I had this story lying around and recently rediscovered it, changing some things around and correcting a few things where I didn't like the way they sounded. I have this written up to Chapter 3 and thought I'd share the first two with you for now. Let me know what you think.
Oh and for the sake of this story, Albus Severus Potter did not get sorted into Slytherin.
Narcissa was curiously watching the new first years as they walked into the Great Hall, led by Madame Hooch. It was her first year at Hogwarts and her first year as both the new professor for Defense against the Dark Arts and head of Slytherin house.
Today, the youngest children of both Harry and Ginny Potter and Hermione and Ron Granger-Weasley would start their education at Hogwarts, almost 15 years after the end of the Second Wizarding War. For many, this was the beginning of a new era.
She watched as Professor McGonagall moved to stand at the podium, her voice magically enhanced to be heard by every student and teacher, as she started to address the muttering crowd.
"Welcome back to another school year at Hogwarts," Minerva greeted and the student body erupted into excited applause. "This year, there are a few things I am joyful to announce before the traditional Sorting begins. Firstly," she smiled back at the head table, finding Narcissa's eyes for a short moment, "I am happy to introduce you to Ms. Narcissa Black, who has agreed to fill the position of Hogwarts' new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher as well as Slytherin's new head of house as Professor Slughorn intends to cut back on his weekly hours. Fortunately, he will remain with us at least for another 2 years to teach Potions." Polite clapping followed the announcement but at least some of the older students could be seen exchanging whispers with their pals, looking at the new Professor with curiosity, scepticism and even contempt. "Secondly, Madame Pomfrey wants me to inform you that she will be taking on interested students from years 4 and up as apprentices. You will need to hand in a form that can be found at the entrance of the hospital wing to apply to the position." The headmistress strode around the lectern and motioned for Madame Hooch to start with the Sorting Ceremony.
"Welcome to Hogwarts young and old,
Gryffindor's the place for the strong and bold.
If you're loyal and care deeply for your friends,
Hufflepuff may be where your journey ends.
If you're often found with your nose in the books,
Ravenclaw blue may add nicely to your looks.
If you're cunning and full of ambition,
Slytherin may well be my decision.
But no matter what house I'll put you into,
Remember in the end it's Hogwarts you belong to."
The first eleven-year-old sat down on the chair in front of the tables and nervously waited for the hat to announce their new house. Narcissa didn't quite get the name but the girl was sorted into Hufflepuff. As the Sorting went on, she scanned the crowd of students, exchanged a secret wink with her grandson who was sitting with the other third years at Slytherin table, and gave a nod to every student who was sorted into her own house.
"Hugo Granger-Weasley," Madame Hooch called out and Narcissa's ears perked with interest. She watched how a small boy with chestnut brown curls and dark blue eyes took a seat on the sorting chair and the hat was lowered down onto his untamed mane. The hat took his time with the youngest of Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley but eventually announced to the shocked faces of many: "Slytherin."
For a moment, the boy didn't move and when he finally did, his eyes were cast down and his steps seemed heavy. Obviously, the boy hadn't expected to be sorted into Slytherin.
Narcissa's eyes stayed on his back a while longer but eventually she focused back on the rest of the new first years. She would however, definitely check on the boy when she went to the dungeons later.
Neville Longbottom's first child, a boy named Francis after his late father Frank, was sorted into Hufflepuff, the house his father had been made head of after Pomona Sprout had retired two years ago.
Pansy Parkinson's only child, a pale girl named Sarah, was sorted into Hufflepuff, much to Narcissa's delight. The snobby woman would be outraged at her daughter's new house.
Harry Potter's only daughter, a beautiful child named Lily Luna, was sorted into Gryffindor, following in her parents' and siblings' footsteps.
Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, Luna Lovegood's identical twin boys, were both sorted into Ravenclaw.
Percy and Audrey Weasley's third daughter was sorted into Gryffindor.
There were of course many other children but these were the ones Narcissa thought to be exceptionally notable additions to the Hogwarts student body.
She shared a smile with Scorpius right before the feast began and wondered which house his little sister would be sorted into when it was her time. Draco and Astoria had tried desperately to conceive another child after Scorpius' birth but luck hadn't been on their side. Not until five years ago. Little Cassiopeia was the sunshine of house Malfoy as well as her grandmother's favorite little princess.
"Narcissa?"
The blonde looked to her left to note that Minerva had taken the seat next to her. A seat which actually belonged to Professor Longbottom. Questioningly, she raised a brow at her employer and sort-of-friend.
