ALBUS POTTER AND THE LOCKET OF LOST SOULS: CHAPTER ONE

THE SAVIOURS HEIR

Mr and Mrs Potter of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place were perfectly happy to say that they were a normal family, thank you very much…if by normal one meant being the most famously un-famous human beings on earth. You see, seventeen years ago, Mr Potter, or Harry to his friends had defeated the most dangerous dark wizard in history and thus returning peace to the wizarding world.

What at first appeared to be the end of a long and terrifying part of his life had turned into the start of his rise to the pinnacle of wizarding fame. There hadn't been a day since where he hadn't spotted his name recorded onto print somewhere, whether that be the Daily Prophet, The Quibbler or The Oracle. Luckily enough for him, Mrs Potter or Ginny to her friends, was a strong and confident character, dealing with all of the pressures that arose when being married to one of the most celebrated wizards of all time. Ginny's first pregnancy had been difficult for them due to the scrutiny of starting a family under the watchful eye of the wizarding community. Their eldest son, James Sirius Potter had been treated as if he were the first in line to the succession of a wizarding throne, for the first few years of his life, gifts were sent from all over the world. Harry and Ginny had even received owls from mothers proposing their daughters as potential wives when both children were of age. They had been unsure how James would cope with all that attention growing up but in that sense, he was much like his uncle Ron Weasley and bathed in whatever outpouring of love came his way.

By the time, their daughter Lily Luna Potter was born, the furore surrounding them had abated. That's not to say that the name Potter had stopped carrying weight, if anything it had solidified, being so many years removed from the Second Wizarding War had turned it into more of a myth. This meant that Lily was somewhat oblivious to the family she had been born into, although she was starting to piece things together. She carried herself with such self-importance, that Harry worried about how she would handle things once she became fully aware of their status as the wizarding worlds most famous family.

Then there was Albus Severus Potter, Harry’s second son and whom our story focuses on. You see, if there was anyone who resembled Harry in looks and personality the most, this was Albus. Just like his dad, he would have much rather a quiet existence and none of the fuss that went on whenever they visited Diagon Alley or other places heavily frequented by the wizarding world. Unlike James, the attention they received when out as a family had made the shy child withdraw even deeper into himself. The parallels between Harry and Albus were uncanny beyond just the physical, Harry had always attempted to skirt all attention sent his way as he struggled to come to terms with the reason behind his fame and Albus was much the same. He didn't seek any of his parents celebrity and nor did he want it.

And so it was that the morning of the 1st September was met with dread by Albus as he awoke drenched in sweat. He'd had a particularly disturbing dream about a dark man with a pointed green goatee screaming curses at him, Albus and two other people he didn't recognise had only just manage to escape back onto Hogwarts grounds before his alarm brought him back to reality. He was certain that no other child raised in the wizarding world felt as much apprehension about the first day of school as he did and try as he may, and he did try, going so far as locking himself in his room for two days, Albus had not been able to convince his mum and dad to home school him. As much as he hated the idea, in a matter of hours, Albus was going to be Hogwarts-bound.

“Albus!” he heard his mother shout lovingly up the stairs. “We’re going to be late.”

Albus groaned, lifted his covers and sat upright, staring at the reflection in the mirror attached to the wardrobe directly opposite him. How was he going to tell his dad that he didn’t want to go to Hogwarts? How was he going to tell him he’d much rather go to a muggle school? His auntie Hermione had told him all about them over Christmas and despite sounding very dull, he much preferred that to the expectations that would mount on his shoulders as soon as the sorting hat was placed on his head. Not only was he the son of the world-famous Harry Potter, the nephew of the highly respected and probable future Minister for Magic, Hermione Granger and the son of the great Quidditch player Ginny Weasley…he was also named after two of the greatest wizards in history; Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

"Albus? Anything the matter?" Harry said popping his head through the door.

Albus banished all negative thoughts and forced a smile. Sometimes, he got the distinct feeling that his dad was able to read his mind.

“Errr…no, all good, dad!” Albus lied.

“Nervous?” Harry asked him.

“A little. Were you nervous on your first day?”

