AN: Albus Severus Potter goes to Hogwarts for the first time and already he's making enemies. He's friends with a boy his parents don't exactly approve of, but in the spririt of Sirius's memory Harry relents a little, he pushes a girl in the lake, and he blows up a suit of armor. Could he be the trouble maker his uncles and his grandfather could be proud of?

Disclaimer: I don't own this. ... um NO SHIT? i mean is this writing anywhere near good enough to be J.K. Rowling? Uh i dont think so!! I hope you enjoy it all the same though :)

"Why are they all staring?" I demanded as Rose and I craned around to look at the other students.

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

I laughed with Rose and then waved goodbye to my mum and dad from the window. I was going to Hogwarts! Finally!

James walked past me with his best friend Michael Kingsley and said under his breath, "Slytherin."

This time, remembering what dad had said to me I retaliated by sticking my tongue out at him. This definitely shocked him but he shrugged it off and him and Mike moved on to find there other friends.

Rose squealed suddenly scaring the bloody pants off me as she spotted one of her best friends Chastity Thomas. "CHAS!!"

"Rose!!" Chastity screamed running down the compartment to hug her. When they pulled apart she noticed me, "Hey Al. What's good?"

I blushed a little but before I could answer Rose was talking.

"Oh my God! Can you believe we're finally going to Hogwarts!" she shrieked excitedly jumping up and down.

I was a little disappointed. I kind of liked Chas. She was really pretty. She had really big blue eyes and shiny, long blonde hair. Dad was always saying she looked a lot like the Lovegood side of her family. But I think she's prettier then her mom.

Rose and Chastity ran off to find their own compartment and I stood in the corridor of the train alone. Teddy walked by and ruffled my already messy black hair and said, "Hey kid better find a compartment."

I nodded and ran off towards the back of the train lugging my trunk behind me. I opened the emptiest compartment I could find. There was a boy sitting there looking out the window a sullen expression on his face.

"Hey. Can I sit with you?" I asked a little red faced and out of breath from pulling my trunk down the corridor.

The boy looked up at me with dark grey-blue eyes suspiciously, "What's your name?"

"Albus. Albus Potter, call me Al though," I answered thinking that that was a weird question.

The kids face relaxed and he motioned to the bench across from him, "Sure, feel free."

"What's your name?" I asked as I heaved my trunk up onto the overhead compartment before sitting across from him.

"Donovan McLaggen," he said quietly pulling a face at his last name. "Call me Van."

I shrugged, "Okay. D'you play quidditch?"

Van's face lit up, "Yeah, I love quidditch!"

"What position?" I asked excitedly.

"Beater. You?"

"Chaser. Pity we can't play right off."

"Yeah, definitely!" Van said his eyes actually looking alive for a moment. When I asked my next question though his eyes went back to being sullen.

"What house do you wanna be in? … What? What's wrong?" I asked when I saw this.

"Oh it's just that. Well, my whole families been in Slytherin and everyone knows your whole family has been in Gryffindor. So you'll probably hate me, but I expect I'll be in Slytherin."

"Everyone knows my family's been in Gryffindor?" I asked confused. "Why would everyone know my whole family's been in Gryffindor?"

Van's face took on a mildly amused look, "Er… duh? You're Harry Potter's son."

That was confusing. I knew my dad's name was Harry Potter but, why would that matter to anyone else? "Er… I'm not following."

"Harry Potter!" he said looking at me like I was dumb. "Harry Potter, the boy who lived? The guy who killed Lord Voldemort!"

"Lord Voldemort? My dad and my uncle talk about him sometimes but, they always make me, James, and Lily leave the room when they start it up. He was like some sort of supremely evil wizard, right?"

"You mean you don't even know how famous your father is? He's the only person to have ever survived the killing curse. He killed the most evil wizard of all time, even Grindewalde! When he was only seventeen!" Van said as if he couldn't believe that I hadn't known.

"Wow! He never told us any of that!" I said. I was floored! My father was a hero. That was every boys dream, that his father was a hero that had saved everyone from someone evil.

Van shook his head, "Geez! You must live in a hole to not have figured it out!"

I blushed. That was embarrassing. I'd lived with my dad all of my life and never been able to figure out that he was a hero. I tried to shrug it off by changing the subject. "Just because you're whole families in Slytherin doesn't mean you have to be."

"Says who?" Van asked narrowing his eyes and looking at me suspiciously.

"Well… can I trust you? I mean I have a feeling that my dad doesn't want a lot of people to know this." I asked trying to decide if I should go out on a limb to make my newest friend happier.

Van furrowed his brow, "I guess. I mean I won't tell anyone if you don't want me too."

"Do you want to be in Slytherin?" I asked thinking about James's teasing.

