Rose Weasley shook slightly as she stood in line to enter the Great Hall. She knew her parents would be proud of her no matter what house she was put into, but she still felt pressured to be sorted into Gryffindor. A tall woman bustled to the front of the group, and pulled a piece of parchment from her robes as she begun to speak.

"Good evening first years, I'm Minerva McGonagall, headmistress and head of the transfiguration department. When we enter the hall, I am going to call you one by one to be sorted. Then you will choose your seat, and once you're all sorted, the feast will begin. Now, if you'll follow me," she finished as the giant oak doors slowly swung open. She turned and walked briskly into the Hall, and the group of ten and eleven year olds followed timidly.

Four long tables took up a majority of the room, filled with students of various ages and sizes, all wearing different colored scarves. The hall was a sea of gold and crimson, silver and emerald, bronze and deep blue, yellow and black. What was most bizarre, to Rose, was the fact that there seemed to be no distinction between houses beyond the scarves. Rose and her brother, Hugo, had grown up hearing stories of animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and yet there were silver and gold scarved students sitting beside each other. She saw Hufflepuff yellow sitting beside Slytherin silver, Ravenclaw bronze mingling with Hufflepuff, Gryffindor gold chatting with Ravenclaws. It was strange to see the Great Hall in such disarray, such a stark contrast to the Hall she'd seen in her father's pensive.

Professor McGonagall carried a beat up, old pointed hat from the middle of the staff table, and placed it on the short wooden stool in the middle of the slightly elevated stage. She pulled out her wand and gave it a flick, and a piece of parchment materialized in her hand, rolled up and sealed. Using her wand again, she tapped the seal and the parchment unfurled. "Let the sorting begin!" She exclaimed, and applause erupted through the hall. The first years were even more nervous and excited now.

McGonagall called the first name ("Abernathy, Doyle!") and a tiny boy with long black hair stumbled up to the stool. McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head, and a face appeared in the folds of the ancient fabric, and the seam split to reveal a mouth. The hat appeared to be muttering to itself, and the little boy's face relaxed, then burst into a huge smile when the hat boomed, "GRYFFINDOR!" There was more roaring applause as McGonagall stepped forward and waved her wand, and a gold and red scarf snaked around Doyle's neck.

"Go join the rest of the students, Doyle, and congratulations," she said quietly to the boy, then called out, "Adams, Jolene!" A blonde girl walked up to the stage, more confident than Doyle but clearly still nervous.

"I hope I get sorted into Gryffindor," the white haired boy next to Rose said quietly. She looked at him and he was staring at the girl being sorted with a worried look on his face. She knew who he was instantly, he looked almost exactly like his father, Draco Malfoy. She'd seen him a lot in her father's pensive too, and she knew how much her dad loathed Malfoy.

"Why is that?"

Scorpius Malfoy looked at her, and smiled a small, sad smile. "My father always says how he wished he'd been in Gryffindor, and how much better things would've been if he had been. My mother's American, she went to Salem, so she doesn't really understand, but what she does know, she said she'd be proud if I were put in Gryffindor." She recognized the pressure put on him, and though she didn't know it, it was much like how Draco's parents had put pressure on him.

"I know how you feel, but I'm sure your parents would be proud of you no matter which house you're in. I'm Rose, by the way. Rose Weasley." She offered the boy a smile, and her hand.

Scorpius took it and said quickly, "How rude of me, unloading on you like this and not even properly introducing myself. I'm Scorpius Malfoy."

"I um, I kinda knew who you are, anyway," Rose said shyly. "My father knew your father, I've seen some of his memories in his pensive."

Scorpius blushed slightly. "I knew who you are too, my father's spoken about yours before. He's not very fond of him, seems to think he's a git." He realized what he'd said and blushed deeper and rushed to apologize.

Rose laughed and waved his apology off. "My dad is a git, your father is totally right." The two children giggled and McGonagall called out "Mabel, Yisel!" which caught their attention. "You'll be next, then," Rose said softly. Scorpius nodded, then looked terrified when his name was called. Rose gave him a quick hug, then shoved him forward. He took mechanical steps up to the stage and took his seat.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat decided almost immediately after being placed on his head. He looked relieved as a blue and bronze scarf materialized on his shoulders, and smiled at McGonagall offered her congratulations (and was secretly deeply relieved that a Malfoy finally started off in a good house). He found his way to a table with a bit of room, and motioned to Rose that he was saving her a seat.

She watched as her cousin, Albus Severus, was sorted into Hufflepuff, and watched him join his red scarved brother. She laughed a bit as James tried to convince him to sit somewhere else, but James' friends immediately took to Albus. It was hard not to, the boy was so sweet and genuinely happy. He was one of a kind, and Rose was overcome with love and pride for her cousin.

With three people left standing, Rose's name was finally called. On shaky legs, she made her way up to the stool. She sat down with her eyes closed, breathing deeply and slowly to stay calm, and felt the weight of the hat on her head.

Well, well, she heard in her head. The hat was talking to her! Seems you'll be a bit difficult, just like your mother. You'd do great in Gryffindor, just as she did, but I see a bit more for you in Ravenclaw. I gave her a choice, dear one. Which would you prefer?

Rose thought about it a bit, Gryffindor would definitely make her entire family proud, but she knew how much more proud her parents would be if she were in Ravenclaw. Plus, she did have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Maybe being in Ravenclaw would give her more access to information. She remembered hearing about a secret library in the Ravenclaw common room.

"RAVENCLAW," the hat cried out loud, finishing the sentence in her mind, is a very good choice, child. I expect great things from you. The hat was lifted on her head, and a scarf appeared on her shoulders. She made her way over to Scorpius, very self-conscious, and very excited to see what the next year, and the six after it, would bring her.