The Next Generation: Year One [a Harry Potter fanfiction]

Prolouge

Title: The Next Generation: Year One

Author: JJ Murilega

Rating: M for graphic violence, possible swearing, and mild/implied sex

Summary: Echo Thorin is entering Hogwarts in the same year as Albus Severus Potter, Rose Weasley, and Scorpius Malfoy. He expects things to get a little complicated once he finds out that his new friend is famous, but what the young boy doesn't know is just how much he'll learn about himself and his family along the way. Follow Echo on his journey of love, passion, pain, blood, and battles. Only one thing is for certain – by the time seven years are up, Echo, and everyone around him, will never be the same again.

Parings: Albus Severus/MaleOC, Rose/Scorpius, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, others

Warnings: slash, fem!slash, het, possible cross-dressing, lesbians and gays, blood/violence, sexy situations

Disclaimer: JK owns HP. Short and sweet. ;)

Prolouge

A bed large enough to hold at least ten people comfortably sat in the upper left hand corner of a large, ornately but tastefully decorated bedroom. White sheets and a comforter decorated with swirls of gold and tan were tangled around a balled up form on the right side of the bed, forming a sort of cocoon. The cocoon shifted a few times. A moment later, an annoyed sigh was heard from under the covers. Part of said cover was then thrown aside, revealing the form of a woman.

At 5'1'', the twenty-something looking woman was fairly short, but fit. Her bed-head hair was cropped short and black and had a purple sheen to it, her bleary eyes deep black. The upper part of her nicely shaped tanned frame wasn't hidden by anything as she looked around the room tiredly. She yawned largely, her black cat ears twitching slightly as her black cat's tail began to wave lazily in the air behind her.

Eyes clearing from their sleepy haze, the woman pushed aside the rest of the covers – revealing that she indeed had no clothes on – and swung her legs over the side of the bed, hopping off. She stretched for a minute, her tail straightening before relaxing with the rest of her body. Peering around the room, the woman pulled on the first things she saw, which happened to be brown and pink stripped boy shorts and an old brown camisole. Scratching one of her ears, the woman walked out of the room. Several hallways and two flights of stairs later, she stood in the door way of a large, well-equipped kitchen.

Standing in said kitchen was a woman at least four or five inches taller and maybe a few years older than the other. Her midnight black hair was cut short at the back of her neck but gradually got longer until it was a few inches past her shoulders in the front. Her skin, hidden slightly by a loosely tied red-with-black-trim silk robe, was inhumanly pale. Leaning against the counter top, purple eyes looked down at the granite with a sad, wistful gaze.

The cat woman leaned against the door-less entry way with her arms crossed, a small smile on her face.

"I'm feeling a bit lost," the taller woman admitted without turning around.

"Because they're gone?" the shorter woman asked.

"Yes. I know, some of them are gone for the third year in a row now but…somehow, it's different this year."

The cat woman chuckled. "It's because all of them are gone now," she replied knowingly. "We've always at least had one of them home with us. But now…" she looked around with the same wistful look as the other woman. "Now they're all gone."

A moment of silence passed between the two before the cat-eared woman walked up behind the other. Her arms went around the taller woman's waist from behind, her lips resting on the back of the other's bare right shoulder, the other relaxing into the shorter woman's embrace.

A moment later, the taller woman gave a short, soft laugh. "You know, I never used to feel this sort of pain before I met you."

The cat eared woman smiled against pale skin. "I know. It's all a part of being in love, Lydia dear."

"It's annoying is what it is, Riann."

A muffled giggle. "I would say 'I'm sorry' but…"

"But you're not," Lydia finished, turning so she faced Riann, who in turn removed her hands.

"For showing you love? No." Riann stepped forward and placed her hands on the counter on either side of Lydia's waist. She leaned forward, placing a chastise kiss on the pale skin above Lydia's heart. When she spoke again, her voice was much softer. "For bringing you pain? Yes."

Lydia sighed, dropping her chin to rest atop Riann's head, careful of her cat ears. "This is pathetic," she said. "We only saw them off a few hours ago and already I miss them."

Another chuckle from Riann as she looked up into Lydia's annoyed face. "Well, look at the bright side."

Lydia frowned, suspicious as she looked down into the shorter woman's face. "What bright side?"

"Well," Riann began slyly, wrapping her arms loosely around her lover's neck, "for one, we have the house to ourselves for the first time in years. I don't know about you, but I'd like to take advantage of that little fact."

Lydia grinned, catching on and leaning back as Riann's left leg found its way between hers, shifting them apart some. "Oh, really? And just how did you plan to do that?"

"Oh, I had a few ideas." Riann kissed her lover's collar bone lightly as her tail worked on getting the black sash tying her lover's robe together undone, causing said lover to shiver in arousal.

"Really now?" Lydia teased breathlessly. She tipped her lover's head upwards to kiss her, their tongues swirling together heatedly.

Riann moaned, settling herself more surely against her lover as they deepened the kiss and the silk robe silently dropped to the floor.