Summary: Because history can repeat itself in the most unthinkable ways. When young Albus Potter and Rose Weasley can't find a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, they sit with a young boy named Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy. Will the prejudice of their parents before them affect a friendship that could happen? Or could Sorting ruin it all for them? HP fanfic. DH spoilers
Rating: K
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Potter Universe except a lot of paraphinelia. -giggle-
Hi everyone! I wrote this actually last year for a writing contest on Quizilla, but it was canceled. So I finally decided to get my butt in gear and upload it, cause I love this one! Be kind with your reviews!
Ah, Platform 9 ¾. A place where young witches and wizards leave behind their world with their family, probably hiding in some muggle residency, to go to school and learn to hone their magical skills. It's a place of hugs and tears and growing up. But once the shining scarlet train leaves the platform, there always is a little problem. Compartments. In a muggle high school, where you eat lunch, and who you eat it with is crucial. Well, for witches and wizards, where you sit on the train is crucial too. And for naïve first years with little to no idea what they're doing, it can seem a bit overwhelming.
"Where do you want to sit Al?" Rose Weasley asked worriedly. She pushed a lock of curly red hair behind her ear, her eyes scanning compartments. She was frightened as she looked about, hoping that no one would guess she was a worried, shy first year. Albus Potter scanned the crowds of students. He seemed more collected about this all on the outside. He liked looking out for his cousin. It made him feel like an adult, for once. That and his brother had given him a short briefing for the train ride. 'Find a seat. Keep an eye on Rosie. Don't bother me'
Right. Great brotherly advice there.
"Um…Hey! I think I found James!" Al said excitedly. To hell with his brothers' rules. If he wanted a place to sit, he'd sit wherever he felt like it, thank you very much. He pushed open compartment door. Inside sat two boys and a girl, each looking to be in second year.
"Oi! What do you lot think your doing?" James Potter bellowed, jumping up to shove his brother out. His glasses slid down his nose in his haste. "What did I tell you!? This is Second year territory! You lot gotta find your way on your own!"
While Al and James bickered, Rose slipped between James's outstretched arms and waved at his friends. "Hey Fred, hi Gwen." Her cousin, Fred Weasley, son of George Weasley and Angelina Johnson, grinned at her and gave a short wave. Gwen Jordan, daughter of Lee Jordan and Katie Bell jumped up and gave Rose a quick, tight hug.
"Hi Rosie. Excited?" Fred asked. She beamed and blushed. She blushed a lot. Rose was that type of person who blushed whenever people talked to her. Her father said it was because she was just shy, but her mother told her it was cute. "Yeah. I'm really excited. I'm just-"
"OUT!" Roared James, giving his brother a final shove out of the door. He tore Rose from Gwen's arms and shoved her out the door as well. In the process, he knocked Gwen onto the floor. Gwen, looking disgruntled, jumped back into her seat and rolled her eyes. "James, he's your brother. Give him a break." James huffed back to his seat, running a hand through his messy red hair.
"Did we have siblings to sit with our first year? No! We had to find our way on our own. Give 'em a chance to toughen up." James said sulkily. Gwen and Fred exchanged looks. Typical James. Trying to live up to his father's name. Fred punched his arm. "Face it; you just don't want your little brother to be hanging around you, do you? Your image and all."
A smile broke through James's façade. "To right on that one."
"Stupid git." Al mumbled. The train as moving and they still hadn't found a compartment. Rose rolled her eyes. "I swear, he is the most annoying pratt. He sounds like Uncle George and Dear Uncle Fred were like." A small silence filled the air. That always happened.
Rose scanned compartments through the windows. All seemed to be filled. Except for one. She looked through the abstracting glass to see one lone figure inside.
"Oh! I think I found one. There's only one boy in there." Rose said excitedly. Al looked in the compartment. Sure enough, his cousin was right. As usual.
Rose pushed the compartment door opened at stood timidly at the door. "Hi. Can we sit? Everyone else is full." She smiled apologetically, blushing scarlet. The boy's face brightened up as he gestured to the empty seats. He had a pale face with silvery hair and pale eyes.
"Go right ahead. Otherwise, I might start talking to the upholstery." He had a smirk in his smile. Rose giggled and sat down. Al sat next to her.
"I'm Albus Potter, and this is my cousin Rose Weasley. We're first years." Al said, taking over for his cousin. He flattened his black hair. The boy smiled his smirk like grin back.
