This is also in the summary, but I've changed the update speed from 1x a week to 2x (Tuesday and Saturday nights). If the queue counter (can be seen on my profile) falls below 3, I will only update on Saturday.
A/N: I made up Albus's hair spells by using Google Translate to Latin, apologies for cringe names.
Also, I know Luna's kids are supposed to be younger, but for this universe, they are one year older than Lily and both in Ravenclaw like their mother.
Again, the first few chapters might be a bit slow, but I'm writing Chapters 7 and 8 right now and you are in for some serious action in a few weeks!
"I'm afraid I can. You're my favorite child, James," Dad said in a monotone voice.
"Dad!"
"How could you!"
Dad shook his head. "Sorry Lily, Albus. That's the price for peace in this house."
Chapter 2: Ordinary
Albus grimaced in the mirror, gritting his teeth through my fifth attempt to comb it flat. Yet, strands and tufts of hair stuck out in every direction like a cartoon character who'd just stuck their finger in an electrical socket.
"Forget it," he snapped, snatching his wand from the table.
"Sternuntur!" Albus's hair flattened down to something manageable, then flattened... further.
"Al, you're not supposed to use magic outside of school!" I exclaimed crossly, gripping the comb. He tilted his head to one side, appraising the new hairdo.
"There are three adults in this house, the Ministry'll never know who did it! Mum and Dad don't have to know."
I rolled my eyes. "Really, Al?"
He hummed delightedly as he ran a hand through his hair, peering into the mirror. I smacked him with the comb to stop him from getting too full of himself.
"Stop peacocking! You look ridiculous like that!" I couldn't help laughing at the sight of my brother's limp hair, which stuck to his head as if it were slick with oil.
"Accipere figura!" Al's hair arranged itself neatly, as if gelled back. He leaned back into the mirror while I stood behind him, aghast. Albus had more raw magical talent than anyone else I knew, levitating the dining table at the age of six and causing small explosions in the local primary school that Mum and Dad struggled to explain to the Muggle teachers.
Meanwhile, I was totally unremarkable. Good at Transfiguration, a bit above average at Defense Against the Dark Arts, decent at Potions but mediocre in most other things and dreadful in some. Nor did I have James's charisma and magnetism. I was just... Harry Potter's unremarkable daughter.
"This is why you're not a prefect, Al."
"This is why you're not a prefect, Al," he mocked in a high, whiny imitation of my voice.
"I don't sound like that!"
"I don't sound like that! Whine whine whine, I'm Lily Potter, the world's smallest violin!"
I was about to offer a retort when the doorbell rang.
"Teddy!"
We dashed down the stairs and sprinted to the door. Unfortunately, I lacked the advantage of Albus's long legs and he quickly outstripped me. He swung the door open, victorious while I remained winded in the kitchen, hunched over and breathing hard.
Remember how I mentioned Albus withholds affection from most people?
Well, Teddy wasn't one of those people. Teddy was Dad's godson and one of my absolute favorite people in the world. He practically lived with us growing up. It was impossible not to love Teddy; he was like human sunshine.
As I approached the door for a hug, Teddy attempted to ruffle Albus's hair affectionately. Al recoiled in horror.
"Not the hair, Ted!"
Teddy nodded knowingly. "Hair charms?"
"Hair charms," I repeated gravely.
He turned to Albus with his usual smile. "Al, you've got to follow the rules more often, you don't want to get expelled from Hogwarts when you're so close to graduating!"
He did have a point. Can you imagine how Dad would explain Albus using underage magic to his colleagues at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? How would that even go?
Teddy followed us into the kitchen, and we sat down at the kitchen table, where my quilt was still draped over one of the chairs. Albus promptly wrapped himself in it. Teddy drummed his fingers on the table.
"Where's James?"
"Upstairs 'singing' in the shower, what else?" Albus scowled.
I really wanted my quilt back. It was starting to get cold.
Teddy scrunched his face up as if he were concentrating, and his hair turned from blue to black. I stood up swivelled around to face the staircase. This was getting pretty ridiculous. Albus and I had been nearly ready to leave for an hour.
"JAMES! YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE US LATE!"
Instead of James, my mother descended the stairs. She had a quill tucked behind her ear and looked a bit tired, probably from writing all night. I looked a lot like Mum; we were both on the short side and had dark brown eyes and freckles, although her hair was a vivid Weasley red and mine was more Titian.
Clearly, I also had inherited her short fuse.
"Lily, it's not necessary to yell all of time."
"Sorry, Mum."
"Sorry, Mum."
Mum sighed as I rounded on Albus, and turned to Teddy, who stood up to hug her, knocking over a chair in the process. Dad and James came into the kitchen, Dad adjusting his glasses and James drying his hair with a gentle stream of hot air from his wand.
With his hair black like that, Teddy could be James and Albus's brother. I wished that he was. Teddy lost both his parents in the Second Wizarding War, right after he was born. He spent most of his time with Dad and his grandmother, but he didn't really have a family. I wished we could be his.
