Prologue
Rose was finally going. FINALLY! She had watched almost all of her cousins make the trip to the magical platform of 9 ¾ and had waved a lot of them off, boiling with envy. Every time this happened when they got back home she would make her parents tell her everything about Hogwarts: the secret passages, the feasts, the creepy forest, the Lake, the common rooms but she was most excited by the library. Her father would groan when she said the L word and say she was 'sooo like her mum'. Rose secretly took this as a huge compliment. Her mother was Hermione the Hermione of the battle of Hogwarts, head girl, co-defeater of Voldemort, brightest witch of the age, head of the Magical Law Enforcement team and the ministry's most successful lawyer and enforcement agent. She spoke three magical languages and was the reason house elves had statutory rights just like other magical creatures. Rose wanted to be exactly like her when she was older, all apart from one crucial difference- Rose lived and breathed music.
It was food and oxygen to her. She had first discovered the beauty of music when she was staying at her aunty Audrey's when she had played the piano for Rose, Hugo, Lily and Albus. Rose was 7 and she knew the tune, it was an old Celestina Warbeck song and Rose began to sing, everyone turned round and gaped. Audrey kept playing and Rose kept singing. Her aunt asked whether she enjoyed singing and Rose said she loved it and wanted to learn piano like her and guitar like James. Audrey played a few more tunes and that night sat down with her parents about getting Rose piano lessons. Audrey had taught her piano and by her first year at Hogwarts she was proficient. James passed on the name of a good muggle friend of his who taught her guitar twice a week, starting with acoustic and moving on to electric and eventually the base. No one could really understand how she picked it up so quickly, Louis and Fred along with the rest of the family joked that it made up for her total inability to get on a broom without falling off the end. This was unfair because she could fly - this was not an option in her family - but the truth was she just never felt comfortable hundreds of feet in the air with nothing but a few twigs and wood between her and the extremely solid ground. The only time she enjoyed flying was with her dad on their early morning coastal flights, it felt safer with him and Rose had no idea why she felt so nervous without her dad's infectious love of taking flight.
Her apathy for flight was something no one in her family seemed able to take on board. But who cared about going to Hogwarts for the quidditch?! She would finally be able to start learning with her brand new wand which was currently packed securely in her case. Over the last few days she had been obsessed with double and triple checking her beautiful new wand was safe in her trunk. She had got it a week ago in Diagon Alley along with Albus. Hers was unicorn hair and walnut wood, 12 ¾ inches slightly on the rigid side, good for transfiguration apparently.
Rose was so excited, she was standing on the platform surrounded by all of her cousins some of whom would be heading into their final year, like Victoire and Teddy, although she supposed he technically wasn't a cousin he definitely counted as one. Her cat Nix, named after Stevie Nicks, a huge fluffy orange beast and the daughter of Crookshanks, was sitting on top of her own and Albus's luggage looking regally down at everyone. Rose made a clicking noise with her tongue and Nix sprang onto her shoulder purring like thunder in her ears. 'Look who it is', she heard her father whisper to her mum and uncle Harry. They were pointing to a family a few carriages down. The woman was bending over and speaking to a little tearful dark haired girl around Hugo's age but she understood who the tall blonde man must be from the many many stories her parents and her uncle Harry had told over the years. This must be Draco Malfoy. It felt odd to be looking at someone she and her cousins had loudly booed at during the times their parents stories had touched on him and his evil family. He looked a little haughty but surprisingly normal. Then a boy stepped out from behind Mr Malfoy, he was his father in miniature all accept his bright smile which was plastered on his face as he looked around at the platform. Rose suddenly realised how even more incredible this moment must be for you if you hadn't already made the trip so many times with the army of cousins she had.
