J.K. Rowling is too pro... It only makes sense that the most perfect books in the universe are written by her

"A Malfoy, eh? Sly –"

The yell was abruptly cut short, followed by a curious noise which could only be explained as the sound of a hat choking.

"…Are you ok?" Scorpius inquired hesitantly.

"Am I ok. A Malfoy is asking me if I'm ok. Tell me, son, who did Draco Malfoy kidnap you from to pose as his son?"

"Er…"

"'Er' – he said 'er'! Never in my life – such an undignified sound coming from a Malfoy heir –"

A full minute passed before the hat's increasingly agitated exclamations receded to a quiet mumbling.

"Well. I see you're very brilliant, most brilliant indeed. You're also a hard worker, honest and determined. You've more bravery in you than all your forefathers combined… and you're comp – compass – "

"Compassionate?" Scorpius suggested helpfully.

The hat quite visibly sagged on Scorpius' head of neatly combed blond hair.

"You're filled to the brim with paradoxes, boy, you know that? Lucius Malfoy's grandson, honest and compassionate. Draco Malfoy's son, brave and hardworking."

"Hey…" Scorpius protested weakly. The hat paid him no attention.

"If anyone were to ever tell me that I would see the day when I'd even consider a house other than Slytherin for a Malfoy, I would've recommended a prolonged stay at St. Mungo's for them. But you, my boy, for you, it appears that the very rules of the universe are willing to bend themselves. Something, by the way, for which you should be proud of, considering that's exactly what your father and grandfather spent most of their lives trying to accomplish.

'Now, where to put you… Well, this is a real challenge. See, from the moment I first saw you, I knew you were going to Slytherin – "

"Because I'm a Malfoy," Scorpius said sourly.

"Because you're a Malfoy." The hat agreed. "I still stand by that decision, you know. You would do well in Slytherin. You're ambitious, lad. You're more humble than all the Malfoys I've ever met, put together, times a thousand. But beneath that, you've got dreams. You want to do something great, to let the world know your name."

Scorpius' mouth fell open slightly. Somehow, within the span of five minutes, an inanimate object had managed to see into his heart's deepest desires. These were hopes and dreams that Scorpius had never shared with anyone else. He'd never dared, because while he cherished those dreams, a part of his brain, the logical part, had always told him that they were impossible fantasies.

But the truth was, ever since his father had divulged to him the reason for the estrangement of the Malfoy family from the rest of the wizarding world, Scorpius had harboured the dream that one day, he would be the one to purge the family name, to redeem the Malfoy family, and to prove to everyone that people can change.

However, taking into account the animosity still directed to the Malfoy family nearly two decades after the end of the war, it wasn't going to be an easy task.

"Yes, it won't be easy." The hat echoed. "But you're still going to try, aren't you? Now this, this is ambition Slytherin himself would've approved of."

"So Slytherin, then?" Scorpius asked. His heart sank. While he certainly wasn't ashamed of the house of Slytherin (after all, every one of his ancestors had belonged to this house, for as long as they could trace back the family tree), he still couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being sorted there only because of his heritage. Furthermore, he knew that his landing in Slytherin would, in the eyes of the people who viewed the Malfoys as Death Eaters still, only confirm their beliefs. Finally, he also knew that there was no way Rose and Al could end up in Slytherin, and he loathed to be separated from his new friends so soon. However…

"No, not quite," The hat said. "You are ambitious enough for Slytherin. And you are certainly intelligent enough as well. Yet I choose the word "intelligent", and not "cunning", because you plan to achieve your dreams by working towards them in an honest, scrupulous manner, don't you? You plan to arrive at the ends not just by any means, but by hard work and perseverance. Now these are attributes typically ascribed to the Great House of Helga Hufflepuff. And you're compassionate enough for it too," The hat added as an afterthought, disbelief lacing its voice.

"Then Hufflepuff?" Scorpius asked. Hufflepuff wasn't bad. And the hat was right, Scorpius did want to achieve his dreams in an honest fashion – he knew what corruption and knavery led to. After all, that had been the doctrine of the Death Eaters.

"Not exactly," The hat disagreed. "The fact is, I can also see you as a Ravenclaw. As I've said, you're naturally intuitive enough. Not to mention the fact that you enjoy reading, and also possess a thirst for knowledge that mirrors that of the founder of the house of wisdom. You would fit right in with those scholars of Ravenclaw."

"But…?" Scorpius prompted.

"But," The hat paused, then made a sound as if it were swallowing. If it had a throat and actual saliva, that is. "But, more importantly than any of that, there is something else about you that I find the most special of all. You're ambitious, it's true. You want to achieve great things, and you want to achieve these things in a scrupulous fashion, without causing harm to others. And you're intelligent enough to be able to correctly analyze the situation and realize that not all your dreams are practical. Yet despite all this, despite your realization of the impracticality, even borderline impossibility of your dreams, you're still willing to try. You still dare to try. Fate has laid an almost impossible hand of cards before you, but you're willing to defy fate itself, to get what you want. And that, lad, that shows such pure courage that there is really only one house you really belong in: that of Godric GRYFFINDOR'S!"

Scorpius lifted the hat off his head, and stood up shakily.

He blinked rapidly, disoriented by the sudden brightness. Yet, even before his eyes had adjusted enough for him to see the stunned expressions everyone in the hall – student, teacher or ghost – was wearing, he knew that something was off. The silence, for one thing, was a dead giveaway. For every other first year that was Sorted, applause, be it polite or tumultuous (the latter typically occurred when said first year was sorted into Gryffindor), always followed immediately. For Scorpius, however, there was no applause.

As Scorpius stood, looking out into the hall, all he could see was a sea of blank, uncomprehending stares. And all the joy that had built up during the train ride dissipated, leaving a hollow, cold feeling.

It won't be easy…

The Sorting Hat's words echoed in his mind, haunting him, taunting him.

Then…

Cheers. They were quiet, yes, but they were definitely cheers. Scorpius scanned the hall wildly, and located the source of the cheers. In the middle of the hall, still waiting to be Sorted, stood Al and Rose, both clapping fiercely. Every eye in the hall was focussed on them, but Al and Rose only straightened their backs defiantly, and continued their applause. Rose caught Scorpius' eyes, and gave him an encouraging smile.

And Scorpius felt warmness flood through him, thawing the ice that despair had breathed onto his heart.

It certainly wouldn't be easy. But that didn't mean that he couldn't succeed, especially with friends like his at his side.

Slowly, applause picked up around the hall, hesitant at first, then gradually growing louder until it reached a respectable volume.

Scorpius slowly placed the Sorting Hat on the stool, and walked towards the Gryffindor table. He could still feel several hundred pairs of eyes trained on him, but he didn't look around. Instead, he straightened his back, and walked on.

When finally, he arrived at the table, the applause had already died down, and to Scorpius' gratefulness, most of the students were now focussed on the next First Year, who was already on the stool. Scorpius quietly slipped onto the bench at the furthest end of the table, and then turned his attention as well to the Sorting.

Thank you so much to Shiranai Atsune, TreyFury97, alondramildret and AllisonReader for your support! And thank you especially to lifelong potterhead for your continued interest!

This chapter is fairly short, but I personally like it a lot

Next chapter, we get to see Al and Rose Sorted