Chapter1: This is all wrong
The sun was setting behind the mountains to the east. Biting autumn winds were racing over the green hills around. Heavy clouds piled up in the darkening sky above. Standing on a grassy top in the middle of it all was a single shadowy figure, wrapped in a billowing cloak, watching the buzz around the castle below.
A procession of tiny lights was creeping towards the brightly lit fortress, snaking its way over the winding road that connected to the village lying behind the hills to the cloaked figure's right. There also were a handful of lights gliding over the now night-blackened lake next to it. The cloaked figure watched them intently.
Albus Severus Potter walked rigid amidst the other first-years. Looking straight ahead, he strode down the great hall while trying his best to ignore the calls and looks coming from the surrounding 4 tables. His left hand was caught in the crushing grip of Rose Weasley, while his right hand was numb from having its sleeve pulled tight by the clutch of Lucy Weasley, Uncle Percy's daughter.
The sun-blond girl had barely said a word since their meeting on the train, which would have been awkward if it hadn't been for the fire-headed Rose filling the silence with her constant, over-exited monologue. Neither of the two seemed willing to leave his side. Ever.
'What are these two thinking!' Albus wondered.
Why were they looking to him for support when he was at least twice as scared as they were? It almost made him appreciate his third cousin, Dominique.
The second daughter of Uncle Bill was walking in front of him, dazzling with the way her incredibly silky hair swayed about the length of her slender back. It was crimson-red with black stripes added here and there. She had sat in the same train-compartment as them, but had made it very clear that she wasn't sharing it.
Rose's one attempt to include the almost unnaturally pretty girl had ended very badly. Shooting a murderous glare, Dominique had chided Rose for interrupting her while reading, called her an over-talkative brat and told her to go bother someone who could suffer the sound of her ear-ripping voice. Rose had almost cried. Albus had seethed with anger, but he softened later on when Dominique's sharp tongue succeeded in driving his obnoxious brother James away, who had come to torment them.
The 30 or so first-years reached the end of the isle. Nervous young eyes looked up to the teacher's table. Albus recognized the strong-jawed Mr. Neville, who winked reassuringly when their eyes met, as well as the ever gigantic Mr. Hagrid. The sorting hat loomed ominously on a chair in front of the table. Albus couldn't help but feel like it was staring at him with unseen eyes.
"Welcome students, to a new Year at the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" An ancient looking bald man declared as he slowly heaved himself up from the teacher table's centremost chair.
"I am Headmaster Horace Slughorn! Don't go into the forest, stay in at night, no magic in the halls, etcetera… etcetera… I AM TO DAMN OLD FOR THIS! Lets just do the sorting and get it over with!" The frail old man dropped back into his cushioned chair.
Most of the professors palmed their faces in embarrassed dismay as the hall erupted into laughter and applause. Hagrid's massive body rocked with a suppressed chuckle. The man whom the Weasely–clan kids knew as Neville (but would be calling Professor Longbottom now) stood up and strode around the talbe to stand by the sorting hat's side. He unrolled a large scroll in his hands and the hall fell silent.
"When I call your name, come forward and sit on the chair! I will place the Hat on your head and he'll sort you out! Sort you in! Ummm... you know what I mean!"
Albus looked around to see several of the other first-years look at each other in anxiety and, in some (probably muggle-born) cases, confusion.
"Alex Bider!"
A dashing looking boy with blond hair stepped up confidently. Professor Longbottom picked the sorting hat up by the tip, Alex sat down with an ever so slightly tense smile and the hat fell over his eyes.
"Griffindor!"
The boy looked happy, but not remotely as excited as a 11 year old should have been in this situation.
"Bartholomew Newgate the fifth!"
Albus could feel his heart beating violently against his chest as one fellow newcomer after the other was called up to be sorted. His hands would have been sweating and shaking, weren't it for Lucy and Rose's continued efforts to keep them free of circulation and feeling.
