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Hogwarts: The Continuing Years Chapter One

Welcome to Chapter One of my new Harry Potter Fanfiction series. Go back to Hogwarts with Lily Luna Potter and her friends in this new adventure for the next generation of the Harry Potter family. This series is family-friendly, inspired wholey by JK Rowling’s original writing style. I hope you enjoy Lily’s adventures at Hogwarts.

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Raindrops tapped gently on her window, awakening Lily Luna Potter on a grey September morning. She blinked the sleep out of her emerald green eyes with a smile. Today’s finally the day! Lily threw the covers off her and scrambled out of bed. She was already pulling on mismatching pink and orange socks when her mother knocked lightly on the door. 

“Lily, are you up sweetie?”

Lily threw open the door and jumped into her mother’s arms. Ginny Potter caught her daughter with a happy laugh.

“Today’s the day mum! I’m finally going to Hogwarts!”

Lily separated herself from Ginny and beamed up at her mother. Ginny ruffled her daughter’s ginger hair affectionately. 

“So it is, darling. You’re going to love your first year at school, I just know it.”

“Thanks mum,” said Lily happily. She had been waiting for today for eleven years and three weeks, and she was determined to make it perfect. 

“Well, I wanted to wake you up first today,” said Ginny, “Want to help me wake your brothers?” 

“Of course,” Lily giggled. “Can I wake them up with tricks?”

Ginny made a sceptical face.

“I promise I won’t be too mean, pleeease mum!”

Ginny laughed. Why were Lily’s pleads so irresistible? 

“Fine Lily. As long as they’re up in time for breakfast.”

Lily whooped with delight and ran past her mother. She padded through the upstairs hallway, happy for her socks to muffle her footsteps as she came to her eldest brother’s door. Lily peaked inside James’s messy room. Clothes and spell books were strewn all over the floor. Has he even packed? She wondered, as she checked her pockets for the perfect trick. Uncle Ron never failed to get her something great for birthdays. Should she throw a dung bomb? Was that too mean? She had promised mum not to be too mean… A-ha! Lily took out a small glass bottle filled with a tiny rain cloud. A “weather in a bottle” would be perfect! That would show James for pushing her into the Ministry of Magic fountain on bring your child to work day… 

Lily crept into the room. She had to place the bottle over his bed just so, otherwise he might not get hit. James snored lightly, his face hidden under his mess of curly hair. Lily had to concentrate hard to stop from giggling as she edged her way around the mess on the floor. James’s tawny owl, Flit, cocked his head curiously at her from his cage. Lily brought a finger to her lips to tell the owl to be quiet. When she was finally in position at the foot of James’s bed, Lily carefully uncorked the “weather in a bottle” and the tiny rain cloud was released. It flew out of her bottle and bga to grow at a rapid pace, until James’s bed was completely covered by the cloud. Lily held her breath in anticipation as the clouds swirled around her brother. Suddenly it burst open and rain drenched her elder brother’s bed. James let out a shriek as water soaked his blankets, and Lily couldn’t hold back her laughter any more. James fell off the bed trying to untangle himself from the blankets and simultaneously reach for his glasses to see the culprit of the trick. Lily raced out of the room before James could stand up, giggling with delight as her brother muttered confused curses behind her. 

Her next victim was Albus, her other brother. His room was at the end of the hall by the stairs. Lily peaked in cautiously, worried that James’s scream had woken Al. He was still sleeping soundly. His room neat and tidy, the exact opposite of James’s. They had to be opposite in every way, thought Lily as she edged into the room. A green and white Slytherin Flag hung on his wall. She stifled a gasp as she almost stepped on Fritz, Albus’s pet ferret. He skittered away under the bed as Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out her signature trick: her screaming yo-yo. Albus was so jumpy, it would be brilliant. She twirled the yo-yo off her finger right by his ear and the toy let out a scream that would curdle milk. Albus yelped at the scream, sitting bolt upright and covering his ears. He saw Lily giggling uncontrollably next to him, right as James burst into the room still sopping wet. 

“You’re dead Lily,” James shouted with a grin. 

He charged into the room as Lily ducked under Albus’s bed. Albus, still half asleep and disoriented threw a pillow at where Lily had been. Instead it hit James in the back of the head. Lily scampered out from under the bed and hurled herself down the stairs while her brothers were still looking for her under the bed. She raced down the hall and into the kitchen laughing in delight. Today was off to a great start! 

Lily leaned against the kitchen door to catch her breath. Her mother and father were making breakfast (pancakes, Lily’s favourite). They looked up at her and Ginny raised an eyebrow. 

“Lily, did you remember not to be too mean?”

Lily shrugged playfully right as James and Albus hammered on the door behind her. 

“Is Lily in there?” Asked James.

“Yeah,” called Albus, “we need to, uh, ‘talk’ to her.”

Lily ran away from the door as the boys burst in, and hid behind her father. Harry Potter ruffled his daughter’s hair and held up an arm to ward off the boys. 

