If you have not read the seventh book, DON'T READ THIS. Now then, for those of you who have read my stuff prior to this, you'll notice that I'll be formatting differently and making chapters longer. I want to get as close to JK's style as possible to honor her work. Plus, this is my first HP fanfic ever.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP

ALBUS POTTER

AND THE DARK LADY

CHAPTER ONE

THE HERO OF HOGWARTS

Albus Severus Potter clutched his owl cage tightly as he followed closely behind James, his older brother while Rose Weasly, their cousin, also tailed them. The two made their way down the train's hallway, looking for a free seat in one of the compartments. The Hogwarts Express had just taken off from platform 9 ¾ , so everyone began to move away from the windows where they had been waving to their parents, and started looking for seats, just as the two Potters and the one Weasly were doing.

"Here's one!" James proclaimed through the hustle and bustle. He pointed to a near empty compartment; the only other occupant was a girl with short, platinum blonde hair flaked just a bit with brown at the edges, who was staring mindlessly out the window.

"Excuse me," said Albus politely to the girl. She turned to see the trio. Almost instantaneously, Albus got a strange sensation from this girl. Her eyes were crystal blue and her eye brows were almost transparent. For some reason, Albus got the impression that she was some kind of weirdo.

"Do you mind if we sit here?" Rosie butt in. The girl smiled.

"Not at all," she said, quite normally, much to Albus's surprise.

The three started putting up their bags and taking their seats around the odd yet normal girl, and once again, excitement and anxiety filled up inside him. Still grasping onto his tawny owl, Strix, who was cooing and moving his head all around in anticipation, Albus sat down near the window and pressed his fore-head to the cool glass. He stared at his reflection.

Out of all three siblings, Albus looked most like his father. He had the same jet black, messy hair, and apparently, the same scrawny figure his father had when he was eleven. They even had the same emerald green eyes hidden under round spectacles. The only thing that set them apart was the faded, lighting bolt scar under his dad's bangs. He had always found it an interesting quality about him.

"I can't wait to get back," said James, who had seated himself beside Albus. "I can try out for Quidditch this year!"

"I highly doubt they'd want a clown on the field," teased Rosie, who was sitting across from James, next to the blonde girl, who went back to staring out the window like Albus.

"Oh, ha-ha," James said, sarcastically. "You'll be laughing when I'm up there, winning the Quidditch cup!"

"If you win the cup, I'll eat a hippogriff," said Rosie. James humphed and turned to his brother.

"Well, you'll root for me, won't you, Al?" he said. "Even if you are going to be in Slytherin…"

"I will not!" Albus snapped, whipping his head around. James through up his hands and smiled.

"Hey, I'm just saying that it's a possibility." He then put his arm around him. "But just make sure you look good in green, ok?" And to add to it, he gave a little hiss.

Albus pushed him away, nearly as red as his brother's hair.

"It is exciting though, isn't it?" said Rosie. "I wonder what house I'll be in… Gryffindor would be nice, of course, but Ravenclaw would also be a great choice…"

"Ooh," said the blonde girl brightly, turning to the auburn haired girl, "I'm shooting for Ravenclaw, too!" She gave a little chuckle. "Maybe we'll end up taking the same classes." Rosie smiled.

"That'd be fun," she said. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Laura Lovegood," she responded. Something clicked in Albus's mind.

"Did you say 'Lovegood'?" he asked. Strix, also seeming intrigued, fixed his yellow eyes on the girl in front of him.

"Yes," she said. "Why?"

"Well, it's just that my dad knew a Lovegood when he went to school at Hogwarts. Her name was Luna Lovegood. Do you know her by any chance?"

Laura smiled. "Oh, you mean my mom. Yeah, she went to Hogwarts, too. But… who are you then?"

"Albus Potter."

She blinked. "Potter? You mean, as in 'Harry Potter'?" He nodded and she smiled. "Of course! You look just like him; I can't believe I didn't notice!" She seemed instantly over excited. Strix jumped back a little in his cage as she talked. "Mum used to tell me all about the adventures she had at Hogwarts with Harry Potter!"

"Oh," said James, clearly unaware of her sudden change in emotions, "now I remember. Dad, mum, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione used to hang out with her, didn't they?"

"Wait," said Rosie, "I think I've seen a picture of her in one of mom's pictures… was she the blonde girl with the radishes on her ears?"

Laura laughed nervously, her excitement ebbing away a bit. "Yeah, that's mum I'm afraid. When she went here, some people called her 'Loony Lovegood'. Funny, right?" She gave a small little smile, making Albus feel bad for first considering her a "weirdo", based on her appearance alone.

"So," said James, "did your dad know our family too?"

"Oh," she said, a bit uncomfortable, "well, I don't really have a dad."

There was a tense silence; James especially looked troubled. Now, Albus felt even worse about labeling her.

"I'm sorry," Rosie started. Laura smiled.