"I'm Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy. I've heard of you guys." He lowered his voice and spoke to Albus. "Your dad's Harry Potter right? The Harry Potter?" Al grinned. Usually it was James who got this attention, although he looked more like their mother. But James was older. James got the right. But not now. James wasn't here, but Al was.
"Yep. That's me dad." Al said. Scorpius seemed in awe by this. The Harry Potter. Who's saved his father on multiple times. Though Scorpius was sure his father wasn't as proud of it as Scorpius was. Draco rarely spoke of him, only when Scorpius asked.
Scorpius turned Rose. "If your cousins' dad is Harry Potter, your dad would be Ron Weasley then, eh?" Rose giggled. "Yeah." Scorpius nodded. "So your mum's Hermione Weasley then? I read her book. 'Hogwarts, a Revised History'. It's been my help so far with Hogwarts. I doubt I'll get lost now." Rose beamed through her blush. "Yeah. She wrote that during her time off from the Ministry."
Scorpius nodded. Now it was the cousin's turn for questioning. "Malfoy huh? As in Draco Malfoy's son?" Al asked nonchalantly. Scorpius nodded slowly. He waited for the usual bout of questions to follow.
"Your dad was the one who killed Albus Dumbledore right?"
"Your granddad was a pretty big Death Eater, wasn't he?"
"Hasn't your whole family been in You-Know-Who's big circle?"
"You wish You-Know-Who was still around?"
Instead, Rose said; "I think our parents were pretty big rivals in school, actually." Scorpius looked up. "What makes you say that?" He asked, relieved to not have the usual session of uncomfortable questions that usually left him without friends.
Rose blushed slightly. "Well, for one thing, my dad told me to beat you at every test-" Al laughed. Rose continued. "And our parents went to Hogwarts when Gryffindor and Slytherin were enemies." There was an odd arrangement of raised eyebrows at this statement. Not one of the first years could ever imagine a world where Gryffindor and Slytherin were enemies. Dark rumors flew around every once in a while, but frankly, this generation of students paid little attention to them. But, the young Malfoy found what Rose first said to be odder.
Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Your father told you to beat me at every test?" He asked incredulously. Al laughed and Rose blushed. "She's pretty smart." Al said. "She's defiantly going to Ravenclaw."
Rose waved her hands franticly in front of Al's face. "Shh! Don't say that! Don't say that!" Rose bit her fingernails nervously. "My mum and Dad were in Gryffindor…What if dad wasn't joking about disowning me if I wasn't in Gryffindor?"
"Your dad said that to you too?" Scorpius laughed. "Mine said; 'All Malfoy's have been Slytherins. No pressure.'" Scorpius shook his head.
"Your mom was in Slytherin too?" Al asked. Scorpius shook his head. "Nah. My moms an American. She didn't go to Hogwarts; she went to the Salem Witch and Wizard Academy."
Rose and Al exchanged glances. "Bizarre." Al said. "I've never met an American witch. Do they learn the same things as us?" Scorpius smiled. He'd never ventured into a conversation like this before. His parent's friends all had children a lot younger then himself, and he didn't enjoy talking to the grown-ups.
"Um, yeah. Their History of Magic class is a lot more important to their school life then ours though. They get taught by an actual wizard." Scorpius said, grinning in spite of himself. Rose and Al joined in, laughing.
"I heard that Professor Binns is still the teacher." Rose said unhappily. "I heard he's horrible! They should fire him!"
"Can you fire a ghost?" Scorpius asked through laughter. That's how the rest of the train ride went. Jokes and laughter filled the compartment. Talk about the Holyhead Harpies (Scorpius's favorite team, which Al's mother had, at one point, played on.) When the lunch trolley came, Al and Scorpius became immersed in Chocolate Frog Cards, both of whom were avid collectors. Rose sat in the background, reading 'Hogwarts, a Revised History'.
When the train pulled into Hogsmeade, Rose, Scorpius and Al looked at each other nervously. Rose slipped her book into her bag and ran her fingers through her curls. Al and Scorpius made last minute card trades before slipping them into their robe pockets.
At Hogsmeade, Hagrid greeted Rose and Albus with enthusiasm. When he found out their new friend was none other than Scorpius Malfoy, his graying beard twitched. From an awkward smile or a grimace, the light was not bright enough to show.
They got into a boat with Clarissa Scamander. Though a bit more level headed then her mother Luna Lovegood, Clarissa was also a reject. Maybe it was because she walked around reading books backwards; swearing that Merlin had hidden messages in them, maybe it was just because her large silver eyes were intimidating. Either way, Al felt bad for her and immediately beckoned her over to their boat. She seemed just as excited as Scorpius to have found someone to talk to.
