Disclaimer: I don't own these characters! J.K. Rowling does!
Notes: This starts off right around where the epilogue of HP7 starts off. But it is slightly different from the epilogue.
It was the cold, but sunny morning of September 1st and the Weasley family was standing in front of the Hogwarts Express. As all the students, from age eleven to age seventeen and even eighteen were boarding the train, a young girl, by the name of Rose, was saying her final goodbyes to her parents. Her mother Hermione hugged her tightly, saying, "I'm going to miss you, Rosie!"
Rose's big brown eyes looked conflicted. She was both sad and excited to go to Hogwarts. She was sad about leaving her parents and brother Hugo but excited about going to a new school, learning new things, and making new friends. "Bye, Mum," she whispered as her mother finally let go of her.
"You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" her father Ron asked. She smiled at him as he pulled her into an embrace. "That's my Rosie," he said.
"Bye, Daddy," she whispered in her father's arms.
"Bye, sweetheart," he said as he let go of her.
Lastly, she approached her little brother Hugo, who was two years younger than her and watching her with yearning eyes. "Bye, Hugo," she said as she hugged him.
"Bye, Rose," he said.
"Now be good," Hermione told her as Rose picked up her train case and owl cage. "And write to us!"
Rose was now walking towards the train as she heard her father call, "Remember, if you get sorted into Slytherin, we will disown you!"
"Ron!" she heard her mother exclaim, slapping Ron on the shoulder. As she stepped into the train and looked for a compartment to sit at, she smiled and waved at her parents, catching the flying kisses her mother sent in her direction.
She finally found a compartment with two available seats. A young blond boy, two twin blond boys, and her cousin, Albus Potter, occupied the rest of the seats. She took her seat next to the window, across from Albus. She watched her parents and her uncle and aunt, Harry and Ginny Potter, being attacked by a horde of fans who admired what they did in the second Wizarding War. Frantically shaking hands and greeting people, Hermione called for the final time, "Bye, Rosie!" Harry, who had an even larger crowd around him, called out, "Bye, kids!" Heads in the compartment turned to look at her and Albus.
"Are you Harry Potter's son?" the young blond boy asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Albus nodded slowly.
"And, are you," he said, looking at Rose now, "Ron and Hermione Weasley's daughter?"
She nodded slowly just as slowly as her cousin had.
He turned away. "And what's your name?" Albus asked.
"Sorry," he said. "I'm Scorpius." He held out his hand.
Albus shook his hand politely, but Rose hesitated before doing so. She remembered her father telling her not to make friends with Scorpius, Draco Malfoy's son, and her mother reprimanding him for it. "Rose," she said, introducing herself after Albus introduced himself.
He smiled at her, his blue eyes gleaming in the sunlight.
A few hours later, Rose, Albus, and Scorpius were making their way to the Great Hall with Hagrid leading the way.
"This way, everyone!" Hagrid called out, stepping right in front of the large doors of the Great Hall where Rose knew all the other students were already seated. "Professor Sprout will take it from 'ere," he said, as he stepped aside, allowing an elderly witch to address the crowd.
As she began talking, Albus approached Rose and said, "I'm nervous - really nervous."
She turned to look at him and could see the anxiety etched upon his face. His brilliant green eyes, exactly like his father's, showed signs of tension. "Me too," she said. "I have to be in Gryffindor. My whole family's been in Gryffindor! What if I'm in Slytherin? I don't know what I'd do!"
"My dad said the Sorting Hat considers which house you want to be in," Albus whispered.
"Really?" she said, looking up excitedly.
Albus nodded. "I'm going to ask to be in Gryffindor. I have to be! If I'm not, I'll be a complete embarrassment to all Weasleys."
"No, you won't," she reassured him.
He shrugged. "Maybe not, but James will never let me hear the end of it," he said.
"My father will never let me hear the end of it if I'm in Slytherin!" she told him.
