September 1st of 2017. Harry would remember that day like September 1st of last year. James was going into his second year, while Rose and Albus started their first. Albus glanced over his shoulder one more time at the platform as he stepped onto the train. His view was of his parents beckoning him to continue. He quietly waded his way through the groups of children and teens hesitantly until he came upon Rose and James and he plunked himself in between his brother and the window. The train started to move and he watched his family disappear along with the station.
"Do you think he'll be alright," Harry asked Ginny, suddenly getting worried.
"He can write to us anytime he wants, we bought him his own pet.''
"I know, I'm just concerned that I'm going to get a letter at two in the morning from him saying he wants to come home."
"Well, when you two were pretending to tie your shoes," Ginny gave Harry a sly grin, "I told James to look after him, he'll be fine."
"That's worse," Harry laughed, jesting at his eldest son's tendency to make trouble. Then again, he did name him James. He was just filling it.
Albus on the other hand was usually the small sibling, small being the most shy. James was boisterous and a firework of emotion, you could feel his personality when he entered a room. Albus wasn't necessarily a easily frightened child, he knew when and how to stick up for himself, given that, he was just a loner. Harry at the thought of Albus getting scared over being a Slytherin had him wondering if he would get through Hogwarts unscathed. Albus definitely wasn't an ambitious boy, but with lack of the explosion a Gryffindor has, he was curious. Granted Albus did have personality though, lots of it, but just not immediately.
"C'mon Harry, we should go find Teddy… apparently he was making out with Victoire."
"I'm gonna kill him," Harry said with a sigh as he spun around to go hunt him down.
Back on the train they were now out in the wide open world. Rose had opened a school textbook a few miles back and began studying. Albus was staring out the window when James' leg stopped shaking and he stood up.
"I can't take this anymore," his voice was drooling with anticipation.
"What do you mean," Albus asked from his retreated corner.
"I have to do something, this train ride is so boring."
Rose looked up from her book long enough to play mother with James "and what, pray tell, are you going to do," confidence in every one of her words.
"That's the question Rose… that is the question," James put a finger to his lips to think, there was a beat, then he dashed out of the compartment.
Rose scoffed and returned to her textbook, unamused.
It wasn't even a minute later when they heard a crash.
"YOU WANKER!"
Rose slowly closed her eyes in disappointment as Albus kept to himself like he heard nothing. Speedy footsteps made their way back to the compartment and sure enough there was James with soot in his hair looking mad.
"I think I just pissed off the Malfoy," then he took off again.
"You brought it upon yourself," Rose whispered without her eyes leaving the pages.
Albus' eyes darted from Rose to the sliding door a few times before he got up and bolted out too.
Due to the black walls and floors, the presumed crime James committed was a smoke bomb thrown down the corridor of the train. Albus inspected the dust and found the hypothesis correct. He chuckled at the mess James had made, his curiosity had gotten the best of him and now he was to return to his seat across from Rose.
"YOU, POTTER!"
Albus winced, knowing where this was going. He peeked behind him to see an angry eleven year old dressed formally and his hair combed back. If he didn't know it was Scorpius he wouldn't of known there was platinum hair under all the dirt.
"Hi, I'm assuming you're looking for my brother."
At the sight of Albus his expression softened "sorry, he has me a little cross right now."
"He has that effect on people."
"All of my baggage looks like my hair."
Albus snorted and covered his mouth with his hand instantly to stop it.
"It's not funny," Scorpius retorted with wide eyes.
"It's a little funny," Albus replied still trying to subside his laughter to a sharp exhale of breath.
"Okay, it's a little funny," Scorpius pressed his lips together so he wouldn't grin "but there's a lot of expensive things in my suitcase and if I don't get that stuff off, my dad will end me.''
"I'll help you clean your suitcase if you help me get even," Albus' demeanor changed into mischievous.
"What?"
"That's what you do when someone pranks you, you get them back."
Scorpius looked out the window "what do you have in mind," he side-eyed Albus with a smirk.
"Chocolate. Frogs."
Scorpius ruffled the dirt out of his hair and followed Albus down the train corridor. They jogged down the hall together until they came to a corner.
"You distract her, I'll grab all the chocolate frogs," explained Albus quickly and quietly.
Albus moved his hand in a 'move out' gesture and they went into position. Scorpius walked up to the cart and stood on his tiptoes to look over it eagerly.
"Anything from the trolley?"
"A Bertie Bott please," Scorpius asked holding out a few galleons in his hand.
Albus power-sliding next to the cart and started piling his arms with chocolate frogs. Scorpius took the Bertie Bott's he bought and held it up thanking her and trying to keep his eyes from darting to Albus standing up with his grasp full of the stolen goods.