"Like a niffler without gold! I was so overwhelmed by it all. A few days before I didn't even know I was a wizard, let alone that an entire magical world existed. I was expecting to be woken up by Dudley's thundering footsteps only to find myself in the cupboard under the stairs. At least you've got James and the rest of your cousins...and don't forget your godfather!"

"I can't wait to see Neville!"

"Professor Longbottom," his dad corrected him. "Now, please get ready or it'll be your mother up here next."

Harry left as Albus looked around his room, visually bidding his things goodbye as if he'd never see it again and landed on the portrait Phineas Nigellus eyeing him lazily.

"Good morning," Albus said.

"Is it?" Phineas replied before leaving the portrait.

Albus got dressed as slowly as humanly possible and then made his way down the narrow flight of winding stairs and into the kitchen where his sister was sat in one of her daily moods. Towards the end, was his brother James, buried into his phone, most likely messaging Piers Parsons or another of his muggle cronies.

“What’s the matter?” Albus asked his sister as he sat next to her.

“I want to go to Hogwarts too!”

“You’ll be there soon, sweetie,” his mum said exasperated.

Her tone was very familiar to Albus, she'd probably been given a rough morning by Lily and was near breaking point. In fairness, Lily, however adorable she was, was growing up to be quite a handful. Having a daughter like Lily for someone with such a fiery temper like his mum made for an entertaining time at the Potters. Sensing the irritation in his wife's voice, Harry, ever the mediator, stepped in.

“Let the boys get a head start because if you're anything like your grandmother Lily, you’ll soon be the greatest witch of your time.”

A smile spread across Lily's face.

"Come on, finish up your breakfast and let's go."

***

Muggles filled Kings Cross Station zipping from platform to platform with their phones connected to their ears as if with a Sticking Charm. Having seen his brother off for his first and second years, he became accustomed to the somewhat morose nature of the muggles that passed through the station. Each time he had visited, Albus got the feeling they were being forced to go somewhere they didn't want to be. They were so engrossed in their daily routine that they never noticed the dozens of witches and wizards running apace towards a brick wall. One such wizard was his dad, who had just vanished through it with his sister Lily, they were followed by James who had finally managed to put his phone away. Ginny held out her hand to Albus.

"I can do it alone, mum."

"Alright," Ginny replied before disappearing through the barrier.

A sudden glance around him revealed people were walking slower and looking at him curiously as he stood in front of a brick wall, but were they moving slower or had Albus simply lost his nerve? He must have looked lost or crazy to the muggles, but luckily no one tried to approach him, he thought looking at the clock in the station. The barrier was sure to close in...three...

Taking a deep breath, Albert closed his eyes.

Two.

Running as fast as he could, he braced himself for the sudden impact...

One.

A burst of chatter and excitement along with the unmistakeable sound of hooting owls met his ears and when he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on Platform 9 ¾.

"Come on, Albus," his mum said hurrying him along.

There were hundreds of children, some excited, some frightened, some anxious...but did anyone feel the same as he did? James might have, although he certainly seemed to have overcome it easily. Of course, he was handsome like his namesake Sirius Black had been and as cool as their grandfather James, not to mention he had turned out to be quite the Quidditch player, not a Seeker like their dad, but a rather astonishing Beater. Albus wasn't ever going to be any of that, he was skinny even if he ate more than his brother and sister combined, this made him look scrawny and rather small for his age and he was no good at sports, not at wizard sports and not at muggle sports. In fact Albus was pretty sure he wasn't good at anything.

He turned to meet his dad's gaze as he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Often, looking into his dad's eyes, was as if he were looking at an older reflection of himself. Perhaps he would grow to be just as confident someday.

“Albus, are you okay?” Harry asked him.

Albus paused for a few moments before replying.

“James said I would be sorted into Slytherin...what if I am?”

“Then Slytherin would have gained a fantastic wizard.”

Albus paused and looked away from his dad towards what appeared to be a muggle family judging by the perplexed look on the mothers face. Her little son, already in his Hogwarts robes was crying, but not out of sadness it seemed. Beside them stood an elegant Japanese woman wearing a fur coat and velvet gloves, she was talking to a handsome black boy who appeared more interested in leaving his mum behind.

“I don't want to let you down,” Albus whispered.

