Albus leaned out the window and waved at his father. His dad walked alongside the Hogwarts Express, and the boy continued to wave until the station had faded into the distance. His cousin, Rose, was reading a textbook for Charms. The boy sat down.
"Aren't you nervous?" He asked quietly. His voice was barely heard over the steady clacking of the train.
"Yes, but I'm also really excited!" She looked up at him with brown eyes sparkling with wonder. "I've heard so much about it! The castle, the food, and magic! We are going to do magic, Albus!"
He understood her excitement, though it was overshadowed by his persistent had been surrounded by magic their whole lives, always within it's reach- yet never able to touch it themselves. He was more concerned about what house he was to be sorted in. Oh, how he wished to be in Gryffindor where the heroes were formed! Yet within the depths of his heart, he knew he wasn't brave or courageous. It was hard to compare to his older brother, James.
James was a boy who didn't care what others thought. His big ego and outgoing personality was hard to miss. Albus, on the other hand, was more quiet,and could never get anyone to listen once his brother opened his mouth. James was usually right, too.
James was always right.
And he said Albus was going to be in Slytherin!
"Albus!"
The thin-faced boy looked up in surprise as the red headed girl snapped her fingers in his face. "Y-yes?"
"I said, 'what house do you think you will be in'?"
He brushed a stray black hair away from his eyes and mumbled incomprehensibly.
"Couldn't quite catch that," Rose said.
"S-Slytherin," he said.
"Why?" She asked, looking genuinely curious.
"Because James said so!" Albus balled his slender fingers into fists. "He's always right!"
The car was silent for a moment. The boy's eyes stung and he felt his throat close up. The methodical clicking of wheels and tracks continued as Rose twirled her fingers in her straight, fiery hair.
"No, he is not." Rose walked towards her cousin and hugged him. "No one is always right. Not even my mum." Aunt Hermione was a genius, and Rose had inherited her intelligence and thirst for learning from her. Albus knew James would laugh if he saw him crying. But James wasn't there. He allowed the tears to flow without a fight.
"I-I'm fine now." He sniffled and finally pulled away. She smiled and returned to her seat.
"What house do you think you'll get sorted into, Rose?"
"Ravenclaw, or maybe Gryffindor, like my folks." She opened her book and continued to read.
The rest of the train ride was uneventful. Albus's anxiety, temporarily dissipated, had now grown back as the hours passed. He and Rose had a few short, trivial conversations. She flipped through pages as he fidgeted. He looked out the window and gazed at the open landscape.
He must have drifted off, because someone was shaking his shoulder to wake him up.
"Albus! Wake up! Look!" Rose's jubilant voice met his ear. He groggily sat up and stared where the freckled girl was pointing. Out in the distance, the glowing turrets of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry could be seen. All drowsiness left his limbs as he pulled on the uniform robes.
A few minutes later the train pulled into the station. The two first-years went out of their compartment into the hazardous bustle of students. Albus had been long separated from Rose when he made it out onto the platform. His short height made it impossible to see around the older students who were- minimum- two feet taller than him.
A hand tousled his naturally crazy hair. "See ya later, Slytherin!" Albus whipped his head around just in time to see his big brother bound away to his group of friends. Worry gripped his heart once more. Would he really be a Slytherin?
"Firs' Years! Can all the Firs' years come over t'me?" Albus pushed his way over to the familiar voice. At last, he came to face with Uncle Hagrid. His cheery face and graying mess of a beard radiated a sense of welcoming. The half-giant wasn't technically his uncle, though he visited as much to be one. The tall man greeted him and showed the children to a vast dark lake. There were enchanted wooden boats bobbing on the waves. Hagrid told them that there could be only four students to a boat.
He walked to the shore and stepped into a boat. It rocked in the water and he sat down quickly. Two more kids got in with him: Rose, and the blond boy that Uncle Ron had pointed out at King's Cross.
"Hi," Albus greeted shyly. He didn't want to come off as rude by not saying anything.
