AN: Hello all, I'm flame7926, and this is my first piece of fanfiction.

Standard disclaimer applies to every chapter.

I have been working and planning this for a while, and now I'm finally ready to publish the first chapter. I have no beta reader, so if you are interested, PM me. Because of that, the level of polish may be slightly worse than it otherwise would be. I can't promise no awkward sentences, though I think I manage to keep those to a minimum. I can promise a very low level of spelling and grammar errors. I can't promise that the story will be brief or otherwise limited in length. I don't write short stuff. I have a very hard time limiting how long things, mainly conversations, stretch on for, but hopefully they won't be boring. Please review, whether you just have a quick "I like x" or "I dislike x", a word of encouragement, a short sentence or phrase to indicate you read it, or a lengthy critique that completely tears apart the story. Reviews are the only way I know that a person has read the chapter and not just viewed it. So please review. I'd never hold hostage any content for not getting a certain number of reviews, since that is probably the biggest dick move imaginable, but I still strongly encourage anyone who reads this to review, even if you have nothing important to say.

I plan to have this story be the first in a series of seven books, one for each of Albus' years at Hogwarts. There will be romance later, but none involving the main characters in this book. At least there won't be any romance actually happening; there may be mentions of crushes and such. I'll try to update the story at least one every two weeks, but that may lapse while I get the third chapter worked out.

Thanks for reading, and now without further ado, on to the story.

Albus sat on his bed in the Burrow, stomach full of butterflies. Tomorrow was approaching with an alarming rapidity; as without a doubt, it would be the most important day in his life. He had never been enthusiastic about attending Hogwarts, at least compared to James, his brother. While James basked in the cameras and autograph requests, Albus and the majority of his remaining cousins avoided them like the plague. Much of this generation of Weasleys seemed to have inherited their genes from somewhere besides the members of the previous one, since all of the elders loved the spotlight.

Hogwarts would be another opportunity for everyone to surround him with unwanted attention. He'd heard from Teddy and Victoire that James had already carved out a fairly sizeable clique for himself, but that didn't preclude the possibility of a fair amount of stragglers and new students wanting a Potter of their own.

Out his window, the sun sent its last golden rays over the forest and field, and into his room. James and Lily, his brother and sister, were flying brooms, tossing a Quaffle around, both of their red hair shining in the sunset.

James had teased him all day about his reticence and shyness in public, telling him that it was sure Albus would go to Hufflepuff, the house of the meek. Albus had gotten so fed up that he'd gotten Fred and Lily to pull a prank on James. Fred, even though he was closest to James both in age and attitude, was willing to go against him occasionally. After all, what was a friendship without a good joke once in a while? Lily just had a disturbingly steady desire to cause pain and discomfort. Albus knew he would owe them both at some point in the future, but the debt to Lily was the much more worrying one. The number one rule of the Potter-Weasley cousins was "never owe Lily anything." All the adults thought she was an angel, but she also had the most fun, and those two things didn't go together without some serious blackmail and manipulation.

The problem troubling Al now though was James' to the prank. Instead of letting up with the teasing and going after Fred or Lily, or at least pretending to be hurt for parental pity, James did a sarcastic slow clap while still covered in the fish guts, the scraps from the dinner preparation.

"So you aren't a Hufflepuff after all, eh?" he sneered. "Well then, I guess it better be Slytherin!"

Their mom Ginny quickly berated him, but from her expression Albus could tell she was barely suppressing laughter. He'd been perched at the top of the stairs to watch James' humiliation, but after hearing the start of the rant by his mom he ran up the four floors to his room, slammed the door, and crumpled to the bed. There weren't any tears, just a new fear that tore through him, leaving an empty, green, Slytherin-y shell.

