[AN]: Hey, lovely readers! So, the first couple of chapters take place in their early years just to establish who they are as individuals (and because I had no idea what I was doing when I started writing this). Nonetheless, I really hope you enjoy this. 

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Chapter Two: Aboard the Hogwarts Express

POV: Rose

One compartment, three people. Second compartment, five people. Third compartment, four people. Fourth compartment, a couple snogging. Fifth compartment—well, that's pretty much how it went for almost an hour. I was inclined to send out a very angry owl to the Board of Education responsible for the Hogwarts Express not being equipped to hold all the students attending this year, but when we looked into the fifty-fifth compartment, Al threw his arms up in victory.

"This one!"

"Not that I exactly minded wandering the train—"

"Especially because you have a list of improvements and violated regulations you plan to bring up with the Headmistress when we arrive," Al retorted with an eye roll that I ignored.

"But how do our relatives stand it? All that staring. Merlin, you'd think Kingsley was walking past them wearing a bright pink tutu and singing Celestina Warbeck."

"Oi," Al frowned now. "Grandad Arthur said I was the only one he told that story to!"

Now I rolled my eyes. "Please, Al. Grandad tells that story whenever Aunt Ginny slips whiskey into his tea."

"Whatever. Just do what James does," he said, bitterness in the name of his brother, "and think it's because we're that good looking."  

"I think you're mistaken. While, yes, James thinks he's that handsome, he enjoys the parade that follows your family. He's quite full of Potter pride, that one."

Al scoffed, tearing into the licorice wand he had purchased from the trolley lady when we were on our twenty-seventh compartment and needed snacks to give us energy to continue the search.

"Tell me about it. He came back from his First Year and suddenly his ego had inflated his head three sizes we both couldn't fit in the same room together."

I thought about moving to his side of the compartment, putting an arm around his shoulder (as I usually did when he was upset), but Al was past that now. He hasn't told me directly, but I knew he was more than a little resentful that James had shipped out of their shared bedroom, deciding he was too cool for his little brother now that he was making a reputation for himself back at Hogwarts. James had always been a little arrogant, but now it came in Gryffindor colors that were too bright for Al to see.

"Don't idolize him," is what I said to Al. "He's twelve. He's not impressive at all. You have nothing to worry about."

"Easy for you to say," Al mumbled. "You're a Weasley. Every Weasley lands in Gryffindor. The House name mind as well change to your surname. But me? I've got Dad's genes—and we all know there is something faulty about them."

Although I knew genetics had nothing to do with being sorted to a certain Hogwarts House, I still held my tongue from correcting him. It's not like Al was totally wrong. From the books I've read (and was allowed to read since Mum did not think certain History books were appropriate for my age, or others were just rubbish and not up to standard), Uncle Harry had never been an advocate for sanity. 

"Well," I cleared my throat, "your mum's a Weasley. So, you have that. Besides, Victoire's a Weasley and she's a Ravenclaw. In fact, she was the first Weasley to break tradition." 

Al still kept his frown. 

"And Molly," I continued, "was the second Weasley not to be sorted into Gryffindor. She's a proud Hufflepuff. As was Teddy, who is not technically blood-related, but he still made the family very—"

"Okay. Okay." Al waved his hands in surrender. "I get it, Rosie. Not all of us make it into Gryffindor. I'll stop talking about it now. Blimey."

I grinned, thoroughly satisfied with myself. If there was anyone who could reason with Albus Severus Potter, it was me. Merlin, Mum would be so proud on how sharp my debating skills were getting. I could win any argument. 

While I thrived in my victory and Al pouted because of it, the door to our compartment slid open. On the other side was a blonde girl and a brunette boy. 

"You two aren't snogging, right?" asked the girl, one brow raised at us.

My eyes opened in outrage and Al screeched, "What? No! We're cousins!"

"Listen, mate," the girl said, "I've seen some odd things on this bloody train. I was just asking. No need to get all—"

She was interrupted when the boy beside her leaned closer to her, whispering something into her ear. She rolled her eyes and let out a giant groan. She turned her blue eyes back at us, her pretty face looking conflicted for a long, tensed, awkward minute. 

"I'm sorry," she ground out, "I meant to ask if we could sit here?" The boy next to her elbowed her, making her add a strained, "Please."

I looked at Al for confirmation, but he was now lost on the girl.

"Sure," I said with a huff. "Come on in."

The girl gave me a large forced smile before ushering her friend in. She took the seat beside Al, which made his cheeks flush pink, and her friend sat beside me. His eyes were downcast on his shoes scoffing the patterned carpet of the compartment.

"I'm Rose Weasley," I said before the awkwardness could stretch out longer. "That's my cousin Al Potter. Forgive him for his lack of manners, but he's hardly ever around girls whom he is not related to. It's a big day for him."

Al shot me a glare.

While the blonde girl had not been smiling before, she now was. And just like that, her entire demeanor changed into someone who was approachable and angelic as her laugh rung out throughout the compartment.

"Nice to meet you, Rose," she said genuinely. "I'm Nia Harper. That there is my best mate Liam Greengrass. You see, although you are very pretty, Rose—as are you, Potter—Liam's just shy in general. Don't get offended by him. In fact, I'd say he likes you two. He's not fainted."

"So far," mumbled Liam with a short chuckle. Nia flashed him a gigantic smile that could be as bright as the sun. Al did not mind be blinded by that.

While Liam Greengrass was all warmth, with his brown hair and brown eyes, Nia seemed to be his opposite. She was all shocking blonde hair and blue eyes, all of it intense and overwhelming. And it made me smile. It was a lot like seeing Al and me.  The girl, bossy and knowing. And the boy—well, in the need of a good ear-tug, really.

