CHAPTER 4 TRANSITION PART TWO

SECOND YEAR

Albus somehow survived his first year. It wasn't easy, but he did it. He became close to Scorpius and isolated himself from everyone else, even Rose.

Albus twitched a little. He didn't really like Hogwarts all that much, but he hated being next to his father. He felt like people were comparing him to his father. Sure, yeah he was the only one with black hair, James and Lily lucked out, but still! James was more like Harry probably anyway. "I'm just asking you, dad, if you'll…" Albus hesitated. "If you'll just stand a little away from me?"

Harry looked surprised and amused at the same time. "Second-years don't like to be seen with their dads, is that it?" Harry chuckled, smiling down at Albus. Albus was growing taller, but he was still shorter than Harry.

A random stranger began to look at the two of them. The wizard looked a little too giddy.

Albus tried to look away from the stranger. "No," He said in dismay. "It's just—you're you and… and I'm me and…"

Harry reassured Albus and said soothingly, "It's just people looking, okay? People look. And they're looking at me, not you."

The wizard handed Harry a piece of paper and a pen. Harry smiled kindly and signed the piece of paper. The stranger darted away as soon as Harry handed him the paper back.

"At Harry Potter and his disappointing son," Albus growled.

"What do you mean?" Inquired Harry.

Albus sighed dramatically and said, "At Harry Potter and his Slytherin son…"

Harry was about to say something, but James raced by, carrying his bags and saying, "Slythering Slytherin! Stop with your dithering! Time to get onto the train!"

Albus considered giving James the finger, a muggle sign, but his father was around him so he thought better. He just glared with hateful eyes at James.

"Unnecessary, James," Harry boomed, giving his son a reproachful look.

Albus kept giving James a hateful look, which really bothered Harry. James laughed, "See you at Christmas, Dad!"

"Al—" Harry started.

"My name is Albus, not Al," Albus interrupted coldly.

Harry studied Albus, but Albus refused to look at his father. Instead, he glared hatefully at where James had been. "Are the other kids being unkind?" Harry blurted out bluntly. "Is that it? Maybe if you tried making a few more friends… without Hermione and Ron I wouldn't have survived Hogwarts, I wouldn't have survived at all…"

Albus curled his lip and said frustrated, "But I don't need a Ron and Hermione. I've—I've got a friend, Scorpius, and I know you don't like him but he's all I need."

Harry pursed his lips together and looked concerned but said, "Look, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters to me."

Albus waved that aside and changed the subject without hesitation. "You didn't need to bring me to the station, Dad…"

Albus hastily gathered the last of his bags and darted away. Harry's face turned sad and he said to himself, "But I wanted to be here…"

Out of nowhere, a tall slender handsome faced man appeared next to Harry. "I need a favour," The blonde haired man said.

"Draco," Harry said slowly.

Draco said in a desperate pleading sort of way, "Those rumors—about my son's parentage—they don't seem to be going away. The other Hogwarts students tease Scorpius about it relentlessly-if the Ministry could release a statement reaffirming that all Time-Turners were destroyed in the Battle of the Departments of Mysteries…"

Harry knew where this was all going, and was tired of hearing it. "Draco, just let it blow over—they'll soon move on," He said trying to keep his cool.

Draco kept pressuring. "My son is suffering and—Astoria hasn't been well recently—so he needs all the support he can get."

"If you answer the gossip, you feed the gossip," Harry finally snapped. "There've been rumors Voldemort had a child for years, Scorpius is not the first to be accused. The Ministry, for your sake as well as others, needs to steer well clear!"

Albus and Rose were waiting for the drain. Albus sighed and broke the silence. "As soon as the train leaves you don't have to talk to me."

Rose didn't answer back right away. Then she said calmly, "I know. We just need to keep the pretense up in front of the grownups."

Albus' face twitched a little. For the grownups. It was always for the grownups.

Before Albus could say something snarky, Scorpius ran up to them. He ignored Albus' presents for the minute and turned to Rose. "Hi, Rose."

Rose gave him a hollow look, looked at Albus and said, "Bye, Albus." She walked away from the two boys.

Scorpius watched her leave and said in a dreamy tone, "She's melting…"

Albus gave Scorpius a weird looked. Yeah, she was totally melting…

Professor McGonagall stood there smiling, holding up a piece of parchment. "And I am pleased to announce Gryffindor's newest members of the Quidditch team—our…" She paused realizing she couldn't be bias. "Your superb new Chaser, Rose Granger-Weasley!"

The hall erupted with cheers and woops from the Gryffindor table. Even Scorpius was clapping. "Are you clapping her too? We hate Quidditch and he's playing for another House." Albus hissed at Scorpius.

Scorpius looked at Albus expectantly. "She's your cousin, Albus."