Albus wasn't afraid of Slytherins, per se, but they were the bad guys in all of the war stories. Voldemort was a Slytherin, the Malfoys were Slytherins, and it seemed like all the Death Eaters were too. Whenever any of these people came up in conversation, the adults, Aunt Hermione and his dad in particular, were quick to point out how not all Slytherins were bad. The problem with this argument was that there weren't really any counter-examples. Snape and Slughorn at least fought for the right side in the war, but neither of them were the type of people Albus would want to live with. One was a complete jerk to his parents when they were in school, and the other "collected" people, which was just creepy. Slughorn had taken a leave of absence after the battle of Hogwarts, but supposedly was coming back this year, presumably to collect some of the next generation.

Even without the facts to back it up, everyone persisted in beating into the kids' heads how not-evil some of the Slytherins were. The thing was, if they hadn't been so insistent about this, he wouldn't be afraid of Slytherins at all. If someone had to say not all of them are bad, that meant most of them were.

He knew, as they were constantly reminded by Hermione, to judge by the individual, not the association. The Slytherins also probably wouldn't bully him unprovoked, since he was Harry Potter's son. With the constant assurances, he didn't think his family would like him any less if he was sorted into that House. They already had James and all the Weasleys so far in Gryffindor, so it wouldn't be too much of a disappointment if he didn't go there.

The issue was, people thought his dad was an incredibly powerful wizard, even though Albus had never seen him do anything too extraordinary. If he was sorted into Slytherin, people would combine the power that was supposedly in him with the reputation of Slytherin and think he was practically the next Dark Lord.

Albus usually didn't care what people thought of him. Since he ignored the pleas for photos and quotes by reporters (not that his parents would willingly let him accept them), the newspapers said he was a Squib. Publishing a negative article about the Potters invariably led to the writer in question getting fired, but that didn't stop the Daily Prophet. They thought that the gossip-mongers' purchases were worth the early retirement package paid out to the reporter. The paper's attention felt unfair, but it didn't bother him that much, since it didn't result in an increase in the amount of pointing and whispering people did.

If he was in Slytherin, everyone would be afraid of him, which was much worse than being revered. They would shy away from him in the corridors, maybe even view him as a rival. And they wouldn't only do it behind his back, it would be out there in the open. Given that, he'd only have allies and enemies, no friends. Judging from past rivalry and enmity with James, the situation wouldn't turn out well for him. He didn't want to have that type of constant pressure. No matter how nicely he acted, they'd view what he did with suspicion.

In conclusion, Slytherin would be awful. James probably didn't have any great skill at predicting the future, but that didn't stop the fear from eating away at Albus. He lay on the bed, stomach down, hands bent up so his fists were underneath his chest. He dwelled sullenly as Lily and James laughed and tossed the Quaffle outside in the dying light, flitting in and out of his line of sight. Eventually they descended, probably to get ready for dinner.

Albus thought about getting up and going downstairs, but it seemed like too much effort. If they wanted him to eat they'd have to come get him.

He waited, stomach grumbling. They must have decided that letting him stew and worry on his own was more important than his presence at the last dinner before Hogwarts. Well his absence would serve them right for taking James' side and laughing.

His determination wavered as the minutes passed and his hunger grew. Just as he was about to stand up, he felt a hand on his back.

It was Rose, of course. His cousin. Fiery red hair, smart as her mum, emotional as her dad. The second he recognized the existence of a presence, he knew its identity. He didn't move as she lay down beside him, causing the bed to sink slightly towards her. She moved the hand she'd placed on his back across his body, and pulled him tight against her chest. He aided the process, scooting himself closer to her, until their bodies were flush against one another. He'd get so much grief from everyone if they saw this.

She whispered gently in his ear, which tickled and caused shivers to race through him.

"I know you're worried, but it's going to be okay. No matter what house you're in, we'll still love you the same."

He giggled at that, a little bit of the depression disappearing. He already knew his family, especially her, wouldn't care where he went. At least, even if they were more suspicious or distrustful of him, they wouldn't show it. If he was oblivious to what they thought it barely impacted him.

