Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of the NextGen children belong to J.K. Rowling. It'd be pretty awesome if they did belong to me, but alas, they don't.
Chapter warning: There is and will be a lot of swearing in this story. This chapter is not an exception.
Chapter 01: Beginnings
(A look into the past)
"You know, I'm not entirely sure if I can trust you yet, and… to be honest, the odds aren't exactly in your favor at the moment."
That was the sentence that Rose Weasley greeted someone with on the first of September in her fourth year- it was also her birthday, and the first day of school, but that information isn't substantial. The reason why she said it also isn't very important to the plot- the fact is that, for better or worse, she said it.
"I'm sorry," was all the person had said to her, and she forgave them immediately, even so unsatisfactory an answer as that.
On the date exactly six months to the day, Rose Weasley said exactly two more words to the boy. Two words delivered at exactly the right time, and with the right expression to be considered overdramatic.
Those two words were "fuck off."
And to this day, exactly two years after the first day, Rose Weasley still isn't sure if the words were a good thing or a bad thing.
Because Scorpius Malfoy complied.
(A morning at the Potter Household)
"Go away!" cried a boy, as he pulled a pillow even closer to his face, as if hoping he could somehow magically have more time to sleep. Suddenly, he shot up, covered in what could only be water. "I hate you, Lily Luna Potter!" He hollered, not even 20 seconds later. "I fucking hate you, Lily Luna Potter!"
The boy and his sister- Lily- strained their ears to hear the resounding call of 'language!' from their mother, and promptly ignored it.
"Oh, come on Albus," said the little girl with a pout. "It's the first day of fourth year for me, aren't I allowed to be excited?"
And before he could even concede that she might have a little to be excited about, she skipped off happily to go give the same (while probably more drastic) wake up call to their older brother James.
Albus didn't bother joining her; he just wasn't in the mood to deal with James at the moment. It's not that their relationship lacked love and caring for each other- because it didn't, not really- it was just that they were complete and utter opposites- proven fact.
Where James was tall and muscular, Albus was short and scrawny. Where Albus's hair was black and naturally messy, James's hair was as red as a Weasley's and needed his constant mussing up. Where James was a known womanizer, Albus was sweet and shy. And, seemingly most important in their relationship, while James thought quidditch, Albus thought spells and potions.
Yes, the two of them were opposites, indeed.
There was the two of them, as close to the clichéd metaphor of fire and ice as humanly possibly (that is, if fire wore glasses and ice had black hair, anyway.) And then there was Lily. The girl with the bright red hair and green eyes and the cute, adorable little smile that everyone loved. The girl who did some pretty mean things on occasion, but always with good intention. She also happened to have a speed for talking about pointless things, and a knack for knocking people down a peg or two. Oh, and let no one forget that horrible temper she had.
In short, the Potter family (take 3, as far as anyone cared about) consisted of: a womanizer/quidditch extraordinaire, a shy little bookworm, and a sweet little girl with a tendency to make enemies. All three of which somehow seemed to get enough detentions for a crowd.
Let it never be said that the Potter family lacked variety.
(Roxy-darling)
"Oh, Roxy darling, you're looking lovely today," came the voice of Frederick Weasley (Fred- or Freddie, if you were looking to annoy him) as he walked into the kitchen.
"'Lo Fred." Roxanne said tiredly to her brother.
"Just ravishing," he continued, as though he didn't even hear her pathetic little greeting. "Really."
Angelina and Roxanne Weasley merely rolled their eyes in synchrony at his random little antics.
"What are my two favorite of the female species doing up at such an early hour of 7:30, anyway?"
"It's September first," Roxanne said, not caring to elaborate.
"Oh, that's all? Oh wait- I could have sworn there was something special that happened on this date… what was it?"
Roxanne had opened her mouth to tell him exactly what it was, but he held up his hand for silence.
"Oh, yes, how could I forget? It's Rose's birthday today- so that's what it was."
"But no-"
"Yes, I can't believe I forgot the birthday of Rose Weasley- she tells it at every moment possible."
"It's also the first day of school," Roxanne informed him casually, "not that that even compares in importance to our dear cousin's birthday- according to you anyway."
"We may as well declare it a national holiday right now," agreed Fred with a nod.
