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3. The first time they bonded.
A while later, after they found an empty compartment, Albus introduced himself.
"I'm sure you already know who I am," Albus sighed. From anyone else, it would have sounded arrogant, but Scorpius knew just what he meant. Albus's face darkened, and he slumped down in his seat, "But I'm going to introduce myself anyway."
He turned towards Scorpius, and brushed his dark hair away from his face. Scorpius thought briefly that he was actually not surprised that Al's forehead was unblemished. Seeing as Scorpius had been seeing pictures of Harry Potter plastered on newspapers quite often since he was little, his lack of surprise somehow managed to surprise him.
"I'm Al. Not Albus, or Albus Severus, or Albus Potter-and especially not the-son-of-the-boy-who-lived-just Al, got it?"
Scorpius nodded, "If you don't see me as my father, I won't see you as yours"
Al grinned at him, and stuck out his hand. When Scorpius shook it, Al's grin widened, "Deal."
From that handshake, an extremely unlikely friendship would spring. Or, perhaps, not quite as unlikely as one might think.
4. The first time Al realized who he was.
As the musty, faded black hat slipped over his head, Al had a brief moment of heart stopping fear before the hat began to speak.
Ah, Albus Severus Potter. You are the son of the great Harry Potter, so perhaps you belong in Gryffindor.
I'm not my father, Al thought. The musty hat seemed to almost chuckle - to be more accurate, it just made a bit of a wheezing noise, and shuddered. When it shuddered, years worth of dust flew into Al's face, making him sneeze.
That you are not. You're not nearly as brave as your father, or your brother, for that matter. So, not a Gryffindor, then. Certainly you're smart, but not quite enough for Ravenclaw, I believe. Hufflepuff is certainly not your house, as you don't seem to be quite loyal enough.
I'm loyal! Albus thought, then the realization that there was only one house left hit him, and for a moment, he was sure that his heart actually did stop. Then…then, Slytherin?
Is there something wrong with that? Surely a boy named after the former leader of Slytherin house can't have a problem with being one. Though, seeing as you are the son of Harry Potter, I suppose you might take after him in that effect. He didn't want to be a Slytherin either, if I recall correctly. The hat sounded almost calculating here.
No! I'm not my father.
If you insist… The hat's voice sounded smug.
"Slytherin!" the hat called out. For a moment there was stunned silence, and then there was the sound of a hand slapping against a cheek, and James's voice crying out.
"It's not my fault he's a Slytherin!"
"I know that!" Roxanne yelled, her voice even more shrill than usual.
"Then why did you slap me?"
"Because I was mad and your face was right there, all right? You really don't need to be such a baby about it, Jamesie"
As Al stumbled off his chair and over to the Slytherin table, he caught a glimpse of his angry brother, rubbing his cheek softly. He also saw Roxanne, but she was just staring at him. She didn't look too upset anymore, which was pretty much how Roxanne went through life. Al's father had once joked that she might be a polar bear, which all the adults laughed at, but none of the kids seemed to understand. Al certainly hadn't.
Al sat down next to Scorpius, who was fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth. He looked up at Al, muttered something, and looked down again.
"What was that?" Al asked, looking down at Scorpius. Scorpius looked up and blushed, causing his entire face - up to the roots of his hair - to turn a bright pink.
"I said that I was sorry your family is so upset about you being in Slytherin," he said.
Al snorted. "Please, Roxanne is just upset because this means she won't be able to constantly annoy me"
"What about James?" Scorpius had stopped fiddling with the tablecloth, and was now looking at Al strangely, like he was some sort of science experiment. Oddly enough, Al didn't feel as awkward as he thought he should.
"He'll be fine. Really, I couldn't care less what he thinks," said Al. That was a complete and utter lie, as Al actually cared a lot more about his brother than he let on, but it seemed to please Scorpius. He smiled.
Al smiled too, because, finally, he wouldn't be placed in the same category as his father. For once, people would think of Al without thinking, "Just like his father was at his age."
And Al realized that he could love his family, and his father, and not have to be them.
Author's note: Many thanks to Namiko-kii for betaing this chapter. Reviews are very, very nice.
