A/N: This is a fairly short story (only six chapters) and will not really go into much depth of how things get developed after the first school year (although it does touch on other years lightly) because it just didn't want to be written that way. I hope you enjoy it. This will be updated once a week (every Saturday).

Chapter One

"The Sorting Hat will take your choice into account."

Those were the most wonderful words he had ever heard in his life, thought Albus Severus Potter, as he walked out of the compartment he was sharing with his family. James' teasing was getting to be too much; plus Albus Severus felt the need to think hard about this new information. He knew that Rose would take care of Loki (his ferret that was half Jarvey) while he was gone. Rose had told Albus Severus, right before he left, that it didn't matter what House he got sorted into, because it would be where he belonged. Of course, people always said that, but now he had a choice, and that made him think. What he wanted made a difference.

If he belonged in Slytherin, did he really want to get sorted into Gryffindor? After all, he would have to deal with his brother's teasing that much more often, about how he wasn't suited to being in Gryffindor. He was too quiet, and sly, and sneaky, and read too much. If he asked to be in Gryffindor, or even Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, he would have to live with being in a House that he might not be best suited to for the next seven years. Of course, he didn't want to make anyone mad at him, either. He hated it when people were angry or upset, especially directed towards him. But his dad and mum and Aunt Hermione and Rose and Uncle George would all support him, no matter what James or Uncle Ron said.

Really, all he wanted was to be where he could finally belong. Where he was supposed to be. To be accepted as he was. He'd never really fit in with most of his family, as much as both parties tried. He was too quiet and composed, unlike the enormous lot of rambunctious Gryffindors that the Weasleys were composed of. His dad was the quietest person in the family, and as such they were exceptionally close, but even he could yell and wrestle with the best of them. Albus Severus was still a part of the family, still included... But he was more likely to be in a hidden corner with a book, or a stack of parchment and quills, than out playing games with the rest of the gang. And when anyone other than his parents, Aunt Hermione, Uncle George, or Rose found him, they would all try to get him to socialise, even though he clearly didn't want to. That didn't sound like it left many people to bother him, but there were an enormous lot of Weasleys.

They were just too loud. Noise hurt. His hearing was so sensitive it was disabling, and he strongly associated yelling with being angry – which often meant he left family arguments or even friendly debates and competitions in tears and nearly panicking because one, it hurt, and two, he was freaking out over emotions that weren't necessarily present. (His dad blamed Uncle Ron for that, Uncle Ron got really loud when he was angry and Uncle Ron's temper was a frightening thing to witness.)

Albus Severus sighed as a lock of black hair fell into his face, and he brushed it behind his ear, looking around. He was standing alone in the middle of one of the last cars... It was time to find an empty compartment. Standing in the middle of the train and being lost in thought was not a smart thing to do. He found one surprisingly easily, and ducked into it; just in time for a group of people to come into the car, their voices raised in argument.

He heard some fairly degrading terms through the compartment door, and heard a tussle begin, before covering his ears to block the noise out as best he could. His siblings and cousins might have gone out there to stop the fight but Albus Severus was anything but stupid. A scrawny first year interfering in a fight, or worse, bullying, which this sounded like, was a recipe for disaster.

Suddenly the door opened and someone ducked into the compartment, and locked the door with a spell, even though magic wasn't allowed outside of school. (Not that that had stopped his dad from teaching them it anyway in case they got mobbed or kidnapped, but still.) The people who had come into the car soon became louder and angrier and eventually left, which left Albus Severus and his unwitting companion alone.

He took a good look at the boy across from him, who looked to be his age. His hair was platinum blonde, his eyes were a surprising silver-grey that had hints of blue hidden within the depths, and his skin was milky looking; pale, smooth, and well taken care of. It only took a moment to recognise him, and Albus knew exactly who he was, from overhearing his uncle Ron instructing Rose on a rivalry or something with him. Aunt Hermione had chided Uncle Ron, however, so it must mean that this boy was okay to be around and talk to, no matter what anyone said.

No matter what anyone said...

Suddenly, he came to a decision. It didn't matter what happened. Albus Severus Potter was not his father, or his mother, or his brother, or anyone else except himself. He wouldn't ask the Hat to be put into Gryffindor. He would only ask to be where he belonged; he wouldn't abandon his values or what courage he had just because he might get sorted into a different house than Gryffindor. With that decided, he smiled brightly at the pale boy and held out his hand, his green eyes sparkling with determination. Today he would take his first step out of the shadow of his father. This boy would be his first new friend, if he could put aside his propensity to stay silent and instead speak up, for once, and assuming the paler boy was willing. Somehow, without the pressure and noise of his family around him, he found speaking up to be surprisingly easy.

