Chapter Text
‘Yes, well, we probably should sit somewhere else. Come on, Albus,’ said Rose. She made a grab for Albus’s arm and started to gently drag him towards the door. Albus shook his head.
‘No. I’m okay. You go on…’
‘Albus! I won’t wait,’ said Rose, making daggers at her cousin.
‘And I wouldn’t expect you to!’ said Albus. ‘But I’m staying here.’
Rose paused a moment as Albus sat down on the seat opposite the pale boy. She glared down at Albus, who looked defiant, and then at Scorpius, whose gaze was fixed somewhere on the floor. Rose’s hand was still suspended in the air, still in the lost grip she had on her cousin. Her arm fell and her face changed.
‘Fine!’ she cried, and with a swish of her brand new robes Rose Granger-Weasley was gone. The compartment door slid shut behind her. The noise it made seemed to pierce the air, like a sharp ringing bouncing from wall to wall in the tiny train compartment. Eventually the sound died away, giving way to the soft buzz of the Hogwarts Express rolling on. Albus could hear shouts and shrieks and laughter from other compartments, but his was a calm, friendly quiet. Had Rose found someone to sit with? He hoped she had. Perhaps she had found James or one of the others to sit with. She got on much better with them anyway. A feeble voice broke through Albus’s thoughts.
‘Thank you,’ said Scorpius. He didn’t look Albus in the eye when he spoke and his whole body looked uncomfortable. Scorpius’s shoulders were hunched up, practically touching his neck, and one hand was held in a shaky fist while the other was tugging aimlessly at the sleeve of his robes.
‘No. No. I didn’t stay – for you – I stayed for your sweets,’ blurted Albus. Albus knew it sounded harsh, and of course he didn’t mean it, but it was better than saying he had stayed because he too was lonely. On the inside, anyway. Thankfully, Scorpius looked up and laughed. The two boys looked across the compartment at each other, and everything was understood.
‘She’s quite fierce,’ said Scorpius pointing at the compartment door after Rose.
‘Yes. Sorry.’
‘No. I like it. Do you prefer Albus or Al?’ said Scorpius, a wide grin appearing on his face. Albus thought a moment before answering.
‘Albus,’ he said confidently.
Scorpius rose to his feet and popped a couple of Pepper Imps into his mouth.
‘Then, THANK YOU FOR STAYING FOR MY SWEETS, ALBUS!’ he shrieked as magnificent smoke blasted out of his ears.
Scorpius collapsed back onto his seat in a fit of high squeaky laughs. Albus laughed too, though he covered his mouth for fear the Pepper Imp smoke would catch at the back of his throat and make him cough. However, the air soon cleared and Albus could see Scorpius opposite him once more. He was holding onto his stomach and wheezing, his shoulders bouncing with every giggle.
‘Another one of my Mum’s things. She does that whenever I’m upset,’ said Scorpius. ‘Not that you look upset!’ he quickly added. ‘You look rather happy actually! Good – smiley. It was just to break the ice, I suppose.’ Scorpius looked away from Albus. His ears had turned a bright shade of pink and his eyes had drifted over to the window. Albus looked out too. The trees were flying past in a blur of yellow and green now they were well out of London. Scorpius was scratching the seat with his short, half-chewed fingernails.
‘No, you’re right,’ said Albus smiling. ‘It was funny.’ Scorpius smiled in return, but offered no further conversation.
Houses flashed by the windows as the Hogwarts Express carried on northwards. Albus felt awkward in the silence, it wasn’t something he was used to. He looked out at the large clouds as they sailed by, every now and then looking at the blond boy opposite him. Scorpius seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, though every now and then his hand would fall to the seemingly forgotten book beside him. He’d grip it, then let go, in two minds whether to pick it up. Hogwarts: A History, read the cover in large golden writing. Albus took a deep breath.
‘So, your mum. Was she in – ’
‘Slytherin, yes,’ said Scorpius rather too quickly. ‘My whole family have been in Slytherin, but I think you know that. It’s been well documented.’ He let out a pathetic laugh, his expression remained gloomy. Scorpius looked at Albus sincerely with his stony-grey eyes.
‘But she’s one of the good ones,’ he said. ‘Dad too, but you know...’
Albus nodded. He did know.
‘Do you have any brothers or sisters?’
‘No. It’s just me.’
