This is a story about Albus Potter and his friends when they go to Hogwarts. Sorry it's short, hopefully, chapters will get longer as it goes on. This is my first fanfic, so please review and please be nice about it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Albus, Rose or any of J.K. Rowling's characters, but I do own some of the others.

Chapter 1 HOGWARTS

Albus' POV

"Move over Al," Called the short, redheaded girl who had just entered the train compartment.

He had been sitting alone in the empty compartment until his cousin entered. Albus was contemplating whether the sorting hat would really let him choose Gryffindor over Slytherin when she interrupted him.

"Hello Rose," He said as she sat on the seat across from him. Turning to gaze out of the window, he resumed his thoughtful silence.

Rose, on the other hand, couldn't be silent. She was almost bouncing with the excitement of finally being able to go to Hogwarts. "Have you seen James or is he with his friends?" She asked.

"Guess," Albus told her. Unlike his older brother and cousin whom he both loved very much, eleven-year-old Albus would rather be alone with his worries than chattering away about nothing.

She didn't reply, but changed the subject. "Do you think Victoire will talk to us or will she be busy with all of her older friends like James?" Rose asked as she peered out of the compartment for the girl in question. When she saw nothing, she sat back down.

Before he could reply, the door was pushed open and a tall boy with dark skin strode in. Behind him was a shorter boy with an eager expression on his face. "Mind if we join you?" The first boy asked.

"'Course not," Albus mumbled.

"I'm Emmett Shackletbolt," He reached out to shake Rose and Albus' hands.

"Are you related to Kingsley Shacklebolt? He was part of the Order of the Phoenix during the war. And now, of course, he's the Minister of Magic." Rose told them. She had a habit of spouting sometimes useful information.

"Yeah," Emmet said. "But distantly. I don't know him personally, if that's what you're asking."

"I'm Rose," Rose announced as she shook Emmett's hand.

"Rose Weasley?" He asked.

"Yes," she replied. "How did you know?"

"Your hair gives it away," he said, laughing. She blushed, but it was true. Almost every Weasley had bright red hair, even James and Lily had it.

"I'm Benjamin Fredrick Strickland," put in the short, brown-haired boy who had followed Emmett into the compartment. "But you can call me Ben if you want to." Thinking of his middle name, Rose added, "We used to have an Uncle Fred, but he died in the war against Voldemort."

"Don't say that name!" Emmett said loudly.

"Why not?" asked Ben.

"Because you're supposed to call him You-Know-Who or something like that," Emmett spoke like he was talking to a five year old.

"But I don't know who," Ben replied.

"Have you never heard of You-Know-Who? Harry Potter? The War?" Emmett asked amazed.

"No, of course not," Ben said. "I'm muggle-born remember."

Rose pulled a thick book out of her back and gave it to him "This has everything you need to know about the war against Voldemort."She emphasized his name as she said it. "My mum said 'fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself' and besides, he's dead. Though, dad does get a bit mad when she says that." She said the last part mostly to herself.

Ben was flipping through the book she had given him, wondering if he was actually supposed to read it and Albus had gone back to staring out the window when Emmet said, "Speaking of Harry Potter…" Albus looked up in spite of himself. What, he wondered, was with everyone's obsession with his dad?

"What about him?" Albus asked.

Emmet glanced at him, noticing him for the first time. "Y-you-you're," he stuttered, noticing the uncanny resemblance immediately. "You're his kid aren't you?"

Albus nodded. "Albus Potter at your service."

"Who is Harry Potter?" Ben repeated.

Albus sighed, seeing the way wizards stared at their father, he and James had pried the story from him years ago. "Years and years ago, there was this evil guy named Voldemort." He ignored Shacklebolt's shudder at the mention of the name. "Well, his real name was Tom Riddle, but you get the picture. He wanted wizards to rule muggles and he also wanted to be immortal. So he gathered a group of loyal followers to help him force people into submission.

"So, they had the whole wizarding community fearing for their lives when Voldemort heard a prophecy that this baby could defeat him. He thought the prophecy meant Dad and tried to kill him. But the curse rebounded and it destroyed Voldemort.

"About fifteen years later, he came back. When he was seventeen, Harry Potter did what no other wizard alive had been able to do for at least thirty years. He killed Voldemort. The end," Albus told him. "Well, there are a lot more details, but that's the long and short of it."

"I hadn't heard about the prophecy." Shacklebolt said. "But every kid hears those stories from their parents like they were Beedle the Bard's or something."

"You haven't heard the story told by the ones who experienced it." Albus said.

"Hey, my mum and dad were there too!" Rose put in.

The door slid open for the third time to reveal a tall blonde girl who looked very nervous. "Um, could I sit in here with you?" she asked no one in particular, looking at the floor.

"Yes," Emmett told her.

Everyone moved over to make room and she ended up sitting between Rose and Emmett. "What's your name?" Rose asked kindly.

"Carlina Prince," She said nervously.

Rose's eyes widened at hearing the girl's last name, but no one else noticed anything out of the ordinary. They went on with their conversation like there had been no interruption, but Carlina and Albus didn't join in. Albus, if you hadn't noticed, kept to himself unless an interesting subject came up. His mum always told him that he got this brooding side from Harry, though his father adamantly denied it.

"Oh, you lot had better get changed, we're almost there." Rose said a while later. She was already in her robes, but none of the others were. They each headed off to change into their Hogwarts uniforms.