Author's Note:

I've got a few things to say.

1. I'm sorry for not updating. I was really stuck for a while and didn't know how to finish it. I just finished ch. 2 like 10 mins ago.

2. I know harry Potter and the Cursed Child is happening. If you don't know (have you been living under a rock?) it's a play by J. K. Rowling about Harry as an auror and also about Albus's first year at Hogwarts. I am still going to write this story. I have the plot all figured out already and I very recently regained my writing spirit. This story is becoming an AU, as of now. I'm keeping away from what J. K.'s writing and am sticking with the plot I have. I'm pumped for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, don't get me wrong. I just need to write this.

Disclaimer- I own nothing except for the slew of OC's that are coming soon. J. K. Rowling owns the Potters, the Weasleys, the Malfoy's, and everything else.

Chapter Two- The New Boy

Albus was making his way through the carriage looking for Rose, when he heard someone call his name. He looked up from the floor and saw his cousin waving from inside a compartment. Albus made his way over, and only then did he hear the whispers; "Yes, Potter!", "looks just like him!", "Not like the other one.", "He's right there!". Albus ignored these whispers as best he could, and then made his way right outside the compartment Rose was still waving at him from.

"Hey, Rose."

"Here, let me help you with your trunk." Rose grabbed one end, Al grabbed the other, and they pushed it into the compartment, onto one of the racks above the seats. Albus looked at the compartment now. There were only two other people sitting in the compartment: Alice Longbottom and her best friend, Al's cousin Roxanne Weasley.

"'ello Albus." Roxanne called, not looking up from the game of Exploding Snap she and Alice had already started. Albus and Rose sat down as the train started chugging slowly to Hogwarts.

Just as they were settling into the carriage and Rose had already joined the game of exploding snap, there came a tentative knock on the door. They all glanced up as the door slid open. Draco Malfoy's son stood in the doorway to the compartment, looking awkward.

"Um, sorry to bother you, but all of the other compartments seemed to be full. Is it okay if I sit here?"

Rose looked over to Albus and he nodded his head. Rose smiled, "Sure. Why not? I'm Rose Weasley, by the way." She stood and stuck out her hand towards the boy.

Taking her hand, he said, "I'm Scorpius Malfoy."

Rose took part of his trunk, helping him put it in a rack. Albus stood up to help both of them, but Rose batted him away. After setting the suitcase down, Rose looked at Albus, a slight frown on her face. "Honestly Al, do you think that I can't lift a trunk? Oh," she said turning to Scorpius, "this is my cousin Albus Potter."

"Hey," Al said, waving slightly, then he immediately felt awkward about it.

"Oh, um, hi." Scorpius turned away from them at that and Albus figured that Scorpius must have heard about his dad, although what heard, good or bad, Al didn't know.

"Do you want to join in on exploding snap?" Albus asked, in an attempt to defuse the awkwardness, and then glanced over to see Roxanne giving him a look. "Oh, yeah, that's Roxanne Weasley, one of my other cousins, and Alice Longbottom." Scorpius hesitated for a moment, then he smiled slightly. "Sure," and with that, Scorpius sat down next to Albus.

As the train ride went on, Scorpius's shy attitude seemed to melt away, and he got just as much into the game as Rose had and seemed to be just as competitive as her.

"That's it," Rose said, throwing down her cards. She pointed a finger accusingly at Scorpius. "How can you not be cheating? There's no way your just that good at it!" Scorpius gave a lopsided little grin.

"I just have a lot of practice. My mum loves exploding snap and taught me how to play as soon as I was old enough to hold the cards. Well," he added, "she taught me how to beat my dad. He's rubbish at it and my mum loves making his life trouble." He let out a little laugh. Albus met Rose's eye. They had both heard about Scorpius's dad from their parents, although most of the time, their parents didn't know they were listening. Uncle Ron was always complaining about how Draco Malfoy was spoiled and stuck up, and Al has heard him say a few times that his son had to be exactly the same. But Scorpius seemed to be a rather normal kid, just like Albus and Rose. Then again, Al's mum and aunt Hermione often said that uncle Ron was full of it. Rose gave Albus a small smile, one that said it was worth getting to know Scorpius as he was and not as their parents seemed to think he was.

"Well then, maybe your mum taught you how to cheat." Rose said, turning back to the game, firm in her belief that Scorpius was somehow cheating. Albus rolled his eyes. "Rose, just because someone is finally better than you at exploding snap, it doesn't mean he's cheating. You just need to accept the fact that you have met your match."

Rose turned red as Scorpius laughed and Roxanne let out a little snort. Albus jumped, forgetting for a second that Roxanne was in the car. She was always so quiet, a stark difference from her brother Fred and father, who were always joking and trying to have as much attention as the could focused on them. Her mother wasn't quiet, but she wasn't as loud as her son or husband.

