A/N: Hi, and welcome to my Fanfic. I think I'm going to just let you all jump straight into the chapter, but there'll be a significantly longer A/N at the end. So please read that once you're done with the main text! Oh, and before I forget…
DISCLAIMER: I am not JK Rowling. It'd be really awesome if I was, as I'd be rich, famous, and able to rewrite the seventh book so that Hedwig didn't cop it. In reality however, I am only using her work as a playground for me to write my own adventures in (Because let's be honest – seven books will never be enough). Thus, only the plot of this story and any OC characters belong to me. The rest is all the intellectual property of the mighty Queen Rowling.
Righto – onto the chapter.
Throughout his life, Albus Potter had been described with a variety of words. Ask his brother James to describe Albus, and he might use words like 'nerd' or 'tosser.' In contrast his sister Lily, would probably insist on her brother's 'inherent sweetness,' but then add that, yeah – he could be a bit of a prat at times. His cousin and closest friend, Rose Weasley, would probably call him a 'complete moron', and his other best friend Scorpius Malfoy would undoubtedly agree.
But the rest of the world probably wouldn't use such harsh terms to describe Albus. Those who didn't know him, but had heard of him, would probably be more likely to use words like 'prodigy' or 'genius.' And no matter who you talked to, they would always associate Albus Potter with potions. Potion-making defined Albus, and no-one could deny that the boy was in his element when he was sat in front of a cauldron. Any of his friends or family would happily tell you that he'd always been like this, and his mum, Ginny Weasley, would jokingly claim that Albus had learnt how to skin a salamander before he could recite the alphabet.
But where did this obsession and defining feature originate? With Albus being an incredibly private and reserved individual – much like his father – it is hard to tell. But if any of his friends were to hazard a guess they would probably say that Albus' transformation from living in his parent's lengthly shadow to becoming a potions master began during his sixth year of studying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…
September 1st 2022:
Albus Potter woke up to a very large bang.
'I refuse to get up' he thought to himself. 'No matter what she says, or what she does, I REFUSE to get up.'
"Albus – come on!" Yelled Rose Weasley, brightly, "It's the start of term! We've got to get ready! Hogwarts is calling!"
A muffled sort of rumbling came from Albus' bed.
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that," joked Rose, cupping a hand around her ear.
Albus shuffled forwards in his bed, propping his chin on his pillow.
"Rose, it's 5am." Albus repeated. "Why are you in my house...?"
"I always wake you up early on our first day back!" She exclaimed, feigning outrage. "It's our tradition!"
"No – it's your tradition." Albus grumbled before turning over to show Rose his back.
"Oh, don't be like that," She moaned. "You're awake now, right – it's not that much to get out of bed. We can watch the sunrise! You like that!"
No answer.
"And you can have a proper breakfast for once, instead of just grabbing something as you rush around. Plus – you can get your packing finished. Cus' I know for a fact you haven't done it yet…"
Still no answer.
"Albus Severus Potter – if you don't get up on your own accord, you know I'll force you out of bed myself…" She threatened.
"Fine…" came the growled response from the bed. Sighing, and scowling at his best friend, Albus pushed his sheets away and lifted himself up from the mattress.
"See – was that really so hard?" asked Rose. She was greeted with a dark glare from Albus. "Okay – maybe it was that hard…" she smiled, warily.
Rolling his eyes, Albus beckoned Rose out of his room, allowing him a couple of minutes to slap himself awake, and put on a fresh change of clothes. He opened his door to find Rose impatiently resting against the wall opposite his bedroom.
"You took forever!" She complained, before taking his hand and dragging him down the stairs to his own kitchen.
"It was like five minutes, Rose."
"It FELT like forever!" The hyperactive girl laughed, before digging through the Potter's kitchen cupboard, occasionally throwing out foods she didn't like.
"You realize this isn't your house, right cuz?" teased Albus.
"I'm your cousin, and your best friend." explained Rose. "It's pretty much my house too, considering how often I stay here…"
Albus couldn't argue with that. Rose was constantly at his house, in the same way that he was constantly at hers. They were a lot closer than most cousins – Albus saw her as a second sister, and he knew that she saw him in the same way.
