September 1, 2017
Albus dragged his trunk behind him, taking a deep even breath as he approached the enormous magical train. He planted his foot on the first step of the small set of stairs that lead up into the train's interior, watching his sibling's and cousins' retreating forms as they ventured down the hall of the train in search of empty compartments before they were all filled. Albus stopped, gripping the safety rail tightly and bit his lip before turning his deep hazel eyes in search of the pair in the crowd that matched his own. They found one another immediately, the older and wiser of the pair radiated reassurance.
Harry lifted his hand and waved, a smile lighting up his face, sharpening the crows feet and lines of age on his face. Harry's middle child smiled back softly, thinking over what his father had told him just a few moment ago before boarding the train, leaving behind his mother, father, and younger sister to hopefully find his own adventures in the heart of Hogwarts.
Albus dragged his trunk along behind him, glancing into the numerous compartment windows lining the thin hallway as he squeezed past different students who were also in search of friends and empty compartments. He finally spotted his cousin's flaming red hair but saw her alone, he reached for the handle, assuming James had simply decided he was too cool to hang out with his little brother and younger cousin.
"AHH!" Albus jumped and let out a decidedly unmanly shriek as a hideous monster pressed its face firmly against the glass. The young Potter gripped over where his heart was now pounding rapidly in his chest and felt fury flare inside him as the repellent green monster head began laughing hysterically. Al grabbed the handle of the trunk he'd dropped in his shock and ripped the compartment door open, causing it to bang open in his anger. "James!" he screamed in anger as the monster head continued to laugh. It was an odd sight, the monster head atop a very human neck and body, the monster gripped its sides as the intense laughter strained his muscles. The monster's head was transformed back to its original human form with a shaky swish of James' wand.
Albus grumbled as he pushed his trunk onto the rack above the seats before throwing himself into the cushion beside the window, just opposite Rose. James flopped down beside Al, laughter dying down. The train lurched slightly and slowly began to move. Albus quickly leaned towards the window and looked around in search of his parents, aunts and uncles. It was difficult with the chaos of so many parents waving at their children but he was once again able to spot the distinct flaming red hair of his mother and uncles, not before catching a glimpse of platinum blond hair and the tall finely dressed man he knew to be Draco Malfoy waving at one of the many windows. If asked which window, he wouldn't be able to tell you.
Al grinned and waved enthusiastically at his parents, he quickly reduced his enthusiasm when a small 'pfft' was heard from James, he could see his cousin waving in a similar fashion from the corner of his eye. As the train picked up speed and his parents became nothing more than blurry dots he let his hand drop and straightened himself just in time to see James quickly pull his hand from out of the air and sit stiffly in his seat clearly embarrassed at being caught waving to his mum and dad like a child. James was a mere 2 years older than his younger brother, but he still had a duty to seem cool and pick on Al for his "childish ways." Al smirked at his brother knowingly and a bit taunting.
"Welp I'm out of here" James said abruptly, shooting up out of his seat with a smirk "see you firsties later" he said with an exaggerated bow as if leaving some grand performance before slipping out of the compartment with a flourish. Albus rolled his eyes the same moment his cousin let out a deep sigh that eerily resembled that of her muggle born mother, they both locked eyes with equal looks of exasperation at their over-dramatic relative.
The silence was broken when Rose gave a small chuckle "He can be rather annoying but you must admit, hes got style" she pointed out before falling into a fit of giggles, that quickly infected Albus, the giggles eventually turned into full on laughter. They weren't particularly sure what was so damn funny; Maybe it was James' dramatic exit, but more likely than not it was their nerves of the new year finally driven them mad. They wiped the tears from their eyes, laughter dying down. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, unknowingly thinking along the same lines. Both wondering what their future held; What adventures they would have, what friends or enemies they would make, but of course at the forefront of their minds for now was what house they'd be sorted into.
Al had been staring out the window silently while Rose stared at her hands that rested gently in her lap. She looked up at her cousin and opened her mouth, ready to break the silence but didn't get the chance before a group of students came bursting through the door.
The group was made up of 3 girls and 2 boys, one of the girls being Lucy Weasley, Rose and Albus' cousin. Lucy and one of the other girls squished in beside Rose with wide grins and loud greetings before the blond closest to Rose sighed and flipped her long wavy hair over her shoulder "You should have seen all the students clamoring to get a glimpse of you lot, you're quite the talk of the town right about now" she said unable to hide the slightly boastful smirk at the fact that she was one of the few who knew the famous Potter and Weasley family "Had ta shoo em away, acted as if you were jus' a couple a side shows" one dark haired boy said in an irish accent. "Of course there were quite a few wankers goin' on about how you its yer parents that did all that great stuff and spouting rubbish about you being a couple of bores" the blond haired girl huffed, looking considerably miffed.
Albus began to feel immediately uncomfortable and like he was somehow intruding even though he had been their first. He looked between the group, all of which concentrating on their red haired friend, before silently slipping his uniform from out of his trunk before slipping out of the compartment. He took a deep breath as if having so many people around him in such a close space had taken the air right from his lungs.
He had never been very comfortable around too many people. Of course he had met Rose's friends before at birthday parties and general get togethers but he wasn't as good at making friends as his cousins and siblings, Uncle Percy's children being the exception, even with his famed status. He glanced around the hallway, unsure of where he was headed next now that he'd lost his compartment to his cousin and her friends. He spotted his brother in one of the compartments, surrounded by quite a few people, the group laughing and joking and sharing a box of every flavored beans that had since became even more varied in flavors. Al continued on his way, unable to find an empty compartment but unwilling to endure the awkwardness that would undoubtedly occur if he sat in with a group of strangers.
Just as he was about to give up with plans to just press himself into the corner of the compartment he'd just left, he noticed one of the only compartments that actually had their blinds closed. He didn't know what drew him over but he found himself walking silently over to the door, he could hear a soft noise slipping through the door. He pressed his ear flat against the glass gently, the Potter blood in his vains making him too curious not to listen. He was surprised to hear what sounded like crying from within the compartment, instinctively he reached for the handle of the compartment, instinctively wanting to help whomever was inside, but was surprised to find it locked. This confused Albus greatly considering the compartment doors didn't have locks.
He glanced around to be sure no one was watching before slipping his wand out from his pocket, pointed the tip at the handle of the compartment and muttered a soft "Alohomora" that was followed by a soft click. He jiggled the handle a bit, it didn't open immediately but slipped open once something considerably heavy hit the floor with a clunk. He pulled the door open and discovered one solitary form curled up on the train seat. The moment he saw the slicked back platinum blond hair, he knew who it was.