"Good-bye!" Al's mother called as he boarded the Hogwarts Express with his brother James. "Bye, Mum!" they called in unison as Rose swept past them, already in her robes. She waved a final good-bye at her parents, and then blew a kiss at Hugo and Lily, who were almost in tears. "You'll have to wait your turn just like your brother" Ginny said to Lily, while Molly, their grandmother, picked Hugo up, saying the same thing. James smirked at the younger kids, feeling older than the rest of them(which he was).
They dragged their luggage into the last compartment of the train as James kept telling them all about Hogwarts "... secret passages, and ghosts, they can go right through you, and-" but Rose interrupted. "This is all stuff we've already heard from Uncle Harry," she said. "Yeah," Al put in, "Dad's already told us all about the school, James. Remember the one about Fluffy and the Source Stone, or something?" "The Sorcerer's Stone, Al. Invented by Nicholas Flamel and your namesake, Dumbledore-" but she stopped as Scorpius Malfoy edged his way nervously into the compartment.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know there was anyone back here! There's no room anywhere else on the train..." but he slowly faded off as he took in who was glaring at him. It was Rose Weasley, plus James and Albus Potter, the children of his father's enemies from school. Victoire, their cousin, came sweeping in. "Nope, sorry, this one's full too," she said in her strange, and slightly intimidating, French-British accent. Scorpius, stunned by her part-veela beauty, just stood there, mouth gaping. "That means get out, Malfoy," James said. He slowly backed out of the compartment. "Thanks, Victoire," Rose said heatedly. "No problem. Now, I must get back to Teddy."
James, Al, and Rose had to shove their fists in their mouths to keep from laughing. They felt the train jerk into motion, and its whistle joined the cries of owls as it sped off to yet another year of Hogwarts. "This is so exciting!" Al said. They sat down, and Rose pulled out a book. "Anyone want to join me? You can never be too prepared" She showed them the cover. It was Hogwarts: A History. "I'll pass, thanks," Al said. "Yeah, me too. I'd rather go on a date with Moaning Myrtle!" James said. Rose just gave a "Humph" and turned back to her book.
The boys were comparing wands when the cheery witch with the snack trolley rolled in. "You want anything, dears?" she said. Al gave the Chocolate Frogs a wistful glance, but Rose said "No thanks, my mum made us all something to eat!" and she pulled out a bag containing three soggy sandwiches. "You know Rose, Aunt Hermione was never really a good cook." James said, pulling out his money-bag. Al took one last look at the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, but grabbed a sandwich from Rose. "Thank-" but he cut her off with a "You owe me."
The rest of the ride took place uneventfully, the silence interrupted only by James' sleek black owl, Padfoot. "Al, Al, wake up!" Al awoke to the sight of the Hogwarts castle outside of his window. He must have fallen asleep somewhere along the journey.
As the train slowed down, he could hear the booming cries of Hagrid, the gamekeeper and family friend."Firs' years! This way, all firs' years!" Rose packed her books and stood up excitedly. She practically dragged Al outside, with barley a goodbye to James. Hagrid beamed down at them as he herded all of the new students onto the boats. "This is going to be a great year!" Al he climbed in to a boat with Rose, a skinny blond girl , and a rather round boy with glasses. He didn't know how wrong he was...
