"Albus, this is something that would have helped me when I was in my first year at Hogwarts." Albus Potter's father handed him a rectangle-shaped object. It was wrapped in thin brown paper, and there was a neatly tied bow stuck on top.
"Thanks, dad," Albus smiled. "What is it?" The train whistle blew, sounding the alarm for five minutes till departure. "Sorry, I'd better go." He stood on the steps connected to the train.
"Open it when you get on the train. But make sure you use it. Have a wonderful time, send me letters! Goodbye!" His father and mother waved as the train started to move, and Albus jumped back into the car with surprise.
"Goodbye!" He shouted into the rushing air.
As Albus unwrapped his precious gift, he noticed a small note. He read it while he unfolded it.
Dear Albus,
I hope you have a wonderful time at Hogwarts! : )
Love Dad + Mum
He smiled. He put the note down on the seat next to him and started pulling off the brown paper. The gift was a journal with a thick lapis lazuli cover. Inside, there were lines for him to write on.
"What are you looking at?" A voice startled him, and he looked up to see a blonde boy standing in the doorway.
"Oh, uh… nothing?" The boy came and sat across from him.
"Is it okay if I sit here? All the other seats are taken. By the way, what's your name?"
"Um, Albus. Albus Potter." The boy's jaw dropped as he processed it.
"Potter…?" He gasped. "As in Harry Potter? He's your father?" The boy grew pale.
"Yes, who are you?"
"Scorpius Malfoy." Scorpius lifted up his chin proudly. "But I won't be mean to you, I'm above that." He grinned. Albus was worried, but so far, he didn't have any friends. I might as well make one, he thought.
Albus's heart pounded nervously against his chest.
"Granger-Weasley, Rose," Headmistress McGonagall called out over the hushed whispers of nervous first years. Albus looked up at his cousin as she came to the front of the crowd. She looked confident, like always. He, on the other hand, was so nervous that he thought he might pass out. Rose sat on the stool as Headmistress McGonagall placed the sorting hat on her head. It thought for a moment.
"This one's no question, no question at all! Gryffindor!" It's raspy voice called out. Everyone sitting at the Gryffindor table cheered. She blushed, casting a glance towards Albus. He tried to look reassuring, smiling. She echoed his grin and sat down next to a girl with blonde hair. Headmistress McGonagall rattled off more names, and they were sorted quickly and efficiently. I'm going to get Gryffindor, I'm going to get Gryffindor, Albus chanted in his mind. There was nothing for him to worry about. But for some reason, there was a nagging thought in the back of his mind that he wouldn't. Before he had any more time to think about it, Headmistress McGonagall shouted,
"Potter, Albus!" As he got closer to the front of the crowd and the stool, he thought he saw a twinge of sadness in her eyes at his name, but Albus ignored it, focusing on the task at hand. His hands shook slightly as he sat down, but he tried to hide it as best as he could. He could feel the weight of everyone's stares boring into him, and he took a deep breath. The sorting hat was placed on his head, and he continued to chant in his head.
"Hmm. Gryffindor, you say? But…" It seemed to think for a moment, pondering which house. Albus closed his eyes. His fears were coming true.
"Please," he whispered, to no one in particular.
"Just like your father!" It chuckled. "But I know you are…" It paused. "Slytherin!"
Albus sat down at the Slytherin table, scowling. How am I going to live with this humiliation? My father will be ashamed, he thought.
"Hey." Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he whirled around. Scorpius, the freakishly pale boy he met on the train, was standing behind him.
"Hi," Albus said, still upset.
"What's wrong?"
"I got into bloody Slytherin, that's what's wrong!" Albus said softly, lightly slamming his fist onto the table. Embarrassed, he tried not to make a scene, noticing some second years giggling at him across the table. He glared at them and turned back to Scorpius.
"It's okay, just try to make the best of it." Scorpius said, looking around nervously. "We're together, at least."
