Chapter Text
Albus stood at the platform idly, trolley in front of him, his silver and white ferret scurrying curiously inside her cage, her tiny pink nose twitching. His siblings James and Lily were by his side, followed by their parents behind them waiting for the train to arrive and ignoring the stares from people. Something Albus was familiar with and while the rest of his family relished in the spotlight, Albus was still uncomfortable with people looking at him.
The high pitched squeak of a train whistle jostled Albus out of his thoughts. The ebony black Hogwarts Express roared in, slow from age but still bright and merry as ever. It was the start of a new year at Hogwarts. His fifth year. Normally he was never thrilled to be back to school. But this year felt different. Exciting, even.
"Mum, do I have to wear these?" Lily complained, pointing at her new round glasses, identical to their father's. "I look ridiculous!"
"Don't be silly, I think they look lovely." Ginny said.
"And you look just like me." Harry pointed out.
"Oh yeah, that's what every teenage girl wants to hear: You look like your dad!" Lily rolled her eyes. “I can’t show my face again.”
“You’re as dramatic as James.” Ginny grumbled, causing James to yell out ‘Oi!’ in protest.
"Lily, we've been over this a hundred times. You need to be able to see." Harry said. "And those glasses were the perfect fit for you."
"I'll just brew an eyesight potion." She scoffed.
Albus hadn't been paying attention at all to his family spat, instead he was scanning the crowded area for a familiar silver blond head.
"Where is he? Do you think he's here?" He asked no one in particular, anxiety growing in his stomach. "He has to, right?"
"I doubt Mini Malfoy has missed a day of school in his entire life." James said, ruffling Albus' already messy hair. “Maybe he’s already on the train.”
"Shut up James." Albus muttered, which had become his go to phrase as of late. "Don't you have Head Boy bullshit to do?"
James grinned, facing Albus. The reflection of his Head Boy badge shined directly into his eye, causing Albus to yelp in annoyance. "You're right, Al. Thanks for reminding me. I'll be off then!"
"Not before you say goodbye!" Ginny reminded her oldest son. "It's your last year at Hogwarts." She fixed his auburn fringe so it was out of his eyes. “And your parents deserve a proper goodbye.”
"Yeah yeah." James gave both parents a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. He had to bend down to kiss Ginny, as he now towered over her. Something that Albus silently resented, seeing as he was still unbelievably short even at fifteen.
Lily left directly after James, her goodbye just as brief as his as she had spotted her best friends Pippa Ernst, Felix Boot and Holly Jordan.
Albus lingered behind, hesitant to leave his parents. He nibbled at his cracked lips.
Ginny seemed to have read his thoughts. "Remember if you need anything, we're just an owl away." She cupped his freckled cheeks.
"I know mum." Albus said.
"Or you can floo us if anyone decides to give you a hard time." Harry said, patting his son's shoulder.
"I'll be alright." He smiled. "I've got Scorpius. And Rose I guess."
Ginny nodded, giving him one last hug. "Be strong Albus. Try not to cause too much trouble, yeah?"
Albus laughed lightly. "No time traveling or sneaking off the train? Aw."
Ginny cringed. "Especially not that."
The train whistled once more.
"I should go." Albus said. "Don't want to miss the train."
Unexpectedly, Harry reached out and hugged Albus for a long time. "We'll miss you." He said, his voice low, but full of emotion.
Albus met Harry's bottle green eyes, the same as his. "I'll write, I promise." He vowed.
James wanted to board the train early to meet with the prefects and sort things out. He hadn't even had time to catch up with his mates about their summers. It was a tradition he always did, even when he was prefect. Now that he was Head Boy, a title his Uncle Percy had praised him for hours once he was awarded his badge, it made sense to take his duties somewhat seriously.
He paused in the middle of the corridor, debating on going back. At least to say hello to Freddie and Roxanne. Before he could turn around, someone rudely interrupted his internal monologue.
"Excuse me." Piped a feminine voice from behind him. "You're blocking the corridor."
"What? Er- erm." James backed himself towards the wall, nearly falling into an open compartment. "Sorry." He turned to whoever was speaking.
A slender girl passed him, jet black hair tied into a high, bouncy ponytail. "Thanks." She said curtly and she shimmied past him. Directly into the prefects cabin.
Damn. So much for making a great first impression with the prefects.
James reluctantly followed the girl into the compartment. There were several other kids there, including some of his cousins. Molly, a bright Slytherin, was having an animated discussion with Karl Jenkins, Hufflepuff. Polly Chapman of Gryffindor was squished between them, painting her nails a bright pink. There were a few other kids that James recognized. Jess Jordan, Yann Fredericks, and Maeve Finnigan-Thomas. He knew his cousin Rose was also supposed to be there but her seat was empty.