"Not really. I hate my family. It'll really piss them off if I don't get into Slytherin," Van said his eyes in a far off place. "But then again pissing them off is never very good for my health…"

"What d'you mean?" I asked not really following. It wasn't good to make your parents angry but why would it be bad for your health?

"Never mind," Van said quickly looking embarrassed and avoiding my eyes. "But, no I don't wanna be in Slytherin. They're all a right bunch of gits!"

"Well my dad says that the Sorting Hat takes your preferences into account when it sorts you."

"How does he know?" Van asked skeptically but in his eyes there was a glimmer of hope.

"Well he said that the Sorting Hat let him choose. So I'd imagine he knows what he's talking about," I said quietly leaning forward.

Van smiled, "Yeah? So you think if I mention that I don't want to be in Slytherin, it'll put me somewhere else?!"

I grinned, "Yeah! That's what my dad said."

"Bloody brilliant!" Van said relaxing back into his seat for the first time since we had started this conversation about families.

We talked about Quidditch and played exploding snap for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts. When we stepped off the train, I heard Hagrid yelling, "Firs' Years, Firs' Years over 'ere!"

Me and Van walked over and stood next to Hagrid and he looked down at me and said, "Alrigh' there Al'? Yer father tol' me to look after you while you were 'ere."

I nodded, "Okay. This is my friend Van."

Hagrid nodded but I saw the disapproving glance he sent my friends way and I knew that he was going to write my dad and tell him I was friends with a McLaggen. But he didn't want to be a Slytherin, so that's gotta make him different right?

Van and I ended up in a boat with a small boy with curly red hair and a girl with soft, wavy brown hair. The boy introduced himself as Zachary Johnson a muggleborn.

The girl pushed her hair out of her face and in a confident voice declared herself Veronica Smith. "If you call me Veronica, I'll punch your face in!" she threatened Zach who was trying to control his laughter.

I looked at her a moment unsure of what to think, "What can we call you then?"

"Nick. Or Nicky I guess. Just not Veronica!" she pulled a disgusted face, "It's so girly!"

"Well you are a girl aren't you?" Van asked seemingly unfazed by this spitfire of a girl.

"Of course!" Nick said looking down her nose at him.

"I'm Albus Potter. And I'll call you Nick if you call me Al," I said thinking maybe this loud girl was alright.

She smiled at me, "Okay Al, deal. Who's your friend?"

"His names Donovan McLaggen, Van," I told her smiling back, until I saw her face.

Nick scrunched up her nose at Van's last name, "Why are you hanging out with McLaggen scum?"

I stood up when Van looked down at the bottom of the boat ashamed. "Hey! He's not scum!" and I pushed her over the edge of the boat into the lake.

"Hey Al wha's going on over there?" Hagrid called over from his boat.

"Veronica fell overboard!" Zach yelled back to him.

When Veronica was pulled out of the lake and set to rights she was spitting mad. Al feverently hoped that she wasn't in the his house.

Van, Al and Zach stuck together through the sorting. They watched as the students surrounding them were called to sit on the three legged stool and the hat was placed on their head.

"Johnson, Zachary!"

Zach was shaking as he left Al's left side and pulled himself up onto the stool. As soon as the hat touched Zach's head it screamed out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Zach smiled triumphantly and stumbled off the stool to sit at the table that was cheering enthusiastically.

Another few people were sorted before "McLaggen, Donovan!" was called.

Van elbowed Al companionably than strutted over to the stool so that only Al knew he was nervous. He sat on the stool like he was sitting on the cactus and he flinched when the hat touched his head. After a few moments the hat opened his mouth and Al held his breath.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Great Hall was silent for a moment before the Gryffindor table began cheering thunderously. Van smiled elatedly, pointedly not looking at the Slytherin table he walked over to sit next to Zach and then turned to give Al a grateful smile.

Al grinned shakily back. His friend's ordeal was over but his wasn't yet. Now Al stood alone, both of his new friends having already been sorted. He waited on tenterhooks for his name to be called.

"Potter, Albus!" was finally called and Al faintly heard his brother James and Mike catcalling in the back of his mind and he saw Van give him two thumbs up But he was totally focused on the three legged stool. He didn't recall moving but suddenly he was gripping both sides of the stool in his clammy hands and hoisting himself onto the stool. He watched the Great Hall disappear under the Sorting hat.

Ah! Another Potter. My pleasure. Now lets see what's in here shall we?

"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin. Please not Slytherin!" Al thought feverently.

Not Slytherin, eh? Just like your father he didn't want to be in Slytherin either. You would do well there you know? Just like he would've. But I suppose it's all the best that he didn't end up there though I suppose. Better give you the benefit of the doubt. "GRYFFINDOR!"

AN: Well love it? Hate it? Tell me i want to know!