YEAR 1
THE HOUSE OF JUDGEMENT
~*Chapter 1*~
Sorted
It was an hour since the Hogwarts Express had left the platform and started on its long journey to the school. Up and down the train, excited students were discussing upcoming classes and catching up with friends.
Albus, however, was so busy worrying about his Sorting that he took little part in his cousins' animated conversation. His father's parting words about the Sorting Hat had been a surprise and a small comfort, but try as he might to quiet his nerves, his mind kept looping back stubbornly to that one nervous "what if" that persisted in floating through his thoughts.
Rose was the first to notice his inattention. "Al." She prodded him in the arm until he dragged his gaze away from the window and looked at her. "You're not still worried about what James said, are you?"
Albus glanced around at the others. James had chosen to sit in another compartment with Roxanne and some of their fellow second year friends. Seated across from Rose, Molly and Louis had paused in their discussion of Quidditch and were studying Albus curiously.
"I'm fine," he said quickly.
"It's not a big deal, you know," Louis pointed out. He nodded towards his cousin. "Molly and I aren't in Gryffindor, and our parents didn't seem to mind."
"Yeah, I know," Albus mumbled, staring down at where he was clutching his wand in his lap.
The trip to Diagon Alley a week before had been intoxicating. He'd been so excited to find his very own wand, to get fitted for his robes, to stack his arms full of the books he would need for classes. But now his excitement was buried under layers of anxiety. Being the son of Harry Potter brought with it a lot of expectations. James had already started living up to the family name, at least. He and Roxanne had gotten into mischief more than once during their first year, if the letters sent home were anything to go off of. And James had already proven to be a quick study in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Albus feared that he would fall short. And if he were to land in another House, his brother would tease him mercilessly, even if their parents didn't mind. And aside from that, what would everyone at school think if Harry Potter's son ended up in Slytherin?
He stuffed his wand in his bag when he realized how tightly he was holding it. "Aren't you worried?" he demanded, trying to take the attention off of himself. "I mean, if you don't get Gryffindor, your dad's going to be pretty upset, right?"
Rose shrugged, looking unconcerned. "Mom and Dad are pretty sure I'll be in Gryffindor. He was just teasing me."
"She'll be there for sure," Louis said. He'd been Sorted into Hufflepuff two years ago. No one had seemed too surprised; he was a friendly boy who always insisted on playing fair in any of the games the cousins played together.
Rose shrugged again, but Al noticed she was tugging at a string on her blouse, and felt better. She hid it well, but she was nervous, too.
"Personally," Molly said, pulling her hair back into a quick plait, "I think you have a pretty good chance of joining Ravenclaw. Your mum's super smart, and you are, too. I kind of hope you do, really. We can be study buddies."
Rose and Al exchanged a quick look. He was desperately hoping they both made it to Gryffindor. He had become so accustomed to hanging around his cousins while growing up that the thought of trying to make new friends was intimidating. Rose offered him a weak little smile, then returned her attention to the book open in her lap without saying anything more.
Louis was still watching him with concern, so he forced himself to join the conversation when Molly started talking about Quidditch again. "James and Roxanne are trying out this year," she said. "I don't think I will, though. I'm rubbish on a broomstick."
One more thing for James to become flawlessly superior in, Albus thought sourly.
He was such a bundle of nerves that the rest of the trip seemed to pass in a blur. He struggled into his robes as the train pulled into the station, bid farewell to Louis and Molly, and went to join the clump of anxious first years with Rose. Spotting a familiar form towering over the other children, he offered a quick wave.
"Hagrid!"
The big man beamed, waving back, then began herding the first years towards the boats.
"You know him?" a nearby boy with a rather prominent nose asked, looking impressed.
"He's a friend of the family," Rose explained.
Someone jabbed the boy in the side and whispered something to him. Albus thought he heard the word "Potter" and pushed his way through the crowd to get away from them. Being related to someone famous had its downsides, though James seemed to view them as perks.
He joined Rose and two other boys in a boat, and gasped along with them as they skimmed across the lake and they beheld the castle for the first time. As they all clambered out of the boats and hurried to keep up with Hagrid on the way up to the castle, Albus worried he might be sick. He was so excited and nervous he already couldn't wait for the night to be over.
Once inside, there was much jostling as the first years crowded the steps on the way to the Great Hall. A girl with dark skin and tightly braided hair got knocked over, and Albus stopped to help her up before someone could step on her fingers.
"Thanks," she said. He could feel her arm shaking under his hand. Her eyes were wide, and she looked as petrified as he felt. Oddly, her fear made some of his own fade somewhat.
"No problem. I'm Albus."
"Felicia," she mumbled, sticking close to his side as they continued up the stairs. "Felicia Baker. My parents are, well, um... What's the word?"