Al saw Rose's mouth open, and he sighed, expecting a long argument about how Scorpius had to be, without a doubt, cheating, but just as she was starting to speak, a knock came at the door, and it opened. The little old lady who came by with the candy trolley stood there, wearing a soft smile. "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

Rose was up as soon as the lady finished speaking. She bought so many chocolate frogs, Bertie-Botts every flavor beans, and other candies, Albus thought she'd probably get sick after eating them all. Except she was Rose and never seemed to get sick from food, even if she ate more than anyone else, even her dad. The rest of them all bought from the trolley, though they had significantly less than Rose, and all Roxanne bought was a bottle of pumpkin juice. Scorpius eyed Rose's haul with thinly veiled disgust. "How do you think you can eat all that?" He asked, incredulous. Rose looked at him with horror. "How could I not? It's candy! You can always eat candy!"

"Yes, but not so much candy that you'd puke after eating a quarter of it!" Scorpius looked desperately around the compartment. He locked eyes with Al. "Please tell me you agree with me! Or is your entire family filled with people who can eat a house?" Albus laughed.

"I can't eat hardly as much as Rose can. She's exactly like her dad. Uncle Ron always eats so much."

Scorpius gave Rose another disgusted look and turned away from her, eating a chocolate frog with a disbelieving expression. Rose stuck out her tongue at Scorpius's back.

The train ride continued on happily, with Rose and Scorpius bickering and Al getting them to stop and Roxanne and Alice steadfastly ignoring them. That is until Roxanne stood up and, "Come on, you three. We're almost at Hogwarts. We'd better change into our robes." They all took of their jackets and slid on their robes. Al glanced out the window and saw it was getting dark outside. The train also seemed to be slowing down.

A voice rang through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

The five of them put away their sweets, Rose stuffing hers in her pockets, and they joined the throng of students in the corridor. Albus lost sight of Roxanne and Alice as soon as they got out there.

"Try to not disappear, yeah?" He said to Rose. She rolled her eyes.

"I'll fine on my own, you know."

"Yeah, but I don't think I can go through the sorting just by myself." Rose rolled her eyes again, but gave him a small smile. Albus liked the fact that his best friend was his cousin. It meant they understood each other in the way only only a best friend could and in the way only family could.

Al noticed that Scorpius was looking awkward again, standing to the side of the hall. He didn't know if it was because the crowds of people were making him nervous or because of something else.

The train slowed down and pulled into the station. People were pushing their way toward the train doors and onto the tiny platform. The night air was cold and Albus shivered. Then a light came bobbing over the heads of the students.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Hagrid called over the crowd of children. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years?"

"C'mon." Albus gestured for Rose and Scorpius to follow him. Hagrid was still yelling for the first years to follow him.

"Firs' years! This way firs' - Oh, hello there Albus! Rose."

"Hello, Hagrid." The two said.

"Was yer - Oy! Keep following, you in the back!" A boy let out a squeak and scrambled to get back in line. "Was yer train ride ah right?" Hagrid asked them.

"Oh, it was fine!" Rose said.

"Hagrid," Al asked as they continued down the path they were on. "Is it alright if I bring a friend with me when Rose and I visit?" Albus looked to Scorpius, who was following along quietly.

"Ye already made a friend? Well, sure, I don't mind. I enjoy the company."

"Great." Al said.

They continued down the steep path for a little longer, then Hagrid called over his shoulder, "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec. It's jus' round the bend here." The path opened onto the edge of a great lake. There was a cry of "Ooooooh!" From the first years. Albus had seen pictures of Hogwarts before, but the actual sight was much more aw inspiring. It was a vast castle perched on a high mountain on the other side of the lake.

Hagrid pointed toward a fleet of small boats sitting on the water by the shore.

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius went to one of the boats and a girl with dark blue hair followed them into the boat.

"Wow!" The girl said, leaning over the side of the boat to look at the castle. "I knew Hogwarts was huge, but I didn't think it'd look like this!"

Before any of them could reply, Hagrid shouted to all of them. "Everyone in? Right then - FORWARD!"

The fleet of boats moved off all at once and glided over the lake. Everyone was quiet, staring up at Hogwarts. They were all in awe.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the first boats reached the cliff. They bent their heads and the boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that that hid an opening in the cliff face. They went through a dark tunnel that seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached something like an underground harbor. They all clambered out into rocks and pebbles.

Hagrid led them to a passageway in the Rock and they came out onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here?"

Albus looked toward Rose and Scorpius excitedly and saw they were just as excited as him.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.