As Albus waved goodbye to his parents and his little sister, tears sparkling in her hazel eyes, still on Platform nine and three-quarters, he felt a mixture of anxiety and excitement. It was a new beginning, and from the tales his parents, aunts and uncles had told, it would be some of the best times of his life. However, he was anxious. The thought of making new friends and learning new magic scared Albus somewhat. What if he was no good? What if no one liked him? He supposed that many had these fears, although he was certain his brother James never had. James Potter exuded an air of arrogance and a calm that Albus could never replicate. Albus was more reserved and inhibited. Not to say that he wasn’t a friendly boy, he was just more level-headed and cautious concerning certain situations. However, upon his arrival at Hogwarts, he would find that this would all have to change.

Albus sighed as he lost sight of his family and looked around to find himself nearly alone apart from a couple of other new students wandering around in an effort to find their own carriage. Albus knew his brother James would be with his fellow third years, and the rest of the students would have found their own carriages by now. He resolved to go and find one of the more empty ones with people who looked as lost as he felt. After inspecting the first two carriages to find a group of burly looking seventh years chomping on some chocolate frogs and a giggling gaggle of fourth year girls who stopped to stare at him as he passed (apparently the resemblance to his famous father did not go unnoticed), he was about to arrive at the third when he heard a voice call out from a couple of doors away.

“Al, where’ve you been? I must have lost you in the crowd!� Albus looked up to the source of the invitation. It came in the form of his cousin and best friend, Rose Weasley. They had attended the same Muggle primary school and had spent many weekends and holidays together throughout the years. They were more like siblings than cousins. She smiled up at him as he approached, her face framed by her smooth auburn waves.

“Come in, look who I found!� Her blue eyes lit up as she ushered him into their compartment. Albus let the door close behind him as he surveyed the group gathered in the booth.

He was surprised to see a couple of familiar faces.
“Diana! Polly! Frank! I didn’t see you on the platform! How are you?� Albus asked smilingly. Diana and Polly beamed back at him with identical grins, unmistakably similar to their father, and family friend, Dean Thomas. Frank greeted him with a pat on the back. He had always got on well with Frank, the youngest of the Longbottom children, and to see him now calmed him. He did not, however, recognise the other two figures in the room. One, a small, sandy haired girl with petite features who seemed to be familiar with the twins, smiled apprehensively at him. The other gave a curt wave in acknowledgment of his presence before returning to her copy of the Daily Prophet. She had a tumbling cascade of ebony locks with alabaster skin and azure eyes. She was visually perfect. She was also perfectly unfriendly.

“Hi, I’m Cliona Finnigan.� The sandy-haired girl’s soft Irish tones brought Albus out of his reverie. He met her timid hazel eyes and smiled. “I’m Seamus’ daughter. He was a friend of Harry’s I think – your dad I mean.� Albus nodded, he had heard many times from his father about his fellow Gryffindors who had helped him in the final battle against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He sat down on the seat next to Frank, the only seat left available in the carriage (the eighth was taken by the twins’ cat, Bast). It was also the seat opposite the black haired girl, who removed her feet from the seat that Albus now occupied, but did not look up. He attempted to engage her in conversation.

“Hey, I’m Albus Potter; I don’t think we’ve met before.� The girl glanced up from over her copy of the Daily Prophet with dull eyes. Albus immediately regretted his decision to speak. The girl closed the paper, keeping her finger inside to keep her place. She looked at him expressionlessly before speaking.

“No, you wouldn’t have. I’m Muggle-born. But I know who you are, Mr Potter. Your family is mentioned in a revised History of Magic.� Albus blushed at this. James had warned him from previous experience that there would be those who gawp at or frequently mention, either scathingly or in awe, his famous family. But this girl sounded neither impressed nor scathing. She was merely stating it as fact. It unnerved Albus, but interested him at the same time.

He looked furtively towards Frank who shrugged before piping up, “This is Elizabeth Hunter. Albus and I knew each other cause of our parents, same with Diana and Apollonia.� One of the wide-eyed twins shot him a dark look causing him to grimace apologetically. “Sorry, Polly. And Rose and Albus are cousins.� This news did not appear to surprise Elizabeth who merely nodded and gestured to a pristine looking book on the floor.

“Yes, I read. The daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. You too are in the revised edition of A History of Magic.� They all stared at her in vague surprise. This prompted her first smile, which Albus had seen at least. It was radiant while it lasted but fleeting at the same time.

“I was trying to catch up. I’ve missed out on eleven years of all this...I don’t want to get left behind.� She paused for moment, before adding, “And I prefer Effie by the way. Only my grandma calls me Elizabeth.� Albus smiled at her kindly.

“Well, Effie, you probably know more than I do already, if you’ve read all of that.� She didn’t smile, but her eyes softened as she looked at him, shaking her head slightly before saying;

“Books can’t teach you everything. I haven’t experienced any magic, been around any. That’s what I’m worried about.� Rose shook her head, clearing her mouth of the remainder of her pumpkin pasty before speaking.

“We haven’t performed any magic, we can’t of course. We’ve only seen it, and that doesn’t really help. You won’t be behind at all, don’t worry,� Rose spoke soothingly and Effie appeared to look a little better for it. Apollonia, or Polly, as she preferred, turned to Effie inquiringly, her hazel eyes peeping out from a mass of caramel curls.

“How did you find out you were a witch?� Polly asked curiously. Effie appeared taken aback so Diana interjected.

“Our father was brought up by his Muggle mother, and he found out when grandma hid the remote control to his toy car on the top shelf of the cupboard and he levitated to get it back. They couldn’t get him down for hours! I think it was quite a shock. It all made sense though when he received the letter from Hogwarts.� Polly and her sister both smiled at this, but they were not joined by Effie, who instead glowered straight at Albus for a moment before looking away abashedly.

“I found out...when I got really angry at my mother and...I, accidentally, set my room on fire.� They all looked at each other for a few moments before bursting out laughing. Effie looked round at them, confused and her face gradually turning a deeper shade of crimson, a contrast to her usual pallid complexion. “It’s not funny!� They tried to repress their giggles, but failed. Effie allowed a small smile before reiterating her previous sentiments, “It’s not!� Frank waved a hand in dismissal of her claims.

“Don’t worry, I’ve done that before, and so has Rose. It’s perfectly normal when you’re starting out, because our magic’s tied to our emotions at that stage. Setting your entire room on fire though, that’s impressive.� He grinned at her and she returned it sheepishly. She set her Daily Prophet aside and glanced back at Albus, who met her gaze keenly. He extended his hand which contained a box of Bertie Botts’ Every-Flavoured Beans. He looked down at them and back up to her slightly suspicious face. He chortled, amused by her apprehension.

“They’re not poisonous you know. They’re like...I think Muggles call them, Jelly Beans? My dad bought them for us once. They’re not as exciting as these though. You don’t know what flavour you’re going to get: butterscotch, banoffee, haggis, earwax, tripe. They have them all!� She retracted her hand, wrinkling her nose in distaste. He smirked and he understood why. Although it was fun to guess whether you were getting a pleasant surprise or an unpleasant one, the latter were not kind to the taste buds.

He leant back and started slightly when Bast jumped on his lap. The Egyptian Mau stared up at him with large yellow eyes and emitted a squawk-like meow to indicate its desire for affection. Albus obliged unenthusiastically as he knew this would mean he would not be left alone for the remainder of the journey.

He was just about to ask Diana or Polly, who were singing along to the new Veela Vocals song ‘I’ve Got You Under My Spell’ on their portable wireless, to take Bast off his hands when the door to their compartment was flung open.

“What on earth is all this racket about then? Are we going to have a bunch of trouble-makers on our hands?� The tone was one of mock chastisement and came in the form of Albus’ brother, James Potter. He cast his eyes over the room with a sort of puckish grin, lingering over Effie for a few moments before entering the carriage, flanked by two of his good friends. The taller of the two Albus knew very well as his cousin Louis Weasley, the youngest child of Uncle Bill and his wife Fleur. He had a pale complexion with delicate, beautiful features, bronze hair and exquisite cerulean eyes. The other was a girl, Persephone Cora, who Albus was also familiar with as she had visited the Potters’ home in Godric’s Hollow several times before. She had sparkling emerald eyes and platinum blonde hair with small rose-bud lips and a dainty nose. She gave them a glowing smile and placed her hand on James’ shoulder, looking directly at Albus.

“Your brother, Albus,� she glanced amusedly at James and brought her eyes back to Albus, “thinks he’s very hilarious.� James feigned shock and hurt at her words, taking a step back for dramatic emphasis.

“’Thinks?!’ Thinking has nothing to do with it love, it’s pure fact,� James replied with defiance, a smile playing on his lips. Persephone merely rolled her eyes and gazed round the now very full carriage.

“Sorry for bursting in on all of you, James, Louis and I just wanted to check how you were all getting on. Although, I’m afraid I don’t recognise all of you...� She looked searchingly at the various Weasley and Potter cousins who occupied the carriage, and it was Louis who gladly offered the explanation.

“Well obviously you know my cousins Albus and Rose. And these are their friends Frank Longbottom, Diana and Apollonia – Polly, sorry – Thomas. I’m afraid I’m not familiar with you two.� He smiled kindly but curiously at Cliona and Effie, both of whom Albus promptly introduced.

“This is Cliona Finnigan, daughter of Seamus Finnigan.� He looked to James, “dad’s spoken about him before.� James nodded with comprehension and gave a casual wave before focusing his full attention on the sable-locked girl sitting in the corner. “And this,� Albus continued, “is Effie Hunter.� He gestured to the three older pupils standing in their compartment. “This is my brother James Potter. And yes, he’s always this wonderful.� James gave Albus a withering look at this but Albus ignored him and merely carried on. “This is our cousin Louis Weasley and their friend Persephone Cora.� They smiled at their introductions, but it was James who first spoke.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.� Again, Albus noticed his eyes linger on Effie. He couldn’t be sure though, as, before he knew it, James’ eyes were back on Persephone. “Persie, do you know where Alphie and Conall have got to?� Alphard Grey and Conall Wolcott were two of James’ best friends. Alphard, or Alphie as he favoured, was just like James, only slightly better at it. Conall was somewhat more serious, but still indulged them in their juvenile ways.

Persephone shook her head in response to his question. “No doubt causing some sort of trouble. I heard someone had let a Niffler loose on board. If that’s true, I bet it was Alphie. Seems like the sort of stunt he’d pull.� Louis however looked panicked and shook his head rapidly from side to side.

“Nope, I’m fairly sure it wasn’t Alphie.� Persephone looked at him with a mixture of curious amusement and exasperation.

“And how would you know that then?� Louis said nothing. His shifty attitude however said it all. Persephone rolled her eyes. Albus thought that he must have seen her do that in reference to his brother and his friends so many times, he was surprised her eyes weren’t stuck that way. “Of course,� she said exhaling, “well then, we better go get it back. Honestly, having an uncle who’s one of the world’s leading magical creature experts, you would’ve have thought you’d know better.�

Although her words sounded disapproving, her tone was light and her expression gentle. It wasn’t unusual for Louis to pull stunts such as these. He was one of the brightest students in his year, but felt the need to rebel against the achievements of his older sisters and parents by following James’ wayward example.

Persephone turned to the younger students. “Have a good remainder of your journey. Be thankful you’re not Niffler hunting!� Rose chuckled lightly and thanked her. Persie and Louis waved goodbye and exited the carriage. James was about to follow them when he turned back to the group.

“Goodbye all, nice to meet some new faces.� His eyes flicked to Effie, then back to Albus. “See you at the sorting little brother! Don’t worry, it’ll feel like a breeze after the swim across the lake.� With that final comment and a grin, he departed.

Effie however, was not smiling. “We have to SWIM across the lake?� Cliona, Frank and the twins too appeared a little ill at ease. Although, Albus knew their parents too will have told them the Hogwart’s tradition of first years going in boats.

Rose snorted. “Don’t worry, that was just James being...James. You’ll get used to it. First years get ferried across on boats.� Effie exhaled with relief and looked darkly at the door James had just disappeared out of.

They passed much of the rest of the journey in pleasant conversation with Frank making the odd ridiculous joke that everybody laughed at and Effie becoming more comfortable with the rest of the group. Albus could see her visibly relax and he was pleased as he found her to be charismatic and her paranoia about being left behind endearing. Even the small Irish girl, Cliona, appeared more at ease, although she remained the quietest of the group. Hours passed until their comfortable conversation was interrupted by Rose’s abrupt start.

“Wow, I wasn’t paying attention! We’re nearly at Hogwarts and you haven’t changed into your robes.� Albus looked out of the window and saw that she was right. Not altogether too far in the distance Albus spotted the illuminated imposing turrets of Hogwarts school looming atop a hill and poking out from between the tall yew trees. At that moment all he could think of was how he couldn’t wait to be on the other side of that lake. He was instantly consumed by the thought of the magic and adventure he would experience there. He didn’t know how long he stared at that magnificent sight for, but the next thing he knew, he was being nudged by Rose and stared at by six other fully robed first years before being informed that they were five minutes away from their destination. Albus hurriedly brushed Bast off his lap and searched through his bag, putting on his robes just in time as the Hogwart’s Express pulled into the station and its eager students flooded the platform gleefully, home at last.

The boat ride over had been less than relaxing. It was a great joy to Albus and his cousin Rose to see Hagrid again. However, there were five in Albus’ boat, and Frank kept nearly falling in and Polly was so petrified of the Giant Squid that she kept jumping whenever there was a big ripple in the water, causing the boat to rock. Whenever that happened, Albus wished he could have been anywhere else. He was just singularly relieved when they alighted upon dry land and approached the imposing Hogwarts castle.

The first years waited in the foyer of the great castle to be ushered in by the Transfiguration Professor Catus Swinburne. They all had to line up in alphabetical order, meaning that the friends who had all journeyed together were separated. Silently and nervously they awaited their impending sorting. On either side of Albus were two girls; one was a reasonably tall girl, with a mane of honey-brown hair and a pale complexion who smiled prettily at him before turning to talk to her friend in front of her. The other was a smaller scrawny creature, with cropped black hair and equally black eyes. She did not smile at him, but maintained a sulky pout throughout their wait.

After a short time, Professor Swinburne came through the doors to the Great Hall, closing them behind him. He was a tall man and imposing to look at. He had dark hair that hung in tousled waves down to his chin. His jaw was strong, his shoulders broad and muscular and he had grey eyes, hard like stone. He was quite young, but had a mature air to him. Albus thought he seemed like he would be stern but fair, he was not afraid of him, but did not wish to do anything to upset him either.

“They’re ready for you in the Great Hall. If you’d like to line up properly....� That wasn’t a request. They all quickly complied and upon seeing this he smiled thinly.

“Good, now, there’s nothing to worry about. Just go up when your names are called, sit on the stool. I will place the hat upon your head and once the hat has made its decision, it will call out...I’m sorry, am I boring you Mr Malfoy?� Those stony eyes were set on a boy with white blond hair who had previously been talking to the boy behind him. The boy, Scorpius Malfoy, said nothing, but glared back at Professor Swinburne challengingly and grimaced. The teacher ignored him and looked round the entire group.

“It will call out the name of the house it has allocated to you. Has everyone got that?� His eyes flicked towards the Malfoy boy who glowered defiantly in response as the other students nodded tersely. “Right then,� he turned on his heel, flinging the doors open, “in you go.�

The first years followed the towering man into the Great Hall with small footsteps. One nervous looking boy tripped over his robes which were second hand and slightly too big for him and embarrassedly righted himself as titters drifted from some of the older students. What struck Albus first was the sheer size of the place, with its high arches and eternal ceiling, currently enchanted to show the night sky with bobbing candles flickering like stars. Then he noticed the sea of faces at each of the long tables, their eyes scrutinizing the youngest of the students. His eyes passed over the top table of his future professors. There were some familiar faces and some rather intimidating strangers. He recognised such faces as Neville Longbottom, Frank’s dad and Herbology Professor, and Rubeus Hagrid, his father’s protector and friend. The rest he was unsure of, but he was sure that he would get much more familiar with them in due course.

They all grouped together not far from the top table, in front of which stood a small wooden stool. Upon it lay an old shabby wizard’s hat. Albus knew that this was no ordinary hat as his father had told him what it had said to him all those years ago. This thought scared Albus a bit. What if he ended up in Slytherin? He hadn’t heard of anything good that came out of Slytherin, with perhaps the exception of his name’s sake. When he looked across to the far table, he couldn’t see any good there either. There were only mean faces and bored eyes gazing vaguely at the new students.

There was only one house he really wanted to be in. It was, after all, a family tradition and he’d be finding out very shortly whether it was one which was going to continue.
Professor Swinburne stood with his legs slightly astride next to the small stool and faced the Great Hall of students. He unravelled a long parchment with the list of all the first years and cleared his voice pointedly. “If we could have quiet please.� The remaining few voices died out and after one last sweep of the room, he commenced with the Sorting and looked to the first name on the list.

“Albion, Niobe� Catus Swinburne called out in a booming voice. And so the first student walked up to the Sorting hat to be allocated to a particular house. She was a tall girl with a dark plait that extended down her back and it bounced as she climbed the stairs to her seat. She looked towards the tables with wide black eyes as after a short time the old hat opened its flap to announce in a ringing tone:

“Ravenclaw!� Cheers rang out from the Ravenclaw table as Niobe Albion became their newest member. She bounced off the chair and went to join her new house, beaming at the handshakes and smiles that met her arrival. Professor Swinburne held a hand up for silence as he prepared to call out the next name.

“Aventine, Margot� A girl with long ash-blonde hair and a neat black bow on her head walked briskly up to the stool with a slightly upturned nose. She sat down calmly on the seat as Swinburne placed the hat upon her head. The hat did not take long to cry out its verdict:

“Slytherin!� And so the first Slytherin was found, another addition to the sneering mass of faces. She was not the last either, the next student, Hector Bartlett, was also sent to the Slytherin table, led by raucous cheers and applause. The next three students were allotted to Ravenclaw and the two following, Thaleia Crawley and Rufus Cummings, were the first Hufflepuffs. Thus far there had been no new Gryffindors and Albus had a feeling this was not going to change when the next pupil, a brutish looking boy, Seth Darkin, with a furrowed brow made his way to the stool which looked too weak to support his hefty frame. The hat did not need long to debate his rightful place:

“Slytherin!� Two more Slytherins followed, three Hufflepuffs and one rather nervous looking Ravenclaw, Feronia Fell, tipped backwards off her stall when the Sorting Hat began speaking to her. The Gryffindors were starting to look a bit bored as they had gained no new additions to their table and Albus too was just praying for the Sorting ceremony to speed up, he wanted his name to be called, to get the agony over with. Professor Swinburne came to the next name on the list and called out with his commanding voice:

“Finnigan, Cliona� Albus started paying attention again at the mention of this girl’s name. He watched as his friend from the Hogwart’s Express walked timidly up to the small wooden stool and the battered antique hat was placed upon her sandy-blonde curls. She bit her lip as the Sorting hat whispered in her ear, whatever was being said seemed to make her a bit nervous. However she visibly relaxed as the hat proclaimed:

“Gryffindor!� A more effusive than usual cheer came from the Gryffindor table, after the long absence of any new members. Cliona hopped of the stool and she was greeted by many enthusiastic handshakes and beaming grins. Albus hoped that he would be joining her, along with his cousin Rose and the other friends he had sat with on the train on the journey up. However, Gryffindors did not have long to wait until their next member:

“Gara, Elena� A small pretty girl with olive skin, cat-like deep green eyes and dark wavy hair glided to the stool and elegantly placed herself upon it. She did not seem anxious and smiled at Swinburne as he placed the hat upon her head. The hat took more time with her than it had done with others, but finally it decided upon:

“Gryffindor!� The girl slid off the stool smiling before joining Cliona on the Gryffindor bench. Albus saw her greet Cliona who coyly replied, although seemed to be rather intimidated by the obviously confident girl. Another Gryffindor, Alecsander Haskell soon joined them and two more Slytherins were appointed. Then, a name that Albus had a particular interest in was called:

“Hunter, Elizabeth� When her name was called there was a slight hesitation before walking up to the stool. She flicked some of her ebony hair out of her sapphire eyes and gazed out across the crowd, her eyes met Albus’ for a moment and he saw a brief smile waver on her lips before Professor Swinburne dropped the hat on her head. The hat took a while to debate her rightful place and although she did not betray much emotion, her face went unusually hard and cold at something it said. After the longest deliberation any of the students had received so far, its decision rung throughout the hall:

“Gryffindor!� It wasn’t just the Gryffindor table who were smiling and clapping this time, as Albus found himself joining in. Once he realised however, he felt suddenly self-conscious and quickly ceased his applause, but he did return her furtive smile as she walked to her seat between Cliona and Alecsander. Next, Riordan Kendrick and Morgana Lark became the newest recruits to Ravenclaw and Slytherin, respectively. They were followed by another familiar face:

“Longbottom, Frank� He cast a look up to the top table and found his father’s eyes who smiled at him encouragingly and winked. He seemed slightly reassured by this as he sat down on the stool, and not long after the hat proclaimed:

“Gryffindor!� Frank exhaled and cast a lop-sided grin at Albus who returned it eagerly. At the top table Neville Longbottom’s face visibly relaxed and Albus was certain he saw him exclaim a celebratory ‘Yes!’ The newest addition to the Gryffindor table joined his housemates before Cassia Lowe was sorted into Hufflepuff and Una Macmillan and Tristan Magnus joined Frank on the Gryffindor table. It was not long until another person Albus recognised was called upon:

“Malfoy, Scorpius� A boy with white blond hair, defined cheekbones and a slight sneer on his face approached the small stool. When he sat upon it, he surveyed the crowd, his eyes settling on something behind Albus which made him smirk. The hat was placed on his head and when it was, Albus thought he saw a flicker of what could have been anxiety, but it disappeared almost instantly. It did not take long, although, longer than Albus expected considering the boy’s family, to announce:

“Slytherin!� There was some apathetic clapping from the Slytherin table. The Malfoy family had long since fallen out of favour with most of the wizarding world, partly due to the fact his grandparents had betrayed Voldemort all those years ago and now Draco was working for the Ministry in a respectable position, meaning any lingering supporters of the Dark Lord or his ideals were hostile to the Malfoys. The rest of the wizarding world had not quite forgotten the part the family had played in the final years of Voldemort’s dark reign.

Scorpius took his place next to an ebony-locked Morgana who looked him up and down with a churlish pout before returning her gaze to Professor Swinburne who was continuing to sort the new students. After several more nondescript faces approached the stool, and after Iris Proserpine became yet another Ravenclaw, finally Albus heard the words he had been anticipating:

“Potter, Albus� There was the vague whispering at the mention of his name, although he imagined it had been worse for his brother James, the eldest of the Potter children. His family were legendary after all. He was incredibly proud of the part his mother and father - the latter in particular - had taken in the downfall of Voldemort. Nevertheless, he could have done without the added pressure at that precise moment in time.

Albus inhaled deeply and began his approach to the Sorting hat. Slight nausea started building up in his stomach and he searched the Great Hall with his eyes, desperately seeking something to calm his nerves. He caught the eye of James who was pointing to a small sign that read ‘Don’t worry; we’ll still love you, even if you end up being in Hufflepuff. Slytherin - probably not.’ Albus fixed him with a steely glare but his brother just smirked as Persephone snatched the note out of his hand, shaking her head. Albus looked elsewhere, but only saw a sea of unfamiliar faces. He looked up to the top table. He saw Neville Longbottom, who smiled at him encouragingly, and Albus smiled back, still feeling unsettlingly queasy. He looked to the person in the centre of the table. He was clearly the Headmaster of Hogwarts, but Albus had not expected him to be as young as he was. He was older than his father but younger than his grandpa, though closer to the former’s age. He had greying dark brown hair and smiling eyes that had slightly crinkled round the edges. He wore deep blue robes which matched his eyes perfectly and before Albus turned around to sit down, he could swear he saw him smile slightly.

Albus took his place on the small rickety stool at the head of the Great Hall and gazed down at the faces of his new classmates. There were more of them than he realised and he was almost relieved when the large hat was placed on his head, masking his vision. However, when it began to speak to him any relief evaporated until all that was left was a strong sense of fear.

“Albus Potter! Another member of the Potter clan - and what a clan you are. Now, let us see, where to put you...you possess the same keenness to prove yourself as your father as well as all the potential to do great things, oh yes, you will do great things Mr Potter. But is the bravery there as it was with your brother and parents and their parents before them? I am not sure...�

Brief panic crossed Albus’ mind. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with being a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, but he couldn’t bear the thought of being in Slytherin, and he knew that Gryffindor was where he was truly meant to be, with the rest of his family, with his friends-

“Yes, very like your father. Very well then, I have made my choice, with your help of course...� Albus braced himself for a moment, before the Sorting Hat declared to the rest of the hall: “GRYFFINDOR!�

All the tension Albus had been feeling prior to that point just melted away as the pounding of applause reached his ears. In a daze he stumbled off the stool and frantically searched for a familiar face with his eyes. His eyes locked on his brother’s first, who was beaming at him and beckoning him over and next onto Frank who was cheering with vigour. He took his seat between his brother and Una Macmillan who greet him with a small smile and a brief hand-shake.

The names of the next few students went by in a blur for Albus; such was his elation to be sitting at the Gryffindor table. He was dimly aware that he had to make room on the Gryffindor table for two more students, Theron Ryder and Tobias Tarne. However, it wasn’t until the Thomas’s were called that he began to pay attention. Both identical girls with caramel skin, wispy light brown hair and big, pale green eyes bobbed up to the stool. However, their outcome was shocking for Albus and most certainly for them. The first, Apollonia, was placed in Gryffindor, and joined the rest. The second however, Diana, was told she would be joining the Hufflepuffs. Albus didn’t know that the sorting hat split twins, let alone two so identical in every other way. They both looked saddened by the hat’s decision, but took their places stoically. Venetia Verus joined Diana at the Hufflepuff table, and Albus was just getting over his shock when the next name called was one that was all too familiar to him:

“Weasley, Rose� Albus’ eyes focused, for the first time in quite a few minutes on his cousin, and best friend, bobbing up to sit on the small stool with a certain hint of determination in her eyes. When the hat was placed upon her head, Albus knew what the verdict was going to be, even before the Sorting Hat shouted it throughout the hall:

“Gryffindor!� Rose smiled widely as she bounced off the stool as if she already knew the outcome, but enjoyed hearing it aloud. She trotted over to sit next to Frank, who went to high-five her, but was instead confined in a brief but tight hug, leaving him looking a little embarrassed. Albus beamed at her and she returned it. He was glad to have her sitting on this table most of all.

A couple more students were called until Damian Zabini closed the Sorting process, being placed in Slytherin, which Albus felt suited him rather well. Once all the first years were seated, the wizard who Albus assumed was the headmaster rose from his seat in the middle of the long table at the head of the hall. He surveyed the room with a keen eye and gave a small but sincere smile as he gazed around. His glare silenced most, although there were a couple of Slytherins who whispered noisily at each other and threw occasional glances towards the Gryffindor table.

“Welcome,� he began, “to another year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.� He paused for a moment before continuing. “As I look around I see many experienced Hogwart’s pupils and some new and fresh. So if the former could just bear with me a few minutes, I would like to introduce myself and some of the rules we have here at this institution.� He paused again, lowering his eyes to the top of the tables where the first years sat.

“I am Professor Weylin, former Potions master at Hogwarts and, as of three years ago, its new Headmaster. We don’t have too many rules here at Hogwarts, but those we do have we expect you to adhere to. Firstly, the Forbidden forest to the West of the grounds is just that: forbidden, unless accompanied by a teacher. I am sure your peers can tell you many terrifying and inventive reasons as to why. Secondly, you cannot roam the halls or grounds after dark. Thirdly, no first years are permitted to bring a broomstick to Hogwarts. No Quidditch until second year I’m afraid.� There were some sighs at this, even from Albus. He enjoyed playing Quidditch with his brother and cousins during the summer. His father had been a good teacher.

“If you violate any of these rules you can lose points for your house or risk more severe punishment. Good behaviour is rewarded by winning points for your house. The house with the most points by the end of the year shall win the coveted House Cup.� He raised his eyes to the rest of the hall now before continuing. “Now we have everyone up to speed, I have but a couple of notices for you all. Professor Hinks will be holding auditions for the choir in the Muggle Studies classroom at seven o’ clock this Thursday evening, anyone is welcome.� Albus noticed that Cliona looked enthused by this suggestion. It was not however something Albus would be engaging in.

Albus looked back to Professor Weylin as he continued.
“Madam Chang is holding Quidditch trials tomorrow evening after dinner for second years and above - I repeat, second years and above. Finally, I would like you all to welcome our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Genaro Merric. We are very pleased to have you join us here at Hogwarts.â€� A man of an approximate age of Albus’ father, with tousled light brown hair and a handsome face, gave a small, slightly self-conscious nod in acknowledgment and smiled at his new students. Albus thought he seemed amiable, if a little nervous.

Suddenly, Professor Weylin clapped his hands together and beamed. “Right, I think that concludes our business for this evening. All that’s left to say is: eat up!� Albus had been told what happens next, but is a completely different matter to see it. Platters of beef, lamb shanks, pork chops, gammon, sausages, salmon and nut-roast were piled high accompanied by every variety of potato one could dream of and at least half a dozen different vegetables. Albus had to tear his eyes away from the puddings: profiteroles, sticky toffee pudding, rice pudding, strawberry cheesecake, jelly and fruit salads covered and remaining table space there was. Albus was still in shock when he looked up and saw his friend Frank’s plate filled to the point of overflow. He laughed and noticed he wasn’t the only one doing so as he caught the eye of Effie. He smiled at her and she threw him a quick grin in return, before letting her ebony hair fall into her azure eyes. Yes, thought Albus, still smiling as he poured a generous volume of gravy over his beef and potatoes, this was going to be a fantastic year.

The meal passed with friendly conversation. Although there was some initial teasing from James, the older boy soon became distracted as a pretty third year Ravenclaw girl, Ashlesha Rigel, came bounding up to him, Louis and Alphie to ask how their summers had been. Conall had been talking to a fellow Gryffindor, so he did not get wrapped up in the conversation, but Persephone was sitting next to James and appeared rather put out by being ignored completely by Ashlesha. Albus observed Rose talking rather animatedly with Effie and Polly. No doubt they were discussing their impending studies, judging from Effie’s rather overwhelmed expression. Albus himself spent most of the time talking to Frank and Una. He found the latter to be a bit of a know-it-all without actually knowing nearly as much as his cousin, Rose. He occasionally caught Frank’s eye whenever she said something slightly haughty and was met with a look that said ‘just ignore her.’

After they were all well-filled, there came a voice that Albus was rather familiar with. “First years, if you could come to the front of the Hall, your Prefects will escort you up to your common rooms,� Dominique commanded bossily.

She flicked some long strawberry-blonde hair out of her eyes and was gesticulating importantly to the direction in which they should go. She cast her two younger cousins a smile as they filed past her before following behind them in step with a sixth year Prefect. Albus was vaguely surprised that Victoire was not joining them, but Dominique informed them that she would be patrolling the rest of the castle in the meantime. The rest of the Gryffindors were grouped behind them, nattering away as if they had never left. They were being overseen by the sixth year and seventh year Prefects who were more accustomed to dealing with the, at times, troublesome mob of Gryffindors.

Another house assembled next to them and Albus glanced over to inspect them. The green lapels and insignia gave them away as Slytherins. Albus and Rose were the closest to them and they were both met with the same mixture of curiosity and disdain they were projecting. He noticed Scorpius Malfoy closest to them, surveying them with a look of mild amusement. Albus was surprised as he heard Rose speak up, a touch hostile, from his right.

“Something funny, Malfoy?� Scorpius raised his eyebrows and smirked a little. He shrugged his shoulders and gestured to the crowd of Gryffindors.

“It’s nice to see the Weasleys’ mission to take over Hogwarts is going well,� Scorpius remarked sardonically. The girl next to him, Morgana Lark, turned to watch the exchange with mild interest. Rose scowled briefly and then twisted her face into a sarcastic smile.

“When we do, I know who will be at the top of our expulsion list,� she retorted with mock sweetness. Scorpius was about to respond when the Prefects swung open the doors of the Great Hall and began ushering them through. Behind Albus, he could hear Dominique desperately attempting to keep their cousin Fred and his friend Alaric Kane in line. Her fellow Prefect and boyfriend, Gawain Knight, confiscated a handful of Dungbombs from James, Louis, Alphie and Conall. Persephone looked on with a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

Albus focused his attention away from his troublesome relatives and back onto the building itself. The changing staircases troubled Albus and he never thought he would get the hang of it, not to mention the fact that there were trick stairs that you could trap your foot in. Cliona Finnigan already had to be wrenched from one by their Housemaster. Neville Longbottom was the Head of House for Gryffindor and as they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady and the entrance to Gryffindor, he paused and turned to the first years at the front of the crowd, surveying them kindly.

“Now, here is the portrait hole for Gryffindor. To enter, you shall need a password, which changes every term. This term it is ‘gillyweed.’ I know they can be difficult to remember at first, but try your best, and it helps to have a friend with you.� As he went to walk through the now open passage, he turned back with a slightly concerned expression.

“Whatever you do, though, just don’t write them down. If you misplaced it...well, you just don’t know who could pick it up.� He appeared rather uneasy as he said this and Albus had a feeling he was speaking from personal experience.

They all filtered through the passage into the main Gryffindor common room. Albus’ first impression was that he could really imagine spending his evenings here. There was a large fire as the focal point and comfortable sofas and chairs faced it with tables to sit with friends towards the edges of the room. A tapestry of memorable Gryffindor alumni hung above the fire place. A few familiar names were on there: Professor Weylin, Minerva McGonagall, Oliver Wood, former Puddlemere United player, now their coach, and a few other Quidditch players as well as the lead singer from The Howling Harpies. Godric Gryffindor took a prominent place at the top of the tapestry. Just beneath him was his namesake, Albus Dumbledore, his father, Harry Potter and his aunt and uncle, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Albus felt a certain sense of pride as he stared up at that but his thoughts were interrupted by Neville explaining further rules to the new students.

“Now I know you probably want to get back to your dormitories and unpack or see them for the first time if you’re new to Hogwarts, but I just have a couple more notices and I’ll let you go. I’d just like to reiterate Weylin’s point of not sneaking out at night, I know it just sounds like us being boring, but it’s for your own safety, believe me.� Albus smiled, he knew that Neville had been out on night-time wanderings with his father and he also knew that it had not ended well.

“Secondly, boys are not permitted to visit the girls’ dormitories at any time. You’ll find out what happens if you try. Girls are permitted to enter the boys dormitories if they wish – don’t moan at me, that’s just how it is.� The groans that came from some of the students weren’t for the fact that the boys could not visit the girls, but that the girls could potentially come into the boys rooms. “Apart from that, I think you’re good to go. Just don’t set your rooms on fire or anything.� The students began to laugh; only Effie and Professor Longbottom maintained sombre expressions.

“That’s not a joke. That happened a couple of years ago. Boys’ dormitories are up the stairs to the left. Girls’ are the same, but the staircase on your right. Good night all!� With that dismissal from Neville, Albus and Frank, who managed to dodge a hug from his father and older sister Clara, named for her maternal grandmother, began walking towards their dormitories. As the girls and boys branched off, they bade goodnight to Rose, Cliona, Effie and Polly before climbing up the staircase to meet their new home.

Many of the older years had remained downstairs in the Common room, catching up after the long summer holiday, but Albus really wanted to inspect his room, and properly meet his fellow first years. When he and Frank entered, the first thing that struck him was how beautiful the four-poster mahogany beds were with their rich scarlet hangings. They each had a small bedside table and a wardrobe to the side of that. At the end of their beds were their trunks which had been delivered up to their rooms. One of the boys had a pet long-haired tabby cat which was curled at the bottom of his bed, purring noisily. As long as it didn’t scratch, Albus didn’t mind.

Shortly after they entered, three other boys came in who Albus vaguely recognised as Alecsander, Tobias and Theron. Albus approached them amiably with his hand outstretched. “Hello, I’m Albus Potter, and this is Frank Longbottom, how are you doing?� He shook the taller boy’s hand first. He had shaggy sandy blond hair and a puckish grin. The next was slightly shorter but just as stocky with dark brown hair that hung to his chin and had very pale green eyes, almost like opals. Finally, the last boy was darker in skin tone with black hair and hazel eyes. He was quite handsome but unkempt, he too smiled back at them and replied.

“Hey, I’m Theron Ryder, and this is Alecsander – sorry – Xander – Haskell.� He gestured to the tallest boy first and then to the opal-eyed one. “And this is Tobias Tarne.� He turned to Frank briefly. “Wait, Longbottom, like our Housemaster?� Frank reddened at this. This was part of the Hogwarts experience that Frank was dreading: having a parent as a teacher. Albus didn’t know which put more pressure on, having a parent who was always there, or having a parent who was the most famous wizard of his generation.

“Yup, one in the same. He’s my dad,� Frank added with faint embarrassment. There was a reddish tinge to his ears which emphasised this. Theron nodded in comprehension while Xander snickered gleefully saying in soft Welsh tones:

“I bet he’ll let you get away with murder then.� Frank shook his head resentfully, negating Alecsander’s comments.

“Nah, just means he’ll be keeping an even more annoyingly close eye on me and will just be more aware if I put even a toe out of line.� Theron grimaced and patted him on the shoulder, an act that Frank seemed to feel was rather premature for their friendship as he flinched slightly when he did so.

“Bad luck mate, my parents are Muggles so they won’t notice if I get into trouble.� He smiled happily at this before turning to Albus. “And we all know who your parents are. Well, I didn’t until recently.� He held up a book in his hand that read ‘Hogwarts: A Revised History’ and Albus knew exactly what he meant as it was what Effie had been talking about on the train on the way over. “Had to read up you see: my dad, the solicitor, and my mum, the clerk, didn’t know too much about the great Harry Potter.� Albus gritted his teeth slightly and nodded. It wasn’t like he wasn’t proud of his parents; he just didn’t want to be necessarily defined by his father’s glory.

“My mum’s a Muggle too,� piped up Tobias, “but my dad’s a wizard. He works in the same department as your dad, Albus. He’s an Auror too. Andreas Tarne? You probably haven’t heard of him...he’s no Harry Potter!� Tobias smiled at this but Albus couldn’t return it. He couldn’t believe how quickly the topic of conversation had swayed in this direction.

In an effort to change the topic he turned to Alecsander. “How about your family? Any professors, Aurors or lawyers?� Albus knew his question sounded tense, but he ignored this and merely concentrated on the tall scruffy haired boy as he awaited his answer. However, it was not the one that Albus expected by any means.

