PLEASE READ! I have an excuse! Yes, it has been 10 days since I updated! More than a week. And I apologize from the bottom of my heart. So, since I love you guys, I will give you an excuse. First off, I was up to my eyeballs in work and then my computer freaked out, THEN, on top of it all, I got the stomach flu :( So, obviously, I did not want to throw up all over my computer. So I'm all well now and ready to start updating again! Thank you for bearing with me.

Disclaimer: As I mentioned above, I became victim to the evils of the stomach flu this weekend. I have heard no records of JK Rowling being sick this weekend, so I can obviously not be her. This means I must not own Harry Potter :( But, me being sick doesn't change the fact that I own this plot. So you can't have it. Sorry :)



As if I had an internal alarm clock set, my eyes snapped open bright and early on the morning of September 1st. I looked around the small room. Mariana was still fast asleep, her long brunette hair pulled up on the top of her head in a wild messy bun. A small grin pulled up at the corners of my lips.

Rolling out of the bed, I walked up a floor to use the tiny bathroom. Grabbing a washcloth, I quickly washed my face and patted it dry. Looking around for my hair brush, I promptly brushed through my long red curls, careful not to provoke the frizz more than possible. Finally, I finished off with a light coat of mascara. Quick, clean, and fresh.

I quickly changed into a clean pair of jeans, a white undershirt, and dark grey jumper. I expected by the time I was back in my room, Mariana would be waking up. However, when I opened the door, Mariana was still as asleep as ever.

"Mari," I whispered softly, gently shaking my best mate.

Her eyes still stayed shut, but her head turned slightly to the left. Her mouth hung slightly open, forming a little "O".

"Mariana," I whispered, though slightly louder.

"Gaaaaaaarm!" she groaned.

"Well, garm to you, too," I chuckled, "It's time to get up, sleeping beauty."

"Don't do this to me, Rose," Mariana muttered, "Just let me sleep."

"Come on, Mari," I prodded, opening the kitchen, "It's a new day, a new year! We're going off to Hogwarts today. For our third year! Can you believe it?"

"Yes, I can believe it," she mumbled into her pillow, "now shut up and let me sleep."

"Al is here," I crooned softly.

Just then, my best mate jumped up out of bed, then tripped over her open trunk on the floor. We both burst out laughing, falling on the floor. Mariana wiped laughter tears from her eyes.

"That was all part of my matter plan," she joking defended.

"And that plan would be to make a huge prat of yourself?" I teased, "Well, you succeeded."

"Shut up, Weasley," Mariana muttered, searching through her trunk, and pulling out a pair of jeans, a cream tank, and a pumpkin jumper.

"I will be back," she whispered sleepily, and opened the door quietly, tip-toeing to the upstairs bathroom.

I quickly jumped up off of the quilt-covered bed and grabbed a leather book at the top of the pile in my truck. I quickly searched around for a quill and ink. Finding both, I sat back down, opened the book, dipped the quill in the ink, and began to write.

September 1st, 2019

Dear Diary,

My third year. My third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It seems like it's gone so fast. Everything seems to go by so fast. Too fast. When does it all stop? When does the clock stop ticking? Or does it ever? Wait, I changed my mind. I don't want to hear the answer.

Everything here is crazy. I don't know what to think anymore. It seems as though the relationship world is in mayhem here at Hogwarts. I am just waiting for the day that Al and Mari snog and get it over with already.

I saw Scorpius last week, at Diagon Alley. He was with his parents. I have to admit, it was strange seeing him with his family. I guess we all feel that way about our fellow Hogwarts students.

When does the craziness end? When does all the confusion stop? I don't know what to feel anymore. I don't know what to think anymore. A million thoughts are whispering in my ear. I try to ignore them all.

I probably should go and start to get ready to leave. Mum is always in a frenzy in the first morning of school. Oh dear, I hear her yelling at Hugo to get up. Wait, who else is yelling? Oh, that's Aunt Ginny yelling at James. What's that third voice? Oh, that's Grandma Weasley yelling at…. everyone.

For Now,

Rose

The door creaked back open and Mariana walked in, her vibrant ocean blue eyes wide and awake and her long brunette hair shinning and perfectly swishy curled at the ends.

"I hate you," I growled, after taking in her appearance.

"Yes, most people do," she responded indifferently, putting her final few items in her trunk.

Locking our trunks and leaving them by the door, for Dad and Uncle Harry to take down later, we walked upstairs to see if Al was up, when a giant "SPLASH" came from the bathroom.

"JAMES!" a voice hollered.

Al opened up the door, completely dressed and looking reading for the day, but with a minor drawback: he was soaking wet… with broken water balloons wrappers all over his body.

Just then, James strode over to the bathroom.

"Merlin, Al. I do say, what are you soaking wet?" James asked innocently, his golden hazel eyes twinkling.

Just then, much to James disadvantage, Aunt Ginny walked downstairs, dressed in a casual, sporty outfit. She took one look at her youngest son and her entire face flushed with anger.

"James…" she said in a dangerously soft voice.

"Now, Mum," James said frantically, "I will clean everything up, don't worry.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" she bellowed, her fiery red hair wiping like a thunderstorm around her face, "THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU HAVE THOUGHTLESS PRANKED ANYBODY IN THIS HOUSE! YOU SO RUDLY AND WITHOUT REASON SOAKED YOUR LITTLE BROTHER TO THE SKIN, AFTER HIM DOING NOTHING TO YOU! YOU ARE… YOU ARE DEAD, JAMES! GO GET ME YOU'RE BROOMSTICK!"