Not turning around, he said, "I know that, Rose. I don't care where you go either. It's not that…" He paused, unsure how to proceed.

"It's what Slytherin is," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he agreed lamely.

There was a moment of silence, during which he tried to absorb comfort from her. His feet rested above hers, though that was only due to the bend of their bodies; normally he was a few inches taller than her. Her head pressed against his back, which also helped account for the positioning of their feet.

After a few more seconds, she told him, "We should probably go downstairs now. They were starting to sit down when I came up here."

He obliged, and lifted her arm from where it was draped over him. They stood up at the same moment, and he smiled gratefully at her.

She smiled back at him, and held out her hand. This was a game they played. Offering hands, kissing knuckles, gracefully leading one another around the house, flouncing about as if they were kings and queens. Of course, the Potters were treated like royalty within the Wizarding world, but that was more modern celebrity and stardom than true nobility.

He accepted the proffered hand with what he hoped was aplomb, and together they walked downstairs and into the dining room. He pulled her chair out for her, then went to his own seat. As soon as he sat down their charade ended.

When they'd entered the room they'd been in a bubble, impervious to the noise and chaos that now surrounded them. Neither of them could yet do the type of magic to make it actually possible, but they could pretend. She gave him one last glance from across the table, their eyes meeting, then they both launched themselves into the fray.

Molly, his grandmother, not the cousin, hadn't served the food yet, so at least the talk was comprehensible. When Weasleys were eating, all bets were off. Almost exclusively, they'd inherited their parents' voracious appetites, which made dinner table conversation disgusting if not impossible. They could civilize themselves when the Minister or another important person came over for a meal, but when they were alone, all hell broke loose. Albus didn't get why they thought that having no one to impress meant manners could go out the window.

He hadn't looked at his neighbors when sitting down, but now he saw Lucy sitting primly on his left, while Fred's dirty blond hair faced him on the immediate right. Lucy was Percy and Audrey's youngest daughter, while Fred was George's son. Granddad Arthur sat at the head of the table, all the way down in Lucy's direction, with the rest of the adults near him. Albus presumed his grandma was still in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the food.

The adults were mostly silent, which contrasted greatly with the emphatic assault on his eardrums coming from the other direction. Lily was next to Rose, directly across from him, and gave him a very deliberate wink when she caught his eye. He averted his gaze quickly, not want to even guess what type of favor she would call in. Next to Lily sat Hugo, her partner in crime. He had a fork, which he was attempting to balance on top of his knife. Teddy offered to use magic to help, but Hugo steadfastly refused, and the silverware tower continued to tumble to the floor.

Victoire was next to Teddy, watching him interact with Hugo. She'd never had as high a tolerance for the younger children as Teddy did, and pure admiration radiated from her as she stared at him. Well, maybe not pure admiration: there was some desire present too. Albus had discovered them in the broom shed a few days ago: Victoire pinned up against the wall, Teddy's hands running all over her body, their mouths firmly meshed together. He'd backed out quickly, glad they at least still had their clothes on. He was clueless as to why they kept their relationship secret, but wasn't going to oust them. James and Fred had an itsy bitsy crush on Victoire, Veela that she was, and they'd "shoot the messenger," as it were.

Before he had a chance to take in the rest of the table, his grandmother entered, with the food held aloft by her wand. The hearty tomato meat sauce for the pasta created a wonderful aroma, doubly pleasing since it shut everyone up. James and Fred, formerly the largest cause of noise, silenced themselves immediately.

The food items flew to their allotted places on the table, and Molly moved to stand by Arthur. He was staring obliviously down the table, and she had to tap him on the shoulder. He stood up with a start, bumping the table and rattling the dishes. His wife gave him a disapproving frown, and a humorous murmur reverberated up and down the table.

Once they were both standing at the head, she began speaking.

"We're glad everyone could make it this year—" Albus rolled his eyes; they'd met every year since Teddy went off to Hogwarts "-and that we've all made it to see two more grandkids make it to Hogwarts. Congratulations, Rose and Albus."

