Cursed Child Rewrite

Old and New Friends

It wasn't long before James saw a few of his friends and happily went over to them. The first years just stood around, unsure of where to sit.

"We could all sit together," suggested Albus. "I'll just find us an empty compartment and..."

"But Albus, this is our chance to find our lifelong friends," said Rose. "Your Dad met my parents in this train."

"I don't think that's how..." started Marigold. Then she saw a boy her age in a compartment all alone. He looked awfully familiar to her. It wasn't until she saw his round brown eyes that she recognized him instantly.

"Ewan? Is that you?"

The boy called Ewan gasped. "Marigold? What are you doing here? How did you..."

"You guys know each other?" asked Rose.

"Ewan was my best friend from my old school," said Marigold.

Although most wizard parents don't give their kids a Muggle education prior to Hogwarts, Amelia, who was a Muggle-born, wanted Marigold to get used to a school environment. Marigold had been raised with understanding of both the wizarding and Muggle worlds.

"To put it simply, I'm a witch," she said. "I didn't know that you are a wizard."

"To be fair, I didn't really know either," said Ewan. "Imagine my shock when I got my letter. I'm glad you're here though. I was dreading coming all alone.

Marigold went to join Ewan while Albus peeked at the compartment next to it. There sat Scorpius Malfoy.

Scorpius saw Albus and waved in a cheerful way. "Hi. Want to... Share my sweets?"

Albus noticed the pile of Fizzing Whizzbees, Jelly Slugs, Chocolate Frogs and Cauldron Cakes. "I would love to," he said. "My Mum doesn't really like me to have sweets at home."

Rose looked at Scorpius. She had reservations about him not because of any stories of his father, but of a really disturbing rumour. Scorpius saw her face and looked uncomfortable.

"I know what the rumour is, and it's not true."

Albus looked surprised. "What rumour?"

"That my parents... Can't have children. That my grandfather was so desperate for a male heir that he paid another woman to..."

Scorpius went quiet. He didn't want to say the rest of it. But Rose did.

"The rumour is that Scorpius's mother isn't his real Mum."

"That's ridiculous," said Albus.

"Yeah," said Scorpius. "My Dad... Was a lot of things, and he did some bad stuff, but he was not a cheater."

Albus felt bad for Scorpius. He had grown up with two siblings, and while that meant a lot of sharing and little privacy, he was never lonely. But he could see how lonely Scorpius was.

Albus sat down next to Scorpius. "I'll have some sweets," he said.

Rose frowned. "We're not supposed to..."

"Rose, your Dad only told you to beat Scorpius in exams. He never said anything about who we are allowed to make friends with."

Rose shrugged. "Suit yourself. All the same, Scorpius is a lot nicer than I had expected."

Meanwhile, Marigold was telling Ewan about her family history.

"I'm a half-blood. My Dad is a wizard and my Mum is Muggle-born like you. My Dad is a teacher at Hogwarts, so I can introduce you to him at last. But remember to address him as Professor Longbottom instead of Mr Longbottom."

""I'm worried though," said Ewan. "What if I'm miles behind everyone else?"

"You won't," said Marigold. "My Mum said that it doesn't matter if you have wizard blood or not. In fact, the top student was another Muggle-born. That redheaded girl you saw is her daughter. I bet she's going to be the top in class as well."

"It must be so exciting, being magical your whole life and knowing it," said Ewan. "I hope that we are in the same classes."

"Don't worry. We will have at least some classes together regardless of what house we are in."

"Er... Houses?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know. Well, you probably won't be in Slytherin for you're Muggle born. Slytherins are known for being cunning and ambitious. Ravenclaws are known for being intelligent and creative. Gryffindors are known for being brave and heroic. And Hufflepuffs are known for being loyal and kind."

"Oh. I'm not brave," said Ewan. "Maybe I will be a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. What about you?"

"I don't know," said Marigold. "My mother was a Ravenclaw and my father a Gryffindor. He was really a hero. He helped fight in the Second Wizarding War and..."

"What?" asked Ewan.

"This is a really long story," said Marigold.