I am so sosososososo sorry about not updating this very quickly, guys! I've just started my A-Levels and I already have quite a bit of work to do, so I'll try and get these out as soon as I can! But this is my longest chapter for anything EVER so it makes up for it, hopefully x3

Scorpius watched his father pull his trunk down the stairs and he felt himself grin. He was going to Hogwarts, finally. He gripped his mother's hand as they made their way towards the fireplace which would take them to Platform 9 3/4. They stepped into the large stone fireplace, and threw down the Floo Powder. Scorpius had never liked travelling via the Floo Network, but due to the intense amount of excitement within him, he hardly payed attention. He and his family stepped out of the slightly larger fireplace and onto the Platform, and the mere sight of the large red steam engine was enough to make the small blonde bounce in anticipation.

His father went off to put his bags in the storage compartment, and the 11 year old turned to his mother, who wore a small and sad smile on her face. He didn't even wait for her to open her arms before he hugged her. "I promise I'll write whenever I can..." He reassured her. He knew he was going to miss her a lot, from her calm, soothing voice to her gentle perfume to her chocolate brown curls tickling his face when the two embraced. "You'd better, otherwise your father may have a stroke if he doesn't immediately know what house you're in" she chuckled, and Scorpius found himself doing so as well.

"Hey, what's with leaving me out of the joke?" Scorpius turned his head to see his father smiling softly at the two of them. His mother chuckled rolled her eyes, "Because you are the joke, dear~" she grinned as the tall blonde kissed her cheek and turned to his son. "Don't I get a hug too?", and without a moments hesitation Scorpius was in the older man's arms, hugging his neck tightly. Only Scorpius heard him mumble as they embraced, "Make sure you're not in Slytherin. It's not good for you there." And with that he released the smaller boy, allowing the excited 11 year old hop on the train and join his school mates. He waved through the window at them, as the Hogwarts Express made its way from the station, and saw them wave until they were no longer in his view.

Scorpius made his way through the train. So far, every carriage seemed to be full up, and the blonde found himself immediately worrying about whether or not he'd find somewhere to sit. That is, until he bumped into a very familiar face. "Albus!" The green eyed boy looked up and grinned at him. "Scorpius! I was just wondering if I'd run into you, come and sit in our compartment~". With that, Scorpius was following the taller boy through the train, but couldn't help but ignore the harsh whispers being catapulted at him from each compartment he passed. The eyes were watching. He could tell.

The two boys eventually made it to Albus and his friends' compartment at the very end of the train, but upon entering, Scorpius couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. All eyes turned on him. Inside there was a tall, yet slightly chubby looking girl with dark brown hair, who seemed to be a couple of years older than himself, probably a second or third year. Next to her there was a boy who looked a lot like Albus, but with much more defined features, blue eyes and hair with slightly coppery hints to it. Then there was- Scorpius blinked. No, it couldn't be. Bright red, untameable curls, freckles covering her nose and cheeks, sparkling sapphire eyes. Her nose was buried in what looked like one of their school books. "Rose?" Scorpius let out before he could stop himself. She looked up and gave him a strange look. From her eyes, Scorpius could tell she had recognised him, but there seemed to be some sort of conflict in them too. Like she wasn't sure how to reply. When she did, however, it was vague. "Ah, yes..." She swallowed "Hello..." and with that, she buried her nose back into the book, and Scorpius also thought he had seen the tips of her ears go red. Albus, obviously, had never known about the two meeting, and enquired further as the two boys sat down opposite the other three. Scorpius explained about what had happened in Diagon Alley when they were seven, still uneasy about the eyes still on him, and went totally silent once he had finished his story. Albus blinked and looked over at the red head, cocking his head at her "You never told me that happened, Rose..." The girl shrugged, mumbling something about how 'she didn't think it mattered'. Albus chuckled and rolled his eyes, ever-cheerful, and turned back to the blonde. "So! I guess it's time for introductions, right?" He smiled and gestured to Rose, "You obviously know Rose Weasley. She's my best friend and my cousin on my mum's side," next he turned to the other girl "This is Alice Longbottom, her parents are friends of our's and her dad's Herbology professor and Gryffindor Head at Hogwarts". Scorpius smiled and waved at her, which she returned, obviously warming up to him. The blonde noted that she looked a lot nicer when she smiled, like her face was shaped to be that way. Next Albus nodded towards the final boy, "and this is my older brother James. Him and Alice are in third year". James gave Scorpius a searching look, taking in his appearance. After a while, the older Potter nodded curtly, soon moving his head so that he was staring out the window.