James's eyes grew wide with fear.

"You wouldn't…" he stuttered.

"Oh, yes I would, mister!" she barked back, pointing her finger resolutely at James's door, "You get me that broomstick right now."

James reluctantly opened his door and grabbed his LightningBolt broomstick, and with shaking hands, gave it to his mother, whose bright brown eyes with blazing.

"You can consider yourself grounded from this broomstick until further notice," she said angrily, and continuing on when James opened his mouth to protest, "You will have to practice on the school's broomsticks until your first game, when I will send this back to you."

With that, she stormed away with determination, leaving us four with our mouths agape. James looked horrorstruck.

"I'll have to ride the school's old Comet 140," he said weakly, his face turned a sickening color.

With that, a defeated James walked into his room and closed his door. An awkward silence filled the usually chatter filled hallway. Al still stood there, soaked to the skin, looking as if he didn't know quite what to say.

Then, leave it to Mariana, she burst out laughing.

"This is the single greatest moment of my life!" she exclaimed triumphantly, walking up to James's closed door and yelling, "Eat that Potter!"

With that, she followed the mouthwatering smells floating from the kitchen two floors below.

"Merlin, Al," I turned to look at my drenched cousin, "Kudos to you for putting up with that one."

I walked downstairs to follow my best friend, who had seated herself at the breakfast table with my Mum, Dad, Granddad Weasley, Uncle Harry, Lily, Hugo, and Alice. I slid next to Mariana, who had helped herself to potatoes.

"Oh, good Rose, you're up," Mum said frantically, hoping up from her seat, "Do you and Mariana have everything packed? Is it all waiting by the door? Are you sure you didn't forget something. Are you—"

"Mom!" I interrupted, putting my hand on her shoulder, "Breathe. Relax. Eat some toast. It's good."

"No, no, there is no time!" she snapped back, "I need to make sure everything is all ready. I'll go upstairs and check."

With that, she shot upstairs to check that every nook and cranny was in place to leave. I looked over at Dad, who looked as if he was resisting the urge to laugh at his frazzled wife. She probably wouldn't appreciate that.

Just then, Aunt Ginny stormed downstairs, her cheeks still red and her eyes still flashing dangerously. Uncle Harry looked up and seemed to pale at the sight of her. We all knew what was about to happen.

"Harry, do you know what James did to Al this morning?" she asked, in a treacherously supple tone.

"Errrr," Uncle Harry stuttered, "He embraced him in a loving and brotherly hug?"

The feeble joke was an attempt to ease up tension, but it didn't go as planned. Aunt Ginny didn't seem to be laughing.

"Well, he set a bag of water balloons to drop on Al as soon as he went into the lu to change!" she barked, her hands set on her hips threateningly.

"I-I'm sure he will apologize and will not do it again," said Uncle Harry unconvincingly.

"Well, this might not have happened if you had not practically encouraged him to prank people growing up!" Aunt Ginny practically screamed, "Besides, what did you think would happen by naming the child James Sirius Potter? Why did I agree to naming him after two of the four most legendary pranksters to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts!"

With that, Aunt Ginny stormed upstairs and a loud "SLAM!" was heard up above. Nobody dared to call upstairs and ask what it was.

"Mate," Dad started, clapping a hand on Uncle Harry's shoulder, "It must be a morning for our wives to go berserk."

"Maybe you've driven them crazy," Mariana offered, with a smile.

The table burst out in a loud round of laughter, especially Dad and Uncle Harry, who were nearly in hysterics.

"Trust me, they were both a bit psycho even before we married them," Uncle Harry said with a smile, taking a bite of his pancakes.

"Love is a cruel joke, remember that," Dad grinned, then sobered and turned to me, "Except for you, Rose. You're not allowed to fall in love."

"Too late," Mariana muttered.

"What did you say?!" Dad barked, turning to my best mate.

"Errrr, I said, 'Look, grapes'," she replied, putting on a smile and her best poker face and grabbing a small vine of grapes from the bowl in front of her.

Dad's eyebrows furrowed together and he continued to eat in silence. Al finally made his entrance, dry, and his usual self. Mariana immediately blushed and tucked her hair behind ear, staring down at her food as though it was suddenly very interesting.

James, at last, graced us with his presence and he immediately locked eyes with his girlfriend, whose porcelain cheeks flushed as she smiled. He sat next to Alice and linked hands, acting all dreamy eyed and gushy.

Lily and Hugo were excitedly talking about being first years. Oh, little did they know what they were in for. The whole house seemed to be surprisingly mellow for the first day of school. Mum and Aunt Ginny hadn't descended, but you could bet you're arse that the whole world would know when they did.

As if on cue, Mum flounced downstairs and Aunt Ginny followed behind quickly.

"Alright, gang!" Aunt Ginny said with a clap of her hands, "It's time to get rolling. Harry, Ron, would you please go get everyone's trunks all loaded up? Everyone else make sure you haven't forgotten anything and load up into the car."

Then, mayhem broke out. Al was running around looking for his favorite quill, Alice couldn't find her guitar, Lily shrieked that she couldn't find her diary, James couldn't find his Seeker gloves, Hugo couldn't find some "sensitive" items, and Mariana couldn't find her song sheets.

"You write songs?" Al asked incredulously.

