Chapter II First Part
Albus moved closer to the front of the waiting students as the tall, dark-skinned man studied the first years with a broad grin, waiting for everyone to get out of the boat and reach the entrance hall. Albus recognised him as Azad Bakshi, the half Indian, half Brit who had taken McGonagall's place as Transfiguration teacher after the Battle of Hogwarts. Albus knew him mostly from the many letters he had sent to mom and dad about James' latest infractions.
One by one, Bakshi made eye contact with his new charges, occasionally winking or saying something when he recognised a child. When he reached Albus he paused.
"Good to see you here Albus. Do try to cause less trouble than your elder brother, if possible," the professor said, "I do not think I will make it to retirement otherwise."
"Of course professor," Albus responded. He doubted that he could ever match James, even if he tried.
"Good," the professor winked as he turned towards the entire body of students. After a quick headcount, he addressed them.
"Hello everyone. Now that we are all here, allow me to welcome you to Hogwarts. It is a great pleasure and honour to finally meet this year's new students. You will spend the next seven years here receiving an education in the magical arts and I am sure that after these seven years all of you will be very fine witches and wizards. I'm professor Bakshi, transfiguration professor, Hufflepuff head of house and deputy headmaster, which means we'll be seeing a lot of each other. In a few minutes we will step through this door and enter the great hall," the professor began.
Albus tuned the man out; he already knew everything about the four houses, the house cup and the Sorting. He had bigger concerns right now. With the Sorting so close, his anxiety had returned. He glanced at his three companions, but all were listening to Bakshi with rapt attention. Clearly they hadn't received a word-by-word report from Bakshi's speech like Albus had. He still had to smile when he thought of James' first letter from Hogwarts. The thing had been longer than most of aunt Hermione's old essays and had described his first day in painstaking detail.
"Now, I will keep you waiting no longer. Let us enter and begin the Sorting," professor Bakshi concluded as he turned towards the large door and pushed it open. Albus woke from his musings and quickly followed the other students through.
"Stop worrying," Rose hissed in passing. Albus just gave her a wry smile. It was easy for her to say. Regardless of her parents' fame, her Sorting wouldn't make the Daily Prophet's front page. His might, they had done so with James.
Once he stepped into the Great Hall, awe overtook him once more. The dark ceiling above showed the outside sky and showed the beginning of a thunderstorm. Looks like they had made it to the castle right on time. However, even more stunning than the ceiling was the Great Hall's sheer size. Hundreds of students were sitting at long tables, all eyes now on the new first years. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers resided. They seemed to be equally focused on the newcomers. Neville even waved at them, he had never really cared much for decorum. In the middle of them sat headmistress O'Faolain, an older woman with long, grey hair. She beamed at them, making her look slightly less intimidating than on the pictures Albus had seen in the Daily Prophet.
Before them was a small stool with on it the Sorting Hat. It twitched slightly and opened its mouth. For a second Albus hoped for a song, like in the old days, but the Hat simply shouted a loud welcome. It hadn't sung ever since Battle of Hogwarts. Albus assumed it was still a bit upset about being set on fire, though 17 years was a long time to hold a grudge, even for a hat.
"I will now call your names one by one. When I do so, please go sit on the stool and put on the Sorting Hat. As its name indicates, it will sort you in your house and it more well-suited to the task than you might think at first glance," professor Bakshi said.
"So there's really no troll? I thought everyone just said that to make me less worried," Albus could hear Sophie whisper, "I can't help but feel mildly disappointed now. I was planning to bore the troll to death with a complete history of the Goblin Wars. Nothing could withstand that"
"Arpine, Julian," Bakshi said. A tall boy walked to the Hat, studied it briefly and then put it on its head. Five seconds later the Hat shouted a loud "Hufflepuff", after which the boy rose, took it off and marched towards the cheering Hufflepuff table.
"Why is my name at the back of the alphabet," Albus complained, "now I know why you're called Granger-Weasley."
"Tough luck Potter," Rose responded as she stuck out her tongue, "at least this gives me the opportunity to threaten the Sorting Hat for you."
The ceremony went smoothly enough with only two children forgetting to take of the Hat before walking to their table by the time Bakshi had reached the letter D, causing Albus to perk up.
"Dance, Romulus," Bakshi pronounced. The small boy walked to the stool and put on the hat with trembling hands, his head disappearing underneath the hat.
"Slytherin!" The Hat shouted almost immediately. When Romulus took off the hat and his face reappeared, he looked paler than ever. He gave Albus a worried glance and then stumbled towards the Slytherin table. Judging by the applause, his new housemates were at least enthusiastic.
"A Muggleborn in Slytherin… Who would have thought," Albus whispered
"Well, I told you, Slytherin had changed. This confirms it," Rose whispered back.
"We'll see," Albus muttered.
"Aren't you glad I stopped you two from telling Slytherin's entire history? The poor kid's feeling bad enough as it is," Sophie interjected, "I know, I'm amaz-"
"Gatry, Ambroise," Bakshi declared.