They hurried back to Scorpius' compartment and threw all the cards on the seat, and counted exactly how many.
"I believe we have twenty-three here," Albus sighed as he backed away from the chair and sat on his legs.
"Can we go through my luggage before we do this?"
"Of course," Albus answered as he got up and stretched.
Scorpius pulled down a large black suitcase and it bounced on the floor from the force on landing too hard, the child trying to hold it down.
They took out every piece of clothing, cleaned it, then put it back. At one point Scorpius went and changed into the uniform since it was getting dark outside. He came back with his robe grazing against the floor and flowing out and he bent down to grab the giant bag. Albus helped him put it back up and then they peeked out the door and down the hall for any sign of James.
With no evidence he was anywhere near, they sprinted down the corridor to where Albus had sat with Rose. The book she was reading when Albus left was the only thing in the compartment, except for the baggage above. Albus glanced right, then left, making sure the coast was clear and climbed on the seat pulling James' trunk down onto the floor. Scorpius pried it open just a few inches, then Albus opened the chocolate frogs slightly and shook it at the trunk until a 'ribbit' was heard and a 'plop'. The boys both snickered when the deed was done and a continuous croaking sound could be heard from James' trunk.
"ALBUS," Rose's voice flooded through the train to them. The corner of his eye catching that she had changed into the Hogwarts robes and was hastily moving towards him "I've been searching for you since you left the compartment."
"I only went to see what James was doing," he stammered. Even though they were the same age, Rose could be terrifying sometimes.
"I swear you are as bad as James, we're nearly there, you need to put on your robes soon," she commanded in an authoritative voice.
Albus looked irritated now instead of taken aback, her continuation of badgering putting in a frustrated mood "Okay, I know."
Scorpius was awkwardly still standing next to Albus, his face growing red now feeling out of place. Why did he get his hopes up that anyone would want to be friends with the son of a known death eater family.
"I guess I'll see you later," Albus said, his voice implying otherwise.
"...Yeah," Scorpius did not believe him.
All three cousins sat back together in their robes when the train pulled in at the station. The second there was a jerk from the train coming to a stop, James was off his seat again, and gone, out the door. Rose put her now finished book away, as Albus only stared out the window watching everyone walk by. Rose got off the train, from inside Albus saw her walk down the platform with other first years. He finally plucked up the courage, he rose up from his seat and lightly stepped to the door of the train.
Children were everywhere, some moving down the sidewalk, others making their way to the gate across from the train. Albus hopped onto the platform when an enormous burly man stepped out holding a lantern. A couple of first years stood in awe of him, some others made some form of a gasp knowing who he was.
"Good day to ya, I'm Rebeus Hagrid, groundskeeper and Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, if ye are firs' years, best follow me," his bellowing tone could be heard from across the world, but Albus and many others knew he was friendly.
He followed Hagrid with everyone else to the boat dock to sail across the lake and enter the Great Hall. Last year was the first time Harry got to know if first years still enter by boat. Teddy would've told him on his first year, however he had got detention before he even got off the train and was escorted by McGonagall herself.
Placed in a small boat and sent off with Rose, Albus pondered at the water they glided on. It appeared as black ink, littered with the reflection of the stars. He dipped his hand in, and gazed at the stream that was left in it's trail, smiling at it for some reason he didn't know.
"Albus stop, we're not suppose to," Rose whispered. Albus felt as though she came as a mom her couldn't take her rebellious son anywhere and needed to set him straight.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes "whatever," and brought his hand back into the boat.
Hogwarts was just as beautiful as ever, standing out above the horizon with its shining lights in the dark. When they reached the dock across the lake, an elderly woman in dark green robes and her hair in a bun greeted them with a slight smile.
"Welcome first years students, I will escort you to the Grand Hall to be sorted into your houses, shortly after your luggage will be brought to your rooms," she instructed. She began ascending the stairs to Hogwarts when she stopped and turned to them momentarily "everyone please keep up and do not wander."
In the Great Hall all the students were sitting, waiting for the new students to come in and be sorted, James sitting at Gryffindor table chatting with his friends, not a care in the world "now that Ted is gone there's no one to make the year fun anymore."
"What about you, don't you have some good tricks up your sleeve this year," his cousin Fred asked.
"I do, but who am I gonna prank," James inclined, slamming his head down on the table in desperation.
"Twelve years old and he's already peaked," Fred joked.
The grand doors to the Great Hall moved open and McGonagall in all her glory coasted into the room with her robes trailing behind her. On queue multiple children scurried in behind her faces of astonishment and trying to take in the scene of everything.