"Yes," Mariana replied flippantly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Finally, after a lot of struggling and lots of yelling (mainly coming from the three main women of the household: Mum, Aunt Ginny, and Grandma Weasley), we were all loaded up in the magically stretched Ford Anglia, though we still had to squeeze together.

"Everyone ready?" Dad called out from the driver's seat.

"How was it decided that Ron was going to be the one to drive?" Mum turned to Uncle Harry and asked.

"He called first dibs, Hermione," Uncle Harry said obviously, earning him a rolling of the eyes from his pretty wife.

"Alice, would you get your owl to shut up?" James grumbled irritatedly, since the little jet owl was twittering excitedly next to James's ear.

"Rena!" Alice snapped her fingers at the bird, "By the way, James, you don't have to yell at me for it. It's not my fault the owl won't shut up."

The couple crossed their arms and pointedly looked away from each other. Mariana, Al, and I exchanged looks that said "Warning: Hormonal Teenager Couple Alert".

Finally, we pulled up to King's Cross Station and parked in the closet spot available.

"Alright, everyone, grab you're trunks out of the back and everything else you need," Uncle Harry said, taking charge of the chaos, which he did oh-so-naturally.

Glancing around to make sure no one was looking; Mum conjured up trolley carts for us all to put our trunks, owls, and bags on. We walked into the train station and quickly ran through the wall between Platform 9 and 10, making sure no Muggles accidently spotted us, and appeared on the other side of the gate way. A scarlet train with gold letters, spelling The Hogwarts Express, was alright parked on track.

"Quickly, everyone, load up you're trunks and come back out to say goodbye!" Aunt Ginny called out to the whole lot of us.

Working together was what us Weasley's and Potter's (with the exception of Mariana and Alice) do best. James and Al took control and started loading up the trunks; poor Hugo tried to get in on the action, but simply wasn't strong enough to help load up.

The platform was swamped with Hogwarts students and their parents now, kissing and waving goodbye. Mum pulled me in for a long hug.

"I love you, Rose," she smiled, pecking me quickly on the forehead.

"I love you too, Mum," I said, giving her one last hug.

Dad moved over, attempting to hide the tears in his eyes.

"Goodness gracious, something must have gotten in my eye," he said weakly, rubbing his eyes, and embracing me in a long hug, whispering in my ear, "I love you, my little Rose."

"I love you too, Daddy," I choked out, shocked at how hard it seemed for Dad to let me go.

Uncle Harry was holding Lily in his arms, reverently receiving one last hug before his youngest and only daughter started her first year at Hogwarts.

"If you ever need to talk to me about anything, whether it is school related, friends, boys," Aunt Ginny covered up a laugh with a cough, earning a scowl for Uncle Harry, "Whatever. You can always owl me."

"Okay, Daddy," Lily smiled, and tucked a strand of her long, straight red hair behind her ear.

"I love you, my little Lily Flower. Have a great year."

Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny pulled their daughter in for another hug. I took this opportunity to slip out and on to the train, where Al and Mariana were waiting for me.

"Have you seen Lila yet?" Mariana asked curiously, "I didn't see her on the platform at all?"

"See who?" a soft voice asked.

We looked up to see our other best friend, long wavy blonde haired and dreamy blue eyed Lila Scamander.

We all jumped up to give her hug, which she warmly received. The compartment door opened again and Tommy Finnigan, Jack Thomas, and two other girls with identical curly amber blonde hair and mint green eyes, with dark blue rims.

"Hey, guys!" I said with a smile, hugging the two boys.

"Hey, Rose, this is Emmalina and Bellanna Jouel," Tommy said, motioned two girls, "They are the daughters of my mum's best mate."

"Please, call me Emma," the twin on the left smiled.

"And you can call me Bella," the twin on the right replied.

"What House are you in?" Mariana asked curiously.

"Gryffindor," the two replied.

"Really?" I asked curiously, "I thought you two were Ravenclaw's."

"Our cousin's Gregory and Gina are Ravenclaw's," Bella explained, "So we sit with them a lot."

"They also lock themselves in the library constantly," Tommy teased, "So I decided to bring them out into the real world."

"Watch it, Finnigan," Emma teased gently.

"Looks like someone won't be getting any help when O.W.L's roll around, will they, Em?" Bella asked her sister, a grin pulling up on the corners of her mouth.

Emma shook her head in response and the seven of us laughed together. The twins turned out to be some of the funniest people alive, keeping us laughing the whole train ride. Around lunch time, stomachs began to grumble.

"I wonder how Bernie is holding up," Mariana said jokingly, turning to Al and I.

The three of us burst out laughing, understanding the joke James had made last year about his stomach.

"Bernie?" Jack asked, confused, "As in Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans?"

"No," Al said explanatorily, "It's an inside joke. Something my stupid brother said last year."

"Who is your brother?" Emma and Bella chimed inquisitively.

"James Potter," Al replied.

Emma dropped her Gobstones. Bella dropped the leather book she was holding.

"James Potter?" Emma questioned, "The one who is the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"

"Yes?" Al replied, though it sounds more like a question than a statement.

"Your James's brother?" Bella inquired further.

"Last time I checked, yes," Al said with a weak smile.

"So, that means your Dad is Harry Potter?" Emma asked, in an unbelieving tone.

"Here is comes," Al muttered.

When people hear James, Al, or Lily's surname, they usually flip out over them being The Boy Who Lived's kids. However, this certainly wasn't the case with the Jouel sisters.

"So that means Ginny Weasley, I mean Ginny Potter is your mum!" Bella replied excitedly.

