The New Batch – Rating T
Chapter 01 – Summer's Over, Time to go to School
Summary – Albus Potter, Rose Weasley, Arthur Bones and Scorpious Malfoy won't be expecting their First Year at Hogwarts to end up being as hectic as it was!
Pairings – Harry/Hermione/Susan, Molly/Arthur, George/Angelina, Neville/Hannah, Terry/Daphne, Dudley/Cho, Petunia/Vernon, Teddy/Victorie, Albus/OC (hints of a Betrothal Contract), Scorpius/Lily (hints of a Betrothal Contract)
Warnings – Contains mild swearing in this chapter
-The New Batch-
Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London, England
13th August 2017
It was a nice mid and sunny day in the middle of August. A day where the birds were tweeting, children were running around the square that Grimmauld Place surrounded and the adults were relaxing on the parks benches. But for one child, sitting by the window of his bedroom at number 12, he was worried about waiting, waiting to start at his new school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
It had been a month since Albus Severus Potter, the middle child of Harry Potter and his ex-wife, Ginny Weasley, had seen his brother, James Sirius Potter, and his half-sister, Amelia Hannah Bones, arrive back home from Hogwarts. Albus noticed that during their time at Hogwarts, James and Amelia had both changed a lot.
James Potter, the eldest child of Harry Potter and his ex-wife Ginny Weasley, was no longer the quiet little boy that had previously kept himself to himself, but after two years of being a Gryffindor at Hogwarts, the divorce that his parents had undertook and several visits to the entertainment store that his father owned alongside his Uncle, George Weasley, called Weasley Wizard Wheezes, he was now a more mischievous man. This was compounded due to the fact that two of the people he was named after, James Potter and Sirius Black, were part of the infamous group called the Marauders. The Marauders were a group comprised of his grandfather, James Potter, his father's godfather, Sirius Black, former Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Remus Lupin, who was Teddy Lupins father, and the traitorous Peter Pettigrew. Together they were credited with creating a reign of mischief and mayhem that wasn't even countered by the Weasley Twins. James Sirius Potter, however, managed to equal his namesakes detention record, and even managed to steal the Marauders Map and the True Cloak of Invisibility from under the eyes of the Head of the Auror Department, although not knowing that the first map was a prototype, and that his father had the Marauders (Flower Upgrade) Map, which even had the Room of Requirement.
His half sister, Amelia, who was the daughter of Harry and his consort Susan Bones, spent the last five years as a student in Hufflepuff house, following the footsteps of her maternal roots. One of the things she was well known in Hogwarts for was the cleverness she had, courtesy of her paternal grandmother, Lily Potter with the senses of loyalty, friendship and fair play, previously shown by her maternal great-aunt, who she shared her first name with. Most of her time at home was spent either in the family library, or talking to the portraits of her grandparent's, James & Lily Potter and Henry & Lucy Bones
Being one of 5 sons of the Chosen One was stressful enough, having strange wizards approach the family just to talk to his father added to the stress, but most of all, he was scared of being put into Slytherin house, one fear that his brother played on.
"You alright Albus?" Harry asked, walking into his bedroom. Harry had just got back home from working at the Ministry of Magic as the Head Auror. "Your mother said that you were tense at dinner"
"I'm alright, it's just that James has been playing tricks on me again and is winding me up about being put in Slytherin house. I keep telling him not to wind me up, but he ignores me."
"I will have words that brother of yours in a bit, especially after his performance at Hogwarts last year." Harry said, hugging his son. "James certainly takes after his namesake."
"But Father, I'm scared about being put into the house of Slytherin" Albus said, hugging his father. "I don't want you to hate me if I did."
"I'll never hate you Al, you are my son and I don't care if you get into any of the 4 houses at all." Harry replied, "Just remember that you were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts, one of which was a really brave Slytherin."
"Really? Who was that?" Albus asked, feeling the warmth off Harry.
"Professor Severus Snape was a Slytherin. He was Headmaster when Voldemort was in power in the Ministry." Harry said, looking into his sons emerald eyes. "I've never told any of you kids this, but Professor Snape loved one person, who when they died, he vowed he would protect her son."
"Who was that person Father?" Albus asked, looking at his fathers sad face.
"Professor Snape…he loved your grandmother Lily Evans. He told Voldemort that he wanted her spared, but he wanted your grandfather James and me not to be. Voldemort, however, killed your grandfather and grandmother, who, because of her love for me, made the curse backfire."
"So Grandmother Lily died to protect you?"
"She did. Anyway, I will admit, when I started at Hogwarts, I found out that the Sorting Hat, when I told it that I didn't want to go into Slytherin, took that into account. Now don't be scared if you do get put into Slytherin, they will have gained a really brave person."
"Thanks Father" Albus said to Harry, happy that some of his fears had been resolved.
Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London, England
1st September 2017
The rest of August flew, faster than any of the Potters expected. Eventually the wind blew into September 1st and it was time to go to Kings Cross. All was quiet at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, all until a firework went off. Ginny and Ron Weasley had arrived to join the party going to the platform.
