Aurora grasped her bag tightly as she piled onto the Hogwarts Express with the rest of the students. Suprisingly, she found an empty compartment and slid into it. She peeked into the bag and the journal was still there. The letter to the headmistress was also there though she had no idea what it was about. All she knew was that she needed to deliver it tomorrow after classes. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying hard to keep the tears from coming. She was surprised she could even cry anymore. Her grandmother had died just days ago and she missed her terribly. She had grown up with her. She was more of a mother to her than her own had ever even thought of being.
The train had started moving and she figured she would be alone for the trip. She couldn't decide if that was good or bad. If she burst into tears no one would think she was some weirdo but if she had someone to talk to it was more likely that she could keep her mind off of it. She opened her eyes as someone rapped on the glass and opened the compartment door.
"Umm can I sit in here with you?" A boy with medium brown hair asked.
"Yeah sure." She smiled.
"First year? He asked as he sat down.
"Yeah. How about you?"
"Yep. Got sick of my brother teasing me about the sorting." He sighed. "Are you nervous about it?"
"Ha, yeah. It's scary. Everyone judges you by it. Flighty Hufflepuffs, Arrogant Gryffindors, Know-it-all Ravenclaws or Evil Slytherin." She said as she mulled it over herself and the boy gulped as she said Slytherin.
"You really think Slytherin is evil?" He asked, obviously nervous at the thought.
"No, I don't. Everyone else seems to though. I know for a fact it's not though. My Gram was a Slytherin and she's the sweetest woman I've ever known. Wouldn't hurt a fly." She smiled at the boy and was happy that this seemed to reassure him.
"Yeah, my father told me the bravest man he ever knew was Slytherin. So I guess it can't be all bad."
"Well maybe we'll both end up there." Aurora smiled. She liked him, he seemed sweet.
Just then the woman with the trolly stopped to see if they wanted anything from it. Aurora reached into her bag to grab a few galleons. She was starving and though Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts were not the way to fill up, she figured it would last her the trip to Hogwarts and maybe give her something to share with her new friend.
"So what's your bother in then?" Aurora asked, mouth half full of Chocolate Frog as she stared at the picture of some witch she had never heard of smiling back at her from the card.
"Gryffindor. Pretty much my whole family has been. I feel like I'm failing them if I'm not a Gryffindor too."
"But you wouldn't be." Aurora swallowed her chocolate and looked up at him. "But I understand what you mean. My whole family is Slytherin so it makes you wonder if you belong with them if you end up somewhere else. Plus each house as their negative stereotype."
"Yeah." He said as he began to look worried again.
"You still don't seem convinced."
"I'm not."
"Well who knows? No need in dwelling on it. Worrying over something you have little control over just wastes energy, Gram always says." Aurora said proudly before feeling the pang in her heart as she thought about her Grandmother again. She swallowed hard and looked back at her new friend. She was still used to talking about her as though she were still around. "Hey, I never introduced myself. I'm Aurora." She held out her hand, hoping to focus on getting to know the boy rather than dwell on thoughts of her grandmother. "Aurora Blackwater."
"I'm Albus Potter." He smiled back at her as they shook hands.
^.^.^.^.^.^.^
Albus and Aurora talked the whole train ride. He really liked her and figured that if she were in the same house as he was, no matter which it was, things might not be so bad. Aurora was easy to talk to and he needed that right now. They snacked on the candy that she had bought, exchanging chocolate frog cards and laughing as they watched a boy chase his cat past their compartment only to be chased by the cat the other direction moments later.
When they arrived at Hogwarts they and the other first years including Albus' cousin Rose had to go with Hagrid, as was tradition. Albus wasn't prepared for how big Hagrid was though his brother and father had told him about Hagrid several times. He stopped to say hi to Albus and Rose briefly but then turned his job of getting them all to the castle.
Albus introduced Rose to Aurora as they waited to get into the boats to head to Hogwarts. While on the train Aurora had managed to take his mind off of sorting, but as they neared the castle his worries came back even stronger than before. It must have been obvious to Hagrid too, as he patted him on the back as they made their way up to the castle doors after the boat ride.
"See you next Friday?" Hagrid asked, reminding Albus that he had wanted to have tea with him and Albus nodded back, forcing a smile, unable to speak at the moment.
Albus walked next to Aurora as they followed the professor to the sorting ceremony. He could tell Aurora was just as nervous. He wondered if she could really want to be in Slytherin that badly. The professor turned around to explain to them how the ceremony would go and he and Aurora exchanged another nervous smile. They piled in and the professor stood with a scroll with all their names on it. She was tall and skinny with long brunette hair and bright blue eyes but Albus hadn't even caught her name he was so nervous. He glanced to his cousin Rose who was excitedly talking to someone she had met on the train. She had absolutely no fear about the sorting ceremony as she and her friend pointed out things to each other and whispered back and forth while they waited for names to be called.
"Theresa Andrews." The tall professor called out and as the tiny girl sat on the stool and the sorting hat was placed on her head it was almost immediately that the hat declared her the newest member of Gryffindor and the Gryffindor table erupted with cheers.
"Angelica Ashdown." This time the hat sat for a few moments before declaring her a Hufflepuff and now it was the Hufflepuff table's turn to cheer. Wait, he had to tell Aurora what his dad had told him about the sorting hat. He tugged on her robes to get her attention.
"The sorting hat takes what house you want into account." Albus whispered quickly.
"Really?" She looked so much less nervous and so much happier which made him feel better.
"Aurora Blackwater." The professor called.
"Thank you." She whispered before smiling and heading up to the stool and the sorting hat was placed on her head.
"Slytherin!" The hat called out and the Slytherin students hooped and hollered as she headed to their table. She practically bounced down to the table and gave him a reassuring smile before taking a seat with the rest of the Slytherins.
It seemed like the professor had called hundreds of students before she got to Albus though he knew it couldn't be true. He was mulling it all over in his head. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to end up in a different house than the rest of his family. Maybe it would be good to stand out this way. Occasionally a name caught his attention as he waited was seemed like forever for his name to be called. Rachel Dankworth was the first of several Ravenclaws in a row. Daniel Fernsby was a Gryffindor. Scorpius Malfoy, Slytherin.
Big surprise there. Albus thought as he watched the boy take a seat near Aurora.
Finally his name had been called. As he walked up to be sorted he could see his brother and cousins at the Gryffindor table. He took a deep breath as the sorting hat was placed on his head.
"Well, well. Another Potter. I suppose Gryffindor is where you'd like to go."
Slytherin wouldn't be so bad. Albus thought.
"Ah, that's very brave. You would do well in either house. Both are powerful houses and really quite similar despite what each claims. However… I think the choice is clear…"
"Slytherin!" The hat yelled out and he saw his family's jaws drop and then as he headed towards the Slytherin table who was also a bit shocked but mostly cheering he sat next to Aurora. He suppressed a grin as his brother sat at the Gryffindor table, mouth still gaping open.
"I thought you wanted Gryffindor!" Aurora whispered as she hugged him.
"I did, but then I realized that you were right. Every house has its negatives but they have positives too and well, I already have a friend here so I figured I'd be fine wherever the hat thought I should go." He smiled brightly at her and she hugged him again before they turned their attention back to the few remaining students to be sorted, including his cousin Rose who bounced happily down to the Gryffindor table to join the rest of his family currently at Hogwarts. He had made the right choice, he was sure of it. He glanced over at his brother who still looked worried but he just grinned back at him. Slytherin was a perfectly good house no matter what James teased and he was going to prove it.