The Great Hall of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry echoed with the laughter and excited chatter of hundreds of exuberant students returning to the prolific magic school. A new sort of excitement mingled with fear filled the Great Hall as the first years poured in for sorting. This was Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter's first year at Hogwarts.
Albus wrung the hem of his Oxford nervously as he watched one first year after another sit on the sorting stool and than scamper off to their Houses. He remembered his father's patient and loving words before he got on the Hogwarts Express but he still felt like a pound of lead had filled up the pit of his belly as he waited for his name to be called.
"Knott, Eva." A little blonde girl with wide blue eyes flushed a terrified pink as she climbed up on to the stool and the professor lowered the Sorting Hat over her tiny little head.
"Hufflepuff!" it cheered, accompanied by the clambering of the Hufflepuff table and the polite claps of the rest of the Houses. Eva didn't look too thrilled though.
"Malfoy, Scorpius." Albus let his eyes wander as the pale boy climbed shakily on to the stool. The young Potter's large green eyes peered curiously around the magnificent room, stunned by the millions of floating candles and see through ceiling. Albus' eyes were suddenly drawn to a small convergence of students at the very end of the center table, Slytherin. Albus was terrified of the Slytherin but his father had assured him there was nothing to fear if he was sorted into Slytherin, but Albus had his doubts. Still, there was something odd about this motley patch of unlikely students. Firstly, they were all of different ages, from seconded years all the way up to seventh years. Secondly, some of them seemed to be prefects and one was even wearing a shinny Head boy badge. But it was the third and truly oddest thing that struck Albus the most. The group of teens were all from different Houses. The Head boy was a Hufflepuff and the sleepy eyed brunette sitting beside him was a Slytherin. Across from them was another Slytherin prefect, a boy, and a female Gryffindor prefect. Two other students, too young to be prefects, were also sitting with the others, talking in hushed but friendly tones. It seemed very odd to Albus that this mix of students would have been straying from their Houses, especially on the first day but…
"Potter, Albus. Mr. Potter, pay attention!"
"Sorry!" Albus squeaked as he scampered up on to the stool and the Sorting Hat was dropped down over his ears, almost hiding the horrible red blush that was consuming his face. Almost.
"Gryffindor!"
"Gryffindor first years this way, please!" a pretty little fifth year prefect ordered to the younger students, motioning widely with her arms for them to follow her even though she was only slightly taller than them and kept getting lost in the bustle of the exiting students. Albus instantly recognized the fifth year prefect as one of the strange students that had been seated at the end of the center table chatting.
"Hey Regina!"
"Not right now Ian! Can't you see I'm leading the fishies?" the little fifth year snapped at a cheeky freckle faced Gryffindor.
"Aww, Reggie, your just no fun anymore," the boy sighed and kicked disenchanted at the scuffed floor as he puttered off. Albus tried to push forward to reach Regina and bumped hard into a pointy faced pale boy his age.
"Watch where your going you oaf!" the boy snapped, his pale gray eyes snapping. Albus frowned and blushed.
"Sorry, I was just…"
"Don't talk to me Gryffindork! Just stop stepping on my new shoes. My father will be very cross if I scuff them up the first day at school," the pale boy sniffed. Albus glowered and shoved past the other boy, chasing after the retreating bouncing curls of the prefect Regina.
"Hey!" the pale boy squealed as he stumbled as Albus pushed past him. Several students turned to watch curiously as the pale boy rushed after Albus.
"I said wait! You will listen to me! If my father hears about this!"
"Scorpius Malfoy!" the ringing soprano trilled over the vaulted ceiling, stilling everything it fell over. Even the candles didn't flicker as everyone's eyes turned to look upon the face of the speaker. Sleepy blue eyes burned with uncanny malice shielded behind a thick row of ocher colored lashes that matched the wild mane of the young woman that came sweeping down upon the young boys. The younger students separated as the older girl swept by, parting the crowd in her path while Albus and Scorpius remained rooted in spot. The wild haired girl rushed at them, a hard look scrolled over her pale features.
"Scorpius, your prefects have already taken the rest of the first years to the dungeons, what are you still doing here?" the wild looking girl demanded fiercely. Scorpius looked cowed by the older girl.
"I was coming but this boy ran into me and…."
"I expect a better excuse from a Slytherin than that, Scorpius," the girl hissed and flicked her hand towards a second year Slytherin girl, motioning her over. The second year trotted over almost eagerly.
"Yes Miss Flint?"
"Please take Mr. Malfoy to the dungeons and make sure he gets settled in. Oh, and thank you, Jenny," the older Slytherin Flint added almost as an after thought. The second year quickly steered Malfoy down to the dungeons as Flint's burning blue eyes narrowed in on Albus. Most of the other students had already filed out and Albus couldn't find any Gryffindors to escape with.
"You seem lost," the Slytherin pointed out bluntly. Albus' mouth wobbled like a gapping fish but he could only stutter an incoherent answer as the Slytherin prefect arched a terse brow.
"You're a Potter, aren't you? Your cousins are the Weaselys, if I recall. I've seen a couple of your relations pass through here. Not bad people," the Slytherin murmured almost to herself as she took Albus' hand into hers and started dragging him toward the stairs. The remaining students laughed and pointed at Albus. Albus ducked his head and tried to hide his embarrassment. The rest of the journey remained silent as the Slytherin steered Albus through the multitude of stairwells and paintings. Finally they came to a sudden stop before the portrait of a fat lady dressed in pink.
"Finagles," the Slytherin barked. The fat lady snorted at the Slytherin.
"You don't look like a Gryffindor to me," the fat lady taunted. The Slytherin rolled her blue eyes.
"Finagles, and I'm not a Gryffindor, but I'm doing Reggie a favor and returning one of your new students, so open up already!" the Slytherin snarled.
"Password?"
"Oh bloody hell woman! Finagles!"
"No need to shout dearie," the fat lady whimpered and the portrait hole swung open.
"Go on Potter, get going before you get me in trouble," the Slytherin muttered. Albus looked up at her confused.
"I don't know…thank you…?" Albus stuttered. The Slytherin smirked bitterly and shook her head wearily.
"Forget about it. Now get going," she motioned for him to go in but Albus paused half way through the portrait hole.
"Um… would be alright if I ask your name? To write to my mum…" Albus suddenly wanted to smack himself but the Slytherin only smiled in a sort of ironic "your kidding, right?" sort of way.
"Tawny. Tawny Flint," she muttered than spun on her heel and marched off, chasing down a couple of loitering Ravenclaws. Albus smiled to himself and crawled inside to the Gryffindor dormitory.
"Tawny…" he murmured thoughtfully to himself with a grin.