I am aware the McGonagall was retired before 2017, but just say here, that this is her last year as Headmistress, I'll try to keep it canon as possible.
The Sorting Hat
The door swung open at once. A tall, dark skinned man dressed in dark, black robes stood there. He had a very smug look on his face, and it immediately reminded Albus of Scorpius' expression on the train.
"The firs' years, Professor Zabini," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
Even the way he talks reminded him of Scorpius, Albus suspected that this Professor Zabini must be from Slytherin. He pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of his muggle cousins house in it, the Dursleys of course. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
They followed Professor Zabini across the flagged stone floor. Albus could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right –the rest of the school must already be here – but Professor Zabini showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather close together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor Zabini. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history," his lips formed a thin, curt line after saying that, "and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your good deeds will earn your house points, while any fooling around will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
His cold smug eyes looked at the group of first years before falling onto Albus and Rose, who were becoming more uncomfortable already. And with a sort of grace, he left the chamber.
"He seems a little bit like –"
"Like Scorpius? Smug look, snobbish voice?" Rose finished.
"Hey! I'll have you know that I don't have a snobbish voice," said Scorpius, crossing his arm looking defiant. Rose rolled her eyes.
"Oh, then excuse me for my deaf ears." Then, both Scorpius and Rose started arguing, which left Albus to his thoughts.
His heart gave a horrible jolt. Sure, the Professor had seemed a bit smug, like any other Slytherins, but he didn't seemed to pose as terrible or threatening. He vaguely remembered his parents discussing that there was one Slytherin who didn't join the Death Eaters, because he was too full of himself. His parents also stated that he was probably the only decent Slytherin in their time that they could tolerate. Albus suspected that the Slytherin might have been the Professor. But still, that didn't make him feel any less queasy at the thought of being one of them. Gryffindor was his aim, at least, that's what he thought, but now, he's getting less and less sure about it. He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.
Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air –several people behind him screamed.
"What the –?"
He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "I swear it, that boy is out to get me –"
"My dear Friar, Cedric is not out to take your position as the main ghost representing Hufflepuff. All he does now is –I say, what are you all doing here?"
A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
Nobody answered.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."
"Move along, now," said a terse voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor Zabini had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line," said Professor Zabini, "and follow me."
Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Albus got into line behind the same person the three of them were with in the boat, with Rose and Scorpius behind them, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Albus had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. He noticed James and Fred waving to him, and unfortunately, James still had that teasing look on his eyes. Albus looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with starts. He heard his cousin whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
"Actually Rose, we've heard it from our many cousins sitting in the Gryffindor table," he whispered back, and she threw him a glare.
And sitting on top of the stool was the Sorting Hat itself, Albus gulped nervously.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me,
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in a safe hands(though I have none)
For I'm a thinking cap!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
"I think I'm going to be sick," mumbled Albus.
"Be quiet, Al, you're not making me feel any better." It was just now that it hit Rose that she was about to be sorted into a house, a house that she'll stay with for the next 7 years, and she felt quite sick as Albus. Scorpius rolled his eyes at the two of them, but he could not deny that he was feeling nervous himself.
Professor Zabini now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Anderson, Jake!"
A pink-faced boy with blonde hair stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down his eyes and sat down. A moment's pause –
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The Hufflepuff table cheered and clapped as Jake went to sit down at their table. The Fat Friar Ghost was waving merrily at him, and another ghost, who seemed to be wearing some sort of uniform representing his house, greeted Jake with a nod and a smile.
"Bennet, Dunn!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Dunn scuttled off to sit next to Jake.
"Boot, Charles!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
This time, the Ravenclaw table clapped, and several of them stood up to shake hands with Charles as he joined them. The next person after that became a Gryffindor, then another Gryffindor, a Hufflepuff, a Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw and so on.