When the castle rolled into view, the three gasped. The castle was the most amazing thing they'd ever seen in their lives. Clarissa just nodded her head and said in her deep voice; "Yes, Merlin mentioned something about a castle this grand in his designs." Rose looked at her.
"He did?" She asked amazed. Clarissa nodded happily, sending her pigtails flopping over her face. She happily recited; "A valde turris ego animus creo, per propugnaculum ab altus altum."
Scorpius, Al and Rose exchanged looks. "Um, what's that mean exactly?" Scorpius asked. Clarissa looked at the three as though they'd asked her their own names. "A great castle I will create, with towers of height."
Rose opened her mouth to say something, but Scorpius, sitting next to her, stopped her with a hand on hers. "It's not even worth it." He mumbled. At the moment, they both realized his hand was on hers, and he removed it quickly. They both looked away, blushing.
The boats pulled into the docking area, and the timid first years were herded into the castle. "This place is bigger then anything Merlin could've ever written about!" Clarissa breathed as they walked in. Rose noticed Clarissa was shaking slightly, twisting an old necklace made of, what looked like, Butterbeer bottle caps around her neck.
Rose grinned at her. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Clarissa gave a shaky grin. "My mother told me...She told me quiet a lot actually." Clarissa smiled wider now. "A lot of it I don't agree with. Nargles? Insanity is what that is. But, she gave me so much advice for Hogwarts; I can't remember any of it now!"
Al and Scorpius, walking right behind the two girls, exchanged nervous looks. "This is going to suck." Al mumbled. "Trying on that hat? In the middle of everyone? What if they mess up, and I'm actually a squib!?"
Scorpius shook his head. "My dad'll FLIP if they put me in Gryffindor. I mean, it doesn't really matter anymore, but really. Grandfather'll be really upset too."
But none of the four had another chance to talk, because the doors to the Great Hall opened, and the First years proceeded in. Albus looked around the hall and immediately spotted his brother, Gwen and Fred at the Gryffindor table. Al gave a shaky wave. James nodded his head back, curtly. Fred gave his cousins a 'thumbs up', and Gwen, theatrical Gwen, blew large, extensive kisses their way. Fred rolled his eyes at her, and James chuckled. Albus looked away quickly.
Rose's eyes were fixated on the ceiling. The velvet dark sky was magnified there. She saw no clouds, only stars. Bright, bright stars. Now, Rose wasn't the religious type, but she suddenly felt herself praying. Praying for protection. For safety. To not start hyperventilating in front of everyone.
Scorpius looked around. So his dad had walked these same footsteps? Was that corner over there with the blackened bricks the place where Harry Potter had saved him? Where was the Quidditch field? Hadn't his dad been the Seeker for Slytherin? Scorpius shivered with anticipation.
Suddenly, the back doors opened and Professor Longbottom came out, carrying an old hat. He spotted Rose and Albus in the crowd of first years and gave them a nod. He placed the old rag-tag hat on a chair and stood some ways away.
And then it began.
"Matthews, Andréa!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Cheers went up in the great hall as the shaky legged first year went to join her table, putting the sorting hat back on the stool. They all knew what was next. Scorpius was shaking terribly. Rose squeezed his hand. "Good luck." She mumbled as the professor yelled; "Malfoy, Scorpius!" Al thumped him lightly on the back.
"Don't worry, Merlin said that the hat is nothing to worry about." Clarissa beamed, obviously proud of herself. Scorpius raised his eyebrows and he walked to the stool. Right. Merlin said he'd be fine. Well, Scorpius felt lovely now.
He sat down and the hat went over his head, covering his eyes. "Oh, another Malfoy then, eh?" Said a voice in his ear. Scorpius jumped. The voice was sarcastic, and it sounded slightly bored. "I know just where to put you."
"SLYTHERIN!" The voice was said outside of the hat. There was an eruption of cheers, and as Scorpius took off his hat, he saw many people on their feet clapping. He gave a sigh of relief and looked over quickly at his new friends. (How amazing that sounded to use the words friends!) Rose and Al were clapping and grinning. Even Clarissa was nodding and grinning like she'd seen the whole thing coming. Scorpius smirked and shook his head. Clarissa was, for all it was worth, nice...Nice and crazy.
It was now Albus's turn to shake and shiver. Rose now squeezed his hand and murmured softly. "It's okay Al, it's gonna be fine Al." Clarissa nodded along, averting her blue eyes from Al's magnificent green ones. She opened her mouth to say something, but Al cut her off. "If you mention one thing about Merlin, I will go ahead and fly my broom into the train." He hissed. It took Clarissa and Rose a moment to realize he was joking. They grinned weakly.
