Lily yawned and opened her eyes, still groggy with sleep, and checked out her surroundings.
Her head was still lying against the window, giving her a horrible kink in her neck. Hugo was opposite her ; his head lying on the compartment door. Looking at the bench across from them, Alexis was awake and twirling the ends of her hair, fighting off the last bits of sleep. Both twins were still snoring quietly.
“Do you want to get changed?” mouthed Alexis. Lily gave a slight nod, and grasped around for her bag under the seat. Alexis leaned over Max, and shook Payton awake. They quietly grabbed their own bags, and crept single file out the door.
The three of them made it to the back of the train where the loos were located, Alexis only tripping once. Lily quickly found a stall, and changed out of her Muggle clothing.
It was hot and stuffy in the loo. Lily and Payton stood at the mirror. Payton was applying lip gloss, and Lily was swinging her hair up in a ponytail.
Payton silently handed over her blue elastic. “Alexis, hurry up!” Lily exclaimed, twisting the elastic around her long hair.
She heard a sigh from behind the door, and Alexis stumbled out. The three Gryffindor girls stood in the bathroom, chatting, and adjusting their robes.
“Oh, no,” muttered Payton. “Does anyone have a scarf? I sort of forgot mine…”
Alexis sighed. “You’re impossible.”
Payton laughed. “You know you love me.”
“Here, take mine. Hugo always brings an extra one,” said Lily. She reached into her bag, and pulled out a maroon and gold striped scarf.
“C’mon, let’s get going. I want some more Chocolate Frogs,” instructed Payton, taking the scarf. “And I’m dying of heat in here, anyways.”
Lily poked her head into the compartment. Upon realizing her presence, Max whined, “Lily, he’s beating me again!”
“It’s just not your lucky day, is it?” she replied with a smile. “First it was the thumb war, and now Wizards chess!”
Hugo snorted. “He never beats me at Wizards chess!”
“I was trying to boost his self-confidence, Hugo,” Lily said with a smirk.
Hugo rolled his eyes in reply.
“Max’s self-confidence is big enough, trust me,” remarked Payton, pushing her way into the small compartment.
“Hey,” exclaimed Max, “I’m still the room! I happen to be very good at Wizard’s chess. And Exploding Snap for that matter.”
“Keep it up, and I’m going to have to Enlarge the compartment to accommodate your overly inflated head,” said Payton. “Lex, are we there yet?”
Alexis checked her watch. “Twenty more minutes, tops. You two should get changed,” she said, pointing to the boys.
Lily stood. “I am not staying in here,” she declared. Payton nodded and Alexis followed the two out.
“You guys can come back in,” said Hugo, after a few minutes.
“Thank God.” Alexis threw herself onto the seat, laying vertically.
“Are you okay?” asked Lily, her brow furrowing in concern.
“Fine…just a little dizzy.” Alexis closed her eyes, and the rest of the group exchanged worried glances.
There was a knock on their compartment door, and Lily saw a flash of a reddish brown curl. Rose Weasley poked her head in.
“Lily! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” she said. “Come here!”
“Is everything okay?” Lily asked her cousin.
“Yes, I just wanted to show you this,” Rose produced from behind her back small beaded handbag. Lily scrunched her eyebrows.
“I don’t understand, “ said Lily, scrunching her eyebrows. “Is that the one that your mum used when she was on the run with Uncle Ron and Dad?”
Rose nodded, her face bright with excitement.
“Oh my God! That’s her favourite possession! It’s, like, a legend,” Lily breathed.
When they were nine or ten, and just starting to grasp what exactly their parents were famous for, Aunt Hermione used to bring out the beaded bag as a treat.
“I know, I’m so glad that she finally let me use it. Oh, Albus wanted me to give this to you. He said that Aunt Ginny said you might need it.”
She dropped an extra sweater in her hands. Lily blushed. She had forgotten to bring an extra one. How did mums always just know?
“He was all for keeping it and letting you freeze, but I convinced him. You know he wouldn’t though, he was only joking.”
“I still don’t understand how you still talk to him, let alone let him be your best friend!” Lily joked.
