Lily couldn't hold back her smile as she closed her trunk, having finally packed her bags for school, the morning before they would be leaving. After Scorpius gave the news that he would be the new Quidditch Captain, time passed even more quickly. It was almost like being at Hogwarts all over again, which didn't bother her. Every other day she had lessons with Slughorn, which were going great, and the other days the whole team had agreed to meet up and practice. Scorpius had been right, Tanner was a great addition to the team, and they were all sure that he would beat all of the other kids that tried out for the Beater position.
But now it was time for Lily to start her third year, and she was so excited about it! Hogsmeade trips, Quidditch, classes, and her extra lessons with Slughorn. But best of all, she'd be back with her friends, and away from her annoying siblings and cousins. It was perfect!
There was a knock at Lily's door. "Lily?" Lily turned her head to see her mum pop her head into the room. "Are you ready?"
Lily looked at her things. She had her trunk, and she'd already let Regal out so he could fly to Hogwarts. And next to her trunk laid her brand-new broom. It was a Wood 100 Model, made by famous Quidditch player, Oliver Wood. After retiring a few years ago, there had been rumors everywhere that he was planning on starting up his line of brooms. That became true when he made his first broom two years ago, named the Wood Model. Now, thanks to Scorpius, Lily owned his brand-new model. It was sleek, and Lily knew for a fact it was fast and had perfect turning. She fell in love as soon as she'd held it in her hand.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Lily told her mum with another smile.
Ginny closed the door. "Well, it seems that your brothers are going to be a bit longer. Albus isn't done packing, and James just started. I'm glad I woke you all up early."
Lily tried not to roll her eyes. Since they had all received their letters, James and Albus had been strutting around the house even more arrogantly. Albus never shut up about how he was going to be the best Prefect ever, and James never shut up about how Gryffindor could never lose a game with him as captain. Lily was itching to prove him wrong this November.
"Surprise, surprise," was all Lily muttered.
Ginny chuckled and sat down on the bed, next to Lily's trunk. "Have you already sent Regal out?"
"'Bout an hour ago," Lily assured.
"You have everything you need?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, Mum."
"Your uniforms, other clothes, your books, supplies . . ."
"Yes, Mum," Lily laughed. "No worries. I'm not the boys. I won't forget anything."
Ginny smiled fondly at her daughter. "I know. I just can't believe how big you're getting. I didn't know how small your robes from last year were until we got you refitted."
Lily sat down next to her. It was true. Their mum had made all of the Potter children try on their robes to see if they needed to get bigger ones. Only Lily and James needed new ones this year. Lily remembered laughing at Albus's pouting face. Once they were away from their parents, Lily couldn't help but poke fun at how Albus wasn't growing at all, and would always be a little boy.
"Also, I wanted to ask you something, sweetheart," Ginny told her. She began playing with her daughter's hair absentmindedly.
Lily wasn't at all bothered by her mother's touch. "What is it?"
"Well, I noticed that when we got book shopping, you had a list of books that were separate from your school list. Your father bought them for you, but I was curious as to what they are, and what they are for?" Ginny asked.
Lily turned a little so that her mother could play with her hair more easily. "Oh, Professor Slughorn gave me the list and asked if I could pick them up. They're for our lessons."
"Oh. And how are those lessons going, hun?"
Lily gave a contented sigh. "They're going great. I love potion making. It's so interesting and fun."
"Well, I'm glad you like it, honey. I think you're the first one in the family to enjoy it. Although Horace has constantly told your father and me about how much your father's mother was an expert at the subject," Ginny replied. She was no longer just playing with Lily's hair but styling it. Mostly for fun.
"It's fascinating. You can do so many things with a simple liquid. From love to hate, from life to death, and from calmness to complete hysterics. It's an amazing concept," Lily told her.
Ginny giggled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "I also noticed that you and Lysander have been writing to each other a lot this summer."
Lily blushed. Of course, her mother would notice. Lily rarely got to the mail before someone else did. But the thought of Lysander made her smile. "Yeah, we've been talking more. It's a bit of a shame to think that we barely talked at all once I started school. I think it's the age and House differences."