Albus laughed. "Uncle Ron probably wouldn't," he said.
"Come on now, children!" Professor McGonagall said, as she opened the doors of the vast Great Hall. Rose looked around the tables for the first time, amazed and delighted. She examined the tables closely: first Gryffindor, where she saw her cousin James smiling at her, next Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff, and finally… Slytherin. The students of Slytherin didn't look so menacing at first glance, but Rose still knew she wanted to be in Gryffindor. She smiled as she walked down the hall towards the front, where all the first-years were gathered in a group, ready to be sorted.
While she was waiting, Rose was almost shaking when Scorpius came up to her. "Are you alright?" he asked.
She nodded quickly.
"Are you sure?" he inquired.
"I-I don't want to be in S-Slytherin," she told him.
"Don't worry. You're a Weasley, you probably won't be."
He smiled at her. She smiled back. "I hope you're right," she said, calming down a little bit. "What house do you want to be in?"
"Me?" he asked. "I… I don't know. Both my parents were in Slytherin, but that was before. My dad, he used to be a real git. He told me all about it. He was really into blood purity and that stuff. But now, he's changed. So, I'm not sure what house I want to be in."
"Lorcan Scamander!" a professor called out. Rose recognized one of the twin blond boys who had sat in the same compartment as her in the Hogwarts Express walk towards the center of the hall and sit down. He placed the hat on his head. A few moments later, it exclaimed, "Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaw table applauded as he took his seat.
"Lysander Scamander!" the same professor called out. The other twin walked towards the center of the hall and sat down on the stool. He placed the hat on his head, and in about just as much time as it took to sort his brother, the hat exclaimed, "Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaw table applauded as Lysander beamed and took a seat next to Lorcan.
More students walked to the hat and were sorted. Rose's anxiety grew.
"Scorpius Malfoy!" the professor called out. She shot Scorpius a quick smile before he made his way to the Sorting Hat. She watched the expressions of some students, as they changed from smiles to grimaces and looks of disgust. A twinge of sadness struck her as she watched him nervously sit down and place the hat on his head.
It took the hat several moments to sort Scorpius before it finally called out, "Slytherin!" The Slytherin table applauded. She watched Scorpius go to sit down at the Slytherin table. When he had sat down, he looked up at her, seeming somewhat lost and alone, longing for a friend.
"Albus Potter!" the Sorting Hat called out. She watched as her cousin walked fearfully towards the center of the hall and place the hat on his head.
She heard calls of, "Whoa! That's Harry Potter's son!" and, "That's Ginny Weasley's son!" and, "He better be in Gryffindor!"
Albus was glancing around the room where almost every student was smiling and longing for him to be in their house. Even James, who constantly teased Albus, couldn't hide the fact that he wanted his brother to be in Gryffindor. She could see Albus' lips moving, forming the words, "I want to be in Gryffindor."
The Sorting Hat replied, barely audibly, "You are Harry Potter's son." It took a few moments for the Sorting Hat to consider Albus' request, during which the feelings of anxiety and anticipation grew. "Gryffindor!" it finally exclaimed.
The Gryffindor table broke out into cheers as Albus took his seat. Even James' smile wasn't concealable. He patted his brother on the back proudly, exclaiming, "That's the second one of Harry Potter's children to be in Gryffindor! And you all just watch, there'll be a third!"
"Rose Weasley!" the Sorting Hat exclaimed. Rose was the last student to be sorted. She breathed deeply, trying to stay calm, as she made her way to the Sorting Hat.
"That's Ron and Hermione's daughter!" she heard someone call out.
"That's my cousin! And you can bet she'll be in Gryffindor, too!" James hollered.
"Yeah, Rose!" her cousin Victoire, now a seventh-year, encouraged her from farther down the Gryffindor table. She glanced around to see her other cousins smiling at her.
Rose nervously took a seat on the small stool and placed the hat on her head. The pressure was on. She had to be in Gryffindor.
