Hey guys

Hey guys. Cheers for the reviews and stuff, its much appreciated! It's a shame they're all anonymous though so I can't email you all back individually and stuff. But I can say thanks in here and hope you all read it, coz i appriciate it :)

This is the last chapter of Part One and soon Part Two begins!

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May We Look Ever Forward

Part One: Magic is Might

Chapter 4

Al felt someone tug on his sleeve. He turned to look at Grace, and she looked at him with worried eyes. "I'm okay." He said, "Just thinking about the battle at the end of last year."

She sighed, "I was too. I wonder who he was, that man who blinded us all. I didn't recognise him."

"No one did. It was that spell he used," Said Scorp, "My Dad told me it was one of the Dark Lord's favourites for escaping. No one's seen it used in years, not since the First War."

No one responded to this, and they sat in silence as they neared the castle. The walk up the Great Hall was quiet too, and they entered the Hall and took their seats at Gryffindor table for their last Welcoming Feast.

"I can't believe they fixed this place up in time for the start of school," Grace heard someone comment

Dennis Longbottom replied, "Yeah, they had alot of ministry people down here to fix it. Most of the teachers stayed here over the holidays to help too. My father and I spent most of the summer helping out. Oh, hey guys!" He said, waving at them.

Grace smiled at him, "Hey Denny, how're you?"

He shrugged, "Doing okay I guess,"

"Good to hear."

Professor McGonagall carried a stool out into the middle of the hall, and placed on top of it a decrepit wizard's hat. The first years stood anxiously in line for it, and the rest of the school looked at it with anticipation.

The night is young, but I am old

I have seen a lot in my time

Sorting new students at Hogwarts

Is a pleasure of mine

Some of you will be Gryffindors

Brave of deed and strong of heart

If you find you're feeling noble

This is where your journey starts


Or perhaps you're a Hufflepuff

A place for those who are kind

Loyal and peaceful chaps

With others problems on their minds


Or maybe you belong in Ravenclaw

If you're a spark that's bright

Books, wit and learning

Will always be your might


Then there is old Slytherin

A house steeped in tradition

Full of clever, cunning folk

Who work hard for their ambitions


So my young ones, I might be old

But I have a job to do

Just place me snug around your ears

And you'll be Sorted too!

The Hall rang with applause and cheering. McGonagall unrolled a long piece of parchment and called, "Avery, Jonas". A small, dark haired boy strutted forward to the Sorting Hat. It was barely on his head for a second when it yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table cheers. "Wicked," Muttered Grace, "New recruits."

"You'd think," Said Scorp, "That they would just automatically expel everyone Sorted into Slytherin wouldn't you? It would make our lives easier."

Rose shook her head, "But it wouldn't be fair, would it? They're not automatically evil just because they're in Slytherin."

Grace and Scorp snorted, and Al looked at them, "You know, the Sorting Hat tried to put my Dad in Slytherin. But Dad chose Gryffindor instead. And, well, last time I checked, he's not evil."

They all stared at him. He felt a squirm of guilt, having shared that with his friends.

"Wow, Al." Said Rose, "I had no idea."

"No one does, except me. Well, and you guys now."

"We won't say a word about it to anyone," Promised Grace

Scorp chuckled, "Don't be embarrassed Al, my dad was actually in Slytherin,"

They all chuckled, "I'm not embarrassed he was almost placed there. I just feel bad for sharing that with you guys. I think it's a secret for him."

"Delias, George," was Sorted into Gryffindor. Everyone clapped, the people sitting closest to him patting him on the back. Grace smiled warmly at him and he blushed and looked down.

"We cannot have been that small in first year," Said Scorp

Al laughed, "They're such midgets,"

Grace rolled eyes, "Of course they are. They're like, 11."

"But we weren't that small, I swear to God," Said Scorp

Rose and Grace looked at each other in perfect understanding. The boys were idiots. As "Zabini, Richard" went to Slytherin, McGonagall rolled up the parchment and took her seat in the middle of the staff table. Everyone looked at her expectantly for a second. She gave her students the slightest of smiles and said, "Begin!" Food appeared on the table; roasts, kippers, potatoes, greens, Shepard's pie- almost anything you could think of was there (even some mint humbugs). The hall was alive with noise and laughter and the clanging of knives and forks on plates.

Scorpius and Al stuffed their faces with almost indecent enthusiasm. Grace was putting potatoes on her plate when a pair of arms snaked around her shoulders,

"Hello little Potter, what's going on?" She said, smiling at Lily

"I missed you!" Said Lily, "I was stuck all summer with my stupid brothers, and then Malfoy came visited for two weeks! Thank God for Hugo and Rose coming to visit too or I would have gone insane."

Grace laughed, "I'll admit, I was worried about you killing one, or both, of them."

She shook her head in exasperation, "James was terrible. Every time I got an owl, he would come in and demand to know whether or not it was from a boy."

