"GRYFFINDOR!"
Scorpius' heart stopped for the longest second he'd ever lived, then began pounding in his chest. Everyone in the Great Hall was silent, staring at him in horror. He stood, collecting himself, then swept the hat off his head, depositing it on the chair. He walked toward Gryffindor table slowly, feeling as if he were walking toward his own funeral. No one was clapping. No one was making space for him. Then, suddenly…
"WOO!" James bloody Potter shuffled aside, patting the seat beside him. "We got Malfoy! Suck on that, Slytherin!" He cheerfully proclaimed, and flipped the bird toward the Slytherin table. The entire House followed his lead, and Scorpius got the loudest cheer yet. He eyed Potter who greeted him with what seemed to be a genuine grin and a handshake.
"You can be my substitute baby brother, seeing as my own is about to become a traitor." Potter told him with a smirk. Scorpius frowned. He opened his mouth to interrogate Potter, but the hat interrupted him.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Albus Potter looked as shocked as he had felt, and headed toward the Slytherin House table in a daze. The Slytherins cheered wildly, returning James Potter's lewd gestures with their own.
"You inherited your dad's talent for flying?" Potter asked. Scorpius nodded dumbly. Potter lowered his voice. "You snuck in a broom?" Scorpius narrowed his eyes, but decided that he owed Potter a fair answer for not ostracising him immediately. He nodded again. Potter's grin widened.
"Excellent! Albus will be made seeker for sure! So we need our own secret weapon." Potter wiggled his brows. "I'm James Potter, by the way." Scorpius bit back a snort of laughter.
"I know." He said. Potter winked at him.
"Glad to hear. So, reckon you're up for it?" Scorpius liked to believe he was intelligent. But Potter couldn't actually be suggesting what he thought he was?
"You want me to play seeker… against Albus Potter?" Scorpius asked. Potter's face lit up.
"That's the one!" Scorpius offered him a hesitant smile.
"Seriously?"
"As Sirius as my middle name!" Potter crowed. A joke that only worked because Potter was a celebrity, and everyone knew Sirius Black had been Harry Potter's godfather and that his eldest had been named after him. Scorpius gathered up his courage.
"Well. I am a Malfoy, and therefore superior to everyone else. You won't find a better seeker than me. Slytherin won't know what hit them!" He said in his most snooty voice. Potter's eyes twinkled, and he cackled.
"Quidditch Cup, here we come!"