"Errrr, yes," Al replied sheepishly.

"We love her!" Emma announced exuberantly, "She was the best player for the Holyhead Harpies in a century!"

"With the exception of Gwenog Jones, of course," Bella interjected.

"Yes, but Gwenog is a Beater, not a Chaser. I'd definitely say Ginny is the best Chaser the Harpies have ever had," Emma reasoned.

"Too true," Bella agreed.

Raindrops began to scatter across the window, creating an off-beat rhythm. The music seemed to be working like a lullaby and soon enough, everyone was yawning.

"Rose," called my best mate's sleepy voice.

I opened an eye.

"Yes?"

"Wake me up so we have time to change… to… when we…" Mariana's voice drifted into sleep land.

My eyelids felt way too heavy to open again. I finally drifted into sleep world and began to dream.

The dream was crystal clear, as if though I was looking straight at it. Mariana and I were sitting by our favorite tree on the grounds. The sky was as blue as could be, without a single cloud in the sky. We both looked much older, like we were 7th years.

Mari had lost her childish cuteness and was very much a beautiful woman. Her long brunette hair fell down to her waist in windblown waves and her ocean blue eyes sparkled like diamonds. She wore a thick red thread around her neck, with a gold heart hanging in the middle. She was holding the necklace absentmindedly.

I also seemed to have lost traces of childhood. My rich red hair was pulled up into a ponytail, the curls spilling out like a fountain. My chocolate brown eyes looked the same as ever but popped a little more than usual, due to a touch of mascara.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Mariana asked, looking out into the sky.

"All the time," I replied, turning to my best friend, "Do you?"

She nodded and looked somber.

"I don't want to leave Hogwarts. I'm not ready to be an adult. I still want to be a child," she whispered.

"I think it's too late for that," I replied with a sad sigh.

"What if I screw up? What if I'm a horrible adult?" Mariana asked.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, "Best bet is to plan it all out in your head, so you're ready for the changes."

"Plans change, though," she replied, "You should know that better than anyone. Considering what happened with…" her voice trailed away softly.

"I know."

A sharp pain throbbed in my heart, preventing me from talking.

I woke up with a jolt. The rain had stopped and the sky was a dusty purple color, meaning we'd be arriving in an hour or so. Everyone else in the compartment was still fast asleep. Emma was leaning her head on Bella and Tommy was resting against the compartment wall. I noticed how close his and Bella's hands were. Lila was curled up under her blanket. Cutest off all, Mariana was curled up against Al, her head lying against his chest. His arm was resting on her shoulder, his hand tangled up somewhere in her long, wavy locks.

I had assumed I was leaning against the other side of the compartment wall, but when I turned to the left, I let out a gasp. I had been leaning against Jack Thomas.

My gasp woke Jack with a start and he looked around, his eyes landing on me.

"Rose, you okay?" He asked concernedly.

"Oh, yeah, fine. I, um, didn't know I fell asleep against you," I whispered sheepishly.

He smiled, his incredibly white teeth sparkling.

"You started to shiver," he explained, "I attempted to give you a blanket but you grabbed my arm instead."

I laughed, attempting to cover the red I was sure was creeping up into my cheeks. What?! You try finding out you were cuddling with a guy as cute as Jack Thomas in your sleep and not blushing a little!

Jack was staring at the window, giving me a second to study him. He looked nothing like his mother nor father, since he was adopted. His fair skin contrasted with his stormy grey eyes. His golden brown hair was wavy and he was forever running his hands through it. His strong chin and easy smile gave him the of the school heartthrob he was. Next to my cousin Louis, of course. But Louis has an advantage of being one-eighth Veela.

"Have you ever noticed how the sky looks like fruit when it's about to set?" he randomly asked.

I had to laugh.

"Fruit?" I chucked incredulously.

"Yeah," he smiled back, "It looks like plums and peaches."

"I think your just hungry thinking about the feast waiting at Hogwarts for us," I teased gently.

His stomach growled with hunger on cue, and we laughed together. I grabbed my bag off the top of the rack and searched through for my sketching book. Grabbing a quill with built in ink I began to doodle absentmindedly, wondering why I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest.

Two small yawns came from across the compartment. Emma was stretching her arms and Bella was rubbing her eyes.

"What time is it?" Bella asked sleepily.

"Quarter till seven."

"We probably should get dressed," Emma pulled for her bag on the rack above.

Smiling, I tapped Mariana and Al on the shoulder. They both bolted straight up with a start, looking at each other, then me, shocked.

"Well, have a nice nap, lovebirds?" I said with a smile, trying not to laugh at their expressions.

"You're treading on thin ice, Weasley" Mariana muttered, embarrassed.

"Yes, I know. Rawr. Very scary. We need to get dressed."

Mariana, Bella, Emma, and I walked down the hallway into the bathrooms to change into our uniforms.

"It feels so good to have these on again," Bella called from her stall, "I feel like it's finally real that I'm coming back home."

"Coming home?" Mariana questioned, "Haven't you been home all summer?"

"Home?" Emma scoffed, "Sure, we've been home if you consider 'home' the place where your parents are. Or, our mother is there, at least."

"What about your father?" I asked curiously.

"Azkaban," they both chorused.

The sadness was obvious in the twins voice, it was also clear they did not want to talk about it. I felt for them and decided to not push it farther.

We excited our stalls, adorned in our Gryffindor robes. I smiled at my best mate, who was struggling tying her tie.

"Stupid bloody things," she muttered, looping it around.