"He isn't calling in the right order. He's saving us for last, Al!" Rose whispered with a mixture of dread and excitement. Stealing a nervous glace around, Al saw that just about everyone bare his extended family was gone. Dominique looked as cool headed as ever, and seemed to be having a quiet conversation with the Malfoy kid, Scorpius.
"Albus Severus Potter!"
Time seemed to slow. The realization that THE moment had finally arrived was almost enough to keep Albus from noticing the blood-flow being painfully restored to his hands. Like in trance, he stepped forward. He heard himself muttering something to his cousins. He climbed the 4 steps and turned around to face the great hall.
Eyes. All fixed on him. Full of wonder and expectation.
Albus noticed his body sitting down ontothe hard, wooden chair. He could somehow feel the dirty old wizard hat begin its descent towards him. As the old lump of magical cloth approached, he saw the great door opening on the far end of the hall. It opened soundlessly and only little. Someone in a dark cloak slipped inside. Harry caught sight of a pale faced smile, felt some sort of ripple go through the room, and then everything went dark.
"Hello?" Albus thought, remembering that the hat was supposed to be talking to him. There was no response, only the lingering buzz of the ripple he had just felt.
"Mr. Sorting hat? Are you there?"
Several more moments of quiet passed. Albus wondered if he should tell Neville about the hat's silence, but then the whispering voice he had so long fretted about finally reached in his ear, or his mind, whichever.
"What? Oh, yes... sorting… Well, lets see who we have… WHAT?"
Albus flinched at the sorting hat's sudden yell.
"Another Weasley kid! From the mother's side this time! By Merlin's beard, is there no end to you?"
"Sorry..." Albus reflexively thought, startled by the hat's aggressive tone. Was it normal for it to get angry?
"I have no need for your apologies boy! Are there any more of you coming?"
Albus' mind jumped to Rose, Lucy and Dominique, and the hat's maybe magical voice cried out in rage.
"Four Weasley kids in one year! With those already here, you can found your own Quidditch team!"
"I'm really so…"
"Oh spare me your blubbering. I've had it! I have had it with these bloody red-haired Weaseley's in this bloody rotten castle! Time to shake things up a bit."
"RAVENCLAW!"
When the hat lifted, Albus saw his own 'What the…?'-expression reflected in the faces of all his family, but most of all James', who looked like he was chocking on a snitch. Deaf to the thunderous applause from the hall, Albus looked up at Neville and saw only a smile of mild surprise. A tap on the back, and he was down the stairs again, on his way towards the thunderously cheering table of Ravenclaw house.
"There is something wrong with the hat." He mumbled to Rose as he passed her, but she just smiled and gave him a hug. Her name was called and she was gone.
'I need to tell someone! Lucy, Dominique, anyone!' Albus thought in his stupor, but he was already being grabbed by congratulating, yellow-sleeved arms and carted off. He managed to look back just in time to see his fear come true.
"HUFFELPUFF!"
"No!" Albus yelled in dismay, struggling against the arm sitting him down and handing him butter-beer.
"It's out of your hand's now, boy." A smooth voice mused from across the table. Albus wheeled around to see the dark-cloaked figure from before, sitting with its face hood-hidden. None of the other students seemed to notice it.
"Lucy Weasely!" Neville called, his tone almost unnoticably strained.
"What do you mean!" Albus demanded while trying to get a look at the butter-beer drinking face under the hood.
"SLYTHERIN!" Albus' turning face paled, but it wasn't nearly as white or shocked as Lucy's. She sought his eyes as she stood up, and it broke his heart.
"What did you…!" Albus turned towards the dark cloaked figure again, but the spot where it had sat was empty.
"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Dominique Weasley!"
"HUFFELPUFF!"
Albus' realized that his screams were being mistake for cheers. It wasn't supposed to be this way. They were supposed to be in Gryffindor together! This was all wrong...