Chapter 1
And so it Began…
Albus leaned back on the seat and looked out the window. The trees seemed to whiz past the train as it picked up speed. Albus took a deep breath. He is on his way to Hogwarts! He still couldn't believe it. He was relieved that James decided to go to his friends (or the "marauders" as James liked to refer to them. More like Muscled Dolts, thought Albus). With James away with his buddies, Albus felt he could think over what dad said. He completely cut off what Rose excitedly babbled about various subjects and impossibly accurate by hearted quoting "Hogwarts: A history". Slytherin... All his life he had heard his Weasley cousins slander or talk ill of the Slytherins. All of them had mixed feelings about Severus Snape, but never had he thought he will be sorted into his namesake's house. Hell, they were the house who stood with Lord Voldemort. James had always made it his job to make it a point to Albus that Slytherins were evil. Now what Dad said had shaken his desire to be sorted into Gryffindor. Albus couldn't find a solution for his dilemma.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" a feeble, scared voice brought Albus back from his thoughts. The pale boy with even paler, almost white hair stood at the door to the compartment. Boy seemed oddly familiar to Albus. He felt Rose stiffen beside and her irritating talk on the hallucinating and addictive effects of psychedelic charms from the N.E.W.T textbooks came to an abrupt halt. "You are Malfoy, aren't you?" Rose's voice bordered contempt and fear. Albus saw shame and anger surge through the pale face. "What if I am?" Malfoy sneered. Albus leaped between the two. He had seen Scorpius Malfoy on the platform and remembered what Uncle Ron had said. Albus shook his head. He knew Lucius and Draco Malfoy were Death Eaters. But there was no reason for Rose to use such a tone against Scorpius for what his father and Grandfather did. Albus was surprised by his thoughts. Rose was his cousin and he is supporting a complete stranger against her. Albus sighed and said "There is reason for you to fight here. Mal… Scorpius, please there is enough space for two more". A faint smile appeared for an instant on Scorpius' face. "You are Potter. Aren't you? Albus felt awkward when someone referred to him as Potter. "Yes I am" he managed to say. "And you must be Weasley" Scorpius said looking at Rose, who looked away in an arrogant manner. "I shouldn't have come in here" Scorpius said and started to walk away. Normally, Albus would have left the matter as it was so as not have a quarrel with Rose. But he said "Please, Scorpius, stay".
Rose and Malfoy both looked surprised. "You don't really want him to stay, do you?" Rose asked, looking incredulous. Albus shrugged (much to his and Rose's surprise, as he always backed out from a fight with Rose) and said "Well he didn't bite did he?" Rose went red and reached for her trunk and swept out of the compartment looking furious. "Where are you going?" Albus asked. Rose turned on her heals like a blood crazed cerebrus and said "Unlike you, I prefer not to spend time with Death Eaters". Albus was shocked and before he could speak Rose stomped off. For a moment the two boys stood frozen in the eerie uncomfortable silence. Malfoy seemed to be unsure whether to sit or leave and Albus noticed that a tear drop rolled down the pale cheek. "Why don't you sit, Scorpius?"Albus managed say at last. The pale boy broke down and wept as if his words were the last straw. Albus went over and place his hands on both shoulders. Scorpius seemed to be shocked when he touched. Albus wrapped his hands around Malfoy. Scorpius buried his face in Al's chest. Albus heard in between the convulsive sobs the words "I am not a Death Eater, I am not bad". Albus patted his back." It's ok Stinger" He said. Scorpius smiled faintly as he heard his newly minted nickname. "You know, we can never be friends. We will be in enemy camps the moment we are sorted" Scorpius said. Albus shook his head and said "Then let's hope we are in the same 'camp'". Scorpius looked at him with his eyebrows raised in surprise. Albus knew that he had met his best friend, and so did Scorpius.
