The Great Hall was alight in preparation for the new Hogwarts students- Candles floating in the air, food ready to be conjured, all that sort of festive delight. All of the professors were chatting about what would be the new addition to Hogwarts, save the Slytherin Head who was mentally preparing for a new wave of children, who (in her house, at least) would bend the rules so much and find so many loopholes the laws might be made of Muggle bubblewrap and yarn.

Laverne stabbed at the table unenthusiastically as she listened to countless whispers. She had been excited at first, but now it was just plain annoying. They all said the same thing, so after the first time they were worthless words and she frankly didn't care. Blinking slowly, she saw Minerva, the headmistress reminding everyone of the news that Laverne had heard about a thousand times before- Harry Potter's second son was arriving at Hogwarts. His name, if the Slytherin Head of House recalled correctly, was Albus Severus Potter. Frankly, she thought that his first name should have been Severus- how many Dumbledore-reverers had already named their children after the legendary wizard? Well, in all honesty, Laverne just wasn't too enthusiastic. James, their first son, had been sorted into Gryffindor already and was a menace to anyone not in his oh-so-great house.

Yes, Gryffindor was the over-hyped (and in her opinion, overrated) house these days. Why the people would favor it Laverne could see- Both Dumbledore and Harry Potter himself had been sorted into it. Dipping into her Muggle roots, she remembered the term as very 'mainstream'. And because the man that had vanquished the Dark Lord had been in this particular house, everyone wanted to be in it. Honestly... Slytherin, on the other hand, had been as looked down upon as always. Since You-Know-Who's death, Slytherin's pure-blood fanatics had thinned out, but that hadn't stopped James. Oh yes, the kid had been a menace among her Snakes, calling them cheaters, bigots, hypocrites, and had even went as far as called some of them Voldemort worshipers.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff? Well, if Gryffindor was overrated, then these two houses were very much underrated. In reality, she found them both better. Ravenclaw was smarter, and Hufflepuff was the one that really held the 'kind and chivalrous' title. She couldn't say she was surprised of how they were looked over, considering how every parent ever expected their child to be a Gryffindor and savior of the the world.

Of the Headmistress, Laverne had always expected Minerva to be akin to Dumbledore in terms of blatant bias. But to her surprise and delight, she found that Minerva swept upon her students like an angry tiger, and if anything, she was firmer with them. So, no complaints there, she supposed. Regardless, James was a bad influence anyways. From what hints Minerva had given out, Laverne had deduced that his behavior was not unlike his deceased grandfather, his namesake. Ah well.

Despite her views, she didn't dislike Harry Potter and his wife- quite the opposite. She applauded his accomplishment of getting rid of a stain on humanity, and making the world much safer for all who came into it- wizard or Muggle. Laverne had never met him in person, of course, but from what she gathered he seemed to be a well-spoken, modest man, who did not mooch off of his fame. She could not say the same for his son- the way he acted made her instinctually be apprehensive to another Potter.

Once Minerva's little spheal was over, Laverne nodded absentmindedly at how to not show any favoritism to little Albus which, him surely going to be a Gryffindor, was not going to happen from her.

Which was probably why her impulsive decision to bet 5 Galleons that he would be sorted into her house was a bad idea.

She had been tired of the 'no one good is in Slytherin' sticky label.

But it had been foolish- at the end of the day she would be proven wrong and five galleons shorter.

Albus Severus Potter waved good-bye to his parents as the train started from the station, gradually picking up speed. He stayed with his head out the window until King's Cross Station was out of sight, to where he looked over his things.

All of his books, check.

Robes, check.

Personal menageries, check.

His Barn Owl, Genevieve, check.

Well, it seemed that he was all right. This couldn't be too bad, right? He felt his brother lean in close to him.

On second thought, maybe it could.

"Be careful, I heard if you're an unwanted child, they'll drown you! Better not be Slytherin, Al!"

Rose wrinkled her nose and said,

"Cut it out James!"

Al was about to retort hotly that Slytherin was for evil gits and that he would never be in such a house, until his father's words came back to remind him- Albus Severus, you were named after two headmasters. One was the bravest man I ever knew.

So he decided to go with a more subtle retort as he replied coolly,

"I guess that explains why you arrived soaking wet that one day."

James looked affronted, about to make a nasty retort but found himself unable. Albus let a small smile break onto his face as he took his things and walked down the aisles of the train to get away from his menace of a brother. Dad had said that the Sorting Hat would listen to a certain degree to requests, so if it came down to it he could probably ask to go to Gryffindor. Chances were, all was in his favor. He was completely fine, anyways. Being the son of Harry Potter, the Sorting Hat would probably take a second to gush- since it indeed had a personality/person in it- and then decide. During that time, he could definitely persuade it that Gryffindor was the place for him.

It was only logical- his mother was a Gryffindor, his dad was a Gryffindor, and from both lines both of his grandparents were Gryffindors, and their parents before that. So, by the law of probability, he was definitely a Gryffindor. There was no way he was a Slytherin, right? It was like two people with blond hair somehow ending up with a redhead, it just wasn't a possibility. His fears were totally unfounded, and James had no grounds to place his teasing on at all.

But then again... He was never as brave as his brother. James had always been the first one to jump for everything, be it running into a Muggle highway to save a puppy, or jumping into a freezing-cold pool without a second thought. Al had always had been the think-first, jump later when there is a pillow on the floor. And, though he was ashamed to admit it, he did cheat a few times on a game in order to win.

And then suddenly he had a mortifying thought- what if the sorting hat pulled a Sirius Black on him?! His dad had told him about his godfather, and how every single member of his family had been a Slytherin until him, who was put in Gryffindor. What if it happened to him? What if hundreds of years of Gryffindor ancestry did nothing to help him? This wasn't good. He really wanted the plan to go smoothly, he didn't want failure to be an option here! But the Sorting Hat was too unpredictable, how was he supposed to control this?!

Merlin, how did any child live through this anxiety?!

But regardless, his brother was a git and he didn't want to listen to his little pathetic jeers anyways, so he stepped into a cabin with a girl chatting absentmindedly to a boy (that looked surprisingly similar to her) while reading a book- probably siblings. As he stepped in, they looked up, but otherwise didn't say anything as they continued their conversation and Al awkwardly set down his stuff, Genevieve hooting.

With nothing to do, he took out the owl-who perched on his arm- and stroked in absentmindedly while he listened in on the conversation. The girl had dark brown hair that looked like it was only brushed because it was required to be brushed, and tan skin that gave Al no clue to her ethnicity. Her brown eyes blinked lazily as she listened to her brother, a shorter boy with the same tan skin and eyes. The difference was that the boy had jet-black hair and was very animate. The boy continued, snorting,

"... and Dereck was acting like he always was, all arrogant. It might as well have been the NFL for him, honestly! He thinks he is all that, when he can't even hold the football correctly, git."

NFL? What was an 'NFL'?

"That sucks. On the bright side, you won't have to play with him anymore... Although it does kind of suck that you are giving up football..."

Football? What planet did these kids come from? ... Oh.

"Yeah, it does. Though giving up school for this... I'd take it anyway!"

"Definitely. God, I can't stand doing Algebra, if I had to do any more I'd explode..."

He was so stupid to not know it earlier- these kids were Muggle-Born, and probably originally from the United States. God, NFL, Football, Algebra... all muggle terms.

I'm too stupid for this planet. He groaned mentally.

Should he introduce himself? He wasn't sure. He didn't know them, why would he? It's not like they were paying any attention to him. But, wasn't this more Gryffindor-ish? Right? Taking a risk and making friends.

Bravery and Kindness all in one move! Perfect!

"Hi." He said, a bit sheepishly.

Seriously? Get it together. You are a Potter. Make friends. Stop being a wuss, who cares if you embarrass yourself?

The two siblings looked at each other for a second, as if seeking approval from one another. The girl put down her book and motioned to her brother. They seemed to be challenging one another to speak first. The boy appeared to give in, and spoke first, saying,

"Hey."

Well, that was anti-climatic...What now? Oh right, name. Albus supposed this is what he got for being antisocial when they went to the park.

"I'm Albus Severus Potter, but I preferred to be called Al." He said, extending a hand.

He was a little annoyed that the name didn't seem to affect them whatsoever (or did the girl brighten slightly?), but he gently reminded himself that they were Muggle-Born and they had no idea that his father was the savior of the Wizarding World. The boy took his hand and shook it, saying in a quiet voice,

"Abe Nilends."

The girl finally spoke, saying,

"Quellabellas Nilends. If you ever call me that, I'll throttle you, so just QB is fine. I've heard your name a few times on the train and around Diagon Alley- or at least, your father's name. Your dad is Harry Potter, right?"

Finally, some recognition. He smiled slightly, saying,

"Yeah! He is the one that killed off Voldemort."

Ooh, he was going to get dinged for that one. But if his parents didn't say 'You-Know-Who', why should he? He understood the name scared some people, but they shouldn't be! He was dead, right? Besides, these kids were Muggle-Born, they didn't know the importance and infamy of the name.

"...Voldemort?" Abe asked, clearly confused. His sister QB had a brief look of recognition on her face, and Al explained,

"He was a really terrible wizard who thought only pure-bloods- wizards with only magical blood- should be allowed to have magical blood course through his veins, so he decided to start a sort of revolution to kill off half-bloods and Muggle-borns. In addition to that, he thought that we should halt the Statue of Secrecy to rule over Muggles themselves, and murdered innocent Muggles as well. He became so infamous, that people were afraid to speak his name in fear of retaliation. Along with that, he sought immortality and the ability to be invincible.

He had this close circle of his followers known as Death Eaters, and he would often send them to terrorize and kill people who were against him, and whenever someone was murdered by them they sent this thing called a Dark Mark into the sky. That looked like a skull with a snake coming out of it's mouth, by the way. And you know what? He was a Half-Blood himself!"

Abe looked mortified, but QB looked unfazed as she stated,

"So, basically, he's a Wizard Adolf Hitler, and Death Eaters are Nazi's?"

"Yea- what?"

He thought he had heard the name Hitler before, but he really wasn't sure.

"Hitler. Infamous muggle, to put it short he imprisoned and murdered a lot of innocent Jews- people who followed this certain Muggle religion- sort of because they supposedly killed Jesus-thats another person in another Muggle religion- and also sort of because he thought them inferior. The Nazi's are his followers and people who fought for him. Irony was, rumor had it that his grandmother was a Jew." Abe explained.

"Killing innocent people because of religion? That seems very silly."

"From our angle, killing people because their parents weren't magical enough or at all sounds incredibly ridiculous as well." She countered.

Well, that was indeed a good point.

He liked these kids.

"So, what pets do you have?" He asked, turning the conversation away from morbid Muggles and Wizards.

Abe pulled a yellow and green toad out of his pocket (dubbed, 'Poly'), explaining that it, apparently, was able to detect any lie.

"Really? Ok. My hair is actually purple." Al stated.

The toad did nothing.

QB heaved a heavy sigh, saying

"I think it has to be a genuine lie. You can't just say, 'My hair is purple', and expect it to do something..."

"Yeah well, at least I know my pet's ("supposed," murmured QB) power, unlike you, with your recluse cat!" Abe retorted.

Albus looked inquisitively at her, and QB sighed and whistled. And, down from the upper compartment, came the largest looking cat he ever saw. It's fur was a deep reddish-brown, with piercing golden eyes and black ears. It was incredibly fluffy, but had a ragged appearance about him. The signature 'M' on it's forehead marked it as a Maine Coon.

"I... actually don't know what Fox does." QB admitted, stroking the cat.

"Really?" asked Albus. "Magical Menagarie usually tells you what their animals are capable of."

Abe looked accusatory, but didn't say anything as QB shrugged absentmindedly and continued petting Fox. Though he was suspicious, Albus recognized the testy situation and switched the topic of conversation, once again.

"So... what about your wands?"

QB pulled out hers twirling it in her hands as she explained, with a hint of pride in her voice,

"Cedar and Dragon Heartstring. 13 inches, he said surprisingly swishy. I believe he said something about the last part being about your willingness to change, or whatnot."

Abe pulled out his as well, explaining with a small smile,

"Chestnut and Unicorn Hair. 9 and a half inches, unyielding."

Al nodded, pulling out his own and stating,

"Blackthorn and Dragon, 10 inches, very bendy."

With QB's information in mind, he wasn't sure if the bendy-ness of his wand was a sign that he might have to adapt to a new situation, like being sorted into Slytherin. Anxiety surfacing again, he banished the thought from his mind and continued to chat with the two siblings about how they came to Hogwarts with a huge man named Hagrid, and how surprised they were to learn they were wizards. They all laughed when Abe told them that their parents thought the person was mental and almost called the Muggle Police, until proof was given by making themselves invisible. Albus explained all the houses and their respective traits and reputations, QB and Abe exchanging an amused glance at Slytherin. Albus could only hope he found the Sorting that easy.

Albus Severus Potter had sort of pictured Hogwarts... smaller. The massive, spiraling castle jutted out onto the cliff like jaws, and he started to appreciate the Muggle-repelling spells a little more. Next to it, a little farther back, was a sprawling, foreboding forest and an out-of-place tiny hut. He almost forgot about his House-dilemma just absorbing the breath-taking landscape. As he was walking, he felt himself unceremoniously removed from his friends when his brother James snatched him away from them.

He put Albus face-to-face, saying,

"Sorry, Al. You know I didn't mean it, right? I know you'll be a Gryffindor, don't you worry!" He smiled, and Albus felt himself forgiving his brother once again for his shenanigans. He waved goodbye to James as he walked into Hogwarts, Al being rounded up in alphabetical order by Hagrid with all the other first-years.

Walking into Great Hall was, quite literally, magic- it was just like, if not better, than when his parents described it. Dozens of candles floated mid-air, the hall alive with mirth and anticipation of where they would spend the next seven years. Albus did a once-over at all the Houses at their respective tables.

Hufflepuff had an air of warmth and friendliness, the kind you might expect with your family. They all seemed very kind, and Albus decided that if he was sorted into their house he really wouldn't mind at all. A few were waving at the First-Years, and were chatting animately with one-another. Al wasn't surprised at the earthy, warm tones they all carried, and he couldn't see why this house was sometimes overlooked.

Ravenclaw held a distinct air of intelligence and a bit of oddness- but that added to their appeal, not detracted. They were a bit quiet, and a large number of them were reading, only looking up every so often to smile slightly at the new additions. They seemed to be the quieter table, not being too loud- but that could be attributed to them reading. The coolness of the blue complimented them all.

When Albus saw the Gryffindor table, his breath hitched in his throat. They were by far the loudest table, rowdy and looking as if the very notion of not being sorted into their house was a crime worthy of Azkaban. However, they all looked very brotherly, slapping each other on the backs and laughing. Many of them were waving animately at them all, and he saw his brother give him a thumbs-up. They all held an imposing air about them, as if daring anyone to cross them. All in all, they looked as noble as the lion-emblazed emblem they sported.

Now, at the Slytherin table, Albus got a bit of a reality check. He had expected unsmiling, sneering faces that looked as arrogant as ever, and he half expected a 'Support Lord Voldemort' sign above their heads. But all of that was, indeed, quite false. So false, that Albus actually felt a tad guilty for making them out to be worse than they were. In reality, they were actually the quietest table, laughing quietly to each other. Unlike the other tables where they split into close, compact groups scattered throughout, the Slytherins were all very close to one another, as if they were all friends. It was then he noticed the cold glares they were every so often getting, and how they seemed to scoot closer to one another at every one.

The sheer amount of coldness towards them was actually quite heart-breaking. But regardless, he was going to be a Gryffindor and that was that. He made a silent little vow to himself to never stereotype again.

And then the Sorting started.

The talking hat's song was actually quite entertaining. It went on about the history of Hogwarts, of kind and loyal Hufflepuffs, the brilliant and eccentric Ravenclaws, of courageous and chivalrous Gryffindors, of sly and crafty Slytherins. Unfortunately, the time stall only made Albus' anxiety worse. When a tall lady in dark green robes gestured students to sit on the stool, he considered running.

There was a Hufflepuff here (Listle, Reclusa) a couple of Ravenclaws there (Catrins, Felise and Catrix, Helena) a Gryffindor or two amongst the midst, and he recognized Scorpius Malfoy getting sorted into Slytherin.

He watched Abe approach the stool, and sit down nervously. After a brief moment, the Sorting Hat bellowed,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

To his surprise, Abe lingered until his sister approached the stool. After an even longer moment than Albus, the hat announced,

"SLYTHERIN!"

He expected Abe and QB to be surprised or angry, but Abe just joked softly,

"I always knew you were evil!"

QB laughed quietly, high-fiving her brother as they set off to their respective Houses, both tables seemingly trying to clap harder than the other. After the O's passed, he heard his name.

"Potter, Albus!"

He felt a hushed silence go about the room. Here he was, the son of the famous Harry Potter, about to be sorted. Preparing to argue against the hat if the time came, he mentally quieted himself in order to be able to engage in all-House warfare. He sat resolutely at the stool, arms crossed and trying to look confident as he stared down a smiling James.

Remember, you're a Potter. Convince the thing, it's just a hat!

Well, Albus Severus had no time to do such a thing as convincing anybody, hats included, as the millisecond the Hat touched his head, it declared loudly,

"SLYTHERIN!"

The awed silence was replaced with shock, on the verge of mortification from the other houses. He turned to James, his heart shattering when he saw the look of utter horror on his face.

In the silence, someone spoke for the first time in what seemed like centuries.

"I win." Said a feminine voice, and he turned to see a blonde-haired, blue-eyed professor gesture for something without looking away from Albus.

Hagrid grumbled something and placed 5 Galleons into her hand.

It seemed to have broken the spell, and the Slytherin table erupted into cheers louder than all the houses combined would have, and he contained his dismay into an expressionless mask.

He walked numbly to the Slytherin table, and sat down next QB, who offered him a soft smile.

The lady in green blinked away her shock and barked for the next student, who was placed in Hufflepuff. Time passed and he heard Rose Weasley getting sorted into Gryffindor.

After it was over, Albus shuffled along with the other Slytherins, herded by prefects, and entered the common room. He turned to the blonde-haired professor, who's blue eyes were gleaming and a grin on her face. Unwrapping a bar of chocolate, she bit into it with a loud snap, smiling, while always keeping her eyes on him,

"What do you know, turns out Harry Potter's kid is in Slytherin..."

Albus Severus Potter swallowed nervously as he looked up at the Professor, who was still crunching on her chocolate. Oh, Merlin. Not only was he sorted into Slytherin, he had the weirdest and creepiest Head of House to ever grace the Earth. The professor had curt, bobbed blonde hair with striking, but lazy-looking blue eyes. Unlike some of the other professors who wore large, sweeping robes, she wore a white blouse. Wait. Was she slouching?! Well, hopefully no words were required of him. Maybe.

Someone asked, with a tinge of disgust,

"Is that... Muggle Chocolate?"

She didn't bother turning to look at the student, she simply nodded and moved on from Albus. It seemed she was very, highly, amused at something that Albus would really like to know. Right now.

"Alright then. As some of you may know, my name is Professor Laverne. This is the Slytherin House, as some of you are probably realizing in mortification. Now, you also might have some questions, which I will be answering right now. 'Is it true that most Death Eaters originated from this house?' Yes. 'Do the other houses not like us?' Yes, but the Ravenclaws can be nice sometimes. 'I don't belong in this house!'- That is not a question, and if you didn't the Hat wouldn't have put you here.

"Also. Try not to bullsh- I mean, cheat your way through Hogwarts. It will not work."

Some of the Slytherins looked disappointed. Albus was a bit worried at how that was, seeing as he was taught it should be a given to never cheat. Yet, he had never truly followed that rule, despite his siblings easily doing the same.

"So, attempt to put some effort. No doubt most of you will find nifty little loopholes, but I can't do anything about that. Except for sports. I need you to absolutely win at Quidditch."

Albus had a sinking feeling as the other students glanced at him, high hopes in their eyes.

"Anyways... Curfew is 10'00, make sure to wake up on time for weekdays, which is 9'00. I like to sleep in myself on weekends, so feel free to do so. Just try to look semi-alive when you exit the common room…"

She narrowed her eyes and took out a pamphlet from one of her pockets, flipping through.

"Well, that about covers it. Here are your schedules weekly. Don't ditch, by the way, because when I catch you it will not be pretty. In the meantime, sleep, eat, do whatever you want. Just don't bother me unless you're either bleeding or catatonic. Ask one of the older kids for my quarters, I don't feel like giving a tour right now."

The professer handed out the schedules, Albus gaining a moments amusement as she stumbled over QB's full name a few times before giving up. Afterwards she turned and walked out, certainly to her own chambers. Probably to recover from the horror and reality of another year.

Al numbly received his schedule and skimmed over it, pursing his lips. Flipping it over, it revealed a map of the school. It seemed pretty decent when he glanced over it, thankfully. James had only told him his own schedule half a thousand times, so they would be on opposite sides of the school most of the time during weekdays.

The boy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew James… on weekdays he might be able to avoid him, but when he was off his brother was certain to confront him… What would he do? What would he say? There was nothing he could change…

He snapped out his thoughts when the boy prefect barked,

"Boys! Over here, to your dorms! Now!"

Albus winced and reluctantly followed the other Slytherins with his things, trying to look like he had definitely planned this the whole time and nothing had backfired. That he had totally expected to sort into Slytherin, that he wasn't nervous… but he was evidently failing. The other kids raised eyebrows at him, and some looked a bit frustrated. But all in all, every single one of them had the undeniably crafty look in their face.

The younger ones less so, but the older Slytherins… Their faces were carefully guarded, yet most had an easy charisma to them. They looked like the people you could trust, but Albus knew better. He knew those looks, because he himself had pulled them all off. All of these people… natural born...

Liars.

Is that was he was now? A liar… someone determined to do whatever it took to win, to use people?

No. I never will be. It isn't who I am.

He shoved his trunk under his bed, put Genevieve onto his nightstand and proceeded to flop down onto the sheets. He realized that in his mortification he had forgotten to truly observe the Slytherin Common Room, though he vaguely remembered the sound of water lapping up against the walls. Oh well… he'd get a good look at it tomorrow morning. He turned his head to see Scorpius Malfoy with his back to him, though he was easily recognizable with his white-blond hair.

Great. Just great.

"Hey. You can't have your owl here." He heard a prefect hiss, and he jumped.

Albus blinked, stuttering,

"Er… what? Where… am I supposed to put it?"

"The Owlery… But you have no clue where that is, probably. Ugh, forget it, I'll do it." He sighed, and held out his hand to take Genevieve. Albus reluctantly handed her over, feeling like his last piece of anchorage was being ripped away from him.

"Thanks, er…" He started, then stopped realizing he had no idea what his name was. Awkward.

The Slytherin prefect smirked in amusement (Was that genuine?), replying,

"Adam Sessins, also Captain of the Quidditch Team. Try not to get into trouble, alright Potter?" The prefect was tall and visibly athletic, with side-swept auburn hair and eyes. He had an easy air to him, with a handsome face which no doubt earned him many a girlfriend.

Albus could only sigh and nod, though inwardly he had already taken a certain liking to Adam. After watching the prefect walk off with his owl, the boy stared back up at the ceiling in dull interest, and realized something- the dorms were covered in tapestries. Of whom he didn't know, but all of them were depicted in reverence and awe. They all had names sewed into them in gold embroidery, none of which he recognized… except for two.

Merlin

Severus Snape

Merlin? Snape? What were they doing in here? He knew that Merlin was a phenomenal wizard, so it would make sense to make a tapestry of him. But why Snape?

Oh.

He realized that all of the wizards in the tapestries were wearing green and silver scarves.

The colors of Slytherin. These were all Slytherins, great ones with their achievements immortalized in thread. He noticed his namesake surrounded by death eaters, outlined in blood-red, yet the former Headmaster was outlined in a shining white light. So… these were more requiems than anything...

Merlin, the most renowned wizard ever to walk the earth.

Severus Snape, spy for Dumbledore and a key point in the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Another might think that this was just internal bragging, but Albus saw it as something more. He saw it as something like, 'Look at us. Look where we were put, and how many of us were great because of it. We were put in the House where people saw villains, and came out heroes.'

He went to sleep feeling that much better.

"You're a Slytherin, Al?" His father asked. He smiled at him softly, saying, "Well, that makes you one of a kind, doesn't it?"

"You aren't… mad?"

"Why would I be? There is no shame in being sorted into a place that hones your strengths."

What is that supposed to mean?

"HEY! Get up you lazy blobs, its time to do some LEARNING."

Albus yelped and whipped out of bed, swaying from the magnitude of the voice and from the utter sleepiness.

"Wha-? What do you… Why would you…" Albus groaned, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He saw out of the corner of his eye Scorpious Malfoy hit his head against the door frame in alarm. Where was he? Why was Malfoy in a bed next to- Oh right, Hogwarts. Sorted into Slytherin without a millisecond of thought by the Sorting Hat.

"Merlin, Adam. Do you have to scare them so much?" A Slytherin voice joked.

"Yes, yes I do Hal."

Albus groggily turned towards their voices and saw Adam with a friend (presumably Hal). With a sigh, he watched the prefect laugh as he walked out of the room. Albus sniffled and turned around back to his bed, saying absentmindedly,

"Anyone know what time it is?"

He turned his head to see Malfoy shake his head, eyeing him warily. No doubt he had been told by his father to steer clear of the Potter children, like his dad had warned him. But since they were now living together, it was a bit inevitable. No doubt Malfoy realized the same, as he sighed,

"I'll go check in the common room after I get dressed. I think there's a clock or something in there."

"I'll go with you." He replied, and watched as Scorpious visibly stiffened. He inwardly wondered what kind of things his father had told him.

Albus decided it would be a good idea to dress as well and he threw on his uniform. He paused at the Slytherin tie, but eventually got over it and included it with his uniform. This was it. His life here was starting, and if he might as well make the best of it. There was no time to mope, because the decision was final and there was nothing to change. He was a Slytherin, and that was all there was to it.

