Chapter Two – A Familiar Journey

As the train rounded the corner with a whistle, chatter was heard all around as new and old students turned to search for empty compartments to occupy. The air was still crisp and fresh as it mixed with the steam and smoke of the train.

'Come on, we've got to find a good one!' said Rose.

Albus turned around and noticed that most of the compartments in their carriage were already full of students. Many of them looked – and even pointed – at them with curiosity and wonder. There were a few giggles here and there.

'What do you mean by "a good one"?' asked Albus.

'Well, our parents met all of their best mates on their very first train ride to Hogwarts! Whoever we choose to sit with now really matters. It will probably affect our entire career at Hogwarts!' she retorted.

'But… but… I don't want to pick my friends right now…' said Albus.

'Look Al, you're a Potter, and I'm a Weasley-Granger, we're probably going to have the easiest time making friends. Anyone would want to hang around famous Harry Potter's kid! And his cousin...' she laughed sheepishly.

With that, she ushered him forward towards the next carriage. They passed more full compartments with giggles and babble following their every step. As they advanced through the carriages, more and more of them seemed to be fully occupied. Albus noticed that by now they had left London behind. At last, they reached a compartment with only two students which sat opposite each other, already fully dressed in their Hogwarts robes, they looked in opposite directions not talking to each other. Al recognised one of them, a tall, pale, and blond boy that looked remarkably like his father. He spotted him briefly entering the train some time ago while his father had nodded curtly at Albus' own father, Harry. The other student was a thin, scrawny, sandy colour haired boy that looked annoyed with his seating situation.

'Ew it's that little Malfoy boy. Let's go find another compartment,' whispered Rose.

'We already passed three carriages! This is the first free one we've seen! Let's just get in here, I'm tired of walking,' said Albus.

'Fine. Okay,' said Rose frustratingly.

She pushed aside the door to the compartment and asked the boy on the right 'Is anyone sitting here? Mind if we join?'.

The boy with the sandy coloured hair nodded and gestured toward the seat next to his. He looked positively delighted at the fact that he was now not sitting alone with Malfoy. Rose sat down next to him as Albus took the seat across from her.

'Rose Weasley,' she stretched out her hand.

'Connor Finnigan,' he said as he shook her hand. 'And you?' he stretched out his hand to Albus.

'Albus Potter,' he replied, as the other boys gasped.

'But your dad's famous! My dad always goes on about how he was classmates with your dad!' said Connor.

'Oh, you're Seamus Finnigan's son, aren't you?' said Rose. 'We've met your dad at Diagon Alley last week with my mum.'

'Yup. My dad told me he'd met you at Diagon Alley. Figured you'd already be seated by now... We were a bit late for the train you see. All the good spots were already taken,' he threw an annoyed look at Malfoy.

As if she had just spotted him there, Rose shot Malfoy a nasty look. 'No need to ask who you are. You Malfoys are very easy to spot,' she said aggressively.

'Yeah…' he chuckled nervously; 'Scorpius Malfoy,' said the blond boy next to Albus.

He stretched out a hand that went unshaken. Albus couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, he didn't ask to be born a Malfoy. Just as he, Albus, did not ask to be born a Potter. They were both, weirdly, burdened by their fathers' famous (or in Scorpius's case infamous) reputation. Scorpius lowered his gaze sadly and looked back out the window.

'So, do you think you'll be sorted into Gryffindor too?' Rose asked Connor.

'Oh yes, I hope I do at least,' said Connor. 'It's by far the best one. I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw either, I suppose. Hufflepuff might be a little tough, wouldn't want to be stuck with all the slow kids,' he chuckled. 'But imagine being sorted into Slytherin, Ha! I think I'd ask to leave! I really don't understand why they kept this house…' he concluded.

'Slytherin aren't all bad!' said Scorpius suddenly 'Professor Slughorn was one of the best teachers at the school and he was a Slytherin.'

'Yes, but he retired, didn't he? For like the third time a few years back? Not really a consistent bloke, was he?' said Connor.

'Professor Snape was in Slytherin too,' Albus added, 'and my father says he's the bravest man he's ever known.'

Scorpius looked at Albus gratefully.

