"SLYTHERIN!"
It was a clear, cold September morning. There was a gentle breeze that carried with it the early falling autumn leaves and whirled among the London pedestrians as they pushed their way through the thickening crowds.
The normally busy Kings Cross Station was unusually packed with worried muggles running to catch last minute trains, unaware of the hundreds of children joining them in order to journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
But then, muggles do not notice much.
That day the muggles in the station rushed around the station as though in a panic to arrive wherever they were headed as soon as humanly possible.
They did not notice the many children wandering among them with large trolleys and trunks and owls in cages.
They did not notice the tall, gangly, red-headed man with himself in miniature carried on his shoulders.
They did not notice the smart, brunette woman who walked beside him hand in hand with a pretty, equally red-headed child.
They did not notice one of the most famous wizards of all time, making his way through the station towards platform 10.
They did not notice his beautiful, fiery haired wife as she tried to calm down their excited eldest son and stop him from upsetting their youngest.
They did not notice the pretty girl who clutched her father's arm with twinkling, tearful eyes.
And they did not notice the young, yet explicitly handsome, 11 year old boy who struggled to keep up with his family as he worried and argued with his brother and his own thoughts, distracted to the point of walking into his younger sister as his older brother disappeared through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10.
'You'll write to me, won't you?' he asked his parents as soon as his brother was out of site.
Outside, a gentle rain broke through the clouds and pattered lightly on the glass roof of the station.
Muggles hurried past, unaware that a child had just disappeared through the brick wall, and although some cast inquisitive looks at the two owls sat upon the trolleys the parents were pushing, they did not give them much thought.
'Every day if you want us to,' the boy's mother replied with a smile.
'Not every day,' the boy said hastily, still nervous that his brother may be able to hear him. 'James says most people only get letters from home about once a month.'
One of the owls hooted loudly, attracting the attention of a nearby station guard who eventually chose to ignore the strange little family.
'We wrote to James three times a week last year,' the mother said with a hint of exasperation at her beloved, but mischievous eldest son.
'And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts. He likes a laugh, your brother.' The father added affectionately, still with his tearful daughter hanging on to his arm.
Then together, the four of them marched into the stone barrier.
The boy flinched as they hit the wall, but they did not crash.
Unnoticed by the unobservant muggles, the family disappeared from sight and the world carried along its daily business, unaware of anything unusual.
The slight rain ceased, and the echoing conversations of the muggles distracted them from noticing anything. And that was what made the arrangement so perfect.
In the seemingly parallel world behind the barrier, a huge, scarlet train puffed out thick steam which misted up the entire platform, hiding the wizards and witches from one another.
The boy called James had already taken off into the fog when the others emerged through the wall.
'Where are they?' the younger boy asked nervously, looking around through the steam hoping to catch a glimpse of the rest of his family.
'We'll find them,' his mother reassured him.
Only moments later, the red-headed family was in front of them, and visible now they were closer.
They greeted one another, and then headed back to where the young girl and the little red-headed boy were talking.
All sadness gone from the girl's eyes, she was excited as she said to her cousin, 'Gryffindor is obviously where we're expected to go because of them,' she gestured disapprovingly at their parents, 'but Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad. Or Hufflepuff … Albus is terrified he'll be a Slytherin …'
The little freckled boy smiled cheekily and said, 'You wouldn't like Slytherin then? I wouldn't mind, I think it sounds pretty cool. Different, you know. No one will expect it.'
The girl's mouth dropped open in surprise. 'Hugo!' she exclaimed. But she could not think of any reason why Slytherin would be so bad other than that she was already prejudiced against it.
'If you're not in Gryffindor we'll disinherit you,' the boy called Hugo's father said, grinning, 'but no pressure.'
'Ron!' exclaimed his wife as their son and niece laughed happily, 'He doesn't mean it,' she assured her daughter and the serious looking boy called Albus.
For a moment, the parents were distracted by a pale, blonde family who stood a few metres away.
Albus tuned out of their conversation here, battling with his mind about where he would be placed.
He was more nervous about that than anything.
He wasn't brave, that much was obvious to himself by how nervous he felt now.
He wasn't unusually smart; he had no hidden talent or skill that he knew of.
He was kind, sure, but from what he had read – and he had read a lot – Hufflepuffs had a strong sense of loyalty, of reliability, of acceptance, and he wasn't sure he fitted into that bracket.
