Harry Potter 1. Prologue

**Prologue- Winter, 1995**

The little blue house in downtown Surrey looked just like any other on the street. By looking at the house, no one would ever think there was anything unusual about it. And indeed, to some, the house, and it's inhabitant would seem completely normal. But even in the owner's life of magic, she was considered unusual. Inside the house, in a comfortable living area, a fire crackled merrily in the hearth. The woman was sitting in the small, overstuffed armchair in front of the fire with a newspaper floating open in front of her. The heading of the article the women was reading said 'Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lies?' The woman chuckled quietly at something in the article.

"Foolish ministry. Why can't they just look Potter in the face and admit, 'He's back'?" The woman sighed, shaking her head. The cat in the women's lap mewed indigently, as she had stopped petting him. The smile stayed on her face as resumed the gentle stroking of the cat.

"Not to worry, Romulus. Soon, they will have to admit that the Dark Lord is indeed back, and when they do, the chaos will be... most amusing." the woman murmured to the striped cat now purring contently in her lap. The woman gazed at the picture in the article. The young black haired boy wasn't smiling, his green eyes dull with no emotion.

"The boy shall kill the Dark Lord," she mused. "I can sense it. But he will not survive even after that." The woman chuckled slightly at that. She looked at the picture again. "Yes, Harry Potter will die, if I can help it. He will pay, in some way." And with that, the woman waved her wand, closing the newspaper, and started to pet her cat again, the wrinkles in her hand being caught in the firelight.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One- The Platform**

Albus Potter trailed after his older brother, James, arguing with him. "I won't! I won't be a Slytherin!" He cried furiously as he and his family started to make their way to the barrier to platform 9 and three quarters.

"James, give it a rest!" said Albus's mother.

"I only said he might be," said James, grinning back at Albus. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slytherin" But James caught their mother's eye and fell silent, and, for the first time, Albus was grateful for his mother's stare. The five Potters approached the barrier. With a slightly cocky look over his shoulder at Albus, James took the trolley from their mother and broke into a run. A moment later, he had vanished.

"You'll write to me, won't you?" Albus asked his parents immediately, capitalizing on the momentary absence of his brother, for he would never let James hear him ask that.

"Every day, if you want us to," said his mother.

"Not every day," said Albus quickly, "James says most people only get letters from home about once a month."

"We wrote to James three times a week last year," said Mum.

"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Dad put in. "He likes a laugh, your brother." Albus thought that was an understatement, considering how James had pranked him all summer just to laugh at Al every day.

Side by side, Albus and his dad pushed the second trolley forward, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Albus winced, and, despite everything he knew, expected to slam into the wall, but no collision came. Instead, his family emerged onto platform nine and three-quarters, which was obscured by thick white steam that was pouring from the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist, into which James had already disappeared.

"Where are they?" asked Albus anxiously, peering at the hazy forms they passed as they made their way down the platform.

"We'll find them," said Mum reassuringly.

But the vapor was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces. Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud, and Albus thought he heard Fred and James talking about some prank, and he was glad he couldn't see them.

"I think that's them, Al," said Mum suddenly.

A group of four people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Albus and his family had drawn right up to them.

"Hi," said Albus, immensely relieved.

Rose, who was already wearing her brand-new Hogwarts robes, beamed at him.

"How was your summer, Albus? Did James tease you relentlessly?"

"It's James, what do you think?" he grumbled. Rose laughed, and Al smiled slightly at her. Albus saw his dad and uncle Ron put his trunk and owl onto the train. Then, Albus and Rose made their way to where Lily and Hugo, Rose's younger brother and Albus's younger sister, were having an animated discussion about which House they would be sorted into when they finally went to Hogwarts.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Uncle Ron, "but no pressure."

"Ron!"

Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus looked at Rose and saw what was probably the twin, solemn look on his face.

"He doesn't mean it," said Aunt Hermione and Mum, but Uncle Ron was no longer paying

attention, Albus noticed. Catching Dad's eye, he nodded covertly to a point some fifty yards away. Both Rose and Albus strained to hear what their fathers' were saying. The steam had thinned for a moment, and three people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.

"Look who it is."

A blond man was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. The boy resembled the man as much as Albus resembled his dad. Rose whispered in Albus's ear.

"That's Draco Malfoy, the man my dads always complaining about." Mr. Malfoy caught sight of Dad, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and Mum staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again, and at the same time, the boy looked up from where his mother was fussing over him and caught Albus's eye for a split second.