And then there was the girl he bumped into. She was already in uniform, a Ravenclaw and most notably had a Head Girl badge pinned to her shirt. She was quite pretty, but had a serious expression that was unlike James, who always seemed to be grinning.
"Um, hi everyone." James cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact with the girl to avoid any further embarrassment. He stumbled into a seat across from Karl. "My name is Head Boy and I'm James."
Mortified, he immediately corrected himself, trying his best to ignore the confused stare from the girl. "I meant I'm James and I'm Head Boy."
The girl cleared her throat, fixing her black fringe from her dark brown eyes.
"And I'm Iris Huang, Head Girl. I have a few notes I'd like to go through before we start our patrol along the corridors." Iris stated, her voice firm but still friendly. "Can we all introduce ourselves?"
James sank down in his seat miserably. This was going to be a long day.
Before he entered their usual compartment, Albus overhead a muffled conversation from inside. Curiosity got the best of him, and he listened.
"I just don't know what to do." Rose said, sounding drained and even hurt, a combination that was unheard of for Rose Granger-Weasley. Rose usually was unbelievably confident. It was unnerving to hear her sound ...defeated almost.
"I think you should talk to her." Scorpius said. "Try to."
"I have but..." Rose trailed off. "She'll hate me."
“She won’t hate you.”
"Who hates you?" Albus repeated out loud. He covered his mouth.
"Hang on, I heard something." Scorpius opened the compartment door. His eyes lit up, grinning widely. "Albus!" He exclaimed happily.
Albus beamed, happily hugging his friend. Their hug lingered for a few moments, Albus’ face pressed accidentally into his friend’s jumper because of his height. Scorpius’ hugs always felt safe and comfortable, not to mention smelled of strawberries. When they backed away from the hug, Albus noted that Scorpius had grown a few inches and his features seemed a bit sharper, handsomer. But he still had the same bright eyes and warm smile.
"I missed you." Albus mumbled.
"And I, you." Scorpius said. “Come in!”
Rose leaned over, hands on her hips. "Didn't your parents tell you not to eavesdrop?"
"I wasn't..." Albus ears turned pink. "I didn't mean to." He took a seat, Scorpius sat next to him and Rose across. "It just happened. So who hates you?"
"Well-" Scorpius started.
"No one!" Rose snapped, shooting Scorpius a warning glare. "No one at all."
"Right. No one at all." Scorpius echoed.
Rose bit her lip. "It's just girl drama. Friends and such."
Albus nodded. "So that's why you're sitting with us."
"No- well...er..." Rose looked unsure. "I didn't want to be alone. I know...I haven't been the best to you two..."
Scorpius waved his hand. "It's alright, you don't have to explain.”
Rose opened her mouth, perhaps ready to object or reply with some snark, but instead she smiled. "Thank you."
The train started to move. Initially Albus was disappointed. He was used to Scorpius and him sharing a compartment by themselves. It was a special tradition. But he found himself actually enjoying Rose's company when she wasn't being obnoxious like bragging about her achievements.
"So what are your electives this year?" She asked, scratching Scorpius' pet calico cat's ear. "I'm taking Arithmancy and Divination. Same as last year."
"Doesn't your mum hate Divination?" Scorpius tilted his head.
"Yes well," Rose folded her hands on her skirt. "I like it. Despite it being considered a hoax, I enjoy opening my inner eye. So what about you two?"
"I'm taking Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, and Ancient Runes!" Scorpius said proudly.
"Care of Magical Creatures and Runes." Albus said.
"You were always fond of creatures." Rose noted.
“He's brilliant!" Scorpius blurted out. "I was rubbish at it when I took it third year...but Al has raw talent. He makes it look easy"
Albus blushed at the praise, somehow more embarrassed (and delighted) when Scorpius said it- though he wasn't sure why. His mind was still buzzing even when Scorpius was babbling non stop through the train ride about books he read over the summer. Albus could tell even Rose, who was an avid reader herself was getting a bit bored but still politely nodding her head. But Albus was still paying attention, watching as Scorpius' bright silver eyes lit up in excitement whenever he mentioned a particular moment in the book he loved.
Halfway through the train ride, they happily gorged themselves with way too many sweets from the trolley witch. Rose had to order for them, as they still feared the wrath of the trolley witch from the previous year.
"So I'm trying out for the Quidditch team this year." Scorpius said, cheerfully unwrapping a box of fudge flies. "Dad's been helping me practice over the summer."
Albus still detested Quidditch, but he was ecstatic for his friend. "That's fantastic, mate!" His fingertips accidently brushed Scorpius' thigh. He retracted his hand, blushing profusely.
