As Platform 9 ¾ disappeared from sight Albus Severus Potter slumped down in his seat on the Hogwarts Express and let out a quiet sigh. There was no turning back now he thought to himself. Going off to Hogwarts was supposed to be exciting but for last few weeks the thought of going off to school just made him feel ill. At this point he wasn't even worried about which house he was sorted into, he just hoped to he didn't throw up during to the Sorting Ceremony and make a bloody fool of himself in front of the entire school.
"It's not possible." Rose's frustrated huff drew Albus sharply out of his thoughts. Glancing over at his cousin, for a moment thinking she was talking to him, he found her glaring at the older Gryffindor boy sitting across from her.
Tanner Flannigan smirked back at Rose, examining her like a bug he had decided was interesting. Albus hated him. James hand made friends with Tanner during his first year of Hogwarts and the Potter house had seen many visits from Tanner over the summer. Tanner was the kind of bulky that suggested he enjoyed one too many chocolate frog and Albus had quickly learnt that Tanner could over power him if he wanted to. Easy to say Albus had become an expert at avoiding Tanner at all costs.
"It's completely possible." Tanner told her smugly "Obviously you're just not as intelligent as I am or you'd be able to see it too."
Albus frowned, hadn't James warned his friends of the danger that came with antagonizing their cousin. As Rose turned bright red, Albus slid a bit closer to the window hoping to get out of harm's way. "You cannot tell what house someone will be in by just looking at them." She said through clenched teeth before blowing a strand of frizzy hair that had escaped her ponytail out of her face.
"Ah come on Rosie calm down." James laughed "Tanner's just messing with you, James asked the rest of his gang who were grinning right along with them. "Relax will yeah. You don't have to take everything so seriously."
"Besides, I don't see why you're complaining." Tanner snorted. "You're obviously a Gryffindor."
"Obviously?" Rose scolded at Tanner.
"Well you are a Weasley aren't you?" Tanner shot back.
"You..you idiotic…thick headed.." Rose sputtered with anger as she jumped to her feet, her fist clenched in tight fists "You're just lucky hitting you would likely get me expelled before I was even sorted." She spat out before storming out of the cabin slamming the door shut behind her.
"Yup, a complete Gryffindor." Tanner laughed as James grinned like a fool. "And then there's you." Suddenly Albus found himself to be the focus of Tanner's attention, along with James and the rest of his friends in the cabin. Suddenly James didn't seem to find Tanner's messing around so funny anymore as he frowned at his friend.
"What about me?" Albus sighed, wishing he'd chosen to sit anywhere else on the train. At the moment the roof of the train would be preferable to where he was.
"Tanner don't." James warned in a low voice but Tanner Flannigan was like a dog with a bone.
"Oh come on James, you've said it yourself, your brother might as well bleed green he's such a Slytherin." Tanner snapped back.
"Just because I say it doesn't mean you get to." James told him with a pointed glare before looking to Albus "Just ignore him Al he's.."
"Just messing with me?" Albus cut his brother off with an arched eyebrow.
"That's not what I was going to say." James frowned. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions little brother."
"Save it." Al sighed straitening his robes as he stood. "I'm going to find Rose, make sure she's okay." He told them shortly, before heading towards the door.
"Just like a Slytherin, running from a fight he knows he can't win." Tanner laughed as Albus pushed open the door.
"No, I'm walking away from a fight that's not worth winning." Albus shot back as he stepped out of the cabin and slid the door closed behind him, shutting out Tanner's comeback.
Shoving his hands in his pockets Albus wondered which direction Rose had gone. With a shrug Albus chose to head towards the front of the train. Since there was less cars is that direction if he was wrong at least he wouldn't waste as much time.
As Albus walked, checking the cabins as he passed, he figured if he didn't find Rose at least he could find somewhere else to sit for the rest of the train ride. Anywhere else.