"So that's little Scorpius," said Uncle Ron under his breath, and Al had to snort slightly, even though he had heard the boys name before. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Aunt Hermione, half stern, half amused as Rose beamed at her father. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," said Uncle Ron, but unable to help himself, it seemed to Albus, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood." Rose blushed at this, and said under her breath to Al, "I've never even met the boy!"

"Hey!"

James had reappeared, and Albus immediately shrank away from his brother; James had divested himself of his trunk, owl, and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news.

"Teddy's back there," he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!"

He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction. Albus thought that it should have been obvious that Teddy and Victoire liked each other.

"Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin! And I asked teddy what he was doing -"

"You interrupted them?" said Mum. "You are so like Ron -"

"- and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's snogging her!" James added as though worried he had not made himself clear.

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" whispered Lily ecstatically. "Teddy would really be part of the family then!"

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," said Dad "Why don't we just invite him to live with is and have done with it?"

"Yeah!" said James enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing with Al-Teddy could have my room!" Albus was about to protest, horrified, when Dad said firmly, "No, you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished."

He checked the battered old watch that he had always had, at least it seemed like that to Albus. "It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."

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

"Mum! I can't give a professor love!"

"But you know Neville-"

James rolled his eyes.

"Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him love. . . ."

Shaking his head at his mother's foolishness, he vented his feelings by aiming a kick at Albus, who tried, and failed, to avoid it.

"See you later, Al. Watch out for the thestrals."

"I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!" Al exclaimed hysterically to his parents,

but James merely laughed, permitted their mother to kiss him, gave their father a fleeting hug, then leapt onto the rapidly filling train. Albus saw him wave, then sprint away up the corridor to find his friends.

"Thestrals are nothing to worry about," Dad told Albus. "They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats."

Mum kissed Albus good-bye.

"See you at Christmas."

"Bye, Al," said Dad as Al hugged him. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone till you're learned how. And don't let James wind you up."

"What if I'm in Slytherin?"

The whisper was for his father alone, and only the arrival of departure forced Albus to reveal how great and sincere that fear was.

Dad crouched down so that Albus's face was slightly above his own. Alone of Albus and his siblings, he had inherited Dad's eyes.

"Ablus Severus," Dad said quietly, so that nobody but Mum could possibly hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Rose, who had boarded the train already, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."

"But just say-" Al started.

"-then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

"Really?"

"It did for me," said Dad.

He had never told any of his children that before, and the wonder Albus'

felt was too immense to be expressed in words. But now the doors were slamming all along the scarlet train, and the blurred outlines of parents swarming forward for final kisses, last-minute reminders, Albus jumped into the carriage and Mum closed the door behind him.

Students were hanging from the windows nearest them. A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned toward Dad.

"Why are they all staring?" demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students.

"Don't let it worry you," said Uncle Ron. "It's me, I'm extremely famous."

Albus, Rose, Hugo, and Lily laughed. The train began to move, and Albus saw Dad walk alongside it, watching Al's face, which he felt was probably already ablaze with excitement. Dad kept smiling and waving, even though Al felt like it was like a little foreboding, staring back. But even so, Albus kept staring and waving at his father out the window until his dad's face faded from view and Albus turned to face the Hogwarts Express, picking up his truck as well as he could, and started down the carriage, looking for his cousin.


	3. Sorry!

**Ok, I have not updated ****_ever. _****And, I'm sorry. But I am really busy right now, with school, and my school play. Also, I'm writing an actual book, and in all of this I don't know when I'll get to update. Again, I'm sorry, but there is a lot going on.**


	4. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

**I've got a few things to say. **

**1\. I'm sorry for not updating. I was really stuck for a while and didn't know how to finish it. I just finished ch. 2 like 10 mins ago.**

**2\. I know harry Potter and the Cursed Child is happening. If you don't know (have you been living under a rock?) it's a play by J. K. Rowling about Harry as an auror and also about Albus's first year at Hogwarts. I am still going to write this story. I have the plot all figured out already and I very recently regained my writing spirit. This story is becoming an AU, as of now. I'm keeping away from what J. K.'s writing and am sticking with the plot I have. I'm pumped for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, don't get me wrong. I just need to write this.**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing except for the slew of OC's that are coming soon. J. K. Rowling owns the Potters, the Weasleys, the Malfoy's, and everything else. **

**Chapter Two- The New Boy**

Albus was making his way through the carriage looking for Rose, when he heard someone call his name. He looked up from the floor and saw his cousin waving from inside a compartment. Albus made his way over, and only then did he hear the whispers; "Yes, Potter!", "looks just like him!", "Not like the other one.", "He's right there!". Albus ignored these whispers as best he could, and then made his way right outside the compartment Rose was still waving at him from.

