3Albus hadn't been able to find sleep that night. He kept wondering about Caroline and the four houses and the Sorting Hat. Something didn't quite add up.
Caroline was pure-blooded, Albus was sure of it, and she was also very ambitious, which could be seen on her grades. But she wasn't like the others; she always smiled and would always be up for a game of Wizard Chess. Last night, she had proved to be brave, much braver than Albus, and that was saying something. His parents had all too many stories of young Albus trying to do something completely outrageous.
Albus had studied the values of the different houses ever since he was old enough to understand them and spent hours on researching the greatest wizards from each of the houses so that he would know which of his features to suppress and which to nurture so that he would have the greatest possibility to end in the right house.
Finally, at around two in the morning, he had drifted off to sleep, but the subject was on his mind as soon as he awoke again.
It was soon obvious to all that Caroline Holcraft and Albus Severus Potter were a team. In fact, Albus, au contraire to Caroline, only had that one friend in the Slytherin house. The time that he didn't spend on school work or being with Caroline, he spent with Rose or James.
"Hey," Caroline said one day when he sat curled up with his books before the fireplace in the common room. "Did you know the library had a restricted section?" She sat down beside him.
"Uhm, yeah? Basic knowledge."
She frowned at him. "You're not in a very good mood." Her look of pity was replaced with one of mischief as she interrupted his apology before he even made a sound. "I just thought I'd make sure you knew before we break in there."
"Wait… what?" Albus narrowed his eyes at her. "We're not breaking into the restricted section."
She narrowed right back. "Yeah. We are." When he just returned to his book she punched him lightly. "Come on – think of all the knowledge in there!"
"Forbidden knowledge."
She shook her head. "The knowledge of the future. It's before its time, is all. Besides, everything in the not-so-restricted section is boring and filled with stuff we're going to read anyway."
Albus looked into his book, trying not to look too interested. Of course he wanted to see the restricted section – who didn't? – but he still secretly hoped to get another shot at Gryffindor. "First of all, the knowledge of the future hasn't been written down yet and second of all, don't you think breaking the record of breaking Hogwarts rules would be a bit much – especially considering that we've been here for barely two weeks?"
"Well." She smirked at him. "First of all, it won't count as breaking the rules if we aren't seen and second of all, I'm guessing that that school record is set by Tom Riddle, in which case I think you're being optimistic to expect us to break it… though I wouldn't mind trying."
Albus swatted her playfully on the arm. "I'm sure you would. But not tonight, okay?"
She sighed. "Okay."
Apart from being sorted into the wrong house, Albus remembered his first year at Hogwarts as a light and happy year. He almost had no homesickness – honestly, with all the speculative things that Caroline made him do, he barely had time to think of home. Not that they broke a lot of rules. And not that many serious ones; for example, Albus got Caroline to not visit the restricted section of the library.
Of course, the new pair of best friends didn't spend all their time on breaking rules and exploring the castle. The last summer day, for example, was a day that Albus would forever save and cherish in his mind. It was the day that Caroline went from 'close friend that made Slytherin tolerable' to actually being his best friend.
The warm day had been placed in the middle of a lot of cold, rainy ones. The leaves were already becoming more golden and the grass had been wet all morning. In the afternoon, though, it had heated up and the fields around Hogwarts were dry, making masses of pupils rush out to enjoy the possibly last warm day for almost a year.
Albus sat in the shadow of a tree, for once looking at the lake instead of into a book. Caroline surprised too by taking over the position as a bookworm. She had apparently found something fairly interesting in the not-so-restricted section.
"What are you reading?"
She looked up at him and smiled, her brown eyes reflecting the light of the sun. "I'm glad you asked." She scrambled up so that she was kneeling, book on her thighs. "I just noticed that Tom Riddle Junior graduated from Hogwarts in 1945."
"So?" Sometimes her interest in the man was almost scary.
She tilted her head. "I thought you knew; he died in, like, 1998." Albus nodded his head. "So he was seventy at his final battle." Albus just looked at her, trying to get his point. "It just seems old to me, is all. I mean, he was so strong in the end. Doesn't seem like any seventy-year-old to me."
Albus shrugged. "It's normal to become seventy. Besides, my father told me that he did become weak towards the end."
Caroline shook her head, denying his reason. "It just doesn't add up."
"I know, but he's Lord Voldemort. It's not supposed to add up."
Caroline's eyes instantly went to his face, searching it. "You're not afraid of saying it?" Even now, so many years later, people still feared the sound of his name and what it may bring.
"Why would I? He's dead." Caroline just nodded, returning to her book.
Albus let her be, staring out at the lake again when suddenly, a face appeared. It was staring right at them – well, not at them, but at the castle. "Look." He pointed at it. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Her gaze followed his finger until her eyes settled on the strange creature. "Fascinating, yes. I don't know if it's beautiful, though." Suddenly, she looked at him and smiled her smile. "Do you reckon you'd be able to swim out there?" It was half a joke, half a dare.
Albus just looked at her, then at the lake, then back. "No."
She giggled, then seemed to brace herself for something before, suddenly, she muttered, "You pussy!" The words were said so quickly and were followed by so many giggles that it was hard to tell what she said, but Albus was sure he hadn't heard wrong. Both her hands went up to cover her mouth as her laughter continued.
When got over his initial shock, he began searching for the right word to fling back at her. "Well, then you're just a… a… you're a…" She began laughing again. "It would be stupid," he concluded. "Why would I?"
