When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn. - Tom Landry

The Hogwarts Express whistled loudly, drowning out the chatter filling platform 9 ¾. I hurried to drag my trunk onto the train and followed Al down the row of doors to the last compartment on the end. The Weasley/Potter/Lupin group had sat in that compartment ever since Teddy's first year twelve years ago. We also claimed the next compartment over because, at one time, there were eleven of us. I joined the compartment James, Keira, Fred, Jacob, Al, Rose, and Scorpius occupied and attempted to lift my trunk to the rack above. Just before I fell over, the weight of the trunk lifted and I was able to get it on the rack.

'Thanks,' I sighed, throwing myself on the seat next to whomever it was that helped me. Turning my head right, I saw that it was Scorpius Malfoy, the Al's best friend, and I blushed. Though I wouldn't admit it to myself, I sort of fancied Scorpius. Tearing my eyes from his, I opened the cat carrier to let Jayfeather out. He cautiously poked his head out, only to pull it back in again.

'Hey, what's the matter?' I looked through the opening.

'Who's that sitting next to you?' Jayfeather whispered quietly enough for only me to hear. I mouthed, 'It's okay,' and pulled him out, cuddling him against my chest.

'Jayfeather, I'd like you to meet Scorpius Malfoy,' I announced, thrusting the shivering gray tom onto Scorpius's lap. Jayfeather let out a hiss annoyance, but it was ignored. Scorpius stroked Jayfeather's head, but Jayfeather shrank from his hand. Scorpius frowned at me, but I just shrugged. 'He'll get used to you.' Escaping, Jayfeather went to curl up on Keira.

That night, after Jayfeather had explored every inch of Gryffindor tower, I told him all I knew about Hogwarts.

'There are actual spirits here?' Jayfeather had asked fearfully. I laughed.

'They're not going to hurt you. They are friendly ghosts! Well, most of them are.' Jayfeather didn't seem convinced. 'Maybe tomorrow I can show you around the castle, just in case you have to go somewhere by yourself. I wouldn't want you getting lost!' My attempt at changing the subject seemed to work. 'Hey, do you want to go get a snack? I know a way to the kitchens.' Jayfeather merely nodded. 'Alright, I'll see if I can get the Marauders' Map.'

'What's that?'

'It's a map of the school made by the four Marauders,' I explained as we made our way down to the common room. 'They were James Potter, my dad's dad, Sirius Black, my dad's godfather, Remus Lupin, Teddy's dad, and some other man no one likes to talk about.'

'Hey Lily, Jayfeather,' Keira greeted us from her seat in a big, squishy armchair. 'What are you to up to?'

'Oh, nothing,' I said casually. 'Hey James, you have the map?' James looked up from his book to eye me suspiciously.

'Maybe.' I rolled my eyes. 'Why, what are you scheming?'

'We're not scheming anything!' I said, exasperated. 'We were just going to get a snack!'

'Oh, alright then.' He threw me a folded piece of parchment. 'Just don't get caught. If you lose that, we'll all be in trouble including dad for giving it to us.'

'You're such a good big brother,' I heard Keira say as we opened the portrait hole. 'It's like saying, "Sure, you can play with that gun, just don't kill anyone.'

As the week progressed, I got used to my new routine. I got up, went to breakfast, went to class, lunch, class, dinner, homework, and I went to bed. Then, after about an hour of lying awake, Jayfeather and I would sneak down to the kitchens. We didn't always go down for food; it was the idea of adventure that lured us out of our beds.

Finally, the weekend came, and I was relieved. After just five days, I was tired of all the homework we had. I didn't have trouble with it; I just didn't want to do it. That Saturday morning, while I was eating breakfast with Jayfeather, Keira passed by my seat.

'Quidditch try-outs today,' she told me. That news excited me. I loved playing Quidditch.

'What's Quidditch?' Jayfeather whispered. I mouthed 'Hold on,' to him and collected my things. I didn't want to talk to him in public; people would have thought I'd gone mad.

'Quidditch,' I started, running up the stairs as fast as I could, 'is a wizarding sport.' I explained all the details of the game to him while changing into my Quidditch robes. 'Try-outs will be fun this year, because there aren't any positions open. We just get to kick their arses. So far, the team consists of Keira, who is captain and chaser, two other chasers, James and I, two beaters, Fred and Jacob, a Keeper, Rosie, and a Seeker, Al. The only reason we're holding try-outs is to "give others a chance" to get on the team, but I really don't think anyone's going to out-fly us; we've all been playing Quidditch since we were walking. Everyone except Keira, but she's a natural.' Jayfeather listened intently. He really wanted to learn as much as he could about the wizarding world.

