AN: Well here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Next update should be within two weeks.
The door to their cabin was thrust open after a single knock.
Standing in the doorway were two boys and a girl.
One of them was clearly the leader. He stood a few feet in front of the others, a determined look on his face. The other two people seemed to be wishing they'd meld into the train itself and disappear, while the leader stood tall, hands on hips. It was, of course, Scorpius Malfoy.
"We're going to sit in here, if you don't mind," said Scorpius, stepping in to the cabin.
Albus looked to Rose, flummoxed, and wasn't reassured by her dumbstruck stare.
"Uh yeah, you all can sit here I guess," said Rose, recovering some use of her faculties and beckoning towards the empty seats in the cabin.
Scorpius took a seat next to Albus and Albus scooted away from him, causing the blond boy to frown in distaste. Moving was somewhat rude Albus supposed, but it was also rude for them to invite themselves into the clearly occupied train cabin.
The other two people sat down on Rose's side of the cabin, relief evident. The boy had short brown hair, and was wearing a Quidditch team's shirt. The girl had the brightest green eyes Albus had ever seen. The smile that appeared on her face when Rose welcomed them into the cabin was beautiful. Albus wanted to be friends with her immediately.
When everyone in their place, silence set in again. Albus didn't want to make the first move and talk. In these types of situations he normally defected to Rose's judgment, but she was staring intently at Scorpius, examining him. For his part, Scorpius wasn't doing much to defuse the tension either. He had himself propped in the corner, slouching languidly, staring back at Rose just as critically as she looked at him.
After thirty seconds, the oppressive atmosphere turned from awkward to unbearable. Albus wanted to move but felt frozen in place, so he settled for looking around. The boy on Rose's side of the aisle had his eyes focused down in his lap, but the girl met Albus' gaze when he turned to look at her. Albus felt his lips creeping up into a smile despite the situation.
The girl's dirty blond hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her lips quirked up as she looked back at Albus. He briefly glanced at Rose and Scorpius, but they were focused on each other, oblivious to the world. When he turned back to the other girl her smile broadened and she let out a small laugh, which Albus joined a second later. The situation was just so ridiculous.
The noise startled Rose and Scorpius out of their staring contest, and they both jerked upright.
Rose's face flushed the color of her hair while Scorpius smoothed his robes and hair self-consciously.
"Well, it looks like your dad's not going to be too happy," Albus said wryly, almost surprising himself.
Rose turned even redder before recovering her composure.
"Ha!" she spat. "Me and him? Yeah right. If you don't remember, he invaded our cabin with his two tag-alongs. I don't particularly like him at the moment, much less, well, anything else."
Albus smirked. "That's not what it looked like before," he said.
"Now really Potter," Scorpius interposed himself, "do you really think that there was actually some kind of connection between us, or are you just jealous that someone else has managed to get your cousin's attention for once?"
Albus' felt the heat rush to his face. Now it was Rose's turn to protect Albus. "Oh cut it, Malfoy. You don't need to be so mean."
"Me?" he said, sounding shocked. "I just came in here to find a place to sit, but I don't feel too welcome now. Maybe I'm intruding on something I shouldn't. Kissing cousins who want their own cabin, perhaps?"
"Really, that's the best you can come up with? I wouldn't care if you had just asked, but to just barge in here? It's like you were raised by, oh, I don't know, your father?" Rose retorted.
Malfoy scowled, the first hint of real emotion from him. "You don't know my dad. Some people actually invite others in, instead of sitting there like baboons. Then again, Weasleys have never been known for their manners, have they? I hear your dad eats like a pig."
"Scorpius!" the girl who'd entered with him interjected. "Stop being such a jerk. You brought us here because you wanted to make friends, right?"
Scorpius opened his mouth as if to say something, but then shut it again, perhaps deciding that discretion was the better part of valor. He settled instead for glaring at Rose, who returned the look, except with double the nastiness.
Albus looked gratefully at the girl who'd spoken, and she smiled back at him.
Rose looked between them, then stuck out her hand to the girl.
"I'm Rose Weasley, nice to meet you. Sorry I didn't introduce myself before," she said apologetically, tone much calmer than before.
"It's okay. I'm Cecelia Soren," the girl introduced herself, "Nice to meet you too."
Rose then turned to the boy, who jumped when he saw her looking at him.
"Uh, I-I'm Matthew," he said shyly.
"And I'm Albus Potter," Albus announced, trying inject confidence into his voice.
"We all know that, silly," Cecelia said. "You look exactly like your dad."