‘Oh cool! Sometimes I wish I were an only child,’ said Albus. ‘I have such a big family. There’s loads of us.’
Scorpius widened his eyes with something more than interest. There was real envy there too.
‘I’m one of the youngest. There’s James and Lily, my brother and sister. Victoire – she’s the eldest of my cousins – She’s just been made Head Girl, and she’s Quidditch Captain too. The whole Gryffindor Quidditch team is practically made up of my family. Molly is a Prefect, and now Dominique’s one too. Lucy’s really clever, she always gets good marks and stuff, and James, Louis and Fred mess around a lot, so everyone loves them. Roxanne’s hoping to become a Beater this year. Oh, and of course there’s Rose and her younger brother Hugo. That’s all of them,’ said Albus, finally taking a breath. ‘You could say I’ve got a lot to live up to.’
Scorpius nodded, though he didn’t look overly surprised.
‘Nine cousins. Wow. Twelve grandchildren. I bet your grandparents love Christmas and birthdays.’
‘Granny Weasley loves having a big family,’ said Albus. He couldn’t help but look downbeat.
Albus and Scorpius both looked up as a group of burly sixth years raced by their compartment. The whole carriage shook as they went, all laughing hysterically. After a few moments they came back, red-faced, all walking sensibly in the direction in which they had come. Some were looking sheepish while others still had sniggers on their faces. At the back of the group was a tall girl with silvery-blonde hair. She was beautiful with large blue eyes and a petite, delicate-looking face. Her lips were a warm shade of coral, and a gleaming Head Girl badge was pinned to her chest. She glared after the disruptive students, but had a somewhat wild glint in her eye. Her hands were placed firmly on her hips. When they had found their compartments, the blonde girl turned and beamed at Albus. He smiled back, and Scorpius smiled too.
‘Are you alright?’ mouthed the girl through the glass.
Albus nodded.
The girl gave Albus a big thumbs up and pointed down to the bottom of the carriage. She shot a friendly smile at Scorpius, waved and left.
‘That was Victoire,’ said Albus, a smile still etched on his face. 'She’ll be in the Prefects’ Carriage.’
‘So that’s Victoire,’ said Scorpius. ‘It’s rumoured she’s part-Veela,’ he squeaked.
‘Yeah. Victoire, Dom and Louis all make heads turn. Aunt Fleur too. I’d hate that.’
‘Me too. I get enough odd looks as it is.’
Albus had never met someone so much like him before. There was something familiar there whenever their eyes found each other. He instantly knew he could trust Scorpius.
‘It sounds nice though,’ said Scorpius after a few minutes. ‘I don’t know what it’s like to be part of such a large, happy family. All the noise, all the laughter.’ Scorpius frowned, tugging nervously at his sleeve once again.
‘It’s not all that, Scorpius. Honestly. They’re all mean to me, actually. Well not mean exactly, but they like to play their pranks and tricks. James is unbearable at times, and Louis and Fred do pretty much anything he tells them. My Mum tells them to stop, but she can’t see everything they do, can she? Molly and Lucy are too quiet. They only look up from their books to scowl at you. Victoire’s kind though, but she’s so much older it doesn’t really count.’ Albus paused. He hadn’t told anyone this before.
‘And Rose is Rose, I guess. You’ve seen her,’ he said.
‘Oh, I’ve seen her,’ smiled Scorpius, leaning back in his seat.
‘And they’re all really good at magic,’ went on Albus. ‘Honestly, I bet I’m the family embarrassment.
‘Uh-uh,’ Scorpius said, shaking his head. ‘There’s no way you could be. Me? I’m petrified. I’ve read everything on the set book list already. Twice. I even picked up some extra reading,’ he said picking up his copy of Hogwarts: A History. ‘Though I know this by heart anyway, Mum bought me the new edition last week.’
‘I’ve never read it,’ said Albus casually.
‘You simply must, Albus!’ said Scorpius with utter glee in his voice. He even clapped his hands in excitement. ‘It’s packed full of interesting facts and tidbits and things. Things on the general layout of the school, a thorough list of all the past headmasters and lots about the Founders. For example, it's quite well-known that Helga Hufflepuff had a certain flair, you may say, for food-based charms. But did you know that some of those original recipes are still made by the house-elves to this day? Let me find it!’ Scorpius grabbed the book from his lap and started rifling through it.