"Why does he get to go first? I'm older!" Sophie shouted as Ambroise walked towards the hat. Bakshi gave her a warning glare.
"No, really, check my birth certificate," she continued, "I was born two seconds before midnight, while Ambroise was born five seconds after midnight."
"We go by first name when surnames are the same, miss Gatry, not by age," Bakshi explained tersely.
"Oh, I suppose that makes sense," Sophie admitted to laughter of the other first years. Ambroise in the meantime had picked up the Hat and, once he saw everyone was quiet again, put it on, but not before winking at Sophie.
"Attention seeker," Sophie muttered.
"Ravenclaw!" The Hat shouted immediately.
"Called it, he might be cocky enough for Gryffindor, but he's too much of a nerd not to be a Ravenclaw," Sophie said smugly, "well, see you in a few," she added after Bakshi called her name.
After the Hat was donned, it remained silent for a few minutes, though judging by Sophie's lip movements, a vivid discussion was taking place.
"Do you think she'll be a Hatstall?" Rose asked Albus.
"A what?"
"A Hatstall," Rose repeated, "when it takes the Hat longer than five minutes to decide. Like with the previous headmistress, McGonagall"
"I doubt it. The Hat has probably already made up his mind, but can't interrupt Sophie. Trust me, I've tried and discovered that that's really difficult."
"If you say so," Rose grinned, "I personally think the Hat wants to put her in Ravenclaw with her brother and she's resisting vehemently."
"Slytherin!" The Hat finally shouted after about four minutes.
"Do you think we might have made the wrong friends on the train?" Albus asked.
"Nonsense," Rose started but before she could say more her name was called and she walked up to the Hat. Albus watched her tensely, with two of his friends already in Slytherin; he was hoping Rose would at least end up in Gryffindor.
"Gryffindor!" The Hat declared firmly within seconds.
Albus let out a relieved breath as Rose walked towards the Gryffindor table where she promptly received a warm response. The exploits of her parents and the rest of the Easley family were well-known.
"Malfoy, Scorpius," Bakshi said.
"Why don't you start clapping already Slytherin?" someone shouted from the Gryffindor table to general amusement.
Bakshi cast an angry glance at the offending table as Scorpius blanched and put on the Hat. To Albus' surprise, the Hat didn't blurt anything out as soon as the Hat touched his head. It took the Hat a full six minutes before it finally named a house.
"Slytherin," it declared and if Albus was any judge of old hat moods, it was less enthusiastic than usual.
Scorpius carefully took the Hat off, smiled sadly and then walked towards the Slytherin table. Judging by their applause, they weren't that happy to have a Malfoy either. Scorpius calmly sat down next to Romulus, seemingly unfazed by the lacking welcome, and tried to strike up a conversation with him.
Albus frowned, if it had taken the Hat that long to place a Malfoy in Slytherin, then hat did that say about the earlier Sortings of Romulus and Sophie? Was there something he had not seen? Were Romulus and Sophie not as nice as they appeared at first glance? Come to think of it, Romulus' silence could have disguised a lot. Perhaps Romulus had deceived Albus with his shyness and ignorance just to get closer to the son of the Boy Who Lived. James had warned him that some people would just want to get to know him to find out more about his dad. Albus definitely wouldn't put it past a Slytherin.
As far as Sophie was concerned, judging by what Albus had heard so far, her mother had fled Britain during the War and had only returned much later. Had she solely stayed this long because she was still afraid of Voldemort's Death Eaters? Or had she been involved with Voldemort somehow and decided to lay low until the Ministry stopped persecuting the remaining Death Eaters. The girl's talkative nature could very well be a trick to divert attention away from her darker side.
Albus would have to be careful the next few days. His eagerness to go to Hogwarts had made him careless. Perhaps he could ask his godfather what he thought of them. Neville had always been good at reading people. Albus hated this. Sometimes he wished he had a less famous surname so he could be himself without having to worry about being used.
"Potter, Albus Severus!" Bakshi said, shaking Albus from his reverie. He had been so worried about his new 'friends' that he'd forgotten about his earlier fears. However, as he approached the Hat, those worries returned in full force. The Hall had gone completely silent. While James had told him most people expected him to end up in Gryffindor, there were still plenty who remembered the time it had taken dad to get sorted.
Slowly he sat down and put the Hat on his head.
"Oh, another Potter and an interesting one too, just like your father. Your brother James was easier, the biggest Gryffindor I'd seen in years. The same could be said for your grandfather. You on the other hand, you are fascinating. You're courageous, you'd have to be growing up with a brother like that. Clever too, though your loyalty might need some work. And such ambition to prove yourself worthy of the Potter name," the Hat mused in his head.
Albus had known the Hat would speak like that, James had even tried to imitate its voice once, but he was still a bit shaken. You didn't have someone speaking in your head every day.
"Just put me in Gryffindor please," Albus thought back, forcing his lips not to move. Sophie had demonstrated just how ridiculous that looked.
"Gryffindor eh? You remind me of your father, though he phrased it differently. He just didn't want Slytherin."
