Chapter Two: Alice Longbottom

The Boy

"Oh, dear, would you think of it- I'll be alone all year!" I watch as my mother's eyes tear up.

"Mum, it'll be all right. Dad will message you every Hogsmeade trip he has and you'll get to see him then. As for me, we have Christmas break to look forward to!"

Mum has always been sensitive. I've never really been away from her for very long, and when dad has been away teaching at Hogwarts I've always been the one to accompany her.

"That's right; you can't go to Hogsmeade until third year. How will you be without me?"

I laugh. "Mum, I'll be fine, trust me. Both Dad and I will send you a letter every week. How about you work on that book you've been planning to write? When I get back, I expect a finished manuscript!"

We both laugh at this. Then my mum hugs me, and I hug her back. I've been waiting for this moment my entire life: I finally get to go to Hogwarts. But now, it seems so much sadder than I expected.

"All right darling," Mum says, pulling away from me, "The train will be leaving soon. Go on ahead."

At the last moment, my vision gets blurry and my cheeks are stained with my tears. I quickly wipe them away with my sleeve, and, saying a final farewell to my mother, board the train.

"I love you!" I hear my mother call out right before the doors close.

I stand there for a couple moments while regaining my composure. Then, I slowly walk down the train, looking for an available compartment. Soon I come across one where I see a boy with white blonde hair talking to a dark haired boy. The one with white blonde hair climbs out, and without giving me a second glance, passes by and enters another compartment.

Well, here we go, I decide. I open the compartment doors and peer inside.

"Excuse me? Is this compartment taken?"

The dark haired boy looks at me and I immediately grin. The boy has emerald green eyes, messy black hair, and round glasses. He looks just like my father describes his father.

"Not at all," he says, and I realize he doesn't recognize me. Of course, I note, it was quite a while ago. Why would he remember me?

"I'm Alice," I say, sitting down across from him. "We've met before."

"We have?" He asks, looking at me closer. "Oh! You're Professor Longbottom's daughter, aren't you?"

"In the flesh," I smile. "And I'm pretty sure everyone here knows who you are."

"Because of my dad," he sighs. "Everyone was staring at us at the train station. I just hope nobody calls me 'Harry potter's son'."

"I'd be happy calling you Albus," I offer, and he grins. "After Albus Dumbledore, is it?"

"Yes, and you have no idea how many times I've heard the 'Albus Severus Potter, you've been named after two of the greatest men I ever knew' speech."

I laugh.

"So, do you have a namesake?" He asks, looking at me.

"Well… yes. I was named after my grandmother."

"What's she like?"

"Actually… I've never met her. She died before I was born. So did my Granddad."

"Oh," he says, looking down. "My grandparents on my dad's side died before I was born, too."

I guess that's not a very good thing to have in common.

"Who was that boy?" I ask, changing the subject. "The one you were talking to."

"Oh, him? Scorpius Malfoy. He's pretty cool, though I don't think my family approves of him very much."

"They know him?"

"No, they know his father."

"That's not very right, judging someone because of their parents."

"About as right as expecting me to save the wizarding world just because my dad did."

I smile. Albus was nice to talk to.

"So why did Scorpius leave?"

"I suppose he went to try to intimidate my cousin, Rose Weasley. Don't ask," he adds, and it's apparent that it's a long story that would likely just make me confused.

We chat a bit more, and before we know it, it's time to get dressed in our robes.

"I'll see you around?" Albus asks, and I nod.

Definitely, I think.

…..

While everyone is being Sorted, I anxiously look around for my dad. When I spot him, I see him looking at me, beaming. I stand a little taller and smile back.

"Longbottom, Alice!"

I was never really nervous before about the Sorting. But as I walk up to the stool where the Sorting hat will decide which house I'm in, I get nervous.

I consider myself intelligent, so I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw. Gryffindor is where I really want to be and where my dad was, and I look up to the Hufflepuff house, where my mum was.

But Slytherin? I'm not too cunning, do you think?

I sit down on the stool as the hat is placed on my head.

Hmm, interesting. You're loyal, like a Hufflepuff, you're clever, like a Ravenclaw, and you're brave, like a Gryffindor. Now, where to place you, let's see. You're loyal in your instincts, Alice Longbottom, just like your mother. In your mind, you're very wise and intelligent. But in your heart you're as brave as you're father, so I suppose it'll be…

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat announces, and the Gryffindor table explodes with applause. I look to my dad and he's clapping along with them, and I feel my chest swell with happiness. I hop down and find an empty seat where I'm congratulated my many people. Then I turn my attention to the others that are being sorted. These are ones that made a particular impression:

Scorpius Malfoy: Gryffindor

Pansil Goyle: Slytherin

Albus Potter: Gryffindor (One that I was particularly happy about)

Thomas Finnigan: Hufflepuff

Rose Weasley: Gryffindor

Lacy White: Ravenclaw

The last girl, Lacy, had brown curls that framed her face and a big smile. She seemed pretty nice.

Maybe we could be friends.

….

I didn't get a chance to speak to Albus for the rest of the day, but I was glad to be a wallflower and soak everything in. In the common room, I overheard the older girls catching up with their friends with the tons of gossip they collected over the summers. I heard about how Wendy Ponderweed got a knew wand after she broke her last one, and how Milly Greenwood stole Robert Wood from Bryanna Johnson, and so much more. I noticed when Rose Weasley came in her cheeks were pink and she had a smile on her face. And right after her, Scorpius Malfoy. That ought to be interesting.

I finally get tired, so I go up to the Girls' Dormitory and find the bed where my luggage has been set out. Quickly changing into my night gown, I curl under the blankets and immediately go to sleep.

Not a bad day.