"Well what do you want me to say? I like Quidditch, and I'm sort of afraid of being Sorted into Slytherin."
It felt good to finally admit that to someone besides Rose. Somehow, the fact that these people were practically strangers made it easier to bring up with them.
Matthew perked up at Albus' mention of the Sorting.
"I'm afraid too," Matthew said. "I don't know what to do. My whole family's been in Hufflepuff, but I don't want to be. They're, well, boring."
Albus grimaced in sympathy, and Rose jumped to the rescue.
"It'll be okay, Matthew," she said soothingly. "I'm sure your parents will be supportive whatever you do. You'll be fine."
Matthew smiled at her, but it looked forced.
"So Rose," Cecelia began, "what House do you want to be in?"
"Well, I was thinking Gryffindor for a long while, but now I'm not so sure. I don't want to just do what my parents did. There's so much more to Hogwarts than just Gryffindor, and I feel like it'd be going to waste if I went to the same House as them. I like books, I like learning, so maybe Ravenclaw. What about you?"
"Probably Slytherin," Cecelia said wistfully. "My mom tells such great stories about it. But I'll be fine anywhere. Now what about you, Matthew, where do you want to go if not Hufflepuff?"
"I guess Ravenclaw," he said.
"Neat," Cecelia said, then turned to Rose. "Did you read the Defense textbook?"
"Yeah."
"Well…" Cecelia leaned over and whispered in Rose's ear, prompting a smile from Rose, then turned back to Matthew. "Matthew, did you think the part on Unforgiveable Curses was interesting?"
"Yeah…" he said questioningly.
"Rose did to, didn't you?"
Rose nodded quickly. They must have made a plan to draw Matthew into the conversation. Albus suppressed a smile; normally it was Rose who tried to set people up like that, but it looked like she'd met her match.
At that, Cecelia got up from her spot on the bench so that Rose and Matthew could have an unimpeded view of each other. Though they both knew they'd been set up, they were still soon locked in an animated discussion about torture and mind control. Typical Ravenclaws, Albus thought to himself.
Albus asked Cecelia, "How did you know what they'd like to talk about?"
Scorpius rolled his eyes, and rejoined the conversation. "Oh come on, that was obvious, I could have done that if I thought it was useful. What's the point of pairing up two Ravenclaws?"
Cecelia shrugged and said, "It makes them happy, and Matthew now feel like he's our friend. Look at the long-term view. Now what do you and Albus have in common?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing," Scorpius said scornfully. "Me have something in common with nerdy-bird Weasley's shy cousin lover? Never."
"Don't be so rude. I'm sure we can find something. Do you like Quidditch?"
"Hmph," Scorpius grumbled.
"What about you, Albus?" asked Cecelia, turning towards him.
"Yeah. We're fans of the Harpies, cause of my mom. She used to play for them," explained Albus, feeling slightly uncomfortable mentioning Ginny's former Quidditch career.
Scorpius snorted, but didn't deign to join the conversation as Cecelia sent him a glare.
"So what do you think about the Wimbourne Wasps, then? I don't remember what the score was the last time they played Hollyhead, do you?"
Albus looked at her strangely. Why bring up the Wasps? They were always mediocre.
"The score was Harpies – 450, Wasps – 210, and the Harpies caught the Snitch. The Wasps are pretty bad. Trading Jeremiah Flenchley was an awful move; they haven't caught a Snitch in eight games, and—"
Scorpius cut in. "You know it's all the new manager's fault, right? They were actually good before that. All he's done is get rid of good players and pay too much for the bad ones. The only good thing about the Harpies is that all the girls are hot."
"No, they're actually a good team," Albus responded heatedly, "unlike the Wasps. Like they have some actual skill."
Albus knew, and Scorpius probably knew too, that Cecelia had manipulated them into the conversation, but the manipulation gave them an excuse to be talking to each other, so it was fine.
And so they were off. The topic eventually shifted from Quidditch to more relevant topics, and Scorpius even managed to convince Albus that Slytherin wasn't entirely full of 'pretentious wankers', as Scorpius termed them. Even though Scorpius probably fell into that category himself.
Eventually the blond boy got up to go to the bathroom.
While he was gone, Albus asked Cecelia curiously, "How did you know that Scorpius liked the Wasps and that'd get him to talk?"
"It's funny actually, my mom works for the DMLE and mentioned where the Malfoys live a few times. So then I just figured out what Quidditch team was closest. An educated guess really, that he'd be a fan. Then what's the easiest way to get a fan to talk? Insult their team, of course."