"I'm glad you're getting along with him so well, Lily," Ginny told her with a secret smile. Using the small bit of wandless magic she had, she summoned a brush and a hair tie and began to finish up her work on Lily's hair. "So, have you and Lorcan been writing as well?"
Lily let out a silent breath. "Um . . . no, I haven't. But Lysander mentions that he's doing good in all his letters, so I tell him to say hi for me," she explained.
Ginny put down the brush, now finished with her daughter's hair. "Sounds like things are going well for you."
Lily turned to smile at her mother fully. "Yeah, it feels that way. I'm just hoping that it lasts."
"Are you excited for Hogsmeade?" Ginny questioned.
Lily smiled now. "Yeah. It should be fun."
"Ginny! Lily! The boys are ready now! Can we shove off now?" Harry yelled from downstairs.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Just a minute, Harry!" She smiled at Lily. "Shall we join the boys?"
Lily gave a sigh and a forced smile. "Yep. Let's go." Lily shoved her wand into her pocket and then grabbed her broom. She was eager for the boys to see it. She'd been hiding it from her brothers, and she couldn't wait to see their reactions. Her mother pulled out her wand, and with a simple flick, her trunk was floating out the door. Lily followed her mum down the stairs. Ginny dropped the trunk in front of the door, where Harry stood.
"Are you girls ready?" he asked.
"I know I am," Lily told him with a smile.
Harry smiled at her as well. "Glad to hear it." He picked up her trunk. "The boys insisted on taking their own to the car, so let me take yours, princess."
The girls followed Harry out of the house, Ginny locking up as they left. James and Albus were standing by the open trunk.
"I told you we could get it ourselves," James told their father.
Harry just grinned at his sons as he threw in Lily's trunk. He looked back at Lily. "Anything else, princess?"
Lily grinned and held out her broom. "Just be careful with it. It's my baby." Harry chuckled, and took it with care.
James and Albus looked at the broom in shock. "What!" they both exclaimed indignantly.
"She's got a Wood 100! I asked you to buy me a new Firebolt and you said no!" James cried.
"Why does she get the brand-new model? You said it was too expensive!" Albus argued.
Harry raised a brow at his two sons. "Your mother and I didn't buy this broom. And since you both insisted on being adults and grown men all summer, I thought that you'd be saving up to buy your things. Especially you, James, since you do have a job."
Both boys flushed and glared at the ground. It took all of Lily's restraint to keep from laughing at them. To keep the peace, Lily hurried and got into the car. It was a silent ride to King's Cross. Lily could tell that both boys were still fuming over the fact that she had a new broom, and that they were curious as to how she got it. When they arrived at the station, Lily went first through the passageway. What she hated now was that her parents dragged her along with them and her brothers to find their cousins. Sadly, it was never hard to miss the tall form of Ron Weasley. Not to mention his flaming red hair.
"Lily Lu!"
"Lil!"
"Lily!"
All of their heads turned at the call of Lily's name. Lily turned to see Scorpius, Lars, and Mitch running toward her. She could help but smile. Mitch had changed the most. He was much taller, towering over his friends now. His hair was still the same electric blue that they'd all grown used to, only he now had a beanie over it. Along with his ear and his lip, his eyebrow was now pierced as well. And Lily could see more tattoos than she had before.
Mitch reached her first, and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her off her feet. "So, where's your hot cousin?" he whispered into her ear.
Lily bit her lip to keep from laughing. "No clue. She might be on the train already." Mitch put her down, smiling even more. The other two boys finally caught up, both grinning.
"Ready for a new year, Lily Lu?" Lars asked.
She grinned back at him. "You bet."
Scorpius grabbed her trunk. "Come on. We already got a compartment picked out."
Lily smiled, happy to finally be away from her brothers and cousins. Lily turned to her parents and hugged her mother. "Bye, Mum."
Ginny kissed her cheek. "Bye, sweetheart. Be good, and be sure to write often."