“Well, my dad’s a wizard and my mum was a witch. I say was...she died when I was four. My dad worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I say worked, because he’s currently in Azkaban. I live with my aunt which is all right I suppose. Oh – and my best friend – apart from my cat Nemea - is a Muggle who I couldn’t even tell about all this.� There was a sort of stunned silence following that confession, each of their faces frozen in the same position as when Albus had first asked the question, praying for the ability to reverse time so that he hadn’t.

However, something very unexpected and altogether relieving happened: Alecsander began to laugh, his watering eyes surveying each of their faces. Albus tried to stop himself, but he began to laugh with him, and the others followed suit. Theron paused between chuckles to ask: “Was that really true, or were you just messing with us?�

Xander shook his head replying. “No, that was true, but if you could see your faces...priceless.� he choked out, before resuming his laughter.

The realisation curtailed their hysteria and their laughter eased off with some awkwardness. Albus did not quite know what to say. Thankfully, Theron did not seem to suffer with the same issue. “Mate, that is without a doubt, the most depressing story I’ve ever heard.� Xander nodded, still chortling at his own hardships.

“I know, right?� They all laughed shortly in response and smiled. Albus could tell the boy did not wish for pity, although it would take a heart of stone not to feel it.

To everyone’s relief, Tobias landed upon a change of topic. “So, does anybody know anyone else here? I vaguely know Elena Gara and Riordan Kendrick from Ravenclaw as they’re both family friends,� he explained quickly as his eyes moved between each of them. Theron and Xander both gave a shrug and a small shake of the head, indicating that they did not. Frank and Albus gave each other a furtive look and smiled.

“Frank and I are family friends and we also know Apollonia and Diana Thomas. I have a ridiculous number of cousins here, including Rose who’s in our year,� he smiled at this a little, “she’s a bit like me only cleverer – I’m counting on her to get my homework done this year!� Albus quipped, although, the more he thought about it, the more likely that was to be the case. Theron smiled and appeared more at ease.

“Good, I’m going to need all the help I can get too!� he said slightly nervously but with a jovial smile on his face. Albus nodded in agreement. Even with a magical background, he was more than slightly nervous about what that year had in store for him.

“I know Una Macmillan through my mum – she’s friends with Una’s dad,� Frank added and concentrated as if he was considering something. “She’s a bit of a stickler for the rules, but she’s alright,� he grinned a little and glanced at Albus, “a bit like Albus’ cousins: the Head Girl and one of the Prefects,� he said teasingly in Albus’ direction. Albus smirked at him and shrugged carelessly.

“Whatever, Frank – your dad’s Housemaster, you definitely lose,� Albus pointed out and Frank rolled his eyes as the others laughed amicably together.

With the change in the tone of conversation, Albus became dimly aware of a sixth unoccupied bed, but the thought got brushed aside when they all crowded around Theron’s bed to inspect the various Muggle items he had brought from home. It wasn’t until they had all said goodnight to each other, changed into their pyjamas and begun to drift off into a pleasant slumber, that Albus could swear he heard the creak of floorboards under light feet, a pause somewhere very near him and then the groan of bed-springs as someone occupied the final bed. However, Albus’ head was already clouded by sleep and soon he was too far immersed into the world of dreams to know what he’d heard.

A dark haired girl smiled at him from across a river. She wanted him to cross the bridge to meet her. She was so beautiful, but there was a fragility to her that made her cold. It made him want to know more, however, and it gave him the urge to cross the bridge. He strode across it, further and further until he has crossed the halfway point of the rickety passage. However, she was still the same distance away. He reached the other side of the river, but still she was so far away. He ran to her, as fast as his legs could carry him, but this only increased the distance. He stopped, gasping for breath and realised that he could no longer see her. His eyes searched for hers desperately, though to no avail. She was lost; gone. He realised another thing: that he was completely alone and that darkness had fallen.

A shiver inched its way down his spine unpleasantly and his entire body tensed in anxiety. Scared, he turned back to cross to the other side where he felt safer. But the bridge was gone and there was no sanctuary left there for him. Breathing heavily and feeling hot tears sting his eyes, the boy turned again, but this time was engulfed in blackness as strong arms locked around him as he struggled to break free. He thrashed and kicked and pummelled with all his might in an effort to escape. It was pure instinct, for inside he was paralysed by dreadful fear.

The blackness was persistent though and would not release him. To resist began to pain him, but to stop would mean to give in. Suddenly the arms fixed him in place, making it impossible to move, as if the black thing was not using its full strength before. The boy wanted to cry out in agony but could not, only weep silently. This seemed to amuse his captor who emitted a low, cruel laugh from deep inside his hollow chest.

For the first time, the figure spoke menacingly: “Hold still, Potter, it’ll be over soon.� The boy didn’t know what would be over soon and never found out as the darkness which originally engulfed him, took him over completely until he could see nothing, only feel searing pain throughout his body. It was as if the very blood running through his veins was scalding him and every nerve ending had been stimulated. Down to the very ends of his toes he felt unadulterated agony and he longed for it to stop until he could feel nothing anymore – numbness had overtaken him as the pain enveloped him fully.

This pain is what woke Albus Potter in the middle of the night to see a dark-haired, pale boy standing over him with a hard look fixed on his beautiful face.

Albus Potter awoke with a start, a sheen of sweat covering his sluggish face as he met the cold eyes of the figure standing over him. He was not wearing pyjamas even though it must have been the early hours of the morning. Nor was he in his robes however, but instead a pair of worn looking black jeans, a black T-shirt and a black jacket. Between that and his dark eyes, Albus would not have been aware of his presence if it weren’t for his alabaster skin which was only emphasised by the blackness of his outfit.

Albus knew he should be comforted to know that the pain was all in his imagination and that he was safe and in his new bed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but he couldn’t feel entirely relaxed when faced with the image of a fair-skinned youth hovering over him in an imposing manner. He tried to speak but no sound came out and, as he sat up, all he could manage were a few feeble splutters. He noticed that the boy had taken half a step backwards, but Albus felt he was still uncomfortably close. He was about to ask the stranger what on earth he was thinking, but he was prevented from doing so by a whisper from the boy.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. You were tossing and turning a lot and mumbling. I just wanted to check if you were all right.� He surveyed Albus as if to confirm his analysis. “And you seem alright to me, so...� He pointed to the vacant four-poster bed, whose sheets were still unturned and he was about to make his way towards it when Albus prevented him from doing so, still slightly bleary-eyed and confused as to this person’s identity.

“Wait, who are you?� he hissed, so as not to wake the other residents of the dormitory.

It was only after he posed the question that he realised what a foolish one it was. It was the final, unoccupied bed’s missing resident. He couldn’t recall the boy’s name from Sorting, but what mystified Albus more was the fact that he was missing in the first place. What was he doing? And why wasn’t he in his robes like he should have been? The boy leant against the poster on the far right hand side of the bed, cocking his head to the side so that it was illuminated by the thin strip of moonlight that shone through the drapes. In this light Albus could properly inspect the boy’s face. He had high cheek bones and large dark blue eyes with a small, straight nose and relatively full lips. His hair was somewhat tousled, but it suited him, as did the colour; a rich ebony to match his taste in clothing. He was very handsome and quite perfect looking if it weren’t for a scar that went diagonally across his eyebrow, narrowly missing his eye, extending nearly to the top of one of his much defined cheekbones.

His hushed voice broke Albus out of his reverie. “I’m Tristan Magnus, your new room-mate,� he paused, looking round the room unemotionally at all of the sleeping first years, his eyes lingering over a lightly snoring Xander before returning to Albus, “well, one of them anyway. And you,� he said, taking a step forward, a move which made Albus feel a little uncomfortable, “are Albus Potter, son of Harry and Ginny Potter.� He didn’t look impressed by this, a brief flutter of emotion passed over his face, but it was erased before Albus could even identify it. Albus rolled his eyes, not wanting this to be another conversation about his parentage, he shot back:

“And you are Tristan Magnus: son of...?� Tristan’s face went dark for a moment but he soon smoothed it out and allowed a brief smirk to touch his lips before answering.

“Son of Philomela Lark. I don’t have a dad. Don’t need one.� He said it very matter-of-factly, as if he didn’t care. Albus still couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, especially since he guessed that Tristan’s bravado was mostly a front. Albus resolved not to enquire further about his father or his whereabouts.

“Is your mum a witch?� Albus thought this was a safe question, since he had mentioned his mother’s name with relative ease, but the answer he received was full of tension.

“Yes,� Tristan replied slowly, “she’s a witch.� He didn’t say anything else on the matter and Albus didn’t particularly feel like making him open up. He grasped around in his tired thoughts for another change of subject when Tristan started rolling up the cuffs of his jacket, reminding Albus of his earlier absence.

“Where were you earlier? I can’t remember seeing you in the common room.� Although Albus recalled Tristan sitting at the Gryffindor table, he couldn’t remember him following with the rest of the first years after the feast. The boy looked slightly shifty at Albus’ question, but still cast him a small smirk, shrugging his shoulders dismissively before answering.

“I wasn’t too hungry so I said I needed the toilet and I went exploring.� He spoke casually and Albus was surprised, and slightly impressed that he managed to get away with it. He sat up properly now, his weary state altered to one of relative alertness. Tristan sat on the end of the bed and continued his story; like Albus, he was glad to have landed on a safe topic at last.

“I walked round the grounds a bit; nearly bumped into Professor Weylin though near the Whomping Willow - I think he’d come from the Game Keeper’s house. I thought I was done for then, but he seemed distracted, so I was alright. I walked right up to the Quidditch grounds – I can’t wait to play, I play at my uncle’s house a lot.� Albus looked at him with a puzzled expression and Tristan expanded.

“He has a lot of land and I don’t have any siblings but he has three children. You saw one of them actually: Morgana Lark?� He looked to Albus to register any recognition. It took him a moment, but he recalled that she, with the dark tresses, was one of the newest recruits to Slytherin house. A look of surprise must have registered on Albus’ face as Tristan shifted slightly uncomfortably before glancing up with some defiance.

“You could say that being in Slytherin runs in the family.� He smiled bitterly to himself, as if sharing some private joke that only he knew about and continued. “I imagine father would have been most disappointed to find out I was in Gryffindor, not that he ever will. So would my mum if she...� he trailed off and shook his head a little before continuing.

“She’s not too bad though,� Albus creased is brow and Tristan clarified, “Morgana...she’s not so bad, for a Slytherin, anyway. She may act like a self-important nightmare, but she could be a lot worse considering some of my family.� Albus didn’t think it wise to ask him to expand on that; instead, he offered some information about himself.

“I have a lot of family here as well. We practically make up half of Hogwarts!� Albus was pleased to see Tristan crack his first genuine smile so he continued enthusiastically. “I have a brother, James, in the third year. He tries his best to make as much fun of me as possible, but he’s alright really. I also have eight cousins currently at Hogwarts ranging from first to the seventh year. Rose Weasley, our fellow first year Gryffindor, is my cousin, but also my best friend.� Tristan laughed lightly, one eyebrow raised in surprise.

“Eight cousins? And those are just the ones actually at Hogwarts? That’s quite a big family you’ve got,� he said with a smile. Albus rolled his eyes and nodded his head in assent.

“You have no idea,� he mumbled as he thought of his various cousins, aunts and uncles. There were so many, it was often difficult to keep track. Tristan looked wistful for a moment, though a smile still lingered on his face.

“It must be nice, having a big family. I don’t have any brothers or sisters – just my cousins Morgana, Maximus and Mathias. They’re all right, but it’s not the same as having siblings,� he finished a touch sadly. Albus shifted awkwardly for a moment before emitting a short breathy laugh.

“Having siblings isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I always get James’ hand-me-downs and he hardly ever lets up in his teasing. And Lily, my sister, always blames me for the things she does wrong and gets away with it because she’s the ‘baby.’� Albus made a slight face at this which prompted a laugh from Tristan. “If I didn’t have Rose come over and visit me all the time, I think my siblings would drive me crazy,� Albus said half jokingly, half sincerely. Tristan smiled briefly and ran a hand through his dark, tousled hair.

“I look forward to meeting Rose, I haven’t really met anyone from Hogwarts yet, you know, what with skipping the meal and getting back so late, just you and the girl who let me in.� Albus looked at him inquisitorially. It made sense that if Tristan had not been at dinner, he wouldn’t have been with all the other Gryffindors when Professor Longbottom told them the password, so would need to have asked someone to let him in.

“What girl? Was she a first year too?� Albus enquired, wondering who on earth would have been up so late. Tristan gave a small nod in answer to the question before answering verbally. “Yeah, she was. She was alone in the common room and she heard my conversation with the Fat Lady who I was unsuccessfully trying to charm into letting me into Gryffindor, when she opened the portrait hole. She said she couldn’t sleep, but she looked rather tired and preoccupied.� He paused for a moment looking pensive.

“She was very pretty though, tired, but pretty. I think she said her name was Effie...� Albus frowned slightly, wondering why she had been up so late, she had seemed fine when Albus had left her in the evening. He must have not spoken for a couple of minutes because when he looked up again Tristan was standing.

“I better get to bed. Big day tomorrow and everything...� He walked towards the bed and was about to pull back the covers when he spotted something on his bed. He picked it up gingerly and inspected it. As far as Albus could see in the dark, it was a white envelope with an emerald seal on the back and a slight crease appeared in Tristan’s brow as he inspected it. He turned to Albus, waving the envelope in the air.

“Did you see who put this here?� Albus shook his head. The only people he’d seen in the dormitory were Frank, Xander, Tobias and Theron and he’d gone to bed last and hadn’t seen anyone pay the slightest bit of attention of the unattended sixth bed.

“No, I didn’t, sorry mate. Maybe Neville – Professor Longbottom – put it there before we came up.� Tristan nodded absent-mindedly, running his finger over the edges of the envelope before placing it in his bedside cabinet and slipping his jacket off. Albus heard what he assumed was Tristan changing into his pyjamas and was surprised when he also heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He rolled over onto his side facing his newest room-mate and was met with an outstretched hand holding a sprig of some sort of plant in its palm.

“Have this,� Tristan said, waving the plant slightly, “you put it under your pillow and it’s supposed to help you sleep, ward off nightmares and stuff,� he said as explanation. Albus stretched out his hand and took it. It felt fresh, as if it had been very recently picked. “It usually works for me anyway.� He threw a lop-sided grin at Albus very briefly before composing his face and shifting his weight onto his back foot, taking him closer to his own bed.

“Goodnight, sleep well, hopefully.� He turned on his heel and walked over to his bed and slipped under the covers until all Albus could see was an indistinguishable mound of duvet.

“Thanks...goodnight, Tristan.� The boy gave no indication he’d heard and Albus did as instructed, placing the plant underneath his pillow sceptically. He didn’t see how a random piece of plant was going to help him sleep. Albus yawned and could feel his eye-lids droop, desperately wanting some rest before class the next morning. He lowered his head onto the pillow and rolled onto his side facing Tristan’s bed. He was vaguely aware that the boy was merely staring wide-awake at the ceiling, not showing any signs he was nearing sleep. The last sound he heard was the groan of bed springs as if someone was rising from their bed, but Albus could not open his eyes to verify this as, consumed by exhaustion and wearied by the length of his first day at Hogwart’s, he plunged into a deep slumber.

“Wake up! Albus, wake UP!� Albus was dimly aware that a voice was calling him but he didn’t want to listen to it. He’d been having a pleasant dream. He couldn’t remember what about, only that he’d been flying - on a broomstick he thought - and that it made him very happy. Therefore, he did not wish to be dragged from that joyful place by the distant yet incessant calls.

“Albus! You’re going to be late for you FIRST day!� There was a slight pause from the far-off murmurs before a lighter, feminine sounding voice spoke.
“I’ll handle this.� At first, nothing happened. Albus was comfortably wavering between consciousness and the peaceful place he wished to return to. However, he received a rude-awakening in the form of a surge of cold water gushing over his face, filtering into his nose and mouth, nearly asphyxiating him in the process.

He started, panic etched over his sodden face as he sat bolt up-right, coughing and gazing about wildly. He saw that his bed-side had attracted a small crowd. Frank, Xander, Theron and Rose - with an empty cup in her hand - were all gathered round, peering at him incredulously. They were all freshly showered and dressed in their robes, evidently ready to start the day. They even had their bags already full of the books they would need for the day. Albus hadn’t even looked at his timetable yet.

Rose rolled her eyes disapprovingly. “Honestly, Al, the boys have been trying to wake you for ages. You slept through two alarms and a lot of shouting; how were you that tired?� Albus shook his head, still not feeling quite up to talking yet. He had a strong feeling Tristan was not joking about that herb helping you get a good night’s sleep. He glanced over to the boy’s bed which looked barely slept in. The only sign that someone had been in that bed last night was the bed-side cabinet drawer which was slightly ajar.

Albus turned back to the others. “How long have I got and for what subject?� he inquired, scrambling out of bed and tearing off his jersey T-shirt. Those present averted their eyes subtly as he did so and Frank answered his inquiry.

“Ten minutes, mate, for Transfiguration, followed by History of Magic; no time for a shower, I’m afraid.� Albus grimaced and nodded promising to meet them downstairs in five minutes. He quickly extricated himself from his pyjamas before hastily putting on his black robes and shoving his books into his bags with his parchment, ink and quill. He had but seconds to look in the mirror. His hair was sticking up in more different directions than he could count; he tried to smooth it over, but to no avail. It was one of the many traits he had inherited from his father.

The laces on his shoes were not done up, but he did not care and didn’t have the time to. He ran down the spiral staircase, two steps at a time until he reached his friends, waiting for him with barely disguised agitation. Xander was the first to spot him and gave him a brief round of applause. “That must be some sort of record.� Rose turned swiftly to inspect what he was referring to and rolled her eyes nodding.

“Yes, yes; pity it was necessary, though.� She looked him up and down as they walked to the portrait hole. “You do look a bit of a mess, Albus.� He nodded to indicate he was aware of that fact and the portrait hole swung open, revealing the maze of staircases in front of them. Something seemed to occur to them all at the same time as they gazed upon the moving paths.

“Erm, not being funny or anything, but...where is the Transfiguration classroom?� Xander verbalised what everyone else was afraid to. They all glanced round at each other with matching dumfounded expressions.

“Well,� began Rose, glancing at her watch, “we have exactly three minutes in which to work that out.� Frank’s hand shot up.

“Make that four by my watch.� Rose gave him a withering look which Frank returned with a mocking smile. Theron was next to voice his concern.

“Seriously though, guys, where do we even start? I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but this school’s pretty big.� Rose rolled her eyes and was about to respond to inform him that he was stating the obvious when something made her shiver through to her fingertips. Her breath caught in her throat and she staggered with the shock of it. She didn’t have to look far to see the source of her reaction, for before her was the pearly white spectre of Nearly Headless Nick.

“Well, hello, there first years! How lovely to meet you. I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington! And who, may I ask, do I have the pleasure of speaking to?� They all introduced themselves politely (almost all of them, anyway). Theron, paralysed by utter disbelief at what he was seeing, merely gawped open-mouthed, something Sir Nicholas seemed to find simultaneously amusing and off-putting.

Albus remembered how his father told him that Nick could get excessively chatty when provoked and, upon hearing Xander ask the question: “Wait a second – aren’t you Nearly Headless Nick?� Albus decided to intervene, catching sight of the time which informed him that they had but two minutes left.

“Nick – er – Sir Nicholas, I’m really sorry but we’re going to be late for Transfiguration, only, we don’t know where the classroom is. I was wondering – if it’s not too much trouble – if you would be so kind as to show us the way?� He ended the sentence hopefully, but he needn’t have worried, Nick’s mood had not been soured by Xander’s inquiry.

Sir Nicholas nodded happily. “Why, of course, my boy! I don’t suppose your father told you about our friendship? He came to my deathday with your parents,� he cast a brief glance upon Rose,� and we had many a pleasant conversation.� Albus nodded, assuring Nick that his father looked upon those times fondly. This seemed to please Sir Nicholas enough for him to glide in front of them, returning to Xander’s question and regaling them with the story of his demise. The group threw furtive glances at each other as they listened and interjected when pause allowed, keeping Nick happy.

At last they arrived at a large set of oak doors having traversed two floors and wound round several corridors. Nick had just drawn breath to issue further complaints about still being denied a position on the Headless Hunt, but was fortunately interrupted by a rather impatient Rose.

“Um, Sir Nicholas, is this the place; only we’re five minutes late for our first class?� Ignoring Frank’s mumble of ‘four minutes’, they awaited Nick’s answer. He appeared slightly put-out to be interrupted mid-flow, but nonetheless nodded (his head wobbled precariously as he did so) and bade them farewell, floating through the wall opposite.

The first years all looked round at each other for a moment. Realising that none of them were moving, Rose sighed and shook her head exasperatedly. “For goodness’ sake!� she hissed and she took a small step forward and swung the doors open, perhaps a little more vigorously than intended, and they caused an embarrassingly loud creak, alerting their silent classmates and their new Transfiguration teacher, Professor Swinburne, to their presence. He surveyed them with a critical eye and said nothing as they stood in the doorway. Rose was the first to offer her excuses.

“I’m really sorry we’re late, Professor Swinburne, only we got lost-� Before she could finish her grovelling, Frank interjected.

“And then we saw Nearly Headless Nick and asked him how to get here. He told us he’d take us but I swear he took us a longer route just so he could finish his story of how he...you know...� Frank made a gesture of beheading by drawing a line part the way across his throat with his index finger. Professor Swinburne raised an eyebrow briefly but otherwise maintained a neutral expression. The others, Rose in particular, shot incredulous looks at Frank who shrugged defensively.

After a few more seconds of silence Professor Swinburne addressed them. “Well then, are you going to come in and take your seats, or are you going to delay our proceedings further with more tedious explanations?� he asked the rhetorical question with heavy sarcasm.

They took that as their cue to take their seats. Xander and Theron sat together towards the back of the room, probably too embarrassed to venture closer. Rose, on point of principle, refused to sit next to Frank and took the vacant seat next to Effie. The only spaces remaining were a space next to an amiable looking Hufflepuff girl who Albus vaguely recognised as Cassia Lowe from sorting, and another seat next to a dark haired boy sitting near the back of the room.

Frank swiftly occupied the space next to Cassia while Albus wandered over to the dark haired boy, who, as he approached, smiled a brilliant half-smile at him. Albus identified him then as Tristan Magnus, the effective cause of his tardiness. He sat down next to the boy and pulled out his book while simultaneously hissing at Tristan

“Thanks for the wake-up call, mate, that herb you gave me made me oversleep!� The boy chuckled lightly and replied to Albus in a hushed tone.

“Told you it’d work.� He paused for a moment, looking towards Albus’ hands before continuing. “Do you know you’ve brought your Herbology book to your Transfiguration lesson?� Albus was about to tell him not to be stupid and that of course he’d brought the correct books with him until he gazed down at the leather bound book in his hands entitled: A History of Herbology by Flora Silva.

“I suppose you could look up that ‘herb’ now if you wanted.� Tristan added playfully. Albus was not in the mood and shoved the book back into his satchel before asking Tristan to share and he obliged soundlessly.

Due to this exchange, he’d missed Professor Swinburne’s introduction, so wasn’t entirely sure what they were supposed to be doing. His classmates appeared to be reading the first ten pages of their Transfiguration books, and most were nearly half way through before Albus knew to start. He and Tristan had only got through a couple of pages before Professor Swinburne clapped his hands together.

“Right, well, if everyone is up to speed, I have but one question before we continue: Mr Potter and Mr Magnus.� Albus looked up panicked, wondering what on earth Swinburne was going to ask them; he had only read the ‘Introduction to Transfiguration’ section and had not even got on to the methodology of transforming a toothpick into a pin.

“Why are you sharing a Transfiguration book? I’m sure it has not escaped even your notice that everyone else has their individual ones.� Albus swallowed hard and inhaled deeply as he grasped for a suitable response. He had already been late; he didn’t really need to add this to his list of faults. However, before he could answer, Tristan interjected.

“Sorry Professor Swinburne, I left mine upstairs in my dormitory and accidentally brought my Herbology book instead. Downright stupid of me, really. Can I share with Albus in the mean time, as he was so kind as to let me in the first place?�

Professor Swinburne surveyed him critically, his lips tightening as he did. “I do not care for your tone, Mr Magnus. I think I should take five points from,� he paused a moment, an odd smirk playing on his lips, “Gryffindor for your forgetfulness. I should take more for your peers’ lack of punctuality, so be thankful it is not more than five.� Tristan nodded curtly and adopted a slightly steely expression which did not compliment his gentle features. Professor Swinburne continued, softening his expression marginally.

“You may share your book for this lesson, but I implore you to remember it next time Mr Magnus.� Another curt nod met this request and Tristan’s expression remained stony.

“Now who can summarise for me Proteus’ three laws of Transfiguration?� He was addressing the whole class now and Albus was dimly aware of his cousin Rose shooting her hand up into the air to answer the question. He wasn’t listening, though and instead leaned towards Tristan and uttered in a hushed tone:

“Thanks, mate, you didn’t have to-� His friend (he had earned that title now) cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

“I know, but I wanted to. Just don’t do it again, you git, I’m not covering for you next time.� He smiled his brilliant smile and turned to face the front of the class. Most of the session passed with tedious methodology and various rules and techniques. Albus was more concerned with the practical side of things and he got his opportunity towards the second half of the lesson when Professor Swinburne taught them the incantation for transfiguring a toothpick into a pin. Most of the students achieved nothing more than sharpening their toothpick. One, Rufus Cummings, inexplicably set his on fire. Tristan gave up after a couple of attempts and put the toothpick to its practical use; something which Polly and Diana spotted on the table next to them and giggled at. Albus thought his seemed slightly shinier, although still mostly wooden, apart from the polished pin-head at the top.

Albus glanced across the room to Frank. Having broken his toothpick pretty early on, he was ‘helping’ Cassia with hers. Rose was nearby, holding a shining new pin between her fingers, while Effie had made a strange hybrid: a wooden pin. Still, it was closer than Albus could get. At the end of the class, Professor Swinburne assured them that they had done very well considering their inexperience and their homework was to practice the incantation and write notes on Proteus’ Laws. He also promised them that their workload would not always be that light. Albus thought that was a joke, but Swinburne wasn’t laughing and neither was anyone else, so he stifled his chuckle threatening to escape.

They were dismissed and had ten minutes to make their way to History of Magic. Once they were out of ear-shot, Tristan began his complaint. “Merlin’s beard, History of Magic better be less rubbish than that. Between losing points for my house and not being able to do so much as sharpen my toothpick, I honestly don’t know what my favourite part was.� Albus was going to retort that he only tried a couple of times before giving up, but didn’t feel it would improve Tristan’s mood. “Professor Binns...sounds alright. He can’t be worse than Swinburne, anyway.� Tristan continued. Albus raised his eyebrows, knowing full well that was not entirely correct.

“Tristan, Professor Binns is dead.� Albus informed him. His friend didn’t seem to initially understand though, adopting a rather puzzled expression before saying:

“Then who’s teaching the class?� Albus laughed, as did Frank and Rose who had caught up behind them. Rose sidled up next to Tristan, flicking some of her auburn hair out of her eyes before offering her explanation.

“Professor Binns is.� Tristan still looked a tad confused, but also slightly disturbed. Rose laughed and introduced herself and Frank who was rather bewildered as to how he hadn’t met Tristan before, but didn’t pursue it. They had History of Magic with the Ravenclaws, although did not have much time to meet any of them as Professor Binns drifted through the wall of the classroom. A few jumped (Feronia Fell tipped backwards of her seat again), however this was the most exciting event of the lesson. They discovered after a matter of minutes that Professor Binns’ teaching style was as dead as he was. They made reams and reams of notes on the ancient battle of the centaurs and wizards in the sixth century (one of the precursors to the ill-feeling between centaurs and wizards that still sparsely remains today).

By the end of their lesson they were starving and were glad for lunch. Having missed breakfast, Albus ate heartily. He needed his energy for Charms and Herbology this afternoon. He found it far more easy-going than his morning’s lessons. Charms was taught by a small witch, around the same age as Albus’ mother, named Professor Nerissa Nimble and she was excitable in showing them the correct wrist-actions for the three beginners’ charms. They would be practicing the first of their charms next session. Despite having been in Ravenclaw in her youth, Professor Nimble was not at all biased towards them and awarded points to both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor in turn for their achievements.

By Herbology the Gryffindors were all rather exhausted and were surprised that they still hadn’t had a class with Slytherin as they shared their Herbology class with Hufflepuff. This was the class that Frank was least looking forward to, however. For the teacher of this session was Neville Longbottom, his father. Despite hanging out in the back of the class with Albus, Rose, Tristan and Effie for support, Frank was still dragged into discussion by his father. When Neville asked what climate the Vincula weed favoured he said: “I know at least one person here knows the answer to that question.� At this, he threw a hopeful look in the direction of his son who averted his gaze and suddenly seemed to find something particularly interesting about his shoes.

Neville appeared to be slightly put out but carried on in spite of it. He only made a couple of slip-ups revealing the close relationship between Frank and himself. He accidentally called Frank ‘Frankie’ at one point (causing many titters from Xander, Theron and Tobias) and congratulated him on a correct answer with a pat on the back. Frank told them after the class that it had been far worse for Clara when she started, so he was hopeful that his father was getting more used to having his children as his pupils.

During dinner, Rose informed Albus that Hagrid had asked whether they wanted to visit him in his house for tea and cakes after dinner. Having received several large piles of homework from all his teachers, Albus wasn’t sure he wanted to. But Hagrid was a family friend and, as Rose reminded him, their family owed Hagrid a lot.

“He says we can bring some friends, if you fancy it?� She aimed this question at their immediate company of Tristan, Effie, Frank, Xander and Theron.

“I’m all right, thanks,� said Tristan, finishing his mouthful of shepherd’s pie. “I’ve got a pile of work to do and stuff.� Rose nodded, appreciating the excuse of work (it’s the only one she would recognise). The others accepted, quite curious about their giant friend. They polished off their puddings of pavalova or spotted dick and bade farewell to Tristan who trundled off in the direction of Gryffindor tower, before making their way out of the castle towards Hagrid’s hut - a trip their parents had made countless times before.

Albus knocked on the door and had to wait but a few moments before Hagrid’s beaming face appeared in front of them. His eyes widened slightly at the sheer number of guests, but he didn’t seem to mind. “’Ello there, Al, Rosie!� He gave them each a hug in turn before turning to the others. “And who might you be? Oh, where are my manners? Come in, come in; make yer selves at home.� They each took a seat round Hagrid’s round kitchen table as he passed them each a flagon of tea which would take them some time to get through and put an assortment of his infamous rock cakes and slightly ill-formed looking gingerbread men on the table.

“Hagrid,� Rose started, swallowing a gulp of tea to wash down a particularly hard part of a rock cake, “this is Xander Haskell,� she gestured first to the burly blonde boy, “Theron Ryder,� then to his tanned friend, “Effie Hunter,� the petite sable locked girl and lastly, “and you know Frank Longbottom, Neville’s son.� Frank chided her for that introduction, but she ignored him. Hagrid smiled gently at each of them in turn before turning to Xander.

“Haskell? That sounds familiar...did yer dad do Care o’ Magical Creatures when he was at school?� Xander looked faintly embarrassed, the first time Albus had seen him so. He replied calmly, however:

“Um, I don’t think so. But um, he would’ve been in the Daily Prophet a few years back.� Hagrid didn’t pick up on the awkwardness of the situation for he merely carried on with what he plainly thought was pleasant inquiry.

“Oh right, wrote fer ‘em, did he?� Albus was trying to signal to Hagrid to stop, but his frantic kick under the table missed and hit a very confused Effie. He threw her an apologetic smile but she did not return it and refocused her attention on poor Xander who was beginning to look more uneasy.

“Er, no. He was um...he’s in Azkaban.� Hagrid’s eyes widened realising his mistake as comprehension dawned on him. He mumbled his apologies, adding that he remembered now. Albus secretly wondered what Mr Haskell was in Azkaban for, but felt that Xander would probably tell them in his own time.

“He’s not half as messed up as you’d think he’d be by it though.� Theron piped up in his direct manner that was going to take some getting used to. Xander chuckled however, thanking him sarcastically. Theron continued all the same, an unstoppably candid force of nature. “Seriously, mate, you wouldn’t think it to look at you. Unlike some of our fellow Gryffindors I could mention...� Albus knew who he meant and was surprised to see Effie throw him a reproachful look.

“What?� Theron started again. “He is a bit much with the mystery and everything. I mean he’s all right, but has anyone actually talked to him before this morning? He keeps himself to himself a bit, that’s all.� Albus turned to Hagrid before offering his explanation.

“Our fellow Gryffindor Tristan Magnus, he’s a bit...well - he avoids company a bit. But I talked to him last night and he said something about not having a dad and he got a bit weird when I mentioned his mum as well. But he’s nice,� he turned to Theron at this point, “and we should give him a chance.� Theron held his hands up in defence, a large bit of gingerbread lodged in his mouth. He was obviously trying to say something, but the biscuit acted as a hindrance. It was Hagrid however who spoke up next.

“Tristan Magnus...yes, Professor Weylin mentioned him at the start of the year. Said he was to be ‘protected’ or summat. I dunno who his parents are me-self, but I know he lives with his cousins. You know, the Larks.� Albus was shocked at this. Tristan said he played Quidditch at his uncle’s house, but he never said he lived with them. Knowing that his mother was alive, Albus was curious as to why Tristan didn’t live with her. However, something seemed to have clicked with Effie.

“The Larks? You mean like, Morgana Lark? The first year Slytherin?� she asked her question with curiosity but the boys, Xander in particular, looked horrified.

“He’s related to Slytherins? Merlin’s beard! I’ll be sleeping with one eye open from now on.� Albus shook his head disapprovingly at the same time as Rose and Effie tutted. Albus felt it wouldn’t help his friend’s cause if he mentioned that he came from long line of Slytherins, so he remained quiet, watching Hagrid’s strained expression.

“Oh dear, I shouldnt’ve said that,� he groaned, taking a swig of the warm brew, “just go easy on him, is all. Professor Weylin wouldn’t tell us exactly what happened to the lad, which is strange, ‘cause Weylin’s isn’t one fer secrets like Dumbledore were.� He smiled fondly at the memory of his former friend before continuing.

“Whatever it were, anyway, just treat him like normal, righ’?� They all nodded, unable to say anything in reply as they were battling with Hagrid’s fist-sized rock cakes. The rest of their visit passed with less tension. They conversed easily about their work load and their troubled start to the day with Professor Swinburne, who, Hagrid assured them, would warm up in time. Frank complained about the difficulties of having a parent as a Professor, which Theron still maintained could be a good thing. Before long it was getting dark and Hagrid urged them to return to the castle before they all got him in trouble. They waved him goodbye, thanking him for their half drunk flagons and the cakes which were largely going to be fed to Nemea.

Rose told them that she was off to the library to practice the wand techniques that Professor Nimble instructed them to do and complete Neville’s essay on the differences between ranawort and stellio root (she had completed both Swinburne’s and Professor Binns’ assignments during her lunch break). Albus, Frank, Effie, Theron and Xander returned to Gryffindor tower, determined to do the practical exercises at least. Albus and Frank resolved to copy Rose’s Transfiguration notes and her essay on the centaur Chiron the Great’s defeat at the hands of Demetrius Lapith. Frank could easily complete the Herbology assignment and promised to lend it to them all afterwards.

When the portrait swung open, even over the jokes and guffaws of Frank, Theron and Xander he could hear frantic whispers followed by the sound of a chair being knocked over. They entered the common room and found Tristan in there alone. It was unusual for the time, but they were holding Quidditch trials for the older members so they were either taking part or out supporting. He replaced the chair he had apparently knocked over and greeted them in an oddly flustered way.

“Hey, you erm, surprised me. Just doing some work.� He gestured to his parchment bearing the History of Magic essay title and several broken toothpicks. Tristan noted this and hastily added: “Yeah, it’s not going too well. Finished Swinburne’s notes, though, if you want to have a look at them?� Albus thanked him, and took them from his outstretched hand. It would be better to have two to copy from anyway rather than just Rose’s. However, when Albus compared the two after Tristan had told them he was going off to bed, he noticed they were exactly the same from the phrasing right down to the punctuation.

He stared off to the staircase that his friend had just disappeared up as the rest of the group flicked their wands back and forth (with varying grace). Maybe Rose had already leant Tristan her notes and he was just very poor at copying...maybe. That didn’t bother him half as much as who Tristan was talking to earlier. The frantic whispers: it could only have been Tristan, there was no other explanation. Albus put it down to him practicing incantations, perhaps attempting the Transfiguration spell on his ninth toothpick. However, at the back of his mind he heard the echoing words of Hagrid: “Professor Weylin wouldn’t tell us exactly what happened to the lad, which is strange ‘cause Weylin’s not one fer secrets like Dumbledore were.� Well, Albus didn’t like secrets either, so he would find out Tristan’s - no matter what.

After the draining experience of their first day of lessons, Albus thought it could not get much worse. He was wrong. It could get far, far worse. Their day was an annoyingly Slytherin-centred day. They had Potions, Defence against the Dark Arts and flying lessons all with Slytherin. They did have a break with Muggle Studies in the afternoon with Hufflepuff (Muggle Studies had been made compulsory by Professor McGonagall ten years previously), but apart from that, they had only Slytherins for company.

It didn’t help that the Potions master was the head of Slytherin. However, Professor Varys Sorensen, despite his long, slightly crooked nose and disturbingly angular face, was not as terrible as initially thought. He couldn’t be described as pleasant necessarily, but he was only slightly biased towards his house and treated all students with the same level of apathy. They had long benches for this session instead of the two person desks they were used to and each bench was half full, splitting the Gryffindors up. Reluctantly, Rose, Albus, Tristan and Frank went to sit on the front bench with two boys and a girl. The girl Albus recognised as Morgana Lark, who met Tristan with a small smirk and an almost imperceptible incline of the head. On one side of her was a tall boy with curly dark brown hair and strong bone-structure who glanced at the new additions to the table, but showed little interest. The last occupant of the table was a boy Albus had seen on platform nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross station. He was a boy with a shock of white-blonde hair styled so the fringe parted to the side. It was different to its appearance on the platform and was tousled as opposed to slicked-back. With that and his stony grey eyes, he could be no one else but Scorpius Malfoy.

Rose took the seat next to Scorpius with a look of distaste, probably due to the warning her father had given her about him before they left the platform and their brief encounter in the Great Hall. Scorpius did not return the look of distaste, merely sneered and said under his breath.

