A/N: Hi!

Thanks for checking this story out!

This story occurs in the same universe as my previous story, The Unexpected Seventh Year. If you haven't read it, don't worry - I'll tell you everything you should need to know but if you're interested, check out my profile page. If you have read it, skip to the next paragraph :) Generally, this story is about Teddy and James just as they become adults and in my universe, James is only a year younger than Teddy (Ginny got pregnant not long after the war ended). Also, Teddy was formally adopted by Harry since Andromeda was injured in a Death Eater attack.

The prologue of this story is my way of meshing my story and the changes that I made from canon with Rowling's story(nothing major, just really the ages of some of the next generation and the changes are really only made if you consider what has been said by Rowling outside of the books). I did have to make this occur 18 years later instead of 19 years later for it to work out. Nothing major happens in the prologue but I promise, I have big plans for this story.

And a big thanks to J.K. Rowling for creating this universe and for allowing us to play in her sandbox, so to speak. If you recognize it, it belongs to her but I certainly have had fun messing around with her characters!

Hopefully this lives up to your expectations! Let me know.

Prologue

September 1st

x-X-x

The first morning of September dawned over the Potter household, cold and crisp. Change was in the air as the family rushed about, stuffing owls into cages, clothing into trunks, and food into mouths. With no time to waste, trunks were loaded into the boot of the car and the three kids and two parents crammed themselves into the car for the drive to King's Cross.

Glancing quickly at the clock, the family loaded the trolleys with the trunks and cages and rushed into the station. In front, Ginny Potter led her youngest son to the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, pushing his trolley along the way and whispering furiously as the young boy argued back. Behind them, Harry Potter held his daughter's hand as tears ran down her face and he softly sought to soothe her.

Trailing behind the group, pushing his own trolley, James Potter rolled his eyes at his younger siblings. James was about to enter his seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he simply did not know how he was going to put up with his younger brother, Albus, starting as a measly first year. Maybe if their older brother Teddy was still around but he had graduated last year, leaving James all alone.

"I won't! I won't be a Slytherin!" Albus yelled suddenly.

Annoyed, Ginny glanced back. "James, I don't know why you and Teddy put this in his head. I had hoped you would be more mature than to work your brother up like this."

"I only said he might be," James said, grinning at his younger brother. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slytherin."

Ginny sent a glare that would have made Molly Weasley proud, effectively silencing the raven haired teen. Figuring it was safer to get out of dodge, James shifted his grip on his trolley and pushed ahead of his family, throwing a grin at his brother before pushing through the barrier and onto Platform 9¾. The last thing he heard before he disappeared into the brick was his father saying, "Let him go, Gin."

Once on the platform, James went off in search for his older brother, whom he knew was coming to see his girlfriend off. Not seeing his characteristic blue hair on the crowded platform, James lugged his trunk onto the train, stowing it in an empty compartment before heading back to the corridor to find Teddy and Victoire. Near the end of the train, he found them tucked into the corner of a compartment in a heated snogging session.

"Bloody hell, guys! My poor, innocent eyes!" James said as he threw open the door.

Teddy and Victoire broke apart, both sending a cold glare at James.

"The day you have innocent eyes is the day we go out without someone asking for Dad's autograph – as in, never. And nobody asked you to interrupt, Jay."

"The other option was to stay with the fam and that wasn't going to happen. Al was having some kind of fit about the Sorting."

"Be nice, James. If I remember correctly, you were pretty nervous our first year and kept bugging Teddy for inside information," Victoire said as she straightened her hair from where Teddy had been running his hands through it. "Now, if you don't mind, I was saying goodbye to my boyfriend, who I won't get to see for weeks, and that is only if he can get off work for the first Hogsmeade weekend –"

"I'm trying. I'm trying," Teddy interrupted. Victoire just ignored him.

"So why don't you be a good little boy and scamper."

James looked back and forth between Teddy and Victoire. "I can't decide if I should go into protective brother or cousin mode so I'll just say don't do anything I wouldn't do." With an evil grin. He whipped around and left.

As he shut the door he heard Teddy call out, "That doesn't exclude much!"

James headed back out to the platform. His parents had found his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione and the younger Potters were both whispering with Rose and Hugo. Smiling, he bound towards his family.

"Hey. Teddy's back there," he said, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him. And guess what he's doing," he asked in a dry tone, as if it was obvious, because it was. Teddy and Victoire were a legend among the Weasley-Potter families. "Snogging Victoire."

"You interrupted them?" his mum asked. "You are so like Ron – "

"He told me to go away," James added helpfully.

"Oh, it would be so lovely if they got married!" whispered Lily ecstatically.

"He and Victoire could live in our room and I could move in with Al." James suggested.

"No," Harry said firmly, "you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished. Frankly, I have no idea how you and Teddy didn't destroy it but I'm not taking any more chances."

Harry checked the watch that James knew had once belonged to Fabian Prewett, his grandmum's bother.

"It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."

"Don't forget to give Neville our love!" Ginny told James as she hugged him.

"Mum!" James said in exasperation. "I can't give a professor love."

"But you know Neville –"

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him love." James smirked and gave his mother a peck on her cheek. "Just joking. I'll pass the message along." Aiming a kick at Albus, he said, "See you later, Al. Watch out for thestrals."

"I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!"

James smiled back at his brother before giving his dad a quick hug and climbing onto the train. He headed to the compartment were he had left his trunk and found it still empty. Figuring his friends would find him, he pulled out his pack of Exploding Snap and set about building a mini-Hogwarts out of cards.

It was only five minutes into his final year at Hogwarts but James knew the coming year was going to be great!