Title: Cracks In a Mirror
Author: sithmarauder
Pairing(s): Albus Severus Potter/Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy (friendship), eventual ASP/SHM (romantic). Various side pairings.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all affiliated characters do not (and will never) belong to me.

A new fandom for it, it is an idea that has plagued me for a long while, to be perfectly honest – an idea that, until today, was just a bunch of scattered, half-written one-shots set in a complicated FutureFic! Universe my Fanfiction-starved mind had dreamt up whilst on vacation. Familial bonding = me thinking about nothing but which characters would make an interesting couple. As we speak I have three, almost four chapters done (which will have no set update time), and seeing as I have no idea how many chapters there could be, as I'm considering whether or not I'll skip through some years or have five or so chapters in each year before a summer chapter, followed by the subsequent year. We'll just have to see. Regardless, I am very happy to give you the first chapter of Cracks In a Mirror.

-x-

Chapter 1: King's Cross Station

Albus Severus Potter was afraid. He was standing with his father, the handle of the trolley clutched lightly in his pale hands, and honest to the high heavens he wanted to shake at that moment, shake and give voice and action to the fear that inhabited him at that moment; the fear that James had installed within him on the car ride to platform 9 and ¾. What if I get sorted into Slytherin? he wondered to himself, trying to control his breathing in a way that would let him think. What if I get sorted into Slytherin and mum and dad hate me? What if Uncle Ron gets mad? What if…

"So, Al, given your potential House any thought?" James asked slyly, and Albus found himself shouting before he could help himself.

"I won't! I won't be in Slytherin!"

"James, give it a rest," their mother said tiredly.

"I only said he might be," James replied, sending another grin Albus' way. Albus tries to calm his insides again, resisting the urge to shake because what if, what if. "There's nothing wrong with that," James continued, "he might be in Slyth –"

Albus wanted to hug his mum at that moment as James fell silent, a result of the patented Look she had sent him, but instead he turned his attention to the barrier, swallowing the lump in his throat. At first it didn't look like anything – merely a large brick wall in between platforms nine and ten – but Albus knew what it was after hearing his father's instructions not only last night and this morning but also on the eve (and subsequent dawn) of James' first day of school.

"You have to walk straight through it as if it isn't even there," Harry Potter had instructed, fixing his youngest son with a stern gaze. "Your grandmother once said to 'do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous.'" Albus looked up at him, nodding once.

"I don't… you're sure it will let me through, right?" he asked hesitantly, playing lightly with the end of the new robes his parents had purchased for him. His father laughed warmly and rested a hand on his shoulder, something that made Albus want to throw himself into his arms like he used to do as a young boy.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"But what about that time it didn't let you and Uncle Ron through?" Albus asked with a frown. His father raised an eyebrow, shaking his head once.

"That was… for a very different reason. Someone was trying specifically to keep us out." He wanted to ask, more than ever, why that had been, but something in his father's tone stopped him.

"… All right."

James had gone through the barrier, disappearing through the brick wall with no trouble at all, leaving the rest of the Potter family to follow him. Lily, who had released her father's leg, was now holding onto their mother's skirt, and Albus realized that they were waiting for him to go. Inhaling lightly, as if this was nothing, as if he had done it before, he turned to face them, his eyes wary.

"You'll write to me, won't you?" he asked his parents, seizing the opportunity to speak to his family without his brother ruining it with a loud or otherwise teasing comment.

"Everyday if you want us to," his mother replied, her smile warm.

"Not every day," Albus was quick to add in, shifting his weight from one leg to another. "James says most people only get letters from home about once a month."

Ginny Potter glanced once at her husband, reaching down to take his sister's hand in her own. "We wrote to James three times a week last year," she pointed out, and Albus flushed slightly.

"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts. He likes a laugh, your brother," Harry Potter told him.

