Albus Potter and the Passageway of Doom

The Boys at the Park

-CHAPTER ONE-

The Boys at the Park

The park in the middle of London was always very busy. Lots of children came to play there, mostly during the afternoon when mothers and fathers had finished work and stopped on their way home to let the children play. All these children knew each other. However, today, four newcomers were standing aside from the laughter and shouting. They looked different from the others.

'I'm absolutely positive they're one of us,' a pale, black haired boy whispered to his companion. His companion was tall with fiery red hair. She squinted at two boys who were standing at a fence, talking. 'I suppose,' she said doubtfully. 'The only way to confirm it is to make friends with them and see.'

'Rose, they're called the Magicians at this park. They can scrunch up leaves and break sticks without moving a muscle. Rose, that's what inexperienced wizards do!'

'Albus, maybe it's an act. Don't get your hopes up.'

'Shut up. I'm going to go to Dad and ask him.'

'Al, don't! He'll tell you to stick your nose out of this business!'

'That's exactly it. So why don't we just make friends with them?'

'That's be-cause, Albus Potter, you're an idiot. You inherited that from your father.'

'Oh and you didn't inherit recklessness from your father?'

'No, I inherited sensibility from my mother. Remember?'

'Oh yeah, how could I forget. You're mother's the famous Hermione Granger.'

'Oh shut up, Potter. Come on, let's find Scorpius.'

The two pulled their brother and sister away from the slides and hurried to a red telephone box. They never came out.

*

'Rose, come on! Seriously, if they are wizards, then they have the right to know!' Scorpius Malfoy said in outrage.

'Exactly,' Albus said, whirling round to glare at Rose.

'Quick, Dad and Harry are coming!' she said suddenly, pushing Scorpius into the men's bathroom. There was a crash from behind the door as he fell into a bucket of cleaning utensils.

'What was that?' Albus's father, Harry asked curiously.

'Nothing,' Albus said. 'It was...uh...'

'Nothing,' Rose agreed. 'Trust me, guys.' Ron and Harry frowned at the two.

'Okay, I'll take your word for it,' they said. Once they'd turned the corner, Albus stepped into the bathroom and led Scorpius to the other exit.

'Why are you doing that?' Scorpius asked.

'Because my father has an invisibility cloak,' Albus whispered. 'Now shut up. Come on; let's go to the Leaky Cauldron.' The simple reason that Albus and Rose weren't letting their fathers see Scorpius, was the three weren't supposed to be friends. Ron, Harry and Scorpius's father, Draco, had once been enemies and were still on a non-contact basis. Albus, Rose and Scorpius had met at an Order of the Phoenix meeting that most people of their parents' generation belonged to. Albus, personally thought that the days of the Order should be long gone and that they should make Dumbledore's Army a bigger thing but he was only eleven. Albus and Rose were cousins. Albus's mother was Rose's father's sister and Rose's parents were Albus's father's best friends. Albus's father was one of the most famous wizards in the world, Harry Potter. Harry had defeated the darkest wizard of all times, Voldemort and was well known as The Boy Who Lived. Albus and Rose had turned eleven two months ago and were all set to be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in another month's time in September. Most young witches and wizards attended Hogwarts for seven years. But now it was the summer holidays and Albus, Rose and Scorpius were all in London for the day.