Albus Potter and the Battle to Finish
Year 1: Chapter 2
"Firs' years' this way', come on, all firs' years' this way!" The man shouted.
Albus's emerald eyes lit up. "HAGRID!" He shouted.
The man looked down at Albus. "Albus! I remember you when you was just a little tyke, haven't had time to visit you in a while. I met you when you was three and a half, though last time I saw you, you'd have been about eight, right?" Hagrid said.
Albus nodded. "Oh, and this is Rose, my cousin. And this is Scorpius, he's my friend." Albus said.
Scorpius's eyes lit up when Albus called him his friend; he had never had a true friend before.
Hagrid looked at Rose. "You look just like your father, although, you do have your mother's hair." Hagrid said.
Rose blushed.
Hagrid did a double take when he saw Scorpius. "You Malfoy's kid?" He asked.
"Yeah." Scorpius said.
Hagrid turned around, back to the other kids, and continued to usher them over and eventually into the boats.
Rose quickly scurried into one, Albus and Scorpius followed. A young girl then entered. She had black curled hair and grey eyes, she looked sulky, excited, confused, and adorable all at once.
"I'm McKenzie." The girl said as Scorpius eyed her more.
"Rose." Rose was the first to extend a greeting to the girl.
"Albus."
"Scorpius."
McKenzie, who was starting to get bored, changed the subject. "What houses are you all hoping for?" She asked. "I read about houses in Hogwarts: A History."
Al was the first to respond. "Gryffindor." He said proudly.
Scorpius shrugged. "I never gave it much thought, although, Ravenclaw appeals to me, but I don't really care." Scorpius said.
"Rose, what about you?" Albus asked.
Rose mumbled something, but no one could comprehend what she said.
"Pardon?" Al asked.
"I said that it doesn't matter which house I'm in, even Slytherin wouldn't be bad. Out parents and grandparents had too many prejudices about the houses, on bother sides, and that started a war, any house would be fine." Rose said.
"I agree with Rose." McKenzie said.
"Me too." Scorpius said.
Al rolled his eyes and began to think, was there something to be seen about the other houses? Or was it just his mind playing with him.
As the conversation of the houses ended, so did the boat ride. Rose and McKenzie both swiftly hopped out and began walking in the line, Albus and Scorpius weren't far behind.
The entire group of eleven years olds was staring at the castle's corridors and murmuring to each other. Albus however, couldn't keep his mind off his thought, was there anything truly bad against Slytherin.
The line of students stopped at a staircase in front of a large door. Standing outside of it was a man, he had fought his own way in the war, rallied up the DA into fighting, yet you couldn't see the anger in his eyes as many war survivors had.
As Neville Longbottom began telling the kids about the sorting and the houses, he saw three kids he recognized: Albus Potter, Rose Weasley, and Scorpius Malfoy. He paused for a moment and was pulled back into his own sorting. He could remember Ron and Harry becoming friends already, and he remembered losing his toad. Oh and how could he forget about how Draco tried to dominate Harry, and pull Harry into his group of friends? Neville remembered it all. As he was thinking, he added in about how exactly they were to be sorted. As he did so, he saw many kids sigh in relief.
"Follow me." He said and the large door opened into the Great Hall. Neville began to lead the kids through the Great Hall. He stopped in front of a stool with a hat perched on top. "When I call your name, come up here, sit on the stool, and allow the hat to sort you." Neville said as he pulled out a parchment which looked to be a list.
"Abercrombie, Zackary."
The boy looked nervous as any first-to-be-sorted child could, though he looked worse as he made his way past two sneering children. Albus would remember this moment for years to come … the first.
"HUFFLEPUFF."
Albus zoned off for a few sorting, picking back up on a young girl with auburn hair, Albus only noticed her because she pushed he and McKenzie as she walked up to the stool, her nose high.
"Deveraux, Lavender."
"SLYTHERIN."
Albus began to look around the room, not paying attention, then picked up at the sorting when an unusual looking kid with shining hair is called, Albus had met him once, he didn't remember his name, just the black eye he received.
"Fawcett, Lionel."
"SLYTHERIN."
"Finch-Fletchley, Daniel."
"HUFFLEPUFF."
"Finnigan, Connor."
"GRYFFINDOR."
Albus cheered for his friend –the first Gryffindor- and saw Rose blushing as Connor winked at her jokingly.
"Should I get ready for a wedding?" Scorpius said to Rose whose face was as red as her father's hair.
"Shut up, okay. He's,"
"Hot." McKenzie butted in on Rose's voice. "Now shh."
A few names passed by until Kylander, Nathan became a Ravenclaw, and then Albus's old friend's name was called.
"Longbottom, Alice." Albus watched as the little auburn haired girl squeaked and ran up to the stool (nearly tripping in the process).
"SLYTHERIN."
Alice smiled as she sheepishly, but Al could tell that she was happy with herself.
"Malfoy, Scorpius." Scorpius turned as white as a sheet, he began walking up to the stool and shoved the hat over his head, awaiting a response from the hat.
"SLYTHERIN."
Scorpius shrugged as he walked over to the Slytherin table; Albus was now worrying more. Gryffindor or Slytherin. Old friends or new friends?
"Michaels, Laurel."
"SLYTHERIN."
Albus's mind wandered for two sorting, the girl Laurel looked nice and she went to Slytherin, Scorpius definitely was nice, and he went to Slytherin, why shouldn't Albus. Was James right? Were Slytherins really bad? Or could they be nice?
"Piecly, Preston"
"SLYTHERIN."
"Potter, Albus." Al walked up to the hat and sat, he watched as the hat's brim set over his eyes, he could hear the hat talking to him. The hat talked about his intelligence, and then switched to loyalty. The hat then began debating over bravery and ambition, it continued saying that he would do well in either.
All Albus could think was. 'What was there truly to hate about the other houses.'
"GRYFFINDOR."
Albus looked anxious to sit down. Ironically enough, his courage to believe that there was nothing wrong with the other houses was the courage that put him in Gryffindor. He walked over to the red and gold clad table of Gryffindor and sat down next to a raven haired girl.
"Puck, Cedric."
"HUFFLEPUFF."
Neville began stuttering as he was talking. "Rambling, McKenzie." McKenzie walked up to the stool, accidentally elbowing Rose after a boy with dark brown hair tried to trip her. McKenzie sat on the stool for a long time and Albus wondered if maybe his sorting had been that long and he hadn't noticed, he hoped not.
"GRYFFINDOR."
"Resgo, Albert."
"HUFFLEPUFF."
Albus tuned out most of the rest of the sorting, only to pay attention when the W's came up.
"Walters, Guylan."
"GRYFFINDOR." The only care Albus had was that this black haired boy was now his roommate.
"Weasley, Frederick."
"GRYFFINDOR."
"Weasley, Rose." Albus watched as Rose nervously walked up to the hat in the shadow of her newly Gryffindor cousin. She and Fred had always competed for family perfection, although, Rose seemed to care more about what was right for her.
"GRYFFINDOR."
"Zachola, Warren."
"GRYFFINDOR."
Professor Entwhistle, the new Headmaster and old Transfiguration teacher stood up. "I would like to say that we are honored every year to welcome new students, but always remember those who perished in pursuit of that and thank old warriors. And in the words of a man who fascinated me, Nitwit, blubber, odmit, tweek, and let the Feast begin."