"Yeah, but Rose is in Gryffindor. We've never been separated before!" Albus put his head in his hands. "And I've let my father's reputation down. I can't ever be like him anymore."
The Slytherin Common Room was mainly green, and whenever Albus looked at the snakes, he shivered. This felt all wrong. As he stepped into the foyer, someone bumped his shoulder.
"Hey, it's Potter," a tall girl said, holding her books to her chest. She smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"The Boy-Who-Ruined the Potter reputation," another girl added with a sneer.
"And he's with the Dark Lord's son. What a perfect pair," the first one said, and they both giggled. Then they walked away, leaving Albus standing there, feeling hopeless. Scorpius sighed.
"Looks like we're going to be getting a lot of that," his friend said, but Albus just nodded and pushed past him towards the dorm rooms.
"Alright class, settle down," Professor Flitwick tried to say, but there was too much chatter echoing throughout the classroom. Someone poked Albus in the back of the head.
"Hey, Potter the failure," the boy behind him said, sneering. Albus frowned, focusing his eyes on the professor. "Hey, Potter, why are you sitting with the freak?" Scorpius bristled when he was mentioned. Albus sighed, staring out through the window at the falling snow.
The other boy behind them piped up. "You guys should start a club. The loser club! Where all the stupid failures go!" He jeered, and both of them laughed. Scorpius and Albus looked at one another, sighing.
"Students!" The professor yelled, and the class quieted down. "Today, we are going to learn a simple levitation spell. Please get your wands out and ready," Albus perked up. I know this spell, he thought. This is Aunt Hermione's favorite.
"Scorpius," he whispered to his friend.
"What? I'm trying to listen." They both turned to face Professor Flitwick again.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" The professor said, flicking his wand up and down. "Swish, then flick. Got it? Now everyone, let's all attempt to levitate the feather on your desk." He gestured to a feather lying on his own desk, and suddenly feathers appeared on all the student's tables. Albus picked up his wand and mimicked the motion, mumbling the words under his breath. The feather rose slightly, then dropped back onto the table. He sighed in frustration.
"Ugh, I can't get it!" Scorpius said next to him.
"I can't either," Albus said. They both laughed at each other, and the sudden joy left Albus feeling a little better about his current predicament.
I'm going to do it. I have to tell him I broke the family tradition. Albus pulled open a drawer in his desk and picked up a quill. Then he gingerly took out the journal from his father. He began to write.
Dear Dad,
I'm so sorry to disappoint you. Our legacy lies in Gryffindor, and I'm sorry to say that I have let that legacy down. I have been sorted into Slytherin.
This probably breaks your heart, I know. But if it was up to me, I would have chosen to be in Gryffindor. All of my peers here are making fun of me, so I got confused and made friends with the one person Uncle Ron warned me about, Scorpius Malfoy. I'm so sorry, dad.
~Albus
He tore the page from his journal, folded the short letter in two, and fit it inside an envelope. Trudging out of his room, he walked up to the owlery, so he could send it to his father.
The letter Albus received from his dad made his heart sing. It read:
Dear Albus,
Thank you for your letter. No, you have not let our legacy down! Your mum and I will always love you, no matter what house you're in. Even if you're the first Slytherin in a family of Gryffindors. Use this as an opportunity to show everyone that you can be kind and courageous, even when Slytherin might not value those qualities. Show them that not only are you unique in this family, but also a student who makes the best of any situation, even if he is faced with something out of his control. I love you, and I always will. Have a wonderful time at Hogwarts!
Love Dad
A swirling sense of relief filled him. Even though he felt like he had ended the family legacy, he was still wanted and loved. Albus clutched the letter to his heart and vowed to make his father proud.
BEATER 2: The Adumu Dance from Africa; write about a character that breaks a familial or societal tradition.
Round 2
Team and Position: Chudley Cannons, Beater 2
Prompts:
Word count: 1,520