Albus Severus Potter waved madly from the window of the Hogwarts Express, wiping tears from his eyes as he watched his parents slowly disappear. Excited but nervous for the coming adventure, he whirled at the sound of a girl's voice.
"Hi, I'm Hazel," she said brightly. "I'm a first year. I never knew something like Hogwarts existed. I had no idea all the stuff I could do was magic!"
Albus nodded, not sure how to reply. He sat there awkwardly until Hazel continued, "So yeah, I'm muggle-born. I think my little sister's magic, too, but we're not sure yet. What about you?"
Shrugging, Albus replied, "Half-blood."
Hazel didn't answer for a moment, her blue eyes thoughtful. "Cool. Hey, I never asked your name," she said expectantly, clearly waiting for Albus to speak.
"Albus Potter," he said. The words slipped casually from his tongue, for Albus had no idea of the significance both names possessed.
Hazel's eyes opened wide as she cried, "Potter? Like Harry Potter?"
Albus nodded. "Yeah, that's my dad. Do you know him?"
Looking shocked, Hazel said, "You honestly don't know? Tell me you're kidding!"
Albus stared at her. "What? What about him?"
"If you didn't have look so much like him," Hazel began slowly, "I'd say I had the wrong Harry Potter. Are you for real? You don't know?"
Albus shook his head, and Hazel launched into a clearly well-practiced speech. "Killed Voldemort...horcruxes...Ron Weasley-"
"Wait!" Albus said suddenly. "Did you say Weasley?"
"Yeah," answered Hazel. "Ron Weasley, his best friend."
"He's my uncle," Albus told her. "My cousin, Rose, is a first year too."
Hazel glanced at him, waved, and dashed out the door, calling, "Rose! Rose Weasley! Rose!"
As Hazel's voice became fainter, Albus flopped into a chair, exhausted, and stared out the window. In time, he changed, packed up what few items he had taken on the train, and got ready for Hogwarts.
Albus stumbled off the train amid a crowd of taller students, all wearing long black robes and chattering excitedly. A lone first year, Albus felt oddly left out.
Spotting the familiar black-bearded giant, Albus made his way over, calling, "Hagrid!"
The giant turned, his broad face alight. "Albus!" he roared. "It's been too long!"
When Hagrid had rounded up all the first years, they got into boats and glided across the flat surface of the glossy black lake.
Inside the towering stone castle, all the first years waited in a room beside the Great Hall. Finally, though, the doors creaked open.
Many of the kids gasped, including Albus. Students sat at four long tables decorated with house crests, staring as the first years walked past. Albus felt himself blushing under all the eyes.
Headmaster MacMillan brought out the sorting hat, which sang a song about unity. When it had finished, the headmaster began to call first years.
Aarons, Adam, a terrified, skinny kid with glasses and too-long robes, was first. He ended up in Hufflepuff, stumbling over to an earsplitting roar.
The sorting continued, and Bentley, Hazel, the girl Albus met on the train, became a Gryffindor. Albus felt his heart pounding harder and harder as he frantically wished to be in Gryffindor, too.
Malfoy, Scorpius was in Slytherin, and Oliver, Katie was in Ravenclaw. Then it was Albus's turn.
Headmaster McMillain called, "Potter, Albus," and the room went silent. Albus's footsteps echoed as he climbed the steps up to the stool. Sitting down, he placed the hat on his head. Not Slytherin, he thought, too petrified to speak. His thoughts did no good. "SLYTHERIN," roared the hat.
The room drew breath in a collective gasp, the air filling with whispers. Albus, shame-faced and full of disappointment and hurt, slunk off to the screaming Slytherin table.
He sat staring at his plate, terrified of seeing the expressions of Rose, Hagrid, and Neville. He was certain that they were horrified by this outcome.
When Rose became a Gryffindor, the last to be sorted, Albus glanced up. Rose gave him an apologetic, pitying grin, and danced off to join Hazel at the Gryffindor table.
The boy next to Albus smirked, saying, "Not like your father, then? The name's Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy."
Albus didn't respond, staring numbly down at his plate. He wasn't a Slytherin. He couldn't be a Slytherin!
Malfoy, leering at him, repeated, "I said, you're not like your good-for-nothing father, then?"
Albus froze, unsure of what to say. Agree, and renounce his father, who had given him a false promise, or disagree, and be exiled from his only possible friends over then next seven years?
Finally making up his mind, Albus said softly, "My father's a jerk. I don't want anything to do with the famous Harry Potter."
Malfoy nodded, grinning. "You got a middle name, Al? Your first and last don't really fit in here."
"Severus," mumbled Albus, and Malfoy grinned.
"No idea why Harry Potter would give you a Slytherin's name, but I'll call you Sev," he announced. "Best I can do... for now."
Albus nodded. "Okay."
Albus and Malfoy ate and ate until they were stuffed, talking and laughing the whole time. A few others: David McNair, Xander Lockheart, and Penelope Umbridge joined in. They all seemed to have something of a mean streak, but were accommodating and fairly agreeable. Albus began to enjoy himself. Maybe Slytherin wouldn't be so bad after all.
Following the feast, the five of them journeyed to the common room together, and Albus began to grasp their personalities.
McNair was crueler, more sarcastic. Xander was vain and shallow, but had a great sense of humor. Penelope was short but slender, with glossy blonde hair and emerald-green eyes, as different from her toad-like grandmother as could be. She was snippy and biting, but could be friendly if treated right.
A prefect gave them the password for the common room, Death Eater, which made Malfoy and McNair laugh. Albus wondered why, but didn't ask.
They walked into an enormous room, filled with green light that came from beneath the lake. Albus gasped, but McNair and Malfoy seemed unimpressed. Xander and Albus followed them, though Penelope broke away for the girls' dormitory.
The four boys entered a room with four-poster beds, made and ready, hung with green silk drapes. Albus found his trunk on the bed beside Malfoy's and began to unpack.
Later, lying in bed, Albus stared up at the green curtains. He was a Slytherin, and didn't know why. Was there a reason, or was it because of his father? His father had lied! Albus knew that the thought of his father not caring wasn't true, but shoved it out of his mind. He decided to make the best of it, but uncle Ron's words still echoed in his mind, "If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," as he drifted off to sleep.