I also wanted to know what it was like in his forest. He had explained to me what the Clans were like; he told me about what happened in clans, gatherings, the rolls of medicine cats, Starclan, and a lot more. He even told me about his family, or what was left of his family. He seemed distraught when he explained how he found out Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw weren't his real parents and the conflict between him and his littermates and one of his clan mates. To lighten things up, I had asked about his brother and sister, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf. So, I got quite a bit of detail concerning those two; I felt like I knew them already.

'Hey, Lily!' I whipped around to see my roommate, Ria Hawkins, coming into the dormitory. 'Getting ready for try-outs?' I gave her an odd look, but tried to be polite and smiled.

'Yeah, they start in a few minutes.' I replied slowly. Ria never talked to me. In fact, I never had any real friends at Hogwarts outside the family. It was a rarity for me to talk to Ria, so I was a bit confused.

'Oh, well if you can wait up, we can walk together.' I stared at her, dumbfounded. What is she playing at?

'Why are you going to the Quidditch pitch?' Ria let out a high-pitched laugh.

'I'm going to the try-outs, silly!' She said, still laughing. Once she calmed, she told me she wanted to be a chaser. This time, I laughed.

'No offence,' I said to her, 'but I don't think you'll get far.'

'Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough.' Her confidence made me nervous. If she does get the position, I thought, she'll be replacing me. I tried not to think of the possibilities as the two of us made our way to the Quidditch pitch, Jayfeather at my heels.

'Alright, Lily. Show us what you got!' Keira's encouragement was the last thing I heard before I kicked off the ground and rose into the air. I pushed my Firebolt 08 to speed up as I neared the goal hoops. Rose was circling them like a hawk, ready to block my shots. Taking a deep breath, I zoomed toward her.

After the designated time of five minutes, I had scored 10 goals, a new personal record. Smirking slightly in victory, I watched as the other competitors tried to beat my score.

Finally, it was Ria's turn. My stomach twisted and my heart beat so loudly, I was sure everyone could hear it. I jumped as a hand landed on my shoulder.

'You seem nervous,' I heard Scorpius say. I only nodded. 'I wouldn't worry if I were you. You're a Potter.'

'Really, I had no idea,' I said sarcastically. I watched as Ria made her seventh goal.

'How much time is left?' I asked Keira nervously.

'One minute,' she said, looking at me. 'I'm sorry I have to do this, they're Neville's rules.'

'That's professor to you, Brooks,' came a voice just behind us.

'Sorry, they're Professor Longbottom's rules.' Keira replied sweetly, emphasizing the man's name. I got the impression that she wasn't sorry. 'But we all know the team's gonna be the same as last year.' She glanced at her watch. 'Oh, crap.' Quickly blowing the whistle, she summoned Ria. 'How many?' she asked Al, who was counting how many goals were made. I anxiously awaited his answer. He took a long time to respond.

'Nine.' A relieved smile spread across my face and I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. Ria congratulated me and started to trudge back to the castle.

'Wait, Ria,' I called hurrying to catch up. 'You did really well. Thirty more seconds and you would have beaten me!' A small smile appeared on my roommate's face.

'Yeah, I was pretty good wasn't I? Well, I knew I wouldn't beat you, you're a Potter.'

'Why does everyone say that?' I asked. 'I'm good at Quidditch because I'm a Potter?'

'Well, your dad was the best Seeker of his time, your mum played for Holyhead, and most of your family was on the house team. It would be odd if you were terrible at it.' There was a pause. 'It's a shame Scorpius doesn't play,' she observed. 'He's quite good, I've seen him.' I looked at her sideways. She saw this and blushed. 'What?'

'You like Scorpius?'

'No!' she said immediately. I gave her a look.

'Then how would you know he plays Quidditch?' She shrugged but didn't say anything.

'It's okay,' I said. 'Everyone likes someone at some point.'

'Do you fancy someone?' I shrugged. Do I? I tried to think of all the guys in my year, then all my brothers' friends. 'I might. I'm not sure yet.' The truth was I didn't want to tell her who I fancied. She was about to reply when something landed on my shoulder.