The list went on and on, the boy in front of him, whose name turned up to be Alexander Nott, became a Slytherin, the hat actually took some time with Scorpius, possibly the longest, then it was Albus' turn. Nervously he walked up to the stool and put the hat on, the last thing he saw before it drooped over his eyes was Rose sending him a smile and Scorpius smirking from the Slytherin table.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult, very difficult, just like your father. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. And, I can see the same desire to be placed in Gryffindor with your brother and cousins, but you have a thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting…So where shall I put you?
Albus was about to say Not Slytherin, but something stopped him, a sort of doubt. For some reason, the thought of being placed in Slytherin didn't seem so bad anymore.
"So, having second thoughts are we now, Potter? Well, I'll just have to make it come true and place you in SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted the house where he would belong in before Albus could say something back.
"You didn't let me finish!" Albus hissed, but it was too late, James constant teasing came true and all he can do is live up to what his father said earlier, Well Slytherin will have gain a new brilliant wizard.
The whole Hall went silent, Albus got off the stool and walked towards the Slytherin table who were even too shocked to greet him, at least Nott patted him in the back. Scorpius was smirking and congratulating Albus, and from across tables, Albus could see that James' face went pale and it was covered with guilt. Rose's face looked blank, and he wished it wasn't so, but James' reaction seemed to get him first.
Ha, serves him right for teasing me, he thought. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be sorted into Slytherin.
He could see the High Table properly now. At the end farthest from him sat Hagrid, who caught his eyes and gave a reassuring nod. At the end nearest to him sat Professor Longbottom, who smiled with a saying that it was okay. And there, in the middle, sat Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. She was very old, and her stern face seemed to make him feel uneasy. He turned back to the sorting and it was already Rose's turn. Like Scorpius, it took a long time with Rose, and then, for the second time that night, the Hall was stunned into silence, even Scorpius and Albus were shocked into silence.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Albus is not sure what's going on in the Gryffindor table, but he's pretty sure their cousins and his brother's mouth must be hanging off their jaws right now, well, his was, so he had a good hunch that they were too.
In Rose's part, it was like a dung bomb has been placed in her heart and exploded. Apparently, she wanted to join her cousin in becoming one of those "snakes" as her father would always put it. And thinking about her father just wanted to make her go to the nearest trash can and barf, even if he was joking, she was really, really worried that he might actually disown her. Every steps she took felt heavier and heavier, like the world was slowly building on her shoulders. Once again, it was Alexander Nott who patted her on the back. Scorpius and Albus was gaping at her. Sure, Albus was most likely to go to Slytherin, he thought, but Rose? He expected her to be in Ravenclaw if not Gryffindor. Still, ROSE? In SLYTHERIN? Oh dear.
It seems that the silence was so thick that Professor Zabini continued calling names until it reached the last name, apparently the Professor's daughter, Sage Zabini, who was also sorted into Slytherin. She shared the same complexion as her fathers, but she seemed less arrogant and had a calm relax posture instead of the stiff and tall one.
After the Sorting was done, Headmistress McGonagall stood up, and as old as she was, she looked like she can still kick on for a few more decades.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, first year students, and welcome back to the returning students. I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer break. The rules are still the same and as for the first years, I do believe that Professor Zabini has explained the rules, in which I'm sure a certain Weasley and Potter will follow, am I correct, boys?"
In the Gryffindor table, Albus could see James and Fred grinning, giving a standing ovation, apparently, their first year already left the teachers wary of them, not that he could blame them. The Headmistress eyed them for a moment before going back to her speech.
"Any who wishes to join the Quidditch team this year must go to Coach Wood, first years are not allowed to play in any other position except seeker should they choose to. And last words, I hope you have a wonderful year here at Hogwarts. Now begin the feast!"
And suddenly, the plates were filled with all kind of foods and not just the ones from England, there were some from France, Italy, and all the European countries. Albus helped himself with some shepherd's pie, spaghetti, and at least almost one of everything. The food would have almost rivaled his mum's cooking, but he wouldn't dare say that to his mother. Rose too was digging in, but unlike Al, she was actually eating with some proper manner.