"Hello, I'm Albus Severus Potter. My uncle Ron doesn't like your father, but my aunt Hermione told him off for telling Rose to be your rival or something, so you must be okay to have as a friend and I would really like you to be my first friend here."

The boy (Malfoy was his last name, for sure, but Albus didn't know his first name) looked up, his grey eyes wide with shock and what might have been amusement, and after a few moments of contemplation he took the hand in front of him with a firm grip. "I'm Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. My father doesn't like your uncle either, but he didn't mention whether or not I was to avoid you, which, I suppose, means that we can be friends. You're named after someone my father looks up to, after all."

Albus Severus grinned, feeling relieved. He had made his first human friend who was not also a family member! And Scorpius seemed nice. At first glance, he was soft-spoken, just like Albus Severus was, and he didn't seem to be shy, only quiet. Again, just like Albus Severus was. "I usually tell people to call me by both of my names, because it feels right that way, but you can call me whatever you want, I don't mind. Can I call you Score, or would you rather I call you Scorpius, or do you prefer both of your names?"

"I've never had a nickname, but you may call me Score, if you must. Your second name is the name of someone whom my father really admires, did you know that? He calls the portrait we have of him, 'Uncle Sev' and Uncle Sev always grumbles about impropriety, but then he smiles, just a bit, so I call him that too. I'll call you Al though, even though I think Severus is a much better name than Albus, because otherwise it could get quite confusing."

Albus Severus smiled and nodded, and immediately began abusing the nickname he had just gotten permission to use, turning the conversation to school and what they thought would happen there.

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was besieged the very first moment he was recognised on the train. At first it was with pure-blooded children of acquaintances of his father, all of whom wanted to be his friend because of his family status. His father had advised him to make real friends first (and then gave him a list of people who he should avoid, as well as those who were not suitable as friends but would be good to make alliances with. The Potter and Weasley children were surprisingly absent from said lists), and then allow the people begging for his acquaintance to become peons. Scorpius didn't like that word, but supposed it was better than "hangers-on", "toadies", or "followers", although "minions" was by far the best term – but it sounded sort of malevolent and he wanted to wait until he was comfortable in school before using that term.

After he managed to ditch the annoying students, he ran into people who were nearly the exact opposite, and this time he was running in fear, not out of disdain. He was not his father. And even if he was, his father was never a Death Eater, not really. Scorpius had long ago decided that intent was the important thing, and if someone was forced into something, then they did not deserve to be categorised with the people who did it wholly willingly. His father had told him about the past, and he knew that his father had never been fully willing, and anything he said otherwise was necessary bravado.

Scorpius' father had never ever lied to him, and when a young Scorpius had asked the portrait of Uncle Sev, just to be sure, his father's words had been corroborated. His choices were that, or death, and the death of his family as well. Which meant that, in Scorpius' mind, his father was innocent of being a Death Eater. But even if that hadn't been the case, Scorpius was still not his father. It didn't seem to matter though – no matter how much he said that, these people insisted on terrorizing him.

It was a good thing he was younger and smaller then all of them, and that his father had taught him certain spells to use for defence, one of which was good for hiding and staying hidden. (His father had a "back-up" wand that he reserved strictly for Scorpius to use, although it belonged to his father – so Scorpius knew magic that, by all rights, he should not be able to use, not having attended school yet.) So as soon as they had pushed him into another train car, he had waited for them to begin fighting amongst themselves. Then he had hidden himself, rushed into a silent compartment, and locked it. Using his father's "back-up" wand, of course, which he would Owl back to his father as soon as classes started on Monday, unless his father changed his mind (he'd said he might) and decided to have Scorpius keep it for emergencies.

He had almost thought that his timely escape was a curse, instead of a blessing, when he saw those bloody brilliant green eyes staring out at him from a face he knew all too well. Everyone knew who Harry Potter was, and his youngest son seemed to be practically identical, even down to the almond-shaped eyes, light but not pale skin, and messy black hair.

Then, for the first time (and what certainly would not be the last time, from the feel of things) the Potter boy surprised him, offering his hand in friendship with a short, quiet, and frank speech. Scorpius decided then and there that he would take the opportunity to be less like his father, to be his own person, and accepted it. He figured that at least here was someone who wouldn't judge him, especially not if they were the one offering a hand in friendship. Something about the Potter boy told Scorpius that he wouldn't abuse any trust given him.