"Muggles?" Rose supplied, coming up on her other side and offering a friendly smile.
"Yeah. That." Felicia couldn't seem to stop craning her head, trying to take in everything at once, from the shifting staircases to the animated portraits. "This is all so... weird."
Albus laughed, and forgot to watch where he was going. He ran into the boy in front of him. "Sorry," he said automatically.
The boy turned around to offer him an impatient look, and Albus did a double-take. He'd seen that pale face and white-blond hair on Platform 9 ¾ before boarding the train. This, then, was Scorpius Malfoy, the son of his father's old school rival.
"Sorry," he said again. He had no desire to make any enemies his first day at school, especially not any that might carry on their parents' grudges.
But Scorpius was already turning away.
Everyone else had stopped, too; there was a tall witch standing at the top of the staircase, watching them as they collected in a group on the stairs before her.
"I am Professor Sinistra," she said after a few moments, when the murmurs had died down. "Professor of Astronomy and Head of Slytherin House." She motioned towards the closed double doors behind her with a long-fingered hand. "In the Great Hall you will be Sorted into your Houses. Each House- Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw –will serve as your home away from home during your stay here. You may earn or lose points for your House depending on your behavior and performance. Your prefects will explain this in more detail later. Once you are Sorted, you will go sit with the rest of your House. Follow me." She turned on her heel and marched towards the doors; they opened at a wave of her wand, and the first years hastened to follow.
As they trooped through the Great hall, past the tables, Albus could feel eyes on him from every direction as the older students studied the frightened first years with amusement and curiosity. Someone whistled sharply in greeting, earning a few laughs. He didn't bother to look for the source; James had gotten his attention that way countless times before, and was showing off for his friends.
Professor Sinistra motioned for the first years to line up in front of the faculty table. As he found himself wedged in between Rose and Felicia, Albus found himself looking up and down the table for a familiar face.
"There's Neville," he murmured, pointing out the smiling Herbology Professor to Rose.
"Remember, it's 'Professor' while we're here," Rose reminded him, but smiled back when Neville offered them both a small wave. Hagrid squeezed into the seat beside him, bumping into the irritated looking man at the end of the table.
"That must be Professor Zabini," Rose said under her breath, eyeing him with trepidation. "Mum says she knew him a little when she was in school. He was in Slytherin. He's very handsome."
Albus frowned. "James hates him. I'm not looking forward to taking Potions with him. He's supposed to be pretty strict."
Felicia was listening to them both, her eyes still huge. Aware they were making her more frightened, Albus directed her attention to the man seated in the place of honor. "There's the Headmaster, Professor Shacklebolt. He was Minister of Magic awhile back. He's a friend of our parents. He's a good man."
"You sure know a lot of the teachers," Felicia noted.
"Er..." It was the first time in awhile he'd met someone who hadn't heard of his parents. Being muggle-born, it was highly likely Felicia had very little knowledge of the Wizarding War at all. He was saved from having to explain anything by Professor Sinistra clearing her throat for silence and placing the tattered Sorting Hat on a low stool.
She began reading off the names. The first two were sorted into Hufflepuff. Felicia gave a little squeak of fear when her name was read off, and almost tripped on her way to the stool.
"Gryffindor!" the hat shouted after a moment.
"Seems a little twitchy to be there, doesn't she?" someone muttered from behind Albus, earning a laugh from someone else.
Albus started to turn around to make an irritated retort, but Rose pinched his arm. "Don't."
"Heathcliffe, Andrew."
That was the boy with the large nose from earlier. He, too, got sent to Gryffindor.
As more and more students were called up, Albus found his nervousness had returned with a vengeance. He began chewing on his nails, a habit he thought he'd abandoned.
"Malfoy, Scorpius."
"I'll give you three guesses where he ends up," Rose muttered.
Scorpius sat himself down on the stool, spine straight, and Sinistra placed the hat on his head.
There was a long moment of silence. Albus saw Scorpius's fingers curl around the edge of the stool, the only outward sign of his uneasiness.
"Wow," Rose said softly as the seconds dragged into a full minute. "I was sure the second it hit his head it'd-"
"Slytherin!" the hat shouted so suddenly that Scorpius jumped.
"Well, of course," Rose said, stepping aside as the crowd parted to let him by. "I'm just surprised it took so long."
"Yeah," Albus said absently. Professor Sinistra had moved on to the N's. Soon it would be his turn.
And then it was.
"Potter, Albus."
Albus took a deep breath and forced himself to move. He found himself sitting on the stool without any real recollection of walking there. He felt the hat settle on his head and held his breath.
Hmmm, the hat murmured in his head. Potter, eh? You have a good soul. Trustworthy. Loyal. Kind.
