Scorpius was sitting on the bow of the small wooden boat as it sailed effortlessly across the lake later that day with the Flint twins to either side of him. He watched in awe with the twins as Hogwarts castle came into view for the first time. It towered over the fleet of boats and Scorpius was not the only student to be in awe.
Nearer the great castle of Hogwarts loomed until at last the boats passed into a hole in the cliff face covered by a thin veil of ivy, and into a tunnel. The sight of Hogwarts had made Scorpius forget his nervousness, but as the boats pulled themselves onto a shore of rocks and pebbles it returned with a vengeance. He did his best to ignore it as he and the twins climbed out of their boat and walked up to a flight of stairs that led to a set of oaken doors.
Scorpius saw that silver-haired witch walking up by herself, and that Potter boy he had bumped into was with a girl who had frizzy red hair tied back in a tight ponytail. There were other children, some he recognized as fellow pure-bloods and others of less pure origins. Hagrid, groundskeeper and professor, led the mob of eleven year olds up the stairs to the door which he knocked on.
Almost instantly the door opened to reveal a middle-aged witch with dark red hair tied back in a fishtail braid. She wore Gryffindor colors, and there was an impatient look to her features. Scorpius got the feeling from the way her grey-blue eyes overlooked the children that she was not someone to cross.
"Here are the firs' years, Professor Northwind," Hagrid introduced the children to the witch who had greeted them.
The door to the entry hall opened and Hagrid stepped back so the group of children could enter. Everything was gigantic and the flames from its torches threw dancing light across the wall. Scorpius swallowed, but walked confidently. Professor Northwind silently took them across the flagged stones to a small chamber.
Beyond, they could hear the voices of the rest of the school. There sounded like a lot of people. Jacob, used to bluffing, kept an almost bored expression on his face while Luke struggled to appear calm.
Once the crowd of children was gathered, Professor Northwind addressed them. "Welcome to your first year at Hogwarts. Before you take your seats in the Great Hall you will be sorted into your house. These houses are important and they will be your fellow classmates, friends and perhaps rivals. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."
Scorpius noticed a slight note of disdain in her voice when she said the last house. Because Salazar Slytherin had advocated for blood purity, nearly all of Slytherin's house members were pure bloods. It had been mostly former Slytherin members who had stood beside Voldemort in the Second Wizarding War as Death Eaters and supporters. The house was not as popular as it had once been.
"Also," Northwind continued, "as long as you are at Hogwarts, you represent your house. Victories will earn your house points while rule-breaking will lose them. At the end of each year, the house with the most points wins the house cup. So remember what mischief might cause your house to lose, and I hope that you all become a credit to your house."
Again, Scorpius detected that note in her voice. She was likely thinking that most Slytherins who had become a 'credit to their house' had done so by using the Dark Arts. Well Mrs. Professor, Scorpius thought sharply, you're wrong. Slytherin isn't a bad house.
"You have a few minutes to clean yourselves up before your fellow students see you for the first time," Northwind finished. "I suggest you take advantage of them. I will return shortly for you. Please remain quiet."
She left the chamber, and the instant the door closed the gathered students started whispering. Those who were muggle-born wanted to know what she meant by sorted. Others simply whispered with their friends, each trying to bolster another's courage about what was coming up.
Luke ran his fingers through his bangs, trying to dispel a bit of nervous energy while Jacob bounced on the balls of his toes as if he were getting ready to run. Scorpius smoothed the front of his robe, trying to make his mind blank. Unfortunately, Jacob was the expert at that.
The door opened unexpectedly, and Professor Northwind returned. Her reappearance quieted things remarkably quickly.
"Form a line and follow me first years," the Professor told them.
Scorpius thought he might pass out from nervousness as he got into line with the twins behind him. That though would be a very poor way to start off the school year though, so he did his best to swallow it down and walk. The line of children left the chamber and walked back into the hall and through the doors of the Great Hall.
Scorpius was amazed by how many children there were. His parents had told him of the floating candles, the gold tableware, and the enchanted ceiling, but what they failed to mention was just how many students there were. Four tables were lined up parallel to each other and the group walked down the middle. Ahead of them was another table where adults – the Professors – were sitting. Sitting in the throne like chair of the Headmistress was an older witch in green robes. That had to be Professor McGonagall, a former Gryffindor.
Sitting on a four-legged stool was the old Sorting Hat. Luke had once said that the Sorting Hat had been in Hogwarts since the first year the school opened. When Scorpius us saw the hat, he had to admit it seemed likely.
After a moment of sitting on the stool, the hat twitched, straightened, and began to sing its yearly song.
"A thousand years ago
There lived four wizards of renown:
Bold Gryffindor,
Fair Ravenclaw,
Sweet Hufflepuff,
Shrewd Slytherin,
"
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
"
Now each of these
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different things.
"
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
"
While still alive they picked their
favorites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the ones
When they were dead and gone?
"
Twas Gryffindor who found a way,
He put some brains in me
So I could choose instead!
"
Now slip me about your ears,
I'll have a look inside your mind
And tell where you belong!"
The gathered students sitting at the table clapped, although Scorpius noticed the lyrics of the song. Power-hungry Slytherin, you said, those of great ambition. You said Gryffindor was valued beyond the rest to, didn't you?
Professor Northwind stepped forward with a scroll in her hands. "Step forward when your name is called so you may be sorted. Ackerman, Joseph!"
