Authors Note: Sooo... sorry for the wait everyone. Originally I had intended for 'Express Meeting' to be a part of a series of one shots that tied together, but Fanfiction decided to ignore my marking as complete. Really, this is probably simpler, but now I gotta think of a new name for the series. That being said, this next chapter is going to be divided into three parts, I'll try to be quicker on the with uploads as I go but I make no promises (University and life have a tendency to take potshots at any plans I make). That being said, enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!
Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, 2016
'Scorpius Malfoy.'
Someone must've turned up the volume because the Great Hall quickly went from respectfully quiet to unashamed chattering, all just after saying two words. I did what my father told me to do, closing my eyes and counting back from ten, slowing my breathing. When I opened them, I walked towards the stool with my back straight and head held high.
'Isn't that Draco Malfoy's—'
'—Death Eater's son!'
'No prizes for guessing where he'll end up—'
'—and I thought Slytherin was making progress, say goodbye to that—'
I dug my fingers into my palm and kept moving, one foot in front of the other, trying to bury the hurt and anger boiling up inside me. I don't think I did that very well, judging from the look of pity Professor Longbottom gave me as I sat down. Okay, plan A wasn't working. Plan B: focus on something else. The professor lowered the hat and I had just enough time to wince as my intricately styled hair was ruffled.
'Oh my, well aren't you an interesting young lad?' A voice spoke out.
A voice in my head...
Well, plan B worked. I was defiantly distracted.
'Hmm, in all my years you have to be the most interesting Malfoy I've met thus far, though that isn't a particularly hard feat,' the hat commented. I couldn't decide if that was a compliment or an insult, but decided to be annoyed anyway, like dad normally is. The hat chuckled, 'Relax, dear boy, it's a compliment. While your forefathers all have their differences, almost all of them were clearly suited to one house in particular. I didn't even need to delve past your father's surface thoughts to sort him. Quickest sorting I've ever done, at least in recent history, though you've certainly inherited his vanity.'
Despite myself I immediately groaned at my ruined hair, before catching myself and pouted a bit, cheeks tinted pink.
'Yes, you are much harder to place. You do have some Slytherin qualities, for example; your sense of determination is quite strong. Resourceful to, it would seem. You've developed many methods of coping with the unjust treatment bestowed upon you.' My hands squeezed the stool when it said that, it took a moment to relax them again, 'However, your not nearly as subtle as most Slytherin's are. You've built your mask but you don't want to hide, nor should you. Despite the way most would have you bare the sins of your family or perhaps because of it, you are a very kind and understanding person. There is also a defiance in you, lad, it burns hot and sometimes makes you a bit implosive, hmm? No, I don't think Slytherin would suit you, where you'd have to temper that fire and fight every step of the way to prove that your not what they believe you to be. That leaves only one question: where to put you?'
Looking up from beneath the hat, I scanned the other three houses. The Puffs, Ravens and Lions all looked at me like I was already a snake, fangs bared and ready to stab them in the back. They hated me, they didn't want anything to do with me, not after everything the Malfoy's have done. I understood why, but I couldn't help being resentful. How was I supposed to prove to them that I'm not some Death Eater in disguise when they've already made up their minds?
I glanced over at the Slytherin table. It would be the same there. The Slytherin's have been trying to recover from the shame ever since Voldemort's defeat, a Malfoy would only be a liability for them. Which leaves me with... what?
My eyes drifted over the first years in front of me. To my dismay but not surprise, it was the same thing, though they mostly turned away when I looked at them...
No, wait a minute.
Not all of them.
One boy with brunette hair and hazel eyes looked straight back at me. He didn't look mad, or even slightly distrusting. He looked calm, bored even. He tilted his head at me and I felt heat rush into my cheeks as I realised I was staring. Then, the cocky bloke smirked at me and mouthed three words very slowly and very clearly:
Any day now.
I quietly scoffed at his nerve, if only to distract myself from the fact that I was taking well over a minute to sort. Still, the prat had a point, if all the houses hated me than it really didn't matter where I went. Besides, it would give them a nasty shock if I didn't go to Slytherin.
'Put me wherever you want,' I thought to the hat, 'I'll make it work.'
'And that, my dear boy,' The hat said and I swear I could hear it smirking, 'decides it.'
I didn't know what I was expecting, but what it ended up shouting defiantly wasn't it.
'GRYFFINDOR!'
James Sirius Potter, 2016
Well... that was completely unexpected.
That old, matted hat had shocked the entire hall into silence. Even the professors mouths were hanging open, except for headmistress Edda but she was completely unflappable. Nope, the only reaction she showed was a single, raised eyebrow.
Malfoy wasn't doing much better himself, his steel grey eyes were wide open and his face had gone so pale he almost looked see-through. The poor bloke looked like he was going to faint.
I felt a twinge of annoyance as I looked around at the other students. When I pictured coming to Hogwarts, I imagined everyone whispering my name with admiration and awe, the first son of Harry Potter to walk the halls of Hogwarts. I'd step up to the hat and get sorted into Gryffindor with Fred and Roxanne and all my other cousins and we'd have a blast pranking the ever-living daylights out of Hogwarts like never before. And it was all supposed to start with a grand entrance.
But how was I supposed to top a Malfoy getting sorted into bloody Gryffindor?
Maybe it's better this way, whispered a much quieter part of myself, with everyone looking at Scorpius it will make it much more surprising when I pull the rug out from under them. That would be fun... or.
Almost on impulse my hands started clapping, drawing open stares from the other students. Headmistress Edda was right behind me, then uncle Neville (having to fumble with the hat to keep from dropping it in his hurry). Soon everyone caught on and slowly started clapping as well. I couldn't help smirking a bit, especially when I noticed Malfoy gain a bit more colour as he (finally) made his way over to the Gryffindor table, sitting a little ways away from the other students who gawked at him like dying fish.