Scorpius keenly spouted a collection of facts at Albus for the next twenty minutes or so. Albus was happy to humour him, though he didn’t care much for the history of the place he had been told about his whole life. Scorpius didn’t seem to notice Albus’s lack of enthusiasm and carried on regardless. Scorpius informed Albus that he was most looking forward to learning Transfiguration, Potions and of course History of Magic. Albus didn’t really know what he was looking forward to. The only feeling he, Albus, felt at the moment was dread.
Around one o’clock there was a clunking noise outside in the corridor. An ancient witch slid back the door and smiled. She was pushing a trolley laden with a whole range of sweets, snacks, drinks and the latest edition of the Daily Prophet.
‘Anything from the trolley, dears?’ she asked.
Scorpius immediately reached into his robe pocket and produced a large pouch of jangling coins. Albus was quicker.
‘Are you hungry, Scorpius?
‘Yes, I’ll just get mine.’
‘No, no. It’s fine. I’ll pay,’ said Albus.
The trolley witch handed Albus a few Pumpkin Pasties, a large stack of Cauldron Cakes, and two bottles of Pumpkin Juice.
‘Oh, and two boxes of Pepper Imps, and erm – four Chocolate Frogs, please,’ said Albus. He placed the right money into the trolley witch’s open palm. She paused in the doorway briefly while she checked the money, then raised her eyebrows and snorted as she put it through the till.
‘Nothing like your father, are you? Nearly cleared me out of everything I had, he did, first Hogwarts Express journey,’ she said before shuffling off. Albus smiled as he tipped the snacks and sweets on to an empty chair.
Albus chucked a Pumpkin Pasty over to Scorpius who caught it easily in one hand. Sharing came as second nature to Albus, but never had it been out of choice. It was nice sitting with Scorpius, eating their way through all the pasties and cakes Albus had bought. Scorpius threw a few Shoc-O-Chocs over, as well as some Liquorice Wands.
‘You must’ve had a Chocolate Frog before?’
‘Of course. Uncle Ron and Uncle George try and slip us some when Mum isn’t looking,’ said Albus. ‘James always steals my cards though.’
‘In that case, you can start collecting today.’
Albus unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man’s face. He wore round glasses, had a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead and untidy jet-black hair. Underneath the picture was the name Harry Potter. Albus let out a loud sigh.
‘Who’d you get, Albus?’ said Scorpius, his mouth half full with Cauldron Cake.
Albus turned over his card and read:
Harry James Potter, currently Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic.
Only known survivor of the Killing Curse. Mysteriously brought about the first downfall of the dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort on 31st October 1981, at the age of fifteen months. Was previously known as ‘The Boy Who Lived.’
Eventually defeated Lord Voldemort on 2nd May 1998 at the Battle of Hogwarts, and was promoted to Head of the Auror Office at the young age of twenty-six.
Albus turned his card back over by which time his father’s face had thankfully disappeared.
‘Do you want this?’ asked Albus. He held out his father’s card towards Scorpius, who shook his head.
‘No thanks. I’ve got about six of your dad. He’s a fairly common card, I’m afraid,’ said Scorpius.
Albus opened a few more Chocolate Frogs, though he seemed to be unlucky with the cards he got. He got Herpo the Foul, two Merlin cards, and another of his dad. Scorpius didn’t have much luck either. There were no new cards for him apparently, so he passed them over to Albus to add to his collection. When all the Chocolate Frogs had been eaten Albus added Agrippa, Newt Scamander, Circe and Morgan le Fay to his collection.
Scorpius had just cracked open the box of Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans when Rose returned. Scorpius panicked when she opened the door, nervously dropping the box to the floor where it burst open. Beans flew out in all directions, completely covering the floor. Some fell in the stitching of the seats, some underneath, and some even fell down Scorpius’s robes. Rose merely rolled her eyes and stepped around the mess. She squeezed herself into a little spare space on the seat beside Albus and crossed her legs.
‘Hi Rose,’ said Scorpius. He had gracelessly sloped on to the floor and was now picking up each bean individually. Rose replied with a wry smile.
‘Albus, I really must insist you come and join me in another compartment,’ said Rose. She glanced quickly over at Scorpius.
‘You found people to sit with then?’
‘Yes – well – Not new people. James, Louis, Fred and Roxy, I mean.’
‘Honestly Rose, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine here. With Scorpius,’ said Albus.