"I was.. surprised to see Hugo sorted into Slytherin and I'd wager you've seen his reaction as well?"
Narcissa merely nodded.
"He is a lovely young boy and I want you to give him a chance. I know you dislike his family but he is my godson as well and just because-"
"Are you quite finished, Minerva?" Narcissa asked the older witch, openly glaring at her and her assumptions. She waited a moment until she spoke again. "I will not treat the boy differently for his family, Minerva, you of all people should know me better than that. And while I have no particular love for the Weasley clan, I do not hate them either, like my ex-husband does." Her gaze found the curly haired boy and she frowned as she noticed that he was neither eating, nor talking to his new housemates. "And I've seen what you saw, Minerva and already decided to have a word with him once I go to officially greet my new first years later tonight. Do not worry, the boy is in good hands."
Minerva nodded and gave her an apologetic smile before switching seats with Neville again. Narcissa smiled at the young wizard and they exchanged a few words about their respective families. She'd met him earlier that week and found him to be a rather likeable young man. Contrary to what she'd expected, he'd met her with an open mind instead of the prejudices and hatred she'd been afraid of. That could however not be said about all of her new colleagues. Especially Sybille Trelawney seemed to have a strong aversion to her person. Well, she could definitely live without being friends or acquaintances with the strange witch…
As soon as the welcome feast was over and the prefects had led the new students to their houses, Narcissa left the hall and ascended the stairs to the dungeons. She quickly freshened up in her own rooms and headed to the Slytherin common room straight after.
"Good evening everyone," she greeted as she walked through the hidden passageway in the wall. The way into Slytherin house was much like the way one got onto platform 9 3/4. The only difference was, that here you needed to have the correct password before you ran through the massive stone wall. "I was hoping to say a few words to you all, could you check the dormitories and see to it that everyone is present?"
A couple of older students did just that and soon came back to the common room with the rest of Slytherin house.
"Thank you," Narcissa smiled at her students. "I just wanted to tell you how proud I am to be your new head of house and of course to welcome everyone back and greet the new first years. I want each of you to look out for your fellow Slytherins and help them when they're in trouble or just need a friendly face. Also, there's a parchment informing you of my office hours on the notice board. Feel free to come to me whenever you need to talk or just feel the need to speak with an adult. My door is always open. If you have a serious problem, be not afraid to knock outside of the office hours. I'll try to make time for you whenever I can." Narcissa felt warm at the way most of her students were looking at her, full of admiration. "Well, that's already it. I bid you a good night and wish you all a good school year." As she ended her speech, her Slytherins clapped and cheered, making a light blush creep onto her cheeks. She waited a moment for most of the crowd to dissolve and walked over to Hugo Granger-Weasley who was sitting in one of the big green armchairs which were strewn about the common room.
She quietly took a seat in the chair opposite of his and slightly leaned forward.
"You are Hugo, am I right?"
The boy nodded, not meeting her eyes.
"I was wondering if there was anything at all I could do for you?"
He shook his head, his brown curls flying into his freckled face.
"Let me ask you a few questions then, and if you want you can merely nod or shake your head as an answer, okay?"
A pause. Then, finally, a nod.
"Are you disappointed about being sorted into Slytherin?"
A nod. His hands tightly grasped the fabric of his robes.
"Are you sad because your friends and family are in Gryffindor?"
Another nod.
"Or maybe, is it because this old and ugly hag is head of your new house?"
The boy looked up, shaking his head vehemently. "You're not an old, ugly hag," he protested.
Narcissa chuckled. "So you actually do speak," she smiled at the boy whose eyebrows drew together.
"You tricked me!" he accused her, but a weak smile was brightening his sullen features.
"Well, I am a Slytherin, what did you expect?"
The boy laughed at that. Looking down at his hands, he soon met her eyes, his mood entirely changed once more. "How am I supposed to tell my parents? They told me to write a letter as soon as the feast was over. Mom is probably worried by now."
"Well," Narcissa said, grinning at the child. "If your mom is worried you shouldn't leave her waiting any longer. You know," she placed a comforting hand on his arm, "the great Merlin himself was a Slytherin. Our house may be best known for the dark witches and wizards in its folds but they are an exception to the rule. Do you think Merlin was bad?"
Hugo shook his head. "No, of course not."
"And do you think I am?"
"No," he smiled at her. "You're actually really nice."
"Thank you," she winked at the Granger boy. "But don't let anyone else know, or I'll lose my reputation as a cold and scary Ice Queen."
