Note: This is a re-write of a terrible old story I did a year or two ago. This is a full story of the first year at Hogwarts with all of the characters of the HP next generation. This is the first fic in a series of seven, obviously. I really hope you do enjoy. Please, please, please, PLEASE REVIEW!
THE NEXT GENERATION: YEAR ONE
Chapter One: The children
There was in no way the young Scorpius Malfoy was anything like his father. True, he bared a strong resemblance, handsome with blonde hair and pale skin. However, if a person were to look closely, they would see that he never wore that sneer Draco's fellows had seen on him. The reason was that Scorpius and Draco Malfoy were as different as could be.
The family named disgraced, the large inheritance Draco was supposed to have locked away in Gringots, the Malfoy family was the farthest thing from respectable or rich. Draco made his living as the assistant to Jacob Kragoff, the current Minister of Magic. He had taken the job after quitting his career as an Auror. It wasn't because his boss was Harry Potter, just that no one else besides Potter and his friends took Draco seriously or respected him. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had become friends through the corse of their final year at Hogwarts after the Final Battle. Draco had returned half way through the year, after being released from Azkaban on an appeal led by his mother who had been given a full pardon after saving Harry's life. It had taken a long time but a certain Professor had managed to bring the two boys hatred out of their minds.
Even though Draco had changed in many ways, he was still very stubborn and always worked to regain family honor, though no one else seemed to trust him. His wife, Astoria, was a beautiful woman with long, shining black hair. She was kind to almost everyone she met, becoming best friends with Ginny Potter as well. She was often asked why she had married Draco Malfoy in the first place. She simply stated that he was a fine man who had made mistakes out of the need to protect his family in a time of distress.
Their son was a very different matter. Scorpius had a personality more like his mother's than his father's. He always wanted to be nice to people and he had no prejudice against anyone, not even Muggle-borns. He was, as his father would call him, an interesting case. Scorpius did not really spend time with a large number of children his age as he was ignored, people naively assuming he was like his father and grandfather.
It was merely something Scorpius had to live with, being a Malfoy. He had no pride about it at all. In fact, it was something he was ashamed of. He had considered changing his hair color, to look less Malfoy, but he was still recognizable by his face, the face of Draco Malfoy at age eleven. These were the reasons why Scorpius dreaded the future when he received the much anticipated letter one summer morning.
Dear Mr. S Malfoy,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Dear Mr. A Potter
We are very pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Dear Ms. R Weasley,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Scorpius read the rest of the letter aloud to his parents, his mother beaming at him, Draco simply nodding his head.
James clapped a hand on Albus's back, proceeding to ruffle his little brother's hair. Ginny hugged and kissed him as his father grinned broadly, quickly summoning the telephone.
"Yes, yes! Rose got one too, Harry," Hermione said excitedly into the phone. "Oh, Ron! Albus received his letter too!"
Ron broke away from the cheery redheaded girl he had been hugging and came over to the phone to talk to Harry.
"I'll have to call Ginny," Astoria decided, rushing out of the kitchen to the fireplace, floo powder in hand.
Scorpius and Draco stood in silence for a few moments before Draco muttered
"Congratulations, son." and walking out as well.
...
The Malfoy family walked through Diagon Alley, ignoring any occasional glaring they would receive. Scorpius stayed close to his father, feeling more protected. Finally, they were walking into Gringots. The large building had an even more beautiful inside, marble walls and floor. Scorpius paid no attention to all of the Goblins staring at him with dark eyes. He did not believe it was because of his being a Malfoy but more or less because Goblins seemed to hate humans to begin with.
"I'd like to enter my volt, please," Draco said to the Goblin at the largest desk.
"Ah," he said in a high voice. "Mister Malfoy. I will need to see your key."
Draco removed the key from his pocket, holding it for the Goblin to see.
"Very well," the creature smiled. "If you will kindly follow me."
He led them through the large iron door which led into the "Underworld of Gringots" as many called it.
The group of four climbed into the cart, the goblin pulling a lever and making it push forward and down the track, reminding Scorpius of Muggle Roller Coasters.
After a few short minutes of speeding deeper into the ground, the cart came to a stop in front of their volt. The Malfoys stapes out, followed by their guide, who moved in front of them, key in hand.
