A/N: Okay, so here's my second chapter. Sorry if it's a bit late. I want to thank all the people who have reviewed so far, and for those of you have favorited and added my story to story alerts could you please review? It doesn't even have to be long, just saying that you like it. Or hate it. Hopefully the first one.

Disclaimer: I am not over 30, I don't have kids, and I don't have the amazing imagination of J.K. Rowling. Therefore, I do not own Harry Potter.

Albus gazed blearily down at his porridge, the loud chatter of his classmates pounding on his ears. He stifled a yawn, his shoulders slumping. Albus couldn't imagine why anyone would want to be up this early. He had always hated getting up before eight. At home his family had joked that he seemed more like Ron's son. For a moment, Albus felt a pang of homesickness, but it quickly passed.

Beside him Scorpius sat looking chipper, which made Albus want to hit him. He settled with sending him annoyed glares, which Scorpius cheerfully ignored. Rose sat across them, her hair sticking out in every which way. Albus spotted his brother James further down, asleep on the table.

"This seems like it's going to be an awful day," he muttered to himself. Scorpius rolled his eyes at him, while Rose pretended not to hear.

"So, are you guy ex-excited?" Rose asked, yawning. "I really hope the teachers are nice. I hate mean teachers."

"Rose," Albus said, rolling his eyes. "You've never had a mean teacher."

"I know, but I've read about them!" she replied in a duh-you-are-so-stupid voice. "There's an awful teacher at every school. Haven't you heard the stories from mum and dad? Professor Snape was horrid to them, especially to Uncle Harry."

Albus felt a familiar jolt at the mention of his namesake. He had never known whether to feel proud or upset that his father had named him after Snape. On the one hand, he had protected his dad and spied for their side, but on the other he had been horrible to his father. At the moment, Albus was inclined to feel upset about it.

"Snape?" Scorpius asked, looking interested. "I've heard a lot about him."

"Oh, I bet you have." A sneering voice spoke from behind him. "After all, Death Eaters have to know about each other, don't they?"

Albus turned to see a tall, heavyset boy standing behind them. He had golden brown hair and green eyes that resembled scummy pond water. Flanked on his left was a scrawny, pale boy with blue eyes. The boy who had spoken glared down at Scorpius, a cruel smile crossing his face.

"Yeah," the short boy taunted. "Can we see your Dark Mark, Death Boy?"

"Or have they kicked you out? I doubt they'd want a skinny little wimp like you." The first boy said mockingly.

Albus opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by Rose.

"Oh, lay off," she said, looking contemptuously at him. "Anyone with a brain can tell he isn't a Death Eater. Although I guess that explains why you're teasing him."

Albus silently congratulated his cousin on the quick remark. The boy's face turned red, and he began to say something. But before he could, Professor Longbottom appeared behind him.

"Is there trouble here?" he asked mildly.

"No," the boy muttered, then turned and stomped off. The other boy followed him, shooting a dirty look towards the group. Professor Longbottom stared after them, a thoughtful look on his face.

"First day, and already an enemy, huh?" he heaved a great big sigh. "You're definitely your fathers' children." Still looking lost in thought, he strode back towards the staff table.

"Ugh, I hate people like that!" Rose exclaimed the moment he had left. "They're just big bullies who don't know what they're talking about. They should know better about Scorpius, I mean really. Obviously he's not some Death—ow, Albus, what was that for?"

Albus glared at Rose, then looked pointedly at Scorpius. She scowled back at Albus, but her expression softened when she saw the hurt look on Scorpius' face. He was staring down at his bowl, his lips pressed tightly together and a sad look in his grey eyes.

"I'm not hungry," he said abruptly, and stood quickly. "I'll catch up with you later." Scorpius dashed from the room and disappeared through the door. Albus and Rose looked at each other, both of their brows furrowed.

Rose bit her lip. "Poor Scorpius. I think you better go after him, Al."

"Why me?" Albus asked desperately.

Rose fixed him with a hard look. "Because you're his friend, dummy."

"So are you!" Albus countered.

"Yes, yes, but you're a boy. You understand him better. Both of you have problems with attention; though for him it's the opposite. Besides," she said, looking down guiltily. "I'm pretty sure my big mouth will run away from me, and I don't want to hurt him more."

Albus stared at her silently. After a minute or two, he stood and rushed out after Scorpius.

Rose looked after him, a small smile playing across her face.

Albus skidded into the entrance hall, his head whipping around, searching for any sign of Scorpius. It was nearly empty, as everyone else was back in the Great Hall, having a fabulous breakfast. A pang of hunger went through his stomach, but he ignored it. Spotting Nick floating by, Albus shouted out to him. "Nick! Hey, Nick!"

Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington stopped, waiting for Albus to catch up.

