The Next Generation
Chapter One: The Start of Something New
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, well apart from the stuff in my room, which does not consist of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger or the rest of the characters. I only own the ones you don't recognise.
A/N: Just to warn remember at the end of the last chapter, Harriet Lupin? Well, her name has been changed and it is now Emelia Lupin. This was because I wanted Cassie's best friend to have a shortened name and it meant I would be calling her Harry and it would just be confusing. So Harriet is now Emelia.
Also, sorry for not updating but I wanted to do well on my exams so I've concentrated on those and now I'm back with a long chapter, and this was supposed to start with her seventh year but I didn't want it to be too long so this is now the very start of her first year and the seventh year should come next chapter. Right on with the story
(Please read the A/N!)
The first of September had finally arrived, after a long two month holiday; Cassie was being dropped off by the Dursley's at Kings Cross Station. Aunt Petunia had watched her sister Lily go through the barrier so was able to inform Cassie as to how to get onto Platforms 9 and ¾ after the initial confusion and after a half hour of persuading on the drive down to the Station, Cassie had managed to get Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon to come through with her.
At the age of eleven years old, Cassie was stunned by the sheer sight of all the hustle and bustle surrounding the Hogwarts Express as parents hugged their children tightly and wished them look and promised them to write to them.
Just as the whistle on the train was blown, Cassie turned round and quickly hugged her Aunt and Uncle before promising to write using the owl, Kindred, that Minerva McGonagall had bought her when they went to Diagon Alley.
Sitting quietly in an empty compartment after finally lugging her trunk onto the luggage rack above her head, she leaned out the window as the train set off to wave her Aunt and Uncle Goodbye, before leaning back in her seat, feeling lonely and sad. However, just as she was thinking this, a girl about her age knocked on the door.
"May I sit here please? You don't mind do you?"
"Sure, please come in." Cassie replied grateful for the company.
"I'm Emelia Lupin," holding her hand out, Cassie extended hers to meet Emelia's, "but everybody calls me Mia. What's your name?"
"Potter. Cassandra Potter, but everybody calls me Cassie."
"Not related to Bond. James Bond are we?" laughing, Emelia quickly explained that she had been brought up on a little knowledge of the muggle television and films. "Wait a minute! Did you say Potter?"
"Yes, why? Did you know my parents?" Suddenly eager for information on her parents, she sat forward in her seat, so as not to miss out on anything Emelia said.
"No I didn't', I was only a baby when they disappeared, Hermione and Harry, but my parents knew them. My Father, Remus Lupin was best friends with your Father's Dad, and Mum knew your Dad. They've spoke quite a lot about them actually."
"Oh," Cassie replied, a bit disappointed that Emelia did not have any information. "Actually I think I remember Minerva mentioning your parents, when she came to visit. Your Dad teaches the Defence Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts doesn't he?"
"Yeah, Professor McGonagall persuaded him to go back to teaching when I was around seven years old; they must have finally gotten rid of the curse, because he's been there four years." Smiling at Cassie's face when she looked confused at the mention of a curse, she explained, "Well when your Mum and Dad were at school, they never had a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher or DADA for short for more than one year. The first one Professor Quirrel got killed, something about You-Know-Who, then the second one, Professor Lockhart, mad as a hatter he was, lost his memory. The third one, my Dad, well let us just say something happened at the end of his year and he ended up resigning. The fourth, Professor Moody, wasn't actually Moody, but an impostor who locked the real Moody in a chest for nine months, then the fifth, Professor Umbridge was a horrible old witch from the Ministry of Magic who refused to let the classes practice defence, and in the end your parents chased her into a herd of centaurs, and the sixth one Professor Snape was the one that murdered Dumbledore before doing a runner. Dad never did tell me what happened to the seventh though."
"Oh, your Dad was brave taking the job back on then."
"Yeah, I said that too when he told me, but he said Professor McGonagall was being really kind offering him a job in the first place, so he decided to take the job as long as he had some sort of protection, but so far nothing bad as happened."
"Anything off the trolley dears?" enquired the sweet-trolley lady, at the door. Jumping out of their seats, the two friends brought out their money and bought nearly everything off the trolley. The rest of the journey to Hogwarts was taken up eating the remainder of the sweets, only interrupted when a prefect came to tell them it was time to get changed into their robes.
Getting off the train a few hours later, when the sky had already turned dark, and the moon was smiling at them and the stars twinkling, they heard the sound of "Firs' years over 'ere. Firs' years this way" and looked over at the voice, and their stood the biggest man the two of them had ever seen.
"He's gotta be a giant." Mia whispered to Cassie.
"Or half, he's not as tall as a giant I don't think."