"This is my friend Scorpius Malfoy. He's really nice but he's shy, so don't be mean to him!" Scorpius flushed at this. Never before had any friend of his defended him from harshness, nor had they ever introduced him as their 'friend'. "A-Albus you honestly don't need to-" Albus put a hand up to silence the blonde. "I heard those voices following you through the train. I don't want these guys to treat you the same way!" the darker haired boy grinned at Scorpius, and the blonde returned it happily.

It was a rather uneventful train journey to Hogwarts, which included Albus and Scorpius alternately thrashing each other in a number of games of Exploding Snap, and the blonde meeting Albus and Rose's other cousins, one namely being a tall Gryffindor Third Year called Fred Weasley. Scorpius took a liking to him immediately. The boy had scruffy, chin length auburn hair, and dark, penetrating brown eyes. He also had a very bright smile, which didn't fade when he saw Scorpius. "Alright? You one of Albus' mates?" Scorpius, lost for words at Fred's forwardness and too nervous to reply, merely nodded in answer. This brought out a chuckle from Fred. "Shy, huh? Well, you seem like a good kid, I'll give you that. If Albus likes you, I do too. Then again, that kid could probably make an old hag seem like an amazing asset to the community." Fred laughed, giving a cheeky wink to Scorpius, which in turn made the small blonde laugh himself. "There we go! Got a laugh outta ya!" Fred smiled and ruffled Scorpius' hair "I like you, so consider yourself knocked off my pranking list~." Scorpius must have had a worried look on his face, as Alice omitted a small chuckle, making everyone in the crowded compartment jump. "Fred has a certain liking for pranking people, playing practical jokes on them and what-not. If you're knocked off his 'Pranking List', it's considered a great honour as it means you don't get pulled into one of his ridiculous schemes, no matter what." Alice chuckled again. "I'm surprised you're off it so quickly, actually. I thought first years were your favourite to play tricks on, Freddie?" She raised an eyebrow at Fred, with a slightly amused smile gracing her face. The auburn-haired Weasley chuckled. "Guess I've just taken a liking to the kid, eh?" And with that, he got up and left the carriage with a "See You Later" and a wave.

After Fred had left, the compartment went silent again. It stayed like this for a few minutes until James finally spoke up. "So, Scorpius. What house would you like to be in?" The third year boy sat up straighter, blue eyes boring into the blonde's. Scorpius sighed "W-well... I don't really want to be in Slytherin... No one seems very nice there... And my dad doesn't want me to be in that house either". James raised his eyebrows at that. "Really? Which of the other houses do you fancy then?" Scorpius couldn't help but notice those pools of blue staring back at him were now softening slightly. "Well... I don't think I'll be in Gryffindor... I'm not really that brave so... Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw seem nice". Alice grinned at him, obviously liking what she was hearing. "I'm in Hufflepuff, James is in Gryffindor. To be honest, we'd both be happy to have you in our house, and I agree with your dad. You don't seem like the type to be in Slytherin". She smiled kindly and looked out the window. "Better get changed, you two," she nodded to the two first year boys, "We're really close to Hogwarts now~". She laughed as the boys then scrambled quickly to change into their robes, but not before Albus cast Rose, who had already changed, an irritated glare and a comment about how 'she never reminds him about these sorts of things'.

Acceptance is a beautiful thing, isn't it? It's having that total comfort and peace of mind knowing that people see you in a caring light. It's as if being brought into a new family, a new world of adventure. Feeling acceptance is perfection, but only when you can accept yourself.

For example, say you have met the love of your life. You adore her (or him, for that matter), and you want to spend the rest of your life in the adoring arms of that one person. They love you back, and those butterflies in your stomach are going crazy. It's like they're fluttering right up to your mouth, saying all the sweet nothings you desire to say to your love.

You have never felt love like this before. Never.

You meet their parents, they accept you are not what they thought. Everything's perfect. But what happens when you don't deem yourself good enough? When you start to think that your own child will think you to be a monster.

It's like the little butterflies have died, but remain in your stomach.

Sometimes, reader, to be accepted, we must come to terms with who we really are.

And I still struggle to come to terms with myself. But with her help, I'll get there in the end.