"Lay off your cousin, please, kids," Angelina said in mild exasperation, mixed with a little amusement. You don't get very far, being the wife of George Weasley, if you take little jokes to heart.
"Mother, mother, you know I kid. I do dote on my dear cousins, almost as much as I do on dear Roxy over here."
"Oh yeah, definitely," Roxanne said, a wicked gleam in her eye. "Or, you know, not."
"Looking forward to O.W.L. year then, Roxanne?" he asked, changing the subject abruptly.
"No."
(A bit of unnoticeable foreshadowing)
"Hey Loulou, I suggest you hurry up. I've got no problem with you running late, but… you might have one." Louis Weasley glared at his older sister, Dominique, as she rubbed his head with an affectionate grin.
"Stop bugging Lou, will you Dom? It's not his fault he's just a little sixth year."
"Vic!" Louis said with a grin, eyes widening at the figure in the door way. "I didn't know you could make it!"
"Aw, come on, why on earth would I miss my baby brother going to Hogwarts for his second to last year?"
"Oh, I don't know, because you just got married to Teddy and if you start leaving him alone now he might start having an illicit affair with one of our cousins or someone?" Dominique suggested, examining her nails all the while.
"So much faith in me, little sister. Well, we really ought to head out now, or else we really will be late. We're apparating there, right? And meeting mum and dad?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Dominique said with a nod.
"Apparating? But I'm not even legal!"
"Side-along, little brother, learn to deal with it."
(Future rock star)
"Lucy Weasley, get in the car now!" Called the red head in question's father. In an angry tone.
"What did I do?" she asked her older sister, Molly, in exasperation.
"Oh, I don't know, might have something to do with the fact that just last week you told him you want to be a rock star. Famous and father just don't really mix."
Lucy shrugged. "Maybe."
And that was that.
(The woes of the world)
"Scorpius, we're going to apparate now, alright sweetie?"
Scorpius just shrugged nonchalantly, because what did he care if they apparated or did Merlin knows what?
All he wanted to do was get her pretty little face out of his head.
Which was why he was staring at the fireplace, determinedly not thinking about her- again.
"Scorpius, come on!"
He walked over to his mother, and allowed her arm to pull him into the dark unknown.
Not thinking about her, obviously.
(Happy birthday!)
Hugo was on the piano, singing alongside Rose and their father, Ronald Weasley, in their favorite time-old song.
"We're going to Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, We're going off to Hogwarts"
It was the sort of song that each person went around and made up a verse. They did it on the first of September every single year; it was right up there with the 'Happy Birthday!' song.
This was the sort of thing that made them seem, not like the poster perfect version of a perfect family, but the poster perfect image of a healthy and happy family. The only problem with this is that lately, they hadn't really been all that happy of a family.
Everyone has their problems but, c'est la vie. Life goes on, and all that jazz.
It's just that, despite her happy little game of charades, Rose Weasley hadn't really been all too happy.
Hugo's been depressed, but won't talk about it at all.
And Ron and Hermione had been arguing even more than usual as of late, which, come to think of it, might have been the cause for the other two in the first place.
No, they weren't happy. But they'd been through worse, they'd get through it.
But despite all of that, they had decided (as a family) to keep up appearance and at least look happy and healthy if they couldn't actually be that way. It was the Potters coming over that had Ron and Hermione worried, as Harry and Ginny knew them better than anyone else in the world, almost. But they needn't have worried.
They didn't notice the strain of everyone's smiles, or the tight way Rose hugged Albus and Lily back when they ran to her.
"James," Ginny Potter called out, a small smirk growing on her face. There was a collective groan around the table.
They knew what this was going to be about, even if they didn't, really. See, Ginny Potter had adopted a new tactic when it came to James Sirius and his little antics recently. Ask him about it in front of everyone. See, that way, if he tried to deny it, he had a lot of people there to confirm or deny his alibi, and other people there to make sure he thoroughly got what he deserved.
Today, it was about a letter she had received.
"James, what is this that Oliver tells me? Oliver Wood, you know the guy? He says something about you and his daughter… hooking up? Please tell me you didn't…" Ginny was almost laughing, to be honest. Because Elizabeth Wood was the one girl she couldn't imagine James 'hooking up' with- they practically despised each other.