"They call you that?"
She nodded. "Some do. Mostly behind my back though."
"Well, I think it's wrong. And really mean."
"See, not all Slytherins are bad people; after all, you and I both are Slytherins too. And you don't strike me as an evil wizard either." She paused, squeezing his arm before pulling her hand back. "Slytherins are clever, cunning and ambitious. They care about their own. And they did produce some of the greatest witches and wizards of all time. Write that to your parents and you'll be fine." She pushed herself out of the chair. "And tomorrow, I want to see you eat an extra pancake. Don't think I didn't notice that you didn't touch dinner."
"Yes, Professor."
"Good night, Hugo."
"Good night."
HGNBHGNBHGNBHGNBHGNBHGNBHGNBHGNBHGNBHGNB
"There it is!" Hermione exclaimed, staring at the tiny white fleck on the horizon. Uncle Harry had gifted the snowy owl to Hugo for his eleventh birthday last month, seeing as the boy had always begged him to tell her stories of Hedwig. Ron and herself had been watching out for Ikarus for the last three hours now, anxiously awaiting their son's letter.
"Which house do you think did he get sorted into?" Hermione asked with a glance at her husband who'd joined her at the window.
"Gryffindor of course. We Weasleys have always been in Gryffindor without exception. Even Percy that big git was sorted into Gryffindor."
Hermione frowned at the mention of Percy Weasley. Her husband's older brother had been a royal, backstabbing pain in the ass for their entire youth and had only recently started to repair the broken ties to his parents and siblings.
"I think he might've gotten into Ravenclaw as well," Hermione stated thoughtfully. "He's almost a bigger bookworm than I am."
"Yeah well, he's good at Quidditch, too. Never seen a Ravenclaw who was particularly into sports before."
Both of them eagerly reached for the letter as Ikarus finally landed on their window sill, holding out his right leg.
They laughed, finally opening it together.
"Dear Mom and Dad,
Hogwarts is even bigger than I imagined it to be.
I'm sorry that it took me so long to write, but I didn't know how to tell you. Professor Black talked to me though and assured me that being a Slytherin was nothing to be ashamed of. She told me about Merlin and that not all Slytherins were bad. She's really nice. She told us that her door was always open for us. I'll go to bed now – lessons start early tomorrow.
Hugo."
"Slytherin! My son got sorted into fucking Slytherin?" Ron angrily walked into the living room, pacing in front of their couch. "There has to be a mistake! And who's that professor anyway, telling him it wasn't something to be ashamed of! Bloody Slytherin!" He kicked one of the flower pots, yelping in pain as he stubbed his toes. "Fuck!"
"Ron, will you calm down please?" Hermione walked up to her husband, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "This isn't the ending of the world!"
"But it is! Don't you get it, Hermione?" Ron whirled around to look into her eyes. "Everyone will talk about me! About us! Whispering behind my back about loser Weasley and the son who landed in Slytherin!"
"That's what bothers you, Ronald, seriously?" Hermione couldn't quite believe it. Some days, Ron was as childish and ignorant as he was when he was 14.
"It's all your fault anyway!" he threw the words at her, his face red and angry. "No Weasley has ever been in Slytherin! It must be the Granger blood!"
"Ron, stop it! You're acting like a child! This is insane!"
Ron glared at her and suddenly, he gave her a strong push against the chest that knocked Hermione of her feet and into the coffee table.
Immediately, Ron's face fell and where there had been anger, there was shock and guilt. Quickly, he rushed to his wife's side, intending to help her up. "Mione," he reached for her arm but she shrugged back. "I'm sorry, Hermione, please! I didn't want to…"
"Don't touch me!" Hermione managed to say in her pain and anger, pushing herself of the floor and running into their shared bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She cast a quick "Colloportus" to be safe and buried herself in her pillows, sobbing into the freshly made bed. Right now, she wasn't sure what hurt her more, the pain or that it had been Ron who'd inflicted it on her.
After a long while though, she forced herself to get up again and took a piece of parchment as well as a pen from her night table. She had to let her son know that it was okay, that she was still proud of him. Apparently, he had struggled with himself being a Slytherin already… he needed to hear from his mother. Thankfully, Ikarus had waited for a reply. Once Hermione opened the window, the beautiful owl immediately hopped inside, waiting for her to fasten the letter to his leg.
AN: The drama, the drama! So, any thoughts? Are you interested in seeing what happens next? Chapter 2 will be up right away anyway.