“Albus Severus...you could never let me down.”

He kissed him on the forehead just as his mum walked over to them with his sister Lily.

“James thinks he's cool because he's in third year,” Lily said.

"In fairness, we all thought we were a little bit cooler in third year. Should have seen your uncle Ron's barnet."

"Where are they?" Ginny asked.

"You know what Hermione is like, probably dropped them off early and went off to the Ministry," Harry replied as the Hogwarts Express whistled loudly signalling its imminent departure.

"Remember to write to us if you need anything, okay?" Harry said, hugging Albus.

"See you at Christmas," Ginny followed, squeezing him ever so tightly.

Albus forced a smile as he walked up the trains steps and into the carriageway. The train slowly left the station as family members said their goodbyes to students - the muggle family he'd seen had the same puzzled look on their faces, the woman was crying uncontrollably, perhaps doubting whether allowing her child to attend a magical school that had only recently been discovered was the right thing to do. Albus turned to walk down the carriageway and stopped at a compartment where his brother James was sitting with his friends Barry Bell and Artemius Amyloid.

“Don't even bother, Dunghead.” James said closing the compartment door swiftly, only just avoiding slicing Albus’ fingers.

Enraged, he stormed down the carriage, muttering more expletives than he thought he knew until he found a compartment with no one but a slim blonde boy. Albus breathed out his frustration and practised a smile before opening the door.

“Hi, can I sit here?” Albus asked.

The blonde boy slowly turned to face him, looking Albus up and down, fixating his grey eyes on him for what appeared to be an eternity, before nodding.

“You're a Potter...” he said no sooner had Albus made himself comfortable.

“Yes,” Albus replied expecting uncontrollable excitement followed by a torrent of questions. But the boy merely looked at him with a slight pang of resentment.

“You look like him...I look like father, but I guess our families name isn't what it once was...so looking like my father doesn't have the same perks as being the Saviours Heir.”

Sensing the boy's discomfort, Albus did not instantly reply. The insignificance with which he was treating Albus made him curious to know more about him.

“I'm Albus...” he said stretching out a hand.

“Scorpius Malfoy.”

“Oh.”

Albus was unable to mask the surprise in his voice. The Malfoy's, a once feared and respected wizarding family, had fallen from grace after the Second Wizarding War, damaged by their affiliation to Lord Voldemort. They had since, for the most part, kept to themselves and even going so far as to move away from Britain in an effort to begin anew, but Scorpius' presence in the Hogwarts Express must have meant that they had decided to return.

“Pleased to meet you...” Albus added quickly.

Before he had time to continue, the compartment door fell open to reveal the familiar face of Neville Longbottom. “Neville!” Albus exclaimed. "Sorry, I mean Professor!"

“There you are, Albus!” Neville turned behind him and ushered a timid young girl of a dark complexion and black, frizzy hair into the compartment. "Come along, Amelia."

She looked up momentarily and locked her bright blue eyes with Albus'.

“This is...Amelia Rose--” Neville stopped in his tracks as his laid eyes on Scorpius before realising his lapse and forcing a smile.

“You must be Scorpius...pleasure to meet you. I'm Professor--”

“Neville Longbottom...you were in Dumbledores Army...with Harry Potter...unlike my dad...”

Albus turned his attention from Amelia to Scorpius frowning and instantly feeling a kinship. Perhaps he wouldn't be the only one that year with the heavy burden of a name. Professor Neville Longbottom sat next to Scorpius Malfoy and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Your father is braver than you know, it isn't my story to tell, but next time you see him, tell him...” Neville paused for a few moments. "Tell him I said thanks," he said patting Scorpius on the shoulder before standing back up. "And remember..." he added looking from Albus to Scorpius. "Your path, is your own. Please make Amelia feel welcome." he said closing the compartment door behind him.

Amelia sat next to Scorpius and looked down into her hands as an awkward silence fell. Scorpius nodded his head towards Amelia, forcing Albus to spark a conversation.

"So..." Albus started. "What House do you want to be in?" “Errr...House?” she replied, clearly confused by the question.

“Yeah...Slytherin, Ravenclaw...” Scorpius chimed in but when Amelia continued to look puzzled Scorpius asked. “Are you a muggle born?"