I chuckled as she managed to tie it on correctly.

"Lila, I never asked you at the dinner the other evening," I began chatting, turning to my friend, "How was your summer?"

A smile lit up on her heart shaped face.

"Oh, excellent. Dad and Mum may get back together. I hope so. It's killed Lorcan and Lysander. And me," she said, starting of cheerfully and finishing solemn.

Mariana put her arm around Lila.

"Don't you worry your pretty, knargle invested head, Lila," Mari said with a smile, "I'm sure everything will work out for the best in the end. If not, you'll always have us."

Lila's misty blue eyes got wide.

"Knargles? Where?" she asked as her hand flew up to her head.

Mariana burst out laughing and I gave her a scolding look, to which she responded with a cheeky grin. Emma and Bella seemed a bit confused, but I shot them a look that said I'll explain later.

Walking down the hallway, back to our compartment, another compartment door opened. I held my breath.

Scorpius Malfoy walked out. He was already dressed in his robes, the emerald green of his Slytherin tie contrasting with his light blond hair. Vincent walked out after him. His chocolate brown hair and grew out over the summer and when he smiled, his grey blue eyes twinkled.

"Hey, Rose!" he called, walking over and giving me a quick side hug.

"Hey, Vince, how was your summer?"

"Boring," he drawled with a smile, "I was stuck in Scotland with my Dad's psycho relatives for eight weeks. It was two months are torture."

"You poor thing," Mariana teased unsympathetically.

"Oh, Vince, this is Emmalina and Bellanna Jouel. They go by Emma and Bella," I motioned to the twins, who smiled identically.

"Hi," the chorused.

We all chatted pleasantly for a few minutes and then we slipped back into our own compartment, discovering that Al, Tommy, and Jack were too dressed in their robes.

"Never underestimate the smell of clean cotton," Mariana said with a happy sigh, her face buried in her robes.

"Are you trying to suffocate yourself in there?" Lila teased.

"Yes," called out Mariana's muffled reply.

Quietness fell over the group as we all seemed to be thinking about the year to come. I wasn't thinking that far ahead. Or that far away. My mind was lingering into a few compartments over. To a certain pair of grey eyes… No, Rose. No.

"I'm thirsty," I announced, standing up, "I'm going to go find something to drink."

Without waiting to hear a response, I made my way to the food cart, the very last cart. I walked in the cool, refreshing compartment. James, Fred, Roxanne, Jerry, and Alice were sitting in one booth and so were Lily and another girl.

"Hi, Rose!" Lily called as soon as I walked in.

"Hey, Lily," I smiled, taking a seat next to her, "How's your first train ride?"

"Amazing," her face lit up, and she directed me to the girl in front of her, "Rose, this is Juliette Monroe. Juliette, this is my cousin, Rose Weasley."

The young girl smiled. She had gleaming golden copper hair. Her eyes were a sparkling grey and her skin was as fair as snow. She had a tiny, dainty nose and adorably pronounced dimples.

"Hi, Juliette. You look awfully familiar."

"I get that a lot," she quipped back immediately, "It's the eyes, right? Of course it is. Stupid, typical pureblood grey eyes."

I understood now why her eyes were so familiar. They were the same as Scorpius's.

"Well, I think they are pretty anyways," I said with a smile.

Just then, James and Fred strolled over.

"Well, dear little sister, it's you're first day of Hogwarts," James said with a smile, "So, now that we're here, we should establish the rules."

Lily arched a red eyebrow.

"Rules?"

"Why, Lilykins, did you think you would be free to wander the castle and do whatever to your liking?" Fred asked, blinking his eyes in mock shock.

"Actually, yes, I did," Lily glared back.

The two fifth year idiots laughed.

"Did you hear that, Fred?" James said with a laugh.

"Why, yes I did, James. Oh, Lily, you are no longer under the protections of your dearest Mumsie and Popsickle," Fred began, "Out here in the real world, there are many people, particularly of the male race, that we do not want you associated with."

"So, in other words, you don't want me to talk to any guys?" Lily asked innocently.

"Precisely, dear sister. That you for being so understanding and accommodating," James patted Lily on the crown of her red locks.

"Oh, I understand. I never said I'd be accommodating."

With that, Lily grabbed her friends hand and the two girls flounced off.

"Prats," I rolled my eyes, grabbed a water bottle, and headed back to the compartment.

Arriving back at our compartment, the train was slowing down. Everyone began to talk excitedly. Finally, the train went to a complete halt. We all stood up and grabbed our bags off the top racks. We all squashed together in the hallway to get out of the Hogwarts Express.

Walking out, I glanced at the prefect opening my door.

"Alice?"

The green eyed, blonde haired girl smiled back at me.

"Hey, Rose!"

"I didn't know you were a prefect!" I exclaimed, looking at her gold and scarlet badge with a P on it, "When did this happen?"

"I received the letter early this summer, when I was in America with my parents and Jerry," Alice smiled, "Didn't James tell you?"

I shook my head and waved goodbye, catching up with my friends.

"Firs' years, over here! Firs' years!" a deep voice called out.

I turned to see Hagrid, an old family friend and longtime Hogwarts staff member, waving the first years down. He caught my eye and smiled.

"Alright there, Rose?" he called out.

I smiled and waved back. Running, I climbed into the last carriage, where everyone was waiting for me. Lila was staring in front of the carriage.

"What are you looking at?" Mariana asked curiously.

"Do you know what thestrals are?" Lila asked.