"It's fine," she said simply. "Mom, granddad and I get along fine. Of course, they're always trying to tell me about nargels and such…"

"What's a nargel?" asked Albus curiously.

"Honestly? I still have no idea."

As the train flew past the country side, the four of them talked away. They discussed light things; how excited they all were to be going; what Quidditch teams they rooted for, that sort of thing. All the chatter delightfully distracted Albus from his anxiety about finally arriving and being sorted into a house. Of course, he knew James was a jerk and he always liked to tease him, Albus still had a small fear that popped up in his mind whenever he thought about the four houses.

First, there was Gryffindor; the house for the brave and the bold. Everyone in his family had been in that house. His parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, everyone. Even those who his parents knew were in Gryffindor. Neville Longbottom, even, who was now the Herbology teacher, as well as head of the house. Second was Ravenclaw; the house for the smart and witty. Albus remembered Aunt Hermione once telling him that she was almost in Ravenclaw, but the sorting hat had put her in Gryffindor instead. Third was Hufflepuff; the house of the kind and determined. Or as James liked to put it "the house of pansies". Albus dreaded ending up there almost as much as going to Slytherin; then James would really make fun of him. Which finally brought him to Slytherin; the house for the cunning. Just the thought of going into that house made his stomach turn. Even the reassurance of his father before departing didn't help much.

However, his worry was cut short as a tall, sandy blonde walked in.

"There you are!" she said happily. She sat next to Rosie, pushing her hair to the side. "I've been looking every ware for you three."

"Oh really?" asked James, a smirk playing his mouth. "And did your search lead you to Teddy's mouth?"

Victoire Weasly, Uncle Bill's daughter and a sixth year Gryffindor, smiled and ruffled his hair. "Oh, shut up, you little git." Turning to Albus, she scratched his owl's head through the bars. "Hey, Strix." He seemed to smile and rub up against her finger. Then Victoire looked over at James' lap, which was empty. "Where's Otus?" she asked.

James pointed above him on the luggage rack where a fat, black owl slept under its wing.

"Bloody bird's useless," he remarked. "All he does is sleep!"

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" said a sweet voice from the hall. Albus turned to see an elderly woman pushing a cart full of sweets. Albus suddenly became hungry. They all ordered what they wanted and soon all of their laps were filled with Bertie Blott's Every Flavor Beans, Pumpkin Pastries, Jelly Slugs, Chocolate Frogs, Licorice Wands, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Cauldron Cakes.

"I always loved this gum," said Laura, popping a piece of Drooble's in her mouth. After chewing it a bit, she opened her mouth and blew out a pink, transparent bubble that rose up to the ceiling.

"The frogs are my favorite," Albus concluded, bringing the squirming piece of chocolate to his mouth and then biting off the head. "Plus there are the cards, too."

"Who'd you get?" asked Rosie, nibbling on a Pumpkin Pastry. Albus looked at the little card. An old man with a white beard, blue eyes, and crooked nose smiled at him from around the framing.

"I got Dumbledore," he said without reading the name.

"Oh," said Victoire, "everyone gets him." She took another bite of a Licorice Wand. Albus flipped it over to the back anyway.

ALBUS DUMBLEDOR

Considered by many to be one of the greatest wizards of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly known for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the 12 uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Dumbledore was also known for his affinity for chamber music and tenpin bowling.

Smiling, he flipped the card back over to realize he was gone. So, he slipped the card in his pocket and went back to eating the rest of the frog body.

"Hey," said James suddenly, holding up a Blott's Bean, "I dare you to eat this one." Albus looked down at it. It was a putrid green color with a hint of yellow in the mix. Knowing James, it was probably earwax or mucus some other disgusting flavor.

"No way," he said, looking at it.

"Aw," prodded his brother, "come on."

"I'm not going to eat that."

"That's Hufflepuff talk! Come on."

"James," said Rosie, "if he doesn't want to eat it, don't make him."

"Well, ok… but you know, Slitherins usually back down from challenges…"

Albus swiped the bean from his hand.

"And no holding your nose, either," he added.

He gave James a sour look and then popped the bean in his mouth and began to chew. Instantly, a horrible taste filled his mouth. His face withered because of it. It was a booger-flavored one.

Quickly, he swallowed it as James laughed his head off. Angrily, Albus took the box from the laughing red head.

"Fine," he said, "now it's my turn!"

"Do your worst!" James challenged.

He searched the box until he found it; a brownish green colored one.

"Here," he said, devilishly. James took the vomit flavored bean and put it in his mouth. Yet for all his bravado, the candy nearly made him gag.

Thus created the game of "who could withstand the beans". The more disgusting flavored, the better. Soon, even the girls joined in. The first one to give up or throw up looses.

An hour (and three Bertie Blott's boxes) later, the five of them started clearing up their mess and put on their school robes. James flashed around his sewed on Gryffindor patch like a first place ribbon.

