Disclaimer: I do not own anything here except my own plot because everything else belongs to the fabulously brilliant J.K.Rowling

It was a beautiful first of September. The air was crisp and sweet and white clouds drifted lazily across the dreamy blue sky. Red-golden leaves swirled as they fell to the ground. The murmurs of pleasant voices and laughter sounded. Platform 9 and 3/4 was as bustling and comfortingly noisy as always. Children swarmed up onto the train as they dodged extra embraces. Students waved to their parents from the train windows and chattered excitedly with their friends. Parents hugged and kissed their children and delivered last-minute reminders and warnings. Little kids glanced longingly at the glossy Hogwarts train and cried as older siblings dragged their trunks into the compartments. The air was filled with the usual back-to-school excitement. But there was something more this year. For the younger Potter son and eldest Weasley daughter were attending Hogwarts this year. Everyone was secretly hoping to meet the children of the famous wizarding heroes. But these two famous children were currently struggling to find a compartment.

Rose Weasley ran a hand through her long red hair in exasperation. Every compartment was filled to the brim with laughing students all eager for little first-years to scram or else to question the two young children about their very famous parents. With her curly fire-red hair, arched brows, and rather dangerously charming smile, she quite resembled her aunt Ginny, except for her sky blue eyes.

Albus Severus Potter - her favorite cousin and best friend - voiced her thoughts. "Everywhere's full." Albus was tall for his age but very slender, with glossy unruly black hair that simply refused to behave, pale skin, a straight nose, dark brows, and vividly emerald-green almond-shaped eyes. He tugged at the handle of his trunk. "And lugging this thing around is pretty heavy."

"Let's see if this one's full too," Rose suggested as she slid open the door to the last compartment. There was only one occupant: a young boy with sleek white-blond hair, extremely pale skin, a pointed chin, and cool grey eyes. His blond brows rose several inches at the sight of the two and he gazed at them coolly.

"Excuse me, can we sit here?" Albus asked politely.

The boy lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. "It's not my train," he replied quietly. "If you wish to sit here, please do so."

Albus exchanged a glance with Rose and then thanked the boy. The two cousins sat across from the pale boy. "Are you a first-year too?" Albus asked interestedly. The boy didn't seem too bad and he was eager for anyone who might seem to be a potential friend. Rose was his best friend of course, but she would definitely get into Gryffindor, and if he was sorted into Slytherin...he gulped.

The boy nodded.

There came a light rap on the door. "Come in!" he called lightly.

The door slid open to reveal a stunningly beautiful girl around eleven. She had very glossy and silky silvery-blond hair falling to her slender waist, creamy skin that glowed, a narrow nose, a soft mouth, and deep blue eyes with very long lashes. "May I sit here?" she asked. Her voice was clear and sweet.

Albus leaped up and smiled at his friend. "Alianne!" he cried.

Rose glanced at the boy. "Can she? She's our friend."

He shrugged again. "Why not?"

Alianne happily put her trunk away and took a seat next to him, who - Albus was amused to notice - blushed a perfect red and stared at her perfect beauty in awe. But boys will be boys and they cannot resist a Veela girl. "Should we introduce ourselves, then?" Albus asked.

"Yeah," agreed Rose. "I'm Rose Weasley."

The boy's pale grey eyes widened slightly. Hadn't his father told him about the Weasleys and how they had helped defeat Voldemort? "Are you - " he began hesitantly.

"Hermione and Ronald Weasley's daughter, yes," snapped Rose, who had gone through the process so many times that it irked her.

"Do not bite his head off, Rose, it was a perfectly reasonable question. Just think what James and Al have to go through." Alianne turned to the boy with a charming smile. "My name is Alianne Longbottom."

"Longbottom?" Wasn't that the name of the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts?

"She's also the daughter of Gabrielle Delacour," Albus added. "And she's a quarter Veela and so quite dangerous. If you're not immune to incredibly stunning beauty, anyway. I'm Albus Potter, by the way."

