Prologue

A tall, redheaded, twenty-seven-year-old man stood, waiting anxiously in a long, bare hallway. One foot tapped subconsciously on the white tile floor. The dim lighting provided a dismal atmosphere, which didn’t help his mood. Holding tight to the man’s hand was a three-year-old boy with his thumb in his mouth. The little boy’s wavy brown hair was tousled, and his big blue eyes wide under dark lashes.

A man in a white coat walked out of the room in front of the pair. Without acknowledging the man in front of him, he squatted to the boy’s level.

“James,� he smiled, “Are you ready to see your new baby sister?�

James nodded shyly. As the man in the white coat stood up, he said, “Everything’s fine, Mr. Weasley. Your wife gave birth to a healthy, seven-pound girl. Right on time too. She’s wanted to see you for quite some time now. I’ve had quite a few jinx threats.� The doctor chuckled. “Holler if you need anything,� And he walked off.

Ron Weasley hurried into the hospital room, his son trotting by his side. The light was dim in here too, except for one bedside lamp. The shades on the window were drawn, as was the curtain hiding the other bed in the room, although it was unoccupied.

There, on the visible bed, her brown eyes tired, yet happy and her bushy hair askew, sat his wife, holding her new daughter in her arms.

“Oh, Hermione,� whispered Ron, rushing to her side. He felt tears come to his eyes. “She’s beautiful,�

“And I think she has your hair,� Hermione smiled. It was true. The little tuft of hair sprouting from the soft scalp, even though it was slightly dark, was still distinctly ginger.

“We still haven’t decided on a name yet,� Hermione said, handing the baby to him to hold.

Ron didn’t answer; he simply stared at the sleeping girl in his arms. Her chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm as she inhaled and exhaled. Then, without warning, she yawned and her eyes opened. Two sapphires seemed to stare back at him.

“Oh, another one with your eyes,� Hermione said, almost ruefully, “It seems my genes won’t prevail in the eye department. Now all we need is a name.�

They sat in silence for a moment, thinking.

“Kaylei,� Ron said suddenly, looking up. Hermione saw his eyes still looked wet. “It was my cousin’s name. I always liked it. But what about her middle name?�

Hermione thought a moment. “Well,� she said slowly, “How about Grace? It was my grandmother’s name, and when I was young, I wished it could be mine.�

“Kaylei Grace Weasley,� they said thoughtfully. Then, as though they remembered there was another boy in the room, they looked over at James.

“Would you like to hold Kaylei, James?� Hermione asked.

James nodded, removing his thumb from his mouth. Hermione told him to sit in the only other chair in the room. He wiggled a little as he got used to the hard, molded plastic. But he stopped when his mom handed him the little baby. She showed him how to hold her, with her head in the crook of his elbow. He stared down at the smooth skin, the tuft of soft hair, the tiny fist poking from the blanket, despite the tightness of it. Two pairs of blue eyes met.

“Hi. I’m James. I’m your big brother. I’m gonna take care of you.�

Eleven Years Later

“Mara, what am I going to do?� wailed Kaylei Weasley, burying her face into her hands. “It’s the summer I should be starting Hogwarts, and I’ve barely shown any signs of magic! You’ve already gotten your letter, and I don’t even know if I’m going to Hogwarts this year!�

“Kaylei, calm down,� said her best friend and cousin Mara Potter consolingly. “There are plenty of reasons as to why you didn’t get your letter yet. The owl could have gone awry, the people at Hogwarts could have run out of owls, or they’re just stupid and didn’t there’s two Weasley kids, not one.�

Kaylei didn’t look convinced. “I seriously think I’m a Squib! This is not good, Mara, not good at all! The only sign of magic I’ve shown is when James accidentally sent a knife flying at me and it bounced in midair and landed on the table. Oh yeah, and when I set fire to James’s bed while he was out practicing Quidditch with dad and wouldn’t let me join.�

“Don’t forget about when I almost pushed you off the balcony when that Patronus-thingy of your dad’s hit me, but your feet anchored themselves to the ground,� added Mara, “See, you’ve shown plenty of signs of magic. There’s just something wrong with you getting your letter.�

“I don’t know…� said Kaylei uncertainly, “Maybe I should go ask Mum. She’s smart. And, duh, she’s a teacher at Hogwarts! She probably knows all that goes on there. I swear, she could write her own version of Hogwarts, A History without needing to look anything up. Something I certainly didn’t inherit from her,� she added in an undertone.

“My dad told me he and your dad used to tease her about being smart and all that,� said Mara with a smile.

