Chapter 15 – A Different Perspective Jordan's 11th Birthday - August 11th, 2021 POV Lily Luna Potter

*Pop* *Pop* *Pop*

I appear at the gatehouse of a massive property. Dad had Apparated me here and Mom had done the same for Al. James Apparated himself shortly after, showing me a smug grin when he arrived since he knew I was jealous. Being basically an adult, and now entering his 7th year at Hogwarts, James was atrociously smug with the magic he could now use freely. He kept waving the Aurors Internship in my face by, seemingly, accident and asking if I had heard about it or not. The jerk knew I had heard the first time he did, mid-summer.

'Urg. This is why boys are so annoying...'

I was not swayed by hormones like many others my age. Most girls in my grade jump from boyfriend to boyfriend like it is a new hat to try on. Even at only 12 years old, in our second year at Hogwarts last year, couples were springing up left and right. I can't understand it...We are there to learn and have fun, not gossip over every boy we know...and don't get me started on Rose! If I had to hear another word about Scorpius from her I swear I am going to barf.

I have not given much thought to relationships, to be honest. They don't interest me and are just a waste of time. All I wanted to do was to have fun, play Quidditch, and explore new things.

*Pop* *Pop*

Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron Apparate next to us and break me from my thoughts. Rose, who came with her dad, meets up with Albus immediately after arriving. The same goes for Hugo, who came with his mom Hermione, with James. I am, once again, all by myself. Being the youngest of a horde of family members really sucks sometimes...

"Alright Potters & Weasleys," Aunt Hermione starts, always quick to get things organized, "Today we are here to celebrate the 11th birthday of Jordan Leoren. He is the last of an ancient bloodline that was previously thought lost, so please, be on your best behavior. And, for the love of God, please do not tease him. He has lived most of his life thinking he was a muggle and is new to this all. I was the same once and I became Minister For Magic, so please treat him well."

"What bloodline?" Albus asks out of curiosity.

"Can't say, Al. Ministry secret." Dad answers him and pats him on the back.

"Aw...that just makes me wanna know more..." Rose says with a little pout.

"Ah, come on, mom! We are not that bad!" Cousin Hugo says while hanging an arm off of James who glares at his cousin's antics.

"Sure, all of us, except for you, are not that bad," James says in a deadpan.

Grasping his heart and stumbling, Hugo says, "Jamie...you wound me! And here I was thinking we were family..."

"What family? You told Beckie Sheldon that I loved her on the last day of school, which was a LIE!, and now she won't stop sending me love letters. As far as I am concerned, you have been excommunicated." James says, pushing Hugo away from him.

"Aw, come on! Just a little joke!" Hugo defends himself, then points his finger at James accusingly, "Besides, I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't pushed me into the lake on my date with Carol Robinson! You deserved it, everyone agreed." Hugo nods to himself as he crosses his arms.

"Oh, I'll show you who deserv-" James says, getting into a fighting stance, but is karate chopped on his head by his mother as Hugo is pulled by an ear by his own.

"Best. Behavior." Ginny says with a sweet smile that promises deadly consequences if not followed.

"From. All. Of. You." Hermione finishes with a harder tug on Hugo's ear.

"Ya gonna rip it off, woman-" Hugo says but is elbowed by his sister Rose. Hugo learned long ago to not go against Rose. She was vicious in her revenge.

""Yes, ma'am"" James and Hugo mumble in practiced unison with drooped heads and sagging shoulders.

I sigh. This is how things commonly work in our family. As I stated before, I am the youngest of 12 siblings and cousins that my parents, aunts, and uncles all had. I turned 13 six months ago and will be heading into my third year at Hogwarts. Unlike all my siblings and cousins, I have no one to be super close with like they all did. Well, Hugo is only a year older, but we never clicked as much as he did with James. I still have friends, though! And I am the seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, just like my dad was! Everyone was so thrilled when I made the team last year...

So, yeah, I have friends and have a decent life at Hogwarts...but that is it. At home, I am still just the baby sister or cousin. No one takes me seriously or pays me much attention. I am often alone and playing my own games or exploring places I probably shouldn't be. I am pretty sure I am banned from visiting the Ministry again...at least for a while. I mean, if they didn't want me to find the Department of Mysteries then maybe they should have at least locked the door? Hmm? Not my fault I got lost and happened to stumble on it...

