I own nothing!
I won't be in Slytherin, I won't, I won't.
The young eleven year old kept chanting to himself as he watched his new friends and people he'd never met before step up, one by one, to the stool with the grubby looking hat on. Albus, like many other people in front and behind him, was shaking. Would he be a disgrace to his family if he got sorted into Slytherin? His father had told him that whatever house he got sorted into, his parents would be proud, but did he mean it?
I won't be in Slytherin, I won't, I won't.
"Don't worry, you'll be just fine in whatever house you go in, and I bet that house will be Gryffindor!"
Rose Weasley, his cousin, whispered to him, and Albus smiled, grateful for the words of comfort. After all, Rose was nearly always right.
"Longbottom, Frank."
Albus frowned; he hadn't known that the Herbology teacher, Neville, who his mum and dad sometimes talked about, had children. He watched as the small boy sat on the stool. He looked just as nervous and Albus felt. The hat didn't need a second to decide that this boy would be in Gryffindor. The boy called Frank walked over shakily to the table cheering the loudest, then remembered he still had the hat on.
He ran back and placed the hat gently on the stool then ran back and sat down at the correct table, his face the colour of a tomato, which didn't go unnoticed, but nobody said anything to the small boy, who looked like he would cry if that happened.
The teacher continued with the sorting, reading out a couple of names before she called out a name Albus and Rose were familiar with. "Malfoy, Scorpius."
Albus looked up, recognising the name from his Uncle Ron at the station. Ron hadn't liked Scorpius' father. Albus stood on his tip-toes, eager to see what house this boy would be in. The hat was placed on his head and the hall went silent, minutes past before the hat decided.
"SYTHERIN!"
Albus, Rose and everyone else stood still. His chant long forgotten, Albus watched as Scorpius stood up, shaking. He inched towards the table he had been chosen to be in and then everyone started to cheer, though it seemed a little forced to Albus.
As more and more names where read out he found himself staring up his non-Slytherin chant again, whispering the words instead of thinking them in his head, his lips moving furiously, not caring who saw.
"POTTER, ALBUS!"
Albus found it hard to move, so Rose gently pushed him forward. Once again, the chant resumed its rightful position in his head, being repeated over and over as Albus sat on the stool, praying his father was right, the hat would choose him to be in Gryffindor, not Slytherin.
'Hmmm'
Albus jumped and gave a little squeak of terror. Nobody seemed to have noticed, though. But…the hat was speaking to him? Or was it his imagination?
'Of course I'm not your imagination, boy!'
Albus came to the conclusion that it was the hat speaking to him.
'Now, what house should we sort you into? I see you have a rather frantic chant going on in your head.'
I won't be in Slytherin, I won't, I won't.
Albus chanted for the last time, as if questioning the hat.
'Yes, that's the one. You are quite like your father and brother, but don't get any ideas, you're brother has already made enough mischief at Hogwarts to last.' The next word the hat spoke aloud, much to Albus' relief.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
He nearly cried out with happiness as he placed the hat back onto the stool and walked over to the Gryffindor table, noticing a few of the new first years talking among themselves, he sat with them, saving a place for his cousin, who he hoped would be in the same house as he was.
Albus watched a few others get sorted, not really paying much attention. He watched Rose from his seat. She didn't look half as nervous as Albus had been, and he wondered how she managed to stay so calm. He felt someone staring at him and he turned, noticing Scorpius Malfoy. He wondered if he should smile, but remembered his Uncle's words to Rose at the station, warning her of the Malfoy's, and decided against it. Albus was brought out of his small trance by his cousin's name being called.
"Weasley, Rose."
Albus looked up once again, watching as Rose walked up and sat on the stool. Her face was hard to read, but Albus thought he could sense her calm attitude evaporating and being replaced by nervousness. Albus couldn't hear the hat talk to Rose, and he made a mental note to ask her what the hat had said later.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Albus grinned, waving his cousin over to the seat he had saved for her. He caught his brothers eye and waved, but James looked away hurriedly, probably embarrassed. Albus didn't care though, he was too excited.
"I'm so happy! I never thought I'd make it! I could have been the first Weasley in generations to be sorted into a different house. Oh Albus, I'm so happy!" Rose, who'd taken up the seat he had saved for her, was repeating over and over, as the last four or five people were sorted. Albus' stomach gave a rumble of hunger, and a few people turned to look at him. Albus bent his head in embarrassment, hoping the food wasn't to far away.
It was at that thought that the Headmistress, McGonagall, stood up. A tight smile formed on her lips as she spoke. "Welcome to Hogwarts, I am glad to have you all here. Mr Filch reminds you all, as per usual, that the Forest is strictly out of bounds. Lessons will start on Monday, so you have a weekend to settle in. Now, eat up!" She waved her wand and immediately the plates were full with food.
Albus' jaw dropped along with Rose's. As much as he hated to admit it, this put Grandma Weasley's cooking to the test. He pilled some food onto his plate and dug in hungrily, and Rose shook her head in small humour before she started eating her roast potatoes.
"So, are you really Mr Potter's son?" A first year asked, his eyes swivelling all over the place from his nervousness, and Albus couldn't help but laugh, which he immediately regretted at the look on the young boy's face.
"Yeah. Yeah I am. But his name is Harry, don't bother calling him Mr Potter." Albus decided to be kind, and it worked as the boy brightened, and looked like he was about to ask Albus for his autograph, but he decided against it. Albus smiled again and continued to eat his food, unaware of Scorpius, whose gaze was still on him.
By the time Albus had reached his dormitory his stomach was full and he felt like collapsing on his bed and sleeping for a year, but he forced himself to write a letter to his parents.
Mum and Dad,
I got sorted into GRYFFINDOR! I'm really happy about it, isn't it great? I'm glad I didn't let you down, Dad! And don't even think about writing about how I wouldn't have, because I know you too well for that rubbish. I'm really tired right now, so I'll send another letter soon and sorry for the shortness of this one.
Write me back,
Albus.
Albus wondered if James would still be in the common room, and took a chance. He needed to send the letter, and James was the only one with an owl, because Rose had a cat (fondly named Dusty), and he didn't have an animal yet.
He immediately spotted James on the couch with his friends and headed over; hoping James wouldn't get too embarrassed. He held the letter tightly in his hand and spoke his brother's name. James didn't hear, or if he did, he was ignoring his younger brother. Albus spoke up again, louder this time, forcing his brother to turn.
"What?" He asked with a sigh, though Albus had a feeling he was happy to see his brother. Or maybe that was just his imagination.
"I was wondering if I could borrow Hedwig." Albus spoke softly.
James' owl's name was actually Hedwig Junior, but both brothers had agreed that it was easier to just say the former part of the name, so not to upset their dad over his owl to much, which had passed away way before either of them were born.
"Why?"
"So I can send a letter." Albus couldn't help but roll his eyes at his brother's stupidity.
"Fine,
in the morning."
"But I need her now." Albus protested.
James grunted in annoyance and took the letter from Albus' hand, scanning it through before he returned his gaze to Albus.
"Fine." He caved, tucking the letter into his pocket to send later.
"Thanks."
James just nodded, and Albus walked back to his dorm, hoping James would send the letter and not just pretend he had.
He entered his dorm for the second time and sat down on his bed.
"Hi, I'm Frank." The boy next to him grinned, and Albus recognised him as the son of his parent's friend, Neville.
"I'm Al." He replied, grinning.
"I know." Frank's smile widened.
"Oh." Albus knew he was being rude, but he just wanted to sleep for now. Talk could be reserved for tomorrow.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Frank said, and then rested his head on his pillow.
Albus laughed softly to himself before heading to the bathroom to quickly change and brush his teeth, which only took a few minutes, and he soon found himself in his bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow his soft snores filled the room, unaware that the common room was full of people, including his brother, partying for their return to Hogwarts.
But he'd find out in the morning from a hung-over James about the party, who had indeed forgotten to post the letter. But for now, he was asleep, and really, that's all that matters, isn't it?