"What is it, my boy? Not in trouble already, I hope." Nick asked him, a genuine smile on his face. "Why I remember when your father—"

"Have you seen Scorpius? Scorpius Malfoy?" Albus cut him off. He was annoyed that once again his father had been mentioned.

"Why, yes," Nick said, looking taken aback. "He went down there—"

"Thanks Nick!" Albus called, already racing down the corridor. He slowed to a walk as he got farther down.

"Scorpius? Where are you, mate?" Albus called softly. He didn't want to attract unwanted attention, but at the same time he wanted to find Scorpius as quickly as possible.

Listening intently, he walked quickly down the corridor. "Scorp?" he said again. "Come on, its me."

"There are a lot of "me's" in the world, myself included." A dark shape unattached itself from the wall. "What are you doing, Albus?" Scorpius looked tiredly at him.

"Looking for you, you prat." Albus retorted, sending him a grin. "You don't really think I'd let you get away with leaving me alone with Rose, did you?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes, but smiled tentatively back at him. "She's not that bad."

"You haven't tried living with her!" Albus lightly punched his friend's shoulder. "But really," he said, looking much more serious. "You shouldn't let them get to you like that."

Scorpius glared at him. "Do you know how hard it is for me?" he asked, a dangerous tone in his voice. "Everywhere I go, people are always giving me dirty looks and whispering things about me behind my back. I hate it! No one ever gives me a chance. They don't know how hard it was for my family back when Voldemort was alive, but they automatically assume that I want to be like the rest of them. I don't! I hate what my family did, but I understand it. Not everyone can be as good and noble as Pot—as some people. Why can't anyone understand that?" By the end of this he was shouting.

Albus took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. He knew that his friend was about to say "Potter", but he also knew that Scorpius was hurt and upset. It wasn't his fault that any of this had happened, just like it wasn't Albus's.

"Listen," Albus said gently, trying not to provoke him into another rant. "I know that it's unfair for you. I know what you're going through." He put up a hand, cutting off Scorpius who had opened his mouth furiously to retort. "Everywhere I go, people look at me like I'm a saint, and whisper things about me behind my back. It's easier for my siblings, because they don't look like my dad as much as I do. People expect a lot from the son of the savior of the wizarding world and all that. The only friends I've had outside my family were only nice to me so they could meet my dad. They didn't care a thing for me; they just wanted to meet the famous Harry Potter. And I hate it."

Albus clenched his fists together, flashing through all the times people had used him to get close to his father. No matter how many times it had happened, it still stung.

Scorpius looked at him apologetically. He ran his fingers through his hair, then sat down and leaned against the wall tiredly. Sighing heavily, Albus joined him. They both sat there, neither uttering a word, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Life isn't fair." Scorpius finally broke the silence, and looked over at Albus. "We get judged because of our fathers instead of us, and people treat us differently because of it."

Albus didn't say anything, just exhaled slowly. It was true, and there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it. It was a depressing thought.

They sat there for a few more minutes, until the pounding of feet roused them.

"Come on," Albus muttered. "We better go." He stood up, and then offered his hand to Scorpius. He looked at it for a moment, grinned, then firmly grabbed it. Albus yanked him up and the two of them set off to their first class.

"Where were you?" Rose hissed at them as they sat down with seconds to spare. "You were almost late!"

Albus waved her question off, sharing a secretive smile with Scorpius. Albus had the feeling that the blonde boy didn't want Rose to know anything about their conversation, and he felt the same way. Though the cousins usually shared everything, this seemed too private. He leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes.

Maybe his day wouldn't be so bad after all.

The first week passed, and Albus grew accustomed to his daily life at Hogwarts. He enjoyed his classes and all the friends he was making. Unlike his father, Albus never hesitated to raise his hand in class, though Rose's hand nearly always beat him. However, he didn't mind. Albus knew that Rose lived for the moments when she could show off her smarts.

Though they didn't have any trouble with the brown-haired boy and his scrawny friend, Albus often caught them glaring over at the trio from the Ravenclaw table. But they made no move to bug them, to which Albus was grateful. It was hard enough as it was making his way around the castle and doing well in his classes. Aside from that, Albus was getting the normal Hogwarts experience his father had never had.

This changed one fateful afternoon.

"I'm bored," Albus moaned, stretching out across the grass. He, Rose and Scorpius were situated under the oak tree that resided near the lake. They had quickly claimed that spot as theirs after noticing what a nice place it was to do homework or to just relax. It was now a favorite spot of theirs to hang out, along with the common room, and for Rose, the library.

Rose had the end of a quill between her lips, her brow furrowed in concentration. Scorpius was gazing lazily out over the lake, the paper on his lap forgotten. Both turned to Albus when he spoke.

"Did you finish that Transfiguration essay? You could work on that," Rose suggested with a slight roll of the eyes.