Al must have been thinking the same thing because he caught my eye and looked genuinely pleased. I was, too, because we had already made friends who weren't related to us. That had to count for something.           

X

"We're here! We're here!" I sung as I hopped off the Hogwarts Express, breathing in the cold, lovely Hogwarts air that filled the night.

"Blimey," Nia said, taking a step back from me as I continued to bounce on the heels of my feet. "She's an excitable one, isn't she?"      

Al looked around us, making sure the pretty girl was actually talking to him before he said, "What gave it away? The school robes she changed into before anyone else, or the three hour lecture on the history of Hogwarts she's had memorized since she could speak?"

I stopped the little dance I had not known I was doing to smack Al on the shoulder. "You are not ruining this for me," I warned him before casting the same frown at Nia and Liam. "I have waited for this moment for eleven years. If I want to dance all the way to the Great Hall, I will."

Liam looked away immediately, clearing having heard and more than accepted my heed, but Nia only smirked at me. Al—well, he had known me the longest, was my cousin and all, so he knew better to do anything but nod. As he was doing.

"For what it's worth," Nia said as she took a step forward, smoothing out a wrinkle on my white button-up, "I guarantee the rest of the First Years are petrified. If you want to do the hula all the way there, no one will be looking."

I smiled at her. "Are you petrified, too?"

"Me?" she scoffed. "Please. It's just school."

Al let out a hiss. "Now you've done it."

"Just school?" My eyes were wide, outraged. "The next seven years will—"

Before I could present all of my points to Nia on the importance of this Hogwarts experience, a taller, slightly older, more arrogant replica of Al appeared behind him, smacking him hard on the back. 

"You ready, Albie?"

"Don't call me Albie," Al snarled at James. "And I don't care anymore. I'll be fine with anything."

James snorted. "Right. You tell yourself that, little brother. Just be sure not to wet yourself, yeah? Rosie," he pressed a kiss on my forehead, ruffling my hair in an effort to annoy me, "I'll be saving you a seat."

Aiming a glare at his retreating figure, I quickly fixed my red curls with rough palms before turning back to look at Al. "Don't," I said, a finger pointed at his face, "Don't let James ruin this for you."

Al looked away from me just as the Game Keeper's voice rung out among the gathering group of First Years. When I was younger I loved hearing my family's stories of their first day at Hogwarts, what it was like getting off the Hogwarts Express and having Rubeus Hagrid waiting for them to lead to the boats. I thought my story would be the same, but he had retired a few years back to leave for France with Madame Maxime. Now, my Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts was a woman with long, purple hair and black tattoos on her skin. 

I found her to be more intimidating than Hagrid, who was a half-giant with a heart of gold. Especially when her sharp voice and dark eyes turned to us. "You five, take the next boat. On you pop."

I knitted my brows, looking at Al, Nia, and Liam on my left side, about to correct her on it only being four of us, but someone was standing in my line of friends. I felt all the words die in my throat when silver eyes bore into my brown, throwing the whole world off balance.

"Scorpius," Liam beamed at the unknown boy. "Where were you?"

The boy—Scorpius, his name was Scorpius—looked away from me, like he hadn't just showed up with metal in his eyes, a kind of precious jewel I had not known existed before, and crossed his arms over his chest. A frown took over his sharp, pale features.

"I was at the platform, at the exact spot we said we would meet," he said with no trace of amusement anywhere, especially so when those eyes moved from Liam and onto Nia, "but I guess something came up, right?"

Nia was fighting off a glare of her own (not really, but I hoped she was because this was quickly becoming tensed). "I know you're used to the whole world stopping for you and all, but the Hogwarts Express does not wait for spoiled brats. Neither do I. And seeing as Liam is my best mate, I make sure neither does he."

Scorpius took a closer step toward Nia, a centimeter away from bumping his nose against hers. "I know you're used to being the center of attention and all, but I was waiting for Liam, my cousin. Not you, Harper."

I must have missed the indication that Nia was going to close the distance between her and Scorpius to aim her fist at his jaw, because Liam wrapped his hand on her arm, pulling her back a step. There was a nervous smile on his face as he looked between the two. 

"Sorry, Scor," he said sincerely. "I didn't see you in the crowd and assumed you'd gone in. When we didn't find you, Nia and me starting looking for a compartment. It's how we ended up sitting with our new friends—" he pointed a finger at me and Al.

Al had been enjoying the tension because he had to blink a few times to even register that the attention was now on us. "Um, yeah," he cleared his throat. "Al Potter."

Liam winced, cheeks pink again, and a wicked glint appeared on Nia's blue eyes.

Scorpius' left hand balled into a fist at his side. "Scorpius Malfoy," he said through gritted teeth, like the pronunciation of it pained him.

Oh.

That explained their reaction.

I glanced at  Al to see if he registered what we all clearly had, but nothing judgmental crossed his features. Instead, he extended a hand out. "Nice to meet you, mate."

Scorpius gave his fist a squeeze before opening it up and extending it out to take shake Al's hand. "You, too."

Liam let out a giant breath of relief and Nia grunted.

"This is my cousin, Rose Weasley," Al said, nudging his head in my direction. 

My hands were shaking (as were my knees, if I was to be perfectly honest), and I was dreading having to shake Scorpius' hand, but he only blinked at my direction for a brief second before taking a step back.

"We're going to miss the boat," Nia said as she grabbed Liam's hand. "If we do, I'll use all of you as a paddle board."

Al and Scorpius quickly followed after the two friends as I lingered behind, trying to get my head to make my heart understand that no, Scorpius Malfoy was not going to ruin my seven year plan for Hogwarts. He just wasn't.