The Hogwarts Express lurched, and with a somewhat sudden churning, began on its way to Hogwarts. Rose Weasley was about as excited as any other first year about getting to Hogwarts; she already read "Hogwarts: A History" four times, but the pressures of being a Weasley were making her stomach flip unpleasantly.
What if she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor? What if she couldn't cast any spells? What if the only person who wanted to be her friend was the silver-haired Malfoy boy, Scorpius, whom her father hated so much?
Rose's small hands would've been shaking, had she not been holding he book very tightly. "A History of Magic." One of Rose's favourites. She had planned to take a seat in one of the compartments and read until the train reached the school, but every compartment she passed was occupied, and she was much too shy to ask if she could join any of the other students.
She was nearly at the end of the train when she finally found an empty compartment. It was slightly dustier than the other compartments she had seen, but it was empty, and there was only an echo of the other students laughing and joking with their friends.
That hit little Rose with a pang. All bundled up in her Hogwarts robes already, with her curly red hair surrounding her face and nearly suffocating her with its sheer volume, she wondered if anyone would want to be her friend.
The door handle clicked and Rose jumped a bit in her seat. A small, bony, fair-skinned hand pushed the door open gently and a head popped through the crack warily. The silvery head of the Malfoy boy. Rose pursed her lips, opened her book quickly to a random page and began reading.
The Malfoy boy shuffled through the door and sat down on the seat opposite Rose, stirring up a bit of dust. Rose brought her book closer to her face so she could no longer see the boy.
"Hello." A soft voice said from Malfoy's direction.
Rose lowered her book a little to look at the boy. His cheeks and the tip of his nose were flushed pink and he was smiling weakly. His hair was a bit messy, as it had not been while he was standing next to his dignified father on platform nine and three-quarters. He was also wearing his Hogwarts robes already. Just like Rose.
"Umm... Hullo," She flushed like a Weasley involuntarily. She quickly went back to her book, bringing it up to cover her face.
"What-what are you reading?" The Malfoy boy asked nervously.
Rose peered at the boy over her book. " 'A History of Magic' by-,"
"Bathilda Bagshot! What a wonderful book!" The boy finished her sentence excitedly, and moved to sit beside Rose, looking at her book. "I love the way she describes 'the Final Banishment of Most Terrible Dark Magicians'. 'The young Ministry of Magic was determined to rid the wizarding world of all Terribly Dark Magic's, not from their fear of the dark wizards themselves-,' "
" 'But their capabilities.' " Rose finished the Malfoy boy's quote with a smile. If anything could get Rose to talk, it was books, even if it was the Malfoy boy she was talking to.
"Yes!" He beamed. "Is that not brilliant? She understands that it's not really the wizards themselves that we fear, but their powers! I don't know about you, but I don't think any other author has grasped that concept. For the most part, they seem to think that we are only afraid of the wizard himself..."
"I completely agree! That always strikes me as odd... I don't see how such celebrated magical historians and authors miss out on that fact." Rose nodded vigorously, making her red curls bounce on her shoulders.
"My name's Scorpius." The boy stuck his bony hand out to shake Rose's. "What's your name?"
"I'm Rose." She smiled and shook his hand gingerly. "Are you a first year, too, then?"
Scorpius nodded gravely. "My mum and my father are both counting on me to be sorted into Slytherin, but I don't know if I will..."
Rose looked down at the slightly tattered book in her lap. Her parents had bought it used for her almost three years ago. It wasn't that they were poor, they weren't, but they were Weasleys, saving money wherever they could. Old habits die hard. "I know what you mean... My dad said he would disinherit me if I didn't get into Gryffindor..."
Scorpius winced. "I find that a bit harsh. How can you control what house you're sorted into?"
"I think he was kidding." Rose giggled.
"Oh." Scorpius smiled. "Well, it would still be nice to make our families happy, right?"
"Yes," Rose frowned, "it would."
Rose and Scorpius sat together on the train all the way to the school. They talked about books, complicated spells, and projects they were sure their teachers would assign once they started class. When the train lurched to a stop at the school, the two stuck together, drifting off to the boats with the other first years, all lead by an old greying Hagrid.
"A'right, Rosie?" The scraggly half-giant smiled at her crookedly.
"Good afternoon, Hagrid!" Rose smiled up at him.
Hagrid made a strange disappointed face at Scorpius. "This yer friend, Rosie?"
Scorpius stuck out his hand towards Hagrid, looking awfully terrified. "Scorpius Malfoy, sir. Pleasure to meet you."
Hagrid shook Scorpius's hand awkwardly with two fingers and a thumb. "Aye, same t'you, Scorpius. I'd best be on my way. 'Summuns gotta' lead the firs' years ter the castle. Jus' hop on one o' them there boats."
"Thanks, Hagrid! I'll see you later!" Rose waved. Hagrid waved back before turning into the crowd of first years and yelling instructions.
Rose and Scorpius followed the crowd, heading for the lake of glistening black water they could just see over the heads of the other first years. Rose snatched Scorpius's hand so they wouldn't get split up. When she looked over at him, he was looking down, blushing bashfully.
She kept her hand glued to his all the way across the dark lake (where one boy, a short, funny looking boy named William Boot) almost fell in, into the castle, and to the doors of the great hall, where they were both due to be sorted.
Scorpius was biting his bottom lip as he and Rose waited just outside the gigantic wooden doors that lead to the great hall. His hand was a little sticky pressed to Rose's. The Gryffindor house leader, a man named Professor Longbottom, who seemed to know Rose somehow, had already explained to the first years what to do when he called their names.
His head poked back out again, and Scorpius's heart sped up.
"It's time; come on in."