“Wow, Lil, it must’ve been bad if you got them working together,” he chuckled. 

“Alright, alright,” Ginny said, “enough tricks for today.” She waved her wand over James, drying him instantly. “Now go get dressed, boys. No hitting your sister on her big day.”

“Come on mum, she deserves it,” James whined as they left to get dressed. Lily stuck her tongue out after them as they shut the door. 

“Your first day at Hogwarts is off to quite the start,” said Harry. He piled some pancakes onto her plate and Lily smiled up at him.

“It’s going brilliantly so far!”

The Potters sat down for breakfast at the kitchen table. Ginny made sure to set places for James and Albus, who came downstairs a few minutes later in jumpers and jeans. Albus in Slytherin green as usual, and James in Gryffindor red. As they sat down, Lily couldn’t help but wonder which house she would be sorted into… Of course she hoped for Gryffindor, like her parents had been. That’s where all the Potters and Weasleys were sorted into… But if Albus could be Slytherin, maybe she could be too? 

“So, Lily,” said Harry, “Are you excited to ride the Hogwarts Express?”

Lily nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve been saving my pocket money all year for the sweets from the trolley,” she replied.

“We gave your brothers trolley money,” Ginny said, “we were going to give you some too.”

“No thanks mum,” said Lily, “I’m excited to use mine!”

“Which class are you most excited for?” Harry asked.

“Flying,” said Lily without hesitation. “I’m going to be on the Quidditch team in first year, just like you dad!”

Lily had been obsessed with Quidditch since she had discovered her mum used to play for a team called the Holyhead Harpies. When she found out her dad had played too, she wouldn’t keep quiet until her parents finally got her a broom for her ninth birthday. It had child locks and wouldn’t fly past the barrier of their neighbourhood, but still it had been wonderful to play pretend Quidditch captain on that broom. She and her brothers used to play three on three with their cousins every Christmas at the Burrow. And when her parents had brought her to Diagon Alley to buy her books and her wand, Lily had been most excited to finally buy her first real broom, a Nimbus 3000 like her brother James’s. Only to be used at school, Ginny had told her. She couldn’t wait for her first flying class when she could finally sore above Hogwarts on her real broom.

“I should have guessed,” said Harry warmly. “But don’t be too disappointed if you don’t make it in your first year. Ginny only got onto Gryffindor’s team in her fifth year, you know?”

Ginny nodded, “And I was the one who played professionally out of us.”

Lily’s mind lingered on the word “Gryffindor” and again her thoughts turned to which house she would be sorted into. She looked across the table at Albus. He never talked about school much, but when he did it seemed like he didn’t like Hogwarts at all. Was it because he was Slytherin? James was constantly talking about how great Hogwarts was: how many friends he had, how good at spells he was… But James was in Gryffindor. Lily prefered Albus out of her two brothers, he’d always been nicer to her than James… But if she was being honest with herself, she hoped that she would be James’s housemate, not Al’s. She had only ever heard bad things about Slytherin house afterall… 

Suddenly Ginny stood up, breaking Lily’s train of thought. She waved her wand and the empty dishes in front of them flew up and into the sink. 

“Breakfast is finished,” she announced. “Time to get your trunks, kids.”

Harry looked at his watch and stood as well. “The train leaves in one hour.”

James and Albus stood up and left to gather their things. Lily was following her brothers out when Harry called to stop her.

“Lily, wait a minute. Your mum and I have a little something to give you.”

Lily turned around to look at her dad. He rose from the table and disappeared into the living room for a moment. Lily glanced at her mother questioningly, but Ginny only smiled. When Harry came back into the room, he carried a box in his hands. He came up to Lily and knelt down so she could see inside. There, sleeping soundly in a pink blanket, was the most adorable little kitten Lily had ever seen. She held her hand over her mouth to stifle a squeal. 

“Every student at Hogwarts is allowed to bring a familiar,” Harry explained. “James has Flint, and Albus has Fritz, so it’s only fitting that you get a pet too.”

Ginny leaned over to look at the sleeping kitten. She was cream-coloured with light brown paws and a fuzzy long tail. Lily reached in to stroke her soft fur and the kitten opened a pair of brilliant blue eyes. 

“What will you call her?” Asked Ginny.

Lily wasn’t sure. The little kitten started playing with her finger and her eyes glimmered like two blue precious stones. 

“Opal.” Lily said eventually. “She looks like an Opal, don’t you think?”

“It’s perfect,” said Ginny, kissing Lily’s cheek affectionately. 

“Well,” Harry said, “What are you waiting for? She’s yours.”

Lily lifted Opal from the box and hugged her close. Opal was small enough to sit on Lily’s shoulder and play with her fire-red hair. Lily giggled with delight and hugged her parents lovingly. They hugged her back, holding onto their youngest child for a moment. She was finally ready to go off to Hogwarts. Ginny wondered, as Lily parted from the hug and ran upstairs to grab her trunk, just how had she grown up so fast?

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