Turning away from the window, I faced Rose, and just as I was about to tell her about all that had happened during the summer, the carriage doors opened. A boy, with a pointed chin, a thin nose, and platinum blond hair, stood there, examining both rose and I.

"Are either of you mudbloods?" he asked, and I was shocked by his attitude. Until I realised something, and then I expected it. His face looked familiar to one I had seen in drawings in my parent's books.

"You must be a Malfoy" I replied dryly, and upon sharing a look with Rose, I realised she too had come to that conclusion. The boy shrugged, and it appeared he was alone.

"So what if I am, and anyway, you didn't answer my question" he sneered, and I instantly felt a strong sense of dislike surge within me.

"Even if we were, what difference does it make?" Rose replied fearlessly. He laughed, quick and sharp.

"It makes all the difference" he drawled, "but I'll take your answer as a no. I'm Scorpius, Scorpius Malfoy. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He didn't stretch his hand out for us to shake, he just stood there. "And who might you two be?" hesitantly, I replied

"I'm Aurora Lovegood, and this is Rose Weasly" I gestured to Rose, whose face was guarded. We had both been told much about the malfoy clan, and none of it was all too pleasant.

"Lovegood? Weasly? I've heard about you lot. Hm, perhaps I'd better find somewhere else to sit, I'd rather not be seated with vermin" and he left, thankfully. I didn't take his words to heart, and I don't think Rose did either. We shared a look, and both burst out laughing.

"I'd rather not be seated with vermin" rose mimicked his drawl "well, it must be hard for him to avoid himself" we were both in fits of laughter when there was another knock at the door. Thankfully, I noticed, it wasn't Scorpius. There were two boys, one with dark brown hair swept to the side, dark enough to nearly be black, which was messy and ruffled. He had bright green eyes, and it appeared he knew Rose, and Rose knew him.

"Albus!" Rose jumped up and hugged the boy, who startled, hugged her back. The other boy shifted nervously from foot to foot. Rose, letting Albus go, sat back in her set, and gesturing for them to sit down, smiled at me. Albus sat next to me, while the other tall, slightly lanky boy with tousled light brown hair, which, if I'm not mistaken, turned to blue for a split second, sat next to rose, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Aurora, this is Albus, my cousin, and if I'm not mistaken, this boy next to me is Remus" 'Remus' bowed his head shyly.

"That's Remus alright, smart as a book, sneaky as a panther" the boys shared a smile. Albus turned to me, apparently not all too shy like his friend.

"Give him some time, before long, you'll be missing the days he was quiet. Hey, who are your parents?" he asked, almost as an afterthought, "I think I've heard my parents mentioning an Aurora before" it was easy to become comfortable with the boy, and I felt like I could trust him. I returned his smile.

"Luna lovegood and Neville Longbottom, who are yours?" recognition dawned on his face.

"No way, wicked. My parents were in the same year as yours." He smiled, and I realised he hadn't answered my question. Apparently he realised this too, because he added to his statement

"I'm actually kind of surprised you don't know. Most people hear my name and think they know everything about me. My mother's Ginny potter and my father's Harry Potter" he almost grimaced, as if expecting me to go crazy. But being the ultimate Lovegood, I remained calm.

"Oh cool, my parents have mentioned your parents a couple of times" I said offhandedly. I left out the part where most of the recounts my parents had written centred on his dad. He didn't seem to mind, in fact, it seemed to make him more curious, the way I wasn't going crazy.

"Really" was all he said. Apparently Remus had gotten over his shy spell.

"Hey, I heard that the McGonagall, you know, the headmistress, put a ban on going to Hogsmeade" he leaned forward, eager to share this piece of news.

"Something big is happening; my mum hasn't been the same these summer holidays"

"Neither!" all three of us replied at the same time. Instead of laughing like you usually do when you jinx, we looked seriously at each other.

"What do you think it could be? You don't think he-who-must-not-be-named is behind the panic? Like maybe he's come back from the dead?" Rose whispered, glancing around as if he might appear at any moment. We were all leaning in, so when the Trolley Lady knocked on our door, we jumped a metre in the air, and we had guilty looks on our faces.

"No thanks" rose and I mumbled, while Harry and Remus purchased a few things. When the Trolley Lady was out of ear shot, we all leaned in again, talking more quietly than before.

"I don't think so, but it's something big, I can't feel it" Remus's hair flashed red and startled, I jumped back. Albus, noticing my reason why, smiled.

"Don't worry, Remus is like his mother, a nymph. It's normal for his hair to reflect his emotions" he laughed, kicking Remus in the leg. Remus ran his hand through his hair, ignoring the kick and getting back to business.

"Anyway, all I know is, I think we ought to be careful. The pranks we're going to pull this term might need to be scaled back, or at least kept under control. Thankfully for us, Rose and Albus' uncle Fred and Uncle George didn't get rid of their joke shop. It's handy having you guys, cause pranks aren't cheap." The smile he shared with Albus was mischievous. I hoped we were all in each other's classes, because we were sure to have fun this year, what, with Remus' jokes, (if they were any good, that is, but no doubt Rose will help him, she had learnt a few things from her uncle's) and Albus' daring attitude, which radiated from him. Somehow, I thought to myself, I might not have as much time to read and write as I thought I would, but that's okay, so long as I'm enjoying myself, right? A thought occurred to me.

"You'll never believe who dropped by our carriage earlier" I said in a conspiringly low voice, the boys leaned in again, curious. Rode and I smiled at each other "Scorpius Malfoy, and he came in, asking if we were mudbloods. Can you believe him?" scowls stole over the boys' faces.

"Unfortunately, I can, and if he's anything like his father, then he might just be trouble for us this year." Albus replied. Rose and I went on to tell them about the vermin remark, which made Albus' hands ball into fists. For the rest of the way, until we got changed into our robes in separate boys and girls bathrooms, we talked about our lives, what it was like for Remus living without a father

"It sucks," he had replied, "sometimes, especially when everyone tells me how great he was, but I'm glad I have my mum." We asked Albus what is was like being a middle child

"Sometimes it sucks too. I mean, I'm usually in James' shadow, even though my parents don't pressure me to be like him, and especially after Lilly was first born, they payed quite a bit of attention to her, but other than that, it's pretty good always having someone there to blame." We talked about this and that, sharing stories our parents had told us. Finally though, the train station came into sight, and in the distance, so did Hogwarts. We all pressed our faces up against the window, trying to get a better look. Standing up, Remus was the tallest of us all, the Albus, then Rose by a little more than me. Our breath fogged the cool glass, and a voice rang out among the corridor

"Welcome to Hogwarts"