"Potter, Albus!"
Whispers filled the hall. Students stood up to get a peek at the famed Harry Potter's son. Same thing had happened last year with James. But James, unlike Albus, had loved the attention. So as his brother walked to the sorting hat, James sat in his seat, hand under the table. He was more then a little upset that his brother was going to have the attention this year, but at the same time, his fingers were crossed for him.
Al found his brothers face in the crowd, and his set expression was the last thing he saw before engulfed by the hat. "So, more Potter's, eh?" Said the snide voice in Al's ear. It sounded slightly excited. "True Gryffindor's, the lot of you. Although, you seem a bit different from your parents and brother. Ah well, you'll probably want Gryffindor too then though. Am I right?" The voice seemed agitated. Al bit his lip. His father had specifically asked not to be in Slytherin…Why couldn't Al? It was simple really, and he'd make his family so proud. But, that was his father's choice. Al was not his dad. 'Just put me where you think I'll be best in.' Al said finally.
"SLYTHERIN!"
There was a great round of applause and wolf calls through the Great Hall. Al shakily pulled the hat off and looked around. There was Rose and Clarissa, clapping and shouting, looking pleased as anything. So did most of the students. Slytherin looked especially happy. Whether it was because they got a Potter or because no one could still call Slytherin a bad place with him in it, Al was unsure. Scorpius looked pleased as well, thankful that his new friend would be joining him. Al sought out James last. James was on his feet clapping and grinning. His eyes met Al's and for a moment, nothing happened. Then James nodded, and Al let out a sigh of relief. He walked down and joined Scorpius at the Slytherin table, shaking a few hands on the way.
Clarissa was up not long after. Rose gave her thumbs up, and was all alone. She watched Clarissa put the hat on, and a minute later, it screamed; "RAVENCLAW!" and she went over to their table.
Now, Rose was now on her own. She stood their, shaking and shivering, and there was no one there to hold her hand or hug her. "Weasley, Rose!" Rose blushed as eyes turned to her. All the eyes. Rose's breathing started getting uneven. She couldn't have people staring at her! She shook. She couldn't move another step. The Great Hall was silent as she quivered under their gaze. Silent, except-
"GO ROSIE!"
"WHOO! GO ROSE!"
Titters of laughter broke through the silent hall, and all eyes turned away from Rose. Gwen and Fred were on their benches, yelling at the top of their lungs. James was next to them, clapping as loudly as he could. Rose let out a sigh of relief and hurried back up the steps. Professor McGonagall stood up. "Ms. Jordan! Mr. Weasley! Stop that this instance! Same goes to you Mr. Potter!"
Rose slipped the hat on without anyone looking. 'Thank you Gwen, Fred, James. I owe you one.'
"So stage fright, is it?" Said the voice in her ear. 'Yes. Very, very bad stage fright.' Rose answered. The hat chuckled. "Well, you're smart enough to know what you fear. Very smart. And I thought all Weasley's were the same! But I guess not. You belong in-"
"RAVENCLAW!"
Rose realized she was holding her breath. She let it out in one long whoosh and ran down to join Clarissa at the Ravenclaw table. She couldn't really hear the clapping and shouting, she was in such a state…
"Hey, Rose!" She turned to see her cousin and Scorpius sitting behind her at the Slytherin table. Al stuck out his hand and grabbed Rose's, giving it a squeeze. "Told ya so." He grinned. Scorpius grinned too. Rose laughed and them both and Clarissa turned around to join in the conversation.
As the last few students were being sorted, Rose looked around her. Yeah. This was going to be a good year.
"Ron! Harry! Ginny! Rose's first letter is here!" Hermione called from the parlor. Ginny, Harry and Ron had been talking Quidditch basics in the kitchen. All heads shot up and Hermione ran in with the unopened letter, looking frantic and happy.
"Well that was fast." Ron said, sitting back in his chair and scratching the back of his head. He grinned though. "Wonder if we should call down Hugo and Lily?" Harry asked, taking a glance at the stairway, which led to the playroom where the younger children were playing.
"Nah. We're the parent's. We should read it first." Ginny said smiling. "Okay Hermione, read it please!" Hermione sat down in the nearest chair and, with trembling fingers, opened the letter. She cleared her throat and started reading.
