Obligatory Author's Note: You'll soon find that this isn't the typical fan-fiction, but rather a retelling of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the format of a novelization rather than a screenplay. All dialogue has been changed to abide by FF's rules and guidelines regarding copying material from an already published work, as well as to make a good portion of it less cringey. While it follows the basic plot of the original screenplay, no dialogue has been purposely lifted from either it or the original Harry Potter series. Despite the basic plot outline being kept, numerous changes have been made to either answer the many criticisms that have been raised with the original story or simply because I feel as though they make more sense. Additional material has also been injected for the sake of retaining a small shred of originality. Some chapters, such as but not limited to the second chapter, feature predominantly original material for the sake of filler. That all being said, I hope you enjoy reading it!
A family of five made their way through the bustling King's Cross station. Among them, two young boys pushing packed trolleys, an aging mother and a stern father, accompanied by a young daughter hanging onto his arm. To the average person, barring the caged owls sitting atop the boy's trolleys, they seemed to be quite ordinary. But to the handful of those among the magical community, they were far from it.
This was the Potter family, the wife and children of the Boy Who Lived. He was a boy no more, however. Now a thirty seven year old man with children of his own, a lot had changed in the nineteen years since the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry Potter now stood older, wiser. His wife, Ginny Potter, still shined defiantly, hardened by her years on the Quidditch pitch, but was beginning to take on that plumpish look that her own mother had.
Both the two boys, James and Albus, possessed the same jet black and untidy hair as their father. While the older of the two, James, had inherited his mother's brown eyes, Albus bore his father's bright green ones, a fact that those he met often pointed out. Their daughter, Lily, had more of a Weasley look about her, resembling her mother. She wouldn't have looked out of place at the Burrow.
As they scurried through the bustling station, an argument quickly erupted between the two Potter boys.
"Stop! I'm not going to be put in Slytherin!" Albus shouted to his brother.
"Please give it a break already James." their father beckoned. "I've already told you to stop with this."
"I just said he might be put in Slytherin. It's true, I don't see what the problem-" He immediately noticed the look on his mother's face, a look he knew all too well. "Well alright then." He said defeatedly and quickly fell into steady silence.
Capitalizing on the rare moment of dead air left by his brother, Albus turned around to his mother and asked,
"You won't forget to write to me, will you?"
"Of course not, we can write to you every day if that's what you'd like." She replied.
"Please don't… James said that most people only get letters from their parents around once a month. I don't want to be the kid who-"
"You shouldn't believe everything your brothers told you about Hogwarts." His father interrupted. " You know he likes to get a laugh at your expense."
"But what if it's true?"
"It can't be, seeing as we sent your brother at least three letters a week." Albus' mother cut in. "Sometimes more. He didn't seem to have a problem with it either."
The conversation ended as they neared their destination. Looking around to ensure that no muggles were leering, the two boys' mother instructed them on how to bypass the barrier and reach the elusive platform nine and three-quarters.
"You see that wall there?" The two boys nodded. "All you've got to do is walk through it. It's as easy as that."
"I know mum, you seem to be forgetting that I've done this before." With a quick glance to ensure that no one would walk into his path, the oldest Potter son strutted up to the wall and disappeared behind it.
"If we don't see you inside, have a safe year! And don't forget to look out for your brother!" Ginny called out after him.
Albus didn't follow him right away. Noticing his other son's hesitation, Harry put his arm on his shoulder and spoke directly into his ear.
"There's nothing be afraid of. Just run straight through and don't worry about crashing. Trust me, I've done that before and it's not as painful as you might think."
"I'm ready." Albus assured him, smiling at his father's anecdote. He sauntered for a few steps, but quickly broke into a dash. Soon he made contact with the wall, his parents and sister right behind him, and passed through the barrier himself. If anyone was watching, it would have appeared that they had been wiped from the face of the earth!
The family emerged on platform nine and three-quarters. Although not as busy as King's Cross Station proper, the platform was still filled to the brim with witches and wizards saying farewell to their young children as they prepared to embark on the start of another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
James had already disappeared beyond the thick white steam emitting from the nearby Hogwarts Express, going off to search for his good friends from years previous.
"Do you think they're here already?" Albus anxiously asked, leaning out from the side of his trolley attempting to find a familiar face.