The boy really stared now. "Harry Potter's son?" he demanded incredulously.

Albus blushed. "Yeah, he's my dad," he muttered. Why did everyone have to know him?

Maybe because he's saved the wizarding world - what - ten times now?

"Who are you?" Rose wanted to know.

A faint blush appeared on the boy's pale cheeks. "Um...Scorpius Malfoy," he murmured.

"You are a Malfoy?" demanded Alianne.

"Yeah," he mumbled. He should have known that they wouldn't want anything to do with him once they knew.

But Alianne just laughed. "I have heard of you. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Rose grinned. "I hope you don't mind being second-best in every class. I'm supposed to beat you in every test."

"Hey!" Albus exclaimed in mock-anger. "Don't I pose any competition? Aren't you worried about me?"

"Or me?" Alianne asked with a smile. "My father is a teacher at Hogwarts, you know."

"Don't you care?" Scorpius exclaimed, unable to control himself. "I'm a Malfoy! Draco Malfoy's son! Our parents were deadly enemies at school, and my mother told me how my father and your father were Seekers on opposite teams, and how Ronald Weasley and Father used to fight whenever they saw each other."

"Yeah, Dad told me," Rose remarked with a grin. "He always needed Mum to patch him up."

Scorpius was almost shouting now. "Don't you care? My family used to be Death Eaters? Your families devoted themselves to fighting against Voldemort and the Dark Arts. Doesn't it matter to any of you? How can you accept it so calmly? Don't any of you care at all?"

"Good Lord, stop yelling," Albus told him. "Calm down, Scorp."

"Scorp?" Scorpius's grey eyes flickered with amusement and exasperation.

Albus shrugged. "Scorpius just sounds funny. Call me Albus and I'll jinx you into oblivion. Al is fine for me."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Boys. It doesn't matter that you're a Malfoy, or any of that," she told Scorpius severely. "My Dad didn't care that my Mum was a Muggle-born when they first met - mind you, he did seem to care that she was a bit of a showoff - so who are we to judge you by your family? And they reformed, didn't they?"

"Yes," answered Scorpius hesitantly. "But - "

"But what?" Alianne flashed her dazzling smile. "Calm down, Scorpius. My father forgave your family, and if he did it, then who am I to hold a grudge against you or your family?" She wound a strand of silvery-blond hair around her fingers and shrugged. "I don't care who your family is. You seem like a nice person. That's good enough for me."

Scorpius stared at Albus incredulously. "Is it just these girls, or are you insane too?"

"I agree," Albus stated firmly, ignoring mutters about insanity in the Potter line. "My Dad's godfather was a Black, but Dad said that he was as unlike a Black at it is possible to be. "And my friend Teddy's dad was a werewolf, but Mum and Dad said that he was one of the nicest men they knew. Both of those men were supposed to be the worst kind of wizard, but they died fighting against again Voldemort. Your dad rennounced Voldemort, didn't he, and became a great wizard? Even if your family was Dark, I wouldn't care. Like Aly said, you seem like a nice person and that's good enough for me. Wasn't the whole point of fighting against Voldemort because people wanted a world where nobody was judged based on family or previous actions? So, calm down, Scorp."

Scorpius stared. "You three are insane."

"No, we're not," Rose replied firmly, stretching out her hand. "Friends?"

"Yeah, it would be nice to have a friend who isn't related by blood, everything-but-blood-ties, extreme friendship, or adoption," quipped Albus as he too extended his hand.

"You can never have enough friends," Alianne added as she extended a slender hand. "Or do you not want to be our friend?"

Scorpius Malfoy stared - not for the first time and certainly not for the last - at the two girls and boy who looked back at him so sincerely. He had expected them to be his sworn enemies, and was fully prepared to be hated by everyone, but to think that they wanted to be his friends! Then he looked back at the three faces - his eyes lingering a moment on Alianne's perfect features - and shrugged slightly, smiling. He clasped each of their hands briefly.

"Friends."