Disclaimer – HP is not mine! Enjoy!
"SLYTHERIN!"
James can't believe it. Neither can the rest of the hall apparently. Deafening silence fills, then suddenly.
"WE GOT POTTER!" Slytherin erupts.
James's protests are lost among those of cousins and Gryffindor's. All these year of teasing,
"Bet you'll be in Slytherin."
"ASP, that's a type of snake isn't it? You'll be a little snake mark my words."
"When you're in Slytherin…."
"Oooooh, coward, cowards go to Slytherin you know."
Now suddenly, it's too true, James feels like crying, his voice isn't working.
Albus seems pleased though, traitor. He jumps off the stool, and thanks the hat!
Then he runs to the nest of snakes, writhing, calling, and chanting. James can see him searching the faces, there, he's spotted someone, James cranes his neck, trying to watch him, but Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are on their feet too, seemingly pleased that Gryffindor isn't the centre of attention, for once.
There he is! James can see Al again now, running down the steps. Then he's in the arms of a boy the same size with smoothed white blonde hair. They are grinning at each other and Albus messes the other boy's hair, the other boy doesn't care though, just shout something at him through the din that makes Albus laugh. They all want to touch him, the Slytherins, shake his hand, mess his hair.
James thought Albus didn't like attention; he doesn't know his brother as well as he thought he did. Al soaks it up, shaking hands back, high fiving prefects, and hugging girls. James feels numb, Gryffindor's are sitting politely, clapping, James joins in, but it's false.
His brother should be here, with him, with his family. But he isn't, instead he's over there with the snakes and the cowards. A little voice in James's head tells him he shouldn't have chased Al away on the train, and guilt pricks him as he remembers the tears on his brother face as Fred and Jack laughed and James told him to sod off to find some snakes. Well, Albus had certainly taken those words to heart. Look who's crying now, the voice sneers, James hurriedly smears his tears on the back of his hand.
The noise dies away but whispers fill the hall. Albus's grin is larger than James has seen it in months. He looks exited, but doesn't spare a glance for his family in Gryffindor, no, James thinks bitterly, why should he? What have any of us ever done for him?
Gryffindor loses out that night. Rose Weasley goes to Ravenclaw and Louis goes to Hufflepuff. Inside James know it was probably his fault, still, Lily would be in Gryffindor.
Two years on and James fumes as Lily joins Al in Slytherin, hardly surprising though, the bold little girl had worshipped Albus after finding out he was in Slytherin and been his biggest fan, painting her room sky blue and grass green, with silver clouds of course.
Malfoy and Albus were inseparable. Now third year they had both hit massive growth spurts and sat at six foot. His mum and dad always joked that they didn't know where it had come from, neither Harry nor Draco could be described as tall.
It should be him little Lily's running too, James thinks, not Albus. It should be him that picks her up and spins her around into a bear hug and holds her tight as she smiles and laughs and whoops and the cheers and smiles of the house reign down on them. But it's not, it's Al. And he can't even call Lily a coward; she just got into Slytherin for being plain sneaky. They sit and they smile and the happiness and smugness of Slytherin can be felt by the rest of the room.
Then Hugo goes to Hufflepuff and once again Gryffindor is left floundering and unenthusiastic.
"Keep your friends close, your enemies closer and your family closest"
R&R