A/N: I'm back, and trying out writing fanfiction for a fandom I have never written for before. I am fascinated by the next generation children, since they are essentially blank slates, and fanfiction writers can decide what they will be like. Read the AN at the bottom, because there have been changes made to this fanfiction.

Prologue

Lily Potter couldn't sleep the night before September 1st. She tossed and turned in her bed as she imagined what the next day would bring. She finally managed to fall asleep at around 2 am, but the sleep only lasted for about four hours. When she woke up, she saw it was barely starting to get light outside. She narrowed her eyes at the clock that was showing it was only 6 am. She briefly considered trying to go back to sleep, but she quickly dismissed that thought. She knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. After all, today was the day she was finally going to Hogwarts! After years of having to watch all her siblings and cousins board the Hogwarts Express, she would finally get to go with them.

The red-haired girl hurriedly threw on a muggle outfit to wear to the station. She could just change into her robes after she boarded the train. She pulled on a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Lily had been glad when her mum had let her start choosing her own outfits. No more pink shirts or frilly skirts for her! After dressing, she brushed the tangles out of her hair. She sometimes missed having it short, because it had been simpler to care for. The longer it got, the wavier it got. Still, at least she didn't have Rose's wild mass of curls. It took her cousin ages to brush her hair.

With that done, Lily decided to make sure that she had all of her school supplies. She opened up her trunk and saw her schoolbooks were there. Her robes were there as well. She had a cauldron and ingredients as required. Most importantly, Lily had her wand. It was 10 ½ inches, ivy, with a phoenix feather core. The second it had first touched her hand she had known that she was its witch. She couldn't wait to learn how to properly use it.

As for a pet, she had decided to get an owl. They were very useful, and she thought that they were very beautiful. She had chosen a male barn own, and had named him Nyroc. All in all, she was completely prepared.

By 8 am, her whole family was awake. Her dad made sure that they were all prepared, while her mum cooked them breakfast. They sat down together at the table, and Lily listened to her brothers chatter about Hogwarts while scarfing down food. Lily usually was able to eat as much as them, but today she only managed to eat a piece of toast and nibble on some bacon.

Soon they were finally out the door and on their way to King's Cross station. It didn't take long, for before she knew it, they were at King's Cross Station. Lily's parents helped her unload her trunk and owl into a trolley. She watched her brothers both run through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. She took a moment to gather herself. It was weird to think that this time, once she crossed the barrier, she wouldn't come back through until the start of summer.

Lily felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at her father. "Are you ready, Lil?" he asked her. He gave her an encouraging smile, and she smiled back at him. She always felt safe when she was with her father. Most people would assume it was because he was Head Auror, and the savior of the Wizarding World. However, to Lily, the reason she felt safe with him was simply because he was her dad.

She and her dad went through the barrier together. She smiled when she was greeted with the sight of the Hogwarts Express. She was sure that it had never been that beautiful before.

"Lily!"

Lily looked around, trying to find the source of the familiar voice. A grin lit up her face when she saw Hugo standing with his parents. She left her dad behind as she ran over to her favorite cousin. She skidded to a halt and barely managed to keep her trolley from hitting him.

"Hi, Hugo!" Lily cheerfully greeted him. She looked past him, and beamed at her aunt and uncle. "Hi Uncle Ron, hi Aunt Hermione."

"Hey there, Lils," Uncle Ron said, ruffling her hair. She scowled at him and tried to fix it with her hands.

"Hello, Lily," Aunt Hermione said with an amused smile. "Are you all ready for Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, I am. I made sure this morning that I have everything prepared," Lily answered to her approving aunt.

"I wish Hugo could be that prepared," Aunt Hermione responded. Hugo rolled his eyes.

"Mum, dad, we gotta go," Hugo said in an attempt to stop the conversation. Lily's mum and dad finally came over to their little group. She assumed they had been saying goodbye to James and Al.

"We're going to miss you, Lily," her mum said. Lily felt a pang of sadness at the thought of leaving her parents alone. It would be strange for them not to have any kids around. But maybe they would enjoy getting time away from their kids.

"I'll miss you guys, too," Lily admitted. She really would. She loved her parents very much. But her desire to be at Hogwarts far outweighed her nerves at leaving her parents, so she felt no doubts or regrets.

She and Hugo both patiently let themselves be hugged and kissed and fussed over by their parents. They finally managed to say their goodbyes, and they boarded the train. They searched the compartments, and found one with James, Fred, Rosie, and Al. The older kids beckoned them inside the compartment, and Lily and Hugo squeezed in. It was a bit crowded with six of them, but it wasn't that bad.

Lily looked out the window and waved at her parents. She watched them get smaller and smaller as the train left the station. After that, she turned her attention to the conversations going on around her. James and Fred were complaining that they would have to take OWLs this year. Rosie and Al were boasting about finally getting to go to Hogsmeade. Then the conversation turned to the two first years.

"So, what houses do you reckon they'll be in?" Fred asked.

"Gryffindor, duh. We all end up there," James answered in a bored tone. Rosie rolled her brown eyes at James. Lily could sense that Rosie was about to correct him on what he'd said.