"Will do, Mum," Lily assured. Then she hugged her father. "Bye, Daddy."
Harry hugged his daughter tightly. "Bye, princess. Have fun at school this year," he told her.
Lily nodded and gave him a smile when she pulled back from the hug. She looked at her aunt and uncle. "Bye, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron."
Hermione smiled at her. "Bye, sweetie."
"Later, Lily," Ron said with a smile.
Lily turned back to the boys, and the four began walking toward the train. Lars looked at Lily. "Just so you know, Scorpius and Lana are ditching us for a while."
Lily looked at Scorpius in confusion. "What does that mean?"
Scorpius just waved it off. "Prefect meeting. Lana got the Prefect position for the girls in our year," he explained.
Lily gave a nod in understanding. They boarded the train, and the boys led her to a compartment. Scorpius and Lars lifted her trunk into the storage compartment, then the four of them plopped into their seats.
Lily looked at Mitch. "So, how was your summer, Mitchie?"
Mitch shrugged. "It wasn't bad. I rocked out with Will, Rex, and Justin. Sat around, and messed with my siblings, just the usual. How come you weren't at the Slytherin dinner?" he demanded.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I was busy, so I sadly could not make it." Honestly, Lily had scheduled a lesson with Slughorn before learning what day it was. And she hadn't wanted to break off the plans with Slughorn. So she'd sent a letter back to Scorpius telling him her situation, and that she wouldn't be going this year. He'd just told her that she was lucky, and he wished that he didn't have to go as well.
"Well, we missed you," Mitch replied, swinging his arm to rest over Lily's shoulders.
"I missed her more. Hanging around you boys is not the greatest time." Lily smiled as she watched Lana enter the compartment. She was looking a little taller as well, but her usually long hair was shorter, only reaching the tops of her shoulders.
"Wow, Lana, nice hair," Lily told her.
Lana brushed a hand through her locks as she sat down. "Yeah, my mum attacked me. She said my hair was getting ridiculously long. I felt like crying afterward."
"I've honestly been thinking about doing something with my hair. Like maybe dyeing it pitch black," Scorpius joked.
Mitch laughed. "Dude, that would be awesome!"
"You should do it, man!" Lars agreed.
Lana rolled her eyes, as did Lily. Lana sighed. "Oh great, they've reached the rebel stage of boyhood."
"And we have to put up with it," Lily sighed.
"What do you have to put up with?"
Lily squealed, and got up and hugged Lola, who hugged her back just as tightly. "Merlin, it feels like forever since I've seen you," Lily told her.
Lola smiled. "I know. Not since the wedding. My parents took us on that dumb family trip I told you about in my letter, and then they extended it. It was so boring!" Both of the girls sat back down, only now they sat next to Lana. "So, what were you guys talking about."
Lana grinned at the boys. "About how we're going to have to deal with these idiots another year."
Lola giggled. "But, we're missing the biggest idiot of them all. I don't see big ears."
"I'm right here, dirty." They all looked to see Jace standing in the opening of the compartment with a smile. "Miss me?"
Lola rolled her eyes. "Hardly."
The boys loaded everything up, and then they all took a seat. Jace offered to sit on the floor since there were too many of them in the compartment. He lay out on the floor, and the others all tried to not kick or step on him. Mitch nudged and kicked him every so often just to be annoying.
"So, are you three going to join us on the first Hogsmeade trip this year? It's usually a riot," Lars asked.
Lola looked at him with interest. "Really? How so?"
"Just a minute," Lana told him. She stood up and pulled Scorpius up as well. "We've got to head to the Prefect compartment. We've got a meeting, remember?"
Scorpius just rolled his eyes. "That's not until we leave the station."
Lana cocked an eyebrow at him and pointed at the window. Outside, not a single kid stood, but just parents and younger siblings. "That's usually the sign that we're about to leave. Come on."
Scorpius groaned. But he relented. "Alright, we'll be back in a little while. Later."
"I hope you make it back," Mitch joked.