Rest of the journey was the happiest time for Albus. They munched on Chocolate Frogs and tested their luck with all flavor gums. Scorpius was grimacing as he tried to swallow the phlegm flavored one when the compartment door slid open. Tall red headed version of Al's father stood wearing a sneer on his face that Harry Potter can never bring on his visage. "So it's true!" James said looking maliciously at both Albus and Scorpius. "I didn't believe when Rosie told me! But blimey, Albus, you have a knack in selecting "good" friends, Don't ya?" James said in a mocking tone. Albus' ears went red, much like Uncle Ron's. "What is your problem?" asked Albus. "What is my problem?" asked James "My problem is the fact that my baby brother likes to hang out with Death Eater brats" James almost shouted. Albus stood up and stood between Scorpius and his brother. "He is not a Death Eater" Al said. James looked as if he was going to vomit and then gathered himself and gave Al the look that James reserved only for the occasions whenever He decided to bully him. "So Allie lorvesssssssss her Boy friend", said James in a girlish voice. "Shut up James" Albus said and turned his back on James and regretted it a moment later as he found his legs being swept from under him and his head coming down towards the floor. Al braced himself as expected his head to hit the wooden floor. He opened his eyes when a throbbing pain didn't start on his head as a result of the collision. He found himself hanging upside down.
He saw Scorpius being harassed by James and one of his "marauders" who followed him into the compartment. James looked at Al and said "Al, let me talk sense into your thick skulled head. We Gryffindors don't hang out with Death Eater trash like him. Al himself was shocked when he spoke "What if I don't want to be a Gryffindor?" James looked stunned. His friend gasped in surprise. Even Scorpius looked at him wide eyed. James came towards him and knelt. Albus couldn't speak as James rained slap after slap. Tears filled his eyes and his cheeks stung. James' eyes were maniacal. "Now listen and listen carefully, all of us Weasleys and Potters were and are destined to be in Gryffindor. And you better get sorted into the red house or else!" Albus heard James say in a mock formal tone "Now I have something that will make you reconsider your earlier statement "He grabbed hold of Scorpius who lay crumbled in a corner. James seemed not to hear Scorpius' pleas. "Now" James continued. "We will let you witness what we do to Death Eater twerps and Wanna be Slytherins?" He smiled wickedly at Al. "We write "Death Eater" across their bums" The Marauder giggled. James held Scorpius down and nodded looking at the Marauder. The goon flicked his wand. The tip of the wand lighted up like a muggle welding flare. Al's shouts were drowned by Scorpius' screams and James and his buddies' laughter. An electric surge seemed to pass through Al's levitating body. The emerald green of his eyes turned a green and silver orb. He felt his left arm diving into his muggle sweat shirt. The cerebrus hair core oak wand appeared in his palm as if he had drawn it many a time. The spell that produced the cyan jet was unknown to him. He didn't know any spells as a matter of fact. Al's conscious self looked on with awe at his body's involuntary action. The spell glanced off the "marauder" who tumbled into the corridor outside. The spell deflected as a result and hit James squarely in the chest, who went shattering through the compartment door. Albus hit the floor hard as the "levicorpus" spell wore off the same instant. Al lay in a stunned state of mind on the compartment floor. He could hear the students in the neighboring coupes come out to investigate the commotion. "What is going on there?" Al heard a voice that bespoke authority outside. Al saw a tall boy looking at James, who was writhing on the floor gripping his groin. The boy looked through the broken door at Al and Scorpius. "Got sucker-punch jinxed by first year students who never even set foot on Hogwarts, eh Potter?" The boy's voice was filled with contempt. Al noticed the boy who looked like a seventh year and had a quidditch player's physique. The Slytherin prefect badge hung under the quidditch captain's badge. "You ok, Kid?" the Slytherin prefect asked. Al nodded and his eyes fell on Scorpius. "Scorp….." Al began weakly. The prefect kneeled down near Scorpius and tried to soothe Scorpius who was sobbing in to his palms that were pressed firmly on his eyes. "Oh… Merlin!" the prefect exclaimed in shock as he saw James' and his crony's handiwork. "POTTER!" the prefect yelled. Al was stunned by the fury in the tall boy's voice. Al looked on as the prefect dragged James off by his collar. Al didn't fail to see the seething look his brother gave him. He knew James. He knew this wasn't over. Al shut his eyes and pinched his nose to clear his mind and then turned to his friend and decided to take him to first aid as the prefect instructed as he dragged James off. A fourth year student relived Al off Scorpius' weight as he took him up in his two arms. Al sighed. This wasn't over.