Name, House, and position of Player 1: gingerdream, Gryffindor, Potions
House, House, and position of Player 2: BetterYouThanMe, Ravenclaw, Herbology
Prompt(s): List 1. [Location] Train station/on a train; List 2. [Multiline Dialogue] "Would you help me?" / "No, I'd rather you suffered."
Word Count: 892
Old Traditions and New Beginnings
Albus was nervous about travelling on the Hogwarts Express by himself. The large red train had been a staple in his life. He had spent many years waving goodbye to friends and cousins as they left for Hogwarts and just as many waiting eagerly for their return. However, nothing seemed to have prepared him for the fear of boarding the train by himself for the first time.
James had been adamant before they left for the train station that morning. James wasn't going to babysit his little brother and Albus needed to make friends of his own. So Albus walked down the train, carrying a trunk that felt way too heavy (even with the lightning charms Aunt Hermione placed on it) and peeked into different compartments.
Albus found himself walking the entire length of the train. He knew that if he asked, he could sit with his cousins. However, the last time that he checked, Rose had already made new friends and Albus didn't want to be pitied upon by the rest of his family. They were already worried about him.
At the final compartment, he felt his heart sink.
While later Albus would acknowledge that this might have been an overreaction, at that point all he had wanted to do was cry. Of course, the last compartment on the train would contain a Malfoy!
"Can I help you?" asked the Malfoy.
While anyone else would have understood if Albus wanted to leave, there was a part of him that knew he would feel humiliated if he had to walk all the way back up the train again and find his cousins. Albus took a deep breath, he could do this.
"I just wanted to know if you had a seat to spare in this compartment," Albus said, his words coming out small and unsure.
"I don't see anyone else," the boy replied, gesturing to the seats. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy, by the way."
Albus nodded, not really sure what to say. He lugged his luggage into the compartment and was struggling to lift it onto the overhead racks. The fact that the train was moving didn't seem to be helping matters much.
He looked over desperately to Scorpius, unsure how to ask for help. Scorpius seemed to stare right at him.
"Would you help me?" Albus asked, knowing that sometimes asking for help outright was the best course of action, no matter how humiliated he felt.
Scorpius shrugged. "No, I'd rather you suffered."
"Seriously!"
Albus did not expect to hear Scorpius giggle. "Of course I'll help. I'll grab the other side."
While cliché, that was probably the first moment Albus knew that he had made a friend. Who cared if it was a Malfoy?
Albus hadn't known how to feel when he woke up that morning and grabbed the trunk with all his belongings. All the other times he had done this he knew he'd be returning at some point. This time he walked out of Hogwarts for seemingly the last time.
Scorpius had been by his side the entire walk as they made their way to the Hogwarts Express. They sat in the last compartment, just the two of them, like they had the first time they ever rode the train. It felt—bittersweet.
Both of them had changed over the years. They would continue to change as they entered their field of choice. Some things though would stay the same.
The train ride had lasted for the same amount of time, they sat in the same spots, had the same snacks, and passed all of the same landmarks they had come to know. It had been quiet at first. Both of them coming to terms with being done with schooling. That a chapter of their life had come to a close.
"We should get an apartment together," Scorpius said as they passed the weird looking tree they named "Fossil Tongue" in their second year. The bark formed a creepy face that had a long tongue and it looked ancient. "I don't really care where but we should do it."
"London would make the most sense but that's where everyone lives," Albus mused. "We could go to Manchester or Brighton if we wanted to do something different?"
"We should probably just pick somewhere we can actually afford."
"I'm sure our parents would help us out in the beginning," Albus shrugged. "It's not like they're struggling with money."
Scorpius let out a laugh and shook his head, "Don't you want to try and be independent?"
"Maybe when we have to be." Albus watched the passing landscape. "I think they like taking care of us because they—our dads especially—didn't really have that growing up."
"I guess you're right."
They continued their conversation, changing topics every so often. When the train pulled into King's Cross Station the finality of it hit Albus. He'd never step back onto this train again. He had been so in his thoughts he had missed Scorpius struggling with his luggage.
"Would you help me?" Scorpius huffed out.
Albus laughed. After all these years he could finally throw that statement back at Scorpius, "No, I'd rather you suffered."
Scorpius joined him in laughing but Albus did end up helping his best friend with the suitcase. With this chapter closed they could start a new story—together. Something completely new but still anchored in all of their quirks and traditions.