Part 1
On the first day of September, the Great Hall of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was abuzz with wizards and witches once more. The four house tables were stuffed with children of all ages, and everyone was waiting in excitement for the sorting.
All of them, of course, except Albus Potter.
The group of twenty seven first years stood in the room across from the Great Hall. Some spoke in hushed whispers, others were silent, waiting in anticipation for a teacher to walk through the door to escort them to the sorting ceremony.
It is not necessary to say that Albus was extremely nervous, for he was constantly worrying about being sorted into Slytherin. His father had said it would be alright, and that the sorting hat always takes into consideration what the the wearer wants. But the thing was, Albus wasn't sure what he wanted.
Gryffindor was his parents' house, and his brother's house, and his aunt and his uncle's house. Albus didn't want to be different than the rest of his family, but something, or as a matter of fact, someone, on the train had convinced him that maybe, just maybe, Slytherin wasn't all that bad.
That someones name was Laurel Greengrass.
Albus and his cousin, Rose, had been sitting alone on the train for quite some time, when a pretty girl with shiny black hair and long eyelashes had walked past their cabin door. She looked flustered, nearly in tears, when Albus opened the cabin door.
"Are you alright?" asked Albus.
"That boy," she said, pointing accusingly at a boy towards the end of the train. "Said that if I couldn't find a compartment to sit in, I'd be thrown off the train!"
'That boy' was none other than James Potter, Albus' older brother, who was on his way to his third year at Hogwarts.
"Don't mind him," Albus said. "That's my brother, he's a bit of a joker, if you know what I mean."
Rose, who was a few inches taller then Albus, stood behind him.
"Why don't you come sit in our cabin," said Rose. "We have plenty of space."
The girl with the shiny hair and the long eyelashes gladly accepted the offer. She introduced herself as Laurel Greengrass, and for the rest of the train ride they sat together.
The door in the chamber creaked open and startled Albus out of his thoughts. Laurel, who stood a few feet away, gave him a small smile.
"Welcome first years!" said a slightly familiar voice. "Call me professor Longbottom." There were a few giggles. He didn't notice.
"Please make your way out the door and into the entrance hall." He held the door open as the first years shuffled their way out of the room. "Good luck, Albus." He said as Albus walked by. Professor Longbottom waved his wand and the door shut behind him."Thank you, Nev- Professor." Albus managed, trying his best not to stumble over his words.
Albus wasn't ready, he didn't know what house he wanted to be in, what if he did something wrong and got sent to Hufflepuff? What if the Sorting Hat didn't put him in a house at all, and told him he was a squib and would have to go home? What if-
Albus hadn't realized he'd walked into the great hall. He'd almost walked into the person in front of him when the group stopped. His hands were sweaty.
Albus forced himself to look up from the floor. Sitting on a plain wooden stool with three legs was an old hat. Albus was sure this couldn't be the sorting hat. He'd imagined it much grander, and a lot scarier. It seemed more like his grandfather's old top hat. For a moment he felt a flicker of something, hope maybe, in his stomach. Or maybe it could have been the few dozen Botts Every Flavor Beans he ate on the train. Albus wasn't sure.
For almost half of the sorting he paid no attention to anything but his shoes, which poked out slightly from under his robes. Then they called a name that was somewhat of interest to Albus. Laurel Greengrass.
She walked up slowly to the wood bench, which at that moment seemed more interesting then the sorting hat to her. She sat down, and the sorting hat was placed upon her head. For a minute or two the hat said nothing and Laurel sat, her hands clutching the seat, without moving. Then without warning, the Sorting Hat's voice rung across the hall. The single word echoed around the hall, and around Albus' head.
SLYTHERIN!
Albus was frozen in place as Laurel, looking slightly pale but relieved, walked towards the Slytherin table, which had erupted into cheers.
The next three first years were placed in Hufflepuff! Ravenclaw! GRYFFINDOR!
The Gryffindor table screamed and clapped as the first Gryffindor of the night came and sat down beside James.
