Hi guys so I'm starting a new story...

But I am determined that this one won't end up like my other stories. You see every so often I get in the mood to start a new fanfic but after about 3 chapters I get bored and loose interest. However I've figured out why that is. For my other two stories I rushed straight into them making up the characters and plot as I went along. But for this story I took the time to plan it out, I know who all the characters are and what is going to happen.

I'm really excited for this story and I'm really excited to introduce my OC's; Ciaran Wood, Annie Johnston, Kensington Line, Christopher Wilson, Julianne Wilson, Ethan Wilson and the main character of this story Aaliyah

Now this is a JamesPotterXOC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. I am simply borrowing the amazing world and characters created by J.K Rowling for this story. All I own are the OC's listed above.

The Journey is Half the Fun

Aaliyah felt a bubble of excitement build up inside her as she got closer to the platform. Her mum and her dad trailed along behind as her and her brother Christopher took part in their annual race to see who could get to the platform first. Although Christopher was seventeen and was hours away from starting his last year at Hogwarts, he was not above racing to platform 9 3/4 like a first year. But Aaliyah wouldn't have it any other way and it felt odd to think that next year she would have to do it on her own. However all her sentimental thoughts were forgotten when she spotted the pillar between platforms 9 and 10. She broke into a sprint. Pushing her trolley at a dangerous speed to try and reach the platform first. But this year, like ever year, they ran through the barrier at the exact same time. Aaliyah still wasn't sure if this was because even though Christopher was a year older, they were evenly matched athletically or if he just let her win. The latter seemed highly unlikely though as all of the Wilsons were extremely competitive, her parents included.

Aaliyah examined her surroundings, her eyes scanning the crowd for her friends. Despite the fact that her family were early, the platform was packed as always. Her mother sniffed and seemed to be searching her purse for a hanky ' Oh Christopher, I can't believe it's your last year. It feels like just yesterday we were dropping you off for the first time and now its the last time'. Her dad chuckled 'We're going to have to drop them off again at Christmas and Easter Julianne' her mum seemed to think it over for a moment 'I suppose your right, now come here darlings I want a hug before you go' her mother laughed before pulling them in to an extremely tight hug. 'Mum, you know you can let go now' Christopher laughed. Their mother flushed but released them nonetheless. Aaliyah went over to her dad and gave him a quick hug. He ruffled her hair 'Have a good year princess and remember no boys!' she rolled her eyes. She'd been on about five dates during her whole time at Hogwarts and had never had a boyfriend. Mostly because of her over protective brother who scared them all off. Her dad gave Christopher a hug and gave him the usual speech about how he needs to protect me from boys. Her mother tutted 'Come on now Ethan, let the girl have some fun' she turned to me with a devilish grin 'Ignore your father dear, you go and have a great year'. Christopher must have decided this was a good time to make our escape because he grabbed her arm and said ' Oh look there's the Potters, come on Lea let's go say hello' and dragged her off

Once they were a safe distance away from their parents she turned to Christopher ' Did you really spot the Potters or were you just trying to get away'. 'Both' he said cheerfully and pulled her in the direction of the Potters before she could object. It's not that she had a problem with the Potters she actually greatly admired Harry and Ginny Potter for their roles in the war and the fact that Mrs. Potter used to play for her favourite Quidditch team the Holyhead Harpies didn't hurt either. She didn't have a problem with Albus Potter either, they were in the same year and shared a lot of classes together and even though he's a Slytherin and she's a Griffindoor they got on quite well. She didn't know Lily Potter very well but she had always seemed very sweet. The only Potter she truly had a problem with was James Potter.

Even though he was one of her brother's best friends and his cousin Rose was one of Aaliyah's closest friends they didn't get on at all. When Aaliyah was a first year before she had made friends with the girls in her dormitory she used to tag along with her brother and his friends. Christopher of course had no problem with this but James Potter didn't try hard to hide how much her presence annoyed him. She could of got over this if it wasn't for the fact that he still acted like this whenever she talked to her brother. The fact that she had been subjected to many of his pranks didn't help his case either. Christopher thinks her dislike of Potter is irrational but she thinks it's one of the most rational decisions he's ever made.