A boy with short and fluffy brown hair put on the hat and sat down. After a few seconds pause the hat announced, "RAVENCLAW!"
The table third from the left cheered and Joseph Ackerman gratefully took off the hat and went to them. Scorpius looked around the tables. It was easy to identify the houses from the colors the students were wearing and the houses went from left to right: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff.
"Arclight, Petal!" Professor Northwind called unexpectedly.
Scorpius looked away from the tables to the hat as the silver-haired witch walked over to it. Luke elbowed his twin victoriously. Despite the fact that Arclights home-schooled their children, this girl was an Arclight. Why she was here instead of with her family was unknown, but Luke knew that he was right.
Without hardly any pause at all, the hat announced, "SLYTHERIN!"
Petal Arclight seemed neither pleased nor displease and hopped off the stool. The people at the Slytherin table clapped and cheered although they were being a bit cautious. Like with Scorpius and Jacob, they had never heard of the Arclight family before and assumed she was a muggleborn or a mudblood. One of the students asked her something, and Petal shook her head. The Slytherin students relaxed, so likely the question had been about her heritage.
Other children were called up and were sorted among the various houses. Erebus Carrow, another pure-blood friend of Scorpius's joined the Slytherin House with Petal, followed by both of the Flint twins. Luke, aware of his friend's nervousness, gave Scorpius a reassuring smile. Scorpius looked down instead of returning it.
Finally, Northwind said, "Malfoy, Scorpius."
Scorpius forced himself to walk forward and sit on the stool, the hat on his head. Unlike with his father, it did not instantly declare him a Slytherin. It hesitation did not help Scorpius's nerves.
It hummed quietly and mused so only he could hear, "intriguing. You have great courage and loyalty. I could see you with the lion."
Lion? That meant Gryffindor!
"No," Scorpius responded softly and strongly, "not Gryffindor."
"Not Gryffindor?" The hat chuckled quietly. "That is an odd statement. Most would be pleased to be in that house."
"I don't need to be in Gryffindor to prove I'm a good wizard," Scorpius explained. "I can do that from any other house."
"You want to clear their name," the hat noted. "Very well, you may try. SLYTHERIN!"
Cheers now came from the Slytherin table. They were not as loud as they could have been or – Scorpius suspected – as loud as they had been for his father.
"I'll do more then try," Scorpius challenged the Sorting Hat as he took it off and set it on the stool.
The hat chuckled at his declaration as Scorpius walked down the steps and to his Housemates. Its confidence scared him, but only a little bit. He had said before he ever got on the train that he would prove his family and Slytherin were good wizards, and he fully intended to do that. If the hat didn't believe him then he would just have to prove it wrong.
Jacob waved him down childishly, and Luke stomped on his foot. His move made Jacob lower his hands, and for a moment it looked like Jacob was going to shove Luke off of his bench. Scorpius sat across from the twins with a sigh, knowing this was exactly why the two of them were usually kept separated.
"Ha," Jacob told him with a smile, "I told you everything would work out fine."
"You did not," Luke argued. "On the train you were scared you'd end up in Gryffindor with all those mixed-bloods and blood traitors."
"Did not," Jacob argued back.
Scorpius was about to speak up to separate the two of them when Professor Northwind suddenly called out, "Potter, Albus."
A murmur slipped through the crowd at the mention of another of the children of the famous Harry Potter, and the twins looked away from each other to the Sorting Hat as the Potter boy walked up to the hat.
It took but a second for it to call out "GRYFFINDOR!"
The thunderous eruption of cheers and applause from the Gryffindor table made Scorpius jump. Albus grinned as he set the hat respectfully on the stool and jumped down the stairs to where his older brother James was. Scorpius felt just a little envious of his loud greeting, but could hardly be surprised by it.
More names were called out until there was only one student left, and Professor Northwind called out the name of the red-haired girl that had been with Albus. "Weasley, Rose."
The girl was a Weasley then, and a blood traitor. No, Scorpius corrected himself. Her mother was a muggle-born so she was a half-blood, and in a way that was even worse. The hat declared the girl a Gryffindor as well and she walked primly down the steps and sat next to Albus. After that Professor Northwood rolled up the scroll and took the hat and stool away.
The new students and the older ones spoke quietly, and the Flint twins were instantly dragged into a conversation. No one spoke to Scorpius until Jacob got into an argument over which Quidditch team was better, Ireland or Bulgaria, which inevitably sparked a debate. Scorpius like Ireland better personally like Jacob did, but Luke mentioned that Bulgaria was better.
Quidditch wasn't as popular with Slytherin as it was with the other houses, but the twins managed to get support on both their sides and Scorpius stopped trying to referee them fairly quickly. The first challenge seemed to be over, and the first-years were mostly accepted into Slytherin. Scorpius still got veiled looks that were not otherwise directed at the twins, but that was usually how everyone glanced at him. He was a Malfoy, and his family had made many mistakes. Scorpius would fix them all. Somehow, he would.
After the mess with Voldemort, things are pretty bad for the pure-bloods. A lot of wizards belief foolishly that all of the pure-bloods were allies of Voldemort. For Scorpius, it's worse because the non-purebloods know that his family were close supporters of Voldemort, and the pure-bloods know that his family betrayed Voldemort and let Potter escape so he's caught no matter what.
I wish Scorpius luck in his "quest" to clear the Malfoy name. For certain, it will not be easy.