Chapter Text
I felt Dad’s hand on my shoulder and nervous butterflies in my stomach. Together, we ran toward the bricked column between platforms 9 and 10. I instinctively braced for impact, the story of Dad and Uncle Ron crashing into the wall was particularly haunting. But luckily, we did have our dad's rotten luck. Bonus points for the Potters.
We came out on the other side, surrounded by wizards in robes and white fog. I didn’t realise I had held my breath until I felt my chest relax. Through the fog, the Hogwarts Express sat on the tracks; a scarlet steam train, and bloody impressive at that. A step closer to Hogwarts. Anxiety gripped me again.
“Where are they?” I couldn’t make out anyone in this fog.
“We’ll find them,” Mum assured me. We walked on, but I couldn’t be sure that we hadn’t already passed them. I didn’t want to get on the train alone with James, he’d leave me as soon as he saw his friends, he would.
“I think that’s them, Al,” Mum said suddenly. She was talking about the group of people near the very last car. Only when we were right beside them could I make out their faces alright.
“Hi,” I said, the relief more than evident in my voice. It would’ve been embarrassing if Rose hadn’t lit up as she did when she saw me. She was already wearing her first-day robes. Very Granger of her.
Uncle Ron and Dad started talking about the trip over. They unstrapped my trolley and took my trunk and ferret, Silas. Uncle Ron was probably the only man that could make Dad laugh as hard as he did; I didn’t see how traffic could be so amusing.
“Did you start reading your textbooks?” Rose asked me very excitedly. “I started on Quintessence: A Quest, but that wasn’t on the assigned book list that came on Professor McGonagall’s letter.”
“Headmistress,” I corrected her, a rare thing.
“Right, Headmistress.”
In that moment, I heard Uncle Ron say: “If you’re not in Gryffindor, we’ll disinherit you, but no pressure.” He was talking to Lily and Hugo. Mum and Aunt Hermione snapped.
“Ron!”
Lily and Hugo laughed, but Rose and I shared a nervous look. James’s words resonated in my head again.
I felt Uncle Ron near us, but he was turned away, looking further down the platform.
“—little Scorpius,” I managed to catch. “Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother’s brains.”
“Ron, for heaven’s sake,” Aunt Hermione said in a familiarly disapproving tone. “Don’t try to turn them against each other before they’ve even started school!”
“You’re right, sorry,” Uncle said. Then he leaned closer to Rose, his tone still playful. “Don’t get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Grandad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood.”
“Dad,” Rose said, heat creeping to her face. Uncle Ron chuckled.
“Hey!” James came up, already having stowed away his trunk, owl, and trolley. He was excited about something. “Teddy’s back there,” he was out of breath. “Just seen him! And guess what he’s doing? Snogging Victoire!”
Our parents didn’t seem surprised by this. They probably already knew. At least Mum and Dad had to know. And Uncle Bill probably told Uncle Ron… Yeah, they knew.
“Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing—”
“You interrupted them?” Mum interjected. “You are so like Ron—”
“—and he said he’d come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He’s snogging her!” He forced that last part as if he hadn't been clear.
“Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!” Lily whispered beside me. “Teddy would really be part of the family then!”
“He already comes for dinner about four times a week,” Dad said. “Why don’t we just invite him to live with us and have it done with?”
“Yeah!” said James, now just as excited as Lily. “I don’t mind sharing with Al— Teddy could have my room!”
“No,” Dad said firmly, “you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished.”
He looked at the wristwatch he’s had forever.
“It’s nearly eleven, you’d better get on board.”
“Don’t forget to give Neville our love!” Mum told James, hugging him.
“Mum! I can’t give a professor love!”
“But you know Neville—”
James rolled his eyes. “Outside, yeah, but at school he’s Professor Longbottom, isn’t he? I can’t walk into Herbology and give him love…” he shook his head at Mum while she looked very amused with him. Rose moved toward her parents to say goodbye and hop on the train. James made to kick me as he often did.
“See you, Al. Watch out for the thestrals.”
“I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!”
James laughed at that, like the git he is. He said goodbye to Mum and Dad and sprinted onto the Express. Off to look for his friends, I’m sure.
“Thestrals are nothing to worry about,” Dad told me soothingly. “They’re gentle things, there’s nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won’t be going up to school in the carriages, you’ll be going on the boats.”
Mum kissed me goodbye then. “See you at Christmas.”
“Bye, Al,” Dad said, hugging me. “Don’t forget Hagrid’s invited you to tea next Friday. Don’t mess with Peeves. Don’t duel anyone till you’ve learned how. And don’t let James wind you up.”
“What if I’m Slytherin?” The question just came out. I don’t think I actually meant to say it aloud. It was a small whisper.
Dad crouched in front of me with a smile. I met his gaze, his green eyes like my own.
“Albus Severus,” he said, his volume matching mine, “you were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”
“But just say—”
“—then Slytherin will have gained an excellent student, won’t it? It doesn’t matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you, you’ll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account.”
“Really?” I didn’t think that was even a possibility.
“It did for me.” Woah. Had the Sorting Hat changed its mind about Dad? I never thought he could be anything other than Gryffindor.
All around us, students started hopping on board. Rose and I did the same, Mum closing the door behind us. We peeked out the window to find students staring at our parents.
“Why are they all staring,” I asked. It was unnerving seeing how people gawked at them.
“Don’t let it worry you,” said Uncle Ron. “It’s me. I’m extremely famous.”
That made us laugh. The train began to move, and we waved them good-bye. It hit me that people weren’t staring at my family, but at Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley: The Golden Trio, people called them. How odd.