THE SORTING

N.B. Just to say, some characters have been taken, and are under the trademark of J. K. Rowling. However, the storyline is completely my own, set in her world of Harry Potter that we all love :) Thank you J. K. Rowling for Harry Potter! Have fun reading.

Scorpius walked down the train, dragging his trunk with him and surreptitiously glanced around for an empty compartment. His pale blonde hair, made even paler and brighter by his dark robes was reflected in the windows, bobbing along the corridor. He was alone. As he passed by full carriage after full carriage, he finally arrived at the last one and he breathed a sigh of relief to see that it wasn't full. He released his trunk and slid open the door.

"Sorry, can I sit-" his voice trailed away as he recognized the two figures seated there next to the window. One of them, frizzy red hair, brown eyed and looking at him over the rim of a book. The other, dark haired, with shocking green eyes, looked at him with curiously while he twirled his wand.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius started, but was interrupted.

"No, go ahead, we have room," the boy offered. He gestured at the space. "We could take a few more people." Scorpius stared and then realized what the boy had just said. He nodded and muttered a "thanks", then dragged his trunk in and stuffed it into the luggage compartment. Scorpius then seated himself facing the boy, watching the flickering shadows of scenery on the floor. The other two looked at each other; the girl gesturing wildly with her eyebrows. The boy cleared his throat.

"Err, so, you're new as well right?" he asked apprehensively. Scorpius looked up and nodded, his pale grey eyes meeting the green ones.

"I'm Scorpius. You're Albus Potter," Scorpius said in reply. Albus stopped twirling his wand and answered.

"Yes. This is Rose Weasley," he said, indicating the red haired girl with the book. She closed it with her finger marking the pages, and smiled at Scorpius.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters at Hogwarts?" she asked kindly. Scorpius shook his head, and noticed instead, the evening sun enhancing the redness of her hair. He shook his head again and looked back at her. They were trying to make conversation. Okay. He could do this.

"So, which house are you both going to be in?" he blurted out quickly to fill the silence. Oops. Bad question, he thought to himself. He resisted the urge to whack himself on the back of the head. Keep calm, keep calm, he recited.

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!" Albus said grinning broadly. He winked at Rose. "But it's not for sure or anything," he added forlornly. "Not like Rose. She'll definitely be in Gryffindor." She smiled in reply.

"Why not? Weren't both your parents there too?" Scorpius asked curiously. Albus nodded.

"But, my dad could speak Parseltongue, so I thought maybe… I might be in Slytherin. But he said it didn't matter, so I don't mind," he explained. He smiled. "What about you?"

"Oh, it'll be Slytherin for me for sure," Scorpius replied. He looked up at the ceiling. "My whole family was in it." Rose kicked Albus in the shins when she saw his expression. He closed his mouth.

"It'll be cool, we can see each other on the Quidditch pitch!" he said encouragingly. Scorpius looked up in surprise.

"You play too? What position?"

"Seeker! Just like my dad!"

"Really? Mine too!"

Rose smiled behind the pages of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Their expressions were animated; they were both smiling widely, playfully discussing their favourite teams and why the other's sucked, and the newest brooms out. The lunch trolley trundled by, with the usual pink faced, happily smiling witch.

"Anything off the trolley dears?" she asked, smiling benevolently. As she trundled off, the boys continued to talk while stuffing in a variety of sweets including Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Pumpkin Pasties and Licorice Wands. Rose frowned and made a face as they didn't seem to notice what beans they were putting into their mouths as they talked. She sucked contentedly on her Licorice Wand. The two of them hardly noticed as the sunlight slowly faded, the scenery changed from lush green hills to dark mountains and icy lakes and the lamps brightened slowly.

The train slowed down gradually and rolled to a halt outside Hogsmeade Station. Excited students filed out of compartments, all chattering loudly, holding cages and trunks and wands. Owls hooted loudly to one another through the last of the steam from the train, and a loud voice boomed over the hubbub.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" Hagrid's huge form was gradually visible through the fog, and the three of them huddled over quickly to where he was standing with a glowing orange lantern.

"All right there, Albus? Any more firs'-years? Follow me!" Hagrid's glowing lantern bobbed away down a steep, narrow path, which winded through what seemed to be a forest and finally opened up to reveal a huge, black lake and an enormous mountain, on which perched a massive castle with many towers and turrets. Twinkling lights shone out of windows, illuminating the castle against the dark, starry sky.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid instructed, pointing to the same fleet of boats that Harry and his friends had used so many years ago. The first years scrambled to get in quickly; Albus, Rose and Scorpius wedged themselves into a boat, and they were shortly joined by another girl. She had short messy black hair and big dark violet eyes. She smiled slightly at the rest of them.