"Albus?" A timid voice called from up ahead. Looking up Albus saw a familiar bespectated face. "I thought that was you but I thought you'd be sitting with your family. Why are you wandering?"
"Colin." Albus nods, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking towards the tall sandy haired boy. "I was looking for my cousin Rose, you seen her?"
"The red headed girl you were in the shop with?" Colin asked at Albus' nod shook his head. "No she hasn't come this why but if you need somewhere to sit you can join me." He offered.
Albus thought for a second and then nodded. "Yeah sure that be great." He said before following Colin back into the cabin and sitting down across from him.
"So why were you looking for Rose?" Colin asked Albus as he closed up the books he'd been reading and packing them up in his bag.
"She got angry with one of James' friends and took off." Albus explained with a sigh turning his head to gaze out the window, watching the landscape race past.
Colin pushed the frames of his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Is she okay?" he asked in concern.
Albus smirked slightly at his concern. "Don't worry, she'll be fine once she calms down. Really Tanner's lucky she took off or he'd probably have a bloody nose right now."
"If he's anything like James she should have punched him." Colin snorted. "No offence but the only reason I didn't punch your brother was because we were in the shop."
"No offence taken." Ablus chuckled. "James was a jerk to you that day, I'm just sorry I didn't manage to get him out of there quicker."
"Apperciate that." Colin nodded. "Anyways want to play some exploding snaps?" he asked pulling out a deck.
"Sounds great." Albus nodded, leaning forward and pulling Colin's trunk between them to use as a table.
They played three games in total, Albus winning each time. Outside the sky had just started to darken as they started their fourth game.
"You're far too good at this." Colin scolded at Albus as he dealt out the cards. "Starting to think you're cheating."
Albus wanted to comment that he didn't need to cheat, he didn't even really need to try. He kept his mouth shut though, not wanting to make Colin feel worse about his losing strake. He was about to suggest they play something else when he heard the screams erupt from the corridor.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Colin asked as Albus jumped to his feet and moved towards the door, he was reaching for the handle when the door was yanked open and a small girl stumbled in, falling right in to Albus' arms who stumbled back but managed to keep his balance. Albus looked down at the dark hair girl then back up at the door way were an older dark haired boy stood.
"Stay here!" The older boy snapped at them before turning a disappearing back down the corridor.
Albus blinked in shock, looking back at Colin who shrugged clearly equally confused. Albus quickly helped the girl find her balance before asking "Are you alright?"
The girl looked up at him and he could see the tears pouring down her cheeks, she nodded shyly before pulling away and sinking in to the seat and curling up into a tight ball.
Sighing Albus looked at Colin again. "I'm going to check the corridor." Colin nodded quickly, not bothering to point out they were told to stay put. Albus leaned out the doorway and glanced down the corridor in the direction the boy had gone. The corridor seemed to disappear towards the front of the train, it just seemed to disappear into darkness. "What in Merlin's beard…." Albus muttered before suddenly he heard voices coming from the darkness.
"Which way?" a girl's voice called out.
"I'm not sure, I think we got turned around." A boy answered her. "And stop yelling, just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't hear you."
"Just keep moving forward." Albus recognized the voice of the older boy from before.
"Come this way." Albus called out into the darkness. "Just follow my voice forward." Albus listened the footsteps as they neared him till he heard a crash. "What happened?" he asked just as two blond figures stumbled out into the light.
"My sister ran into one of the open doorways." The blond boy answered, wrapping his arm around the blond girl with him, who was holding her head, as he led her forward.
"I'm okay, just a slight bump." She muttered.
"Come on, you can sit in here." Albus told them, stepping back to let them into the compartment. "What happened?"
The boy settled his sister in a seat before kneeling in front of her to check her head. "I'm not really sure, we were just sitting there when everything went dark."
