A/N: I'm not quite sure how long I want this one to be, but the good news is that I've already written up most of it. Just not quite done with the ending yet.

I've always liked stories that capture brief moments in the characters' lives, showing just enough that you can get an idea of their relationships. So this story won't be too much of a long one.

I hope you all enjoy.

1st year – September 1

Scorpius Malfoy was given a choice.

"So what's it going to be, Scorpius Malfoy?" the Sorting Hat croaked out.

He was absolutely floored. Did the hat really think he had any Gryffindor traits at all? Scorpius felt like he was nothing close to the word "chivalrous." He gaped, and so did the rest of the room. The potential for a Malfoy to be in Gryffindor was shocking enough to cause silence in the entire Great Hall. Even McGonagall looked slightly uncomfortable.

He paused and he was going to be taking his sweet time thinking this through because this was going to define the next seven years for him. Yes, he knew he was taking up a much too generous chunk of everyone's time in what was already a very long ceremony. Still, it was a difficult decision, especially for an eleven-year-old with everything to prove and nothing to show for it.

He looked over at the Slytherin table. It had some familiar faces of family friends that had dropped by the Manor. He wasn't a particularly big fan of any of them, but at least there was some comfort in familiarity. He knew that it would surprise no one if he chose it, and he really didn't mind not being very surprising.

He then glanced at the Gryffindors. What had his dad described them as again – boorish? He could definitely see it, as he watched some of the students throw food at each other from across the table. Some of them even scowled at him. But then again, his father didn't have many nice things to say about his own house either, so did it really make a difference?

He then looked down at his own fellow first years. Some of them excited and some of them worried. But at least they weren't being told they have to make a decision on what house they were more suited for. He kept scanning their faces, hoping that something would inspire his decision when he finally made eye contact with a familiar pair of green eyes.

Albus Potter. The only one who took the time to chat with him while buying treats from the trolley on the train before lugging an armful of treats back to his compartment for his whole flock of a family.

…

While Albus had taken his time to count out the galleons he owed the trolley, he had entered a conversation with the blonde boy in line behind him. They already knew each other's names, though they both had the courtesy to not ask how.

"Did you hear about the sorting hat? I heard it sometimes asks you to choose what house you should go to," Albus had said.

"What? Isn't that the hat's job? Sounds irresponsible to let an 11-year-old choose something like that." Scorpius replied.

Scorpius hadn't really put much thought into the sorting at all. He was more worried about being a Malfoy among the sea of people who assumed to know more about him than he did himself. Plus, he had already resigned himself to the fate of being in Slytherin. It was in his blood, anyway.

"I don't even know what I'd do if it made me choose. But I already have an idea where I'll end up anyway."

Scorpius didn't know why Albus looked worried when he said that. He was a Potter-Weasley, the family with what he heard was an army in Gryffindor. What could possibly be a problem?

"I think you'll be alright," is all Scorpius said. "Aren't all your family members in Gryffindor, anyway?"

Albus looked at the floor for a second. Scorpius wondered if he said something wrong.

"That's precisely the problem. I know I'm meant for a different house. All the traits line up."

Scorpius raised his eyebrow.

He supposed maybe he could see the boy in Hufflepuff. He did seem very friendly seeing as he was even willing to strike up conversation with a Malfoy in the middle of the train. Though, that was the last place Scorpius would want to end up. He shuddered imagining himself in yellow and black. Yellow clashed with his almost-white hair, and black made him look paler than he already was. He felt nauseous even thinking about it.

"Are you scared you'll end up being a Puff?" Scorpius asked, trying to hide his disgust.

The serious tone with which Scorpius asked the question made Albus truly laugh for the first time since entering the train. After talking to his family members, some of whom treated Slytherin as a word-that-should-not-be-said, Scorpius' repulsion towards the Hufflepuff house was a welcome breath of fresh air.

"No way," Albus said, still laughing.

Maybe he didn't mind sharing his fears with this blonde boy he just met. Scorpius made his fears seem not so scary anymore.

"I just know I'm a Slytherin," Albus stated after some hesitation.

Scorpius widened his eyes. He wasn't expecting Slytherin. The boy looked too wholesome for Slytherin, or maybe that was his own preconceived judgment making him think that way. He bit back any teasing comment he could have said when he saw the certain look in the green eyes looking back at him. Merlin, he was actually serious.