Everyone nodded.

"My mum says they pull the Hogwarts carriages. Strange to think that they are right there and we can't see them, isn't it?" Lila pondered aloud, curiously.

We all stared at the empty space, pondering over the thought that the creatures, only able to be seen by the witnesses of death, were there at that very moment.

"I wonder what would happen if I walked into them," Al asked curiously, "Would I just walk right through them, since I can't see them, or would they attack me?"

"I don't know, would you like to find out?" Mariana asked innocently, blinking her ocean blue eyes harmlessly.

"Not particularly," Al said just as sweetly, blinking his brilliant green eyes in response.

The carriages rolled up the gravel roads, up to the lit up castle. Lila and Bella were chatting about Astronomy, their favorite subject, and the excited bubble in my stomach grew bigger by the minute. Al had a dazed look on his face.

"What's up?" I asked curiously.

The corners of his mouth pulled up into a dry smile.

"I can't believe Lily and Hugo are being sorted," he confessed incredulously.

"Me either," I agreed, "I wonder which house they are going to be in."

Al and I both look at each other.

"Gryffindor," we laughed together.

The carriage slowed to a halt and we realized that we were finally at the castle. We all loaded out and made our way inside, piling into the Great Hall. Mariana ran over and attempted to hug the long, rectangular Gryffindor table.

"Oh, Gryffindor table, how I've missed you!" she exclaimed, snuggling the table in her arms.

"Mariana," I snorted out with laughter, "People are staring."

"Then tell them to bugger off," she replied simply, plopping on one of the benches.

The last of the Gryffindor's to arrive were James, Fred, Jerry, and Roxanne. They walked over and join Mariana, Tommy, Jack, Emma, Bella, and I.

"Hey, look!" the Weasley twins, Fred and Roxanne, exclaimed with wide-eyed enthusiasm, after noticing Emma and Bella, "Twinkies!"

We all burst out laughing.

"Hey, look!" the Joule twins announced, in equal awe, staring at the Weasley twins, "Say, twins!"

"I don't believe we've met before," Roxanne started, pointed to her brother, "That's Fred."

"And that's Roxanne," Fred smiled.

"Well, I'm Bellanna," Bella smiled, her mint green eyes sparkling, "And this is Emmalina."

"We go by Emma and Bella, though," Emma explained with a smile.

"Ouch, twins with nicknames," Roxanne said softly, "I think they have us beat, Fred."

"We shall see," he muttered dangerously, his grey blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

The tables were nearly all filled, but students keep pouring in the huge, double doors of the Great Hall. Finally, Alice plopped next to James, her dark blonde bangs sticking to her forehead.

"How are first years so confused?!" she exclaimed, almost hysterical, "How can they not know where the Great Hall is when there is a giant stream of students all walking in one direction?! Sweet Merlin!"

James put his arm around his frazzled girlfriend and gave her a firm kiss on the cheek.

"Breathe," he said soothingly, giving her the famous James Potter smile.

"There is no time for oxygen!" she shouted, seeming immune to the so-called "heart melting" grin.

"Just ask the male Gryffindor prefect to help," Al said reasonably.

"There isn't a male Gryffindor prefect," Roxanne replied, "There are two girls this year."

"What?!" Mariana exclaimed, looking shocked, "But there is always one girl and one boy."

"Yeah, well, if they are coming from the same class as James, I can understand why," I teased, "They are all a big bunch of baboons!"

James glared in response while we all, even a reluctant Alice, laughed. Finally, the flow of students started to decrease while the noise began to amplify.

At last, Professor McGonagall. appeared in front of the doors, and the first years trailed along behind them. I noticed Lily, Hugo, Lorcan, Lysander, and Molly in the lot.

"There is no way we were that short as first years," Fred announced firmly.

"That's because we were never short," Roxanne reasoned back.

Professor Longbottom stood up from his seat at the Head Table and clinked his fork to his glass.

"You're attention please," he called out, and the students fell silent immediately, "The sorting ceremony will begin immediately, and then we will continue on to the feast."

"When I call your name," Professor McGonagall called to the group of anxious looking first years, "You will come forth, I will place the hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your House."

James and Fred leaned forward in their seats.

"Aarons, Daniel!" Professor McGonagall called, and placed the Sorting Hat on the young boy's head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat cried.

The table clad in yellow and black badgers stood up cheering, and welcomed the boy to their table.

"Abram, Helena!"

The hat was placed on the girls head. Several seconds passed.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone at our table stood up and cheered, and the young girl plopped at the end of the table, looking relived. An older student with long, curly, shimmering brunette hair pulled him in a loose ponytail, with matching chocolate brown eyes greeted the new Gryffindor with a smile.

"Who's that?" Mariana asked.

"That's Gracelyn Jameson, the other Gryffindor Prefect," Alice explained.

The rest of the sorting ceremony flew by with names being shouted, followed by cries of placement from the hat.

"Boldwyn, Rachel!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Davenport, Cayden!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Demington, Reese!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Greengrass, Nelson!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Jensen, Mae!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"McIntyre, Brea!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Monroe, Juliette!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Newton, Daniel!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Potter, Lily!"

Everyone in the room stopped breathing. This was the sorting we were all looking forward to. After all, Harry Potter's youngest and only daughter being sorted is not something passed over lightly. There was a silence throughout the entire hall. James and Al seemed to not even blink.

Several minutes had passed, and Lily's facial expressions conveyed she was talking with the hat in her head.

