Hello! This is my first fanfiction; but I've been working on it for a few months...just trying to gather up the courage to post it! I feel like I'm bearing my soul to you all; so please be nice! And if you think it's rubbish, then well, that's cool. I'll just be crying in my room for a few hours or so, you know. Or eating all the chocolate in my house. Anyway, what am I talking about? Please, enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter World. Huh.

"Shut up, Malfoy. I'm not in the mood for you today,"
"You were in the mood for me on New Year's Eve,"

The One

Rose and Albus trawled through the crowd in the Hogwarts Express, weighed down by their heavy trunks. Rose huffed as she looked through each compartment to see if it was empty, which none of them were.

"We're never going to find anywhere!" she said crossly, defiantly putting down her trunk and folding her arms in the middle of the corridor.

Albus darted an anxious look behind him, at the queue of people building up.

"Rose, come on!" he begged "We're holding everyone up," Rose gave him a bold look, as if to say Do I care?

Albus sighed inwardly. Rose is so stubborn he thought Good things she's my cousin or sometimes I would really, really hate her

After unsuccessfully tugging at Rose to make her move, Albus gave up and started pushing his way through the crowds to try to seek a compartment. He knew Rose would follow. She hated the idea of anyone being upset or angry with her.

And sure enough, he hadn't walked even ten steps before he felt a friendly punch on his shoulder. It was Rose. "You're such a baby!" she chuckled, trying to walk in step with him, difficult in the crowded passage, "I was just yanking your wand…you Potters are way too serious!"

Albus ignored this slight on his family. He had grown a thick skin to Rose's insults over the years; however innocent they seemed.

They were approaching the end of the train now; as it seemed as though every compartment they had passed were full with laughing, chatting and hugging students. As they walked, Albus was aware of the many eyes following him. He put his head down a little bit, willing them to look away. He didn't enjoy attention, especially when he didn't deserve it.

Suddenly he noticed a compartment right near the end, which everyone seemed to be avoiding, just walking past it like it wasn't there. He grabbed Rose's arm and yanked and pointed at the compartment. She jumped in slight shock and looked in the direction where his finger was pointing.

"Well what are we waiting for?" she huffed, unfolding her arms and picking up her trunk. She walked briskly towards the compartment, as Albus rolled his eyes again and followed her.

Rose reached the compartment first, and opened it with a flourish. Then she froze, looking unsure of herself. Albus hurried to see what was wrong.

Scorpius Malfoy was in the compartment, sitting by himself.

He looked up from the book he was reading, a thick heavy one. He looked at Albus and Rose and his pale white face turned slightly pink.

So this is must be Malfoy's son Albus thought wonderingly. He had heard many stories about Draco Malfoy from his relatives. Not too much from his dad; he preferred not to go into the details of his famous ordeal, but from his mum and Uncle Ron. Uncle Ron had told the story many many times of how he saved Draco Malfoy twice in the Battle of Hogwarts. Aunty Hermione would always roll her eyes in exasperation, and say "You also punched him in the face Ron!"

Uncle Ron would pause, and a smirk a little "Yeah but he deserved it, the little git,"

Albus stifled a small smile. His family was funny. Completely crazy, but still funny.

"Can we sit here?" Rose said assertively, breaking Albus' train of thought.

Scorpius Malfoy flushed again and said, "Yeah, of course," he looked down at his book again, obviously not wanting to make eye-contact.

Rose looked at Albus and shrugged. What harm can it do? she seemed to say. Then she lifted her trunk into the compartment and sat down opposite Scorpius.

Albus sighed and followed in suit, sitting next to Rose, who immediately looked out of the window, at the houses and trees flashing past. Albus hesitated and looked at Scorpius again. His white blonde hair was falling in his face as he bent over slightly to read his book. He was handsome, Albus supposed, in a kind of blond blue-eyed way. However, he wasn't like some Californian model with tanned skin and bulging muscles. His face was very pinched and pale, very nearly as white as paper.

Suddenly a voice broke through his reverie "What book is that?" said Rose, next to him. She was sitting cross-legged now, staring at Scorpius completely unabashed.

Scorpius looked up, faint dread shadowed in his eyes. "Erm…" he hesitated, in an aristocratic drawl "Hogwarts: a History. I know it's old and everything but I just wanted to know about the history before we got there and everything,"

"Oh!" Rose said looking surprised "You mean the first version? Without the battle of Hogwarts?"

Scorpius held up the book to confirm that it was.

Before Rose could carry on, Albus spoke his first sentence to Scorpius "I have the first version too," he said "My dad gave it to…oh wait, I mean…erm,"

He cured inwardly. He hadn't wanted to mention his dad to Scorpius; what with his dad having famously been fixed enemies with him.

