Chapter 1: Something Other Than Expected

A/N: Here's chapter 1! Enjoy!

Albus Severus Potter walked onto the Hogwarts train just as it was pulling out of the station. He pulled his trunk all the way onto the train as the platform disappeared. He stood and caught his breath for a second, then headed towards the back of the train, where James had said the rest of the family would be. He sighed and pushed his way through a group of older students, who looked at him like a plague, but Al didn't even notice. He was too busy thinking about what his dad had said, that it didn't matter if he got into Slytherin. He was so busy thinking about that, in fact, that he didn't even see his cousin and a blond-white haired boy helping each other up. He ran straight into Rose and Scorpius.

Rose fell backwards, happy that she was wearing pants. Scorpius landed on top of her, and quickly pushed himself off, trying not to make it any more awkward than it already was. Al had landed on top of his trunk, but he wasn't hurt. Once the three of them had stood up and pushed all their stuff into an empty compartment (thus clearing the corridor), they moved themselves into the compartment. There were three cages: an owl cage with a young barn owl in it, a small cat carrier that was mewling quite angrily, and a second owl cage with a small barred owl in it. The owls looked bored rather than angry, but the kitten was rather mad.

The trio went to their respective animals, Rose and Al just petting their owls through the cage, Scorpius actually taking Daria out of her carrier. He cradled her in his arms and pet her head, determined to make her stop mewling like a newborn.

"So, I'm Al. You can call me Albus. Don't you dare call me Albus Severus, though, cause I will punch you in the face. I'm also Rose's cousin. Did she introduce herself? I'm sorry for running into you, I get lost in my thoughts sometimes. Who are you?" Al talked fast but clearly, extending his hand to Scorpius.

"Sorry, where are my manners? Mum definitely taught me better than this. Al, this is Scorpius M- Scorpius. Scorpius, this is my idiot cousin Albus." Rose introduced them, and Scorpius shook Al's hand, juggling Daria to do it. The two released hands quickly, and the three sat down, Al and Rose on one bench, Scorpius on the other. It almost felt like an interrogation for Scorpius as he put Daria away and looked at the cousins.

The three knew each other's names from the newspaper and from the tales their parents had told them. Albus had recognized Scorpius as a Malfoy from his dad's description of Draco the minute he had seen Scorpius. They didn't know everything about each other though, so they spent the remainder of the time stuffing their faces with food from the food cart and talking. About Quidditch, which they all loved to play, about which House they hoped to be Sorted into, about anything else except family names.


(Rose's POV)

I walk off the train with Al and Scorpius, the train ride having passed in a blur. We see Hagrid, and I know for a fact that Al recognizes him as much as I do from Uncle Harry's description. He is huge. He doesn't see us though, as he is very busy directing the first years to the boats. Tonight is the perfect time for a boat ride. The skies are clear, and the sun is just setting, illuminating the lake in gold and yellow and red, Gryffindor colors. The rest of the first years are loading onto the boats, and Al, Scorpius, and I hurry onto an empty one, happy that it's three to a boat and not two.

The boats sail themselves as soon as everyone is settled into them, heading towards the picturesque castle that stands on a mountain. I didn't believe Mum before when she talked about how beautiful Hogwarts truly was (the castle, not the students), but I definitely believe her now. It is ancient and looks down at us, welcoming us into its arms (figuratively, of course). We get there in no time, and a stern-looking old woman leads us through a maze of hallways that I surely will never memorize. She looks hardly at me, then her face softens. She must see my mother, Hermione, in me. To be honest, most people say I like almost exactly like her when she was a first year, except for the Weasley hair and my "stunning, bright blue eyes", but I can't see it. She is beautiful and has learned how to tame her hair, whereas I still have most of my baby fat, and my hair does not frizz because it is that way naturally, not because of anything I had to do with it. My hair is still curly, though, something I love. Red hair and curls go awesomely together.

As we walk into a small room, surely an antechamber, I close my eyes and listen to the voices around me. Al and Scorpius are talking about Slytherin. A group of girls nearby is gossiping about the Houses, and one of them exclaims that Gryffindor is the best. I open my eyes and smile. Of course it's the best House. My whole family is there. We make up a good portion of the school, us Weasleys and Potters. We also make up a good portion of the front page headlines.

