Respite
The houses competition: for year seven round seven
House: Slytherin
Position: Herbology
Category: Drabble
Prompt: Disappointment
Word count: 1000 (the story inc linebreak)
Betas: VanillaAshes, Aya Diefair, Shy-n-Great. Thank you guys
Slight AU, I think. some slight language
Albus Potter was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast with his family, a sinking feeling forming in him as James talked avidly about what he hoped to get up to this year.
Every now and then, he'd say something to Albus, increasing that feeling. "There are these great spots near the Gryffindor Tower, Al; I can't wait to show you!" James said enthusiastically.
"Ah, great." Albus smiled, trying to not sound as though he was forcing the words to come out. He was fairly confident they would not interest him, knowing James.
His father frowned. "Are you alright, Albus?"
Albus nodded quickly. "Yeah, just nervous about today."
It wasn't a lie, he had the tell-tale tightness in his chest and butterflies dancing in his stomach.
Albus bit back a whimper and sob. He was worried, too. Worried he'd disappoint everyone by being sorted into Slytherin. His sorting—except for James' remarks—hadn't been touched, but Albus had this feeling he'd go into Slytherin, and the fear of his Gryffindor family's reaction made him sick.
"It's only natural. We all were, darling," his mum said with a reassuring smile.
Albus nodded in response, unable to say anything else. He drifted into his thoughts and concerns as his sister Lily said something.
#######(later after the sorting)#######
Albus collapsed onto his bed in the Slytherin dorms, trying to hold in sobs. He did his best to avoid eye contact with everybody there while resisting the urge to huddle away, worried that they would see his disappointment. He sat there with his lips pressed tight.
Slowly, he curled into a ball, holding himself tightly. He rolled onto his side, facing the wall. He couldn't forget how he felt when Slytherin was announced as his house from now on: he had so many emotions whizzing through his mind and heart. They had gone so fast he thought he'd throw up.
Tears threatened to fall as Albus pulled out his pillow and held it to his face but he didn't allow the tears to fall. His dad was going to be so disappointed! He knew it! Despite what his father had said. Despite his fathers' previous words of encouragement.
Albus was disappointed with himself, he could have tried harder to get into Gryffindor. This was why he was sitting on his bed, attempting to not cry. He should have argued with the darn Hat, he should have convinced the Hat to put him in Gryffindor, but he didn't. Deep down, Albus wanted to be different. Deep down, he wanted to be away from James. James would be going on and on about how disappointed their dad would be right now, Albus bet with himself.
He loved his brother and his family, but Albus wasn't meant for Quidditch or adventure: he was meant for reading, being boring, as James would put it. Albus didn't mind that, but that was why he knew he wasn't a Gryffindor.
He should have tried, though. Albus hadn't felt like fighting, but he wasn't sure he could cope with his father's disappointment. The Weasleys and Potters were proud Gryffindors, and yet, here he was, a disappointment, the Black Sheep of the family.
He laughed bitterly. He was sure his family wouldn't show it or tell him, but Albus knew that was how they would feel. He honestly couldn't blame them, but perhaps this showed he wasn't a Gryffindor after all. If he couldn't even convince the Sorting Hat to put him into Gryffindor, how would he have ever survived in that house?
Even Ravenclaw would have been better. Or Hufflepuff.
"Albus? Are you alright?" Scorpius' quiet, awkward voice interrupted Albus' turmoil of disappointment, sadness and fear. Albus went stoned faced as he saw the blond boy come into his vision. Albus eventually had to look. He timidly looked up to see a concerned look on his friend's face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Albus said, trying to sell it. He was touched by how the other boy cared, despite the fact they had only known each other for a few hours. It was scary how fast they'd become friends.
It was an unlikely friendship, one against the odds, but it had happened. And like his father's friendship with Ron, it had formed during the train trip here.
Part of it was they somehow found so much in common. Scorpius had grown up isolated, and while Albus had other children around him his whole life, he had felt isolated because he wasn't like them, like the Weasleys. He was different.
"No, you're not alright," Scorpius urged. "Come on! Tell me!"
"Begging is not befitting a Malfoy," Albus teased, teary faced.
"Perhaps not, but this one is desperate," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I'm a Greengrass, too. Where friends are involved, it's acceptable to beg in the Greengrass family."
"I'm just worried about how Dad is going to react," Albus sobbed, looking away, unable to look at him. "He won't say anything, but I know he'll be disappointed. Merlin, I am! I shudder to think how he'll react to hear I'm friends with you. I'm not dropping our friendship, though, I don't care what anyone says."
"Me neither. But hey, my father won't exactly be pleased, either," Scorpius said honestly. "But we have each other. If your dad's disappointed, he shouldn't be. We Slytherins are perfectly reasonable people."
"Yeah, you are," Albus agreed.
"We are," he corrected with a smile. "In time, you'll find all Slytherins are not as bad as our reputation claims," Scorpius said firmly.
"Yeah, maybe. Thanks, Scorp." Albus managed to smile. Maybe, just maybe, he could live with this. Maybe this difference will be the anchor that changes other's opinions. Perhaps this would give him the chance to get out of his family's shadow and discover who he really was.
He may be the Potter Disappointment, but Albus would wear that badge with pride, and he would live with it. He will show everyone there is no shame in being a Slytherin.