James raised his head getting a look of all the mops of hair walking by seeing if he could spot his weird brother. He caught Rose stepping confidently into the room like she had already been here for years, which was very Rose of her, but couldn't spot Albus.
Once all the new kids were in the Great Hall and standing at the front of the room McGonagall pulled out a parchment and started calling everyone to be sorted. Ravenclaws had eight sorted, Slytherin had twelve, Hufflepuff had thirteen, and Gryffindor had thirteen whenever she finally reached them.
"Malfoy, Scorpius," McGonagall shouted, indifferently.
Scorpius looked up from the space on the floor he had been staring at and slowly walked up to the stool and sat down "hmmm, very different indeed," he heard the sorting hat say from above him, Scorpius winced, already knowing what that meant "GRYFFINDOR!"
Scorpius didn't see the sneers he got from Slytherin because he closed his eyes immediately, however, he heard a few gasps, from where he did not know. Professor Longbottom froze in his seat at the table mumbling to himself, presumably trying to add this all up. Albus within the crowd of students curved his mouth in an expression of 'go figure'. Even McGonagall looked back down at the paper a little surprised.
James from the Gryffindor table could've sworn he heard a crash from his jaw landing on the ground and quickly started whispering to Fred next to him. Scorpius would be lying to himself if he said he didn't know they were whispering about him when he finally looked at the room.
"My father is going to kill me," he sputtered for only himself to hear.
A few more children went by as Scorpius uncomfortably sat at the end of the Gryffindor table avoiding all eye contact, or any contact at all.
"Potter, Albus," McGonagall's voice faded at the end, the first James Potter was a handful, last year there was a new one, after so many years with the Weasley twins, Ron and Harry, she had been beaten down to a point where 'God forbid this next Potter is like the rest'. The same time that the chocolate frogs were still in James' trunk.
Albus tensed up, horrified to think where he would be placed, but sat on the stool nonetheless.
"Very curious, just like your father, not sure where to put you," Albus suddenly felt like Scorpius who he saw sitting alone by himself at the Gryffindor table. Albus screamed in his mind to the hat to put him in Gryffindor because the way Scorpius looked he didn't want to leave him, even though he barely knew him "GRYFFINDOR!"
Albus visibly relaxed and went to join the Gryffindor table. He plopped himself right at the end next to Scorpius and picked up the fork and knife and held them in an eager pose "I hope there's chicken."
"Why are you sitting with me?"
"Why not," Albus replied like it was obvious.
"Wouldn't you rather talk to your brother...or your cousins," Scorpius fiddled with his cutlery, anxious that if he asked these questions, Albus would realize his mistake.
Albus leaned into his ear keeping his eyes peeled for someone looking into their conversation "if I'm around my brother when he finds his suitcase, I'm dead," Albus sat back and made a quick take of the table "plus, my brother is mental."
"Weasley, Rose," McGonagall called, getting to the end of the list.
She went to the stool happily, and the hat rested on her head, without any speaking, knew her place "GRYFFINDOR!"
Albus clapped violently and screamed, turning to his brother he was joining him, but also giving him a look.
Rose sat herself down with James a few seats away and took a prepared her napkin for her dinner. Scorpius watched her, and when she turned to them, he looked down immediately, stupidly playing with his plate to appear as if he had already been doing something.
"Weasley, Roxanne."
"THAT'S MY SISTER," Fred screamed through his cupped hands to make it louder.
"Oh shut up," James snickered.
Roxy paled at the sound of her brother's voice behind her from the Gryffindor table. The sorting hat's face fell when he landed on her head "two in one year," there was a beat "GRYFFINDOR!"
Once everyone was sorted, McGonagall put the sorting hat away, and placed the parchment on the table.
"The sorting ceremony has now concluded, after the feast, you will be escorted to your common rooms by head boy or girl, I am happy to announce the start of this year, I hope everyone does well and enjoys it," the Great Hall roared to life with clapping and she bowed to the students humbly "now, let us eat."
To the second, the food appeared on the table, every kind. Albus grabbed a chicken leg and big scoop of mash potatoes. James went straight into piling the brownies onto his plate and a roll. Rose carefully used her silverware to carry green beans onto her plate and ate them gracefully. Scorpius just sat there staring at the horizon of choices, no movement except for blinking.
"You okay," Albus said, as he ripped into another bite.
"I just...I don't know what happened."
"Is being in Gryffindor that bad," Albus who spent the whole day scared he would be sorted into Slytherin was not understanding, Scorpius was being told he was brave.