"I was thinking that I'll Apparate with Lily and James takes Albus," Teddy was saying, "I heard from Lily that there was an incident with Floo powder last year." (I was allergic to Floo powder.)
Dad spoke next. "No, you take Albus and James will take Lily. Albus and James will argue."
Albus piped up from his quilt cocoon, "I can Apparate myself."
"You may not," said Mum. The quill tucked behind her ear quivered.
Albus frantically turned to Dad, begging permission.
"Your mother is right, Al. There will be no unauthorized underage magic under this roof-"
If only he knew.
"So, can I go outside to Apparate?"
"Albus."
"Please, Dad? I can do it, I've practiced, lots of times, I'm really good at it, honestly!"
"Albus, it is dangerous, you are underage, you don't have a license, you could get Splinched-" Mum snapped, taking the quill out from behind her ear and slamming it down on the table between them.
"Well James Splinched himself on his first try, and I never have, so-"
"I don't care how good you are! You should not be practicing that unsupervised!"
Dad cleared his throat, looking between Albus and Mum. James and Teddy were both attempting to disguise their laughter as a coughing fit. Albus shot a glare at them that could Petrify a ghost.
"Who taught you how to Apparate, Al?" Dad asked levelly.
Al shrank back into his blanket cocoon.
"Books," he muttered.
"Books," Dad repeated. He sighed, so that the crow's feet around his eyes showed. "Do these happen to be the same books in which you are supposed to study for History of Magic, and Transfiguration? I don't understand why you don't apply yourself, Albus."
Al huffed and sank down further in his chair. "I passed all of my O.W.L.'s, didn't I?"
Dad stuck a hand in his hair, the same way James did when he was frustrated. "You do well in school, but we all know that you could do better. You'd probably be top in your class if you made a bit of effort. You barely studied for your O.W.L.'s and got O's in Charms and Potions."
Albus shrugged, "I don't like easy stuff, I guess. I learned to Apparate because I wanted to and I thought that it was useful. I just really don't see the point of turning a mouse into a teacup."
"OI-" James started, but Dad motioned for him to be quiet.
"Look Dad, I know I'm a colossal letdown. Harry Potter's Slytherin son."
"Albus, you are many things, but you are not a letdown!"
"I just want to make you and Mum proud, but I don't know how."
I reached over to Albus to hug him, and for once, he accepted it.
"Shut up," I mumbled, "You know we love you, slippery, snakey git that you are."
About twenty minutes later, the Apparation situation had been sorted out; we'd compromised and taken a Portkey down to the Leaky Cauldron instead. Now, James, Albus, Teddy, and I were walking down Diagon Alley, James striding in front and Albus trailing a few feet behind. I had to half-jog to keep up with Teddy.
Teddy leafed through the shopping lists.
"So, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4 for Lily, and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, Advanced Potion-Making, A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration, Confronting the Faceless, Advanced Rune Translation, and Flesh-Eating Trees of the World for Al?"
I turned to glare at Al.
"I still can't believe you passed Ancient Runes without studying."
He shrugged, "I go to class, don't I?"
I scowled. Then I looked back up at one of the storefronts, which belonged to a Quidditch supply store. Great, another thing I'll never do half as well as my brothers.
I stopped sharply as I nearly bumped into Teddy. I hadn't realized that we'd come up on Flourish and Blotts so quickly.
Flourish and Blotts bubbled with pre-fall term activity, with first-years freshly-fitted for their robes followed by their frantic parents. It was hard to believe that just three years ago, I had been one of them. I'd wanted to go to Hogwarts so badly, to follow in the footsteps of my parents, cousins, and brothers.
Just as I had picked up my copy of The Standard Book of Spells, along with some additional readings and was making my way back to the front of the shop with Teddy and James (Albus had disappeared along the way), I collided with someone.
I muttered a hasty apology, rubbing my bruised elbow and bending down to gather the books I'd dropped.
I looked up at the person in front of me as I straightened up, cradling the stack of books. It was a tall someone with hair so pale that it shone in the warm, cosy lighting of the bookstore like polished ivory.
Scorpius Malfoy dusted himself off and nodded at James and I. "Potter. She-Potter."
"Hello, Malfoy," we muttered in unison, my acknowledgement bland, but James's infused with venom. I didn't mind Malfoy that much; James hated his guts. Sure, he could be annoying as hell like every other Slytherin, but he was Al's best friend.
Only Teddy was smiling, "Scorpius, how are you?" he asked brightly.
Malfoy looked up, his hands stuffed awkwardly in the pockets of his jacket. "Hi Pot - I mean Lupin."
Teddy and Malfoy were second cousins, but Malfoy's mother, Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy, was an esteemed member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and did not approve of him associating with half-bloods (Albus, James, Teddy, and I). Accordingly to Albus, his and Malfoy's friendship pissed Astoria off royally. Additionally, the Malfoys had never once invited Teddy, their nephew, to Malfoy Manor.
Teddy being Teddy, of course, didn't hold it again them.
Albus's head popped up from around an adjacent bookshelf. "Oi mate, are we going or what?"