They laughed. “I can see them doing that,� they said together. They looked at each other and laughed again.

Kaylei and Mara had been best friends for their whole lives, despite the fact that they were cousins. They spent all of their time together and rarely fought. Some even asked if they were sisters because they had both inherited the Weasley red hair. Mara’s however, was darker and less fiery than Kaylei’s, she had inherited her father’s green eyes and lack of height.

“Mum!� Kaylei called as she jumped the last three steps in her haste to get down the stairs. “Mum! Are you home?�

“I’m right here, Kaylei,� said her mum, emerging from the den right beside them.

“Mum, why hasn’t my letter from Hogwarts arrived yet? Is it because I’m not going? Am I not magic enough or something? Because I think that I am, three times I accidentally performed magic, that’s almost as much as Mara and I just think that it’s wrong if I don’t go to Hogwarts because—“

“Kaylei! Calm down! Goodness you are like your father, it took him almost three-quarters of an hour for him to ask me to marry him because he kept babbling on about nonsense,� Kaylei’s mum interrupted, “You letter from Hogwarts arrived today. It was late because the owl they used kept collapsing during the journey and eventually had to be replaced with a new one. Rather reminds me of your father’s old family owl, really.�

“So I am going to Hogwarts?�

“Yes dear, of course.�

“Hooray! We need to go to Diagon Alley!� Kaylei and Mara hollered together, before running back up to Kaylei’s room.
“What was that all about?� Ron Weasley asked, walking up to Hermione and putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Oh, just your daughter and niece acting exactly like you and Harry,� Hermione said, smiling.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~

“Thanks again for taking Kaylei and me shopping with you and Mara, Aunt Ginny,� James said.

It was three days after Kaylei received her late acceptance letter, and her Aunt Ginny had taken her and James shopping with Mara. James, being very much like his mother, had already started reading The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three while the girls were being fitted for robes.

“Where to next?� Aunt Ginny asked, glancing down at Mara’s list.

“Wands,� Kaylei and Mara said at the same time.

“All right. Hey James, is Ollivander still the wandmaker?�

“No,� James replied, “It’s this new bloke called Simon Chewtner. He kept the shop name though. It’s still called Ollivander’s.�

The four walked into the shop a few minutes later. It looked exactly the same as it had in Ginny’s time, except for the owner, who came bounding into view as soon as the bell tinkled.

“Hello, hello, come in, come in, good to see you all!� he bellowed genially, “My name is Simon Chewtner, what can I do for you today?�

Simon Chewtner was a very tall, very skinny man. He had lots of thick, honey-colored hair that swooped to the side in an almost dashing way. Wire-rimmed glasses framed his large hazel eyes and from what the four could tell, he was the type of man who had one voice volume: Very loud.

“These two need wands. They’re starting at Hogwarts.� Ginny said, indicating Kaylei and Mara.

“Alrighty then, let’s see what we’ve got here!� Chewtner shouted, clicking his fingers. A tape measure jumped off the desk behind him, and began measuring Mara. Chewtner’s eyes flickered over to James.

“James Weasley! It’s a pleasure to see you again!� He roared.

“It’s a pleasure to see you too, Mr. Chewtner,� said James politely.

“So are you here with your sister? Ah yes, this must be her?� He hollered, gesturing to Kaylei, who had sat down on the spindly chair that was still there.

“Yes, that’s my sister,� said James, who sounded surprised that Chewtner knew who she was.

Chewtner looked at Kaylei again. “You two look alike,� he said, his voice a normal volume for the first time, before turning back to Mara.

Fifteen minutes later, they emerged from the shop, Kaylei and Mara each clutching a new wand. Mara’s was ten inches, made of maple, and had a dragon heartstring core. Kaylei’s was twelve and a quarter inches, made of oak, and had a unicorn hair center.

“Well, you three,� said Ginny, “thanks to Kaylei’s late letter—“ here, she smiled and winked at Kaylei to show she was teasing, “you all had better get packed. The Hogwarts Express leaves in three days!�

A/N So what did you think? No matter how hard I try, I always seem to write in the style I hate, so tell me if you liked it or not! Please?

“Mum! Have you seen my robes? I’m missing a pair!� Kaylei hollered from her room.

It was the night before the first day at Hogwarts, and tension was high in the Weasley house. Kaylei and James were frantically running around the house, trying to locate their various possessions.

“No, I haven’t!� Kaylei’s mum yelled back. “Ask dad!�

“Dad!� Kaylei called.