Albus was not quite sure how it had happened, but before he knew it, Scorpius was up against the compartment window, nursing a bloody lip with Amelia standing over him.

“What did you call me?”

Albus rushed to stand between them. “He asked you if you were a muggle born. You know? If you've no magical blood?”

The anger etched on her face transformed to embarrassment as she realised what she had done. “Oh...I'm so sorry” Amelia said bursting into tears and throwing her face into her hands.

Albus and Scorpius looked at each other, unsure as how to proceed. It was clear that neither boy had ever been in a position of having to comfort a crying girl before. Albus had had to control his sisters temper tantrums once or twice but this was different. Not knowing what do to, he did the only thing he could think of and patted her on the back, like one does when burping a baby.

“Its alright...honestly,” Albus said almost apologetically to Amelia. “Isn't it Scorpius?”

“Yes,” Scorpius nodded enthusiastically. "Look."

Scorpius stood on the chair, opened his trunk and after rummaging for a few moments, he withdrew a vaseline-like substance. He placed a finger in the tub, and placed the substance over his lip, healing it instantly.

“Got it from your uncle's joke shop, Albus.” Scorpios said.

“My aunt Hermione always said that in between all the rubbish existed good magic!” Amelia sniffed heavily. “It is pretty amazing. I've never seen real magic.”

“So you are muggle born?” Scorpius asked.

“Yeah. I mean so far as I know...I was raised in foster homes--"

"What's a faster home?" Scorpius asked confused.

"Muggle children without parents are placed there, so they have parents." Albus explained.

"Oh we have those, an orphanage, you mean?"

"No, orphanages are for children without parents," Amelia explained. "Foster homes are for children with parents who can't take care of them. I haven't spoken to mine in a while," Amelia said sadly. "Professor Longbottom fostered me this summer."

An awkward silence fell in the compartment with the boys unable to break it. What was there to say to a girl who'd grown up without her real parents and thrust into the wizarding world. It was very probable that Amelia felt as alone and afraid as she had in her foster homes. Something Albus had never considered came to mind. That must have been exactly how his dad felt all those years ago. What if this was why he needed to attend Hogwarts? To show someone like Amelia, the same warmth his aunt Hermione and uncle Ron had shown his dad.

“You won't be alone. There are plenty of muggle born students at Hogwarts. My aunt Hermione was one and she's turned into one of the most brilliant wizards ever!”

Amelia smiled, her magnificent blue eyes glittering behind her tears.

The compartment door opened once more to reveal an old plump lady with a cart full of treats and excited to start introducing Amelia to the wonders of the wizarding world, Albus and Scorpius both bought enough to last them two weeks.

“These are Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans,” Scorpius explained. “Go on take one.” Amelia picked a beige coloured one and made a face of deep disgust as soon as she'd tasted it.

“Tastes like vomit.”

"Then it' s probably vomit," Scorpius said laughing and for whatever reason, both Albus and Amelia joined in until the compartment was full of non-stop raucous laughter. The skies outside the train changed from cerulean to pink to indigo and still the laughter remained only to stop when they were asked to change into their robes.

The train came to a halt and the doors opened. As they descended the train, Albus immediately spotted Hagrid, a man twice the normal size and width of a normal man, his unnatural size was due to the fact that his mother had been a giant.

“Firs' years ter me! Firs' years ter me! Alrigh' Albus?”

“Yes thanks, Hagrid. These are my friends, Amelia Rose and Scorpius Malfoy.”

Hagrid took in Scorpius for a few seconds. “Nice ter meet yer. This is like deja vu...” he said wiping tears with his gigantic hands. “Feels like only yesterday yer da stepped off the train with Ron and Hermione. Anyway, I'm keepin’ the rest o' the firs' years waitin.”

Albus, Amelia and Scorpius followed Hagrid and the rest of the first years from the platform to a lake with various small boats. A wondrous castle stood atop a mountain, propped against the dusk sky, it was impossible to see where it ended. Albus turned to look at his new friends and saw the wonder on their faces grow the nearer they got to the castle. In that moment, he finally understood why ever adult he had spoken to had seemed enamoured by it. Hogwarts wasn't just a school, it was home.