A New Generation
Chapter Ten
A.N: I'm not J K Rowling in disguise, so I don't own Harry Potter. Comprendé?
Dedication: Yep! I'm doing dedications now! This chapter goes to AshHeartHP, who, without her endless 'Is the new chapter up yet?' questions, I bet this story wouldn't have even Chapter Four.
"Ash, you're going for three weeks, not a year. I doubt you need three trunks," Rose shouted up the stairs. The excitement in the air was filled at several points with the loud thumping as Ash pulled her large suitcases down the staircase. With one last 'boom' Ash managed to get her trunks to the bottom.
"Err, Ash. You do know that I can shrink them down so they basically fit into your pockets, right?" Roxanne asked. Ash sighed, and gave her a look that clearly stated 'You couldn't have told me that before?'. Roxanne muttered the spell, and all three trunks shrunk to a more manageable size. Ash pocketed them, and looked up.
All the Gryffindor Weasleys (and Potters) were filling up the common room. There was Victoire and Dominique, comparing shoes. Fred and James were laughing over a joke Teddy had made. Liz and Fliss were on the sofa, next to Victoire and Dominique. Fred whispered something in James's ear, then slowly crept up to the Moonheart twins. It was quiet for a second, until:
"BOOOOOOOO!" yelled Fred. Fliss jumped out of her skin, while Liz stayed completely still. James rolled his eyes and smirked. Victoire and Dominique looked at Fred with distain, angry at him for interrupting their important conversation.
"Sorry Fred. I'm unscareable," Liz shrugged. Fred pouted and went back to James. Ash smiled at the antics of her best friend's cousin. She still couldn't believe she was spending an actual Christmas at a wizard's house! Ash voiced that thought to Rose.
"Wait, don't you spend it with you mum and dad in your wizard house?" Rose asked.
"Dad's usually on a business meetings for the store, and Mum's the explorer of the family. She gets roped into studying animals for the shop. I get carted off to my Muggle grandmother's with Archie. Not very fun on Christmas," Ash shrugged. "The last time I had a proper wizard Christmas with my parents was when I was four."
"Trust me, Ash," Rose rested a hand on her shoulder. "When it gets back to school, the amount of chaos at the Weasley house will make you hope you will never get a wizard Christmas again."
Ash's mouth turned up in a tiny smile. "Are we all ready? The train's leaving like, now?" Fred asked, his voice booming across the common room. The Weasleys got up, and strode out, Ash and Rose catching up behind them.
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"I can see the station!" Molly grinned, looking out of her window and seeing the wine-coloured bricks that made up the Platform 9 ¾.The boys let out a 'Whoop!' of excitement, and grabbed their trunks. The girls quickly followed suit.
"Alright everyone, arrival positions. We need to be out here as quick as possible," Fred whispered to the huddle of students. The train slowed down as they readied themselves, and when the train squeaked to a halt, Fred screamed "RRRRRRUUUUUUNNNNNNN!"
They shot out of the compartment, dodging cats, toads, owl cages, books suitcase and anything that managed to get into the aisles. A few people (namely Slytherins) complained loudly behind them, barely heard over the laughter. They got out of the train in just under ten seconds.
"New time!" James proudly grinned. The students walked calmly to a couple in the crowd of adults. The woman had bright red hair, like most of the Weasleys, and bright blue eyes. Freckles were scattered across her face and she smiled at the antics of the group. The man had scruffy black hair, messily stuck up in all directions. His eyes were a bright pickled green, and hidden behind a pair of round glasses. A lightening-shaped scar peeped out from under his fringe. Ash had no trouble guessing who they were, even without reading the books about them. The black hair, green eyes gave them away. The Potters were standing in front of them.
"Al, James! It's been forever since we saw you, how are you?" the woman hugged both her sons. Ash took great pleasure in watching James blush a little.
"We're great Mum, fine," James shrugged when she released them from her death-grip. Ginny looked through the group, and her eyes stopped on Ash. She smiled warmly.
"You must be Ash. Hello I'm James and Albus's mum. Call me Ginny," she smiled.
"Okay."
"I'm Harry," the man smiled. Ash waved a little bit.
"Floo time everyone, Lily's been dying to see you," Ginny grinned. She led them to a fireplace.
"It's really simple Ash. Take a handful of powder, step into the flames. Say The Burrow clearly. Throw the powder into the flames, and you'll be taken there. Alright?" Ginny explained. Ash nodded, still looking a little nervously at the flames roaring in the fireplace.
One Floo later, Ash arrived at the Potter house. James appeared behind her, with her suitcase.
"I think you forgot something," James grinned, as he handed her the light blue case. She smiled, and took it from him. Rose and Fred soon joined them, followed by Ginny.
