Sorts of Something
"Scorpius, come back here and give your mother a kiss," a thin blonde woman spoke over the sounds of the station perfectly. Platform 9 ¾ was filled with families saying their goodbyes to daughters, sons, and siblings and the Hogwarts Express released a constant stream of steam as it prepared to depart, along with the blowing of the whistle every now and then. The woman, Astoria Malfoy, held on to her husband's elbow as their son returned.
"I need to find a compartment, Mum," As he spoke, he glanced around the station as if making sure no one had overheard. "The train is leaving soon."
"Exactly, and I will not see you until the holidays," she bent down and looked him in the eyes. "Now, give me a kiss and go to the train."
He pecked her cheek and she stood, returning to her position on Draco's arm. The previously silent blonde man calmly mentioning, "A Malfoy always has a compartment waiting for them" before nodding and wishing his son the best. Astoria smiled one last time before the two disappeared in a pop.
Scorpius grinned to himself before latching on to the side of the Express. He jumped aboard and started his search for the perfect compartment. Not a minute in and a fireball whooshed past him, disrupting the neatness of his hair and robes. The crowded hall didn't stop to notice the now glaring boy—oh, yes, a lot had changed since the war.
Laughter spilled from one of the compartments and a blonde haired boy squeezed out as the door opened. All the compartments seemed completely filled, and Scorpius continued his search. The end of the train brought him success in the form of a completely empty compartment that he claimed all to himself. Scorpius sat down on one side and threw his legs up next to himself. He relished in the noise-less air, quite similar to that of which he'd grown up with. As he pulled out a book, the train pulled into movement.
A knock on the compartment door startled Scorpius from the fascinating history of lycanthropy. He looked up as a small redheaded girl slid the door open and poked her head in.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to escape my deranged family," She spoke quickly and gestured to the seat across from Scorpius. "I'm sorry for bothering you."
He snapped to attention and shook his head, "It's no bother, no one's sitting there anyway."
She smiled with her entire face and entered the compartment with a book similar to his own. She sat, crossed her legs, and opened her book to a middle page. Scorpius returned to the different levels of lycans, but was pulled out of his thoughts by the girl.
"Are you a first year too?" She asked while staring at him with her head tilted slightly to the left.
He nodded and she continued speaking at that rapid pace. "It's my first year as well. I was pretty nervous yesterday, but my mum calmed me down this morning. I'm Rose, by the way."
"Scorpius," He mumbled from behind the pages of his book.
"Malfoy? Oh, I've heard of you." She didn't glare though, like many others had in the past. "My dad doesn't much like yours."
Scorpius put a mark in his book and set it next to him on the bench. "And, who is your father?"
"Ron Weasley," She grinned again and he rolled his eyes. Draco had told him all about the Weasley family and what they'd done for the Wizarding World. That could only mean that her mother is Hermione Weasley—both her parents are on chocolate frog cards!
"I get that expression a lot," Her smile widened even more and she went back to her book. Scorpius looked at his hands, not ready to return to his book. His first almost friend would be a Weasley, oh, wouldn't father be proud. Another knock sounded him from his thoughts and an old woman opened the compartment.
"Anything from the cart, my dears?" She asked the two first years.
Rose practically flew from her seat and started listing off what Scorpius would later discover to be her favorites: two chocolate frogs, one chocolate wand, a jelly slug, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and a cauldron cake. Scorpius, overwhelmed by her order, purchased some sugar quills and a box of Bertie Bott's.
"Ew," Rose scrunched her nose at the sight of the colorful box in Scorpius' hand. "I cannot fathom why anyone would enjoy those. Not knowing what you're going to get, and then choosing a disgusting flavor. It just doesn't make sense to me."
"I like the mystery," Scorpius opened the box and poured an orange one into his palm. "It's an adventure in every bite."
Rose rolled her eyes, "You should be the one selling them."
Chile Pepper. Scorpius' eyes watered slightly and Rose bit down on the chocolate wand. She didn't seem to notice the struggling boy across from her, but when he started gasping she sure did.
"Mother of Merlin!" She grabbed for her cauldron cake. "Here, eat part of this. It'll cool your mouth down. Bloody idiot."
Scorpius flushed as he took the cake. Nodding thanks, he let the softness of the cake sooth his mouth before taking another bean.