"Move!" ordered Albus, and Rose obligingly shifted out of the way. Albus quickly scanned the contents of the cupboard, before quickly pulling out a variety of ingredients. "Sugar… Eggs… Milk… Flour…" He muttered to himself, proceeding to pull out each ingredient as he recited it. As he grabbed each ingredient, he passed it behind him to Rose, who proceeded to line each ingredient up, next to the stove. After grabbing everything he needed, he proceeded to take out a large, round bowl and a measuring cup. Passing the cup to Rose, with the instructions to half-fill it with water, Albus proceeded to crack the eggs, and throw them into the bowl with the flour. He then began to whisk the mixture, as Rose poured milk and water into the bowl as he worked.
After a couple of minutes he instructed Rose to continue whisking the batter, while he began to heat up the stove and grease the frying pan. He began periodically pouring the mix onto the pan, and before long, a tall stack of Crêpe's were beginning to form between two plates which Albus kept warm in the oven.
As he cooked, the rest of the Potter household began to rise and gravitate towards the kitchen, where the smell of the Crêpe's was wafting from.
"Morning Rose!" yawned Lily, spotting her cousin as she descended the flight of stairs leading towards the kitchen.
"Morning Lily!" Rose smiled in response. Rose had always been close to Albus' younger sister. Not as close as she was to Albus, obviously, but noticeably close none-the-less. Rose's mum, Hermione, often remarked that the relationship closely resembled the friendship she shared with Ginny, which the latter agreed with.
"Pancakes?" Lily inquired to Albus, who shook his head at his younger sister.
"Crêpe's." he clarified, before returning to the stove.
After a short while the whole family had gathered in the kitchen, hungrily eying the stack of Crêpe's that lay next to the stove. Albus had to stifle a laugh when he turned from the pan in front of him to see his family slowly shuffling towards the food. Smiling, he proceeded to pass Rose the plate, at which point she started to distribute the food equally to each family member (obviously leaving the largest portion for herself and Albus).
The rest of the morning flew from there. No matter how early Rose had woken him, Albus was still the last one to be packed and out of the house ("Think how late you'd have been if I hadn't woken you up…" smirked Rose). Regardless, the family managed to arrive at Kings Cross at quarter to eleven, leaving just enough time for Rose to quickly find her own family to say farewell, and allowing all of the Potters to exchange goodbye's before boarding the train.
Albus walked down the train by himself, every so often stopping in at a compartment to say hi to one of his friends. Eventually, he came across Scorpius Malfoy, sitting by himself in an empty compartment. Albus yanked open the compartment door and uttered a greeting to his friend.
"I saved it for us and Rose," Scorpius greeted, indicating towards the otherwise empty compartment. Scorpius and Albus had both met at the beginning of their first year – when both had been sorted into Gryffindor together. Originally, Albus had been wary of the boy – his Uncle Ron had left him in little doubt of the morality of the Malfoy family. Scorpius has entered the house as a loner, but on the first breakfast of the year, Scorpius received a howler from his grand-father for 'betraying the Malfoy heritage' due to his 'acceptance into the lesser house.' After witnessing his humiliation, Rose and Albus simultaneously decided to get to know the boy.
The individual they met was a far cry from Ron's description of his father. Scorpius was brave and kind – though he did also possess elements of Slytherin wit and cunning. It didn't take him long to be accepted by his fellow Gryffindor's – to the extent that he was accepted into the Quiddich team with Rose by his third year. Scorp (as Albus referred to him as) likewise formed a surprising bond with both Harry and Hermione, and was welcomed into both the Potter and the Weasley household's. Ron claimed he was still distrustful of the boy, though he said it with little seriousness and with a glint in his eye as he got to know him. Scorpius, Rose and Albus counteracted each other perfectly – whereas Albus had the tendency to be quiet on his own, the general loudness of Rose and Scorpius forced him to learn to become outgoing. In turn, Albus and Scorpius frequently moved to counteract Rose's general hyperactivity, and Rose and Albus had (on multiple occasions) acted to cool Scorpius' temper.
"I wondered where you two lumps had gotten to…" joked Rose as she burst into the compartment. Scorpius shuffled to the right, giving her space to sit down, and stretch her legs onto the opposite seat which Albus was occupying.
"Dammit Albus, she found us!" Scorpius jokingly whispered. "Now she'll probably think we're her friends or something!"
"Oh, shut up…" Rose began, before Albus cut her off.
"A ginger with friends? They exist?" He teased, earning himself a kick in the shins before Rose decided to change the topic.
"So…" she chirped, "Ready to begin the great recitation of our holidays? Scorp – you start, I already know Albus', he was boring and sat in front of a cauldron for the whole time." She smirked.
Albus pretended not to acknowledge Rose's comment, and simply grabbed her ankle, which was resting to the right of him, and pulled. In one smooth motion, Rose tumbled out of her seat.
