Albus Potter sat down next to Rose as the train carefully rounded a corner, leaving the station behind it. Rose was fidgety, obviously excited to be going to Hogwarts. Even after everything James had said, Albus knew that he would love Hogwarts. It seemed so... brilliant. That was all there was to it. It was strange knowing that Albus wouldn't be seeing his parents again until Christmas, he had never been away from them for more than a day.

Rose jumped up and down on her chair again, her long red, slightly frizzy hair bouncing on her shoulders. She looked at Albus.

"What house do you think you'll be in Al?" She asked, trying to keep still.

"I'm not sure, I'd like to be in Gryffindor, but any house would be fine."

"Even Slytherin?" It took Al a moment to answer that question.

"Yeah, even Slytherin."

Rose stared at him for a second, but then continued, as if deciding it was an OK thing to be sorted into Slytherin. "I want to be in Gryffindor, but I suppose Ravenclaw would be a great house to be in too. I hope dad wasn't being serious before."

"Don't worry, Rose, he was joking." Albus said, laughing slightly. He wondered if his uncle would be disappointed if she were sorted into Ravenclaw. He doubted it though, Uncle Ron would always support his family. Rose smiled and started jumping up and down again.

It was just started to get dark when the compartment door slid open and James strode in. Albus could hear giggling outside. His friends were obviously just outside the door. Albus tried to ignore this and just looked at James instead.

"Hi Al, don't worry, I'm not here long, but mum wanted me to make sure you two were OK. I wont be bothering you much more, I swear."

"Thanks" Rose chimed in "We're OK, I've just been telling Al what the great hall will look like."

"Well, it's great." James said, trying to hide a smirk. Albus heard someone snort outside. "OK, gotta go. Remember to look for Hagrid when you get off Al." With that, James ran out of the compartment door and just as Albus got up to close it, a trolley appeared, with an old woman wearing a striped apron behind it.

"Would you like anything, dear?" She asked, smiling at Albus, her grey eyes twinkling. Albus pulled out a handful of sickles and came back into the compartment ladled with chocolate frogs. He was collecting.

He dropped them onto the seat between himself and Rose, and pulled one open. Rose looked at him hesitantly. "Help yourself!" He smiled, letting the frog jump around for a bit before popping it into his mouth. He pulled the card out. It was Bathilda Bagshot. He already had her five times, so he gave it to Rose.

" I know this woman!" Rose exclaimed without reading the back of the card. "She wrote Hogwarts: A History but no one knows when she died, because apparently she became possessed! These are mere rumours of course, but there must be some truth behind it."

Albus sat back in the chair when he and Rose finished all the rogs. He had gained one new card, and Rose had gained five. Each time she found a new one she gave him a brief history on them. Truth be told, Albus gained little from it, as he already read all of the card beforehand.

Only the reflection of the compartment could be seen outside of the window now. Albus could only think about how close they must be. Rose was practically squealing with delight. He had changed about an hour ago, not wanting to seem too excited. His heart was practically falling out now. Before midnight, he would be sorted into a house. He would be in his new dormitory.

Albus swore he could feel the train slow a little, and then a voice boomed out from the megaphone in the corridor. "We will be at Hogsmeade station is five minutes, please leave your luggage on the train as it will be taken up separately, I hope you enjoyed your ride."

Albus held onto Rose as she jumped and down, almost screaming. We're there, Albus thought, we're at Hogwarts. Albus could not bare the entirety of what was happening, but it was. He would walk into the school in the hour. He felt a little worried at the same time though, as though something would go wrong and he'd be sent back home. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to go back home.

The train slowed to a stand still and let out a final blast of steam. Albus could hear door after door sliding open down the train, footsteps running around outside. He slid open the compartment doors and let Rose out first. She ran down the corridor, Albus close behind. It felt like an eternity until they were at the nearest door, climbing down the steps of the train and onto the platform.

The cold air is what hit them first, whipping their faces with its bitterness. They looked around and spotted a huge light heading directly towards the station. The headed towards it, knowing that Hagrid would be the one carrying it. He was, and his eyes twinkled when he saw Rose and Albus heading towards him.

"Did yer travel here tergether then?" He asked them, shining the light around. They nodded at him, smiling.

"It's always good ter have yer friends around you on an important day like this." Hagrid chuckled. Rose and Albus grinned up at him. His hair was starting to turn a little grey, but he still looked young.

"Are all of you first years 'ere then?" He yells, his voice booming down the platform. A few people scurry over, and Hagrid looks at us all.

"OK. As you're all new 'ere, you're gonna be enterin' a different way to everyone else. Professor Fera will talk you through tha'. This way!"

Everyone moved forward in twos and threes behind Hagrid as he took the first years down a heavy embankment and across a field. We can't see Hogwarts from here. He took them down again and then we enter a cave. Hagrid had to stoop slightly. Albus and Rose are behind him, not saying a word. Albus felt his heart beating violently, and hoped no one could tell. The cave has slimy walls and every now and then someone would step on an old shell of an animal and scream. Soon though, the cave began to widen, and Albus could see daylight ahead of him.

As they left the cave, they gasped for clean air and Hagrid took them to little wooden building by the side of a lake. Once they were all outside, Hagrid turned to address them all. He explained that they would get to Hogwarts by boat, travelling across the black lake, and that they had to have three in a boat. People clambered to get in threes, but Albus and Rose waited until tere was one boy left. It was the boy Albus' uncle Ron had pointed out.

He didn't seem delighted either as he climbed in the boat behind them, but what Hagrid said had made Albus feel sorry for him. As Hagrid pushed them Albus turned around so he could try and become friends with him. The boy looked up and then looked away again, as if trying to avoid his stare.

"Hello. I'm Albus." he began, trying to start a conversation. "What's your name?" The boy looked up over his dirty blonde hair at Albus and barely whispered his name.

"I'm Scorpius." his voice was smooth and he seemed intelligent. Albus smiled at him as Rose turned around too.

"It is a little scary isn't it?" She whispered "Not knowing what's going to happen, what house you're going to be sorted into."

Scorpius nodded and looked up properly. He was thin, with sharp features and pale blue eyes.

"Exciting too, though." he added, smiling a little.