"I was going to work on it tonight. Come on, it's a beautiful out and we only have one more day before we have to go back to classes."

Rose sighed, but put away her stuff. She stood, stretching. Albus and Scorpius followed her lead, and gathered up their stuff.

"Well what do you want to do?" Rose asked them.

"I know!" Scorpius jumped up, and gave them a mischievous grin. "I have just the thing." He ran towards the castle, calling out behind him, "Be right back!"

"Hurry!" Rose yelled after him. She settled herself back into the roots of the gigantic oak. Albus plopped down on the grass next to her.

He watched Scorpius sprint into the castle, and turned his attention back to Rose. Her gaze was raking over the peaceful scene. Suddenly she bolted straight up, and narrowed her eyes. Albus quickly followed her gaze, and his eyes glinted dangerously.

"That prat! That complete and utter prat!" Rose jumped up. She stormed across the field, Albus not far behind. For once he didn't mind his cousin's temper, as his was rising steadily as well.

"What do you think you are doing?" Rose put her hands on her hips, facing the brown-haired boy and his sidekick who had taunted Scorpius. On the ground by their feet was a familiar black bag with papers and books and a variety of other things peeking out. Albus had recognized it instantly, even from across the field. It was Scorpi

us's.

The brown-haired boy looked up at them, smirking. However, once he caught sight of Rose he seemed at a loss of words. The sunlight hit her back, and for once her hair was groomed. The boy looked dazedly at her, a smile creeping across his face. He shook his head and stood quickly, still grinning at Rose.

"I'm Mark. Mark Anderson. And you must be an angel." Anderson stuck out a hand, his eyes trained on Rose's face. Albus wanted to gag at the pick-up line.

"Listen here, Anderson," Rose said mockingly. "You better give me that bag back or I'll—" Albus elbowed her, sending her a warning glance. They had to give him a chance to give it back without violence.

Albus looked Anderson dead in the eye, and was pleased to see that he only endured a few seconds of his piercing green eyes before looking away. "Give me the bag," he said firmly.

"See, I don't think we can do that." The scrawny boy spoke up. "We found it see, so I think this belongs to us now."

Rose gave him a look of disgust. "And who are you?" she asked bitingly.

"This is Anthony Cooper. A friend." Anderson drew her attention back to him. "Now what were you saying, sweetheart?"

"First of all, don't call me that. I'm eleven, and I'm not looking for a boyfriend. Even if I were, I'd find someone with more class than you. Second of all, you know what I want. Hand over the bag." Rose stepped closer to the two boys, an intimidating figure even at her short height.

Anderson and Cooper glanced at each other, then reluctantly surrendered the bag.

"So, Rose, what do you say—" Anderson began.

"As much as I'd love to stay, Albus and I should be going." Rose picked up the bag and stomped away with her head held high. Albus ran after her, trying to keep up with her long steps.

"The nerve of some people!" she raged. "I have half a mind to go back and hex them!"

"Rose—"

"I mean, what is their problem? Why do they have to pick on Scorpius?"

"Rose—"

"What has he ever done to them?"

"ROSE!" Albus finally yelled. Rose spun around to face him, with an annoyed look on her face.

"What, Albus? I'm kind of talking here."

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Albus handed her a letter. "You dropped this." He said, barely keeping the annoyance from his voice.

Rose huffed, looked at it once, and made to put it in the bag. Her eyes widened and she looked back again. "Albus!" she exclaimed. "This is from Scorpius' grandfather!"

"What?" Albus peered over her shoulder. He was incredibly curious to what it said. "Should we read it?"

The cousins looked at one another, then they both made a grab for the letter. Rose eagerly unfolded it and Albus looked over her shoulder.

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy,

I couldn't believe it when your father told me that you had been sorted into Gryffindor. I am absolutely disgusted and outraged. How dare you do this to the family name? We were once respected pure-bloods, and now you are ruining our image. I have never been so disappointed in a Malfoy.

I have also gotten word that you have made friends with a Weasley and a Potter. You must drop them, and find some respectable pure-blood friends. I better hear that you've done so boy, otherwise you will be sorry.

I expected better from you, Scorpius. I now have to struggle to regain the family name. I will see you at Christmas.

Your grandfather,

Lucius Malfoy

"I can't believe it!" Albus said angrily. "How dare that-that snake get mad at him for being in Gryffindor! How dare he tell him not to be friends with us! Why do you suppose Scorpius didn't tell us?"

"I don't know," Rose bit her lip worriedly, her eyes still raking over the letter. "But I don't like it."

"Hey, guys! I found it!" Rose and Albus jumped, turning to see Scorpius approaching them, waving a Fanged Frisbee in his hand. He stopped short at the sight of his bag on the ground and the letter in their hands. His eyes narrowed and his chin lifted.

"What is going on here?"

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