Chapter Two

I'm woken early the next morning by Mum gently shaking me.

"Wake up, Rosie," she says softly. I open my eyes sleepily, looking up at her. It strikes me that this will be the last time in rather a long while that I'm woken by my Mum. The thought is an oddly sad one and I have to hold back the tears that threaten to spring to my eyes.

"We're leaving in an hour, Rosie," Mum says now that she has ascertained I'm definitely awake, "Make sure you don't forget to have breakfast."

She hurries out of the room again, calling for Dad and demanding to know what he's done with her laptop. I roll my eyes. A couple of months ago Dad didn't even know what a laptop was. He still looks at it as though he's worried it's going to explode sometimes. There's no way it was him who moved it. If anyone it was probably Hugo, borrowing it to play computer games again.

Sure enough, moments later I hear her berating Hugo for taking her laptop without asking first. Chuckling to myself, I roll out of bed. Rather than putting on casual clothes and changing into my robes later, I've decided just to put them on now. I know it might attract some odd looks at Kings Cross, but I just can't resist. They look so smart and grown-up. I still can't believe that I'm actually going to Hogwarts!

The next hour is a pretty frantic rush as we dash around, trying to get everything sorted. Mum and I packed my trunk the night before, but she suddenly realises that we forgot to put a couple of my books in, and we have to repack it completely to get everything to fit. Eventually, however, we manage to get everything in the car, and we're ready to go.

Dad is driving us to the station, which is always a little scary. He only passed his driving test a few months ago, and we're still not sure how he managed it. He's not exactly the most careful of drivers. Nevertheless, we reach the station unscathed, and we're soon standing on platform nine and three-quarters. I've been before, of course, to see Teddy off to Hogwarts, and James last year when he started, but this is the first time it's actually been me getting on that train. The atmosphere seems different, somehow. Or perhaps it's just that I'm a part of it now, rather than simply looking on and waiting for my turn.

We quickly find Albus and his parents. He looks nervous and seems very relieved to see me. I grin at him, trying to calm his nerves a little. Al gets very nervous about things, and I know that James has probably been winding him up and telling him all sorts of awful stories all morning. Poor Al. I don't know what he ever did to deserve an idiot like James for a brother.

Hugo's face lights up when he sees Lily, and they are quickly engrossed in a conversation about houses. Dad and Uncle Harry load our trunks onto the train, then return to where we are standing.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," Dad says, interrupting Lily and Hugo's conversation, "but no pressure."

"Ron!"

Lily and Hugo laugh, but Albus just looks even more nervous. Mum and Auntie Ginny assure us that he doesn't mean it, but I can't help wondering. Dad always takes it harder than everyone else when one of our cousins goes into a house other than Gryffindor. When he heard that Dominique had gone into Slytherin he practically had a heart attack. It was several weeks before he could hear her name without scowling, and another two years before he was capable of having a civil conversation with her and not bring up her house at any point. I guess I just have to hope that if I'm not in Gryffindor he'll forgive me eventually.

Dad has lost interest in the conversation (I swear he has the concentration span of a five-year-old!) and is watching a family standing around fifty yards away.

"Look who it is," he says. We all glance over. I recognise the man as Draco Malfoy, someone Dad really doesn't like very much. He's standing with his wife and son, who appears to also be going into first year. I knew Draco Malfoy had a son, but I hadn't realised he was my age. That could be interesting.

"So that's little Scorpius," Dad says, "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

Mum scolds Dad for trying to create enmity between us before we've even started school, but I'm not really listening. I'm watching Scorpius, intrigued. Of course you can't tell much about somebody simply by looking at them, but I don't think he's much like Mum and Dad say Draco Malfoy was when he was at school. He doesn't look arrogant or full of himself. He just looks kinda nervous, a lot like Al and I really. I feel a surge of sympathy for him. Al and I are both going to Hogwarts with a lot of expectations hanging over us. Everybody knows who our parents are, and that's going to affect the way they treat us. But at least people like our parents. Poor Scorpius is going to a school where everybody thinks of him as the son of the man who was once a Death Eater.

I'm distracted from Scorpius Malfoy by the arrival of James, who announces dramatically that he's just seen Teddy snogging Victoire. He seems rather disappointed when nobody is surprised, but honestly, what does he expect? Anyone with half a brain knew Teddy and Victoire would end up together. I've been able to see it coming for years.

Uncle Harry checks his watch and advises us all to get on the train. I get a hug and a kiss from both my parents, then Dad helps me onto the train. I notice that Al is no longer with me, but realise that he's deliberately hung back to talk to his dad. I figure he probably needs to talk about something in particular, so I sit down and wave at the adults on the platform. The window is open and Dad stands by it, saying a last goodbye.

"Enjoy yourself, Rosie," he says, "You're gonna love Hogwarts. And don't worry about what I said earlier. No matter what house you're in, and who you make friends with, Mum and I will always be proud of you. Even if …" he pauses, gulps, then forces the words out, "Even if you're in … Slytherin." I grin. He must have noticed my worried expression earlier. Perhaps he's more perceptive than I give him credit for.

"Thanks, Dad," I say. Al has finished talking to his dad now. He joins me on the train and Auntie Ginny closes the door. We lean out of the open window and I suddenly realise that a great deal of people are gawking in our direction.

"Why are they all staring?" Albus asks, though it's pretty obvious.

"Don't let it worry you," Dad says, "It's me. I'm extremely famous."

We all laugh. The train begins to move and we all hang out of the windows, waving excitedly. As soon as the platform is out of sight I lean back in my seat, grinning at Albus.

"You excited?" I ask, though the answer is obvious in his face.

"Absolutely."