"Rose, you're sharing with Ashley. Can you show her the room. James, when Albus arrives, go and put your suitcases there, do not dump them here!" Ginny commanded. Ash was surprised to see James nod his head.
Rose and Ash trekked up the stairs. The Potter house had six floors, and it seemed more of the house of all the Weasleys. Rose directed her to a lilac door on the fourth floor. Inside was Rose's room. Ash gasped in shock as she took in the bright blue ceiling, with birds charmed to fly across, and glowing green floors with flowers everywhere. The beds were surrounded by a canopy of flowers, each bloom perfectly fresh. Ash sat down on a bed, looking round. Rose put down her suitcase and reached for the wardrobe disguised inside a tree. She took off her cardigan and draped it on a hanger.
"Home sweet home," Rose smiled.
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"Hi," Ash looked down to see a little girl, about nine, with long red hair. She looked at Ash intently with her big blue eyes. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm Lily. James and Albus's little sister."
"Hi Lily," Ash smiled. "Your brothers have told me all about you."
"Cool. I'm going to Hogwarts to, in one year and nine months. Hugo will too. Hugo is Rose's brother," Lily added. "Do you want to come outside to play Quidditch? James, Albus and Louis are there too."
"Louis?"
"Victoire and Dominique's brother. Louis's going to Hogwarts next year. He's lucky," Lily pouted. Ash suppressed a laugh at Lily's expression.
"OK, let's go outside," Ash grinned, and Lily beamed. She trotted downstairs quickly, Ash struggling to keep up.
"Finally you've arrived Phoenix," James cheekily grinned. "Good. Six-player game, with two Chasers. Boys V Girls."
Ash took her place among Victoire, Dominique, Roxanne, Rose, and Lily. Albus, James, Fred, Teddy, Louis, and Hugo stood opposite them, all clutching their brooms. On Ginny's whistle they all mounted their brooms, and flew into the air, each team playing fiercely to win.
Ash and Dominique flew like demons, slaloming through the goal posts, round the boys and managed to score very well, despite Albus's 'mad Keeper skills'. Victoire happened to be (surprisingly) very good as a Beater, always eager to hit Bludgers towards the boys with Lily, who flew like a speed demon and seemed to be a human Bludger herself up in the air. Roxanne hovered in front of the goal posts, waiting for the first sign of a Quaffle shot. Rose kept high up, her eyes trying to glimpse the golden gleam of a Snitch.
The game lasted a good few hours, as the teams were very well matched. The game finally ended in a draw, when Hermione called to them about dinner.
"So Ash, have we Weasleys driven you insane yet?" Rose asked, grinning.
"Not yet, but if there'll be more Quidditch matches, I'll be knocked unconscious before this holiday's through," Ash replied, walking up to the house.
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Ash woke up on January the tenth extremely exhausted. She had survived weeks at the Weasley-and-Potter house and she was completely ready for a day just sitting and sleeping on a train. She dragged herself out of bed and got ready, trying to get the mud and tangles out of her hair from a particularly brutal Quidditch match.
She packed up everything she had brought with her wand went downstairs, dragging her case behind her. Rose was waiting for her, almost as exhausted as Ash. James and the other hand, was grinning with his endless energy, challenging Fred to a special edition Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Wizard Chess, with figurines of actual Aurors and Death Eaters. Ash rolled her eyes, and yawned. She was a morning person, but to be as active as James at this time of the morning was just over-the-top.
Louis, Lucy, Hugo and Lily were pouring over Rose's textbooks, and arguing which subject was better.
"Charms will be the best," Lucy folded her arms.
"No, Transfiguration will. Imagine turning something into something else!" Hugo grinned at the thought.
"No. Care of Magical Creatures wins, hands down," Louis argued.
"You're all wrong. Defence Against the Dark Arts will be awesome," Lily reminded her cousins.
"Kids, the Floo Network's up and running. Do you want breakfast or things on the train?" Ginny asked.
"Train!" James and Fred shot up, knocking the black queen (Bellatrix Lestrange) off the board. They were both clearly thinking off the sweet trolley, laden with sugar. Rose rolled her eyes, and picked up her suitcase.
"Well, Ash. It was lovely to meet you," Ginny smiled. Harry nodded behind her, smiling. Ash smiled and rushed to the fireplace. James was leaning against it, the last of the Weasleys/Potters.
"To Hogwarts?" he asked.
"To Hogwarts," Ash answered, smiling.
A.N: Sorry about missing out the Christmas part, but I really wasn't in the mood to write it now that the holiday season is over. I might write up the Christmas scene soon, and post it on separately, but I thought it would be better to just continue with the story rather than keep putting it off. There's a lot of good stuff in the next chapter, including – SPOILERS! – the long-awaited introduction of a certain character.