CHAPTER 4: OLD ENEMIES, NEW PEOPLE

MAY 2022

April and Eli were my first ever friends, but they were not the first Hogwarts kids I met.

My favorite spot in Hogwarts, was a huge oak tree, a few feet from the lake and the giant squid. It was huge and everyone could find me there between classes.

Still every Monday after 4th period there was only one person who dropped by, holding out a flash card.

"New material..." he says and I smile reaching out to grab the small card.

"How you manage to get new songs every week, it's beyond me..."I reply putting the card away.

"Oh, you love it...you're just jealous I can get them..."

"Oh please... it's all about the music... I like music you provide music... so there" I shrug. He smiles and flops down beside me, leaning half against the tree trunk and half on me.

"How long have we known each other, Em?" I turned to Him, the question bringing old forgotten times to light.

I met Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy on that first train ride.

I had come early and was sitting alone in a compartment when a blond kid knocked on the window windowpane. I looked up.

"Can I sit here?" he asked, backpack handing from his hand and I nodded, taking my headphones off.

"Sure..." He smiled and sat across me. He watched me for a while and I watched him too.

"I'm Scorpius by the way... Scorpius Malfoy..." he said extending his hand. I smiled as I shook it.

"I'm Emma Ainsworth" He smiled back and sat back.

"So, what do you have in there?" he asked pointing to my mp4.

" A little bit of everything..." I said arching my brows. "Right now I'm listening to The clash, Six pistols, ramones... old school punk."

"Get out! The clash rocks..." we found common ground in music and we talked for a long time about it. I showed him my mp4 and he handed me his.

"This is a muggle one, right?" he asked and I nodded. "They sometimes stop working at Hogwarts... if it does, I'll help you get it working again...." I grinned.

We were discussing U2, Dashboard, Jack's mannequin and REM when there was another knock on the pane and we both turned.

A skinny wild hair teen stood a bag slung over his shoulder. And behind him a brown haired girl. I frowned.

"Everywhere else is full... can we sit here?" I nodded and turned to see Scorpoius was looking out the window, doing his best to ignore the newcomers.

"Yeah come in..." I frowned and turned back to the two on the door.

The boy smiled and walked in but the girl hesitated a bit. While he sat beside Scorpius she sat beside me.

"I'm Emma Ainsworth..." I said looking from her to him.

"I'm Albus Potter and she's my cousin Rose Weasley." He replied. Potter… Harry Potter…were they related?

"Where are your perfect manners, Malfoy?" the girl beside me asked nastily and I turned to her a bit put off.

"Rose." Albus chastised, and Scorpius turned at look at her at once.

"You already know who I am... why should I introduce myself when you know who I am and I know who you are..." Scorpius snapped back and I turned to watch him.

"Still..." she huffed and turned away from him crossing her arms over her middle.

I didn't understand anything.

"Our parents weren't on good terms in school..." Albus said and I turned to see he was speaking at me. "But that was 19 years ago... and different people in a different world..." he turned in his seat to look at Scorpius. "And I am not my father, Scorpius." Albus was holding out his hand. Scorpius was watching the hand now.

"I am not mine either..." Scorpius said and shook Al's hand, a small hesitating smile forming on their faces.

I smiled and the three of us engaged in amused conversation, while rose sat aside with a scowl reading a book.

It was close to lunch when Scorpius and Albus left to stretch their legs so it was just me and Rose. I turned bodily to her.

"You know..." I said and she looked up with a bored expression in her face. "I bet you mom and your dad weren't always in love... as a girl and a boy they must have rowed every now and then..."

"You don't know anything about them so lay off..."

"And you don't know anything about Scorpius either..." I replied. "You're not your mom or your dad... you're you. With your own thoughts and your own ideas... so you really shouldn't take on their resentments of over 20 years ago..." She looked at me for a long time, even after I had taken out a magazine of my own and started to flip through it.

Albus and Scorpius came back in, laughing and joking. They sat side by side and lay what they had bought between them. They bet who could get more coffee cakes in their mouths and I tried hard not to laugh at how they looked with their mouths and faces stretched and distorted.

I saw Rose beside me watching Scorpius. He was choosing something else to eat and came out with chocolate. When he looked up he hesitated in opening the candy. With a small shy smile he held the small package out for her to take.

And she took it.

"Thank you." she said smiling back. "I really love chocolate..."

We ended up in different houses… both boys ended up in Slytherin ,I ended up in Hufflepuff and Rose was sorted into Ravenclaw.
Slowly but steadily we became friends. They were different from Eli and April… and our friendships were different but I loved them all the same.

"5 years… " I reply

"Yes... 5 years... and since the minute Al walked into our compartment, you've been in love with him..."

"Shut up." I warn.

"So… what's in store for this summer?" he asked closing his eyes and relaxing into the tree.

This school year was almost over. Summer was just around the corner and I couldn't wait for it to begin.

"Ohm I dunno…" I replied leaning closer to him. "There's a party I've been hearing about… but that's at the end of summer… and I'm not sure I'm invited…" I replied tickling his side. He wriggled under my fingers

"Cut it out! You know you're invited… you're the guest of honor…" He took out his IPod and leant against the tree trunk beside me, placing one bud into my ear.

"He's not gonna wait forever, Em… "

"Neither am I…" I closed my eyes and tried to relax.