'Jayfeather!' I exclaimed. He blinked and gave me an annoyed look. 'Sorry, I kind of ditched you.' I held him in my arms and stroked his head. 'Jayfeather, this is Ria Hawkins. She shares a dormitory with me.' Ria giggled and patted Jayfeather's head.

'Hello, Jayfeather.' Jayfeather purred while I walked back to Gryffindor tower with my new best friend.

Jayfeather woke in a sunlit clearing. Branches swayed overhead and the leaves dappled the green grass with flecks of orange. Curiously looking around, Jayfeather realized he was in Starclan's hunting grounds. Excitement tingled his paws and he bounded forward to look for his warrior ancestors.

After a few moments, Jayfeather came across Spottedleaf speaking to an orange tabby he didn't recognize. The tom had matted fur and dull green eyes. His tail drooped and he was awfully thin.

'I don't know what to do,' Spottedleaf was saying. 'It's not in our paws anymore. Only Jayfeather can save the forest.'

'But he's been gone for three seasons!' Jayfeather immediately recognized Firestar's voice. What has become of this once magnificent cat? Jayfeather wondered. Shaking his head, he pushed his way out into the clearing.

'Firestar?' he asked. 'Spottedleaf?' The two cats whipped their heads to stare at the newcomer with wide eyes.

'Jayfeather?' Spottedleaf breathed.

'You're alive?' Firestar gasped. Jayfeather cautiously approached the pair.

'Firestar, what's happened to you?' Jayfeather asked quietly as he took in the sight of his ragged leader. He already knew the answer.

'It's been tough,' Firestar replied. 'But what about you? Where are you? Did you find the others? Can you bring back help? Jayfeather, we need you so much.' Firestar pressed his pelt against that of the young medicine cats. Jayfeather welcomed this.

'I'm sorry Firestar,' he answered honestly. 'I have found twolegs who will help us, but I don't know when we'll be able to come to you. We don't even know what to do if we do find you!' Jayfeather felt like wailing like a kit. My clan mates are dying while I live a comfortable life with Lily.

'Please,' Firestar pleaded. 'Make your return quick. We'll be waiting for you. The clan will be very hopeful now I've had word from you.' The older warrior drew away from Jayfeather and curled up in the grass. 'I must be going. Thank you, Spottedleaf. Good Luck Jayfeather, and my Starclan guide your path.'

'Good bye, Firestar,' Jayfeather whispered, but Firestar had already faded into oblivion. Spottedleaf approached him then and touched her nose to his.

'You can do this Jayfeather,' she told him. 'You're one of the three.'

'I am?' Jayfeather asked in astonishment. 'But, Squirrelflight isn't my mother, right? That means I'm not Firestar's kin?' He got no answer, for Spottedleaf was already gone.

'Remember me, Jayfeather, and never lose hope…'

Something heavy landed on my chest and I woke with a start. Whatever was on my chest was thrown onto the floor. I heard a yowl of surprise, followed by a muffled curse.

'Jayfeather?' I peered over the side of the bed to see Jayfeather sprawled on the woven rug. He was muttering something, but the only words I could make out were 'fox dung.' Apologizing, I lifted him onto the bed where he started licking an injured paw. 'Are you alright? You gave me quite a fright!'

'Yeah, yeah, listen I have to tell you something,' he whispered urgently. 'Meet me in the common room. I'll go get Keira.' Without waiting for an answer, he leaped off the bed and landed lightly on his paws before hurrying out the door. I glanced out the window at the big clock hanging over the courtyard.

'Four thirty!' I exclaimed to Jayfeather when he came down the stairs into the common room with a yawning Keira. 'Couldn't you have waited a few hours?'

'This is important!' he insisted. He proceeded to tell us a dream he had about his leader and one of his 'warrior ancestors,' and how they don't have much time left. I listened, but as he neared the end, I started to get doubtful.

'Jayfeather, I know you want to help your clan mates, but it was just a dream-'

'No!' Jayfeather cut me off with a frustrated howl. 'It wasn't just a dream! I'm a medicine cat, and part of being a medicine cat is to speak to your ancestors and follow their advice! I saw Firestar, and he looked like the last meal he ate was three sunrises ago! Cats are dying while I sit here, fully fed with a comfortable nest and kind twolegs who give me everything I need. I can't wait any longer, we have to do something!' He began to pace and I shared a meaningful glance with Keira.