'So who's teaching potions now then?' asked Rose inquiringly.

'Some new lady, she's Irish like me I've heard,' said Connor.

'She's also the new head of Slytherin House,' said Scorpius, desperate to remain in the conversation.

'She can't be any good then, can she?' said Rose nastily.

The door to their compartment swung open at once, a pretty, black girl and a short boy with freckles looked inside their compartment. Albus recognised the girl; his cousin, Roxanne, was always the life of the party.

'James is meeting up with the first-years to give us some tips about our first night at Hogwarts. He says that if you sneak out on your first night you can see the secret teachers' ceremony! You guys wanna come along?' she gestured at Albus and Rose.

Rose looked at Connor and then at Albus 'what do you say?' she asked.

'Sure, I'd love to come,' said Connor.

'Actually, I think I'll stay here,' said Albus. 'I still have to change into my robes and the trolley witch will be coming soon.'

'Suit yourself,' said Rose.

And with one final disapproving look at Scorpius, she left the compartment with Connor, Roxanne, and the short kid.

'You didn't have to stay here with me,' said Scorpius as Albus switched over to the seat across from him.

'I've heard enough of my brother's nonsense stories about Hogwarts,' said Albus. 'Besides, I didn't feel like you were too bad a company.'

Scorpius blushed. It was true, though Rose, Connor, and even Uncle Ron seemed to hate Scorpius from the moment they'd set eyes on him, Albus did not see anything to hate about him. He was quiet, shy, and polite just like Albus.

'So which house do you reckon you'll be in?' said Albus.

'Well, Slytherin… I don't seem to have much choice in the matter…' said Scorpius. 'But it can't be too bad, can it?' he asked hopefully.

'I don't suppose so no…' assured Albus. 'My dad says he doesn't care which house I end up in. And if he doesn't care, I suppose, it doesn't really matter then, does it?'

Albus and Scorpius spent the next few hours talking about their homes and their families. To Albus' surprise, Scorpius seemed to have very few family members overall.

'Just my parents, grandparents, and a couple of second cousins I'm afraid,' said Scorpius.

'Well, at least you don't have a thousand of them. It gets confusing. And each one is more impressive than the other… Did you know Rose already memorised the first chapters in all of our book?' said Albus.

'She's smart, isn't she?' said Scorpius.

'The smartest person I know,' said Albus grimly. 'Though she can get a bit full of herself.'

The trolley witch arrived a few minutes later. They each bought Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Fizzing Whizzbees to last them the rest of the ride to Hogwarts. For the next hour they sat in silence as they ate their sweets with the countryside becoming rougher and wilder as the day progressed. Soon fields and villages were replaced by forests and hills and the bright crisp afternoon turned brilliant red and orange.

'You better change into your robes; I reckon we'll be there soon,' said Scorpius.

Albus agreed and pulled his robes from his trunk. As he was putting them on, Rose passed by and gave him a weird look from beyond the door. He shrugged and continued to look for his wand in the mess inside his trunk. The dread that was slowly creeping along his body now peaked as the Sorting Ceremony came closer and closer. Yet, for a change, he was not dreading being sorted into Slytherin as much. Perhaps it was the reassuring promise of Scorpius as his friend, but life as a Slytherin did not seem as bad as he'd thought it to be for the past two months of the summer. He was still fearing, however, the anticipating looks on everyone's faces as the youngest son of the great Harry Potter would take the stage to be sorted. Still dreading the whispers and the giggles and all the attention he would be getting. He was, after all, famous. He was famous before he could even walk or talk, famous before he even set foot in that school, famous for things his father had achieved long before he was even born. How could the legendary Harry Potter ever know what it was like to live in the shadow of his famous family. He could not help but resent his father a little for telling him it was all going to be fine.

'Hey, did you read about this new Nimbus model that's coming out?' said Scorpius suddenly, holding a Daily Prophet newspaper that he pulled out of his own trunk.

'Yeah, the new Nimbus 3003, James has been trying to convince my dad to buy him one. Dad said he could have one once he actually gets on the Gryffindor team... And wins the cup for them the same year,' replied Albus.

Scorpius chuckled. 'Are you going to try and get on your house's team?' he asked.