"Stand back," he reminded.
After unlocking the door, he stepped away as it swung forward, revealing decent amounts of gold, silver, and bronze.
"You may now remove the amount you need," said the goblin.
Astoria held out a leather pouch for Draco to scoop money in.
"Yes, well that will be all," Draco told the goblin as he finished shoveling the money.
"Then we will now return," he announced.
...
Albus sat in his room, twirling the long brown wand in his hand. It was beautiful, despite being 12 inches of wood. It was elm with a unicorn hair in the core. Al personally felt the wand had chosen quite well.
There was a knock on his door followed by a
"Al?" from his big brother, James.
"Come in," Al called.
James Sirius Potter walked in, smiling his cocky grin as he looked upon the small figure of Albus.
James was very good looking. He did not really look like his dad beside his black hair. His hair was much curlier and large, covering the top of his head in a small afro. He had blue eyes and a face people always said looked very Weasleyish, despite the absence of freckles. Albus admired his brother, but was intimidated by him. A star Quidditch chaser at Hogwarts who could make girls heads turn just by strutting through the common room after a game. How could Al compete with that?
Albus looked exactly like his father, perhaps taller. He had every old feature, including the jet black hair matted over his head, untidy on the top and in the back. He had also been the only Potter child to inherit their departed grandmother's eyes.
"You're nervous, aren't you?" James asked.
When Al said nothing in reply, James laughed and hopped on to the bed as well. He put an arm around his sibling and said
"Nothing' ll go wrong. Don't worry. There's just the problem of what house you'll be sorted into."
Al looked at him.
"Problem?" he inquired. "What does it matter what house I'll be in, long as it isn't Slytherin?"
"Ah, THERE'S your problem, little bro. There's a pretty good chance of being in Slytherin, right?"
Al froze.
"N-no," he muttered. "No, I'm n...not gonna be in Slytherin."
James snickered.
"Aw, you're beginning to stutter. Guess you're nervous. Don't worry. As a fourth year Gryffindor Quidditch star, I have the power to make your life as brilliant as can be in terms of popularity. Unless you're in Slytherin. Then I can make your life a living hell! Bye!"
He cheerfully exited the room, leaving his stunned younger brother quivering with nerves.
...
As the Malfoys walked out of Flourish and Blots, Scorpius mentioned how he still needed a wand.
"Very well. I'll go and buy your owl and your mother can go and get you some Potion supplies."
Astoria nodded.
"We can...trust you, right?" he said, looking down on his son.
Scorpius tried not to look nervous under his father's glare.
"Y-yeah, da- I mean- Yes, father," Scorpius responded.
He turned on his heel and quickly sped away, passed the large Weasley Wizard Weezes joke shop and right in front of the small wand shop.
He took a deep breath, wondering if the shop keeper would resent him, and entered.
A tall man with short, dark brown hair and a pointed Wizard's cap to match his dark purple robes looked up as Scorpius entered. Surprisingly, he smiled.
"Hello there, Mr. Malfoy," he greeted.
Scorpius stared and then said
"I actually prefer-,"
"Scorpius," the man interrupted, moving from behind the desk. He shook his hand and introduced himself as Mr. Olivander.
"I replaced my great-uncle after his unfortunate death six years ago. I always figured I would be the one to take over the family business. But enough of that, let's find the right wand for you."
He picked up a rectangular box from a shelf and removed the wand as the lid magically lifted off.
"Ah, yes. Blackthorn with a string of holly as the core. Hard and strong in the right hand."
He handed the thick black wand to Scorpius. The child knew immediately this wand wasn't for him. As he felt the weight, he thought that it was probably not in the "right hand".
"Give it a wave," Olivander pressured slightly.
Scorpius nodded and waved it through the air.
Immediately, the shelf behind them shot twelve wand boxes out at them. Scorpius leaped out of the way in fright while Olivander calmly ducked without paying them any attention, proceeding to take the wand away from Scorpius and mutter
"Probably not."
...
Rose and Hermione sat in the kitchen, Hermione still grinning broadly and beaming at her daughter.
"I'm sure you'll love it just as much as I did, Rosie. Everyone always says you're just like me."
"Means you're gonna answer all the questions for the others," Ron joked as he and Hugo entered.