“Problem, Weasley?� Rose looked so shocked at being addressed that she merely flushed. Scorpius chortled lightly. “Good; I didn’t think so.� Rose grumpily pulled her Potions book from her bag and opened it at the page Professor Sorensen instructed.

They were learning about antidotes to the most common poisons. Albus’ answer of a bezoar did not gain the praise it deserved but was passed over without comment. Scorpius Malfoy’s suggestion of Curus Remedia, the most common revival potion, was greeted with a small incline of the head, but nothing more. Rose smiled smugly at Scorpius’ slightly disgruntled reaction at Sorensen’s indifference, but it was swiftly wiped off as she received nothing but a smirk in return and a slight shake of the head. They were not required to make their own antidote until next lesson because, as Professor Sorensen reminded them, at this point they were all far too incompetent to make one that would do anymore than provide an even more painful death. Instead they made many notes and were given oral tests on the supposed ‘holiday reading’ (Frank’s expression summed up Albus’ own bewilderment) they were supposed to do. Out of all Gryffindors, only Rose and, oddly, Tristan, could answer the questions with much ease.

Their homework was to write a foot and a half on the correct method to make the Curus Remedia antidote and its workings, in preparation for their next lesson. Albus groaned at this. It was their longest assignment so far, and on something he scarcely understood. Copying Rose seemed to be the only viable option again. As they were packing up their things in preparation for Defence against the Dark Arts, Morgana finished quickly and came to stand in front of Tristan with a playful grin on her face.

“Oh, cousin! Gryffindor? Really?� She shook her head, giggling. “Mother will not be happy,� she added in a singsong voice. Tristan gave her a withering look as he stuffed his copy of Potion Practitioners: Volume I by Randolph Weylin into his weathered bag. He snorted sarcastically at her words, but did not appear angry to Albus’ eyes.

“And we wouldn’t want to disappoint Aunt Pansy, would we?� he replied mockingly before continuing, “Merlin’s beard, Morgana, she’s not even my blood relative.� Morgana was still simpering when she shrugged dismissively. Tristan went on as he slung his satchel over his shoulder: “And I’m not sure Uncle Donovan will mind. Or need I remind you about the conversation he had with the Sorting Hat about Ravenclaw-� Morgana held up a silencing hand before glancing around.

“All right, Tris’, I get your point. But keep your voice down; there’s no need for you to further ruin my reputation.� With the comment came a furtive glance at Albus and Rose before her eyes returned to her cousin. Albus assumed her comment was a reference to her cousin being placed in Gryffindor instead of the traditional Slytherin. Tristan seemed to find something funny about her last sentence.

“Good one, Morgana, well, you might want to start by ditching Malfoy over here if you’re so worried about reputation.� Tristan threw a disproportionately dirty look at Scorpius who did not appear fazed and merely tightened his lips into a small smirk before saying:

“I would be offended by that, but considering the source, I think I can take it.� Tristan squared up to Malfoy, the calm draining from his face to be replaced by a confrontational scowl.

“And what’s that supposed to mean exactly?� he asked tersely, ignoring Morgana’s pleas of ‘Tris!’ Malfoy chuckled to himself amusedly and Albus noted how the room had cleared, apart from Effie, Xander and Theron who had come to join the show. Scorpius leant forward slightly before saying quietly, but loud enough for those closest to hear:

“How’s your dad lately?� Everything started happening very fast from that point: Tristan lunged forward, Morgana squeezed between him and Scorpius and was nearly knocked over in the process, Xander and Theron were holding Tristan back and all the while Scorpius stood still, unmoving.

Eventually Tristan calmed down and was escorted out of the room in a flurry of curse-words by Xander, Theron, and Effie as they headed towards Defence against the Dark Arts which would begin in a matter of minutes. The people left in the room were still in slight shock, but all their eyes were on Scorpius who quipped, “What? Is there something on my face?� His voice was dripping with mock concern. They were not laughing. Rose picked up her bag and swung it on her shoulder, grabbing Albus and Frank by the elbows.

“Shut up, you git.� she spat with a glare before dragging the boys towards the door. Malfoy wasn’t letting her go that easily as he picked up his own bag and continued after her.

“Oh, Rosie, you wound me.� She spun on her heel, eyes blazing as she marched up to him.

“Don’t –call-me-Rosie. You toad!� she spat as he whirled around in a theatrical manner laughing mockingly, contorting his handsome features.
“Oh, Weasley, stop; I don’t know how I’ll ever recover!� Rose seemed to be too incensed to form coherent words so just made a noise akin to ‘errghhh’ at a particularly high octave before turning back to Albus and Frank and marching towards Defence against the Dark Arts. Albus dimly heard Morgana mumble to Scorpius:

“Great start at the making friends thing Malfoy, keep it up.� Albus half-smiled. Tristan was right - Morgana wasn’t too bad - for a Slytherin, anyway.

Defence against the Dark Arts with Professor Merric was one of Albus’ favourite lessons so far. He may have been a new teacher but he brought a fresh approach to the course. Once they had all taken their seats - Rose and Tristan at the opposite end of the room from Scorpius - a very small part of the session was taken up by introductions and note taking. He did a short exercise where they all had to say their names and a bit about themselves (proving difficult for Tristan and Xander), but it was quite interesting for some. For example, Una Macmillan’s father was the Minister for Education, Ernie Macmillan, Seth Darkin could speak fluent Mermish and Effie’s mother was an actress in the Muggle world. They then were told to get their wands out and get into pairs to practice the disarming spell ‘Expelliarmus,’ having perfected the hand movement earlier and recited the spell orally.

Albus couldn’t help but laugh to himself slightly when Rose was paired with Scorpius Malfoy. He himself was put with Hector Bartlett, the other boy sitting on their bench during Potions. He was not friendly exactly, but neither was he unpleasant. It was fastest reactions first to begin with. Nearly every single time, Albus disarmed the stronger, taller boy without too much trouble – though he bested Albus at times. Tristan was adept at disarming his cousin - however she caught him out a couple of times as well. Theron thought he had done it successfully, but Margot Aventine had merely dropped her wand accidentally.

Rose was furiously disarming Scorpius Malfoy with almost too much success until at one point he said: “Now, now, Rosie, you’re upsetting me.� Rose tightened the grip on her wand and began:

“Don’t. Call. Me-� she was cut off, however, as he disarmed her, catching her wand dextrously in his left hand with a brilliant smile on his face. “Give me my wand back, Malfoy,� she said steadily, although it was obvious she was seething. He didn’t make a movement to give it back to her but just twiddled it between his fingers.

“Please. ‘Give me my wand back Malfoy,’ please,� he amended, a smirk playing on his lips. Rose gritted her teeth and Albus paused, transfixed and worried about what was about to happen, resulting in Hector Bartlett disarming him for the first time. Albus didn’t really understand why Rose was getting so het-up by him. Sure, he was a bit of a pain, but still not as bad as Albus had been expecting. It seemed as though, if you treated him with respect, you would receive the same, or as far as he could manage, in return. Rose, however, had not figured that out.

“Euck, you’re so full of it. Give me my wand back or I’ll, I’ll-� she seemed to be searching for something intelligent to say but she found nothing in the vast chasms of her brilliant mind. Albus noted, as he took his wand back from Hector, how the pair on the other side of her - Effie and Tobias - had also stopped to watch. It was only a matter of time before Professor Merric noticed and Albus felt that couldn’t come a moment too soon. Scorpius was sneering at Rose in such a way that Albus knew whatever came out of his mouth was not going to alleviate their already strained relations.

“You’ll what? Splutter at me some more? Cause, as intimidating as that is, I think I can-� Scorpius was prevented from finishing that sentence by something that surprised Albus more than anything. Rose whirled towards Albus, dug the heel of her palm into his wrist, opening his hand slightly, but enough for him to lose grip on his wand. She took this opportunity, seizing his wand with more agility than Albus realised she possessed, an eleven inch phoenix feather set in alder, and quicker than any of them realised what was happening, aimed his wand at Malfoy.

“EXPELLIARMUS!� she cried with a flourish. Both his wand and hers flew into the air and she caught them with some grace. Albus made a private note to himself to pick Rose to be on his team next time they played five-a-side Quidditch (and also to never annoy her). She took a step towards the victim of her rage who covered up his slightly startled expression with a chuckle - a reaction that Albus did not feel was a wise one. Scorpius held his hands up in mock defeat and spoke lightly.

“Whoa there, Weasley, I get your point.� He lowered his hands before continuing. “You’re not half feisty for such a small thing,� he paused as she threw him a threatening look. “What? That was a compliment! Anyway, I’ll be having my wand back, if you’d be so kind. You can’t very well keep on disarming me without one.� Rose stretched out her hand with Scorpius’ wand in it and Albus hoped for a vain moment that she might just let it go. He underestimated her wrath.
She retracted her hand with a short cackle. “Ha! As if.� Scorpius didn’t appear angry, just smirked at something behind Albus and Rose. They both froze as a new voice entered the conversation.

“Is everything all right?� Professor Merric asked knowingly. His shrewd expression gave the indication that he knew very well that everything was not all right. However, Rose nodded and Scorpius assured him that everything was just fine, prompting a stunned look from Rose. Professor Merric was evidently not convinced.

“Give Mr Malfoy his wand back, Miss Weasley; like he said, you can’t disarm him without one. And I think Mr Potter would appreciate his as well.� Rose blushed, realising he had heard their exchange, and handed the ebony and white ash wands back to their owners. Professor Merric began to walk on before adding: “Just...keep it clean, please.� Scorpius laughed and Rose looked at him stonily but she didn’t quarrel with him for the remainder of their session.

By the end of Defence against the Dark Arts, Albus was rather exhausted. As fun as Professor Merric’s teaching style was, he didn’t think he could stand another showdown between Rose and Malfoy. He didn’t have a chance to discuss it with Rose at lunch as she scuttled off to the library to do her work (their work). The next time he saw her was during Muggle Studies but Professor Aria Hinks interrupted with her talk on Muggles ‘religious’ belief systems, or, as she called them ‘the origins of Muggle societies’. They would make their way through the main and most basic of their beliefs and the effects it has had on their world before examining some of the key points in Muggle history which have shaped them today and their substitutes for magic. Albus could not imagine the Slytherins sitting through this class without some form of protest. Especially when having to write essays on Britain’s transition between the ‘pagan’ polytheistic religions and their central monotheistic ones: a broad and annoyingly lengthy topic.

By the time Albus arrived on the grounds where they were practicing for their flying lesson, he was, unusually for him, not in the mood. However, when he glimpsed the old but perfectly fine-looking rows of Firebolt 3.0s Albus wanted nothing more than to be in the air. The flying coach was Madam Chang. Around the same age as his parents, she was petite with dark hair and a warm face. She smiled at them when she saw them all and told them to each find a broom. She instructed them to place a hand above the brooms and say in a clear, calm voice: “UP!� On the count of three they all attempted this. Everyone needed at least a few attempts before their broom would do anything but lie on the floor, with the exceptions of Albus, Tristan, Morgana and Scorpius who managed it on their first or second attempts. Next were the instructions on how to mount the broom and not slide off and perfecting the grips. Again, the same sort of people had their grips spot on, while others were still struggling with the thought of being off the ground.

Madam Chang requested that on her whistle they kick off from the ground with their feet, rise a few feet and then return to the ground. However, on the whistle, Effie kicked off a little too hard and, instead of being a few feet off the ground, had drifted about twenty feet high. Albus’ instincts reacted faster than his logical thought. He leant forwards, gripping the handle and shot up towards her; however, at that exact same moment, someone else had the same idea. The second saviour was a mere second behind him and Albus did not register who it was until Effie slipped off her broom and was tumbling down with a scream. Albus was too high - level with her broom - but Scorpius was just the right height to grab her grasping hand, swinging her up and hauling her onto his broom.

Albus looked down dumb-founded. Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy! He could scarcely believe it. However, as he returned to earth shortly after the pair with a gentle landing, he realised his eyes were not deceiving him. Effie was still clutching Scorpius’ arm in shock and he looked at her edgily, evidently wishing she’d let go. A couple of his fellow Slytherins gave him low whistles and Morgana congratulated him, even smiling at Effie in what Albus guessed was supposed to be a kind way. Even Xander and Theron managed to pat Scorpius on the back. Rose embraced Effie, glancing curiously at Scorpius over her shoulder. Albus didn’t see what expression he gave her in return, but whatever it was it made Rose’s brow furrow in confusion. Polly and Cliona were fussing over Effie, asking if she was alright when Madam Chang blew her whistle.

“Potter, Malfoy, over here!� The two approached the front of the group of first years where their instructor was. She wore a slightly stern expression. “Just a couple of questions boys: do I have a broom?� They did not respond at first, baffled by the simplicity of the question. Eventually, after a furtive glance at each other, they nodded in confirmation.

“Correct, I do in fact have a broom. And am I, or am I not your flying instructor and former Seeker for the Argent Arrows?�Again they nodded, seeing where this was going. “Just one, final question lads: does that indeed make me more than qualified for saving an eleven year old girl from a rather unpleasant fall?� They nodded one final time, acknowledging that that was in fact the case.

“Good, just checking. In which case, I’ll have twenty points from your respective houses and detention on Friday night for the pair of you. I’ll send the details forward.� Albus and Scorpius stared at her, the former with his mouth slightly agape. “I think you two have had enough flying for one day. You can watch from over there.� She pointed to a slightly raised bit of land nearer to the castle. They silently put down their brooms and began to make their way over to the spot she had indicated towards when her voice stopped them.

“Oh, and lads,� they turned around sullenly to see what further complaints she had, but were surprised to see her with her usual warm expression back, “well done. You’d be assets to your teams.� She broke into a small, secret smile, before turning back to the other students with a neutral appearance. Albus and Scorpius looked to each other simultaneously and Albus’ allowed a fleeting grin to escape. He thought Scorpius was about to return it, but thought better of it and merely said:

“Nice catch, Potter. Oh. Wait,� he quipped, smirking as he marched forwards. Albus stood watching him for a moment, trying to imagine what detention with just the two of them was going to be like. He did not understand Scorpius Malfoy, but one thing he was certain of was that he wasn’t what he seemed. As Albus followed him to their exile, a little voice in the back of his head told him that there was a lot of that going around at Hogwarts and he was inclined to agree with it.

The rest of the week passed with significantly less drama, although with a rather more substantial pile of work than Albus would have liked. It was during dinner time on Friday evening that his brother James approached them, flanked by his usual cohort of followers: Alphie, Conall, Louis and Persephone. Frank was in the process of begging a strong-willed Rose for help with Swinburne’s essay on the differences between transfiguring animate and inanimate matter and Albus was finishing his last forkful of casserole when James slammed down a piece of parchment in front of him.

“Well, well, little brother. We have been busy, haven’t we?� Albus swallowed and looked from the parchment to his brother, momentarily perplexed. However, it was Alphie who cleared it up for him.

“Detention! In your first week! You have more promise than James let on.� He flashed a smile at Albus and winked. Rose rolled her eyes while Albus sighed. Brilliant, he thought. Of all the people who could have delivered the news of his detention, James was somewhere near the bottom of that list. Not that he would be angry, no, he would just assume that from then on Albus would want to be pulled into whatever schemes he devised, which he did not.

“What did you do to get it anyway? It’s from Madam Chang, so I’m guessing it has to do with flying.� Albus let out a harsh bark-like laugh and nodded, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, very well worked out James.� The sarcasm did not affect James who merely took a small bow in return. Albus continued after a spoonful of Peach Melba. “Effie over here,� he gestured to the dark haired girl sitting next to Rose, “thought it’d be a great idea to see what we all looked like from twenty feet up.� Effie threw him a sardonic smile which he returned.

“Instead of waiting for Madam Chang to help, I flew up to try and help her.� He paused, taking another mouthful of Peach Melba before saying in very quick succession, “as did Scorpius Malfoy.� After finishing his sentence he shoved a particularly large piece of peach into his mouth so as to prevent himself from talking.

Albus knew he couldn’t get away without telling that part of the story, but sorely wished he didn’t have to. It was not helped by the fact that Theron interjected with a helpful: “Only he succeeded�, prompting a swift elbow in the ribs from Rose. James’ eyes widened in disbelief and he seemed to be torn between an urge to laugh and not being able to quite trust what he was hearing. His friends also apparently shared his feelings.

“Scorpius Malfoy? Of the Malfoy family? He did something...selfless?� Conall asked bewilderedly. James was shaking his head though, clearly thinking he hadn’t understood something about the story.

“Right so, let me get this straight. Effie’s on her broom really high up and you fly up to do your hero thing and Scorpius Malfoy gets there first?� he asked incredulously. Albus shakes his head defensively, feeling more than a little embarrassed.

“No, I got there first, only, as soon as I got level with her broom, she fell. And, well, Scorpius was below us and so he managed to, um...catch her.� Albus finished weakly under the raised eyebrows and piercing stare of the oldest Potter child. A moment passed before James burst out into a fit of hysteria. Not long after, Alphie, Conall and Louis joined him. Persephone, as always, flicked her eyes upwards and turned to look at Albus kindly.

“I think that was a very brave thing you did, Al.� She then averted her gaze towards Effie with a smile, flicking her golden hair out of her eyes as she did, “and I hope you’re alright Effie. Brooms can be a bit of a pain the first time you go on one; I broke my arm my first time. But I’m a Gryffindor Chaser now, so it can’t have done me too much harm.� She smiled brightly at the two younger students as the boys’ laughter died down. Albus returned it before re-focusing his attention on his brother.

“I can’t believe a Malfoy would do anything for noble reasons,� James said as he turned to Effie with a smile. “He must really like you.� Effie shook her head, protesting that she hadn’t spoken to him before. James chuckled airily.

“And no one’s ever formed an opinion about a person without talking to them, for purely superficial reasons.� Effie looked at him stonily before replying.

“True, like I thought you were all right, before you started talking.� Albus, Rose and James’ friends laughed. Effie smirked and picked up her books before telling Rose and Tristan on the other side of her that she was going to do some work. With one last withering look at James and a smile at Persephone, she left.

“Ah well, can’t please everyone.� James raised his eyebrows and grinned to cover up his slight discomfiture.

“Or anyone in your case,� Albus muttered, finishing his Peach Melba in one rather large mouthful. James hit him on the back of the head in mock chastisement, adding:

“Cheeky! Enough of the back-chat please, little bro’. Anyway, that note says you’ll be sorting out the broom cupboard, polishing and trimming the brooms, et cetera. I assume Mr Malfoy will be in tow. You have to be there half seven sharp, so I’d hurry up if I were you.� He paused and added as an after-thought.

“Although, I’m glad I’m not. Seems only one Potter son could be blessed with such dashing good-looks.� He fluttered his eye-lashes and affected a mock pout to illustrate his point. Albus picked up his books and the parchment in front of him, rising from the table as he spoke.

“And I thank Merlin every day that it was me.� Alphie and Persephone laughed and James ruffled his brother’s hair in an overly vigorous way. Rose, Frank, Tristan, Xander and Theron stood up to leave with Albus who began to walk away from his brother and his friends having said his goodbyes. They were interrupted by the voice of Alphie Grey who called after him.

“Oh and, Al,� Albus turned around, eyebrow raised to look towards the mischievous face of Alphie, his dark hair hanging in his pale blue eyes, “give him hell from us!� James and Louis laughed in agreement. Conall merely smiled, looking a touch unsettled by the idea. Persephone hit Alphie over the back of the head in the same way that James had done to Albus earlier.

He turned round with a falsely wounded expression. “Merlin’s beard, Persie! I was joking!� She smiled, rubbing his head tenderly to make up for it and, as she was looking the other way, he mouthed ‘I wasn’t.’ Catching one last handsome smile from Alphie, the first years turned and made their way towards Gryffindor tower.

As Xander gave the password to access the Gryffindor common room, Tristan sidled up to Albus and said in a low tone. “Your brother’s friend’s right, you know.� Albus took this as a reference to Alphie’s parting words and he sighed, slumping down on the sofa next to Effie who was scribbling away at her notes. He looked up to Tristan who remained standing.

“Alphie, you mean? What he and my brother don’t seem to understand is that relations between our group and Malfoy are already bad enough. We don’t need to start a feud with the Slytherins. I don’t expect Morgana would appreciate that at any rate.� Tristan snorted briefly and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

“No, I don’t expect she would.� He paused, letting the smile die on his face. “Seriously though, I wouldn’t trust him. He may have saved Effie and everything,� he patted a rather disgruntled Effie on the head at this, “but there must have been a reason. With the Malfoys there’s always a reason.� Albus was about to respond to this broad generalisation but was prevented from doing so by Rose’s rather terse retort.

“Just because someone’s family’s a certain way, doesn’t mean they are as well.� This seemed to strike a nerve with Tristan and those around picked up on it pretty quickly, all falling silent. Although that may have been due to their own shock at hearing Rose defend someone she purported to strongly dislike. For a minute, Albus thought Tristan was going to shout at Rose, he was so perfectly still, bubbling at the surface. However he broke his hold and unclenched his hands, still not completely relaxed.

“No,� he said slowly, “that’s true, Rosie.� The way he spat the last word was evidently supposed to have implications, but Rose did not respond, merely blushed and tried to keep her eyes steadily focused on Tristan. “I can’t work down here - too many people - I’ll go to the library,� he said abruptly, swinging his bag onto his shoulder. Rose scrambled up, books in hand, a concerned expression on her face.

“I think I might join...� she began, although, too late, as he stalked off out of Gryffindors common room, “you,� she finished lamely, staring after the spot Tristan had disappeared. After a minute she sat back down, biting her lip. She glanced at her watch, giving her something to do and raised her eyebrows a bit. “You better get going Albus - you don’t want to be late for detention.� Albus would have pointed out that he wouldn’t mind too much if he was late for detention, only Rose looked a bit strained, so he thought better of it.

Frank offered to run his things up to their dormitory so Albus could go straight down the Quidditch storage unit. With a wave, a round of goodbyes and a bag of Puking Pastilles from Fred and Alaric ‘just in case,’ Albus made his way down the changing staircases and through the courtyard in the direction of the Quidditch facilities. When he arrived, Madam Chang was already there, laying brooms onto the floor into two piles. There was however, the notable absence of Scorpius Malfoy.
Blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes, Madam Chang glanced up, spotting Albus as she did so. She cast him a smile before straightening up, putting her hands on her hips. “Albus, well done for arriving on time!� She checked her watch. “Early, in fact! Even better.�

She handed him a bucket containing a bottle branded ‘Bertrand Sheen’s Broom Polish’, and two cloths, two broom clippers and some twine. “Right, so, your job is to polish these brooms up. Pick a pile; they’re the same, so I wouldn’t worry too much. Clip the ends of the brooms, we want them as stream-lined as possible, and if you see any stray bits, re-bind them with the twine.� She removed her gloves and slapped them down on the shelf, checking her watch a second time.

“I have to go now; there’s a meeting with the Quidditch captains about practice times. You and your partner in crime, when he deigns to honour us with his presence, have three hours to finish all these.� She gestured to the now gargantuan-looking heaps on the floor. “Do a good job and you’ll be free to go and come back to next week’s flying lesson. Don’t do it to my satisfaction and you’ll be doing it again tomorrow night, with another week’s ban. Got it?� Albus nodded, feeling her expression was too stern not to. However, she grinned at him unexpectedly and in a softer tone said:

“I know it’s not the best way to start your weekend, but hopefully this will teach you to stay out of trouble. Not likely if your brother and your dad are anything to go by.� She smiled reminiscently for a moment before adding. “I meant what I said by the way, about being a good flyer. You should try out for the team next year.� Albus nodded cheerfully, agreeing that he definitely would. She cast him one last, odd look before smiling to herself and heading off towards her office.

Albus surveyed the mass of brooms at his feet and sighed. Staring out into the growing dark, he saw no sign of Scorpius and so decided to begin his punishment. By the time the door to the broom store cupboard swung open, Albus had been polishing and snipping for forty-five minutes and he’d managed to finish nearly a third of his pile. He looked up, wiping his forehead with the cuff of his shirt and met the shadowy grey eyes of Scorpius Malfoy who greeted him with a smirk.

“Oh. Am I late?� He asked tonelessly, obviously knowing full well and not caring about it particularly. Albus said nothing but shoved a pair of clippers and a cloth into his hands. Scorpius wrinkled his nose and looked at them. “And what am I supposed to do with these?� Albus exhaled tensely and pointed to Scorpius’ heap of brooms.

“Polish the handles, clip the uneven bits and re-bind any stray bits.� Malfoy still didn’t move merely inspected his clippers then looked from his pile to Albus’ before asking:

“Why’s your pile so much smaller than mine?� Albus actually dropped the broom he was polishing; such was his shock at this question. He turned his face towards Scorpius wearily.

“You can’t actually be serious? I’ve been working for forty-five minutes because that’s how late you are,� Albus said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Scorpius gave him a withering look but Albus ignored it and continued. “Madam Chang told me that if we don’t finish these in two hours and ten minutes we would have to do this again tomorrow and be banned from flying for another week.� Scorpius’ eyes widened as he slumped down against the wall, picking up some polish gingerly and applying it to the cloth.

“You can’t actually be serious? How am I supposed to finish all this in that time?� Albus rolled his eyes, replacing another polished broom in its stand and picking up another from his diminishing load.

“Well, she did give us three hours, Malfoy,� Albus snapped. Scorpius narrowed his eyes for a moment before picking up the clippers with a cluck of his tongue. A few minutes passed in silence, Scorpius finishing two brooms in the time it took Albus to do four. Seeing Malfoy’s lack of progress Albus picked up an armful of brooms from the opposite pile.

“The rate you’re going, we’ll be lucky to make breakfast tomorrow.� Scorpius scrutinised him for a moment before mumbling something that sounded like ‘thank you.’ Albus snorted, clipping one of his newly acquired brooms. “Don’t thank me - I just don’t want to spend another three hours with you tomorrow night. This is plenty. Polish, please?� Scorpius smirked and hurled the bottle of Bertrand Sheen’s polish towards Albus’ head. Quick reactions, however, allowed Albus to catch the bottle in his left hand, just as it was about to strike that side of his head. Scorpius raised his eyebrows, almost appearing impressed, although he would never admit it.

Smoothing the polish over the increasingly glossy looking wood, Albus remembered something Scorpius had said during the week that he meant to ask him about. “Why did you ask about his father?� Scorpius looked up at him, his expression a mixture of confusion and annoyance. “Tristan,� Albus clarified, setting another broom in its rack, “what’s the deal with his father?� Comprehension dawned on Scorpius’ face and he grimaced darkly, wrapping the cord tightly around the newly straightened twigs.

“Oh, that. I was just trying to wind him up, really,� Scorpius said dismissively. Albus frowned at this and Scorpius caught it and laughed. “What? I am a Slytherin after all.� He paused; a bitter look appeared on his face which he just as swiftly wiped off. “I don’t know exactly what happened. My father and mother were talking about it when we saw Morgana, her brothers and Magnus on the platform.� He stopped to bite off the end of the twine, before tying a very tight knot.

“His father left when Magnus was really young, he was into the Dark magic. When people started catching up to him I think he thought it best to lay low. He has been for most of Magnus’ life I guess.� Albus stared at Scorpius for a moment, before realising what he was doing and continued his job. He couldn’t quite believe that anyone close to Tristan was associated with Dark magic. Then again, he did say that it was a family tradition to be in Slytherin.

“And his mother?� Albus asked in what he hoped wasn’t an overly curious way. Scorpius rolled his eyes, setting another broom aside before speaking.

“Why am I the one telling you all of this? Surely Magnus is the best person to tell you about his family, not someone who barely knows him?� Albus had to agree that that was the case, but getting information from Tristan would be more painful than hearing his dad sing along to the Howling Harpies.

“He’s, er, not the most open of people. He’s a bit touchy where family’s concerned.� Scorpius raised his eyebrows with a smirk. “Do you know what happened to his mother, though? Or why he’s living with Morgana?�Albus enquired, dropping any pretence of airiness. Scorpius tutted, although he seemed slightly amused.

“You’re a nosy so-and-so aren’t you, Potter?� Albus didn’t respond but looked at him pointedly, hoping it would force him to answer the question, which he did. “It’s a bit sad, really. I’d feel sorry for him if he hadn’t tried to beat me up the other day.� His eyes lit up for a moment at he realised he was nearly half way through his pile.

“His mother, Morgana’s aunt, who, according to her, was already a bit unstable before her husband left, kind of went to pieces when she realised he wasn’t coming back. She wrecked things, wouldn’t eat, screamed at Tristan...one day she snapped, just snapped.� He clicked his fingers as he said the word before picking up another broom. “Tried to kill him. Morgana’s father turned up and stopped her. He took Tristan home with him and he’s lived there ever since. Much to his aunt’s annoyance.� Scorpius reached across and took the polish from next to Albus. “His mother’s still in St. Mungo’s now. Morgana doesn’t think she’ll get better.� Scorpius almost sounded saddened by that, but it could have been Albus projecting his own feelings onto the words.

No wonder Tristan never wanted to talk about his family, no wonder he snapped at Rose and lunged at Malfoy. Albus had no idea what that could have been like, he who had grown up with parents who loved him, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins; all that love. Who did Tristan have? Cousins and an uncle he appeared to get along with, an aunt who dislikes him and a mother who tried to kill him. Albus wished he could tell his friends, explain to them why Tristan was the way he was. Tell them the horrific things that had happened to him in his short life. But he could not; he would wait for Tristan to tell them himself. Albus understood now that, as much as you may want someone to tell you something, they are the ones who get to decide when. They give you a piece of them when they do tell you - the least you can do is give them time to do it.

They lapsed into silence for a while, Albus too wrapped up in thoughts of Tristan’s misfortunes to concentrate on the conversation. Besides, Scorpius didn’t need any more distractions if he was going to finish in time. Albus picked up his last broom to polish (Scorpius still had a few left) when a voice broke the silence:
“Your cousin doesn’t like me much, does she?� Albus glanced over to his detention partner who was smirking as he smoothed the cloth down the broom handle. Albus chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

“You’re sharp, I’ll give you that.� Scorpius laughed his first genuine laugh that Albus had heard. “I think she’s just determined to hate you because of our parents’ history.� Scorpius nodded in agreement.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like her either - or any of you for that matter.� Albus raised his eyebrows, leaning against the wall, having finished his last broomstick, a small smile playing on his lips. “I have to admire her attitude, however. Stealing her cousin’s wand just so she could retrieve her wand and my own? I didn’t realise anyone disliked me that much.� Albus watched as Scorpius was down to his last three brooms and he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes before he replied.

“Well, that’s Rose for you. She doesn’t do things by half.� Scorpius let out a short laugh at this, saying in a low voice:

“No...I noticed.� He smirked to himself and finished the rest of his punishment in silence. Almost as soon as Malfoy had finished his half of the brooms, Madam Chang returned to scrutinise them. She couldn’t fault them, and gave her congratulations. Albus didn’t mention Scorpius’ tardiness, although he wouldn’t have covered for him if she had asked. She dismissed them both with a warning to stay out of mischief. They walked out across the grounds in the direction of the courtyard and did not speak at first until Scorpius came to an abrupt halt. Albus thought the sound of a rook squawking had startled him, but he did not seem unsettled as he looked at Albus.

“Now, let’s get one thing straight Potter: this,� he whirled his fingers round in a circular motion, “tonight, doesn’t make us friends. We managed to survive each other’s company for three hours.� Albus frowned causing Scorpius to roll his eyes. “Ok, two and quarter hours. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to start talking to you in lessons and sit next to you or asking you to sleepovers and braiding your hair.� Albus chortled sarcastically. He had been expecting something like this, so it did not concern him too much.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.� Albus grinned. Scorpius half returned it; however, it turned into more of a curious expression as he stared over Albus’ shoulder.

“Good,� he responded, “cause you seem to be having enough trouble with the friends you do have.� Albus was perplexed at first, but as Malfoy nodded his head in the direction he was looking, he swung around to see what he was referring to. Then he saw him, as he was a few nights ago, all in black. Only this time his face had a sheen to it, as if tears had recently fallen. He seemed so preoccupied that he didn’t even notice his classmates but a few feet away. Albus stared at the direction he had come from. It was easy to spot, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was: why, when he said he was going to be in the library was Tristan, alone in the dark, emerging from the Forbidden Forest?

A few weeks had passed since Albus’ detention and they were all now very much settled into Hogwarts. They had all gotten to know each other, the castle and the rules a lot better (although that still didn’t stop them from breaking them). Albus had decided against mentioning Tristan’s late night wanderings to him or any of their friends. He didn’t expect any straight answers from Tristan, even if he did ask him. Albus put it down to him trying to clear his head. Admittedly, he didn’t feel the Forbidden Forest was the best place for that, but each to their own.

The work load had hit a plateau which Albus felt was manageable, although he did occasionally get distracted by a game of Wizard’s Chess or Frank’s incessant chatter and fall behind. As another week came to an end, when Albus would ordinarily be frantically doing all the work he had left for the weekend, he was prevented from doing so on a Saturday afternoon as it was time for the first Quidditch match of the season. It was an exciting first game as well: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. It was almost guaranteed to be over-flowing with unashamed cheating, penalties and post-match brawling. Albus personally couldn’t wait, and surprisingly neither could Tristan, demonstrating a previously unseen enthusiasm as he talked about it.

“Quidditch soon, losers!� That was the greeting they received from Tristan as they sat up at the table for lunch. “We better get a move on if we want to get good seats.� He crammed approximately half a tuna sandwich into his excited face as he spoke. Albus checked his watch: the match wasn’t for an hour. Effie wrinkled her nose in the displeasure of seeing Tristan’s usually handsome face full of food. Tristan spotted this and swallowed with some difficulty before smiling apologetically.

“I didn’t realise you were so into Quidditch,� commented Rose as she smiled at her friend. Tristan nodded rapidly, taking another bite of sandwich before he answered.

“I play Quidditch all the time at my uncle’s house. I always play Beater or Keeper.� He swallowed again, looking a little queasy, but still carried on. “If I don’t get on the team next year I’ll cry, and I’m telling you, that’s not a common thing.� Xander and Theron laughed, expressing their own desire to be on the team.

“I reckon you’re a dead cert for next year, though. And you too, Al,� Xander said, turning towards Albus who was finishing the last of his Caesar salad. “You’re the best flyers in our group. And your cousin,� he turned to Tristan who nodded in acknowledgment, “and...� Xander didn’t finish that sentence although everyone knew the end of it. Scorpius was a bit of a taboo topic. Luckily they hadn’t had too much contact with him as he chose to sit with his three closest friends: Hector Bartlett, Damian Zabini and Morgana Lark. When Morgana occasionally talked to them in lessons or in the corridors Scorpius had learnt to hang back until she was finished. After Albus had returned from his detention his friends seem to expect some story of a showdown between the two, a few hexes thrown about, some cruel words at least. Hearing that Scorpius was late, that Albus didn’t inform Madam Chang of that fact but instead lightened his workload as they talked relatively amicably, was not the news they were evidently hoping for.

Tristan chose to ignore the almost-mention of Scorpius Malfoy and swallowed the first bite of his second tuna sandwich.�Morgana has been playing since she was really small. She has two older brothers, both on Slytherin’s Quidditch team. They always make us practice with them, but I don’t mind, I love it.� He said sincerely, taking a large gulp of pumpkin juice. “She’s a shoe-in for next year’s team. Her oldest brother, Mathias, is captain.� He took another swig of juice which he nearly choked on as a voice appeared directly behind him.

“I’d like to think I could rely on the fact I’m better than everyone else to get me on the team Tristan, not the fact that Mathias is the captain.� Tristan coughed, still managing to roll his eyes at his cousin’s words. Frank pounded him hard on the back - an action which only seemed to exacerbate his cough. Soon it died down and he turned in his seat to fact the pretty black-haired girl.

“Thanks Morgana, I really wanted to choke to death before the first Quidditch match of the year.� A voice from behind Morgana asked Tristan whether he wanted his drink topped-up. The smirking face of Scorpius Malfoy appeared next to the youngest Lark, who rolled her ethereally blue eyes, smiling slightly. Tristan and the rest of the Gryffindors chose to ignore him, with the exception of Rose who sneered at him, prompting a wave which she pretended not to see.

“Anyway,� Morgana started, elongating the word, emphasising the tense situation, “I hope you’ll be supporting Slytherin Tris. Mathias and Maximus are playing, after all!� she drawled, although a hint of doubt on her face indicated to Albus that she didn’t honestly think Tristan was going to be doing as she said. Sure enough, Tristan widened his eyes at her words, and shook his head, eating a mouthful of chocolate brownie with gusto.

“Obviously not, Morgana. I’m in Gryffindor; I’ll be supporting my house.� Frank clapped him on the back and Theron added a helpful ‘too right!’ in a show of solidarity. Morgana fixed him with a critical glare in an attempt to see whether he was being serious. After a couple of moments passed it became evident that he was so she rolled her eyes and sighed in resignation.

“I see you’ve been swayed over to the dark side.� Tristan and Albus laughed at the irony and she threw them a mocking smile in return. “Whatever, we’re going to thrash you either way.�

Nearly all the Gryffindors raised their eyebrows, causing Scorpius to laugh. They all ignored him. Instead, Theron, looking towards Morgana, cooed ironically: “Oooh, fighting talk! Someone’s a bit optimistic.� Morgana simpered and began walking backwards slowly.

“It’s not optimism when you know you’re on the winning side.� She spun around, facing away from them and held her hand up level with her head. “See you later, losers.� Malfoy left them with a smirk and wink directed at Rose in an obvious attempt to aggravate her (and not unsuccessfully). The Gryffindors finished the remainder of the food on their plates, with much urging from an anxious Tristan. There was still some while before the match, but he was set on getting front seats so insisted they all left in good time. It was quite lucky that they arrived early as well, the rows filled-up not long after their arrival. They had quite a view, with all of them being able to fit into one row accompanied by Polly and Elena Gara. A beautiful and confident girl, Elena flitted between the various groups with ease, although her best friend was Una Macmillan.

Tristan was sitting next to Albus and kept bouncing his knee in an excitable manner which Albus felt was rather distracting. The other side of him was Rose who was trying to block out Frank and Xander’s debate about whether the Thrimby Thunderbolts deserved to be moving up the Quidditch leagues. Effie and Theron sat on the other side of Tristan, united by their excitement about seeing their first Quidditch match and their bewilderment about everyone else’s reactions. Albus saw the commentator, Albus’ cousin Louis, position himself in front of the microphone, indicating to the crowd that the game was about to commence.

