Albus Potter had fallen asleep on the train ride to Hogwarts. It was a stupid, embarrassing thing, he knew and defiantly something his brother never would have done, but he couldn't help it. The train's motion lulled him into a peaceful sleep, which, waking up from it, made his fears and worries seem a bit smaller.

But not much.

In his journal, Albus had a list of things he was afraid of; a list, which at the moment, Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was at the top of.

Albus put his journal back in his trunk and quickly changed into his school robes as the train screeched to a halt. He could hear other students in the hall and hurried out to join them.
"First years this way" He heard a familiar voice shout. He had known Hagrid for years and was not at all suprised to see his towering figure standing amidst a small crowd of eleven-year-olds.
He could see Rose among them and followed her on to the nearest boat, sure that she would protect him from anyone he didn't know.
Strangers were also on the top of his list.

It was foggy and difficult to see who sat by him in the boat.
Albus tried hard not to look into the dark water, sure there was some monster lurking in the deep. Hadn't Jim said something about Mermen? He gulped.

"So are you scared of all this magic stuff?" The person sitting to his left asked. "Let me guess, you're from a non-magic family."

He didn't have time to answer as someone else did for him. "Well, we now know who's Muggle-born on this boat." It was that blond boy his parents had talked about. Scrampus? No, Scorpius. The boy's voice had a distinct know-it-all tone, "Can't you see from his majestic profile? His noble shoulders?"

Albus hunched his rather bony shoulders in a bit more.

"This is Albus Potter, only slightly less well know then his older brother, James Potter who is again less well known then their father, the amazing Harry Potter."

"You better can it." That was Rose; he'd recognize her voice anywhere. "Or I'll make you."

"With magic?" That was the person on his left again.

Rose laughed. "No, with my fist."

"Subtle. I like your thinking. By the way, I'm Maisie." She held her hand out across the boat for Rose to shake.

"Oh, isn't this touching. Everyone making new friends." Scorpius pulled out a large book. "Excuse me if I don't join in the merriment."

"What's taking so long, anyways?" Albus asked. "Are we stuck?"

"I think it's the fog." Maisie said. "I hope we get there soon. I'm so excited to be sorted, but I don't want to be in my mom's house. Hufflepuff." She sounded a bit disgusted.

"Oh, I thought-"

"That my parents were Muggles? Well, my dad is. And my mom was, kinda. She ran away to Australia when err… I guess when your parents were being heroes."

Scorpius snorted.

Rose shoved him with her shoulder. The motion pushed him towards Albus who collided with Maisie. The girl wasn't expecting the contact and fell over the side of the boat. Albus yelled.

"That would be your fault. Scorpius said, pointing at Rosie. "Nice going, making a girl drown and losing my spot in my book. You'll be sent home as soon as we get to shore."

Albus was leaning over the edge, trying to pull the girl up. She was heavier than him though and he soon was floating in the lake too. He tried not to whimper as he thought of eels and jellyfish and all sorts of scary things from his fear list. "Uh, Rose? Help?"

"Out of my way, Squirrel Boy."

The tall redheaded girl heaved Albus up first, then reached out to Maisie and helped her up.

"Quite a start to the school year, that was." She said, wringing out her brown hair. "Oh, look, there's the shore."

"Sorting hat, here we come." Albus was almost positive Rose actually cackled. He shook his head at his best friend's slightly psychotic courage.

"For Merlin's sake, wonderchild, you just dripped water on my textbook!"

Albus frowned at the insult, and then remembered the moniker Rose had given the blond boy. "Sorry," Then he muttered, under his breath so not to cause another incident, "Squirrelus."

The action made him feel a tiny bit more like a Gryffindor.