The steam from the Hogwarts Express was so thick that Rose Weasley could not see past more than three of the scarlet train's cars. Mothers bustled about around her, double-checking trolleys and giving hugs to their children eager to board the train. There were already heads poking out of the locomotive's windows, craned to see everyone left standing outside on the station floor and excitedly waving goodbye to younger siblings and parents. Rose turned towards her father and reached for his hand as he gave her a reassuring squeeze and nodded his head to the blond boy he mentioned earlier, rolling his eyes and smiling.

Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie.

Her mother was giving a hug to Albus and did not notice Ron's gesture. Rose nodded in agreement and grinned broadly back.

"You'll mail anything that I've forgotten, won't you Mum?" Rose asked her, trying to rack her brain at the same time and imagining everything she had packed in her trunk.

"Of course, dear," she answered. "And do not forget to write your brother," she said pointedly.

Rose gave Hugo one last hug and a look asking for some sort of encouragement that might get her through her first day at Hogwarts. He gave none. She turned away knowing that he was just sour because he once again had to see a relative leave for their magical education. She walked closer to the nearest doors, already behind Albus, and stepped off of the platform and onto the train.

From then her excitement got the better of her as she started to look for a compartment at once.

"Hey, Albus! AL!" her voiced traveled down the train faster than her feet could keep up and she struggled to carry her luggage without it weighing her down.

Albus turned around, not nearly half amused or excited as Rose and waited for her to catch up. His sorting woes were evident on his face.

"Is there anything even remotely empty?" Even as she said it she knew that groups of friends and upperclassmen had already occupied most of the seats.

"Not that I've found," Albus said rather grumpily. "But there has to be at least one—"

He was suddenly interrupted by a boy with blond hair and pointed features coming out of the next compartment. He was taller than both Albus and Rose and he held his head haughtily. As soon as he caught sight of who he was about to walk into his gaze shifted downward.

"Pardon me," he muttered. He stared at the floor as he lingered on the spot for a second and then tried to push his way through.

And just as Rose was about to write him off as being caught off-guard or even slightly embarrassed at having almost collided with somebody, she noticed that there was a smile playing on his lips as he continued to look down.

"Is there something funny?" She asked as his snickering became more obvious.

"Rose, come on—"Albus started to say, grabbing her by the elbow and steering her further down the corridor.

"No, hang on, what's so funny?" She asked the boy again and while doing so recognized him as the son of the family her father had acknowledged earlier.

The boy looked up and smiled at Rose. His smile, she thought, made him seem warmer, but she quickly pushed this thought aside as she looked at him even more interested.

"It's nothing really," he said, clearly amused. "You are just so predictably Potter.

He looked directly at Albus and smirked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Albus asked angrily. His worries of where he was going to be sorted seemed to fade temporarily as he moved closer to the blond boy.

"So you're the Second Coming are you?" the boy said as his eyes narrowed. His smile was still stretched happily across his face, giving him a look of an animal about to enjoy its prey.

"What are you talking about?" Albus, as Rose could see, was clearly annoyed at this point and still trying to comprehend what was going on.

The boy placed his hand on the outside of the compartment as the train began to move. Rose planted her feet firmly and rested her weight on her massive luggage trunk, still engrossed in this boy's attitude.

"You're Potter," he said simply. "You look just like your dad. Mind you, I'd stay away from anyone that seems to be acting nasty. Most likely it's because they want to. Old prejudices still exist, you know."

His smile disappeared for a brief moment and Rose thought for a fleeting second that he said this with concern. His smile quickly returned and Rose pushed aside this thought as well.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy, by the way."

Realization dawned on Albus's face and he closed his eyes, shook his head, and opened them again as if he expected to see someone entirely different. As Scorpius's father hadn't been the childhood enemy of his own father and was now speaking so casually to him now.

"Oh," Albus searched for words and looked at Rose and then back at Scorpius. "Albus, uh, Potter, as you already know."

Scorpius waited for more. Albus shifted sheepishly.

"And this is my cousin Rose Weasley," Albus said quickly, clearly happy to put the attention on someone else.

"A Weasley?" Scorpius said incredulously. "You don't look like anything resembling a Weasley. Well, you've got those famous freckles splattered across your face. But other than that you're merely bordering on unfortunate looking."

Rose felt her face grow hot and found her voice at last.

"E -excuse me?" she stammered as she tried to retort. "I am a Weasley and I've got a good feeling that you should shut your mouth."

She huffed loudly and thought of her mother's pleas to not let her temper get the better of her as it usually did. This, she thought, was very Weasley, even if her brown hair that was swept up in a ponytail and dark brown eyes were not.

"And my freckles aren't splattered." She stood there breathing heavy and looking Scorpius dead in the eye. He stared right back at her, his eyebrows raised so high he looked much younger than eleven.

"C'mon Rose," Albus glared at Scorpius as he tried to lead her away again. Rose turned her back on Scorpius who was now looking them both up and down, bemused.

Rose walked away with Albus right behind her and continued until she heard his footsteps halt.

