A/N: If I switch perspectives, I'll tell you in the beginning of the chapter and then the next chapter will either say another person's POV or back to Celeste's POV. Other than that, always assume that it's in Celeste's perspective.

Chapter 3:

Back to Celeste's POV

"Come on Cel, hurry up!" called her best friend, Lyliah Anders. Celeste raced after the small brunette Hufflepuff and gave their trunks to the people on the Hogwarts Express, rushing to claim an empty compartment. Lyliah luckily found one for the two of them, but it filled quickly with people seeking a place to sit. Jenny was squishing her way in between Lyliah and Celeste, mumbling apologies that were half-formed and slightly non-sincere when Scorpius Malfoy appeared in the doorway, breathless.

"Would you mind if I joined you? Everywhere else is full and I have to find seating for two." He asked. Celeste wanted to say no, but Cody beat her and shrugged, saying sure. Scorpius' face filled with relief as he entered the compartment, clutching a calico colored cat to his chest. No, Celeste realized when she saw it's slightly plumed tail and large ears, a Kneazle.

"Is that a Kneazle?" she asked, unable to contain herself. He looked surprised that she had spoken to him at all.

"Yes. His name is Cepheus. What's your cat's name?" he replied.

She blushed. "Lucifer."

He arched an eyebrow. "Lucifer? As in the Devil?"

"Nah, its cause this one is a hell kitten for sure." She laughed while stroking her yellow tabby, which was stretching across the space to sniff at Cepheus. Cepheus snarled and yowled, swinging a paw at the small cat.

"Cepheus!" Scorpius said sharply, restraining his Kneazle. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be." She found herself saying. "It's in a Kneazle's nature to be territorial of it's owner." She looked over Lucifer to be sure that Cepheus hadn't harmed the young animal, then leaned back against the seat. After about ten minutes of just sitting there with an awkward silence filling the compartment, she decided to read. Struggling, she turned and reached for her book that was in a satchel above her head, but she couldn't quite reach it.

"Crap, could somebody get that?" she asked, sitting down and rubbing her arm, sure she'd pulled a muscle with all of her twisting and turning.

"Allow me." Scorpius said before anyone had said anything. He stood and reached up, much taller than her and pulling the book down easily. He stretched bizarrely close to her and she managed to get a whiff of him. Merlin, he smelled so good…

"Here." He said, handing her the book. He glanced at the cover. "Percy Jackson?"

"Yeah," she replied defensively, "it's about"-

"Greek Mythology, I know." He said with a smile. "I have the entire series at home."

Celeste did a double take. Scorpius Malfoy, a pureblood, read Muggle literature? And he had the entire series? She couldn't stop a tiny pang jealousy. She hadn't read The Lost Hero yet and couldn't find it anywhere. When she muttered about it, he laughed darkly and murmured "Maybe I'll have to lend it to you sometime."

Now it was her turn to laugh. It was unlikely that he would lend her anything ever. She was deep in The Battle of the Labyrinth when someone entered the compartment. Barely glancing up, she saw who it was and did yet another double take. Harry Potter had just entered the compartment.

"Scorpius," he said, disapproval in his voice, "What did your father say?"

"To always stay with you." The boy replied, surly.

"You can't just wander off like that." He admonished.

"I thought my dad wanted you to not be seen that way rumors wouldn't fly?" Scorpius countered. Celeste thought he had nerve.

"I thought we established that I don't give a damn what your father thinks. After the hell he's made my life, he's lucky I accepted his request." Harry shot back, nonplussed. "I'm only here because A) I get paid to and B) it'll give me a chance to embarrass the hell out of my kids."

Scorpius leaned back, muttering dark oaths and Harry just smiled. No doubt he was used to them by now.

Celeste couldn't stop staring. Harry Potter was going to Hogwarts? WTFM?

Harry noticed. "His father asked a favor of me and I had to agree."

"I thought you were placed here by the Ministry?" Scorpius shot at him.

Harry glanced down at him. "I see what your father meant."

"What? What did my dad say?" Scorpius demanded angrily.

Harry couldn't stop a smile. "That within one week I'd probably want to put a Silencing Charm on you. And for your information, I was placed here by the Ministry, but your father specifically requested me."

"You got told." Celeste muttered with a smile. Scorpius heard and from the look he gave her, she was sure that he was going to start insulting her again, beginning with the word 'Mudblood,' but to her surprise, he didn't. He just shot her a dirty look and then sat back in his seat moodily. Harry eyed him with mistrust and was quite suspicious and never relaxed his rigid position over the boy, even though he'd resorted to humming quietly while staring out of the window.

It took Celeste a moment, but then she recognized the melody Scorpius was humming. "Is that 'The Battle of Stirling?'" she demanded. He looked at her in apparent surprise.

"Yes. It's my mother's favorite song composed by the London Symphony Orchestra." He replied, and then returned to humming it. "How do you know it?"

"Hermione." Both her and Harry said in unison. "She loves the movie Braveheart."

"You don't listen to it?" Scorpius asked absently.

"No, my favorite song is Psycho by Puddle of Mudd." Celeste replied, flipping a page of her book. It was clear that the name confused Scorpius, though he didn't comment or ask. He just shrugged and returned to humming uselessly and staring out the window. Celeste hid a smile and then put her book away, having finished it. She sat there, drumming her fingers against her thigh. She was deathly bored until James came running up with Albus in tow.

"Hey James!" Jenny chirruped excitedly. She looked like a hummingbird, ready to take flight because she was shaking so badly. James shot her a charming smile and then said "Hey, guys, we're getting ready to-Dad?"

Harry looked up, smug. "James."

"Wha-what're you doing here?" he asked, blinking as if not fully registering that it was indeed his father sitting next to his arch nemesis.

"Guarding little Scorpius here as my job." He replied, closing his eyes and reclining in his seat, laying his head

"Wha-What?" James looked like he needed to be slapped or pinched or something because he looked like he was dreaming. "You're joking right?"

"If I was, would I be on this train? I don't honestly want to go back to Hogwarts after all that happened there." Harry replied without opening his eyes. "Now, don't let me stop you. You were going to say something to your friends I do believe?"

"Uh, yeah. You guys know that thing that we were talking about over the summer?" They all nodded. "Well, it's ready. Let's go." Harry smiled when his son didn't come outright and say what he'd originally planned on saying. Celeste thought it was sort of funny as well. She nevertheless got up and followed James through the train. Jenny was literally walking on James' heels, almost tripping, chattering happily and just generally driving James up a wall.

"Jenny," Al said, "take a pause for the cause, will ya?"

Jenny, who was blushing madly, nodded and silenced herself almost immediately. She dropped back and obediently followed the group from the back.

"Okay James," Celeste asked tiredly, "how's this going down?"

James turned and shot her a smile that made her heart freeze in her chest. That smile meant that he was about to, in the words of PJO and all it was associated with, generally raise Hades.