Credit to JK Rowling for the bit of dialogue I borrowed from 19 years later.

Louise gazed around in awe, drinking in the many sensations that greeted her. She heard a cacophony of sounds ranging from the mewling of cats and the quiet hooting of owls to bangs and pops as students celebrated being allowed to do magic once more. While this all excited her greatly, it still wasn't enough to erase the nervousness that was gnawing at her stomach. She wished that her parents were with her right now, but as soon as they had seen her onto platform 9 and 3/4, they had needed to hurry off to a hearing in the Ministry of Magic where they both worked in law enforcement. A peck on the cheek, wishes for good luck, and they were gone, leaving her standing next to the gleaming scarlet steam engine to fend for herself. She hadn't had time to ask them the question that had been haunting her since she got her acceptance letter. What if she got sorted into Slytherin?

She decided that her smartest move was to push her trolley along next to the train and hope that someone would offer to help her heave her huge trunk aboard. She found herself stopping short however when she happened upon a conversation taking place between a father and son. The father was kneeling in front of his son who's brilliant green eyes were wide with worry, matching the anxiety that plagued his face in the creases between his eyebrows and on his forehead.

"But just say that I do get put in Slytherin," the boy was saying. "What happens then?"

"Albus Severus," the father consoled him. "You were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."

"But just say—"

"—then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student won't it? It doesn't matter to us. But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

"Really?"

"It did for me," the father replied.

Just then, he looked up and caught sight of Louise who had been listening to the conversation intently. She could choose not to be put in Slytherin? Maybe she could choose Gryffindor House. It seemed to be the coolest.

"Hi there," the father addressed her. "Is this your first year too?"

Louise could only nod, for she had caught sight of the scar which her parents had told her so much about. Harry Potter's son was going to be in her year at school! Harry smiled indulgently, seeming to sense that she had put two and two together about him. "Albus is going into first year as well. Do you need some help with your trunk?"

Finding her voice again, Louise thanked him profusely and accepted his offer of assistance.

"Hi," she added with a shy smile at Albus which he returned just as shyly. Once both of their trunks had been loaded onto the train, Albus gave his father a searing goodbye hug before rejoining Louise saying,

"Would you like to sit together?" Thrilled to have made a friend so quickly, Louise accepted his offer eagerly.

Once they had settled into a compartment and had had adequate time to exclaim over the plush seats and the fact that they were on their way to Hogwarts, Albus said,

"I don't think you actually told me what your name is!"

Giggling, she replied, "I'm Louise."

"Cool! Can I call you Lou?" Albus asked.

"No one's ever called me that before," Louise replied. "I guess you can if I can call you Al."

"Sure, that's no problem, all of my family calls me Al," Albus said indifferently.

"Well that's no fun!" Louise exclaimed. "What does that leave for me? Bus?"

The two first years burst into laughter at the notion, though when they had caught their breath Louise made it very clear that from then on she was going to call him Bus. Albus had just gained himself a new nickname as well as a new friend, both of which would stick for many years to come.

It quickly became apparent that Albus was unlike most of the boys Louise had met thus far. He was both kind and sensitive; adept at making people feel important as well as sensing how they were feeling and knowing the right thing to say. By the time they were nearing Hogwarts, they had each told the other all about their family and their interests and were once again on the topic of Hogwarts Houses.

"My whole family was in Gryffindor on both sides," Albus was explaining. "So it feels like there's a lot of pressure for me to be too."

"Well I'm relived to know that I can choose not to be in Slytherin, so I guess now my only worry is being put in Hufflepuff!" Louise said fervently.

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" Albus asked her.

"Everyone says that their a bunch of dimwitts!" Louise said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Albus seemed to mull over her words quite seriously before replying, "I think that there are two kinds of smart. Academic smart and people smart. I think that being kind and just is equally as important as being brave, clever, or ambitious. I think that Hufflepuff has been seriously taken for granted all these years."

Looking taken aback, Louise replied, "I never thought of it that way at all, but you make a fair point. I guess if I get sorted there I won't be as upset. I just hope that wherever I do get put, that it's in the same house as you!" Albus nodded in agreement, sporting a big grin.

By this point, the train had arrived at the school. The boat ride to the school took Louise's breath away almost as much as the sight of the giant man who was their guide. She was extremely impressed when the man gave Albus a big hug upon seeing him. When their little fleet had reached the castle, Louise tried to take it all in and enjoy her first steps inside despite the return of her nerves. Despite what she had told Albus, she really only wanted to be sorted into either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Before she knew it, she and her new classmates were being led into the Great Hall to be sorted. Louise didn't think that her jaw could drop any wider than it had when she beheld the site that greeted her. It was simply breathtaking. The ceiling, the gleaming goblets and plates, the four long tables, the floating candles...each feature was more magnificent than the last. All her fears temporarily dissipated when she realised that this was the place where she would be eating three meals a day. The respite was only temporary though, because before she knew it she and her classmates were standing at the front of the hall, staring at the Sorting Hat, and her name had been called.

"Well well well," the hat's little voice whispered into her ear. "I see that someone's pretty nervous about this whole thing. Fortunately for you, I see that you're courageous and daring, so I better put you in GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted to the room at large. The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers as Louise walked over to them with a smile a mile wide. As she passed Albus he gave her a thumbs up and she squeezed his arm reassuringly, secretly crossing her fingers that he would be placed in Gryffindor as well.

When it was his turn, he sat on the stool for quite a while before the Hat proclaimed "HUFFLEPUFF!" Louise groaned as she watched Albus cross over to the Hufflepuff table. His older brother James who was sitting a ways up the bench from her looked utterly embarrassed. Louise spent dinner disheartened that her new friend wouldn't be in her house. When he caught up to her after dinner, she said, "Hufflepuff eh?" "Yep!" Albus replied sounding unfazed. "It was the first house that came to the Hat's mind. It then considered Gryffindor because I was brave enough to not be upset about the concept of being put in Hufflepuff despite my family's reservations. Then it did what my dad said it might do."

Now Louise was confused. "It thought about putting you in Slytherin too?"

"No!" Albus said laughing. "It gave me a choice. Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. And I chose Hufflepuff."

"Why?" Louise asked confused.

Albus shrugged before saying, "I think it's where I'll be most comfortable. "

Louise was astounded. Her parents were right. Strange and extraordinary things were happening at Hogwarts all the time. Who would have thought that within a few hours of being at the school, she would have learned one of the most valuable lessons that she would learn during her tine there from her new friend. She realised that her Hufflepuff friend was one of the bravest people she had ever met. It was simply a different kind of brave. Equally important, just different.