A/N: So yeah, this story is full of OCs. Because The Cursed Child is the worst and I needed to fix this. And this took a month to come up with.
Okay, quick explanation for this chapter because more OCs coming this way - Albus and Scorp's kids are called Astoria and Cedric. Astoria is fifteen, Cedric is eleven. And through smart manipulation, Albus and Scorp got Cedric to go to Ilvermorny instead of Hogwarts. It has to do with what they went through while attending Hogwarts, but also a disorder he has. And I'm not saying what disorder this is because it really doesn't matter.
And yes, Jeffrey is a No-Maj-born. But that would be explained later on.
"No, I'm changing my mind. Cedric is going to Hogwarts."
"Scorp, you're being ridiculous. He is not going there. I will not let that happen."
"Albus, he's my baby. Our baby. I don't want him to go there either, but do you really want him all the way over in Massachusetts while we're all the way over here?"
"This is hard for me too, Scorp. But it has to be done."
"No, Albus Severus Potter, you listen to me –"
"Why are you fighting? Ced is crying." Both men turned their eyes to their fifteen-year old daughter. She was standing in the hallway, snuggled in her sparkly pajamas and Slytherin scarf, arms crossed in a serious manner. "He knows you're fighting about him. It only makes it worse."
"Why are you meddling in this, Tori?" Albus asked and went to his daughter. "This isn't about you."
"No, but it's about Cedric, and I was trying to write a paper for potions class which is due the first day of class, but he came to my room crying because you were fighting about him. And that calls for an intervention."
"Astoria Demetria Potter-Malfoy, this is none of your business –"
"This becomes my business once Ced starts crying –"
"I am your father, Astoria! Do not raise your voice at me!"
And then Cedric's cries became louder. Albus sighed, running a hand through his hair. Tori gave him a look, as if to say "I told you so". So he went past her to her room, where the tiny redhead boy was crying even harder, of the pain in his eyes from so much crying.
"Hey, baby bird. Come on. We're not mad at you." Albus took his son in his arms. Cedric grabbed one of Astoria's many stuffed animals with him on the way. "No, you can't take Tori's toys. Put that back."
"No."
"Do you want to cry or do you want to talk to me?"
"I want to cry."
"But you can't." Albus started stroking Cedric's hair. Cedric was hiccupping and holding tight onto his dad. "Tomorrow Grandpa Draco will take you to Massachusetts and you'll go to school there. Isn't that happy?"
"I want to cry."
"Cedric, look at me. Don't hide in my shirt." Cedric rubbed his eyes and looked up. "Tomorrow you're to going to Ilvermorny, and on Tuesday Tori is going to Hogwarts. If you cry she won't want to go to Hogwarts and then bad things will happen."
"I'll be alone. I don't wanna be alone. Daddy please don't leave me alone."
"You're not going to be alone. You have an owl, you'll get a wand, you write beautifully and you can send us letters all the time. And if anything goes wrong, remember that we wrote to the headmistress and you can always ask her to contact us for you. Say the word and we'll be there. I promise."
"I'll be weird." Cedric's eyes turned wet all over again. "I'll have a weird accent, and no one will know me there –"
"No one knows anyone there, Cedric. And they'll think your accent is cool. Americans love English accents."
"I wanna stay at home and go to school with Katherine and Eli and Danny and –"
"Baby bird, what's wrong?" Scorpius went into the room and joined the two on the carpet. "Why are you so scared?"
"Because I wanna go to school with Katherine and Eli and Danny and –"
"But you're a wizard, Cedric. And they're not."
"Ceddie, you're such a bright kid," Scorpius said with big eyes. "Did you know that your grandpa told me there is no way you're related to your other grandpa?" Cedric started crying again. "He meant that as a compliment! He said that because you're such a happy kid who is all sunshine and rainbows and your Grandpa Harry is Mister Doom-and-Gloom. Come on, baby bird. It's going to be fun. You're going to love it there!"