"You're joking, right?" Rose shook her head in disbelief as Scorpius tossed it back and into his mouth. Luckily for him, the blue bean turned out to be a type of berry. She continued to feast upon her chocolate wand as she opened one of the chocolate frog boxes.
"Damn," She mumbled. "Ravenclaw again."
Scorpius took a green one with red spots out of the box, but decided against it in favor of a purple one. Huh, sugared violet.
"What House do you think you'll be in?" Rose blurted after swallowing the chocolate frog.
"Um," Scorpius mumbled. "I—"
A recent memory sprung from his mind as she said those words. "Mummy, what if I'm not in Slytherin? —It will be fine, Scorpius. Which ever House is best for you is the one that you belong in: not everyone in our family has been a Slytherin, you know that.
But Father—
He will not be disappointed. He will be proud of you no matter what. The war changed your father, dear, he will be proud even if you're a Hufflepuff.
She didn't dare say the word Gryffindor. She was correct that his father would never feel anger at the House his son was selected for, only pride that so many things could change in one generation.
"Probably Ravenclaw. It seems like the best House to me," Scorpius said at last.
Rose smiled, "That's the one I'm hoping for too! But, both my parents and most of my family were in Gryffindor, so I'll probably end up there."
Scorpius shook his head, "Pretty much all my family has been in Slytherin, but I'm not particularly interested in spending my time under the lake."
She laughed and it caused Scorpius to smile. It may have been all the sugar, but soon he found himself laughing just as hard throughout their many different conversations. Scorpius didn't get a chance to finish the chapter on Lycanthropy during the trip, but his new friendship with Rose was worth it.
"First years! Over here!"
The boat ride to the castle was awe-inspiring, and both Rose and Scorpius gasped when they saw the castle for the first time. But, the time had come for their futures to be decided. They shuffled into the Great Hall surrounded by other first years, but they didn't leave the other's side. Scorpius looked at Rose when the first student was put into Slytherin and sighed. His father may not care whether he's in Slytherin or not, but the entire Malfoy family was practically destined to wear green; did he really want to be the one to break that mold?
After a Larson, Edgar was called, Scorpius realized it was almost his time. He took a breath to calm himself down and glanced to Rose out of the corner of his eye. She was looking at him too, and she smiled when he caught her eye. When Malfoy, Scorpius was called, she gave his hand a squeeze and nudged him forward.
It felt as if the entire Hall stared at him as he walked up the steps to the sorting hat, and they probably were. The Slytherin table probably waiting to clap for their newest member, the other Houses prepared to judge—but then Scorpius remembered what his mother said to him and he realized that the War had changed things. It isn't his birthright to be in Slytherin, he is his own person and can be in any House he wants.
And, at the moment, whatever House Rose is in seems like a good choice.
Too bad Malfoy comes before Weasley, eh? The hat spoke inside Scorpius' head. Oh, this is very interesting Mr. Malfoy—I sense that you and this Rose are friends? Friendship can triumph over House separations…
"I want to be in the same House as she is."
Fate will play out how it must for things to work out. I am unable to tell you what House she will be in, but I know for a fact what House best suits you. For bravery, for friendship, for love…
"Wha—"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
There was a slight pause before the red and gold table broke out into glorious cheers. The first Gryffindor of the year, and it was Scorpius Malfoy.
He walked down the steps to take a seat at the empty end of the table, and was patted on the back many times. The smile on his face widened farther than it had in a long time. Never before had he felt so welcome in a place completely opposite anything he'd ever been a part of.
Time passed slowly as he waited for Rose's name to be called. Four more Gryffindors were called after him, two girls, a boy, and Albus Potter, but none of that mattered until Weasley, Rose was called to sit under the hat.
Scorpius may have been more nervous than she was in that moment, but in later years he would never admit that. In his life he'd never been faced with much of anything. His eleven years were spent learning basic things, reading, and helping the House elves to earn a sense of character (so says his mother). He'd never had a huge difficulty to overcome in his past, and there had been no one rooting against him in life. Because of this, when it came time for Rose, his only friend, to be sorted, Scorpius honestly expected the hat to be kind and help out a young first year.
Never did he think that the hat would be such a bloody son of a banshee to make his life so difficult by saying that one word.
"Slytherin!"
A/N: I've had this idea for a while now and finally put it into words. I hope you enjoyed it! Please review.