AN: So here we go, first chapter of a new story. Always an exciting time. For the record I do not own Harry Potter, other than that I hope you like the story.

"Could you finish peeling the potatoes for me Albus?" Ginny Potter asked her youngest son as she started to crop the other vegetables for dinner.

Looking up from his book Albus smiled to his mom. "Sure, no problem." Sticking his bookmark in the spot he was at he got up and walked over to the sink to finish up the potatoes his mother had started peeling.

"So Grandma Weasley is hoping to have one last get together before you and the other grandchildren head off to Hogwarts." Ginny told him as they worked.

"Great." Albus muttered, trying to keep his frustration down by taking it out on the potato in his hand.

"Try to leave some potato for dinner." Ginny teased as she noticed the mangled vegetable. "Want to tell me what's bothering you?" she asked softly.

"What…what if it doesn't come?" Albus asked quietly, looking up at her with worry filled eyes.

"What if what doesn't come?" Ginny frowned down at her son before it clicked in. "You think you aren't going to get in to Hogwarts? Oh Albus." Ginny pull her knife aside and drew him in for a hug. "What's got this in your head?"

"James….. he said his letter had already come by this time last year." Albus told her quietly, looking down at his feet.

"And when was this exactly?" Ginny's tone took on a dangerous note he'd learnt to know and fear.

"It…. It was the day he got his school supplies list." Albus admitted. "My letter wasn't with it so he said that was a bad sign."

"JAMES SIRUS POTTER! Get down here now!" Ginny screamed for her eldest son who could be heard coming pounding down the stairs, not wanting to leave their clearly furious mother.

"I swear whatever it is I swear I did not do it." James Potter said as he came sliding into the kitchen, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Oh really?" Ginny turned to him with her hands on her hips "So you didn't convince your brother that he wasn't getting into Hogwarts?""

"Oh…" James stuttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets and avoiding their mother's eyes. "Yeah, well I might have done that."

"Get over here. You're helping me finish dinner and you'll be setting the table." Ginny told him before turning back to her vegetables.

"But it's Al's turn!" James protested, instantly realizing it was a bad idea when Ginny froze mid cut.

"Well now it's your turn." She told him sternly as she resumed chopping. "And you're getting a haircut tomorrow too."

The glare James sent Albus as he headed for the sink had Albus snatching his books off the table and rushing out of the kitchen. Taking a deep breath Albus headed outside, sitting down on the front steps of the Potter house he opened the book he'd been reading as well as his reading journal and ink pen. The journal had been a gift for his Aunt Hermione last Christmas, Albus was always going to her to talk about things he'd read about wanting to know more about the subjects and better understand them. Since he'd gotten the journal he'd filled it with his theories on everything from spell lore, potion making methods and wizard world history. Once something caught his interest he could spend hours reading up on every aspect of it and not get bored. Of course his current subject had become a bit of an obsession even by his standards.

About an hour or so later Harry Potter apperated in the quiet park across from his family's house. As he headed up the front walk he smiled to his youngest son sitting on the steps. "Albus, I thought you were helping your mother with dinner tonight."

Ablus startled as his father's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Mom made James help instead." He told his father before looking back down at his book.

With a sigh Harry scooped up his son's reading journal off the steps and sat down next to Albus. "Want to tell me about what your brother did this time?"

"Not really." Albus muttered. Shaking his head Harry glanced down at the open page of the book on his lap. He was fascinated by his son's ablitity to shift through information and find the smallest, and sometimes oddest connections between things but what was written on this page made his heart ache.

"Albus." He sighed wrapping an arm around his boy. "You can't keep taking what James says so seriously. There are things that both of you don't know."

"But look at the facts dad." Albus said snatching the journal back and pointing to what he'd written. "All the signs are there. I haven't displayed any magical ability, that's not good by any account I've read."

"You haven't displayed any magical ability that you know of." Harry corrected his son with an amused grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Albus frowned. Up at him.

"When you were first born your mother and I had you and James in the same nursery." Harry told him, his eyes sparkling at the memory of son's as mere babies.

"I don't remember ever sharing a room with James." Albus muttered.

"That's because we had to separate you two before you were even a year old." Harry laughed. "See strange things started happening around the time you were four months old. Books and toys would be moved around the room but always near your brother's crib, never yours. We thought it was your brother's doing so we moved you out, just in case his range got better and you got hurt."

"What ended up happening?" Albus asked, his eyes wide and edger.

"Things didn't stop happening, but not in James room." Harry grinned to his son.

"It was me?" Albus whispered in shock.

"Seems you were making sure your brother took the blame without even knowing it. After Lily was born it seemed to have stopped. At least that's what we thought, till we discovered you were actually still doing it just without us noticing."

"What was I doing?" Albus asked, now grinning widely.