Scorpius stepped off the train with Albus, taking in his surroundings. Soon, however, he was greeted by the image of a huge man, far taller than Scorpius' own father, who was introduced to him by Albus. "Scorpius, this is Hagrid. He's friends with my parents, and teaches Care of Magical Creatures, and he's the gamekeeper." Hagrid looked down at the small blonde and smiled warmly, making his scraggly beard rise up slightly and his beetle-black eyes light up. "Alrigh', Scorpius?" Said blonde soon found himself unafraid by Mr. Hagrid, and held out a hand to him, smiling slightly. "H-hello, sir." Mr. Hagrid chuckled, taking Scorpius' small hand in his own massive one, shaking slightly. "Gotta say, Albus, ye sure know how to pick 'em, don' ye?" The giant chuckled slightly and started leading all of the first years into small boats which, when all were fully boarded, started to magically glide across the silvery surface of the great lake.

"Ye'll be getting yer first view of Hogwarts when we turn this corner," Scorpius heard Mr. Hagrid shout from his own boat, and as he looked up, the small blonde let out a gasp.

It was beautiful. The giant castle was surrounded by lakes and trees, and the glistening lights coming from each window made it seem like something out of a fairy tale. "Whoa..." Albus muttered from behind Scorpius "Its just as awesome as James said it was..." As they stepped out of the boats, Scorpius made sure to stick close to Albus, as he was sure he would probably get lost in the sea of other first-years that were all taller than he. As he looked around, he noticed the amazing portraits that had all started waving at the new students, the staircases that had started moving, and massive doors the lay ahead of them.

Before he knew it, there was an older woman walking towards them. She had greying hair pulled back into a tight bun, and was wearing emerald green robes. Scorpius could almost feel her piercing eyes staring right through him. "Good Evening. My Name is Professor McGonagall. I am Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Transfiguration Professor. Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors, and join your classmates. You will be sorted into your houses, in which you will remain for the rest of your education at Hogwarts. You will share lessons with your house-mates, eat with them, and share a dormitory with them, so you would do best to get along with them. Please follow me". And with that, she pushed open the two giant doors that lay in front of them, revealing to them the Great Hall. It was full of students, watching the group of first-years pass. Scorpius shuddered. Too many people were watching. Above him was a stunning ceiling, painted so- the blonde blinked. That ceiling wasn't painted. "Its enchanted to look like the night sky," Rose whispered to Albus, "My mother read about it in Hogwarts: A History".

As the group of first years huddled at the front of the hall, Scorpius saw Professor McGonagall stand before them, next to what the blonde identified as a very old and very scruffy hat. Not a moment later, the front seam of the hat opened wide like a mouth and, if Scorpius couldn't be any more surprised, it started to sing.

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 top 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 steady 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 safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!

The whole hall broke into eruptive applause, while Scorpius thought about what the Sorting Hat had said. Did he really deserve to go in any of those houses? Professor McGonagall's voice cut through his train of thought. "Now, when I call your name, please come to the front to be sorted in to your respective houses. "Acery, Andrew." A tall boy with spiky brown hair made his way to the front, sitting on the stool. The hat was barely on the boy's head for two seconds before it had made its decision.

"SLYTHERIN!"

There was a large round of applause, mostly coming from the Slytherin table. As Scorpius looked over, he couldn't help but notice they looked an unpleasant lot.

"Anderson, Maria"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The small girl practically ran towards the Gryffindor table the second the hat was off her head.

Soon they had gone through 'Blackmore, Ellie' ('GRYFFINDOR!'), 'Brown, Amelie' ('RAVENCLAW!'), 'Clegg-Williams, Ellis' ('HUFFLEPUFF!'), then all the way to 'Lewis, Zachary' ('SLYTHERIN!'), until finally...

"Malfoy, Scorpius"

There was a sudden loss of chatter as Scorpius slowly made his way to the front, he felt himself start trembling as the hat was placed on his head. "Another Malfoy, eh? I didn't even have to think before placing you father in Slytherin... Very ambitious, very cunning, but you're not like that, are you? You have brains, loyalty, kindness, charm... Not one to get into the dark clasp of Slytherin... You have Bravery up here too... But you have a fine head on your shoulders... Better be..."

"RAVENCLAW!"

So? Was it okay? please tell what you thought of this chapter, thank you! x

R&R!

Susie x