Albus Severus Potter was a lot like Scorpius, as they both soon discovered. Both of them were somewhat different from most of their family, quiet, enjoyed reading, loved Quidditch but would rather not play a game that could smash your skull in with a well-placed hit with a Bludger, and (most importantly) laboured under the assumptions other people had that they were their fathers.

"That's why I took your hand, honestly. Of course, I quite like you now, you're right smart, and not a smarmy git. But the first thing I thought was, 'here's one way to be less like my father. I have to take it.' I'm glad I did, really. I'm also glad that your name was not on my fathers list of people not to associate with, or the list of people who are not suitable as friends. I mean, really, if I wanted to badly enough I'd ignore the lists, but my father has good instinct with this sort of thing, and I trust him."

The shocked look on Albus' face was priceless. "Your father gave you a list of people to avoid?"

Al made no mention of his thoughts on any of the words before then, which Scorpius was learning to interpret as "it isn't important", or that Albus was thinking about it. In this case, Scorpius suspected the former. The darker boy didn't care why Scorpius had accepted the offer of friendship, only that he had done so. It was... Refreshing. Very much so. Not being judged just for being himself was undeniably pleasant. "Yes. Most of them are people who have grudges against my father, or vice versa. I was pretty surprised to find that there wasn't a single Potter or Weasley name on the list. My father doesn't talk about your parents or family, almost ever, but my grandfather does, and in a very derogatory way."

"Well it doesn't matter. My uncle Ron is likely to have an apoplectic fit when he finds out that I'm friends with a Malfoy, and Rose'll probably be your friend too, which might cause him to have a heart-attack or an aneurysm. But it really doesn't matter because I want to be your friend. Oh! Speaking of! I need to go get Loki and my bags from Rose. Do you have any bags you would like me to get for you? I don't really think you should risk running into those stupid bullies again."

Albus' voice when he said all of this was hesitant, but determined, and Scorpius had a feeling that while Albus was not really a leader, he was not really a follower, either. Scorpius (or Score, as he was becoming used to being called... The nickname was growing on him, not that he'd admit it to anyone) figured that he'd probably end up taking charge of situations more than Al, though. Unlike the middle Potter child, Scorpius was raised to be a leader, after all. "All of my bags are in one of the baggage cars, even though it's undignified. My father figured I might end up having to ditch them, and my Owl is quite mean, it would be bad if she bit someone's finger off for trying to pet her or something."

As an afterthought, Scorpius smirked and added, "Well, bad for the person whose finger got bitten off, anyhow."

Al laughed at that, which made Scorpius feel highly gratified, and nodded, leaving the room and leaving Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy to wonder at what twist of fate had caused a Potter to befriend him, and to wonder where on earth this unexpected friendship would lead the both of them.

Albus Severus made his way back to the other car and the other compartment, mostly ignoring everything around him. Scorpius was something he never thought he'd really find – a friend who was almost exactly like him in all the important ways. They had the same interests, even including Muggle music, which Score was aware of due to being in several types of music lessons from Muggleborn wizards. Draco Malfoy certainly seemed to be a different person from how Uncle Ron always portrayed him.

Score also thought that Quidditch was too dangerous to play, but enjoyed watching it, and they both thought that there should be a game involving only the two Seekers, in a contest of speed and agility, with no other people. Albus Severus had a bit more of a morbid sense of humour than most of his family, which he had always lamented, until now, that is. Because Score had almost the exact same sense of humour. Rose would not have laughed about someone's finger being bitten off. For that matter, James probably wouldn't have either, if only because "Malfoy" had said it.

All in all, Albus Severus was pretty freaking happy at the moment. And it continued on, even when his brother teased him again about landing in Slytherin while he grabbed his bag and Loki, and even when everyone pestered him as to where he had been, and even when they continued pestering him, only this time about where he was now going as well.

Being happy lasted up until one of the cousins grabbed his arm, and the yelling started, which meant that the anxiety and pain started as well. Yelling, yelling, why on earth was his family so damn loud?! He covered his ears to block out the unbearable noise, and screamed at them to just shut the hell up, they were being too loud, and he hated that they wouldn't leave him the hell alone when he asked for it. Where he had been and where he was going was none of their damn business and they needed to stop invading his privacy all the time because he hated being interrogated over nothing! Everyone except for Rose had looked horrified as he said those things, and even Rose had looked concerned with his unexpected cursing.