"Oh, shut up, Ron," Hermione said as her husband lovingly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "You're not mad at me, are you?"
"I'm always mad at you," she replied, smiling.
...
Five wands later, Olivander brought out the sixth choice. As soon as Scorpius looked at it, he felt something, like a connection. It was thirteen inches, ink black and thin. As he took it, he felt how light and swishy it was. As soon as he closed his fingers over the handle, the wand tip glowed brightly, sending a wind through the store and making Scorpius's hair billow slightly, like a wonderful feeling breeze had hit them.
"Excellent," Olivander murmured a satisfied look on his face. "That is an elm wand, just like your grandfather's. Except that your wand has a different core. A Phoenix feather. Use it well. It is an excellent wand."
He accepted Scorpius's six sickles and bowed him out of the shop.
...
September 1st,
Well, it's finally come. I don't know whether or not people will expect me to be just like my mother or not, but what I do know is that I'll work hard to be my own person. After all, it's who I am. Albus Potter is not Harry Potter. And I am not Hermione Granger...I am Rose Weasley.
Rose put her pen down and closed her diary. Neatly placing both in her trunk, she sat on her bed, waiting for the sun to rise and for it to be time to finally go to Hogwarts.
...
Scorpius walked with his parents through the crowded station of King's Cross. The Muggles noticed nothing as all three of them walked straight through the brick barrier and into platform 9 3/4. Once through, Scorpius pushed his trolley up to the gleaming red train, the Hogwarts Express.
...
Little Albus pushed his trolley through King's Cross, looking at his smirking older brother.
"Ready for your sorting?" he asked. "Think you'll get stuck in Slytherin?"
"I won't," Albus snapped back. Then, as if more sure of it- "I won't be in Slytherin!"
"James," Ginny began. "Give it a rest."
"I only said he MIGHT be," James responded. "He MIGHT be in Slyth-,"
He faulted under the look their mother gave him.
As Harry assured his crying youngest child, Lily, that the two years from now before she attended would be here before she knew it, James ran through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
Albus looked nervously at the brick wall, as if not completely sure of it.
Harry put an assuring arm around his son and took hold of the trolley as well.
"Together," he assured.
They both ran through the wall and into 9 3/4.
Rose smiled as her mother zipped up her jumper, still asking if she was sure she had everything. By the end of it, Hermione embraced her child as Ron cheerfully smiled while putting an arm around his son, Hugo. Hugo looked like a mix of Weasley and Granger. He had brown hair but still had freckles and an adorable smile. Ron always commented how Hugo was better looking than himself at that age.
As they met up with the others, Albus and Rose grinned to each other, Al's looking rather forced.
"What's wrong?" Rose asked, reading his expression.
"Nothing," he told her.
As she climbed on board, Al pretended to tie his shoe. Harry saw his son and leaned in front of him.
"Dad," Al said. "What if I am in Slytherin?"
Harry looked at the copied image of himself at the age of eleven. He looked into those eyes...his eyes...Lily's eyes. Albus was the only child of Harry's to inherit them.
"Albus Severus," he started. "You were named for two head masters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin...and he was probably the bravest man I've ever knew."
This made Al smile until he continued
"But...just say-,"
"Then Slytherin house will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it means that much to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."
"Really?"
"It did for me."
They stood and hugged, Harry feeling some tears threatening to spill out. His identical son was beginning his adventure, whatever may come. It made him miss the old days.
Albus and the others said their last goodbyes before hopping onto the train.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all watched as the train pulled away, Albus leaning out of the window of his compartment he shared with Rose, James, Victoire, and Nick Kragoff.
He smiled to himself as his father waved.
His adventure had begun.
…
Scorpius pulled his heavy trunk through the corridor before simply putting it with a group of other luggage that people wouldn't be bothering to take into their compartments. He looked around nervously. He didn't know anybody. Who was he supposed to sit with? As he thought frantically about perhaps making up a fake name and praying nobody saw the resemblance, Scorpius did not notice the two angry looking boys standing directly behind him.
…
The train sped through fields of green as Albus and the others sat and talked. Finally, James and Victoire stood.
"Well, I'm off to go hang out with some people my age," James announced. "See you."
