A/N: It's very oc centered and based in the marauders era. The main p.o.v will most likely be Maia Black, though the plot isn't as concrete as the one in my other story so that could change. Maybe. If you have any suggestions, please pm me or review!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world or any of its characters.

Henry Potter

"Can't I please have the broom?!" Henry whined, giving his mom a pleading look. But Euphemia, long immune to the look from years of experience with him and her eldest, only shook her head as her husband laughed from next to her.

"You know the rules, Henry- first years aren't allowed brooms. Really, you think you'd remember with how loud James complained about it all year," she told him, kind yet firm in her denial. A squawk of protest was heard from behind, and they turned to see two black haired boys walking up to them, the one with ruffled hair and glasses bearing a mock pout on his face (one that, in Henry's own opinion, he was far too old for).

"I wasn't that bad-"

"And to be fair, the rule is quite ridiculous-"

"Especially considering all the other things they allowed-"

"At least, until we started using them-"

"-and they also got banned," they finished for each other, sharing absurdly large grins with each other all the while. Henry sighed as his parents laughed from next to him, ignoring the entire conversation in favor of staring longingly at the window in front of him. In it showcased the brand new Nimbus 1001, sleek and trimmed and already proven to be the fastest on the market, absolutely perfect from every angle. Lost in his thoughts, he wasn't paying attention to the world around him and jumped when he felt a hand press against his head, looking up only to see his brother smiling down at him. Henry glared, remembering the argument they had just before leaving- not that James noticed.

He never noticed. So, it was only with a painstakingly great amount of patience that Henry kept himself from snapping at his brother the moment he saw him open his big, fat mouth. "So, our dear old mum didn't get you the new broom, did she? Have you tried bribing her with chocolate?"

The gleeful way in which he said it only made Henry glare all the harder. James knew that their mum said no- Henry had been asking all week, and now it felt like his brother was just rubbing it in. And bribing her with chocolate? Really? Did he think Henry was an idiot? "Yes, James, I did, and no, it didn't work!"

His brother raised an eyebrow at his mulish tone, Henry not having done as good a job of refraining from snapping than he thought he would have. Not that he cared much- he completely deserved it and he knew it, though he'd never admit to it. Because, of course, when was the great and holy James ever wrong?

"Well what's got your pansies in a twist?" Henry just huffed, pushing the intruding arm off his head and looking around for a distraction. Meanwhile his brother watched him in confusion, a dawning look of realization spreading across his features. "Wait, you're not still upset about this morning, are you?"

The condescending tease had Henry gritting his teeth in annoyance, nowhere near ready to forgive or forget or anything remotely resembling it, after what he'd done. "Still upset? You broke my favorite telescope and never even said sorry!"

James scoffed as Sirius began striding over, sensing the rising tension. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Apparently little Henny's not over what happened this morning-"

"The telescope? You're still upset about that?"

"Yes, I am!" Henry snapped, annoyed. "I've had it for years and it was specially charmed and now it's broken because you weren't being careful with one of your stupid, idiotic pranks!"

"Stupid?!" Sirius repeated, aghast.

"Idiotic?" James asked faintly, as if not being sure he heard right. "Sirius, did he just say what I think he said?"

Sirius nodded solemnly. "That he did." He looked at Henry with disappointment, slowly shaking his head. "Come on James, it's clear we're not wanted here."

James spun around with a sniff. "Sorry Henny, guess you'll just have to find someone else to show you all the cool, hidden passageways and help get you out of detention..."

Henry began following where their parents had gone without a word, refusing to take the bait. Whatever, he could do it by himself anyways! A small smile lit up his face at the thought. Hogwarts. Just one more week...

"Aha! So the little Hen can smile, after all!"

The smile vanished as soon as it had come. "Shut- "

~.~

Maia Black

"-up! Have you not been listening to a word I've been saying?!"

"M-madam, please- forgive me-" The door shut with a click, drowning out the rest of the noise as her cousin walked into the room. "Mai? Everything alright?"

Maia groaned into the pillow as Narcissa sank into her feather mattress, debating whether or not to get up. The choice, however, was quite literally taken from her hands as the woolen blanket she'd been cuddling with was gently pried away. Dejectedly, she rolled into a sitting position with a long, drawn out sigh. "Does she have to be so loud?"

Narcissa gave her a sympathetic grimace. "Well, you know how Bell is...especially with their kind," she told her, a vile note creeping into her normally chipper voice. Maia just nodded along, more focused on wiping the sleep from her eyes and only half paying attention to their current conversation. That was how most of her conversations were, actually.