Rose shot Albus a knowing look which he ignored.
Scorpius turned pink. "I'm excited. And nervous. Mostly nervous."
"Don't be." Rose said. "I'm sure you'll be great. But I won't go easy on you." She added with a smirk.
“Noted.” Scorpius grinned.
Rose’s dark eyes widened and she immediately hid her face with one of her heavy textbooks.
Both boys shared a look, puzzled.
“Is something wro- ohh…” Scorpius glanced behind Albus’ head towards the compartment.
“What?” Albus turned around. All he saw was a figure moving through the corridors. “What?” He repeated.
“Frances Longbottom.” Scorpius whispered.
“Frankie.” Rose corrected quickly.
“What about her?” Albus knew her as Neville’s daughter. They had met a few times, but he wasn’t exactly close with the blonde Gryffindor. She was a year younger and seemed to always hang around with Rose. “Wait. Did you two have a row?”
Rose checked to see if Frankie was gone, then removed her book, sighing miserably. “Kind of. It’s complicated.”
“You don’t have to tell us.” Scorpius said. “We can…”
“No. No, I need to tell someone.” Rose took a deep breath. “We snogged.”
“Snogged?”
“Yes, Albus. Snogged. Kissed. Pressed our lips together.” Rose huffed.
“I didn’t even know you two were together.” Albus shrugged.
“We aren’t.” She played with one of the pages in the book. “I do like her though. I just…”
“I get it.” Scorpius said. “I really do, me being…” He waved his hand vaugley. “Bisexual and all.” He sang ‘bisexual’, stretching the word. Albus giggled fondly, immensely proud that his friend was confident and open with his sexuality.
“Except I don’t like labels. Neither does Frankie.” Rose frowned. “I’m not out to anyone except my parents and Hugo. And you guys I suppose. I know...I know things are different now, but I still feel scared. I guess that’s why I’ve been avoiding her.”
“It’s a shame Hogwarts doesn’t have a safe space for queer people.” Albus said thoughtfully staring out the misty window. He hadn’t meant anything by it, just a statement. But Scorpius yelped out.
“THAT’S IT!” He shrieked, elated. Realizing how loud he was, blushed. “I mean…” He lowered his voice. “That’s it! Albus, you’re amazing!” He hugged him tightly.
“I am?” Albus wheezed from Scorpius’ bone crushing hug.
“He is?” Rose looked even more confused.
“An LGBT+ club!” Scorpius exclaimed. “For queer and questioning students to hang out and be themselves!”
“That’s...not a terrible idea.” Rose said. “But I’m not sure I would have time to attend with studying and Quidditch practice...and…”
“We can help you! We’ll do it together.” Scorpius said.
“We will?” Albus cringed. “I dunno guys.” He had a sickly feeling in his stomach. Scorpius noticed immediately.
“You alright, Al? You look a bit ill.” Scorpius frowned, checking Albus’ forehead. “No fever…”
“Yeah, just too many sweets.” Albus lied, swallowing, praying silently he wouldn’t vomit over his crush. If he did, any hope of Scorpius liking him would disappear.
“Just rest Albus.” Rose said. “I should go- I just remembered I have prefect rounds to do. It was nice seeing you both though.”
Once she left, Albus leaned against Scorpius' shoulder to use as a pillow. His eyes fluttered closed, already drifting off despite the sharp pains in his stomach.
The idea of an LGBT+ club sounded nice and a wonderful feeling of comfort to students that needed it. But Albus couldn’t go. The image of standing around, telling his classmates who he really was, terrified him. He had known people who were like him, his Uncle Charlie for instance. But for some reason it panicked him more in regards to himself. He knew it would add another target to his back. A target that would only become more noticeable if he revealed his feelings for Scorpius.
Harry Potter and his Slytherin, squib, gay, son was too much. And there were times he hated himself for it. He knew times had changed, that perhaps the world would be more accepting instead of disgusted if he came out. But he couldn’t do it now. So he stayed silent.
Both boys fell asleep, cuddled against each other until they arrived at Hogwarts late that evening.
Rose finished her rounds in record time, despite forgetting to do it initially. Normally she was on top of things, especially school related things but today (most of the summer really) she had been distracted. Her mum had taken notice, Hermione had always been sharp and understanding especially regarding her children. Even Hugo and her father seemed to notice something was different. Whenever her eyes wandered or she ate less during meals. The little things they picked up on.
Coming out wasn’t too terrible, her family had accepted her so quickly it was almost overwhelming. It had felt like a weight lifting off her chest. She was mostly relieved.