People began to quieten down, although there were still excited murmurs coming from all around. At last, the gates were opened and the teams marched in, brooms in hand, smiling and waving to the cheering crowd. The Slytherin team was largely male dominated, Albus noted, with only one troll-like girl in their female contingent. The captains met in the middle to shake hands. Gryffindor’s captain was their Seeker and one of Victoire’s close friends Morwenna Trouver while Slytherin’s was a handsome dark, slightly curly-haired boy that Albus guessed was Mathias Lark. They shook hands amicably before getting ready to mount their brooms.

Madam Chang held up three fingers, putting them down one at a time. Tristan whispered to no one in particular: “This is it...� Seconds after he said the words, the whistle was blown, the Snitch was flying here and there and the players were in hot pursuit, passing the Quaffle like a hot potato.

“And, they’re off!� Louis’ voice sounded over the speakers. “And Gryffindor have possession, good work lads - and ladies.� He added hastily before continuing. “Weasley - Fred that is - I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are quite a few of us,� Louis quipped and the laughs of those who knew the vast Weasley family could be heard amongst the cheers. “Anyway, he passes to Potter who dodges a Bludger from Bruno Stout - better luck next time, mate. He throws to Cora and - oh!� He winces before continuing. “She receives a Bludger to the back from Cassius Bullingdon - really brave that one. Portia Devlin takes the Quaffle. Interesting fact you may not know about Devlin: she’s the only girl on the Slytherin team.� There was a smattering of raucous laughter at the implications and some stifled laughs from various staff members.

“Devlin passes to Sharpe; he dodges a bludger from Doyle McAllister. Sharpe did an almost balletic spin there - wouldn’t have thought it of you, Dorian. He passes to Maximus Lark - oh, he’s set him up beautifully there. But wait! A well aimed bludger from the brilliant Alphie Grey sends the Quaffle back into the hands of Potter. Whoa! Dodged a double bludger attack there. I don’t think that’s legal, ref!� He looked imploringly over to Madam Chang who ignored him so he merely shrugged and continued. “Potter’s racing ahead, although Maximus Lark’s on his tail. He passes to Cora. She takes aim.� He paused, holding his breath until-

“SHE SCORES! Ten points to Gryffindor! Persephone Cora scores the first points of the match. My friend, by the way,� he added boastfully, Persephone stuck her thumbs up in Louis’ direction and smiled. “Good teamwork between Potter and Cora there. Now it’s Slytherin’s chance to bring it back as they take possession: Devlin passes to Sharpe who...gets hit in the head by a Bludger from McAllister - brilliant! I mean...Weasley’s with the Quaffle. Manages to pass to Potter despite the kick in the shins from Sharpe, git.� The Gryffindors laughed and cheered at this but Albus could see Professor Weylin raise his eyebrows slightly. “Sorry, sir almost forgot about the microphone.� He cleared his throat to continue.

“Potter passes to Cora, can they do it again? Ah! Mathias Lark makes an irritatingly skilful save. But there is still plenty of time and Gryffindor have got off to a tremendous start.� That lead remained strong by quite a few points thanks to the incredible teamwork of Fred, James and Persie. Tristan had nearly screamed himself hoarse by the time the score was 60-20 in Gryffindor’s favour. There was no sign of the snitch as of yet, but due to the clearer weather it would likely be spotted before long. Morwenna and the Slytherin seeker Julian Montague hovered high above so as not to get caught up in the ruckus of the game. Albus had the distinct impression that Montague was tailing Trouver though instead of finding the Snitch for himself.

Louis was evidently quite in his element in regards to the commentary as he practically bellowed over the speakers: “And it’s Potter with the Quaffle, he makes a superb pass to Weasley who just about dodges a Bludger from Bullingdon - he’s whizzing up the field, takes aim - no, he passes to Cora - is she fast enough? - YES! - Gryffindor score! Atta girl! Great tactical play from the Gryffindor Chasers - better luck next time, Lark.� Louis commented with distinct insincerity, prompting a few choice curse words from Mathias, although he didn’t appear too fazed. Madam Chang issued him with a warning however, play resumed.

Albus surveyed the faces of his friends, tearing his eyes from the zooming figures above them. Tristan was captivated; nothing could have interrupted his concentration. Theron and Effie had expressions of awe and excitement and were cheering with sheer enthusiasm for their team. Rose, however, was not looking at the game, but instead at a bird perched on the divide between the Gryffindor and Slytherin seating.

As Louis begrudgingly announced a goal for Slytherin allowed by Dominique’s boyfriend Gawain Knight, Albus leant closer to Rose so that he might be heard over the din. “What are you looking at? Shouldn’t you be concentrating on the game? You know James is going to give us a blow-by-blow account of every goal he scored or helped set-up in this game, so you better know what he’s talking about.� Rose shook her head distractedly, still looking at the bird vaguely.

“Just that black bird’s strange, it’s like it’s watching the game.� Albus looked to the spot that she was talking about, but just as he did, the bird took off. He shrugged dismissively and turned back to watch Maximus Lark score another goal for Slytherin.

“Maybe it’s a Quidditch fan,� Albus commented absently. Rose snorted, nodding her head sarcastically.

“Yeah, you’re right, that’s definitely it.� Out of the corner of his eye, Albus could still she her looking in the direction the bird had previously been. Her eyes narrowed and as she turned back to the game she flicked her hair so aggressively that she hit Albus in the face: something she did not apologise for.

“I hate him and his stupid face.� Albus wasn’t really listening and instead, hoping that Slytherin didn’t keep scoring goals, replied to his cousin in a half-hearted manner.

“How do you know the bird’s male?� Rose hit Albus on his arm, causing him to shift his eyes from the game and back onto her. She looked a mixture of annoyed and amused when he looked at her.

“Not the bird, idiot - Scorpius Malfoy.� Albus had to force himself not to roll his eyes, so instead focused them on the game. Rose’s dislike of Scorpius was something he encountered daily and while he didn’t necessarily oppose it, he did find it a bit wearisome at times.

“Of course, my mistake,� he said in a monotone, hoping that it would discourage her from talking further, which, fortunately, it did.

Louis’ commentary was becoming more on edge the more Slytherin began to catch up to Gryffindor’s lead. They were playing for the next point, having just witnessed another Slytherin goal and Louis’ patience was waning. “Potter with the Quaffle - COME ON, MY LAD! - he hurtles down the pitch and - ergh, Stout the tw-talented,� he corrected himself with some difficulty “Beater sends a Bludger his way. Now it’s Devlin with the Quaffle - she moves gracefully - almost making the claims of her femininity believable -� there were some pantomime “ooohs� and laughter at this, “passing to Sharpe who’s had a bit of a quiet game today. Maybe he can turn that around - although I sincerely hope not. He passes to Maximus Lark anyway who - what the...� He stopped his commentary mid-sentence and it only took a few seconds to see why. Up above, away from the swift passing of the Quaffle and the smacking of the Bludger had swooped a black bird and it had nose-dived and careered with purpose into Albus’ brother.

“OI! What’s that filthy bird doing? Get away from my cousin!� As Slytherin scored yet another goal Louis swore, not being able to contain his disappointment and his stress over what was happening to James. Albus watched numbly as the bird flew at him time and time again, causing many wounds to James’ face as he didn’t dare to take his hands off his broom. Albus reached into his cloak for his wand and pointed it towards his brother; however, Rose yanked down hard on his wrist.

“Don’t! You could hit James and make it so much worse.� There were gasps and murmurs from the audience now, evidently they were just as troubled by the presence of the strange possessed creature. James attempted to continue play, out-flying it. But he could not beat a natural flier at its own game and it was only a matter of time before he lost. Everyone was watching in horror, captivated at the strange game of chase that was unfolding before their eyes. They watched as James swooped, batting the assailant away with one hand. Even his fellow team mates were struggling to hold concentration, allowing Slytherin to take an unexpected lead. Louis’ commentating had fallen by the way-side as he intently watched James’ tussle.

James appeared to shake the frenzied creature with many loop-the-loops and speedy direction changes and Louis eased back into commenting on the game which did not look to be improving for the Gryffindors. “Right, so, now that rabid crow has left James alone he can get back to doing what he does best: crushing Slytherins.� There was a mixture of hisses and laughs at this and Albus spotted a grin from his rather weary-looking brother, his face scattered with small cuts.

“And Devlin passes to Sharpe but Potter’s on his tail - come on, James! We’re not giving them more of an excuse to be smug gits!� Professor Sorensen scowled at this and Albus could vaguely make out Louis receiving a snarled reprimand which he barely acknowledged. Albus was still looking at Sorensen when he heard the gasps. He turned to see what they were in reference to when he saw it. It all unfurled in a matter of seconds; James, his big brother, on the tail of Sharpe, about to seize the Quaffle when Stout shot a well-aimed Bludger at the back of his head, causing James to become unsteady and the grip on his broom to loosen. At the same time, the large black bird returned, diving at his face and resulting him in completely letting go of the broom in surprise.

Albus’ chest constricted and his breath caught in his throat. He was aware of a lot of noise around him; of screams and gasps and exclamations but he didn’t take it in. All he saw was his big brother; his face usually adorned with a confident grin and the twinkle of mischief in his eye, now pale and frozen in fear as he tumbled from the broom. He was not far off thirty feet in the air. If Albus could have found his voice he would have cried out, thought of some spell, something to help his brother. But his wand lay uselessly in his pocket and his throat was too dry for usage. It all happened so fast that no one could have stopped him from his harsh landing back on Earth. Professor Weylin aimed a curse at the bird, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

James lay on the ground on his stomach, his eyes closed and a welt on his head growing by the minute. For a moment no one moved. The game stopped; even the Slytherins appeared mildly uneasy. Then a scream came from the Hufflepuff stands, a second year girl with a pallid complexion. Clearly she thought James was dead. As Albus stared mindlessly at his unconscious brother and a small voice said in his head: ‘how do you know he’s not?’ The thought winded him, he could barely breathe and if Rose had not yanked him by the hand harshly in the direction of the stairs, he would have forgotten how to move his legs. Numbly he wove through the crowds, vaguely aware that Tristan, Effie and Frank had followed them and that they were slowly amassing a group of Weasley cousins the further down they walked.

By the time he’d reached the freshly cut grass of the Quidditch pitch, James was barely visible due to the group gathered around him. His team-mates crowded around him: Persephone’s face was waxy with tears and Alphie had his arms gingerly around her shoulders, tucking her into his chest, stroking her hair in an attempt to soothe her. Fred was kneeling at James’ head, staring in paralysed shock. Madam Chang was attempting to move the team away from him as Professor Weylin conjured a stretcher and levitated James onto it gently. The Slytherins landed on the ground and looked on with mild curiosity in some cases and indifference in others.

Albus couldn’t pay attention to them now. His eyes found James’ face, usually so full of life: now cut and bruised and swollen and insentient. He felt sick as he walked up to stand next to his brother and Professor Weylin. He briefly noted how tall the man was - he had only seen him sitting down or from far away before. He tore his eyes away from his brother’s face and focused them on his Headmaster who wore a hard look on his face. His eyes softened as he looked at Albus briefly before turning to the growing horde.

“Mr Potter needs to be taken to Madam Pompfrey immediately. He appears to have broken his left limbs and fractured three ribs, his head injuries are minor by comparison. He is very battered but he will live.� He cast them a grim smile before continuing. “His family may accompany him to the Hospital Wing. Family only at this point, please.� He turned to Fred who was still kneeling where James’ head used to be. “Except for you, Mr Weasley, you are required to finish the game.� The team members appeared aghast. Persephone tore her head away from Alphie’s shoulder to address Weylin.

“But sir, we’re a Chaser down and besides, we’re hardly going to think straight, not now - not with James...� She trailed off, staring at her friend. Her chest heaved as if she were sobbing, but no tears spilt. Professor Weylin shook his head and smiled at her sadly.

“I’m afraid, Miss Cora, that rules are rules. The injury of a player does not halt a game. The teams resume and must endeavour to play to the best of their abilities, in spite of their worry and disadvantage.� Persephone jutted her chin out and gave a curt nod. Weylin surveyed her for a moment before adding: “I’m sorry, it gives me no pleasure to cause you additional stress, but I cannot change the rules, not even for an occasion such as this.� He gestured to James’ unconscious form and Persephone nodded again, only this time she gave him a small smile. Alphie put his arm around her again with slightly less discomfiture.

Albus and Rose muttered goodbye to Tristan, Effie and Frank (well, Rose did and Albus watched her, dazed) and set off in the direction of the castle with their six Weasley cousins lead by Bill and Fleur’s three children Victoire, Dominique and Louis. The two older sisters were comforting their brother. Victoire had her slender arm around him as Dominique stroked his hair with dainty fingers. Ordinarily he would have brushed them off and told them to stop fussing but he was clearly more pre-occupied with thoughts of James. A few steps behind them were Uncle Percy’s daughters Molly and Lucy. Roxanne walked near Lucy, her fellow second year, but was not talking to her; she looked like Albus felt. It took Albus until they reached the castle to notice that Rose had still not let go of his hand. It didn’t concern him; he needed all the support he could get. He appreciated her silence, but he didn’t know whether she did it for his benefit or because her voice too was caught somewhere in her throat.

When they finally made it to the Hospital Wing, Madam Pompfrey started. She scrutinised the large group and her eyes widened. She turned her hawk-eyes to James and shook her head regretfully and tutted and mumbled something about Quidditch being a brutal sport. Albus only half listened as Professor Weylin explained what happened and that his family wished to be with him. He vaguely noted that Professor Swinburne had sent for his parents and undoubtedly Rose’s as well. She squeezed his hand, bringing him back out of his head. He looked at her, the first time since he saw his brother tumbling down to earth. She had tears glistening in her eyes and her auburn bushy hair hung in her face. She cast him a watery smile which he couldn’t return. He looked back at James lying in the hospital bed. He looked smaller somehow. His limbs looked disjointed like a ragdoll. For the first time since this happened Albus felt hot tears stinging his eyes. He did not blink. He wouldn’t let them fall; James would make fun of him for it.

They sat there for half an hour, making tense small-talk with each other and Professor Weylin. He was discussing with Victoire her desire to work as a Curse-breaker at Gringotts when Albus’ parents burst in with his little sister in tow. His Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione followed closely behind, the latter clasping Hugo’s hand in hers. His father embraced him but he didn’t respond; just stood there until he was released. He was unmoving and silent. His mother kissed the top of his head and smoothed his hair before taking the seat previously occupied by Professor Weylin. She clutched James’ right hand and allowed tears to pour freely. His father stood beside her with his hand on her shoulder and looked grave. Lily cried and Albus wanted to comfort her but he just stood, useless, as he had done when James fell. Roxanne wrapped her arms around Lily who buried her face into Roxanne’s mane of brown hair. Hugo crossed over the room to stand next to his sister and slid a small hand into her free hand. Hermione and Ron were talking to Professor Weylin and Albus began to listen.

“What happened? Professor Swinburne said he fell, but how? And why this badly? His face – it’s bloodied and swollen...� Hermione trailed off, her brow furrowing in concern. Professor Weylin nodded and looked to James with pity.

“The combination of a Bludger and a possessed bird dislodged him from the broom.� Albus’ parents and his aunt and uncle shot Weylin a confused look and he smiled grimly. “Yes, I know it sounds strange but, it was attacking him previously and then-�

“It was as if it saw its moment, decided to strike when he was most helpless.� Albus spoke for the first time, dropping Rose’s hand as he did. His voice was hoarse when he used it, but it grew stronger. They all stared at him, old tears rolling down sodden cheeks. “But that’s stupid; birds don’t have attack plans or cleverness.� Professor Weylin nodded with an odd look on his face, almost like he was impressed.

“Very good Albus. I am under the impression that it was the work of magic. A charm of some kind; birds can be conjured,� Hermione inexplicably blushed at this and Ron gave her a nearly imperceptible furtive look, “controlled or trained. I am working under the assumption that the bird was not operating in accordance with its natural behaviour. But that presents us with a different dilemma altogether.� He paused, looking away from Albus and towards his mother and father. “Who would want to harm your son? Answer that, and we find the person responsible for this.�

“It was the Slytherins.� Albus spoke without thinking. For a second time he found all eyes in the room were on him. He didn’t feel self conscious at this point though. Professor Weylin eyed him carefully for a moment.

“That’s a serious allegation, Albus. Care to be more specific?� Weylin asked curiously. Albus was shaken by this. It was more a feeling than anything and some words that had stuck in his head.

“It’s just um, before the game M-� he hesitated for a moment before continuing, “someone from Slytherin was talking to Rose and me. They seemed so certain of their victory.� He looked at their dubious faces. “It may be nothing...� Professor Weylin nodded, his brow creasing in thought.

“Well we’ll certainly look into it as a line of inquiry, but chances are that your friend was just trying to goad you.� Albus frowned at the use of the word ‘friend’ and Professor Weylin caught this and smiled slightly. He turned back to Harry and Ginny; he was about to start speaking when Ron interrupted.

“I bet it was that Malfoy boy. I wouldn’t put it past his father to put him up to it.� Professor Weylin wasn’t the only one knitting his brow at this. Hermione rolled her eyes and Albus shook his head slightly.

“Scorpius Malfoy is more into winding us up, he hasn’t shown any sign that he wishes us harm,� Albus said fairly. Rose snorted and Albus scowled faintly. “You weren’t in detention with him, Rose. I’m not saying he’s nice; he’s just not as bad as-� He was prevented from finishing his sentence by his mother who fixed him with a stern look.

“Detention? Merlin’s beard, Albus - you’ve only been here a little over a month.� She softened her expression and flicked her eyes skyward when she caught Harry’s small smile. “You are your father’s son.� She smiled amusedly at her husband who asked his son:

“What did you get it for? And why were you having it with Malfoy?� Albus felt himself flush lightly at this. He did not enjoy telling this story. He remembered telling it to James at dinner before his detention and his flabbergasted reaction; it made him smile to himself as he replied.

“It was our first flying lesson and our friend Effie had never flown before so she got er bit - er - carried away. I went to go help her, as did Malfoy. I thought Madam Chang was going to be really angry, but she was alright about it.� He left out the bit where it was actually Malfoy who caught Effie, although he was sure that if James had been conscious, he would have reminded him about it. He caught his mother shoot a sideways glance at his father who appeared sheepish but did not say anything.

“Well, if you’re going to get a detention for doing something, helping your friend is a pretty good reason,� Hermione said with a smile. His Uncle Ron was clearly not concentrating on Albus’ part in this however.

“Yes, that’s really brave and everything, I’m not surprised you did it; but Scorpius Malfoy. Son of Draco Malfoy, grandson of Lucius Malfoy? I don’t buy it. It just doesn’t make sense.� He looked genuinely dumbfounded. Hermione placed a hand gently on his arm.

“Well maybe that’s what Al was trying to say. Maybe he isn’t as bad as some of his family and therefore isn’t responsible for this,� Hermione reasoned. Ron looked at her sceptically as Professor Weylin nodded in agreement.

“I very much doubt that Mr Malfoy was in any way involved. Whoever was must have been at least in their sixth year, if it was indeed a pupil.� He allowed this to sink in for a moment before continuing. “Now, I’ll leave you to it. Madam Pompfrey has been informed that you may wish to stay overnight and that the crowd of visitors may increase. It’s doubtful that Miss Cora, Mr Grey and Mr Wolcott will be deterred from visiting, so you may expect them after the game.� He turned to Albus’ mother with kind eyes.

“Madam Pompfrey has already administered bone healing potion and when he re-gains consciousness he will be given strengthening solution and treatment for his cosmetic injuries. He is in good hands, Ginevra.� Albus’ mother smiled weakly at Professor Weylin. Albus vaguely registered the rare use of his mother’s full first name as his Headmaster left them all with a final nod and a goodbye.

With Professor Weylin’s absence, Ron continued his complaints about the Malfoy family, in spite of Hermione’s sincere reproaching and Harry’s half-hearted chastising. Albus had given up. He didn’t care for Malfoy’s sake that Ron was blaming him, only that it detracted the attention from the actual culprit. They had not long been left alone when a tall boy in Quidditch gear with dark hair and green eyes came into the room and embraced Dominique Weasley. Albus recognised him as Gawain Knight who greeted the extensive Weasley-Potter clan politely before turning to the two eldest cousins.

“Professor Weylin requires the assistance of all prefects and the Head Girl down at the Quidditch pitches. A brawl has broken out between the teams and some of the students.� They all looked at him with puzzlement and he broke into a dazzling grin. “We won, by the way.� He turned to Victoire. “We were behind. Our two remaining Chasers were understandably a bit distracted and a tad aggressive but luckily Morwenna caught the Snitch in time.� Roxanne and Louis smiled at each other excitedly for a moment.

“Montague was furious, called Persephone a Mud - er - well, you know. Grey was so angry with Slytherin anyway - he’d already hit Stout with his Beater’s bat and given away a penalty - but that really set him off. He properly went for Montague. The professors and the other prefects are trying to break it up, but the fight’s sort of spread. Grey’s going to be in a lot of trouble for this - Sorensen wants him kicked off the team.�

“Sorensen can piss off.�

Everyone looked to see the source of the croaky yet emphatic statement. Albus’ face broke into a smile and for a second time his eyes filled with inexplicable tears. His brother caught it this time as he looked at his baby brother. “Calm down, Al, I thought I only had one little sister. You look terrible by the way.� Albus laughed, his reaction had been as he thought it would.

“Me? Wait ‘til you see the state you’re in, I’m definitely the good-looking one now.� James sniggered briefly before wincing slightly - the laugh probably hurt his reforming ribs.

“I don’t know, Al...I think I still have the edge.� Albus grinned widely at his brother. He wanted to be able to embrace him but knew that would cause him too much pain at the moment. His mother was pre-occupied with ruffling her son’s hair and applying multiple kisses to his face, something which James protested to in embarrassment.

Gawain, Victoire and Dominique left after telling James they were glad that he was okay. Not long after, Madam Pompfrey returned and told them that only the immediate family could stay due to incoming patients from the brawl, although relented when Louis insisted on remaining with his close friend and cousin. Ron, Hermione and Hugo promised that they would come back and visit very soon and the rest of the cousins returned to Gryffindor where they would soon be greeted by their fellow Gryffindors once the fight had been broken up.

“After I have attended to the other students and got them settled then I will administer with a Sleeping Draught to you. You have some painful mending to do which is better done unconscious. All being well, you should have full functionality in your limbs by tomorrow lunchtime when I will take care of the superficial injuries.� Madam Pompfrey addressed James directly before turning to his parents.

“Professor Weylin says he can set up spare beds for you elsewhere in the castle or we can spare one bed in here if you would prefer.�

“We’ll stay in here, thanks.� Ginny answered immediately and Harry nodded. James started protesting that it wasn’t necessary but his mother silenced him with a look.

“Do you want me to take Lily to Ron and Hermione’s?� Harry asked, taking his daughter’s hand as he did. Ginny nodded as Lily looked outraged.

“No way! I’m staying here with James and Al - Mum, please?� Her mother and father both shook their heads and she stamped her foot in a petulant way.

“Lil, could you do me a favour and bring me some of Grandma’s homemade tablet? I really miss it. You can bring it back for me tomorrow?� James asked her, smiling at his little sister. She interrupted her tantrum to cast her eldest brother a slightly sceptical look before breaking out into a grin. She laid her head lightly on his chest and put her arms around his neck gently. He rubbed her back and even though it appeared to cause him some pain, he made no sound.

Harry smiled at his son warmly and clasped his hand firmly but tenderly, promising to return soon. Lily hugged Albus tightly and he returned it, stroking her red hair briefly. Louis patted her on the head and she returned it with a grin and a quick squeeze before she left hand in hand with her father.

After all the commotion of the past couple of hours, Albus was almost surprised when he found himself only with his mother, brother and cousin for company. He knew it wouldn’t last for long and the commotion of various hexed and beaten-up students would soon be meeting them. Albus used this time to ponder something that didn’t seem to bother James as much as it should do; who would want to harm James? Albus knew he could be a bit of a prat, but nothing his brother had ever done could warrant this. He was the best Chaser on the team, but again, why would someone harm him for the sake of a single Quidditch game?

Then Albus heard the words of Morgana echo in his head: “It’s not optimism when you know you’re on the winning side.� Weylin could have been right, she may have just been engaging in the common Slytherin practice of goading and arrogance. Still, it was overly prophetic. As he watched his brother stuff his face with a chocolate frog that Louis had given him, gleefully showing them the picture of their dad on the card which accompanied it, he couldn’t imagine who would wish to hurt him. The Slytherins were the only suspects he had so he promised himself that at the first opportunity he would ask Morgana if she had heard of any plot. He inspected James’ cut face and swollen forehead thinking that he would have to learn some new hexes if he found the perpetrator. No one harms his brother and gets away with it.

A couple of weeks had passed since James’ trip to the hospital wing. He had recovered with impressive speed and without complaint, only lamenting the fact that Madam Pompfrey healed all the cuts and bruises so well - he was hoping for some battle scars. After the match a handful of students were admitted to the hospital wing including Montague and Alphie, the latter of whom insisted on having a bed next to James’. Their injuries were mostly superficial due to them opting for physical fighting over wand duelling; however, Alphie had managed to make Montague’s eyebrows grow into a particularly bushy mono-brow and his teeth enlarge. This made him look like even more of a Neanderthal than before the fight. Montague had in-turn broken Alphie’s nose and cut a long groove across his chest; a shallow but nasty looking cut. Alphie insisted on letting it leave a scar however - he thought it made him look cool.

Contrary to what Gawain had said, Alphie was not dismissed from the team. Due to what Professor Weylin described as ‘extremely stressful circumstances’ and the provocation from Montague, he was allowed to remain as Chaser for Gryffindor. That is not to say that he was not punished. He was forced to attend detention every Friday and Saturday night for a month and could not attend the next two Hogsmeade trips. Of course Albus knew that this would not matter to Alphie and his friends as they were, as of the start of the year, in possession of the famed Marauders’ Map which Albus’ father had spoken of many times before. They had stolen it from Harry’s desk drawer some months previously and could not wait to use it. Not all of the secret passages were on there; they had discovered two more the year before, but it was helpful for checking no one was in the general vicinity.

Albus had not managed to talk to Morgana alone since the incident. Whenever he saw her it was in lessons or she was talking to Tristan who, when he asked if his cousin had heard anything from the Slytherins concerning a plot against his brother, had become very tense and defensive. Albus guessed he would feel the same way if someone had asked him that question, but due to the nature of his family he would never have to find out.

Lessons were increasing in difficulty and some were falling behind. Albus managed to stay afloat however. He excelled in Defence against the Dark Arts and was adept at Charms and Potions, although Professor Sorensen would never admit the latter. The tension of work was beginning to build and Quidditch had not been the relief that had been anticipated. Therefore, Albus and the rest of his peers welcomed the distraction of Halloween, although he rather hoped it would not be like his father had described his first Halloween at Hogwarts; he was too tired to do battle with a troll.

Xander and Theron had been excited about the event all week and now it had come to the evening meal, and shortly the party, they were barely able to contain themselves. The ceiling in the Great Hall resembled the night’s sky with bats flying overhead. Hagrid had grown enormous plump pumpkins to adorn the hall and Fred Weasley had let some Fawkes Firecrackers off, lightly up the room with a sparking orange. Albus, Rose, Frank and Tristan arrived first out of their group of friends and quickly dug into their Halloween-themed meals.

A few minutes past before Theron entered with Xander and Effie trailing a bit behind him. They were giggling hysterically together and it did not take long for any of them to figure out the cause. Theron was marching over to their table clad in furry claw-imitation gloves, fake fuzzy facial hair and slightly ripped clothing. His eyes appeared more yellowish and he sported some animalistic fangs. Albus expected him to be embarrassed as he walked over to a group of plainly dressed people, but he merely grinned at them - an expression which did not suit his current appearance.

“After passing the first few confused faces, I’m guessing witches and wizards don’t dress up for Halloween?� Albus, Rose, Xander and Tristan all looked at him blankly while Effie laughed uncontrollably.

“I knew no one would dress up! Muggles dress up as witches and wizards: we’re already in costume.� Theron rolled his tawny eyes, making them look even scarier and took the seat between Xander and Cliona, who had just arrived with Polly and Tobias. She started initially at Theron’s appearance and gazed upon him as if he were quite mad.

“Thanks for the heads up, Eff!� He piled some sausages fashioned like fingers onto his plate before continuing. “You lot are no fun, dressing up’s the best bit of Halloween.� Rose frowned slightly in a curious way.

“Halloween sounds like quite a tradition for Muggles. We don’t treat it as such a big deal, but you know some people: any excuse for a party,� Rose said wearily. Tristan nodded with his mouth stuffed full, unable to get any words out. A voice from behind Albus alerted them to another’s presence.

“By ‘some people,’ Rose, you definitely don’t mean yourself, do you? Cause last I heard, you were going to the library tonight.� They turned to see James standing over them, a handful of Bramston Burke’s Baby Bats flying cyclically over his head. He was flanked, as usual by Alphie, Persie, Conall and Louis. Persie bore a simple sign of the festivities with drop earrings the shape of cobwebs. Upon seeing him, Rose flicked her eyes skyward.

“Only for a little bit. I’m going to the party as well, but it can’t all just be fun and games. I have one and a half essays to finish.� Albus would have reminded her that the homework was in fact in for next week and that most other people had three at this point, but he did not think it wise to remind her of that, especially as he wished to borrow her homework later.

“Oooh!� James mocked, holding his hands up. “That’s me told then. But seriously, Rosie, perhaps let it go for one night? The Gryffindor party is going to be really good tonight, believe me.� He shared a knowing smile with Alphie and Louis. Albus didn’t particularly want to know what he meant by that but was sure he was going to find out shortly. Rose ignored him and took a bite of her food. James instead turned his attention to Theron with a furrowed brow.

“Are you ill?� James asked Theron with what appeared to be a mixture of humour and genuine puzzlement. Theron, Effie and Persie laughed.

“Haha, nah, mate, I’m a werewolf.� He pretended to growl and made a face. James looked further confused but then smoothed his face over, assuming that the boy must be joking.

“Well, at least you’re tame,� he quipped before turning to his friends, clapping his hands once sharply. “Right, lads,� Persephone shot him a look, and he grinned at her, “and lady, we have some preparations to do.� Alphie nodded enthusiastically in agreement. As it was a Thursday, he was fortunate enough not to have one of his detentions on Halloween so was keen to have some fun and cause more mayhem. Persie punched him lightly in the arm with a barely-concealed smile.

“Hey, I’m not helping you get into more trouble! I think some of us have had their fill of it for a month,� she commented with a pointed smirk in Alphie’s direction. Alphie pouted before getting a wicked grin on his face. He grabbed Persephone by the waist and swung her up over his shoulder. Their friends laughed as she struggled weakly against his hold. Albus thought he saw a brief flicker of some conflicting emotion on his brother’s face, but no one else noticed.

“Persephone Cora, you are coming with us.� He turned to Albus and Rose. “See you soon - we just have some business to attend to.� He flashed them a smile before walking off with Persephone in tow, ignoring her feeble protests of ‘put me down’ in between bouts of laughter. Albus and his friends watched them leave for a moment, curious as to what they were planning. Albus guessed that it would involve a lot of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes merchandise.

After some time they had just about all finished their desserts of Cauldron Cakes, Ghoul Ganache and jelly, they, as with some of their fellow Gryffindors, began to head back to the tower. Thankfully, due to the occasion, the Prefects would be patrolling the castle along with the Head Boy and Girl, meaning that Gryffindor was largely unsupervised. The exceptions were Neville’s occasional visits - although James said he usually turned a blind-eye - and Molly and her friend Fergal Herbert who were aspiring Prefects and the resident curmudgeons.

Albus hoped that they would not ruin the fun for everyone else tonight as he certainly knew that James and Fred would never forgive their cousin for foiling their plots. He was almost nervous however, as he gave the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady who was peeping out from behind a pillar. As they all entered, they noticed that the light coming from the common room was dimmer than usual but before they could become accustomed to that they were greeted by a pair of animated skeletons who asked if they could take any coats. Cliona screamed at this, grabbing Tobias tightly by the arm. Albus chuckled, knowing them to be produce from his uncle’s shop.

There was a slight clicking noise which Albus quickly attributed to the hundreds of spiders crawling across the walls and the swarm of bats flying above their heads. Of course, he knew that if you grabbed one it would return to motionless plastic due to the charm on them. As they entered the common room edible spiders’ webs adorned the walls and ceilings and more skeletons were dancing along to Harrowing Halloween by The Lycanthropes (the world’s only werewolf band). There was a ‘scare booth’ set up which supposedly exposed you to your greatest fear. There were flaming dragons flying around, occasionally melting the edible cobwebs, as well as a talking severed head which Albus had not seen before but assumed was another product of his uncle’s.

Albus thought the overall effect was more comical than anything. It seemed to him to be more of scene to frighten Muggles rather than those born into the wizarding world who were used to such things. It didn’t stop several members of the party from looking rather perturbed by it all. As Albus looked around at the group he noticed that Cliona looked on the verge of a nervous-breakdown, Theron - usually so calm and collected - was casting some furtive glances at the bat-infested ceiling and Effie was gripping Tristan’s back, using him as a shield between her and the skeletons.

Contrastingly, Xander sidled up to Albus and clapped him on the shoulder. “Ha! Your brother’s done a good job here!� He turned to Frank with a grin. “Your dad better not ruin our fun,� he said jokingly. Frank elbowed him in response before tucking into the assortment of food on the table beside them. As Frank stuffed a Fondant Frankenstein in his mouth, James came bounding up to them.

“Welcome, young Gryffindors, to our House of Horrors!� Albus raised his eyebrows at his brother as he thrust a Butterbeer into his hand. James tutted as he saw his brother’s expression. “Calm down little brother, it doesn’t have any alcohol in it!� He narrowed his eyes as if he was thinking. “Well, I don’t think so anyway. If it does, it’s very little.�

This time it was Rose’s turn to tut. “He’s eleven, James!� she said, rolling her eyes and nudging Albus’ elbow to give the drink back to James. He didn’t, though, feeling indignant at being told what to do.

“Nearly twelve,� James said dismissively, as if that made it any better. Rose gave him a hard look, putting her hands on her hips in a manner reminiscent of her paternal grandmother. James flicked his eyes skyward and took the Butterbeer out of Albus’ hands. “But if you insist on being so annoyingly sensible, Rosie...� He thrust the goblet into a passing fourth year’s hands instead and picked up a glass of pumpkin juice from the side before offering it to his brother.

He turned to Rose. “Does that pass the boring test?� he asked sweetly. Rose stuck her tongue out at him and smiled. He put his arm around her and pulled her into a one-armed squeeze before releasing her.

“Help yourself to food and drinks - we’ve got everything basically. There will be entertainment throughout the evening and no one is allowed to go to bed before midnight. Well, that’s not an actual rule, but I say so.� With that he gave them a quick wave and went to join his usual crowd, making a group of second year girls laugh as he danced with one of the skeletons to ‘The Magic in You’ by Carmina Rhapsody. He noticed that Elena and Una were laughing too. Even Cliona and Effie managed a giggle despite their terror.

Albus knew that this was the sort of effect his brother had on people. He didn’t mind it exactly. In fact, he respected it. James’ ability to engage and be a magnet for attention and admiration was one that Albus himself wished that he had. He did, however, feel a tad overlooked at times. James was such a dominant personality that it was difficult to look beyond him. It was even difficult for James himself to leave the pantomime of James Potter behind and just be Albus and Lily’s brother. When he did, though, Albus loved him, and he Albus - though they would never admit it to each other.

An hour or so passed and Effie announced that she was going up to her room as she was tired and she wanted to finish practicing the charm ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ for Professor Nimble. Albus suspected that it was more the fact that she was not entirely enjoying the party. Every time a fake bat flew too low she would grab the nearest person and when the talking head spoke to her she backed into an unsuspecting Tristan, causing them both to fall over. Rose had since forgotten her desire to go to the library and was having a very intense-looking conversation with Persephone and Lucy about how James and his friends had set this entire display up in such a short amount of time, particularly what charms were used on the bats and spiders.

Frank, Cliona and Tobias were lounging on one of the large red velvety sofas, laughing at a joke Frank had told while Xander, Tristan and Theron were watching Fred and Alaric curiously as they set up Gryffindor’s exclusive firework display. Albus stood with Una, Polly and Elena, barely listening to their conversation when James beckoned him over. Albus excused himself and walked up to his brother who was leaning on the back of one of the sofas, talking to Alphie, Conall and Louis. He was greeted by a nudge on the shoulder and a grin.

“So, what do you think of our little party, Al?� He gave him a mischievous grin as he flicked his eyes over to the place Albus had come from. “You certainly looked like you were having fun with those three. Good to know you like girls, I suppose; I had my doubts.� Albus didn’t know what he was talking about at first and followed James’ line of vision to Una, Polly and Elena. He rolled his eyes and screwed up his face.

“Eugh, shove off, James! They’re my friends,� Albus said more grumpily than he had intended.

“Something even more surprising: you have friends,� James quipped. Albus shot him a withering look and picked up the cup of Butterbeer next to him. James raised his eyebrows as he watched his brother take a sip. “You better not let your keeper see you do that! What would Rosie say?� Albus ignored him and instead greeted Persephone who had just walked over. She smiled at him kindly and gestured in the direction of Fred and Alaric.

“I think we’re in for a firework display soon. Hopefully they’ll manage not to set fire to anything.� Her eyes twinkled as she spoke. Upon seeing the glass in Albus’ hands she gave him a slightly disapproving look and took it from him. “James, stop corrupting the boy.� Albus did not particularly like being referred to as ‘the boy’ but could tell she was joking so let it go.

“Persie! Stop being such a spoilsport,� James complained teasingly. Persephone eyed him carefully before downing the whole glass of Butterbeer with as much grace as was possible. James widened his eyes before smoothing out his face into a wide grin. Louis and Alphie laughed and the latter’s eyes lit up at the change in music.

“The Grindylows! I bloody love them,� he said excitedly, setting his pumpkin juice down (which smelt oddly of alcohol) and grabbed Persephone’s hand. “Persie, may I have this dance?� He did not wait for an answer but dragged her over to where the skeletons were dancing with some other students, mostly fifth years. She giggled as he wrapped one arm around her waist and clutched her hand with his free hand, swaying them both vigorously side to side. Louis and Conall laughed and went over to two pretty third year girls and started dancing with them. James remained next to Albus, picking up the drink that Alphie had set down and drinking it dry.

