The tapping at the window startled Harry from a sound sleep to wide awake in seconds. He gave Draco a hard nudge as he threw back the covers and headed for the window. The great horned owl that Draco had bought with the boys just a few weeks ago was preening on the windowsill, obviously proud to be completing its first delivery. Harry untied the two envelopes from its talons and fed it some owl treats. He studied the envelopes as he walked back to the bed - one envelope was a traditional parchment roll, the other was a Squealer.

Hermione had invented Squealers – the exact opposites of Howlers – to allow people to deliver happy news rather than the screaming Howlers used only in anger. She had been motivated after witnessing the fallout when Harry and Draco had gone public with their relationship and were receiving dozens of Howlers a day. Within a day she'd invented and sent the first Squealer to tell them how happy she was for them.

Draco had roused himself and was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "They must have gotten up at the crack of dawn to send out the first owls," he commented as Harry handed him the parchment with Scorpius' handwriting to Draco.

Draco carefully unrolled the parchment and together they read the letter, "Ravenclaw," Harry said with a smile. Neither of them had had any doubts where Scorpius would be sorted, it had been fairly obvious from an early age that he was destined to wear blue and bronze robes.

Albus, on the other hand, Harry knew that Albus had been nervous about what House he would be sorted into and Harry had tried to reassure him but wasn't sure if it had helped. After returning from Ginny's house this summer Albus had become afraid he wouldn't be sorted into Gryffindor and would disappoint the Weasleys. He looked down at the envelope and wondered what the significance of his son sending a Squealer meant.

"Just open it," Draco said, as he rubbed his hand down Harry's back.

Harry nodded and tore open the Squealer. It took him a full ten seconds to realize that instead of his son's familiar voice, he was hearing hissing, and then he realized it was Albus, but not. It took him a full moment for his brain to put it all together. He stared down at the envelope in shock and then turned to look at Draco whose grey eyes were studying his reaction.

"Dad, I was sorted into Slytherin, and it's okay." Albus' voice hissed one more time before the envelope burst into green and silver confetti, as Harry stared at Draco.

"He's a Parselmouth? When? How?"

"We found out at Eeylops when we went to buy the owl last month. Albus had wandered over to look at the snakes and at first I thought he was just pulling my leg when he said he could understand them," Draco said, "Then, it became clear that he really could talk to them. Are you okay with this, I told him you would be."

"Of course, I just didn't expect..." Harry's voice trailed off. Albus was a parselmouth.

"He didn't want me to say anything to you, until he was sorted. It seemed likely that the Sorting Hat would give him the option. He knew that you had chosen not to go Slytherin, but he thought since he was a Parselmouth, that maybe he should join the Slytherins." Draco added carefully, "I didn't push him to-"

Harry smiled and nodded, "I know, don't worry. I think he'll be a great Slytherin."