Suddenly, she heard the Sorting Hat speak to her. "I remember when I sorted your parents," it said.
"You do?" she asked quietly.
"Of course!" it said. "Your mum was a hard one to sort – was going to put her in Ravenclaw, but decided on Gryffindor instead."
"Really?" she asked.
"Indeed," it said. "Your uncle, Harry Potter – now he was really hard to sort! I thought he would've done the best in Slytherin, but he thought otherwise. I sense the same about you, Miss Weasley."
She could feel her heart skip a beat. Sweat ran down the side of her head as she closed her eyes tightly and clenched her fists. "Please don't put me in Slytherin," she whispered. "Please. Put me in Gryffindor, or any other house, but not Slytherin."
"I feel that you'd do very well in Slytherin," it said.
"Please… please," she pleaded.
"You need to trust me on this, Miss Weasley. Something about you tells me you'd excel in Slytherin like you would in no other house!"
"Please," she said, one last time.
The hat finally called out, "Slytherin!" She opened her eyes to see the people at the Slytherin table cheering for her. She observed the confused expressions on Albus, James, and Victoire's faces. Everyone at the Gryffindor table looked extremely let down. Even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs looked disappointed. She took the hat off and walked towards the Slytherin table, trying to keep herself from crying. She saw Scorpius pat the empty spot next to him.
He was smiling broadly at the prospect of a friend in Slytherin, but when he saw the expression on Rose's face, his smile changed to a look of concern. "Rose… It's okay… At least we're together in Slytherin," he said, patting her on the back.
She turned away. "Maybe it's okay for you!" she exclaimed, upset. "Your whole family's been in Slytherin! But I'm the first of all the Weasleys' to be in Slytherin!"
"Rose," he said again. "Slytherin's not what it used to be. More and more half bloods and even Muggle-borns get sorted into Slytherin each year. Every year, the tension between Slytherin and all the other houses becomes less."
"Why couldn't I have been in Gryffindor, where I belong?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Scorpius now looked at Slughorn, the head of Slytherin house, who was clearing his throat as a way to tell Scorpius and Rose to be quiet.
And Scorpius was silent.
That night, Rose went up to her room to meet her roommates, three girls named Violet, Mary, and Erin. They were all relatively nice to her. None of them were the cold and antipathetic Slytherins she had expected them to be. However, this did not lessen the grief of her being sorted into Slytherin.
She decided to write to her parents and tell them what had happened.
Dear Mum and Dad,
Yesterday, Albus and I got sorted. Albus got sorted into Gryffindor. He told the hat he wanted to be in Gryffindor, and it listened. I told the hat I wanted to be in Gryffindor, too, but… it told me I would excel in Slytherin. And it put me in Slytherin. I was really upset. It's like I'm a disgrace to the Weasleys. Please don't be mad.
Love,
Rose
For the next few days, Rose waited anxiously for a letter from her parents. She was worried that her father would be really upset, even if he didn't tell her. She spent a lot of her time in the halls, talking to Albus just so she wouldn't have to stay in the Slytherin Common Room.
"Come on, now," Albus told her one dewy morning as they were sitting by the lake near Hogwarts Castle. "It's not the end of the world."
"That's easy for you to say! The Sorting Hat actually listened to you!" she retorted.
"Well, everyone knows that the Sorting Hat is never wrong," he told her. "I'm sure it had a good reason for putting you in Slytherin."
"It wanted to put Uncle Harry in Slytherin, too. It would've been wrong then, wouldn't it?"
"Maybe," he shrugged. "Maybe not."
She looked at him, surprised. "What are you saying?"
"Severus Snape was in Slytherin," he told her.
"He was a Death Eater!"
"But he also did lots of great things," he told her.
She looked at him, hoping to get more reassurance.
"Not all Slytherins are bad," he said. "The more good Slytherins we have, the less stereotyping there'll be."