Albus looked at his brother shrewdly and James elbowed him and said in response: “Oh shut up, Al.� The emptied drink refilled itself and James walked off to talk to an auburn-haired third year girl that Albus vaguely recognised as Veda Vorenus, who giggled and fluttered her eyelashes when James asked her to dance. Albus watched his brother for a couple of minutes as he twirled Veda, causing her smooth curls to whip round her beautiful face. He watched James’ slightly bored expression as he did so and noted his eyes wandering elsewhere.

He was interrupted in his observations by Tristan and Frank who came up and clapped him on the back. “Wake up, Al!� Tristan said loudly as he munched on a bit of Cauldron Cake. Albus grinned at his friends and sat down on the arm of the chair facing them.

“Fred says the fireworks are ready. They should be starting any minute-� The end of Frank’s sentence was lost however in the loud pop of the first firecracker going off. It was the shape of a twisting snake and made a snap at its audience before dispersing into sparks. It was followed by whirls of sparkles that rotated in the air interspersed with the images of pumpkins formed from embers. There were many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the audience as they watched the display. Images of werewolves, bats and giants were lit up in the sparks. Muggle-borns like Theron were especially enraptured and Albus wished that Effie had waited just a bit longer so that she could have seen this.

Throughout the display, not one person could tear their eyes away from the spectacle and as it came to a close with the largest firework yet - a large orange roaring dragon which blew embers - the crowd cheered gleefully and Fred and Alaric were lost in a crowd of admirers. Albus threw his cousin a quick smile before his face disappeared into the throng. Another one of his cousins, Rose, approached him, smiling but looking rather tired.

“That was amazing, wasn’t it? I’m surprised Dad and George let Fred have that much stock.� Rose yawned. Albus was going to suggest that perhaps ‘let’ wasn’t quite the right word but Rose continued. “I’m glad I stayed up for that, but I think I’m going to head upstairs. I didn’t realise how tired I was and I want to get up early tomorrow morning to practice Professor Nimble’s charm.� Albus thought that it was rather unnecessary for her to practice at all considering she had practically perfected it in the lesson but said nothing. He gave her a quick hug and bade her goodnight. She said goodbye to the rest of their friends and to James who attempted to persuade her to stay in vain and made her way up the spiral staircase to the girls’ dormitory.

The music restarted and it was the biggest hit of The Weird Sisters - ‘It Must Be Amortentia’. Those who knew it well were very eager to get up and dance to it. Frank, Xander and Tobias got up to dance with the skeletons. Theron was still not sure enough of them to do so and instead pretended to be very deep in conversation with Roxanne about her brother’s firework display. Tristan and Albus hung back as neither of them was overly keen on dancing. They were given little choice though when Cliona and Una came up and dragged Tristan by the hands to where the group was dancing and Elena and Polly did the same with Albus.

“Elena - Apollonia - you let me go!� Albus struggled initially but knew it was futile once he was wedged between the various dancing students. Elena laughed airily at him, her cat-like eyes mischievous.

“Lighten up, Albus! This is my favourite song, so you’re going to dance with me and like it,� she said bossily and he rolled his eyes sarcastically but did as she said. As he held both girls’ hands and twirled them round clumsily, causing them all to giggle childishly, their fun was interrupted by a tap on Albus’ shoulder. He turned to see the source and saw a slightly concerned looking Rose staring back at him. He excused himself from dancing with Polly and Elena, who quickly replaced him with a rather worried-looking Frank, and walked over to the other side of the room with Rose.

“Rose, what’s up? I thought you went to bed?� Albus asked curiously. She nodded in assent, biting her lip anxiously.

“I did. But when I got up there, I expected Effie to be there, possibly asleep. Only, she isn’t up there and her bed is still made. You haven’t seen her down here, have you?� Rose glanced around as she spoke. Albus shook his head. He knew that he hadn’t seen his raven-haired friend. She wasn’t with any of the members of their group and if Rose hadn’t spotted her by now, she almost certainly wasn’t in the common room.

“Al, her outdoor cloak’s missing. You don’t think she’s gone - I don’t know - on a walk or something? She’d get into so much trouble if she was caught, what with all the Prefects on duty.� Her blue eyes looked particularly big as she said this and Albus gripped her upper arm in what was supposed to be a comforting way. Noticing their exchange, Tristan and Frank managed to extricate themselves from their respective dancing partners to see what was happening.

“Hey, Rose, decided to re-join the party? Good choice!� Frank exclaimed, grinning cheerily. This faded quickly when he saw the expression on Rose’s face. “What’s wrong?� he asked with more concern.

“It’s Effie - she’s not in her room and she’s not down here. Her outdoor cloak’s missing and I think she might be having a bit of a wander or something. What with the Prefects being ultra-zealous today in particular, I just don’t want her to get into trouble.� Tristan nodded uneasily before speaking.

“So, what’s the plan?� he asked firmly, his eyes on Rose. Rose, however, had her eyes on Albus who widened his own in confusion. It appeared that his cousin wanted him to come up with the plan, which was ridiculous as she was the brains in this group. However, one thing Albus did have in abundance was cunning and resourcefulness and an ability to think calmly even in difficult times which Rose did not possess. It was these abilities which gave him an idea, the only one that would work - providing he could persuade his brother to help.

Albus marched towards his brother, carefully dodging Elena and Polly who tried to capture him again, and tapped him on the shoulder. He got no response at first as James was leaning against the wall with Veda who was talking very animatedly. He tapped him for a second time, harder this time, and said his name. James turned and smiled wearily at his brother. He didn’t seem too annoyed by the interruption. He excused himself from Veda who pouted slightly before flouncing off to dance with Louis.

“What’s up, little brother?� James inquired with a distinct lack of interest. Albus grimaced slightly at the commonly used endearment. He had mostly become accustomed to it, but it wasn’t his favourite nickname.

“Effie’s missing. We think she might be wandering the castle - if so, she’ll be in a lot of trouble if she’s caught.� Albus informed him as concisely as possible. James frowned as if considering something.

“Effie? The pretty black-haired one?� James asked. Albus raised his eyebrows slightly before nodding. James’ expression grew vaguely bored again. “What has that got to do with me?� he asked, barely disguising the apathy in his voice. James ruffled his hair and cast a look in the direction of his friends who were all laughing and dancing together. Albus felt his brother’s attention waning so he spoke quickly.

“I was wondering,� he started firmly but politely, “if we could take a look at where she was on the Marauder’s Map – just to check she’s not anywhere where she might get caught.� By this time Rose, Frank and Tristan had followed him and caught the essence of Albus’ question, causing them to stare expectantly at James. He gave them all a slight roll of the eyes before pulling a rather weathered piece of parchment out of his robe’s pockets. Albus stretched his hand out so that James could place the parchment into it. Instead, all he got was a short laugh.

“As if I’m giving this to you! Maybe when you’re older, Al. Besides, I’ll be able to find her better – I’ve had a couple of months to practice scanning for particular people.� Albus nodded grudgingly. It did make sense, but he sorely wished that he could have a go with it. James pulled out his wand and aimed it at the parchment, muttering: “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.� The greetings of their grandfather and his friends appeared in swirled writing upon the parchment but Albus did not have enough time to read it properly as James was hurriedly unfolding it and scouring the page for a sole name.

He was silent for what felt like a couple of minutes. Rose’s interruption of ‘Do you want me to have a look?’ was met with a signal of zipping one’s lips, indicating that James did not appreciate the query. A couple more minutes passed and the furrow in James’ brow grew deeper and deeper until at last he made a noise that sounded vaguely like ‘huh.’ He looked up at them with a slightly bewildered expression.

“That’s weird...I can’t see her anywhere on here,� he said incredulously. Rose tutted and spoke in her best know-it-all voice.

“I told you, you should have let one of us have a look.� James gave her a scathing look. He was already in quite a bad mood but not being able to use his new toy correctly seemed only to worsen it. Albus was about to extend his hand out to take the map from his brother but before he could, he noticed James’ expression grow more confused.

“Well, that’s not good,� he said bemusedly under his breath. Albus widened his eyes at this, frustrated at his brother for not elaborating on what wasn’t good.

“What’s that supposed to mean?� Albus asked exasperatedly. James didn’t react but merely squinted at the parchment for a moment before turning on his heel and taking a few steps towards his dormitory. “James? James! What are you doing?� Albus called after him. James held up a single finger to indicate he was going to be one moment. Frank and Tristan looked at each other confusedly and Rose appeared a bit strained.

“Where’s he going? I thought he was going to help us!� Rose complained. Albus shrugged, keeping his focus on the bottom of the staircase which, after only a minute, James appeared at. He marched towards them carrying a thin fluid sheet of material and what looked like a bracelet. Instead of stopping in front of them he walked straight passed them towards the portrait hole and subtly beckoned them to follow him as he walked. He stopped just short of the portrait hole and shoved the swathe of fabric into Albus’ hands. He rubbed the fine cloth between his thumb and index finger. It was difficult to describe the sensation. It was like dipping your fingers into running water and was so thin that you could barely believe it had substance to it.

“It’s dad’s old invisibility cloak.� James said by way of explanation. “He said we could both use it this year in case of emergency - I think this qualifies.� Albus didn’t register the last part of his brother’s sentence but continued caressing the material. He couldn’t quite believe that this was the same invisibility cloak that his father, aunt and uncle had used for so many of their adventures. To hold it now made him feel proud and excited about what was going to happen next.

“What? This is an emergency now?� Tristan asked anxiously, glancing furtively at the cloak in Albus’ hands. James didn’t answer but addressed his brother.

“You four should be able to fit under the cloak considering your size,� he stated shortly. He held up the gilded bracelet with a red jewel in the middle. “This is a new invention of Uncle George and Uncle Ron’s. It’s a Camouflage Cuff. It doesn’t render the wearer invisible exactly, just sort of blends them into the environment if I press the jewel in. Its charm is temporary but I don’t need to use it for too long.� He slipped it over his wrist and wrinkled his nose at it. “They could have chosen something more...manly.� James complained slightly.

“I think it suits you.� Albus quipped. James pulled a face at him and clipped him over the back of the head. He indicated towards the invisibility cloak.

“Less of that, thank you. Put the cloak on, we’re good to go,� James said as he prepared to swing open the door of the portrait hole. He gave one last sweep of the room with his eyes before he did so.

“Go where, though, James?� Rose asked impatiently as the portrait swung open and James pressed the red gem downwards, causing him to disappear momentarily. If Albus concentrated really hard he could vaguely see the figure of his brother, though he was the same colour and detail as his surroundings. His voice sounded as a hiss in the darkness.

“The Forbidden Forest, where else?� Albus noted Rose’s sharp intake of breath as he threw the cloak over them all. Albus knew that Rose was not one for breaking the rules. This venture broke several of them in one go. Albus thought it best to give her less time to think about it so increased his pace so that they would all have to fall in time with him. He could hear the quiet breaths of his older brother not far in front of them as they wound their way through the castle.

For the most part they managed to avoid discovery. However, on the third floor corridor near to the Ravenclaw common room they had to silently creep past one of their Prefects who was annoyingly alert considering the time. At one point when they passed Professor Merric in the corridor they thought they were done for when Frank stepped on Rose’s foot causing a slight whimper. Merric dismissed this, however, when Peeves came hurtling down the corridor, fleeing from the Bloody Baron.

They made it all the way outside before they met anyone else. Even though Dominique Weasley and her boyfriend Gawain Knight were supposed to be carrying out their prefect duties, they somehow managed to find the time to engage in a very passionate clinch under the light of the full moon. Albus heard James make a noise like he was retching but luckily the pair did not hear it as, at around the same time, a bird squawked noisily, making them start. Once they were certain they were in no danger they shrugged, giggled and resumed their previous activities.

Once they were a safe distance from the couple, Albus heard James’ hushed voice telling them to stop. Albus halted abruptly, as did Tristan. Rose and Frank were not quite ready and bumped into the back of both Albus and Tristan, causing more commotion than the situation called for. Albus could practically hear James rolling his eyes.

“Smooth. Before we left Gryffindor Tower, the map showed Effie teetering on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The map doesn’t show the whole forest - it’s quite extensive - that’s why I didn’t see her before.� James explained quickly. Albus nodded, forgetting his brother couldn’t see them. A question bothered Albus, though, but before he could ask it, Tristan interrupted.
“So, if she’s in the forest, why aren’t we going there?� he asked edgily, making it clear he felt James was wasting time. A light snort could be heard coming from James’ direction.

“I said she was in the Forbidden Forest. Now, she’s heading right this way.� Albus squinted into the darkness but could see nothing. “In five, four, three, two-� before James could finish his countdown, Albus whipped the invisibility cloak off them. Upon seeing them, James pressed the jewel, making himself visible before muttering ‘Lumos’ under his breath.

Immediately in front of him - almost touching his wand tip - was Effie. Only, it wasn’t quite. At first glance she appeared to be the same, but if you looked closer at her face illuminated in the light, you could see that not everything was entirely right. There was a slight bruise on her forehead that had not been there before and there was a lone leaf and bur in her ebony locks. Most worrying of all were her eyes. Her eyes which were usually so full of fire were now dull and vacant. She did not even flinch when the illumined wand was pointed in her direction.

“Effie! Where have you been?! We were so worried about you! James said you were in the Forbidden Forest - what in Merlin’s name were you doing in there? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’d be in if were caught?� Rose ranted at her in a quiet but equally powerful whisper. Albus was even a bit guilty and he didn’t have anything to be guilty for. Effie’s reaction was not what Rose was hoping for, nor was it what anyone would have expected.

“I’m fine,� she said dismissively, missing the point entirely. “I have to go, I have somewhere to be,� she intoned dully, attempting to side step James and failing. She looked into his eyes now. She did not look angry. It was worse – there was no emotion in her face.

“Where do you need to be exactly, Effie? Can we come?� James asked as if he was talking to a small child or a crazy person. Albus wondered why he was doing that but did not ask.

“I have somewhere to be. I need to find out where he’s hidden it.� Effie explained as if what she was saying was perfectly rational. Rose and Frank looked at each other with anxious and completely dumbfounded expressions. Tristan seemed to be taking James’ lead in how to speak to her as he said:

“Where who’s hidden what, Eff? Maybe we can help you look for it?� Tristan suggested kindly. She looked to him and for the first time since the start of the conversation, there was a flicker of something behind her eyes. However, it was extinguished almost as quickly as it had begun.

“I don’t need help, thank you. He’s hidden it. It’s not his; I need to get it back,� Effie intoned once again. She side-stepped James successfully this time but was not fast enough to duck past Albus who stood directly in front of her, their chests nearly touching. He looked down at her and spoke, abandoning the tactic his brother and Tristan had attempted.

“Bloody hell, Eff, what’s wrong with you? Just come back to Gryffindor Tower – you can talk to Professor Weylin about it in the morning for all I care.� Albus said fiercely and slightly louder than he intended. Effie cocked her head to the side.

“He knows where it is - I need to get it back. Can you please move?� There was no aggression in Effie’s tone but Albus almost wished there was to make his reaction more justifiable.

“Who is ‘he?’ Actually, don’t tell me, I don’t need to know. We just need to get you back up to the castle now.� Albus made to take her hand but at the same time she was reaching her hand into her robe, a harder expression on her face.

What happened next was all rather a flash. Before Effie could delve into her robes, the main source of light was extinguished, leaving only the moon. An instant later the forceful but quiet mutter of: ‘Stupefy!’ was heard by everyone. Albus felt a body fall against his own and he instinctively caught it around the waist, holding the dead-weight against himself with some difficulty. It was only when the light was glowing again that Albus could fully take in what had happened.

The lifeless body in his arms was that of Effie, her black hair falling in her delicate face. Albus brushed it away absently before glaring at his brother. “What the bloody hell did you do that for?� Albus exclaimed. James looked back at him calmly and Albus noticed that Tristan too wore the same expression.

“It was necessary. You were un-armed and not ready for an attack. She was about to pull out her wand and curse you, most likely.� Albus shook his head, bending his knees as he hitched Effie up slightly.

“Why would she do that? We’re friends.� James rolled his eyes, looking at Effie almost pityingly.

“What does friendship matter when you are under the influence of the Imperius Curse?� James asked rhetorically. There was no reaction to his words at first. His friends were stunned themselves it seemed. Only Tristan nodded in assent. It bothered Albus that his friend was supporting James’ stupid theory and he scoffed at it.

“Oh, come on, James, you’ve never seen anyone under the Imperius Curse! And who would have done it and why? It makes no sense!� James narrowed his eyes for a moment before nodding.

“Yes, it makes no sense. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true,� he said simply. When he merely received frowns in return from Rose, Frank and Albus he elaborated. “You know Effie, you spend a lot of time with her - have you ever known her to look that out of it? Or be that focused on something that she can’t explain? Or to try and attack you? Al - come on - you have to see! She’s not herself.� Albus said nothing, he just looked down at the girl slumped in his arms. Her head was tipping back and her hair cascaded downwards. Her eyes were closed lightly - she could have been sleeping.

He finally looked up to see them all staring back at him. “We better take her to the Hospital Wing. She may still have the curse on her when she wakes up.
We should tell Professor Weylin what she said - maybe he can make some sense of it,� Albus said hollowly. It wasn’t until that moment that he realised how tired he was and it was not helped by being the sole bearer of the weight of an eleven year old girl. As if he read Albus’ mind James put the Marauder’s Map back in his robes pocket and held out his arms to receive Effie. He slung her inelegantly over one shoulder. Frank went to throw the cloak back over all of them when James stopped them.

“Is there much point doing that now?� Frank began to ask why ever not when James rolled his eyes. “We’re marching up through the grounds of Hogwarts in the middle of the night with an unconscious girl, several banned items and with no real explanation as to why. As much as I relish getting away with stuff, I see no getting out of this.� He began to march towards the castle, as quickly as he could considering his burden, but he halted. “On second thoughts, use the cloak. There’s no need you getting into trouble. I’ll just say I came by myself.� They protested vociferously. James merely shushed them and said in an undertone to Albus and Rose:

“If mum, dad, Ron and Hermione find out I’ve landed you with detention - cause believe me, we’d get plenty of those - I’ll get into even more trouble than if I was doing it alone. You’d be doing me a favour by pretending you weren’t there. It’s not like she’s going to remember.� At this James patted Effie on the small of her back. Albus couldn’t help but feel uneasy about this plan but James was fixing him with such a determined look that he could hardly protest. He stared straight back at his brother.

“Thank you, James,� Albus said sincerely. James waved his free hand dismissively.

“Like I said, I’m doing it for purely selfish reasons,� James said swiftly. Albus did not believe him for a moment but did not comment. “Get that cloak over you now, for Circe’s sake, before Dominique and Gawain come up for air and notice us all standing here.� It did not take long for Frank to obey the older boy and shroud the four first years with the great swathe of silky material.

James exhaled heavily, adjusted Effie slightly and carried on towards the castle. They did not follow him at first, hoping not to be caught up in the fuss that would ensue due to James’ midnight wandering’s with an unconscious first year draped over him. As Albus stared at the receding figures, he had so many questions racing through his mind. Why was Effie out of bed in the first place? Who, if anyone, had cursed her? What were they after? Who was the mysterious ‘he’ who had an object so important that it was worth using an Unforgivable Curse for? What sort of person would tear away at their soul to obtain such an object? How would Albus ever repay James? What would Effie remember when she woke up...? All these thoughts raced round and round, chasing each other. Albus’ head began to hurt with the pressure. He didn’t understand how any of them could be answered. However, if he had been looking - really observing everything he had seen and heard that night - he would have had more answers than he could have imagined.

When James had appeared in the castle in the middle of the night three weeks ago there were many who did not believe his explanation as to how he came across the unconscious Effie. He claimed that Albus and Rose had come to him concerned as to her whereabouts - that at least was truthful - and that he had taken it upon himself to go and look for her. Guessing she may be wandering around the grounds, he snuck outside to see if he was right. Shortly afterwards, he had bumped into her and -realising that she was not herself as she tried to attack him - he acted first.

The professors found several elements of this account difficult to accept, particularly the part where he managed to walk through Hogwarts undetected on the way there and not on the way back. They were not entirely convinced he had acted alone and felt it odd that he would break the rules for someone he did not know to be in danger and who was not even a friend of his. Furthermore, they were suspicious of how quickly and accurately he had guessed her location. All of these questions could have been explained easily and instantly if he told them about the cloak, the cuff and the map. However, James could not run the risk of having them confiscated so he kept to his story determinedly.

After much interrogating, they grudgingly acknowledged his version of events. They simultaneously praised him for recognising the nature of Effie’s condition and dealing with it admirably and punished him for sneaking out of Gryffindor Tower out of hours. Neville told James that he should have come to him if he thought Effie might be missing or in trouble, but he was not too angry. Albus knew for a fact that Neville would have been able to guess the true version of events with more accuracy than anybody else. Professor Longbottom knew of their father’s Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder’s Map; however, he said nothing to Professor Weylin. Even so, James said he thought Weylin perhaps knew more than he was letting on as well.

James received a minor punishment of one night’s detention in the services of Hagrid ironically in the Forbidden Forest. The lighter punishment was due to him finding Effie in time before the curse made her do something potentially dangerous to herself or others. Effie herself was not punished for roaming around after hours. Professor Weylin seemed to think it punishment enough that she was cursed by a person or persons unknown and being stunned by a fellow student.

Albus gathered from James that, judging by her behaviour upon awaking in the Hospital Wing shortly after she had arrived, he was right to think that Effie may still have been under the influence of the Imperius Curse. Madam Pomfrey attempted to question her about what it was that she desired but she could get nothing more from her than what Albus and his friends could achieve before. After a couple of attempts at flight and a lunge towards her confiscated wand (removed from her possession at James’ recommendation) Professor Weylin entered and removed the curse swiftly and forcefully.

She could remember nothing once the curse had been lifted, as James had said. Weylin guessed that there may have been some element of mind altering involved as well, as she could not even remember any of the events of that day from Herbology that morning to the Halloween party to wandering around outside and being ambushed. She was merely scared and shaken when she awoke. When James privately told her the real story of what had happened she cried and asked him to leave. He guessed she felt ashamed that she had almost attacked Albus and had gotten James into unnecessary trouble. When she was discharged from the Hospital Wing it took her a while to be able to talk to them normally without sad eyes and shame on her face. They assured her many times that they were just glad she was safe. However, even after she relaxed in their company, she would still jump if someone touched her unexpectedly and flinch at loud sounds.

The information that James gave Weylin about what Effie had said prior to her insentience was received with apparent confusion. It seemed that Professor Weylin had little idea what item she could have been referring to. It was complicated by the fact that Hogwarts had acquired a plethora of things worth stealing over its many centuries of existence. There was not one person in the world who knew of every single one of them. The matter of the culprit was also difficult. With Effie having no memory of the event and there being no eye-witnesses to her attack, it was anyone’s guess as to who it was. Professor Weylin seemed sure it was not a student. Not that he did not think that some students may have the malice to commit the act, only that it was so well executed that this person had most likely had practice. He made faint suggestions that it could be a Death Eater as there was a handful who evaded capture through either their own covertness or not being high enough in the ranks to have been on the Ministry’s radar.

The very thought that there was someone close by capable of such an evil curse who desired something within Hogwarts had caused tension amongst many of the professors. They had successfully managed to prevent the information spreading to most of the student body, but those who did know were on edge. It was not helped by the fact that Weylin and the other professors had no idea how someone could infiltrate Hogwarts without their detection. Although it was clear that they were trying to project a veneer of calm, James said he had felt Weylin’s unease when he saw Effie Imperuised and the implications that it had for the safety of the castle. Weylin had hoped it would be an isolated event, but he promised that they would step up security in the event that the attacker tried again.

James had decided against telling his parents about his late night which Albus was thankful for since he knew that his father would not buy James’ story for an instant. The only remnants of that night were James’ sole detention, Effie’s nightmares and Albus’ questions. He could still find no answers to them as there was not much information to go on though he was determined to find some soon. The following weeks had been relatively quiet, aside from a Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, but even that was a pretty clean game resulting in Ravenclaws relatively swift victory after Elda Velox caught the Snitch within an hour of the game starting. Gryffindor would face Hufflepuff next term and was expected to beat them easily enough. Albus hoped James would fare better in that match than the one he had in Slytherin.

On a biting November Saturday there was their first cause for celebration since their disastrous Halloween night. It was Albus’ birthday and James and Albus’ friends were not going to let it go unnoticed. He had opened his presents excitedly that morning after being unwillingly awoken by Rose and James annoyingly early. He soon perked up when he saw the pile of presents to the side of his bed. Amongst them were copious amounts of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes merchandise from his Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, Fred and Roxanne; a book on endangered magical creatures and a packet of Fainting Fancies (in case he ended up in detention with Malfoy again) from his Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione and Hugo; a knitted emerald jumper to go with his eyes with a golden ‘A’ emblazoned on the front and some home-made Tiffin from his grandma and grandpa and tickets for the next Rufford Rockets Quidditch match - Albus’ favourite team - from his parents.

From his friends he received an assortment of sweets, joke shop merchandise, books and a pot of Somno Balm from Tristan - the plant that had caused him to oversleep on his first night at Hogwarts. Albus’ insistence that they did not make a fuss fell on deaf ears. After a day neglecting work, much to Rose’s chagrin, and even a visit from his parents and sister, the plan for his birthday party was revealed at dinner time as his brother grabbed his shoulders from behind, causing him to nearly choke on his bouillabaisse.

“Project: Albus’ twelfth birthday party is commencing in an hour little brother, so I’d get a move on if I were you.� Albus rolled his eyes at his bossy brother. It was typical that even though it was his birthday he had no choice in how to celebrate it.

“We were going to have it in the Room of Requirement but the problem with having a Prefect and a Head Girl for cousins is that they aren’t too keen on breaking the rules. We’re having it in the common room instead. All the family are coming, your little first year friends, my friends and any Gryffindors who fancy it.� He paused for a moment as if he was considering something. “You can invite first years from other houses if you want, but tell them to meet you outside and don’t let them hear the password.� James instructed Albus bossily.

Albus nodded and gave him a slight mocking look. “That’s very big of you, thank you,� he said sarcastically but James chose to ignore it as he wished to continue.

“Just make sure you’re there in an hour.� He turned to Albus’ friends surrounding him. “All of you, an hour. And no disappearing acts or going to bed early!� He looked pointedly at Effie who suddenly became very interested in her sticky toffee pudding. “It’s a weekend people, let’s try and stretch to actually enjoying ourselves - that means you, Rosie!� He ruffled his cousin’s hair at that and she pulled a face at him.

“But my Muggle Studies essay-� Rose began half-heartedly but she was cut off by James who waved his hand dismissively.

“- can be done tomorrow. Come on, Rose, I know there’s some Weasley in you somewhere. I hear you hit Albus just so you could disarm Scorpius Malfoy. That’s the Rose that needs to come out more often!� Before Rose could protest that that was not exactly how the situation unfolded, James was bidding them farewell and joined his waiting friends at the top of the Great Hall.

He turned to the Gryffindor first years surrounding him on the table. “Well, it sounds like I don’t have much choice. You guys don’t have to go if you don’t want to, though...� he trailed off when he was met by loud protests from all his friends. Every single one of his fellow Gryffindor first years indicated that they were intent on coming.

“I have to say I’m a bit surprised you’re not more excited! It’s your party, after all...� Tristan commented, finishing a mouthful of chocolate fondant. Albus was going to object and tell him that he was just afraid of what James had in store for him, but a loud drawling behind him interrupted.

“Party? What party?� Albus recognised the curious burr as that of Morgana Lark and turned in his seat so that one leg was either side of the bench, straddling it. She was flanked by Scorpius Malfoy, the only other first year Slytherin who would lower himself to be in their company - and that was only to jeer and mock. Albus was again prevented from speaking by another’s reply.

“It’s Albus’ birthday, we’re having a party for him in Gryffindor common room.� Morgana’s pale eyes drifted to meet Albus’ bright green ones. He noticed that hers betrayed no emotion, although her face curved into a look of mild curiosity. She did not acknowledge the fact it was his birthday, not even gracing him with a smile. Albus did not expect one but he still found himself feeling a tad disappointed.

“You really should get a more reliable owl,� she commented, seemingly randomly. Tristan and Albus looked at each other bewilderedly and Albus vaguely noticed Malfoy smirking. Clearly he understood what on Earth she was on about.

“Come again?� Tristan asked, shovelling a piece of fondant in his mouth and elegantly preventing the oozing centre from dripping down his chin (a feat that Frank could not manage with quite so much grace).

“Well it’s clearly not doing its job properly if it managed to lose my invite,� she said this in such a serious tone that Albus honestly didn’t know whether she was joking or not. By Tristan’s chortle and shake of the head, he assumed that she was in fact teasing. However, her light jest however gave Albus some much needed inspiration. The words that came out of his mouth next surprised everybody, including himself.

“It was a bit of a last minute thing really - my brother’s idea. Come along if you want, though - the more the merrier!� Albus’ tone was overly hearty and he hoped that she did not think anything was amiss. But of course, something was. It was not common practice for Gryffindors to invite Slytherins to their parties, on their own territory no less. Her eyes widened, displaying rarely seen emotion. Even Malfoy looked slightly disturbed, only his eyes merely narrowed suspiciously.

“You want me to come to your birthday party?� she asked slowly. Albus nodded with certainty. He could feel the eyes of his peers boring into him. Many had stopped eating in their horror - Xander’s fork was dangling in front of his slightly open mouth in an uncharacteristically ungainly manner and Elena, Una and Polly interrupted their gossip session to stare raptly at the pair. “Why?� she finally said, curtly.

“Because you’re such delightful company,� Albus’ voice was laced with sarcasm, “plus you obviously want to go.� He was hoping that this tactic would work on her and he was not disappointed when he saw the slight sneer grace her dainty features and a blush inch up her neck and lay itself gently upon her alabaster cheeks.

“Want to? Don’t be so absurd! As if I’d want to spend my free time with the likes of you and celebrate another year of your pathetic life.� Her tone was slightly cold but he got the sense that she didn’t exactly mean it. Albus knew that he should have been offended by the comments but he had grown up to expect nothing more from a Slytherin. Others were not so forgiving and Effie and Rose scowled at her menacingly. Morgana was not fazed and neither was Tristan who merely rolled his eyes at his cousin.

“Fine, suit yourself then. Don’t come,� Albus said simply. He looked away and paused for a moment. He didn’t know if his tactic was going to work but it was worth a try at least. Then the sentence he had been waiting for came.

“I never said I wouldn’t. I just said I didn’t want to. But since you’re so eager for my presence...� she trailed off momentarily as Albus looked back at her. Her eyes glinted. For someone of her age, Albus felt Morgana was quite intimidating. “It is your birthday after all.� Albus knew that was the closest she was going to get to saying ‘Happy Birthday’, but he didn’t care. She had done what he wanted her to do.

“Besides,� she continued, “it would be interesting to see how the lesser half live.� This time Albus rolled his eyes as well as Tristan. The thing about people like Morgana, and, to a certain extent, Malfoy, was that you couldn’t take them too seriously. Yes, they could say mean and hurtful things, but half the time it’s just affected arrogance or prejudice because they thought that’s how they are expected to behave. The other half the time it came from a more malicious place but should be spared no more thought. Rose had not learnt this yet, resulting in her glowering furiously at the ebony-locked girl. Effie, a girl who shared Morgana’s looks but nothing else, also grimaced at her Slytherin counterpart.

Tristan placed a forceful hand in the middle of her back, sensing the shift in mood from the Gryffindor girls. “Good one, Morgana. We’re meeting in Gryffindor’s common room in about an hour. I’ll wait outside for you as we’re not allowed to give out the password.� She nodded impatiently, clearly not really caring. “Off you go now, make yourself look passable for the party, if at all possible.�
Morgana stuck her tongue out at his quip but did not start walking away. “Can I bring a friend?� She directed her question at Tristan, even though it wasn’t his party. Albus answered instead after Tristan gave him a prompting look.

“Yeah, sure,� he said, throwing her a brief smile. She didn’t return it as such. She gave a curt nod and a smirk teased her lips before she turned around, Malfoy in tow. Albus pondered the fact that Scorpius had been abnormally quiet throughout. He came to a conclusion that it was probably a good thing, especially upon hearing Rose’s next words.

“Al! What the bloody hell did you do that for?� This was shocking on two counts: Rose’s angry tone and the fact that she had cursed - a rarity for her. Albus shrugged and mumbled something about being polite. She narrowed her eyes but did not comment on that part. “If her ‘friend’ turns out to be Scorpius Malfoy, I don’t care, birthday or not, Albus Severus Potter, I will KILL you!� Albus knew she wasn’t being serious (well, he was pretty sure at least) but her tone frightened him nonetheless. This was mostly because he was almost entirely sure that her friend was going to be Scorpius Malfoy as he was the only other Slytherin who would talk to them (with the exception of Morgana’s brothers and the occasional monosyllables or single sentences from Bartlett and Zabini).

The rest of the meal continued in easy conversation. Effie and Rose thawed not long after Morgana’s departure and instead immersed themselves in a conversation with Cliona about the difficulty of their Transfiguration homework. On top of their essay on the importance of keeping Proteus’ second law of Transfiguration they had to practice the ‘Muto Papilio’ incantation to transfigure their Holly Blue butterflies into ornate hairclips. It was their first attempt at animate to inanimate transfiguration and they were filled with trepidation. Thankfully Swinburne had given them some time to practice. Nevertheless that did not stop Rose from worrying about it.

Their hour was consumed all too quickly by their chatter and before Albus knew it he was being urged by Theron and Frank to hurry up. He gulped down the remainder of his pumpkin juice and wiped his mouth surreptitiously on his sleeve. Rose caught this and frowned at his uncouthness. He chose to ignore her. They all rose from their seats and began the annoyingly long journey back to Gryffindor’s common room, which was up more flights of stairs than he cared for. They arrived at the portrait hole and intoned the password to the Fat Lady. She did not wish Albus a Happy Birthday but did warn them that she would leave her post for the night if they did not ‘keep that racket down.’

Albus didn’t precisely know what she was referring to until the door swung open and the hum of dozens of voices mixed with the sound of The Grindylows’ new record ‘Sting Like a Skrewt’ came blaring out through the room. He had only just become visible to everyone else in the room when James came bounding up to Albus and his large group of friends.

“Surprise, little brother!� Albus rolled his eyes and took a brief moment to gaze around. There were birthday banners on every wall and a hanging of an animated, roaring Gryffindor lion took pride of place on the wall opposite the fire-place. Confetti fell from the ceiling from an unknown source and dissolved almost as soon as it hit the ground. There was the usual supply of food and drink, slipped in from Honeyduke’s and The Three Broomsticks large supply via one of the secret passageways. Only a second passed before he answered his brother.

“’Surprise?’ You told me where, when and exactly how this was going to be happening, what have I got to be surprised about?� Albus questioned sardonically. James’ lips curved into a wicked grin making Albus’ stomach drop. He hoped that his brother wasn’t planning one of the many unpleasant things Albus had racing through his head at that moment. His hope was in vain, though, and James turned to the rest of the party.

“He’s here!� he announced to no one in particular. Having previously been focused on their conversations, the crowd turned to the subject of the announcement and gave him their sole, undivided attention. He wished that they wouldn’t. He felt the eyes of friends and family alike all staring back at him, beaming. He couldn’t return it for, with a gesture from James, Albus could see clearly what was about to unfold.

Alphie, Conall, Louis and Persephone emerged from the back of the crowd surrounding what, at first glance, looked like a blazing lion. However, on closer inspection Albus saw the candles hovering slightly above the lion-shaped mould, acting as a sort of mane. The lion itself was an ornate mixture of butter cream, icing and Madeira cake underneath. It was sculpted with such detail and accuracy that Albus was struck momentarily speechless. The closer it came the more he could appreciate it. The tiniest aspects were attended to, down to its whiskers made of spun sugar. It was marvellous to behold and as Albus’ stomach rumbled in anticipation, he scolded himself - it seemed a shame to cut into something so beautiful. Thankfully, he could barely hear the embarrassing chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ which accompanied the revealing of the cake - he was too enraptured.

Alphie and Persephone were in the forefront and they stopped in front of Albus, beaming. They held out their arms, gesturing to the cake. Albus could do nothing but stare at them blankly and make a sort of gormless spluttering sound. He noticed too that the refrain of ‘Happy Birthday’ had ceased. Everyone was staring at him expectantly and, for a moment, he couldn’t for the life of him remember why. Alphie laughed and rolled his eyes while Persephone smiled kindly. She was about to open her mouth to speak when a voice drifted from the recently opened portrait hole.

“This is that part where you’re supposed to blow the candles out, idiot.� Albus didn’t have to turn around to know who the voice belonged to, but he did anyway. She stood a few feet away from him just behind Tristan who had clearly just allowed her through the portrait-hole. She and Tristan blocked her companion from view, but Albus had a pretty good idea who that was as well. Morgana was dressed simply in black jeans, a cream camisole, a tailored blazer and fashionable black ankle boots. Her hair hung in thick ebony waves half way down her back with two thin plaits either side, drawn together at the back, dragging the hair off her pale face. The overall look was relatively hard, but not unpleasant, much like her.

He must have been looking at her for a while as when James shook him out of his reverie, he looked a mixture of annoyed and amused. “Oi! One sweet thing at a time, please,� James said teasingly. Albus grimaced before turning his full attention onto the cake. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs in preparation for extinguishing the flames.

“Make a wish,� Persephone reminded him lightly with a smile. As he closed his eyes he heard the sound of two people scoffing at her remarks coming from behind him. He put them from his mind as he exhaled heavily in order to blow out the dozen candles all in one go. He had one wish in mind and he was hoping it would come true tonight. He opened his eyes and looked upon the cake in triumph. Every single candle had gone out. Everyone cheered and Albus felt himself blush slightly, though he allowed a small smile. He was clapped on the back by his friends behind him and after James’ friends set the cake down on the table beside them, Persephone wrapped her arms around him in an embrace which he returned.

“Happy birthday, Al,� Alphie said from behind Persephone. Once she released him, Alphie clasped his hand in a handshake, his eyes twinkling with merriment. “Hope you enjoyed the cake, we slaved over it for days!� His expression and tone were so dramatic that Albus almost believe him. Well, he would have if James and all his friends hadn’t burst out laughing almost instantaneously.

“Where did you get it from, then?� he inquired curiously and helplessly impressed. James tapped the side of his nose in a ‘that’s for me to know...’ sort of way. Persephone flicked her eyes skywards and excused herself as a stocky fourth year boy beckoned her over with extra pumpkin juice in his hand. Albus guessed she had been talking to him before the cake interlude. He noticed that both James and Alphie watched her go with identical creases in their brow. However, the latter was alert enough to answer the question, albeit cryptically.