In fact, the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that he would be put in Slytherin. Especially after his brother had spent the entire summer convincing him he had the exact characteristics Slytherin's valued.
When he finally emerged from his thoughts he saw that James had reappeared and was talking to his mother about Professor Longbottom.
'I can't just walk into Herbology and give him love …' he said, shaking his head exasperatedly.
Then, before Albus had completely started paying attention, James aimed a kick at him and said, 'See you later, Al. Watch out for the Thestrals.'
Al's heart tightened dramatically in fear. 'I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!'
James laughed, and after a quick goodbye to his parents he disappeared onto the train in search of his friends.
'Thestrals are nothing to worry about,' his father told him, noticing the worried look that was still etched on his face. 'They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats.'
Al smiled uncertainly, his thoughts still dwelling on Slytherin.
His mother kissed his forehead fondly, 'See you at Christmas.' she smiled.
'Bye, Al,' his father said, and hugged him. 'Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone 'til you've learned how. And don't let James wind you up.'
But none of the above concerned Al. 'What if I'm in Slytherin?' he asked his father quietly.
The man who resembled him so much crouched down to his level and said, 'Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.'
Al was unaffected by this. 'But just say –' he frowned.
'– then Slytherin will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al.'
Al showed signs of protesting but his father continued before he could interrupt. 'If it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The sorting hat takes your choice into account.'
Al was shocked by this news. It was definitely nothing anyone had told him before. 'Really?' he asked in disbelief.
'It did for me,' his father nodded.
But the train was about to leave, so Al climbed on, still watching his father in wonder until his mother closed the door behind him with a final kiss.
He hung out of the window with his cousin who was also starting that year and noticed the huge group of people looking intently at his father.
'Why are they all staring?' Al demanded.
'Don't let it worry you,' his Uncle grinned. 'It's me. I'm extremely famous.'
Al laughed along with his sister and his cousins.
The train began to move, and Al felt a sudden wave of excited butterflies in his stomach as he realised he was finally going to Hogwarts.
His father walked alongside the train, smiling and waving, until the train had left the platform and they could no longer see more than a small figure in the distance.
Al turned away eventually to see that Professor Longbottom's son, Jack, a family friend of theirs, had joined him and Rose in their compartment.
'Hey,' he said quietly, and then left Rose to make conversation as he dwelled on his fears again.
What if he was put in Slytherin?
He stared out of the window, searching for a distraction but found none. The landscape flew past so all that could be seen was a green and grey blur of trees and concrete.
The colours of Slytherin. Sort of.
The door to the compartment opened again, and he, Rose and Jack turned to see who was there.
'Ryan!' Jack said happily, and greeted a small, dark-haired boy who stood in the doorway.
'Rose, Al, this is Ryan Macmillan,' he introduced him to them with a smile, 'he's a friend of mine. Ryan this is Rose Weasley and Al Potter.'
Ryan's mouth dropped open for a fraction of a second, but he quickly disguised his initial shock and hastily introduced the pretty blonde girl standing beside him. 'Oh, hi, um, this is Anna Flint … just met her on the platform.' He grinned.
Al had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't know Ryan after all, but he obviously fancied Anna, which was just stupid considering that they'd only just met and they were both only 11 years old.
Anna smiled and stepped forwards confidently. 'Do you mind us joining you?' she asked, 'I don't know anyone else.'
Rose smiled and gestured to the seat beside her for Anna to sit down.
Ryan followed her hurriedly and almost sat on her lap in the rush to reserve the seat beside her.
'So you're part of the famous Potter-Weasley clan?' she said to Rose and Al, ignoring Ryan. 'I suppose you'll both be in Gryffindor then?'
Al's heart tightened. Not this again. Why must people always talk about houses? Was there nothing better to discuss? He thought about it for a moment and then decided there probably wasn't.
Rose smirked at the question, 'Well, hopefully, I mean … yeah, I hope so.' She smiled.
Al knew perfectly well that the hesitation in her sentence was deliberate; meant to make it look like she didn't really care that much either way, but he knew she did.
Anna gave Al a questioning look and he took a deep breath before saying, 'I don't know. I'm not all that brave so …'
Anna's eyes seemed to sparkle mischievously. 'A Slytherin then?'
Al had no idea what to say. His mind was suddenly filled with images of great serpents and grave yards and all sorts of other horrible things he had come to associate with Slytherin.