Grace laughed even harder, "Oh, are you serious!? Your brother is ridiculous,"

"I know. And Al just moped about the place because you weren't around. He was fine once Scorp showed up though,"

"I did not mope around!" Albus snapped at his sister

"Oh, you did so," She snapped back

Lily squeezed into the seat between Grace and Rose, "Hey Rosie," She said, "How did the Head Girl speech go?"

Rose smiled, "It was alright,"

"I'm glad you got it," Said Grace, "There would be no one else better for it,"

Rose flushed pink and Lily nodded her agreement, "Thanks, guys."

"Hey Potter," Said Scorp, "Where were you on the train today?"

"With my friends," She replied coolly

"Oh, I see how it is. We're not cool enough for you,"

"Well, you're certainly not Malfoy."

He laughed, "I'm offended,"

"Oh, give it a rest, you two," Said Hugo, with obvious strain, "Every time I see you, you're at each others throats."

Lily shot her cousin a dirty look and Scorpius just smirked, happily continuing on with his dinner.

At the end of the Feast, Professor McGonagall got to her feet, and the hall fell silent instantly,

"To our new students; a warm welcome. To our old students; a warm welcome back. I would like to inform the student body that Professor Dawlish has taken a leave of absence for his health," There was a smartening of cheers. Dawlish was the most unpopular, and thoroughly the most useless DADA teacher the school had seen since the days of the horrible Dolores Umbridge, "And in lieu of this, I would like to introduce our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Teddy Lupin."

There was a polite round of applause from most of the school, but the Gryffindor table, filled with Teddy's family, whooped and applauded loudly. He smiled and waved at them.

"I had no idea Teddy was coming to teach DADA!" Said Grace joyfully, waving back

"Neither!" Said Al, grinning from ear to ear "I can't believe Dad didn't tell me!"

"Brave man, your god-brother." Said Scorp, grinning, "I heard there's a curse on that post."

"That's just superstition, Scorpius" Said Rose

"Is not!" he retorted, "When our parents were at school, they had a new DADA teacher every single year."

"Yes, but that was before the Second Fall, wasn't it?" Said Grace, "I've always heard Voldemort cursed the post."

"Well, either way," Said Scorp, "He'd better favour us in class."

McGonagall cleared her throat, "That's quite enough, thank you," She looked directly at Al and Scorp; "Mr Filch would like me to remind you that there is no magic to be used in the hallway between classes. Also, if you care to look, Mr Filch has a list in his office of all the times banned here at Hogwarts. For our new students, the Forbidden Forrest is off-limits. Some of our older students would do to remember this as well," The look on her face as she said this was one that Al couldn't really understand. He thought back to her during the Battle at the end of last term, and her wish for Dumbledore to still be around, and thought he saw the ghost of the same emotion in her face now. But then again, he couldn't be sure.

"Now, it is off to bed with you. To the first years; please follow your Prefects, they will show you the way to your common room. Sleep tight and good luck with your classes tomorrow." Talking broke out again as everyone stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, talking and laughing. Climbing through the portrait of the Fat Lady, the Gryffindors wandered up to their dormitories

"Night, Grace, Rose." Said Al, waving at them from the boy's staircase

"Sleep tight," Said Scorp, "Dream sweet! Don't let the bed begs bite!"

"You are such a git, Malfoy," Said Grace, sounding tired, "Goodnight, Al."

Al curled up in his four poster bed, his covers around his ears. He heard Scorp say something to one of the other boys in his dorm, but he didn't care. He wasn't listening. He drifted off into sleep, full of food and good thoughts. He woke up the next morning, refreshed and genuinely looking forward to the first day of classes. He thought maybe him and Teddy could go down and see Hagrid for a cup of tea that afternoon too. He walked down to the common room, and found Scorp and Grace waiting for him

"Took your time!" Said Scorp, grinning at him

The three walked down to breakfast together, chatting animatedly, "Let's hope we start the day with DADA," Said Grace, "I haven't seen Teddy in so long!"

"Actually, the last time I saw him was at his wedding I think," Said Scorp

Grace thought about this, "Same, actually."

Al smiled, "I haven't seen him in a while either. He's been coming around for dinner a lot less since he got married,"

"Maybe it's that Victorie can cook?" Suggested Grace, smirking

Al smirked back, "Yes, that was my dad's opinion too."

A crowd was blocking the door to the Great Hall, talking and chattering loudly.

"What's this about?" Grace asked a Ravenclaw girl standing at the edge of the crowd. She pointed silently to the space above the doors that lead into the Great Hall. Al felt the pit of his stomach drop, and he heard Scorp issue a few well-chosen curse words. Engraved into the bricks in large, shaky letters were the words, "MAGIC IS MIGHT!"

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I apologise if my Sorting Hat song is terrible haha. But it was the best I could do.