Albus Severus Potter was eleven years old, and his name was already famous. Not his first name. No, it was his last name that was famous. All because of his father. Albus' father was an auror. But it was more than that. His father was the famous Harry Potter. Known for defeating the dark lord Voldermort not just once, but twice. Albus had grown up living in his father's shadow. But it had never been clearer to him just how much his father's fame affected him until his very first year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
It started with the Sorting Ceremony. Headmistress McGonagall watched them all warmly. When Albus' name was read, he noticed her expression became somehow more avid. He sat down on the stool, his nerves as tight as a guitar string. A teacher set it onto his head, and the Sorting Hat's voice spoke softly into his ear.
"Hmmm. Another Potter. I see great things for you." Albus tensed. "It would be easy to place you in Gryffindor. But I see something else here. Yes. You'd be much greater in Slytherin." Albus remembered his father's words.
"Albus Severus," Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Rose, who was now on the train, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." Suddenly, he knew he'd be perfectly okay with being in Slytherin. Even if James picked on him about it.
"Slytherin it is!" The Sorting Hat called out and Albus jumped off the stool. He moved towards the Slytherin table.
Albus was met with applause. A boy, the same age as him introduced himself. The boy had light blonde hair and extended his hand.
"Hi, I'm Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy." Albus knew all about the Malfoys, but Scorpius seemed...friendly. Quite unlike the descriptions the Potter children had always overheard their parents talking about. Albus shook his hand.
"Albus Potter." Scorpius' face showed the same look of recognition Albus was sure he wore upon hearing Scorpius' name. Albus watched as his cousin Rose was sorted into Ravenclaw. He cheered for her, and then turned back to Scorpius. They spent a good deal of the feast talking about Quidditch, and found that they shared a fondness for the same team.
"Of course, my mum played for the Holyhead Harpies. That was before she started writing for the Daily Prophet and before James, my brother, was born." Albus turned his attention to his plate for a while, while Scorpius spoke about his family. Finally, the headmistress stood up.
"Welcome to the beginning of a new year at Hogwarts. I have a few start-of-term notices. First of all, the forest on the edge of our campus is off limits to all students unless accompanied by a member of staff. Also, our Care of Magical Creatures professor has requested that I remind students that the giant squid in the lake is prone to outbursts of rage as it is getting on in age. You would do well to stay clear of the lake altogether. Quidditch tryouts will be announced on your house board. First year students are not permitted to play for their house teams. Now, please make your way to your houses in an orderly fashion." The tables cleared themselves, and students began to stand up. Albus followed Scorpius from the Great Hall.
They arrived at the dungeon and the prefect showed them how to enter. Scorpius and Albus followed their classmates to the dormitory. As they were getting ready for bed, Albus noticed something white streak across Scorpius' bed. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a white ferret.
"Oh, that's Bax. Come here, Bax. Say hello." Scorpius held the ferret out to Albus. Albus grinned.
"I've never seen one before. My parents bought me a white barn owl. I named her Veda." Albus turned and climbed into bed. He felt happy. He had been so scared that he would get put into Slytherin, that it would be impossible for him to make friends and that he would never escape the shadows cast by both his parents and his older brother. Now though, he felt much better. Scorpius might be a Malfoy, but Albus was certain they would prove to be very different than their parents. He decided to write his parents in the morning and tell them all about his friend. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
