Author's Note: I am kind of rusty in the fanfiction writing world, so this may start off a bit rocky. But I am welcome to constructive criticism! I just want to say thanks in advance to anyone who reads this story, it's going to take a while and updates may be a bit wonky but I will get to them! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it is the lovely work of the lovely mind of J.K. Rowling. :)
September 2017
The Hogwarts Express started off slowly, and Rose Weasley waved excitedly to her parents and Hugo, her heart sinking as they continued to shrink smaller and smaller, until they were merely dots on the disappearing platform. She tried to push the thought that she had never been away from home without her family to the back of her mind; Hogwarts was something she had been looking forward to her entire life. What with the stories her parents and Uncle Harry had told her, there was no way she was going to miss out on one of the best years of her life because she was scared.
Maybe that just shows you're not a Gryffindor, said a small voice in her head. Well, maybe it did, but she certainly would be fine with any of the other houses. After all, her mother had reminded her time and time again, over her father's loud protests, that her house didn't define her. She sank back in her seat, looking around the empty compartment.
As the countryside zoomed past the window, Rose curled her knees closer to her, pulling out her battered copy of Hogwarts, A New History. Certainly rereading stories about her family's accomplishments was going to put her mind at ease. Though, it had not been a full minute since she had started reading when the compartment door opened, and her older cousin slid in, followed by his younger brother. "Ah, there's our favorite cousin."
"James," she greeted. "Albus."
They both sat across from her in the compartment, and only now did she realize that Albus was looking very frightened. She set down her book, "Oh, Albus, what's wrong? Has someone said something to you?"
James shook his head. "Looks as if he's seen a dementor, doesn't he?" he smirked. "He's just scared about what House he'll be put in."
"That's nothing to worry about!" said Rose, relieved that his troubles were only minor. "You'll be in the house you're meant to be."
"Easy for you to say!" cried Albus. "You've got it all sorted! You know you'll end up in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. I'm not brave enough for me to be certain I'll be put in Gryffindor."
"You are brave!" Rose assured him. "And it's not based on one quality, it's what the hat sees fit. But you have a choice as well. My mum... she was nearly a Hatstall. The Sorting Hat couldn't decide between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, so he let her decide."
"Everyone keeps saying that!"
"Because it's true!" said James exasperatedly. "If you don't want Slytherin, then don't let the Hat choose it."
Albus opened his mouth to argue but decided against it, opting to look out the window instead. Rose could not think of any means of offering any condolence, as she now had renewed fears of being placed in a house other than Gryffindor. Gone were her mother's comforting words, and she heard Albus's worries echoing in her head. Her anxious thoughts and their momentary silence was interrupted as the compartment door opened again, and Scorpius Malfoy peered in.
His eyes glanced over the three of them quickly and widened. "Oh— S-sorry," he said. "I t-thought this was empty." And slammed the door rather loudly.
"Oi, what's his deal?" James's eyebrows were raised. "I mean I know Albus isn't a sight for sore eyes and all but..."
This won a laugh out of Albus and the rest of the train ride carried on blissfully. They joked about learning charms that would anger their parents and making Albus join the Holyhead Harpies and convincing Lily and Hugo that Hogwarts would be closing after this year to be transformed into a massive petting zoo for the Giant Squid. When the trolley witch came by, they all bought loads of sweets and ate until they felt ill and James and Albus argued over who got the better Chocolate Frog card of their father. When they went to change into their robes, Rose resolved to stow away her book, as the dark sky outside would not allow her to make out any of the words. She made to step out of the compartment, and gasped, as she almost set her foot on the body of a small, black-haired girl.
"Goodness! Are you all right?" Rose bent over to observe the girl, who was abnormally still.
She jumped as the girl's eyes flew open, a smile spreading across her face. "I am quite all right! You're Rose Weasley!" she said excitedly. "I'm Andie Corner."
"Right," she said, still reeling at the girl who moments ago she had presumed to be dead. "How did you know that?"