As the sorting continued, I couldn't help but watch the young Malfoy out of the corner of my eye. He looked like he was getting ready to bolt for the hills, his hands clasped together in front of him while he either stared straight ahead or at the sorting. Every time his eyes wandered over to the waiting first years I turned away, though I felt an odd shiver when I did. I started to wonder if that whole speil about how you can feel when someone was looking at you was more than an old wizards tale.
'James Potter.'
I would like to say I completely kept my cool when my name was called and I did... after jolting so bad I accidentally jostled the kid next to me. I was so glad Fred was too far away to see my ears go red like a majority of the Potter/Weasley's do when we're embarrassed, or annoyed, or just about any other emotion. Recovering quickly, I strutted my way up to the stool, feeling a bit better as everyone started whispering again. Once I was seated, I smirked and gave hall a mock salute, earning a few laughs from the students and a eye roll from Uncle Neville (I saw him fighting down a smile, so I knew I'd won him over). He put the hat on my head and I congratulated myself for keeping my composure when it spoke.
'Ah yes, I was wondering when we'd see another Potter walk these halls.' The hat spoke, groaning as it continued, 'Oh dear, your going to be just as much trouble as both your namesakes. It will be a miracle if Hogwarts is still standing by the end of your second year.'
I didn't bother hiding my grin. While I had no intention of destroying my school, I couldn't deny that Hogwarts wouldn't get away without a scratch.
'Now, where exactly these... talents should be cultivated is the next question.' It continued.
I wished there was a back to this stool so I could lean back and relax as I got sorted into Gryffindor, but that might be a bit redundant. The hat chuckled.
'So confident that is where you will be? I'm afraid it might not be so clear cut.'
I'm not sure what it looked like to everyone else, but I'm pretty sure all the colour drained from my face.
'Yes, I see the potential you have, similar to that of your father.' The hat spoke matter-of-factly, continuing on. 'Harry Potter wasn't simply hand picked to be a Gryffindor, as others have claimed him to be. No, while he had many of Gryffindor's valued traits, he had other qualities that made him suited to other houses. Ultimately, I felt he would be better off deciding for himself. As for you, we shall see.'
'You certainly have a keen mind when you can focus on the task at hand, and creativity to refine that mind to a tempered edge. But you don't go looking for knowledge that doesn't interest you, or pursue it beyond what you want. So perhaps Ravenclaw isn't quite your cup of tea.'
I let my breath out slowly. Thank Merlin, being stuck in that tower with a bunch of bookworms who don't know how to have any fun would be a nightmare.
'And on that note we can also rule out Hufflepuff. Your social patience is a little lacking, perhaps patience in general, though that remains to be seen. I do hope you can grow out of these base assumptions, you could learn a thing or two from the Badgers in terms of being a little more accepting.'
My ears and cheeks burned at that and I had to stop myself from growling. It's not like I'm prejudice or anything, I even thought Slytherin's had the better house crest for Merlin's sake! I just know what I like, and what I like doesn't involve plants or books or getting teased by Fred for eternity. And I'm positive both houses would be just as miserable with me as I would be with them. Was that really so wrong? I don't think so.
'Ha ha, you certainly have the Weasley blood in you! Quite the fire you have, my boy. To answer your rhetorical question, no, it is not wrong to know what you want or even how to get it. In fact, it shows quite a bit of maturity and self awareness to know how your classmates would cope with you as you would cope with them. While I believe your underestimating the both of them, I also think your right, you would probably fair better with Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaws as classmates rather than housemates.'
Well, glad the hat saw it my way.
'Now that just leaves Slytherin and Gryffindor.'
...gulp.
'Hmm, quite the dilemma. For one thing your not short on bravery or chivalry, though not many people get to see that now do they? Too busy focusing on the pranks and your mischievous nature. I see now that you don't completely lack patience, you know when to wait for your moment, when no one is looking before pulling the pin on your traps. And your certainly not one to follow, but to lead, which could be for either house. Quite the conundrum. Perhaps—
'GRYFFINDOR!' I practically shouted in my own head, nails digging into the wood of the stool, 'please, put me in Gryffindor. I have to go there, I'm Harry Potter's son, the first one to walk through Hogwarts since he left, I HAVE to be there. I'm not someone who cheats or bullies people to get their way, I'm not some worm in the grass who'll stab their friends in the back! Please, please, please, Gryffindor is where I belong. It has to be.'
The hat was quite for what felt like hours. At this point I wasn't even sure how long I'd been sitting there, how long my sorting was going for. Long enough that everyone seemed to be watching me, waiting for the hat to scream out what they where thinking but it stayed silent. For the first time in my life, I wanted to disappear.
Finally, the sorting hat spoke to me.
'Very well. You're very clearly set on Gryffindor and at the end of the day it's my job to place you where I think is best for your care and growth.' It said calmly and I felt myself slouch in relief, 'However, here's some words of wisdom you would do well to heed, Mr Potter. While all the students are sorted into houses whose qualities seem to match perfectly, all of them have parts of themselves that align more to the other founders, some more clearly than others. No matter how much you might wish it so, that part of you that calls more to Salazar than Godric will always exist. It's up to you to decide how that part effects you and those around you, but it will never go away. Lastly, though you might fear the Slytherin's of the past might somehow rear their ugly heads into this new generation, allow me to be the first to tell you that a Lion can be just as dangerous as any Serpent.'
I didn't know what to feel. The only time I've ever felt this queasy was when Victoir hit me with that slug hex. It sucked then and it sucked even more now, especially because when I tried to speak, I didn't have the excuse of a slimy creature blocking my throat.
'GRYFFINDOR!'
