A/N: I don't really know where this oneshot came from…but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters in this story. I'm just borrowing them and making them do my bidding.

Vengeance is Sweet

"Guess what Mum and Dad just said to me," I said gleefully to Rose as we went to find seats on the train, joining a compartment filled with other First Years.

"Have a good year," Rose guessed, following a logical line of thought as always.

"Close," I joked, rolling my eyes as Rose pulled a book from her bag and buried her nose in it. "Nope, they happened to mention a certain fact about how many letters James received last year. Finally, revenge for all his wisecracks!"

Rose didn't even look up as she replied, "Well, that's hardly wise. You'll just start the whole brotherly war all over again."

"He started it! He cut holes in my socks and turned all my pants pink!"

"Just forget about it," she advised.

It was alright for her, she and Hugo had a good relationship, but James was always picking on me. I was the middle child, the one that was too young for everyone to faun over, but not old enough to be the centre of attention because anything I did, James had probably already done it twice over. I was the child that was practically ignored by everyone but James. I was his target because Lily was too young for him to pick on without getting punished.

"Oh no, there is no way I'm forgetting about it. I'm going to make him pay for it! He thinks he's such a big shot because he's the first son of the Chosen One, the first to go to Hogwarts and because he knows more magic than me, but I know his secret," I muttered, curling my fingers into a fist and grimacing as I plotted.

If I was going to let it slip that Mum and Dad had written to him every week when he was in Second Year, then I had to do it publicly and preferably in front of all of his friends. James was going to rue the day he mocked me and pranked me.

"Vengeance will be mine," I muttered, a fierce glow lighting my eyes as I glared at nothing in particular.

"Geez, talk about drama," the boy beside me said. I hadn't even given him a cursory glance until then. Rose and I hadn't introduced ourselves to anyone – it was no wonder they'd been ignoring us until that point.

Taking in his platinum blonde hair, the scowl-like twist at the corner of his mouth and his pale skin, I retorted, "What's it got to do with you, Malfoy?"

He shrugged. "It's not my fault you're broadcasting loudly."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to get back at my older brother," I snapped.

"See, that's why being an only child is best."

Just as I was about to jump down his throat and say that Lily was a perfectly nice sibling, Rose stepped in.

"Al, remember what you were warned about?"

"No fighting, no duelling and certainly not on the train," I droned, repeating the instructions given to us by Auntie Hermione.

"That's right, no fighting, Albus," Rose said emphatically, before turning back to her textbook.

Crossing my arms, I sank into my seat and stared directly ahead of me, boring a hole through the hardcover of Rose's copy of Beginner's Transfiguration. Growing more frustrated by the second, I stood up, drawing Rose's attention.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm hungry. I'm going to find the trolley lady," I replied, looking anywhere but at Rose's face. If I looked in her eyes, she was sure to work out I was lying. Whenever she doubted someone, Rose always made one eyebrow go up and it seemed to get higher and higher until you admitted the truth.

Ducking out of the compartment, I headed down the train, grumbling to myself about Rose and Scorpius Malfoy.

I hadn't actually intended to do anything to James but as I walked past one of the compartments, his voice drifted out to me.

"Isn't your brother starting today?" one of his friends asked.

"Yeah, little squirt's been panicking for weeks. I even told him that they had replaced the sorting hat with something called the Way of the Wizard and that he had to complete a magical obstacle course. He believed me until, of course, he went crying to Mum and Dad."

Hysterical laughter from James' friends spewed forth.

Turning red, I opened the door and stepped inside.

"Al! We were just talking about you!" James exclaimed, getting up to pull my head into a lock under his arm.

"Well, I was just talking about you and how many letters you received from Mum and Dad last year. How many was it again?"

"You're funny, Al," James said, trying to laugh off the situation, though his voice held a warning tone and his elbow's grip around my neck tightened slightly. "It was once a month, wasn't it?"

"If you says so," I replied, trying not to choke. "Or was it every week? I'm sure that's what Mum said earlier…"

"What?" one of James' friends asked.

"He's joking!" James declared. "What a joker you are, Albus. Let's go outside, I need to talk to you for a moment." He pushed me out the open door then turned back to his friends, "Advice about the sorting, you know."

"What?" I demanded, rubbing my neck as James glared at me.

"You're going to go back to your little First Year friends and leave me alone, Albus."

"Yeah? Make me!"

"Fine," he replied, grabbing the back of my shirt and forcibly pushing me down the train back towards the compartment Rose and I were sharing with Malfoy and several others. "Now get in and stay in there." Opening the door and throwing me in, he shot me a fake smile before slamming the door shut.

Rose looked up at the sounds of scuffling and the resounding crash of the door closing. "Al! You're back. Did you find the trolley lady?"

"No," I replied, grinning at my revenge.

"You just missed the trolley lady. She even had those new Magic Macaroons you like so much."

I shrugged and sat down. "I got something much better instead. Vengeance is sweet."

A/N: Like I said earlier, this is pretty random. I just wrote it for the sake of writing. But I'd still really appreciate your thoughts on it.

Thanks for reading!

Much love, SabreDae

xxxxxxx