Chapter 2

-On the Hogwarts Express (Again)-

Albus found out that Scorpius was an OK kind of person, with interests and hobbies similar to that of Albus', and apart from wanting to be in Slytherin, Albus' welcomed everything else about Scorpius into his growing relationship with him.

They sat together the entire journey, swapping chocolate frog cards, in which Albus had a ton of really old ones, his dad giving him his entire outdated collection for a 10th birthday gift. They ate all different types of candy. The Trolley lady had actually stopped stopping at their compartment ranting to them;

"You young kids! Always eating too much, thinking too little. Just think of all the wickedness in these sweets, and your eating them like no tomorrow!", to which Scorpius had cheekily replied, "Then why are you selling them, if they're so bad?". The Trolley Lady stopped serving them after that.

Later, when it was slowly getting dark out, they started telling each other stories and rumours about Hogwarts and the wizarding world, reading all the latest gossip from the Daily Prophet, and when Scorpius whipped out a thin-backed magazine called "A Magical Creature's Exploring Guide to the Wizarding World", which he said he'd nicked from his dad's study, both boys were excited to read.

Mostly, parents didn't allow children to read the obnoxiously wierd magazine as, quoted on the back of the book by the Author, who had once been a famous explorer or something of the sort, it had: 'content not to be viewed by the faint-hearted or younger wizarding communities, for fear of injuries and death induced by scare topics discussed within this magazine"

The two of them found this statement to be more than true, as upon topening he book to its first page, the glaring, opaque face of a Dementor seeped out of the book, filling the compartmentwith the same realistic feeling of empty coldness and dread Albus' dad had described when coming face-to-face with one. They hurriedly shut the book, then edged it open a little to read the caption underneath, which read:

Today's topic: 'Dementors!

A pocket Dementor to stop any foe!

This Dementor has been charmed to give the same realistic feeling that an actual Dementor would emit. Great for scaring your friends or practising Patronuses.

Instructions for use:

- Rip/cut out this page,

- Use however you see fit (Note that the Author of the magazine does not take any responsibility for injuries, accidents, deaths or damage that resulted from this magazine.)

As Scorpius dove into his bag to find a sharp object to cut the page, Albus stared at the face of the Dementor, riled up and screaming at Albus, it's hollow sockets that weren't eyes, glaring deep into Albus' soul.

Albus remembered what his dad had told him about Dementors and when they were once used to attack the school. He said they had encircled the entire school, which was hard, as by some, the school was described as miles long (in muggle measurements). They were trying to take the souls of everyone in there, while some evil wizards and witches battled with the students and professors below.

He had described the entire battle between the school and these unknown enemies, apparently called 'Death Eaters', even going so far as to describe a duel between a student and a dark wizard called Voldemort, whom these 'Death Eaters' served.

Albus had had a million and one questions about the story, but his dad said he could only ask one. So he asked,

"Dad, how come you know so much about it? Were you in it?"

The reply was a single sentence;

"That was a world ago...with a world of different people."

He got up and left Albus' room, extinguishing the lamp by Albus' bed as he went.

Only now did upon remembering this memory, did Albus also remember the pain in his dad's eyes when he had looked into them, the sweat on his dad's palms as he held Albus' hand and recited the story, the finite detail in which he had described every single death that had happened that day.

Albus had been a little frightened at the time, but he had said nothing of it and neither did his father.

It wasn't just a story, Albus realised, it was something he'd remembered, something he had to remember.

How inscrutably he described each and everyone of the people who had been in the battle, from a person called Neville Longbottom to a werewolf called Remus Lupin.

"Is he related to our Teddy Lupin?", Albus had asked.

"Was. He died in the battle, with the person he loved."

Albus knew Teddy Lupin as a close friend of his dad's whose parents had apparently died a 'hero's death', which was all Teddy would say when Albus asked him during a dinner with the family. Both Teddy and Harry had become tense and grim-faced after the question was asked.

"Aha! Found it!"

Scorpius brandished in his hand a jagged end of glass which looked to be part of a mirror or something. He took the magazine from Albus' hands, oblivious to the thoughts going through his mind.

Albus slowly got up to exit the compartment, as he felt that he just wanted to be alone at that moment, surprising Scorpius, "Hey! Al, where are you going?"

Albus muttered an excuse about going to the toilet, and he quickly left the compartment, not caring if Scorpius came after him or tried to speak to him. He streamed down the hallway of the Hogwarts express, and after a while he found a deserted compartment right at the end of the train.

Here the light seemed gloomier, more oppressing. Right at home for Albus' thoughts. He sat down, completely filled with dread, doubt, and anxiety.

Now he was not looking forward to going to Hogwarts at all, and he knew he had to face what was truly troubling, what he hadn't shared with his dad, nor any of his family.

He didn't feel good enough to be in the Potter family. He didn't think he was famous enough, or powerful enough, or popular. Everything that James, his father and his mother were, Albus was not. And it felt terrible.

He remembered his brother telling him all about his dad's "fame" and "legacy", how he was the popular one, how he got chosen for all the big tasks, how he was always the centre of attention.

Albus hated it.

For him it meant that all the teachers, all the students, the entire school would be expecting things from Albus just so he could be like his dad. James had already proved himself. He got half-way decent grades, was a chaser for Gryffindor and all in all, was growing up to be a perfect little imitation of the Harry Potter.

For himself though, Albus didn't want any of it, he didn't want to be just another Potter, he wanted to be himself, not caring if it meant being different, that his dad would be disappointed.

If there was one thing he was not, it was Harry Potter.

Then, he felt inside him what he hadn't before, solid determination and resolution. He knew what he wanted to do.

Scorpius breezed in later, with a couple of sweets he said he'd asked some others to buy for him, and walked with a quiet Albus back to their compartment. Scorpius asked if Albus was feeling OK after running out like that, and he defiantly replied,

"Yeah, definitely", before scoffing half the sweets.

Maybe he was still anxious about starting at Hogwarts, maybe he'd be looked down upon, but Albus had finally come to terms with the fact that he was not his father, not just a Potter, and what's more, he had also finally decided what house he wanted to be in.

It was a shock for him, and he knew it would definitely be a shock for his family, but he knew now.

He wanted to be in Slytherin.