Albus nodded lightly at that, turning his attention back to the brick wall and exhaling slightly. If the two older Potters noticed their son's nervousness they didn't show it, his mother tucking her hair lightly behind her ear as his father moved over to him, placing his own hands on the handle of the trolley and giving him an encouraging look. Together, the two started moving forward, ignoring the strange looks from the muggles as they did so, gathering speed until they were at a slow run, upon which they reached the wall. Instantly Albus winced, half expecting to bounce off the solid-looking bricks and tumble back onto the concrete of the station, but to his relief they emerged unharmed on to platform nine and three-quarters. Pausing, he turned to see if his mother and sister had made it, smiling upon seeing Lily and his mum emerging only seconds later.

A thick mist covered the platform, one coming directly from the Hogwarts Express, which was coloured a brilliant scarlet. Squinting his eyes, Albus tried to peer through the haze, hoping to see someone he knew out of the indefinite figures whose outlines he could vaguely catch, or perhaps he was even trying to find James, who had disappeared amongst their unknown ranks. Shivering lightly, he glanced up at his parents.

"Where are they?"

"We'll find them," came the answer as Ginny Potter moved forward, but even though they were getting closer and closer to the Hogwarts express with every step Albus still found it hard to see anyone. A few times he thought he saw a familiar face – once he thought he had even seen Oscar Stead's laughing person, but when he turned to see if it was he had instead encountered nothing but mist, the laughter lost in the murmurings of the people and the general noisiness of the platform itself.

He saw the indistinct group of four after three or so minutes of navigating the crowd (and after several close encounters with other lost first years whose parents were most likely muggles, as the wizarding families were usually used to it), but his mother was the first one to point them out, and Albus smiled as he followed her, getting closer and closer with each step. Even then, though, he didn't actually see their faces clearly until there was less than a trolley's length between them, and Albus wondered if it would be like this every year or whether this was just a fluke. The mist, anyway.

"Hi," Albus said, knowing his relief must have shown through his tone as Rose beamed at him, her friendly face a reassuring sight at this particular point. He was distinctly aware of his family chattering amongst themselves, but he was too busy looking at the train itself, the colours of which – scarlet and black – he could make out even through the haze. Rose smiled at him again.

"Excited, Al?" she asked, and Albus glanced at his cousin, who was already wearing her brand new Hogwarts robes. He thought they looked nice, and if he squinted hard enough he could even see her with a pair of large scholarly glasses, or even round ones like the pair his father wore.

"Yeah," he breathed lightly, glancing towards the train again. "It's just… it's so… different," he said at last, unable to find the proper words to express what, exactly, he meant. "I mean – "

"Well, I think I'll be in Gryffindor," he heard Lily say suddenly, her voice carrying loudly through the crowd. "After all, both mum and dad were in Gryffindor! I'll bet you'll get into Slytherin. Hisss!"

"No way!" Hugo Weasley returned, his eyes widening in a way Albus would have found comical if not for the sudden lump in his throat. "I bet you'll be in Slytherin! I'm a Weasley! We're always in Gryffindor!"

"I'm a Weasley too! My mum's your dad's sister!"

"Yeah, but - "

Albus tore his eyes – and ears – away from the pair, coughing lightly as he noticed Rose looking at him with concern. He felt his ears heating up, glad for the misty vapour that would make it hard for her to see the red blush, and before he knew it his old doubts were crashing through his find, the former what if what if mantra repeating itself in his mind as his sister's discussion continued behind him, both of them unaware of the effect it was having on him.

"Al?" Rose asked, but before she could inquire further their fathers had come back, having apparently left with their luggage, overhearing the conversation as well.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," his uncle told Hugo, "but no pressure."

Albus swallowed thickly, and not even his aunt's loud "Ron!" could get him to laugh. He noticed that Rose was looking oddly solemn too, with no trace of her earlier smile noticeable on her face.

"He doesn't mean it," their aunt and mother tried to reassure them, and Albus tried to plaster a thin smile on his face that he hoped would fool them momentarily. He tore his mind once again from the ensuing conversation – his mother had assured him she'd love him no matter what last night, even though he still had his doubts – and looked around the station, his eyes widening in wonder as he realized that the mist had cleared somewhat, revealing things he could not have previously seen.