“Well, you can get almost anything around here if you know which pear to tickle,� Alphie said with a smirk. Albus and his friends who were still listening to the conversation merely stared at the older boy in perplexity. Albus was fairly sure he was talking nonsense, but as James, Louis and Conall chuckled, he guessed that it must be some private joke he wasn’t getting.

A voice came from beside him which made him start. “That better not be as wrong as you just made it sound.� The voice was not disapproving or amused - it was bored if anything. Again, Albus knew the source without looking. The scent of a musky perfume filled his nostrils. It did not asphyxiate him as perfumes often did; it had more spice to it - an addition he enjoyed. James eyed Morgana appraisingly and eventually his lips formed a grin as he turned to Albus.

“I like her,� he flicked his eyes to Morgana who met his eyes with a glare, “she’s sassy.� She sneered at him and crossed her arms over her chest haughtily.

“’She’ has a name, if you care,� Morgana drawled waspishly. James inclined his head, indicating that he wasn’t too bothered. She ignored him and introduced herself regardless. “Morgana Lark, your pleasure.� She did not hold out her hand as people usually did with introductions but stalked away towards the table which bore the pumpkin juice and Butterbeer. James, his friends and Albus watched her leave with matching surprised expressions. James was the first to look back, though his eyebrows still remained high up towards his hairline.

“Well, she’s lovely,� he said sarcastically and reached for a slice of cake which was magically dividing itself according to the number of people it needed to serve. James bit a section off his piece clumsily and crumbs of Madeira cake fell to the ground. Some butter cream found its way onto his nose and Rose wiped it off amidst a flurry of complaints. After Rose retreated he turned back to Albus, offering him a large slice from the lion’s hind legs which he received gladly.

“Who is she anyway, Miss Lark? I would have noticed if she were in Gryffindor. Ravenclaw, probably; she seems too sharp to be a Hufflepuff.� Albus allowed him to speculate, though wished he wouldn’t. He almost laughed out-loud as he listened to his brother’s theorising which was so far off the mark. The fact he did not even consider her true home made Albus nervous of his reaction.

“You’re right. She’s not a Hufflepuff...� Albus began tactfully and slowly. He was trying to figure out the best way to inform his brother that he had invited the enemy into their midst when Rose deprived him of the burden with a savagely growled sentence.

“She’s a Slytherin!� Rose exclaimed violently. “Albus,� she shot her cousin a scathing look before she continued, “invited her and even suggested she could bring a friend! You’ll never guess who she decided to bring along...� Her eyes flicked towards the drinks table where Morgana had walked a couple of minutes ago. There were two figures there now, largely unnoticed by those around them, although the male of the two got thrown confused looks every so often. As James’ horrified eyes connected with the sight, his head whipped back to his younger brother. Incredulity was etched into his face as he barely took in what he saw. Alphie, Louis and Conall wore the same expressions, although the latter’s also showed concern.

Albus looked his brother back in the eyes sheepishly. “You said I could invite people from other houses...� he reminded James gently. James did not look impressed by his excuse and gave him an almost wary look, like he may have defected over to the ‘dark side.’

“Yeah, Albus, but by that I meant Ravenclaw - Hufflepuff at a push! Are any of them here?� Albus looked around. He had invited Cassia Lowe and Diana Thomas from Hufflepuff and Rufus Cummings and Feronia Fell from Ravenclaw. They were not particularly close but certainly the ones Albus talked to the most in classes from the other houses. They had, annoyingly, yet to arrive, only further driving home James’ point.

“I’m sure they’ll be along soon,� Albus said coolly, although he was not quite able to keep the uncertainty out of his voice. James rolled his eyes and exchanged a disbelieving look with Alphie.

“I’m all for equality, Al - but Malfoy! If mum and dad could see him here now...and that girl! She just reeks of trouble.� He cast a dark look in Morgana’s direction as he spoke. She caught James’ expression and smirked to herself, inclining her head and staring defiantly back at him over a glass of pumpkin juice.
James fixed his eyes on his brother once more with a hand stretched out towards Morgana. “See!� he said triumphantly as if she had proved his point for him. Tristan scoffed, looking slightly annoyed.

“You said you liked her a minute ago!� Tristan pointed out with his eyebrows raised. Tristan didn’t mind people’s comments about his cousin to a certain point, as he believed them largely to be fair, but she was still his family (probably the closest family member he had) and he did get quite defensive of her at times.

James shrugged uneasily and waved a dismissive hand. “That’s before I knew...anyway, that’s not the point. Malfoy! Albus Severus Potter, what were you thinking?� he asked seriously. His tone was not angry but he did genuinely seem puzzled as to what was going on and perhaps thought Albus quite mad. His response was interrupted by the re-emergence of Persephone who approached James swiftly.

“Persie! You’ll never guess who Albus invited-� Alphie began to complain, but it seemed that she already knew as she nodded wearily.

“Scorpius Malfoy, yes, yes, I have eyes, you know.� She placed herself between James and Alphie and put her hands gently on the smalls of their backs. She smiled kindly at Albus and her eyes communicated to him silently that she was going to try and help.

James gave her a mocking look. “I thought those eyes were too pre-occupied with Cavan Bellamy to notice anything else.� Albus guessed this was the stocky fourth year she had been speaking to earlier. His suspicions were confirmed as a blush lightly graced her alabaster cheeks. A slight crease formed in her brow for a moment but she smoothed it out and laughed airily.

“Very droll James. Now, I think you’ve taken up enough of Albus’ time. Stop berating him about his choice of guests. It’s the boy’s birthday, James, let him have his fun!� She began to apply pressure to their backs, forcing them to stumble in her desired direction momentarily. James stopped short, though and looked thoroughly annoyed.

“But, Persephone! It’s Scorpius Malfoy - that’s just not right!� Persephone nodded unenthusiastically and applied further pressure to their backs, easing them forwards. Conall and Louis began to follow; the former seemed to share Persephone’s opinion so did not seem fazed.

“I’m aware of who it is, James, now hush! Leave him be!� She gave him one last shove, pushing him towards the biggest sofa which was occupied by soon to be moved second years. James looked at Albus with narrowed eyes and pointed at him warningly.

“I’ll catch up with you later, little brother.� Albus nodded, not really caring. He was hoping he could avoid talking to James about it for as long as possible. Right now his primary concern was finding a way to talk to Morgana.

Albus gazed around, assessing the situation about him. He needed to find a way to get Malfoy away from Morgana without attracting attention. Tristan was engaged in conversation with Diana, Cassia and Polly. Albus had not noticed them arrive but it must have been only a short moment ago. Xander, Theron and Frank were trying to sneak a Butterbeer under the invariably close watch of Dominique and Gawain (they were occasionally too distracted by each other to notice anything). Effie, Elena and Cliona were watching Una and Tobias’ attempt at dancing to ‘Witch Way Now?’ by The Hinky Punks – it was an old song, but a good one. His eyes eventually settled on his cousin Rose. She had just finished a discussion with Victoire and Molly, no doubt about something academic, and she too was scrutinizing the crowd to see which conversation she wished to join. He saw her eyes lock onto Roxanne and her friend Ariel and before she could take even one step in their direction, Albus headed towards her with purpose.

She started slightly when she saw him in front of her but once she had recovered from a shock, she settled into a frown. “I’m still not completely sure I want to speak to you.� Albus smiled at her warmly and put an arm around her whilst subtly guiding her to his desired destination. A few feet away, sitting on one of the plush settees, were Morgana and Malfoy. He vaguely noticed that they were beginning to look rather bored of the whole affair. This only made the need to act even more imperative.

“Come on, Rosie,� he started in his best persuasive voice, all the while leading her to the adjacent divan, “it’s my birthday! You can’t be angry with me on my birthday!� he said hopefully. Once they were almost right next to the two Slytherins, Albus stopped and stood in front of his cousin, hiding Morgana and Malfoy from view.

Rose cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll think you’ll find I am.� Albus gave her a pleading look but she did not soften. It was what he expected - what he wanted, in fact. “I mean, for Circe’s sake, Albus! Morgana’s bad enough with her stuck-up attitude, but Malfoy - now he’s something else!� She said all of this rather quickly but clearly enough for the Slytherin pair to hear and likewise, for their response to be heard.

“I’m going to choose to take that as a compliment,� Malfoy drawled from behind Albus. When Albus stepped aside, revealing the boy behind him, Rose’s eyes glinted with anger then turned stony to match her hard-set face. Her cheeks were brushed with a pink hue. She scowled at his words in an attempt at recovery.

“It wasn’t,� she said bitingly. Scorpius merely smirked while Morgana rolled her eyes, still looking distinctly unimpressed. There was an awkward silence in which Rose stared at Malfoy and he stared back, Albus stared at Morgana who in turn stared at her own finger-nails as she inspected them for dirt. After what seemed like an eternity and what Albus guessed was just a battle of wills between Rose and Scorpius, Albus heard the former exhale sharply.

“I’m going to get a drink,� she announced abruptly. Without a word of ‘goodbye’ or a smile to anyone, including Albus, she spun on her heel and left. Scorpius watched her in her flight, the ghost of an idea floating behind his eyes. Albus saw the glimmer focus and become corporeal as he downed the remainder of his drink (which was previously half full).

“I think I might go get a Butterbeer. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back in a minute...� He said all of this without a single glance in their direction. His eyes were focused wickedly on Rose who had just made her way over to the drinks table. Albus knew his cousin would not thank him for this, but he felt it necessary for his desired end. He was amazed it had worked at all what with it being his birthday and all his friends and family being there. The positive side was that being in a Slytherin’s company did act as a deterrent somewhat for unwanted attention.

Morgana looked neither disturbed nor surprised to be alone in his company. When she surveyed him with pale blue eyes it was almost as if she expected it. He gazed at her for a moment as the smirk on her lips twisted her entire face into an almost bitter expression. Her eyes, which had the potential to be worthy of sonnet dedications, were glass and ice rather than clear blue sky and free trickling water. They were impenetrable and unreadable. Even when her face moved, they did not move with her. They were constant, as if they were just the protective wall preventing anyone from seeing what lies beneath.

She sneered sardonically and patted the seat next to her, indicating he should take it. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged, but took it anyway as he had always planned to. She did not speak for a moment, merely taking a sip of her barely touched drink. Her gaze turned to him with critical eyes.

“What did you want to talk to me about?� she asked shortly and without preamble. Albus was rather taken-aback by her brusqueness, so said nothing. His lips were slightly parted due to shock causing Morgana to exhale wearily and flick her eyes upwards.

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. I’m not so naive that I would think that you would want me here out of friendship,� she sneered at this as if the idea was ridiculous, “we’re not friends.� Albus wanted to try to object to that, but he had no idea what he would say in response. His silence seemed to confirm her suspicions as she powered on.

“Between the invite itself and the fact you conveniently separated Scorpius and me with the chance of winding up your cousin - Scorpius’ new favourite sport - I’m afraid your plan was all rather obvious,� she said all of this rather fast and in a manner which overwhelmed Albus somewhat. His imaginings that he had been rather underhanded were dashed in that instant. She looked at him with a mixture of boredom and slight expectancy.

“Well?� she asked, prompting him into speech. Albus was all too aware he had said nothing throughout this disastrous conversation and resolved to now.

“Last month,� he began croakily. He cleared is voice nervously. “Last month, at the Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin...� He trailed off pathetically, not really knowing how best to phrase the approaching question.

“The one where your brother was knocked off his broom by a bird? Yes, I remember.� Morgana’s voice came without sympathy or concern, just as if she was stating a fact. If she was puzzled about where this conversation was going, her face certainly did not betray her confusion.

Albus nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, that’s right. Well, before the match, you said something that made me think...� Albus paused as he noticed Morgana’s change in expression. It turned from bemused to enlightened to hurt and finally settled on cold anger. This all happened in the space of a couple of seconds, but Albus caught every one of them. Her mouth set in a hard scowl but she said nothing, allowing him to continue.

“You said something that made you sound so certain of Slytherin’s victory. It made me wonder...were you just trying to wind us up or had you heard anything, anything at all, about possible plans to harm my brother or to stop Gryffindor from winning?� The previously hesitant question now came flowing out in his vain hope that if he asked it quickly enough she would be less angry and the conversation would be less awkward. This was most definitely not the case. He watched as her eyes flared up in barely restrained fury. Her white cheeks were flushed crimson. Albus prepared himself for the onslaught that he was about to face.

When her voice came out it was fairly stiff and sarcastic; however, it was not raised as he expected and she was relatively calm. “Gryffindors! You think you’re so above us all. You think Slytherins are all awful because we care about the purity of blood. But you’re not so different! You judge without knowing and without any proof,� she said pointedly. Albus found himself reddening but attempted not to break his resolve.

“I was just wondering whether you knew anything. I wasn’t accusing anyone...� he trailed off feebly and Morgana’s eyes bored into his without relent.

“That’s funny, because that’s exactly what it sounded like,� she drawled sarcastically. They gazed at each other intensely for a moment, neither wanting to look away for fear of showing weakness. Finally Morgana narrowed her eyes and spoke tersely.

“I don’t know anything. I was trying to wind you and your stupid friends up, alright?� Albus nodded in response. He noticed her gaze wander to something over Albus’ left shoulder. Albus followed it and was met with the sight of Tristan dancing jokingly with Effie. He looked back to Morgana questioningly but was met with no reply. She stood up abruptly but did not walk away.

“I suggest you look a little bit closer to home next time you want some questions answered, Potter.� Albus frowned, wishing she would elaborate but knowing that she wouldn’t. Her face was hard-set, unflinching and unforgiving. He was going to get nothing more from her now. They continued to stare at each other in a tense battle of wills. It was a battle that neither of them were destined to win, however, as a shout erupted from the other side of the common room, causing Albus to jump up.

“Just piss off, you little GIT!� Albus forgot all thoughts of his previous conversation and the fight he was currently embroiled in and looked to the source of the shout. It did not take too long to see who it was. Everyone else’s eyes were on the pair as well. Although the song ‘Head Over Heels’ by Fire and Ice was blaring in the background, there was no other sound except vague noises and the mocking response from the platinum-haired boy.

“Make me!� he mocked, dangerously. Albus could see the girl had reached the end of her tether. She drew out her wand swiftly and with a furious look in her eyes cried out:

“PETRIFICUS TOT-� Her bellow was interrupted by the simultaneous, almost lazy drone of ‘Expelliarmus’ from closer to Albus. His head whipped round to the girl next to him, as did many of the other people in the room. She held her wand aloft and was staring intently at the pair across the room with a steely expression. Everyone was silent for what felt like a couple of minutes. When she seemed satisfied that she was not going to receive any retaliation, she turned to the blond-haired boy.

“I think this may be a good time to go, Scorpius.� Her tone was calm but so certain that Scorpius could not possibly object. He nodded curtly and threw a smirk at a wand-less, wild-eyed Rose who contorted her face into a scowl as their eyes connected.

Morgana turned her attention Albus one last time. “Thank you for inviting us. You have proved well how very beneath us you really are,� she spat the last part with venom and left him with a mocking smile before turning on her heel without a backward glance.

She did not wait to see if Malfoy was following her, although he did so wisely with a provocative ‘yeah, jog on, Malfoy’ from James. Everyone stood or sat in silence until the portrait swung closed. As soon as it had done so they erupted in a mixture of laughter and outraged gossip. Rose’s eyes found Albus’ and the fury stirred up by Malfoy’s presence had not been abated. With one last glare, she stalked up towards the girls’ dormitories without another word to anybody. Effie spotted this, cast a small smile towards Albus and followed her, evidently trying to persuade to come back down. She wouldn’t; Albus knew his cousin’s stubbornness well.

Albus slumped back into his seat and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. That could not have possibly gone worse. It had only been about an hour of his party and it had been an hour too long. He surveyed the rest of the room. People were throwing him strange glances – evidently wondering what he was thinking inviting such unpleasant people to his party. Even James merely fixed him with a disapproving look before shaking his head and turning back to Alphie and Louis. At that point an old Muggle song that Albus vaguely recognised came onto the wireless which went ‘It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.’ Albus laughed lightly to himself. Never had song lyrics been more appropriate.

The fortnight following Albus’ birthday had been mercifully quiet. Both Morgana and Scorpius had not approached them in that time. Albus saw Morgana occasionally talking to Tristan but whenever she saw any of his friends approaching, she would swiftly stalk off with a glare. Malfoy seemed to know better than to rile Rose further and stayed at the Slytherin table without exception.

As Albus had suspected, Rose did not return downstairs for the remainder of the party, despite Effie’s encouragement. It was broken up early anyway by Victoire, Dominique and Gawain after confiscating contraband items from Fred and Alaric and two fifth year girls had enjoyed too much Butterbeer and let off two Dungbombs. This resulted in Professor Longbottom coming down from his study to reprimand them. They thought they might have just about got away with it when they plied Neville with some cake, but Temperance Gillow vomited on his shoes having mistaken a Puking Pastille for a normal sweet. He subsequently ordered the prefects to wrap up the festivities and Albus secretly thanked him for it.

Later that night, Rose came to Albus’ dormitory and apologised for storming off. He likewise apologised for inviting Morgana in the first place. They could never stay angry with each other for too long. The longest they had ever managed was when they were six and Albus accidentally blew up some of Rose’s favourite children’s books when he let off a fire-cracker that Fred had left lying around. She wouldn’t talk to him for a whole week until he fell off his miniature toy broom in the garden and fractured his wrist. Rose was so upset that she had cried and not stopped hugging him for nearly an hour despite the fact it was only a minor break.

They had now reached the last week of term before the Christmas holidays and Albus could scarcely believe that he had been at Hogwarts for three whole months. He had enjoyed his time immensely and met some amazing people in his first term - and some not so amazing. He had progressed well in classes so far on the whole. Defence against the Dark Arts was by far his favourite as well as Charms and Herbology. He was less optimistic in regard to Potions and Astronomy as he found the former rather difficult and the latter too fanciful. He preferred what he could feel and touch rather than the stars above. History of Magic remained, as ever, dull.

It was this dullness he had to endure in the session before lunch on their last Monday of term. Binns was mercilessly lecturing them on Ragnarok the Younger’s defeat in the second of the Goblin Rebellions at the hands of Greidawl. Albus found that such battles had a tendency to blur into one and by the end of the lesson he could have easily gone to bed. The History of Magic classroom was uncommonly cold, however, due to the fact that Professor Binns’ could not feel whether it was too hot or cold for his students. If it weren’t for that fact, at least half the class would most certainly be asleep. When Binns dismissed them they all shook off their poorly suppressed yawns and put away their History of Magic book, quills and ink in a hurry to get to the Great Hall.

Albus slung his satchel over his shoulder as Frank groaned. “Only one more of his lessons then we get a month off!� Frank’s face was one of blissful happiness at the thought of it. Theron, who had been sitting behind them next to Xander, snorted.

“Yeah, but I bet he’s going to set a couple of feet on the Damarchian werewolf slaughters of 400 BC to do over the holidays, just as a treat. He hinted it’d probably be one of the questions in the end of year exam as well,� Theron theorised, prompting a thoughtful nod from Rose. Frank merely looked at him blankly.

“When did we learn that?� His face was all bewilderment. Rose rolled her eyes as they walked out of the classroom and towards the hall.

“We spent all of last week on it, Frank! Don’t you ever listen?� Rose asked despairingly. Frank didn’t even have to think about it and gave a firm shake of the head.

“Not during his lessons. If I have to hear another word about the battle of the unicorns and the Hippogriffs led by Ethelred the Pointy-Horned...� He trailed off darkly. Albus was fairly sure Frank was just being facetious but considering how little Albus listened, that could well be a real battle. There were, it seemed, too many to count. By the time they sat down on the long Gryffindor tables and dug into their various sandwiches, pasties and salads, they were still lamenting their misfortune at having to do History of Magic at all.

“I mean – when am I actually going to use it later in life, anyway?� Xander asked rhetorically as he chomped off a rather large piece of turkey and stuffing sandwich. Theron and Frank nodded their heads vigorously in agreement, although Rose frowned slightly.

“I find History of Magic itself quite interesting. It really explains where the supposed importance of blood purity came from and why our relationships with magical creatures are how they are today. It’s Binns’ teaching I can’t stand.� Albus couldn’t help but feel Rose was fighting a losing battle with that argument. Even Effie, who was usually on Rose’s side about most things, wrinkled her nose at her words.

The seat on Rose’s other side was swiftly occupied by James who sat down with a grin on his face, flanked by the usual motley crew. “History of Magic’s nothing, Rosie, compared to Defence against the Dark Arts.� James’ turned his gaze to his younger brother as he picked up an egg and cress sandwich. Rose rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded distinctly like ‘boys!’

“We were learning about the difference between a werewolf and an Animagus today. I’d love to do it - Swinburne’s one. An Animagus that is, not a werewolf. He takes the form of an owl. I think that’d be cool - you’d get to fly and everything. You wouldn’t need a broom!� James exclaimed enthusiastically. His eyes wandered off in what Albus felt was a very worrying way. Once James got an idea into his head, it was rather difficult to get him to drop it.

Alphie shook his head and swallowed his pumpkin juice, gesturing across the table at James with his half eaten sandwich. “But think of how vulnerable an owl would be! They’ve got those talons and the beak but that’s only really useful against a particularly violent rat. I’d be a wolf or something cool like that.� James cocked his head to the side as he weighed up the pros and cons. Eventually he nodded his head in agreement.

“A wolf would be cool, actually. Like being a werewolf but without the whole murderous bit,� James said lightly, provoking a laugh from Conall and Louis.

“I think I’d be a cat,� Persephone contributed thoughtfully as she sipped her water. Rose and Effie both seemed rather interested in the suggestion. The boys all looked at Persephone with matching incredulous expressions.

“Girls!� both James and Alphie exclaimed at the same time. The latter turned to Albus grinning, though slightly shaking his head at his friend.

“How about you, Al? What would you be?� Albus’ mind was flooded with ideas. There were so many to choose from. Would it be on two legs or four or none? Would it be airborne? Amphibian, mammal or reptilian? He was clearly silent for too long as James decided to answer for him.

“Evidently, my little brother would be a sloth at the rate it’s taken him to answer that question.� Albus gave his brother a sarcastic smile and threw the crusts of his bread at him.

Louis ran a hand through his tousled bronze hair with a contemplative expression on his face. “Why would Swinburne be an owl, though? I mean, if you wanted to be a bird, wouldn’t you be something bigger? Like an eagle - now that would be brilliant! You’d be big enough that no one would come and get you, plus you’d fly and could easily swoop and attack- � Louis stopped his sentence short when he noticed Rose drop her sandwich and gather up her books and bag in a hurry.

“Just remembered - I need to get a book from the library. I’ll see you in Herbology!� she spoke abruptly and in a slightly absent manner, like she wasn’t exactly thinking about what she was saying. Tristan, who had been uncommonly quiet up until this point, frowned at her words.

“But we have Charms next, remember?� Rose nodded her head vaguely and brushed a strand of wild auburn hair out of her eyes.

“Yes, of course. See you then.� They watched her walk away with some confusion. Up until that point she had seemed perfectly alright. Her behaviour now was vastly different and more than a little odd. Tristan in particular looked concerned as he watched her mane of reddish hair bob off towards the library. This may have been in part due to the fact she managed to bump into Scorpius Malfoy on the way and her faint apology of ‘excuse me’ could be heard by those on the table. Perhaps she had not seen who it was, but if she did, that was altogether stranger. Even Malfoy himself seemed bemused as his gaze lingered on her until she was out of sight.

James turned to Albus with the same bewildered expression. “What the bloody hell was that all about?� Albus shrugged. He supposed that Rose would tell him later in Charms when she was less pre-occupied.

“I’d be an ocelot,� Effie said suddenly, causing everyone to look at her. No one responded for a moment until James started laughing lightly. Effie’s cheeks were tinged with pink but she stuck her chin out defiantly and did not back down from her decision.
“Why an ocelot?� Conall asked her curiously, ignoring his friend’s endless giggling. Effie’s blush settled down as she re-directed her gaze.

“Well, like Persephone said, I’d like to be a cat. But a normal domestic cat has no defences. Wild cats do - but I wouldn’t want to be too big as I’d be too noticeable. Therefore, an ocelot would be...perfect,� she finished weakly. Conall nodded in understanding as did Persephone. James, however, continued laughing. Effie did not take kindly to this and refused to communicate with James for the remainder of the time he deigned to grace them with his presence. Luckily this was not too long as he, Alphie and Louis went to break into Filch’s office to steal back some Nosebleed Nougat he had confiscated from them earlier that day (they needed it later for Potions). Persephone and Conall did not join them but instead went to talk to Cavan Bellamy and Malva Lyall respectively.

The rest of lunch passed all too quickly for Albus and before he knew it they had five minutes to make their way to the Charms classroom. Even with running they only just managed to make it on time. They took to their seats swiftly with the notable absence of Rose. Albus was a bit shocked by her tardiness - Rose was never late if she could help it and always encouraged them to be at least five minutes earlier than necessary. Albus felt she was probably slightly scarred after their first Transfiguration of the year when they had been late on his account.

Rose entered, rather flustered, about five minutes after the start of the lesson. They all were given a small treasure chest each and were told to practice the ‘Alohomora’ incantation on their locked strongboxes. Professor Nimble was demonstrating the wand motion to the rest of the class when Rose arrived, mumbling her apologies. Nimble barely noticed her late appearance, only acknowledging Rose with a slight incline of the head and pursed lips. She took the spare seat next to Frank who mouthed ‘what were you doing?’ in a mystified manner. Rose shook her head to indicate that it wasn’t important and that she did not wish to talk about it now.

It was to take several failed attempts at unlocking the chest - with the exceptions of Albus, Rose and Tristan who accomplished the feat in good time - before the end of the session was announced and they were allowed to talk freely. However, when Theron asked Rose why she was late she merely said that she would explain later. When she spoke, she concentrated on Albus, as if the information was particularly pertinent to him.

They soon became too distracted by Herbology to wonder about Rose’s whereabouts as Professor Longbottom announced that they would have a timed essay in the last session of term. There were audible groans from most the class. Even Frank let out a ‘oh, dad, come on!’ as he for once forgot to treat his father solely as a teacher. Neville assured them that it was a requirement that he set one and reminded them that it was not for his own enjoyment that he sit and mark essays over his Christmas Holiday.

Once they had finished learning how to safely re-pot their Carnivaboris plants, making sure they were wearing gloves in case they began to nip, they were dismissed and free to go to dinner. Thoughts of questioning Rose were lost at supper in a flood of complaints about their timed-essay. Xander could barely consume a forkful without issuing an objection. Rose tried to argue it would be a challenge and would make sure that they were on the right track to receiving good passes in their end of year exams. The others were unable to see it that way and scoffed at her attempts to do so.

They finished their dinner rather quickly and it wasn’t until Xander, Effie and Theron announced that they were taking their leave for the library that Albus remembered Rose’s odd behaviour earlier. He resolved to ask her about it when they were settled in Gryffindor’s common room. Upon their entry there was a huddle of second years crowded around Fred and Alaric. The younger students were purchasing armfuls of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes stock that Fred had been ‘given’ by his father, George. Dominique and Gawain broke the group up on their way up to Gawain’s room. The second years scurried away and dispersed, causing Fred to call after his cousin.

“Oi, Dom! You interrupted our private business! How would you like it if I marched up to Gawain’s room and pried you two apart?� Fred asked in an outraged manner. He stomped up the same staircase which would branch off to his own dormitory. As they went, the faint murmur of Alaric could be heard after a snort.

“As if you could...� Fred chuckled in assent and made a sound akin to ‘eurgh’. Albus smiled slightly. Dominique and Gawain had been going out since the end of their third year and had been inseparable ever since. They were very similar in terms of academia and attitude to the rules. Albus felt they were probably aiming to be Head Boy and Head Girl - they did everything else together.

Rose and Frank settled on the largest sofa, the latter stretching his legs so that they rested on the coffee table. Rose thwacked Frank’s legs with a reproachful look, resulting in him rolling his eyes and swivelling so that he lay across the whole sofa and his legs now rested atop her lap. Rose pressed her lips tightly together and narrowed her eyes slightly but did not move him, instead propping up her Transfiguration book on Frank’s shins. Tristan occupied one of the deep armchairs and Albus the smaller of the sofas. He sprawled out with a sigh and did not even bother touching his books. He turned his eyes to his cousin now instead.

“So, Rosie, why were you so eager for the library at lunch time?� Albus inquired curiously. He observed the slight flush in Rose’s cheeks but it died down quickly enough.

“More eager than usual, anyway,� corrected Frank from his prostrate position. Rose slapped his knee playfully and he merely gave her a mocking smile - still refusing to move.

“It was nothing really,� she started, looking slightly flustered. “I thought I had an idea, but it came to nothing.� Her vague words did not impress Frank who merely frowned and picked up his History of Magic book which he had no intention of reading (proved by the fact that he opened it upside-down).

“Care to make that more unclear?� Frank asked rhetorically. Rose cast him a withering look but did not object as she flicked another page of her Transfiguration book over.

“It was when Louis was talking about bird Animagi. It made me think...� She flicked her eyes to Albus. “The bird that attacked James - something made it more intelligent than others. Weylin supposed it was controlled by someone clever. But what if it was someone clever.� Albus and Tristan recognised her implications straightaway and the former nodded enthusiastically. He was eager to find out any information that could be pertinent to his brother’s attack, particularly as no one had any ideas at the time.

“What do you mean?� Frank asked, perplexed. Clearly he had not been struck with the same comprehension. Albus rolled his eyes and shook his head at his lounging friend.

“She means, what if it was an Animagus,� Albus explained slowly. Frank’s eyes widened and he clicked his fingers and pointed a stubby finger at Rose. She shook her head, however, the blush returning to her face.

“I should have known that Weylin would have thought of it already.� They all looked at her now in confusion. Tristan, who had previously not expressed interest in the conversation, cocked his head to the side questioningly. “I looked up the roll of registered Animagi - there are quite a lot more than I realised, but not too many. I went through all of them over lunch and only a couple were bird Animagi. None of them matched the description of the bird that swooped on James.� Albus sighed heavily and the hope that had been building inside him dissipated as quickly at had swelled. Tristan too exhaled heavily and sat back in his seat before burying his head into his Transfiguration book. They were to read the next chapter and then compose an essay on Bauchian Transfigurations. Charms homework was to practice ‘Alohomora’ which thankfully Albus had virtually perfected already. It was a small mercy considering their hefty workload.

“Clever thinking, though, Rose,� Frank complimented her sweetly. She smiled at him jadedly but this soon turned to a small frown with his next words. “Talking of which, fancy doing my History of Magic essay for me? Cheers!� he exclaimed before she had even agreed and he allowed the book he had been pretending to read to fall on his face, obscuring it from everyone else.

“Wingardium Leviosa!� Rose muttered with an elegant flourish of her wand. The book levitated a few inches above Frank’s startled face. She fixed him with a piercing glare. “No.� With that simple statement, she withdrew her wand and the book fell back heavily on Frank’s face. He let out an exaggerated whimper of pain and Albus chuckled at his melodramatic friend.

Eventually Frank begrudgingly agreed to complete the essay on the first attempted abolition of Hippogriff baiting in 1034 AD himself. Apparently it made a come-back in the sixteenth century before being banned once and for all in 1867 AD. Well, at least that’s what Albus wrote in his essay. Its accuracy was questionable as he was half-asleep when writing it and the dates had a tendency to merge into various incorrect figures. By the time he had completed his rather short and poorly constructed conclusion, it was nearing ten o’ clock.

He spent a lazy half an hour absently unlocking the padlock on Rose’s diary and manually locking it again as they had not learnt how to do the reverse magically yet. Every time he practiced he could see his cousin’s face flicker with annoyance, but she did not say anything as she was too engrossed in her History of Magic Essay (she had completed the Transfiguration essay and half the History of Magic essay in the time it had taken Albus to complete the latter). Albus knew she would let him copy the Transfiguration essay tomorrow over lunch so was not too concerned about that.

A yawn threatened to escape from Albus as it drew near to half ten so he retired to their dormitory, with Frank in tow, with the intention of reading some Herbology notes in preparation for their timed essay. He read about a paragraph before Xander, Tobias and Theron returned from the library and distracted him with a pack of Carmela Pomeline’s Real Flying Saucers. They got through a whole pack between them before they decided to get dressed into their night clothes and go to bed. Frank was unconscious in a matter of seconds and his snores echoed throughout the room. Albus allowed the light beside his bed to remain on as he powered through a couple of pages of Herbology.

The next thing he knew, he was in Herbology but it was different somehow. Neville wasn’t there. It took Albus a while before he realised all the students were looking at him expectantly. Of course, he was their teacher. They were learning about Devil’s Snare today and Albus was going to demonstrate how to react if it ever captured you. All of a sudden and without thought, he launched himself into it. At first he sat perfectly still. He could feel a vine creep up his leg, snaking round it and constricting. Another vine tickled his torso as it wound its way around, crushing his ribs against his lungs which were in want of air. For all his earlier calm he was now distressed. Sweat poured down his face and his hands began grasping, tearing - first at the vines, then at his own skin - in his desperation to be free of the ties.

He looked desperately at his students but they merely stared back solemnly. There were some pitying faces amongst them, some sneering but neither would help. But finally, as a particularly broad vine coiled around his throat and he could feel the light leaving him, it was restored. The last thing he saw was a girl with dark hair; pure white skin; shocking blue eyes and a kind face – and oh yes, she was beautiful. She with those intelligent eyes pointed her wand towards him and the light filled his vision and the room and blinded him. The last thing he felt were the bonds loosening and the air rushing to his lungs like it was his first breath. He inhaled again, hungry for more.

It was then that he woke with a start. It was two in the morning and he had fallen asleep on his Herbology book. He had creased the pages slightly, but he could barely sum up the energy to care. He was about to put out his bedside light when he noticed an absence in the room. Tristan had not yet occupied his bed. The covers were still not turned down and his books were neither at his desk nor anywhere to be seen.

Concerned that Tristan may have fallen asleep in the common room downstairs; Albus dragged himself out of bed, ignoring the protests from his aching limbs. The position he had previously been in was not too comfortable. He found himself rather cold out of the comfort of his four-poster bed so grabbed his hooded jumper from his desk chair and slipped it over his head with a yawn. He crept through the dormitory so as to not wake the other boys and opened the door silently. His footsteps scarcely made a sound against the stone staircase. As he was wiping the sleep from his eyes, he neared the bottom of the staircase. From this point he could hear voices. They were strained and forceful, although everything was expressed in an urgent whisper. Albus did not make his presence known but halted in his tracks and waited, barely breathing.

“I’m not kidding Linnaeus - this has got to stop!� the clearest voice exclaimed. It was still hushed into a hoarse whisper, so it was difficult to make out. The other seemed further away somehow and deeper and more mature in tone.

“Which part?� the elder of the pair asked in a cold and unfeeling way.

“Um, I don’t know - the part where you show up unexpectedly? Or the part where you keep trying to ruin my life? Or the part where you try and make me do things I don’t want to do? Take your pick!� the younger voice said ironically. His voice was all bitterness and anger. It was little more than a growl now, making it near to impossible to determine the age of the person.

“Fool! What I am asking you to do is nothing - you have no idea of the greatness that could be achieved if you would just co-operate!� The elder voice was chastising the younger although the latter was having none of it. He made a throaty noise of disgust.

“Greatness! I know very well what your idea of ‘greatness’ is and I will have no part in it!� the younger snarled ferociously. Albus thought he could hear the vague sound of the fire spitting but it was drowned out by the second voice.

“You are a part of it. Having this conversation with me makes you a part of it,� Linnaeus replied sharply. If Albus had been having the conversation with him, he would have shrunk from his cold tones, but this boy did not back down.

“That is why it is to be our last, understand?� the boy argued determinedly. The older man snorted humourlessly before saying something barely audible. Albus inched closer, taking one step down. This was a grave mistake as, when he did so he stubbed his toe against the wall. Although not too painful, it was painful enough to cause Albus to breathe in sharply. The voices ceased their bickering immediately. Albus held his breath for fear of detection.

“I hear someone coming at your end,� the elder voice said tensely. Albus had no idea what he meant by this but could not move to gain a clearer idea.

“Me too. This is the last time I will be seeing you, Linnaeus.� The younger boy’s voice was definitive and forceful, considering who he was speaking to. Albus heard receding footsteps headed in the direction of the portrait hole. As Albus descended the last couple of stairs he thought he heard a faint voice whisper: ‘we shall see...’ before the portrait hole swung closed.

Within a couple of seconds of it closing Albus was standing in the common room. At first he thought it was empty but Tristan was approaching him fast. He looked slightly flustered and a cerise hue covered his alabaster skin. His books lay on the table where Albus had last seen them. Evidently whatever he had been doing had not involved studying.

Albus surveyed him critically for a moment. “Did you see someone come through here?� Albus asked curiously, gazing over Tristan’s shoulder. Tristan gave a non-committal shrug and cocked his head to the side.

“I thought I saw an older student leave around the same time as I came in from my walk. Didn’t see his face though.� Tristan slumped on the sofa with his fingers massaging his brow lightly. He sighed before picking up all his books and shoving them haphazardly into his satchel. “What are you doing up so late, anyway?� Albus shrugged and followed Tristan as he began to walk to the staircase.

“I had a bad dream,� Albus said by way of an explanation. Tristan tutted and shook his head lightly.

“What did you think that Somno plant was for? Decoration?� Tristan asked sarcastically. Albus laughed absently and was only half listening as Tristan talked about how difficult their History of Magic essay was all the way back to their dormitory.

Once they settled into bed Tristan called out a sleepy ‘goodnight.’ Albus returned it quietly and without concentrating. His mind was elsewhere. His mind was in the common room with the two quarrelling men and the tasks the younger had to carry out. His mind was with Linnaeus - whoever that was - and his relationship with the mystery Gryffindor. They had sounded so distressed and on edge. Right then Albus knew that, from the tone of the conversation, whatever the tasks were that Linnaeus wished his reluctant accomplice to carry out, they were not good.

He tore a sprig off the Somno balm and placed it under his pillow. With thoughts of plotting, intrigue and threats swirling around his head he could not very well drift off without it. As he held on to the last threads of consciousness he heard the voice of the older man echoing in his mind and a final thought sprung out from amongst the resonating sounds. He hadn’t ask Tristan why he was out on a walk in the first place...

The last week of term passed mercifully quickly for Albus and it was not long before they were bidding goodbye to their school friends and saying hello to their families. Albus had returned to his familial home in Godric’s Hollow. He was slightly saddened to say goodbye to his new friends. Frank and Neville were returning to their home above The Leaky Cauldron for a short time before going up to Lancashire to visit Hannah’s father over Christmas.