Anna seemed to notice the fear in his eyes. She grinned. 'My dad was the Slytherin Quidditch captain.' She announced.
Even Rose's confident expression faltered for a moment.
There was a potential Slytherin sitting in their compartment?
Ryan seemed desperate to impress Anna, and butted in, 'Slytherin's not so bad. I wouldn't mind it.'
Anna gave him a disdainful look. 'I would.' She said, and Ryan shut up.
There was no doubt in Al's mind now that Slytherin must be awful. If the daughter of a Slytherin Quidditch Captain didn't want to be in that house, it must be dreadful.
His heart rate quickened.
'I mean, why should I have to be in the same house as my parents? What's the fun in that?' she continued, her eyes still twinkling.
At that moment, a pale blond boy – who Al recognised as being part of the family his parents had been looking at on the platform – walked past their compartment, and Anna yelled, 'Oi! Scorpius!' at him.
He turned to see where the voice had come from, and upon noticing Anna, rolled his eyes and pushed the compartment door open.
Rose pursed her lips and watched him disapprovingly,
'What do you want?' Scorpius asked.
'To introduce you to my new friends.' Anna grinned.
Friends? Al wasn't sure he'd go as far as saying that just yet.
Scorpius raised an eyebrow.
'This is Ryan Macmillan,' – Ryan looked positively gleeful at having been introduced first – 'Jack Longbottom, Rose Weasley and Albus Potter.'
She emphasised the surnames of the last three, knowing Scorpius would recognise them.
'Guys, this is Scorpius Malfoy,' she told them, 'Ex-death eater's son and um, Scorp, didn't your father try to kill the guy who Al here is named after?' she asked, with a ridiculously innocent expression on her face.
Scorpius slammed the door and marched off angrily.
Rose watched him go with interest.
That was the guy she'd been told to stay away from? She might just have to go and introduce herself, imagine what her dad would say …
Al had only one thought on his mind. There's another potential Slytherin. His dad was nearly a murderer. If I get put in Slytherin … will I become a murderer?
He gave Anna a questioning look, similar to that on the faces of the other three in the compartment and she smiled wickedly. 'Family friend,' she explained, 'his dad was on the team when my dad captained it so I've known him forever.'
It began to rain again outside and the sky had turned a miserable grey colour.
'He's a bastard,' she continued, and Rose gasped before she could stop herself.
'Never heard anyone swear before?' Anna laughed. 'Bastard, bastard, fucking bastard.'
The other four watched her in awe. She was more confident than the rest of them put together. She laughed again.
'He's a bastard,' she continued, 'and I'm supposed to be nice to him because he doesn't know anyone else.'
'I thought you said you didn't know anyone else?' Jack said slowly.
'Well, yeah, but the Malfoy bastard doesn't count.'
The compartment fell silent. Never before had Al heard anyone speak like that.
And still, his subconscious was muttering to him, bastard, bastard, fucking Slytherin bastard, that's what I'm going to end up being.
'So I want to be in Gryffindor,' Anna continued as though Malfoy had never even walked by. 'My dad'll kill me.' He eyes lit up as though this was the most desirable thing in the world.
'Me too …' said Ryan, watching her as though she was some kind of Goddess.
'Jack?' Anna asked, turning to the boy in the corner.
'Oh, er, well my dad's head of Gryffindor house so yeah, there I suppose. Or Ravenclaw.'
She nodded, 'you don't want to just do the exact opposite of your parents then?'
Jack shook his head, 'Slytherin's not for me. I'm not a pure-blood or cunning or whatever else you have to be.'
She raised her eyebrows.
It was obvious to everyone in the compartment that Anna had taken control and was bound to be over-the-top-popular once at Hogwarts. A bit like Rose.
'Rose?' Anna turned to the girl beside her.
'Gryffindor.' Rose said, without hesitation this time. 'Even if it is the same as my parents.'
Anna smirked. She was difficult to read.
'Al?'
Al thought about it for a second. He had no desire to go against his parent's wishes, even though he knew they wouldn't care at all if he was put in Slytherin.
'I don't know,' he said honestly, 'I'm not brave, I'm not smart, I'm not kind and I'm not cunning.'
'You have to be something,' Anna said, 'or they'll just lump you in Hufflepuff.'
'My mum was a Hufflepuff,' Jack said, although he didn't sound particularly offended.