Scorpius hadn’t made much progress with the Every-Flavour Beans on the floor, but now he was grabbing fistfuls and stuffing them back into the box. His knuckles were white.
‘Oh Albus, I don’t mind,’ said Scorpius quietly. ‘Go. Join your cousins.’
Rose nodded over-eagerly in Albus’s direction, only stopping when Scorpius looked up from the floor. Albus noticed his mouth was twitching.
Scorpius attempted to stand but he slipped on a rogue bean and fell back against the compartment window. The Every-Flavour Bean box fell from his hands sending the beans cascading down once more, this time completely showering Albus and Rose.
‘Urgh!’ cried Rose. ‘Honestly!’ She leant down and snatched the box up from off the floor, whipped out her wand and sharply tapped the box. At once the beans flew up from the floor like a flock of starlings on the wing, and funnelled themselves neatly back into the box. The box sealed shut with another jab from Rose’s wand. Scorpius quickly jumped back into his seat. Rose looked rather pleased with himself. She beamed.
‘How did you do that?’ Scorpius keenly asked. Rose tutted and threw the box of beans back over to him. He purposely missed and let it fall on to the seat beside him.
‘It’s all in Magical Theory,’ stated Rose nonchalantly. ‘Chapter Ten if I’m not mistaken, Malfoy. Haven’t you even bothered to open any of the set books?’
Scorpius looked shocked to be addressed by Rose so harshly. He opened his mouth to reply, but again Albus was quicker.
‘Scorpius has read them all twice, actually, Rose,’ he said.
Rose crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
‘And you haven’t even tried putting any of that theory into practise?'
Scorpius shook his head.
'It's quite simple,' said Rose. 'I tried a few beginner spells in the other compartment. It's not against school rules to use magic on the train, after all. You'll know that,' said Rose to Scorpius, pointing to Hogwarts: A History beside him. 'My cousin Lucy was rather impressed, I think, and it takes a lot to impress her,' laughed Rose.
‘Are you staying, Rose? Because we were sort of in the middle of a conversation when you barged in,’ said Albus harshly.
Rose pulled a face. ‘Well you didn't join me, so I thought I’d better stay here and watch over you myself,’ she said.
‘Watch over me? Why?’
Rose made eyes at Scorpius, who had once again opened Hogwarts: A History, his eyes slowly scanning the page.
Rose’s return had completely changed the atmosphere in the compartment. Scorpius carried on reading while Albus watched the farmer's fields flying by, choosing not to talk either. Rose picked hairs and bits of fluff from her robes.
‘So, Scorpius,’ said Rose, this time taking great care to say his name, ‘do you have any idea what house you’ll be in?’
Albus turned and glared at her. She ignored him. Scorpius looked up from his book, though his fingers still stroked its pages fondly.
‘I don’t think Ravenclaw would be bad. It would suit me quite nicely, I think.’
‘Ravenclaw? Really?’ Rose interjected. ‘The house of wit and cleverness?’
‘I mean, I’ll probably be in Slytherin,’ squeaked Scorpius. ‘My family always seem to be.’
Rose let out a fake giggle.
‘Thought so,’ she said.
‘I suppose it’s up to the Sorting Hat. I couldn’t complain whatever house I’m put in.’
Rose picked up a Cauldron Cake from beside her and started tearing bits off. Scorpius looked like he was waiting for a response, but Rose didn’t give him one. Not immediately, anyhow.
‘I don’t suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad,’ said Rose. ‘But I think it’ll have to be Gryffindor for me. Weasley family tradition, right Al?’
Albus said nothing.
Rose began talking in length with Scorpius about the traits and other quirks of the other Hogwarts houses. It wasn’t exactly a conversation as Rose did most of the talking, and Scorpius contributed only with the odd nod or squeak or shake of his head. He released a strange noise when Rose declared that she too knew Hogwarts: A History off by heart, though thankfully for him she didn’t seem to notice. Rose had just launched herself into a fresh conversation on her ambition to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team one day, when the compartment door slid open once more. Three boys swaggered in and Albus instantly grimaced. The new arrivals ignored Albus and Rose at first. They only had eyes for Scorpius, whose cheeks immediately filled with colour. He swallowed loudly.
‘What do you want, James?’ asked Albus, directing his question at the tall, dark-haired boy in the middle.
James scoffed.
‘That’s no way to talk to your big brother, Al. Rude,’ said James.