"Hey Malfoy?" he asked. Rose stayed facing opposite Scorpius but her ears perked up upon hearing Albus ask him something.

"Do you uphold old prejudices?" Albus said with much emphasis on "you". He looked as if he already knew the answer as he asked it and Rose turned her head to see Scorpius's reaction. Scorpius took his hand off of the outside of the compartment and stood a little straighter. His smile vanished and his gaze only lingered on Albus for a second before he rested his eyes on Rose, looking none too thrilled about the question.

"No," he said softly and immediately walked back into the compartment and closed door behind him.

"We didn't wave to anyone from the window," Albus said regretfully. He stared blankly at nothing in particular and brushed his messy black hair out of his eyes.

"Well, let's sit then," Albus said brightly. Rose noticed that they were still standing in the middle of the train's long corridor with their entire luggage.

"Yeah, alright," Rose said quietly. She moved into the compartment and hoisted her trunks above into the spaces above her and sat down. She stared out of the window and thought of nothing but Scorpius and his thin arrogant face and laughing eyes. She hated him. Still, she remembered his answer to Albus's question and the look he gave her. He was not laughing nor was he rude. He stared at her as if he knew that she was an easy target for prejudice. She indeed came from a family of blood traitors and a muggle-born. And although the war had ended, Rose knew that there were people who still regarded muggle-borns as less than pure-bloods. She had expected the Malfoys above all to stand by these beliefs most willingly.

The train ride was slow and winding and Rose was relieved to see the witch pushing the lunch trolley from outside the compartment window.

"Excellent," Albus exclaimed, clutching his stomach. "Lunch!"

Rose watched as Albus took out his pocket money and bought nearly everything on the cart. She got up herself and took two pumpkin pasties from the smiling witch and sat back down again.

"That's it?" Albus asked, his mouth full of Chocolate Frog. "That's all you're going to eat?"

"I don't have to stuff my face to have a satisfying meal, Al," she nodded at the collection of sweets at his side.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to find James and see what he's doing."

Rose shrugged indifferently. She noticed Albus growing more impatient and asking questions about Hogwarts and was glad to see the back of him as he left. She pressed the side of her head against the window again and saw her reflection in the shiny glass. She thought that she did look rather unfortunate looking and closed her eyes. All she saw playing out on the inside of her eyelids was Scorpius's sneering face.

"Weasley?"

She shut her eyes tighter. Wonderful, she thought, now she's hearing his voice.

"Rose?"

Her eyes snapped open as she realized she was not imagining annoying voices.

"I saw your cousin leave," Scorpius started. He looked down at Rose sitting against the window staring back at him, her face unreadable. "So I thought someone as friendless as you would appreciate the company."

She turned back towards the window without saying anything.

"Rose?" Scorpius asked again.

"What?" she responded exasperatedly. She was getting annoyed.

He seemed pleased with her acknowledgement and took the seat across from her. He rested his elbows on his knees stared at Rose intently. She looked back at him and noticed that while he was either sneering or laughing at some inside joke, his face was not unkind. He could be likeable, she thought, if they both were entirely different people. There were several minutes before either she or Scorpius said something.

"I was only joking, you know," Scorpius told her. He scratched at the back of his blond head and his short hair fell out of place slightly. "You're not unfortunate looking."

Rose looked up hopefully and then immediately cursed herself for acting so eager.

"Incredibly weird, yeah," he started again. "But then again, yeah, you are kind of ugly."

She stared at him again for a few seconds before she smiled.

"I really hate you Scorpius," she said laughing. "You are like the biggest git on this train."

He reached over to her seat and grabbed one of the pumpkin pasties. He left a chocolate frog in its place.

"Probably," he agreed. "On second thought, I'd probably come second to Potter."

And with that he got to his feet, smiled at Rose and left before Albus could return.

The rest of the train ride was full of Albus's never-ending worries and a game of Exploding Snap. Rose wished she could be left with her thoughts but instead tried to distract herself by reading one of her books and chastising Albus for not putting on his school robes earlier like she did. She was glad that it was not much longer before the train came to a stop. Everyone left their trunks on the train and the first-years headed toward the boats where an enormous man was calling for them.

"Hagrid!" Rose said excitedly as she approached the old friend of her family.

"Hello Rose, Al, how are yeh?" he said as he ushered students into various boats.

"Fine, fine," she said as she scrambled into a boat, glad to be luggage free and waiting for Albus. "A little nervous about the sorting is all, now that I'm nearly inside."

"Really? I'd like to think you were nervous about putting that hat on and it yelling "squib" in front of the entire Great Hall," said a drawling voice from behind.

Rose's head whipped around as Scorpius walked by her and into another boat.

"Oh shut up Malfoy," she said, the tiniest fraction of admiration she had for him dissolving immediately.

"We're on a last name basis then?" he asked as he stepped into a neighboring boat. "Try not to be seen with me then, Weasley, I don't want to be shunned my first day of school."

