Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling. I am merely playing in at as I try to get this idea out of my head.
Although this story will switch perspectives between the Weasley-Potter children, it will be Al-centric.
Amor Vincit Omnia: Love Conquers All
CHAPTER 1: IT BEGINS
Al
"You're joking."
Albus Severus Potter—or Al to his friends and family—couldn't help the twitch of amusement that befell his lips as he took in his cousin's wide-eyed expression.
"You are joking," Rose Weasley decided.
"No. Severus Snape really did work as a triple-agent for the light, killed my other namesake, and died at the hands of Voldemort's snake because he loved my grandmother. My dad told me over the summ—"
"And you didn't tell me until now? We saw each other practically every day—"
"Rose, keep your voice down," Al hissed, looking around nervously. Everyone else in the Hogwarts's enormous Great Hall, however, seemed occupied enough with greeting friends they had not seen all summer.
"Why? If Severus Snape really did do all that, people would know," Rose pointed out primly.
"Just like we knew how absurdly famous our parents are until they told the whole lot of us about the Boy-Who-Lived mess the year before last?"
Rose paused. "Ok, point," she admitted. She suddenly glared at her cousin again. "But you still haven't explained why you didn't tell me."
"I—I don't know." Al fidgeted, unable to explain his thoughts. He looked up suddenly, meeting his cousin's bright blue eyes. "Just—what if we were in Slytherin? Like Severus Snape."
"What?" Her eyes narrowed. "I know what this is. You're so used to James's taunts about Slytherin, that now that he didn't say anything all summer—because you were sorted into Gryffindor last year—your, like, subconscious is taking over. But seriously Al—"
The boy rolled his eyes, shifting his attention from the nonstop words: he knew from experience that his cousin wouldn't notice. Besides the red-brown hue of her bushy hair, Rose was the spitting image of her mom. Al had long ago decided that her personality, however, was 1 part his Aunt Hermione's intelligence, 1 part his Uncle Ron's obtuseness, and 2 parts utterly, stubbornly, unique.
As much as Rose emulated her mom, Al was the carbon copy of his dad down to this jet-black hair and brilliant green eyes. Now, those eyes surveyed the hall around him. Despite the shenanigans he got up to with the massive Weasley-Potter clan all summer at the Burrow, he had sorely missed Hogwarts. It was good to be back, he decided.
"Al!"
He jumped as Rose's monologue gave way to an excited squeak and a tug on his arm. His head followed her gaze to see Professor Neville Longbottom, who also served as Head of Gryffindor, leading a line of shivering first years into the enchanted hall.
As the sorting ceremony began and Rose finally fell quiet, Al distractedly listened, attention instead straying to study his three cousins in the waiting line of eleven year olds: Louis, Dom's quiet brother who was already turning girls' heads; Roxanne, Fred's laughing, exuberant sister; and quirky, flirtatious Lucy. As Louis leaned on the wall next to them, Roxy and Lucy chattered nervously.
"Louis Weasley," Hogwarts Headmistress Minerva McGonagall finally called, as stern as she had been nineteen years earlier.
If anyone could hide his nerves, it was the only known male part-Veela, who walked calmly to the stool before putting the Sorting Hat on his head. Still, Al threw a smile at his younger cousin.
Suddenly, however, he felt something hit his head. He caught the offending object before it fell to the floor. A carrot? Al looked up, catching the gaze of James—his insane miscreant of an older brother—who was mouthing 'Ravenclaw' and holding up five fingers. Al made a face, before his eyes flickered between James's cocky grin and Louis's straight back. 'Gryffindor,' he mouthed in return.
Two seconds later, the pronouncement: Ravenclaw!
The blue and silver mass two tables down erupted into cheers as Louis made his way over with one last look at the Gryffindor table.
Al blinked, even as he stood up cheering with the rest of his cousins.
Now that Victoire had graduated, the only returning Weasley-Potter kids at Hogwarts were Molly, a fifth year; James, Fred, and Dominique, third years; and himself and Rose. And even though inter-house rivalries had largely dissipated since Al's father's time, since Ravenclaw had taken Molly, the rest of the family had been uniformly dumped into Gryffindor.
Indeed, it was very much true what everyone else said: the Weasley-Potters and their friends dominated the school, sure, but ruled Gryffindor.
And that, and not James, was why he could not keep Severus Snape off his mind. Since his father had told him about his namesake and how house rivalries had fed the Wizarding Wars, Al had, for the first time, been disappointed to not be the Weasley or Potter to break the tradition and be placed elsewhere. Especially, ironically enough, in Slytherin.
Now, Al studied Louis. After Lily and Hugo were sorted next year, a whopping eleven Weasley-Potters would roam the halls of Hogwarts, and Al found himself surprisingly pleased with the knowledge that another of his cousins would not be a lion. He opened his mouth to voice his thoughts to Rose, before shutting it again.
The front of the hall recaptured his attention before he could dwell further, however, as Lucy's name was called.