She paused for applause, which dutifully came. Albus flushed from the attention, wishing he could turn invisible. It's not like they'd actually accomplished anything; maybe after becoming amazing at something he'd be more comfortable with congratulations.

After the clapping died down, Molly continued her speech. "Every year we try to be here for a week before the September starts, to catch up as a group, and it's nice for the kids to be able to spend time together. So here's to hoping for many more of these to come."

Everyone raised their glasses in a toast. All the people 'of age' levitated their glasses so they could touch glasses all the way down the long table, so Albus held his up and let them come to him. He did clink Rose's across the table, deftly avoiding Lily's. Some things had special emotional attachment and he wasn't going to share it with just anyone. Rose was special.

When the toast concluded, people started reaching for food. The serving dishes self-replenished from the kitchen, but that didn't help him get food any quicker when his parents currently had the pasta and Uncle Ron had the sauce. Patience was difficult with the hunger gnawing at his stomach. Finally some breadsticks reached him, and he grabbed two before Fred wrenched the bowl from his hands.

Albus sat, chomping greedily, waiting for the other food to reach him. The bread was still warm from the oven, while a light garlic-parmesan seasoning coated the top. The buttery bottom provided a contrast in texture if not in taste, and he alternated bites of the breadstick right side up and upside down.

The food appeared to be going counterclockwise around the circle, but the next dish was still three people away. He turned towards Fred and James in response to a tap on the shoulder.

"So, brother, you and Rose get up to any mischief upstairs?" James asked, mouth full of bread.

Albus glanced towards the person in question, and she met his gaze with a tilted head, questioning. He guessed she must not have heard what James said.

Fred guffawed at Albus' look towards Rose, spraying half-chewed breadstick all over the table. Thankfully the majority missed Albus' plate. He yanked his dinnerware out of the potential line of fire and moved it towards Lucy. She glared up at him, as if questioning why he had the audacity to be in her presence. He ignored the look.

James laughed along with Fred, but less boisterous, snider.

"I don't think she's going to bail you out of this one," he said. "So what were you two up to?"

"N-nothing," Albus stammered. "You were being a jerk earlier, and she was nice and came up there."

Fred appeared as if he was about to respond, but the food made its way to Lucy at the most opportune moment. He eyed the pasta like a cat does a mouse, ready to pounce.

"Well, nice talk," Fred said. "Hope your lips aren't too sore to talk from all the kissing, but if they are, more for me. Now take what you want, and pass it along."

Albus rolled his eyes, trying to act like the comments about Rose didn't affect him, then looked to his left, where Lucy was struggling to hold the bowl aloft. The whole process would have been so much easier with magic. Oh well; that's why he was going to Hogwarts.

He used the tongs to grab some pasta and plopped it down on his plate. The second he was finished Fred grabbed the bowl, James leaning over him in a mini-wrestling attempt. Albus didn't even want to see how much they took.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw concern on Rose's face, her piercing gaze turned toward him. He couldn't bear to meet those eyes. Too embarrassed at the moment. James and Fred had it wrong. Rose and he weren't like that. The boys knew it too, but that didn't stop them from endlessly teasing and insinuating. Thankfully, most of the time the rest of the family didn't join in. Most of the time.

Albus ate until he was stuffed. No matter how good the food at Hogwarts would be, he doubted it could compare to his grandmother's.

After a few minutes, Albus began to shift uncomfortably in his seat, eager to leave the table. He didn't have too many friends among his cousins. Not that they weren't all friends, but Rose was the only one he consistently enjoyed talking to. So he sat there, watching her talk to Lily, beautiful smile gracing her lips every few sentences. Though entranced, he couldn't help but notice Fred and James' snickers. He turned towards them, almost pissed off enough to say something about them, their love of brooms, and their sexual orientation, but then again, who was he to judge?

