Albus

First Year, Last Term

I hugged my knees to my chest as the train pulled away, staring out of the window like it would be the last time I would ever see the cavernous castle and all of its twists and turns and secrets. I didn't want to leave. It felt funny to me, the idea that not even a year ago I had sat on this very seat in this very compartment, opposite this very same boy and girl, and wished that I wouldn't have to go to Hogwarts in the first place. I'd been sure that Rosie would run off and make a load of friends, and I was positive that I would never have any of my own.

"Are you sad about leaving?" A voice jerked me from my thoughts, and I glanced up to find Scorpius staring at me, his grey eyes sombre. He was probably worrying about going to stay with his grandfather. I had never thought, not in a million years, that my best friend would be a Malfoy. I wondered if Dad would approve. Uncle Ron probably wouldn't... poor Rosie.

"Yeah. I didn't think I'd miss it this much when I first arrived."

Rose's voice piped up from behind her gigantic textbook. "Me either. I thought nobody would like me."

"I thought I'd be in Slytherin," I confessed, and then shot an apologetic glance at Scorpius. "Sorry, no offence."

Scorp just smirked. He had gotten a lot more confident. Maybe that was because all the girls fancied him. Probably even Rosie. Actually, especially Rosie, come to think of it.

"I kept getting lost at the beginning of the year," Rose laughed. "It was really embarrassing."

"I kept getting tripped up whenever I walked into the Slytherin common room," Scorp admitted, grinning ruefully. "They kept picking on me for being a Gryffindor-lover."

"Not after you hexed Goyle," I reminded him. "They all wanted to be your best friend after that."

"True..." Scorpius said, smiling so widely that it looked like his face was about to crack. That was one of the funniest things I had ever seen, Goyle prancing around with his hands covering his face as little tentacles erupted all over it, and Scorpius innocently explaining to Professor Bell that he hadn't meant to do it, and that Goyle had been throwing bubotuber pus around the Transfiguration classroom anyway. Goyle got a week's worth of detentions. Scorpius got thanked for trying to stop a troublemaker. It was hilarious.

"Ferdinand's alright though," Scorpius decided. "You just have to give him a chance."

I raised one eyebrow at him sceptically. Goyle was alright? On what planet?

"That's never going to happen," Rosie scoffed, and I nodded my agreement. Scor shrugged and turned to stare out of the window again. Rosie returned to her book. I picked up a pumpkin pasty and started trying to squash it into the shape of a pancake with my knuckles.

The comfortable silence lasted for about half an hour, and I kept noticing Scor sneaking glances at Rose – who was totally engrossed in her book – when he thought no one was looking, then averting his eyes about ten seconds later with a smile on his face. He wasn't fooling me... or anyone else for that matter. I'd talked about it with Dom and James and they both agreed that it couldn't be any more obvious that Scorpius was sweet on Rosie.

As usual, it was Rose that broke the silence by slamming shut her textbook and declaring that she was hungry. I passed her the bag of Every Flavour Beans we were sharing and watched as she sifted through them, eventually settling on a lime green one. She popped it into her mouth and winced theatrically.

"What did you get?" Scor asked, looking like he was fighting the urge to laugh at her expression. She grimaced.

"I think it was coriander," she replied, swallowing noisily and sticking out her tongue so that she could wipe it on her jumper. Scor and I both chuckled.

"Don't be so pathetic, Rosie," Scorpius teased, his customary smirk growing wider as he spoke.

She frowned indignantly. I could feel a challenge coming on. That was one of Scor's favourite pastimes... teasing and competing against Rose.

"I am not pathetic!" she protested, poking her tongue out again.

"Yes, you are..." he goaded her, leaning back in his seat and waiting for the fireworks he knew would be headed his way.

"Right," Rosie huffed. "If you can do so much better, prove it! I dare you to eat every single bean I give you, and to do it with a straight face!" She smiled in satisfaction, but Scor didn't show any sign of intimidation. Instead, he smirked wider.

