Chapter 1: Hogwarts Expressions
The whistle sounded on the Hogwarts Express and Albus Potter heaved a sigh of resignation, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window and bringing his knees up to his chest. He was relieved to be returning to Hogwarts after a long summer cooped up with his siblings, the whole family barely leaving the house except to buy books and school supplies for the coming term. But this would be a strange year at Hogwarts, no doubt about that.
After all, this would be the first year since its founding without a single witch in attendance.
"Al?" Albus felt a friendly shake to his shoulder, pulling him out of his reverie as the train started moving. "Al, are you all right?"
Albus unfolded his legs and turned to his right to see his best mate creasing his brow and looking genuinely concerned.
"Yeah, fine...it's nothing." Albus scrubbed his hands over his face, shaking his head a bit to return to the present. "It's just...blimey. This is going to be the weirdest year ever, isn't it?"
The blonde gave a tiny smirk. "Well I'm not quite sure I'd say ever. Our parents did go through an awful lot in their teenage years, after all."
"Yeah, no need to remind me." Albus sighed. "I remember that every time I look in the mirror."
The fact that Albus, at sixteen years old, was basically the spitting image of his father at the same age hardly went unnoticed. Of course Al was a bit taller and didn't wear glasses, but he had those same green eyes and that same unruly dark hair, a similar build, thin and athletic...all that was missing was the lightning bolt scar. That was exactly why Al never told his dad about his tattoo. If he ever informed his father that he had willingly put a permanent mark on his flesh, he was pretty sure he'd get cursed into next Tuesday.
Scorpius Malfoy on the other hand looked very little like his father. His features were softer, much more like his mother's. He was taller and slightly broader with piercing silver-gray eyes that let him silence someone with a look, if he chose to do so. And after being forced to wear slicked back chin-length hair for two years at Hogwarts, he finally rebelled and cut it short - much to the chagrin of his mother, and much to the delight of the Hogwarts witches.
Scorpius put a hand on his best friend's shoulder and leaned in close, almost whispering, concern in his eyes once again. "Al, I know you're not your father. Just like you know perfectly well that I am not mine." He gave a firm squeeze to Albus's shoulder. "Whatever comes this year, we are in this together. We're friends, yeah? We help each other out. Whatever it takes."
Green eyes met silver and Al felt his worries suddenly melt away. Scorpius had that effect on him. The blonde could be as cold or as pompous as he liked with everyone else, but when it came to Al he had a major soft spot, and Al would always appreciate that.
He let the hint of a smile come into his eyes as he grabbed the blonde's shoulder in solidarity and nodded. "Whatever it takes."
"Oi!" Rich called out playfully. "What are you two whispering about over there? Al shagging someone new?" He smirked and gave Al a wink. The sandy-haired ladies' man was only ever interested in one thing...and he was always the first one to admit it.
Al rolled his eyes. "Just discussing how odd this year is going to be with no women around. I would think you'd be in tears right about now, seeing as the only class you've ever cared about is Wooing Witches 101." He gave a sidelong look to Scorpius who stifled a laugh at his friend's typically terrible joke.
"Erm I think Rich is well beyond 101 at this point, don't you?" Rion chimed in from the corner of the car, in his lilting Irish accent. Realizing what he'd said, he blushed and began playing with the light brown hair that hung down around his deep blue eyes. The quietest of the group, Rion was the only one who never really talked about his sexual experiences. Actually, they all wondered if he'd ever even had sex, though Rich was the only one who would ever come out and ask him when push came to shove.
"Well put, Mr. Agathos," Rich said with mock-nobility. "I thank you. And that said..." his honey-colored eyes sank with disappointment, "this year is going to be a total disaster."
"Hear, hear," joined Al.
Scorpius slung an arm around Al's shoulder, laughing knowingly. "Listen, it's going to be shite for all of us not getting laid for a year. But let's face it. If there were going to be a year not to have sex, N.E.W.T. year would seem a pretty good time to me." Al couldn't help but chuckle in spite of himself, even as he slung the other boy's arm from around his shoulders and gave him a good shove toward the other side of the car. Scorpius would care more about N.E.W.T.s than the rest of them. He did have the top marks in their year after all, a fact that Albus was always extremely thankful for every time he had to write one of those dreadful History of Magic essays.
"You shouldn't laugh, Scorpius." Des looked up from his book opposite his two friends, a slight frown creasing his brow, his dark brown eyes filled with concern. "Some of us are actually taking the present situation quite seriously."