"When you're me. I'm going to be the first ever Malfoy to be sorted into Gryffindor," as if Scorpius couldn't look more scared, saying it out loud had made it worse.
"Well, I think you being in Gryffindor is great, you get to see James' face when he opens his trunk tonight."
Scorpius chuckled slightly at the thought.
"I'm going to explode any minute, I swear," Albus stated as he slumped in his seat when dinner ended.
Scorpius had picked at some bread and maybe a helping of corn. His plate was pretty bare all night. It was still better than James' which looked like heart disease.
"I'm afraid to announce that dinner has ended and it is now time to be going to your dorms, your escorts will take it from here, and I hope to be seeing you in class," McGonagall left the podium and was headed to the door with the other teachers to turn in for the night.
Scorpius finally came alive again since the hat screamed exactly what he didn't want to hear and chased down McGonagall.
"PROFESSOR," he yelled sprinting to the door she was headed through.
Her striking eyes greeted him when he stopped and she stared at him with a coy look asking him what he needed.
"Professor, is there anyway-"
"Mr. Malfoy," she cut in, knowing his question "I'm sorry, but what the sorting says can not be taken back. It seems it knows something you do not, and we can expect good things from you," Scorpius felt her eyes go right through him "do not prove us wrong."
When all the teachers had left and almost all the students, Scorpius spun around to see Albus standing at their seats from the Gryffindor table, and he waved, not knowing what else to do.
Albus watched as Scorpius eyes darted around the room, and squinted like he was thinking. The blonde pondered at the Great Hall doors for a few seconds, then dashed down the aisle in between the tables. Albus panicked and took off after him.
Following close behind him, he skipped steps and found him climbing through the Gryffindor portrait right behind the others. Right as Albus got there, the painting closed back up.
"Password?"
"Whatever the head boy said," Albus retorted going for the first thing that came to mind.
The lady raised an eyebrow.
"Worth a shot," Albus mumbled.
"Just this once, since you're a first year, don't be caught not knowing it again," she said and she swung open, Albus going in instantly.
He ran into the common room full speed and halted in the middle of the sitting area "blonde kid...scared," he described.
Three boys and a girl from different areas of the room all point to a dorm to the left, Albus nodded a thanks and scurried up the stairs and into the dorm.
Scorpius was standing at the foot of the bed with his suitcase open and he was throwing his pajamas that were laid out back in.
"What are you doing?"
"I have to leave the country, anywhere my dad can't find me," Scorpius answered with a crazed look in his eye.
"Do you really think your dad is going to kill you for getting Gryffindor."
Scorpius' face snapped to Albus, a look of mad terror in his eyes, and he went back to packing.
"Okay, you got to calm down. I'm sure your father loves you and you are highly over-reacting," Albus grabbed Scorpius' suitcase and unclasped it, flipping it over "you're staying."
Scorpius closed it again "no, I'm very much not."
Albus reopened it "well too bad."
Scorpius slammed it back shut "you have no say over what I do."
Albus opened it again one more time "so?"
"AAAAAAAHHH!"
"What was that," the young Malfoy commented.
Albus' lips went a mile wide over his face "...us."
"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER," James screeched, getting louder the closer he got.
"Oh no," both boys uttered.
The dorm room door burst open with a steaming James stomping in, covered in chocolate, like there was an explosion "the frogs melted."
Albus stood there dumbfounded, then extended his whole arm to point to Scorpius standing next to him. Scorpius, seeing this, glanced him up and down, then pointed back.
James stood there drenched in chocolate, a face that Albus could not determine except for maybe absolute betrayal "I've lost my brother to a Malfoy."
"Does this mean we are friends," Scorpius spoke up with after many moments of stunned silence.
Albus, still in shock, nodded in agreement. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.
However, after thinking that all night, they were reminded in the day that it might not be so.
Albus was drowning his rolls in gravy and Scorpius was taking a hearty helping of everything to make up for the small intake at dinner last night. Hundreds of owls fluttered in from the open windows above dropping letters to the corresponding students. A letter dropped in front of Albus and he ripped it opened the instant it landed.
Albus, I want you to know that whatever house
would have been sorted to, I would be proud.
Congratulations on Gryffindor, your mother hopes
not to be sent any more letters from teachers
saying you are getting into trouble with your brother.
Make friends and be safe.
Everything in Albus' head was swirling, he had Gryffindor, and his father was proud. He had all he needed in the world. Closing the letter, the young Potter looked up to see the table all staring intently at his new friend. Scorpius was sitting across from him, a letter had been delivered to him as well, it was a gray envelope with a black wax seal showing the Malfoy crest. Given the size and shape of the note, it was definitely a howler.
