Chapter 9: Return to Hogwarts
Disclaimer: As always, if it's from HP it belongs to JK Rowling et al, otherwise it's mine.
"So how do we get onto the platform?" Maxwell asked Virgil nervously as he followed Lily, Lena, Virgil and their parents towards the platforms at King's Cross Station. "I've been here several times and I've never seen any Platform Nine and Three-Quarters." He almost sounded like he thought this was a colossal joke. A feeling, Harry at least, could empathise with.
"Just follow Lily," he told. "You go straight through the wall between Platforms Nine and Ten."
Maxwell's eyes bulged. He didn't think much of this idea.
"Nervous?" asked Lily. Maxwell nodded. "Then we'd best do it at a bit of a run."
Both boys nodded in agreement. Lily glanced around quickly to make sure no Muggles were watching. "On three, one… two… three!!!"
They lurched forward and slid easily through the barrier. Harry and Ginny were a few steps behind, both were panting slightly. "Have a good term kids," Ginny told them, giving each a quick hug. "Owl us if you have any problems, or go to Sirius or Hermione."
"We will Mum," Lily told her.
"Keep an eye on the boys Lily." Harry told her, "And try not to get into too much trouble."
"Of course not. Dad."
"And Maxwell, try and control yourself, no tempers. Got it?"
"Yes, uncle." Maxwell assured him.
Virgil nodded too. "I'll help him, father."
"I know you will son," Harry told him. "Now get on the train quick, before it leaves."
The four children obeyed and were soon installed in a compartment near the back of the train, where they were joined two minutes later by Lily's other best friends, James Weasley and Robin Banks, who like Lily, were both second-year Gryffindors; their fourth-year cousin Anne Weasley, and her fifth-year boyfriend, Barry Launders.
"What's the Sorting like?" Maxwell asked them, for about the fortieth time, as the train pulled out of the station and began its journey north.
"Max, you're family, and love you. But if you ask me that one more time. I'm going to have to hurt you." Lily told him, absolutely deadpan as she did. "You'll find out soon enough," Anne told him, "Don't worry, it's not too bad." she grinned, slightly wickedly, "Is it, Barry?"
Catching on, the older boy played along. "No not too bad, I've had worse experiences."
"Okay, okay," the younger boy conceded. "I give up. How about a game of Exploding Snap?"
The girls, Barry and Robin all agreed. James and Virgil on the other hand, took out their chess pieces and began to play a game, pausing only to accept their share of the food and pumpkin juice bought by Anne and Barry when the old witch came by with the cart. By the time the train reached Hogsmeade, they had played five games, with James winning three and drawing one. "You're getting pretty good," he told the younger boy when they'd put away their pieces and hopped down onto the platform.
"I am improving," admitted Virgil. "However, I am not as good as you are. Yet."
"Well, that is something to aim for, I guess." James told him.
"Firs' years. Firs' years over 'ere!" Howlett called. All the first years, there were about twenty of them, pushed their way through the crowd to the lakeside. The boys were near the front. "Get in the boats an' they'll take yeh t' the castle. No more than four t' a boat."
Virgil and Maxwell got into a boat, it sank down slightly in the water under Maxwell's weight so thankfully there were enough bats that no-one needed to join them. They arrived at the castle without incident and Howlett handed them over to Sirius, who quickly lead them inside. After leaving them in a antechamber off the Entrance Hall, for a moment or two to tidy themselves up as best they could, he escorted them into the Great Hall and up to the front, where they lined up facing the students. Maxwell caught Lily's eye and she smiled reassuringly.
After the Sorting Hat had sung it's song for the year, Sirius unrolled the list of names. "When I call your name, step forward and put on the hat. It will tell which house you will join." he paused for a moment. "Akers, Algeron."
A tall, lean blond boy walked briskly up to Sirius and jammed the Sorting Hat on his head. After a few seconds deliberation, the Hat made him a Gryffindor. The next ('Barker, Howard') was also made a Gryffindor, while Danielle Derrick became the first new Slytherin.
Then it was Maxwell's turn. "Dursley, Maxwell!" announced Sirius, and he strode over to the stool. The battered old wizard's hat barely fitted on his head, but after what seemed like an age, the hat did make up its mind. "Gryffindor!" it declared and Maxwell, grinning broadly, went to sit in one of the spare seats near Lily.
"Entwhistle, Edward."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Gayle, Garrett."
"Slytherin!"
"Kazin, Kellie."
"Gryffindor!"
"Longbottom, Fredrick."
"Hufflepuff!"
Umm. Too bad, I was hoping he'd be in Gryffindor, Virgil thought to himself. But I suppose Hufflepuff's not too bad. I really want to be in Gryffindor though. His thoughts were soon interrupted. After Kay Monk was sorted into Ravenclaw, it was his turn. After a brief pause, Virgil later confessed it had tried to put him in Ravenclaw, it made him a Gryffindor too.
There were only a few more students to sort, and with Zhung, Tao ('SLYTHERIN!'), and Zonko, Zechariahs ('Gryffindor!'), they were finished.