'I don't even know if I'm good yet. Mum never lets me practice. Says it isn't safe and that I need proper training. Even though I know for a fact she was riding brooms with my uncles since before she went to Hogwarts.'

'Well, I've been practicing for a while now and I think I'm pretty decent. Maybe not Chaser material but I could definitely make a good Seeker. I can spot the Snitch from a mile away!'

For the first time Scorpius seemed confident in something. Quidditch seemed to be the only subject he knew he excelled at. Albus thought about another of his father's great achievements; becoming the youngest Seeker in a hundred years the moment he'd set foot in Hogwarts. He felt another pang of anxiety and nausea at the thought of how badly he would most likely suck at Quidditch.

'I bet you they won't even let us try out for the teams though… They wouldn't want some scrawny first-years screwing up their games,' finished Scorpius resentfully.

Albus made some non-committal noise as he gazed outside again. It was almost completely dark as the train began to slope upwards. He kept reassuring himself that, in a few hours, it'll all be over, and he would be laying in his cosy bed awaiting his first day at Hogwarts. He had been dreaming about this moment for so long, he couldn't believe he was actually on his way to the school he had heard so much about his entire life. And with that thought, for the first time since the morning, excitement mixed into the consistent anxiety and fear that gripped him so tightly. Scorpius seemed to share his worries, or at least his nausea, as he went very quiet all of a sudden. He looked out the window at the dark sky with a pale face and a solemn look. Albus was now getting slightly hungry, and he was wondering whether they served Shepherd's Pie in the Great Hall.

The train started to slow down with a screech as the outside world went completely dark. And then, as suddenly as an explosion of fireworks in the darkness, the castle appeared out of a cloud as a sea of sparkling windows floating in the night sky. There it was, that same place that has been his father's home for so many years. And now, it would be Albus' home for the foreseeable future. The tracks screeched again after a few moments as the train stopped at Hogsmeade station. Light mist filled the air around the platform as the students stepped out of the train with their friends and began to walk toward the carriages pulled by the invisible Thestrals.

'Firs'-years follow me! Firs'-years over here!' called a familiar voice.

Albus recognised Rubeus Hagrid's voice from his many visits to their home at 12 Grimmauld Place. The Hogwarts gamekeeper, and half-giant, was always much kinder than he seemed.

'All righ' there, Albus? Rose?'

Rose had appeared from behind Albus and Scorpius suddenly and walked past them without any acknowledgement that they were standing there.

'Hi Hagrid!' she yelled at the tall figure.

'Hey there Rosie, dear, nice ter see ye again. Are there any more firs'-years around? That's all then? Right.'

He called again at all the smaller students left on the platform 'C'mon, follow me - Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!'.

They all followed Hagrid down a steep, narrow path. As Hagrid informed them of the coming sight, they looked up at the castle that appeared beyond the Great Lake and the trees on the sides of the path. Several students called in amazement.

'Right ova' here then mind yer step. No more'n four students a boat' called Hagrid, who had stepped into a boat for himself. 'Everyone in their seats? Right then – FORWARD!'.

And with one lurch ahead the boats began to slide along the dark waters and towards the glowing turrets and towers of the castle ahead. The ride went on silently as they approached the cliff on which Hogwarts stood.

'Heads down!' yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the narrow tunnel below the cliff. After passing through the tunnel, they reached an underground harbour, the boats parked themselves at the pier as the students climbed onto the dock. At last, as everyone seemed to be finding their bearings, Hagrid motioned and led them up a stony path to the castle's entrance. A long streak of light hit the pavement as the doors swung open. A small man with a curly white beard stood at the entrance.

''Ere ye are Professor Flitwick, our fresh firs'-years ready for sorting,' Hagrid said to the small figure.

'Very good. Very good. Thank you, Hagrid. Now if you will kindly follow me through here,' squeaked Professor Flitwick as he gestured to the crowd of trembling first-years.

Passing through the immense doorway into the even larger Entrance Hall, Albus could hear muffled talk and laughter from the Great Hall ahead. Professor Flitwick led them through the hall and into a much smaller room. He closed the door behind them with a short flick of his wand. The Sorting Ceremony was about to begin.