"Well, who doesn't?" said Andie, standing up. "I mean, you're the daughter of two of the most famous people in wizarding history!"
"There's plenty of people like that," said Rose. "What were you doing on the floor?"
Andie tilted her head sideways, causing her short hair to bounce slightly. "I was thinking."
About what, Rose wasn't sure, but she did not question it. She felt an explanation would only confuse her further. "Have you been lying out here the entire ride?"
"No, only just five minutes ago." Andie's azure eyes grew larger as she looked over Rose's shoulder. "James Potter! And Albus!"
James grinned. "I always love meeting fans." He outstretched his hand and Andie shook, not his hand, but her entire body. She squeaked out her name and let out a sigh.
Albus gave her a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Andie," he said, then turned to look at Rose. "Train should be stopping any moment. We'll be at Hogwarts soon."
And soon enough, it did stop. As the chatter of friends meeting each other again and first years asking each other questions filled the station, Rose spotted a familiar tall figure amongst the crowd yelling for the first years to follow him.
"Hagrid!" she shouted, bumping into the other students as she rushed to get closer to their dear family friend.
"Rosie!" he said fondly, his voice booming. "Yer getting bigger an' bigger every time I see yeh. How're yer mum an' dad doing?"
"As good as anyone can be," she said, unknowingly leading the bustle of first years after him. Andie skipped to the front, tagging along at her side and looking at Hagrid curiously.
"Great!" he said, finally taking them around the bend to—
"HOGWARTS!" screamed a fat, pasty ginger haired boy that wasn't a Weasley. At least, not one she knew of.
The castle in question was in front of them, but it was across a black lake, decked with boats at the dock. They all hopped into them and set off across the lake, behind Hagrid's boat, and marveled at the beauty of their new home. The sky glittered with stars and the towers of the castle were growing bigger and bigger as they approached it. Andie and Albus and her other cousin, Roxanne, were all in Rose's boat, murmuring to each other. Not too far away, Scorpius Malfoy was in a boat of his own, along with three other boys who lounged in the back, not looking nearly as impressed as he was.
Rose stared at him, wondering what was so bad about him that her father had felt the need to warn against. Surely, she knew his family's history, but in the glimpses she had caught of Scorpius he had not done anything that would make her want to avoid him. His gray eyes pulled away from the scenery to meet hers, and his face turned a shade of scarlet, but he did not avert his gaze. She offered him a small smile.
"Rosie," said Albus, drawing her attention away from Scorpius. "I think I saw something move!" He pointed, but it was just the ripple of the water as the boat moved across it. When Rose glanced up, Scorpius was not looking at her anymore.
The inside of the castle was nothing short of extravagant, and no edition of Hogwarts history books could have fully captured the beauty of it. Professor Vector led them to the Entrance Hall and said a few words of welcome, then told them they would be sorted soon, setting off another round of talking amongst the students. The Great Hall doors opened and the second through seventh years all looked at them from their tables, watching the awestruck eleven-year-olds walk through the room.
At the staff table, Headmistress McGonagall sat in the center and gave a tight smile as she observed the first years. Professor Vector waited by a stool, with the Sorting Hat placed on top of it. The hat cleared its throat— did it have a throat?— and began to sing proudly.
When it finished, the hall was filled with applause and Professor Vector read the first name out loud curtly. "Alderton, Mary!"
Cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff table upon the announcement of her house and Rose looked around the room; it would be a while until she was sorted. Albus rocked back and forth on his heels as other students took a seat on the stool. She tried to focus on anything other than the fact that his nervousness came off like a bad scent that engulfed her too.
"Corner, Andrea!"
The hat turned this way and that on Andie's head, and she trembled underneath it. "Hmm... positive, very positive. You'd be a great Hufflepuff, you know. But I think you'd make an even finer GRYFFINDOR!"
James shouted something to Andie over the welcoming screams from the Gryffindor table and she took a seat next to him, completely frozen much like she had been on the train. Rose decided she liked her, and if they were going to be dormmates, she would not be too bad at all. Dormmates? Thinking ahead, aren't you? She waved off the thought and turned her attention back to the others.
