A/N: This was done for the Train Ride Challenge.

Scorpius was a little bit nervous. Alright, so he didn't look nervous, but he was sweating bullets on the inside. People were whispering and staring at him whenever he passed by them, searching for an empty compartment. Doors were slammed in his face with an ugly whisper of 'Death Eater'. It hurt, knowing he wouldn't be accepted at Hogwarts because of his family's reputation. His father had sat him down the day he got his letter, telling him about what he and his grandfather had done in the past, and he had also apologized for all the pain he would cause him. He realized that that was the reason they rarely went out in public. That was the reason everyone stared and pointed when they did go out.

"People won't forgive us that easily." He had said. "Especially since you look like me. But you must bear through it. Stick with your friends; they're the ones that matter the most."

'What friends?' Scorpius thought bitterly. 'No one would want to be friends with the son of a Death Eater.'

With a small amount of relief, he found an empty compartment and quickly occupied it. Grabbing his book, Hogwarts: A History, he settled down to read while his small barn owl, Regalis, napped in his cage beside him. Slowly, the minutes passed by as various people came around, glanced in his compartment, then left. Soon, no one was bothering him. It seemed that they were warning people off from coming here. It didn't matter to him though, he vainly convinced himself; he didn't want to be friends with them in the first place either.

Suddenly, he could hear the sound of footsteps and pasted a mask of indifference on his face. Who was it this time, he wondered. He could hear two voices growing louder as they approached his compartment and they appeared to be arguing slightly.

"Can't you just pick a compartment already? I'd like to sit down, thank you very much." It was a girl's voice, sounding faintly annoyed.

"All the other ones were full and James wouldn't let us sit in his. Or would you rather we randomly pick one and have strangers gawking at us the whole train ride?" It was a boy's voice this time that spoke.

A pause. And then,

"Look, let's sit in that one!"

The door to his compartment opened and he found himself face to face with none other than the son of the famous Harry Potter. Scorpius blinked. The boy blinked back at him.

"What's the hold up, Al?" The girl's voice asked from behind him.

Scorpius tensed, waiting for the hostility to arrive. A Malfoy and a Potter? They were fated to be enemies. After all, their fathers had been constantly insulted and competing against each other from the first day they met. But the cruel words never came. Instead, he shifted slightly on his feet and asked, "Can we sit here?" in a quiet, meek voice that he would have never expected from a Potter.

Scorpius merely looked away. And then froze.

'Wait, no! I didn't mean to do that!' He frantically thought. They were going to leave now for sure. He suddenly realized that he didn't want to be alone, and that he wanted them to stay. He turned back to them, to ask them to stay.

But again, the boy surprised Scorpius. He merely offered him a small smile and said, "Thanks." before walking into the compartment. The girl behind him had bushy red hair and piercing blue eyes. She came in after him and sat down. Tension was still running pretty high in the air though.

"My name is Rose Weasley." She introduced, holding out a hand towards him. "And this is Albus."

"But you can call me Al." Albus offered.

Scorpius smiled slightly. The first real smile of the day.

"My name is Scorpius. It's nice to meet you."

And he reached over to grasp her hand. The tension now broken, the three new friends spent the entire train ride laughing and sharing candy. They knew, that no matter what House they got sorted into, they would always remember this moment, because it was this moment that their friendship was sealed forever.