Albus thought he could see where this was going. "Please don't stick me in Hufflepuff," he breathed, barely audible. He felt a flash of guilt a moment later. His father had spoken well of the House before, but he still couldn't get rid of the fear of his brother's taunts if he were to end up in anything other than Gryffindor.
Well... all right, then. There's another place you'd do well.
"Gryffindor!" the hat shouted.
Albus sprang to his feet, grinning with delighted relief. He handed the hat back to Sinistra and flashed Rose a thumbs up as he hurried to the Gryffindor table, jubilant. The Gryffindor students had stood to applaud him just like all the others. James was already pushing someone further down the bench to make room for him.
"Knew you would get in," he said with a proud smirk as Albus slid into the vacated spot.
Albus grinned back, too happy to be annoyed by the way James reached over and ruffled his hair. Roxanne reached over James's head to offer him a high-five. Felicia was smiling at him from further down the table, and he waved to her before returning his attention to the front. Now Rose just needed to be put in Gryffindor as well and it would be perfect.
It took another ten minutes before Sinistra reached the W's. When she called out "Weasley, Rose", Albus held his breath. Surely she'd get Gryffindor. Both her parents had been in Gryffindor. They'd promised to stick together their first year.
There was a pause after the hat settled over Rose's red hair. It wasn't as long as Scorpius's, but it was long enough for Albus to wonder if the hat was ruminating to itself the same way it had with him.
"Ravenclaw!"
The cheers that erupted from the Ravenclaws drowned out Albus's gasp of shock.
"No surprise, really," James was saying, though he looked a little disappointed as well. "I mean, look how smart she is. Didn't Aunt Hermione once say the hat thought about sticking her in Ravenclaw, too?"
Albus barely heard him. He watched in disbelief as Rose made her way over to the Ravenclaw table and found a seat. She caught his eye from across the hall and offered a weak apologetic smile and a quick wave.
Had she asked the hat to sort her there? Or had she let the hat make up its own mind? Why hadn't she asked for Gryffindor? He felt a rush of betrayed anger. They'd planned to spend their first year together. To help each other out in class and learn the ins and outs of Hogwarts together. How could she have let that stupid hat stick her in a completely different House from him?
He lowered his gaze so he didn't have to look at her anymore, staring at his empty plate.
"Well, Mum and Dad will be proud," James said, clapping him on the shoulder. "And here you were worried about not getting into Gryffindor."
"And who put those worries in his head, hm?" Roxanne demanded, giving James a pointed look.
Albus didn't lift his eyes. He thought again of the hat's hesitation. Had it really been about to stick him in Hufflepuff before he'd spoken up? He couldn't tell James that. Not ever. James seemed to be of the firm opinion that all Hufflepuffs were pushovers, even if he never said it to Louis's face. What if that meant he didn't really belong in Gryffindor? Maybe Rose had been right, after all, to let the hat make up its own mind.
He pushed away such unpleasant thoughts as a hush fell over the Hall. The Sorting was finished, and Professor Shacklebolt was getting to his feet.
"Welcome, students, to another year at Hogwarts," he said in a deep, slow voice. "Dig in."
Albus leaned back in surprise as the empty dishes on the table suddenly filled to the brim with food. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he caught a whiff of pork. He reached for the nearest platter and began heaping food on his plate.
Roxanne flicked a string bean at her brother's head where he was seated across from her. "Hey, quit hogging all the potatoes!"
"I like potatoes," Fred retorted, his mouth already stuffed full of food. He and Roxanne got into a brief struggle over the bowl of mashed potatoes.
Albus grinned a little at their familiar antics. Even if Rose wasn't in Gryffindor, they could still see each other sometimes, he tried to console himself. Ravenclaws were sure to share at least some classes with Gryffindor. And they could always meet up after classes.
He saw Felicia eyeing the pudding, too shy to speak up, and passed it down. As he watched her dish some of it onto her plate, careful not to bump elbows with the students on either side of her, he found himself gripped with a sudden determination. James and and Roxanne were a year ahead of him, and Fred was already in his fourth year. And Victoire was a seventh year, way too popular for a first year like himself. With Rose in another House now, he would have to make friends outside of the family. And that would mean making an actual effort.
He jabbed his brother in the ribs with his elbow. "James, scoot over, will you? Felicia! Come sit by us."
Looking flustered but pleased, Felicia collected her goblet and plate and hurried around the table. As he watched her, Albus found his eyes passing over the Slytherin table.
Scorpius Malfoy was looking right at him, his face expressionless. When he caught Albus's eye, he looked away dismissively.
As Albus made room for Felicia, he hoped uneasily that he wouldn't end up making enemies at the same time as he was trying to make new friends.
(Author's Note: I'll be doing each year, though the first few years will probably be pretty short. Scorpius/Albus won't happen until later years.)
