Chapter 1

Albus Potter wasn't prepared for life at Hogwarts. No matter how many pep talks, reassuring statements, or pats on the back he received, he knew he wasn't ready. Life at Hogwarts required direction and a sense of who you were and what you wanted to be. Albus knew he didn't meet any of those qualifications.

His older brother James was only too ready to remind him of this. "Hope to see you in Gryffindor," he'd tease. "Although you'll probably be in Slytherin."

His parents were constantly telling James to stop and reminding Albus that they would love him no matter what, but he knew they secretly hoped that he'd be in Gryffindor. It certainly would make his life easier and give him some reassurance that he wasn't doing too much damage to the family name.

Albus felt very jealous of his cousins Louis and Dominique. They both didn't have to be sorted because they weren't attending Hogwarts. They were enrolled at Beauxbatons after their family had moved back to France. Albus' cousin Lucy also was not going to be at Hogwarts. Lucy had a communication disorder that made social interactions hard for her and made her behavior unpredictable. Her parents had received permission to school her at home due to their unusual circumstances.

Albus rather enjoyed Lucy's company and would've liked for her to go to Hogwarts. They would've been in the same year if she had, and he liked the idea that he would have some company who wouldn't judge him. Rose was starting with Albus, and she was making him worry even more than James was. She was constantly reading books on Hogwarts and its history and sharing facts about Gryffindor with Albus that made him even more nervous about whether or not he was worthy.

More than anything, Albus wished that he was at home. He could sleep in late, and then have a fly around his backyard on his Nimbus 2027. Unfortunately, he was already onboard the Hogwarts Express and turning back wasn't an option. Besides, he doubted his parents would let him drop out of school before even starting. His mother in particular was a big fan of not passing judgment on something until she had tried it.

"Albus, just go," she would've said. "If you absolutely hate it, we'll talk about what to do next. Until then, you need to try your best, okay?"

Albus stared out the window of the train. Rain had started to fall, which would make for a miserable boat ride. Albus had been looking forward to the boat ride ever since James, who was starting his third year, had told him of the spectacular view of the castle.

"Well this is just fascinating!" Rose said as she looked up from Hogwarts: A History. Her mom had given it to her as a present.

"What is?" Albus asked, needing something to take his mind off of the sorting.

"This entire book!" Rose said enthusiastically. "It's just chalk full of information about the school! You should really read it sometime. I bet they'd have a copy in the library if you want to borrow it!"

"Or I could just borrow your copy," Albus pointed out.

"If I ever put it down!" Rose smiled lovingly at her book. Albus rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure they'll have something else for you to read," he assured her.

"Mum gave me a list of some of her favorite books in the library in case I can't find anything interesting enough," Rose told him. "I'm very excited to look over the selection."

Albus' aunt Hermione was even more of a bookworm than Rose if that was possible. Rose was much better on a broom than Hermione, and definitely much more lenient with rule breaking. Aunt Hermione was such a big fan of rules, many wanted to make her the next Minister of Magic.

"Well it's good to know you'll have something to do other than your studies," Albus said.

"Well I'm certainly not going to slack off just to read!" Rose looked as if the very idea of putting down one book for another was unimaginable. "If I'm going to get top grades I have to concentrate!"

"Absolutely," Albus said trying to keep a straight face.

"You'd better take your studies seriously too, Albus," Rose cautioned. "Think of your future!"
"Yeah, okay," Albus laughed. He knew that Rose was very focused on her future, but he didn't want to think of his just yet. He could barely keep up with what was going on around him currently. Forget thinking about twenty years from now.

Rose, realizing how ridiculous she sounded, allowed herself a small smile, "Alright, maybe that's thinking too far ahead."

"No kidding," Albus snorted. Just then the trolley lady came by.

"Is there anything you'd like?" she asked kindly.

Rose and Albus both jumped to their feet. They both were looking forward to having a bit of chocolate. After handing over their money, they took their treats back to their seats and began to greedily unwrap them. Rose had forgotten all about her book, and instead, she and Albus swapped Chocolate Frog cards.

They had each made several good trades when James stuck his head in their compartment. "You guys better put your robes on now. We'll be there soon."

Rose immediately packed up the cards and went to change. Albus took a bit longer, looking through his cards and carefully storing them before changing. When he got back to the compartment, Rose's nose was once again buried in her book. Noticing that Albus had returned she looked up and gave him a small smile.

"Got to be prepared," she said gesturing to the book.

Albus didn't see how reading Hogwarts: A History was going to help Rose with anything, but he decided to keep quiet. It wasn't long before the train pulled up at school. Rose seemed even jumpier than Albus as they stepped off the train and looked around. Albus saw James, the twins Fred and Roxanne, and his cousin Molly hop onto a carriage that seemed to pull itself.

"Firs' years over here!" a gruff voice called out. Albus looked to see Hagrid gesturing to where he was standing.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Albus gave him, a hug. Hagrid was a good family friend and had been over for dinner many times. Despite his frightening appearance, he really was harmless. Albus had heard tons of stories from his dad about Hagrid's kindness. He'd also heard plenty of stories about Hagrid's obsession with dangerous animals.

"Hi, Al," Hagrid greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Hagrid," Rose said.

Hagrid gave Rose a friendly wave and then looked over the sea of nervous faces. "Alright, is that everybody? Good, let's go."

Hagrid led them all to boats bobbing in the lake. There was still a light drizzle, but it didn't seem like it would become a downpour. Albus boarded with Rose, a boy who he recognized as Scorpius Malfoy, and a girl with long dark hair. The boat suddenly lurched forward and everyone in the boat gave a little gasp. There weren't any more disturbances during the boat ride and the lake was smooth.

Reaching over, Rose grabbed Albus' arm, "Albus, look!"

Hogwarts stood before them. Most of the lights were on, and it illuminated the lake. The turrets and towers spiraled high into the night sky. Lanterns flickered along the path leading up to the castle. The strong stone of the castle was made lighter by the glowing lights inside the castle. Albus was at a loss for words. It was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

Nobody spoke at all until they made it into the foyer of the castle. That was when Rose started to tell Albus all the facts she had memorized from her book as if it would be useful. Albus really wished that she would stop. It was making nervous that he would actually learn something before school had even started.

Finally, the doors of the Great Hall opened and a middle aged woman stepped out. She was tall and thin. Her hair was brown, but it was starting to grey in certain areas. She surveyed the first years carefully before saying anything.

"Welcome," she began, "to Hogwarts. My name is Professor Atura, and in addition to being the Transfiguration teacher, I am also the Deputy Headmistress. Professor Agustus, who is the headmaster, and the rest of the staff hope you enjoy your time here as much as we love teaching you." Professor Atura did not look like she enjoyed teaching one bit, or that she hoped that they would enjoy themselves.

"Beyond these doors is the Great Hall. Once inside, you will be sorted alphabetically. There are four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has certain qualities and values it places a particular emphasis on. You will have the opportunity to earn points for your house through good deeds and displays of knowledge. If you break rules, you will lose points from your house. The house with the most points at the end of the year wins the House Cup." She paused to make sure they all knew how important that information was.

"I am the Head of Gryffindor." This she added as an afterthought, as if it wasn't important. "If you will follow me please."

The doors to the Great Hall opened, revealing tables of curious students. Taking a deep breath, Albus followed Rose and the rest of his classmates into the Great Hall.