Ryan was thinking, so was my dad, but he did not say it in fear of being laughed at be Anna.
Anna just shrugged, 'anyway, Slytherin's are not just cunning pure-bloods, they're resourceful, ambitious, determined, you know. It's not a bad house. Merlin was a Slytherin. I just don't want to be like my dad.'
Al tried not to groan. Ambitious. Well there was something he most definitely was. The thing James had spent all summer reminding him was a Slytherin trait.
Brilliant, he was going to be a Slytherin; there was no doubt about it, even if the hat did take his choice into account.
Rose noticed her cousin's anxious expression and said, 'it's the same as what Hugo was saying on the platform, Al, what's wrong with being different. It's fun.'
Different, sure. But Slytherin different was a whole other thing.
He did not want Anna to start calling him a fucking bastard.
'Exactly,' Anna agreed with a nod of approval at Rose, 'that's why I'm going against my parent's wishes. It's fucking fun.'
Rose ignored the swear word this time and stood up. Anna had immediately become her role model. A beautiful, over-confident girl who all the boys seemed to fall in love with after one glance.
It didn't matter what she said or how matter-of-fact she said it, it sounded like she was speaking the word of God or something.
She was the kind of girl no one was going to put up a fight with.
Exactly who Rose wanted to be. She was going to be known at Hogwarts for being popular and pretty, not for being a Weasley, or being smart.
And if that meant going against her parent's wishes then so be it. She was going to introduce herself to Scorpius Malfoy.
'Just going the loo …' she said quickly, and then walked out of the compartment.
Al turned back to Anna. 'My parents don't wish me to be in any house particularly … I just don't want to be in Slytherin.'
Anna seemed to notice that he was worried about it and took on a slightly gentler tone as she replied, 'then that's where you should be. Be different from the rest of your family, go somewhere where you can meet fun people and follow your dreams. Gryffindor won't bring you anything if you don't want to become some major war hero like your dad.'
Al considered this.
The rain suddenly hardened and began pattering loudly against the window.
Ryan took the momentary still in the conversation to start talking to Anna about Hogwarts. She seemed to know exactly the effect she had on him and used it to her advantage, even persuading him to buy her a few chocolate frogs when the trolley came round.
Maybe he would do better in Slytherin.
He knew Slytherin's were judged more than they ought to be simply because of Voldemort and his followers being from there …
Nope, not going to work. Al was not going to become a death eater.
He felt the blood drain from his face. Oh my Merlin, he though, I'm going to become a death eater.
Anna noticed the green tinge to his face and grinned again.
'Stop freaking out over it, Al,' she said, 'you're not going to become a death eater.'
So she was a mind-reader now, too?
'Voldemort is dead for one thing,' she continued – Jack winced at the name, 'and the only reason why so many of them came from Slytherin is because Salazar Slytherin was an obsessive pure-blood bastard and so was Voldemort.
'Slytherin doesn't make you a bad person, arrogance and prejudice against muggle-borns does. It just so happens that most people who are against muggle-borns, are pure-bloods and therefore a good fit for Slytherin. There's no guarantee that's where you'll be put, but if you are, embrace it and just avoid muggle haters. You'll be fine.'
There was a pause as Al took in everything she'd said.
She was right, of course; Slytherin didn't make death-eaters, death-eaters made Slytherin because they were mainly pure-bloods or pure-blood wanna be's.
'After all this,' Anna said, 'you'll be put in Gryffindor.'
Everyone laughed.
Then Rose came back in and resumed her seat. She noticed that Al looked slightly happier and said, 'you convince him he'd be okay then?' turning to Anna.
Anna grinned, 'I can convince anyone anything. There's nothing wrong with Slytherin.'
Ryan agreed enthusiastically.
For the rest of the journey Al just thought and thought.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to be a bit different from the rest of his family. Especially if it would help him with his ambitions.
He knew Anna was right; he wouldn't end up as a death-eater.
Even if he was a Slytherin, he'd still have his own free will after all.
Hmmmm.
'We ought to put our robes on,' Anna announced suddenly, and again everyone took her words as an instruction and jumped up to get changed. 'Come on, Rose,' Anna said, 'I think we should leave the boys to change alone.'
She winked at Ryan on their way out, noticing his ever-so-slightly-disappointed expression. It was hard to believe she was only 11.
Al changed into his robes and tried to imagine what they would look like with the green and silver tie of Slytherin. At least they'd match his face.
He was almost annoyed that he hadn't inherited the Weasley red hair. If he had, there would be no question in anyone's mind that he would be a Gryffindor. It was stupid of course because hair colour is not a quality the Sorting Hat cares about, but it was still true.
He couldn't help thinking that with his pale skin and his dark hair; he'd probably suit the green more than the red.
Perhaps it was time to stop being so scared about everything. He was going to Hogwarts, he couldn't act like a kid anymore.
Maybe Slytherin could help him develop his individuality and independence.
But then again, maybe so could Gryffindor.
Or Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.
Maybe.
He never imagined that the idea of being a Slytherin would stop terrifying him, but strangely, it had. He still wasn't sure. Not at all. But he wasn't terrified any more.
No, he was the son of the-boy-who-lived and he was going to be himself, even if himself was a Slytherin.
He didn't want to be known as the chosen one's son anymore than Rose wanted to be known as just a Weasley. He knew that by being placed in Slytherin he'd make a name for himself. He'd be remembered as the chosen one's son who joined the same house as Voldemort.
Oh my Merlin.
No. He was going to be known as Albus Severus Potter, the mysterious, quiet boy who joined Slytherin.
That was, if he did join Slytherin.
James came in to their compartment later, when Anna and Rose had returned.
'Hey, Al,' he grinned at his younger brother. 'Pictured the beautiful green and silver tie with your robes yet?' he asked, looking down at his own red and gold tie with a grin.
Al swallowed his fear and said, 'yes, I thought it'd look quite nice with my hair, you know? Red would just make me look pale.'
James had been expecting Al to kick up another fuss and freak out. He was not prepared for Al to act totally calm and cool as though he wanted to be in Slytherin.
Oh my Godric, what if he ended up with a Slytherin for a younger brother?
Then he noticed everyone was looking at him, so he left with one final confused grin.
Anna smiled proudly at Al. 'I knew I could influence you into it.' she smiled. 'I hope you make Slytherin, even if you still want to be a Gryffindor.'
Then they arrived at Hogsmeade station and Al tried his very best to squash the millions of butterflies swarming in his stomach.
On the station they were greeted by an old and enthusiastic-as-ever Hagrid. 'Al! Rosie! Oh I still remember yer paren's firs' day 'ere. Brillian' ter see yer, brillian'. Yer both coming fer tea on Friday? Good, good, well come alon', come alon'.'
Al beamed. It was nice to see someone familiar.
'Firs' years, firs' years, over 'ere fir's years.' Hagrid called, and a small, terrified group of students bustled over to him and began to shiver in the cold night air.
'Righ' we've got yer all?' Hagrid looked around to check no first years had gone astray, 'Okay then, follow me, firs' years.'
They wandered, shivering, down a long path that seemed to lead to nowhere in the pitch black darkness. Al was talking with Rose, Anna, Ryan and Jack about Quidditch, anything to stop him from dwelling too much on Slytherin.
When they finally reached the end of the road, they followed Hagrid around a corner and the quiet chattering suddenly ceased and the whole year gasped at their first glimpse of the castle.
'Oh my Merlin,' Al breathed, all thoughts of Slytherin forgotten.
It stood, proud and tall surrounded by turrets and towers, at the top of an enormous cliff on the other side of a large black loch that stood before them.
The windows of the castle shone in the night sky like little stars and suddenly it didn't seem so dark.
'No more'n four to a boat!' Hagrid called, and the students began clambering onto them.
Al followed Jack onto one of the boats, while Anna and Rose found another.
Ryan paused for a moment deliberating over who to join, but eventually decided on following the girls to try and stay in Anna's good books.
Much to Al's annoyance, one of the spare seats in his and Jack's boat was soon occupied by Scorpius Malfoy, who didn't seem to have been able to find another.
The last seat was then taken by a friendly looking brown haired boy who introduced himself as Noah McLaggen.
And then, the conversation of houses was resumed and Al resisted the urge to punch Noah for bringing the subject back up.
'My dad was a Gryffindor,' Noah said, 'but I'd rather be a Ravenclaw I think. Well, I don't know. I wouldn't mind any.'
'Even Slytherin?' Al asked through chattering teeth, earning himself a glare from Malfoy.
'Even Slytherin.' Noah confirmed. 'I reckon it'd be a laugh. It's not as bad as it used to be, is it?'
And there was another person who seemed to think Slytherin wasn't all that bad.
Well, maybe it wasn't.
How Al would love to see the expression on his brother's face if he got put in Slytherin and acted happy about it.
It was almost worth asking the Hat to put him there just for that.
Almost.
They soon stopped at a little pebbled beach beneath the castle, and followed Hagrid into a passageway in the rocks which led them to the school.
It was amazing.
All the students shut up by this point, aside from the occasional fascinated murmur.
Hagrid went up to the huge oak door and knocked loudly.
It opened to reveal Proffessor Longbottom, and Al was momentarily relieved to see another familiar face.
He led them through to a small chamber off the Great Hall and began his speech.
'Welcome to Hogwarts,' he said with a smile. 'I'm your deputy headmaster, Professor Longbottom. The start-of-term banquet will begin soon, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses.
'Your house will come to be something like your family at Hogwarts. You will have classes with them, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are Gryffindor – my own house,' he added with a smile, 'Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin.'
Al's heart knotted again.
I'm not going to keep you standing here for long, but I want to say that no matter which house you are put in, you must be yourself. If you are put in a house you didn't expect, be grateful for it and learn about it. Never be disappointed.'
Al smiled secretly to himself. After today, he didn't think he'd care much no matter what house he was in.
'Do not let your house define you.' Professor Longbottom continued, 'let yourself define your house and become a standard to which those around you will want to live up to.'
Al thought he had described it perfectly.
Well, if he was put in Slytherin then he would change people's views on the house. Not everyone there had to be a bastard.
He was almost beginning to hope that was where he would be put. How odd.
He left, back into the Great Hall and everyone began muttering about houses again.
Damn that stupid subject.
After a while, Longbottom came back into the chamber and organised the first years into a line before leading them into the Great Hall.
It was enormous, and so beautiful. As Al looked around he was momentarily stunned to see the beautiful black ceiling dotted with golden stars that his father had told him reflected the sky outside.
Suddenly he didn't care about what house he was put in. It wouldn't make any difference. He was in this beautiful, magical place and he was going to spend the next seven years learning magic.
He was hit with a wave of adrenaline and he gave his brother a cheeky James-worthy grin as they passed the Gryffindor table.
James looked surprised.
But Al had changed today, he didn't care about Slytherin or thestrals or anything. He was at Hogwarts.
When they arrived at the front of the hall they huddled into a small crowd before Longbottom placed the stool with the Sorting Hat on before us.
It was old and dirty, with a large rip at the brim. Al watched it expectantly as nothing continued to happen.
Then suddenly, the rip opened and the hat began to sing.
'I've seen many things in my time, here,
More than you'll ever know,
I've always been; from year to year,
Watching wizards come and go.
I'm here to sort you from the rest,
Slytherin or Ravenclaw,
I'll see which one suits you the best,
Hufflepuff or Gryffindor.
These founders, four, had one intent,
One united lifelong aim;
To sort student from student,
With others, who thought the same.
So Gryffindor one day, decided,
To make a sorting hat,
He, his wizard hat provided,
And I was made from that.
My job is simple; to sort you all,
And I've done this every year,
So come and sit upon this stool,
And I'll tell you loud and clear;
If you're hard-working and smart;
You'll fit with those in Ravenclaw,
While the loyal to the heart;
Are Hufflepuffs, for sure,
Those courageous who love winning;
Gryffindor will take you in,
The ambitious and the cunning;
Are welcomed by Slytherin.
So where will you be placed my friend?
We'll have to wait and see.
With who, these next years will you spend?
Now that is up to me …'
The hall burst into applause, but Al was just staring at the hat, his original nerves returning to him.
'When I call your name, please come and sit on the stool to be sorted.' Longbottom announced. 'Remember, there's nothing to be scared about.'
Al smiled gratefully to himself at these words of comfort.
Nothing to be scared about. Absolutely nothing. Nothing to be scared about …
'Abercrombie, Joe,' Longbottom called, and a tall, sandy-haired boy walked up to the stool looking happily confident.
There was a moments silence as the hat deliberated before it called out, 'HUFFLEPUFF!' and Joe walked away still looking confident and pleased with himself.
Anna sniggered beside Al.
He turned to face her as the sorting continued. 'Hufflepuff not a good choice then?' he asked with a smile.