Before Rose could say anything back, the boats started moving. Her conversation with Hagrid and any chance of being consoled by a friendly face were left back on the grounds where the train had dropped her off. She felt her heart beating faster as she neared the castle and did not even acknowledge the one other girl in the boat with her and Albus muttering to himself nervously.

The doors of castle opened and Rose, along with Albus and the other First-Years walked into their new home. The ceiling was an exact replica of the starry sky outside and the tables glowed with their own aura as candles floated inches above them. The other students were already sitting at their respective house tables and Rose couldn't help but feeling overwhelmed. A tiny professor walked up to them and asked for everyone's attention.

"Good evening everyone," he piped up. "I am Professor Flitwick and you are all about to be sorted into the four different houses of Hogwarts. I, along with everyone else in the castle, expect you to treat the members of your house as if they were family. Alright?" he paused and gave a sweeping glance over the First-Years' faces. "Well then, here we go!"

Rose looked past Professor Flitwick and saw the old Sorting Hat sitting on top of a wooden stool, it ends frayed and brim twitching as if it were about to come alive. Rose jumped back and gripped Albus's arm as a tear in the hat's brim opened and a voice emerged.

"It has happened once, a hundred times

Since I have divided you all

But we have learned from past events

That the divided are prone to fall

So I urge you still to humor me

And seek friendship with everyone

For my sorting will place you right and smart

And surely leave out none

In Gryffindor you will find

That bravery sets them apart

Their chivalry and daring nerve

Is rooted deep inside their hearts

For Ravenclaw, as many have heard

Is where the clever dwell

Their endless search for knowledge

Allows them to excel

In Hufflepuff it is wildly known

That the true and loyal are invited

If the house was full of kind souls

The founder would be most delighted

And Slytherin might seem complex

With events now in the past

Nevertheless how cunning they are

With ambition certain to last

For now I've laid it out for you

The four Houses equally great

I shall peek inside your minds, young ones

And of course make no mistake!

The Great Hall erupted into applause and the Sorting Hat sat on the three-legged stool, waiting. Professor Flitwick unrolled a piece of parchment undoubtedly bearing the names of students about to be sorted, and Rose waited eagerly for her turn.

"Asterly, William!" called Professor Flitwick. Rose watched as Asterly, William climbed onto the stool and sat perched, his knuckles gripping the sides.

"Slytherin!" the hat exclaimed.

The Slytherin table burst into applause and the first-year went to sit down at one end of the Great Hall. Several students tried the hat on and wore it until it exclaimed their new house. Rose looked absent-mindedly into the Great Hall until a name Professor Flitwick called caught her attention and snapped her back to reality.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Rose watched Scorpius's every move as he walked up to the stool, his head bent and his eyes lowered.

"Bet we know where he's ending up, eh?" Albus said in her ear. He laughed nervously as he said this and Rose suspected he was half being snarky and half trying to cover up his own nerves.

Scorpius sat there for what seemed like several moments, staring at his hands resting in his lap. Rose stared harder at him, trying to read his face in the silence of the Great Hall but she could not get very far. Finally she saw, in what seemed like slow motion, the hat open its brim.

"Slytherin!"

Scorpius took off the hat and lingered around the stool for a moment before heading towards the Slytherin table, smiling politely and earning claps on the back from a few fellow Slytherins, yet not the same congratulatory sentiments Asterly had received.

A few more people went by, including a Ravenclaw and two Hufflepuffs. Albus looked on the verge of ruining his pants and Rose saw him wave to his brother James across the hall. He could only stand there waiting for a few more seconds before Professor Flitwick called him up to be sorted.

"Potter, Albus!"

The Great Hall became as silent as when Scorpius had gone up but the hat didn't take nearly as long to decide where to put Albus.

"Gryffindor!" it yelled. Out of the Gryffindor table came a roar of applause, cheers and whistling. Albus practically ran to join his new housemates, grinning from ear to ear.

Rose waited for even longer and found herself beginning to become more anxious as students tried on the hat and were applauded to their tables. After "Vance, Rupert" was sorted into Ravenclaw Rose guessed that she could only be next.

"Weasley, Rose!"

As soon as Professor Flitwick called her to be sorted she had turned around and noticed that she was the only one left. She walked towards the stool aware that everyone else in the Great Hall was becoming impatient and waiting for dinner. She quickened her pace and hoped she got to the stool fast enough before timidly placing the hat on her head.

"Another Weasley I see. Well you've got the nerve and the courage to achieve great things but there's also plenty of intelligence there. Sorry, but I am going to have to keep up with old patterns. It is where you'll do the best I am sure of it."

The Sorting Hat's voice was speaking only to her and before she could fully comprehend what it was saying its brim opened wide.

"Gryffindor!"

Rose opened her eyes and let out a breath she did not even know she was holding. She realized what had just happened and smiled, pleased with where she fit best. She walked over to the Gryffindor table and happened to look farther down the Hall. Scorpius was looking at her intently and when he caught her eye he nodded in her direction and smiled while rolling his eyes. She smiled nervously back and took her seat, eager for her first year at Hogwarts to begin.