'Okay, we all know that is bullshit. After dad told us about his prophecy, I had to know if I had one as well. Good news! I don't! Bad news! I don't...'

That event sealed my fate as a random nobody, born to be something unremarkable. I saw my cousin Rose, brother Albus, and Scorpius had one, but none for me. You can't imagine the walk of shame back to a fuming dad with absolutely nothing gained. I felt like my grounding was a blessing rather than a punishment...The amount I cried at realizing I was worthless...Let's not talk about that...

Dad, mom, Aunt Hermione, and Uncle Ron are all from the same generation. The Legendary Generation, people at school call them. They had more adventures and battled more evil than any other Hogwarts students to date. Plus, they fought and won in The Battle of Hogwarts. And my dad is Harry Potter...so yeah, he is super mega ridiculously famous.

Albus, at 15 years old, is also already famous in his own right. He, Scorpius, and Rose had dealt with Voldemort's daughter...or something last year during their 4th year at Hogwarts, and even dad got involved with it. Albus earned a plaque for "Services To The School" and sealed his place as Prefect and probably Head Boy in the future. The same could be said for Rose and Scorpius, but Scorpius had a wilder side to him and never would have made for a good Prefect, not to mention Head Boy.

Albus and Scorpius are also known to be the instruments of the "Fall of the Slytherin House." What all the purebloods call the Slytherins calming the fuck down and getting along with other houses. This was unheard of when Albus Joined the Slytherin house, but he and his generation refused to step in line with the purebloods and, with Scorpius and his father Draco's assistance, the old way of the house was abolished. They all started acting like normal kids again, making friends with all of the different houses and being the smart and arrogant, but passionate and caring people they always were. The purebloods tote themselves as the "Real Slytherins" but even that has died down over the years.

Rose and Scorpius were a thing, and they were disgustingly amazing together. All Rose can talk about is Scorpius and all Scorpius can talk about is how great they will be together. It is, honestly, adorable, but you get sick of it real quick. Rose is a genius. Like, certifiable, and has already written papers on the nature of enchantments that might very well change the magical world's understanding of enchanting.

She was inspired by our Grandpa Weasley who developed the first Magic Battery after years of studying Muggle artifacts. The battery is a charged crystal called Quarts that can draw in ambient magical energy in a small radius. Put one on an electronic device, and, BOOM, we suddenly can use technology! This was another thing that was slow to catch on, but once it did...Whoa boy, did it. Grandpa introduced it 20 years ago and by now witches and wizards can't live without it. Cellular Phones were the biggest driving factor. Stick a mana battery pack on the back and you can use them just the same as the Muggles.

An entire branch of the Ministry was created for Authur Weasley to lead, The Department of Magical Technologies, and now our family is super-wealthy. Dad always was, but this seems to be very new for my Weasley cousins. They ended up building a huge family compound on the site that used to be called, The Burrow, and most of my cousins and their families have their own homes there. We do as well and I have been a few times, but Grandma Molly always babies me so much that I have ended up hating going there. The food is good, however.

James is 17 and in his last year at Hogwarts while Hugo is 14 and is going to be a 4th year. Everyone tells them that they are a mirror of their Uncles George and the late Fred Weasley. Always joking around, looking nearly identical despite only being cousins, and becoming the new troublemakers of Hogwarts. They somehow stole the Marauders Map from dad and have been using it to great effect on the castle grounds. They also often test out new products from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in the Great Hall or down hallways and have earned the eternal ire of Mr. Filtch, the castle custodian.

So here we are. Joking and playing around outside some ancient, rich, families house, whom we have no knowledge of. I swear, the Potters and Weasleys just can't keep their noses away from interesting things...

I sigh again.

'Why can't I have a normal family? I can't wait until I move out and can finally be alone. Just thinking about free time without someone yelling or screaming is blissful. I wanna explore the world...or maybe I'll sign onto a Quidditch team in some other country...Anything that got me peace and quiet while still being fun would do.'

The group started moving and I take my place at the back of it, like always. I pull out my phone and pretend to play with it while I listen to some of the conversations around me. Not like I had anyone to talk to...

Rose going on about a recent date with Scorpius...barf.

Hugo telling James his talk with Uncle George about working for him over next summer...Good. He needs a better outlet.