“No I haven’t!� he called back without being asked. “And I don’t have time to look, your brother is having some trouble closing his trunk!�

“Perhaps because there is an extra pair of robes in here?� James said.

“Lemme see those!� she screamed, sprinting from her room to James’s.

James showed her the pair of robes. “Are they yours?� he asked.

Kaylei took them and held them up. “No,� she said, disappointed. “They’re too small. They must be Mara’s, she couldn’t find hers the other day.�

“Forgive me for asking,� Kaylei’s dad asked, “But what is a pair of Mara’s robes doing in James’s trunk?�

“Don’t ask me,� Kaylei and James said together.

Their dad rolled his eyes.

“James! Kaylei! Get ready for bed, it’s almost half past ten!� their mum called from downstairs.

“Mum! I still haven’t found my robes!� Kaylei yelled, nearly hysterical.

“Oh, Kaylei, didn’t I tell you? I found them under Scabbers Jr.’s cage,� her dad said, looking up. “I thought I put them on your bed, but maybe I put them in my room….� He drifted off.

Kaylei didn’t even stop to consider how her robes ended up under her rat’s cage. She was so disorganized; it was common to find something in a completely random place. Instead, she sprinted into her parent’s room. Sure enough, there sat her third pair of robes, looking as though they had been tossed there without much thought as to whose they were. She snatched them up and ran back to her room, where she stuffed them hurriedly into her trunk before getting ready for bed.

Fifteen minutes later, Kaylei’s mum was there to tuck her in.

“Mum,� Kaylei said, her large blue eyes filled with worry, “What if Mara and I get sorted into different Houses? What if we miss the train? What if—“

“Sssshhhhhh, Kaylei,� said her mum soothingly, “You won’t miss the train, and you and Mara are so much alike, it would surprise everyone on the staff if you weren’t in the same house. You know how we say that you and Mara are just like dad and Uncle Harry? They were in the same house.�

“I know, but—wait—“ she broke off, “What are you and dad and Uncle Harry going to do? Don’t you have to be at Hogwarts too?�

“We’re coming later, so we can see you and James and Mara off. We’ll Apparate. Now get some sleep. And stop worrying, everything will be fine.�

She kissed Kaylei on the forehead and left. Not entirely convinced, she rolled over and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come. It didn’t. She kept worrying about the House she would be in, if Mara would be with her, if people would be mean to her or not take her seriously because her parents were famous. She kept up the worrying until she fell into a restless sleep disturbed by dreams involving her chasing after trains while people laughed her and hid her robes from her trunk.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~

The next morning, Kaylei ate little for breakfast; she was too nervous and excited. Kaylei’s Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny stopped by with Mara so they could get to Platform 9 ¾ together. Mara seemed more excited than nervous. She was fidgeting and couldn’t seem to sit still for too long. James kept checking his watch, because he didn’t want to be late.

At fifteen minutes to eleven, they all piled into the Ministry car that Mara’s mum had managed to borrow. Mara chattered the whole way, while Kaylei sat in silence, twisting her hands in her lap. The worry thoughts began to creep up again.

A few minutes later, they pulled into King’s Cross station. They found trolleys for their luggage, and headed to the ticket barrier that separated them from the Hogwarts Express. For the first time, Mara seemed a little uncertain as she contemplated the very solid-looking metal in front of them.

“Now, I know that it seems like you won’t make it through, girls, but trust me, it works,� said Kaylei’s mum, practically reading their thoughts.

“Yeah, and I know that there aren’t any crazed house elves trying to stop you from getting to Hogwarts,� Uncle Harry said, laughing, as he remembered when he had first met the house elf Dobby.

The two girls managed a weak smile. James turned his trolley towards the barrier.

“I’ll go first so those two can see how it’s done,� he said importantly.

He started to walk towards the barrier. His steps quickened a little as he came nearer, until he vanished completely.

“Go ahead, Kaylei,� said Kaylei’s dad as Mara’s dad said, “Go ahead Mara,� They looked at each other.

“Mara can go first,� said Kaylei’s dad at the same time Mara’s dad said “Kaylei can go first,�

“She can go first,� said Kaylei and Mara at the same time, pointing to each other. Everyone burst out laughing. Kaylei’s mum finally solved the problem by walking briskly forward and seizing Kaylei’s trolley and marching to the barrier. Kaylei had no choice but to follow, lest she lose her things.