Anna grinned. 'No, Hufflepuff's fine … you know … if you're kind and all that,' she stifled a laugh.
He raised his eyebrows then leant in closer so he could whisper, 'you'll so end up there now.' And she started laughing.
Fortunately at that moment the hat yelled, 'SLYTHERIN!' and drowned out her laughter.
They watched as a tall blond girl walked over to the Slytherin table.
'Birch, Erin,' Longbottom called.
A small, pretty girl wandered up to the stool and the hat was placed on her head.
'GRYFFINDOR!'
Anna grinned mischievously. Al rolled his eyes.
He turned to face James who was obviously over the moon at someone new joining his house.
He mouthed something at Al, presumably something about Slytherin, but Al couldn't work it out anyway so he just turned back to the sorting.
'Corner, Toby,'
'RAVENCLAW!'
'Creevey, Emma!'
'RAVENCLAW!'
A few more names Al didn't recognise went past until Longbottom called out, 'Flint, Anna,' and she went up, a smirk on her face, certain she would be put in the house she wanted.
After a couple of second's deliberation, the hat agreed with her and shouted, 'GRYFFINDOR!'
Yes, perhaps being different from the rest of his family was a good idea.
After a while, Professor Longbottom called out, 'Longbottom, Jack,' and grinned at his son.
Jack sat down on the stool and almost straight away the hat said, 'RAVENCLAW!' and Jack joined the Ravenclaws.
Al thought everyone had presumed Jack would be a Gryffindor … but no …
Then Longbottom continued the sorting with, 'Macmillan, Ryan,' who watched Anna for approval as he was placed in Gryffindor.
Then Longbottom called, 'Malfoy, Scorpius,' and the tall, blonde boy sat on the stool and was, predictably, placed in Slytherin.
The boy called Noah McLaggen from the boat was next, and to Al's surprise, joined Malfoy in Slytherin.
Well, there was at least one nice person in Slytherin then.
Unless Noah had some evil side Al hadn't noticed on the boat.
Al's stomach filled with butterflies as the next few names were called. It wasn't long until him.
What house did he want?
Gryffindor? That would be nice … but too predictable … too normal … besides, he wasn't brave. Anyway, living up to everyone else's expectations would just make them expect more of him. The idea of following his family's footsteps was suddenly much less appealing.
Hufflepuff? He didn't see himself as a Hufflepuff … but no, he wouldn't mind that one really. Apart from the fact he was bound to get laughed at.
Ravenclaw? Ravenclaw would be fine. He would like Ravenclaw. But Al was not interested in working or studying. He wasn't naturally smart like Rose.
Looked like Slytherin had slipped from last choice to first.
'Potter, Albus,' called Longbottom, and Al took a deep breath before heading up to the stool.
The hat was placed on his head and it immediately started speaking to him.
'Oh, a Potter is it? Son of the boy-who-lived … a Gryffindor surely? No, no, not the right place for you, my boy …'
Al's stomach tightened. What had once been his worst fears, were confirmed. He was not going to follow James into Gryffindor. Well, good.
'But your father would have done well in Slytherin,' the hat continued, 'and you're ambitious, yes, Slytherin hmm….'
Al said nothing. He thought nothing. Despite what his dad had said about it being his choice, he wanted the hat to decide for itself.
'Not Hufflepuff … Ravenclaw? You have a smarter mind than you think … but no, the determination to study is not there … the creativity … no … Slytherin is the place for you, I think …'
Al couldn't help but smirk a little at these words.
'A Potter in Slytherin though … a Weasley-Potter at that …'
It continued to deliberate, but Al was pretty sure he knew what its final decision would be.
'SLYTHERIN!'
Al grinned as the hat was removed from his head and the hall fell silent.
James was very nearly white.
Al smiled around at the hall, probably shocking them all more than they already were.
Then there was a faint clap from the Slytherin table.
Scorpius Malfoy.
Scorpius Malfoy was clapping Albus Potter as he was put into Slytherin.
Well, if being different and shocking everyone was a good thing, then this day was just getting better and better.
Noah joined in with the clapping followed by a few other Slytherins as Al made his way to their table, still smiling.
He wanted to laugh out loud. Everyone was shocked just because he wasn't in the same house as his famous parents.
So what?
He was going to have a fucking fantastic time in Slytherin.