He practically ran back to the compartment where Score was, dragging his luggage trolley behind him and holding Loki's cage at his side, and immediately collapsed on the floor, laughing so hard with relief from finally standing up for himself that he started crying. Then the crying became more serious as all of his fears came flooding back. His family hated him for being different. They'd all abandon him if he got sorted into Slytherin, which he probably would because he just wasn't like them. Worse, they'd all try to force him to stay away from his new friend, and then he would be all alone again.

Scorpius didn't say anything at first, he just looked at Albus Severus in a contemplating way. When he spoke, it was almost a whisper (Albus Severus had already told him about his hearing), and the soft tone was incredibly soothing. "I think you could use some chocolate. Here."

Then he pulled out a huge bar of Honeydukes chocolate, and broke it in half, handing one half to Albus Severus, who took it after a moment. Of course, it was really exactly what he needed, and soon he was back in the seat across from Score, and they were chatting amicably. Loki was currently out of his cage, and dashing back and forth between Score and Albus Severus – which was amazing, because Loki did not generally like other people, he was beyond picky and didn't even like Uncle Charlie! Although sometimes Loki liked Lils, who was currently going through some sort of growth into herself right now. "Sorry about the scene... I finally told off my family, and I was quite loud, and I used the word hell twice, and the word damn once, which even Rose looked surprised at, and she knows how I feel about them invading my privacy and screaming and demanding answers. Then I just got scared for some reason even though really I was pretty bloody relieved that I finally got that out of my system."

"Do you know what you were scared about?"

Albus Severus looked over at Score, his green eyes completely serious, bordering on worried, and spoke softly, "It might be stupid, but my brother has been teasing me for months about ending up in Slytherin. My dad says Severus Snape was a Slytherin, and that he was the bravest man he ever knew, and I shouldn't be worried, and that if I end up in Slytherin they will be lucky to have me. And honestly, right before I introduced myself to you I had decided to not worry, because the Sorting Hat doesn't make mistakes..."

Scorpius decided to ignore propriety and manners and interrupt Albus, whose voice was getting softer and more hesitant, in part because he knew just what the other boy was going through, and felt like since he knew, there was no point in forcing his new friend to thresh it out in such a manner. "Your family. You're worried about how they will react if you are sorted into Slytherin because they are all Gryffindors and you don't want to disappoint them. My grandfather threatened to disown me if I ended up in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, when I was only five. I'm pretty sure I'll end up in Ravenclaw or Slytherin though."

Al looked up at that, and relief flooded his features. Scorpius suddenly realised that he might have been getting quieter because of the content matter affecting Scorpius, and the thought somehow made him smile. It really was nice to have someone who cared so much about his opinion that wasn't related or a house elf.

"You're not mad?"

Scorpius couldn't help but laugh at that, Al's thoughts echoing his own so closely. "Oh, no way. I know very well the reputation Slytherin has, and for you Slytherin is like Gryffindor to me. For what it's worth, I hope we end up in the same House, because it's nice to have a real friend. My father told me to make at least one good, true friend, before I let all the people who want to be my friend for the status become my peons. His exact word, I swear. I like minions better, but I think I had better not use that until third or fourth year."

"Minions is a hundred, thousand times better than peons, but I agree about waiting. Besides, if you don't use it at first, they'll have less reason to suspect you, yeah? And when you start using it they will already be too loyal to question it."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow and smirked, but said nothing about how easily Al followed his train of thought. There was no reason to make him hysterical again, after all, so he kept quiet about it, but Score personally thought Al would be in Slytherin, easy. There wouldn't even be a choice other than that for him, the darker boy was clearly born for it, despite his demeanour and how he basically exuded innocence. Suddenly Loki, Al's ferret, dashed up his arm and the pale boy laughed, petting the soft, cream coloured fur. The ferret was fairly large, actually. "My father seems to have a love-hate relationship with ferrets. Uncle Sev says it's because a teacher turned him into one while he was in school."

"My dad told me about that! Loki is actually half Jarvey, but he doesn't talk much to people he likes. He can be quite rude to people he doesn't like though, which happens to be most of my family. He likes my dad, Aunt Hermione, Uncle George, Rose, and sometimes Lily, and my mum hexed him the one time he insulted her, so he's quiet to them, but everyone else is fair game. It doesn't sound like much left for him to dislike, but there are tons of Weasleys. Uncle Ron absolutely hates him," he laughed.

Al grinned at Scorpius as he laughed, and didn't seem at all surprised with the next comment the blonde boy made. Scorpius could tell that Albus was thinking that he didn't really seem to be narcissistic (which was true, he wasn't narcissistic, the world revolved around far more than just himself), but he was a bit vain, which could have been annoying, but Score used it for humour a lot so far, even while being serious, so his new friend didn't mind his playful vanity at all. "Well, I think Loki has wonderful taste in people."

