cousin' James is two years away from Hogwarts. And he's really good at Quidditch. He's a Keeper," Ashlynn said.
"My brother is a Beater," said Andrea. "Can either of you play?"
Victoire seemed appalled by the idea. She was very 'girly'. Once and a while she would play a game with the family, but she wasn't too good.
"I'm pretty good," admitted Ashlynn. "I have no idea where I get it from. My mom is afraid of flying, pretty much, and my dad was only a fair flyer. I might like to try out for Seeker next year. Maybe."
Kylie, of course, was fascinated by the idea of flying. She couldn't wait for their first class.
Hours later, when the train finally stopped, Ashlynn's stomach bubbled in excitement. The four friends (because, in a span of only a few hours, they had become friends) stepped out of the train with all the other students. The looked around, lost, until they heard a booming voice calling for the first years.
"Hagrid!" exclaimed Ashlynn when she finally spotted the half giant. She ran over and hugged the man.
"Ashlynn! Good ta see ya," said Hagrid, patting her with a huge hand. Most of his hair was gray now. Hagrid began to address the first years when Ashlynn walked back over to her group. Kylie was staring with a gaping mouth at Hagrid, as were some other students.
"Now all ya first years, get in the boats. No more than four ta a boat!" He yelled. All the first years scrambled to get into boats with their friends, and the four girls picked one close to them.
The boats began to move across the silent water. Ashlynn and the others were talking quietly, but suddenly went quiet as the castle came into view.
It was breathtaking. Ashlynn's memories were vague, and did not do justice to the Hogwarts castle.
They arrived at the shore, and walked up to the castle's huge open doors. Ashlynn's mum was waiting for the. "Got ya first years, Hermione," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid," said her mother, then turned to the first years. "Hello, I am Professor Hermione Lupin, your Transfiguration Professor. I hope you all come to enjoy the class as much as I do. But for now, why don't we go into the Great Hall and get you sorted." Her mother's tone was firm, but still held a friendly tone.
Her mum turned and opened the doors to the Great Hall. It, of course, was just as breathtaking as the castle on the outside. Kylie was so absorbed in the ceiling that she tripped and fell forward. A boy beside her caught her, he was tall and thin with brown hair. Kylie blushed and stuttered out a thank you.
When all the first years were up front in front of the staff table and a stool with a tattered old had on it, mom took out a roll of parchment and began to call out names. Kylie was the second name, and when her name was called she blushed again and went up to the stool. Mum put the hat on her head.
Of course, the fact that the hat sorted you into the houses was interesting. Mom and dad didn't tell Ashlynn how it was done, leaving her to wonder. That being said, she caught her dad's eye and smiled. He smiled back.
Kylie's house was finally called out - "Gryffindor!" and the hall clapped as she walked to the house table, red as the Gryffindor table cloths.
As a lot of people she didn't know were sorted, Ashlynn scanned the table. She paused at Severus Snape, a friend of her parents and Harry. He nodded at her when he realized she was staring at him. Severus - or Sev, as most of the kids in her family (the Weasleys and the Potters) called him, was a pretty nice man. Of course, from what she heard from Uncle Ron, he used to be really mean, and had been suspected traitor in the war.
But since he was proven innocent, he had loosened up a little. He and Harry, who had had quite the rivalry, as Sev had resented that Lily married James (Sev had had a crush on Lily when he was a kid), set aside their differences. Sev had even come to 'terms' that what he had with Lily hadn't really been love. It had been a crush. A one sided crush. He had come to terms before he married Petunia Evans, Lily's sister, a few years after Ashlynn had been born.
Ron, always the loud mouth, was always commenting on how strange it was to see Sev with one of the Potter kids on his lap, or even a Weasley. He also said it was weird to have a "Snape Spawn". Personally, she thought little Sandra was cute. She was only five, and was already quite magically gifted. Petunia, who had previously been married to a horrible muggle, and was a muggle herself, was thrilled to have a magical daughter. Dudley, her son, was also infected by the little baby's infectious laughter. Of course, there had been a few years of resentment after his parents got divorced, then got married to a wizard. It was not easy task to erase a lifetime of prejudice.
"Lupin, Ashlynn René." The sound of her name woke her from her musings. A lot of the students in the hall were whispering, since her name was the same as the professors'. Ashlynn walked up to the stool and smiled at her mother, and she smiled back. "Good luck," she whispered before putting the hat on her head.
"Miss Lupin! It is great to see another mind as sharp as Hermione Granger's and Remus Lupin. My, with this brain, you could go to Ravenclaw, easily. But then again, your parent's could have as well. But I think that, just with them, your brain would be better suited for guiding those cocky Gryffindors. And you are quite brave yourself, but with a brain to back it up. Gryffindor!" The last word was shouted out loud. The hall applauded, and her mother looked as if she could hug Ashlynn, though she thought better of it. Her parents had told her that they would not favor her over another student.
Ashlynn walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Kylie. She was grinning from ear to ear. Ashlynn looked up to her dad. The same grin was plastered on his face.
It was a few names later that Victoire was called. She, too, was sorted into Gryffindor. Andrea was after Victoire, and was sorted into Gryffindor, as well.
'Wood' - Andrea - had been the last name on the list. Ashlynn's mother sat next to her dad, and the Headmaster stood to give his speech.
Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster for the past many decades had passed away when Ashlynn was nine. She loved Professor Dumbledore as much as anyone at Hogwarts, and in her family. Dumbledore had always given Ashlynn a sweet when she lived at Hogwarts, and was very grandfatherly. He was part of her family, just like the Potters and Weasleys, though there was no blood tie between them.
Harry had been asked to take over the Headmaster post, but he said that it wasn't his place. He was very happy in his job. So the job was then offered to Neville Longbottom, who had shown great leadership in the war when Harry had been off collecting Horcruxes. He took over the DA and everyone looked up to him. While Neville had certainly not started off as a leader, he was a good one.
"Hello! Welcome, newcomers, and welcome back veterans of this school," Professor Longbottom began. Many kids chuckled. "I won't go on, since I think that most of you are listening to your stomachs, more than you are me." More laughs. The Headmaster smiled. "So eat, drink, and be merry!" As he said this, food appeared on the long tables - well, magically.
The girls didn't begin to talk until they had all had a few bites of the food, then they chatted excitedly about their new house. They were really excited that all four of them, plus two other girls, would be sharing a dorm room.
"This is sure to be exciting!" said Kylie, finally breaking out of her shell. "I've never shared a room with anyone. I'm an only child. It will be nice to have girls to chat with."
"Oh, I second that," said Andrea. "Having only a brother is annoying. I have to be on my guard at all times. And lock my room when I leave it. He fancies himself a comedian, my brother."
Victoire and Ashlynn were both only children, but in their family, that didn't count for much. Victoire had four uncles and one aunt, and all of them were married and had at least one child. And Ashlynn had 'adopted' everyone in her family. Still, the idea of sharing a room with girls her age was exciting.
After dinner, Professor Longbottom spoke to the room again, telling us some of the main rooms. He had a smile on his face as he said most, though. Probably because he knew Ashlynn's mother, Harry and Ron.
When we were dismissed, Ashlynn asked the other girls if they would wait for her to talk to her mum and dad. They didn't mind, so they waited for the hall to clear. When it did, Ashlynn's mum and dad were on her in a second.
"Oh, Ashlynn René!" said her mother, hugging her. "My little Gryffindor! Of course, I would be proud whatever house you were in."
Her dad laughed. "But being in our house makes it extra special."
Ashlynn grinned. "Mum, dad, these are my friends, Andrea Wood and Kylie Anderson." She pointed at each of them.
"Hello," greeted her mother. "I hope you are ready for classes tomorrow." Andrea laughed and nodded, but Kylie grinned and began talking rapidly. While Kylie was a quiet person, she wasn't all the time.
"Oh yes, Professor Lupin. I can't wait to have my first magic class." If Ashlynn had been listening to this without knowing Kylie, she would have thought that she was brownnosing, but she knew she was just excited.
"Kylie is a Muggleborn," Ashlynn explained. "All this is super new to her. She was nervous; now she is excited."
Her mum laughed. "Oh yes, I remember that." She told Kylie, "I hope you enjoy my class the most, though." Kylie nodded fervently.
"We should get you to Gryffindor Tower. You have a big day tomorrow," said her dad.
As a group, they started walking out of the Great Hall. Sev was just walking out the door. "Congratulations, Ashlynn René." Other than her mother, and her grandmas, Sev called her by her full name. It sounded strange for him to call her anything else now.
"Thank you, Sev," Ashlynn said.
Sev gave her a stern look. "Now, Ashlynn René," chided Sev. "You are to call me Professor Snape while in classes. I tolerate your little nickname while with family, but not here. I have a reputation." Sev had been Ashlynn's creation as a child. She couldn't say Severus.
"You know you don't just tolerate it," said Ashlynn. "You love it." She grinned. "But I understand Professor Snape." Sev nodded to her, then to her parents.
"Oh wow, I heard of Professor Snape from my dad," said Andrea as we began our walk to the Gryffindor tower. "When he went here, he was a walking bat. He was bad tempered and mean to anyone who wasn't Slytherin. Of course, my dad heard that he had really turned around, but never really talked to him since then…"
Mum laughed, along with dad. "Oh, he sure has turned around," said dad. "I went to school with him - he hated me and my friends."
"And he was my professor," said mum. "And he was quite bias of houses back then, but like you mentioned, after the war, he changed his stripes. And getting married really did him good. As it does most people." Mum took hold of dad's hand.
We arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, which was the entrance to the Tower. Mum said the password - "Hogwarts, A History" - and let us go in. Before she let Ashlynn go, however, she and dad hugged her again and wished her goodnight.
After the girls were ready for bed, they planned to talk a little more, they had been so wired, but when they were changed and in their beds, they fell asleep immediately.
Amazingly, Ashlynn's bed was just as comfortable as hers back home. It wasn't like a new bed that you had to get used to. Everything about their room was cozy, and welcoming.
Ashlynn was sure that this was a sign of the wonderful year that lay ahead.
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Lol. Okay, so I know the 'Snape getting married to Petunia' was really random. The reason is…I totally forgot what world I was in for a second, and thought I was writing for another story I'm writing. :P Yeah, I'm a dork. But hey, it still sorta fits, I guess. If you want to know more about that…just go over and look at my story "We're Having a Baby" :D
Okay, so other than that…nothing much else to say. I hope you liked it. Please give feedback - I'm not sure if I should go on. I have no idea if I could actually WRITE another chapter, without sounding corny. :P