"You're on, Red."

Uh-oh. I knew both of them could be pretty sore losers when they wanted to be, particularly Rose, and this could get ugly. Not that it would get ugly... I hoped.

I sat back as Rose handed Scorpius the first bean, and prayed that she wouldn't jinx him when he won. Not if, when. That was the most confusing thing about Rosie's mad little challenges, she honestly believed that she would eventually win one. She still hadn't.

"You cheated!" Rose was still crowing as we lugged our heavy trunks off the train, aided by Dominique, Molly, Lucy and Roxanne. Fred, Louis and James were being deliberately difficult, playing catch with a stolen Quaffle over our heads as we tried to get onto the platform. Victoire, the 'responsible' one in the family, was completely useless as well, having abandoned her own trunk on the train and hurtled into Teddy's arms – she was completely blanking us all as she snogged him in full view of everyone.

Lucy gave the trunk one last heave alongside me, and it slid out onto the platform, nearly crushing James. He was annoying me so much at that point, that I wished it had actually flattened him.

I heard a high pitched squeal, and Lily came skipping towards us, Mum not quite managing to restrain her. She groped at the air near my little sister's wrist, but Lily danced out of reach and came bounding over to Rose and me, crushing us in a three-person hug and emitting a squeal right by our eardrums.

"Lily, leave Rose and Al alone, for heaven's sake!" Mum yelled, swatting at my sister. She let us go, and we both gasped in air and massaged our throats. Mum planted a kiss on my forehead.

Behind Mum stood Aunt Hermione and Hugo, the latter grinning sheepishly at me and the former rushing to hug Rosie. A little way beyond them stood Uncle Ron and...

"DAD!" I yelled, and dropped everything I was holding, running up to him as he opened his arms and swept me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey, Al!" he greeted me, half-laughing. "I've missed you so much!"

When he put me down, I saw that Scorpius was being assaulted by a toddler with jet black hair and a pink dress on, who I guessed was Lena, his little sister. A woman who could only be his mum had her slender arm wrapped tightly around his shoulders, grinning from ear-to-ear. Hefting his trunk into his arms was a tall, pale, blond man... Draco Malfoy. Scor was chatting enthusiastically to him, and he was laughing at something in return. I grabbed my father's hand and pulled him towards the Malfoys.

"Where are we going?" Dad asked, puzzled.

"You have to come and talk to Scorpius's parents and ask if he can come and stay with us over summer, okay?" I ordered, dragging him forwards.

"Draco?" Dad called for his attention. He set down Scor's trunk and grinned at me, before turning his gaze to my father.

"Yeah?"

"Apparently, Al is just bursting to have Scorpius stay with us over summer, so I'm wondering if that would be alright?" Dad ran a hand through his hair as he spoke.

Mr. Malfoy nodded at once. "Of course, we'd love for Scor to go and stay with his friends... is that alright with you, squirt?" he glanced at Scor, who nodded hard.

"Great, well, we'll send you an owl," Dad answered.

"Okay, sure," Mr Malfoy said, smiling a little bit.

Just then, Rose came galloping over to us, a huge grin on her face. "Did you ask?" she demanded of me the second she reached us. I nodded. She looked at Mr. Malfoy. "Is he allowed?"

Mr. Malfoy chuckled and said, "Yes."

Rosie clapped her hands in delight and smiled at each of us in turn. "Brilliant!" she enthused.

"ROSE!" Uncle Ron bellowed from where he was standing, inspecting her luggage. "WHERE'VE YOU PUT CROOKSHANKS?"

Rosie bit her lip. "Oops..." she muttered, and gave us a pained look. "Well, I guess I'll see you over summer, Scor." She danced up to him and pulled him by the shoulder so that he would duck down slightly and she could kiss his cheek. She gave the rest of the Malfoys a parting wave and skipped off, leaving a pink-cheeked Scorpius staring incredulously after her.

I laughed.