She proceeded to stand up and glare at her cousin. "Git," she muttered, before indicating for Scorpius to begin his story regardless.
"Well," he began, "To be honest, there isn't much you guys don't already know. Me, mum and dad travelled to Italy for a holiday, but it was a more visiting family than sight-seeing. Visiting Great-Aunt Veronica was pretty funny though. She opened the door and when she looked at me she was like 'oh look – if it isn't the Gryffindor disgrace.' I laughed at her and asked how it felt to inbreed with her own cousin. Then, before I left, I stuck a fire work in her toilet, so that it would only go off when she was near it. Apparently she wet herself."
Rose seemed rather amused by this story, as did Albus. They got one of these tales almost every summer holiday (Scorpius stayed at Hogwarts or at the Potter's the rest of the time).
"Scorp, are you ever going to get on with your relatives?" Asked Albus, fully knowing the answer.
"I might. Y'know, if they ever gain any likeable qualities…"
"How'd your dad respond?"
"Surprisingly well. Turns out he never liked Veronica. Can't say I particularly blame him."
Rose rolled her eyes. She was fairly certain that Scorpius would one day cause a family feud. His mum and dad had always been surprisingly accepting of his admittance into their hated house, but large portions of his other relatives had clung onto their pure-blood roots. According to Harry, Scorpius strongly reminded him of his godfather – the now idolised Sirius Black, who had a similar relationship with his family.
The afternoon passed amicably, with Lily and a couple of her 4th year friends – including Rose's brother Hugo – joining them for a time to play a few games of exploding snap. Before long, the compartment had emptied so that the three could get changed into robes, and the spires of Hogwarts had begun to silhouette the night sky outside their compartment window. As the express pulled to a stop, and the trio began to walk towards the carriages that would take them to the castle, a familiar, booming voice carried over the hustle of the students issuing out of the train.
"FIRS' YEARS T'WARDS ME! YUP' THAT'S RIGHT, ALL A' YOU, OVER 'ERE! YE WANNA BRING ALL Y' THINGS, DON'T DROP Y' OWL THERE, AL'RIGHT – THIS WAY TO THE LAKE…"
"Is he ever going to leave?" Grinned Rose, as they all watched the legendary gamekeeper shepherd a paddock of timid first years towards the boats that would carry them to the school.
"Nah," Replied Albus, wearing a matching grin, "I'm pretty sure him and Maxime are going to end up staying here till' they die."
As he watched the first years shamble after the massive figure, each face echoing expressions of apprehension and excitement, Albus was plunged back into his own first memory of Hogwarts. He instantly recalled how his heart felt like it was going to stop as they approached the twinkling structure, the amazement and awe was just so potent.
He may no longer have mild heart attacks every time he approached the castle, but the feeling he got the first time that the school came into view had not diminished over time. Even now, six years later, he was still as awe-struck at the grandeur of the building he was approaching.
"It never gets old, does it…" Rose murmured, as if reading her cousin's thought. "Hard to believe that next year'll be the last time we see it…"
A sombre sort of silence fell upon the three of them as the truth of her words hit them. Could they really be sixth years already? It was hard to imagine a life outside of the Scottish haven.
"Still…" Scorpius began bracingly, "Got another two years to make the most of – no point in thinking about leaving yet."
Rose and Albus both made various hums of agreement, and the conversation soon changed to much lighter topics.
"You're insane Scorp'!" Albus laughed, "If you seriously think that the Dunford Dragons stand a chance this season, then you've clearly never seen a game of Quiddich. They're infamous for being the only team in the league to score more own goals than regular ones."
"Okay, you're points about the chasers are valid," Scorpius replied, heatedly, "but you can't deny that Darrow's one of the best upcoming seeker's in England!"
"Sure – and how long do you think she's going to be sticking with the Dragons? I'm sure she can recognize a sinking ship when she sees one. I've heard that Darrow's been offered a position in one of the American team's – and quite frankly, she'd be mad not to take it!"
"Darrow wouldn't leave Dunford! She knows better than to side for one of the American teams! The yanks don't even know how to play Quiddich!"
"Neither do the Dragon's!"
"Are you two done?!" Rose cut through the argument, glaring daggers at both of the boys so that they were fairly certain that yes, they were most definitely done.