Huddling round the giant or half-giant (they where still not sure), Cassie shivered in the cool night air, hoping it would not be long before they got to the castle. Following the giant who had told them he was called Hagrid, they all reached a little dock where around a hundred boats were residing. After Hagrid had told them to get in a boat of four, Cassie and Mia got into the boat, followed closely by a girl with long ginger hair, and another with short blonde hair. After quick introductions were made, Cassie found out that the ginger girl was Rachel Weasley, and the blonde-haired girl, Joana Longbottom.
Following Hagrid's boat in the lead, they all steered their boats and when Hogwart's came into view, a collective gasp was heard. Hogwarts was magnificent. Even Mia who had visited Hogwarts before could not take in the sheer beauty of the castle, especially not at night, and especially not from the beauty of the lake.
Upon reaching the castle, Hagrid left them at the top of the stone steps to go into the Great Hall whereupon, Professor McGonagall came out to inform the of how the houses were like their families while they resided inside the castle's four walls.
Leading, the shy timid first years into the Great Hall, Minerva McGonagall smiled when she heard the gasp of the students behind her as they saw the ceiling above them. She always loved to hear that. Reaching the teacher's table, she lined the first years up, placed the three-legged stool in front of her and placed the Sorting Hat upon it.
"When I call your name, you will place the Sorting Hat upon your head, and wait for a house to be called. You shall then go and sit with your House table."
"Ainsley, Penny."
A very small girl, with long brown hair walked shyly forwards and sat with the hat on her head for a whole minute, before the Hat shouted out:
"HUFFLEPUFF"
The Sorting went on quite this way until a boy's name was called:
"Dumbledore, Alex."
The whole hall hushed when they heard Alex's surname and the Hall went eerily silent, as they all watched with bated breath, as a brown haired tall boy stepped forward and placed the hat upon his head. The Hat had been there for about fifteen seconds before it shouted out:
"GRYFFINDOR"
The hall erupted with applause and cheers mostly from the Gryffindor side of the room. And so it went on until:
"Lupin, Emelia"
10 seconds later, "GRYFFINDOR"
Still it went on until finally after all the time:
"Potter, Cassandra"
Again, the hall went silent, and again the students sat with bated breath to hear the outcome, even the teachers seemed to have stopped breathing, Professor Lupin was holding his hands together so tightly his knuckles were turning white.
Well, well, well whom do we have here? Another Potter eh? I've had the fair share of Potter's, your Grandfather was a menace, and your Father was a troublemaker, but you seem a little different, apart from you being a girl that is. Nevertheless, where to put you? Your Grandparents were Gryffindors and so were your parents, but your Mother would have done well in Ravenclaw as well, and your Father would have done brilliantly in Slytherin. Moreover, you here Cassandra seem to have traits of each house, so where do I put you? Well, I see where your hearts wants to go, and who am I to disrupt a hearts desire, you shall go to:
"GRYFFINDOR."
Happily, Cassie pulled the Sorting Hat off her head, handed it back to Professor McGonagall who had a smile on her face and nearly ran to the Gryffindor table, amid cheers and applause.
After the final first year had been assorted a house (Weasley, Rachel, Gryffindor) Professor McGonagall put the hat and the three-legged stool away and stood up at the Headmistresses chair.
"I will not begin with the announcements. So welcome and let the feast begin."
Suddenly the plates in front of Cassie sprang to life full with an amazing assortment of foods, and Cassie and Mia tucked happily into everything they could see.
After a delicious desert, Professor McGonagall stood once more;
"Well, now seems the time for speech-making. Welcome to Hogwarts for those of you who are new, and welcome back to our old friends. To remind everybody, and yes Thomas, I mean everybody, the Forbidden Forest was given that name for a reason, and so the Forest is out-of bounds to everybody from first to seventh years. Also, as many of the older students among us here tonight will have already realised, we grow smaller in quantity every year, so it is nice to see so many first years. As a reminder, Voldemort-" collective gasps at the name shivered around the hall, "is still out there, so Hogsmeade visits have been changed so only fourth-years above can go, and security will be tight. Furthermore, you must be in groups of at least four. Well, I think that is all for the moment. So to bed now all of you."
And with that, there was a groan from the benches as the whole school stood up as one and started to make their way to the doors of the Great Hall. Not knowing where to go, Cassie and Mia stood there with Rachel and Joana behind them, until a tall, sturdy prefect came over to them and told them that he would be showing them to the Gryffindor Common Room.
After reaching the Common Room and using the password (Flibbertwit) the girls made themselves up the right hand staircase, and the boys up the left. Arriving in their dormitory Cassie saw she shared with Mia, Rachel and Joana, and another girl who introduced herself as Helena. Drifting off to sleep, Cassie thought that overall the day had turned out to have been a good one.
A/N: Please review. Constructive criticism is hugely appreciated!