About fifty yards away was a young-looking family who were fussing over their two children – twins, Albus reckoned – and checking over their bags, as if worried they had forgotten something. One of the two, the boy, glanced over at Albus, giving him a tiny wave, which Albus returned after a few seconds of hesitation. The girl just ignored him, her chin held up high as if she could hide her nervousness behind a mask. Albus pegged this for a muggle family as well, if only from the way the parents were acting, their heads turning towards anyone who got even within three metres of them, as if the wizards and witches would all simultaneously pull out their wands and turn them into something silly like toads.

Smiling once more at the boy, Albus returned his eyes to his uncle and father, his brow knitting into a frown as he saw them glancing across the station. His uncle, Ron, was looking a tad bit uncomfortable while his father was staring determinedly across the station, and as Albus followed his gaze he noticed another family – one that betrayed no nervousness at the prospect of the other wizards and witches, their postures stiff and firm in a way that told Albus they were pure-blood, or at least had gone to Hogwarts themselves at some point.

The first one he really noticed was the tall woman, who was dressed smartly in a dark grey – or blue – jacket with a sparkling broach over a light grey – or was it cream? – shirt. Her hair, dark brown, was combed back and curled nicely at the end, and Albus found himself wanting to wave at her despite the severe expression on her face. She was rather pretty, Albus thought to himself, his attention drifting to the tall blonde man standing beside her – blonde, with a hairline that was beginning to recede slightly, whose dark coat was buttoned up to his throat in a way that Albus left wondering if it made him uncomfortable. As he watched he thought he saw the man nod sharply, but he couldn't figure out who he was nodding at or even why, and reckoned it wasn't his business anyway.

"So that's little Scorpius?" his uncle said suddenly, voice breaking through Albus' thoughts. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

It wasn't so much the comment itself that made Albus do a double-take, but rather the name, for almost instantly his eyes sought out the third member of the family – a young boy with slicked back blonde hair, though Albus noted that his seemed a little… fluffier than that of the man he resumed to be his father. He, too, was already wearing his Hogwarts robes, and as Albus processed this he watched as the young boy turned around, facing not him but rather his father. As Albus himself turned to follow the boy's gaze, he realized who this family was.

He had heard the name "Malfoy" mentioned countless times, usually by his uncle, who would go on about how "You can't trust a Malfoy!" and the like, small little mutterings and declarations that had only increased in frequency as Albus and Rose's first day approached. He realized that the older man must be Draco Malfoy, his father's childhood rival, and the boy – who must be in his first year as well – must have been his son… Scorpius?

"Ron, for heaven's sake," his aunt Hermione was saying, "don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," came the reply, but just as Albus was about to ask something he continued. "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood."

Albus frowned then - weren't the Weasleys pure-blood, too? And the Potters... for the most part?

The younger Potter boy turned to Rose, who was looking a little nervous at this point, and he offered her his hand, which she took with a grateful squeeze. Albus smiled at her, but his calm was broken as James' voice broke through the fog, his brother's face appearing suddenly as he ran over to them, his body speaking of excitement.

"Teddy's back there! Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!" he exclaimed, sounding slightly breathless. When no one reacted fast enough, he frowned, continuing on. "Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing – "

"You interrupted them?" their mother said with a frown. "You are so like Ron – "

Albus tuned out at that point, wanting to smile. Rose glanced at him again, and she did giggle, puckering up her lips in an exaggerated motion that made Albus laugh, though the rest of the family, enamoured with this sudden turn of events, missed it.

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married! Teddy would really be part of the family then!" Lily whispered suddenly, startling Albus due to their proximity.

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," their father noted with amusement. "Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"

"Yeah!" James replied, his tone enthusiastic. "I don't mind sharing with Al – Teddy can have my room!"