Tristan had gone to join the Lark family on Platform nine and three-quarters. Albus observed them keenly. The mother had cropped ebony hair and a sort of pinched, sour look permanently etched on her face. Before the arrival of her children, Albus saw her trying to catch the attention of Scorpius’ father, but he seemed determined to ignore her. She gave up when the young Larks appeared and the Malfoy family began talking to the Zabinis. Mrs Lark embraced her three children, fussing particularly over the eldest, the Head Boy, Mathias. She ignored Tristan almost entirely with the exception of a curt nod and a scowl in his direction. Her husband was different, however: he had a strong jaw and handsome features with intelligent eyes. His hair was as black as his wife’s but his smile was far brighter. He clapped his sons on the shoulders and held his little girl tightly. He turned to Tristan and his expression did not differ from the look he had given his own children. He beamed at him and held him a brief embrace, before clasping Morgana’s hand and taking off.

Theron’s rather mystified parents had picked him up from King’s Cross Station. They smiled politely at Xander when he came bounding up to them with Theron. A short way away from them was Xander’s rather young-looking aunt and baby cousin. His aunt greeted him with a kiss on the cheek which he hastily wiped off. His baby cousin, Olwen, gave him a slobbery kiss on the forehead and several pats on the top of his head. Effie said that she would be spending the holidays with her grandmother as her mother was working on a new ‘series’ abroad. Albus wasn’t sure what she meant but he nodded and smiled at her anyway. She didn’t seem to mind, she said her grandma was a far better cook than her mother anyway. Albus would miss her over the holidays - he would miss all of them.

However, he did not have to worry about his best friend, Rose. Since the end of term they saw each other nearly every day. Her house in Boreas Gardens was easily within walking distance. Their parents were still working so they would often stay together at The Burrow with their grandparents or with Teddy at Albus’ house during the day. In these cases they were often joined by Victoire. Now that their relationship was out in the open, they were near to inseparable. Lily’s wish that Teddy properly became part of the family appeared to be becoming more likely. Bill, who had been latterly rather close to Teddy’s father, approved of their relationship. Fleur felt likewise: Teddy had been Head Boy the previous year and he was interested in working in education. He was a trainee in the new Department of Education at the Ministry and, according the department head, Ernie Macmillan, was one of their brightest young talents. As well as academia he had inherited his parents’ kindness and sense of humour. He was as an older brother to Albus and a far more considerate one than James.

After a week and a half of being back at home, Harry took a day off work. He said that he was only to be contacted in case of an emergency, as they were dealing with an emergency of their very own. It was a week until Christmas and Harry had not even made a dent in his Christmas shopping for his wife and wider family. Albus, James and Rose, were in need of school supplies and a couple of presents they had yet to get for their friends, so decided to join Harry on his trip to Diagon Alley. Hermione and Ginny were both thoroughly prepared for Christmas, so both were working in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Daily Prophet, respectively. As it was Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes busiest time of year, Ron could not take a day off - George was very clear on that matter. Lily and Hugo were staying at The Burrow with Fred and Roxanne as they had not seen them for a while and their parents too were working.

They entered Diagon Alley through The Leaky Cauldron entrance. As the Longbottoms were away for the holiday period, it was being watched by the chief barmaid Felicity Fairfax and her husband over Christmas. Albus wished he could have seen Frank, but his family had already made plans to have them all round the day after they returned from Lancashire, so he knew he didn’t have to wait long. They had to start with some withdrawals from Gringotts. Due to Hermione’s work fighting for equal rights for all magical creatures, the Goblins were far more hospitable to them than to their other customers. Arianrhod led them to their vaults with easy conversation and once they filled their purses with a handful of Galleons, Sickles and a few bronze Knuts, they arrived at their first stop: Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes.

This was more a social call than anything, although Albus, James and Rose found many suitable presents for their friends as well. Rose bought a pygmy puff for Effie and a Spell-Check Quill for Frank. Albus had already bought their presents, but found some good cheat Wizard’s Chess sets for Xander and Tristan. James was generally stocking up on merchandise for his own version of ‘school supplies’ as well as purchasing Alphie and Louis’ presents (a New Year’s Eve Explosion set of fireworks each).

Albus approached the till where his father was chatting to Ron and George who were taking a break as their busy assistant, Monty, served their many customers. Harry widened his eyes at the pile of merchandise in his eldest son’s arms. “James Sirius Potter, what on earth do you think you’re doing with all that?� Harry exclaimed reproachfully as his son peeped over his pile at him.

“I can’t go back to Hogwarts empty-handed! And some of it’s presents...� James replied sheepishly as he allowed the various items to tumble onto the counter. George nodded at his nephew with a grin on his face.

“He’s right, Harry. He’s starting to get to the age where Hogwarts becomes intolerably dull. He needs to entertain himself somehow!� George encouraged eagerly, giving James a wink as he did so. Ron snorted and took Rose’s small pile from her arms. Harry rolled his eyes and looked to James.

“If your mother asks, you bought them before I could stop you.� James grinned and opened his wallet, removing a handful of Sickles and several Galleons.

“Cheers, dad,� James directed at an uneasy looking Harry. He turned to George with an innocent smile on his face. “Family discount?� he asked hopefully. George narrowed his eyes for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.

“As always, James,� George beamed as Callidus’ Calculating Chart added up the various items. “You and your friends almost single-handedly fund this place. Well - at least make up for how much my children nick from here.� James stretched out his hand with the precise money indicated on the chart and Ron gave him one of their Limitless Light bags in which to carry his hoard. George turned to Ron as the chart next added up Rose’s items.

“I forgot to tell you, I’m pulling employee discounts. I need to make up for the loss we made on that dodgy batch of Fever Fudge.� George got a far-off look in his eyes and Albus could swear he heard him mutter ‘Flatulence Fudge’ before continuing. “Full price for you!� he added in a singsong voice. Ron frowned at this, but pulled out his wallet all the same.

“Monty gets an employee discount! He bought some Mood-Sensing lanterns the other day for half-price. And Harley and Dromio got all those fireworks for a seventy-five percent off!� Ron said indignantly. A blush crept up his cheeks which clashed with his red hair. George rolled his eyes and held out his palm expectantly.

“That’s because the new Mr and Mrs Quinn have been saving up for their wedding. And I actually like Monty,� George commented pointedly. Ron shot him a withering look and handed over what he thought was the right amount of money. George peered at the pile in his palm and shook his head.

“Read the chart, little brother.� George indicated to the Calculating Chart and it read as a Galleon more than what Ron had given him. Ron screwed up his face in confusion.

“What about family discount?� George smiled grimly and fished a Galleon out of Ron’s still open wallet. He shook his head and cast a furtive look towards Monty who was busy with a rather large group of young witches.

“If I started giving you family discounts then everyone would know I was related to you. For my reputation, I can simply not allow that to happen,� George said solemnly, though Albus could see the corners of his mouth twitching. Ron’s ears went red and he looked slightly irritated.

“I’ve worked here for over ten years!� Ron exclaimed, eyeing the Galleon that George had just taken.

“Longest decade of my life...� George said dryly. Ron turned a slightly darker shade of scarlet before George rolled his eyes and flicked the Galleon dextrously into Ron’s extended palm. “Calm down Ronald, I was only joking. Don’t get your knickers in a twist.� Ron smiled reluctantly and pocketed the extra Galleon.

George turned kindly to Rose. “They’re for my favourite niece, after all.� He noticed Harry shift slightly and he was quick to correct himself. “Joint favourite with the lovely Lily, of course.� Harry gave a satisfied nod of the head. As he made to pay for Albus’ bundle, he jumped slightly, causing them all to be distracted.

George frowned slightly. “What’s wrong, Harry? Did you catch your reflection in the Verre-i-tastic looking-glass again?� he asked with mock concern. Harry emitted a sarcastic laugh at this before pulling out something that looked like a Galleon. Albus watched curiously as he read it - he had watched his father do so a few times before, but it always looked rather odd.

“It’s an address of a break-in...that’s strange. It’s not exactly serious, is it?� Harry’s brow furrowed slightly as he spoke. It smoothed out however and was replaced with a look of incredulity. Harry held up the coin to show Ron. “That address, it’s familiar...isn’t that-�

“- McGonagall’s new place.� Ron nodded in confirmation. They both stared at each other for a moment, before looking at their children.

“Old McGonagall - I hope she’s all right. Knowing her, she wouldn’t send the alert unless it was important,� George theorised as he accepted the gold, silver and bronze coins from Harry. Ron and Harry both nodded their heads at this. Harry cleared his voice and looked to his sons.

“I better get you two to grandma and grandpa’s house, this could take a while,� Harry stated, sounding pre-occupied. James however, shook his head stubbornly.

“No can do, dad. I’m meeting Alphie and Conall in a few minutes, remember?� Harry nodded and turned to Albus. He was about to open his mouth when Rose spoke.

“If James gets to stay, why can’t we? We have to get supplies! I haven’t finished my Christmas shopping!� Both Ron and Harry looked at each other, then at George. For a moment he looked baffled but then comprehension dawned on him and he shook his head vigorously. He narrowed his eyes as he gazed at his brother.

“Oh no, no, no. I have a shop to run! I can’t have you traipsing around Diagon Alley with these two,� he glanced at Rose and Albus. “Though I loathe admitting it, I need you in the shop, Ron. Harley and Dromio are on their honeymoon and Monty and I are not enough for all these customers. You and he just about make one competent sales assistant, so I need both of you, I’m afraid.� Monty stuck his tongue out at George as he had spoken loud enough for him to hear. Monty didn’t correct him however, which indicated to Albus that George probably did in fact need Ron as much as he alleged. Rose gave him an understanding nod while Albus looked to his father.

“We’d be fine by ourselves!� Albus started enthusiastically, but at his father’s frown he tried for something less ambitious. “Or we could go around with James?� Albus suggested hopefully.

“Absolutely not!� exclaimed both Harry and James at the same time. The former barely trusted James with Albus’ care in the house and the latter walked briskly out of the shop with a wave to prevent any further argument occurring.

“But we need to get Potions supplies and there’s an additional book Swinburne recommended and presents!� Albus continued persuasively. Harry looked uncomfortable and as if he had a tenuous hold on his resolve.

“Ron and I don’t feel comfortable about leaving you without the supervision of a responsible adult,� Harry said carefully as Ron nodded fervently in agreement. A voice behind them made them first jump then freeze as the realisation to whom it belonged sunk in.

“Perhaps I could assist you with that?� A silky drawl sounded from not far behind Albus and as he turned round in vague surprise, he took in the man before him. He was quite tall - taller than Albus’ father, but shorter than Ron. He had a pale, slightly pointed face with piercing grey eyes and a shock of blonde hair. He was quite handsome and his son shared his countenance. He wore black robes with an emerald lining and his son wore the reverse. Albus recognised them immediately, as did the rest of his party. Their reactions varied. Harry frowned slightly, but said nothing. George rubbed his eyes as if he hoped that, if he did enough times, the image he saw before him would change. Ron and Rose had matching red ears, both out of anger. Albus merely stared open-mouthed, an expression that seemed to amuse the son.

After a few minutes of stunned silence, Ron’s blush spread up his face and his features contorted into a sneer. “I said ‘responsible adult,’ Malfoy - you hardly qualify.� George laughed at his brother’s insult. Ron continued, boosted by the reaction. “Anyway, why would you want to do us a favour?� Draco Malfoy smirked slightly at Ron’s words but did not seem fazed by the blatant hostility.

“Believe me Weasley, it would give me no pleasure to baby-sit your...offspring,� he drawled with a look towards Rose and Albus. “I overheard where they needed to go and it happens to be the same places as us. I would not have offered otherwise,� he clarified emphatically. Ron looked furious while Harry merely looked a bit sceptical.

Draco added an afterthought which made his eyes glint. “Besides, I’m sure the children are eager to catch up.� Albus noticed Rose and Scorpius look at each other. The former averted her eyes abashedly while the latter smiled to himself conspiringly.

Harry narrowed his eyes appraisingly. “What’s your game?� Draco stared back at him blankly, so Harry expanded. “You wouldn’t be doing this out of the goodness of your heart, so why?� Draco rolled his eyes.

“I’ve already told you, we’re going to the same places.
Plus, if it means your children stop complaining so I can pay for these fireworks, then it’ll be worth it,� Draco explained in an almost bored tone. Harry glanced at his watch given to him twenty years ago by Mrs Weasley and bit his lip. He seemed to be debating something internally. His eyes locked onto Albus’ questioningly. Albus chanced a look at Scorpius Malfoy who raised an eyebrow and gave a small smirk. Albus turned back to his father and gave an imperceptible nod of the head. Albus in turn looked at Rose who looked by far more uncertain. He tried to reassure her silently, but it wasn’t until her eyes landed on Scorpius Malfoy that she gritted her teeth and nodded curtly.

Ron looked from Harry to Albus to his daughter with a flabbergasted expression. “Are you actually all mental?� Ron exclaimed, his eyes bulging madly. He turned to his best friend. “Harry! Have you forgotten who this is?� Harry turned and glared at Ron.

“Of course I haven’t forgotten! But what’s he going to do, Ron? There are several witnesses to the fact that we’re handing our children over to him - it’s hardly the perfect crime,� Harry finished sarcastically. Ron stared at him fixedly for what felt like a rather long time before he exhaled deeply and grasped his daughter’s shoulders, holding her at arms’ length away from him. He surveyed her critically and she gave him a heartening smile and he squeezed her affectionately.
Ron turned to Draco with a scowl. “If you harm one hair on their heads-� he started with a growl. He was cut off, however, by a slightly irritated Draco.

“You’ll unleash unspeakable torments upon me, I know, I know,� he said wearily. Ron sneered at him but said nothing in return. Harry clutched Albus for a moment, telling him to be safe and did the same to Rose before turning to Draco.

“Step one toe down Knockturn Alley with them and I’ll find a way to throw you into Azkaban, Malfoy.� Harry’s voice came out warningly but without the venom that Ron’s held. Draco nodded impatiently, so Harry continued. “I shouldn’t be too long, it’s just a break-in. Meet you in the Leaky Cauldron in one and a half hours?�

“Yes, yes, now get out of here. You’re starting to irritate me even more than usual, which is saying something,� Draco said mockingly. Harry raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he noticed Ron was about to open his mouth to argue. Harry gave George a meaningful look and disappeared with a ‘pop.’ George picked up on Harry’s implications and turned to his brother before he could sound his complaints.

“Can you go get some more of the Engorging Gloss and the Indecipherable Diaries out from the back? They’ve been bigger hits amongst young witches than I anticipated,� George pointed into the room at the other end of the shop. Ron didn’t follow his gaze but stared at Draco with a hard expression on his face. Draco’s face, by contrast, held a resilient smirk. Albus thought it was almost quite impressive in the face of his glowering uncle.

“Monty can do it,� Ron said shortly. George shook his head in exasperation.

“Monty has customers. You do it - don’t argue!� George added warningly as Ron opened his mouth to object. Albus noticed that there was a hint of a smile on George’s face. Ron looked as if he was having some sort of internal struggle. After a few moments one side lost and his shoulders slumped and he huffed a little. He gave Rose a tight squeeze and mumbled something that Albus couldn’t hear but he saw Rose nod in response. Ron gave Albus a firm pat on the shoulder and a significant look which Albus returned with a reassuring one. Ron then shot Malfoy a final glare and made his way over to the other end of the shop.

There was a moment of awkward silence before the Malfoys approached the till and laid the firecrackers down on the counter. George crossed his arms over his chest and gave him an uncharacteristic glower. Draco did not seem fazed as he spoke. “As much as it pains me to say it, your fireworks are the best around.� It was about as close to a compliment as any of their family would get from a Malfoy, but George did not seem impressed.

“I’m pretty sure I gave you a life-time ban, Malfoy.� Draco rolled his eyes and opened his wallet and slammed twenty galleons on the counter - twice the asking price. George’s eyes widened slightly but this turned to a frown when Draco took the fireworks from the counter. He opened his mouth to object but he was cut off.

“Don’t be an idiot, Weasley, take it,� Draco snapped before turning to Albus and Rose. “Come on, we’re going to Flourish and Blotts first.� Albus nodded while Rose merely gave him a steely look. However, she obeyed and trailed after the Malfoys next to Albus. A voice caused her to turn round once more.

“Oi, Rose,� George called from behind the counter with a grin. He threw something across the room which she caught dextrously in her hands. Albus peered at the item over her shoulder. It was a can that read ‘Anti-Scum Stun Spray’. It claimed to temporarily incapacitate an assailant when aimed at their face and inhaled. Rose looked up at her uncle and beamed, as did Albus.

George winked at them cheekily. “Just in case!� he added craftily. Draco observed the exchange and rolled his eyes but looked slightly amused in spite of it being meant for him. They thanked George genuinely and bade him farewell.

The next ninety minutes passed by with relative ease. They did not talk at all in Flourish and Blotts apart from Draco making a snide comment to Rose when she took too long perusing the Transfiguration section. Rose ignored Scorpius at all costs in that time. Whenever he wasn’t standing next to his father he hung back to talk to Albus. But even those instances were to say something snarky or try and provoke Rose who he knew would be able to hear. They visited Slug & Jiggers Apothecary and renewed their Potions supplies. They had gone through far more than Albus had expected in the past term. A visit to Gambol and Japes and Quality Quidditch Supplies later, they had all finished their required Christmas shopping and renewal of school stock.

Draco led the way back through Diagon Alley to The Leaky Cauldron before the ninety minutes was up. The inn was relatively crowded considering the time of year. They managed to find a table in the far corner and Albus and Rose sat down immediately, laying down their light bags courtesy of George. Draco took out his wand and muttered ‘Scourgify’ at the seats before sitting down. Rose snorted and Albus raised his eyebrows but said nothing. For a moment they say in silence, before Draco spoke up.

“If you want something to eat or drink you can get it yourselves. They’ll serve you if you point me out.� Albus looked to his cousin who nodded slightly. They both got up and walked to the counter. They ordered the same thing: two hot chocolates and turkey and cranberry sandwiches. Felicity smiled at them as they approached and greeted them warmly. They were there often due to their parents’ friendship with Neville, so she recognised them instantly. She frowned slightly when she saw their guardian, but did not comment on it. Albus vaguely noticed that Scorpius came up and ordered something too, but he stood further down the bar - partly due to the looks that Rose kept throwing him.

Once they were all sitting down at the table, silence fell on the group again. Rose pulled out her new Transfiguration book and began inspecting it raptly. Draco watched her wistfully for a moment and sniggered quietly, something which did not go unnoticed by Rose, who placed down her sandwich and fixed him with a piercing stare.

“What?� she asked abruptly and without grace. Draco raised his eyebrows with a slight smirk on his face.

“The resemblance to your mother is uncanny,� Draco said with an amused grin. Rose eyed him appraisingly.

“That’s not a compliment - you hated my mother,� Rose snarled challengingly. Draco frowned slightly and considered that statement for a while.

“I suppose I did give that impression, didn’t I?� he said sarcastically. Rose jutted her chin out and nodded, closing her book with a thud.

“Well it’s true, isn’t it? You hated all of them - my mother most of all. Why else would you have watched whilst your aunt tortured her?� Rose spat through gritted teeth. Draco looked rather taken aback by this. Albus too was shocked. Of course he was already privy to that information, but he was surprised that Rose had gone there. His eyes flicked to Scorpius who was jumping between looking questioningly at his father and glowering at Rose. Albus noticed that it was the first time that Scorpius looked genuinely angry at Rose.

Draco did not respond for a moment. When he did, he spoke very carefully. “How...how do you know about that?� he asked hoarsely. Albus was surprised to see him look shaken. So was Rose apparently as her reply was not quite as strong as her voice had previously been.

“Extendable Ears. My parents sometimes forget to use Imperturbable Charms on the doors and I eaves-drop. It was a few months ago when you and mum were working together on something in the Ministry. My dad mentioned it.� Draco scowled at her final sentence. He picked absently at the slightly worn wooden table and did not look up at them when he spoke again.

“I expect she hates me for that,� he said matter-of-factly. He sounded almost bitter and Rose looked unnerved by it, though she maintained her resolve.

“No...no, she understands, actually. She said that you couldn’t watch and you winced when she screamed.� Draco looked up, surprised. Rose scowled deeper and continued with a snarl. “My father disagrees; he says you’re a coward.� The surprise fell from his face and was replaced with a flash of rage. It ignited in his eyes and burned. Albus wanted to look away but found himself taken in by the flames in those steel grey eyes. Rose looked like she would cower from his glare, but she merely pursed her lips in an attempt at strength. He looked ready to burst out and scream, but his voice came out level and steady. The tone, however, was cold and as steely as his eyes.

“Your father knows nothing,� he paused, breathing heavily, “I was just a boy and I was stupid. If I had done anything, said anything, tried to protect her - we would have both been killed,� he said simply. Rose’s hard exterior began to crumble and she started looking more unsure. He continued, speaking more to himself than to her. “The strength it took to be in that house everyday - you have no idea.� He looked her straight in the eye. “I am many things, but I am no coward,� he finished grimly.

Silence fell for a few long moments. Rose looked down at her hands and Albus stuffed a large bite of sandwich into his mouth in order to occupy it somehow. Eventually Albus heard an almost inaudible murmur from Rose. “I’m sorry...� she said awkwardly. Draco surveyed her with some surprise before nodding shortly.

“Likewise...� He cleared his throat noisily and looked around the pub. “Where on Earth is Potter? He’s-� he checked his watch, “-ten minutes late.� He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Is that all?� he said to himself quietly, before strumming his fingers on the table. The next few minutes passed in a mixture of silence and a smattering of conversation between Albus and Scorpius about their Potions holiday work. Albus could tell that Rose wanted to join in, but her desire to ignore Scorpius outweighed her interest in the conversation.

Their sandwiches were so large that they had only eaten half of them when the door to The Leaky Cauldron swung open from the London Muggle entrance. All their heads whipped round (as they did every time the door opened) and searched for Harry’s jet black hair and glasses in the crowd. However, it was not Harry that they spied, but another familiar face caught their eyes. A woman with defined cheekbones, large brown eyes and a mane of wavy brunette curls strode into the inn. Her eyes wandered round the tavern and eventually settled upon the mismatched pairs. She attempted to hide a small smirk as she sauntered over in flowing smart navy work robes.

Draco’s face was all astonishment, but he smoothed it over and replaced it with a neutral expression. Hermione halted in front of the table and was immediately jumped upon by Rose who hugged her mother round the waist tightly. She smoothed the top of her head and squeezed in next to her on the bench and opposite Draco.

“Granger, what happened to Potty? He said he’d be back in time,� Draco inquired with a smirk. Hermione looked at him with a slightly reproachful expression.

“He’s held up with McGonagall, it’s taking him slightly longer than they expected,� Hermione replied smoothly. They all looked at her curiously now.
“Is the old bat alright?� Draco asked tonelessly. Hermione eyed him suspiciously before she spoke.

“Careful, Malfoy, that almost sounded like concern,� Hermione commented sarcastically. Draco gave a short bark-like laugh and nodded in acknowledgment.
“Completely unintentional, I can assure you,� he quipped. Hermione didn’t seem to believe him exactly, but continued regardless.

“She was attacked. Someone tried to extract information from her, Imperuised her and tried to wipe her memory. They were interrupted mid-way, though, so she remembers some stuff. Harry and the others just missed the culprit, though. That’s all he told me, anyway,� Hermione explained all the facts as she knew them. Draco raised his eyebrows until they nearly disappeared into his hairline. He gave a low whistle and Hermione nodded in agreement with his untold comment. He was silent for a moment before piping up.

“It seems that the person perhaps knew McGonagall, not well, but at least a little,� he theorised. Hermione gave him a probing look and he continued. “They broke in, showing that they did not know her well enough to be invited in. However, they knew her well enough that she would not give up the information they required under duress or torture. She’s a stubborn old thing.� Hermione nodded with a slightly impressed look on her face.

“You’d make quite the Auror, Malfoy,� Hermione commented, though Albus felt that she might be joking. Draco gave his best Malfoy smirk and snorted.

“I’m sure they’d welcome me into the department with open arms,� he replied sardonically. Hermione allowed herself an airy giggle at this, but looked almost ashamed to do so. Albus knew it was against her very nature to be pleasant to Draco Malfoy. They were interrupted by a young waitress coming over. She wore her hair in a scruffy ponytail and peered at them all through cheery, albeit a touch nervous, cerulean eyes. She picked up the empty cups of hot chocolate, but left the plates of half-eaten sandwiches.

“If Mr and Mrs-� she glanced at the insignia on Draco’s lapel, which she seemed to recognise, “-Malfoy are ready to order, I can take it for you instead to save you the hassle of having to go up to the bar,� the girl offered kindly. Hermione smiled weakly at the girl and did not wish to upset her by correcting her mistake, so said nothing. Evidently Draco felt differently as he reddened lightly on his alabaster cheeks.

“Tell me, these three children,� he gestured to Rose, Albus and Scorpius, “do they look like they’re siblings?� he asked the embarrassed looking waitress. Her eyes flicked from Albus’ black hair and emerald eyes, to Rose’s curly auburn hair and blue eyes and finally landed on Scorpius’ white-blond hair and grey eyes. She shook her head and apologised before scurrying off, appearing rather upset. Hermione gave him a reproving look which he ignored.

“Honestly, ‘Mr and Mrs Malfoy!’� he scoffed incredulously. Hermione arched an eyebrow as he continued. “As if I, Draco Malfoy, would marry a Muggle-born! I’ve never been so insulted in my life...� he said mockingly. Despite the rudeness of his words, they were not spoken seriously, though Albus suspected he did mean them. Hermione’s reaction was likewise quite light. She chortled at Draco, provoking a pair of raised eyebrows.

“’Muggle-born’ now, am I? How very civil of you,� Hermione shot at him pointedly. Draco picked up on her implications and smirked once again. He gave a small shrug as he spoke.

“Well, you have to move with the times...� he said by way of justification. Hermione nodded with mock seriousness. Albus and Rose were watching the exchange with slight wariness. It was indeed more civilised than either of them had thought possible. On reflection, Albus supposed that Hermione was always the most sensible out of the three best friends, therefore her attitude to their former enemy made slightly more sense. In spite of this, Albus was waiting for their temporary truce to go horribly wrong and develop into a hexing competition or a slanging match to which their children were partial. After a moment or two Hermione sighed and opened her purse.

“Well, as our children are taking a staggeringly long time eating their lunch, I think I might grab a drink.� Hermione began to get up, when Rose stopped her.
“I’ll get it, mum. I want a pumpkin juice anyway.� Hermione smiled at her daughter, asking for a Butterbeer and offered her enough money for both. Draco put some money into his son’s palm. Scorpius looked at him with an unimpressed expression.

“I’ll have a double Firewhisky. I have a feeling I’ll be needing it,� Draco drawled with a pointed look in Hermione’s direction. Hermione sneered at him and watched Rose walk towards the crowded bar. Scorpius followed her reluctantly, though he thought he saw a glint of mischief in his eye as he went. Both parents gazed at their children for a moment. The younger pair stood next to each other and their parents could just about make out Scorpius talking at Rose who was determinedly ignoring him. Hermione and Draco turned back to face each other and surveyed one another for a moment. Albus thought that they may have forgotten that he was there. He didn’t mind, he sat in the corner eating his sandwich and watched in fascination.

“It seems our children like each other about as much as we used to,� Draco said derisively. Hermione smiled a bit and nodded in assent.

“Interesting use of the past tense...� she commented sardonically. Draco threw her a withering look as she continued. “Rose says Scorpius teases her a lot,� Hermione informed him lightly. She didn’t seem to mind, which surprised Albus. Draco frowned a little but did not look cross.

“Well she’s attacked him at least twice this term, so I think a little teasing can be forgiven,� Draco commented mockingly. It was Hermione’s turn to frown.

“Attacked him?� Hermione turned to Albus with a searching look. “Is that true?� she asked shrewdly. Albus gave a non-committal shrug. ‘Attack’ was a bit of a strong word as neither of her attempted assaults was successfully carried out. Hermione took that as confirmation and shot a disapproving look in the direction of her daughter. “I’ll have a word with her about that later.� Draco sneered but stayed silent. Hermione paused a moment before speaking up again.

“She says he’s never cruel.� The words seemed to surprise Hermione even as she appeared slightly startled after speaking them. She blushed lightly and powered on. “He’s a wind-up merchant, but not callous.� Draco scrutinised her for a short while and smiled a little.

“That’s his mother in him - he inherited some of her mercy.� He spoke of his wife fondly and glanced over to his son and then back to Hermione. She tucked a stray strand of hair out of her eye.

“I don’t think he got that just from his mother...� Hermione suggested with meaningful eyes. It was Draco’s turn to flush and he looked away. Hermione joined him in this and became suddenly very interested in her fingernails. Albus could practically hear her grasping for a change in topic. A spark in her eye told him that she had landed on one.

“So, you and Parkinson didn’t end up together then?� she asked teasingly and Draco looked confused for a moment before giving her a mocking sneer. Hermione laughed. “How did you extricate yourself from that one?� Hermione asked conversationally as Rose and Scorpius arrived back with the drinks. Rose stomped ahead of Scorpius who wandered behind her with a self-satisfied smirk. They laid the drinks on the table and moved next to their parents. Draco took a gulp of his Firewhisky without flinching - an impressive feat - before he replied.

“I managed to shake her in the final year at Hogwarts. During her last year she met poor Donovan Lark. He was a couple years above us, but their parents worked together,� he explained. With his next words he smiled grimly. “She fell pregnant not too long after she left Hogwarts. He married her out of some sort of misplaced sense of obligation, I think. He’s a good man, Lark. Well, for a Slytherin anyway.� Albus noted the name of this ‘Parkinson’s’ husband. It was Morgana’s father and Tristan’s uncle. He felt that the way Draco described Mr Lark explained much of what Albus had witnessed on the platform. He realised that Rose had noticed too and they shared a brief glance at each other.

“Are you still in contact with each other?� Hermione asked casually, taking a large sip of her Butterbeer. Draco frowned slightly, but not at Albus’ aunt, just at the thought of Parkinson.

“Unfortunately, yes. Only occasionally though, when she pins me down - so to speak,� he added hastily as Hermione let out a chuckle. Draco found himself smiling too, a fact which seemed to disconcert him all of a sudden. He downed the remainder of his drink with a shudder and glanced at Scorpius’ plate which was now mostly crusts. Relief flooded his face and he stood up suddenly. Hermione looked a tad taken aback but did not speak.

“We better get going - Astoria will be wondering what’s happened to us,� he clarified feebly. Hermione nodded, not looking too bothered. Scorpius looked like he was about to argue but then thought better of it, though he did take his time in gathering his things. Draco appeared rather impatient and tapped his foot as his son bent down to pick up the bags.

“Going back to the Manor?� Hermione asked in attempt as casualness. Draco stopped tapping his foot and looked up at her. Their eyes fixed onto each other’s for a moment. Hermione gave him a hard look which Albus didn’t fully understand. Draco broke the silence as he spoke carefully.

“I moved out not long after...well, about nineteen years ago. I couldn’t live there anymore. Not after...� he trailed off softly with a slight tremble. Hermione’s mouth was slightly agape. Whatever she had expected in response, it was not that. He cleared his throat and attempted to plaster a cool expression onto his face.

“We live at Tarasque Hall now,� he added. Hermione did not react but stared at him soundlessly. He shifted uneasily for a moment and visibly relaxed when Scorpius straightened up, ready to leave.

He turned to Hermione once more with his trademark smirk. “Well, this has been...horrible,� Draco concluded mockingly. Hermione did not look offended but rolled her eyes. He cocked his head to the side as if considering something. “Though, I suppose you are the lesser of three evils, marginally.� Hermione raised her eyebrows in faux astonishment.

“Malfoy, that was almost a compliment coming from you,� she commented with a wry smile. Draco scoffed and put his hand on his son’s shoulder.

“You’re right. But don’t go thinking this means I like you,� he added warningly and slightly seriously. Hermione nodded to indicate that she was aware.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,� she spoke dryly. He laughed shortly and was silent for a moment. He looked to Albus and Rose with a neutral expression.

“It was...an experience meeting you,� Draco commented. Albus nodded and thanked him politely while Rose muttered ‘likewise’ as she observed him in the same wary manner that she had been doing so ever since her mother arrived.

“Goodbye, Potter. Goodbye, Rosie.� Scorpius said the last word emphatically and wandered towards the fireplace before Rose could retort. Draco laughed lightly at his son and followed him with his eyes to a point a few feet away from the fire. Draco’s grey eyes eventually found their way back to Hermione’s chocolate ones. He gave her a mocking smile.

“See you around, Granger,� he drawled and began to turn. She stopped him before he could complete the pivot.

“Weasley,� he turned back to her with a cocked eyebrow, “it’s Weasley now,� she corrected. This news appeared to surprise Draco slightly even though he knew that she was married to Ron. Albus supposed that he still thought of her as essentially the same girl he had loathed at Hogwarts.

“So it is,� he responded slowly. He looked at her critically for a moment, taking her in properly for the first time since she had arrived. His eyes found hers again and they burned for a moment before returning to stone. After a second he gave a small shrug of the shoulder and his slightly upturned lips indicated he was smiling a little.

“I’m afraid you’ll always be ‘Granger’ to me.� He gave a small nod of the head, a quick smirk and turned on his heel.

Hermione muttered a quiet ‘be seeing you’ to no one in particular. Her eyes did not leave the blonde pair until they were no longer visible as they had disappeared into the raging emerald flames. Even then, she stared at the spot at which they had last stood. Rose and Albus gave each other a sideways glance. They knew at once that they were thinking exactly the same thing: could Draco Malfoy really be feeling remorse? They had been taught that it was not in the nature of Slytherins and those from Dark Magic families to feel such emotions. Though, Albus thought as he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, if his first term at Hogwarts had told him anything, it was that people can never cease to surprise you.

Albus, along with Hermione and Rose, travelled back to the Weasleys’ home in Boreas Gardens not long after the departure of the Malfoys. The rest of their time in the Leaky Cauldron had passed with much silence and pensive thoughts about what had just occurred. The almost civilised behaviour of a usually very discourteous Draco Malfoy had left them all thoroughly bemused. Hermione in particular was lost too deeply in her thoughts for either her daughter or nephew to capture her attention. Even Albus had noticed, when Rose and Scorpius had gone to the bar, the odd cordiality with which her former school enemy had addressed his aunt.

That was why, as they waited tensely for the return of Harry and Ron, that Albus felt a certain sense of nervousness. He knew his uncle would not be happy with the relative geniality between Hermione and Draco. He was also concerned about what was taking Harry so long. His father had said that it was purely a standard break-in but they had been gone far too long for that still to be true. Albus’ mind flashed with worry for his father and for McGonagall, despite Hermione’s assurances that Harry would be back soon.

Not too long after they returned to the house, Albus’ grandfather dropped Lily and Hugo off via the Floo Network. Hermione tried to encourage him to stay for a cup of tea, but he apologetically told her that he was not able to do so. He had left Grandma Molly at the Burrow with Fred and Roxanne and he was afraid that Molly might be tearing her hair out at the havoc they were most likely wreaking. Fred had already infuriated the Gnome community by causing a Promethean Projectile to chase them around the yard. They had since fashioned miniature spears and arrows out of debris found in the garden and were plotting some sort of uprising.

Albus’ mother was still not back from work, but it did not matter. Lily and Hugo were just as close as Albus and Rose were, so the children did not at all mind having to spend the additional time together. The two younger children were engaged in quite a competitive round of Exploding Snap while Hermione watched them wistfully from the largest sofa in the living room. Rose was engrossed in the book that she had purchased in Diagon Alley and carelessly blew a stray strand out of hair out of her eyes as her eyes flicked raptly from side to side. Albus was dragged out of his reverie with a shriek from Lily.

“I win, I win!� she exclaimed, as their game of Exploding Snap concluded. Her hazel eyes lit up with glee and her lips curved in a triumphant grin. Hugo rolled his eyes and huffed slightly.

“Yeah, after you cheated...� he said teasingly. Lily frowned and gave him a look of outrage. Her cheeks lit up with a crimson glow which clashed with her fiery red tresses.

“I did not cheat!� she said indignantly. Hugo gave her a slightly condescending look before hopping off of his chair and walking over to where Albus was sitting. Albus caught Hugo’s small smile and guessed he was just trying to wind Lily up - one of his favourite forms of entertainment. She had inherited the temperament of their mother and Uncle Ron and therefore was quite easy to provoke.

She swivelled round in her chair and scrunched up her face crossly. “I didn’t!� she added, when all she was met with was a pair of raised eyebrows and a sceptical noise. She averted her eyes to Albus’ in an attempt at back up. Albus widened his eyes warily - he often got dragged into Hugo and Lily’s arguments and he didn’t much enjoy it.

“Al, tell him!� his sister appealed to him with wide eyes. Albus looked from her to Hugo, not particularly wishing to take sides. Eventually he settled for a thoroughly unsatisfactory ambiguous shrug of the shoulders, causing Lily to narrow her eyes slightly at him and puff in a disgruntled manner before flouncing over to sit with Hermione. Throughout the children’s argument she had stayed firmly inside her own head and had not noticed Lily’s growing frustration. The heavy sigh and light bounce Lily produced when she sat upon the sofa diverted Hermione’s attention.

She looked at her niece with curious eyes, taking in her petulant scowl. “What’s wrong, Lily?� she asked slightly distractedly. Lily cast a withering look at Hugo who was trying to repress a smirk. She opened her mouth to explain but was rudely interrupted by her cousin.

“Lily got caught cheating and now she’s throwing a tantrum,� Hugo said quickly and he stuck his tongue out at Lily as Hermione’s back was turned. Lily let her mouth hang open in a small ‘o’ before screwing it up with a grimace.

“That’s not true! He’s just being - daddy!� she squeaked and her face immediately discarded the glower in exchange for a beaming grin. Harry stepped out of the fireplace with a weary look on his face and was instantly floored by a tight hug round the waist from the youngest Potter. He winced a little, but picked her up and embraced her regardless. He kissed her affectionately atop her head and flopped down on the settee next to Hermione with his daughter on his lap.

Moments later, the fire lit up again and this time Ron emerged from the flames, holding up a golden Galleon that he still kept from his days as an Auror. “I got your message. George let me go early - it was getting quieter anyway.� Harry nodded with a half-smile and he tucked Lily’s head underneath his chin.