"You would think that."

They both laughed, and as the train started to slow, realised that they were almost at their destination. Al grabbed his robe and pulled a clear, sealed bag with pieces of raw meat in it from the pocket, as if making sure it was there, then put it back in as he slid into the robe. He saw Scorpius' curious look and nodded a bit, "For the Thestrals."

Scorpius' eyebrows went up, and he wondered silently what had happened to make Al be able to see the Thestrals, but didn't ask yet. Instead, he asked, "Split it with me?"

He knew that Al was wondering the same thing he was, but the other boy kept quiet as well, simply nodding as he gathered his items. Loki willingly crawled back into the cage, and Scorpius shook his head at that. Half Jarvey. Really, he should have suspected, when he first saw how large the ferret was, and how calm it seemed to be whilst caged up. Since he had no bags of his own, he took the cage, and Al just smiled at him as they hurriedly but calmly walked out of the compartment and towards the front of the train so as to avoid the rushes and crowds. When the train stopped, they were the first ones out, and they walked all the way to the back of the group of carriages, hoping to get one on their own.

Albus Severus and Scorpius both watched the Thestrals in awe as they fed their two the bag of meat, piece by piece, and stroked the soft, leathery skin. "They're beautiful," was all either of them said, both of them focusing on the animals, rather than their reasons for being able to see them. After that was done, both of them got into the carriage, neither speaking a word until the carriage had been loaded with the rest of their baggage and they were safely in the air. Scorpius' black Owl, Nascha Lilitu ("Nascha means 'owl' in Navajo, and Lilitu means 'of the night' in Sumerian. My father helped me pick it out," he had explained, his silvery eyes quietly proud) seemed to not mind the presence of either Albus Severus or Loki, but she stayed asleep for most of the trip.

Scorpius was the one to ask first, unsurprisingly. "What happened? To make you be able to see them?"

Albus Severus didn't ask what Score meant. "It's really sort of silly. Most adults wouldn't think much of it, I suppose... I saw a Muggle hunter two years ago, in the forest near our house. My dad says he was a horrible excuse for a hunter, for many reasons, but mostly because he tried to kill a doe who was in season to have fawns, and also because he missed. He didn't kill her with the shot, and the doe got away, but I followed her. And I sat there with her as she bled to death, because I was lost by then, and alone, and I figured she probably was too, and I didn't want her to die that way. She had two fawns that I took care of for a year, actually.

"My dad found me, helped me bury her and find the fawns, and when that was done he helped me accept it all. I remember him telling Mum about it and she took my brother and sister over to Aunt Hermione's place, and then came back. They spent all weekend talking with me about it. Then he took me to see Thestrals one day a month later, and told me why I could see them."

It didn't take long for Scorpius to respond, "I don't think it's silly. Death is death, no matter what form it is in. My grandfather threw a fit one day when I was really young, like five or so, because... Well, I don't know why, really. My father says that I'm more open, more emotional, and less cruel than he was when he was my age, and that it isn't a bad thing at all, but that Grandfather hates it. Anyway, Grandfather used Crucio and Avada Kevadra on a cat I was fond of. When my father found out about it he refused to let my grandfather see me again until he apologised.

"I'm sort of glad my grandfather hasn't apologised yet. It means that whenever he comes over I don't have to be anywhere near him. But my father didn't Obliviate me or anything, and he explained death to me, and like yours, helped me accept it. He never took me to see the Thestrals, but he did tell me about them and everything. Father says that death is a natural part of life, and should not be feared, even though it is sad sometimes."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that, occasionally breaking it with a comment about the scenery, or a question about something random. Contrary to what he thought would happen, Albus Severus became increasingly less worried as they neared the moment of decision. Part of it was undoubtedly because of his new-found friendship with Score, who had made it clear that Houses didn't matter, really. He would continue being Albus Severus' friend no matter what.

Therefore, when the two contrasting boys debarked from the carriage and lined up with the rest of the first years, Albus Severus was fidgeting from nervous excitement more than anything else. And as Scorpius' name got called, and the Sorting Hat took much longer than the people in the Great Hall seemingly expected before it called out, "Slytherin!" he decided on a mantra.

So, when they called out his name, and the Sorting Hat was placed upon his head, he only thought one thing, over and over again. He listened as the Hat mumbled and cajoled, and seemed overall pleased with the words he kept on repeating. 'Well, at least I can put you where you really belong, I'm surprised you didn't ask for anywhere else like your father did. Too late now though, boy, I've decided to put you into...' "SLYTHERIN!" The Sorting Hat yelled it out triumphantly, and a very audible gasp of surprise rippled throughout the Great Hall, as everyone stared at the Potter who just got sorted into Slytherin, their stares filled with intermingled shock and awe.