“You know he’s my favorite cousin…next to you of course.” Rose said with a smile. She twirled a curl around her finger.
Lily glared mockingly. “I better be right next to him!”
Rose laughed. “I’ll see you at Hogwarts, okay?” She put her arms around her little cousin, and walked away.
Lily made to slide the compartment door open, when a loud yell rang from the compartment. She jumped back, startled, then pressed her ear to the door. She entered the compartment, only to witness a yelling match that was taking place in the very centre of it.
“I KNOW you took it, Max! Now, GIVE IT BACK!” Payton yelled.
“Listen, why would I even want to touch your stupid scarf?” scoffed Max.
“I don’t know! Because you fancied a joke!” Payton exclaimed hotly.
“Oh, so, whenever I want to make a joke, I steal your scarf?”
“Yes!” Payton went red in the face.
“Mine’s right here! I don’t need yours! It smells like your perfume, anyways!” Max said, clearly annoyed.
“What the bloody hell is going on in here?” Lily intervened.
“He STOLE my scarf! As a JOKE!” Payton pronounced “joke” like it was the dirtiest word ever invented in the English language.
“What? You left your scarf at home, remember? And then you borrowed Lily’s! Which is right there,” said Alexis, looking dazed. She pointed under the bench.
Payton expression changed from blazing mad, to dawning comprehension.
“Oh yeah….”
Max threw his hands up in the air. “ ‘ Oh yeah?’ That’s all you can say, after you caused a row with me for no bloody reason?”
Payton looked ready to retaliate, but Hugo laid a hand on her arm. “You made a mistake, Payton. Just tell him you’re sorry.”
Payton glared. “It’s not that easy.”
“Just do it!” Alexis exclaimed, “The train’s coming to a stop.”
Payton looked up. “Sorry for accusing you of stealing my scarf,” she mumbled.
Max cracked a grin. “Did you just apologize to me? You three have good influences on her.”
Lily fell back with Hugo. “Do you have an extra scarf?” she asked sheepishly.
He laughed, and reached into his bag, producing two striped scarves. Hugo adjusted one over his neck and threw the other one around hers.
“Come on, little cousin,’ he said.
Lily snorted. “By three weeks!”
From in front of them, Alexis shrieked, “Don’t you two start, too!”
The two of them laughed. “I promise we won’t fight!” replied Hugo.
The five of them found an empty carriage, and settled themselves down. The group made idle chatter, anticipating what was to come. In what seemed like no time, they were pulling up in front of Hogwarts.
They made their way up the castle steps, shivering in the cold night air. Lily hugged her robes and scarf tighter around her. As they were climbing the last few steps, Alexis broke out in a run. “Ahhhh, warmth!”
“Magic! Finally!” said Payton, performing a Levitating spell on a random book for the fun of it. Lily welcomed the blanket of warm air that surrounded her numb body as she walked in.
They walked into the Great Hall, and settled themselves down at the Gryffindor table. Lily looked around the Hall, glad to finally be back at Hogwarts. Everything was so familiar, it was as though she had never left.
Lily twirled her fork idly between Payton and Hugo and barely listened as Headmaster Flitwick gave his usual speech.
“No one is allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest under any circumstances. All Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes products will be confiscated.”
At this remark, James, Fred and Ethan Jordan gave a loud whoop. Flitwick smiled and continued on.
Lily sighed, her stomach rumbling. She tuned out Flitwick and went back to twirling her fork.
“….and now we will start the Sorting. Professor Sprout, if you please.”
The Head of Hufflepuff House walked out, in her usual patched robes. A trail of first years followed in her wake, looking partly nervous and excited.
Professor Sprout set the Hat down on the stool, and unrolled her scroll.
“Asham, Jake,” she called.
A blonde haired boy stepped up to the stool. Within seconds, he became the first Gryffindor.
“Aleza, Maria,” became the first Hufflepuff, while “Bent, Nina,” was Sorted into Ravenclaw.
Lily clapped along with the rest of her fellow Gryffindors when a new kid was Sorted into her house, but her thoughts were fixed on Louis Weasley. His sister Dominque was giving him an encouraging sort of smile. Finally, “Weasley, Louis,” was called up.
