A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.

"Bye, Dad!"

He lugged his trunk into the empty compartment and tucked it away in a corner, releasing a sigh of exertion. He sat down on the seat, looking out of the window at the latecomers running onto the platform and waving hurriedly to their family.

He was broken out of his staring-into-space moment by a soft knock on the compartment door. He looked up to see two familiar-looking students – both the same age as him – waiting outside. The boy had a black mop of hair that looked perpetually messy, and practically looked like a Harry Potter clone. The girl had flaming red hair that was swept away in a braid. She was pretty.

They were the kids he'd seen on the platform – one of them was a Weasley, the other was a Potter, obviously. Thankfully, they looked friendly.

"Hi. Is this compartment—"

"It's free. It's just me."

"Great. So might we just – come in, for a bit – if that's okay?"

He smiled. "That's okay."

The two of them sat down, keeping their cases down. There was an awkward silence for some time. At last—

"Albus. Al. I'm – my name is Albus…" the boy introduced himself.

"I'm Rose. You can call me Rosie, though. Al and I are cousins." the girl said, smiling. She looked even prettier when she smiled.

"Hi, Scorpius. I mean, I'm Scorpius. You're Rose and Albus, I'm Scorpius," he said. He was screaming internally. He had messed up his first ever conversation with them. Especially with Rose, his inner voice said.

Silence again.

"Would any of you like some of my Peppermint Imps?" he tried.

Their eyes lit up. "I'll have some!" they said excitedly, at the same time.

Scorpius smiled broadly. "Brilliant. They're my favourite – I've always regarded the Pepper Imp as the king of the confectionery bag."

And so, they sat, talking to each other about their favourite sweets, books, and so many more things that he couldn't keep track of. Perhaps he would make some friends after all. Friends who didn't care about stupid rumours about his family.

He learnt that both Rose and Albus had grown up together and were extremely close. He also learnt that they loved to read, just like him.

Finally, the train slowed down and stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform. The three of them got up and made their way out onto the platform, leaving their luggage in their compartment like they'd been told to. As they talked animatedly, Rose accidentally brushed against him, and he got a faint scent of coconuts and something floral.

Well, he thought, I could definitely get used to it.

A/N: Hey, guys! This story is going to be my first ever multi-chapter fanfic, so I'm nervous. Constructive criticism is welcome, flames are not.

Also, while I'm not a fan of the Cursed Child, the Scorpius Malfoy of this fanfic is most definitely inspired by TCC Scorpius. It's one of the only things I liked about it – the idea of a nerdy, slightly cheesy Scorpius is a vast contrast from young Draco, and I'm here for it! Just maybe not as cheesy as he is in TCC.

Snippets of the dialogue in this chapter have been taken directly from Act One, Scene Three of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.