"Victoire was in Hufflepuff," Rosie began in a matter-of-fact tone. "Lucy is in Hufflepuff, and Dominique is in Ravenclaw. So, Hugo and Lily aren't guaranteed to be in Gryffindor."

James scowled at her, and Lily prepared for an argument to start. Al quickly added in his own opinion, in order to stop the fight before it started. "Well, Lily and Hugo both seem pretty Gryffindor. Besides, I have a feeling that if they really want to be there, that's where they will end up."

"What do you mean?" James asked, his annoyance with Rose completely forgotten.

Al just shrugged, and didn't offer up any explanation to his statement. Lily wondered what he knew that they didn't. Did their desires really factor into the Sorting? That was an interesting thought.

"I dunno, Lil's smart. She could end up in Ravenclaw with Dom," Fred suggested.

Lily sighed. She was beginning to feel annoyed that she and Hugo were being discussed while they were sitting right there. Rosie must have heard her, because she turned her attention to Lily.

"Lily, what house do you think you'll be in?" Rosie asked her.

Lily opened her mouth to say Gryffindor. After all, she had always imagined that she would end up there, and she thought that was what she wanted. Her parents and grandparents were Gryffindor, and most of her aunts and uncles. So she thought she would naturally end up there. But then some of her cousins had started ending up in different houses, so now she had to wonder. Did she belong in Gryffindor? Did she want to be in Gryffindor? Now she found herself at a loss as to what she should say to Rosie. Luckily, she was saved from having to answer by the lady with the candy trolley knocking on their compartment door.

The kids all bought plenty of yummy snacks, and their previous conversation was completely forgotten. After a while, James and Fred got bored of hanging out with their younger siblings and cousins, and the two trouble-makers went off to find the other boys in their year.

At one point, the doors to their compartment opened and revealed a trio of students wearing robes lined with green. The apparent leader of the group was a pale boy with messy blonde hair, and intense grey eyes. His eyes briefly shone with curiosity when they landed on Lily, but then his face turned into a sneer when his eyes landed on Al and Rosie.

"Well, look who it is. The stuck-up Weasley, and the wanna-be James," the boy said with a smirk. His friends all looked at them with equally amused looks. Al looked furious at the boy's words.

"Shut up, Malfoy! What are you doing here, anyway?" Al demanded. Lily felt a sense of understanding. This was the infamous Scorpius Malfoy, who her brothers both hated. She looked at him with renewed interest, wanting to see what it was about him that was so bad. His words weren't kind, but not the most harsh words either. Al's voice was far more aggressive than Malfoy's.

"We heard the youngest Potter was finally going to grace Hogwarts with her presence," Malfoy answered. His stormy eyes once again landed on Lily. His face was void of any negative emotion when he looked at her. Was he waiting to form an opinion on her until he knew her?

"Yes, I am. So kind of you to be my welcoming party," Lily said, keeping her voice calm and showing only the tiniest hint of amusement.

"Lily, don't talk to him!" Rosie ordered fiercely. "He's a no good jerk. He isn't worth your time." Lily tilted her head to the side slightly, wondering why Rose expected her to hate someone without knowing them. Wasn't that sort of attitude the same that Draco Malfoy had had back when he tried to steer her father away from Uncle Ron?

"What, can't let the girl make her own decisions? Typical bossy Weasley," a tall girl with dirty blonde hair said.

"Sod off, Avery," Al sneered. The girl rolled her eyes, but Scorpius looked a bit annoyed now.

"Don't talk to her like that, Potter," Scorpius demanded.

"What, is she your girlfriend?" Al sneered. Now it was apparently Scorpius' turn to roll his eyes.

"Don't be stupid. She's like a sister to me. You wouldn't like it if I was rude to your sister, would you?" Scorpius explained in a voice that one would use to talk to a small child.

"Come on, Scor, we're wasting our time here. Obviously we're not allowed to have a conversation with new Hogwarts students," a boy with brown hair said.

"Guess you're right, Byron," Scorpius said, once again sounding bored. "Catch you later, little Potter."

Lily watched the trio leave the compartment. That had been an interesting encounter. She wasn't sure what she had expected Scorpius Malfoy to be like, but it definitely wasn't that. He was unnecessarily rude to her brother and cousin, but they were just as bad towards him and his friends. She wondered how this enmity had even started. She had never gotten the story of how it happened.

"I hate him so much," Al complained. Rosie gave him a sympathetic look.

"Don't let him get to you, Al. You're so much better than him," Rosie encouraged.

"Yeah, he seems like a jerk. He didn't even act like I existed," Hugo said with a scowl. It was true, Lily realized. He had verbally sparred with Al and Rosie, and had spoken to Lily, but hadn't said a word to Hugo.

"He is. You both need to stay away from him. Stay away from all the Slytherins, if you can help it," Rosie encouraged. Lily wondered if all Slytherins could really be that bad. After all, these kids couldn't help who their parents were or what their parents had done. A lot of their parents had been forced into it by their own parents, or were too scared to oppose Voldemort. Surely these innocent kids couldn't be blamed for the mistakes of their parents. Lily had a feeling if she said any of this it would just cause problems between her and her cousins and brothers, so she kept her mouth shut.