Well, everyone except for Score, who just walked up and grabbed his hand as he stepped away from the stool, pulling him to the Slytherin table. "I knew you'd be in Slytherin, I just knew it!"

And instead of crying, or being worried, or wondering about what the Hat had said, Albus Severus Potter just laughed, shook his head, and sat down next to Score, responding with a friendly jab. "Yeah, yeah. You just expected you'd get your way like you always do, you spoiled brat."

The Great Hall was even quieter than before, and it felt like everyone was holding their breath, wondering what would happen next, how the Malfoy boy would react to being called a spoiled brat by the Potter boy, and hushed whispers broke out as soon as Scorpius laughed, "Well, obviously. I always get my way."

Then the Slytherin table broke out into applause, and Albus Severus blushed, overwhelmed in a not-so-bad but definitely-very-weird way, and hid his face in his arms, really too uncomfortable with all the loud noise to do anything else. Scorpius glared at them when they kept on going for longer than was absolutely necessary, and apparently he had inherited his father's glare, because it shut them up pretty fast. Then he reached into Albus Severus' pocket and pulled out the last two pieces of chocolate that the dark-haired boy had saved, and handed them to him, repeating what he had said on the train. "Here, you look like you could use some chocolate."

Albus Severus laughed again and ate the delicious chocolate, marvelling at how much better it tasted now that the worry was eased from his gut. "Thanks. Dinner's soon, yeah? I'm starving all of a sudden!"

"Yep, as soon as the last few students get Sorted."

Score looked over at him contemplatively once more, and asked, "What did you say to the Hat? You were under there almost as long as I was."

He smiled over at his (best) friend and leaned over, not wanting anyone else to hear, even though it wasn't really anything special. "I asked him to put me where I would be happiest and where I belonged. He told me that my dad asked to be in somewhere else instead of Slytherin, even though the Hat wanted to put him into Slytherin. I never knew that!"

Once he said that, Al leaned back and looked over at Score, "What about you? You were under there longer than most of the people expected, from what the whispers were saying."

"Pretty much the same thing. The Hat was just having a hard time deciding whether the place I belonged best was Ravenclaw or Slytherin. That joke I told you about Nascha biting someone's finger off decided it, in the end."

They both snickered at that, and as the food finally appeared on the table, dug in with fervour. It turned out they had a great many favourite foods in common as well, including a love of pumpkin juice, an intense dislike of butterbeer unless it was icy cold (which was unusual, considering that it was typically served warm), and both of them agreeing that the only thing in the world better than treacle tart was chocolate.

"You can cook? How ever did that come about?"

"I learned from the house elves, and when my dad found out, he sighed and said, "At least you are learning something productive. Cooking will help you with Potions, so you had better make good grades in it." Which I found to be hilarious, really. If I ever have trouble with Potions I can just consult Uncle Sev."

"Wow, I wouldn't have expected him to say that. Then again, he seems to be a lot different from how Uncle Ron talks about him. Uncle Ron only knows your dad from school, so..."

James was listening to his brother as he waited for a good time to let the younger boy know he wanted to sit down, and was shocked. He had always thought of Albus Severus as shy, even though the boy insisted he wasn't shy. But he was just so soft-spoken and self-effacing around the family that everyone but Rose, Aunt Hermione, Uncle George, and his parents just assumed that he was, indeed, shy. James Sirius Potter was absolutely positive now that both he and the entire rest of the family had been dead wrong.

Once a lull came into the conversation he sat down, and got formally introduced to Scorpius, or "Score" as Albus Severus called him. Scorpius did not seem willing to let anyone else call him that, though. He was there for a good half an hour, just observing his brother, who seemed to completely forget about his presence after he didn't say anything in the first five minutes.

His entire idea of what his brother was like was shattered. Albus Severus was not at all shy. He was, as he had said many times before, "just quiet". His younger brother was currently talking with his new friend Scorpius (Sigh. Albus Severus' first school friend would be Malfoy's son. Uncle Ron was going to have a fit.), who, much to James' surprise, seemed to be just as subdued as Albus was. They both spoke quietly and talked only when they actually had something to say, instead of reaching out to try and fill moments of silence.