The Hat was placed on his strawberry blond locks. After awhile of debating, the Sorting Hat called out “Gryffindor!”
Louis bounced happily to his seat, and went to go sit down beside Asham, Jake.
After the Sorting, Flitwick made a few more announcements, promising the feast would start in no time.
Hugo had his head on the table. “I’m starved! I need food!” he said overdramatically.
“Two more minutes,” promised Lily.
The second the words were out of her mouth, food appeared on the table. Everyone dug in, Lily realizing just how starved she actually was.
She shoveled boiled potatoes, roast chicken, salad and Yorkshire pudding onto her plate. Hugo was eating at the rate of speeding Hippogriff.
“ Hugo, you are so like Uncle Ron,” said Lily.
Two seats down from her, Dominique leaned her blonde head toward Lily. “Nah, Hugo eats. Uncle Ron inhales.”
James snorted at her remark, and Dom was rewarded with a high five by Fred. Lily smiled at her cousins and her brother, and turned back to her friends.
Alexis was sticking to her New Year’s resolution, and had a completely non-meat supper in front of her.
“Ew, Lex, how can you eat nothing but rabbit food?” asked Payton.
“I’d rather eat rabbit food than rabbits,” Alexis sniffed, and turned back to her salad.
Lily felt a disagreement coming on and quickly changed the subject. “Hey, has anyone heard the new Weird Sisters album?”
“Yeah! I heard this was going to be their last one. Shame, really,” proclaimed
Max.
“I think they’re a little to old to be making a comeback album, though. They’re, like, forty years old.” Alexis wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“Trust me, in the Wizarding World, that’s not very old,” Hugo smiled.
The group got into a heated discussion about the pros and cons to the album, while devouring dessert. Lily was just taking the last bite of her treacle tart when Headmaster Flitwick’s squeaky voice rang out, “Time for bed everyone! Prefects, lead the first years!”
Lily made beeline for the armchair in front of the fire. She remembered her father once told her that it was his favourite spot in the whole common room. If she concentrated hard enough, she could almost hear her Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron and her dad conversing quietly amongst themselves.
Alexis threw herself down on the chair directly to the right of Lily. Hugo was sitting calmly on her left. The twins were on their stomachs in front of the fire.
The group watched the fire silently. Lily watched the sparks flick and leap. The wood made pleasant crackling noises in her ears, and she found herself nodding off.
“G’night, Lily,” said James, laying a hand on her head.
Dominique dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Night Lils.”
Fred flicked her on the head as he walked by. “See you, squirt.”
Lily watched as the three of them bid Hugo goodnight. They headed towards the dorms, departing at their designated staircases.
“Dude,” said Max dreamily. “A Veela just kissed you.”
Hugo shrugged. “It’s just Dominique. She does it all the time. Besides, she’s less than a quarter Veela.”
“So? That’s more than any girl at Hogwarts.” said Max, clearly in awe.
Lily felt a tiny pang in her stomach, but quickly pushed it away. She stole a glance at Max. He was sniffing the air, as if hoping to catch last whiffs of Dom’s perfume.
Payton sighed. “Forget the Veela. Lily, your brother is so cute!” Payton exclaimed in a voice way to peppy for the time of night.
Lily snorted. “Oh, please.”
“It’s true, though,” said Alexis matter-of-factly.
Lily rolled her eyes. It was clear that her two friends had done a lot of thinking on her seventeen year old brother.
“C’mon, we should b heading to bed,” said Hugo reasonably.
Without much protest, the five of them made their way to the staircase, warm and comfy duvets in mind.
Right up the Road by leftrightmiddle
Chapter Notes: I'm back! Sorry for not updating sooner, to all you who are following this story. To the newcomers, welcome, and enjoy! I have a few chapters written, and hopefully they will be up soon.
Thanks so much to my beta Aleesha, and Dan. I would also like to thank Jenna for her support!
I am not JKR, which means I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter Endnotes: Thanks for reading, and have an amazing day! Leave a review on your way out ;)