I don't own anything but the clothes on my back.
A/N Just a short little one shot I thought of on the five hour long trip up to my aunt and uncles house and back.
Dedicated to all the Hufflepuffs out there who get shafted in the stories.
"Potter, Albus!" Professor Flitwick called out.
With a gulp of air, he walked to the platform, ignoring the mutterings around the Great Hall.
"Harry Potters other son?"
"Oh my god! It really is his son!"
"He looks just like him!"
Taking another deep breath, he sat down on the stroll, looking over at the gold and scarlet table he knew he would be joining soon.
"Go get 'um, Al! Gryffindor for the win" James had shouted, and darkness took over as he now saw only the inside of the hat.
"Hmm!" the hat muttered, " A Potter and a Weasly once more! Well well I've not had the pleasure of meeting one quite like you, however. You're a brave lad, yes, no doubt about that."
Al's heart gave a leap of joy,
"but," and his heart fell down once more, "you're also very loyal, honest, hardworking, and you value fair play more so then any other virtue."
"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin!"
"Not Slytherin eh? Well, you are like your father in that sense. Well, you've no need to worry about that. You'd better be... HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Yes! Wait? WHAT?!"
The hat was taken off of him, and there was a loud roar of acceptance and applause from the far right decked out in black and yellow.
"We got Potter! We have Potter!": he heard the little bumblebees shout joyfully.
He turned to professor Flitwick and shook his head.
"There has to be some mistake!" He had to shout to be over heard above the shouts and applause from the Hufflepuff table, and the mutterings of confusion from all the others.
"The hat knows what's best, I'm afraid, Mr. Potter. Please take your seat."
Looking down at the floor, he got off the chair and made his way over to the Hufflepuff table, ignoring his brothers face as he passed.
"Al!" James shouted to him, but he ignored it. He didn't need the insults, not now, not when his next seven years had just been made hell.
Al kept his head down and made no move to even acknowledge the people who had slapped him on back, congratulating him, or who had asked if they could sit by him.
He looked up once when Rose's name had been called, and had to hide his face for fear of showing tears when she had been made a Gryffindor, along with the rest of his family and friends.
He ate not a thing, spoke not a word, and didn't listen to a word Headmaster Mcgonnigall had said, and the moment Mcgonnigall had said time for bed, he got up. ignoring the shouts of everyone he knew and followed his prefects to the dormitory by the kitchen.
He stepped in and made his way to the left hall where he saw some of the older boys going, found the Yellow "1" and walked in, kicked off his shoes, and laid down on the bunk where his stuff had been brought up. .
"Hufflepuff," he muttered angrily, covering himself up with the bright yellow comforter letting a tear leak down his face, thanking the stars it was too dark so that his other room mates didn't see him.
"Who wants to be loyal when you could be brave?".
He could still hear the hats words echoing as he closed his eyes, wishing that tomorrow he would wake up and have this all be some horrible dream
"You're going to be late, get up!" someone told him, and for one sweet, brief moment, he thought he was back home, and James was waking him up to play an early game of Quidditch.
He opened his eyes, expecting to see his own room, and his red headed brother standing over him, and was sorely disappointed when it was one of his new room mates standing over him.
"We're going to be late! Come on, you need to get dressed!"
Groaning angrily, he rolled over and covered his head back up.
"Leave me along. I'm a fricken badger? How can I show my face?"
"In case you didn't notice," the boy ripped off the covers, "We're all badgers. Now get up and get dressed."
Mumbling angrily, he pulled on his uniform, buttoned up his robe, looking down in disgrace at the small badger on his robe, and left the room.
Albus looked around the common room and groaned. The whole thing look like a Bumble Bee lair, with yellow and black covering everything. The big squishy arm chairs looked way to soft, and the fire places were too big. He was about to turn and leave when something caught his eye on the fireplace mantle. A picture next to a yellow and black plaque.
Albus walked up to and looked at the framed picture for a moment. A boy, he looked about eighteen, with good looking features, soft brown hair, and light honey brown eyes, was smiling and waving at the camera. He turned to the plaque and read.
"This plaque is dedicated to Cedric Diggory," it read. "The first casualty in the second war. A shining example of the perfect Hufflepuff. Fair, honest, true, and loyal to his friends and family. He will forever be remembered, and is a model for all Hufflepuff students, young and old.
Albus looked at it a moment longer, his mouth agape. His father had told him about Cedric. How he had died because Cedric, being a fair Hufflepuff, had wanted Harry to take the cup because Harry had saved him and told him about the Dragons. Harry had tried to get just him to take it, but Cedric had been stubborn, and Harry had suggested that they both take it, a true Hogwarts victory.
