a/n: This story happens today (at least it would, if...you know)! So I thought it would be appropriate to post it today. viv-heart betaed. Enjoy! :)
Nobody knew that Minerva McGonagall watched the first years arrive. She settled in behind the bushes and used her cat vision to see the troublemakers, the groups of friends and those who kept to themselves. Ever since she had started teaching she had done this and her assessments in these first few minutes had been correct most of the time. There were exceptions of course.
Minerva had seen the Potter boy chatting with the Black heir as if they were best friends already and trying to include a shy, chubby boy into their conversation.
She recognised Remus Lupin, Albus had shown them all a picture of the boy so they knew who to look out for. As expected he trailed after the whole group and didn't try to talk to anybody.
Her first impression of the later infamous Marauders had been that the Potter and Black boy seemed nice enough but would probably be divided by house rivalries.
Minerva thought she should keep an eye on Pettigrew as the older Slytherins probably would find delight in bullying the shy and chubby boy.
In her eyes Remus was a loner, someone who would keep in the back of her classroom, turn in impeccable essays and not make any trouble. Well, he *did* turn in impeccable essays.
Lily Evans and Severus Snape didn't really attract her attention back then, they were two friends, chatting amiably with each other. But over the years Minerva thought back to that first impression and wondered how she could have prevented the fallout between those two. Maybe if she had stopped the Marauders from continually bullying Severus he wouldn't have turned to those Slytherins who used his friendship and interest in the Dark Arts to turn him into a Death Eater.
Another exception from her normally correct assessment had been the son of James and Lily. He had chatted with the youngest Weasley boy, but he had looked a bit lost and way too thin and small for a first year. For some reason Minerva had had the feeling that he would be more like his mother, less interested in trouble and more in classes. Well, Harry later said himself that he wasn't interested in trouble, the trouble was interested in him.
Neville Longbottom had looked a bit like Peter back then, but unlike Peter he hadn't had found best friends who would give him a confidence boost. And when Minerva heard that the boy had worked five years with a mismatched wand she had very nearly written a Howler for Augusta Longbottom. How could such an intelligent witch be that daft?
Minerva was pulled from her thoughts when this year's first years arrived at the shore.
This year Harry's younger son, Albus, would start school. With him Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy. The tabby cat crouched low behind the bushes and watched these three closely. Albus seemed nervous and didn't talk much to his cousin, who in turn was chattering on like her mother had when they went to the castle doors.
Scorpius Malfoy kept to himself. Not really talking to the children around him, who were like him the children of former Slytherins. Like Albus he seemed extremely nervous and Minerva wondered why. Both the houses of Malfoy and Greengrass had a longstanding history with Slytherin, so he shouldn't have to worry were he would be sorted. Only... No, impossible that the Malfoy heir wouldn't want to be sorted in Slytherin. Surely he was raised to be one just like every other Malfoy (and Minerva had known all three previous Malfoy heirs).
Minerva sighed and decided to go back into the castle to observe the Sorting, the headmistress couldn't miss out after all.
Since Pomona had retired from all her positions except from teaching the previous year Minerva had been forced to search for a new deputy. Now Septima Vector had taken the position and Samuel Ramkin had taken over the position of Hufflepuff Head of House. He was the first DADA teacher in over three decades who was not only competent but also able to stay for longer than a year. Granted since the death of Voldemort the curse was lifted but they had still had two years with different professors because of the instability after the war.
Sitting down on her place in the middle of the teacher's table Minerva observed the Hall. The tables started to fill again, since these children were born after the war. A few years back they actually had a year of only sixteen students, who were conceived during Voldemort's rein of terror 1997/98. This year they were back to nearly sixty first year students, the way it had been back in her days.
The old witch watched over the sorting. She noted with surprise that there were quite a few near-hatstalls and wondered which houses the Hat had contemplated for them. When Scorpius Malfoy was called he looked even more nervous than he had on his way to the castle. The Hat needed much longer than he had with either of his parents, they both had been instant Slytherins.
"Gryffindor!" the Hat shouted at last and Minerva wasn't quite sure whether she had heard correctly. The boy meanwhile stood up from the stool and went over to the red and gold clad table. Minerva saw him clenching his fist and raising his chin defiantly, like a true Gryffindor would. Like Sirius Black had. The Gryffindors belatedly realised that they should applaud their new house mate.
Shortly after Albus Severus Potter became the first hatstall since before the First Wizarding War. After five minutes and thirty-three seconds the hat declared him a Gryffindor, but his look over to Slytherin table, contemplative, a bit scared, told Minerva what the Hat had considered. She knew by now that the Hat had considered the same for Harry so she wasn't really surprised. Ginevra could be very cunning as well, so it really wasn't a surprise it showed in at least one child.
Rose Weasley ended up in Gryffindor, no surprises there either. Both her parents had been Gryffindors with heart and soul. (Two years later Minerva would wonder whether the Sorting Hat had been raving mad putting that girl into Gryffindor. She was a Slytherin through and through.)
Minerva liked to observe and she vowed, like every year, to continue the tradition in the next year. She had since she became an apprentice to Albus and she would until the day she retired.