"Firs' years over here! Firs' years! Any more firs' years?" Professor Hagrid's voice boomed above the students' racket as first years, including me, gathered (some nervously) around him.

Father had told me much about the giant; Hagrid had obviously favored Potter during his school days. Father himself had had some rather unfortunate...events occur while under his supervision, and that story involved a hippogriff, Sirius Black escaping from his fate of the Dementor's Kiss, and Potter and pals being heros as usual. None of Father's stories about his school experiences had a happy ending (at least, not for him), and almost all of them somehow contained Potter saving the day. It was always Potter this, and Potter that.

"Al! Rosie! All right there, yeh two?" Sure enough, even now he talked to Potter and Weasley like old friends. I snorted.

Weasley beamed at the giant, waving furiously to catch his attention. "We're good!" Potter bellowed back, "except a certain Malfoy has been giving us problems!"

With a sniff, I turned my back to them and found myself beside Susanna Zabini, daughter of Blaise Zabini (who was a good friend of Father's). "Oh, Scorp!" She greeted me cheerfully, "Glad to finally see one familiar face around here! I was beginning to think—"

I never did find out what she was beginning to think, for then Hagrid ushered us all into boats. I found myself along with Susanna, Christine Nott and another terrified-looking guy. The Weasley girl was piled into another boat with Potter and two other students. She gave me a half-hearted wave.

"Who's that waving at you, Scorp?" Christine asked me, narrowing her eyes as she saw Weasley. "No wait, you don't have to answer. Let me guess...She's a Weasley, isn't she?"

"Ten points for Slytherin!" I drawled for good measure. She giggled, shooting Weasley a dirty look as she did so. Weasley scowled back at us, then turned her head away to chat with her cousin.

The other bloke in our boat pointed out, "B-But, we're not even Sorted yet!"

Sue (who much preferred the shorter version of her name) muttered in response, "Yeah, well, no doubt we'll be Sorted into Slytherin!"

The guy's eyes widened in surprise as he finally realized who I was. "Y-You're Malfoy, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not Malfoy," I replied sarcastically, "I just happen to be extremely rich and have blond hair."

The poor bloke scrambled as far back away from me as possible as Christine and Sue burst out laughing. A few students from other boats turned to see what the commotion was. I was forced to grab onto the sides of the boat, for it had started rocking violently back and forth from Christine and Sue doubling over from laughter. Hagrid frowned at us from his own private boat, and I smirked back at him.

It felt like forever before we finally stood outside the door to Hogwarts. When the door opened at Hagrid's command, we headed inside, where we were greeted by the Herbology professor and Head of Gryffindor House—Neville Longbottom.

"The firs' years, Professor," Hagrid informed him, who nodded briskly and led us into a small chamber not far from the Great Hall.

"Please not Slytherin," I heard Potter mutter not far away from me.

Weasley's voice soothed, "Don't worry, Al, you'll be fine! Besides, I'm sure all the Houses want you—being Harry Potter's son and all!"

I sighed, knowing that what she said would have no affect on the Potter boy. She certainly needed how-to-properly-comfort-people lessons. "I don't want the other Houses to want me!" Potter's slightly panicky voice rang out.

"Oh, shut up, Al," came her exasperated answer (which wasn't reassuring at all), "Just don't think about it! James was Sorted into Gryffindor, wasn't he? You'll be, too!"

Her mentioning of the older Potter caused Potter to roar, "JAMES SAID I WOULD BE SORTED INTO SLYTHERIN!"

"DID SOMEBODY SAY SLYTHERIN?" A voice boomed above us. A few people screamed, pointing up to where the Bloody Baron had floated into the room. I was tempted to wave at him in greeting, and so I did.

"Are you crazy, Malfoy?" Weasley gasped, staring at me with her mouth wide open.

Potter cowered back in fear, stumbling over students in his attempt to hide in a corner.

The Bloody Baron noticed me and grinned evilly. "Ah, Malfoy, eh? Looking forward to having you in my House!" Still crackling with laughter, he flew into the wall and vanished.

"All of you, still alive?" Professor Longbottom had reappeared.

I wonder what sort of greeting that was.

"At least the Bloody Baron didn't kill anyone this time," he grunted, though I could tell he was merely joking as we followed him into the Great Hall.

And, there sat the Sorting Hat atop the stool.

As the Hat finished his song, the Professor rolled out the list of names. I was becoming impatient as well as hungry (the Chocolate Frog eaten on the train felt like eons ago).

Finally, finally, he called out, "Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Boldly, I walked up and sat down on the stool, placing the Sorting Hat over my head. "Ah, another Malfoy?" A voice mused in my head. "Hmm...you certainly are rather smart, if I do say so myself. Perhaps Ravenclaw..."

"No," I thought firmly, "Not Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor, or Hufflepuff!"

"Are you sure? If that's the case, better be in—SLYTHERIN!" He yelled the last word to the school as I set the hat down and headed to the Slytherin table, where students were cheering and waving at me...I let out a small sigh of relief.

Longbottom continued on with the list: "Nott, Christine!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

And it wasn't long before—"Potter, Albus!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I noted the look on Potter's face as he joined the Gryffindor table.

Weasley too was Sorted into Gryffindor, and Sue hurried over and sat down next to me with a grin.

"Welcome back to another school year, and welcome to your first school year for some of you," The Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, said with her voice magically amplified. "I'm sure you must all be starving now, so I'll leave my words of wisdom for later. Well, bon appétit!" She clapped her hands, and at once food appeared on the golden plates.

"Excellent!" I remarked, remembering Father telling me about the feasts at Hogwarts, "House-elves certainly are good cooks, aren't they?"

"Why, of course," Sue agreed with her mouth already full of mashed potatoes. "Quit complementing the House-elves, Scorp, and start eating, for Merlin's sake! House-elves are meant to serve, so what good will it be to praise them?"

With a curt nod, I began helping myself to pork chops and kidney pie.

I didn't write out the Sorting in I'm In Love With a Malfoy, but I decided to include it in Weasley.

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