He and the seventh year walked out of the compartment, James beginning to question her about her relationship with his older god-brother, leaving Albus and Rose in a silence with Nick.
"So," Rose began. "How are you, Nick?"
Nick had dark brown hair like his father, the Minister of Magic, Jacob Kragoff. Jacob was an old school friend of Al's and Rose's parents, back in the days of the war. He had fought bravely in the Battle of Hogwarts, earning recognition as a war hero. His son was as over shadowed as Rose and Albus were.
"I'm fine. Hung out with Uncle Chad most of the summer. Pretty fun, but I'm glad to be finally going to Hogwarts."
"Same here," Rose said. "I just wonder what house I'll be in. I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be very bad at all, but Gryffindor sounds by far the best. As long as it isn't-,"
"Slytherin," Albus finished darkly and with menace.
Rose and Nick looked over at him.
"Um, yeah," said Rose.
Before she could continue, Albus started with
"James, however, seems to think I'm perfect for Slytherin. It seems to be the best house for me in his opinion. I mean, when did I ever strike anyone as a Sl...Slytherin? When?"
Rose and Nick were silent when he finished.
"I'll be back," Rose told them. "Hang on."
She stood up and walked out.
"Wait, are you gonna get candy from the trolley?" Nick asked as she left.
She didn't answer but instead moved out of the compartment and into where James and his friends were sitting.
"James," Rose said as she opened the door. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure thing, Rosie," he answered, smirking as Rose rolled her eyes at her mother's nickname for her.
"Did you tell Albus that he'd be sorted into Slytherin?" she questioned.
"What? No," he retorted. After a silence, he muttered
"Well, a little."
"Listen, you've got to talk to him. He's really upset and seems to think that he's going to end up in it. And I kind of decided to end this before it becomes a whole annoying thing-,"
"Rose. I'm not talking to the kid. He'll be fine. He's not gonna end up in Slytherin, I was only joking with him. Anyway, if he decides to make this into a big thing, that's his damn problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go hang out with friends. Bye, cuz."
He walked back into his compartment.
Rose rolled her eyed again, crossing her arms.
"Honestly," she muttered.
She walked back over to her compartment, Nick asking where she had gone.
"I just went to talk to somebody," she muttered.
After a few minutes, in which an old man came by with the candy trolley, Albus went into an animated conversation with Nick about how the Chudley Cannons were becoming a fairly decent team.
"Uncle Ron actually wanted to be on their team, didn't he Rose?"
She smiled.
"Yes, I remember, Al."
"A lone voice standing out in a group of haters for a terrible team, he was," Nick joshed in mock admiration.
As Nick prepared for his speech on why they used to be such a bad team, the compartment door slid open, two teenage boys in fifth or sixth year dragging a small blonde figure in their arms.
"In," one commanded sternly.
They tossed him in, the boy hitting the train floor hard. He was dressed in very thin, grey clothes, his pants short and tight around his bare, pale ankles.
The older students suddenly seemed to notice the other three children, all related to war heroes, one hero now being the actual Minister along with the other being Harry Potter! Surprised, one smiled and said
"Sorry. We just needed to show HIM his place."
He looked at the boy with disgust on his face.
"See you, then," the other one muttered as they walked out, allowing the door to slide shut.
Nick got down on the floor, helping the blonde boy to his knees. He had a tear stained face and a red mark on his left cheek where he had been punched. Only then, did Rose realize who he had to be.
"You're Scorpius Malfoy, aren't you?"
He looked at her, quickly whipping the tears out of his eyes.
"Y...yeah," he replied, shakily. "Unfortunately."
He turned to leave before Albus said something Rose had not expected.
"Wait, why don't you hang out here?" he asked.
The others eyed him, Scorpius responding with
"Why would you want to ride with me? I'm just a worthless little Malfoy."
He did not say the words rudely, but sounded more sad and lonely.
"Well, our parents forgave your dad when they started working with him at the Ministry," Albus explained, leaning in. "So why not try for a friendship?"
Scorpius considered this.
After a minute, he extended his hand and Albus shook it.
"Scorpius Malfoy," he introduced.
"Albus Potter," Al said. "This is Nick Kragoff and my cousin, Rose Weasley."