"Do you think she'd clap for me?" Albus demanded, making his point.

Scorpius ignored Albus. "I think she's brilliant."

Albus rolled his eyes. His best friend was crushing on his annoying cousin.

Albus and Scorpius ignored the Gryffindors and focused on the potion they were brewing.

"Albus Potter. An irrelevance. Even portraits turn the other way when he comes up the stairs!" Polly said loudly. She had been insulting all morning and Albus was growing angry.

Albus tried to focus. "And now we add—is it horn of the bicorn?"

Karl sneered, "Leave him and Voldemort's child to it, I say."

Scorpius' face turned scarlet and Albus' frown became even deeper. He wanted to punch them. Stick their heads into the boiling pot. Shove them off the Gryffindor tower. "With just a little salamander blood," Albus said, trying to keep his voice level.

Suddenly, the potion exploded loudly, causing everyone to jump and a few girls squeal. "Okay. What's the counter-ingredient? What do we need to change?" Scorpius howled in annoyance.

Albus rubbed the ashes off his face and angrily muttered, "Everything."

THIRD YEAR

Albus was changing rapidly. All throughout last year of Hogwarts he became closer to Scorpius more than ever. He became more disrespectful to the teachers and isolated himself even more, rarely going out of the Slytherin Common room, and rarely talking to other Slytherins.

When Albus came home for summer, he had changed so much. His eyes were darker, his features handsome and sharper, but his skin paler from never going outside.

Harry had been mindlessly chatting with his son at platform nine and three-quarters, but Albus was barely hearing anything.

"Third year. Big year. Here's your permission form for Hogsmeade," Harry said, handing his son the slip of paper.

Albus looked at it like it was a piece of paper that said "you suck". "I hate Hogsmeade," Albus said dryly.

Harry tried to be light and said, "How can you hate a place you haven't actually visited yet?"

"Because I know it'll be full of Hogwarts students," Albus answered back simply.

Harry looked at his son carefully. Albus' hair was jet black and had that untamed streak just like Harry, which made people gawk at the two even more than ever. "Just give it a go," He tried to coax his son. "Come on—this is your chance to go nuts in Honeydukes without your mum knowing—no, Albus, don't you dare!"

Albus ignored his father's warnings and pointed his wand at the paper. "Incendio!"

The ball of paper burst into flames. Harry watched with shock as the paper crackled. "Of all the stupid things!" Harry snapped. He was growing frustrated with his son now.

"The ironic thing is I didn't expect it to work," Albus said casually. "I'm terrible at that spell."

Had Albus been trying that spell before? What on earth had he been trying to set on fire? Harry rubbed his eyes and said slowly, "Al—Albus… I've been exchanging howls with Professor McGonagall—she says you're isolating yourself—you're uncooperative in lessons—you're surly… you're—"

"So what would you like me to do?" Albus broke in rudely. "Magic myself popular? Conjure myself into a new House? Transfigure myself into a better student? Just cast a spell, dad, and change me into what you want me to be, okay? It'll work better for both of us. Got to go. Train to catch. Friend to find."

Albus shot a hot look at his surprised father. He ran off to Scorpius who was sitting on a suit case.

Albus didn't even look back on his father. "Your mum? It's got worse?" Albus said sympathetically.

Scorpius wasn't his usual bubbly self. He just sat there quietly, with a blank face. "It's got the worst it can possibly get."

Albus nodded in an understanding way. He put his arm around his best friend and said, "I thought you'd end me an owl…"

"I couldn't work out what to say…" Scorpius just said.

Albus was quiet and said softly, "And now I don't know what to say…"

"Say nothing."

"Is there anything…?"

Scorpius thought about it. He slowly nodded and Albus could see he was trying not to cry everywhere. "Come to the funeral," was all he said.

"Of course," Albus promised.

"And be my good friend."

"Are you afraid of what you'll hear?" The Sorting Hat bellowed out. "Afraid I'll speak the name you fear? Not Slytherin! Not Gryffindor! Not Hufflepuff! Not Ravenclaw! Don't worry, child, I know my job, you'll learn to laugh, if first you sob. Lily Potter!"

Lily timidly went up and the Professor set the brown old hat onto her head. Albus watched carefully, holding his breath.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat said easily.

Albus let out his breath and Lily jumped up and down. "YES!" She said eagerly.

"Great," Albus mumbled to himself.

Scorpius heard and laughed, "Do you really think she'd come to us? Potters don't belong in Slytherin!"

Scorpius lightly jostled his friend, but Albus just replied moodily back, "This one does. I didn't choose, you know that? I didn't chose to be his son…"

Scorpius' face became serious again. Albus stood up and said he was going to the restrooms. As he left, Scorpius was left alone to think it all over. Albus had a huge burden, and Scorpius was sad for him.