"Dear Mum, Dad, and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny (because I know you're there),
Hi! Well, sorting was fun. Hundreds of eyes on me, I started hyperventilating. I swear, if it weren't for Gwen, Fred and James causing a commotion, I would've passed out on the spot. - Oh dear! Poor Rosie!" Hermione moaned.
"Well, at least Gwen, Fred and James distracted everybody." Ginny sighed and turned to Harry. "We'll be getting a letter from McGonagall tomorrow, I reckon." Harry rolled his eyes. "What else does the letter say Hermione?"
Hermione read on. "How come no one told me how big Hogwarts was? Clarissa and I got lost on our way to our dorms. By the way, I got in Ravenclaw."
Ron whooped with joy and Hermione beamed. Ginny raised her glass of Butterbeer. Harry swore under his breath. Ron heard and whacked him upside the head. "What's the matter with Ravenclaw!?" He asked. Harry held up his hands defensively. "Nothing! Nothing mate! I just owe George two galleons! That's all!"
Ron hit him again. "That's all? You're betting on my kid!" Hermione and Ginny laughed. "Don't act so surprised Ron." Hermione laughed. "As I recall, you were betting with Teddy for James to be in Gryffindor."
Ron crossed his arms and leaned back his chair. "Yeah, but I won that one didn't I? Go on, keep reading."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but went on. "Oh! Speaking of Clarissa, she's my new friend. Clarissa Scamander. She's quiet insane. She believes that if you read books backwards, you can find messages from Merlin hidden in them. Right. She's in Ravenclaw too. She's a sweet girl for all it's worth."
"Luna's girl in Ravenclaw too?" Ginny asked. She turned to Harry. "You know, we should have Rolf and Luna over for dinner sometime." Harry snorted. "Yeah, listen to Luna's look for the Nargles for the hundredth time and Rolf go on new incredible beasts and such. Why don't we just meet them at the Leakey Cauldron for lunch?" Ginny opened her mouth, but Hermione cut off by reading again, louder.
"Al said he'd write tomorrow. He's busy tonight. A bit tired. I couldn't sleep though. He's in Slytherin." Hermione broke off, looking at Harry and Ginny. Harry was grinning. "That's m'boy." He laughed. Ginny grinned and threw her hands around his neck. "You had to have known he was going for Slytherin. The way he get's his brother back is so devious."
"I always knew that kid was sly." Ron said airily, using his wand to move dust speck in the air to make a smiley face. Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's pretty happy, because he's with our new friend. He's a really awesome guy. Auntie, he loves the Holyhead Harpies, and he collects witch and wizard cards with Al. Oh, and Uncle Harry? He seems to be quiet impressed with you and Dad. And he's read mom's book. - My, my. This young man seems charming." Hermione said her face red with pride. "I wonder he is? We should invite his parent's over for dinner."
"Ya know, I bet its Lavender Brown's son." Ron said airily. Harry shook his head. "No, Seamus Finnigan's son, I think. What was his name, Andrew?" Ginny laughed. "No, his name was Anthony. I think it could be Justin Finch-Fletchley's son. You never know."
"Oh. Merlin." Hermione gasped. All eyes turned to her. Her eyes were wide. "We might have a problem with those dinner plans." She gulped and looked absolutely shocked. Ron sat up. "Why? Who is it? Read the rest of the letter already!"
With a shaky voice, Hermione read; "Al and I are pretty sure you know his dad. Draco Malfoy? His son is Scorpius, and he's our new friend. Anyways, I gotta go. Clarissa and I are meeting Al and Scorpius early tomorrow so we can find our classes. Love you lots!
XOXO
Rose"
Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny stared at each other. "Well," Ron finally said. "This'll be a fun year, won't it?"
Awww, so fluffy. Poor Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny. Can you see the awkward dinners and owls to ensue? Oh dear, and Draco! Alright, well, I know I got some of these things wrong. JK announced that Draco actually married Astoria Greengrass, younger sister of Daphne Greengrass who was in Pansy's gang in the 5th book. I didn't know that when I wrote this. Also, Luna and Rolf had twin sons, Lysander and Lorcan who were actually several years younger then The Golden Trio's kids. Again, I didn't know. I was able to change a few things around (Originally, Gwen was daughter of Lee and Angelina, George had married Katie Bell because I would have never guessed that Angelina married George because that would've been weird because SHE DATED FRED FOR SO LONG!!) sorry, rant over. But I hope you liked the shipping hints (...Ya know, RosexScorpius? My fave. And AlxClarissa? GwenxJames? Its all very interesting...)
Okay, so, if you liked it, you know what to do!