Ok guys, I've been really busy at school at the moment and that's why my updates have been horrid. It's the most important year at school for me (using the results from this year to apply for Uni, it's pretty serious stuff) and I hadn't anticipated how difficult/time consuming it was going to be. I admit that I do spend a lot of time on the computer, but it's usually to distract me from work and writing isn't very good at doing that for me (it reminds me more that I should be doing work). So yeah, my updates have been really horrid. It's not going to get better any time soon, I'm really sorry. It's only June and I still have mock exams, more internal assessments, a piano exam and real exams to go before I'm out of school for the year in November. It's going to be tough and I'm just really sorry that my updates aren't going to be good. Just warning you my updates are going to continue to be pretty slack until the end of the year. I'll still be updating though. I have promised myself to finish this story and I will keep that promise.
Just thanks for being amazing, guys. I love you all.
On a different note, two of my friends and I got tickets to the midnight screening of HP! We're dressing up as Quidditch players (Oliver, Harry and George). It's going to be epic!
On another, exciting note, it's now my two year Fanfiction birthday/anniversary! (I wasn't sure which to call it).
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
It was here, ladies and gentlemen. Today was the day. My first day at Hogwarts without my older sister being superior in everything. Today was the day. The day I was finally going to be my own person (at least until I graduated). Because now I wasn't Head Girl Rose's little brother, I was Lily Potter's cousin- which wasn't that much better but still an improvement.
Of course, even though I was the only one in my household going to Hogwarts, we were still in a rush. Mum and Dad were arguing over if they had enough time to cook a proper breakfast, Rose was taking forever in the bathroom and I was still putting socks and underwear that had just come out of wash in my trunk.
Just your average, ordinary day in the Weasley family house.
"HUGO! GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Mum's voice shouted from down the stairs.
"GIVE ME A MINUTE!" I yelled back, looking around my room for the book that I was currently reading but had misplaced.
It was literally 30 seconds before she called again.
"I SAID, GET DOWN HERE NOW!"
"I SAID, GIVE ME A MINUTE!" I shouted back.
Parents these days. Utterly ridiculous.
"HUGO!" Mum's voice started up again.
"I'M COMING!" I snapped the lid of my trunk shut and pulled it off the bed and took it down the stairs with me. Being able to do magic would have been great, that trunk was bloody heavy, alright?
Unsurprisingly, no one was actually ready to leave. Mum was in the kitchen with a bit of toast in her mouth as she cleaned up the mess that had been made (presumably by Dad). Dad was running around half dressed looking for his left shoe. Rose was standing in front of the mirror in the hallway, studying her hair critically.
"It looks fine." I rolled my eyes. I don't know why she cared about her hair; it was just hair wasn't it? Girls, I'd never understand them.
Rose didn't respond, still too preoccupied with her hair.
"Alright, is everyone ready?" Mum said, shrugging on her cloak.
"I am." I shrugged. "Don't know about Rosie though, it seems her hair is more important than me getting to the train on time."
"Hugo." Mum raised her eyebrow in warning.
"Hey, just being honest." I shrugged.
"Alright team, let's go." Dad was back and fully clothed this time which was always a good thing.
And with that we loaded into the car, making our way to King's Cross Station on the morning of September 1st.
"So did you get the job in the Department of Magical Co-operation?" I asked Rose once we were on our way.
"I don't know yet." Rose said. "I got called back for a second interview once I got my results but they interviewed a load of people for it, so they haven't made a decision yet."
"Know who you're up against?"
"No. Probably people with loads of work experience and the only thing I have is helping out Mum for a couple of weeks during the summer of sixth year."
"You'll be fine." I reassured her. Anyone would want to hire Rose, she's great with people, is extremely intelligent, hard working...she's basically just the whole freaking package (believe me; I've been compared to her for 16 years). "They'll be contacting you any day now saying that you've got the job."
"No they won't." Rose said waving her hand airily.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "You keep telling yourself that."
