A/N: I know a few of these have already been done, but, let's face it the next generation leave too many potential and fun plots to not be done a few more times!

Chapter 1

Albus had stayed half leaning out the window of the bright red Hogwarts express as long as he could, craning to try and catch one last glimpse of his father before he faded completely out of view. Once the much older version of his self had completely vanished. The familiar feeling of concern had returned causing his insides to wriggle uncomfortably. What if he was sorted into Slytherin? Yes, his father had said he'd have a choice but he couldn't shake the 'what if's' that kept cropping up.

"Come on, Al, I found us a compartment." Spoke a voice to his left. Turning his head just slightly, he saw the figure of his cousin, Rose, standing at his elbow. She was an odd combination of her parents. Long and somewhat bushy flaming red hair and bright blue eyes attached to a girl who was a bit tall for her age. She placed a few fingers under his elbow and steered him away from the window "It's near the back."

Closing the window, he turned and allowed himself to be guided up the length of the train. Once they had to duck down to avoid being hit by something noisy and sparkling that whizzed out of a compartment and knocked against the window. Rose huffed in an annoyed fashion and scowled into the compartment. Two older students scowled back. Still they walked on until they reached the place Rose had found. Albus pulled the door back and stepped inside, only to stop abruptly when he noticed two other boys sitting in it.

"You said you'd found one." He shot an accusing look at his cousin. She shrugged in response, ushering him in and sliding the door shut behind her. Annoyance wiggled its way up, he'd wanted to talk to Rose in private and confess his concerns about school, magic and, most importantly, about the upcoming sorting. The bespeckled boy didn't feel he could do this with two complete strangers present.

Rose appeared to not notice his glare or feel his annoyance and simply placed herself down in a vacant seat. Albus sulked over towards the window opposite one of the other boys and slid down into the seat. A very loud silence followed this and for a few moments, Albus felt this would be what the whole experience of school would be like, this awkward and very present silence. It was eventually broken by Rose.

"I don't think I would mind being placed in Ravenclaw." She commented, looking over at Albus "Though I do hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds like a good place to make friends."

"I'm going to be in Gryffindor." Albus replied shortly.

"But, Al, you can't know that for certain."

"Well I do."

"But-"

She was going to protest, as he knew she would when she was rudely interrupted by one of the other two boys.

"I'm going to be in Slytherin. I know this as fact." The boy replied, causing Albus to look up at him. There was a flash of recognition. The pale skin, the pointed face and slick silver blonde hair. This was that Malfoy boy, the one uncle Ron had been talking about "My whole family has been in Slytherin for centuries. Mother said it had a bad reputation at one time but the school was beginning to be more tolerant. What about you?" he asked, turning to the boy facing Albus.

This boy too was blonde, though his hair was much darker and dustier in shade, his jaw was square and he has small deep-set blue eyes. He jerked his head awkwardly towards the Malfoy boy causing some of his hair to fall into his eyes "I don't know, my father was in Ravenclaw, but my grandparents were in Slytherin and Gryffindor. I have an older sister, she's in Hufflepuff." Nor did he appear to care that much as after this was said he turned back towards the window.

The Malfoy boy's grey eyes stayed on him for a while, then he shrugged and lent back against his seat. Apparently, he wasn't too concerned about it either. Albus felt a shooting of envy, why couldn't he be as unconcerned as they were. He turned his green eyes onto Rose whose nose was stuck fast in Hogwarts: A History.

After this, the quartet remained in near silence for most of the journey, perhaps each lost in their own thoughts. The trolley witch came around and some point and everyone but the blonde boy at the window moved to buy handfuls of sweets. Albus had bought a fair few chocolate frogs more out of the desire to finish his card collection than actually because he was keen on chocolate frogs.

He was in the process of biting off the head of one particularly wiggly frog when he noticed the name at the bottom of the card he had placed on his knee. Severus Snape. Albus paused, green eyes fixed on the scowling hooked nose man in the picture. This man was one of his namesakes, a man that his own father had described as brave. A former headmaster of Hogwarts. As Albus stared at the picture the man's frown appeared to grow into a scowl when a large blob of chocolate fell onto his hooked nose.

"Sorry," mumbled Albus embarrassed and with his sleeve attempted to wipe the chocolate off the card. As if in response the picture Severus turned up his nose and walked out of his frame "I said sorry!" Albus almost shouted though stopped when another blob of chocolate landed onto the nose empty card.

Rose finally pulled her head out of Hogwarts: A History to look at him. Her blue eyes widened a bit at the state he was in "Al! Were almost at Hogwarts, why have you got chocolate all over yourself?"

Albus was about to point out that he had not dribbled chocolate all over his self on purpose, when the Malfoy boy swiped the card he holding out of his hand and said, "He was busy mooning over whoever was in this card. I suspect it's that-" he paused blinking those grey eyes a few times, colour rushing to his pale cheeks and then without threw his head back and gave a long loud laugh. Rose scowled. The dark blonde boy in the corner raised his head and looked at Malfoy.

Reaching over he had plucked the card from the Malfoy boys hand and looked at it himself, turning it over and reading the notes on the back. Then he smirked, a nasty cocky smirk and gave the card back to Albus "I think he's a bit too old for you." Were the only words he offered.

"Or too dead." Joined in Malfoy "Wait until everyone hears that the great Harry Potters son fancies boys!" this was followed with another wail of laughter "Perhaps we can find you a live on, eh Potter?"

Albus felt the urge to stand up and punch the laughing silver haired boy in the mouth. Rose beat him too it slapping shut her book and raising it above her head and bringing it down with a hard whack. The Malfoy boy yelped in pain and huddled back in his seat arms going up over his head for protection.

"W-what?" he demanded pushing himself back away from Rose "I was only joking! I won't tell anyone!"

Rose had placed the book down and was standing with her hands on her hips staring angrily down at the boy her bushy red hair made her seem a lot larger than she actually was "You better not!" she said bossily, huffing as she looked at the pink watch on her arms "Merlin's beard! You all better get change we'll be at Hogwarts any minute now!"

Three boys rushed to grab their school robes and discard old muggle clothes followed this. Rose had turned rather pink cheeked to the window, avoiding looking at any of them. There was a jumble of arguments 'Ge'off' 'that's my arm, pillock!' 'Ha, your robes are on backwards!' 'Where are my glasses?'. Finally, they had managed to untangle themselves from each other and settled into their plain black robes, ties ready to change into the house colours once sorted.

The next rush was grabbing luggage and owls, until Rose told them to leave it alone and someone would take them up to the school for them. Then the Malfoy boy slid open the compartment door and the four of them spilled out into the corridor and hurried of the train towards a booming voice that called.

"Firs'-years, firs'-years this way!"