"Well, welcome to the crew," Scorpius smirked while holding out his hand.

Albus felt a weight drop from his shoulders as he shook the boy's hand. It didn't bother him that it was maybe a bit of an old-man action on Scorpius' part. Maybe Slytherin wouldn't be so terrible.

"I know we just met, but you're the only one I've talked to other than my family members this train ride. I think I just needed to say it out loud."

"You're the only one I've talked to at all, so don't worry about it." Scorpius shrugged as he said it as nonchalantly as possible.

Albus's face softened for a second before he smiled once more. That's when Scorpius realized Albus's smile was maybe just a tad bit contagious.

"Well, I got to take these back to the family before James makes me sing," Albus said while gathering 20 chocolate frogs and 15 pumpkin pasties into his hands. "I'll see you when we get to school?"

Scorpius smiled back, feeling a small sense of relief at the question while looking at the boy struggling to carry his newly bought stock. Maybe his dad didn't have to worry so much, and maybe he didn't have to pretend to be as nonchalant as he thought.

"As long as you're not a Puff."

…

And maybe he should've put more thought into it when Albus had mentioned the sorting. How was Scorpius supposed to know that the hat would ask him of all people to choose what house he belonged in more?

He glanced at Albus again, who gave him a knowing look. He had warned Scorpius that this could happen, though he couldn't say he expected Scorpius Malfoy to be given a choice.

A choice was not what Scorpius wanted. He just wanted to be told where to go and live a relatively low-key life.

He gave Albus a tortured look, expecting some sympathy. Instead, he watched as Albus smirked at him. Maybe that boy was meant for Slytherin after all.

As he looked around the room once more, he suddenly made eye contact with a pair of blue eyes next to Albus. She was a small girl with curly, red hair and eyes that took up half her face. She was staring at him curiously. Once her blue eyes realized his own gray ones were staring back, her expression changed to one of absolute annoyance. She was mouthing something at him, which was something along the lines of "hurry up!" Her impatience was practically steaming out of her red hair. He felt both insulted and impressed by the nerve of the girl.

He looked again at Albus, who was looking so Slytherin with that smirk plastered on his face. His smirk contrasting with the determined and almost unnerving look on the girl next to him.

He swallowed back his indecision and smirked back at Albus. He told the hat, "I guess I am a Malfoy, after all."

The hat boomed out, "SLYTHERIN!" and Scorpius was finally freed.

…

Albus did not get a choice. The hat barely went on top of his head before it yelled out, "Slytherin" across the room. It was the second momentary silence of the night.

The third came when Albus walked to the Slytherin table as nonchalantly as he could and sat down next to Scorpius Malfoy, where he proceeded to chat with him like old friends. They both pretended the exaggerated quietness of the room did not exist.

The fourth came before Rose Weasley's sorting, where everyone waited in anticipation because nothing seemed to be what anyone expected anymore.

When the hat screamed "Gryffindor," it was met with a sigh of relief across the room followed by a cheer.

As Scorpius would soon learn, Rose Weasley always exceeded expectations.

(Except maybe when it came to exams because she would never accept anything less than an Outstanding.)

1st year – February

"Al, come sit with us," Rose pleaded. "You never sit with us."

"You could always come sit with me, Rosie."

"There's more of us on that side of the hall and you know it."

"Which means you have plenty of company already."

Rose Weasley was about to do her famous puppy dog pout to beg Albus to come sit with her at the Gryffindor table. However, she knew it didn't work on Albus. It only worked on James and Fred. They were so much simpler than Albus. But they also weren't as good of company as Albus because Albus was supposed to be her best friend.

She dramatically splayed herself across the table like a damsel in distress.

"I never seen you anymore, Al. What if I die tomorrow? You'll have spent this entire time at Hogwarts without having eaten dinner with me. It will be your biggest regret."

She started hacking out a loud cough, holding her chest as she closed her eyes and pretended to take her last breath.

"You're seeing me right now." He said while rolling his eyes at his cousin's display.

"I'm being serious."

"Just sit here with us, Rosie."

Rose groaned when she heard the word "us."

"With you and Malfoy?"

Albus gave her a look.

Rose and Scorpius didn't say anything but hello to each other for the first 3 months of school. Albus had been frustrated by their lack of communication back then, but he now realized he should have appreciated how peaceful it had been back then. Those were the blissful good old days. Or it was the "pre-Broom incident times." But he wasn't allowed to mention the Broom incident to either of them.