"Hey, Rose."

"Here, let me help you with your trunk." Rose grabbed one end, Al grabbed the other, and they pushed it into the compartment, onto one of the racks above the seats. Albus looked at the compartment now. There were only two other people sitting in the compartment: Alice Longbottom and her best friend, Al's cousin Roxanne Weasley.

"'ello Albus." Roxanne called, not looking up from the game of Exploding Snap she and Alice had already started. Albus and Rose sat down as the train started chugging slowly to Hogwarts.

Just as they were settling into the carriage and Rose had already joined the game of exploding snap, there came a tentative knock on the door. They all glanced up as the door slid open. Draco Malfoy's son stood in the doorway to the compartment, looking awkward.

"Um, sorry to bother you, but all of the other compartments seemed to be full. Is it okay if I sit here?"

Rose looked over to Albus and he nodded his head. Rose smiled, "Sure. Why not? I'm Rose Weasley, by the way." She stood and stuck out her hand towards the boy.

Taking her hand, he said, "I'm Scorpius Malfoy."

Rose took part of his trunk, helping him put it in a rack. Albus stood up to help both of them, but Rose batted him away. After setting the suitcase down, Rose looked at Albus, a slight frown on her face. "Honestly Al, do you think that I can't lift a trunk? Oh," she said turning to Scorpius, "this is my cousin Albus Potter."

"Hey," Al said, waving slightly, then he immediately felt awkward about it.

"Oh, um, hi." Scorpius turned away from them at that and Albus figured that Scorpius must have heard about his dad, although what heard, good or bad, Al didn't know.

"Do you want to join in on exploding snap?" Albus asked, in an attempt to defuse the awkwardness, and then glanced over to see Roxanne giving him a look. "Oh, yeah, that's Roxanne Weasley, one of my other cousins, and Alice Longbottom." Scorpius hesitated for a moment, then he smiled slightly. "Sure," and with that, Scorpius sat down next to Albus.

As the train ride went on, Scorpius's shy attitude seemed to melt away, and he got just as much into the game as Rose had and seemed to be just as competitive as her.

"That's it," Rose said, throwing down her cards. She pointed a finger accusingly at Scorpius. "How can you _not _be cheating? There's no way your just that good at it!" Scorpius gave a lopsided little grin.

"I just have a lot of practice. My mum loves exploding snap and taught me how to play as soon as I was old enough to hold the cards. Well," he added, "she taught me how to beat my dad. He's rubbish at it and my mum loves making his life trouble." He let out a little laugh. Albus met Rose's eye. They had both heard about Scorpius's dad from their parents, although most of the time, their parents didn't know they were listening. Uncle Ron was always complaining about how Draco Malfoy was spoiled and stuck up, and Al has heard him say a few times that his son had to be exactly the same. But Scorpius seemed to be a rather normal kid, just like Albus and Rose. Then again, Al's mum and aunt Hermione often said that uncle Ron was full of it. Rose gave Albus a small smile, one that said it was worth getting to know Scorpius as he was and not as their parents seemed to think he was.

"Well then, maybe your mum taught you how to cheat." Rose said, turning back to the game, firm in her belief that Scorpius was somehow cheating. Albus rolled his eyes. "Rose, just because someone is finally better than you at exploding snap, it doesn't mean he's cheating. You just need to accept the fact that you have met your match."

Rose turned red as Scorpius laughed and Roxanne let out a little snort. Albus jumped, forgetting for a second that Roxanne was in the car. She was always so quiet, a stark difference from her brother Fred and father, who were always joking and trying to have as much attention as the could focused on them. Her mother wasn't quiet, but she wasn't as loud as her son or husband.

