"Journey to Hogwarts: The Next Generation"
"You were named for two great headmasters of Hogwarts… The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."
His father's words rang in Albus Potter's mind as he stared out the window of the Hogwarts Express. He was in a compartment all alone which suited him just fine. At the moment, he had a lot on his mind and didn't feel like having his older brother put his two cents in. If Albus knew James (and he did) he was probably somewhere talking to his friends, eagerly anticipating the upcoming term. Maybe he would go find his cousin Rose, she was like his Aunt Hermione (her mother) she was always there to be a listening ear, which Albus needed right now.
He found Rose a few compartments down the train she was sitting by herself, reading, as usual. When Albus opened the door she looked up.
"Hey Al." She said pleasantly, "pretty crazy, Hogwarts huh?"
"Yeah." Albus replied softly, he wasn't quite sure what to say and distractedly ran a hand through his untidy black hair.
Rose looked at him quizzically.
"What's wrong Al? You seem quiet… Quieter than usual, I mean."
"I don't know," Albus replied, "I guess it's the sorting thing… I'm not all that worried, really, but you know even though my dad says Hogwarts has changed quite a bit since he went to school."
Rose nodded.
"Yeah, it has. The new version of Hogwarts: a History describes the battle and everything, what your dad did and the renovations that were made to the castle immediately following the war."
Albus nodded absently before his green eyes brightened and he momentarily grinned at his cousin.
"You so sound like Aunt Hermione."
Rose Weasley drew herself up giving Albus a superior look.
"Well, she is my mom; dad always said I was a lot like her, even she thinks so."
Albus was about to say something when the compartment door opened again, this time revealing a tall boy with a thin face and platinum blonde hair. He was currently wearing a scowl and sporting a large black eye.
Rose looked up and her brown eyes widened.
"What happened to you?" She asked.
"Sixth years." The blonde boy spat. "Say I'm too good to be in Slytherin," then he drew himself up to his full height with an air of superiority. "If it was good enough for my father it's good enough for me!"
"Who are you?" Rose asked curiously.
The other boy extended his hand.
"Scorpius Malfoy."
Rose nodded.
"Rose Weasley." She replied in an equally firm tone.
Scorpius' eyes slid over to Albus.
"Oh, you must be one of the Potter boys." He took in Albus his messy hair and green eyes, "know all about your father of course."
"Do you want me to take care of that for you?" Rose gestured to Scorpius' eye while simultaneously reaching for her wand.
"No, I'll wait till we get to Hogwarts… I'm sure there's somebody there that can patch me up. See you on the platform." He gave a small wave before exiting the compartment.
"Well," Rose said with a tone of finality, "that was interesting… I can't wait till we get to Hogwarts."
Albus returned to staring out the window as he continued the train ride with his cousin.
"Yeah," he mused, "me either."