The way his dad spoke about him... it almost sounded admiring. He would have never guessed he was a Hufflepuff! Albus had always assumed he had been a Gryffindor.
One of the older students came up to him.
"I know the story of him," the boy said. "My mom dated him once. The way she said it, he was like the nicest guy."
Albus turned away from the plaque to look up at the boy.
"But, he was in the Twiwizard Tournament. I thought you had to be brave and strong to even be considered."
The boy scoffed and shook his head.
"Being brave and fearless means nothing if there's no fair play or honesty behind it. You could be the bravest man in the world, but if you're an ass who lie, cheats, and steals, then what's the point?"
Albus looked down at the ground. He never thought about it like that.
"Come on," the boy clapped Albus on the back, "we better get down if we want a shot at having a decent breakfast. I'm Jason Chang by the way."
"Albus-"
"I know" Jason searched over his features, "you look just like him."
Albus blushed slightly before they walked out of the common room, and walked the few feet to the Great Hall.
"Al!" James shouted when he walked through the doors, waving his arms. Rose was sitting next to him, as was a few of his older cousins.
Al took a deep breath, held his head high, and walked over there, ready for the torment that he knew was coming,"
"Better get it over with now," he thought to himself, a cold sweat breaking out.
"What?" he snapped at his brother. James eyes widened.
"Whoa, can it with the additude, Al. I just wanted to see how you liked your first night here."
He still had trouble getting rid of the stiffy voice, "and?"
"And nothing. God, I thought Puffs were supposed to be like, kind and generous or some shit."
"Hard working, loyal, and honest," he grumbled angrily.
"Well whatever. I just, you know, wanted to see how you were doing. Make any new friends yet?"
"Not yet, but I went to sleep as soon as I got to the common room and didn't really talk to anyone last night."
James shrugged, "well you're kind of cool, for a nerd. I'm sure there's bound to be someone willing to take pity on you and come up and talk."
That crooked smile told him that he was joking and Al let out a laugh. "Yeah, hopefully. I am after all, St. Potters one and only son." Albus grinned at him, knowing how much it annoyed him when people told him he looked nothing like Harry.
"Shut up," James grumbled, narrowing his chocolate brown eyes and running a hand through his neat red hair, trying to make it look somewhat messy. "Anyway," James face turned serious and he smiled a genuine smile at him. "I know how much you wanted to be in Gryffindor, and I'm sorry you're not. But, in all honesty, you told on yourself when you stole Moms Firebolt when you were seven. Did you really think you weren't gonna get in the honest and fair house?"
Albus shrugged, "I don't know. I'm like, the only Potter or Weasly in like, a hundred years not to be in Gryffindor, so."
"Yeah, but think of it this way, you don't have to sneak out that far to steal food from the kitchens."
Albus laughed and shrugged, "good point. But, I gotta go. I had no dinner last night, so I'm starving. See ya!"
He walked over to his table and sat down, grabbing some of the French Toast, and going to work on it.
"You mind if I sat here?"
Albus turned to the voice and his eyes widened when he saw the person who was standing, waiting for acceptance.
"I said do you mind if I sit here?" Scorpius Malfoy asked once more.
"Oh, um sorry... sure."
Scorpius smiled at him before he sat down next to him.
"I'm Scorpius Malfoy, by the way," he said, sticking out his hand, "and you are Albus Potter."
Al nodded and smiled at the boy. "People call me Al. So, um, no offense, Scorpius... but I thought all Malfoy's are supposed to be in Slytherin."
Scorpius shrugged. "I thought all Weasley's were supposed to be in Gryffindor. Guess we both broke the mold."
"Aren't your parents gonna be upset?"
He shrugged in indifference once more. "I mean they kind of pushed me towards Slytherin, but I don't think they'd disown me or anything. It's not like I'm in Gryffindor after all," he said with a shudder, as if the name itself tasted sour.
Albus chuckled and continued to eat his french toast. "Yeah, and I guess I could have done worse, I mean there is Slytherin," he said, making the same face Scorpius had when he had his families house spoken.
"You know what would be even worse though? Then Slytherin or Gryffindor?" Scorpius whispered, and Albus nodded.
"Ravenclaw," they both said at the same time, laughing and almost spilling their morning pumpkin juice.
The two boys smiled at one another and continued to eat their breakfasts, talking and chatting about everything they have heard and everything they guessed about Hogwarts and the classes.
"Maybe this won't be so bad," Albus told himself, a large smile never leaving the face of the young and happy Hufflepuff.
Aww! Doesn't that make you feel all warm and happy inside? Review please :)