Kaylei was becoming increasingly uneasy as the barrier came closer and closer. She had never done this before, she had always been sick when James boarded. Her pace quickened without her knowing it as her mom let go. The thoughts raced through her mind as the barrier came nearer. What if I can’t make it through? Why am I running? Oh my gosh! I’m going to crash! I know it! She braced for sudden impact as she slipped straight through the solid metal. Reality catching up with her, Kaylei slowed and looked around.

There stood the Hogwarts Express, as gleaming and as scarlet as it had when her parents had ridden it. James stood there shifting his weight anxiously from one foot to the other.

“Mum, what took you so long?� he asked, “Todd and Kevin are waiting for me, and I had to wait for you!�

“Sorry, dear,� said Kaylei’s mum, “But we had a bit of trouble deciding who should go first. You can go with Todd and Kevin, I’ll see you at school.� She gave James a motherly squeeze, and he ran off.

Kaylei and Mara were gazing around, overwhelmed. They didn’t know what to make of this fast-paced environment, where they usually were at home. They worried that they would get lost or something.

“You girls will be fine, there’s no need to worry,� said Mara’s mum, reading their thoughts just as her sister-in-law had.

“Yeah, and besides, we’ll be there to make sure you two don’t blow up the place or something!� Kaylei’s dad said, playfully messing up Kaylei’s hair.

Kaylei’s ears went red. She had unfortunately inherited that Weasley trait, among others from her dad.

“C’mon Mara, let’s go find a seat,� Kaylei said, dragging Mara by the arm.

The four parents watched them affectionately, all of them remembering the last time they had boarded that train.

The four friends were getting a lot of stares. They had defeated Lord Voldemort only a month beforehand, and had returned to finish their schooling. People kept coming up to them and asking for their autographs or for a firsthand account of what had happened.

They found a compartment to themselves. Harry and Ginny sat together; they had gotten back together almost as soon as Voldemort had been vanquished. Ron and Hermione had glanced at each other and looked away for about a half an hour until they burst out at the same time, “ Ron/Hermione, I love you,� and promptly blushed, realizing how much more outgoing they had gotten. Harry and Ginny laughed, and eventually Ron and Hermione joined in.

The four finished their schooling career together, and then sought jobs either at Hogwarts or the Ministry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all decided that they were tired of fighting dark wizards and would rather be teachers. So after some training, Harry became the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Ron became the flying instructor, and Hermione became the Transfiguration teacher. Ginny, on the other hand, sought a career as a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The golden years were back.

A/N: Sooo? What did you think? Not one of my favorite chapters, this one is more of a filler. I'm not a big fan of filler chapters either. But you can't make a story without them! Reviews are always appreciated. :)

Kaylei and Mara stood awkwardly in the corridor of the train, not sure what to do or where to go. They glanced around, looking for an empty compartment, but all of them seemed to be full.

“I guess we’ll just have to sit with someone and hope for the best,� Mara said, attempting to smile. Kaylei weakly returned it. Meeting new people was not one of her strong point; she usually let Mara make introductions.

They wandered around, looking for the emptiest compartment. At one point, Mara commented, “It’s too bad none of our aunts and uncles have had kids. If they did, we’d have at least three compartments!� which made Kaylei chuckle slightly.

Eventually, the girls found a compartment with two boys in it, the emptiest one they had seen. Tentatively, they pushed open the door.

“Anyone sitting in here?� Kaylei asked, pointing to the two empty seats, “Everywhere else is full.�

The boys shook their heads and the girls sat down.

“I’m Mara, by the way. Mara Potter,� Mara said, smiling, “And this is my cousin, Kaylei Weasley.�

The boys stared at the girls, temporarily speechless.

“You’re a Potter?� the one with shaggy blond hair said, staring at Mara.

“You’re a Weasley?� the one with wavy brown hair said, staring at Kaylei.

“Yes,� the girls said together. Kaylei added playfully, “No, we’re not going to get you our parent’s autograph, so don’t even try.�

The boys looked startled, then chuckled nervously. The blond boy said, “Sorry, it’s just that we’ve never met anyone, well, a little famous before. I’m Kevin.�

“Well, Kevin, you’d better get used to fame,� said Mara dryly, “Three out of four of our parents work at Hogwarts.�

“What??� Kevin yelled.

“Yep,� Mara said grimly.

“Hey, do you have a name?� Kaylei asked the other boy, realizing a little too late that she sounded almost rude.

“I’m Paul,� said the boy with brown hair, smiling a crooked smile. He seemed like the more soft-spoken boy of the two. He added, “Kevin is my cousin too, just like you two.�

“Well, tell us the story!� Kevin said impatiently.

“What story?� the girls said together.

“Come off it!� Kevin yelled again.