My train of thought is derailed when I hear the doors reopen, and the old lady walks in. I assume she must be Professor McGonagall, the headmistress. She ushers us into a line and through the doors, and before I realize it, we're in front of the entire school. I look at the four student tables and see a huge mass of redheads at one table. I decide this must be Gryffindor, and while I decide this, the names are already being called. Before I know it, Scorpius is being called up to the hat, an old tatty wizard's hat, with a mouth that opens very wide when it calls the House, and two strings hang down, one on either side. As McGonagall calls Scorpius up there, everyone goes silent as they hear his name. He is the first Malfoy since the second Wizarding War to attend Hogwarts, and everyone, including the staff, is expecting him to be a copy of his father: rude, arrogant, and strutting about the school while everyone else bows down to him and his cronies. I know him better, having just spent the long train ride talking to him, and I hope the hat helps him break away from his cursed family name. It sits there and Scorpius has his eyes screwed shut. He sits on the tall stool for exactly a minute and 13 seconds. I count because I want to know whether or not the hat is making a snap decision, which it isn't. It finally shouts out a name, and everyone looks surprised.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The whole Hall gasps as one, small conversations breaking out as Gryffindor table sits there for a second, clapping politely. They will get to know him, and like him. I know it.

Soon, Al is called up. To no one's surprise, he is Sorted into Gryffindor. If I don't make it in, I will be the first Weasley or Potter to ever not be a Gryffindor. Hopefully I can choose, like my mother did. She told me that it wanted to put her in Ravenclaw, but she sat there and told it Gryffindor, so it put her there.

Next thing I know, McGonagall is calling my name. I walk up there nervously, feeling my whole family's eyes on me. They all think I'm the perfect thing for Ravenclaw. Not one of them doubts that that's where I'll go. I sit there, and the hat talks to me, but I know that I'm the only one who can hear it.

"Hmm, another Weasley. How many more to come?" It grumbles for a second, but pulls itself together. "You have the brains to go in Ravenclaw, I see. You have the dedication and hard working attributes that belong to Hufflepuff. And you are very cunning and resourceful, so you could belong in Slytherin. I also see bravery and courage, however, meaning you could be a Gryffindor. You, Miss Weasley, are a very difficult case." It sits for a second, and I think about what my cousins said, that I must be a Ravenclaw. I don't want to be anywhere but Gryffindor. I would rather be a happy cliché than a sad person who stands out. The hat sighs, and talks again. "It takes true bravery to demand to be the same as everyone else, but it takes brains to manipulate me like that. So the true question, Miss Weasley, is whether you are a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw." It sits there, thinking, for a long time. I can't stop thinking about how my father said he would disown me if was anywhere but Gryffindor. I can't stop thinking about that. But I've made up my mind. Ravenclaw can't be that bad, can it? Just like that, the hat is talking again.

"And so you have decided. It takes true courage to accept who you are, and that is what makes you a…. GRYFFINDOR!" It shouts the last part out loud.

All I know is that the hat is right. I'm incredibly brave, I just haven't had a chance to prove it yet. The question now, is will I ever get the chance? I'm very sheltered, being the media's darling. If I can't see what the real world is like, how can I see if I'm brave?

Meanwhile, my feet have walked me to the Gryffindor table, where they take me to Al and Scorpius, instead of my cousins. Every single one of my relatives looks shocked. Dominique, Uncle Bill's daughter, told me before the start of school that I was a dead-on Ravenclaw. By the looks on everyone's faces, including people I have never met before, everyone thought that. I smile a little to myself. Defying expectations is fun. I never expected to be a rule-breaker. Actually, scratch that. If I wasn't Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, I would've been Slytherin, if only because I am very cunning when it comes to pulling pranks. I've managed to blame most of them on Hugo, except the ones I want credit for. I have always been marked down as a goody two shoes in the public's eyes, but to those who know me well, I have always been marked down as the reincarnation of my Uncle Fred, who died before I was born.

It's good to know that I'm very like a legend. It gives me a little bit of hope that I can someday be a legend myself, because of something I did, not something my ancestors did. It's a good feeling, and I like it.

I sit down next to Al, who is next to Scorpius. I think we're all going to be good friends, but we're also going to be competitive. Very competitive.

It's going to be a fun 7 years.

A/N: Hey, I'm back with a long (for me) chapter! Just cause I didn't do it in the prologue, the picture that I used for the cover does not belong to me. Kudos to meru90 on deviantart for that. As always, please review (it feeds my muse).

Catch

You

Later

~TWLS