"You have to open it eventually," Albus commented to his friend flipping his letter around in his hands.
"What if I throw it in the lake," Scorpius suggested.
"I don't think anything will make a difference, just get it over with."
Scorpius scrunched his face anxiously and peeled away the wax seal, once it was released, it vibrated, and Scorpius sat it down quickly like it was poisonous.
The voice of Draco Malfoy was heard through all of Hogwarts, and debatably some of Hogsmeade "ONE-HUNDRED GENERATIONS OF SLYTHERIN'S," it screamed, fuming out of the envelope. There was a whispering, faintly being picked as a woman's voice on the card, then a large, thick sigh. "Yes, I know Astoria...NO," a panicked response at the end, surely something wrong was said "son, I'm not disowning you, I don't even hate you for this, I just…" the voice faded away once the major concern was addressed.
"This is new," added a soft voice from the back.
Another masculine grunt was heard, and the card shredded itself. The boy after that note wasn't sure what had happened, or how he should react. Clearly his father was angry, but he claimed he wasn't. Scorpius' father had his problems, but he wasn't bad man, just horrible at getting his feelings across.
Everyone's first class was flying. Rose was absolutely terrified, being afraid of heights. As she walked with Roxy, Albus and Scorpius, James brushed past them jogging and carrying his books.
"You guys on your way to flying lessons," he said, running backwards so he could face them "best not fall off."
"What, like you," Rose snarkily snapped back, trying to hide how scared she was.
"I'm good, so good in fact, I'm going to Quidditch tryouts after classes today."
Rose rolled her eyes.
They were all lined up when the arrived, each student standing next to a broom "alright everyone, put your hand over your broom and say 'up."
"UP," all the students said clearly.
Rose's shot up immediately into her hand and she flinched.
"UP, up...uuuuuup, upupup," Albus began panicking at the broom not even making a flick in any direction "... I think mine is broken," he said turning to Scorpius, who was having the same luck.
"Up… up?" Oddly enough, Scorpius phrasing it as a question made the broom soar up into his grasp "... okay."
"How did you…?" The broom still at Albus' feet.
Scorpius shrugged his shoulder. Only three people didn't have their brooms up and Albus was one of them. Surely this meant he was sorted into the wrong house, he wasn't a Potter, wasn't a Gryffindor, he would be a squib. He would have to live off the lands, trusting his friends and family to give him food and shelter. The Potter lineage would continue with Lily and James, he would be a nobody… the broom flew up into his hand. Albus realized he needed to stop being such a melodramatic person.
Next was Potions with Professor Slughorn. He simply gave an overview of the class and take notes on different potions.
Third was Transfiguration. McGonagall did not care that the students were first years, she gave complicated notes and everyone was to write it down word for word. Then she gave a pile of homework that you needed the notes for.
They then went to History of Magic where they again took notes, but no homework because the Professor there presumably wasn't the devil incarnate.
Herbology was right before lunch.
"Good morning class, I'm Professor Longbottom and I'll be your Herbology teacher. Now I know that all your Professors today are going to have you take notes, but I'm a bit more hands on learning, so will jump right in."
Scorpius saw Roxanne lean over and whisper something into Rose's ear, Rose jerked back and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Scorpius looked back down at his empty clay pot sitting in front of him, pretending he never turn his eyes over there.
"There are many different types of soil, and what I want everyone to do is look through your textbooks for the types of soil and fill it with these types," Professor Longbottom wrote three types of dirt on the board behind him and everyone began their work.
Albus and Scorpius hoisted a bag up together and brought it back to the table they worked at. Rose and Roxanne copied and brought another back.
When the two boys got the bag onto the table, one ripped it open as the other scooped some out and poured it into their pot.
They were the first done and got an A.
The lunch came along and all the students steadily flooded the Great Hall for a quick food break. Albus was writing a letter back to his father, saying thank you and such. Rose was already starting her Transfiguration homework 'wanting to get a head start' she had put it. Scorpius had a parchment and quill positioned to write a letter to his father, but he was frozen with the quill two inches from the page, unsure what to say.
"Just tell him you're having a great time and miss him," Albus explained.
"But what about that Howler, I don't think I should act like it didn't happen, do I… do I apologize?"
"NO," Albus said quickly "don't ever apologize for being you. That's what my father says."
"Yeah, well, your father is Harry Potter."
"So… he doesn't know, but I overheard him last week talking to my mom," Albus' voice went quiet to the secret "he told her he wished he was never the chosen one, he said he still has guilt over all the people that died for him."