"Al, slow down, you're going to inhale it all instead of eating," reprimanded Rose, but she still sounded a little down.
"What? I'm not the only one, look at Scorpius and the other guys," And true enough, all the other first year boys were digging in rather hungrily, with the girls looking at them with disgust. The older students, particularly the boys, ignored it, but they would steal a glance at them once in a while.
Just as he finished with the last of his potatoes, someone tapped his shoulder and noticed that it was the Prefect, like all the other Slytherins, he had a smug look and had the face of a rat.
"So, a Potter in Slytherin, eh? We don't often get them here, but you're going to have to prove that you belong in the Slytherin house before we really accept you, especially that…Weasley," the Prefect, whose name he hasn't gotten yet, said his cousin's surname with disdain. "I'm Anthony Flint by the way, you'll learn that here in our house, we try to keep our records clean and cool, and you know why."
Albus absolutely know why, after the last war, Slytherin has been given a totally bad image, and bad is just an understatement. However, these last few years, every new Slytherin that joins don't really judge people by blood anymore, they judge them by Wealth and name, or whatever success they have. That still doesn't mean that he liked it, which made him feel the need to prove himself even more, and apparently, judging by the look on Roses' face, so did she.
After dinner has finished and dessert was done, the Headmistress stood up to make one more announcement.
"I hope everyone has had their fill, yes, it was a delicious meal, the House Elves do a good job in cooking. I do believe that I have one more announcement to make, I have been with Hogwarts for many years now, and it is with a heavy heart that I say that this is my last year as the Headmistress of Hogwarts, but rest assured, I won't be down for long. But enough with the sad news, come now and sing a song!"
Everyone picked their own tune and it sounded more like a crowd talking. After the song was finished, the Prefects lead their way towards their Dormitories and Common Room. They soon reached the Dungeons, which gave Albus and Rose the chills, in front of them was a stone wall.
"Knowledge," said the female Prefect.
The wall opened up, just like the opening in Diagon Alley, but it was faster and more sudden. Rose gripped Albus' hand, she was turning white. Albus noticed that Rose was quiet the whole entire dinner and didn't bother to talk to anyone but Albus and Sage, who seemed okay to them. They continued walking until they reached the Common Room, in which most of the first years were looking around. The room was tinted green since they were partially under the Lake and they can see some fishes swimming outside of the windows. The Décor looked like it was made for those who were rich, not like the beat up couches that Albus' grandparents have.
"Right, this is the Common Room, the boys dormitories are to the left opening in this room and the girls dormitories are in the above level, taking those stairs in the opening to the right," Anthony explained, before nodding to his partner, and soon, they went their own ways.
And just as Albus was about to go to his dormitory, Rose grabbed his sleeve, she looked like she wanted to talk to him first, despite the fact that they know they were both sleepy.
"Al, I don't know about this. I don't get how I was sorted here and as strange as it is, I should feel like I don't belong in here, but I feel fine. But that worries me, I was supposed to be in Gryffindor, Dad was expecting me to, now I'm scared about what he'll think." Roses' voice was shaky and all Albus could do was hug her and comfort her.
"Me too, Rose, but right now, we'll just have to adjust, after all, we've got each other," he said, trying to comfort her.
"And you've got me and Sage too, don't forget it, Weasel," Scorpius broke in, dragging Sage, who looked like she wants to just run off to her dorm already, Rose scowled.
"Don't call me that, and thanks for ruining the moment," she rolled her eyes, "Sage, maybe, but you, I don't think I can last the next 7 years sharing the same house with you."
"Same here, come on Al, let's go to our boys only Dorm," said Scorpius, pulling a rather amused Albus away into their dormitories.
"That's why it's the Boys Dormitories!" Rose exclaimed, before huffing and going to the girls Dormitories, with a sleepy Sage following.
Ugh, I just want to spend the next 7 years in quiet solitude, thought Alexander Nott, who was sitting in the couch the whole time.