"Hi," the boy replied, "My name is Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy."
"Albus." To his surprise, Scorpius cracked a smile. He seemed to give off a negative vibe, but looked like he was making an effort to be friendly.
"I'm Rose," the girl said.
There was a sudden lurch. The boats started moving in unison, advancing to the majestic castle before them. The enormity of the school hadn't hit him until now. The windows were mere pricks of light against the pale bricks. Some of the children's mouths were agape. Many eyes were wide and alight with wonder and amazement.
"Wow," Albus breathed. His father had showed him pictures. His mother had told him stories. Yet all of that could not compare to this moment. He was at Hogwarts.
All too soon, the boats hit the shoreline.
"Alright, everyone!" Hagrid boomed, "If yeh'll all jus' follow me."
The students mumbled amongst themselves as they were lead up the ancient stone steps. Hagrid rapped on the gigantic door. A confident man opened the door.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I am Professor Longbottom. Now, come with me." The man turned around and led them into the Entrance Hall. A large ceiling arched above them, and four large hourglasses stood in front of a proud staircase. They walked a short distance when the teacher stopped in front of a magnificent door with hundreds of voices leaking out into the hall.
"When you enter, you will be Sorted into your houses." He then went into the different houses, what each represented, and some basic rules. Albus already knew all of this as his parents had repeatedly explained the process, but once again he wondered, what if he was put in Slytherin? Despite everyone's assurances, he felt he would be sorted there and humiliate himself and his family.
"After that, there will be the feast, and the prefects will show you to your dormitories. Any questions?" Though many thoughts bounced around their skulls, none of the students raised their hands.
"Wonderful," Longbottom clapped his hands together. "We will summon you shortly." The Herbology professor walked away.
"Nervous?" Scorpius asked Albus.
"Y-yeah, a little bit." He smiled weakly. He really needed to work on his nervous stuttering.
"I'm going to be put in Gryffindor," the blond replied proudly, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"How are you so sure? I want to be in Gryffindor," the thin boy glanced down, "but I'm scared I'm going to be Sorted into Slytherin. My dad said the hat let him choose, but I don't know if it's true, or if he only said it to calm me."
"My family's been Slytherin for generations. My dad wants me to be Slytherin, but I think it's time for change. Besides," he paused thoughtfully, "I've always heard that bravery is a choice. I guess it worked for your dad because it was a bold choice to make."
Albus smiled.
"Alright, are you ready, first-years?" Professor Longbottom strolled up to them. "Good luck!"
The kids followed the teacher into the Great Hall. The ceiling showed the heavens, and floating candles illuminated the room. An old, weathered hat sat upon a stool in front of the professor's table.
"Welcome students," Headmistress McGonagall announced. "I am happy to see all of your lovely faces, along with some new ones." She explained a few rules, like no walking around at night and no spells in the corridors.
"Now let the Sorting begin."
The hat sang a lengthy song, (Albus thought James was kidding about that,) after which Professor Longbottom pulled out a scroll and listed off names.
"Dana Alan!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Edward Barrow!"
"Hufflepuff!"
The list went on. Albus wiped his damp hands on his uniform.
"Scorpius Malfoy!"
Scorpius walked up to the stool and put the hat on his head. There was a breath of quiet, and then-
"Gryffindor!" The hat bellowed
The boy had a genuine grin that stretched as much as his face would allow. He winked at Albus.
The professor went through the rest of the M's... To the N's... To the O's...Then...
"Albus Potter!"
With shaky legs, he walked up to the stool. His blood was roaring in his ears and his pulse thundered quickly. After an eternity, he put on the Sorting Hat and sat on the stool. It covered his eyes easily and filled his nostrils with the scent of dust and old cheese.
He could hear it murmuring, talking to him in his head. It was telling him to make a choice. Rose's comforting words and Scorpius's defiance came to him. Would it let him choose to be brave? "It did for me," Dad had said. He waited. And waited. His fingers gripped the seat tightly. Please, oh please...
"GRYFFINDOR!"