A/N: Ok so, seven months isn't that long of a break right? Well, I don't even know what to say to that. This chapter has been half done since January, and I just now decided to finish it. Anyway, if anyone can explain to me how a beta works, that would be great, and if anyone would like to be my beta then pm me please. Thanks! Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its affiliates, enough said.
Chapter 2
The day of Albus Potter's sorting had gone down in history. If asked why, most would recount the tale of the sorting of Scorpius Malfoy, who, against all odds, was a proud Gryffindor. To Albus though, it went down into the books for a completely different reason. Just like his father, the hat had nearly pronounced him a Slytherin.
As the now 17 year old boy read through the two letters sitting on his desk, he finally understood why the hat had nearly placed him there. The cunning thoughts running through his head made that clear enough. If he wanted his planning to go to good use however, he would need help. Standing up, he apparated away, his robes rustling the parchments sitting atop the desk. On one letter, in beautiful, loopy cursive, the ink read simply "I got Head". The other, in much scratchier handwriting, read the exact same words.
"You have all your parchment, your ink, extra quills?" The bushy haired mother fussed.
Her auburn haired daughter laughed. "Yes mum, all in my trunk, I'll be fine."
"Take care of Hugo; make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble." The mother said, chuckling through her tears.
"I will, we'll be home before you know it" the daughter replied, giving her mother one last hug, and doing the same for her father, before going to board the scarlet Hogwarts Express.
"No boys Rosie!" her father called after her jokingly. Rose just smiled cheekily at him, stepping into the bright red carriage as the train started moving.
"Take care of your sisters, Scorpius, don't let them pull any Houdini acts." the aristocratic mother fussed.
"They'll be fine mom, besides, I can tell them apart, remember?" her son replied. Together the objects of the conversation exclaimed.
"Sure about that Scorpie?" both smiling identical cheshire grins.
"Yes, you—" he said pointing to the twin on the right
"—are Cassiopeia, and you—" pointing to the twin on the left
"—are Carina."
Silently he contemplated why the twins chose to make themselves indistinguishable today; normally they despised their identical features. Awakened from his musings, he heard his father proclaim that in actuality, Scorpius had confused the twins. Scorpius, unconvinced, took another look at his brown haired-silver eyed sisters. To his dismay, he found that his father's opinion reined true; the twins fooled their older brother once again. This year, already, seemed to prove itself tougher than he previously thought. Scorpius led his sisters onto the steaming train with a sigh, wondering what else seventh year would throw at him. If only he knew.
Heads bent over a piece of parchment, a pair of siblings sat in a compartment near the end of the train. The older brother hurriedly explained the two letters that had caused him so much distress the morning earlier, as any moment they would encounter an interruption from one of their various cousins. Over the clicking and clacking of the train's wheels on the track, one could hear the brother whispering "Victoire has a plan, are you in Lily?"
The sister smirked, brown eyes sparkling with enough mischief to fill twice her 15 year old stature.
"Why did you even bother asking? I've only been waiting for this since the first time I saw them together."
Suddenly, the door opened, a familiar head of white-blond hair poking through.
"Hey Al, Lil, I have a prefects meeting to attend to, would you mind keeping an eye on Carri and Cassi?"
"Of course not." Albus replied, smiling at the twins peering behind Scorpius' back. Scorpius gave quick thanks before rushing off to the prefects' carriage.
Lily laughed, thinking of what her brother shared with her earlier. One of the twins, Cassi, asked shyly,
"Why are you laughing?"
Lily, giggling again, replied "Because dear, your brother is about to find out that, much to his dismay, my cousin Rose has been made Head-Girl."
Carri's eyes lit up, "No!" she laughed, "That is so rich, they'll be at each other's throats in seconds!"
Lily giggled, nodding her head in the affirmative. Then, she gathered the twins to her, and whispered something in each of their ears. Both burst into huge smiles, nodding so fast Albus thought their heads might fall off. He laughed, pushing his circular glasses up the bridge of his nose.
A scuffle sounded through the door to the carriage, before it burst open and Louis and Hugo tumbled in, followed closely by a giggling Lucy.
"Keeping them in line then Lucy?" Albus asked his 15 year old cousin. Lucy, still giggling, just smiled, her short bob of light-red hair covering her hazel, glasses covered eyes.
Hugo and Louis lay on the floor, laughing so hard that their eyes started tearing up.