The two boys on either side sniggered, though it wasn’t particularly funny.
‘Scorpius,’ began Albus, ‘meet my big brother, James.’
James beamed at the mere mention of his name. He had a devilish sort of face, the sort that is always quick to smile or laugh. ‘And these are my cousins, Louis and Fred,’ continued Albus, pointing in turn to the slim silver-haired one to the left of James, then at the slightly taller boy with flaming-red hair to his right. Louis bowed his head while Fred did a fake curtsy. James put out his hand for Scorpius to shake, which he did, but James seemed to relish at Scorpius’s rather feeble grip.
‘We came to see where our little Rosie had gone. Check she hadn’t got lost,’ teased James.
‘Don’t call me that!’ cried Rose.
James ignored Rose’s protests and instead forced himself between her and Albus, causing a few empty Chocolate Frog boxes and a Liquorice Wand to fall to the floor. Louis and Fred managed to find room around the pile of sweets on the seat beside Scorpius. He had resumed reading, though he looked very uncomfortable, and had taken to fidgeting with his fingers. Albus thought he could actually see a pulse in Scorpius’s neck.
‘Say Scorpius,’ said James. Albus immediately shot him a look. ‘I don’t suppose we could have some of your sweets? We seem to have missed the old trolley witch. Someone was playing around with Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder down in our carriage earlier and she must have slipped by us.’
Louis and Fred snickered.
Scorpius snapped the book shut a little too forcefully, keeping a finger pressed between its pages. He smiled weakly.
‘Of course,’ Scorpius obliged. ‘Help yourself, he said, not looking any of them in the eye. James didn’t seem to mind. The words were hardly out of Scorpius’s mouth before James had started opening the last Shoc-O-Choc.
‘James, this really isn’t fair. I’ll tell Mum.’
‘Oh! Keep your hair on, Al,’ said James. He suddenly gasped, and let out a loud gleeful laugh. ‘Keep your hair on!’ he exclaimed, pointing to himself at first, then Scorpius, whose ears instantly went a bright shade of pink. ‘Do you get it!?’
Louis and Fred joined in with the laughter, though the joke seemed to have gone completely over Louis’s head. Rose didn’t laugh, instead she looked suitably uncomfortable. It was obvious to Albus that they were all privy to the rumour concerning Scorpius.
‘Enough,’ commanded Rose, stamping her foot on the ground. That seemed to bring James, Louis and Fred back from the brink of hysterics. James took a handful of Scorpius’s remaining sweets.
‘Come on you two,’ said James to Louis and Fred. ‘Remember to be on Thestral watch, Al,’ smirked James. He turned to leave but Albus stood up. His fists were clenched tightly. His lips had narrowed and his jaw was tense as if he had bared his teeth. James however, was completely relaxed. In fact, he was laughing.
‘And you say I’m the show-off!’ said James. ‘Though, you’ve never really had anyone to show off to before now, have you?’ He pointed at Scorpius, who was cowering against the window with his eyes shut. He looked petrified. His body seemed to have folded in on itself, his legs raised in an act of self-defence, though Albus knew he was never in any danger.
Albus grabbed his wand and squared up to James, who responded by cackling loudly. Rose said something hurried and panicked, but Albus did not know what.
‘Careful, Albie. Mum isn’t here to help you now.’
Sparks shot from Albus’s wand, burning a few small holes in James’s robes just above his waist.
‘Do you even know how to use that?’ taunted James. He didn’t cower or flinch. He forced Albus’s wand away, while Albus raised his fist.
Rose jumped up and stood between then. She pushed James away, forcing him towards the door.
‘Leave, James! Leave! James, please,’ pleaded Rose.
‘You’re right,’ said James, casually sauntering out. ‘Don’t let the Thestrals bite, Al. Or the Giant Squid. Those tentacles – Ooh!’ he exclaimed, faking an icy shiver. Louis and Fred closely followed. Albus heard them laugh as they went back up the corridor.
Rose turned.
‘Put that away,’ she spat at Albus, who was still holding his wand in his hand fiercely. ‘Fighting already. Honestly. You’ll be in trouble before we even get there!’
Albus threw his wand onto the seat and rearranged his robes moodily.
‘Compose yourself, Al,’ said Rose. Her brows were still narrowed. Furious.
‘It’s Albus,’ he declared.