"Peruvian instant darkness powder." Albus stiffened when he heard the older boy's voice behind him. "Move please." He said shifting past Albus to grab Colin's trunk and lugging it up into the overheard area. "Some first year was probably trying to sneak it into Hogwarts, heard about the trunk searches and decided to use it before it could get taken from them. Happens more than you'd think." As the boy turned to look out into the corridor Albus noticed his silver perfects badge attached to his Slytherin robes. "You get in here and take a seat." He ordered.
Reluctantly a boy with white blond hair walked in with a sneer. "I'm not a bloody dog." He hissed as he slumped in to the seat next to Colin
Surprisingly the Slytherin prefect laughed. "Just be nice Malfoy." He told him shooing the blond boy into a seat before kneeling in front of the crying girl. "Casie, look at me." He said softly as he took her hands in his. "Look at me Casandra." He said more firmly making her head snap up and icy blue eyes met an identical although teary set. "I need to go check the other compartments. You'll be okay?"
"Yeah." Casandra mumbled with a slight nod. "I'll be okay, go on Marcus."
"Good." Marcus said as he stood, looking over the group of first years he'd gathered in the compartment. "Stay here till the train reaches the Hogsmead station." He told them before leaving and closing the door behind him.
"Just great." The blond Malfoy boy sneered. "Now were stuck with this lot for the rest of the train ride."
"Scorpious stop it." The blond girl frowned, "This wasn't their fault."
"Oh really? How do you know one of these two didn't throw the darkness powder in our compartment Tassie?" Scorpious Malfoy snapped at her.
"Hey don't talk to my sister like that!" The blond boy snapped back looking ready to lung at Scorpious till Tassie put her hand on her brother's shoulder.
"Trevor please don't." she whispered to him.
"Yeah whatever." Trevor muttered as he sat back and Scorpious smirked.
"Besides…" The girl Casandra said quietly. "They were both in this compartment when Marcus brought me in here. They couldn't have gotten back that quickly."
"Marcus is your brother right?" Albus asked as he sat down next to Colin.
Casandra nodded and smiled slightly. "Yeah, sorry about him snapping orders like that. He's grumpy when people cause trouble." She said quietly.
"Oh yeah great quality in a perfect." Scorpious muttered under his breath making Casandra's mouth fall open in silent protest.
Before anyone else could say anything Colin spoke up. "Well before anyone else decides to throw a rock at the Hungarian Horntail in the room can I get a look at your head?" he asked Tassie.
"Why, what are you going to do?" Trevor asked, holding his sister back.
"Oh don't be so much like dad Trevor." Tassie batted her brother's arm away and leaned forward closer to Colin who sat across from her. "Go ahead."
Colin carefully brushed her bangs aside and whistled at the bruise already forming. "Well that's real pretty." He smiled to her. "Luckily I have something that should help." He muttered while digging through his bag before pulling out a small vial of crème. "Here." He held it out to Tassie.
"What is it?" Tassie asked turning it over in her hand.
"Just bruise crème. Trust me, I tend to get hurt a lot your bruise will be gone before we reach the sorting ceremony." Colin assured her.
"Well….thanks." she smiled before opening it and starting to rub it over the bruised area.
"Seems you aren't a complete useless fool after all." Scorpious snorted. "Speaking of fools." He said standing and straightening his robes. "We're here. You fools coming?" He asked the twins who quickly nodded.
"Thanks for this by the way." Tassie smiled to Colin, handing him back the vial before following her brother and Scorpius out.
"Guess we'd better go to." Albus said getting up as well. "You want to come with us?" he asked Casandra.
"I… I ummm… I'll be okay." Casandra stuttered before taking off and disappearing into the crowd filling the corridor.
"Well that was wired." Colin commented as he got, reaching for his trunk.
"Don't worry about that." Marcus said appearing in the doorway. "It will be taken care of, just head out on to the platform with the other first years."
Albus nodded and followed Marcus and Colin out of the train. Stepping on to the platform Albus Potter took a deep breath. No turning back now.