"I wanna sleep with you tonight."
"Oh, baby. Of course you can."
Albus and Scorpius fought with their stares, a fight which Scorpius won. So after evacuating Astoria's room and taking Cedric to wash his face and change into his pajamas (to his protest, since it was not "bedtime-time" yet), they held a cuddle-fest and watched some Disney movies, to get Cedric to relax. And they even forced Tori to join them.
Jeffrey was getting his hair cut today. And it was frustrating.
"You're such a pretty girl, honey," the new hairdresser told him. "Why would you want your hair so short?"
"Because he asked you to cut it short," Alice told her for him.
"Lisa never questioned me."
"Yeah, but Lisa isn't here now, is she?" Alice muttered.
"No." He tried looking away. The lady took her scissors and went at his hair. He couldn't look at himself, not now – all he could see was a girl with dark blonde hair, and he didn't like it. "Do you think they're going to accept my request to be called Jeffrey and not Nicole?"
"You sent that letter, didn't you?"
"Umm, yeah."
"And they sent you a reply?"
"I don't know…"
"Well, I know." She held up a paper and showed it to him through the mirror, and then opened it up and read out loud. "'Dear Mr. Walker. I have taken your request into record.' Just a second, it's there… There! 'Therefore, with parental signatures, your name will be officially changed to Jeffrey in the records.' Sincerely, Deputy Headmaster and so and so. What are you so afraid of? That school of yours is really nice."
"With parental signatures."
"I told them it was something I needed to get signed, they'll have to give their autographs and I'll write the context. Don't worry. I take care of you."
"You're not a really good caretaker, Alice."
"Why not?"
"For one, you can't cook."
His sister started laughing right then and there, which made him laugh as well. At least it distracted him from looking at himself in the mirror. When the lady asked if he was serious about the hair color too, he said yes.
"But aren't you too young for hair color?"
"Our parents allow that," Alice said. "It's fine."
She did not color his hair, but after a bit of a while, Jeffrey was finally able to look at himself in the mirror. He was handed his glasses and finally, at last, his hair was short again. Still blonde, but short. Alice paid the new lady and grabbed him by his arm, stopping him from getting all over himself in the mirror.
"What am I going to do at school?" He frowned. "I don't think I can really get a haircut at school…"
"I'm sure you'll find someone to do it for you in three months. You really let it grow this time, didn't you."
"Three months ago Grandma was over, and then I just didn't find the time."
"Excuses, excuses."
"Beans, beans, the musical fruit," he started muttering. "The more you eat, the more you…" Only when Alice elbowed him did he stop. "What?"
"Really? The musical fruit?"
"It just came to me and I had to."
"From 'excuses, excuses'?"
"Yeah…? Don't hit me!"
Jeffrey was glad that Alice took him instead of their mom. He got a fruit smoothie and a sandwich out of it, so it was good. Their mom would never get him a smoothie or a sandwich at the end of the day. And his dad never took him anywhere. So when they got home later that afternoon, he had a sugar high. And his mom didn't blame Alice for it.
It was Jeffrey's last day before starting school at Ilvermorny. And he was super-excited. Well, excited and scared.
Blame Alice on that obsession with Sondheim musicals.
A/N 2: I had to make Jeffrey trans! I'm sorry! I had to. But honestly now, this happens in many a year. I think that until this happens, it won't really be something that serious. And I calculated. If Tori was born when Albus and Scorp were 25, the year Ced would be sent to Ilvermorny would be 2046. This is thirty years where change can take place and a transgender 11-year old won't be something so weird to talk about.
This comes from an Israeli eighteen-year old, and here, if a thirteen-year old comes out as trans, it's big news. So I'm sorry if I offended anyone by saying what I said about trans acceptance. But more than that, I still see too many stories of transphobia among all types of people. So I really hope that it will change in thirty years.
A/N 3: The next chapter will be the actual first day at Ilvermorny, as well as a bit about Tori's first day as a Slytherin prefect. So be ready.