Albus felt slightly ill at that thought. While he loved his brother dearly, even to the point of enjoying taking part in some of his jokes and pranks, the thought of spending his summers cooped up in the same room was a little more than he wanted to consider at that moment. Besides, James always had been rather loud, and, well…

It turned out he didn't have to worry, for almost instantly their father said no, citing that he would let them share a room only if he wanted the house "demolished." Suddenly, however, Harry Potter checked his watch, and Albus blanched lightly as his father pointed out the time – "It's nearly eleven!" – and before he knew it James was giving his mother a hug, the latter telling him to give his love to James, whom responded in typical James-fashion as they moved further towards the rapidly-filling compartments.

"I can't walk into Herbology giving him love…" James muttered near the end of the discussion, and Albus barely had time to avoid the kick directed to him by the older Potter boy, though he did glare at him for the trouble.

"See you later, Al," James said then, "watch out for the Thestrals."

Albus paled again, grabbing his brother's sleeve. "I thought they were invisible! You said they were invisible!"

But James merely laughed, giving their parents each a fleeting hug before vanishing into one of the compartments. Albus saw him wave once before running into the corridors, likely looking for Aaron Stone, one of his three best friends. Stilling his breathing again, Albus glanced up at his father, who gave him a quick hug.

"Thestrals are nothing to worry about. They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats." Albus nodded at that, recalling his father's instructions about how Hagrid would meet them outside the train and lead them up.

"You won't get lost," Harry had assured him, and Albus found himself smiling.

His mother kissed him goodbye, and Albus embraced her fiercely. "Bye, mum," he said quietly as she told him that she'd see him at Christmas.

"By, Al," his father said as Albus rushed forward to hug him again. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone 'til you've learned how. And don't let James wind you up."

Albus nodding, recognizing these words, but once again his doubts about his house were surfacing, and he felt as if they would suffocate him at any moment.

"What if I'm in Slytherin?" he whispered, darting his eyes around as if the Ministry would come and arrest him for even considering that the son of the great Harry Potter would be placed in a House like Slytherin. But if he didn't voice them he knew they would have plagued him until he got to the school, worming their way into every thought and considering he may have had until then.

His father crouched down to a point where Albus' head was slightly above his, something the younger Potter boy found odd, and he found himself staring at his father's eyes – eyes that mirrored his own in their green colouring.

"Albus Severus," his father said quietly, and Albus was dimly aware that Rose was gone. "You were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."

"But just say – " Albus tried to tell him, but was unable to continue when he father softly calmed him.

" – then Slytherin house will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al." Albus swallowed. "But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

Albus felt his eyes go wide. "Really?"

"It did for me."

Albus felt his father squeeze his shoulder lightly, and he realized his face must have reflected his wonder at this fact. Distantly, he wondered if his father had told James or even Lily this, but before he could ponder further the whistle blew again, as if in warning, and Albus made his way over to the carriage, jumping in as his mother closed the doors behind him. As he did so, however, he noticed many of the faces on the platform turning towards his father, and it made him frown.

"Why are they all staring?" he demanded as Rose came up behind him, craning her neck to look at the other students clustered in the hallways and whatnot, all waving to their parents – the ones that weren't also looking at his father, anyway.

"Don't let it worry you," his uncle Ron said. "It's me. I'm extremely famous."

Albus laughed, and he noticed that Rose had too. Of course he already knew why, but the fact that they would stare so openly annoyed him nonetheless, though he concentrated on waving as the train began to move away, feeling his excitement mount. This time, when his breathing became quick and erratic, he knew it was from excitement and not fear, and before he knew it his parents were disappearing into the fog, their hands still raised in farewell as the people around him shouted their animated goodbyes.

Finally, when the last trace of King's Cross station disappeared behind them, Albus allowed himself to face Rose, his face ablaze with excitement of his own.

"Come on," he told her lightly. "Let's go find an empty carriage."

End chapter.

-x-

Reviews are wonderful (I honestly don't know as much as I should about Harry Potter and had to consult a wiki for a lot of the finer details, so if I messed up on something please let me know), and I hope you enjoyed!