Albus Severus Potter sat in the back of the car, looking out the window. His younger sister, Lily, sat beside him, chatting loudly with her parents about all the exciting things you get to do in fourth year. Albus was just starting his sixth year at Hogwarts and, while he always loved Hogwarts, he wanted to do something exciting – like his older brother James, who was constantly pulling pranks and getting into mischief. This made James incredibly popular among the students of Hogwarts, and everyone knew the only reason he hadn't been expelled was because James was very talented in wizardry.

James was in his final year at Hogwarts and, being seventeen, was going to Apparate to the station. This year, Albus would be able to Apparate. And in two years, he told himself, in two years he could do whatever he wanted.

Eventually, they reached Kings Cross Station. The family gathered all the luggage – which was quite a lot – and took the well-known route to Platform 9 and 10. Along the way, they saw a plenitude of witches and wizards, mostly younger ones getting ready to board the Hogwarts Express. Once they had reached the platform, Albus said goodbye to his mother and father and set off to find his friends, leaving Lily to be fussed over.

Within minutes, Albus had spotted the Weasleys, walking over to say hello, giving Rose a hug. Rose Weasley was Albus' cousin, and also happened to be in his year at Hogwarts. Together they set off to find Scorpio Malfoy.

The two found Scorpio with his parents, Draco and Astoria Malfoy. Scorpio greeted them, practically bursting with ideas and schemes and plans for that year. Draco looked at Albus disapprovingly, then turned to Scorpio and said their goodbyes.

The station began to thin out a little, as more and more witches and wizards made their way to Platform 9 ¾. Albus saw his and Rose's families preparing to go through the brick wall between the platforms.

"Come on guys, let's head over," he said, gesturing towards where the families were standing.

Finally, the trio reached the wall and prepared to run through. Albus said goodbye to his father and mother, and stood with Scorpius while Rose talked to her parents. He noticed Uncle Ron and his father looking at Draco the same way Mr Malfoy had looked at him, and tried to catch their eye. Eventually, Albus went over to talk to his dad.

"Um, dad," he whispered. "Do you mind?"

"What am I doing?" replied Albus' father.

"Stop looking at Scorpius like that! He's my friend, okay? Just because you didn't like his father doesn't mean you can be so quick to judge Scorpius!"

"Yes, I know," Harry responded with a smile. "But just, you know, be cautious. You never know with the Malfoys – they like to switch sides."

Albus rolled his eyes. "He's my friend, dad." The boy walked back over to where Scorpius and Rose were waiting. They waved at their parents, and ran through the wall one by one.

WRITTEN BY FREAKINGPOTTERHEAD – COVER ART BY .COM (Used with Permission)