It's funny how nervous you get when it comes to someone else holding the key to your future in their hands. Well, figuratively speaking, however, because the Sorting Hat didn't have hands. Albus swallowed hard as name after name was called and students were sorted into each house. Some he knew, like Neville and Hannah's twins, Alice-Pomona and Franklin Abbott, were sorted into Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, respectively, and others he was familiar with, but only from talk around his family's house, like Scorpius Malfoy, who became a Slytherin. But most of the faces were new and, to his relief, just as scared looking as he felt.
Finally, Albus' name was called. He looked around the room, his eyes falling upon his older brother, James, sitting at the Gryffindor table. James gave him two thumbs up and an encouraging smile. He must sense that Albus was very nervous, since James spent all summer convincing Albus he was going to be in Slytherin. Luckily, Albus' father sat him down and explained to him that there were not just bad people in Slytherin. He had been named after a brave Slytherin, although his uncles still seemed to think Harry and Ginny were crazy for it.
Albus approached the stool where the Sorting Hat was and took its place. He cautiously set the hat upon his head and gasped as it began talking to him. "My my, this one is difficult. You have many aspects that would do well in each house. The question is: Which one would benefit you more? I see you fear being in Slytherin, because you don't want to be disowned from your family. Boy, you have the ability to bring the Houses together, or at the very least the families within the houses. Yes... SLYTHERIN!"
The hat called it out before Albus could object. His face was bright red as the hat was pulled from his head, and the Great Hall was quiet. He couldn't stand to look over at his brother, or at any of his cousins. Shamefully, he put his head down, and skulked over to the Slytherin table, sitting down next to the blonde boy he knew was Scorpius Malfoy.
"It'll be okay," Albus heard Scorpius whisper. "I didn't want to be a Slytherin, either."
Albus looked over at Scorpius, who gave him a small smile. The two started talking, and after a while, the initial shock went away. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all...
[I am going to edit this later. I was sick and without internet until I got to school today, so it was kind of a rushed job D:]]