Title: Albus Potter and the Sacred Twenty-Eight
Synopsis: Albus Potter was just a normal kid trying to make it onto the team and get good grades. Then Scorpius Malfoy transfers into Hogwarts and a string of events turn Albus's life upside down. Murder, kidnapping, politics, intrigue, and magic unfold as the two boys fall in love... Meanwhile a new Dark power slowly rises. SLASH.
CHAPTER ONE
Albus leaned his head against the pane of the window and sighed lightly as the countryside sped on by. He barely moved when his younger sister Lily sat next to him.
"Cheer up, Al. It's going to be okay."
"What if I don't make it?"
Lily rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "You're the son of two Quidditch heroes— the youngest Seeker in two centuries and a former Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. James made it through the trials and now he's the Captain. Every Potter has made it onto the Quidditch House team for the past six centuries. So don't worry about it."
Albus knew that that was supposed to be encouraging, but Lily's words only made the feeling in the pit of his stomach worse.
"But what I don't?"
His sister took out one of her textbooks with a clear look of indifference. "Then you don't! What, do you think mom and dad are going to hate you? I'm not going to join the team and somehow they still love me."
"No…"
"That's right. They are going to love you to the moon and back, just like they do now."
Albus shook his head. "I don't know. But then I won't have done anything in school. I'm not top of the class like you are or mom was—"
"—That's because you don't study as much, Al—"
The teenager ignored her and kept talking, "—I won't have made Prefect like mom and James did, I won't have made Quidditch like everybody in the past six centuries did…"
"You're top of your class in Defense Against the Dark Arts, just like dad was! That's something."
"Yeah but I doubt he notices."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Dad knows everything. He's Head Auror, remember?"
"And he was the youngest Seeker in a century! I couldn't even make it onto the team in my second year."
"That's because you were going up against Fred. You know, Fred Weasley, four years older, Quidditch god? The one who was picked by the Chuffed Cannons—"
"—Chudley Cannons—"
"—Whatever kind of cannons, Albus!" Lily huffed and pulled her book back up to her nose.
Albus shrugged to himself and stared back out the window. He knew on an intellectual level that Lily was right. When he hadn't made the team in his second year, his parents had pulled him aside and told him that they loved him; they told him that Fred was older and more experienced. When he hadn't made the top ten percent of his class, his parents had pulled him aside and told him that they loved him; his dad told him about all the horrible grades he made while a student. When he hadn't made prefect, they pulled him aside and told him that they loved him; his mom told him that she thought the Prefect duties were an annoyance and a distraction from school.
Yet with each failure, Albus could feel an increasing pressure to excel at something. So far, all he had were consolation speeches from his parents promising him that they still loved him. He didn't have anything to make them proud. As silly as it sounded even in his own head, Albus felt like joining the Quidditch team was his last chance to prove himself as a Potter to his family.
Albus glanced over to Lily, who had already immersed so deep in her textbooks that an explosion could've gone off and she wouldn't have noticed. He sighed more quietly and stared out at the passing countryside.
A few minutes later, the door to the train car opened and his other cousin, Rose Weasley, bounced in excitedly. She sat across from them and clapped her hands. "Did you hear the news?"
Lily closed her book with a huff. "What news?"
"There's a Malfoy on the train."
"A who?" Albus blurted out, unknowingly.
Both of the girls turned to him as Rose splayed her hands. "Malfoy. You know, Lord Malfoy, former Death Eater? Uncle Harry's worst enemy aside from… You-Know-Who?"
Albus shrugged and stared out of the window disinterestedly. Who cared if another Slytherin was coming to the school?
"Yeah apparently he was kicked out of Durmstrang. He's transferring here."
That little fact peaked the boy's interest. "Kicked out? For what?"
Rose giggled and whispered conspiratorially. "Who knows. It's all quite hushed up. Daddy's money and all."
"What year is he going to be?"
"Our year! Fifth! That's why I wanted to tell you."
Albus gave a half shrug. "It'll just be another Slytherin at the school. I doubt I'll have any interaction with him."
Rose frowned slightly. "Doubtful. Malfoy is probably going to try and start something with us. Malfoys and Weasleys have been enemies for centuries."
"Sounds like he's more likely to go after you then."
His cousin raised her nose haughtily. "You're half Weasley too, you know. And you're Harry Potter's son!"
Albus sank into his seat glumly, hating that fact every time it was mentioned. He loved his father, but he hated the fame and expectations of glory associated with that. "Well, if he comes my way I'll just punch him in the nose then, yeah?"
Lily smiled lightly into her reopened textbook. Rose, seeing that her gossip hadn't caused the effect she wanted, stood up haughtily and left the compartment.
The two siblings exchanged a knowing look about their cousin and went back to reading their textbooks.
When the train arrived at Hogwarts station, Albus started to feel the excitement building throughout the students. He stared up at the castle with a grin on his face. Even despite all the expectations on his shoulders, coming to Hogwarts always felt like coming to his second home.
He got into a horseless carriage and rode with Lily as she excitedly talked about the magic they were going to learn. Albus humored her and smiled along. When they got to the castle and into the Great Hall, Albus sat down alongside the sometimes daunting number of Weasley cousins and his extended family, made up of all the sons and daughters of his parents' friends.
When it came time for the first years to be Sorted, Albus watched half-interestedly. Uncle Neville Longbottom, the Deputy Headmaster, called all of the trembling little ones up to be absorbed one by one by the Sorting Hat and pronounced into one of the Four Houses.
Then, after they were all Sorted, Professor Longbottom cleared his throat and called out, "Malfoy, Scorpius."
A silence fell over the Great Hall as everyone stared at the platinum blonde teenager who had appeared in the doorway. People began whispering and giggling to each other as Malfoy walked towards the Hat passively. He appeared absolutely calm and collected, as if no one was looking at him. Uncle Neville gestured to the stool and the school watched the boy sit on the stool with disinterest.
Albus's brother James leaned into him, saying, "Why bother with the Hat? We all know that the little git is going to be in—"
"—GRYFFINDOR!"
Author's Note: Please review! I've never published a story before and I'd like to know what you think. Thank you for reading.