"That sucks… my father nearly had people die BECAUSE of him, he acts like everything's okay, and so do I, but I know our family is scrutinized."
"Maybe it won't be now that there's Malfoy in Gryffindor," Albus assured "you can show them all the dork you really are."
"You've only known me a day."
"I said what I said," Albus affirmed.
A red letter flew down in from an owl, landing in front of Albus, it was crimson red with a gold ribbon tied around it, and nothing on it to say or imply who it was from. Albus removed the ribbon and opened the envelope slowly. He got a face full of blueberry scented glue smacked right on him and some splatting on Scorpius as well, followed by a loud pop of rainbow colored confetti, sticking to the glue.
Albus wiped it from his eyes to see James and Fred in an extreme laughing fit, James slamming his hand on the table in hysteria and Fred laying his head down.
"OH IT IS ON!"
Albus stood up and threw a chocolate chip cookie, it pelting James right in the forehead. Scorpius' eyes went wide as James' laughing stopped and he grabbed a muffin and chunked it back. It bounced off of Albus' temple and he stared at it, then at James. He took an apple sitting on Scorpius' plate, with much disagreement from Scorpius and threw it at James, however, James ducked at the last second and went straight past the table at towards the window. The Gryffindor table watched in slow motion as the apple shattered the window the dropped out of sight.
Scorpius slid off the bench and under the table, Albus stuck only able to stare at the hole he left in the glass, until Scorpius grabbed his pant leg pulling him down under the table. The heard the clopping of heels walking towards them, then a navy blue robe next to the table, stunned silence in the room.
"Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, would you care to join me in my office," they poked their heads out from under the table to see Professor McGonagall looking very vexed with them.
"Yes ma'am," they said in unison, climbing over the seat, feeling embarrassed.
McGonagall paced back and forth in her study, both boys waiting anxiously for her to say something, anything. She held a finger to her lips, thinking, the longer time went on, the more the pair of kids knew the punishment would be worse. Albus peeled dried glue from his face.
"Please don't expel us Professor," Scorpius murmured, scared out of his wits, he didn't even do anything technically.
"First things first, both of your parents are to be owled," McGonagall stated, Scorpius' pale face went another shade lighter and Albus pressed his lips in an 'why me' expression "second, you two are to catalog the whole library, from A to Z."
Albus and Scorpius groaned.
"And thirdly," Albus and Scorpius prepared for a mental blow "fifty points from Gryffindor...each, including the other Mr. Potter."
Albus felt faint. "Professor, have mercy, we don't even know where the library is yet."
"You will be showed where it is, now, unless you want more points taken, you will hurry along back to lunch."
Scorpius and Albus hung their heads low on the walk back to the Great Hall. They were only at the bottom of the stairs to McGonagall's office when they spoke again.
"My first twenty-four hours at Hogwarts has consisted of me losing my father's approval by being sorted in Gryffindor, and now I'm stuck cataloging the school library," Scorpius rambled defeated "please just let me die."
Albus held his wand up to Scorpius' face sarcastically "you better take me down with you, if you leave me alone to catalog the library by myself…"
"Nuh uh," Scorpius sassed back "this was your fault, who threw the apple out the window, I was just an innocent bystander."
"Then why are you hanging out with me, we haven't been friends for even a full day and you're already at my throat," Albus started with the dramatic gestures.
Scorpius scoffed "should've known better to stay away from anyone named Potter, you're whole family is a joke."
Albus made a surprised choking noise "that's rich, coming from a MALFOY, you look past family prejudice for one second..." he cracked.
"I'll show you family prejudice."
In all honesty and truth, Scorpius and Albus weren't actually made with each other, it was more releasing frustration, which led to their fist fight not being much of a fist fight, more, friendly wrestle.
They were so far into their sarcasm and poking fun at each other that they didn't notice McGonagall open the door to the stairs leading to her study and pause with a disappointed face at them. They froze in the middle of Albus pulling Scorpius hair, glue hanging from his hair, and Scorpius pinning Albus' arm behind him.
"We can explain everything," Albus started. McGonagall just closed the door.
"This is just gonna be are friendship isn't it," Scorpius asked.
"Yeeeep."
The next morning Albus was spreading cream cheese on a bagel when the owl post arrived, and he was reduced to being just as embarrassed as Scorpius.
"Oh yes, revenge is sweet," Scorpius smiled devilishly seeing Albus' howler.
Albus just took the card and sat on it "never saw it, complete deniability."
Scorpius grabbed the corner of the envelope and ripped it out from underneath him "don't worry mate, I can open for you."
"NO," Albus jumped at it, and Scorpius peeled the wax seal.