"What did the man do this time?"

"Oh, same as the last, wrong gem, common style..." Maia only shrugged.

"Can't be any worse than the man that got her finger size wrong," she commented idly. Narcisssa giggled at that, smiling at her with a certain fondness that had Maia ducking her head to look away. The sudden touch on her shoulder had her startled, and she looked up into wide, adoring eyes staring back at her. "I'm glad you're here, Mai. I know it's been tough for you the past few years, and with what's coming up...if you ever want to talk about it, I'll always be here to listen. Okay?"

Maia hesitated only a moment, but soon leaned into the touch, slumping her fragile eleven year old body into the older woman's welcoming arms. "Thank you, Cissy."

She felt a rush of affection for her cousins then, though she knew she wouldn't be taking her up on her offer any time soon. After all, what was there to say about the two brothers she hadn't seen since they left for the gigantic magic school? She hardly even remembered what they looked like now, the only pictures she had of them being the ones she'd drawn so messily as a child, more like the remnants of vague dreams half forgotten...

One more week. Just seen more days, and then-

~.~

Lucas White

"-then what'll I do?"

Alice sighed, an amused, yet all too exasperated sigh as she rubbed her temple, trying to ward off the oncoming headache. "Lucas, you know I love you and I'm only saying this with the best intentions for you in mind, but from the bottom of my heart I sincerely doubt you'll run into you-know-who dressed up as a teenager trying to talk you into buying poisoned chocolate for his funding."

A large set of puppy dog eyes met her declaration. "You never know, it could happen!"

Alice drummed her fingers on the wooden desk in her room, looking down at her half written letter to Frank Longbottom. He'd recently graduated, and when she first sent him a letter she had half expected him to ignore it, but lo and behold she'd gotten a reply the very next day! And now here she was, trying to send a fast reply and maybe even deepen the conversation, yet she didn't want to come off as clingy...

"Hey, whatcha got there?" A small hand grasped for the page, one that she had just prevented from stealing it by slamming her elbow onto the desk. Hard. She turned to her brother with a twitching eyebrow, which he responded to with an unrepentant grin. "Ooh, are you writing a letter to your boyfriend? I wonder what Mom will say if I-"

"If I give you my sneakoscope, will you just go?!"

"Yeah, promise! Watch, I won't even cross my fingers and-"

"Second shelf on the left, in the dark blue bag." The eleven year old boy let out a loud whoop at the information, eagerly jumping onto her bed and knocking over the brand new nail polish Marlene had bought her for her birthday. Before she could even think to reprimand him, he was bouncing off the bed and out the door, calling out a hurried "thanks, sis!" over his shoulder. He grinned when he stopped outside, hearing the long string of grumbling left behind in his wake. He was doing it. They were so sure he wouldn't, that he'd turn out a muggle like his parents but he didn't and now he was off to Hogwarts-

~.~

Adeline Avery

"-already. It feels like just yesterday that your brother was sitting there, being fitted for robes for his own first year!" Adeline hummed noncommittally in response, trying to pick out patterns in the bleak walls around her.

"So, I don't suppose you know what house you'd like to be put into yet? Of course you never really know until you get sorted, but-"

Adeline scoffed, cutting the woman off mid-sentence. She didn't need to hear such nonsense. "What are you talking about? I'll be in Slytherin, of course."

"Oh, like your-"

"Adeline, has your brother informed you about Maia yet?" her mother interrupted, clearly just as annoyed as her daughter. Adeline frowned, but didn't say anything knowing her mother would continue speaking regardless of her answer. "She can't make it due to family circumstance. Her cousin, Bellatrix, is visiting someone and found it imperative that she take Maia with her to experience a 'true, pureblood worthy culture' before she leaves for school- though, I can't say I blame her. It was why I took you with me to visit your Aunt a couple weeks ago, not that..."

Adeline closed her eyes, blocking out the uncomfortable fitting and her mother's droning voice that continued repeating things she already knew. Soon, she wouldn't have to retreat to her mind in cases like this. She would have the freedom to choose where she went, what she did, who she talked to- all to an extent, of course. It would just be her, her brother and Maia, finally able to be together everyday... Maia and her would share a room, even, and she would be the one to reunite her with her older brother, Regulus; he wasn't too bad, and Adeline still didn't understand why they had to be separated all this time. He was perfectly fine, polite and capable, unlike the other brother, if not a bit dull sometimes.

Just seven more days. Seven more days, and they would all be at Hogwarts together.