"Neither do I!" Albus thought back.
"Don't you? I should have expected that I suppose. Still, why not? Are you afraid? Wouldn't a true Gryffindor be unafraid to go to Slytherin? Yes, the idea would repel him, but would he be scared?
Albus swallowed, he was starting to suspect he had just failed some sort of test.
"It wasn't a test Mister Potter, I don't need those to sort someone," the Hat replied primly, "I was just wondering. And why do you want to go to Gryffindor so badly? You're not your father, nor your brother," the Hat continued, "You don't have to follow in their footsteps. You will do great things Mister Potter, that I can see, but no matter what people might think, you're not your father. Nor do you want to be your father."
"I can be different while being a Gryffindor." Albus protested
"Do you truly believe that?" the Hat pressed.
"I don't know," Albus admitted.
"It might be possible, but it would be difficult, especially as your brother is already there. No, I think you'll do better in a different house. A house that just like you is desperate to shake its legacy. Slytherin"
"You can't be serious," Albus thought back, resisting the urge to throw the Hat from his head.
"You are named after a brave Slytherin Albus Severus, why shy away from an opportunity to prove he wasn't the only one?"
"I don't want to be a Slytherin! I don't want to be with Malfoy," Albus insisted.
"Slytherin has changed Mister Potter, and so has the Malfoy family. However, to truly change, both of them might need a catalyst. Someone like you."
"A what? I'd rather be a catalyst for Gryffindor!"
"I am tempted to just give in Mister Potter, but I have already gone against my instincts once tonight. I will not do so a second time, no matter your persistence. Believe me when I say you belong in SLYTHERIN!" the Hat ended, the last word spoken out loud.
For a few seconds Albus sat there on the chair, the Hat still on his head. The Great Hall was deadly silent.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" he could hear James shout, "WHAT THE FUCK HAT!"
Albus almost smiled, his brother giving voice to his own thoughts. It had least had broken the spell. The Slytherin table burst out in feverous applause and whistling, as a tense murmur arose from the other tables. Albus hardly noticed it as he made his way to the green and silver table, his table. He was a Slytherin. A snake. A filthy, conniving, backstabbing Slytherin.
He dropped down at the table next to Sophie in a haze. She gave him a smile but for once held her tongue. On the other side of the table was Scorpius Malfoy who was looking intently at Albus, but Albus just ignored his stare. He might be a Slytherin, but that didn't mean he'd have to talk to someone whose whole family had been Death Eaters. However, it seemed Malfoy didn't share his reticence, as the boy opened his mouth. Fortunately, whatever he had wanted to say was cut off by some older years, who shouted their approval in his direction. Some even rose from their chair to greet him.
"We got a Potter!" a tall boy with a Prefect's badge shouted, "We stole a Potter from Gryffindor. I don't believe it," he said as he slapped Albus on the back.
"We didn't steal anything Shane. We got what was rightfully ours. Welcome to Slytherin Albus Severus Potter, I'm sure you will do great here," a short, blonde girl with a prefect's badge said as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't believe all the rumours you hear. You'll have a great time here, and an even greater future," she reassured him.
Albus just nodded as he tried to keep his composure. He couldn't cry right now. He wouldn't. If these people saw weakness, they'd pounce on him in an instant, eat him alive or at least feed him to their snakes. The rest of the table clearly didn't notice his ambivalence about his new house. They kept cheering, their eyes no longer on the Sorting. Only when the next Slytherin was sorted did they focus back on the Sorting and left Albus alone.
He slowly tried to collect his thoughts, ignoring the glances Sophie, Romulus and even Malfoy were throwing his way. He'd need just as much parchment as James had used for his first letter, if he ever were to explain this to his parents. Then it dawned on him. Dad had said the Hat would take his choice into account. Had dad lied? Or was there something deep inside Albus that had wanted to be in Slytherin? Was he a budding dark wizard? A quick elbow in his side interrupted his ponderings.
"Albus Severus Potter, you can wallow in your misery as much as you want, but do not ignore me! I have been quite lenient and have given you a minute to gather your thoughts, but my patience is at an end," Sophie threatened, "You ended up in the same house as the coolest first year, namely me, so stop acting as if something's wrong. It hurts my feelings."
Albus gave her an affronted look as he pressed his hands against his ribs. At least he knew people here who weren't blood purists.
"That hurt. Romulus, you want to sit next to Sophie next time? It seems to be bad for my health" he added upon seeing the boy grin, eager to ignore Sophie's comments for now. He'd sort that out later.
For what it's worth, Romulus' earlier fears about being in Slytherin seemed to have dissipated now that both Sophie and Albus had joined him. At least one of us is reassured.
A/N: Look at that, the Sorting chapter! I've been looking forward to this one and wanted to get it out there before I stumbled across any Cursed Child Spoilers. I suspect Albus ended up in the same house though, it strikes me as the most compelling premise for a story. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my first reviewer, JLawtruth, whose review inspired me to finish this chapter today.