'Calm down, Jayfeather,' Keira said softly. 'We're going to fix this, no matter what. How about we take the day to think of something to do about this, and tonight we can discuss some possibilities, okay? Don't let it worry you, Jayfeather. From what I can tell, your friends are tough; I think they'll be able to hold out for a while longer.' She cuddled Jayfeather in her arms. 'We're doing all we can, and so are you. Like Spottedleaf said, "Never lose hope."' Jayfeather was still shaking, but he nodded and was willingly carried back to his bed.

Five hours later, I was in line to get my permission slip checked. Today was a Hogsmeade weekend, and all the third years were excited to visit the village for the first time. I held my permission slip firmly in one hand, Jayfeather in the other, and stood between Hugo and Ria. Neville quickly scanned my slip and sent me off to the group of students waiting to leave. I searched for a group of redheads to stand with. I didn't know where I was going, so I was hoping to tag along with one of my older family members.

Once inside the village, the group immediately dispersed throughout the shops. James, Keira, Fred, and Jacob went into Zonko's joke shop, Al, Rose, and Scorpius went into Honeydukes candy shop, and Sofia, Nick, and Alex disappeared into the crowd heading for the Shrieking Shack, leaving Ria, Hugo, and I stranded in the mob of Hogwarts students moving through the busy streets. So much for sticking with my older family members, I thought, trying to see over all the people. Jayfeather was huddled in my cloak, not so much from the piercing wind, but from all the noise.

'You three look lost,' said an amused voice from behind us. We jumped and looked towards the source of said voice.

'Scorpius!' Hugo exclaimed. 'Don't do that, mate!' Scorpius merely chuckled and led us into the Three Broomsticks, away from the mad horde of people. We found a table in the back corner that was occupied by Al and Rose.

'Alright, you lot?' Al asked us as we sat down. 'You look like a couple of firsties who got detention with Williams.' Scorpius laughed.

'Oh, poor Jayfeather!' Rose exclaimed. 'He looks scared stiff!' I took Jayfeather out from under my cloak and set him on the table. He didn't move, just crouched where he was, eyes wide and ears erect. It was a bit humorous, but I felt bad for him.

'It's alright, Jayfeather. Nothing's going to hurt you,' I said soothingly. He flicked his ears and twitched his tail. Is smiled and shook my head, hugging him close.

'Anyone up for a butter beer?' Al asked, standing. We all nodded and he headed for the bar. Ria and Hugo followed him. Rose and Ria gave each other a meaningful look that I didn't quite understand.

'I'm going to say hi to one of my friends,' Rose said casually. 'She's sitting on the other side of the room.' She stood and went to sit with a fifth year Hufflepuff. Jayfeather jumped to the bench beside me and disappeared from sight. There was an eerie silence over the table despite the loud clamor of the pub. I stared at my hands in front of me, afraid that if I looked up, I'd meet those silvery eyes and get lost in them. We sat there for what seemed like hours, though it was probably only a few heartbeats. They set us up! I thought bitterly. But does that mean he likes me too? Impossible.

'So…' Scorpius said, trying to start a conversation. I had no desire to do so. 'How do you like being a third year?'

'I don't know,' I said lamely. 'Feels the same as last year.' There was a silence again. I couldn't stand it. I'm going to go mad sitting here! I stood abruptly, apologizing and saying I had to visit the toilet. 'Keep an eye on Jayfeather?' Without waiting for a response, I hurried away.

Well, that was a disaster, I thought while trying to navigate my way through the busy room. In the lavatory, I leaned up against the wall and closed my eyes.

'Lily!' Rose burst into the empty room. 'Lily, are you alright?'

'I was just fine until you left me stranded like that!' I all but shrieked. 'How could you do that? You know I fancy him!' A question popped up in my mind. 'Does that mean he fancies me too?' I whispered. Rose shrugged.

'If he did, he wouldn't have told me, even though we're friends. If he told anyone, it would be Al. You could ask Al.'

'Don't be mental, I couldn't do that. Al would definitely tell Scorpius. And besides, Al wouldn't tell me anyway.'

'Just a suggestion.' I listened to her go over different scenarios while trying to evaluate what had just occurred. I didn't know what to do. I guessed I should just continue admiring from afar.