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…

Rose jumped on the Hogwarts Express just as it began to pull away, Albus at her side. Her father had gotten all emotional and refused to release her from his hug until the last possible moment. She could still see him crying as they raced off into the distance. She smiled. Freedom at last! She loved her family and all, but sometimes they could be a bit over-the-top. Not that it was their fault. They were war heroes, after all. She just wanted to become her own person. And now she had seven years away from home to do that.

She and Al went off to look for an empty compartment. The only issue: there weren't any. They all had five or six people already. Curse her father and his long goodbyes… Not that they couldn't have gotten a compartment. Some people would have been more than happy to move for the offspring of the Golden Trio. But she and Al refused on principle. And she had been so looking forward to a life free of the family legacy…

They had reached the end of the train, and peered into the final compartment. Only three kids who looked to be about their own age. A lucky find. It was probably the only compartment with room enough for both her and Al.

There was only one problem: sitting by the window was the platinum blond, stormy-eyed Scorpius Malfoy. "Come on, Rosie," Al said, turning around. "I bet we can squeeze in with James and his friends."

"But Al, he's already got seven people in there! And, honestly, do you want to sit with him?"

"Well, no, but dad said…" Al looked unsure. He was always worried about impressing his father and living up to the legacy.

"Oh, come on. I don't want to walk all the way back up the train and neither do you. If it makes you feel any better, it's not like you actually have to talk to him." And with that, Rose pulled open the compartment door and asked sweetly, "Do you all mind if my cousin and I sit here?"

The girl, small with long black hair and big glasses, shook her head and the boy, lanky with brown curls, shrugged. Malfoy just looked out the window. Rose looked back and nodded at Al, sitting herself down next to the girl. Al followed reluctantly, placing himself next to her.

"Hi, I'm Rose Weasley, and this is Albus Potter, my cousin," she said, extending her hand.

All three stared. "You're the Golden Trio's kids," the brown-haired boy said. She sighed. It was not a question. "Are you sure you want to sit here?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Rose asked.

The three exchanged glances. The girl spoke up. "Well, it's just… I'm Helena Nott, that's Will Avery, and that's Scorpius Malfoy."

"So?"

Scorpius glared. "So, we're Death Eater's kids. Why do you think we're sitting alone? No one wants to be associated." The other two nodded.

"Well, I don't care," Rose declared. "And neither does Albus." She looked at Albus, who had been quiet the whole time. He paled, but nodded.

The three children seemed dumbfounded. "Anyone for Exploding Snap?" Albus asked to break the silence, getting out his cards.

Will smiled. "Oh, I'm the master at this. Prepare to lose, Potter!" He got out his own deck.

"Will's very competitive," Helena said quietly.

Rose laughed. "I can tell. Albus is undefeated in our family, though."

They settled in to watch the game. Will won quickly. "Your family must not be very good at Exploding Snap," Scorpius remarked.

Rose grinned. "I can't say that we are."

Al, his eyebrows slightly singed, demanded a rematch. Will complied.

oOo

After getting off their boats, the first years filed up to the Great Hall, where Uncle Neville lined them up in alphabetical order. Rose was separated from her new-found friends. Will went to the very front of the line, Scorpius, Helena, and Al stood together in the middle, and Rose acted as the caboose.

And then the doors to the Great Hall opened and they all walked in. Rose held herself tall as she felt the stares descend upon her. Whispers erupted around the Great Hall, not just about her. She heard "Death Eaters" as often as "Golden Trio," and all of her friends names circulated the room with her own. She felt her cheeks color. How could these people already be judging her before they even knew her? She had looked forward to Hogwarts as a sanctuary from this kind of people, but, apparently, she had been wrong. Well. She'd just have to prove to all of them that she wasn't her parents.

The Sorting Hat began its song soon after she had decided this. And then it was time for the fateful sortings.

"Avery, William," called Uncle Neville from the front of the Hall.

Will walked to the front and sat on the stool, settling the hat upon his head. It deliberated for a while before calling out, quite loudly, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Silence. No one clapped. Then Albus brought his hands together, and Rose, Scorpius, and Helena joined. No one else in the Great Hall clapped. Even the Professors' table was silent. She smiled at Will as he made his way to the Gryffindor table, flashing him a thumbs-up. He grinned back. Some members of her family, all at the Gryffindor table, caught the exchange and frowned.

But by then the next sorting had begun and Rose's eyes were drawn back to the front of the room. "HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat cried, and the applause was full this time. Rose frowned slightly. Not fair, she thought. It's not fair.

No one else seemed to notice or care. And soon enough, she heard, "Malfoy, Scorpius" called up for his sorting. The Hat took less time than it had for Will, but longer than for anyone since before it called out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Rose clapped first this time, quite loudly, along with three other people. Whispers erupted throughout the Hall.

And then it was, "Nott, Helena," and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. It was there hardly at all before it called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" More whispers, even some glares, and the sound of four people clapping.

When the Sorting Hat was placed on Albus's head next, it took quite a while before deciding, and called out a loud, "SLYTHERIN!"

Utter silence, until a certain four first years began to clap. This time, however, the whole school joined in, for he was a Potter and thus had their respect. When Rose glanced towards the Gryffindor table, the sea of Weasleys looked positively aghast. But they clapped nonetheless.

This made Rose angry. None of these people knew or accepted any of them. Her friends were very nice and did not deserve to be alienated. And she and Albus had done nothing to earn the pedestal they were put upon. Why did it have to be this way? She looked at the Hufflepuff table and saw Helena, sweet, quiet Helena, hunched over, alone in the crowd. Weren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be kind and accepting? And Scorpius, at the Ravenclaw table, excluded from conversations and ignored. Shouldn't Ravenclaws have been smarter than that? Will at the Gryffindor table stared at his hands, pretending he didn't care that no one would even look at him. Gryffindors, the heroic ones, her own family, would alienate people like this. Albus held his head high at the Slytherin table though everyone only cast him wary looks and ignored him. Even the House everyone hated would behave in this manner.

It was unacceptable. Rose was positively livid by the time Professor Longbottom called the last name, "Wealsey, Rose." As the Sorting Hat was settled on her head, all she could think was that she didn't want to be sorted, didn't want to participate in this corrupt system. If all the Houses could be so awful, she wanted no part of any of them.

Are you sure?

Rose jumped as the Sorting Hat spoke in her mind, but her resolve didn't waver. Completely, she replied. I don't want to be in the same House with any of those prejudiced idiots. No way.

You've got the brains for Ravenclaw, certainly. You would be great in that House. You could learn so many things, be the brightest witch of the age, the Sorting Hat said, trying to tempt her. You could be brilliant,and—

No, Rose replied firmly, Scorpius in her mind

Slytherin, then. You've got the ambition and cunning. The Sorting Hat's voice was seductive. Slytherin would lead you to great things—

Rose gave a mental negative, thinking of Albus.

Well, you've certainly got the loyalty for Hufflepuff, it attempted to convince her, you've proven that already. Hufflepuff is like a family for the—

Family? Rose thought derisively. Is that why they've welcomed Helena so warmly? No.

Gryffindor, definitely, the Sorting Hat seemed to plead. All your family is there. You would be warmly accepted, loved. You would belong.

Rose bit her lip but refused. They're still prejudiced and I won't be a part of any of it. No. That's final.

All right, then, the Sorting Hat thought to her, I've been waiting for one like you for centuries. Before she had time to figure out what that meant, the hat called out, "UNSORTED!"

Rose removed the Sorting Hat from her head and looked around the Great Hall. Everyone, even the professors stared at her, dumbfounded. She smiled slightly.

And then the whole scene dissolved into pandemonium.