An ironic smile broke out on his face; sometimes he cracked himself up. The two boys turned back the other direction after sharing a confused glance.

Albus heard his name yelled from down the table the other direction, and he turned that way, glad for a distraction from his idiot brother and cousin.

"Excited for Hogwarts, are you?" George called, more loudly than necessary.

'Probably a bit drunk already,' Albus thought to himself. Hogwarts always brought melancholy for some of the elder members of the Weasley family, as they remembered those they attended Hogwarts with that were no longer living.

Fred the younger's head twisted in his seat when he heard his father's voice, concern etched on his face. It looked like he was going to say something, but Roxanne, his twin, called his name from the other side of James, and he shut his mouth. It was probably for the better, anyway.

Albus almost forgot the question but it came back to him.

"Umm, a little," he replied to Uncle George, silently praying the conversation would be over quickly.

George chuckled boisterously. "Well make sure you don't get in as much trouble as James, or you won't be allowed to come to my store next time."

"Okay." Albus gave a smile, though it probably came out more like a grimace, and turned away.

Rose looked at him sympathetically from across the table, and his smile became a little more genuine. Hogwarts would be fine, as long as she was there.

The meat sauce had smothered both the pasta on his plate and his anxiety, and with dinner over he felt content and full. At Hermione's insistence, the adults would take turns doing dishes the Muggle way. Given the rarity of complaints, Albus suspected that they used it as more social time away from the kids.

Everyone not on dish duty made their way to the living room, and the adults settled down on the couches and chairs, drinks in hand. They began their conversations, and everyone younger than Victoire milled around awkwardly for a few minutes, or sat on their parent's laps.

Before the boredom became unbearable, James, as the self-appointed leader of their group, mentioned something about a game upstairs, and they were off like a flash. They all raced up the winding staircase, up the tower that was the Burrow. Even Lucy and Molly came, though less enthusiastically than the rest.

The group included all of the cousins besides Victoire, which caused some problems in terms of space wherever they went. Molly and Lucy were Percy's daughters, Dominique and Louis, in addition to Victoire, were Bill and Fleur's children, James, Albus, and Lily were Harry and Ginny's, Rose and Hugo were Ron and Hermione's, while the terrible twins, Fred and Roxanne, rounded out the bunch.

As soon as they were seated in the room James and Fred shared, James began talking.

"So, Albus and Rose are joining us at Hogwarts tomorrow," he said self-importantly, "and we need to prepare them for some of its more arcane and startling elements."

He gestured to the bed across from the one he was sitting on, and Rose and Albus obediently sat on it.

"Now, anyone who's already attended Hogwarts, come sit over here. Everyone else, on the floor."

Fred, Molly, Roxanne, and Dominique joined him on the bed he'd claimed, while Hugo, Lucy, Louis, and Lily sat down off to the side on the floor.

"So, anyone have anything to say to the newbies about to embark on their first journey into the world of magic?" James asked.

"Oh honestly," Molly began, rolling her eyes, "it's not like they haven't been raised by the most famous witches and wizards in the world, seen magic preformed daily, and gone to Diagon Alley and the Ministry often enough. I doubt you're going to tell anything they don't already know."

James looked affronted at her condescension, and Fred came to his rescue.

"Oh, I'm sure there's some mysteries to Hogwarts they should be enlightened about," said Fred, winking at James.

"Well, we might have to beat it into their heads that Gryffindor is the best," James put in.

"Mum and dad have already done that enough!" Lily broke in. Everyone except James laughed; there were no bigger fans of Gryffindor than the Weasleys.

James glared down at her for interrupting but she ignored him, staring right back. However annoying she was, sneaky, spoiled, and machinating too, Albus had to admire her calm while faced with an angry James.

Thankfully, before James did anything more regarding the impudent child on the floor, Roxanne whispered to Dominique, and they both burst out in a fit of giggles. Now everyone's gaze fell on them.

