A/N: Hello. I hope you like this. Please review. It takes place about twenty years after Harry completes his sixth year. Also, Dumbledore is still alive.
Dedication: To summer boredom
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
I glanced around platform nine and three-quarters, looking for my best friend. I didn't see her anywhere, but that didn't surprise me, for she is always late.
"See you later Lily!" My twin brothers Dimetre and Corbin called to me. I rolled my eyes and waved them off. They are two years younger then me, and royal pains in my ass.
"Lily! OY, LILY!" Someone yelled.
I turned around and saw my best friend, Robyn Weasley, and our other two friends Jessica Patil and Kristen Johnson. I grinned at them, and hurried over. Robyn was the only one who I had seen during the summer, the rest of them were very busy.
We boarded the train. Jessica had to go down to the Prefects carriage, good girl that she was.
"So, fifth year! We're so old now!" Robyn said, joking.
Someone banged into the compartment we were in. I turned and saw Trisha Parkinson there. She was with her friends, and she was scowling.
"Still hanging out with these losers, I see." Trisha said disdainfully, looking at Kristen.
"Shut up Parkinson. Get your pug face out." Robyn said, scowling.
"What's she want with you, anyways?" I asked curiously.
Kristen shrugged; "I helped her with homework once and she seems to have the need to follow me around now."
The train moved on. We played a few games of chess and exploding snap, and the time past quickly. Soon it was time to change into our robes.
We all changed and were stowing our clothes in our bags when the door banged open again. I spun around, ready to curse Trisha Parkington, and came face to face with Robert Bell.
"Hey Lily." Robert said, grinning cockily.
"Get out." I said coldly.
"Aww, c'mon Lily. I just want to be around you." He said, and I just wanted to choke him.
"GET OUT!" I shrieked.
Robert left, looking slightly downcast.
"Why'd you have to do that? You could have just let him stay for awhile, he is so in love with you." Kristen said.
"Because he is an arrogant little prat who only wants to sleep with me." I said impatiently.
Kristen looked down and didn't say anything else.
The train slowed to a stop and we got off. Jessica had to go and help with the first years, and the rest of us hurried out to find a carriage.
Once in the castle, the sorting began. I watched them all going up, with a slight feeling of amusement.
"My little sister is up there." Robyn said, pointing to a tiny little girl at the end of the line with flaming red hair.
I didn't really pay attention until Robyn's sister was up.
"Weasley, Bridget!" Professor McGonagall called, and little Bee came hurrying up. She was tiny, and the hat fell right over her ears. It was quiet for a second, and then it shouted, "GRYFFENDOR!"
She pulled off the hat, looking relieved, and hurried to join our table.
"Well done Bee." I called to her, and she smiled nervously.
We had the feast, which was, of course, delicious. When the last morsels melted off the plates, Professor Dumbledore stood up. He told us, of course, the usual warnings, but then he said something that sent the whole hall into murmuring.
"The Quidditch cup will not be taking place this year. Instead, we will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament." Dumbledore said pleasantly.
I looked at my hands. My dad had been in the last one. He told me all about it, what had happened.
"I will leave it to your heads of houses to explain to you what the Triwizard Tournament is, for I have other things to say. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive here on October the thirtieth. You will give your names to the judge, which will choose who competes. The rules have been changed slightly. One, you now have to be sixteen to put your name in, rather then seventeen as you did last time. And two, the prize money is fifteen hundred galleons rather then one thousand. That is all, off to bed with you." Dumbledore said, smiling.
There was a shuffling of feet as everyone got up to go to bed. I followed Robyn and Kristen out, since Jessica had to tend to the first years. We walked up to the portrait hole, happy to see a seventh year prefect there to give us the password.
"It's Dittany." She said, and we continued inside.
I was pleased to see that the common room had not changed. It was brightly lit and cozy looking. I had missed it very much. The three of us hurried up to our dorm. We were soon joined by Jessica, and then the other girl who shares our dorm, Claire Longbottom. Claire is very quiet and has never socialized with the rest of us.
We all talked happily, gossiping about the Triwizard tournament.
"We are all to young to enter, it sucks." Robyn said glumly.
"No, I will be old enough. I turn sixteen on October thirty-first. I barely made the cut-off." I said, smiling.
"Oh yeah! So are you going to enter?" Kristen said.
"Yeah, I think so. Not like it will pick me, right? I mean, there are so many more choices, older and more skilled. But hey, entering will be fun." I said.
Eventually we went to bed. We were all tired, and not looking forward much to lessons the next day.
I woke up the next morning in a very good mood. I got up, got dressed, and headed out of the dormitory with my books. I went down to breakfast, where Professor McGonagall was handing out schedules. I looked at mine.