We arrived at King's Cross twenty minutes before the train was due to leave, which was good for us I have to say. We made it through the packed station and all the muggles running to catch their trains. With 15 minutes to spare, we made it to the barrier. However there was already a family waiting to go through.
Just my fucking luck. Long honey coloured hair, held back with a clip. White floaty top, green shorts and yellow converse. Today was not going to be a good day at all. To make this less awkward for all of us (although neither Hazel nor her family had spotted us) I avoided eye contact and stopped talking, so that Hazel wouldn't hear my voice and turn around. Because that would prompt Rose to recognise her, Rose to say something, Mum to work out who she was, Mum to integrate me, Dad to say something embarrassing, Hazel to notice my presence, me to blush...well, you get the idea, don't you? So staying quiet and avoiding eye contact was just going to be the way it was.
I almost managed to avoid the situation too. Hazel was just about to make her way through the barrier when Rose recognised her.
"Hey look, it's Hazel. Aren't you going to say hi?" she asked me. Hazel looked up at the sound of her name, looked at Rose and then I assume she looked at me. I wouldn't know. I was looking at feet.
"Really, Rose? Really?" I snapped.
"What? I thought you were still friends?" Rose shrugged.
"Who's Hazel?" Mum asked.
My head snapped up and I looked at Hazel. She was giving me an awkward half smile; I shrugged weakly in response and nodded towards the barrier. She took the hint and made her way to the platform.
"Just someone I know, Mum." I answered once I was sure Hazel had gone.
"Ex-girlfriend." Rose corrected.
So much tact. Such a small girl.
"Just someone I know." I repeated through my clenched teeth.
"Oh Hugo, why did you break up?"
"It doesn't matter, Mum."
"Don't worry son, there are plenty more from where she came from." Dad said with a wink.
"Ron!"
"What? It's true. She didn't look like anything that special." Dad said. "Nothing like you, dear."
"Even so." Mum huffed, but a small grin was forming on her face.
"Can we just get onto the platform now?" I asked.
"Fine, if you don't want to tell your loving parents about your love life." Mum said, rolling her eyes as if to say 'teenagers'. Please, like she talked to her parents about Dad when she was 16. Ridiculous.
"Glad we're on the same page." I said and then directed my trolley in way of the barrier between platforms 9 and 10.
Within a minute or so, the four of us were on the other side of the barrier, on platform 9 3/4. Hundreds of witches and wizards and cats and owls and toads (well, I think I only saw one toad) crowded the platform.
"You know that you can talk to us about anything, right?" Mum said as we walked over to Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, Albus and Lily on the other side of the platform (our usual meeting place).
"I know, Mum." I said, my patience wearing thin. Do all adults feel the need to repeat themselves?
"Alright then." She said, not entirely convinced but dropped the subject anyway.
"Hey Hugo!" Lily said brightly as we reached the Potters.
"Hi." I grinned. "How're you?"
"Pretty good. Really excited to be going back to Hogwarts, this year is just going to be brilliant." She said. "And you?"
"Yeah, pretty good. I'm not longer Rose's little brother now, am I?"
Lily laughed.
"Lily! Hugo!" A voice shouted and we both turned around to see Alex running towards us, dragging his trunk.
"Hey," I greet while Lily gave him a hug. I could see Alex's eyes glancing nervously over Lily's head to where Albus stood a few metres away, as though he might hurt him for hugging her.
"What's the matter with you?" Lily asked, picking up on Alex's nervousness.
"Uh, nothing." Alex said quickly, smiling at her.
"Let's just put our trunks on the train, shall we?" I suggested, seeing as we only had about 5 minutes before the train started.
"Yeah, let's do that." Alex agreed, clearly ready to get out of sight as both Uncle Harry and Albus were sending glares his way.
We found a free carriage and put all of our stuff into it and then hoped back onto the platform to say goodbye (Alex had already said goodbye to his parents).