Once Lana and Scorpius had left, Jace hopped up to take Scorpius's spot, and Lars leaned forward a little. "Ok," Lars said with a grin, "our Hogsmeade trip is awesome. First of all, we cause major trouble."
"I'm in," Jace assured with a grin.
Mitch laughed, but Lars went on. "And we usually have a way to get a few drinks."
"Which is always fun!" Mitch contributed.
Jace was grinning even more now. "Oh, I'm totally in."
Lola bit her lip. "Are you sure that's smart?"
Lars and Mitch shrugged. "We've been doing it the last two years," Mitch told her.
"And we've never been caught," Lars assured.
Mitch looked at Lily. "Are you in, Lily Lu?"
Lily shrugged. "Sure. Why not."
Mitch grinned. "Bitchin'."
Lars looked at Lola with a raised brow. "So, Lola, are you in?"
Lola sighed. "Alright, I'm in."
Lars grinned victoriously. "Perfect!" Then he paused and looked at Mitch. "Hey, not counting Lana, are the other girls in our year coming? I know the guys are."
Mitch was biting back a grin. "Well, I know Miley isn't. But I know that Tamara agreed to go, and last I knew was that Layla was still unsure."
Lily looked at Mitch in amusement. "I can't imagine why Miley doesn't want to go."
Mitch laughed. "Well, she found out that I had sex with Trixie, so she refuses to talk to me. I guess that she'd expected me to chase her and try to get her back."
"What a bitch," Lars muttered.
"Sounds like it," Lola agreed.
Mitch raised a brow at Lola. "Really? Do you agree with that? I thought you liked Miley."
Lola shrugged. "I know when someone's being a bitch."
Mitch and Lars looked at Lola with astonishment. "Wow," Lars mumbled.
"I know!" Mitch agreed. "Little Lola's cursing! She's all grown up!"
Lily and Jace began to laugh, but Lola just sent the two-fifth-year a small glare and kicked at Mitch's shin.
It was a while before Lana and Scorpius finally came back in. Scorpius let out a big yawn, and plopped down on Lana's previous seat, resting his arm on Lily's shoulder, and dropping his head on his arm.
Lily patted his hair. "That meeting tire you out?"
"No, it was just boring. I think I almost died," Scorpius muttered.
Lana shook her head. "It wasn't bad."
Scorpius brought his head back up. "All we did was learn a bunch of crap we all knew by common sense. The only important thing we learned was our patrol schedules for the train and for when we get to school."
"When do you guys patrol on the train?" Lola asked.
Lana kicked Lars off of his seat, moving him to the floor. "We're supposed to go in an hour."
Scorpius groaned. "I'm not going. I never asked to be a Prefect. I just wanted to be Quidditch Captain."
"So, you're just going to leave the train in ruins?" Jace asked.
Scorpius shrugged. "Why not. I'm in here, not out there."
"Sounds good to me," Jace told him.
"Oh, Scorpius, Lars," Lily addressed, remembering something.
Both boys looked at her with interest. "What?" Scorpius asked.
Lily grinned. "Well, I thought I'd let you two know that James and Albus finally saw my broom."
The boys were both grinning widely now. "Really?" Lars asked.
"What'd they say?" Scorpius asked eagerly.
Lily laughed a little. "They threw a big fit that I had a new one and whined about how Dad didn't buy them one. And when Dad told them he hadn't bought it, he laid into them about how they'd both tried to be big boys all summer. They fumed and glared the whole way to the station!"
It wasn't just the boys that laughed, but the entire compartment. "I wish I could have seen that!" Scorpius got out between laughs.
"I can't wait to see the teams' expressions when they realize that our entire team has one of those models," Lars laughed. It was true. With a few dropped hints and nudging from Scorpius, Draco had let his son dip into his trust fund at Gringotts to buy the whole team a Wood 100 broom.
"Money says that Gryffindors throw fits, and Ravenclaws crap themselves," Mitch joked.
"What about Hufflepuff?" Lars asked.