"What is it?" James asked pointedly.

"Well, we thought of something to tell them," Roxanne said, before falling into yet another fit of laughter, rolling around on the bed with Dominique.

They received a host of glares in response.

After a few seconds, she calmed down enough to stutter out, "They need to know why there're so many broom and storage cupboards in the school."

James and Fred immediately started laughing as well, while Molly huffed and stormed towards the door. As she went she muttered something about "fucking immature brats."

James caught his breath and called after her, "You just don't want them to know because you've been so busy in them!"

She flipped him off as the door slammed behind her. James just laughed more. Albus felt a little upset he wasn't in on the joke.

Fred noticed his look and quickly explained. "Hogwarts likes to have fun with its students," he said. "It wants them to enjoy their years there. So it made a bunch of closets in the hallways for students hooking up between different houses."

Albus snorted. Maybe Hogwarts was sentient on some level, but it wasn't going to encourage kids to do that. He glanced at Rose, who looked affronted at the mere suggestion that such rule breaking would be enabled by the castle itself.

"Though Hogwarts changes its staircases, the hallways and visible areas don't change," she said confidently. "The arrangement of places shift, but not the places themselves. And I'm sure that there are no more spaces than what is necessary to the running of the castle. Our parents, my mum especially, would have noticed something so strange."

With a wry grin, Louis looked to Lily, then said, "I don't know if you've noticed from the stories our parents tell, but during their years at Hogwarts, they were naïve. The only time Hermione had a boyfriend was fourth year, and Krum seems like he wouldn't be one to push things. So she'd have no reason to be using broom closets. Ron with Lavender wouldn't notice anything other than it being convenient. So just because they didn't notice doesn't mean a thing."

Before Rose could retort, James started talking again.

"No matter whether they were created intentionally by the castle or not, the fact is, there's a lot of them. And—" he paused to lean in conspiratorially, "—us boys know a spell to cast to check if they're occupied or not."

"You do not!" Roxanne shrieked indignantly. "It doesn't exist."

"Oh yes it does! It's passed down on the first night from the prefects."

"That's so unfair."

"What, Roxy, are you planning on using them?" Fred teased, poking his twin sister.

"No, we're not," Dominique cut in, tugging Roxanne out of the room before she made the fight more physical.

James stuck his tongue out at the door, then turned back to Rose and Albus. "You two better not be getting too busy in them either."

Albus blushed, but he stuttered, unable to think of an appropriate retort.

Thankfully, Rose glared at James, saying, "It's not like you've ever kissed a girl, James, so don't pretend you have so much experience with the subject."

He held his hands up, defensive. "Just saying."

"C'mon Albus." Rose grabbed his hand, and started to lead him out the door. Fred and James both wolf-whistled, but Albus was able to ignore them better when his hand was in hers.

Hugo, who'd been throughout the whole thing, stared up at them with his bright, innocent blue eyes. He probably hadn't understood most of what was being talked about, unlike Lily and Louis, though they were all almost the same age.

He asked, voice wavering, "You won't do that, will you, Rose?"

She paused at the doorway, then released Albus' hand and kneeled down next to Hugo.

"I won't do anything that I'll regret, that…" she fished around for the right example, "-that Percy wouldn't do. Okay?"

"Yeah! Cause Percy's a-sponsible," he said, looking proud of himself for saying such a big word.

"Yeah. He is," Rose said, winking at Albus. He felt his face heat again. Hugo probably hadn't been told the story of Penelope Clearwater yet.

Everyone thought Hugo was the tiniest bit really stupid, but no one had the heart to mention anything out loud yet. Maybe Rose just took all the brains that were supposed to be shared between the both of them. Whatever the case, it left Hugo with a smile on his face as Albus and Rose left the room.

They went back downstairs to the living room together. Albus started reading, glancing down at his watch occasionally. He wanted to get enough sleep so he could be fully awake all day tomorrow, his first day at Hogwarts.