a/n: This is my entry for women's archery for the hogwarts olympics on HPFC. I hope you like it.
Rose hated Scorpius from the start. Ever since that first day, when she was only 11. Ever since her father had pointed him out in the crowd of people, and he'd looked at her. His stare was cold and empty, but almost curious at the same time. But Rose wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing. She knew one thing. This boy - this Scorpius - was already plotting her downfall. She had glared at him, smug and coy, his father's hand resting against his shoulder. He was already wearing a Slytherin tie under his black Hogwarts robes and his blonde hair was combed back. Rose sneered. Had he put a tub of hair gel on it? It sure looked so.
Her father put his hand on her shoulder and grasped it tight. He leaned down and whispered encouragingly into her ear "Make sure you beat him in every test Rosie."
And that's how it started.
On the train, Rose wandered, her trunk dragging on the carpeted hallways of the Hogwarts Express, her cousin Albus by her side, and her cat, Mango, resting on her left shoulder. She held her wand in her right hand, casually pointing it downward as she searched for a compartment. Rose noticed how comfortable it felt in her hand right before she noticed a empty seating area. Mango mewed, and Rose reached up to rub his ginger colored fur. She grinned. Rose didn't notice that the boy inside the compartment was the one that she had just decided she didn't like. But Rose didn't recognize him. Yet. "Can we sit here?" She asked good naturedly to the boy sitting in the seat nearest to the window. He looked up, his blonde hair shaking as her turned his head. He frowned and tilted his head to the side.
"Well who do we have here? A Potter and one of those blood traitor Weasleys." Scorpius Malfoy spit out the word Potter like he had something foul tasting in his mouth. Rose scowled, and, tucking her fluffy red Weasley hair behind her ear, she kicked Scorpius in the shins. Hard. Then she left the room before he had the chance to react.
Several hours later, they were at the sorting hat, and Rose was nervous. Her whole life, she had been looking forward to this moment. Rose clutched the front of her robes nervously, as she contemplated what the sorting hat would say. Her heart had always said Gyrffindor (and so had her father), but now, as she was standing before the hat, Rose was reconsidering. There had always been a voice in the back of her head whispering the word 'Ravenclaw' over and over inside her head. It was louder now, and stronger than it ever had been, chanting inside her head. 'Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw.' Her father's voice was there too. 'Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor. Gryffindor.' Rose was torn. 'Gryffindor.' her head told her. 'Ravenclaw.' she argued. In the background, she was faintly aware of Professor McGonagall calling the name "Malfoy, Scorpius." Scorpius strutted up to the stool, although he was looking a little queasy himself. Rose could almost hear his voice inside her head, screaming word 'Slytherin' over and over to himself, hoping so badly for it to be true. Rose decided that it would be nice if the hat put him in Hufflepuff. He would detest that.
Scorpius picked up the hat, hesitating a little bit as he placed it on his head.
"Well lookie here. Yet another one of the Malfoy clan! And which house would you like to be in mister?" The tone of the sorting hat sounded so much like a game show host that Rose almost laughed. If only she knew what a game show was. The butterflies in her stomach did flip and twirls, and Rose started to that it was going to be her turn soon.
On the stool, Scorpius Malfoy swallowed. "Slytherin." he murmured.
"Quite daring, I see." The sorting hat mused. "A lot of Hufflepuff traits too."
"Not Hufflepuff - Slytherin." Scorpius frowned, clearly with dislike of the worn brown hat that now sat upoun his head.
"Well then, SLYTHERIN!" The sorting hat bellowed, as if ithad known the whole time (which it probably had).
Scorpius' face lit up as he threw the hat onto the stool and bolted for the Slytherin table, grinning like a ferret. Albus, who had been standing next to Rose the whole time, cracked up silently. Rose know what he was thinking of. Apparently Malfoy's father had been turned into a ferret by one of the teachers when their parents were at school.
Some time later, Professor McGonagall called "Potter, Albus." Heads turned. Albus blushed, but walked up to the sorting hat.
"Gryffindor or Slytherin.." the sorting hat mused breaking several seconds of silence.
"Gryffindor please sir." Albus said quietly.
"Are you sure?" The sorting hat asked.
Albus nodded his head once. "I'm sure." He said. The sorting hat called Gryffindor, and Albus put the hat down and walked to the Gryffindor table, a small smile on his round face.
And after what felt like forever, it was Rose's turn to be sorted. She walked up to the stool, and placed the old hat on her head.
"Let's see, lots of brains there, much like her mother. But some courage in the mix as well. Where shall we put you?" Rose now knew where she wanted to go. She thought hard. A silence fell over the crowd as the sorting hat took a breath in. Rose held her breath without even knowing it. "Ravenclaw!" Rose felt relieved. She rushed to the Ravenclaw table, and sat down next to her cousin Louis. The whole table cheered for her, as well as a bunch of her cousins across the room. Rose smiled. Someday - Tomorrow maybe - she was going to teach Scorpius not to mess with her. Or Al. And who were the real blood traitors around here.