"Should have seen it! They were so bloody mad at each other, kept accusing the other of setting off the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder!" Hugo said between laughs, his mop of curly brown hair shaking with each gasp for breath.
"Which one really did set it off?" Lily asked.
"Well we did of course! Wouldn't be a Hogwarts Express train ride without some sort of drama with those two." Louis answered, his long, Weasley-red hair falling from its tie.
Lucy, noticing the two young girls near the back of the carriage, nodded her head at Lily, silently asking who the twins were.
"Carri, Cassi, this is Hugo, Lucy, and Louis, more cousins of ours. They're in fifth year with me." Lily said to the twins, and to the three fifth years said "Hugi, Luce, Lou, this is Carina and Cassiopeia, Scorpius' younger sisters. They're starting their first year."
Albus, suddenly realizing something, stood up. "Lil, weren't Lorcan and Lysander supposed to be here by now?" Lily with wide eyes said "Oi! Forgot 'bout them! Maybe you should go looking."
After 15 minutes of searching, Albus finally found the two boys. Lying on their stomachs, the blonds listened intently to extendable ears strung underneath the door before them. "Anything good?" Albus asked, causing the twins to jump. Then, Lorcan, recognizing Albus, replied in a dreamy voice.
"Oh yes, there are many nargles behind this door." Following his brother's statement, Lysander whispered to Albus. "Rose and Scorpius are at it again! Something about darkness powder?" Albus sighed and knelt down next to the twins, pulling out his own extendable ear.
"I know you did it Malfoy, why don't you just admit it!"
"I didn't though! If you would shut your big mouth for more than two seconds and hear me out, then maybe we would be able to find out who actually set off the blasted thing! Unless you're willing to confess!"
Rose crossed her arms and huffed, but stayed quiet, raising her eyebrow.
" Alright, now I didn't do it, you didn't do it, and I'm almost certain none of the prefects did. So who else would want to ambush a prefects' meeting?"
Rose thought for a second, before her eyes widened, and then a murderous expression overtook her features.
"Damn weasels, I told them to behave!"
"What? Who?" Scorpius asked
"Hugi and Louie, that's who! What the dynamic duo!" Rose replied sarcastically, then proceeded to storm out the door and down the corridor, Scorpius right on her heals. Albus looked at Lorcan and Lysander from his position on the floor with an "uh oh" expression on his face. Then they all sprang up and followed the rivals down the hallway.
"Hugo! Louis!"
Hugo and Louis stopped laughing as they heard Rose screech down the hallway, her voice sounding so fierce that it was almost inhuman. They jumped up and sprinted to the back of the car, hiding behind the stacks of trunks. Just as their heads dipped below the top of one of the trunks, the door to the car burst open.
"Where the HELL are they!" She shouted.
"Who?" Lily asked innocently, her eyes twinkling
"You know bloody well who! Where are the little devils?"
Suddenly, Albus burst in the door, Lorcan and Lysander not far behind.
"Look who I found!" he exclaimed, trying to diffuse some of the tension in the air.
"Hi!" Lysander exclaimed
"Hello" Lorcan said
"Hi L's" Rose said, forgetting about Hugo and Louis for the moment.
In the corner, Cassi whispered into Carri's ear. Carri nodded and spoke up.
"Why do you call them L's?" she said.
Rose's head snapped toward the twins, suddenly realizing they were in the carriage.
"Because they're twins, and their names both start with L" she said "You're Carina and Cassiopeia right? Malfoy's twin sisters?"
"Yes" Carri said "But we like to be called Carri and Cassi"
"Of course. You're both starting your first year at Hogwarts, correct?" Rose replied
"Yes." Both twins said
Nodding her head, Rose asked Albus "Alright, is that everyone? Where's Alice?"
"I don't know, she—"
"Is right here" Alice Longbottom finished for him, smiling as she stepped into the carriage
"Hello Alice" A voice said from beside the door
"Scorpius, there you are! What are you doing hiding in the corner? Alice said.
"Oh nothing, just watching as the ring leader reigns in her circus." Scorpius replied with a smile, before sending a smirk toward Rose.
"I'll never understand how the two of you became friends." Rose said "I mean, really Alice, who goes off and becomes friends with their best friend's rival?"
The brunette just laughed and replied "You know, he's really not that bad, if you just gave him a chance." Before Rose could answer, Albus said "Oi! We'll be at Hogwarts soon, best be getting our robes on!"
With that, everyone scrambled to dress, just as the train moved into Hogsmead station.