James had shuffled behind Teddy and I, putting some space between himself and Malfoy. Albus slung his arm around Scorpius protectively and glared at James, who made a hissing sound in response.
"Right, I'm off, too many snakes. Bye."
Albus stuffed the fingers of his free hand into the pocket of his Muggle jeans. I did feel bad for Al; his closest and pretty much only friend was someone that most of his family disliked.
Malfoy could be considered handsome, I guess, if he wasn't so intimidating. According to Rose's friends, he was the most attractive guy in his year, and maybe Hogwarts too. I might have been inclined to agree with them. His dark eyebrows and deep-set grey eyes, along with his usually cold demeanor, gave the impression of a steel wall. Like a scary Barbie doll or something.
For now he was subdued, though, his eyes following Albus as if waiting for a cue.
"Sorry about James," I offered guiltily.
"We're just going to shop for books and things, then meet up with some of Scorpius's friends," Albus explained. He seemed more relaxed now that James and Scorpius were no longer in the same room; he'd released his grip on Malfoy, too.
Albus waved awkwardly and walked off in the opposite direction from James, pulling Malfoy behind him.
Teddy and I strolled through Diagon Alley for the rest of the afternoon. We eventually found ourselves at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where I begged him to tell me all about Auror training. I would have liked to be one someday, but I didn't think that my O.W.L. grades would be good enough to even think of pursuing it.
"There are plenty of great jobs, Lily," Teddy reminded me. I sighed, staring morosely into my ice-cream.
"I know. I'd just like to be something other than unremarkable, for once."
Teddy examined his spoon thoughtfully, "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, I'm completely ordinary."
"You're a witch, Lily. You can use magic. Is that ordinary?"
"You know what I mean, Teddy, and don't try to not hurt my feelings."
He dipped the spoon back into his ice cream, which was rapidly melting.
"You're not Albus. So what? Most of us aren't Albus!"
I sighed, "It's not that. I'm not James either. Or you, or Mum, and I'm sure as hell not Dad."
"You're fourteen, Lils. Give yourself some time."
"But by the time Mum and Dad were fourteen they could both produce a full Patronus and so can James and Al-"
Teddy raised a hand to stop me. "Don't compare yourself to others, Lils. It won't bring you any happiness, and it won't solve your perceived problems. You need to start practicing self-confidence, putting effort into studying but still make time for leisure, and take time for self-care and quiet reflection and stop the negative self-talk."
Ah. So he was deep in self-help Teddy mode.
(In case you were wondering, yes, this man did own a set of healing crystals. But real ones. Not fake Muggle ones.)
The both of us fell silent for a few minutes until Teddy perked up again, peering over my shoulder.
"Aren't those girls behind us in your year? And in Gryffindor?" he asked. I turned around to look at the table that he was pointing at, which was indeed filled with Gryffindor fourth-year girls.
"You can't just hang out with Hugo, Carla, and the Scamander twins all the time. You've known Hugo and the twins since you were toddlers. I'm just worried you don't have any female friends your own age other than Carla," he was saying.
"But I like Hugo, Carla, and Lorcan and Lysander," I said. I didn't put much energy into the retort, though. I was too busy thinking about the other Gryffindor girls in my year sitting at the table.
There was Bella Kirke, Persephone Creevy, Edith Lennox, and Isobel Bainbridge. They were all quite popular and all very pretty. Persephone was the leader of the group, and the prettiest. She wasn't mean, though. She just had a habit of excluding people from things in such a nice way that you couldn't blame her for it without attracting criticism.
Besides, they did speak to me sometimes. When they wanted something.
"Well, I speak to them sometimes."
There wasn't time for Teddy to respond, because all of a sudden, the four of them had suddenly swarmed the table.
"Hi Lily!" Persephone said brightly, flipping a section of pin-straight blonde hair behind her shoulder, "Oh my gosh, how are you?" She sat uninvited, prompting Bella, Edith, and Isobel to sit too.
Edith cocked her head to the side. "Have you seen Albus recently? Sorry, I mean obviously you have. That's a stupid question, you live with him."
Isobel smiled, "You know what we mean!"
We?
"He's uh, gone somewhere with Malfoy and a bunch of Slytherins, so probably Lucas Zabini and Alexander Nott. They said that they were going to go do some shopping."
Luckily, they weren't aware that I had my phone in my pocket and could have called Albus at any time. Otherwise, they would definitely have pressured me into hunting him down.
Persephone tucked her hair behind her ear. "Ok, I see, thank you Lily. See you at Hogwarts!"
With that, the four disappeared from the table as quickly as they had come.
Teddy shook his head, "Did they just come to sit here because they wanted you to hook them up with Albus?"
I shrugged, trying to focus on my ice-cream, which was half-puddle.
"Are they always mean to you, Lil?" he asked softly.
"No, they speak to me sometimes in Potions and Transfiguration."
"So, the classes you're actually better at than them?"
"Wow, thanks, Teddy. Your confidence in me is astonishing."
He sighed and stood up, "Now, shall we go find your brothers ourselves?"
Chapter 3- The Hogwarts Express will be released 10/3, close to midnight. Thank you for reading!