Scorpius smiled at Rose. She returned it. He sat down next to Nick, across from Rose and Al. The four sat in a silence for a while before Albus sent the other two boys into a lengthy conversation about Quidditch. That was usually a topic one could rely on to interest others during an awkward silence.
After a lone while, two other sixth years opened the compartment door, making Scorpius cringe slightly at the sight of menacing older kids. He soon relaxed when he noticed the kind expressions they had on their faces. They looked rather friendly.
The taller one had long, black hair that curled on the sides with skin much to tan for any normal British person. He, like his friend, was wearing a Muggle hoody jacket. The other boy was smaller, but by no means short, with long brown hair that settled around his head like a mop. He was paler but had a bit of a cocky smile, like he was more of a jokester most of the time. The taller one greeted them.
"'Ello, there," he said in a cockney accent. "Whas' this we got 'ere, Jacob? A bunch of ickle first years?"
"Shut up, Stintin," Albus replied, smiling.
"You've got my dad's first name?" Nick asked the smaller boy.
"Yep, but I wouldn't say I'm named after him. I'm Muggle Born," Jacob answered. He spoke with an American accent and Rose decided to ask him where he was from.
"North Carolina, in the United States," he told.
"You're from the states?" Albus said, looking impressed.
"Yep," cockney Martin put in. "We've got ourselves a real full bread American right here, then. Not a drop of British blood in 'im."
"For the last time, Martin, I'm pretty sure I'm related to the British Muggle who invented Penicillin," Jacob said, annoyed.
Martin waved a hand.
"Fine, then. He hasn't got a drop of Magic blood in 'im."
"Well, obviously not from my family, but I have some for myself seeing as I'm a Wizard," Jacob corrected, comically smiling as Martin rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to Albus.
"How's your brother, then?" he inquired.
"An ass as usual" Albus said.
"Good," Martin responded. "That means he's healthy."
"Nothing like being a bit of an asshole when you have to be," Jacob joked, swinging an arm around Martin. The two were loud and very entertaining.
"Well, do you have any brothers of your own, Jacob?" Rose said to him.
"Three," he responded. "Two older brothers, twins, who were two years older than I am, and one little bro who is-," he looked around, "-not here right now. You'll meet him later on, he's only a year older than the four of you."
"Try having four brothers," Nick muttered, glumly. "One older one, who is about twenty, two younger brothers, twins who are five years younger, and one baby brother, ten years younger."
"My dad grew up the second youngest of a group of seven kids, with him having five brothers and one sister," Rose commented. "Top that."
"I heard about a family of twenty kids, Ms. Weasley," Jacob informed. "Let's pray to God that nobody has topped THAT. If they have, it's official. People are having WAY to much sex."
The younger kids laughed at the joke, Jacob and Martin both grinning broadly. Just then, Jacob noticed Scorpius and said
"And you are-,"
There was a pause where Scorpius looked too nervous to answer.
"I'm…," he began.
"Scorpius Malfoy," Rose Weasley finished.
"Ah, the son of a Death Eater," Martin said, not looking angry at all. More like he didn't really even care. "Good to know."
"Careful, he might be dangerous," Jacob warned jokingly, pointing a serious finger at Scorpius. He then shouted in a totally outrages rough British accent with a deep voice-, "YOU SIR! YOU ARE ACCUSED OF A CRIME OF BEING THE SON OF A MAN ACCUSED OF THE CRIME OF BEING THE SON OF A MAN WITH MUCH LONGER HAIR ACCUSED OF THE CRIME OF ASSOCIATING WITH A MAN ACCUSED OF THE CRIME OF DOING A LOT OF STUFF THAT ENDED UP IN A WAR. WHAT IS YOUR DEFENSE, SIR?"
Scorpius smiled, relieved that the two jokers didn't seem to feel any hatred toward him at all. They seemed happy for an excuse to make jokes involving talking in fake accents.
"WE MUST QUESTION, SIR!" Martin shouted in the same fake, comical accent.
"I MUST AGREE, MY STRANGELEY TAN COMPANION," Jacob shouted back. "A FULL CAVITY SEARCH ON THE LAD. STRIP DOWN HIS PANTS AND UNDERGARMENTS AND CHECK HIS PENILE AREA FOR ANY DANGEROUS WEAPONS!"
