My name is Albus Severus Potter. I'm told I'm named for two Headmasters of Hogwarts. You might say my father is famous. Defeating the darkest wizard ever known kind of does that to you. But to me he's just my dad and like any other kid my dad can be so excruciatingly embarrassing at times. I would ask that if you meet him not to mention the war; Harry Potter doesn't like to talk about it. He hates these reminders of the friends and the colleagues he lost during that Battle. My father being a war hero and a staunch Gryffindor meant that everyone I knew expected me to be a lion, like my mum, dad, uncles and grandparents. Instead they got a Slytherin snake. At first I was terrified about being sorted into the same house that was renowned for Dark wizards, however unfair that label was. I was aware that Slytherin had its own share of the good and talented but still the stigma associated with it worried me. Dad had told me I would be a credit to whatever house I would be sorted and reminded me of the bravery of Severus Snape to illustrate that Slytherins can't all be tarred with the brush of evil, pureblood supremacists. (And seriously how can you label an eleven year old with that?) It seems that the wizarding world was starting to realise that we could avoid some of the mistakes of previous generations if we could just stopping discriminating on House choice. Things had already changed a lot in school since my parents time. Nowadays, there are more mixed classes and our House selection matters only in Quidditch.
When the hat came off my head and declared me a Slytherin, I was still a little apprehensive, but I felt a lot better when Scorpius Malfoy joined me there. I met Scorpius the first day on the Hogwarts Express. He was shorter than me (which is an achievement in itself) with pale skin and blue eyes. He was obvious a brave sort as he looked disdainfully at some bigger boys who appeared to be threatened him. "I say. Aren't you Draco Malfoy's son?" I heard someone say.
"Yeah," said Scorpius. "What of it?"
"He's Death Eater scum," snarled the another boy, who drove his shoulder hard against the smaller boy knocking him to the ground as he walked past. I rushed over pulled the other boy up. The arrogant demeanour, with which he carried himself, had evaporated.
"Thanks," he mumbled, trying to shield his face from me. I strongly suspected he was crying.
"I'm Albus - Albus Potter." I extended my hand again. He eyed me suspiciously but he shook it nonetheless.
"Scorpius Malfoy."
"Do you want to find a compartment? We could sit together."
"You want to sit with me?" he asked incredulously. "You of all people shouldn't want to sit next to me."
"Why not? We're not our fathers."
Scorpius smiled for the first time. "You're right of course." He looked at me appraisingly. "You are not what I expected at all."
"What did you expect?" I was curious.
"A specky kid in glasses," he deadpanned and we both burst into laughter. After that we were inseparable. So you see being a Slytherin didn't turn out badly for me at all.