"You try hard alright." Mum said as she pulled me into a hug. "And don't forget to write! You can tell us anything, you know."
"I know Mum." I said again.
"Alright. I love you."
"Love you too."
"Have a good time at school." Dad said when it was his turn to hug me.
"I always do, Dad." I grinned.
"I love you Hugo, you know that."
"Yeah Dad, I love you too. Well I better get on the train, you know, before it leaves." I said.
"Hey, what about your big sister?" Rose said, as she came over from talking to Al.
"Of course, Rosie." I said, allowing her to give me a quick hug.
"You behave yourself, alright. Now that I'm not there to keep you in line." She grinned at me.
"No promises." I grinned back and got back onto the train as the whistle blew. "See you at Christmas!" I called out the window.
The train started to move out of the station and Alex, Lily and I waved to our families as they got further and further away.
"There you guys are!" A voice said from the compartment door. We all turned around to see Beth standing there, dragging her trunk behind her. "I've been looking for you guys for ages! I was starting to think that you'd missed the train."
"Not quite." Alex grinned. "Sorry, you can't get rid of us that easily."
"There goes my master plan." Beth sighed.
"You know you love us." I teased.
"I question my sanity because of it, but yes, I do love you guys." Beth admitted.
"We love you too." Lily said. "But right now, Hugo and I have to go to the prefects meeting."
"Yay!" I rolled my eyes.
"Don't be sarcastic with me, mister. We are going to go and listen to the Head Boy and Girl." Lily said, making her way out of the carriage. "Bye guys!"
"Good luck." Beth smirked.
"I'll need it." I assured her and followed Lily out of the compartment and along the train to the prefects' compartment.
The prefects' meeting was boring, but then again, it always is. No other way to describe it, it's just not very interesting. Usual run down of rules, patrolling schedules, passwords given out...basic instruction junk that we all knew or didn't really care about. It dragged on forever though, the new Head Boy, Denzel Boot, was a complete bore. I suppose we were all lucky that Lily Travers, the Head Girl, was actually really nice. Although she made it a bit more bearable, nothing can make Uniform regulations sound interesting.
"I wonder who'll get Head Boy and Girl next year." Lily said as we made our way back to our compartment at around lunch time.
"Not Zabini, I hope." I shuddered. "I think I'd resign in protest, I cannot stand her."
"Agreed. Although I wouldn't quit being a prefect." Lily said. "I can see Gemma getting Head Girl though, over Hazel."
"Yeah me too," I agreed. Hazel was a good prefect, but Gemma Pauls was known for being friendly and helpful, which I think you need in a Head Girl. "Walton has Head Boy pretty much locked up though, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah, I would." Lily said. "Lewis is a prat and Smith is just-"
"Also a prat." I interjected.
"I was going to say 'not dedicated enough', but I suppose prat works too." Lily grinned a little as she pulled the door of our compartment.
"You can't do that!" Beth said, neither she nor Alex acknowledging our presence as we sat down. Well, until Lily sat next to Alex and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Yuck. Couple stuff.
"Beth, Knight's can move like that, they're allowed to jump over pieces." Alex said patiently as he surveyed Beth over the chess board.
"What? No they can't. I'm sure you're just making that up." Beth said stubbornly, eyes fixated on the board in front of her.
"She's in denial about losing?" I asked Alex who nodded, grinning to himself.
"I haven't lost yet. He can't make a move like that." She said frustratedly.
"Yes he can, it's a basic rule of chess." I told her.
"He can, Beth." Lily agreed.
"Do you have a rule book?" Beth asked.
"Not with me, no." I raised an eyebrow. "But I can ask Dad to send me his if you're that stubborn about it."
"You should do that, especially as I'm sure you can't do it."
"Should we just stop the game now?" Alex asked her, his face obviously trying to mask his amusement at Beth's absolute need to be right.
"Yes." Beth said.
"Not just because you're losing?" Lily teased.
