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[Lucy Holland]

Lucy knew it was far too early to actually be getting ready for school, but that hadn't stopped her from getting ready. Dad could remind her that it was four months away all he liked, but Lucy already had the clothes she wanted to bring to Hogwarts set aside, several of the textbooks she would be studying from half-read on her shelf, a list of allowed pets and pros and cons for each one lying on her desk. Deep down she knew that dad was right, that once she got to school she'd regret not spending these last few months appreciating her life at home, but right now it was too hard to think about anything but Hogwarts.

So, when the doorbell rung, Lucy still had just one thing on her mind. "I'VE GOT IT!" She yelled as she hurried downstairs just in case Dad was around, though she knew he was likely already out in his greenhouse. She opened the door quickly, face lighting up immediately. "ROSE!" She yelled, throwing her arms around her oldest sister and pulling her into a hug. She had been waiting for her older sister's visit all day, eager to get to her before their dad did. "Roooose, I'm going in four months!"

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose made a habit of going to her parent's every week, mostly to help her dad out in the greenhouse. She never quite achieved her dream of becoming a herbologist, but she still enjoyed helping him out iwth the plants. It shouldn't have been a surprise to be greeted by her youngest sister, but Rose still stumbled as Lucy threw herself at her after opening the door. "Hey, you!" She said, pulling her into a hug. Her youngest sister always startled Rose a bit with how big she was. How was she almost old enough to go to Hogwarts? Rose could remember when she was born. She was getting old. She knew her sister was counting down until Hogwarts, but decided to pretend to forget. She tapped her chin. "Going? Going where? Are mum and dad taking you on a trip?" She asked, pretending to think.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy rolled her eyes at the joke, giving Rose a Look. "Rooooose, I'm not a little kid anymore!" She insisted, bouncing slightly on her heels. "I'm going to Hogwarts in September! It's so soon!" She grinned, bouncing around Rose. "Tell me everything about Hogwarts! Are there really secret passages and hidden rooms? Can you tell me where they are?!"

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose shook her head, still tapping her chin. "No, no, that's not it." She said, stepping inside. "There's no way you're already big enough to go to Hogwarts. Surely you are just going on a trip." She teased, walking past her sister and ruffling her hair. She laughed at her questions. "Lucy, you've been asking about Hogwarts since you could talk. I've told you all of that. Dad is probably waiting for me." She said, though she lingered. She loved spending time with her youngest sister, and it was now hitting her that she was about to be gone for quite a while.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy rolled her eyes, shoving Rose lightly. "You were at my eleventh birthday party!" She said pointedly, following right on Rose's heels. She knew her oldest sister was only teasing, but she was still determined to get some answers out of her. "Not *those* questions!" She insisted. "Dad can wait, he's probably talking to his stupid mandrakes. I'm going soon, I wanna talk about school!"

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose huffed and poked Lucy's shoulder. "I wasn't just at your party, I made your totally awesome cake too, remember?" She said as she made her way inside. "Is mum home?" She asked Lucy. Even though Claudia retired after her time as minister, Rose was puzzled to find her as busy as before. She was pretty sure her mother just didn't know how to relax. "And you know, you will be learning about stupid mandrakes at school, and they're not so stupid when they knock you out with a cry." She teased her.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Exactly, so you know I'm starting school soon!" She insisted, not letting up. She shrugged at the question, looking around. "Must not be, I haven't seen her since this morning." Though her mum had been home a lot more since her term as Minister ended, Lucy still wasn't always sure what she was doing all the time. Whatever it was, Lucy still spent a lot of time at home with Dad. She rolled her eyes at the comment about Mandrakes. "Dunno, sounds pretty stupid." She teased.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose smiled and turned to Lucy. "Fine, I might have known." She admitted. "It's weird, though. Can't you just stay ten for another year?" She teased. It wasn't a big surprise to hear mum wasn't home, and Rose nodded. She laughed. "It would be pretty stupid if you were knocked out. Your teacher will tell you to wear earmuffs." Rose said. "Fine, you get... five questions." She said, holding up five fingers as she sat down in a chair.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy rolled her eyes. "No!" She said firmly. "I'm ready for school!" She snorted, eyeing her sister. "I never said I wouldn't! I just said Mandrakes are stupid!" She insisted, though she relaxed immediately when Rose sat down. "Only five?" She groaned, thinking carefully. "I... okay... hmm." She said, pacing as she weighed up her options. "Where's the best place in the school to hang out?" She asked after a moment, figuring that was a pretty important place to start.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose laughed softly when Lucy yelled she was ready for school. She reminded her of Diana sometimes when she was little, though she wasn't going to say that. "Five for now. Maybe you can help me and dad and ask more in the greenhouse." She suggested. The question made Rose think for a moment. "I loved the common room, but I don't know if the other ones were as good as Gryffindor. I also loved hanging out outside on the lawn, there's just a lot of grass around the castle and you can play games out there and look at the forest." She paused. "From a distance."

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy perked up immediately at the promise of more answers, nodding quickly. She liked helping in the greenhouse as it was, and maybe she would be able to pry more answers out of her oldest sister. She had asked her parents questions too of course, but their Hogwarts was so different from the one she would be going to. She nodded seriously at Rose's suggestions, taking them all in, though her eyes widened at the last comment. "Did you ever go in the forest?"

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose winced at Lucy's question, she knew she shouldn't have mentioned the forest. She hesitated for a moment. She didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want to encourage bad behavior. Especially anything dangerous. "Well, yes. But you shouldn't." She said firmly.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy's eyes widened immediately. "No way!" She breathed, leaning closer. "What did you do there? What was it like?"

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose grinned and held up two fingers. "That's two more questions, Lucy. Are you sure?" She asked teasingly.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy's face twisted in frustration as she tried to choose just one. "Mmmmmfine, what was it like?"

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose decided to exaggarate a bit, as she really didn't want Lucy to go into that forest. It was weird to look at it from an adult's perspective now. She really shouldn't have gone in there either. "Very scary. And also kind of boring. Both." She said quickly.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy squinted at Rose, not even remotely buying it. "Okay, and what's the real answer?" She said pointedly.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose groaned as Lucy saw right through her. "Fine, it was kind of fun, but we didn't really ever see anything too interesting. It's mostly just a forest. That's not a lie." She said. "And you should wait until at least... your third year, so you know a few spells. Just in case." She added.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy nodded thoughtfully as she took in the answer, much more inclined to believe this one. "Fine, I'll think about it." She sighed, already mentally jumping to her next question. "What are... the worst foods? So I know what to avoid."

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose laughed. "I think you should avoid the beets since you don't like them. I wasn't a big fan of the peas myself." She said. "Is that really what you want your last question to be about? The food?"

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy frowned. "That's not my last one!" She snapped. "I've asked four." Lucy held up a hand, counting them off as she did. "Where to hang out, if you went in the forest, what the forest is like, and what not to eat. I've still got one more!"

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose laughed. "Maybe I should go back to school and learn to count." She joked. "Fine, then what is your final question?"

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy couldn't help a small snort of laughter, pausing to consider her final question seriously. "...What's something you wish you had known when you went to school?"

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose pondered her question for a moment, taking it seriously. "I'm going to sound like an old lady when I say this, but... how quickly it goes by." She told Lucy. "So make sure to enjoy it all and have a lot of fun, okay?"

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy did her best not to roll her eyes at Rose's advice, but she wasn't entirely sure she was succeeding. "I will." She promised. "That is old lady advice, though." She added.