The next name called was Scorpius Malfoy, the boy who Rose's dad had told to beat at every test. When the sorting hat called Ravenclaw, Scorpius looked mortified. He walked right past Albus and sat down at the very edge of the Ravenclaw table. "At least you aren't a Hufflepuff, Scorpius." one of the unsorted student's said to him.
Five names later, Albus' name was called. Rose gave him a good natured shove towards the sorting hat. "Go on Al," she whispered to him.
Albus walked up to the sorting hat, quickly, wanting desperately for it to be over with. He set the Sorting Hat on his head. Suddenly, Albus was afraid. He couldn't help but think about the time he'd hit James, or the time he had lied to his parents about cleaning his room. If the Sorting Hat could read his mind, what could stop it from seeing these memories as well?
calmdown, the sorting hat said, Ican'tfocuswhenyourbrainsareallscrambledlikeeggs.
Albus jumped at the sound of the voice, but he didn't fall off the stool. Albus tried to calm his nerves, but it wasn't working. He found himself, once again, thinking about the ride on the train.
They had been talking about what houses' they wanted to be sorted into, and Albus had said he was worried about being in sorted into Slytherin.
"Slytherin isn't all that bad," Laurel had said. "My entire family have been Slytherins. All though they aren't the brightest folk... But I don't want to be like the rest of my family. I think I'll be in Gryffindor, just to mess with my mother."
SLYTHERIN!
At first, Albus wasn't sure if he had heard it in his head, or if it had really happened.
When the sorting hat fell off his head and onto the floor, he looked out over the Great Hall. It was silent.
Albus found his brother in the crowd. James' face was almost comedic, his mouth hanging open wide, his eyes bulging. James must have felt quite a shock. Albus, on the other hand, didn't know what he felt.
Albus slid off the bench and grabbed the Sorting Hat, placed it back on the stool, and began walking towards the Slytherin table.
And the entire Great Hall burst into applause.
Albus hurried over to where Laurel sat, unsure of what it had meant. Surly they where all clapping because he wasn't in there house. Who would want someone who let the Sorting Hat fall of their head in the same house?
Albus plopped down between Laurel and the house Perfect. He studied the old plate in front of him for the rest of the sorting.
"Albus," Laurel shook him. "Pay attention, your cousin is up next."
Albus looked up-still not meeting any ones eyes-at the stool where Rose sat. The hat fell upon her head. Three seconds later the hat yelled loudest it had all night:
RAVENCLAW!
Rose quickly pulled the hat off, a wide smile spreading across her face as she joined the other six Ravenclaw first years. She chose the seat farthest from Scorpius.
The last unsorted student, the one who had whispered to Scorpius, was sorted into Hufflepuff. The sorting hat was set aside.
The head mistress stood up and greeted the the students, and introduced the new Divination teacher, a woman named Parvati. She told the students not to enter the forest and not to wonder around the school at night. She sat down and the feast began.
Albus barely touched his food. It was only Laurel's constant encouragement that got him to eat a few bites of cake. "Oh come on Albus, Slytherin isn't that bad."
Albus did not say anything to that.
When the feast ended, the perfect that was sitting beside them stood up and called the attention of the first years. "Come along, first years," she said. "I'll lead you to the dormitories."
As they walked down the dark corridors under Hogwarts, he and Laurel talked about the food and the teachers and about what classes they want to take when their third years.
"Did you see Scorpius' face when he was sorted into Ravenclaw?"
"He looked pretty frazzled," Albus replied.
"I almost feel bad for him."
"Why?"
"Well we are cousins. I think he deserves that much from me."
Albus stopped dead in his tracks. "You're related to him?"
Laurel shook her head, "His mother is my mothers sister. Sorry, I should have mentioned it. Do you know him?" Before Albus could answer they stopped.
"The password is 'Giant Squid'. Don't forget it." The perfect led them into the common room. "The girls dormitories are this way, and the boys are over here. Your room is numbered the same as your year. Goodnight." She walked down the hall to the girls dormitories and disappeared.
Albus started to walk towards his when a voice called out. "Night, Albus"
He turned around a replied, "Goodnight Laurel."
As Albus walked down the hallways and stopped at the room marked 1, he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, being a Slytherin might not be all that bad.