"Overheard some of the older kids talking earlier," Albus whispered. "Apparently, McGonagall's got a big announcement to make tonight."
Rose scowled. "About what?"
He shook his head. "I dunno. I think they heard Uncle Neville say something about it."
Her head snapped up to the staff table, she had forgotten about him. Neville Longbottom sat towards the end, in between Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra. He caught her eye and waved, giving her a wide smile.
"Malfoy, Scorpius!" said Professor Vector, and the blond boy climbed up to the stool and disappeared underneath the Sorting Hat.
"There's a name I haven't heard in a while," said the Hat. "Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy. You belong in SLYTHERIN!"
Scorpius hopped off the stool and went to join the roaring Slytherins. He brushed against Rose and when she whirled to look at him, he flashed her an apologetic look.
"That boy is strange," said Albus.
After a few minutes, he was called, and he mounted the steps to the sound of the Gryffindor table chanting his surname. It seemed James was leading the cheer. But the hat had not even touched his hair when it shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" And the hall went dead silent.
Rose found her mouth was hanging open after a few moments, and looked around to see all of the students were staring as Albus walked stiffly to the Ravenclaw table, complete silence surrounding them.
There was a clatter as a goblet was knocked over and James stood and shouted, "THAT'S MY BROTHER!" prompting the entire hall to burst into deafening applause. Albus visibly relaxed and when he was clapped on the back by Ravenclaw prefects and people reached out to shake his hand, he let out a shaky laugh.
Roxanne scooted closer to Rose and linked arms with her. "Ready, Rosie?" she asked, slightly trembling.
Rose nodded and kept her eyes fixed on the ground until she heard: "Weasley, Rose!"
The stool was hard as sat on it and the Hat covered her vision, it danced on her head before it let out a low laugh.
"The Weasleys just keep coming, don't they?" the Hat said. "Don't worry, you're easily a GRYFFINDOR!"
She let out a sigh of relief and skipped towards the Gryffindor table, where she could now see her cousins Fred, Victoire, and Molly were. She sat on the other side of Andie and was surprised to feel the girl wrap her arms around her. And soon after, Roxanne joined Dominique at the Slytherin table and after a greeting from Headmistress McGonagall, the feast began.
Molly's Prefect badge gleamed as she leaned over to congratulate Rose. "You'll be a fantastic Prefect once I'm gone!"
"And what if she doesn't want to be?" asked James, chewing on a turkey leg. "What if she's a troublemaker like me?"
"I'll be both," said Rose gleefully.
Molly's eyes widened in terror. "You can't be both!"
Rose glanced at the Ravenclaw table, ignoring James and Molly's bickering. Albus seemed to be making friends already. Some of the second years were now serenading him as he threw his head back in laughter. Lucy Weasley sat nearby, shaking her head at their antics while scooping pudding into her mouth. A weight lifted off her shoulders, there was nothing to worry about anymore.
Once everyone had eaten, the tables cleared and McGonagall rose again to speak. She gave warnings on what parts of the castle were off limits, including the Room of Requirement. Her speech included a few messages from Mr. Filch and that Ministry officials would come around certain times of the year to transport artifacts from the school to the Ministry.
"And, lastly, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you," she sighed. "This will be my final year as Headmistress."
Muttering and gasps exploded in the hall.
"Now we really have to tell Lily and Hugo that Hogwarts is over," James whispered.
Rose's heart sunk, if there was anyone in the world she admired more than her parents, it was Minerva McGonagall. With her leaving Hogwarts, she was afraid of the prospect of a new headmaster. McGonagall had been a close family friend, a sense of comfort among the unfamiliarity surrounding her. Her next years at Hogwarts were going to be much bleaker.
"I am afraid my best years have come to pass, and pushing my luck is not the best choice for me. I am grateful, however, for each and every one of you," said McGonagall. "Hogwarts has welcomed me when I've needed it the most, both when I was a student and now. So, I'd like to say one last thing before I bid you goodnight: thank you."