The two boys picked up the laughing child and began tickling him until he could bare it no longer. The other three first years howled with laughter at the entertaining teenagers until another person came in and stopped them all.
"What the hell is going on in here?" said the teenage boy who had walked in. He was fairly tall with long, dirty blonde hair and pale skin. His eyes were bright blue and he looked very confused at what he was seeing.
"Ah, Lysander," Jacob quickly greeted in a much lighter but still very false British voice. He straightened up quickly as if nothing had happened, Martin copying him, the two still clutching the giggling Scorpius, adding more comedy to the scene and making the other three children laugh even harder.
"Seriously, why the hell are you already torturing first year students with your damn jokes?" he said, not looking cross but bewildered and unsurprised.
"We are not torturing," Jacob explained, sounding serious and still speaking quickly. "We are merely performing a cavity search on this young boy who is believed to be a Death Eater because of his questionable ancestry."
"Hm, yes. Would you like to assist us?" Martin asked in a mocking voice of an upper-class British gentleman. "It is quite good fun."
"What the hell are you talking about, 'questionable ancestry'? My dad is the grandson of some author of a boring Hogwarts textbook and my mother is a quite blonde woman who used to creep the hell out of people by talking about nargles and snork-axes and all sorts of other stuff that doesn't exist. I'm almost afraid to ask how weird HIS parents are."
He gestured at Scorpius, whose smile had faded away not.
"This is the son of Count Dracula," Jacob introduced.
"Oh, cut the crap and quit fuc-,"
"Language, language in front of the children, dear Lysander," Martin interrupted, waving a finger in front of his face. "You'll give them bad ideas and that's OUR job."
"I was only joking, of course. This is the son of- not Dracula- but DRACO. Draco Malfoy of the…well, the Malfoy family."
Lysander was quiet for a moment, making Scorpius nervous. The smiles on the other first years only returned slightly when Jacob said
"Do not fear, my dearest Scamander. This boy is almost harmless. We're training him not to bite people."
"And he's getting the hang of it," Martin added.
Lysander rolled his eyes and gave a distasteful look down at Scorpius, before walking away from the compartment.
Scorpius hung his head in shame and the others looked down sadly at him.
"Hey," Jacob began, gently pulling the boy's face up to look at him. "Chin up, kid. Lysander's just like that with people. He's always in a bad mood because people always tell him off whenever he makes fun of his twin brother, Lorcan and makes him feel put down. To tell the truth, his brother's a bit of a wimp. Sometimes a little shy."
"But everybody's like that to me," Scorpius said back.
The others were quiet as Jacob smiled down at Scorpius in an almost older-brotherly sort of way.
"Oh, don't worry. That's all just bullsh-,"
"Aht!" Martin interjected.
"I mean, that's pish and tosh," Jacob said, catching himself. "The kids here will learn that you're nothing like your dad. Besides, he's turned into a pretty good man these days. I'm sure you'll do great here."
He ruffled Scorpius's hair and the little boy smiled.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Jacob countered, speaking in his normal American accent again. "Just keep optimistic and come find one me or Martin if anybody gives you any trouble."
The two opened the door and stepped out, smiling at the first years before walking away.
…
The light outside slowly began to fade as the sun retired away from sight.
It was nearly eight o'clock by the time they reached the small Wizarding village of Hogsmeade. When they pulled into the station, Albus, Scorpius, Rose, and Nick walked off, dressed in black school robes. They walked alongside the older students until they saw a massive figure walking toward them, dressed in a humongous brown overcoat with a large black beard that mostly obscured his face. He was maybe eight feet tall.
"Firs' years!" he boomed. "Firs' years! Come on, firs' years this way!"
It was Hagrid. He was carrying a large, heavy lamp in his left hand, gesturing with his right for the eleven year old children to follow.
"Hagrid," Albus said as they walked up to him.
"Well, well. Looks like Albus Potter decided to show," Hagrid laughed. "You could be yer dad's twin. It'd be like the old days. You'll have a right good time...eh...trust me."
He put on his smile and turned away from them. Rose thought she knew why he seemed hesitant. He had once said the same thing to Harry. It had only taken four years for things to take a turn for the worst.