"You'd levitate toys Lily had dropped to give them back to her when we weren't look, push balls towards her. We finally figured it out when I got up to check on Lily who started crying, she stopped just as I reached her door. When I peered inside I found that you'd somehow gotten out of your crib and went to Lily's room. You were babbling away to her, making her smile."

"So why haven't I done anything since then?" Albus asked.

"I'm not really sure, but my theory is you have very good natural control." Harry shrugged. "That's something most kids have to learn at Hogwarts, but you…. You're just naturally very in control."

"So I really am a wizard." Albus sighed in relief.

"And bound to be a brilliant one at that." Harry patted his shoulder before the door behind them suddenly banged open.

"Daddy!" Lily squealed as she lunched herself at Harry's shoulders.

"There's my Lily girl." Harry laughed as he stood and scooped Lily into his arms, twirling her around as she screeched with joy.

"Daddy! Put me down!" Lily giggled. "Mommy says its dinnertime."

Well then we'd better go get washed up." Harry said throwing the still giggling Lily over his shoulder and heading into the house. "Come on Albus."

"Just a second." Albus called back as he looked over his notes. Flipping over the page he sighed as he looked over his notes on the Hogwarts house. "James is wrong, I won't be Slytherin." He whispered to himself before gathering his things and rushing inside for dinner.

After dinner was one of Albus' favorite times of the day. He like knowing his whole family was in the house, that his father had made it home save from his job as an aurora. Since James was doing the dishes that night with Ginny, Harry had challenged Albus to a game of wizards' chess in the living room while Lily was doing some kind of puzzle their uncle Charlie had sent her. When James and Ginny joined them it seemed James had forgiven Al for getting him in trouble since he ended up playing exploding snaps with Albus and their father.

Eventually Ginny took Lily upstairs to put Lily to bed and after a while Albus headed upstairs as well. Closing his door behind him he sat down on his bed and opened up his journal. Flipping past his pages on the Hogwarts founder he looked over the lists of people from each house. There were a lot of names but still it didn't make him feel any more confident about his odds of getting into Gryffindor.

Tossing the journal aside Albus grabbed the book on Ancient Magical Artifacts that he'd borrowed from his aunt. It has a well detailed section on the sorting hat. He'd probably read it page for page about a hundred times but maybe he'd missed something. He'd been hoping that since nearly everyone in his family was Gryffindor that would help his odds but he couldn't find a single mention of blood ties effecting the sorting hats decision in the book.

Albus rubbed at his eyes as he yawned. His vision was starting to blur from sleep but he wanted to finish this page at least. Soon though Albus had fallen asleep leaned back against his wall, with the book still open in his lap. When Ginny cracked open her son's door she smiled at the sight of Albus asleep. Tip toeing in she up his books aside on his nightstand before carefully covering him with a spare blanket and kissing his forehead before leaving a closing the door behind her with a small click.

Albus was startled awake when his siblings' voices floated in from downstairs. Running a hand through his sleep messy hair as he looked around in confusion. He didn't remember falling asleep last night but his books were neatly stack. Sighing he realized he must have drifted off reading again, that meant one of his parent must have tidied up for him.

"James stop it!" Lily's shriek of protest had Albus frowning and getting up to head down stairs to see what was going on.

As he reached the stairs he heard James shout. "Stop it Lily! I'm getting the mail!"

"No I am!"

"Stop acting like a brat!"

"I'm not a brat, you're a brat!"

"James, Lily!" Ginny's voice cut through the bickering. "That's enough fighting you two!"

Albus reached the bottem of the stairs and saw James and Lily wrestling with each other, each trying to keep the other from moving further down the hall. Rolling his eyes he slipped past them to the living room window where the family owl was waiting with the mail. Grinning at the sight of a familiar envelope Albus took the mail and fed the owl a treat from the nearby table before flipping to the letter he wanted, the one addressed to him. Mr. A Potter.

"It's here! It's finally here!" Albus' excited shouts made the whole house go quiet, no one was used to hearing Albus shout but soon everyone came rushing into the living room. Albus didn't notice them though as he ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Dear Mr Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Hogwarts Headmistress.

Albus didn't even look at the list of supplies before grinning up at his parents as he clutched the letter. "I'm going to Hogwarts."

"Yes you are." Harry laughed clapping him on the shoulder before Ginny pulled him into a hug. "So I assuming you want to wait for a few days before we head to Diagon Ally. I mean there no rush after all."

Albus' horrified look had the rest of the Potters laughing before Ginny said. "We'll go after breakfast." She promised Albus.

"I'll get in touch with Ron, see if they want to meet up with us." Harry told them as he headed for his study.

"Well I think this calls for a breakfast of egg on toast and hash browns." Ginny smiled before heading to the kitchen. His Hogwarts letter and his favorite breakfast, today was off to an incredible start for Albus Potter.