Chapter Three
Hogwarts Again

"Two of the men we all picked out were the ones on trial," Albus explained to Scorpius a week and a half later, "but dad was only allowed to tell us yesterday, after they were given their sentence. They're going to Azkaban for a very long time, and the others we named each have a 5000 galleon price tag on their heads."

"Wow," Scorpius replied, looking out the window of the compartment they'd managed to score to themselves aboard the Hogwarts Express. "Do you think they'll catch any of the others?" he asked, facing his best friend.

"Are you kidding? Of course they will!"

"Albus, they're Aurors, not superheroes," Rose replied quietly, standing up from her seat. "Maybe they will catch them, and maybe they won't. We've got to accept that there's a chance they may be on the run forever."

"Way to be the bearer of bad news," Albus muttered, looking moodily through the window to the wide open countryside.

"Where are you going, anyway?" Scorpius asked her, just as she went to step through the compartment door.

"To sit with some of my other friends," she replied, walking away.

"What other friends?" Scorpius asked Albus, dumbfounded.

Albus shook his head. "No idea."

"Where is she?" Scorpius asked as they exited the train at Hogsmeade Station and headed towards the carriages for the very first time.

"Calm down," Albus replied, stepping into the carriage, "it's Rose. She'll either be with us or the cousins because, let's face it, we're the only ones who can put up with her!"

"She's not that bad," Scorpius reasoned, sitting on one of the benches. "Never mind - here she comes now!"

"Is that...?" Albus began, not believing his eyes.

"It is!" Scorpius exclaimed. "It's Lucy and Grace!" Then, realising what had happened, he turned to face his best friend. "Since when does she have other friends?"

"Since now, apparently," Albus replied, busying himself with examining his wand.

"Hi, guys," Rose greeted them happily, as though nothing abnormal had happened. "Why are you looking at me as if I've got two heads?"

"Because you've got two heads," Albus replied, hardly able to keep himself from laughing.

"WHAT?" Rose screamed, waving her hands around and finding each of her hands coming into contact with a nose - her nose - above each of her shoulders.

"Look, Jay - it worked!" they heard someone yelling through the distance.

"JAMES!" Rose screeched, leaning out of the carriage and glaring daggers at her cousins with all four eyes.

In a stroke of luck for the Gryffindor fourth year in question, the threstrals pulling the carriage he was seated in chose precisely that moment to begin the long trek up to the Castle.

"I'll kill him," Rose growled as she exited the carriage behind the two boys, having already commandeered Scorpius' cloak to wrap around her heads.

"It could be worse," Scorpius mused.

"How?" she demanded in reply.

"He could've given you three." Albus couldn't help himself - he sank to the ground in a fit of laughter.

"It is not funny!" Rose yelled, ripping Scorpius' cloak from her heads and whipping it towards the body of her cousin, which was convulsing in his fit of laughter.

"Oh come on, Rosie," Scorpius stepped in, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from Albus. "Here comes James now. Why don't you go try out some of your new offensive spells?"

"James!" she yelled, racing behind Albus' older brother through the large oak doors and into the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts Castle.

"No running in the hallway!" Albus and Scorpius heard Professor Slughorn yell as they stepped over the threshold. "Ah, Albus. What has gotten into your cousin today?"

"James put some sort of spell on her," Albus explained. "She's grown a second head."

"She's what?" the Professor asked, obviously not believing what he was being told.

"Grown a second head," Scorpius repeated, stepping backwards to avoid being bowled over by James, who was sprinting away from Rose.

"Oh dear," the Professor replied, shaking his head. "I bet he's spent all summer thinking of that one."

"Probably," Albus replied, side-stepping a jinx Rose had aimed at his brother.

"When the spells start flying, I'm obligated to step in," the Professor told the boys, stepping forward and disarming both Rose and James, who was starting to send spells her way. "Ok, you two. James, put her back to normal. And since this is the first day of school, I'll give you one day's grace - any more of this as of tomorrow morning and you'll both have detention. Understand?"

"Yes sir," the two chorused, James simply to humour him and Rose genuinely apologising.

"Ok. Now off to dinner, the lot of you!" Professor Slughorn declared, shepherding the remaining students milling around the doors through the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall, where the feast would occur.

"Good evening, students," Professor McGonagall stated, standing up in her place at the centre of the staff table after both the Sorting and the Feast. "To our new students, welcome. And to our returning students, welcome back to another year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Albus smiled - truly smiled - for the first time in months. He knew in his heart of hearts that Hogwarts is where he belonged.

"As this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, and the end of the Second Wizarding War, several changes have been made in this year's schedule."

Albus looked to Scorpius, confused. Scorpius simply shrugged.

"To put your mind at ease, Mr Potter, the Quidditch schedule will not be interrupted," Professor McGonagall spoke directly to James, who visibly calmed. "However, History of Magic classes will be."

The entirety of the school groaned. Since Dean Thomas had taken over the position of History of Magic Professor last year, the students had actually enjoyed the subject for the first time that anybody could remember. Dean smiled at the students, tears in his eyes.

"Not to worry, Professor Thomas will still be teaching-" Professor McGonagall was cut off by a wave of applause and cheering from the Gryffindor table. "Thank you, Potter and Weasleys," she told the Albus' brother and four cousins, who had begun the cheer, sternly. "As I was saying, Professor Thomas will still be teaching History of Magic. However, he will be teaching with the aid of those who survived the Battle."

The Great Hall was entirely silent. Next to none of them had ever heard a survivor talk about the Battle of Hogwarts, or the war in general before.

"Also," Professor McGonagall continued as though nothing were unusual, "Mr Filch, who has recovered after last year's incident-"

"-Damn!" Albus distinctly heard his brother mutter.

"-has asked me to remind you that any student unaccompanied by a teacher is forbidden from entering the Forbidden Forest," she stated slowly, again looking to Albus' brother and their cousins. "There is a reason for its name. He has also asked me to remind you that all Weasley's Wizards Wheezes products are banned from being brought onto school grounds."

Finally, she stood up and looked around the room. "I know you are all looking forward to this year of learning. Let's make every day count."

"I've never looked forward to my bed so much," Scorpius sighed, standing up and stretching. "Albus?" he asked his best friend, now thoroughly confused. "Al, what's going on?"

"Guys - look," Albus pointed their attention in the direction of the portrait of Godric Gryffindor, which hung on the wall opposite the far end of their table.

"What?" Rose asked, glancing at the picture and looking back again.

"Gryffindor's portrait," Albus replied.

"What about it?" Scorpius asked him, turning to make his way out of the hall.

"It's stopped moving."