"Yeah," he said, "take a good look, Albus. Cause you're never getting one! Ha!"

Albus ignored his brother's remark, but with some difficulty. His stomach was tying in knots, and he doubted it was because of the candy.

He left Strix with the luggage to be picked up later and walked out with the rest of the train. When they got on the platform, he, Rosie and Laura split off from James and Victoire.

"Good luck!" she wished the three first years as she and James walked over to the carriages.

Albus gave a small wave and he and the two girls walked down the platform. It was then that they heard a familiar, booming voice.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"

Rosie and Albus looked at each other.

"It's Hagrid!" they said in unison.

"Who?" asked Laura.

"A friend of ours," Rosie explained.

"Come on," said Albus, "I'll introduce you!"

The three scrambled their way through the crowd until they could see a gigantic figure looming over the bobbing heads of the first years. Albus called out.

"Hagrid! Hagrid!"

The giant moved his gaze to meet Albus'.

"Albus!" he thundered. "An' Rosie too! Get over 'ere!"

Happily, the cousins lead Laura over to Rubeus Hagrid. When they got right in front of the gatekeeper, Albus could make out his features more clearly.

Hagrid was twice as tall as the ordinary man and at least five times as wide. On his face was a bushy black beard flaked with grey. Under his shaggy mane were two black eyes that lit up constantly. Draped on him was a thick, moleskin coat with numerous pockets.

"It's good ter see ya again, Albus! You too, Rosie! Ow're yer folks doin?"

"Great," said Rose. "Mum got me some wonderful books to read in my spare time." Hagrid laughed.

"Yeah, that's somethin' ol' Hermione would do. An' you?"

"Lily's just mad that she can't go yet," Albus replied. "Oh! And this is Laura Lovegood."

Laura merely grunted, mouth agape and eyes wide. Albus smiled.

"You'll get used to it," he said.

"All righ'!" he continued to voice. "All firs' years this way! Down here! An' make sure you don' slip!"

Carefully, the new students made their way down to the side of what appeared to be a huge lake, slipping on the moss ridden rocks down to the boats.

"Let's get a boat together," said Rosie. Albus and Laura agreed, and they got into one of the wooden boats, careful not to fall into the cold water. The old thing creaked under their weight and threatened to give, but it did not, much to Albus' relief.

Once all the first years got into the boats, they began to move across the black water. Albus edged himself towards the front of the boat to get a better view of the small cascade of lights that decorated the horizon.

Albus could barely retain his excitement. He was here; finally here! All that stood between him and Hogwarts was a short boat ride, and then he would finally be there! For that moment, his excitement masked his fear of being put in Slytherin, and it was all he could do to restrain himself from jumping out and swimming there. And as the silhouette of the castle grew larger, so did his anticipation. Finally, the boats bumped up against the shoreline and new students started getting out and up the steps to the front of the school.

As Albus and his two companions made it up with the rest of them, he began to see the beginnings of a statue. He couldn't really tell who it was off as he ascended, but as soon as he got up level with the school, he knew exactly who it was.

The statue was of a boy about 17 years of age with glasses and messy hair. He seemed to be looking at something above him and reaching out to the sky, his robes sprawled about him. But the one quality that made him jump into Albus' mind was the scar seated clearly on the boy's forehead. It was a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt. Below it was a plaque. It read:

A TRIBUTE TO HARRY POTTER

WITHOUT WHOM HOGWARTS WOULD NOT BE STANDING

Apparently, Albus was not the only one who saw it. As soon as the other first years caught a glimpse of the boy's face, immediately they began starting at Albus. Whispers filled the air and glance after glance was directed at the young Potter. Albus, usually of a shy nature, hunched his shoulders in attempts to hide his face, but it was no use. Soon everyone had figured out some kind of connection.

"Well," said Hagrid's deep voice from behind them, "I best be off. Got ta take my place at the professor's table, ya know."

Albus turned to him frantically.

"Hagrid," he whispered disparately, "why didn't you tell me there was a statue of dad?"

"You never asked," he responded, gruffly.

"Attention everyone!" squawked a little voice near the front gates. "Could I have your attention please?"

Rosie pulled Albus away from Hagrid and up to where she and Laura were standing. Albus tried to find the source of the voice, but couldn't see a teacher anywhere.

"Down here!" the voice continued. Albus and a few others tilted their heads downward to see an old, awkward little man standing before him. "Yes, thank you." He cleared his throat. "Now, first off, welcome to Hogwarts! I am Professor Flitwick, Charms teacher and head of Ravenclaw house. Behind me are the doors to the Great Hall. There, a great banquet awaits you! But, before the feast, you must first be sorted into your houses."

Albus gulped. Inside his robes, he crossed his fingers.

"Now, while you're here, you're house will be like your family. Achievements will earn you points, while any rule breaking will deduct points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the House Cup. So," he smiled widely.

"Are you ready?"

What did you think? A good first chapter? Review!

T.