A total of almost 7 minutes have flown now, but the hat hadn't made a decision. It looked as though he and Lily were still conversing. Teachers at the High Table were glancing around at each other, looking concerned. Finally, a cry filled the silent hall.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Jaws dropped. Nearly everyone gasped. James and Al looked as if someone had just told them they had to marry each other.

Lily Potter… in Slytherin? Lily Potter, whose mother was a Weasley, the family who had been sorted in Gryffindor for centuries? Lily Potter, whose father was a Potter, the family rumored to be related to Godric Gryffindor himself?

I snuck a glance over to Scorpius, who looked nearly as shocked as the rest of us. Finally, Lily bravely stood up, and handed the Sorting Hat back to a flabbergasted looking Professor McGonagall. She skipped happily over to the Slytherin table and sat next to Juliette, her friend from the train, who was also sorted into Slytherin.

Finally, the Slytherin table burst out with applauders, screams, and laughter. Lily was greeted happily by everyone at the table with hugs, pats on the back, and handshakes. She smiled and returned every hug, her brown eyes alive with happiness.

"Blimey," James said weakly, "My baby sister, a Slytherin."

"I can't believe it," Al said, shocked.

We all nodded in agreement, except for my blue eyed best friend.

"I can," Mariana said.

All eyes turned to her.

"Well, I told you she's a mini-me," Mariana said with a smile, "The hat almost put me in Slytherin."

"What?!" I asked, shocked, "You never told me this before!"

"You never asked," she replied simply, "Why does it matter? Are you like your Dad, prejudice against Slytherin's?"

I took a minute to consider this. Did I think all Slytherin's were evil, like my father?

"No, I suppose not. It's not as though it really matters," I replied honestly.

Finally, after the shock of the youngest Potter being sorted a Slytherin, the ceremony continued.

"Scamander, Lorcan!"

Lila leaned forward, anxious to watch her little brother. One of the two dark blonde, blue and dappled green eyed twins climbed up on the stands.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Scamander, Lysander!"

The other twin, identical to his brother, placed the hat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Oh, good!" Lila cried with joy.

The Gryffindor's stood up and cheered for the new student. Lila ran over and hugged her brother, ignoring his protests to "Gerroff!"

Finally, Professor McGonagall called, "Weasley, Hugo!"

I smiled as I watched my little brother climb up nervously onto the wooden stool, his blue eyes darting around his room. The hat was placed on top of his wavy, red-brown hair.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted.

James, Al, Mariana, Alice, Fred, Jerry, and Roxanne all turned to me, wide-eyed.

"That was your little brother, right?" Alice asked uncertainly.

I nodded then burst out laughing. Everyone looked at me strangely. I turned to Al, still chuckling.

"It must be a day for our little siblings to defy expectations!"

Al started to laugh, and then James join in, soon we were all laughing together. I looked over to the Hufflepuff table and caught my little brother's eye. I smiled at him, trying to communicate a million words in that grin. That I loved him. That I was proud of him. That he was going to be a great Hufflepuff. He smiled back, and I think he understood. Oh, the power of one smile.

"Weasley, Molly!"

The last to be sorted, my very own cousin, placed the hat daintily on her on head. It barely touched the crown of her golden brunette locks when it yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll and turned face the students, her lips relatively plump and smiling.

"Bon appétit!" she smiled, and with a wave of her hand, food filled up every House table.

"Bloody hell, it's about time!" James exclaimed, grabbing the nearest chicken wing and chomping into it.

"Language, James," Alice scolded gently, and then handed him a napkin, "Manners wouldn't hurt either."

"James?! Manners?! HA!" Mariana burst out laughed, nearly choking on her goblet of pumpkin juice.

"I can only dream," Alice smiled, giving James a loving peck on the cheek.

"Oh, fine," James grumbled, swallowing the food in his mouth and wiping the corners of his mouth with the napkin Alice handed him, "See? I'm being a good boy."

Mariana snorted again, and kept muttering something that sounded like "James… good… ha!" The food was quickly devoured and soon enough, the entire Great Hall was looking up at the Head Table, where Professor McGonagall stood up.

"I have a few start of term announcements to make," she called out clearly, "First years, you should know that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits to all students here, and a couple of fifth years should do well to remember that as well."

Everyone's heads turned to James and Fred, who snickered in response, exchanging looks that clearly said, "Yeah, when Voldemort comes back from the dead and opens a pastry shoppe in Diagon Alley where all the proceeds go to a charity for orphans."

"Second, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that mostly everything is off-limits in the corridors on the way to classes," the professor continued with a slight smile, "The full list will be posted in your common rooms if you care to look."

"No, we wouldn't care, but thanks for the offer!" Mariana called out rather loud, making the whole hall burst out into laughter.

Professor McGonagall shot a scolding looking to Mariana, who grinned and waved back cheekily.

"Blimey, Corner," James rolled his eyes.

"Oh, so we are suddenly on surname bases again, are we Potter?" Mari shot back, her bold sea eyes piercing.

"Now, now, children," Fred called back in a deep, booming voice, "We mustn't bicker."

"You sound like your uncle!" Mariana said with a smile.

"Guys…" Alice warned softly.

"Which one?" Al, James, Fred, and Roxanne replied, ignoring Alice.

"The one who acts a huge pompous prat, with the weird classes and the puffy hair," Mariana said heartlessly.

"Oh, Uncle Percy!" we all chimed.