But the aching feeling of dread regarding Frankie was too strong. She didn’t know if what she felt was love or just simple admiration. She had always liked Frankie. Quiet, polite and gentle, she was a girl who didn’t mind when Rose talked passionately about the Goblin Rebellion or about a brand new book she read. Most girls called Rose boring, unappealing. Sure, she was a Granger-Weasley, Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team but those traits could only get her so far. She had the intellect and know it all personality of her mother, with the Weasley temper. It was an unfortunate combination that frustrated her fellow classmates. But Frankie was always encouraging, even relished in Rose’s academic achievements. And in return, Rose would love to listen for hours about Herbology. Frankie knew facts about more than 300 types of plants, magical and otherwise.
She was an enigma of both beauty, with her strawberry blonde hair and bright hazel eyes, to her smile which revealed a small dimple on her cheek. To her passion for plants and book binding, a special hobby of hers that Rose didn’t quite understand, but still enjoyed talking about it with her.
Love was a strong word, but there were nights she still remembered her soft pink lips as they kissed. It was electrifying. And even if Frankie had moved on by now, Rose would still remember her first crush and first real friend.
“Rosie?”
That voice. Shit.
Rose froze, turning around to face Frankie, the hairs on her neck rising. “Frankie?” She uttered, hating how weak her voice sounded.
“I meant to talk to you.” Frankie said, her voice unsure. “About summer.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Rose said coldly, expressionless. “We snogged, that’s it.” Her voice started to shake slightly, forcing herself to swallow the lump in her throat. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Please listen Rose, I didn’t mean to panic I just-”
“I have to finish my rounds. Goodbye Frances.” Rose turned around, refusing to look behind her and see her friend’s crushed, heartbroken expression.
Okay, so maybe that first impression wasn’t perfect. No problem. James was excellent at improvising. By the time the train halted to a stop, he found himself walking side by side with Iris.
“So um,” James said dumbly. “Iris, right? Like the flower?” He wanted to smack himself.
“Yes.” She said, eyebrows raised. “James, like the Potter?” She smirked.
James nodded, lost in her eyes for a moment before grinning like a fool.
“Thought so.” Iris said, eyes twinkling.
James took a deep breath. “I was- maybe...hopefully- I mean if you’re not, you know-”
Come on James. Use your words! You’re talking like a bumbling idiot.
“Firs’ years! Firs years o’r here!” Hagrid bellowed, holding his enormous lantern. Tiny, anxious first year students followed the half giant towards the boats, while the older students traveled to the carriages drawn by thestrals.
James cursed internally. There goes his chance. Unless…
“Maybe we can sit in the same carriage!” He blurted out, red as a tomato.
Iris looked at him, taking a few moments to process the random statement. “I’d love to but I usually sit with my friends. Sorry James. I’ll see you around though?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah sure.” James pretended as if he wasn’t wounded at all. “Yeah that sounds great. I’ll see you around then.” As if to make things worse, he did double finger guns.
To his surprise, Iris returned the gesture with a giggle then joined her friends.
When James found his mates, he grumbled moodily to himself. To his horror, they had seen the whole thing.
“Wow Jamesie, I’m impressed.” Freddie teased. “It isn’t even the first day, and you’ve already made a complete arse of yourself.”
“When is he not?” Roxanne said cheekily.
“Oi, shut up.” James groaned. “I don’t know what happened.”
“I do!” Chaya Goldstein piped up. “You tried to flirt and failed quite miserably. It was honestly a bit pathetic.”
“Nice going by the way, I’d give it a...4/10.” Nick Wood said.
“My flirting skills aren't 4/10!” James argued.
“You’re right, that might be too generous.” Nick shrugged. “Negative four then?”
“It’s not like you’re surrounded by girls either, Nicky.” Freddie pointed out. “Nor am I.”
“Because you’re gay, idiot.” Roxanne rolled her eyes.
“Hey, so are you!”
“I prefer the term lesbian thank you very much!”
“Anyway!” Freddie said. “James, this hopeless romantic act is getting worrisome.”
“I’m not a hopeless romantic.” James scoffed.
Freddie looked unconvinced. “Need I remind you of Maya Daniels? Or Luke Winter?”
James’ cheeks flushed. “That was a long time ago.”
“Wasn’t your thing with Luke only a month ago?” Nick asked.
James stared at his shoes in shame, staying silent until they arrived at Hogwarts. What was his deal with Iris? He dated loads of times, both boys and girls and not once had he felt so...fuzzy. It was like the human equivalent of those mushy Valentines cards. It was too weird.
At least he could avoid her at the feast hopefully. That is, until they started doing their rounds together.
How was he going to survive 7th year?