Aaliyah who had been so caught up in thinking about her reasons for hating James Potter that she didn't realise that they'd already reached the three Potter siblings. Christopher was already animatedly talking to the eldest Potter who hadn't seemed to notice her presence yet, because he hadn't made any comments about how she needs to find her own friends. She stood to the side awkwardly, wondering if perhaps Christopher wouldn't notice if she was to discreetly turn around and sprint in the other direction. As if sensing her thoughts Albus gave her the perfect excuse to leave ' Rose is over there with her parents if you were wondering' he said kindly. She gave him a grateful smile 'Thanks Albus'. 'Christopher I'm gonna go talk to Rose now' he gave her a nod 'See on the train' she smiled and walked towards Rose. 'See ya Wilson' she stopped dead on her tracks. She couldn't have heard correctly, James Potter did not just say goodbye to her. She turned around and saw that Christopher had a huge smile on his face, probably hoping that they had decided to bury the hatchet and get along, Lily Potter had a knowing grin on her face that Aaliyah definitely didn't want to know the reason for, Albus looked downright confused and James Potter was looking at her expectantly. She raised a brow 'Um.. see ya Potter' she said although it came out as more of a question. She gave an awkward wave to the group and walked in the direction Albus had said Rose was in. All the while wondering what on earth had just happened.

After finding Rose and saying a quick hello to her parents and her brother Hugo, the two girls went off to find Annie and Kensy, the other two girls that made up their group. They searched for the girls for a few minutes but couldn't find them anywhere on the platform. Rose scratched her head 'Maybe they've already found a compartment' she nodded. They walked through the train till Aaliyah heard a giggle that unmistakably belonged to Kensy. Aaliyah nodded her head in the direction of the compartment 'Reckon they're in there' Rose shrugged 'Worth a shot'. They walked in to the compartment and Aaliyah wasn't sure if she should laugh or cover her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Rose's hand shoot up to cover her mouth and her face turn the colour of her hair. Kensy was in the compartment but the person she was with was most definitely not Annie. Kensy currently sat snogging Leo Corner, a Ravenclaw in their year. Aaliyah cleared her throat 'I hate to interrupt but..'. Kensy untangled herself from Leo and she had the decency to look embarrassed 'Oh..um..hi guys'. Aaliyah shook her head, always the same.

If there was anything Aaliyah had learned about Kensington Line in their 6 years of friendship it was that she had one weakness, boys. Oh yeah and that she won't take it kindly if you call her by her full name. That said you could also say that Kensy was the weakness of many of the boys at Hogwarts. Kensy had shoulder length, wavy blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes the same colour as Aaliyah's hair. Despite living in England she had a perfect tan and a dazzling smile that could make any boy swoon.

Kensy let out an awkward laugh, 'Leo, maybe you should go now' she winked 'But we can finish 'catching up' later'. After Leo left Rose and Aaliyah sat down across from Kensy. 'Seriously Kensy, you really couldn't wait till school started' Rose scolded, 'Just passing the time, took you long enough to get here'. Aaliyah sat forward 'You seriously amaze me, school hasn't even started yet and you've already managed a quick snogging sesion, while I can't even get a date'. Rose patted her shoulder 'It's not that no one wants to date you, lots of guys do, it's just..' 'Your super fit older brother scares them all off' Kensy finished for her cheerfully. Aaliyah grimaced 'Eww Kense that's my brother your talking about'. Kensy had the nerve to laugh 'A girl can look' she pouted 'But don't worry I'll keep my hands to my self'.

Aaliyah heard a snort behind her and the door slid open to reveal Annie Johnston, the missing member of their group. She walked into the compartment, her curly, black hair bouncing behind her and her bottle green eyes shining with amusement, 'Please, you couldn't keep your hands to yourself if your life depended on it'. Kensy, being mature as always, stuck her tongue out at her 'Could to'. Aaliyah shared a look with Annie and Rose and they all burst out laughing. After their laughter had died down Aaliyah addressed the girls 'So how was everyone's summers'. Rose shrugged 'The usual, spent lots of time at the Burrow and at the Potters house. Dad took me and Hugo to see that Quidditch match I was telling yous about, the Canons against the Arrows'. 'Was it any good' she asked. Rose grimaced 'The Canons lost 320-30, Dad didn't talk to anyone for a week' The girls all laughed they knew all about Mr. Weasley's obsession with the Canons.