"Besides," Rose continued, a light smirk playing around her lips, "Everyone knows that Darrow's transferring to the Cannon's…"
At that, Scorpius was off again, and the lively debate brought the three of them through the entrance to the great hall, and was only stopped when McGonagall ordered the school to be quiet for the sorting to begin. Once the hall had descended into silence, the familiar and worn hat was brought in front of the school.
"Greetings students of another year,
And welcome to my fine home here,
Where my only duty is to sort,
The wealth of minds who I am brought.
Each year, I am asked to say
Which home should hold you, through your stay,
Underneath these cold stone walls,
Where you should sit, within this hall.
I guide you to a dorm and bed,
Once you place me on your head,
Where I can look throughout your mind,
To place you amongst your fellow kind.
If knowledge and wisdom is all you seek,
You will find your refuge in Ravenclaw's beak.
If safety and kindness is what you value most,
Then Hufflepuff will be your caring host.
The Gryffindor's, in their red and gold,
Will always favour the brave and bold.
And if you are of cunning brain,
Then you should live beneath Slytherin's reign.
And now I say, to new students here,
To swallow any nerves or fear.
Walk to the stool, where I am sat,
And be sorted by, the sorting hat…"
The school proceeded to burst into applause, at which the hat proceeded to bow to each of the four tables in turn. After that, it froze up, allowing the line of young students to nervously crawl towards the stool.
After the third of fourth first year had been sorted, Albus began to lose focus and cast his gaze around the hall. Scorpius was looking equally bored, and when he caught Al's eye, they shared an eye-roll. Lily and Rose were both watching the sorting intently, and were each cheering the loudly every time Gryffindor accepted a new student. James was blatantly not watching the sorting, but was instead whispering to their cousin (and head girl) Dominique, who seemed to be torn between reprimanding her relative for his lack of focus and laughing at whatever he was saying.
After what seemed like an eternity (a quick glance at his watch told Albus that an eternity lasted exactly 33 minutes) the ceremony had been completed. McGonagall had finished her speech, and the table had been filled with just about any food imaginable. Without hesitation, he instantly began piling his plate until a delicious dome of food had been formed. He looked towards his two friends to see that they had both done the same.
When he felt like he more strongly resembled a Slug than a human, and his belly was bulging, Albus rose from his chair, and accompanied his sister back to the common room, while Scorpius and Rose helped the 5th year prefects usher the new Gryffindor's to their new house. Albus patiently waited for his friends to step through the portrait into the common room, but as soon as they did, he tiredly bid Rose a good night, and followed Scorpius up to the 6th year boys dorm.
"So Al," Scorpius began through a yawn, "Any plans for this year."
In hindsight, it can be recognized that this year would shape Albus Potter's life, and eventually, the Wizarding world, forever. But of course, on the first of September, 2022, Albus Potter did not know this. So he just shook his head and replied; "Not really – just another year at school."
And with that, he collapsed onto his four-poster bed, and allowed his drowsy mind the rest it had been craving.
A/N: Hi again! Just a couple of things I'd like to mention.
Firstly, thanks for reading my first chapter. It's definitely good that you managed to survive this far :D
Secondly, This is the first time I've written a Fanfiction, so please don't judge me too harshly (constructive criticism = Awesome. Flames = significantly less awesome) and I'd really appreciate it if everyone who reads this would post a review. I'm not going to hold you all to ransom by saying how I'm not going to post the next chapter until I reach 'X' amount of reviews, but regardless, I'd be really grateful if you can help to improve my writing.
In regards to the chapter, I'd like to establish a couple of things, before y'all give up on my story.
1) For starters, I'm starting this Fanfic off slow. I'll be honest, I'm not entirely happy with this opening chapter (and I'm almost certainly going to come back and change it later on), but if you're wondering why there seems to be almost nothing going on – that's generally because I want to try for a more prolonged, novel-like fic, and as such, want to introduce my characters and the setting gradually, before we start going crazy with the plot. But I promise you, I do have a plot. This isn't just going to be random fluff. I have a definite idea of where I'm going to take this story, and I guarantee, it'll be infinitely more action packed than this.
2) Sorry for the length. I am usually better at writing long things, and this chapter is a lot shorter than I expected. I promise that any following chapters will be significantly longer than this one.
3) Sorry for any grammar/spelling inconsistencies. I think that if I do continue this story, I'll definitely be trying to get some sort of beta-reader to stop my general suckiness when it comes to language flow. I'll also probably come back to chapters and fix the bounty of mistakes in the text.
Overall, thanks for reading, and please post a review, or subscribe/favourite this story (Or even better – both!) :D