Neither of them were rambunctious or noisy, although the conversations did become pretty animated at points, and whenever any of the Slytherins nearest to them began getting loud enough that Albus Severus would wince, Scorpius would glare at them until they quieted down. At one point he even raised his voice at them after covering Albus Severus' ears, threatening to hex them unpleasantly.

Now that James actually paid attention, he noticed that his brother had a visibly unpleasant reaction to too much noise… and felt incredibly terrible about all those times that he and the rest of the family tried to push the younger boy into joining them when he obviously wanted to go read or do something else. Even their mum had been guilty of that a time or two. He felt even worse about being a part of the reason Albus Severus had "made a scene" (or rather, defended himself, in all honesty) earlier, because he was undoubtedly one of the loudest family members. Scorpius didn't seem to mind the noise that much, but he was pretty obviously looking out for Albus Severus, which shocked James at first.

Soon he decided to go back to his table though, and he clapped a hand on Albus Severus' shoulder, "I'm glad you have a friend, and I'm glad that you aren't upset about your House. We all still love you, and no one is going to disown you or anything. Rose ended up in Ravenclaw, but we both know she'll end up using that to brag, rather than anything else, since to her, it proves she's already smarter than her dad. And I'll make sure not to tell anyone else that you let Scorpius call you Al when the rest of us have to call you Albus Severus."

Albus Severus blushed a bit at that, opening his mouth to say something, and James just ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, I get it. Scorpius isn't likely to forget who else you're named after besides Dumbledore, and the rest of the family probably wouldn't have only called you Severus if you had asked. Of course, I think you have to worry about that a lot less now, but yeah. I'm off. I'll see you around."

Albus Severus sighed with relief as soon as his brother left the table. Of course, he had known deep down that they would still love him, he was family after all, but James had taken it better than he had expected. For a while he had actually forgotten that his brother was sitting next to them, which was weird since his brother was usually so loud, even when he wasn't talking.

"I think I passed."

"What?"

Albus Severus looked over at Score, who nodded towards James, and he realised what part of that whole mess had been about. "Oh! Right, well, I think you did too since he didn't even bother with a threat. Not that it would have mattered if you didn't pass, because really, he's not my boss."

Scorpius was looking at him intently, and Albus Severus tilted his head a bit, wondering what the pale boy was about to ask him. "Was your brother right about the reason you go by Albus Severus?"

Oh. Well, that was an easy question, he thought. "Yeah. I've actually always wanted to meet Severus Snape, although my dad says he is a hard person to get along with and can be intimidating... I think that's just because my dad never took the time to try and get along with him, which he admits to being true. Severus Snape saved my dad's life a bunch in school, and basically without him I wouldn't exist. Dad says Severus Snape was the bravest man he ever knew."

Scorpius grinned at him and stood up, motioning for Albus to follow him, which he did. "Uncle Sev lived in the dungeons, and if we get there before the others I can take you to meet him before we all get our rooms assigned and everything. Father told me where he had a portrait hidden down here."

Albus Severus rushed to Score's side, his eyes wide with nervous anticipation. He had so many things he wanted to tell the former Headmaster! They headed down to the dungeons together, Score leading the way. Albus Severus didn't even bother to ask how he knew the way there, after all, he already knew more than one way to get to the kitchens. The trip was a bit longer than he expected, although the dark haired boy soon realised that they were still supposed to be in the Great Hall, so Scorpius was taking no chances.

"My dad said he wouldn't tell me all the ways to get everywhere, or all of the short-cuts and hidden passages in the school, because firstly he didn't know them all, only most of them, and secondly, I should learn on my own. But he did tell me like fifteen different ways to get to the dungeons in case I needed to avoid getting caught."

Score looked over at Albus Severus, seeming unsurprised when the darker boy just grinned and nodded, confiding in him that, "I know about as many ways to get to the kitchen, we'll have to swap routes, yea?"

Of course, the answer was a resounding yes, and as they finally made it to the dungeons, Scorpius completely ignored the entrance to the common room, instead tapping three times on a seemingly random brick. It depressed, and he repeated the gesture with two more bricks, causing a passageway to open up in the wall, although it was not actually visible. From sight, it looked like nothing had happened, but when Scorpius walked into the wall Albus followed him, and the door slid shut behind them as the corridor they were in became dimly lit with torches.

The long hallway was fairly bare; dull brownish-grey stone surrounded them, and silver torches along the walls burned with a soft green light. The two boys walked along the passage, and although there were several branches, Scorpius bypassed all of them, instead continuing to the end of the corridor and walking into the room at the end of it. The room was, predictably, themed with Slytherin colours. Almost every bit of cloth and tapestry in the room was composed of beautiful shades of vibrant green, with silver designs or patterns or trim, and all the wood was ebony. There were several well-cushioned and comfortable looking chairs, a large desk, two ebony doors that Scorpius informed Al led to separate rooms, one for potion making and another that was a bedroom, and a third that connected to a loo in this room, as well as a wall covered in floor-to-ceiling curtains of forest green.