"Yes, that's the one!" Mari snapped her fingers together, as though she had suddenly remember it on her own, "Man, he needs to loosen up… and get some hair gel. Some contacts wouldn't hurt either."

"Is there something wrong with glasses?" Al asked self-consciously, crossing his eyes trying to look at his frames.

"Guys!" Alice called a little more frantically.

"You can try all you want but you aren't going to be able to look at your glasses while wearing them, git," Mariana rolled her eyes, also brushing Alice aside, "It is against the laws of, oh, hmm, SANITY!"

"If you all are done, I would very much like to continue," an irate voice called.

We looked around and realize the whole Great Hall was staring at us, and the voice had come from Professor McGonagall.

"Sorry, Professor!" Alice squeaked, then shooting us scolding looks as only a Prefect could, "That's what I was trying to tell you guys!"

"If you would like to try-out for your House's Quidditch team, signups will be on the board in your common room, your captain will let you know when they are taken place. Finally, have a great term! Head back to your common rooms, goodnight!"

Gracelyn walked over to Alice, to help round up the first years.

"Gryffindor first years! Over here!" they called together, but the noise of the Great Hall covered up their shouts.

Mariana reached over and reached in the pocket on the side of James's robes. His eyes got wide.

"Corner, what the heck are you—"

She pulled out a whistle and blew on it hard. The hall fell silent.

"Oi! Midgets! Follows those two!"

"Mariana!" Alice shouted, but looked grateful all the same.

I laughed as I put my arm around Mariana.

"Blimey!" James shouted, his golden hazel eyes still wide in shock, "I thought you were trying to steal my wand for a minute!"

"Why on earth would I steal your wand?" Mariana asked bewilderedly, "I can hurt you perfectly well with my own."

"Who ever understands why you do anything you do?" James asked obviously, "Maybe it would give you more pleasure to destroy me with my own."

Walking out of the Great Hall, we waited in the "hallway traffic". An arm shoved in the side of me.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the person apologized.

The sparkling grey eyes that met mine immediately gave away the identity.

"It's okay, Malfoy," I said cordially, attempting a small smile.

We both stood awkwardly next to each other as the line of students slowly moved.

"I saw your cousin was sorted into Slytherin," he said slowly, trying to make conversation.

I attempted to wrap my head around the fact that Scorpius Malfoy and I were having a decent conversation.

"Oh, yeah," I finally replied, after a minute of silence, "I think everyone saw that."

He gave a tiny chuckle and ran his hands through his hair. The gesture seemed natural, not as though he was trying to do it.

"You don't gel your hair anymore," I blurted out, blushing immediately.

A faint trace of pink flushed his pale cheeks, but a smile curved on the sides of his lips.

"Yeah, my mom styled it like that since I was little. I decided this summer that I didn't need my hair to be as hard as a helmet."

I grinned back, catching his eye, and then looking back down at the ground. It seemed difficult for me to even talk to him. But why? I talk to Mariana, Lila, and Al all the time. Why was it so hard to talk to Scorpius?

"You're hair is longer," he commented.

I looked up and met his eyes. His face was completely blank of emotion. I, unfortunately, had to ruin the moment by bursting out laughing. His eyebrows furrowed together confusedly.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied, pursing my lips together to keep from laughing, "But here we are, in the middle of a jam-packed hallway, making small talk by commenting on each other's hair!"

His lips curled up into a smile. He began to chuckle softly and soon, our laughter rang thorough the corridor, causing people to look back.

Suddenly, he leaned forward and whispered in my ear, his warm breath causing goose bumps on my neck.

"I like your hair."

The line goings downstairs cleared, and without another word, he walked away, leaving my heart pounding. My hand flew up and touched the side of my neck softly.

"Oi!"

I looked up to see Mariana with her hands on her hips.

"Ready or not?"

I ran up the stairs, following all the other Gryffindor's and stopped at the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked.

"Blimey, Mari, I don't know the password yet!" I said frantically.

My best mate just smirked.

"Lucky for you, I do!" she grinned, and turned to the Fat Lady, "A Gryffindor Autumn."

The Fat Lady smiled.

"Correct," she said as the portrait hole swung open.

We bid goodnight to everyone in the common room and ran up to our dorm, where trunks and belongings are were already unpacked.

I quickly undressed from my school robes and redressed into a pair of grey blue pajama pants and a Gryffindor embalmed cotton tank. I slipped on a pair of socks and walked over to my mirror. I pulled my red curls up into a ponytail and quickly cast a cleansing charm on my skin and teeth, feeling too tired to do it the Muggle way. I turned around and notice that even pulled up, my hair reached my mid-back.

"Scorpius likes my hair long," I whispered to myself.

"What did you say?" Mariana called.

I turned around and saw my best friend was already in the bed, her long brunette waves draped delicately over her pillow.

"Nothing," I whispered back.

I slipped under my own covers.

"Goodnight, Mariana," I murmured.

Only her steady breathing replied.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face. So, that night, as many nights before, I dreamed. I dreamed of hair of blonde and eyes of grey.

A laugh joined the dreams tonight, too.


Daaang! Was that the longest day ever or what? 8,000 words! Whoo! :) Plus, some of you guys said you wanted more of Rose and Scorpius, so I hope that fed your craving! :) I cannot wait to get into Rose, Al, and Mariana's third year at Hogwarts, it going to be GREAT! I love you all so much and please, blow up my email with your comments! The next chapter should be up in the next couple of days!

To Your Brave Hearts From Mine,

BeautifullyHealed :)