"Don't worry, they're here somewhere. Not like them to be late." His mother assured him. Wandering through the platform they soon found who they were looking for.
"It looks like that's them." Harry suddenly said, motioning to another family that could be barely seen through the white mist. Once they got closer, their faces soon came into focus and their identity was unmistakable.
"Rose! Uncle Ron! Aunt Hermione!" Albus greeted them.
The family turned to greet the Potters. They were the Granger-Weasleys, the longtime friends of Harry. The father, Ronald, had the typical Weasley look, not unlike Harry's wife. Thick, ginger hair and a face dotted with freckles. His wife, Hermione, with pasty skin and brown frizzly hair. They were accompanied by two children, a daughter named Rose, who appeared to be an almost exact replica of her mother when she was younger, alongside a younger son named Hugo, who kept a more Weasley, gingerish look about him. Friends often commented on how the two siblings could pass as younger versions of their parents.
"Have any problems driving here?" Harry asked his friend.
"I thought I did well, Hermione on the other hand... But then again, she didn't think I could even pass that Muggle driving test. She just assumed that I'd use a Confundus charm on the examiner." Ron replied.
"Oh come on Ron, you know I was joking." His wife half heartedly asserted. Ron leaned towards Harry and whispered in his ear.
"In the end, I did have to do it but only because I forgot to look in the side mirrors. I can use a Supersensory Charm for that anyways."
"Don't let the Minister for Magic here that one."
"Oh, don't worry." Ron laughed, but his giddiness was soon interrupted. "Hey, would you look at that. It's good old Malfoy and the heir to house Voldemort." Ron gestured down the platform at an aging Draco Malfoy, accompanied by his wife and son. The young Malfoy seemed to have an unfitting awkwardness about him. While his father typically kept a scowl about him, he only had an air of innocence surrounding himself. While he lacked the near patented Malfoy smugness, what he didn't have in attitude was made up for with his bleached blond hair, just like his father.
"Don't be saying things like that Ron, you know it's not true and you wouldn't want the kids repeating that sort of thing."
"I'm just having a laugh, you know he had plenty of those about us when we were at Hogwarts."
"Come on, could you give me hand putting Albus' trunk on board?" Harry said, hoping to change the conversation.
"Of course."
The two men leaned down and picked up Albus' trunk and owl and loaded it onto the train, joining Rose's. Upon returning to the platform they interrupted Hugo and Lily's discussion on which house they would be joining when they themselves attended Hogwarts in a few years.
"I don't want to be putting any pressure on you, but if you aren't in Gryffindor you're going to have to find a new place to stay for the summer holidays." Ron jokingly told his son.
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. The two younger children laughed, but nether Rose, and especially, Albus, enjoyed the teasing.
"Dad…" Albus said, as he grabbed his father's hand. "What will happen if I am put in Slytherin?"
"Nothing, I suppose. You'll still be my son and it won't make a difference. The house you're put into isn't the be all, end all."
"But Slytherin is the house of dark wizards and you and mum and James were put into Gryffindor."
"Albus Severus Potter. You were named for two of the greatest and noblest wizards who have ever lived. And you know very well that one of them was not only a member of, but later on the head of Slytherin house. You aren't limited by the crest on your robes."
"But-"
"If it really makes a difference to you, just make sure the Sorting Hat knows how you feel."
"Does that really make a difference?"
"It certainly did for me. If I hadn't made my feelings clear, I would have ended up in Slytherin myself." Albus was astonished, he had never heard this before. "Hogwarts will be the best years of your life, I promise you. There is nothing to be frightened of. It doesn't matter if you're in Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw, your house is what you make of it."
Harry looked at his watch, a gift from his mother in law that he had received for his 17th birthday.
"Well, it's almost eleven. If you don't want to miss the train you better get on board. You wouldn't want to have to find your own way to Hogwarts." He and Ron shared a youthful glance.
As the two children began to board the train, their parents and siblings hugged them and said their goodbyes.
"Don't forget to write us." Hermione said to her daughter. "And remember to give Professor Neville our love for us."
"Mum, you know I can't give a proffesor love!" Rose called back, blushing as she entered the train. Albus followed behind her and the two disappeared into the compartment.