"He's right, you know." Rion looked across at the blonde hesitantly. He and Scorpius had never gotten on quite as well as the rest of their friend group. "Some of us do have siblings to worry about."
"Well sorry for being an only child." Scorpius eyed Rion icily, then turned back to Des. "And it's not that I'm not concerned, but let's be practical. How are we ever going to get through this year, no wait, this week if we don't try and find some way to lighten this preposterously somber mood?"
"Well sorry for not having a sense of humor," Des retorted, returning to his book.
"That's odd. Your parents certainly did."
Des looked up. "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Well they did name you Desmos."
Des shook his head of dark brown curly hair in disbelief and promptly threw his book across at the blonde. "Erm, hello, Pot? Kettle. Very nice to meet you."
The other three boys in the car all had a laugh at Scorpius' expense while Scorpius looked daggers at Des before throwing his book right back at him. They were all used to it though. It came from being friends and roommates for the past five years. If one of them wasn't ragging on another about his name or his family, his quidditch skills or his latest snog, then they weren't living up to the true nature of their Slytherin name.
After the laughter died down, the five boys settled into a quiet stasis that would last them for the remainder of the trip. As always, Des sat in the corner by the window with a book, half-watching while Rion and Rich played Exploding Snap. Des could always tell when Rich was cheating, which was why they never played together. Rion could never tell, and so Rich was always eager to play with him. Rion announced that this time Rich was about to be "soundly beaten, so prepare for the worst." Des rolled his eyes and turned back to his book, Philosophers of Ancient Greece: Wizards or Mere Muggle Wonders?.
On the other side of the car, Albus and Scorpius sat next to each other leaning their heads back against the seat, Albus with his knees pulled up and arms hugged loosely around them, Scorpius with his legs stretched out in front and his arms crossed over his chest. And without looking at one another, they quietly talked. This had become their custom, ever since their first trip on the Hogwarts express when they'd awkwardly ended up sitting in the same car and had too much pride in their families' long-standing rivalry to look one another in the eye, even as they grudgingly discovered how much they had in common.
"So how bad was it?" Scorpius asked gently, all prior mocking set aside, a genuine tone of care lacing his words.
"It was...awful." Al cringed. "Beyond awful, actually. I've never been so frustrated and so scared and so bloody angry all at once and not even able to do anything about it." Al scrubbed his hands over his face again. "My mum's freaking out."
"Yeah, of course."
"You don't know the half of it. After that Pratchett girl got taken, she went absolutely mental. She moved us all to the Burrow for three weeks and..."
"Wait, what? Really, why didn't you tell me?"
"Mum made us swear not to write where we were. Afraid we'd reveal ourselves and set the big bad witch on us before she and Grandma Molly had the chance to plan their morbidly colorful revenge plot. As if a seriously dark witch couldn't figure out that we popped in for a while at my grandmum's…"
"So they haven't learned anything new then?" Scorpius wondered. "About Erichtho, I mean..."
"How the bloody hell would I know?" Al grumbled. "Every time they have a damn Furies meeting it's all top-secret this and need-to-know that like I could do anything if I wanted to everyone knows men have no damn affect on her! But no, no 'children' allowed. Like my father didn't save the whole bloody wizarding world when he was my age. Bet no one called him a 'child.'" Al exhaled in frustration. "So no. No 'insider' information on Erichtho and her bloody insane war on witches. I honestly think this summer was the last straw, though. I mean, forget about the students...is there even one female teacher at Hogwarts who hasn't gone into hiding this year?"
"I hear McGonagall's sticking it out." Scorpius shook his head and scoffed. "Miracle she's still alive, that one. You know my father says she was old when he was in school. How on earth she thinks she can stand up to the greatest dark force since Voldemort is beyond me. And one that's out for witches, no less! Bats. Absolutely bats."
"Yeah... She's great isn't she?"
"Brilliant. Bloody freaking brilliant. Part of me wants to see her in action, just so I could have the memory to cherish forever."
"And part of me wishes this was all over." Al mused sadly. "That we could just have our lives back again." He looked out the window, the feeling of resignation coming over him once more. "But I suppose that time has passed hasn't it?" On instinct, he turned to his right to look at Scorpius...only to find the blonde looking right back at him, silver-gray eyes peering into his own.
"Yeah." Scorpius nodded, staring sombrely into the eyes of his closest friend. "It's passed."