since a young age, lysander scamander had the inevitable knack for figuring things out. he was a very skilled learner and he always found a way to understand things. the gryffindor seeker strived to do his best at everything he did, whether it be sports, academics, or just being a good person. the boy was very open; he would help others and give people whatever they needed, including his heart, which, figuratively speaking, he passed around like a hot potato. he was perfectly content dealing with other peoples' problems, but when it came to his very own problems, he hadn't the slightest idea of what to do. 

like his mother, lysander tended to get lost in his thoughts, but he wasn't quite as... peculiar as his mother. there was nothing wrong with luna lovegood-scamander, she just tended to always be lost in her thoughts.

"aye," lorcan said, waving his hands in front of his twin's face, "zander, come on, we need to find the others." 

"right," lysander spoke, coming back to reality. "well, bye mum, bye dad." lorcan and lysander took their turns hugging their parents goodbye on the 9 3/4 platform before they left for their fifth year at hogwarts.

"i'll be away for a lot of the train ride due to my prefect responsibilities," lorcan spoke, climbing the steps onto the train after his brother. 

"yes, yes, mister lorcan scamander of hufflepuff house must guard le train," lysander mocked jokingly, rolling his eyes.

"you know, you could spend time with your friends for once. you're starting to sound a lot like that percy bloke that ron weasley told us about. 

"or, you could be happy for your brother for achieving this role," lorcan mumbled. lysander turned around to face his twin while they stood in front of the compartment door. 

placing his hands on lorcan's shoulders, lysander spoke. "i am happy for you. now let's scare the shit out of these witches, whadaya say, mate?"

lorcan chuckled and shook his head. "better get on with it, then." lysander took that as his cue to burst into the compartment, growling and gargling like the professional drama queen that he was, earning screams from the girls and boys that witnessed it.

"damn you—"

"GALE!"

"dude, you gotta stop with the movie references," albus potter said to addison hansen, a sixth year gryffindor that the twins had befriended in their second year. 

"dude, you gotta stop calling me dude. i am dating your friend, and unless there's something he's not telling me, that seems to be a pretty valid reason to support the claim that i am, in fact, a female."

"hi addy," lorcan sighed, sitting down on the floor in front of his girlfriend.

"hi baby, how was your summer?"

"merlin's soggy underpants, GET A ROOM!"

"oh grow up, lysander. it's not our fault you can't get some," lorcan bantered, teasing his brother. 

"what are you saying? you're fifteen and already— oh 'ello lily and hugo!" lysander said, completely changing the subject as his best friends entered the crowded compartment. the weasleys, potters, and scamanders has been kept together practically since birth, so the families found friends in each other as they learned and thrived together. lily had been sorted into gryffindor, along with hugo and lysander, while lorcan found himself in hufflepuff.

although lysander was a sweet and charming boy, he was also very... james sirius potter-ish, for lack of a better word. you could often find him joking and teasing and doing things just for the fun of it. james sirius had been lysander's role model for as long as he could remember, and james had been very open to sharing his tricks with the younger boy. 

"well, ladies and gents, i'm off. pr—"

"—efect duty calls," lysander mocked in a high pitched voice, making a face that made everyone laugh. 

"yeah," lorcan chuckled, "that."

as soon as the prefect walked out, callen jacobsen spoke up. "alright here's the game plan: sleepover in our dorm, be there by eleven. lysander, you and hugo are responsible for food, albus and scorp—"

"pillows and blankets, got it."

"right. lily and rose, movies; addy, you bring your polaroid and wizard camera, just in case. get it? got it? good. i'll see you all then," she finished, rising and making her way towards the door. 

"cal, where are you going?" lysander asked her with furrowed eyebrows. 

"i'm off to michael's compartment. he wanted to talk," she said over her shoulder, walking out.  

"use protection!" he bellowed after her as the door slid shut with a click.

"lysander elliot scamander, shut the fuck up and sit your arse in a proper seat."

slowly, lysander turned around to face rose weasley. "no."

"ooh you're gonna get it!" rose said, glaring at the boy before slamming her book shut and whacking him in the head with it. lysander stood up and opened the compartment door, running out with rose hot on his heels. she had her book raised over her head, ready to hit him as soon as she could. she looked like an absolute crazy person, which to be honest, she was.
lysander kept running, turning his head back to see if he had lost her, when instead, he should have been looking ahead, because as soon as he turned the corner, he ran smack-dab into someone.

the girl groaned beneath him, the impact having knocked the breath out of her.

"blimey," lysander groaned, clutching both his head and shoulder as he rolled on the ground trying not to yell. he clenched his teeth as he lay on the floor.

"bloody hell, what were you thinking?" the girl asked him, holding her own head in her hands. 

"i was trying to get away from—" his eyes shot open and he immediately looked around for his cousin. he sighed in relief as he came to the realisation that he had lost her. he stood up, his eyes screwing shut involuntarily from the pain in his left shoulder and forehead, then held out his hand for the girl. 

"i'm terribly sorry about that. could i make it up to you?"

"that's alright. although a butterbeer would be nice sometime," she smiled. 

"if that's what you wish. i'm lysander scamander. i don't believe i've seen you before."

"laurel. i'm sure you have. but i've got to go, so see you around."

"wait, what's your last name?" he called after her. 

she turned around, walking backwards, and smiled at him. "wouldn't you like to know?"

"uhm, yes?!" he called back to the mysterious girl.