There was an awkward silence in the compartment.

"Anyway…" Rose said, after giving Albus an exasperated look "I'm Rose, and this is Albus," she said to Scorpius "He's my cousin and he's a bit of a geek-" Albus rolled his eyes amiably "And I'm clearly wonderful as you can tell," she added modestly, then held out her hand "And you must be Scorpius Malfoy…we've heard all about you," she added unnecessarily.

And about your father Albus added silently in his head

Scorpius looked at her hand as though it was a venous snake, poised to bite him, but he took it anyway, though tentatively and shook it lightly. Rose pumped her fist firmly and beamed at him. Then she said to Albus "Shake hands with Scorpius, Al," but only slightly menacingly, which was a change.

"Okay, okay your majesty," Albus muttered under his breath and reached over to grasp Scorpius' hand. It felt as cold as it looked, as though someone had plunged his hand in an ice cold bucket of water. "Good to meet you," he said; looking at Rose pointedly who was beaming as though he had won an award in a ceremony.

"Yeah, you too," said Scorpius, in his drawl. "So you're…" he hesitated "Harry Potter's son?"

Albus saw out of the corner of his eye that Rose had rolled her eyes. This happened a lot to him and his siblings. People wanting to confirm to themselves that it was true, he was Harry Potter's son. The Harry Potter, yes. And yes, he did look an awful lot like him.

"Harry has two sons," Rose interjected meaningfully.

Scorpius looked embarrassed "Yeah…James right?" he looked thoughtful "After Harry's dad…your granddad I've heard?" he asked Albus.

"Yeah," Rose butted in "And Lilly's named after his mum. But Al here-" she nudged Albus with her pointy elbow "was named after Dumbledore and Snape. You know his full name is Albus Severus? And obviously you know that Snape was in love with Lily…so technically Al should be in love with Lilly. Though that would be weird cause she's his sister…but I've heard that happen before," she said thoughtfully "Pretty disgusting. That's like me falling in love with Hugo," she gave the tinniest of shudders "Ew. That's completely minging,"

Throughout her speech, Scorpius had been looking at her with increasing horror and dismay. Albus fought the urge to burst out laughing.

Suddenly there was a commotion outside, and the compartment door opened roughly and three boys barged inside. The first boy was James, Albus' brother and Rose's cousin, the second was Fred Weasley; both their cousin and the last was Thomas Venner who was James' friend.

"Albus!" James greeted him, messing up his hair affectionately "We've been looking all over for you …we need to give you the special Hogwarts Express initiation-" he broke off as he caught sight of Scorpius "What's he doing here?" he said venomously; looking at him as though he was dragon dung.

Scorpius looked completely terrified. Albus felt sorry for him; after all, it wasn't his fault he had been subjected to this unbearable torment. First Rose, and now James. It was enough to kill anyone!

"Don't speak to him like that!" came an outraged voice from next to Albus.

It was Rose.

He looked at her in a daze. Was she really going to defend Scorpius Malfoy…to James? James Potter?

He would eat her alive.

James looked amazed, but he soon regained his composure "Don't tell me that you're friends with…with him Rose!" he scoffed, his dark eyebrows raised. Fred and Colin exchanged confused glances.

Rose gave an enigmatic smile and slipped over and sat next to Scorpius. He sat as stiff as a poker while she cuddled up to him. "We're already best friends," she assured James "Me and Al and him were just discussing which seats we're going to bagsie in the Slytherin common room," she said, with particular emphasis on the Slytherin. "We were thinking next to the fireplace as we hear it gets quite cold under the lake and everything," she said sweetly to him. "Of course, you wouldn't know anything about that…what with you being…Gryffindor," she spoke with disgust coloured in her tone.

James looked at her in shock "But…Rose," he stuttered "You want to be in Slytherin? Are you…are you joking?" he looked appalled, as though he had witnessed a particularly horrific car-crash.

"Of course not! I expect I'll get on very well with the Bloody Baron, we'll exchange dress patterns or something," she said airily with a wave of her hand "I've heard that he is very into fashion, especially the last eighteenth century dress," she leaned forward confidentially "But…if you mention anything to do with…" now she lowered her voice to a disgusted whisper "jeggings then he'll set Peeves on you,"

James looked dazed. "You're mad," he said with an air of finality "Completely mad. Come on guys, let's leave these nutters alone. Oh, and nice meeting you…Scorpius," he added, with slight venom in his voice.

They left the compartment, slamming the door behind them.

Rose leaned forward "Well now that's got rid of them, what shall we talk about?" she said, and if Albus wasn't mistaken, with a slight smirk.