A Sorted Decision
"I'm so excited." I said, looking around the Hogwarts express in anticipation. "Aren't you excited?"
"I don't know, Rose, I'm a bit scared really." Mumbled my cousin, and best friend, Albus Potter.
"Don't be, Al, you'll love it!" Declared his elder brother James. But then his expression changed to one of concern. "I didn't freak you out with all that Slytherin nonsense did I?" He whispered "I was only joking you know."
Albus's worried face cracked into a grin. "Oh no, I don't care about that anymore. It's just, it can't really be as amazing as they all say, can it? I mean, it's just a building…"
"Just a building." James muttered, rolling his eyes. I tried not to laugh at yet another of my cousins little spats.
Suddenly an older boy (most likely in his third or fourth year) pushed through the doors of our cabin. "James!" He yelled, completely ignoring me and Albus "We're talking Quidditch tryouts in our cabin. You want to make the team this year, right?"
"Oh yeah, awesome!" Exclaimed James, jumping up from his seat. "See ya, first years!" And with that he ran off.
"That's fine, James." Albus said with heavy sarcasm "Go off without us."
"No, no James, we insist." I pitched in, catching his drift. "Go with your friend, we'll be fiiiine." Albus broke into a fit of contagious laughter, and soon we were both struggling to breath. Just as we calmed down, the doors of our cabin burst open once more.
"And stay out, Death Eater" Hissed a mean looking brunette to the blonde boy who now lay face down on the ground, right between me and Al's feet.
"Woah, are you okay?" Asked Albus, helping the boy to his feet. I recognised his face as soon as he looked up. Scorpius Malfoy.
He obviously recognised us too. "Oh sorry, I didn't realise… I'll find somewhere else…"
"No, you can stay here." Al offered. As Scorpius awkwardly sat down next to us, I shot Al a look that he knew meant This kid is bad news. In return I got one that meant Each person deserves an equal chance. I crossed my arms and looked over Scorpius with suspicion.
After a long silence, Al asked the thing I was dying to know, "So… what happened just now."
"Oh, that?" He asked, pointing to the compartment he had fallen into ours from. "The kids in my compartment found out who my dad was and… they kicked me out."
"That's not fair!" Albus protested "It doesn't matter who your parents are!"
"Easy for you to say," Scorpius pointed out with a dry laugh. "Your parents saved the world. I'm sure everyone's longing to share a compartment with you two."
I smiled modestly. "A few minutes back we got ditched by our own family. We're hardly the popular crowed." Scorpius laughed again, but this time a lot brighter. Maybe he wasn't too bad after all.
Not too long after, we heard the rattle of a trolley coming down the corridor. I knew from the stories it was filled with the best Honeydukes sweets.
"Hey Rose, has uncle Ron told you about the time my Dad bought everything in the trolley?" Albus asked.
"Yeah, Dad told us all about his first time on the Hogwarts Express. It's where he first he first met Mum."
"Do you kids want anything?" Asked the trolley-lady, peeking into our compartment.
"Yes please!" We all said, in almost perfect unison.
Me and Al started to figure out a good way to split the cost for things, but Scorpius insisted he pay for it all.
"The only upside of being a Malfoy is the money, at least let me use it."
In the end we got a bit of pretty much everything except Bertie Bott's (Al had been put off from them ever since James had figured out a way to tell the good from the bad, and then proceeded to give Al a box made entirely up of Bogey, Vomit, Earwax and the likes). We started off by sharing out the Chocolate Frogs. Upon opening his, Scorpius made a surprised noise and let the frog jump away as he examined his card.
"You want this?" He offered, getting over his shock. I giggled, realising he was offering me a card with my Dad's beaming face tacked on the front.
"No thanks Scorp, I think he has enough at home." I expected him to at least smile, but he just looked at the card gloomily.
"What's wrong?"
Scorpius jumped, embarrassed I had noticed his sadness. "It's just… I overheard him say he'd disinherit you if you weren't a Gryffindor. I know he was just messing with you, but I can't help but think that if I not in Slytherin… myfather might actually…" He broke off with a slight shake of his head. Albus looked at him with empathy.
"You know, Scorp, you could just ask the hat to put you in Slytherin." Albus suggested.
"That won't work." I argued, but felt guilty as Scorp's face fell.
"Sure it will! It did for my Dad." Al explained.
"Really?" Scorpius asked in wonderment, before regaining his 'cool' attitude. "I could try that, I guess."
All too soon, the train rolled to a stop. As eager as I was to get to Hogwarts, I was reluctant to end my time on the Hogwarts express. Of course, that all went away as I heard a familiar voice yelling from outside. "Firs'-years! Firs'-years follow me!" I gave Albus a grin and we both rushed outside.
"Hagrid!" I called out as soon as I could see him.
"Rosie! Al!" He shouted happily, scooping us both into a big hug that lifted us both off the ground.
"Hagrid!" Al hissed, "You're embarrassing us!"
"Sorry Al, it's jus' so good to see yeh both."
"You saw us last month Hagrid!" I started to protest, but I saw Albus looking around anxiously.
"Rose, did you see where Scorp got to?" Now that he had mentioned it, I wasn't entirely sure if he had followed us out to Hagrid.
"I'm sure we'll find him somewhere." I reassured him.
As it turned out, we didn't find him until we were already on spate boats. Al shot him an apologetic look, which he returned. It was easy to get spilt up in such a big crowd.
As we entered Hogwarts, Al's earlier doubts became redundant. It was just as amazing as everyone said, if not more! It was all a rush of excitement and nerves, and then we were sitting in the great hall and the talking hat shouted out house names. I was nervous for Scorpius as his name was called, but after a small hesitation it placed him in Slytherin. He breathed an audible sigh of relief. Al was called not long after and was placed in Gryffindor, much to his delight. After some more students were placed in various houses, it was my turn.
The hat considered Ravenclaw for a while (like it had with my mother) but eventually shouted: "GRYFFINDOR!"
I quickly ran to sit with a beaming Albus. "Did you ask the hat to put you here?" I asked eagerly.
"I told it I didn't really mind." Albus shrugged. I didn't tell him this, but I had a feeling that was the kind of bravery that got him into Gryffindoor.
"Looks like it worked for Scorp though." He reminded me.
"Yeah, we should go ask him about it!"
Scorpius sat with a group of Slytherins when we were approached him.
"Hey mate," Albus greeted him "looks like you got your wish then."
Scorp turned to us with a scowl crinkling his sharp features. "Why are you talking to me, Weasley Spawn." The other slytherins snickered.
"I…" Albus started in confusion "I thought…"
"You thought wrong." He jeered. I was positively fuming. Could this really be the boy who shyly sat with us back on the train? Who insisted on paying for our treats? Who we laughed with? Who I thought was our new friend? I cut off my thoughts before they could roam further.
"You, Malfoy," I spat "will make a terrific Slytherin."
The people around him chuckled again as a grabbed Al's wrist and stormed off.
"What a jerk." Al muttered as we made our way back to our table.
"I can't believe I thought he was… our friend." I agreed.
That was all I had thought of him.
It was far more than he would ever be.
I wasn't going to look back.
Scorpius Malfoy was a two faced jerk.
He wasn't worth my time.
That was what I told myself.
That wasn't what I felt.