Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Note: I have said this before, but just a reminder that none of my Next Gen drabbles will be Cursed Child compliant. This is my own personal head-canon, acting as if Cursed Child never existed. (Except for the characterization of Scorpius, because quite frankly, he was wonderful.)
Day 48: Sorting Hat
Scorpius stood nervously with the other first years. Rose and Albus, the two kids he had sat with on the train, were beside him. They both looked nervous too.
The Sorting Hat had just finished his song and now the first years' names were being called, one by one. As the professor reading the list got nearer and nearer to the Ms, Scorpius felt like he might be sick.
"Malfoy, Scorpius," There it was. There was his name. Scorpius wasn't sure he could move.
"Good luck," Albus whispered and Rose echoed the sentiment. Scorpius managed a nervous smile at the two before walking on trembling legs to the stool. He could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes on him. He'd always hated crowds.
He sat down on the stool and felt almost relieved when the hat slipped down over his eyes. At least he couldn't see all the people watching him anymore.
"Well, well, well, a Malfoy, are you?" the voice spoke in his ear.
Erm…yes Scorpius thought back and the Hat chuckled.
"I didn't actually need an answer, boy," it told him, "I can see all of your thoughts."
Could you- do you think you could put me in Slytherin? Scorpius asked nervously, All my family have been in Slytherin for ages and they all expect me to be in it too.
"But you're not like the rest of your family, are you Scorpius Malfoy?" The hat's voice sounded amused. Could hats be amused?
Scorpius could feel himself blushing, I…. He was nothing like his family. He'd always known that. And it felt like the hat was rubbing that in.
"I'm doing nothing of the sort, young Malfoy, there's nothing wrong with being different."
That's easy for you to say, you're a hat Scorpius thought, You don't have to worry about your father's reaction when he finds out you're the first Malfoy in ages to not be Sorted into Slytherin.
Scorpius would almost swear he heard the hat sigh, "I will put you in Slytherin if you insist, Scorpius Malfoy, but you won't be happy there. You are not abundantly ambitious. You're intelligent, incredibly intelligent, but you don't have the slyness to be cunning. You're kind. You care about others. You've always loved to learn. You read any books you can get your hands on, you used to practice spells with your parents wands when they weren't looking, you can't wait to get to all your classes. You're afraid others will make fun of you for your bookishness but there's one house where you'll fit right in, if you'll allow me to put you there?"
Scorpius swallowed hard. The hat was actually going to let him choose. He could be in Slytherin and make his parents happy, all he had to do was say the word. But… the hat was right. He didn't feel like a Slytherin. He only wanted to be there to make his parents happy. He screwed up his courage, Alright, alright, put me where you think is best.
"Very well," the hat sounded pleased, "I knew where the right place for you was as soon as you sat down….. RAVENCLAW!"
It shouted the last word and Scorpius lifted it from his head with slightly trembling hands, handing it to the professor before hurrying to the cheering Ravenclaw table, where the students greeted him enthusiastically. He gave his new Housemates a small shy smile as he sat down and turned his eyes toward the front of the hall, where the next student was making his way to the stool.
Scorpius watched a handful of other students being sorted, trying not to wonder how his parents would react when they found out he wasn't in Slytherin, and then it was Albus' turn. As he walked to the front of the hall, he briefly caught Scorpius' eye and Scorpius gave him what he hoped was an encouraging smile and mouthed, "Good luck."
Albus sat on the stool and a few moments later the hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Scorpius couldn't help but wonder if Albus, like him, had tried to convince the hat to put him in his family's house but ultimately given in.
Rose was nearly the last one to be called up to the stool. Scorpius couldn't held but notice that she looked a lot more confident than he or Albus had as she walked up there. It didn't take very long before the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Rose ran off to her House table, joining the group of students who were cheering noticeably louder than the rest, many of whom had red hair like her. Scorpius felt a slight pang of disappointment. He had hoped at least one of his new friends would be in the same House as him. Even in the few hours they had spent together on the train, Scorpius had noticed how smart Rose was and he had thought she might become a Ravenclaw.
Then he remembered the pact they had made on the train and smiled. It didn't matter that they weren't in the same House. Scorpius had been afraid he wouldn't make any friends at school, but he already had two. So far, things were looking pretty good.
I've been waiting to get to this one for a long time, so I hope I did it justice. I knew I wanted to write about Scorpius' Sorting but I wasn't sure if I was going to include Albus' and Rose's too. I always felt that Scorpius was misSorted in the Cursed Child. He's not cunning or ambitious. On the other hand, he'd make a great Ravenclaw. Hope you enjoyed! This one was longer than usual, though not the longest one I've done (that was Song). Let me know if you like the Houses I chose for the characters.