I liked it very much. I headed off to my first class, Charms, smiling. Kristen, Robyn and Jessica soon caught up with me, and we walked into charms together. The charms teacher is Professor Granger. She was my dad's best friend in school, so her family is basically part of my family. She has three little boys, Alex, Chris, and Sam, and by the looks of it she was expecting another, for her belly was swollen.
I was right about her being pregnant. She informed us that she was six months pregnant. Then she lectured us about our O.W.Ls for the longest time, and then gave us work to do.
"So, my dad said something about a ball going along with the tournament. Anyone you want to ask?" I said, grinning mischievously.
Kristen and Robyn blushed. Jessica is the only one of us that has a boyfriend, Kristen's older brother Peter. He is a year ahead of us, and him and Jessica have been going strong for about six months.
"Well… I kind of want to bring… Greg Weasley…" Kristen said, looking embarrassed.
Robyn and I laughed. We are not only best friends, but cousins at well. Robyn's dad is my mom's brother. Greg is my uncle Bill and aunt Fleur's son. He has blonde hair and blue eyes and is quite cute, but he isn't sweet, shy Kristen's type.
"No, don't bring him!" I said, still laughing.
Kristen looked away, looking slightly hurt. I turned to Robyn.
"Who do you want to invite?" I asked her.
"Jack Thomas." She said with no trace of embarrassment.
"Really!" I exclaimed.
It seemed to me that it was a day for opposites. Wild, Spunky Robyn, with quiet, mysterious Jack? It didn't really fit… but hey, if it's what they wanted…
"What about you?" Jessica said, deciding to join the conversation.
"I was thinking… I don't know… I don't really like anyone here." I said, shrugging.
"You four, over in the corner, what have you been doing?" Professor Granger said, looking slightly annoyed.
I hastily pointed my want at my teacup, which sprouted three slightly sturdy legs, and got up, walking awkwardly without the fourth leg.
Jessica's grew about twenty very spindly legs. Robyn's grew the correct number, four, but they were all different sizes. Kristen's, of course, was perfect.
When Charms was over, I grabbed my bag and the four of us walked out, heading to Transfiguration. Robert caught up with us.
"Hey, Lily." He said, once again giving me that cocky grin.
"Yes, can I help you Robert?" I asked testily.
"Yes, actually you could. Will you go out with me?" Robert said, still grinning.
"No! Get back to your own friends." I snapped.
The grin vanished, and he stopped walking so his friends could catch up to him.
"Why are you always so mean to him?" Kristen asked.
"Why does he always have to do that? It's like, whenever he is between girlfriends he decides to come and stalk me." I said, feeling like it was obvious.
The other three exchanged looks, which I ignored, and walked into transfiguration.
The rest of the week went smoothly. We did have a ton of homework to do, but since I didn't have any Quidditch practice, I had every night to do it.
All anyone could talk about was the tournament. My friends and I exhausted the subject fairly quickly. I couldn't wait for the two other schools to get here.
As October drew closer, our homework pile grew larger. I really wanted to get out onto the Quidditch pitch and fly my broom, but I didn't have time. Kristen was the only one who had enough free time to actually do something for more then a moment, and she spent quite a bit of her free time helping the three of us, which we were very grateful for.
Eventually, the thought of the Triwizard tournament was driven from our minds by something else: The front cover of the newspaper.
"Break Out From Azkaban" The title screamed.
It said that Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and Narcissa Malfoy had broken out. I was amazed. I was also very sad. My dad had put all those people in Azkaban. He hadn't told me this, but I read about it in an old paper. I also knew that it meant my dad would have to start working long hours again. Since I was about seven, he only worked till about three in the afternoon, and he was done. I knew that this meant he would be working till very late, sometimes all night and then the next day to. I felt sorry for my mom, how lonely she was going to be.
I glanced at Robyn. Her expression was similar to mine. Her dad was an Auror, to, meaning he had to work long hours. But my aunt Lavender had two kids still at home, three at Hogwarts. So she wouldn't be lonely, at least not much.
All day, all I could think about was my poor mom and dad. The escape of these people had raised fear in a lot of people. It was like Lord Voldemort had returned, some of the teachers said. Then they told us that last time there was a break out from Azkaban, it was because Lord Voldemort had returned. This caused quite a bit of panic, even though the teachers assured us he was dead.
That made me understand why everyone was panicking. Most of the kids, with the exception of Muggle-Borns, were the children of the people who lived during Voldemort's time and had heard stories about it.
Eventually, as October began, the panic died down a little. Everyone was confident that they would be caught, the escaped ex-death eaters. I was right about my dad having to work long hours, and they were making every effort they could to find them, but after two weeks of trying, then a month, nothing.
Once again, though, the current topic was driven out of everyone's mind by another: It was the end of October, meaning the Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons would be arriving soon.
I hope you liked it. Please review.