She half-smiled. "Yeah… maybe you're right."
"And we can still be friends, even if our houses aren't," he said.
"Of course!" she beamed.
"Albus!" Rose heard James' voice call. "Albus! We've just got a letter from Mum and Dad. They're really happy for you!"
Rose turned to find James holding a letter in his hand.
"Bye, Rose," Albus said, picking up his wand and walking away with his brother.
If Albus and James' letter from home had come, maybe hers had too. She leapt to her feet and made her way to the Great Hall where everyone was seated for breakfast. She looked around for Mary and Violet, who she normally sat next to, but didn't talk much to. However, she couldn't find them. She turned around to find Scorpius waving at her. She smiled and sat down next to him.
"We haven't talked since the first day of school! Where have you been?" he asked.
"Oh, y'know… around," she told him.
"You're never in the common room," he said.
"I-I don't go to the common room much," she said.
"Where do you go?" he asked.
She shrugged. "You can find me in the halls, near the lake… I've been to Hagrid's hut once."
He smiled and changed the topic. "I just got my letter from my mum and dad!"
Rose giggled.
"Don't tell anyone I'm this excited," he whispered. "I'd be ruined."
She watched Scorpius' eyes scan the letter, his smile becoming wider and wider with each line he read. "They're really happy for me," he told her after he had finished reading.
"That's great!" she smiled. "I hope my parents are, too." Then suddenly, a small spotted gray owl swooped down and dropped a letter right into her lap. She opened it hurriedly.
Dear Rosie,
Of course we're not mad at you, sweetheart! And you are NOT a disgrace to the Weasleys! We're sure you'll do great in whichever house you're in! Sure, at first, your father was a little shocked. He kept rereading your letter until it sunk in. But the bit about disowning you that he said was a joke! Don't take it too seriously… You know your father. Anyways, the most important thing is that you're happy. Make new friends, pay attention in class, and be good! Keep writing!
Love,
Your mum (and Dad)
P.S. This bit's from just your dad. Your mum wouldn't let me get a word in the real letter. Okay, knowing you, even if I tell you I don't care what house you're in, you won't believe me. So, I'll tell you the truth. I was kind of a little bit upset at first. It didn't register. My Rosie –a Slytherin? But don't worry. I'm alright with it now. Just stay away from Malfoy's son! And beat him at every test! Remember, I love you!
She looked up from the letter. So her parents weren't upset after all. She grinned widely. She turned to look at Scorpius.
"So, they're happy for you?" he asked.
She nodded. She kept smiling and reread the letter. Her smile was still on her face until she reached the last few sentences of the letter. Just stay away from Malfoy's son! And beat him at every test! She read the lines over and over again, hoping they would change. She looked up, not knowing what to think. She didn't think Scorpius was so bad. He was actually being really nice to her. The last thing she wanted to do was to desert a potential friend in Slytherin.
All these thoughts were still running through her mind when Scorpius asked, "Is everything okay?"
She picked up her wand, her letter, and her half-eaten muffin, and got up. She couldn't be friends with Scorpius if her father warned her so strongly against it. He may have seemed nice at first, but who knew? It could be a ploy. She had to trust her father; he knew Scorpius' father very well. She couldn't trust someone she just met a few days ago more than her father. She had made her decision.
"Where are you going, Rose?" he asked.
"I- I have to go," she said abruptly. And she walked away, only turning around once to find Scorpius with the same expression on his face that was there when he was sorted into Slytherin – lost, alone, and longing for a friend.
Notes: So… this is my second story! It was going to be a one-shot, but the ending seems really depressing. I'm considering adding some more chapters in to show what happens between Rose and Scorpius.. And to have more letters between Rose & her parents. Tell me if you want to continue!
BTW, I did hear that Lorcan and Lysander were younger than Albus, Lily, and Scorpius...but I didn't feel like changing it.. It might be slightly different than the real book, but whatevr (: