Disclamer: I don't own the characters. They belong to J.K Rowling. Only the plot is mine.


Chapter 1: Sorting Jitters

Rose Weasley should have been excited about going to Hogwarts for the first time, but she really wasn't. Even though her father had told her countless times that houses weren't as important as they used to be, she knew that it would break his heart if she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor. Every single one of the Weasleys and Potters who came before her had been sorted into Gryffindor; she had a lot to live up to.

She waved goodbye to her parents and her little brother, and pulled her head back into the compartment that was occupied by her favorite cousins.

There were too many Weasleys and Potters to fit into one compartment. The older cousins all had their own friends to sit with, so Rose, Roxanne, and Albus were left by themselves. The three cousins had been inseparable since they could walk.

James, Al's older brother, was helping the younger students put up their trunks when Rose noticed someone looking in the door.

--------------------

Rose was not the only one to be worrying about the sorting. Scorpius Malfoy, who was still trying to find a compartment as the train jolted into motion, also had a long family legacy to uphold. He knew that his father might not mind if he was not sorted into Slytherin, but his grandfather would have a fit.

Scorpius looked into the next compartment and hesitated as he saw a flash of auburn hair and blue eyes. He suddenly realized whose compartment it was and turned to walk away as the door slid open revealing a cute little blue-eyed girl poking her head out into the corridor.

"Do you want to sit with us?" she asked.

"O-Ok," replied Scorpius, not quite sure if he would be welcome.

He immediately regretted saying yes as three pairs of eyes looked in his direction.

"Why, if it isn't Malfoy," James Potter said as if saying the name left a foul taste in his mouth.

Scorpius, trying not to give any of the occupants of the compartment a reason to dislike him, replied politely, "Hello Potter, Potter, Weasley." His father had told him to expect this kind of greeting from the Potter and Weasley families. Draco Malfoy had made his peace with Harry Potter since the war, but not before their old school rivalry had been passed on to the elder Potter and Weasley cousins.

James flashed a look at Rose that seemed to say 'I hope you know what you're doing.' He put up the last trunk and left the compartment, purposely bumping into Scorpius on his way out.

Rose was not sure if inviting Scorpius to sit with her, and her cousins would turn out to be a good idea, but she felt like he deserved a chance.

She turned to Scorpius. "Sorry about James," she said, "he can be such a git sometimes. I'm Rose Weasley by the way, and these are my cousins Roxanne and Albus."

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," said Scorpius as he sat down next to Albus.

A few minutes passed as the four first-years sat in awkward silence. The train rumbled along the tracks, and Rose watched out the window as the trees flew by just outside. "Scorpius seems really uncomfortable," she thought when she turned her attention back to the other occupants of the compartment, "maybe I should say something."

"So," both Rose and Scorpius had spoken at once, "Oh! Sorry," they said in unison. Al had a painful look on his face. He was shyer than the rest of the members of the Weasley and Potter families. Roxanne just snickered under her breath causing Rose to glare at Roxanne, and they descended once again into an uncomfortable silence.

"You're a Malfoy right?" Roxanne was the one to break the quiet. Rose's eyes darted to the ebony haired girl on her right, silently willing her not to say something stupid.

Scorpius nodded.

She continued, "So what's that like? I mean being the descendant of Death Eaters." Roxanne shot the last comment across the compartment like she was spitting daggers.

"Roxanne!" shouted Rose, her mind tricks had failed. Not that they would ever work, she could never hope to tame Roxanne's wild side. "You know they aren't like that anymore!"

Roxanne leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms, trying to look defeated. "Whatever. I was just having a little fun, right Malfoy?" She flashed a big grin in Scorpius' direction.

Scorpius shifted his weight in his chair, not wanting to answer or look hurt. This is the exact reason why he did not want to share a compartment with the Weasleys and Potter. He could tell that Roxanne really was just having fun, but it still hurt to be judged like that.

Roxanne managed to behave herself for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts, which was a miracle in itself. On top of that, Scorpius became more and more comfortable with the cousins thanks to Albus and his non-chelante attitude. After Roxanne's comment Albus had leaned over and told Scorpius not to worry. "We aren't all like that one." Albus understood that the Weasleys and Potters could be quite overwhelming, even in small chunks.

Rose couldn't help but be surprised at how easily Albus and Scorpius got along. Al was kind of a loner to begin with so it made sense that he would be able to make friends easily with an only child like Scorpius.

"I'm really nervous about being sorted," Rose confessed. She was sure that Albus and Roxanne would be put in Gryffindor even though Al had his doubts. The other three students tried to convince her that she shouldn't be nervous, she would be in Gryffindor for sure, but it only made it worse. Rose couldn't help but feel like she was different from the rest of her family. No one else seemed to notice, but Rose knew deep down that she would not be a Gryffindor

--------------------

Rose had to lean on Roxanne to keep herself from collapsing as the first-years made their way through the doors of the great hall. She felt her knees go weak when all of the Weasley and Potter cousins turned to watch the younger students go past. Al grabbed her arm to make sure she didn't fall. Scorpius looked just as pale as she felt, and Rose wondered why he had any reason to be nervous.

Her cousins let go of her as they all gathered in front of the sorting hat. She really wished they hadn't.

Professor Flitwick began reading from the list of names that was twice as long as he was tall. Amidst the shouts of "Hufflepuff!" and "Slytherin!" that came from the seam in the sorting hat as each student sat on the stool, Rose tried to think happy thoughts about getting into Gryffindor and not passing out.

Rose was startled out of her thought when Flitwick called, "Malfoy, Scorpius." She watched as Scorpius walked up to the small stool. His pace was forced, as if he dreaded this moment as much as Rose did. The hat was placed on his head, and he sat for several long moments before a cry of "Ravenclaw!" filled the giant room.

A look of horror crept onto Scorpius' face. Rose watched as he half limped to an empty seat at the Ravenclaw table. She could understand how he must have felt at several older Ravenclaws congratulated him.

She let out a small whimper as "Potter, Albus" was called, and she knew that she would not be much longer until her fate was decided. She felt the blood drain from her face once again, and a cry of "Gryffindor!" was met by loud cheers from the rest of her family.

Finally, it was Rose's turn. She dragged herself up the couple of stairs and sat on the stool, trying desperately to stay conscious. She felt the hat slip down over her ears, and the world went black.

--------------------

That night, owls were sent out to the families of the first years announcing the results of the sorting. Two of them revealed quite unexpected outcomes, and two cries of "Ravenclaw?!" were heard to echo across the English countryside.


Author's note: This is my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction. Let me know what you think!

P.S thanks for letting me know! I had forgotten to tell you that albus was sorted into Gryffindor. I fixed it ^_^ Thank you for your reviews! Chapter 2 coming soon.