"Mother, mother, mother. Hooking up with someone? Does he even know what that means? You, dear parents, are so… old. And no, by the way, me and Elizabeth are not 'hooking up,' we have just agreed to make a truce and declared a partnership founded upon a mutual goal."
"Which would be?" Ginny wisely decided to ignore the insult.
"A desire to be a famous Quidditch player, of course."
All of a sudden, everything made sense.
Rose made a strange throat-clearing noise from somewhere in the corner, where she was standing with her arms folded across her chest.
Let's first describe Rose and Hugo, I suppose.
Rose was a sixth year, with wild, unmanageable curly red hair that seemed to be a mixture of her parents in what could be considered the worst way possible, or the best, depending upon who you were talking about. Her eyes were what could only be considered the color of dirt, or dark chocolate. Depending upon if you were an optimist or not. But somehow, these things managed to work for her.
Meanwhile, Hugo, her younger brother, was a short fourth year, that liked to say he would still grow a few more inches. His hair was straight, and much tamer than his sister's, and his eyes were blue. He had a shy little smile he wore more often than not, and a devilish smirk he wore the rest of the times.
All of a sudden, everyone seemed to recall that it was, in fact, her birthday, and that, just maybe, she wanted a bit of attention.
"Happy birthday, dear. Now, you kids ought to go and get ready for school."
(A trip to the train)
"The train ride should be interesting," Lily said casually from her seat in the back of the car.
The car should have been cramped but Ron had, apparently, taken a leaf out of his father's book and used an extension charm of some sort. The chances were that Hermione knew of this, she did come from a muggle family, after all. But she (wisely, perhaps) chose not to say a word.
"And, pray tell, why exactly should it be interesting?"
They went jerkily around the corner, and everyone was left-for about five seconds- clutching a seat in front of them, wondering when they were going to die.
(Ron really wasn't the best driver, was he?)
"Because about three or four people sent me owls asking me for advice on guys, and I advised them all to break up with them. This way you all wouldn't get bored!"
Rose, Hugo, and Albus all gaped at her in surprise.
"Oh relax, will you? I probably would have suggested that anyway. It just offers more amusement by telling them to break it off on the train."
"People actually listen to your advice on this stuff?" Albus mumbled in exasperation.
"Well, yeah… I say it in ways that make sense. 'Break it off on the train so you can see them in person.' And stuff like that, you know? And they'd never actually do it if they weren't thinking about it already. Besides, it's bloody good advice, alright?"
"If you say so," Hugo muttered doubtfully.
"It's true!" Lily exclaimed defiantly.
"If you say so," Hugo repeated in unison with Albus, who was also looking at her doubtfully.
And then there was Rose, who wasn't paying attention anymore and just fiddling with her shiny little prefect badge she had for some reason this year.
She hadn't had it the year before- Alice had. What could little Alice Longbottom, object of Albus's affections and everything, have done to lose her prefect badge?
And on that subject…
"Guess what, Ronald?" Came a pompous voice from where the car had just been parked. "My little Lucy is head girl."
It was Percy.
"It's funny how he has no problem telling that little secret but doesn't think it fit to also tell them about your future aspirations in life… namely, being a rock star?" Molly said conversationally to Lucy, quite loudly, as Rose, Hugo, Albus, Lily and James exited the car.
"You want to be a rock star, Lucy?" Lily asked, pouting, "I didn't know that…"
There was a collective eye roll, and quite a few laughs from the teenagers. Meanwhile, a few feet over, Percy appeared to be horrified that his dirty little secret had just escaped.
"She is not going to be a rock star," he informed everyone, "She was just kidding."
"But, dad, Lorcan is talking about starting a band and-"
That was all she didn't need to say to convince him. Percy Weasley was perfectly convinced that Lorcan Scamander was, and always would be, a bad influence.
"Which makes it all the more laughable." He then walked off, not without Ron laughing at his outrage and annoyance first, of course.
With everyone in high spirits, with the possible exception of Lucy, they all stepped into King's Cross station and, after a careful scouting and making sure no muggles were watching, crossed the barrier to Platform 9 and ¾.
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