Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. The great author JK Rowling owns them.
Hey! Here's my first submission of Albus Potter and The Arches of Living Death: Year One. Hope you love it.
Prologue
Mr. Harry James Potter watched the scarlet train roll into the station, searching for the familiar faces of his sons. He hadn't seen either since the Easter holiday, and was dying to see them again.
James Potter, he had his own lean appearance and dark hair but instead of bright green eyes, he had dark brown ones. His eyes always gleamed with mischief, shining like the rays of a summer sun on a tranquility-bound lake. Not that he was tranquil, not at all. In fact, Harry couldn't remember a day gone by when James had failed to play a trick…until he went to Hogwarts, that is.
And Albus Severus Potter. He was a mirror image of himself, every last trait of Harry Potter been inherited by his youngest son. You could have gone back in time to when Harry was his age and there wouldn't be any difference, his wife, Ginny Potter, often joked. Even the eyes. The same color as his mother's had been, vivid green. Out of all three of his children, Albus had been the only one to inherit them. Speaking of a third… Harry thought as he felt a gentle tug on his cloak.
He looked down at his lovely daughter, Lily Potter, and chuckled. Flaming red cascaded down her back and her warm, chocolate brown eyes were lit up with excitement.
"When are Al and James and Rose going to come?" Lily asked, pouting in the way only she could make sweet. "I don't see them." She said as she stood on her tiptoes and scanned the crowd.
Harry shook his head and promised. "Soon. Don't worry, your brothers are smart."
Steam billowed out of the train, the whistle blew and the young witches and wizards that attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry poured out.
"Harry!" Harry heard the voice of his lifelong friend and stepbrother, Ron Weasley.
The Potters and the Weasleys went far back, ever since that fateful day when Harry had asked how to get onto platform 9 ¾. Ron Weasley had red hair, like all the Weasleys, save Hermione Weasley and Rose Weasley, whom both had locks of bushy, brown hair. Ron remained tall and gangly throughout the years and as he waved with Hermione, head far above the crowd, he just looked taller and even ganglier. The two waved at Harry, then fought through the crowd to stand alongside him. As they approached, Harry noted Hermione's hair was bushier than ever.
"Where's Hugo?" Harry asked as soon as pleasantries had been exchanged.
Ron scowled. "Where's Ginny?"
"Greeting, or, erm, searching for everyone." Harry replied uncertainly, startled by Ron's mood.
"That's where I sent Hugo." Ron said darkly.
"Ron!" Hermione shrieked and hurried off.
"What's your problem?" Harry asked Ron, who snorted and waved a hand furiously.
"Can you believe this?" He said and waved a piece of paper in front of Harry's face. Harry tried to focus his eyes on it, but found he just couldn't.
"Hold it still." Harry said and grabbed Ron's arm. After reading, he gave Ron a quizzical look. "You gave yourself a fine? For confounding a Muggle driving instructor?"
"SHUT IT! Remember that new Auror? Darlene Davidson?"
"The one that laughed when she fell down and broke her foot?"
"Yeah, that creep. She found out about the driving mishap. Instead of giving me a fine, she made me sign one out to myself! HATE HER! I was ready to blow her apart but she said that if I didn't give myself a fine, she would. And she would tell every single Auror on the division!" Ron ripped the paper in half. "The bloody idiot!"
"Did you tell Hermione?"
"Are you crazy?"
"Maybe."
"Yes. And what are we talking about again?"
Harry turned to see his son and daughter, James and Lily, laughing hysterically. Ginny stood next to them, grinning broadly.
"Found them." She said. "I don't know where Al is though."
James rolled his eyes. "That's easy. He's with Rose, Kia and Jace."
"Who?" Harry asked, but answered his own question immediately. "Oh, are those the friends he was talking about?"
James nodded. "Yeah. Hey Lily, look at this!" He held out a closed fist.
"I don't see anything." Lily said after observing his hand profusely.
James laughed. "Now you do." He opened his hand and Lily squealed in terror, clutching her father's robes. A giant, black spider with deep, blood-red markings sat happily on James' hand. Ron yelped and swatted at it, knocking it off James and sent it crawling away.
"What did you do that for?" James asked, folding his arms. "It was harmless."
"To you maybe." Ron glowered.
"Hey guys!"
Harry laughed and hugged Albus as he bounded toward them. Albus broke away and gazed up at his father.
"Can Jace and Kia come over this summer?" Al asked.
"Maybe. Where are they?" Harry asked his son.
"Oh. Kia! Over here!" Al called to a pale girl with dark, shiny hair and cool, dark eyes standing next to whom Harry realized was Rose. Kia smiled brightly at Albus and walked over. "You must be Mr. Potter. Hello, sir, I'm Kia. Kia Henderson." She said to Harry and turned to Al. Harry frowned at her American accent, slightly confused. Kia seemed unnaturally familiar to him; he had no clue though why. "Did you leave something with Jace?"
Al shook his head. "Nah, my dad just wanted to know who you were. Where is Jace anyway?"
"Right here. Did you seriously not see me?" A boy laughed next to Albus. Harry glanced at him and saw he looked the same as the girl with same accent. The boy, who was presumably Jace, clapped Al on the back.
"Are you from around here?" Harry asked Kia.
Her expression became haunted as she replied. "No. Jace and I are form the US. We got adopted."
"Oh." Harry said, feeling a wave of sympathy. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Jace said and Harry looked at him, suddenly processing why the girl had seemed familiar and the boy was...
There was no mistaking that face. That handsome face, even though it was about four years younger, there was no mistaking it. You never forgot it.
You never forgot the face of Tom Marvalo Riddle.