"Who gives a crap about Hufflepuff?" Mitch laughed. They all began to laugh again.
"All I know is that Slytherin is going to dominate this year," Scorpius said cockily.
"Even more so since Adrian Flint made Head Boy," Lana told them.
"No way!" Lily said with a laugh.
"Seriously. Not that he led the meeting we had. He just let Meredith talk and didn't even pay attention himself," Lana replied.
"That is awesome!" Jace exclaimed.
"Hopefully he'll strip James and Albus of their titles," Lily told them.
"I can't believe that Albus and Rose made it as Prefects," Lana groaned.
"The fact that Rose did doesn't surprise me, but I can't believe that Albus was selected," Lily groaned.
"This should be one hell of a year at least," Lars assured.
Lily yawned as she and the rest of the school waited for Professor Longbottom to bring in the new first years. Jace kept grumbling about being hungry, Lola was yawning as well, and Nikki Montana wouldn't shut up next to Scorpius, who she seemed to be talking to. But Scorpius was only staring at his empty plate, not paying attention to her.
"Finally!" Jace grumbled as the doors opened, and Professor Longbottom led in a line of tiny and scared first years.
"I think I see my brother," Lola told them quietly.
"It's about time another Pritchard joined the ranks of Slytherin," Lana replied as she also scanned the crowd of kids.
The hat sang its song, and finally, Professor Longbottom pulled out his list of names. "Adams, Camille," he called out. A tiny, and pale girl stumbled up to the stool. The hat fell past her chin.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Lily and the others lazily clapped as the girl made her way over to the Hufflepuff table. But they all began laughing when she tripped.
"Anderson, Violet."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
While everyone clapped, Mitch cupped his hands around his mouth. "Boo!" he called. The Slytherin table all began to laugh.
"Quiet! Everyone!" Professor Longbottom commanded. The Slytherins all bit their lips but didn't hide their smiles. It wasn't long before they all became excited.
"Avery, Alec."
Mitch's little brother looked a lot like him, at least before he'd dyed his hair. Alec's hair was sleek and black. His bangs were elegantly swept across his forehead. His eyes were dark, practically black. He didn't look at all nervous as he made his way up to the stool. That hat had barely touched his head.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Every Slytherin stood up, yelling, clapping, and cheering loudly. Alec was smirking broadly as he made his way over to the Slytherin table. Mitch yelled out again. "Alright, Alec!" he called. Alec looked toward his brother and smiled this time.
With every new addition, Slytherin gained, they all got rowdy, and soon an unspoken contest started between Houses to see who could cheer the loudest. But when the name "Pritchard, Robert" was called, all the Slytherins waited in silent suspense.
"Come on, Bobby," Lola whispered.
Robert, or 'Bobby', looked a lot like Ginger did, with copper hair and green eyes. But he was pale, like Lola. He looked a little green in the face as he sat on the stool. But his nerves were unneeded.
"SLYTHERIN!"
The entire table jumped up again, and Mitch even jumped onto a chair. Not a single Slytherin was refraining from cheering their loudest. Bobby's face turned pink, but he still looked a little proud as he took his seat at his new table.
The sorting finished with "Urquhart, Eve" joining Slytherin, and the Slytherin House getting the last and loudest cheer of the night. When the feast started, Jace instantly started stuffing his mouth full of food.
"I thought this moment would never come!" he groaned in appreciation.
"You are such a pig," Lola complained.
Jace ignored her, and took a bigger bite of his food, despite his mouth already being full.
"I feel so bad for poor Scorpius over there," Lana whispered to the others. They all looked to see that Nikki was once again talking, and didn't look as if she'd be stopping any time soon.
"Does she ever shut up?" Jace asked.
"Not around Scorpius," Mitch muttered.
"I've got a few Sickles that say he doesn't even know that she likes him," Lars joked.
"He is a bit dense on the subject," Lana agreed.
"With how many girls he has after him, you'd think he'd be a bit smoother with girls," Mitch remarked.
"You wouldn't expect someone like Scorpius to be romantically awkward," Jace joked.
Lily looked at Scorpius, feeling a bit bad for him. He looked as if he was getting ready to stab Nikki with his fork. So she cleared her throat. "Um, Scorpius, can I ask you an important question?"
Scorpius looked away from his food, his eyes giving a thousand 'thank you's. "Of course. What is it?"
"When do you think you'll be holding tryouts for a new Beater?" Lily asked.
Scorpius took the question seriously. "Hmm . . . I haven't thought about it. I guess I'll hold them for a week or so. I'm really in no hurry. I mean, it's not like we can lose."
"You're very confident," Lana commented.
"We had summer practices," Scorpius told her. "I had Tanner fill in as Beater, and we're all a hundred percent sure that he'll beat all the competition at tryouts."
"I'm sure you'll win," Nikki cooed. "I don't see how anyone with your skill could lose, Scorpius."
Scorpius raised a brow at Nikki. "Um, thanks."
Lars snorted into his drink, and Mitch almost choked on his potatoes. The others all hid back their laughs at Scorpius's oblivion toward Nikki.
"So, um, Nikki," Lana addressed, "have you decided what you're going to do on the first Hogsmeade trip?"
Nikki glanced at Scorpius repeatedly. "Not yet, but I'm hoping that I'll find someone to go with."
Scorpius looked over at the three-third years. "Oh, so I forgot to ask, are you three going with us this year?"
Lana shook her head in disbelief at how dense Scorpius seemed to be. Lily just smiled. "Yeah, we're going."
"Oh, what are you guys doing?" Nikki asked, sounding quite disappointed.
When no one else answered, Scorpius finally did. "Whatever we feel like, really"
Nikki giggled lightly. "That sounds like it might be fun."
Lars nodded. "It usually is."
"So, Lil," Jace said as he filled his plate again, this time with deserts, "did you hang out with Lysander again?"
Lily shook her head. "No, but we kept writing. Now that I think about it, perhaps I should have looked for him on the train." It would have been nice to talk to him. But what if he had been sitting with one of her cousins? Or the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, who all practically hated her. Especially Mark Kimball.
"I didn't know you were talking to the Scamanders again," Scorpius commented.
"Yeah," Lana agreed.
Lily shrugged. "Well, mainly just Lysander. We started talking at the wedding, and then we hung out a few days later. But since that, it's just letters."
Scorpius grinned. "Well, I'm glad that they're not bitter 'bout us beating them, or about our House."
Lily grinned too. "Yeah, so was I."
"So, which one's Lysander?" Lana asked, glancing over at the Ravenclaw table. "Is he the burly one, or the one with the long hair?"
Lily looked over at the table as well and caught sight of the twins sitting together. She looked at Lorcan in surprise. Where had the small Lorcan gone? Sure, Lily could tell that he wasn't as tall as Lysander was, but he had filled it out! How had he gone from scrawny to built in such a short time?
"He's the taller one. The one with the longer hair," Lily told her.
"When did Lorcan get that big?" Nikki asked in surprise.
"Shit," Lars muttered. Lily understood his distress. After all, Lorcan was another Beater, and now he looked to be bigger than Lars. Lily hadn't thought that possible, with how big Lars looked.
"He's looking to be a bit of a stud," Lana said, agreeing with Nikki.
Lily tried not to laugh. "Well, if you're going to take a shot at dating him, don't be coy. Lorcan wouldn't know what flirting was unless you hit him with a brick. He's a bit dense about anything that isn't Quidditch," she told them.
"Count me out," Lana said with a laugh.
"The other one's pretty cute too," Nikki murmured.
Lily looked at the twins again, and this time her eyes locked onto Lysander. He was a head taller than Lorcan, his hair shaggy, his bangs wavy as they fell onto his forehead, not yet reaching his eyes. Said eyes were that dreamy blue color. His face was thin, and his smile was oddly cute. She had to agree with Nikki, which Lily was sure would never happen again. But to the others, Lily just shrugged and said, "I guess."