He trotted after Scorpius, who had already hurried ahead of him. Probably to deter Albus from accompanying him, no doubt. Well, too bad for him. Though maybe he was just trying to think up some clever insult- from what his dad had told him, Malfoy Senior always had a clever jeer up his sleeve. Well, so did Albus Severus. He already had many an insult just for Scorpius and his family. Ones that would sting like wasps.

He saw Malfoy open his mouth.

This is it. He has no idea...

Albus sharpened his tongue in preparation, ready to parry whatever insult was going to be hurled at him. And proceed to stab back. Hard.

"Um… I'm not really… supposed to be with you…"

Well. Alright then.

Wholly anticlimatic, but a reminder all the same. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that a child was not a carbon copy of their mother or father. Al felt ashamed- he had basically let paranoia and his dad's influence get to him. He wasn't going to be friends with Scorpius- he had let down enough people- but that didn't mean he had to be a prat to him. At the very least they could at least be acquaintances.

"Its the same here. But as long as we're dorm mates, we might as well get to know each other past the point of awkwardness." He replied.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense…"

Albus realized that he had totally misjudged Malfoy. Whereas his father Draco had been swaggering and confident, Scorpius was soft-spoken and unsure of himself, looking downward toward the floor. Dragon and Scorpion, different in every way. Interesting. However, Al wasn't completely thrown off- he had been sorted into Slytherin for a reason- and not necessarily because it was in his blood. Al had already learned that.

But did it make a difference? Everyone here was clever, had at least a low amount of cunning, and ambition. They all knew that, so why not trust each other? As they entered the common room, Albus truly got to really drink in his surroundings. The Common room was darker, tinted a faint green. This was because, he learned, that they were actually underwater in the lake- the oak that was said (and proven) to have giant squid and less-than-attractive mermaids. Despite being so dark however, the room was lit with soft-lighted green lanterns, the style reminiscent of a Chinese paper latern, along with the rays of light protruding from the lake itself from the many windows. Several other tapestries were strung from the ceiling, and the room filled with comfortable looking couches, and a few chess boards. There was also an unlit fireplace in the middle with a coiling snake above it, with glistening emeralds for eyes. An old-fashioned clock was tucked in the corner of the room, with tongue-flickering mechanical snakes for the hour and minute hands.

Unlike the other common rooms, which were described to be loud and boisterous, the common room had the feeling like it would be disrespectful to make any kind of noise. It was overall a quiet place, and Albus quite liked that fact in itself. Or, maybe, it was just that feeling because it was 5'30 in the morning.

Scorpius gave an audible groan of disbelief, muttering,

"Merlin, I cannot believe he woke us this early! Jerk."

Albus twitched, trying to comprehend who would be satanic enough to wake a bunch of nervous, anxious, mentally and emotionally exhausted 11 year olds at 5'30 AM.

Well, I guess I already know the answer to that one.

He heard a few noises behind him and turned to see a couple other first-years stumble from their dorms. Albus started to search for QB, the one familiar face, until he realized that only the boys were showing up. Odd… Where was Adam, after waking them up in a drill-seargent-esque manner?

...

He didn't.

The 4th-year prefect and his friend had only woken up the first year boys, then obviously walked his merry way back to bed. The git. He obviously couldn't just stroll into the girls dormitories and wake them up, so… this.

"Are you serious right now?" Spat a voice, which he recognized to be the one who questioned the Slytherin Head of her chocolate's origin. Albus turned to make note of him. The constant complaining was going to get annoying, and if it did he wanted a basic profile.

The boy was obviously a pure-blood aristocrat, not unlike Scorpius. Dark brown curly hair, freckles, pale green eyes. What would have appeared friendly, but wasn't. Instead, the boy managed to turn it into the haughtiest, stuck-up face Albus had ever seen bar his brother.

"Looks like the prefect was just messing with us." Al explained, albeit a bit awkwardly.

Freckles sniffed indignantly, saying,"Why should I have to deal with that?"

Scorpius pursed his lips and twiddled his thumbs, slowly inching away. Albus was willing to bet double his allowance that the Malfoy boy knew this kid, and Al only bet on things if he knew that he would win.

"Eh, probably an initiation kind of thing." Another kid commented, who was turning along with other first-years back to their beds.

Scorpius edged away from Albus, and was starting to slink in with the others when Curly barked,

"Scorpius! Hey, come on, you are on my side, right cousin? You'll get revenge with me?"

Malfoy shuddered, but didn't stop walking as he called,

"Er… yeah, alright... Ven… sure… Maybe later, all right?"

Ven looked affronted, clicking his tongue in frustration and turning to Albus. He looked him over cynically for a second, then brightened in recognition.

"Oh! You're Harry Potter's son, right? Albus?" He chirped, extending his hand.

Al really didn't want to 'get to know' this guy, because when it came down to it he was positive Ven really just wanted to be friends for money/more status/ blackmail or a combination of all three. But regardless, he was a polite person and shook his hand reluctantly.

"I'm Ven, son of Rabastan Lestrange." Ven said, talking like Albus should instantly know his dad's name.

Well, he did. Rabastan was an ex-Death Eater. How did he walk out of it? Well, like all the others did- claiming they were forced to serve under the Imperious Curse or threats on their family's life.

"Uh.. hi…"

When Ven let go of his hand, Albus did his best not to wipe it on his pants or something.

"So, are you going to get them back with me?"

He swallowed, saying,

"Well, actually, I need to write to my folks back at home. So, see you in the morning (maybe)!"

Albus slunk away from him, slowly at first, until he scurried off back to his dorm.

"Well then who is going to help me?!"

Despite appearances, Al wasn't totally lying. As he sat down at his desk and pulled out parchment and ink, he began to write to the sounds of shuffling sheets and, to a certain degree, snores. Turned out, the far as he got was,

'Dear Mother and Father'

This was going to be a bit difficult. How would he say this?

You cut it out. This isn't hard. Just tell them… Nothing bad will happen...

He wrote.

'Dear Mother and Father,

I was sorted into Slytherin.'

Ok, this was hard. Al stopped, sighing. He couldn't just leave it at that. Or could he? A shorter letter never hurt anybody.

I'll do it tomorrow. When I have more news. Or I'll wait until they write to me. They don't want to know everything thats happened, do they? Yet…

He dipped the feather quill in the ink bottle, writing quickly before he lost his nerve and motivation. There was a lot to be said, in truth. Plus, he had plenty of time to kill- a good 3 and half hours.

'Dear Mother And Father,

I've been sorted into Slytherin. I know that you and all the rest of my family had been expecting without doubt for me to be a Gryffindor, but I wasn't even a problem for the hat. The second it touched my head, I was Slytherin. I can't imagine James' reaction being any good. I hope I won't become a victim in his bullying, and that you have no problems with my house. Anyways, I've met so far QB and Abe Nilends, Scorpius Malfoy, and Ven Lestrange. Scorpius is quite shy, I haven't seen QB and Abe yet, and Ven is stuck-up. I have no idea who my friends are, or who you'll let me be friends with.

Your Son,

Al Potter'

There. That wasn't too hard. It felt more like an apology than anything else, but at least it was something. Folding up his letter and placing it in an envelope, he rose from his seat and turned to go exit the dorm room, peaking out to see if Ven was still out there. Turned out the Slytherin had gone, which meant he was probably out to go do revenge on the prefects. Snorting, he walked out of the portrait, letter in hand.

Alright, now which way was the Owlery...

Albus tentatively walked forward, unknowing if he was allowed or not to be up this early. He sure hoped that there was a map around, or something. But from what he knew, the Owlery was at the top of the school, so if he could find the stairs, he would be home free.

"You there! What are you doing up?!" Hissed a painfully old voice.

There was only one person in this school that could belong too- Argus Filch. Wincing, Albus turned to face him.

"I need to get to the Owlery, to deliver this. The prefects decided to play a practical joke and wake us all up early, so…"

Filch, with skin like wrinkled paper, growled in return,

"Still can't be up."

Was he going to have to use the name? Well, it was worth a shot. It had been done before and had worked.

"Oh… Thats too bad… Ugh, can't believe my dad got away with all this stuff and slew Voldemort…"

Filch began having a coughing fit (did it seriously shock him that much?), say in-between coughs,

"Fine… go straight… then left… stairs to Owlery, you little…!"

Perfect. It always worked- Harry Potter+Voldemort= Foolproof way to get out of trouble. Albus walked by the still-coughing caretaker, going the way instructed with a confidence he didn't know he had. After reaching the top, he opened the wooden door to be blasted with cold morning air. Breath vapor appearing in front of him, he hurried over to the owl cage and spotted his barn owl amidst the rest.

"Genevieve! Psst!"

The owl slowly unveiled her head from under her wing, holding him with her twin black eyes before hopping down. Albus opened the cage door, handing the letter to her ready talons. She nuzzled him briefly before spreading her wings and taking off like a ghost in the night, taking Albus' hope and horror with her.

Thank you for reading! I apologize if I missed any typos. Remember to Review please! If the transition seems awkward it's because I combined chapters.