"They're not going to get into any trouble, right?" Ginny inquired, clearly worried.
"They wouldn't be our kids if they didn't get into at least a little bit of trouble." Ron assured her. "You know, I'd do anything to go back, myself. But it's their turn to enjoy it."
"It'll be over before they know it." Hermione sighed.
"I still can't get over how much Al is worrying about being sorted into Slytherin. But I suppose he has a lot to live up to." Harry inserted.
"Oh, that's nothing. Rose is already worrying about how she can make sure she secures hers place as the future captain of the Quidditch team and is even planning her study schedule for the O. ."
"It's too bad they don't give time turners out anymore. She'd likely make even better use of it than we did." Her husband replied, a smile across his face.
As they watched the train depart, Ginny held onto her husband's arm.
"Harry… He'll be alright, won't he? I never felt as worried for James. But, well, you know how Albus is"
"He'll be fine Ginny, I just hope he makes good use of his time there."
Meanwhile, Rose and Albus made their way through the crowded train searching for a place to sit. Walking past several compartments, Rose seemingly took the process very seriously.
"Albus, we need to make sure we do this right."
"How do you figure?"
"Our parents met when they rode the Hogwarts Express for the first time. We can't just sit with anybody, we have to make sure that we choose the right people."
"It really makes that much of an impact? That's kind of scary."
"I think it's amazing. We're setting our future in motion today, in more ways than one!"
"So how do we decide where to sit?"
"Let's have a peek at them all and then make a decision."
The two began observing all the compartments around them. Not knowing where to start, Albus soon opened up the door closest to him.
"Hi, would you mind-"
"It's just me in here, feel free to have a seat." The lone occupant replied.
"Brilliant." Albus made his way into the cabin.
"My name is Albus."
"I'm Scorpius, and who might you be?" He turned and asked Rose, who still stood in the compartment door. Rose's face grew sterner, she recognized not only his name but his face from her father pointing him out on the platform earlier.
"Rose." She replied, harshly.
"Hello, Rose. Would you like some of my Bertie Box Every Flavour Beans?"
"I think I'm alright, thanks."
"Well, I've got plenty of sweets if you'd like any."
"I'd be happy to have some." Albus cut in. "My parents are rather strict about what they let me eat, what do you think I should start with?"
Rose began to glare at her cousin with cold eyes, clearing attempting to send a message.
"Easy, the Pepper Imp has always been my favorite."
"Brilliant, I'll have some of them then please." Albus soon noticed his cousin's looks. "What are you on about Rose?"
Scorpius had already come attention to the girl's looks, having been used to such stares.
"It's because of me." He said.
"What?" Albus replied.
"You're Albus Potter. She's Rose Granger-Weasley. And I'm Scorpius Malfoy. Our parents didn't get on while they were in school."
"That's an understatement! Your parents worked for Voldemort and tried to kill ours! And there's worse rumors about your family going around these days too."
"Only my dad was involved with that, actually. And I know what the rumors are, and they're all rubbish. Most ridiculous thing my father says he's ever heard."
"Rumors?" Albus asked.
"The rumor is that he's the Dark Lord's son." Rose said, bluntly.
The compartment was silent for several seconds, none of the youth knowing how to break free from the awkward subject of one of them being the son of the vilest wizard who had ever lived.
"It.. It can't be true anyways. Time turners don't even let you go back that far and look... you even have hair." Rose clumsily jested.
"And it's just like my father's!" Scorpius laughed.
"Yeah… Anyways, we should probably sit in another compartment. Our parents wouldn't be fond of us sitting with the son of one of their oldest rivals, no offence. Come on Albus, let's go."
"I think I'm alright here for now, go on without me."
"I'm serious."
"And so am I, we can meet up once we get to Hogwarts."
"Fine!" Rose exclaimed, as she angrily exited the compartment and moved further down the train.
The two boys sat in silence for a time, only exchanging awkward glances. Finally, tired of the sound of his own breathing, Scorpius broke the lull.
"Thanks for that, I've never had someone stand up for me before."
"The jokes on you, I only stayed for your sweets and because I've already made myself comfortable." Albus replied, reaching for another Pepper Imp.
"I don't have a problem with that." Scorpius snickered.