A/N Disclaimer the world in which this story was set up is not belong to me, but the awesome JK Rowling. I do not own any of the characters whose names are recognised from the books. (I do claim Becky as mine though). There is a bit of Jo's text in here at the end the chappie that I also disclaim.
"Firs' years over here! C'mon firs' years follow me." Rose and Albus grinned as they saw the familiar bulky form of Hagrid towering over the students. Becky's mouth dropped open.
"Who's that?!" She asked.
"Hagrid, he's the gamekeeper and Professor for Care of Magical Creatures, not that we have that this year," Rose whispered. "Oh, and don't worry about your stuff, it gets taken up to the castle."
Meanwhile, Albus had pushed to the front of the first years, dragging a reluctant Scorpius, and pet ferret behind him.
"Hi Hagrid!" He said grinning. The huge man looked down and blinked, seemingly confused by Al's hair, but smiled back when he realised who he was.
"A'right Albus? What's happened to yer hair?" He asked
"Good thanks! And James and the Scamander twins...again!" Albus rolled his eyes. Hagrid laughed, then frowned when he saw Scorpius.
"An' who's this then? Not a Malfoy?" Hagrid said disbelievingly.
Scorpius squimed under Hagrid's gaze, which was curious, but not hostile.
"Yes sir, Scorpius Malfoy, but I hope I don't follow my family tradition too closely, sir!" he said, as politely as he could manage.
"Well I never." Hagrid seemed satisfied for the moment, and turned his attention to Rose and Becky who had finally elbowed their way to the front of the crowd.
"And this is Becky Matthews Hagrid, we met on the train." Rose said breathlessly.
"Did yeh now? Well any friend of a Potter or Weasley is a friend o' mine, an' don't you two ferget, abou' Friday." He shouted over the crowd then, in a voice so loud it scared Luke, Albus's ferret, and Becky and Rose put their hands over their ears.
"ALRIGH'! Firs' Years follow me, mind your step now! AND NO MORE'N FOUR TO A BOAT!"
As they all stumbled down the path trying to see by the flickering light of Hagrid's lantern, Scorpius noticed that Becky looked very pale.
"What's wrong?" He whispered. Becky looked at him, her eyes huge.
"I can't swim. Me mam never let us when I was younger, we couldn't afford swimming lessons" She whispered back. "And that man – Hagrid said boats."
Scorpius grinned back, trying to be reassuring, but he felt like his smile probably looked more like a grimace – reassuring smiles weren't exactly his strength.
"Don't worry, I doubt any thing would happen if you did fall in, the teacher are magic remember."
Becky grinned back, seemingly comforted by Scorpius's pathetic attempt to make her feel better. They probably would have spoken more, but it was hard enough to stay upright as it was, and a nervous silence started to gather over the first years, which wasn't broken until:
"Not long now, when we ge' round this corner, you''ll get yer first look at-"
Hagrid didn't get to finish his sentence as he was cut off by a collective gasp from the first years, even the purebloods. And it was with good reason, for the sight of Hogwarts castle was truly magnificent, lit up and silhouetted against the night sky. It was made even more magnificent by the fact it had a perfect double reflected in the looking glass still lake below, with a fleet of little boats moored at the edge.
Scorpius and Becky caught up with the others as they stopped by the lake, milling around in an unruly group, which bordered on anarchy as the pupils squabbled over who was going in which boat. Rose on the other hand had the foresight to grab her cousin by the collar of his robes, ignoring his indignant protests, who in turn yanked on Scorpius' sleeve, (who again marvelled at his lack of reaction at what not so long ago would have had him bristled up at the affront like a hedgehog). Scorpius caught Becky's hand and they all fell into one of the little boats, Albus and Becky laughing, whilst Rose tried to look as if she'd meant the impromptu chain effect, and Scorpius simply leant over to check his hair in the water.
When every one was settled safely into the boats, Hagrid having to remind a few of the pureblood children rather forcibly that it was indeed only four to a boat, and yes, they would have to share with a muggle-born. 'And I'll be havin' words with yer Heads of House about it when yer sorted too!', Hagrid finally gave the the command of 'forward!' and the little boats glided over the calm expanse of Hogwart's lake, leaving silvery wake behind them.
Becky looked over the edge of the boat and shivered. Scorpius couldn't really blame her, there were all sorts of stories about what exactly lurked in the murky depths of Hogwarts Lake. He grabbed the side of the boat as it tilted alarmingly as Becky leant over the side of the boat a little too far, and would have fallen in if Albus hadn't grabbed the back her robes.
"Are you crazy?" Albus asked her. "The lake's freezing!" Becky shook her head, as if coming out of a trance, and frowned.
"I thought I saw something."
"Probably the giant sq-ow! What was that for?" Scorpius asked Rose haughtily, who had just kicked his leg, hard. She shook her warningly, which Scorpius then understood as she interrupted.
"I heard there are mermaids in the lake."
"Not really?" Becky said animatedly, settling back into the boat, much to Scorpius's relief.
"Sure, my dad's seen them, he says they're really ugly though" Albus replied, also much relieved that Becky had stopped endangering the boat.
"Don't you ever shut up about your dad?" muttered Scorpius, but there was no real heat or spite behind his words, and Albus stuck his tongue out at him good-naturedly.
They all lapsed back into silence, all four of them getting steadily more nervous as the castle drew nearer, looming over them and making them feel tiny. All of a sudden there was a huge splash and their little boat rocked as its passengers jumped in alarm.
One of the haughty looking girls who hadn't wanted to get in a boat with a muggle-born, was splashing about in the water, a shocked and furious expression on her face. She was screaming at the others in the boat, but the pitch and screeching quality of her voice made it had to distinguish words.
There was a beat of silence and then suddenly the first years began chattering excitedly, so loud that even Hagrid struggled to make himself heard over the noise.
Then suddenly there was a stunned silenced as a gargantuan tentacle lifted the girl out of the water and placed her back in the boat. The muggle-born boy in the boat, a small excitable looking sandy-haired boy's voice could be heard over the water,
"That happened to my dad too! That was the giant squid! You just got rescued by the giant squid!"
"Oh shut up!" She snapped back.
Meanwhile, Albus was trying to hold back laughter, Rose looked vaguely concerned and Becky and Scorpius were holding onto the sides of the boat as it rocked with their laughter.
"You shouldn't laugh! She could have got hurt!" Rose said to the two laughers disapprovingly.
"Oh, believe me Rose, it couldn't have happened to a better, or worse person. Nerys Warrington has the personality of a rabid sheep." Scorpius replied, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Not to mention she was the one who called, me a whatsit, a mudblood, on the train." Becky added, finally having controlled her laughter enough to speak.
The boats carried on their way, sliding under a curtain of ivy and into a murky grotto with plants falling from the ceiling. The boats continued up a dark tunnel, then Hagrid ushered the increasingly nervous first years, up a passageway into the grounds, that let out in the grounds in the shadow in the castle.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.
"Everyone still here?"
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
A/N Well this is a surprise, I wasn't expecting to post til after Easter, but the wi-fi god's at the youth hostel I'm staying at have been kind so you can have an Easter present :D Please R&R, but no flames please! I probably won't get a chance to update again til after Easter now, as I say I wasn't actually expecting this. Don't worry, the shenanigans and skulduggery will start soon!