‘Oh whatever!’ cried Rose. ‘I’m only saying, we’ll be arriving soon. Look.’
She pointed out of the window at the deep-purple sky. Albus could see mountains and forests.
‘Are you alright?’
It took a moment for Scorpius to realise Rose was addressing him. His cheeks were tinged with pink, his ears red, and his hands were wildly fidgeting. He stopped, flexed both hands out, and started chewing on his right thumbnail.
‘Mmhmm. Yes. I mean. Yes, I’m alright,’ said Scorpius clearing his throat. ‘Thank you.’
‘Then I’ll be going now,’ said Rose. ‘See you up at the school.’
Soon after Rose left a voice echoed through the whole train: ‘We will be reaching Hogsmeade in five minutes’ time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.’
The anger left Albus immediately. His stomach bubbled with nerves, the same dread he had been feeling earlier that morning had returned. He noticed Scorpius looked an off-colour.
When the train stopped, Albus and Scorpius joined the other students in the corridor. They filed past Victoire who was overseeing the disembarkment. Someone opened a door, and Albus and Scorpius stepped out onto the little platform. Albus shivered in the cold night air and Scorpius’s teeth chattered.
‘Firs’-years! Firs’-years over here!’ came a loud voice. It belonged to a giant of a man who was holding a lamp aloft over the heads of the students. Albus recognised the voice as belonging to Rubeus Hagrid.
‘You alright there, Albus?’ he boomed, his large face beaming. Hagrid’s warm black eyes glinted in the lamplight. Though his hair was still dark, Albus couldn’t help but notice the white-grey streaks in Hagrid’s beard.
‘C’mon, follow me!’ he shouted. ‘Firs’-years follow me!’
Hagrid led the first years down a narrow path. It had been raining and the pathway was particularly slippy. Albus was able to get a better look at Scorpius for the first time then, though it was dark, the moon was bright. Scorpius was taller than he was, gangly and gawky looking, as if he hadn’t quite grown into his body. His arms seemed to trail and his feet looked much too large on his thin legs. He plodded along like a puppy, slipping every once in a while, but making sure to grab Albus to steady himself. Scorpius didn’t seem so nervous or jittery when he was one of the crowd.
‘Yeh’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,’ boomed Hagrid up ahead. ‘Jus’ round this bend here.’
There were a collection of ‘Oohs,’ ‘Ahhs,’ and one of the girls even squealed rather loudly when they turned the corner and saw Hogwarts for the first time. The pathway had opened up to a large black lake. It was still, and the moon was reflected in it perfectly, a large white orb amongst the blackness. There was a mountain on the other side, with a large castle atop it. Its windows glistened like stars in the darkness, and its turrets seemed to pierce the sky itself. Scorpius grabbed Albus’s wrist. He was shaking but not through cold.
‘Wow,’ he said quietly. He had stopped in his tracks. Scorpius’s eyes were wide with awe and wonder when Albus turned to face him. He blinked a few times, as if trying to ascertain that the castle was real, not merely a figment of his imagination or a drawing in a book. His jaw had dropped too, and though Albus couldn’t be sure, he thought he saw a single lone tear gliding down Scorpius’s cheek.
‘Sorry,’ Scorpius said quickly. Realising what he had done, he instantly let go of Albus’s wrist, wiping his face with the sleeve of his robes. ‘I – I slipped,’ he stammered, but Albus knew he hadn’t.
They all went down a grass verge to the lakeside, where a small fleet of boats awaited them. There was to be no more than four to a boat, Hagrid had said. Albus and Scorpius clambered into one, followed by Rose and a girl with dark hair and a sneering face.
‘Everyone in?’ shouted Hagrid, not caring to wait for a response. ‘Then – FORWARD!’
The boats all set sail at once, gliding across the still lake as if it were a mirror, not disrupting it at all. The castle was imposing up close. Albus gripped onto the side of the boat tightly as they passed through a curtain of ivy which hid a large opening in the cliff side. The opening led them down a dark tunnel and into a sort of underground harbour, roughly hewn from stone.
After all the first years had disembarked, Hagrid led them through a pitch-black passageway, only made possible by the light of Hagrid’s lamp. After a few minutes, they came out on to a small bit of grass, right in the shadow of the castle. Hagrid took them up a short flight of stone steps and knocked three times on the impressive castle door. Albus heard Scorpius sniff loudly behind him.