McGonagall got to her feet. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have only a few start-of-term announcements to make. The forest at the western boundary is forbidden to all students, as is the village to those students with a signed consent form. Anyone wishing to play for their House Quidditch team should see Professor Weasley or your Head-of-House. Also, as many of you are no doubt aware, the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Beaubatons this year — anyone wishing to compete, should inform me by the first week in October. During my absence, Professor Black will be in charge and Professor Granger will take over responsibility for Gryffindor House. That is all, you may begin."
The four long house tables and the high table immediately filled with food, and the students quickly helped themselves.
"That wasn't so bad now was it?" asked Lily solicitously, before she got started on her roast beef.
Both boys shook their heads but continued to eat. An hour later, somewhat weighed down by food, they rose to follow the new Gryffindor prefects, Barry Launders and Erin Valquez, to Gryffindor Tower. Ten minutes later they were safely installed in the boys' dormitory on the sixth level of the Tower and exhausted with their day's travelling, they were soon asleep.
----
As she had the year before, Lily rose early and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Most of her family and friends were already there and she sat down in the spare seat between her brother and Lena. She was halfway through a large bowl of porridge when she spotted Erin Valquez coming down the table out of the corner of her eye; the stocky, black-haired girl was carrying a stack of parchments and handing one to each student. Glancing across the table she could see Barty doing the same along the other side. "New timetables, excellent," she said, accepting hers when it was offered. "Not a bad start to-day, Double Potions with Hufflepuff, and Transfiguration this afternoon."
Lena groaned, "I'm doomed."
"Maybe it won't be so bad this year," suggested Robin. "You did your holiday work didn't you?"
"Yeah, and Orion taught me a couple of concentration exercises too." she admitted. "What have you got Gill?"
Virgil consulted his timetable. "We have History of Magic and Charms," he told her, after a moment.
"Padfoot seems to like putting History of Magic on the first day," observed James. "He did it with us last year."
"Well, at least it's not as bad as it was when our parents were here." said Lily. "Professor Hawke is a much better teacher than Professor Binns was."
"That wouldn't be difficult," observed Lena. "From what Mare says in her book, Professor Granger was one of the few people who actually paid attention in that class."
Ten minutes later, they rose and headed their separate ways. The second years headed up to the potions labs on the third floor and the first years braved the dungeons and History of Magic.
----
"So how was your first day?" Lily asked her brother as he and Maxwell sat down opposite her at dinner.
"Fine," Maxwell told her. "Professor Hawke's teaching from Aunt Ginny's book again this year. He told us to analyse the prologue for signs of Uncle Harry doing accidental magic and identifying the spells used."
"How long?" asked James.
"Two feet," Virgil told him.
"That's not so bad," said Lena, through a mouthful of pie and mashed potatoes, then she realised what she was doing and swallowed. "We had had to do three."
"Yeah, but that was after Halloween." pointed out Lily. "Not on the first day."
"That's true," she admitted, and that seemed to be the end of that conversation, as she returned to eating.
A few minutes later, the Weasley twins joined them. "How was your first Care of Magic Creatures class?" James asked them, he knew his brothers had chosen Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies for their elective subjects and their first COMC lesson had been that afternoon.
Ryan, the taller and stocker of the two, grinned. "It was okay, we've didn't do anything terribly interesting, just Jobberknolls. They don't do very much, especially as they never talk. We had the class with Ravenclaw so there were no… upsets."
"Good," said James. "I'll have to go in a minute, Uncle Charlie has got a problem with a sick Crup belonging to one of the fourth-year Hufflepuffs, Scott Pryor, I think. I said I'd take a look at it for him."
He glanced up at the Staff Table, "In fact, I'd better go and find him now, he's not at the table."
"Before dessert?!" exclaimed Lena, incredulously.
He nodded, "Save me some chocolate éclairs, I probably won't be long."
With that he hurried out of the Great Hall.
Lily and her friends sat there for a few moments, contemplating this development, and then returned to their dinner.
"I hope he finds out what's wrong with that… what did he call it?," said Robin.
"A Crup," supplied Henry. "It's a magical dog, looks a lot like a Jack Russell terrier, but it's born with a forked tail."
"Yes, and the kid must be a pure-blood, or at least, not a Muggle-born, not even a quarter." added Virgil.
"How do you know that?" Maxwell asked.
"Because Crups hate Muggles, or even part-Muggles."
"Oh."
"Yes… I sometimes wonder if a Dark Wizard, or at least a Muggle-hater, might have bred them that way."
"Well, it's not worth worrying about." Lily told them. "So finish eating so we can get back to the Tower. I want to make a start on the homework due in at the end of the week so I can go to the Quidditch trails."
"You're going to try out?" asked Peter Stoakes, one of the team's Chasers. He'd been passing behind them and heard her talking.
Lily nodded. "With Clarke and Jordan gone, you've got at least two openings and there's been a Potter on the Gryffindor team for the last three generations. I'd like to carry on the tradition."
"Sounds good, have you got a broom?"
Lily nodded, "A Phoenix, I got it from Professor Black for my 11th birthday."
"Great, we could do with a Phoenix on the team. The trails are three weeks on Saturday, 10 am at the Pitch. Bring your broom."
"I will. See you then."
"See you then." he echoed and walked off.
A/N: Sorry this chapter's so short. I can't think what else to put in it. But I'll start the next chapter soon and get it up. As always, keeping reviewing, either by using the link below or by e-mailing me at behomuk@yahoo.co.uk. Enjoy!