This time, Al caught James's eye. If the Weasley-Potter rule was really broken…'Hufflepuff' he suggested.
Shaking his head in mock dismay, his brother spelled out 'Gryffindor' with his wand.
Al watched Molly's intense gaze, honed through years of obsessive studying, focus on her younger sister as several minutes slipped by. As such, he saw Molly's jaw drop before he registered what had just happened.
Slytherin!
Al could feel his own face imitate Molly's as moment of shocked silence permeated the Great Hall. Loud, raucous cheering broke it, and Al turned to see James tugging Fred and Dom to their feet as he yelled, winking at a frozen Lucy.
Al turned to look at Rose as they and the rest of the Great Hall quickly joined in.
"Wha—" she began.
"I have no bloody idea," Al muttered back.
Her cousins watched as Lucy took a deep breath before walking over to the green and silver table and offering a hesitant smile at her dubious looking new housemates.
The murmurs taking place across the Great Hall subsided, however, as Professor McGonagall cleared her throat before announcing Roxanne's name. The Potter brothers met eyes once more, still a little thrown by what happened.
Roxy, Al reasoned though, was far too much Fred's imp of a sister to be in any house but one, despite the Hat's seemingly rebellious mood this year. 'Gryffindor', he quickly claimed. James apparently agreed as he pulled a face before offering 'Ravenclaw', just to be contrary.
Al was sure his brother and him were not the only ones in the Great Hall looking at each other like gaping idiots as the Hat's voice boomed once more. Slytherin!
That was when Al decided he was rubbish at betting.
Fortunately for Al's pocket, the Sorting Hat had completed its task with his family for the year. When there was one student left, however, and the students had for the most part switched their attentions to restlessly anticipating dinner, Professor McGonagall stood up.
"Along with our new first years, I am also pleased to welcome a new student who will be joining the second-years. I hope you will do your best to make Seph Blake feel welcome," she said gesturing at the sole other figure at the front of the hall.
Al watched the boy's shoulders stiffen before he walked with a remarkably indifferent bearing over to the stool, seemingly ignoring the infamous collective gaze of the piqued Hogwarts student body.
The Sorting Hat was only on his head for a few moments before it pronounced its judgment.
Gryffindor!
Amidst the applause, once more lead by an over-the-top James, Al studied the boy who was—apparently—his new classmate. He was a little shorter than Al, but his tidy black hair swept over dark blue, not green eyes. He was also quite good-looking, with aristocratic features like those Lucy, Roxy, and Lily were always begging Louis to put in his drawings.
The boy flinched as James threw an excited arm around him, before he ducked out and sat stiffly at the end of the table.
Al turned to Rose. "Hogwarts gets new second-years?" he asked.
She frowned. "I've never heard of that happening in the past. But he must be feeling incredibly nervous. Let's offer to show him around. And then we can ask him what the deal is," she finished casually.
Al snorted causing his cousin to grin sheepishly. Like Rose could ever not pursue a curiosity. But before he could say anything, both cousins were nearly knocked off their seats as a resounding boom shook the Great Hall.
Al turned towards a grinning James in disbelief. His brother was standing atop the Gryffindor table, his wand levitating a giant heart in front of a blonde at the Slytherin table. As several newly-sorted first-years squeaked, Al realized the heart actually seemed to be made up of an assortment of underwear…and judging by the squeaking first-years' red faces, he could guess where they came from.
"Kylie Greengrass. My love. Will you not go out with me?"
Kylie was a Slytherin in Al's year who Al had had no idea James fancied. Then again, James's fancies were only fancies in that they were fancifully fleeting.
As Dom and Fred started snickering uncontrollably, Kylie seemed to accept, and Professor McGonagall ordered James to sit down, Al banged his head on the table, all thoughts of Seph Blake forgotten.
Why again did he enjoy spending nine months each year in the same castle as his brother?
o0O0o
1 September 1996
22 years earlier, a figure whose dark hair and gait could have allowed him to be mistaken as an older relative of Al's, braced his hands upon the back of a gouged and worn wooden chair. The ramshackle room he was in, however, was as far from Hogwart's Great Hall—in atmosphere and appearance—as one could get. He peered across the matched table at his three cloaked companions.
"I—we—have to do this." His knuckles tightened as he spoke.
"Just stop and think about what you're saying. This isn't some bloody school prank. We're talking about the most powerful Dark Lord ever." The voice came from a wiry figure; it struck somewhere between furious and desperate.
"Exactly. And that's why I'm joining him," the first speaker said.
Another of his companions stepped towards him, cloak billowing behind and revealing feminine features. "You are going to get yourself killed."
The figure by the chair straightened and looked directly at her. "I don't plan on giving Voldemort a reason to kill me."
The wiry speaker exchanged looks with the fourth and final person in the room before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Damn it. We'll move forward. And Merlin, I hope you are alive to receive your Dark Mark come tomorrow."
A/N: Review? (: