Albus Potter and his Father's Curse

by uprightzeal

In his sixth year at Hogwarts, with an unexpected group of friends, Albus Potter struggles to maintain his own personality, when he is so often pushed aside as 'Harry Potter's son'. That, along with the fact that something strange is afoot in the wizarding world, and Albus finds himself wishing to be just a regular wizard, with regular teenage problems (he has those too).

PROLOGUE

"But what if I get put into Slytherin?" Albus had been biting back this question for what felt like his entire life, and he had only, just now-with James's berating-worked up the courage to ask his father. The area behind his eyes was burning, like it always did before he was about to cry. His father chuckled slightly and knelt down.

"You won't be put into Slytherin if you don't want to be, Albus, I promise," Albus shifted on his feet, thousands of worries still flying around in his mind.

"You don't know that, Dad," he spat out his words, his stress and sadness coming together to form anger as they often did. He looked at the ground, hoping his father would understand that he didn't mean it. His father reached out and patted Albus's shoulder.

"I do, Al. Trust me, I do,"

"How?" Albus doubted that his dad knew. His dad was a Gryffindor, through and through. His dad was Harry Potter. His dad killed Voldemort, the most infamously Slytherin wizard of all time. His dad was brave, and selfless, and everything that a Gryffindor was supposed to be. Albus wasn't any of those things.

"When I was your age, Al, eleven-on my first day at Hogwarts. When I sat down on the stool, and Professor McGonagall put the sorting hat on my head, I was terrified," Harry paused as Albus gave him a questioning look. "Yes, I was terrified. Even the bravest of Gryffindor still has fears, you know. I was so scared because Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron had already been sorted into Gryffindor, and I had heard the things the people on the train had said about Slytherins. How they were evil, nasty people. So, in my head, over and over and over again, I was thinking 'please not Slytherin, please not Slytherin, please not Slytherin'. And you know what, Al?" Harry waited, raised his eyebrows at Albus, waiting for an answer. Albus slowly shook his head. "The sorting hat told me that it would listen to me, because it was my choice. And it put me in Gryffindor," Harry finished.

"But Dad, how do you even know that it was going to put you into Slytherin?" Albus still didn't completely believe his father.

"The sorting hat told me, Al. A few years later, in Dumbledore's office, I asked. And it told me that if I hadn't asked to be in Gryffindor, I would have been put in Slytherin," Harry paused, then added, "And, it doesn't matter what house you're in," he smiled at his son, squeezing his shoulder. Albus gaped at his father.

"Harry? Albus? Oh, there you are. Guys, the train's about to leave. Albus, are you okay, honey?" Ginny emerged from the crowd and smiled at her son and her husband.

"I'm okay now, Mom," Albus wasn't sure if that was true, but he made his way over to his mom, and flung his arms around her. She wrapped her own arms around her son's shoulders, running one hand through his messy auburn hair. "I love you so much Mom," one tear had escaped from his eye, and he nuzzled his face further into his mother's side.

"I love you too, Al, but you'll have so much fun. You've been waiting for this day all your life, it's Hogwarts! And we'll see you at Christmas, I promise. Now hurry, or you'll miss the train like your dad and Uncle Ron did when they were second years," Ginny's eyes were laughing as she spoke, and Albus managed a smile.

"But the only reason Dad and Ron missed the train was because-" James was leaning out of the window, shouting to them.

"We know, James. My point was that the train's about to leave, and Albus, you've got to get on!" James laughed, and Ginny rolled her eyes. Albus gave his dad one last hug, then squeezed his mom's hand.

"I love you guys!" He called out as he hurried onto the platform, just as the train pulled away. He watched as his mom and dad wrapped one arm each around each other, waved to him and his brother with their other hands. He saw Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione waving at Hugo and Rose, and he noticed that Ron's face was a few shades closer to the color of his hair than it normally was. He grinned to himself, and gave them a wave as they passed. Then, he saw that man and woman who everyone had stared at. The man was pale, with paler hair, and dressed completely in black, up past his shoulders. They waved, much like Albus's own parents had, with love, and a twinge of sadness. Then, the platform was gone, and Albus was on his way to Hogwarts at last.

It seemed as if every compartment was full as Albus pulled his luggage down the hall. Nerves were beginning to set in as he neared the end of the train. Then, looking into one compartment towards the end, Albus caught sight of a familiar head, topped with auburn hair that matched his own, but it was shorter, and saturated with product: James. Hesitantly, already knowing it was probably a bad idea, Albus pulled to door open, and peaked inside. He regretted it almost instantly. The compartment was full of older Hogwarts students. Mostly seventh and sixth years, Albus thought, from the look of them. His eyes slid over the group of teenagers, all of whom had stopped their conversations when he opened the door to stare at him, Albus saw James, his head turned away, lips interlocked with a girl who Albus knew was a seventh year, because she was Angelica Finnegan-Thomas, the daughter of two of his father's classmates from when he was a Hogwarts. James hadn't noticed yet, until someone bumped his side with their elbow.

"The fuck, mate?" James looked exasperated at the boy who had just nudged him. ALbus hated when his brother swore. It didn't sound right on him-didn't sound like the boy he had grown up with, before either of them had gone to Hogwarts. The boy who had nudged James gestured with his eyebrows at Albus, and smirked. James turned, with an angry look marring his soft features. When he saw Albus, he sprung to his feet. Albus crossed his arms. "Get out, Albus,"

"Do Mom and Dad know that you're snogging a girl who's three years older than you?" Albus burst out, his anger at his brother overcoming him. He saw a couple of people raise their eyebrows, and one girl laughed. James took a few long strides over to Albus, and stared down at him.

"Mom and Dad don't need to know who I snog. But while we're at it, Al-piss," James threw out the nickname he had been calling Albus since he could talk. "do Mom and Dad know that you're a sneaking little prick who's gonna end up a Slytherin?" James's question was met with dead silence, and the look on his face made ALbus hate him more than he ever had before.

"Mom and Dad say that it doesn't matter what house I'm in," Albus told him, then realizing that that wasn't enough, thought for a split second before grinning. "And besides, anything is better than whoring myself out to anyone and everyone" Albus was already backing out of the compartment, feeling behind him for his luggage, but James was too quick-his hand whipped from his side, and across Albus's face with a harsh crack. Albus gritted his teeth, and wheeled around, raising his hand to make a vulgar gesture at his brother through the window. He waited until he was beyond his brother's line of sight to press a hand up against where his brother's hand had hit-the skin was hot, and stung horribly. For the third time that day, the burning sensation behind his eyes was back. He pulled his luggage up to his side, and leaned up against a wall. The rumble of the train on its tracks was oddly comforting-Albus had never been on a train before, but he thought he would have enjoyed it, had his face not been pulsing with the echo of James's smack. Albus slid his back down the wall, crossing his arms and laying them across his knees, tucking his face into the dark cavern he had created with his limbs. Albus wanted, more than anything, to go home. Back to his mom, his dad, and Lily, who was always kinder than James. He had heard his grandfather say once that the grass was always greener on the other side of the fence. It was a muggle saying, he had said. At the time, Albus hadn't understood. But now, he thought, he did. All his life, for as long as he could remember, Albus had longed to be at Hogwarts, but now that he was actually going, all he wanted to do was go home.

When he heard footsteps approaching, he prayed that whoever the person was ignored him and kept going. He saw two black boots stop just in front of him, and would have groaned if he had felt up to it. Then, he saw the knees, connected to the boots. The person they belonged to must have crouched down.

"Hey," the voice was hesitant and young, and male. Albus lifted his head a little bit, and was surprised to see the son of the blonde man from the platform. His face was very much like his father's, and the icy gray eyes were impossibly similar. But, his hair was a few shades darker. "I'm Malfoy, Scorpius Malfoy," He stuck out his hand with a small grin. Albus raised his eyebrows. Malfoy. He'd heard his parents and Ron and Hermione talk about a Malfoy. Ron always called him a Death Eater git. But when he said that, Albus's mom always reproached him, reminding him that people changed. He let out a little laugh

"I don't think you want to be my friend, then," (Albus shook his hand nonetheless).

"Why? Because I'm a Malfoy and our fathers hated each other?" Scorpius's voice was hard, but friendly. "Look, I'm willing to give you a chance if you'll give me one" The blond boy pulled up Albus with the hands that they had just shaken. Albus grinned.

"I'm in." Albus figured it was better to have one friend than none, and this was the first person who had offered. Besides, he couldn't be that bad. Scorpius grinned, one side of his mouth rising a bit higher than the other. "I'm Potter, by the way. Albus Severus Potter,"

"I know that," Scorpius laughed. "My dad always says that Severus Snape was one of the bravest wizards he ever had the chance to know, and that would have been my name if your dad hadn't beat him to it," Albus lifted his bags and laughed.

"Seems like they might have more in common than they think," Albus commented, and Scorpius nodded.

"My grandmother always says that Dad should reach out to your dad, try to make amends. He saved my dad's life by the way, your dad did," Scorpius motioned towards a door just a little ahead of them. "I put my luggage in this compartment. It was empty when I found it," His voice trailed off as he slid open the door. A girl with ridiculous curly hair that just barely brushed her shoulders sat on one of the benches, staring out the window. Her hair was as fiery read as her father's, and as Albus's mother's.

"Rose!" Albus called, and she whipped around, hair flying. She squealed and leapt to her feet.

"Albus, I'm so glad you found me, did you see James? He's sitting in a compartment with all sixth and seventh years, and he was snogging Angelica Finnegan-Thomas! I couldn't find Hugo, though, I lost him as soon as I got on the train. He must be off with Sean Jordan. Honestly, that boy is all he talks about. Anyway, I found this compartment, it was empty, except for those suitcases, I have no idea whose they are, but-" At this point, Scorpius cleared his throat. He was standing slightly behind Albus, and Rose hadn't noticed him until that moment. "Oh, are they yours? My father says your father is a Death Eater git. Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to say that! I'm so sorry! I'm Rose Weasley. Sorry," She gave Scorpius an apologetic grin.

"Scorpius Malfoy. Albus and I have already decided to out a parents' grudges aside, if you'd like to join us." The hope in Scorpius's voice was endearing, and Rose couldn't help but grin at him.

"Sure, sounds good to me," Rose then turned again to Albus. "What happened to your face, Al?" Albus lifted his hand to his face. In making a new friend, and finding Rose, he had been momentarily distracted from the pain. But the skin under his hand was still hot and puffy.

"Oh, crap," he groaned. "I wasn't planning on being bruised on my first day at Hogwarts," He was annoyed, he couldn't deny. Why did James have to always be such a prick?

"I can get it to stop hurting, I think, it might get rid of the bruise too," Scorpius piped up, wiggling his wand a little bit. Rose raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. Albus shrugged. "Okay, sit down there," Scorpius gestured Albus to one of the benches in the compartment. Albus complied, and folded his hands on his lap awkwardly. Scorpius lifted his wand to Albus's face. The latter could not help but stiffen. Scorpius ignored this, and muttered something that sounded like 'episky' under his breath, and let the tip of his wand hover over Albus's wound. The skin that had been hot and irritated not seconds ago, was now smooth, and cool to Albus's touch, and the pain was completely gone. He grinned up at Scorpius.

"How'd you learn how to do that?" Alus was amazed, but it was Rose who voiced his question. They'd seen magic before, of course, and their parents had used healing spells on them before, but, when either have them had ever tried to actually do a real spell, they had failed. Scorpius just shrugged.

"My mom practiced with me a lot. Always said it's good to have a head start. And, I have a little sister, Andromeda, and she's always hurting herself. It comes in handy," Scorpius sat on the bench across from Albus as he spoke, next to Rose.

"Wicked," whispered Rose, wonder in her eyes. Albus chuckled.

"Watch out, Rose, looks like you might have some competition in the 'brightest student of our age' department," Rose gave him an angry look.

"Just because my mother is the smartest witch ever to exist doesn't mean I'll be. I have other things to worry about, like my art, and how am I supposed to be the best at-" Albus raised his hands.

"It's a joke, Rose. I know you aren't your mother," glancing over at Scorpius, who had a questioning look on his face, Albus continued, "Hermione Granger, remember? That's Rose's mom," An expression of understanding crossed onto Scorpius's face, and then he smirked a little, looking over at Rose's still-outraged face.

Just then, a rumbling sound approached outside the door to their compartment, and Albus, Rose, and Scorpius all looked at each other in excitement.

"The trolley," Rose said, and they all leapt up and rushed towards the door.

Several hours later, there were wrappers of candy scattered across the floor of the

compartment, and all three children were absolutely stuffed. But, their robes were on, and the couldn't stop smiling as they felt the train slow, and saw the lights of the station approaching. Albus felt that his eyes must be sparkling, they were so wide with his own excitement.

As the train finally drew to a stop, Albus, Rose and Scorpius were already out in the hall of the train, luggage in hand. Rose leaned in to Albus.

"Too bad we'll end up in a different house than him. But Dad would kill me if we actually were friends," Rose's voice was light as she hauled her bags off of the train and waved to her older brother, Hugo. He was a third year, and much nicer than James. But Albus couldn't bring himself to wave to Hugo-he was too distracted by what Rose had just said. He supposed he should be thinking the same things, since he had been raised to hate Slytherins, and the Malfoys, even if he was told that houses didn't make a difference, most people thought they did.

"Move along Potter, we don't have all day!" Scorpius called from behind him, giving Albus a little nudge onto the platform. Albus laughed, trying to forget, as he had only minutes ago, the impending sorting, and hopped off of the train. He hung back, waiting for Scorpius to catch up. The call he had waited his entire life to hear came from the darkness, as the older students filtered into the carriages that seemed horseless to him, but he knew they were being pulled by thestrals.

"First years! This way, first years!" The gruff, familiar voice of Hagrid broke the darkness into warm pieces, as all of the youngest children found their way to him. Albus could see Hagrid craning his neck, probably looking for him and Rose, so he waved his hand. Hagrid pushed a few other students aside as he barrelled over to give the two children of some of his best friends a huge bear hug.

"Al! Rosey!" His voice, in this strange place, was comforting.

"Hagrid, it's so good to see you," Albus and Rose chorused as he set their feet back on the ground. Hagrid ruffled their heads, then glanced behind them.

"Hagrid, the is Scorpius Malfoy," Albus gestured to the pale boy, who was looking terrified behind him.

"Malfoy, eh? Hope you aren't anything like your father was at your age," Hagrid chuckled, but Albus could feel Scorpius stiffen behind him.

"He's not, Hagrid, I promise. Might not even be a Slytherin," Rose laughed and Hagrid motioned for the first years to follow him. Albus turned to Scorpius, whose face was a little red-with anger or sadness, he couldn't make out.

"Hey, sorry about that, mate, I don't think they realize-" Albus began to apologize.

"No, I'm used to it," Scorpius cut him off. "My family spends a lot of time with pure bloods, as you might imagine. Some of them are Ravenclaws. And some of those people aren't very thoughtful, surprisingly enough," He laughed a little, but Albus knew his feelings were hurt. "Anyway, I always figured things will be better once I got here, and got to spend time with other people who were like me, people who understood," Scorpius and Albus lifted up their bags, placed them onto the platform that someone would transfer them from and followed the trail of other first years.

"I know how you feel. I mean, it's not exactly the same, I guess, but, everyone always looks at me differently when they figure out who my parents are," the two boys climbed into a boat, and began rowing across the lake. They'd lost track of Rose, but Albus knew she'd be okay, she was so sociable, she probably already had made ten more friends.

"I guess we'll have to see what happens when we get sorted," Scorpius said, his voice sinking into a state of thoughtfulness that Albus was beginning to associate with the boy.

They sat in pleasant silence as they saw the lights of Hogwarts approaching ever nearer. The butterflies in Albus's stomach seemed to get bigger and more anxious as the turrets of the castle got larger. When the bottom of the boat scraped against the sand, Albus and Scorpius looked at each other with nervous excitement. Some of the other new students were leaping out of the boats with joy, while others were hesitantly creeping out onto the shore. Albus caught a glimpse of Rose's bright hair swinging and bouncing up the hill just a few steps ahead of Hagrid's hulking form.

Albus could pick out several other familiar faces, but more people seemed to recognize him than vise versa. He heard whispers of 'Potter' all around him, and rolled his eyes at Scorpius.

"Must be hard to be famous, Al," Scorpius grinned as he said the nickname he had picked up over the past few hours. Albus pushed him, in what he hoped seemed like a friendly way. Apparently, it was, because the two walked up the hill in a sociable silence. When they reached the castle, both boys stopped and looked at each other.

"Well, I guess this is it," Scorpius grinned, but even more color had drained from his face than was normal.

"Good luck, Malfoy," Albus grinned at his new friend.

"Potter," Scorpius answered with a sardonic grin before patting him on the back and heading through the doors with Albus at his side. After a short walk, the first years were halted by a lift of Hagrid's hand.

"I have to leave you here," He started, "But, the Deputy Headmistress will be here shortly to lead you to the sorting. Good luck, everyone," Albus felt Hagrid's eyes look specifically at him, then at Rose, sliding over Scorpius completely.

As soon as Hagrid was gone, the small hall filled with the whispers of nervous students.

"He's huge,"

"The sorting? How-"

"I hope I don't get-"

"Do you miss your-"

Albus closed his eyes, just wishing that everyone would be quiet. In stressful situations, he greatly preferred silence, so he could think things through clearly. A small girl with dark features was suddenly beside him.

"Why is everyone always whispering about you?" Her voice was quiet, and mildly detached. "I'm a muggle-born, so I don't know much,"

"It's because my dad is Harry Potter," Albus paused to see if there was any recognition. There wasn't. "He's kind of famous around here, I guess. Killed the most evil wizard of all time," He was treading the fine line between bragging and an explanation he knew, but he was uncomfortable having to explain this to somebody. Normally, people just knew.

"Oh, that's nice," She didn't really seem to care that he was famous, which was also new for Albus. "Can you tell me about the houses? I sat alone on the train, and everyone else here is too busy talking to someone else," Albus looked around. She was right. Everyone else was absorbed in conversation. Everyone but Scorpius, but he had an angry, do-not-disturb-me-or-I'll-kill-you look on his face. Albus sighed.

"Well, there's Gryffindor, which is meant to be brave. And there's Hufflepuff. They're kind, and understanding. There's Ravenclaw, for the intelligent, and there's Slytherin, for-" Albus was cut off by the sudden silence. He looked around, and so did the girl he had been talking to. In front of the cluster of students stood a woman with very long blonde hair, many eccentric pieces of jewelry, and bare feet. Deputy Headmistress Luna Lovegood.

"Hello, students," Her high lilting voice was familiar to Albus. He had met her a few times at gatherings of his mother and father's old friends, but she was often travelling, or too busy working at Hogwarts, so he didn't know her too well. "I'm Professor Lovegood, the Deputy Headmistress. I'm here to bring you to you sorting. Follow me please," With that, she turned, and wound her way down the hallway they had come, and then pulled to a stop in front to two large wooden doors. Albus could hear the low thrum of conversation coming from inside, but when Lovegood swung the door open, it came to a gradual silence.

The light flooding through the doors was warm and bright, and instantly made Albus feel better. He had heard stories all his life about the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but even he wasn't prepared for how magnificent it really was. The sky, complete with constellations, clouds, and the moon seemed to be peaking through the ceiling. It took him a moment to remember that he hadn't actually just left the building. The ceiling was charmed, and when he stared hard, he could see faint outlines of the rafters. Below that, there were millions of floating candles, all at different heights, all burning with the same warm light. Albus wondered if the light was charmed in some way, it was so comforting. And below the candles were the four long tables-one for each house. The Slytherins at one end, then the Hufflepuffs, the Ravenclaws, and the Gryffindors. It was easy to tell which was which, for him, at least. He saw James's face, completely ignoring the first years, and for the first time, he found himself hoping he wouldn't be in the same house as his brother. He quickly pushed that thought from his head.

Albus had heard several gasps from around him when they first entered the hall, but now, about halfway down between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables was the first time he looked at his fellow students. Most of them were staring around in wonder just like he had. Scorpius's mouth had fallen open, and the girl from before was blinking wildly, as if waking up from a long sleep. Rose was bouncing on the balls of her feet at the head of the line, with two other girls beside her. The front of the line drew to a stop right in front of the table of teachers. Albus recognized a few faces-Professor Longbottom, his parents' friend and herbology enthusiast; a man he knew must have been Professor Flitwick, for he was tiny, and looked like the oldest man Albus had ever seen. Then, in the headmaster's chair, of course, there was Hagrid. But otherwise, that was it. Every other face was unfamiliar. Now, the nerves really set in. Albus could tell everyone else felt the same, because no one was speaking.

"Now, it is time for the sorting. When I call your name, please step up and sit down on this stool," Professor Lovegood told the students, gesturing towards a stool beside her. There were a few nervous murmurs. "The hat won't hurt you," She smiled serenely, and produced a scroll from inside her robes. Unrolling it, she read the first name.

"Evelyn Ackerman," as she called the name, a tall girl with dark curly hair and dark skin stepped up, surprisingly confidently. The other first years watched with rapt attention. This was the first sorting any of them had witnessed. Evelyn took her seat on the stool, facing the crowd of students. Professor Lovegood lowered the sorting hat onto her head. There were a few gasps as a mouth emerged on the hat.

"Ackerman," it's voice was old, but wise sounding. "Yes, yes, Ravenclaw!" Evelyn's face lit up, and she sprung to her feet, practically running over to the cheering Ravenclaw table. Lovegood read the next few names, and Albus watched each of their sortings with fascination. Sometimes, the hat had barely touched the head when it made its choice, at other times, it took a few moments. Name after name was called, and as Professor Lovegood moved further down the list, the group got smaller, and Albus got more scared. Scorpius was shifting on his feet beside him, his face growing paler by the second. When the name "Finneas Lloyd" was called, and sorted into Gryffindor, Albus grabbed his new friend's hand and squeezed it.

"It'll all work out," He knew it wasn't very inspirational, but Albus was a little too stressed to worry about that. He watched as Lovegood called Scorpius's name, and he stepped out from the crowd and took his place on the stool. As the hat lowered onto his head, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. The hat opened its mouth immediately, but something made it pause.

"A Malfoy, very interesting. It's always been sure before. It's sure now too, believe you me, but I want you to remember something. This does not mean anything about who you must be," Scorpius's eyes flew open, but he seemed calm as the sorting hat cried out "Slytherin!". The boy gave Albus that half smile as much of the crowd whispered. Albus caught sight of Rose, who somehow looked disappointed. He was distracted from watching Scorpius's walk to the Slytherin table by a tap on his shoulder. It was the short girl from before.

"What was it you were going to say about Slytherin?" She asked, almost urgently. Albus looked at her, confused. "You were telling me about the houses, but you didn't say anything about Slytherin, because you got cut off. So what were you going to say?" A thousand words flew through Albus's head: Slimy, evil, arrogant, ruthless, untrustworthy,

"Ambitious," he answered, giving the girl a small smile. Her eyes widened, she nodded, and turned away. Albus was confused by her, but he didn't have the time to think about it. The names were slowly creeping towards the letter P.

"Andrew Northam," was a Hufflepuff.

"Andrea Northam," was a Ravenclaw.

"Santiago Ortega," was a Ravenclaw.

"Carlotta Pevensie," was a Gryffindor.

"Albus Potter," Professor Lovegood looked up and smiled at him. He was frozen for a moment, but somehow, he forced his legs to move, to carry him up to the stool, turn around, and bend so he was sitting, facing nearly everyone in the Great Hall. He saw many faces leaning into each other and whispering. He saw James, at the Gryffindor table, slouching and watching uninterestedly. He saw Hugo smiling at him, Rose, watching anxiously from the small crowd of first years. He saw the small girl who had asked about the houses watching pensively. Then he saw Scorpius, at the Slytherin table. The boy gave him a thumbs up and grinned. Albus tried to smile back, but was certain it came out as a grimace. Then he felt the hat being lowered onto his head, and couldn't help but squeeze his eyes until the little lights of color began blinking in his head. Then, the hat began to speak, and for some reason, Albus felt that no one else could hear it.

"Albus Severus Potter," the hat muttered. "What an odd name, young man. An interesting combination, certainly. I have many options, but if you're anything like you're father,"

"I'm not," Albus thought almost instinctively. The hat chuckled, which, for some reason, was much stranger than the thought that it could talk.

"It does look that way, doesn't it? Let's see, very interesting," All Albus could think about was what his father had said just earlier that day. The sorting hat told me that it would listen to me. And, in one final, fateful decision, Albus took a breath, and did his best not to think of anything. "I see. Well, this leaves me but one option," Albus squeezed his eyes as tight as he possibly could. "Here we go," The hat paused for dramatic effect. "Slytherin!" Albus's eyes flew open. He wasn't disappointed. It didn't feel wrong. All he felt at that moment was fear of what everyone would say. The room seemed to move in slow motion.

Albus's eyes went first to James. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide. Then, the white pallor of his skin seemed to glow to red. James leapt to his feet, and began to shout.

"Fucking traitor! You aren't my brother anymore! You mean nothing to-" A couple of other Gryffindors pulled him down, but all of them looked just as shocked, some just as angry as James did. Albus blinked a few times, and rose slowly to his feet. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables sat in shocked silence, not even whispering. The Slytherin table was a disaster. Half of them were shouting and gesturing wildly, the other half were staring at each other, or at Albus.

"This has to be a mistake, right?" Albus heard someone say. Professor Lovegood raised her hands, and slowly, silence returned to the hall.

"The Sorting Hat doesn't make mistakes. Please, find your seat, Albus," She smiled at him gently. At least she didn't seem to be judging him. Albus shakily left the stool, and moved through the crowd of first years. That's when he saw Rose. Her eyes were wide, almost teary. She looked betrayed. Albus kept his eyes on the floor, and made his way as quickly as he could towards the Slytherin table. Scorpius stood up and gestured him over. Albus slid onto the bench beside him, and covered his eyes. He felt Scorpius slide his arm around him, give him a small squeeze.

"It'll all work out," He said, with a smile. Albus wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. Everyone else around him was silent. He felt a tear slip out from his eyes. The sorting had commenced, he could hear the hat talking again. Albus lifted his head, took a deep breath, and looked around at his table. Most people were trying to watch the sorting but kept sneaking glances at him. Scorpius unwound his arm from him and turned to face him. "I'm glad you're here, you know. Together, we can rule this school," He said with a smirk and false drama.

"I guess that'd be why you're in Slytherin," Albus sniffed.

"Why we're in Slytherin," Scorpius corrected him. Albus smiled slightly. His mind was still whirling, but it was comforting, at least, to know he had a friend in his midst. He trained his eyes on the sorting, but wasn't really paying attention. James's reaction had been the worst. It wasn't as if Albus wanted to be best friends with James, or anything, but he was his older brother, and he looked up at him. The fact that he was so ready to blow up scared Albus, and made him fear what his mother and father would say. His dad had said, he knew, that it didn't matter what house he was in, but Albus just knew that a little part of him had wanted his son to be in Gryffindor, and even if that smallest part of his father was disappointed in him, Albus would be unhappy. He would have to write to his parents before James could, explain to them why this had happened, tell them he was-

"Al! Hey, did you hear that?" Scorpius whisper-shouted in his ear. Albus blinked a few times, looking around. The hall had grown silent, yet again. He tried to find the source of the nervousness. The small girl from before was on the stool. She looked as surprised as Albus was, but everyone else was staring at her.

"No, what just happened?" Albus whispered back to Scorpius.

"Her name-it's Freya Riddle," Scorpius whispered, eyes trained on the girl. Albus's mouth dropped open.

"You don't think-That's not possible, she can't be-Can she?"

"Everyone else seems to think so. Maybe she's a cousin? She's clearly not his daughter, I mean, that's impossible, right?" Scorpius fell silent, as did everyone else, as the sorting hat began to open its mouth.

"Yes, no doubt about it, this one's a Slytherin!" The hat's voice thundered through the silent room. No one clapped, no one said anything. Lovegood gently tapped Freya's shoulder and pointed her to the Slytherin table. The girl got up, Her short, dark hair slightly mussed from the hat, and slowly walked to the table. Apprehensively, Albus raised a hand to wave her over. Scorpius looked at him in surprise.

"Just doing what you did for me, mate," Albus hissed as Freya approached. Scorpius nodded slowly, and slid down on the bench so the girl could sit between them. She looked scared, and Albus felt more sympathy than he could ever describe for her in that moment-a muggle born, likely with no idea who she was, or an understanding of why anyone would care.

"Why is everyone staring at me, Albus?" She slid onto the bench between the two boys. Albus and Scorpius exchanged a look. No reason in concealing anything from her.

"What is your father's name, Freya?" Albus asked her gently.

"Edward. Edward Riddle, why?" She looked nervous, like she was going to throw up.

"And his father's name?" Scorpius leaned in.

"Brigham Riddle. Why are you asking about my grandfather's name?" Freya looked highly distressed, and it was no wonder, Albus thought, with everyone at the table staring at her.

"I'll explain in a minute, you just have to tell us, do you know of anyone in your family named Tom Riddle?" Albus was talking as calmingly as he could, but he knew it wasn't his forte. Freya thought for a moment.

"Yes, I think that was my great grandfather's name, and my grandfather's brother," She looked between Albus and Scorpius, trying, with desperation, to understand what was going on.

"Did your grandfather's brother have any children, Freya? I promise, this is the last question. Then we'll explain," Albus looked at her, trying to tell what was going through her mind. Fear, mostly. He knew he wasn't being very tactful, but he wanted to know, needed to know, so badly, if it could be true.

"I-well, there were rumors. Rumors about a baby, born under strange circumstances. I don't know, they're only rumors. I never knew my grandfather's brother, he was murdered, him and my great grandparents. Please, just tell me why you want to know, please," She was looking more distressed by the moment, and after an exchanged glance, Scorpius nodded at Albus, so he began to speak.

"Okay, Freya, I'm really sorry about all that. The thing is, there was a baby, and his name was Tom Marvolo Riddle. He would be your cousin, or something. Your grandfather's brother's son. He-the baby-was a wizard, and so was his mother. He was an angry person, a disturbed person, who was embarrassed about the fact that his father, your great uncle, was a muggle. So, he began to use his powers to commit terrible crimes. He killed thousands of witches and wizards, and muggles. Including your great uncle and great grandparents. He killed my grandparents. He had plans to take over the world. But then, there was a prophecy. One prophecy that said that there was one person who could kill this man-Voldemort, he liked to call himself. That person was my father, Harry Potter." Albus stopped, hoping he wouldn't have to repeat himself. He had rushed through his explanation, not wanting to spend too long on the gory details. Freya seemed to understand, for her eyes were wide with shock.

"You mean, I'm related to the most evil wizard of all time?" She asked, looking around in awe.

"Well, yes. But that doesn't mean anything. Who you are related to doesn't dictate who you will be. I found that out today, I should have been sorted into Gryffindor, as a Potter. But here I am," Albus was feeling quite exhausted by all the comforting he was having to do today, and by the amount he felt he himself needed to be comforted. Freya's eyes widened even further, which had not seemed possible moments ago, and nodded slightly.

"Is everyone going to hate me?" Her voice was small, and scared.

"If they do, they have no right to, and are not worth your time," Scorpius said with conviction. Albus nodded in agreement.

"It's pretty certain that everyone will hate the both of us, too. So we can all be hated together," He smiled, but all he could think about was what his father would say if he knew he had just befriended, and pledged his loyalty to Voldemort's cousin.

"Thank you, both of you," Freya smiled at both of them, still looking utterly terrified. The two boys nodded.

"Well," the gruff, familiar voice of Hagrid rang through the hall, interrupting them. "I know this has been a very eventful sorting-more than any sorting I've ever seen before, and that's saying something," there were a few nervous laughs. Albus looked around, and spotted Rose, across the hall at the Gryffindor table, near Hugo, among the other first years. "But, that doesn't mean we can just skip our feast, now does it?" Hagrid let out a booming laugh, which fell mostly on silent faces. He muttered something, scratched his beard and then looked up again, awkwardly. "Okay, well, enjoy!" He sat down as quickly as he could once he stopped talking, which caused a faint clatter if the dishes that had appeared on the staff table, and all of the other tables, for that matter.

At last, the attention had shifted away from Albus and Freya, and they could eat in peace. It was delicious, Albus was sure, but he did not quite have the energy to notice, not with everything that had happened in the last hours. His mind was spinning, and he just wanted to go to sleep. In his own bed, in his own house, without any of this having ever happened.