Chapter 2

Albus could feel every pair of eyes on him as he walked down the length of the Great Hall. All of the feeling was starting to seep out of his legs. He was afraid he would collapse if they had to keep walking. Thankfully, they were close enough to the Sorting Hat that they didn't have to walk anymore. Everyone watched the hat apprehensively. Just as things started to get uncomfortable, the hat cleared its throat and began to sing.

A long, long time ago

Before you came along

I had the time of my life

Singing my very first song

Telling the story of the four founders great

And the vision they worked hard to create

The qualities one needs to posses

Are the ones that I sort out the best

Gryffindor wanted the brave and strong

Hufflepuff took anyone who came along

Ravenclaw valued wisdom above all else

Slytherin took those with ambition like himself

And now I'll tell you where you ought to be

If you think I've made a mistake,

Then my friends just wait and see

For I am never wrong, and we'll just leave it at that

Remember the wise words of the Sorting Hat

There was a polite applause and the Sorting Hat gave a small bow. Professor Atura began to read out the names. One by one, the students took turns sitting on the stool and having the hat placed on their head. There was applause for every single person who had been sorted, and Albus wondered if his house would applaud if he was not a Gryffindor. He glanced over at his brother. James gave him a goofy and a big thumbs up. Albus, not feeling any better, turned away.

Scorpius Malfoy became a Slytherin, which was not a surprise to anyone. Albus became increasingly nervous. Notting, Petal was made a Slytherin as well, and then it was Albus' turn. Hands shaking, he made his way over to the stool and let the hat droop over his eyes.

"Hmmm, another Potter," the Sorting Hat mused. "And a very difficult choice indeed. You have the loyal nature of a Hufflepuff, though I don't believe that's the right house for you. A quick and eager mind, but you're certainly no Ravenclaw."

It became a little easier to breathe for Albus. That was two less houses for him to worry about being in. Now it was only a matter of getting into Gryffindor.

"You have plenty of ambition and a definite need to establish yourself as your own person. You'd make a wonderful Slytherin, truth be told."

"But what if I don't want to be a Slytherin?" Albus thought desperately. "What if I want to be a Gryffindor?"

"You want to be a Gryffindor?" The Sorting Hat sounded confused. "Do you not want to be seen as more than your surname?"

"Well, yes," Albus admitted. It would be nice to be seen as Albus and not just another Potter.

"Being in Gryffindor seems like the opposite of progress to me," the hat told him. "Why do you want to be in Gryffindor?"

"To prove that I'm brave," Albus said. "And just because I want to be seen as more than my family name doesn't mean I don't want to make them proud."

"Are you not brave already?" The Sorting Hat asked.

"I think I am," Albus said. "But other people don't seem to think so."

"Albus, think carefully," the hat said slowly. "Is this really the decision that you want to make?"

"Yes."

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat yelled.

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. The hat was lifted off of his head, and Albus saw James grinning broadly. He mouthed "I knew it" before giving a piercing wolf-whistle. Albus smiled and made his way over to the table. As he shook hands and received pats on the back, he had no doubt in his mind that he made the right choice. James gave Albus a side hug, a rare gesture of affection that Albus appreciated.

Taking a seat, he returned his attention to the sorting. Sims, Rebecca had just been made a Slytherin. Name after name went by. Rose glanced over at Albus. She looked very pale and every freckle on her face stood out. Her eyes wide and fearful, she turned to look at a pair of twins who had just been sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Weasley, Rose," Professor Atura finally called out.

Taking a deep breath, Rose walked shakily up to the hat. Her hands were trembling as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. Albus watched anxiously as the hat made its decision. It certainly was taking its time. Finally the hat seemed to reach a decision. He opened his front flap and called out the name of Rose's new house.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus grinned broadly and clapped along with the rest of the Gryffindors. Rose was positively beaming as she walked over to the Gryffindor table. She looked greatly relieved. Sitting next to Albus she turned and gave him a broad grin.

"Not bad, eh?" she said happily.

"Not bad at all," Albus agreed.

Once all of the students had been sorted, Professor Augustus stood in front of a podium and began to speak. "Well, it certainly is wonderful to see all of you returning students again. And I'm delighted to welcome all of our new students. We hope you find a second home here and enjoy your time as a student." Unlike Professor Atura, he sounded like he meant it.

"Now, there are a couple of rules I would like to go over. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has informed me that he has added several new additions to the list of banned items. The full list now names over 900 forbidden items, and you can find it outside of the caretaker's office." He looked around amused, knowing full well that the list would be ignored throughout the school year.

"The Forbidden Forest is also off limits to all new and returning students," Professor Agustus looked extremely serious. "I also would like to remind you that Quidditch tryouts are not open to first years. I wish you all a fantastic year, and let's dig in!"
Heaps of food appeared in front of Albus. He had always been well-fed at home, but nothing compared to the feast sitting in front of him. There was so much food he couldn't imagine the entire table being able to eat it all. Without hesitation, Albus began loading his plate. Now that the sorting was over, he found himself extremely hungry. He hadn't had breakfast, and while he did eat a little on the train, chocolate made a poor meal.

Albus ate so much dinner; he barely had any room for desert. However, he managed to make room for a bit of cheesecake. He felt so full and sleepy that Rose had to give him a nudge when it was time to leave the Great Hall.

"First years, this way!" the Gryffindor prefect called out.

Albus followed sleepily behind, barely realizing where he was going. He hoped Rose would take notice of where they were because he wasn't going to remember, that he was certain of. Suddenly, the group came to a halt in front of a portrait of a fat woman.

"This is the Fat Lady," the prefect explained. "To get into the common room, you must give her the password." He turned to the Fat Lady, "Lion pride."

The portrait swung out, revealing a hole. Climbing through, Albus stood in the middle of a very warm room. It was furnished with comfy looking chair and worn side tables. The walls and windows were draped in red. A roaring fire was going, making Albus feel even sleepier.

"Boys dormitories are that way," the prefect pointed up one staircase. "Girls that way," he pointed up the other. "You'll find your things have already been delivered. You must be back in this common room by 9 o'clock each night, though there is no set time for when you should be in bed."

"Girls, follow me," the female prefect said, heading up the girls' staircase.

"Boys," the other prefect said.

Albus followed him up the stairs and walked into the dorm labeled "First Years". There were several other boys in the dorm with him. They introduced themselves as Jacob, Preston, and Oliver. Albus didn't have much time to talk to them, they were all too tired.

After putting on his pajamas, Albus practically dived into bed. Burying himself underneath the covers, Albus fell asleep almost at once, excited for his coming days at Hogwarts.