Hagrid led the first years through the station and to a dock with several small boats waiting for them. They piled in, four children in each boat, and begun to sail through the large, mountain surrounded lake.
Albus sat in a boat with Nick, Scorpius, and Rose. As they slowly sailed around a dark hill, they saw Hogwarts school for the first time. A gigantic castle with brilliantly lit windows, giving off a strong bright light that eliminated the black lake. There were oohs and awes from the other first years as their eyes were glued to their new home.
They sailed into a large glass boathouse, the boats seeming to stop themselves and holding their place. As the first years clambered out, Hagrid checked the boats for any items that may have been left behind.
When he was finished, he stood up and called
"Alright, then. Let's get up ter the school!"
He led the students up a large stone staircase that spiraled up the mountain side, leading up into a cobblestone courtyard which sat directly in front of two large double doors seated at the bottom of the large school.
They all stood behind Hagrid, who raised a hand the size of Al's head, and knocked three times.
The doors swung backward, away from the students and they saw a tall man in long black robes that looked like they were from ancient times like when Hogwarts had first opened, perhaps. The man wearing them, however, was much younger than that. He was skinny with short dirty blonde hair that hung over half his forehead. He had an odd expression on his face, like his mouth had been stretched too far from side to side. His eyes were a little too wide and he nodded when he saw them all. Rose felt like she was looking at a mad scientist of some sort.
When he spoke, the man's mouth looked more normal.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," he greeted. "Thank you for bringing them, Hagrid."
"Welcome, Professor," Hagrid replied, slipping through two more double doors behind the strange looking Professor.
"Now," the man continued. "My name is Professor Moses. I am the Deputy Head to our Headmaster. Here at Hogwarts, rules are to be followed. There are four houses. Gryffindor-,"
The Potter/Weasley clan smiled to themselves.
"Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."
Scorpius shifted rather uncomfortably.
"Your house will be much like your family and good deeds shall earn you points. Rule breaking shall lose you points. At the end of the year, which ever house has the most points shall win the House Cup. Now, if you'll all kindly wait out here for a few minutes."
Professor Moses turned away from them and opened one of the double doors a crack, slipping inside and closing it before any of them could catch a glimpse of the immaculate Great Hall.
The large group of first years waited intently for what seemed like hours instead of minutes. In the pool of uncertain, nervous faces there were some calm expressions, completely confident of which house they would end up in. This was not the look of Albus, Scorpius, Rose, or Nick. The four of them all looked anxious, wondering if they even wanted Professor Moses to return, taking them to what would surely be humiliation. And here Albus was, wondering if James had been right all along about Slytherin.
They waited for a few minutes longer, some whispering emitting from other students, before the dark cloaked man reappeared. He looked at them all with those wide eyes.
"Attention, first years," he said in that strange voice. "You may now enter the Great Hall for your sorting."
The doors slowly swung open, showing the students the beautiful dining area. It was the largest room Scorpius had ever seen with floating candles covering them overhead beneath a large ceiling that showed the cloudy night sky. It was brilliantly lit, torches hung along the walls and four long tables in the middle, with a large gap in the middle for walking. There was a small wooden stage at the back of the room with the longest table out of the others. It had all of the staff seated at it and they were all (most of them) smiling warmly as the new students filed in, some looking scared while most forgot their fears of sorting to stare at the brilliant place that would serve as their eating area.
In the middle of the Head table, seated in a large gold colored thrown like chair was a man wearing long, red robes. He had a long silver beard and equally long hair. The strange thing about his hair was how it seemed to shimmer, looking like it was made of unicorn hair instead of the normal scratchy hairs men usually wore for beards.
He had pale skin and a cheery smile. Albus wondered if this was similar to what Dumbledore looked like when he was alive, then he remembered that he had seen the dead Headmaster in a picture of a chocolate frog card. He hadn't had silvery, shinning hair like this man did. This had to be their Head Master, Professor Greystash.
On the stage, up the small steps, was an old stool with an even older hat that sat on top of it. It was dark brown, basically black now, with several wholes and tears in it. The first years all gathered at the steps and waited.
The hat began to move, it's top standing up, erecting itself. The brim opened up as if it were a mouth, two large wrinkles looking like dark eyes. It began, in an old and weathered deep voice, to sing.