A/N: Welcome to the start of what will hopefully become a seven book series. A few notes that should be known:

- While the title obviously centres around Albus, this story will be told predominately through the eyes of Riley; my OC. I am striving to make her not a Mary Sue, but still a strong and cool character, so along the story tell me how I'm doing with that, please and thank you!

- I welcome all constructive criticism, whether it's grammar and spelling based or story development, breaches of canon, etc.

- With that in mind, please note that I speak British English, and will have my spelling as such.

That's about all for now; please enjoy the story! Reviewing would be wonderful (of course) if possible, and I would love to be able to get good feedback on the story!

- brookethebabbler

Riley had not been entirely surprised when she got a letter in the post explaining that she was a witch, and would be attending a magic school when the school year commenced, on September first. She had been, a little bit, of course - who wouldn't be ? - but the fact of the matter was that, for the majority of her life Riley had known that she was different from other girls and boys her age.

Other girls and boys couldn't change their primary school teacher's sandwich filling into frog spawn if they were sufficiently angry. Other girls and big hadn't accidently turned all the clothes in their wardrobe an eye watering green when they couldn't find any of that colour when they wanted to where it. Other girls and boys couldn't make small things levitate (except for Matilda, of course, but she was fictional and so did not count.)

So, when the letter came in the mail, Riley was a little bit shocked, a little bit relieved, and mainly excited - a school for magic, was so cool. She could hardly wait for September first.

When she, her mother and the strangely dressed man - her defence against the dark arts teacher allegedly, his name was Professor Everidge- had shopped for her school supplies in Diagon alley, Riley had had the time of her life. And, for once, Riley was spoiled rotten by her mother.

Riley's mother had also not been surprised, this was because, as she had explained to Riley, that she was a squib - a muggle (that was a non magical person) born to wizard parents. Riley's mother hadn't talked to her parents in years, but she had recognised the signs throughout Riley's childhood, and was now inordinately excited that her child was magically inclined enough to be allowed entry into Hogwarts.

After all, she said to Riley as they went shopping, it was the best school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world.

Riley had gotten potion ingredients in an apothecary, books in a magical bookshop, and witch robes in a clothing store called Madame Malkin's. She had gotten a black cat at the Magical Menagerie, last of all, what she personally considered the most important purchase of the trip, she bought a wand at Ollivander's.

It was also at Ollivander's, coincidentally enough, that Riley had a rather auspicious meeting - though she wasn't to know it yet.

They'd put of the last shop until after lunchtime, and Riley was practically bursting with excitement when they finally arrived at the store. "I'd better wait outside," said Professor Everidge, rustling the large amount of shopping bags he was holding. "I don't think they'll want me cluttering up the room, especially since by the looks of it, Mr Ollivander already has a customer."

So it was that just Riley and her mother entered the shop. It was tiny, especially since her mother had told her it was the main shop to buy wands, but it might have just appeared so due to the rows upon rows upon rows of wands lining the walls, stacked neatly all the way up to the ceiling.

There were several other people in the room - a gaunt old man, with white hair and misty eyes, who was handing box to a boy who looked around Riley's age. A man was clapping the boy on his shoulder heartily - it was obvious they were both related, because they shared the same messy black hair and striking green eyes. "You take after me, Albus," the man was saying to the boy, gesturing to a large pile of wands on a spindly chair. "It took ages to find the right wand for me as well."

Meanwhile, Riley and her mother were approached by another man - this one much younger. He had mousy brown hair tied back into a short, straggly ponytail, and round misty eyes like the old man. "Hello, hello!" he said cheerily. "I'll be helping you find your wand today - the name's Garrick Ollivander the second, named after me dear granddaddy." He gestured to the old man, who had discarded a wand after it had began whistling alarmingly after being given to the boy. "He doesn't normally man the shop these days, but we have a very special customer here."

He lowered his voice. "It's Albus Potter, he's the son of Harry Potter!"

"Harry Potter?" remarked Riley, curiosity evident in her tone as she gazed over at the black haired man. "I've read about him, just before, while I was getting my robes fitted."

"I'd be surprised if you hadn't," said Garrick.

Meanwhile the man had looked over. "Am I being arrogant, or did I hear my name?" he asked lightly. There was a flicker of good humour in his eyes as his gazer briefly touched on Riley.

"I don't know you well enough to tell whether or not you're arrogant," Riley said, before anyone else could speak, "but you probably did hear your name, we were just talking about you. I don't suppose you'd like to sign my book? You wrote it."

"Riley, don't bother the poor man, he's shopping as well, I don't think he wants to be badgered," her mother said.

"No, no, it's fine," Harry Potter said, smiling. "I'd love to." Riley quickly exited the store to get the book from Professor Everidge, and proffered it to him. He flipped it open to the title page, and scribbled something in it with a quill he brought out from his pocket, before handing it back to her. It said:

Have fun at Hogwarts

- Harry Potter

"Dad, I just got my wand," Albus said, tugging on the sleeve of his father's robes, and sending a sour look Riley's way. "Let's go."