Scorpius looked over at Albus, who was biting his lip nervously and looking over at the curtained wall. It was pretty obvious what was behind the curtain, and Scorpius suspected that despite his excitement, Al was feeling intimidated and nervous about meeting one of his namesakes. So he did what any good friend would do, and opened the curtain. He stepped in front of the portrait so that he was in front of his nervous companion, and grinned at the stern face of his "Uncle".

He didn't waste any time speaking, getting the attention of both parties in the room with him, "Uncle Sev, I really think you should meet my new best friend. Please don't yell at him because he's very quiet and loud noises hurt his ears."

Severus' black eyes met Scorpius' silvery grey ones with a somewhat astonished look. Scorpius had already made a genuine friend? That was a surprising development – the boy was soft spoken and self-contained, giving out trust very cautiously indeed. However, he ignored his so-called grand nephew as another figure stepped up to the portrait. He almost completely discarded the advice given to him when he saw Lily's eyes, in Potter's face. The child was practically identical to his father, with the exception of there being no scar there and his eyes being somewhat less bright – more like Lily's eyes had been rather than reminiscent of the Killing Curse. However, this young boy was nothing at all like his rowdy and obnoxious older brother, that much was immediately visible, and he seemed to be different from his father as well, at least in his posture and his silence.

"Scorpius, it just had to be Potter's son, didn't it? Your grandfather will murder you when he finds out."

His eyes locked on to the Potter boy's eyes and he asked (read: demanded) for more information. "What is your name, boy?"

Surprisingly, the boy straightened up at that, and smiled brightly – it was definitely Lily's smile, not Potter's, and Severus wasn't exactly sure what to make of that. Nor had he any idea of how to react to the words that escaped the boy's mouth in an incredibly soft, but clear and obviously proud tone.

"Albus Severus, sir, and I'm very pleased to finally meet you. My dad said that you saved his life many times, and that I wouldn't be here without you, and that you're the bravest man he ever knew. I'm really proud to be named after you, Headmaster Snape, and I want to thank you for everything you did for my dad. He wanted to thank you too, but I suspect he'd prefer to do that in person rather than through me."

This young boy seemed to be a living contradiction. He was obviously nervous, yet he spoke with a soft voice that somehow was strong and audible despite its low volume. His words were firm, not shaky. Add to that the fact that he was a Potter, but landed in Slytherin, that he seemed to be proud to bear Severus Snape's own name, instead of ashamed... It was disconcerting, to say the least.

Albus Severus Potter was trying his best not to fidget. He could tell when he was being analysed and it was happening now. Severus Snape, ex-Death Eater, spy for the Order, unsung hero of the Wizarding war, was analysing and judging Albus Severus Potter. Which, in and of itself, was a miraculous thing. James had met "Headmaster Snape" (he had said it in such a demeaning tone that Albus Severus had immediately ignored anything his elder brother said about the stern man) and been almost immediately dismissed. Of course, that didn't surprise Albus Severus much, James was caustic at times, and stuck in his own ways.

However, when the older man finally spoke up again, the words were not directed towards Albus Severus, but towards Scorpius. "I suspect you two will be causing much trouble during your stay. Do try not to get caught. Your Housemates are already on their way, I suggest you leave soon. I will see to it that you two get a room together, because I suspect that otherwise I shall have to listen to at least one of you whinge about how horrid and dreadful the people who share your room are. You may leave now."

Scorpius grinned, nodded, and grabbed Albus Severus' hand, dragging him out of the room once he shut the curtains on the portrait. They fell heavily, and Albus Severus thought he heard a sigh from behind them, but was too busy being pulled along to think about it much. "Um, so, wha-"

"Uncle Sev must really be confused about you, Al! I remember when he met James he practically threw a fit about how rude and rotten he was for days, "Just like his namesake... Both of them!" But he was almost shocked speechless at what you said! You really took a good tone with him, apparently Potters tend to not have any respect for him. Personally, I think that once he gets to know you, he'll like you. But then again, I am biased."

Scorpius' interruption was well-timed, and he was grinning the entire time he was talking, in such a way that Albus Severus couldn't help but grin back. He felt so much more at ease around his new friend. It was probably because of Score's confidence in himself, and the fact that it was infectious.