The boy caught her family staring and looked puzzled, his father turned round and looked directly at them all and gave an uncomfortable nod to her parents but frowned at Rose momentarily before leaning down and saying something to the blonde boy. Her own father at that moment said 'So that's little Scorpius, make sure you beat him in every exam Rosie.' Her uncle Harry and aunt Ginny laughed but her mum started telling him off, something about turning them against each other before they started. With that the whistle blew and her parents swiftly carried her trunk onto the train into a compartment for her that a girl about her own age was sitting in. Rose and Albus hugged their parents goodbye and climbed onto the train. Rose stuck her head out of the window to say one last goodbye to her parents and little brother. Now it had come to the time to say goodbye Rose felt her eyes prickle as she hugged her father goodbye. 'you're going to have a wonderful time love' her dad's voice seemed a bit wobbly too from his voice, but they broke apart and Ron shoved three galleons into her hands whilst her mother was distracted by Hugo and whispered, 'make sure you spend it all on sweets and I was serious about beating Malfoy in those tests!' Rose laughed as the train pulled away and she waved at her parents and brother who were growing smaller and smaller until they were finally out of site.
On entering the compartment she found Albus deep in conversation with two other first years. This was so typical of Albus, he would always strike up a conversation with anyone. When he was 8 he'd wandered away from the family in Diagon Alley and after a frantic search his parents had found him perched on the bar of the Leaky Cauldron telling a large group of assembled customers jokes. The girl he was talking to was short with mocha skin and dark hazel eyes and dark brown curly hair. Rose thought she looked exotic if a little nervous. Next to her sat a taller boy with sandy hair and almost peachy skin and very straight white teeth. He also had very blue eyes. She sat down next to him and she grinned at him nervously, he introduced himself in a very confident manner as Oliver Ollerton. His voice sounded vaguely American and lilting. Rose immediately liked him, he was so pretty and friendly. Nix especially liked him and unusually leapt onto his lap and began her cat nap. Rose introduced herself but Oliver looked surprised, 'well of course I've heard of your families but I had no idea you'd be starting Hogwarts this year too. Great to meet you both. You can probably tell I'm not from here. My parents are officials at MACUSA in the States but they've joined the ministry here in England on some project for the foreseeable. I grew up between London and New York but I spent time in Japan where my Mum was ambassador too. I'm so glad I get to come to Hogwarts though. To be honest it sounds way better than Ilver y'know?' Albus was frowning slightly, 'I'm sorry but did you say your name was Ollerton? You're not one of THE Ollertons are you?' Ollie looked slightly awkward and pleased at the same time, 'Yup! Fraid so, my cousin still runs the business with my older brother'.
'Sorry but what are you talking about, who's your family again?' Rose asked perplexedly.
The dark witch with the greenish eyes chimed in speaking as if she was reading aloud from a book, 'Ollertons are the oldest broom making family in the world, they founded Cleansweep but worked on most prior models and collaborated heavily and funded the nimbus collective.' There was a small silence and then Ollie roared with laughter, 'wow, that is impressive. Did you swallow Quidditch Through The Ages of something?' She muttered something about her memory and looked at her slightly battered boots. Rose took pity on her and began talking with her. It turned out she was half blood but her witch mother had died when she was young. Rose sympathised and they began talking of books so enthusiastically and loudly that they didn't notice a blond boy quietly slide the compartment open until Al asked him his name. Scorpius Malfoy had entered the compartment. He went a little pink and his gaze flickered minutely to Rose and back to Al. 'Excuse me I didn't mean to intrude' he said calmly. 'Im Scorpius do you mind if I take a seat?'
Al nodded obliviously at a seat by the window next to him but Rose whispered in his ear, 'Al wake up! He's a Malfoy he can't sit with us.' Scorpius heard and jumped up as if he'd been burned by the seat. 'Its OK I completely understand.' he said it automatically as if he'd heard it more than once that morning.
'Come on Rose, what's he going to do? Sit in the hall? Let's let bygones be scones or whatever your mum says'. 'Some of us lost family in those bygones' Ollie said cooly as he eyed Scorpius.
Scorpius frowned at Al as if he were figuring out if this was a trick. Al pulled him back down and began a spirited conversation about everyone's favourite Quidditch teams. It turned out that Quidditch was something they all loved, apart from Rose and the other witch who was called Angella DeBlanco, and on hearing that Scorpius was a lifelong fan of the Falmouth Falcons Ollie begrudgingly began talking with him about the league chances this year.
Rose seemed to have been the only one who remembered who this person was a Malfoy! How typical. By the time they had donned their robes some hours later and the train was pulling into Hogsmead Rose felt like she had already made two wonderful friends Ollie and Angie were both so interesting and she was crossing all of her fingers that they would be in the same house as her.