Rosie kicked the boys out of the compartment so she and Lily could change into their robes. Lily got into the solid black robes and wondered what color would end up lining them. A brief image of her with green-lined robes popped into her head, but she pushed it out. That idea was just ridiculous. She would end up in Gryffindor, and if not, then maybe Ravenclaw. She couldn't be a Slytherin, though. Her family would never forgive her!

The train finally arrived, and Hugo and Lily broke away from their siblings in order to go with the other first years to the boats. Lily smiled when she saw Hagrid. She and Hugo both stopped to say hello to him, and then they got into a boat. They were joined by two different girls they didn't know.

"Hey, I'm Hugo," her cousin broke the silence.

"I'm his cousin, Lily," Lily added.

"My name is Rose," one girl, with raven hair, said. Lily and Hugo exchanged an amused look.

"My sister's name is Rose," Hugo said with a smile. He turned to the other girl, who had curly brown hair.

"I'm Kaira," she said. Her green eyes had that wide-eyed disbelief that showed that she was likely muggle-born. She gasped as the boats started moving by themselves. She seemed nervous but also very excited. "I still can't believe this is happening."

"Are your parents muggles?" Hugo asked. Kaira nodded.

"What about you, Rose?" Lily asked the other girl.

"My parents are both wizards, but my father is only the second generation in his family to be a wizard. So I'm sort of a half-blood, I guess," Rose answered.

The boats arrived at the shore, and the students all eagerly drank in the sight of Hogwarts. Lily couldn't believe how amazing it was. The pictures she had seen, and the descriptions from family members, truly did not do it justice. She was filled with a desire to explore every inch of the castle.

The children were shepherded into the castle. Lily could hear snippets of different conversations as students tried to figure out how the Sorting worked. She already knew, but she wouldn't say anything unless she was asked.

Uncle Neville, or Professor Longbottom as she would now have to call him, came into the room the students were waiting in. Lily listened as he explained the purpose of houses to them. She looked around, and saw that some kids seemed confident, some seemed unsure, and some seemed downright terrified. She wondered what her expression looked like, and she worked to try and make it seem calm.

Finally, Professor Longbottom led them into the Great Hall. Lily immediately looked up at the ceiling, and felt appreciation at the complex charm that allowed the ceiling to reflect the weather outside. She loved the look of shock of some people's faces. She saw that Kaira looked amazed. Then Lily scanned the four tables, and saw all the talking students. Many of them were watching the first years. Finally, her gaze landed on the Sorting Hat.

The Sorting Hat sang its song, and then Professor Longbottom pulled out a list of names. The Great Hall was mostly silent, as everyone was interested to see who would be joining their house.

"Avery, Alana."

Lily watched a slightly nervous looking girl with light brown hair go up to the stool. She sat down, and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. After a moment, it declared "SLYTHERIN", and Alana happily hopped down from the stool after removing the hat, and she walked to the cheering table of students. Lily watched as students were sorted into the four houses. Kaira Bennett got sent to Gryffindor. Finally, she heard: "Potter, Lily". The students that had been quietly talking all fell quiet, and Lily saw that all attention was on her.

She tried to keep her face blank as she approached the stool. She sat down on it, and tried not to pay attention to the hundreds of eyes that were focused on her. The hat was placed on her head, and Lily waited to hear a house name get shouted.

"Ah, the last of the Potter children. Where to put you? Gryffindor would seem the obvious choice, and it definitely would suit you," the hat's voice was spoken inside her head. Lily shivered, and wondered why the hat hadn't immediately placed her in Gryffindor.

"You see, Miss Potter, you are equally suited for both Gryffindor, and Slytherin. You undoubtedly have courage. But you've also been in the shadow of all your family members. You, the baby of the family, want to stand out and be different. You haven't fully acknowledged this desire, but you know it's there," the hat told her. So now what would happen? "That depends on you. Wherever you most want to go is where you belong."

Lily was feeling a bit panicked. People were starting to whisper, since a name hadn't been shouted right away. A few other students had taken a while, but everyone had expected a Potter to go to Gryffindor. She saw the expectant faces of her brothers, and she didn't know what to do. She knew she would love Gryffindor, and fit in there well. She would be with her family, and she would always be sure of her place. But, at the same time, she felt a certain draw towards Slytherin. None of her cousins or siblings had been sorted there. She would be the first, and she could make herself known for being Lily, and not for being a Potter.

Lily shut her eyes, and came to a conclusion. She knew where she wanted to go.

"Very well, then. It'll be…."

A/N: 1/4/18 I'm making some changes throughout the fanfic. I'm going to refer to Rose Weasley as Rosie, to avoid confusion with the Slytherin student named Rose. It's a nickname, just like how in this fanfic everyone refers to Albus as Al. There'll be other small changes too, but nothing major. I'm working on the next chapter and should have it up soon.