Kensy leaned forward a devilish grin on her face 'Well you guys know how I spent most of the summer in Italy right?' the all nodded 'Well I met this guy..'. Aaliyah held up her hand 'Stop right there missy, we've had enough of your sexual escapades for one day' Kensy rolled her eyes but Annie looked confused. After Rose filled her in on what they had witnessed she laughed 'Well I didn't meet any hot Italians or snog any Ravenclaws' she added as an after thought 'But mum and dad took me and Richard to Disneyland' Aaliyah stared at her blankly and was relieved to see Kensy doing the same. Must be a muggle reference she thought. When Annie saw the girls confusion she explained to them that it's a muggle park with rides and such. Rose, whose mother is a muggleborn like Annie, nodded in agreement. 'Sounds very fun' she supplied kindly still not completely understanding why muggles have a theme park dedicated to a cartoon mouse.

Annie smiled 'What about you Lea, did you meet and hot Italian dudes. She laughed 'Because there are so many hot Italians hanging around rural Dorset'. Annie giggled ' You never know'. She shook her head ' It was quite a boring summer actually. I spent a lot of time practising Quidditch with Christopher, he wants to play professionally after Hogwarts and because it's his last year the scouts are going to be paying close attention'. Rose smiled 'Considering all the practice you got in during the summer are you going to finally try out for the team'. She shook her head and Annie groaned 'Why not you're so good'. Annie over exaggerates she thought. Aaliyah new that she was a decent chaser but she really didn't think she was good enough to be on the Gryffindoor team. Especially not when they already had three brilliant chasers. 'I'm not that good and besides all the Chaser positions are full'. Annie thankfully let it drop.

They continued catching up for a few minutes when Aaliyah's stomach growled. She blushed, 'I think I'll go get something off the trolley, I'm starving, any of you want anything'. Kensy chucked a galleon at her which she caught swiftly, 'Get me a chocolate frog'. Aaliyah walked through the train searching for the trolley. She was about to give up and go back to her compartment when she finally spotted it near the end of the train. She grabbed a handful of chocolate frogs, a pack of every flavour beans, some licorice wands and a few cauldron cakes. She handed the trolley witch a few galleons and turned to walk back to the compartment when a voice next to her spoke, causing her to jump and drop her sweets. 'Hungry' the voice chuckled, she turned around and felt a blush spread to her cheeks. The owner of the voice was Liam Finnigan, a Gryffindoor in her year, he had shaggy blond hair and pale blue eyes and was quite good-looking in Aaliyah's opinion. 'Just a bit' she said crouching down to pick up her sweets. Liam bent down to help her 'If I'd known you had this much of a sweet tooth I would've of offered to buy you something, from Honeydukes ages ago'. He sent her a smile and for some reason she felt her heart speed up 'But maybe you can take me up on my offer next Hogsmeade visit'. She blushed again, and tried to play it cool, summoning everything she'd ever learned from Kensy about flirting. 'Oh..um..like a date? she asked in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. 'If you want it to be?' he grinned. 'Oh..um..ya I..I'd like that' she replied twirling a lock of her chocolate brown hair around her finger. He grinned 'Great, it's a date then, see you at the castle' he waved before slipping into a nearby compartment.

Aaliyah walked back to her friends in a daze. She couldn't believe it, not only did Liam Finnigan just ask her out but her brother was nowhere near to ruin it. She opened the door to her compartment and sat down with an oddly dreamy look on her face. She took a deep breath 'Liam Finnigan just asked me to go to the first Hogsmeade trip with him' she announced. The girls stared at her in shock before letting out high-pitched squeals of delight, that no doubt the entire train could hear. Annie wrapped her arms around her 'Lea that's amazing!' she shrieked. Kensy started wiping faux tears from her eyes 'I can't believe it, my little girls is all grown-up'. Rose sat down in front of her a clapped her hands excitedly 'Tell us exactly what happened' she said eagerly.

Aaliyah recounted the story to them and by the time she was finished she couldn't tell who was more excited her or them. Annie turned to her 'What are you gonna do about your brother?'. Kensy and Rose's smiles fell but Aaliyah had already made up her mind. She was not, under any circumstances, going to let Christopher ruin this for her, she was going on that date whether he liked it or not. 'I'm not going to let Christopher ruin this, I'm going out with Liam no matter what he says'. Annie grinned at her 'Go you Lea!, Girl Power!'. Kensy rolled her eyes 'Now that that's sorted we can move on to a more important topic, what she's going to wear!'