"Let me just pay for it," Harry said, turning back to his son, and the two headed off to the counter.

"Cool," said Riley, as she looked down at her newly signed book, while the two of them left. "Can I get my wand now?"

It didn't take long for Riley's wand to be chosen. While the boy, Albus Potter, had had a pile of discarded wands some three feet high - Mr Ollivander had returned them to their rightful places with a flick of his own wand - Riley herself went through only fifteen before she found hers.

Mr Ollivander had returned up to the upper levels of the shop sometime in the time it took Riley's wand to be found, and it was Garrick Ollivander II who rung up the purchase.

Eleven galleons poorer, they exited the shop, and after Riley cajoled her mother into visiting Flourish and Blots again to pick up five more books - none of them on the school booklist, but all of them nonfiction - they returned home.

Riley then promptly named the black cat Nox - a name both lyrical and fitting, her mother agreed - and her wand Cecily, despite the fact that her mother informed her that no one named their wands. Riley doubted this was true. If the wand chose the wizard - (or the witch) then that bespoke of some sentience, in which case every wand was deserving of a name.

Both names had been stolen out of her textbook - Hogwarts A History (Revised Edition), it was called. For the rest of the evening Riley sat curled up, with Nox purring in the crook of her knee, and one of her various textbooks open in front of her. Riley was determined to memorise them all in the two months of holidays she had left before Hogwarts.

In the days following, it soon became apparent that f Riley hadn't memorised her textbooks than she was very close to doing so. When her mother was cleaning dishes in the kitchen she babbled about housekeeping spells, such as Scourgify. When her father was cooking dinner she spoke about the house elves at Hogwarts who cooked, and how she was particularly excited for potions class. When her mother was mowing the lawn, and her dad pruning the rose bushes she went on endlessly about the differences between wild and garden higgledy-shrumps, and how their effects in potions varied between the two.

Finally, Riley's parents had had enough. "Riley, we know you're excited about Hogwarts," her mother said.

"But," her father continued, "If we have to hear one more this about Hogwarts and magic, we'll explode!"

"We're both busy right now," her mother added, as indeed they were. Her husband, Timothy, was hard at work polishing the silverware, and she was making profiteroles, for when they friends came over for tea that afternoon. "Why don't you go look around for magical plants? I'm sure there will be some, if you look hard enough."

Riley, being a rather agreeable person, took on this suggestion readily enough, and called over Nox, who at two and a half months of age was already displaying that he was far more intelligent than his regular, muggle counterparts. He had veritably doubled in size over the month, and while not quite an adult yet, he was certainly a young man among cats.

That afternoon she pottered around the rather small park close by, and while the most plentiful plant around was the distinctly un-magical dandelion, she managed to find a few of the most common magical flora - though, to her disappointment, there were no wild higgledy-shrumps to be found.

For the rest of the summer she entertained herself in much the same way, even starting a field guide of sorts, in which she duly noted down everything about every magical plant she encountered within her county. She ever illustrated it, though she was embarrassed to find her artistic skills lacking - though no doubt practise would change that, of course. The field guide she entitled A Compendium Of Magical Plants Located In Surrey, and she carried it everywhere with her.

And finally, it was time for Riley to make her journey to Hogwarts. Entering through platform Nine & after bidding her parents farewell, Riley boarded the train rather early. With a bit of a struggle, she managed to lift her trunk onto the train, and shoved it under the seat of a compartment. Then, she got out the textbook that was one of her favourites - 1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi, which had proved to be a large help in writing her own field guide, and settled down to read. Nox being Nox, curled around her shoulders while she did so, as they was his favourite position to be in.

Albus Potter sat at the kitchen table while his father and mother made dinner together. His dad was currently telling his mum all about the trip to Diagon Alley, and all about the weird girl they'd met at Ollivander's.

"It was weird, Ginny," Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One said, while wearing an apron that said; Kiss the cook! and stirring the bolognaise sauce. "It was like meeting Hermione and Luna combined together - but miniature."

"Well then," Ginny said, smoothing back Albus's hair and landing a kiss on his forehead that he squirmed to escape from, before turning back to the spaghetti, "If she's buying a wand, it sounds like she'll you in your year - you two could be friends," she said.

Albus rolled his eyes, the expression on his face making it clear what he thought of that idea. "Yeah, right," he said. "She's a weirdo."

"Don't you be rude, Albus Severus!" Ginny reprimanded.

Albus rolled his eyes again, making sure his mother couldn't see. "Whatever," he mumbled.

So, what'd you think?

P.S. By the way, the chapters will be much longer than this - which is only the prologue! Also, the narrative will pick up a little bit in the next chapter!