"No, of course not." Beth scoffed, but it didn't really fool any of us.
"Has the food trolley come yet?" I asked Beth and Alex as my stomach gave a loud growl.
"Not yet, no." Alex said, his arm still around Lily.
"I hope it's here soon."
"Of course you do, you're always hungry." Lily said, rolling her eyes.
"Growing teenage boy, remember?"
"Using that excuse again?" Lily asked.
"Not an excuse. It's a fact." I told her knowledgably.
"Of course." Beth rolled her eyes as well. "How was the prefects' meeting anyway?"
"Boring." Lily and I said at the same time.
"Boot needs to learn to not speak in a monotone for most of the time, it's really frustrating." I expanded.
"Ergh that sucks." Alex said. "Who's Head Girl?"
"Lily Travers." I told him.
"That's good, she's nice." Beth said. "She'll do a good job, even if Boot doesn't."
"Who do you think will get it next year?" Alex asked.
"We were just talking about that." Lily grinned at him.
"So who do you think?" He asked.
"Gemma and Walton probably." I shrugged.
"Sounds like it." Beth nodded.
"Nah, Lily could definitely get it." Alex said, a streak of pride in his voice as he looked down at his girlfriend.
"No, Gemma's much more likely to get it." Lily said humbly.
"No, I can see you getting it, Lils." Beth nodded. "Although I would have to say that Gemma is probably more likely."
"As long as it's not Zabini, I'm happy." I put in.
"Agreed." The others said.
"You really think it'll definitely be Walton, though?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, Lewis is a complete prat." I said.
"They don't choose positions of power based on whether the person is a prat or not." Beth said. "Or else you wouldn't be prefect." she added jokingly.
"Well they should." I said. "Lewis is a jerk, and so is Smith. Hopefully they won't get it, I have nothing against Walton, he's pretty cool."
"Smith isn't that much of a jerk." Beth said, causing the three of us to look at her weirdly. "He's not that bad." she shrugged.
"Who are you and what have you done with Bethany Conner?" Alex said.
"I worked with him all summer, aside from the fact that he was completely rude to Mrs Weasley and has continued to be rude to Hugo, he's not that bad. He's actually pretty nice."
"What?" She thought Smith wasn't that bad? What the hell? Smith had been nothing but a jerk since third year. Well, last year he wasn't as bad but that was because we didn't see him that often.
Beth shrugged. "I have to say that I know him better than you, you're blinded by hatred for him. He's nice, to me at least."
Really? Really? Smith just wasn't nice. We all knew that. Or at least I thought we did.
"Beth's allowed to have her own opinion." Lily said. "He might not be that bad any more. "
Seriously? So now both of them were trying to tell me that Smith was a nice bloke. Just...how could they do that to me? I looked at Alex for some sign of support.
"You know I agree with you," Alex said, "but maybe he is nicer to people he likes."
"But he barely knows Beth."
"As I said, we spent time together all summer. We're friends."
"You're what?" My head wiped around so fast it hurt. I started at Beth, my best friend, the one I'd known since I was eleven. She was friends with Smith? Wasn't there some kind of code against friends becoming friends with people you didn't like? I'm sure that there is.
"Honestly Hugo, you're being ridiculous." Beth rolled her eyes.
"No, you are." I snapped back.
"Let's just not talk about it, shall we?" Alex suggested, looking from my pissed off expression to Beth's exasperated one.
Needless to say, the rest of the trip to Hogwarts was quite awkward.
But that's what happens when your best friend tells you she's friends with the guy you hate.
No, I'm not being melodramatic. Who are you? My mother?
Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews guys; they mean the world to me. I know I didn't reply to all of them for last chapter, but I do really appreciate them. I'll try and get the next update as soon as I can!
To LilyRose95 (you seemed to have turned off PM, I can't reply to your review): Yeah, the murdered witch was just boring conversation. No plot really, it was just a lot better than the Bagman conversation I had in it originally.
TTFN
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