While the girls got into, what she was sure was a simply fascinating debate about whether cardigans or sweaters are better, Aaliyah decided now would be a good time to get started on her sweets. She really wasn't kidding when she said she was starving.

The rest of the journey passed pretty quickly and before Aaliyah knew it they had reached Hogwarts. She was currently seated in the great hall. Rose sat beside her and Kensy and Annie sat aross from them. She looked down the table and saw Liam seated with Frank Longbottom and Richard Smith. He caught her gaze and winked at her, she offered him a shy smile in the response. Rose cooed at her from beside her. She was about to roll her eyes her friend when her stomach growled 'What is taking the first years so long!' she complained, banging her fist on the table, 'I'm starving'. Kensy shook her head 'Do you ever think about anything other than your stomach?'. 'Nope' she replied cheerfully causing Kensy to roll her eyes and the other girls to laugh.

'You're not wrong you know' Rose said checking her watch 'they are taking longer than usual', no sooner than Rose had finished her sentence the doors of the great hall swung open to reveal Professor Longbottom, followed by a large group of terrified looking first years. The sorting moved pretty quickly starting with Adams, Aibigail and ending with Zabini, Cassandra. Aaliyah didn't pay much attention to the sorting but offered a polite applause when a student was sorted into Gryffindoor.

Finally at long last the feast appeared, filling the four tables with dish after dish of food. Aaliyah grabbed her plate and filled it as much as she possibly could and promptly shoved a huge spoon of food into her mouth. Kensy wrinkled her nose 'Could you please close your mouth when you chew' she cried exasperatedly, she then pointed at Rose 'and your no better'. Rose swallowed the food that was currently in her mouth and grinned 'Hey, I'm a Weasley we all eat like this'. Kensy let the the subject drop but Aaliyah could still hear her mumbling about how she was friends with a pair of animals.

Aaliyah simply ignored her and continued stuffing her face until she could eat no more. After everyone had finished eating the plates vanished from the tables and Professor McGonagall stood up at the staff table. She offered the hall a rare smile 'I hope you all had a great summer, I would like to take the liberty of inviting you all back for the new school year'. She paused 'Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that all Weasleys Wizard Wheezes products are banned from hogwarts and that the full list of forbidden items can be viewed in his office. I would also like to inform the first years and remind some of our older students that the forbidden forest is strictly out of bounds' she clasped her hands together ' Now, everyone has had a long day of travelling so if the Prefects would now lead the first years to their common rooms that will be all'.

There was a sudden flurry of movement around the hall as everyone was anxious to go to bed. Rose turned to the girls 'I've got to go show the first years to the common room, see you in the dorm' the girls nodded at Rose's excuse before she went off to try and round up the rowdy first years'. The three remaining gryfinndoors walked out of the great hall in the direction of the common room andAaliyah yawned 'I'm exhausted'. 'All that eating must've tired you out' Kensy said dryly. Annie reached over and patted the blonde girl's shoulder 'You're just going to have to except the fact that our darling Lea will never have any table manners' she laughed 'Hurry up you two, I'm sure Lea's eager to get to bed so she can dream about Liam. The two girls laughed and Aaliyah felt a blush spread to her cheeks 'Oh hush'. After they reached the fat lady and got the password of a frazzled looking fifth year prefect (Hippogriff feathers if you were wondering) the girls hurried up to their room.

Rose was already in her pyjamas when they entered the dorm. Aaliyah plopped down on her bed 'How was baby-sitting the first years?'. ' Well there were no Weasleys or Potters starting hogwarts this year, so fairly normal'. Aaliyah grinned, last year when Rose's cousins Molly and Roxanne were first years, they turned all the prefects' hairs blue. She yawned again, and pulled the thick duvet over her body, not even bothering to change out of her robes. 'Night' she called to the girls before she fell into a deep sleep.

Well that's it. It only took me four days but it's finally done. Yay!

Now some bad news. Okay so I'm going away to summer camp on Sunday and laptops aren't allowed, so unless I can finish writing the next chapter in two days (which I doubt) it's going to be 3-4 weeks before I update again. Please don't be mad. I'm really sorry!

Next Chapter: It's the first day of school and Aaliyah's going to get some amazing news. We're also going to get a chance to meet all of Christopher's friends (James included!) and we will also see a little bit of Liam.

Please follow this story and I would also love to hear you feed back in the reviews

~Bookworm742 xxx