She just kept laughing. "You're very sweet," she said arrogantly between her cramps.
"What?" He tried hard to imitate her nonchalant tone, a tone that came very natural to her. As did most things. "Because I'm a full-blooded wizard whose time should not be wasted on learning Muggle profanities?" He thought of the many nights where he'd heard other Slytherins talking about Muggles.
"And now you're just very Slytherin."
Albus laughed with her, the sound of them filling the outside areas with as much light as the sun would ever do. For some reason, that afternoon had been one of the happiest moments of his life. Perhaps because of the sun or because of their innocence – but Albus knew now that one of the main factors had been her. Not even once during that day had she mentioned doing something that would require breaking the rules; instead she had smiled and laughed and done all the things an ordinary girl her age would do. Albus believed that memory was one of her happier ones, as well.
Only a few months later had been another, in his eyes, defining day in the relationship of the two. It was early in December and the snow had begun falling.
"George says that the new collection will be legendary," Rose said, smirking at the growing group students who had settled around her. "Of course, I have tested some of the things that'll be in the collection and I must say, they seem all too effective to me."
Even though Rose's tone wasn't exactly happy, the faces of the people around her broke into wide grins. Everybody knew that if Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had a good year, so did the students at Hogwarts. Therefore those who knew the owner himself, George Weasley, personally held a naturally high rank amongst the students.
"You're talking like you know something," Fred commented, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Fred, the son of Angelina and George, was a third year but because he was the son of George… well, his year was irrelevant. After all, he was the one who smuggled the goods into the castle. "Honestly, it's me who you should be asking."
Rose frowned at him. "Doubt it."
"Oi! I actually helped my father make some of this year's collection, as you call it." Fred narrowed his eyes at Rose.
"Yeah, but you wouldn't have, had it not been for me," she remarked and returned to the news paper she'd been reading before she had been disturbed by the inquisitive crowd.
"What are you reading about?" Fred asked, looking over her shoulder.
Rose looked at him, her nose slightly wrinkled. "Since when do you care?"
"Since now."
She narrowed her eyes at him, expecting him to leave. When he didn't, she stood up from the table. "Ugh, come, Albus. I'm leaving."
Albus stood up right away. Not that he always did as Rose said – like James often told him he did – it was just that Rose got dangerous to be around when you didn't follow her lead.
"I'm sorry about that," she said once they were out in the hall.
Albus was a bit taken aback that she apologized, but he let it go pretty quickly. "Oh, that's okay. He can be a brat."
Rose laughed. "It's been a while since we talked. How are you doing, down there in the dungeons?"
He knew she was referring to Slytherin. "I'm doing pretty good. I mean, it's not as bad as I thought."
She smiled. "I'm glad."
"Are you coming over for Christmas this year?"
"Well, we always do, don't we." Rose stopped to sit on the steps of the staircase. Albus sat beside her.
"That's good. I miss Hugo and I feel we haven't talked much lately." He bumped his shoulder against hers. "Oh, about that. Did you do the Herbology assignment yet? I've tried, I really have, but…"
She interrupted him with a gasp. "Oh, no! I haven't. I'm so sorry, Albus, I've got to go finish it." She ran up the stairs. Albus didn't even mention to her that there was still a couple of days left before it was due and there were no other assignments – it would've been to no use.
Instead he decided to go down to the dungeons. Caroline said that she was going to spend her day packing so that she would be ready to go once the Christmas break started. That wasn't how he found her when he came down there, though.
Because of that first years had gotten their last class of the day canceled while the older years were still in class and the rest of the first years were wandering around the castle, Caroline was alone in the common room, which was why she had chosen this moment to open her letter from her father.
That was also the letter that she held between her clenched fists when Albus entered the common room. That day was the first time he ever saw Caroline cry.
She was sitting with her back to the door in one of the couches, her legs pulled up and her arms around them. The moment that Albus stepped in, Caroline turned her head. He could see the alarm in her eyes when she realized what he'd seen, but for some reason, she didn't run away.
"Caroline? What's wrong?" She just turned back around, shaking her head, unable to look him in the eyes. "I thought you were packing?"
He heard her take in a deep breath. "Well, obviously I'm not. So just… leave me alone, okay?" Her voice was hoarse from crying and harsh from fear, a mixture that shocked Albus.
"No." He walked to the couch and sat down. "I won't."
She looked at her again; this time he was closer to her face and able to see how red her eyes were, how many wet lines her tears had drawn across her cheeks. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She looked down at the letter in her hand. "It's just my dad."
"What is it?" Albus reached out a shaking hand, awkwardly putting it to rest on her upper arm, unsure whether to caress her arm or not.
Her body began trembling but she fought down the tears. "He's invited Rebecca over for Christmas."
"Is she your dad's…?"
"Daughter," she finished the sentence for him. "Stupid muggle, good-for-nothing daughter."
"She's your half-sister?"
"She's not my sister!" she screamed, turning around fully to face Albus, who flinched away from her for just a second in shock. That had been a mistake. "I'm sorry." She looked down again. "I didn't mean to… scare you." She began to fidget with her things on the table, collecting them and putting them in her bag.
"You didn't," Albus objected, but she already had her back to him.
"I'm sorry," she said again, beginning to leave the room. Albus couldn't find the bravery in himself to stop her. Perhaps that was why he was in Slytherin.