I finally got around to putting something up! This is my first fanfic, so reviews would be great. It's kind of boring so far, but things get going in the next chapter. JKR owns pretty much everything here (except the stuff that I made up : P), if you didn't know. I'm almost done with the second chapter, so I'll post that soon.

Chapter 1 ~ Anxiety and a New Friend

Albus Severus Potter strolled down the train, looking for a compartment that was not already filled to the brim with students. Rose Weasley walked alongside him, chatting lightly about whatever popped into her head. Albus listened and nodded when appropriate, but truly he was lost in thought. His father's recent words had calmed him a bit, but his mind was still spinning with the fear of being sorted into Slytherin house. Albus thought that perhaps his father had been lying to make him feel better. How could Harry Potter ever be considered for Slytherin? He had been the model Gryffindor, the brave Quidditch jock who saved the day and became a hero practically fifty times over. Albus so wanted to be like his father, and if he was sorted into Slytherin, he would never be able to complete his goal. If that happened, he couldn't even imagine…

"Here's a place! There's only one kid in here," said Rose.

"Umm… Can we sit here?" Albus asked the small boy in the corner of the compartment.

"Oh, uh, sure," he said quietly. His large brown eyes looked up at them, simultaneously full of wonder and anxiety. He was not yet in his robes, still wearing his Muggle t-shirt and faded blue jeans. Rose and Albus sat down, initiating a long awkward silence in which the three just stared at each other. Albus still was far too lost in thought to pay attention to anything, and the other boy seemed paralyzed by his nervousness. After realizing that neither of the boys was going to talk without provocation, Rose introduced herself in her usual cheerful manner.

"Hello, I'm Rose Weasley and this is Albus Potter. What's your name?"

The small boy gazed apprehensively at her and squeaked, "You two know each other? I knew I'd be left out here. I don't know anyone."

"That's okay," Albus reassured, stepping out of his thoughts for a moment. "A lot of people come in without knowing anyone. My dad did."

"So did my mum," Rose said kindly. The boy seemed so small and scared, she just wanted to run over and give him a big hug.

"My name's Mitchell Brown," he said, heaving a sigh and seeming a bit relieved. "Nice to meet you."

Suddenly the compartment door swung open, revealing James and his cronies, the Scamander boys. Lorcan and Lysander, James' constant partners in crime at Hogwarts, were nearly identical. Tall and blond, with warm brown eyes and a tendency for mischief, they were practically the reincarnation of the Weasley twins. Well, except for the fact that George was still alive, and they allowed themselves to be bested in pranks by the eldest Potter boy. James definitely lived up to his name, and he did not want his little brother or cousin to ruin his reputation. Not that he had much of one, being a second year…

"There you are, Al. Hey, who's the midget?" he inquired rudely.

"I'm not a midget, if it's me you're referring to," said Mitchell defiantly.

"Don't worry, Mitchell, he's just my brother. He's always like that," Albus informed him. He looked over at Mitchell approvingly; he had been starting to think that the kid didn't have any guts, but his response to James' insult made Albus think that Mitchell had some Gryffindor in him.

"Anyways, I wanted to relieve myself of Gran's famous Hogwarts Express sandwiches and came here to deliver them to the unsuspecting first years," James drawled.

"Well, now they're going to suspect something since you said that, James," laughed Lysander, the more talkative of the two eccentric brothers, in his slow smooth voice. "Let's go back to our compartment."

"Sorry littlies, we've got big kid stuff to do!" James said in a cutesy voice before walking off. The blond brothers gave a quick wave and were off as well.

"He's only one year older than me, but he still says stuff like that," Albus shook his head, thinking of how cocky James had gotten since he had started at Hogwarts. Then he turned to face what James had left him. It was a tradition every year for Molly Weasley (their grandmother, not their cousin) to make sandwiches for all of her grandkids for the train ride, just like she had for her kids growing up. Apparently, they were so disgusting that they were always given to the first years. Usually the first years weren't gullible enough to eat them.

"Hey, can I have one of those?" Mitchell asked. "I'm starving."

"You do know that a food cart will come around pretty soon. Maybe in twenty minutes or so. The food on there is tons better than those." Rose informed him.

"Really? Anyways, I don't care. Can you just pass one here?"

Albus and Rose admired the boy's courage as he took a ham and cheese sandwich out of a brown paper bag. They intently watched as he took a bite of the moldy looking bread.

"Mmmm. This is…amazing! It tastes like candy!" Mitchell declared.

"What?" Rose and Albus exclaimed simultaneously.

"Seriously! It tastes like… I can't place it."

Albus swiped the sandwich from his hand, took a steady bite, and chewed. "Hmmm…Fizzing Whizbee. Gran must've spelled it. Wonder if all of them taste the same? Jeez, everyone else's been missing out all these years. Guess it's a good thing we're the ones who discovered this!"

"What's Fizzing Whizbee?" asked Mitchell.

Albus and Rose looked at each other in awe. The wizarding child who didn't know the wonders of Fizzing Whizbees must be extremely unfortunate.

"I…I've never heard of most of this before. You see, both my parents are non-magical."

"Oh, you're Muggle-born. That makes a lot of sense then," Rose stated.

"Is it that obvious, then? I knew it. I'm going be so far behind everybody else! I mean you guys grew up with wizards didn't you? You must know tons about magic and I know absolutely nothing!" Mitchell seemed to twitch with anxiety.

Rose gave him a comforting smile and a friendly pat on the knee. "Don't worry. Everybody starts off at pretty much the same place. I mean, people who grew up in wizarding families like Albus and I tend to have more general knowledge about magical things, but we really can't cast any spells or anything like that."

Mitchell seemed to perk up a bit more after hearing that and went back to his Fizzing Whizbee sandwich. For the rest of the ride, they all chatted a bit, and later Albus and Mitchell shoved Rose out so they could change into their robes. Finally, the train came to a halt as they arrived at the station. Albus nearly flung himself out of the train with excitement. His nervousness had vanished, replaced by sheer anticipation. He was finally here. Hogwarts. The place where he could make a name for himself.

Please let me know what you think! Read and review!