Ron sat on Hermione’s other side with a groan and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek before tipping his head back and pinching the bridge of his nose. He cast Rose a warm smile as she took a seat on the arm of the smaller futon that Hugo and Albus sat upon. Hermione flicked her wand and muttered an incantation, causing a bottle of oak-matured mead to drift over towards them. Another murmured spell of ‘Appareo Verro’ and three glasses materialized before them. She poured out the mead swiftly and they each took a glass eagerly. Hermione looked to her friend with raised eyebrows.

“So, what took you so long? Is McGonagall all right?� she asked with concern. Ron’s mouth was full with a generous volume of mead, so he said nothing but fixed Harry with a curious expression. Harry cast furtive looks towards his children and Hermione instantly picked up on his meaning. She smiled kindly towards Rose, Albus and Hugo and Albus immediately knew what was coming.

“Do you lot want to go see what we have in the fridge for dinner? Ginny should be finishing work soon, so we can all have supper together here if you want?� she asked hopefully. Hugo looked slightly put out and Rose shook her head firmly in response.

“Mum, you’re not going to get rid of us that easily. We want to hear if McGonagall’s okay too!� This was technically true. They had met McGonagall a few times throughout their childhood as she had championed Albus’ father’s dream of becoming an Auror and had been very involved in his progress through the field. Latterly, she had become quite a close family friend, though Albus felt she still was rather intimidating.

Hermione exchanged a look with Ron who rolled his eyes, appearing too tired to argue. “They’ll be listening with Extendable Ears at the door anyway, Hermione,� he said tiredly. Rose gave a victorious grin, though Hermione still looked uncertain. Having become slightly better at gauging his wife’s mood over the years he sighed quietly and flicked his eyes briefly before turning to Hugo and Lily in turn.

“Right, Hugo and Lil, off you go!� he said with a shooing motion. Harry nodded marginally in agreement while the two younger children looked outraged. Lily was about to start voicing her torrent of complaints when Harry cut her off.

“You heard what your uncle said Lily,� he commented flatly before pointing towards the door, “go choose something for dinner like Hermione told you to,� he said marginally more assertively. She narrowed her eyes and clambered off Harry’s lap in annoyance. She balled her hands up into tiny fists and huffed grumpily.

“But dad! Albus and Rosie are only two years older than me - that’s nothing!� she exclaimed adamantly. Hugo nodded fiercely in assent but said nothing. Harry merely gave his youngest child a stern and pointed look which she countered with an equally determined glower.

“If it could be helped, Albus and Rose wouldn’t be listening to this either,� he cast a small look in their direction, “but as it happens, they might be able to help with something.� Albus could feel his face screw up in confusion. As he looked towards his cousin he saw the same expression etched all over her features. It was a Ministry matter - a break-in gone wrong, how on Earth could they help with that? Lily gave him a hard look but she was stared down and she stomped off towards the kitchen with Hugo trailing behind her. Hugo was, for the most part, less bothered than Lily, though he did not seem to enjoy the prospect of going in to a room with her alone where he would be the sole focus of her frustration.

Harry waited patiently until the door slammed shut. Rose jumped slightly when this happened while Harry merely smirked. “She’s certainly inherited her mother’s flair for dramatics,� he commented, chuckling. Hermione turned to him with a frown and swallowed a sip of mead.

“So, what is this all about?� she said inquiringly. Hermione and Ron gave their best friend an eerily identical searching look. Harry exhaled slowly and set his drink down on the table.

“We got there literally a second too late. The perpetrator must have heard us outside and fled. They’d managed to extract the relevant information from her and were the majority of the way through wiping her memory when we interrupted.� He paused a moment, which was just as well, Hermione seemed to have quite a few questions.

“Why didn’t he just kill her? And why were you called out in the first place?� Hermione posed both queries in very quick succession and Ron rolled his eyes at his wife before putting his feet up on the coffee table.

“I think he was just getting to that, love,� he said with a yawn. Hermione smacked his legs to get them off the coffee table. He threw her a look of mock hurt but complied as she stared at him through narrowed eyes. Harry’s eyes widened but he continued on regardless.

“Anyway, we think that he didn’t want to leave any sort of potential trail. By extracting the information from her then wiping her memory it would be as if it never happened, there would be no way to trace it back to him,� Harry concluded. He was about to continue when Hermione interrupted again.

“Him? You know who it is?� Hermione asked, glancing from her husband to her best friend. Harry shook his head solemnly, appearing rather regretful of that fact.

“No, that she doesn’t remember. She was fairly sure it had been a man though,� Harry answered uncertainly. Ron snorted as he guzzled his mead. Harry ignored him and continued.

“She described him as around my height with black hair. Not much to go on - and I’m pretty much sure she was just confused and describing me,� Harry added ponderingly. Ron smiled and cocked his head to the side thoughtfully.

“Maybe. That’d make sense as to why she didn’t know whether it was a man or not - when was the last time you cut your hair?� Ron asked teasingly. Harry smirked and ran his fingers through his hair absently.

“A couple of weeks ago,� he muttered feebly. Ron guffawed while Hermione merely shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Harry’s expression returned to a more serious one. “Whoever the perpetrator was, they were asking her about something they believed to be hidden at Hogwarts,� he stopped mysteriously and Hermione looked at him inquiringly. When he didn’t continue she gave him a significant look. Harry appeared slightly embarrassed and gave her a sheepish look.

“Er, that’s all she could remember,� Harry finished with a hint of embarrassment. Hermione looked disappointed so he added another point quickly. “But she remembered him mentioning, well, me. He seemed to think I might have known something about it.� Hermione’s attention was captured again and Ron appeared slightly befuddled.

“Hang on - if you’re supposed to know what this mystery object is, why did he not go after you instead?� Ron asked, rubbing his eyes wearily. Hermione tutted lightly at her husband.

“An old woman who lives alone is going to be an easier target than the Head of the Auror Department and the Boy Who Lived, isn’t she, Ronald?� Hermione said patronisingly. Ron gave a sceptical look as if he was considering it. Harry scoffed at this gently and drained his glass.

“I don’t know...McGonagall’s still got a bit of life in her yet. That’s why a disturbance was reported. Her neighbour, Goneril Goodyear, heard shouting and saw some flashes of light from the window - thank goodness for nosy neighbours,� Harry said while Ron raised his eyebrows in an impressed fashion. Harry sighed and rubbed his temples tenderly.

“It’s just now we have no way to find out who it was or what the thing it is that he’s looking for,� Harry leaned back into his seat fully and flopped his head to the side, looking at a slightly smirking Hermione. “What?� he asked curiously, but without too much energy.

“Well, he probably knew her well enough that she wouldn’t give up information under duress, but not enough to be invited in. He doesn’t just know her by reputation,� Hermione deduced confidently. Harry nodded his head along with Ron, though neither of them could say anything before Rose interjected.

“You got that from Malfoy,� she said in what sounded to Albus like an oddly disapproving tone. Hermione visibly tensed and gave a furtive glance towards her husband before trying to iron her face into an expression of calm. Albus knew that she was not looking forward to telling Ron about the perfectly amicable conversation she had with Draco. Ron met her gazed with raised eyebrows and a slightly critical expression.

“Malfoy?� Ron asked probingly. Harry nodded and threw Hermione a slightly apologetic expression.

“Yeah, sorry about that,� he directed at Hermione with a lop-sided grin before turning to Ron. “I didn’t get back in time and you were working. Hermione called in a favour with Jarndyce and he let her have half the day off.� Ron nodded and Harry focused on Hermione once more. “I hope he wasn’t too much of a nightmare?� Harry asked in a curious tone. Hermione was not given enough time to answer, as once again her daughter interrupted.

“They seemed to get along just fine, actually,� Rose commented pointedly. Hermione gave her daughter a stern look before averting her eyes back to the two men, whose faces were all confusion. She blushed lightly and shrugged with an airy laugh that did not belong to her.

“He was just the same Malfoy, only with slightly better manners,� Hermione said dismissively. This did not seem to appease Ron who looked at her incredulously.

“Come on Hermione, this is Malfoy we’re talking about. You can’t honestly tell me he’s changed?� Ron almost sneered at the thought. A blush crept up Hermione’s cheeks but she glared back at Ron with defiance.

“Some of us have grown out of our adolescent grudges, Ronald.� The implications were not missed by Ron who rolled his eyes. Albus felt that the situation may have been getting a little bit more heated than strictly necessary.

Ron guffawed ironically. “It’s a bit more than an ‘adolescent grudge’ Hermione!� he exclaimed patronisingly before continuing in spite of Harry’s frantic shakes of the head and attempted interruptions. “He was a Death Eater! He did some terrible things, surely you haven’t forgotten-�

“Of course I haven’t!� Hermione snapped. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group and Ron made no move to correct his mistake. He merely opened and closed his mouth like a fish until Hermione decided to continue. “Anyway, he was still a former Death Eater when you entrusted him with the care of our daughter and nephew. What does it matter if I managed a civilised conversation with the man?� She did not pause for an answer as she thought of something that made her expression harden.

“And if the next words that come out of your mouth sound remotely like ‘fraternising with the enemy’ I swear, father of my children or not, I will hex you, Ronald Weasley!� she added waspishly. Ron seemed to have no response to this but he settled his hand on his wife’s gently and a little cautiously.

“Sorry, love,� he muttered sheepishly. She looked up at him with marginally narrowed eyes before sighing a little and opening them fully. She allowed a small smile and patted his hand atop of hers with her free one. Fearing that it was going to get too sentimental, Albus turned to his father who was wearing the same mingled expression of relief and tiredness that he did every time his friends resolved a dispute.

“I’m sorry, I might be being a bit thick - but what does this have to do with us?� Albus asked indicating himself and Rose, who nodded with a confused expression on her face. Harry’s face contorted into a severe frown as he surveyed his son. Albus could feel his stomach jolt a little; he was praying he was not in trouble.

“Yes, about that. I contacted Professor Weylin about someone trying to find something hidden in Hogwarts and the circumstances of McGonagall’s attack, and do you know what he told me?� Harry asked rhetorically, his eyes flicking between Rose and Albus. They both knew exactly what he would have been told but both adopted feigned expressions of ignorance. Harry was not buying it and rolled his eyes a little, though he seemed calmer.

“He told me that a similar attack has occurred - on the grounds of Hogwarts no less! And that the victim, a friend of yours apparently, was found by James. He also informed me that James was not supposed to be wandering the grounds at that time and that he walked out of the castle undetected, though was spotted instantly upon his return,� his face was etched with suspicion as he inspected their guilty expressions. Neither of them said anything, but maintained their facade of unawareness.

“But how is it possible to be - invisible, let’s say, on the way down, but not on the way up? And how did he know exactly where she was, especially as she is not his friend?� Harry asked these questions carefully and with the astuteness of an Auror. Albus could get things past his mother with some ease, but his father was a different case altogether. All the same, he swallowed heavily and gave a small shrug of the shoulders.

“I dunno, you should probably ask James,� Albus advised in what he hoped was a serious tone. Harry observed him with keen eyes for a moment.

“Believe me, I will,� Harry promised with a sigh. Hermione appeared rather alarmed by this news as it was the first she had heard of it. Her eyes met those of her daughter with worry.

“An attack! At the school? How could that even happen?� she asked incredulously. Ron appeared thoughtful - a strange look on him.

“Weylin thought it might have been someone who had assistance from someone at the school, or someone who’s been accustomed to blending in,� Harry explained vaguely before Hermione’s probing look forced him to elaborate. “A Death Eater.� Hermione’s eyes widened in concern and a contemplative expression graced her features. She looked to Harry with a quizzical air.

“Where is James? I’d like to have a word with him...� she trailed off pensively. Harry nodded in assent and exhaled wearily.

“You and me both, Hermione,� Harry muttered as he flicked his eyes at the thought of his eldest son. “He’s having dinner and staying over at Persephone’s house. They live in a Muggle community not too far from Godric’s Hollow.� Hermione smirked a little, distracted by Harry’s last sentence.

“Just him and Persephone?� she asked searchingly. Harry narrowed his eyes in puzzlement and nodded in perplexity. He and Ron exchanged a look of mutual bewilderment whilst Rose allowed a small smile. Harry refilled his glass of wine and drank a sip with gusto before he continued.

“Anyway, that’s the last time he’s going anywhere this holiday. I’ve implicitly told him a hundred times now the dangers of roaming around school at all hours - but he still doesn’t listen!� he exclaimed in a mixture of exasperation and affection. Albus thought that the situation sounded all too familiar to him.

Rose frowned a little and attempted to defend her cousin. “He was just trying to help Effie,� Rose appealed quietly. Harry and Ron shook their heads but Hermione’s eyes lit up a little as if something had clicked all of a sudden.

“Effie? The same girl Albus got detention for saving from falling off her broom?� Hermione inquired shrewdly. Albus nodded, rather impressed that she had remembered. Harry and Ron too looked amazed but seemed to realise that the name was indeed familiar. Ron looked at his nephew amusedly.

“What is it about the Potter boys and this girl? Is she very pretty?� he asked Albus teasingly. Albus felt himself blush but could not confirm or deny it. To confirm it would be to induce more mockery but to deny it would be to lie. Rose laughed lightly at Albus’ obviously uncomfortable state. He was about to open his mouth to defend himself when a small sing-song voice come from the kitchen door.

“Albus and Effie sitting in a tree-� Lily started light-heartedly, but she was cut off as Albus began running towards her with a mixture of annoyance and entertainment on his face.

“Eaves-dropping are we, Lil?� he asked smilingly as she ran back into the kitchen and slammed the door. He could hear her laughing, though she seemed afraid that he might get his revenge all the same. Their parents had turned around to watch the spectacle, smiles playing on their lips. Harry’s face turned slowly grave as he lowered his voice.

“That’s a point; we probably shouldn’t discuss it any further here. My daughter’s too nosy for her own good,� Harry looked to his two best friends who nodded in agreement and started towards the kitchen where dinner was due to be prepared. Albus’ previous levity faltered as he remembered the reality of the situation. McGonagall had been attacked in the same way that Effie had at Hogwarts. Both were questioned or ordered to retrieve a mystery item from Hogwarts’ vast accumulation from over the years.

They were both linked somehow and Albus was positive that there was something that they were missing - some crucial detail. He stared into the fire and watched the embers dance in the hearth. The reflection of the flames flickered in his emerald eyes and he stared at it, enraptured. As he gazed upon the blaze he was certain of one thing - there was more trouble to come.

James had returned to his home in Godric’s Hollow the next morning, blissfully unaware of the wrath awaiting him. Ginny had returned just in time for dinner and, having been informed about her son’s late night wanderings, was a mixture of worried and incensed. The number of discussions she had had with him over the years about wandering off in the middle of the night were too numerous to mention. She, like Harry, picked up on the improbability of him finding Effie purely by chance. When he was pressed as to how this was done, he was unrelenting in his weak story that it was just ‘a feeling.’ Albus was sure that his father would check his desk later on and discover his old Marauder’s Map was missing. He was also equally certain that he would not attempt to take it back.

James had been under house-arrest ever since and would remain so for the rest of the holidays. In spite of this, he still managed to maintain a social life. Two days ago, in the early hours of the morning, Albus had heard the gentle tones of Persephone come from his brother’s bedroom. Albus guessed she had flown over to see how he was as she did not live too far away. Their talking did not cease until it was nearly light and Albus struggled to think what they had to talk about - they saw each other nearly every day. Alphie, Conall and Louis also had managed to drop in whilst Albus’ parents were at work. James threatened to shove his head down the toilet if he told anyone - a possibly empty threat, but a good one.

Finally, the day arrived that many of them had been looking forward to for some time now: Christmas Day. There was a rather large mixture of family and friends gathering together, so they were holding the celebration at Grimmauld Place. Harry had rejected the idea of moving into it as his marital home, but he had kept it on as the headquarters of the still-assembled Order of the Phoenix and an office base for himself and Ginny. There was far more room there to host a party on the scale that they needed. Over the years, the Weasley family had grown somewhat, so in order to accommodate them all, they needed a larger site.

They had stayed there for Christmas Eve where they invited Ron, Hermione and their children round as well as Luna and Rolf with the twins and Persephone and her parents Chloe and Crispin. The Coras, being Muggles, had to be led in by their magical daughter. They were rather used to the world of magic by now, but still found such things as invisible doorways slightly alarming. They had known the Potters for years as they had sent Persephone to the same Muggle primary school which James attended. They had never been particular friends at junior school as Persephone felt James was a little silly and James only really enjoyed hanging out with boys at that age. Once they had arrived at Hogwarts, that had all changed as James had been kind in helping her get used to her newfound powers.

Christmas Day itself brought with it a rather frazzled Ginny as she attempted, with her mother’s help, to prepare the large feast. Even with magic, it was quite a feat. Not least because James released some carolling miniature partridges he had purchased from the joke shop and they were currently chirping away in people’s unwilling faces, but also Ron kept eating the appetisers as they were being prepared. Ginny eventually gave him a snarled command to get out of her kitchen and to set the table. He quailed under her glare and, fearing a Bat-Bogey Hex, did as he was ordered. Harry aided him with a look that said ‘women!’ as Hermione added the finishing touches to the decorations in the hallway.

The whole house was adorned with shimmering fairy lights - or at least, they looked like them. On closer inspection, Albus saw that they were fireflies trapped inside many individual bubbles. Interwoven between them was some gilded Vincula weed which crept prettily up the walls and coiled the lengthy banister. Sprigs of mistletoe were dotted around and a canopy of gold-painted holly hung from the foyer. The large tree stood in the reception room with George’s invention of Flitting Faeries dancing beautifully amongst the branches. Baubles with changing images inside them levitated around the boughs. Some contained Christmas images, others pictures of their family. A trail of what looked like glass beads, but were actually a chain of Unmeltable Ice, was wound around the tree in striking coil pattern. On the top sat a larger faerie that crossed her legs and adopted a surly pout from her perch.

Arthur was sitting with his grandchildren in the reception room as he quizzed James enthusiastically about all Persephone had told him about exactly what a ‘Christmas stocking’ was. They were still awaiting the arrival of Bill, Fleur, Dominique and Louis. Teddy and Victoire had stayed the night in Grimmauld Place and were taking rather longer than was strictly necessary to shower and get dressed. Andromeda Tonks was also invited as Teddy was the only real family she had left. She found it rather difficult to be back in her cousin’s home - especially when she saw the room with the old Black family tree. Although Harry had managed, with a lot of research and a little help from Kreacher, to remove the portrait of Mrs Black, the family tree remained firmly in place.

Charlie was away in Romania, spending Christmas with his latest girlfriend Amelinda Knucker and her parents. Percy and family were, likewise, spending the day with Audrey’s mother - something Albus was rather thankful for. Uncle Percy, Aunt Audrey and Molly were probably his least favourite members of the family, with the exception of the Dursleys. Lucy was slightly better as she allowed herself to be influenced a little by Roxanne. Harry never invited the Dursleys for Christmas lunch, although they did go and visit them every year the day before Christmas Eve in some sort of painful ritual which was not enjoyable for anyone involved. Dudley’s wife, Bryony, a tall and slender woman with a rather severe face, was tolerant of his magical relatives, but could only extend to civility, not warmth. They had twins, Viola and Sebastian, with whom Albus had got on with well enough in his youth, but the latter in particular had become rather aloof over their past couple of visits.

George, Angelina, Fred and Roxanne arrived first out of the guests and brought with them stacks of presents which Albus was very eager to open later on. Fred showed them all the Christmas fireworks he was planning to set off later - although he said this, wisely, out of Ginny’s earshot. Hermione’s parents had to be ushered in also upon their arrival at Grimmauld Place by Bill, Fleur, Dominique and Louis who turned up at the same time as them. The Grangers were thoroughly unfazed by the invisible entrance and the bizarre decorations. They had known of their daughter’s magical world for over twenty-five years and became even deeper immersed into it when she had married a pure-blood and given them two magical grandchildren. Albus had to admire how they took everything in their stride.

With the majority of the guests present, they started serving the appetisers - or rather, they served themselves. The platters of aperitifs drifted around the room, offering themselves to each person in turn and returning to the kitchen when they needed refilling. With Ron, James and Hugo about, that was a common occurrence. Andromeda Tonks was the last to arrive. She had paid her sister, Narcissa Malfoy, a brief visit that morning. Since the end of the Second Wizarding War, they had made their peace, though the sisterly bond between them had long-since dissolved. The enmity was not quite as strong, however, since the demise of their sister Bellatrix. She was the main cause of the ill-feeling between the sisters.

They were all chatting together in the sizeable living area. George and Angelina were in deep discussion with Harry and Ron about Angelina’s coaching of the Holyhead Harpies. She, like Ginny, had been on the team in her youth, but retired a few years ago to train them instead. Bill, Fleur, Victoire and Teddy were conversing animatedly about Victoire’s plans to follow in her father’s footsteps next year and work as a Curse-Breaker. Teddy seemed a touch concerned as it would mean she would be away a lot, though he smiled and acted supportive anyway. His hair today was a festive red to mark the occasion and his eyes a bright green like Albus’.

Roxanne, Rose and Dominique were gossiping away as the latter showed them the beautiful silver chain Gawain had bought her for Christmas with dainty mistletoe pendant. While Dominique was waxing lyrical about her boyfriend, Louis, James and Fred were plotting mayhem to occur later in the evening with Albus only partly listening. Lily had opened one of her presents early and was playing with her brand new Wizard’s Chess set against Hugo, a worthy and - though Albus would never admit it to Lily - far superior opponent.

Arthur, Andromeda, Jean and Rupert Granger interrupted their discussion about the latter pair’s holiday to Switzerland that they would be embarking on in a couple of days, when a rather flustered Hermione entered the room. She glanced nervously at the door behind her and slammed it a little to get everyone’s full attention. It worked for the most part, though James and Louis required a swift kick in the shins from Fred to shut up. Satisfied with the quiet, Hermione grinned at them all cheerily.

“Lunch is ready, remember to be very appreciative - Ginny and Molly have been working incredibly hard!� she said this brightly, though there was a slight warning tone to her voice that everyone thought it best to listen to.

Upon entering the dining room, Albus could see his mother and grandmother flicking their wands rapidly and serving up everyone’s starter of port and melon. Their goblets filled themselves with mead for those who were of age and pumpkin juice for those who were not. They each had their own place settings. Albus noticed, with amusement, that James, Louis and Fred were all separated from each other. Albus sat next to Rose and laid his napkin neatly on his lap as he took his place at the long mahogany table. He was sitting opposite Hermione, Ron and Harry with his mother on his other side at the head of the table. She was wearing Muggle clothes, as they often did around the Grangers to make them feel more at ease, and looked very pretty in her deep green wrap dress and low black heels. Albus noticed that she looked quite worn, but as Harry clasped her hand, she gave him a weak smile and raised her glass.

“Merry Christmas, everyone! Dig in!� she said warmly and they didn’t have to be told twice as they returned her wish of ‘Merry Christmas’ and began their starters. It didn’t take long to finish them and their bowls magically cleared away and were replaced with large plates. Albus saw his mother wave her wand and mutter ‘Accio vegetables’ and the tureens containing parsnips, carrots, sprouts, cabbage and roast potatoes drifted through from the kitchen and landed gracefully and certain points at the table. Then she did the same for the turkey, gravy and stuffing until every single person had some on their plate. Albus saw his brother look at it hungrily and knew there was someone who was sure to have second or third helpings.

Albus shovelled some roasted parsnips onto his plate and found himself smiling slightly at his mother’s rambling concerns. “Is the turkey alright? I haven’t overcooked it have I? One of these days I might just give up and get a House-Elf - Kreacher was always so useful,� she said, looking regretful at the elf’s passing some seven years ago. She caught Hermione’s reproachful look and rolled her eyes as she swallowed a mouthful of stuffing and potato.

“I was only joking Hermione, chill out,� she warned her best friend who raised a sceptical eyebrow but said no more. Ginny cast a sideways look at her husband that implied she was in fact being serious. Harry smiled as he ate a bite of his turkey and let out an exaggerated pleasurable sound.

“Mmm, it’s divine, love,� he said in an assuring tone. Ginny shook her head a little and tried not to smile at her husband, with little success. Something occurred to Harry and he turned to his youngest son, indicating at him with his turkey speared on his fork.

“You got a couple of presents in the post by the way from a...� he considered this for a moment and searched his memory before alighting upon the correct one, “Xander Haskell and a Morgana Lark. They’re cutting it a bit fine, but it was nice of them - I hope you’ve got them something too, Al?� Albus wasn’t listening however as he had completely stopped paying attention at the last name his father had mentioned. Morgana? What on earth was she doing sending him a present? It made absolutely no sense. He gave a sharp look to his right to see if Rose was listening, but she was instead talking to James and her father. He returned his eyes to Harry with some urgency.

“Morgana? Morgana Lark - you’re sure?� he inquired in utter confusion. His father nodded his head firmly while Hermione began frowning slightly at their exchange.

“Yes, Morgana Lark and Xander Haskell, I’m positive,� Harry assured him with complete certainty. Hermione finished the mouthful of roast potatoes she had been eating before setting down her cutlery and looking between Harry and Albus.

“Lark? Isn’t that Pansy Parkinson’s new surname?� Hermione asked suspiciously. Albus looked at her perplexed for a moment before remembering the conversation he had heard between his aunt and Draco Malfoy. He nodded his head sheepishly as his father looked at him with an expression of confusion and mild horror.

“Morgana is her daughter...she’s a cousin of one of my friends,� he explained pathetically. He knew it wouldn’t help his case at this point to mention Tristan. The mere fact that a Slytherin had sent him a package was appalling enough. Ginny looked at him with slight concern, as if he was ill or something.

“Albus, why is Pansy Parkinson’s daughter sending you a Christmas present?� she asked, trying and failing to keep her voice level. Albus shrugged as he could honestly say he had absolutely no idea what she was playing at. However, his family were not going to let him get away with it that easily, as Rose interjected from his right.

“He invited her to his birthday party, so they’re basically friends now,� she commented with a slight edge to her voice and a small smirk playing on her mouth. Albus exhaled and cast his eyes downwards as he waited for the inevitable questions that would follow that revelation.

“You invited a Slytherin to your birthday party?� his mother shot at him with mild disgust before continuing, “and Parkinson’s daughter no less! Why didn’t you just go the whole hog and invite Malfoy as well?� Ginny asked sarcastically. Albus immediately looked to his cousin with imploring eyes in order that she might keep silent. She had already opened her mouth to respond, but upon seeing Albus’ desperation, merely filled it grumpily with some sprouts and carrots.

“I’m all for equality Al, but Parkinson was a piece of work at school...� Harry trailed off as Albus nodded his head wearily. He stabbed a potato more aggressively than necessary before he spoke.

“Yes, Hermione said,� he commented tonelessly. Albus was pleased to see his aunt look slightly uncomfortable at this when Harry and Ginny both shot her quizzical looks, but Albus continued. “Morgana’s not much better. I only invited her cause she’d caught us talking about it and she’s the cousin of one of my friends so I do talk to her quite a bit - we all do.� He threw a look at Rose with his last sentence and she stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

“Well that sounds overly diplomatic of you,� his father half complimented, half admonished. He turned his attention to Hermione now. “When were you talking to Albus about Parkinson?� he asked her bemusedly. Hermione quickly shoved some food in her mouth to give her some time to think of her answer. She swallowed before uttering her casual reply.

“I wasn’t discussing it with Albus. It came up when I was talking to Draco in The Leaky Cauldron.� Hermione’s attempt at breeziness was futile as Ron interrupted his conversation with Jean and Rupert at his wife’s words. He observed her with raised eyebrows and an odd expression between a smirk and a frown on his face.

“Oh, so it’s ‘Draco’ now, is it?� Ron inquired mockingly. Albus was rather relieved that the heat was off him, though he did feel relatively sorry for his aunt whose neck was turning crimson. She took a swig of mead and rolled her eyes.

“Well there are more ‘Malfoys’ now that I could have been referring to and only one Draco,� she pointed out logically and the blush eased off. Albus knew she was being perfectly sensible and his uncle unreasonable, though he didn’t think many other members of his family would agree with him.

His mother spoke up as if to illustrate his point. “It looks like Albus isn’t the only one with a new Slytherin pal,� she said teasingly over the top of her goblet. Hermione looked as if she was going to scowl for a moment before she broke out into a grin and chucked her napkin at her friend. The two laughed with each other for a moment before Hermione turned to Harry a touch inquisitively.

“The other package Albus received - did you say the boy’s name was Haskell?� Hermione enquired contemplatively. Harry nodded again and he seemed to be wearied by the number of complaints this information had generated. “I wonder if he’s related to the Haskell whose job I took over....� she said more to herself than anyone else. Albus cast his mind back to the first night in Gryffindor tower and remembered that Xander had mentioned his father had worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement - Hermione’s department.

Albus nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, he said his father used to work there before...� Albus trailed off sadly. Xander had only ever told their Gryffindor friends of his father’s predicament and Albus didn’t think Xander would like it much if he blurted it to his whole family over Christmas lunch. However, his aunt had no such concerns.

“He was sent to Azkaban,� she said simply and her eyes adopt a far-off quality. “Poor man...� she muttered sympathetically. Albus frowned at this. Xander had never told him the reason for his father’s imprisonment, but whatever it was he never expected it to be something worth pitying. Rose looked to her mother curiously.

“Poor man?� she asked with shock on her face and concern in her tone. “What’s he in Azkaban for?� Rose enquired quizzically. Hermione gave her a rather humourless wan smile and ate her last mouthful of turkey.

“He killed two Muggles,� she said simply. Albus’ head pounded and his chest constricted tightly. No wonder Xander never talked about it and had told them from the beginning to get the questions out of the way. To know that a parent that you loved and trusted was capable of taking the lives of two defenceless...Albus halted his train of thought. Why had his aunt referred to him as ‘poor man?’ Rose seemed to have the same thought in mind.

“Why?� she asked in a horrified tone. It was a mark of their naivety that they could think of no logical explanation for it. Hermione glanced uneasily from her husband to her friends and was met with three more interested faces. She sighed and sopped up the last of her gravy with a roast potato.

“Emrys Haskell was a good man - is a good man. He loved his wife and children very much.� The use of the plural did not go unnoticed by Albus and Rose who cast sideways glances at each other. Neither of them was aware that Xander had a sibling. “One evening, when he was late back from work, a couple of Muggles broke into his home and killed his wife Gwendolyn and his little girl Ffion. I think they were trying to rob the place,� Hermione commented with some uncertainty and waved her hand before adopting a bitter expression.

“Gwendolyn had tried to object so they shot her with a gun - a sort of Muggle wand. Ffion screamed when she saw her mother so they shot her too. Xander was just a toddler and slept through it all.� Albus noticed Rose’s eyes were beginning to brim slightly with tears as she saw how the story was unfolding. “Emrys came home as they were stealing Gwendolyn’s wedding ring,� Hermione cast her eyes down and sighed heavily as she pushed her cutlery together.

“He flew into a rage as he saw his wife dead and their daughter lying next to her and those...� she seemed to be searching for a word foul enough and she found the tamest one she could “vultures, stealing her ring. He killed them both instantly, took Xander to his sister’s flat and handed himself in.� Ron exhaled heavily as she concluded her tale. He was loading his plate up for his second helping and it was already piled high.

“’Ow d’you know all o’ tha’?� Ron asked bewilderedly through a mouthful of carrots and parsnips. Hermione and Ginny both gave him matching looks of distaste.

“Jarndyce told me when I took over Haskell’s position,� Hermione said in explanation. Ron raised his eyebrows and let out a low whistle.

“Can’t believe he handed himself in,� Ron remarked incredulously. Hermione finished a sip of her wine with a slight frown upon her face.

“It would hardly be fair on Xander to go on the run with him in tow or even without him - always wondering when his father was going to get caught. He may have broken the law, but he was still part of the Magical Law Enforcement department, he couldn’t bring himself to run from us,� she rationalised to her husband. Ginny and Harry nodded gravely and Ron gave a little incline of the head and shovelled a forkful of turkey and stuffing in his mouth.

“Poor man indeed...� Ginny muttered under her breath. Albus agreed with his mother intensely. He had never imagined the sheer pain that consumed Xander’s past. Alecsander Haskell with his sandy blonde hair, broad shoulders and smiling face always exuded an air of jollity and calm. The fact that such death and misery lay behind him made him all the more admirable in Albus’ eyes. Rose sniffed quietly beside him. He knew that she wouldn’t say anything to Xander, neither would he. Xander obviously wasn’t ready to tell them all the circumstances of his father’s incarceration. As far as Albus was concerned, Emrys Haskell was an admirable man and had been driven to extremes through unimaginable grief.

Harry swiftly turned the conversation in a more cheery direction with chat about someone in his department having a baby and the complaints about the junior they had to fill her place. Apparently he managed to knock himself out the last time they’d taken him out into the field to apprehend a suspect. The rest of the meal passed with much easier discussion, most of the time talking about what subjects Rose would want to take on in her third year. To Albus’ ears, it sounded like all of them. They went through pudding with gusto which consisted of a Christmas Pudding, mince pies and trifle.

Once they were all full to bursting, especially Ron and James who had eaten three helpings of their main and two puddings, they all sat in the reception room ripping into their presents. Albus received much in the way of joke shop merchandise, sweets and books from his friends and family. His grandma Molly had knitted him a gold and red striped scarf and matching gloves and his parents had bought him a set of emerald dress robes. He was momentarily quite puzzled as to their purpose, but he was informed that it was a Hogwarts tradition, as of a few years ago, to have a Valentine’s Ball. All years were welcome, so Albus would need something smarter if he chose to go. He personally didn’t see the point - he didn’t want to go with anyone in that way. He tried to block out the ramblings of his female cousins about what they would wear and who would be going with whom, but the shrillness with which they exchanged their ideas made it impossible.

After the Christmas fireworks, a round of Butterbeer and a slice of Christmas cake each, the various family members started making their way back home. The first to leave was George and family, as they were heading up to stay with Angelina’s parents in the early hours of tomorrow morning and they still hadn’t packed. They were soon followed by Bill, Fleur and Dominique. They were heading to Bargemon in Provence the next day to the Delacours’ villa. Victoire was not going to be joining them under the pretence of doing some extra studying for her N.E.W.Ts but Albus suspected it was to spend some more time with Teddy. Louis had been invited to go to the Grey’s home in Kinloch Rannoch for Boxing Day along with Conall and Persephone. James was supposed to be going also, but his parents had banned him after learning of his late night wanderings. Persephone was going to meet Louis at Grimmauld Place at midday and they would both Floo from there.

Andromeda refused the offer to stay overnight, though she would return the next day for supper. Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo were all staying until the day after New Year’s Day. Molly and Arthur were spending Boxing Day with Charlie in Romania as they were very taken with Amelinda and hoped that perhaps she might be the one to snare the perpetual bachelor. They were the last to leave along with the Grangers as Molly and Jean insisted on helping Harry with the washing up - he wisely let Ginny have a break from the kitchen. Arthur was keenly cross-examining Rupert on what skiing involved. Ever since Ron had married Hermione, the Grangers had to endure much grilling about everyday happenings in their lives. They took it all rather well though and they took interest in Arthur’s work and were very amused by his experiment with the flying Ford Anglia.

The remaining Weasleys, Potters and Lupin sat sprawled on the sofas barely talking or moving. They were exhausted and stuffed from the day’s activities. Lily was playing with one of the Flitting Faeries from the tree and was watching it dance prettily on her palm. Hugo observed her silently with drooping eyes while his sister sat next to him, completely immersed in her ‘An Introduction to Ancient Runes’ book from Bill and Fleur. Rose had been enthusing about how she couldn’t wait to start learning it and how she wished Hogwarts offered the study of the archaic Borrean and Phoronean languages. Hermione thought she was destined for a career as an inter-species or international translator at the Ministry.

As Victoire and Teddy excused themselves to go to bed in their supposedly separate rooms, Albus decided to follow their example and kissed his mother on the cheek, hugged his father and bade the rest of his family ‘goodnight.’ Albus had no intention of going to sleep yet however. He needed time before James came up to bed to open his final gift. He had saved it all evening and, though it was doubtful it would be his best, it was the one he was most curious about.

He bounded up the stairs two at a time until he reached the spacious bedroom with two single beds. He sat on the bed nearest the window and inspected the brown paper package. It didn’t appear cursed and he was sure his father would not have given it to him if it was. Considering his last conversation with Morgana, he would not be at all surprised if she had attempted to curse him. However, fairly certain that it was safe to open the parcel, he tore into the wrapping eagerly, taking no care of potentially destroying what was inside.

The first item he came across was what appeared to be a small spinning top. On closer inspection, Albus recognised it as a pocket Sneakoscope. Albus had heard that they were surprisingly accurate despite their reputation as tourist tat. It stayed motionless in Albus’ palm and its whistles and lights remained dormant. He spun it absently on his bedside table and picked it up lazily when it inevitably toppled off. He had recalled his father telling him once that he had a Sneakoscope that would not cease in its screeching. With this in mind, Albus wrapped his new scarf around it tightly and placed it in the trunk at the end of the bed - just in case.

He then turned his attention to the rest of the wrappings. At first he thought that was all that was inside it, but then he spotted an ivory envelope in amongst the brown paper. The insignia on the back was of a small bird in a deep green colour. Albus ripped it open with the same lack of care he had the present itself. Inside was a single piece of parchment with a small paragraph of writing on it. Albus’ eyes scanned it quickly, his brow furrowing with each word he read. Even after the fourth and fifth time he read it, he could make no more sense of it.

After ten minutes of purely staring at the befuddling note, the door creaked open and James entered sleepily. Albus quickly busied himself, pretending he was about to put his pyjamas on. After he pulled his long-sleeved top over his head, he slipped beneath his blankets and automatically returned his brother’s mumble of ‘goodnight’. But Albus could not think of sleep right then. He could only lie prostrate on his bed soundlessly but with a whirring mind. Even when the last bedroom door swung shut for the night he could not rid himself of the words in his head which kept playing over and over. They became no clearer to him but in spite of, or perhaps because of, that fact, he could not cease the thoughts chasing themselves through his mind.

When he finally did get to sleep, through sheer exhaustion if anything, it was nearly dawn. In his hand he still clutched the note - the reason for his insomnia. He had resolved to discuss it with Rose the next day, though he suspected she would merely dismiss it at Morgana trying to mess with him. To him, it seemed a bit far to go just to mess with someone. However, it brought him no closer to the meaning of the words - those words which were the last thoughts to play in his head before he succumbed to slumber.

You can have me but not hold me
Gain and quickly lose me
If treated with care I can be great
And if betrayed I will break
Hence mind who you give me to
Thus far your judgement has been askew
So beware of those with foul intent
And even those you feel well-meant