Al saw Rose's mouth open, and he sighed, expecting a long argument about how Scorpius had to be, without a doubt, cheating, but just as she was starting to speak, a knock came at the door, and it opened. The little old lady who came by with the candy trolley stood there, wearing a soft smile. "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

Rose was up as soon as the lady finished speaking. She bought so many chocolate frogs, Bertie-Botts every flavor beans, and other candies, Albus thought she'd probably get sick after eating them all. Except she was Rose and never seemed to get sick from food, even if she ate more than anyone else, even her dad. The rest of them all bought from the trolley, though they had significantly less than Rose, and all Roxanne bought was a bottle of pumpkin juice. Scorpius eyed Rose's haul with thinly veiled disgust. "How do you think you can eat all that?" He asked, incredulous. Rose looked at him with horror. "How could I not? It's candy! You can always eat candy!"

"Yes, but not so much candy that you'd puke after eating a quarter of it!" Scorpius looked desperately around the compartment. He locked eyes with Al. "Please tell me you agree with me! Or is your entire family filled with people who can eat a house?" Albus laughed.

"I can't eat hardly as much as Rose can. She's exactly like her dad. Uncle Ron always eats so much."

Scorpius gave Rose another disgusted look and turned away from her, eating a chocolate frog with a disbelieving expression. Rose stuck out her tongue at Scorpius's back.

The train ride continued on happily, with Rose and Scorpius bickering and Al getting them to stop and Roxanne and Alice steadfastly ignoring them. That is until Roxanne stood up and, "Come on, you three. We're almost at Hogwarts. We'd better change into our robes." They all took of their jackets and slid on their robes. Al glanced out the window and saw it was getting dark outside. The train also seemed to be slowing down.

A voice rang through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

The five of them put away their sweets, Rose stuffing hers in her pockets, and they joined the throng of students in the corridor. Albus lost sight of Roxanne and Alice as soon as they got out there.

"Try to not disappear, yeah?" He said to Rose. She rolled her eyes.

"I'll fine on my own, you know."

"Yeah, but I don't think I can go through the sorting just by myself." Rose rolled her eyes again, but gave him a small smile. Albus liked the fact that his best friend was his cousin. It meant they understood each other in the way only only a best friend could and in the way only family could.

Al noticed that Scorpius was looking awkward again, standing to the side of the hall. He didn't know if it was because the crowds of people were making him nervous or because of something else.

The train slowed down and pulled into the station. People were pushing their way toward the train doors and onto the tiny platform. The night air was cold and Albus shivered. Then a light came bobbing over the heads of the students.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Hagrid called over the crowd of children. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years?"

"C'mon." Albus gestured for Rose and Scorpius to follow him. Hagrid was still yelling for the first years to follow him.

"Firs' years! This way firs' - Oh, hello there Albus! Rose."

"Hello, Hagrid." The two said.

"Was yer - Oy! Keep following, you in the back!" A boy let out a squeak and scrambled to get back in line. "Was yer train ride ah right?" Hagrid asked them.

"Oh, it was fine!" Rose said.

"Hagrid," Al asked as they continued down the path they were on. "Is it alright if I bring a friend with me when Rose and I visit?" Albus looked to Scorpius, who was following along quietly.

"Ye already made a friend? Well, sure, I don't mind. I enjoy the company."

"Great." Al said.

They continued down the steep path for a little longer, then Hagrid called over his shoulder, "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec. It's jus' round the bend here." The path opened onto the edge of a great lake. There was a cry of "Ooooooh!" From the first years. Albus had seen pictures of Hogwarts before, but the actual sight was much more aw inspiring. It was a vast castle perched on a high mountain on the other side of the lake.

Hagrid pointed toward a fleet of small boats sitting on the water by the shore.

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius went to one of the boats and a girl with dark blue hair followed them into the boat.

"Wow!" The girl said, leaning over the side of the boat to look at the castle. "I knew Hogwarts was huge, but I didn't think it'd look like this!"

Before any of them could reply, Hagrid shouted to all of them. "Everyone in? Right then - FORWARD!"

The fleet of boats moved off all at once and glided over the lake. Everyone was quiet, staring up at Hogwarts. They were all in awe.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the first boats reached the cliff. They bent their heads and the boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that that hid an opening in the cliff face. They went through a dark tunnel that seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached something like an underground harbor. They all clambered out into rocks and pebbles.

Hagrid led them to a passageway in the Rock and they came out onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here?"

Albus looked toward Rose and Scorpius excitedly and saw they were just as excited as him.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.


End file.

Harry Potter, Drama, Friendship