"ONE DAY," Harry Potter screamed from the letter, and fluttered down to the table.
Albus shot a dirty look at Scorpius, who looked very pleased with himself.
"ONE DAY AT HOGWARTS, AND AFTER I TOLD YOU I WAS PROUD, YOU NOT ONLY GET IN A FIGHT, BUT YOU THROW AN APPLE OUT THE WINDOW," Harry said, sounding astonished.
James started snickering from a few seats down "DON'T GET ME STARTED WITH YOU," the card yelled turning in his direction.
The card shredded into pieces as Albus slowly put his head in his arms "this is the worst day of my life."
"Don't forget we have to catalog the library today to," Scorpius added.
Albus banged his head on the table twice hoping he would get a concussion.
After class that day Scorpius and Albus followed the Gryffindor head boy to the library, stepped into the room and their eyes scaled up all the walls, showcasing the thousands of books they would be cataloging.
"I think I'm gonna throw up," the head boy didn't catch which one of the two said it, and felt it was eerily possible either of them made the joke.
"Well, better get started, I'll come back at dinner time to escort you back," the head boy explained, turning to leave.
"That's four hours from now," Albus said terrified.
The two boys took in the room, and made their way to the beginning. Albus climbed up the ladder and pulled out the first book "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration."
"What's the next one?"
Albus put it back, and pulled out the next one "Abracadabra: an A to Z of spooky spells," Albus looked down the row that was the start and blinked a few times, thinking "can you see where the A section ends."
Scorpius began scanning the shelf, going down and down, until he reached the corner and he disappeared to the other side, Albus listening intently "the bottom of the other side."
Albus whined.
A little later, Scorpius and Albus were napping on the table they were sat at, pages and books littered around them, Scorpius stirred, then bolted up "Albus," he panicked realizing what happened "Albus, we fell asleep."
Albus lifted his face up, a piece of parchment sticking to his forehead and flipping over into his face. He removed it and squinted at it "I'm at Ancient Law, what about you?"
"Ancient Runes made Easy."
"How long did we nap," Albus questioned.
"Scorpius leaned over to see past the bookshelves the clock said 6:45 "for nearly three hours, we have fifteen minutes until dinner."
"We will be studying for are N.E.W.T.S. when we are at T," Albus joked in a monotone voice, still tired. He plopped his head back on the table and stretched his arms.
"I need food stuffs," Scorpius groaned sitting back in his chair.
"All of this because I threw an apple."
"It went out a window."
"Oh yeah...what is James having to," Albus asked, if he was doing something minuscule, he was going to have a field day.
"I heard he has to clean of the classroom tools."
"Oh...this isn't so bad then," he said sitting back up and picking his quill back up.
A week had gone by of them going through every book in the library, and because they procrastinated it and would slack off, they were only in H.
"I got Hogwarts a History, I've read it three times," Scorpius said writing it down and setting it to the side.
"What," Albus backtracked, realizing he made friends with someone who actually reads the materials.
"Yeah, I love books, I thought you knew" Scorpius admitted.
The two boys had become friends so fast that they were just now learning about one another. Scorpius liked to read, like, a lot. He would be seen with his nose in a book as much as Rose, if Albus didn't keep him running all over the castle.
Albus had anger issues sometimes. For an eleven year old, no one would ever again see someone get so heated over getting a failing grade on a homework assignment after he actually put a lot of time into it.
"I did know you liked books, just not school ones."
"I read it before Hogwarts," Scorpius explained.
"Nerd."
"Yes I am," Scorpius said proudly, putting his hands on his hips, still in his seat.
A moment of silence went between them, settling in if they were going to have their first 'deep conversation with a friend at night'.
"I was deathly afraid of getting Slytherin when I came," Albus blurted out. They were gonna have it.
"I could've been a Slytherin, is that really that bad?"
"I know Slytherin isn't a bad house, that wasn't it."
"Then what was," Scorpius asked, digging into this farther.
"I thought...I thought if I got Slytherin my father wouldn't love me anymore, my whole family has been in Gryffindor, Aunt's, Uncle's, cousins."
"Yeah well, that happened to me," Scorpius sighed.
"I'm glad you're in Gryffindor with me, and I hope that if we were both Slytherin, you would want to make me feel welcome as well."
"It's easy for you to say, you're father is the-boy-who-lived, he's understanding of everyone. Sometimes I'm not even sure if my father truly loves me."
"Why wouldn't he love you, you make the best jokes," Albus commended.