“The story of how your parents defeated the guy they used to call You-Know-Who,� Paul explained.

“Yeah, that Lord Voldemort bloke,� Kevin threw in.

The girls glanced at each other. Mara began the story.

“My dad and Kaylei’s parents found out that the only way to defeat Voldemort was if they destroyed these things called Horcruxes. It’s where a piece of Voldemort’s soul was put into an object and hidden so that even if Voldemort’s body was attacked, he couldn’t die, because part of his soul was hidden and safe. But Voldemort didn’t just make one Horcrux.�

“He made seven,� Kaylei said.

“Wait,� Paul interrupted, “So he split his soul seven times? How?�

“Killing people,� said Kaylei grimly. “When you kill someone, it splits your soul. Then there is some weird spell or something that puts the piece into an object.�

Paul shivered slightly.

“Keep telling!� Kevin urged.

“So my dad, aunt, uncle, and eventually my mom hunted for these Horcruxes and destroyed them one by one,� Mara continued, “It was dangerous, too. Have you ever heard of a man called Albus Dumbledore?�

“I think so,� the boys said together. Paul added, “Wasn’t he a really famous headmaster of Hogwarts?�

“Yes, he was,� Mara said.

“He died after trying to retrieve a Horcrux,� Kaylei said. “He was weakened by this potion that probably would have killed him without an antidote, but he had to drink it. Then he was murdered by a Death Eater.�

“No, he wasn’t a Death Eater,� Mara interrupted, “He worked for Dumbledore and Voldemort! He was a double agent!�

“Whatever, we’re not sure who he was. The point is, he killed Dumbledore. After he and my uncle (Mara’s dad) had tried to get a Horcrux,� Kaylei said impatiently.

“So that was what started the hunt,� Mara continued. “Our parents found these Horcruxes and destroyed them, and each time, one of them came extremely close to losing their lives,� she finished dramatically.

“That’s horrible,� Paul whispered. Kevin seemed ready to fall out of his seat with anticipation.

“Then finally,� Kaylei went on, “There came a day when all of the Horcruxes were gone. There was nothing for them to do except face Voldemort in person. Which they did, when he attacked. Our parents fought like heroes with other people they knew from this organization called the Order of the Phoenix. But the Order was losing. Our parents were watching people they knew and loved die one by one. From what they’ve told us, this caused a fury and pain inside of them that they never knew. A fury and pain that kept building, until at the same time, they all raised their wands and screamed ’Avada Kedavra,’ which is the killing curse. Apparently, this curse was so powerful coming from four that it blew right through the shield jinx that Voldemort had tried to deflect it with. He died right on the threshold of his father’s home. The Order had finally won.�

Paul and Kevin sat in transfixed silence. This story seemed to have struck home for them. Finally, Kevin broke the silence by exclaiming, “Wait until I write to mum and tell her that I met a Potter and a Weasley! She’ll be sick!�

Then tension was broken and everybody chuckled.

“So what about you guys? You guys have any interesting stories?� Mara asked conversationally.

“Not really, unless you count the time Paul wore a dress all day in public,� Kevin said, smiling wickedly at Paul.

Paul blushed furiously and glared at his cousin. “I was four and didn’t know any better,� he mumbled while everyone roared with laughter.

“It’s OK, Paul,� Kaylei said comfortingly, “I once went around all day wearing nothing but a pair of my older brother’s underwear when I was five.�

This was a cause for more laughter, with Mara shrieking “I didn’t think you would ever get the courage to tell anyone that!�

Once the laughter had died down, Paul said, “I’m starving. I hope the lunch trolley comes soon.� The other three could still see a bit of red around his ears.

“I’ll go see where it is,� Mara began, standing up, but at that moment, the compartment door slid open, and a little old lady poked her head in and said, “Anything off the cart, dears?�

Each person bought what they wanted, and sat down to enjoy the sweets. The rest of the time was spent with everyone sharing stories about their families and eating. Just as the lamps were being lit, Kevin jumped out of his seat, pressed his nose against the window, and yelled, “I think I see Hogwarts!! I see towers behind trees!�

Everyone got out of their seats and also pressed their noses against the glass. Sure enough, they could just get a glimpse of the magnificent castle. They stood there, staring for a few minutes, until Kaylei finally said, “We’d better get changed.�

As everyone pulled their robes on excitedly, Kaylei was struck by a thought: How will people react to being in classes with famous people’s daughters? How will that effect our time at Hogwarts? Uh oh…

A/N: Did you notice anything in some of the conversations? I put some stuff from SS!