He didn't know how the Broom incident even happened. They were all learning how to fly on a broom, which is what should've been the most exciting class for all three of them. Albus had been hopeful about their friendship. It had all started out okay with their polite but civil conversation about what Quidditch positions they preferred. They were having a real conversation with back-and-forth dialogue.

He doesn't know quite what went wrong but somehow, during the lesson, Scorpius ended up in falling head-first into the Great Lake. Well, he knew why it happened. Rose, for some reason, decided it would be a good idea to throw him into the Great Lake in the middle of November, but how she did it no one ever knew. How did the tiny Rose Weasley somehow find it in her small form to throw the boy off a broomstick?

When asked why she did it, she simply said she didn't like the poor Slytherin.

All Scorpius had said was that the Chudley Cannons were a washed-up team. He had no idea the girl had more than 10 posters of the Chudley Cannons lining her room back at home. That she sang their fight song in her head every night while getting ready for bed. That she and her dad would get season passes every year and practically dunk themselves in orange paint before every game. That she dreamed of marrying their beater, Collin Williams with his sandy hair, brown eyes, and one-sided dimple. The one-sided dimple was key. It was a left-sided dimple.

Then, the next day, Rose somehow ended up being put on display in one of the main hallways with her cloak's hood being hung up by the end of a charmed flying broomstick. She was hanging up there for 20 minutes, and she was wearing her school skirt. Let's just say many more people got to see Rose's snitch-patterned knickers than she would have ever hoped.

(Scorpius had not meant for this to happen. He, in his 11-year-old innocence, forgot that girls wore skirts. He just wanted to teach her one simple lesson after almost throwing him to his death.)

Albus didn't even want to know how Scorpius had even managed to charm a broomstick to fly as a first year.

And then, Rose showed up to the Slytherin boys' dormitory the next week and dumped ice cold water on Scorpius. She screamed at him that she personally collected it from the Great Lake because the Giant Squid missed his company.

And then, Scorpius may have charmed her to say "The Chudley Cannons are washed up" every time someone said the word "Quidditch."

And then, Rose may or may not have charmed all of Scorpius' robes into a fuscia pink.

And then, Scorpius may or may not have charmed her pillow to get just a little bit firmer every night so that her neck cramped up for seemingly no reason at all.

And then, Rose may or may not have tried to set his robes on fire in the Potions classroom.

And then, Scorpius may or may not have charmed every container of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (her favorite treat) in Rose's possession to be filled with vomit flavor only.

Albus had to admit, the last one took an inventive mind.

In the past few months, they had developed their own style of pranking. Rose's pranks were flashy and loud. Scorpius' were more subtle and annoying. Their communication had also developed a different style of sorts. Rose's was yelling, scowling, and insulting. Scorpius' was pretend like nothing is wrong with the occasional tease. Scorpius' way of communication was far more infuriating for Rose than any prank of his.

"Yes, with me and Scorpius."

"Are you in love with him?"

Albus spat out his pumpkin juice. "WHAT?"

"Then can we get rid of him already? Why do you hang out with someone who tortures your favorite cousin?"

Rose still attempted her puppy dog pout. Maybe it had grown on Albus.

It hadn't.

"I would have to say that Scorpius is a lot more civil towards you than you are to him, Rosie."

Rose abruptly stood up with her hands on her hips and her eyebrows furrowed. Her blue eyes turning darker by the second.

"HE'S NOT CIVIL! He's worse than me. At least I'm honest about my annoyance and my dislike. I wish he'd yell instead of pretending like everything's peachy all the time. He's only outwardly civil to get under my skin. It's diabolic. He. Is. Evil."

"Aw, Rosie, I didn't know you thought of me so highly."

Albus watched as Rose's angered face turned into one of disgust. He then watched as Rose took a cup of pumpkin juice and splashed it in Scorpius' face while yelling at him for yet another reason that Albus rolled his eyes at.

As she walked away, Scorpius turned to Albus.

"Your cousin is mental. Absolutely mental. Do you think we should take her to St. Mungo's? Would they even take her in that state? I'd feel bad for the healers."

Albus just tossed his friend a stack of napkins to wipe his face.

Yeap, he definitely missed the good old days.

Please review and let me know what you think.

Will update soon. XX