Chapter 1
The Hogwarts Express was rolling out of platform nine and three quarters. Parents were waving goodbye, but just a few children bothered to wave back. Onboard the train was probably the liveliest group of students Hogwarts had ever experienced. So much noise and excitement could only be compared to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup. However, in the last carriage two nervous 11 year olds were sitting in silence, both in deep thoughts. Which house would the Sorting Hat put them in, would they suffer from home sickness and would they make any friends? These thoughts absorbed their mind, and if James hadn't fallen through the half open door midway between London and Hogwarts, they would probably not have said a single word to each other for the whole journey. "What are you two staring at? Never seen someone take a pirouette through a door before?" said James Potter with the most arrogant and confident voice he could manage. When the silence continued he added "I bet you're so scared of ending up in Slytherin that you can't even speak" and with that sentence he was gone. "Is that true, Albus? Do you really think you'll end up in Slytherin?" asked Rose. "Well, there is a possibility I might. The same goes for you, you know" Albus replied silently not keeping eye contact. "I'm quite certain I'll end up in Gryffindor, everyone in my family has been there" answered Rose. "You'll probably end up in Gryffindor as well" she hastily added with a reassuring voice. But inside Albus Potter's mind something told him she wasn't right. Rose and Albus were cousins, but could as well have been sister and brother. Not that they looked anything alike, but they were inseparable. Going to Hogwarts could be a continuation of their close bonds, but it could also be where their lives separated for good. Spending much of their childhood together they knew each other in and out. Albus was of the thoughtful and quiet type and Rose the total opposite. In some way they fulfilled each other perfectly. As the sunset turned the sky red, the Hogwarts Express continued its journey due north. Inside the conversations had shifted from "how was your summer?" to "I'm so hungry I bet I could eat an entire hippogriff!" Finally the train came to a halt, and suddenly the once so peaceful Hogsmead station was packed with children dressed in black robes. "1st years this way, just follow me!" shouted a tall, skinny man. Rose and Albus stumbled their way across the station and joined the group of 1st year students. As in a trance they were guided down to the boats waiting to ship them across the Great Lake. "Please, make sure to stay in the boats at all times during the journey" said the tall man. A couple of boys murmured to each other "where else could we be?". As an answer to that the tall man continued. "Last year a girl almost lost her leg to the Giant Squid. Luckily, and just in time, the Giant Squid got confused and thought she was a loaf of bread, which I'm sure it remembers it can't digest." With those calming words in mind, Rose and Albus' boat made its way across the lake, the home to creatures still unknown to the fresh students. They knew what was to come, but for just a bit longer they could breathe in the cold air and be dazzled by the glow of the castle. They were all still just 1st year students without a label telling everyone where they belonged and who they truly were.