Dad and Uncle Ron talking about a recent Quidditch game...Interesting, but I had seen that game already.

Mom and Aunt Hermione whispering about the kid we were visiting...Wait...Did they say "Gryffindor!?!" I bet I wasn't supposed to hear that. Let's pretend I didn't...

I could start to make out the manor through the gatehouse opening on the other side. What can I say? It was impressive, even I had to admit it. Gothic in styling, but in a timelessly classic way. The gardens all around were amazing and consisted of a mix of normal and magical plants as far as the eyes can see and wrapping further around the house. 2 other buildings nearby are bustling with working staff and guards. Guards that start moving to intercept our group of mostly redheads as soon as they notice us.

Entering just past the second portcullis of the gatehouse, I can see a few parked cars on the gravel driveway of the manor entrance. The gothic designs are more prevalent the closer I get and I can start to make out stone griffons and giant lion statues.

'Sorry, Mom...I don't think the secret is gonna last that long...'

"Whoa, look at the griffons and lions! ...Is this kid Gryffindor's heir or something?" James says offhandedly.

The adults stumble for a step, then spin around quickly as the manor guards are getting closer.

"Please do not tell anyone about this. You will get in trouble from not only me but the Ministry as well if I hear you have been telling anyone. Jordan just wants a normal school life, and we all intend to help him achieve that, understood?" Hermione says in full Minister mode.

We all nod at her and, for once, even Hugo and James keep their thoughts to themselves. They may be troublemakers, but they are not criminals and don't want to get on the bad side of the Ministry...especially since their parents both had high positions in it. Besides...the heir to Gryffindor's legacy? This is big news.

The guards finally reach our group and the adults talk to them for a minute as I continue to look around.

I can see part of the back of the manor due to our angle of entry, and where the 3-meter wall should continue around, instead, a 3-meter tall leafy hedge takes over. I can't help but question the logic behind such a decision...but oh well...Not for me to criticize I suppose.

The guards escort us to the entrance doors of the manor. The giant, shinning, wooden doors tower over us and make me feel small even for my very average 153 cm height. I knew some other 13-year-olds that were much taller than me, but I was at least in the upper-middle!

Anyway, the door opens and I hear a loud, booming laugh followed by several softer greetings. I can't see anything because I am at the back of the pack, like always, so I wait my turn. One by one my family members file through and I hear the same introductions. I tune them out and focus on the game on my phone. It was one of those gem puzzle games and I was close to a huge match! I just had to switch this green gem with this purple-

"Lily!" Mom yells at me and I jump a bit.

'Now, there was certainly no reason to yell, mother. I was paying attention quite well, I will have you know.'

I turn my attention towards the group at the door and do a curtsey that is completely ruined by my overalls.

"Hello, My name is Lily Potter. It is a pleasure to meet...yoou?" I start looking over them all, only to freeze.

The tall man to the left is a bear. The woman next to him looks like one of those beautiful ice queen types. Next is an older sister who looks to be an artist from all the paint stains on her hands. Hmm, maybe I can ask her to show me her work later...The younger sister looks like the type I am bad at dealing with. She wears an amazingly cute, pink dress and matches it with a ton of accessories and bows. The part that warns me off? Her imperious stare and her upturned nose. I'm bad with those types...better avoid.

Then, everything stops.

At the front of the new group stands a very handsome boy. He wears a pair of faded blue jeans, a white band t-shirt, brown dress shoes, and a blue blazer over his chest. His long, golden hair is parted near the left side and brushed over to the opposite side in slick back and quiff style. It falls just past his head on the sides and the back and frames his handsome face well. He is hot, no getting around that, but what freezes me in my tracks are his eyes. Piercing greyish blue eyes that show loneliness, curiosity, and determination. I have seen that same look in the mirror on more than one occasion. When I see his eyes, my heart skips a beat, and my mind suddenly blanks out.

My introduction is messed up and my phone tumbles from my grasp to slide on the tile of the entranceway to the manor.

"Oh! Gem Masters! I play that too. Here is your phone back." The boy picks up my phone, notices the game, and then hands it back to me.

He then smiles at me and I feel my knees go weak.

"I'm Jordan, by the way. Jordan Leoren."

'Alright, girls. I get it now.'