Warning in advance: It's a romance. Not an 'I love you, no I love you more' romance, but the point is still to get the characters together in the end. Also, I'm not British and will not insult them by trying to write in British English when I know I can't. You'll have to be happy with South African English. =)


Prologue

First Impressions

The train slowed down with a loud metallic screech before finally coming to a dead stop, jolting me forward in my seat. I swallowed hard, trying to block the nervousness that suddenly threatened to overwhelm me. This was it; this was where I was going to spend the next seven years of my life becoming what I so desperately wanted since I was old enough to understand: a fully trained witch.

Just as good as mum, I told myself with forced confidence.

It had been difficult growing up as the daughter of two of the three heroes of the wizarding world. There were many people that had often pretended to be my friend just so they could tell everyone that they were friends with the daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley. It had served as a lesson and I had had to learn how to judge the true intentions of people from the second I met them. It was going to get worse here, I knew that. Here there would be many people trying to work up connections and I wasn't exactly that hard to spot with my Weasley red hair. And then there were my cousins…

I turned my head to the side where my cousin Albus Potter was sitting. His untidy black hair waved slightly in the evening breeze that was filtering through the open window and his green eyes sparkled with a smile from a secret he was refusing to share. He had looked like that from the moment he had climbed onto the train after his father had whispered something to him. Whatever it was, it had worked like a charm. Instead of being the nervous Al who had appeared on the train platform, he had turned into his usual charming and teasing self. His teasing had centred on my need to be prepared for disembarking hours before anyone else had even started to think about it. I didn't care. Who wanted to rush and worry in the last few minutes of the journey instead of watching the scenery and relaxing? Al had fixed me with his usual 'you are mental cuz' look and gone in search of the lunch trolley.

That had been my excuse at least. At that last few minutes of the journey while everyone had scrambled to get into their school robes, I had sat there like a nervous lump while staring into space. We could have been travelling through candyland and I wouldn't even have noticed. Everything was going to go wrong, I just knew it! My hand clutched so tightly at my robes that I could feel the knuckle turn white.

"Rosie, you okay?"

I looked up into Al smiling face and slowly felt myself regaining control. I can do this, I thought furiously before bobbing my head once in a nod. A bell sounded in the distance and footsteps echoed through the corridors as hordes of students got to their feet and competed to get out of the train first.

I took a deep breath and rose with Al. We had been told to leave out things in a pile outside the train, so with a number grunts and lots of pulling we managed to pull our bags free from the luggage rack.

"Thank goodness the big bags get stored outside," Al said as he pulled down the last bag. Okay, Al did most of the grunting and pulling while I stood there and gave him advice. Everyone has something they're good at and bossiness seemed more my thing anyway. "Ready to go?"

"I guess," I yanked my bag up and swung it over my shoulder, smacking Al on the shoulder in the process.

"You're going to maim me woman," he said in a fake angry tone, rubbing the spot with his opposite hand.

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Al, you know I'm accident prone."

"I don't think that's the right word." Al sounded thoughtful. "Accident prone suggests you have tendency to hurt yourself a lot, but you never hurt yourself, just others,"

Sticking my tongue out at him I exited the room, before fighting back nerves as I squeezed through people to get to the door and accidentally banging a few of them with my bag as I went. By the time I managed to half fall out the door I was fighting back a deep blush as well as my nerves. I dropped my bag on the pile and waited for Al who, not use to shopping with a mother that had been muggle born, wasn't quite so skilful in slipping through the hordes.

Unfazed at waiting – dad never managed to keep up either, which was probably why he always refused to come with us – I took the opportunity to take in the sights around me. The sun was already setting in the horizon, its light orange rays gliding over the still waters of the lake before joining together in a mirror image of sun above in the centre. The light breeze didn't even stir the water, just caressed them into a gentle tugging motion.

In the far distance the castle jutted proudly into the sky, its windows lit from the lights within to make it look like the homes of princess in muggle books. Mom had always loved them and had passed down that love to me. I could already picture the inside, the long stone corridors, the dark dungeons, the stairs that spiralled up the towers until your legs screamed in protest. I hadn't actually seen them before, but it was all in Hogwarts, a history.

I gasped in horror, and spun around to find Al right in front of me. He dropped his bag, swinging around in one swift move only to find there was nothing there. He turned back in confusion.

"Eh Rose, what's wrong?"

"My book!" I shoved him out of the way. "I forgot my book!" Not even waiting for him to catch up I ran back to the train, this time luckily not harming anyone in the process. I had just reached the door when someone grabbed me by the arm.

"Where are you off to Rose?" It was Hagrid, the groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts. He was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix and an old family friend. Hagrid wasn't really what anyone could call small, not with him being half-giant and all, but he had a heart of gold and wasn't dangerous at all, even if he did have a love for potentially lethal creatures.

"I forgot my book Hagrid," I explained quickly.

His broad mouth, hidden beneath a mass of black beard, turned up in a grin and his black eyes twinkled. "Then go get it 'fore it's too late," Without warning he lifted me and half tossed me inside the train. I was grateful for the assistance, even if I did almost land on my head in the process. The train was now empty, making it easy to run through the carriages until I came to the compartment Al and I had sat in. My book was still where I'd left it, half tucked into the seat cushion. Breathing a sigh of relief I snatched up my book and rushed out the compartment, only to run straight into someone.

I stumbled a little, unhurt as always, and the person helpfully grabbed me by the arm to keep me up. I started to thank him slash her when I realise the person wasn't letting go. My eyes flew up and I realised with dismay who it was.

Storm grey eyes looked down at me as Scorpius Malfoy smirked at me, his blond hair looking even lighter from this close.

"Weasley," His voice echoed the smirk on his face and I felt myself atomically scowl in response. I hadn't taken dad serious when he'd said that I should beat him in every subject, but I was beginning to see why I might want to. The way he looked at me, like I was something to be laughed at or judged, was leaving a sour taste in my mouth. "Studying already?" With an unexpected yank he pulled the book free of my grasp before stepping backwards to examine the cover. He was defiantly laughing at me now. "What, afraid you'll get lost already?" He handed the book to one of the boys standing behind him who started laughing the instant he realised what he was holding.

"So what if I am?" I wasn't usually cold toward anyone, especially people I didn't know, but somehow he was bringing out my father's side of me – the temperamental side that wasn't all that eager to reveal most of the times. "Maybe I don't want to walk into my first class and look like an idiot." I added bravely.

Malfoy didn't see my point. "Really Weasley? Yet, I'm pretty sure no one here has any idea what's going on, so preparing to look better that the rest only means you're trying to show off." He nudged his friend in the side. "But what else can we expect from someone with a mudblood mother?" His friend roared with laughter but I could have disagreed an inch more. Suddenly blood rushed to my ears as my hands started shaking with anger. Without warning I lunged forward and sank my fist into Malfoy's stomach. Caught by surprise – he didn't think I was a violent person either – he was unprepared and double over in pain. I snatched my book from the hands of his friend who was now slowly backing away in fear of receiving the same treatment. I didn't plan on an encore though, already more than shocked enough by my unexpected behaviour. Well, he was the one who had called mum a mudblood.

I swung around and marched out of the train, unaware that I had just commenced the war that would run the length of my years at Hogwarts.


Next chapter will be 5 years later. I know Malfoy seems like a bit of a prick at the moment, but hey, everyone grows up eventually, right?

I know it's short, but it's a prologue!

Please review and let me know what you think!