Chapter 1
I watched as my parents shrunk to specks as the train sped away from platform nine and three quarters. Rose looked at me and ginned, she was more excited than nervous I think.
"Come on Al, let's go find seats." She tugged at her new robes in excitement. I nodded and followed her to a compartment that had two children sitting in it.
"Hey," Rose greeted them, "Do you mind if we join you?"
"Not at all." The boy smiled, "My name is Henry Corner. And this is my twin sister Hallie."
"I'm Rose Weasley and this is my cousin, Albus Potter."
"What house do you want to be in?" I blurted out without thinking.
"Well, my mother was in Gryffindor but my father was in Ravenclaw so we'd be happy to be sorted into either." Henry said. Hallie seemed to shy to say anything.
"I want to be in Gryffindor!" Albus said firmly.
"Same." Rose agreed.
"ROSE, ALBUS!" a voice shouted, pulling open the compartment door."Hello Freddy." I said to my cousin. He was my Uncle George and Aunt Angelina's son, his younger sister, Roxanne, was in the year above James and Fred himself was the year above her.
"Looking forward to school?" he asked sitting next to me and putting his feet on the couch.
"Yes." Rose cried and I nodded.
"Good, I'm going to need someone to help me with my pranks, you two in?" he asked standing up as a lady with a trolley emerged.
"Anything for you dears?" she asked. The trolley she pushed was packed with sweets, chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, pumpkin pasties, everything I loved. Rose and I ordered way too much food between us but we were hungry.
"Don't over eat." Fred warned, "You need to save room for the feast!" he left the compartment but just as soon as the door was shut it was opened again by Victorie, the eldest member of the Weasley family at the school. She looked like her mother, Fleur, but she had her fathers blue eyes. Her younger siblings, Dominique and Louis were in the same years as Fred and Roxanne. Victorie smiled at us but her eyes were glassy with tears.
"What's the matter Tori?" asked Rose.
"Its nothing." she said with a hint of a French accent.
"Come on, Tori, what's up?" I asked.
"I am going to miss Teddy, that's all." She said quietly. I smiled; James hadn't been making it up when he said that they had been snogging. She gave us some quick advice, told us she was head girl, she'd told us a thousand times already and then left the compartment.
"Let's make a bet who'll be in here next." Rose said.
"I say Molly or Lucy!" they were our Uncle Percy and Aunty Audrey's children.
"No, they never talk to us anymore." Rose commented, "But they're the only two left at Hogwarts." As it turns out Mollyor Lucy didn't come to wish us good luck, but Luna and Rolf Scamander's children did. They were very good friends of ours. They are twins in the same year as us, Lorcan and Lysander. After they had left Henry commented on the strangeness of the boys. Both Rose and I jumped in and defended them. After what seemed like an eternity my worries began to subside and I almost forgot my fears of being sorted into Slytherin. Almost. Rose insisted that I changed into my robes long before it was necessary. But she'd been in the before we even got on the train.
Finally the train stopped and Rose, Henry, Hallie and I got off the train and followed a booming voice calling 'first years, over here! First years, this way!' it was Hagrid. I grinned at the huge man who greeted Rose and I with an ''Ello Al, Rosie.' I clambered into the boat with Rose who suddenly had more nerves than me. Henry looked right at home. Hallie looked nervous and Lorcan and Lysander were staring dreamily into the stars. The castle looked like everything that James had described to me and more. It was so huge. The butterflies in my stomach were no longer just nerves but now excitement and happiness. I was finally here. Finally at Hogwarts. Inside the castle was just like I had imagined. We were told to wait outside the great hall until they were ready for us.
"Who are you?" a loud voice asked. Rose and I turned to see a boy talking to a very frightened girl.
"A-Amelia." The girl stuttered.
"Amelia who?" asked the boy meanly.
"That's the Malfoy kid." Rose whispered in my ear.
"Amelia Jones." She whispered.
"Muggle born?" he whispered menacingly. She nodded.
"Leave her alone!" I said walking up to them.
"And you are?" he asked.
"Albus Potter." I said.
"A Potter, yes my father told me all about you." he said. Amelia had taken the chance to get away from Scorpius Malfoy and was now standing with Rose.
"First years, please follow me into the Great Hall." A voice announced. The hall was filled with students. I picked out my cousins all sitting at the Gryffindor table chatting to friends. The sorting hat sat on a stool and a boy named Tim Astrid was called forward first. He was sorted into Ravenclaw, followed by a blonde boy named Owen Boot who was put into Hufflepuff. Next was Hallie Corner who was put straight into Ravenclaw and then Henry who was put into Gryffindor. Hallie looked like she was going to cry when she watched Henry walk to a different table to her. After several more names were called Amelia Jones was put into Gryffindor and the after another six names Scorpius was put into Slytherin. Finally it was my turn. I gulped as I sat down on the stool, my feet not touching the ground. The hat began whispering in my ear.
"Plenty of brains this one, very brave as well. Another Potter! Yes of course, it all fits. But where to put you? Gryffindor or Slytherin. You'd be fantastic in either…" I crossed my fingers and then remembered what my dad had said to me on the platform, the sorting hat takes into account our decisions.
"Please put me in Gryffindor." I whispered. "Please."
"Very well." The hat said, and then shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" I was relieved. I almost ran to the table where James looked at me with a grin. Charlie and Charlotte Finnigon were also sorted into Gryffindor along with another boy named Kyle Thomas who I learned were friends with my parents at school. Rose was the last sorted and was overjoyed when she sat down next to me.
"I'm going to write to mum and dad right away!" she told me. With her words the plates in front of us filled with food. Amelia who was sitting opposite me gasped and then grinned and helped herself to chicken. I followed her lead and grabbed a spoonful of everything within reach.
"That is a lot of food." Rose said.
"I'm hungry." I said through a mouthful of spaghetti. She sighed. Suddenly the room was full of ghosts. The one who approached me looked confused.
"You look like Harry Potter." He said tilting his head a little. I gasped when it fell off his shoulders.
"Hello Nick." James called.
"I'm Albus, his son." I introduced myself.
"You have his mother's eyes." the ghost floated down the table to talk to my brother. After dinner and dessert the prefects (Molly and a boy called Ryan Rickford) led us to the Gryffindor common room which James had told me all about. The portrait was of a fat lady who asked for the password. It turned out to be Dumbledore, the man I was named after. I wouldn't forget that in a hurry. The common room was filled with armchairs and a huge roaring fireplace burned contently in the corner. After I said goodbye to Rose, Ryan Rickford led the Henry Corner, Kyle Thomas, Charlie Finnigon and I into our dormitory. We all chose and I fell asleep pretty much as soon as my head hit the pillow.