"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" Ginny shouted, annoyed with his constant pranks. Her red hair stood out a mile away, meaning that most people could see her from a distance "I am going to have a word with Ronald about sending you goodies from that joke shop!"
"But mother, it wasn't me, it was Teddy!" James said to his mother, lying to save face, "He sent them me!"
"You know as well as me that it was your Uncle George. I swear that when I see him at Kings Cross I will give him a Bat Bogey Hex that will make him wish that he had never sent those Fireworks!" Ginny replied, knowing that James had lied, the telltale signs he had displayed quite easily.
It took ages but after that argument the combined Potter and Bones family, along with the two Weasleys, collected their trunks, pets and cloaks and stood outside. When they got to the bottom of the steps into Grimmauld Place, Harry put out his right arm. A few seconds later the strangest sight for Lily and Albus speeded round the corner and screeched to a halt. The conductor came to the door, a face that the five adults recognised
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, transport for the witch or wizard. I'm-"
"Dean Thomas, my ex!" Ginny interrupted, a scowl forming on her face at the memories that she had. It was with Dean that caused Harry to find out about his ex wife's affairs. "I did not expect to see you on here!"
"Hello Dean," Ron said to his friend, Gryffindor and fellow Dumbledores Army member. "It has been what, 19 years, since the battle of Hogwarts."
"Certainly has been. Off to Kings Cross are we to send these two gentlemen off to Hogwarts?" Dean asked whilst everyone was boarding.
Harry nodded in the affirmative and Dean tapped on the driver's window. "Off we go Ern," he said to the driver. The bus pulled away from Grimmauld Place, flying through the morning rush hour traffic.
"How do the Muggles not know we are here?" Lily asked Dean, confused at not getting looked at by the pedestrians on the footpath.
"They can't see or hear us" Dean confirmed to Lily, "That's why we are virtually invisible." He turned to Harry, "Don't worry about paying for this, Harry, it is on me!"
Eventually they arrived at Kings Cross, shops leaping out of the way to allow the bus to the concourse where they alighted they ran through to Platform 9 and 10. They gave the man at the ticket barriers their tickets and headed to the correct wall. When they found it, they ran through to the wall between platform 9 ¾, Ginny and Lily first, then James and Rose, Hermione and Amelia next, Susan and Arthur as the forth pairing and finally Albus and Harry, bringing up the rear.. As they ran, Albus flinched, scared that they would hit the wall. Eventually they got through the wall and almost ran into somebody, somebody in a suit with blond hair.
"Watch where you're going Scarhead!" the person said, a smile forming on the edge of his lips "You almost ran over my son!"
"Calm down Draco," Astoria Malfoy said, "You promised to get along with Harry, didn't you? Especially as he assisted in stopping your father going to prison."
"Astoria my dear, I know, but still I didn't want to encourage him!" Draco replied, "He is intolerable at the best of times, even though, I must admit, he is good looking."
"That's very funny Ferret, and I guess this is young Scorpius I assume?" Harry asked, gesturing towards the young man who was the spitting image of his father.
Suddenly they heard a toot from the whistle of the train, signalling that it was only a few minutes until departure. "Looks like you better get on board," both Harry and Draco told their sons at the same time. The two first years ran to the train door and boarded
They got on the train, finding a window that they could wave out of. It was time to depart. The train pulled out of Platform 9 3/4 almost snakelike, huffing and puffing, slowly but surely, leaving the army of waving parents on the platform. But for Albus Potter, his school life was about to begin.
Albus walked past a legion of busy compartments until he found one with his half sister Rose sitting with their half brother, Arthur and Scorpius Malfoy. "Mind if I join you Arthur, Rose?" Albus asked, looking out of the window. He turned to Scorpius, holding out his hand. "Hi, I'm Albus Potter. You've met my half sister, Rose Wea...I mean Potter, and my half brother, Arthur Bones."
"Hello Albus. I kind of guessed Rose was related to you by the hair, but half sister? And how come you're related to the Bones scion?" Scorpious asked. "As you obviously guessed, I'll be the scion to the Malfoy name, if father dies before grandfather does. And I presume you're the scion to the Potter name."
"No, my brother James will become Lord Potter upon my father's passing, with your cousin, my God brother, Teddy Lupin becoming Lord Black." Albus responded. "Rose is my half sister because we share the same father but my mother was Ginny Weasley whereas Rose's mother was Hermione Granger. Arthur's mother is my father's consort, via a Line Continuance Contract, hence he's a bones and Rose and I are Potters, albeit Rose's name is via Deed Poll."
"Anyway, has anyone noticed the way father acted around Mr Malfoy?" Arthur asked
"I haven't" Rose told Albus, "But there again Father and Mr Malfoy didn't see eye to eye, at least publicly. Behind the scenes they are allies. Mother, however, statically forgave him earlier."
"The way I see it is why should we judge people our age based on our parents prejudices?" Scorpious said, stroking his blonde hair
"I agree!" came the reply from Albus. "We need to promote inter-house friendships, just like what happened eventually when Father taught DADA after the war."
The door of the compartment opened, to find his brother, James, in the doorway
"Watch out younger brother," James Potter said to Albus, "You are going to be a snake and you know it!"