"My mother has always been there for me, when I was little, she would tuck me in, sing me songs, tell me stories, tell me she loved me. I don't get any of that with my father, and I thought being in Slytherin would win his approval, but now I've lost it even more. I've spent my whole life trying to fill his expectations and be like a Slytherin, but I can't. "
"You don't act like Gryffindor is that bad for you," Albus catched what he thought was a loophole.
"I rather have a really good friend and be in Gryffindor, then no friends and be in Slytherin," Albus beamed at Scorpius' remark.
"You know, if you think about it, James is the reason we are stuck here every night," Albus changed the subject.
"Can't we finish are last punishment before we do something stupidly impulsive again."
"But then it wouldn't be stupidly impulsive," Albus said putting a hand to his heart.
Ever since that night, Albus and Scorpius were real friends, stick to each other for the rest of your life kind of friend. It took them a while to come up with something to prank James with, and when they did, by gosh was it good.
"YOU THREE, I CANNOT BELIEVE MY...OH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO," McGonagall screamed in her study as James, Albus, and Scorpius stood in front of her, twiddling their thumbs and dripping water all over the floor.
"I guess next time we need to calculate it a little better," Albus whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Scorpius.
"Professor, I would like to add that I merely was in the wrong place at the wrong time," James defended.
"Shut it Potter," she said with stone in her words.
"Yes Professor."
"Just what were you two even thinking?"
To backtrack over the last week, Albus convinced Scorpius, by some unknown miracle, to make a potion in the owlery with him. A type of explosive. They intended to set it off around James to make his eyebrows singe off, and it didn't exactly go to par.
James had come to the owlery to send a note back home about how his second year was going, and was greeted by Albus and Scorpius running out carrying the potion. With collision of the three boys, the potion went off, not harming the boys even a little, but rocketing them into the air and the barreled through the sky and landed in the lake.
Hagrid who was luckily nearby saw the boys lift into the air, whilst screaming, then somersault into the water. He had helped them out, then took them to McGonagall because 'it's the right thing to do, ye see'.
"Out of all the idiotic things I have encountered, and I have encountered a lot, this is by far on of the most dangerous, you two are eleven, who's to say you had made a potion that when it exploded, killed you."
The two first years shuffled their feet in embarrassment, in their defense that's why Scorpius did the potion, not Albus.
"You're parents, once again, will be owled, where they will put all these letters, I do not know," McGonagall groaned and waved them away and sat in her seat rubbing her head, she was too old for this.
"Hey James, that was pretty good wasn't it," Albus asked tugging on his brothers robes as they left the study.
James yanked his arm away angrily "what's your problem Albus?"
"I don't understand, I didn't know I had a problem."
"You're my little brother Albus, you were suppose to be my best friend and prank people with me, but instead you haven't even paid attention to me all month."
"I have my own life James, I'm sorry I didn't live up to your dream, we are different people," Albus said defensively.
"That's the thing Albus, we are both pranksters, but I didn't even know that, I've known you your whole life, but Malfoy knows you more after a month, you ignore everyone except him."
"It just doesn't seem fair that I'm not allowed a friend, but you wanted me to join your club. I thought you would be happy that you and I are getting into trouble together."
"We aren't, you're getting in trouble with him," James explained.
"James, we're brothers, and you're the best brother, but you know that we would never work as a team, we would clash too much."
"But why is Malfoy more important than your own brother."
"He isn't, we are brothers, but not best friends, there's nothing wrong with that. I thought we had a good thing going pranking each other, instead of joining together...little brotherly rivalry," Albus poked, hoping it would fix everything.
"That potion was a good idea," James said coming around.
"Yeah, and Fred could join you, make it two versus two."
"I will get my revenge," James said, now accepting the current situation.
"Oh will you," Albus pushed.
"Yes, and it will be good, don't expect it soon, a lot of planning in going into it, but it's coming."
James walked off, presumably to join his friends, while Albus turned to look at Scorpius...who wasn't there.
"Scorpius?" Albus went to their dorm to find Scorpius sitting on his bed, chewing his robe sleeve "you okay?"
"Yeah," Scorpius said confused, dropping his sleeve.
"You walked off."
"It seemed like a private moment."
"You promise you'll tell me when you're upset right," Albus prodded, just a month and he knew Scorpius was an anxious person.
"Of course," he answered quietly.
The two boys managed to stay out of trouble for the rest of the month, getting in a routine of going to classes, cataloging, going to dinner, cataloging, going to bed, repeat.
With books scattered all around them, Scorpius wrote down the final book, then held it to the air "DONE!"
In all honestly, the only reason the got disciplined at finishing it, was to have more time to anticipate what James would, and plan a revenge attack.