i would like to apologise to all those who have been waiting for this chapter for much longer than both they and I had been exspecting
Hugo plonked himself down on the bench as he tightened his Gryffindor tie.
"It's so good to be home "
Lily, his cousin, looked at him over the top of her potion book a delicate eyebrow raised.
"Oh you know what I mean lils... it's not that I don't love my parents it's just ... Well you know what their like at home home... I tried to meet up with Joanna wood last week and I thought mum was going to have an epoxy... She was trying to get me a bloody bodyguard! She was stressing out so much I ended up just cancelling. You know what she's like... you're not even listening to me."
"This book is really good and I need to get a good mark this year, it is our OWL's year Hugo..."
"Lily ... it's the bloody start of term feast ...seriously...you have to be at least on chapter 6"
"Chapter 8 actually"
"..."
"What ?"
"Lily ..."
"Oh come on Hugo, so your parents freak out if you're out of their sight after rose, but I'm constantly compared to Albus. Me and James didn't show any magic talent till we were over a year old. Albus was doing accidental magic like from 3 months, really early. He is always going to be the cleaver one at least James has his quiditch."
"Oh come on lily we all know you're the families little potion wiz... seriously dad and the uncles would never have been able to persuade grandma molly to add the extension to the burrow if you hadn't blown up half the bloody place. Lily you were a couple of months old and you managed to turn a cauldron of tomato soup into a raging inferno!"
"Has aunt mioney figured out how I did that yet?"
"No and it still bugs her."
"Brilliant!"
"So lils can you please put the book away James graduated last year no idea how so I haven't good his nutty fan girls to entertain me at feasts anymore."
"Remember when he told them about cheerleading ..."
"That was funny. And when what's her name tried to do the splits. You now that one from Ravenclaw"
"Sophie Henderson. Yeh and she fell off it was bloody hell..."
"What?"
"Hugo ..."
"Yeh?"
"I think your mum and my dad just walked in"
Hugo did a 180 in his seat to look behind him
"Bloody hell" he swiftly turned back to lily "ok what is it ? Was it in the chocolate frog you gave me on the platform? You would think by now I would know not to eat or drink anything off you by now. Oh shit there goes any hope of sneaking out to Hogsmead for as pint..."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that Hugo. .."
"Dad.."
"... There is a reason your only allowed into Hogsmead on set weekends, when we have assigned you a couple of auror's to protect you. Did George show you the tunnel, if he did I'm going to kill him. Your too important to just go gallivanting around Hogsmead..."
"Dad..." Hugo had gone bright read as the area around him went quite as everyone stopped to listen to Ron's rant.
"... you to lily..." lily ducked down even more behind her potions book a flush creeping its way up her face
"Hey lils, Hugo. What's he ranting about now ." Hugo's looked up at his uncle harry hovering behind lily. He had been trying to un-suspiciously slide along the bench away from his dad.
"Nothing daddy. So what are you doing here?"
"Oh you'll find out soon enough guys. Uh Ron we've got to go sit at the teacher table and you uh are um doing a pretty good impression of a lobster..."
"Teaching you kids... what ?" Ron had continued on his rant and Harry's interjection knocked him out of planning of George's sudden disappearance.
"McGonagall just showed up we need to go sit down"
"Huh"
"Minnie's here, we need to go sit down. We're going to be here all year so we can bother them later"
Hugo and lily traded looks
"What?"
"Uh uh uh kids you're going to have to find out the same time as everyone else but don't worry you'll find out soon"
Lily and Hugo watched them walk up and take a seat, they looked at each.
"Did they just say they were here for the year?"
Lilly nodded her head a look of shock on her face
"Crap"
Rosie slammed through the boy's bedroom door
"Bloody hell, I just heard we have to make a grand entrance at Hogwarts!"
"What?"
The guys were halfway through packing their suitcases. They were struggling to fit the first place, under seventeen, team, international duelling trophy in their trunk.
"At the beginning of dinner they want us to make a grand entrance?"
"Why?" Al's avoidance of anything that would make him look a prat was legendary; he preferred to let his genuine actions speak for themselves. Prancing around and shooting of spells to show off was not his deal.
"Because we apparently need to make a good impression; apparently. So it's just to show off. You know how professor Avalon is, she really peeved that Excalibur's' is only third on the EMILT" (European magical institutions league table)
"Can't our grades, international trophies, quiditch acclaim and high graduate masteries do that"
"Do you actually know what you just said?"
"Kind of," Al shrugged "it's in the brochure"
"Al, Roe you guys are taking this completely the wrong way, remember when professor Avalon wanted to make an impression on that school inspector..."
"Yeh that was funny. She made us apparition between lessons so he spent ages running around trying to find the next classroom..."
"...then he got himself locked in the potions supply cupboard"
"Right guys, it was a complete classic. But just imagine what she is going to do this time."
"It will be utterly intimidating."
"Of course Al, this is going to be like a kick in the teeth to the old three. The only reason their higher on the league tables is because their older and have more of a reputation than we do"
"Forget bloody intimidating it's going to be bloody fantastic"
Ron leaned over to whisper to harry
"Bloody inconsiderate of them don't you think"
"What?"
"This Excalibur lot. Don't they understand that Hogwarts isn't like their small school the wards here are bloody complicated and have to be lowered for their arrival? I've been bloody on edge all evening, I can hardly eat."
"Ronald Weasley stop complaining you managed to eat the majority of that chicken in front of you harry hardly got any..."
"Miony"
"...And can you really blame them. Hogwarts hasn't been able to get a team into the annual international duelling contest in years. They not only get a couple of teams in but one of them wins the under seventeen category. What the hell!"
The whole grate hall had gone pitch black the only light coming from the stars on the ceiling...that were starting to go out. At each flash of light screams and then whimpers could be heard. The lights were all out when a blazing set of crossed swords formed in front of the large doors they swung apart in a large arc and settled to the side as to spectral bodies.
"Presenting Professor Regina Avalon; headmistress and founder of The Excalibur College for the magically gifted."
The doors parted to reveal the silhouette of a tall slender woman in well made robes. Her features were sharp amplified by the severe bun she wore her brown hair in.
"I apologise for our lateness," her melodic voice was at odds with her sever appearance but was total understandable as she furnished the whole hall with a gracious smile "I had rather a lot of trouble removing members of my establishment from their beds this morning." She had started to move up the main aisle, that hall lightening as she passed. "Apparently they had all had a bit too much fun celebrating our win at the duelling contest" her smile became indulgent and prideful "but can you blame them, five years in a row we have now won. Truly fantastic"
She had come to a stop in front of the staff table before anyone interrupted
"On behalf of Hogwarts I would like to welcome you and your student to our halls professor Avalon. And to offer you congratulations on your success Regina and to say what a pleasure it is to see you grace these halls again"
"Thank you Professor McGonagall"
"Thought if a may be so bold as to enquire as to where your students are." The whole hall paused in breath as the former headmistress asked to question they all wanted to know
"Oh that quite simple professor." Professor Avalon raised her hands and the light moved back past the staff tables "their behind you"