"Don't push me as Mother has shown me something which you won't believe" Albus warned his brother.
"You're just a good for nothing snake head," James taunted, knowing that magic wasn't banned on the train. "You won't be a Gryffindor anyway!"
"Sternumenta Vespertiliones" Albus said, his wand having been pulled out of his pocket, making his brother realise that he meant business. Everyone pointed at James and laughed. "You deserved that." he told James, laughing.
"Rose, can you lift this off me?" James said to Rose, bats coming out of his nose at high speed. "I'm off to see cousin Fred to see what he has liberated from his Father's shop and I don't want to have a Bat Bogey Hex as lethal as Mothers annoying me!"
Rose said the counter-curse, stopping the Bat Bogey Hex. "Now get lost" she said to James, clapping the shoulder of Albus.
Scorpious turned to Albus and said, "Anyway, before we were interrupted by Bat-Face, my Father, and all his ancestors, was in Slytherin, I would love to be the one that was different, as in getting housed in Gryffindor."
"For me, being the 18th generation Potter, Gryffindor is a dead cert! Although, having mothers brains, Ravenclaw might be a chance." Rose said to Scorpius and Albus, "I think Mother should have been a Ravenclaw because of her brains, but she was a Gryffindor too. Where do you think you'll go Albus?" she asked her cousin, unaware of James taunting him all the time. But Albus didn't respond as he was thinking. Thinking of what his brother said.
James was stood in Albus' bedroom doorway at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, laughing at his brother and how he had adorned his bedroom with posters of the Chudley Cannons.
"Snake head" James said to Albus, laughing at his brother, "When you get sorted, you'll be sent to Slytherin, no passing go, no collecting 200 Galleons. You're not brave enough to go in Gryffindor!"
"But...but...but I am brave!" Albus stammered, shaking at what his brother said, "I'm as brave as Father! You wouldn't be saying it to Lily but you do to me! What is your problem with me?"
"Look here," James told his brother, "You're just a little squirt who will end up in Slytherin, just like all the bad eggs do. You're just like that waste of space of a teacher that you were named after"
"Severus Snape was a brave man who protected Father" Albus said, "Didn't you read a book at school? He spied on Voldemort to protect Father and his friends. He stopped the Death Eaters hurting Mother too much.
"Severus Snape was a good for nothing waste of space who worked for Voldemort," James told his brother, leaving the room, laughing his head off, leaving Albus crying in his pillows. It wasn't fair.
"You ok Al?" Scorpius asked Albus, "You looked distant"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking really about things. I really want to be in Gryffindor but my brother thinks I am going to be in Slytherin, just like one of my namesakes," Albus said. "But Father told me something that I didn't know before about the Sorting Hat."
"Either way, we will still be friends Al," Scorpius reassured him, "You would make a great wizard either way."
"Thanks Scorpius" Albus said to him, "You are full of sense." He turned to Rose, "I wonder what we will learn this year?"
"Levitation I think," Rose replied, "Plus I think we will learn to fly, even though you will ace that! I wonder when the trolley will come?"
"I wonder if that was what James was referring to when he said he was off to see what Fred had liberated from the shop," Scorpius said, remembering what was said earlier
After what felt like ages the trolley came along the train, with Rose and Scorpius just buying Chocolate Frogs and Albus buying some Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans to go with his chocolate frogs.
Eventually the train pulled into Hogsmeade, when a sudden bang came from the engine. Everyone rushed to the platform to see what had happened.
"JAMES POTTER! FRED WEASLEY! GET HERE NOW!" The Head Boy shouted to them.
"One of the 3 W's exploding coal blocks," Fred said to Albus, Arthur, Rose and Scorpius, "That's what Uncle Ron and Dad was working on!"
"Firs' Years! Firs' Years follow me" came Hagrid's booming voice over the sea of Hogwarts student's. He saw Albus and waved him over.
"Yer dad said you wer' worried." Hagrid said to Albus, ushering him, Rose and Scorpious into the front boat with him, "Yer brother playin' yer up again?"
"Yeah, but Mother and Father sorted him out," Albus replied to the half giant.
"He's a good man, Harry is." Hagrid said, "He taught Defence Against the Dark Arts here years ago and he helped me wi' t' school. Yer shoul' be proud o' him."
"I am, I am," the reply came. The boats pushed off from the station to make their way across the lake. The new school year was about to start.
-The New Batch-
A/N – Firstly, I'm sorry to those readers of the Fake Professor storyline. I just couldn't find a way to work it all in to my headcanon with the Christmas at the Burrow one shot that I have in the works along with an addition or three to the Confessions storyline I'm plotting and some other bits and bobs. I might, if I get chance, upload it as an alternative storyline.
Story based on characters and storylines introduced in JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. All rights to their various owners/creators.
The Confessions series poll results will be announced on the Facebook page on 12th April 2016. Just like "GryffindorTom" on Facebook to get all of the latest news, bits I'm working on, story updates and much more.
Anyway...Coming up in Chapter 2 – We get into Hogwarts for the Sorting of Albus, Rose, Arthur and their friends…