Albus Potter and Friends

The next few months at Hogwarts sped by quickly for Albus. By the time Christmas had rolled round the eleven-year-old had settled into his classes, made some good friends, attended the first school Quidditch matches of the year, and his level of homework had reached a higher amount, now that the first year teachers expected them to be able to handle it comfortably. Truth be told, Albus didn't even mind the homework - he was enjoying his time at school, despite the constant pressures that seemed to follow him.

He also saw, for the first time, the Christmas decorations that Hogwarts hosted. Christmas trees glittering with ice that never melted, glowing baubles and Christmas lights that didn't need electricity to light up lined the walls of the Great Hall, while mistletoe among other decorations could be found along the many corridors. It made Albus almost feel sad he was going home - how often would he get to see the school in such a festive state? Plus, he was only really returning to a family where he felt overshadowed by his relatives.

As the Hogwarts Express shut its doors just a few days before Christmas, Albus and Scorpius dragged their things to an empty compartment, taking their seats and watching the scenery flash past as the train gathered speed. Their school vanished from sight within only a few moments - they were on their way home.

Scorpius sighed contentedly and pulled from his pocket a stack of playing cards. "I'm bored already. Wanna play Exploding Snap?"

Albus looked at him cautiously. "You know how bad I suck at that game."

His friend grinned. "That's pretty much why I'm asking you to play. Come on... you know you want to..."

"Fine," Albus said grudgingly, moving to sit beside his friend. They had only played two rounds when they were interrupted by a familiar dark red-haired figure at the door. Rose gave the two a reproachful look, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe. Albus could tell his cousin was only pretending to look annoyed - she just had something against Scorpius.

"Are you right there, Rose?" Albus asked, taking a moment to pull his eyes away from the game. In his moment of distraction Scorpius successfully snapped his hand down on the cards, creating a large clapping noise that echoed across the room. Albus ignored his friend's squeal of glee, instead studying his cousin's face, which appeared to be hiding something.

"You won't believe who's on the train," Rose replied, rather breathlessly, her eyes shining.

"Er... who?"

"Teddy!" Rose exclaimed excitedly, a wild grin stretching across her face. "He snuck onto the train!"

Albus froze. "You're kidding me!"

She rolled her eyes, walking forward and grabbing him by the wrist. "Come on, I'll show you!" Rose pulled her cousin out of the compartment, Albus all the while motioning Scorpius to follow. She led them down the train, only a few compartments away from the one they had been in, when they came to a stop outside a more crowded-looking compartment. Rose flung the door open.

"Look who I found!"

"Gee, Albus, glad you could join us," his brother James greeted in a sarcastic but still friendly tone. He turned back to where most of the group was huddled around Teddy. Teddy was, by far, the tallest in the group of people Albus was most familiar with - the 19-year-old's hair, now a violent shade of blue, was clearly evident above everybody else's heads.

Teddy Lupin turned and gave Albus a warm grin. "How you going, Al?" He pulled himself out of the group, giving his young a friend a high five. His hair was ruffled and his cheeks rosy red - it looked at though he had just been out traipising in the cold.

"I'm alright," Albus replied, giving a small smile in return. "Erm... Teddy... how'd you get on the train?"

The older boy gave another flawless grin. "I was in Hogsmeade, doing some random bits of Christmas shopping, and I saw the train making it's way to Hogwarts and I... I couldn't resist." He looked slightly sheepish.

"Where's Victoire?" Rose piped up.

"She's at home, waiting for you guys all to get back. Nobody knows I'm here except you guys."

Albus glanced back towards Scorpius. "Hey Teddy... wanna play Exploding Snap?"