"Everyone in? Okay, FORWARD!" shouted Hagrid in his own little boat, and the little fleet glided across the deep lake. It was quiet; the first years stared up at the castle which towered over them. Cliffs were visible overhead, and Hagrid yelled to duck as they approached them. They sailed through, bending their heads and through a curtain of ivy. The little boats then docked themselves at an underground harbour, where the group of them scrambled out, slipping slightly on the wet rocks. Hagrid let them up a passageway, illuminated by his lantern and onto a vast lawn right by the castle. Scorpius thought he saw a white blob in the midst of the darkness, by the lake they had just sailed on, but his thoughts were interrupted by Hagrid.

"Everyone here?" he asked. Then he knocked three times on the castle door. It swung open to reveal a tall, silver haired wizard in deep blue robes. He was smiling widely at the sight of the first years and beckoned for them to come in.

"The firs'-years, Professor Neuro," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid! Come in young ones," he said, pulling the doors open wider. The first years filed into the Entrance Hall. Albus, Rose, Scorpius and the girl with violet eyes stared at the grandeur. Nothing had changed. Their parents had told them exactly how it would be, and it was all that they had promised. Albus caught Scorpius' eye, and they grinned at each other. Professor Neuro led them across the hall, past a door from which the buzzing of hundred of voices could be heard, into an empty chamber across the hall.

"Wait here, I'll be back for you," he assured them, still smiling, and disappeared, closing the door behind him. The lot of them started chattering excitedly at once; some faces ablaze with excitement, others with apprehension.

"This is awesome!" Albus exclaimed and the rest of them nodded in agreement.

"It's exactly like they told us it would be!" Rose exclaimed. She smiled happily.

"I hope we have dinner soon," Scorpius said and the girl with the violet eyes laughed.

"But we'll have to do the Sorting first don't we? Isn't that the most important part?" she said, and the other three stiffened, remembering.

"I forgot about that!" Albus said, momentarily shocked. "I hope I'll be in Gryffindor, or James will never let me live it down." His grief was cut short as Professor Neuro reappeared in the room and the chatter died away.

"Hello first years," he began, smiling at them all. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Now the start of term banquet is about to begin, but before that, we have a little matter of your Sorting." Professor Neuro smiled at them gently again, looking down at all the faces of the first years.

"The Sorting is an important ceremony as it determines exactly which house you will be representing and staying with for your stay within Hogwarts. They will be as your family is; and you will have classes with them, stay in the same dormitory and eat with them as well. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. No doubt those of you from wizarding families will know all about this. While you are at Hogwarts, you will contribute to your house by earning house points, or by losing them through rule breaking. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup." Professor Neuro took a breath before going on.

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin now. Please form a line, and follow me!" he opened the door and led the way to the Great Hall. Albus, Rose, Scorpius and the girl with violet eyes stuck together, one after the other in a line, and they followed the others and marched through the doors of the Great Hall.

A million candles. A million candles were floating serenely above four, long, wooden tables, with golden cutlery and tableware reflecting the flames. Students surrounded these tables; each one wearing red, blue, yellow or green badges and lining on their robes. Rose nudged Albus and gestured to the top of the hall, where all the teachers were sitting. One of them, with mustard yellow robes and black hair waved at the two of them. They waved back as Professor Neuro placed a four legged stool in front of the line of first years, and the patched and frayed Sorting Hat which once belonged to Godric Gryffindor.

A rip near the brim opened and out of it came a song; a song dictating the bravery of Godric Gryffindor, the wisdom of Rowena Ravenclaw, the patience of Helga Hufflepuff and the slyness of Salazar Slytherin. But near the end it spoke of other things.

"Divided in houses you may be,

But don't forget these memories,

United once against the Dark Lord

Together we fought with Dumbledore.

So put me on but don't forget,

These words of wisdom in your head,

When the time comes you'll realize

What are true friends and who really lies."

The hall burst in applause, the first years joining in hesitantly. The hat bowed and then stood quite still. Albus bowed his head, acknowledging what his namesake had done for the school. Professor Neuro stepped forward, unrolling a parchment scroll.

"When I call your name, please step forward and put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," he told the first years in a quiet whisper.

"Amish, Tony!" A dark haired boy fell out of the line, put on the hat, which fell over his eyes, and sat down. The rip reappeared in the hat after a moment –

"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat.

The table on the far right cheered loudly, and Tony Amish took off the hat and went to sit at the Slytherin table.

"Cabot, Megan!"

"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from left cheered and clapped this time; Albus saw the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw seated there. He remembered what his father had told him. And so it went on. He watched his time come to be sorted, saw his brother James giving him the thumbs up from the Gryffindor table and he felt more confident.

"Honjo, Nana!" The girl with the violet eyes walked up to the stool, placed the hat on her head and the hat shouted -

"RAVENCLAW!" She took off the hat, smiled and trotted off to the Ravenclaw table, where Megan Cabot was sitting, and sat next to her. It was nearly their time, thought Albus. He would be sorted before Rose, he knew. And finally –

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Malfoy?! Albus watched his new found friend trudge down the line to the Sorting Hat. So, it was Scorpius Malfoy. And his father… Is my father's-?

"SLYTHERIN!"

N.B. This was my first Harry Potter fic. I hope you guys liked that :) Review please?