Albus stared, dumbfounded. He'd never think of that in a million years. Not that he particularly wanted to either; it would be too strange to have your mind work like that, being able to think up all the different ways to manipulate people. Rose had some catching up to do in her subtlety and resourcefulness with regards to interpersonal relationships.
Scorpius returned, and looked back and forth between Albus and Cecelia, questioning. They both shrugged, Albus barely managing to quell his smile at the shared secret.
They resumed their conversation, and Matthew and Rose joined in after a few more minutes. This was definitely not the group of people Albus had been expecting to be talking to when he anticipated coming to Hogwarts, but he enjoyed himself nonetheless. More importantly, he wasn't quite as afraid for the Sorting anymore.
The glistening deep blue of the lake stretched ahead of them, dotted here and there with whitecaps. The wind whistled through their robes and the First Years clustered together for warmth as Hagrid led them towards the boats. The half-giant walked with a confident stride, though he was getting on in years. Albus remembered the invitation to Hagrid's hut for tea and grimaced. He could recall vividly the horror stories his parents told about Hagrid's rock cakes.
As they made their way down to the water edge, Hogwarts came into full view. Stone turrets sprouted upwards incongruously, with the dark mass of the castle frequently punctuated by pinpricks of light, torches shining through the multitude of windows. The illuminated castle was reflected onto the lake, creating a picturesque scene both above and below the horizon. Rose gasped as she saw the majesty spread out before her, the images she'd seen previously in books incomparable to the grandeur now before them.
"It's so marvelous," she said in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, it is," Albus whispered back.
Their hands met each other without prompting by either, and he turned to see her beaming at him. This would be their home for the next seven years, through thick and thin, conflict and peace, joy and sorrow. At the moment, he couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be.
"Not more than four to a boat," Hagrid boomed as he perilously got into one, barely managing to prevent it from capsizing.
Albus, still clutching tight to Rose's hand, looked around for Scorpius, Cecelia, and Matthew. Rose dragged him into the closest boat before he could spot any of them.
He was about to protest, but she said sensibly, "We're all going to the same spot. If nothing else, we'll see them get Sorted. Their names are pretty close to ours too, so they'll be near us in line."
Two other people got in their boat as well, and they were off. Though the wooden vessel moved on its own, it didn't stay very stable, especially on the windblown lake. They were tossed up and down by the waves, somehow managing to stay upright and all aboard. Albus kept his eyes focused on the bottom of the boat, but did put a hand each side to try to balance it out a bit more. The lake was a dark blue, seemingly bottomless. As the bow plunged through the swells, water sprayed up and drenched the party onboard. Albus gritted his teeth to keep from shivering, but did wrap his arms around Rose. A little chivalry never hurt, he supposed, and it wasn't like he could get any wetter.
Prompted by Hagrid's call, it was with no small amount of relief that Albus finally stood up and stepped off the boat as it bumped against the shore. Their two companions on the boat hurried away as soon as they were on shore. Albus never learned their names.
The fifty or so students walked, shoulders hunched over, up the stairs and into the entrance hall. There was a marked difference in air temperature here, and Albus' robes were soon at least partially dry. The students stopped behind Hagrid outside the huge wooden doors to the Great Hall.
"So now we're just waiting for the Deputy Headmaster," Hagrid said. He then sat down on the top step, causing a vibration in the floor that made Albus jump.
Seeing this, Hagrid stood back up again. "Heh, sometimes I forget me own weight. You're all right though? The ride wasn't too harsh, was it?"
"No, it was fine Professor," replied Albus, not wanting to offend Hagrid.
"Oh, no need for formalities like that, your parents saved my hide more than once," Hagrid said, patting Albus on the back and almost knocking him over.
By this time most everyone had their eyes on Albus, and he shifted in place uncomfortably, unable to move too far because of Hagrid's giant hand on his shoulder.
Before the attention got to be too much, a man appeared from around the corner in a swish of robes. Everyone immediately turned to face him.
"I'll take them from here, Hagrid," the new arrival said authoritatively. Hagrid bowed and scurried out of sight, a look of fear on his face.
"I'm Nigellus Newton, the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as the Professor of the History and Theory of Magic. My formal address is Professor Newton. Though," he said, leaning in conspiratorially, "you can call me John when no one else is around.
"Now," he began briskly, "I'm sure you've all heard of the four Houses of Hogwarts. Some of you may have learned of them from your parents, while others only got introduced to them by new friends or acquaintances made on the Hogwarts Express. The important thing to keep in mind is that none of the Houses is any better than the others. You will see close to the same amount of students at each table, and each House contains a very diverse and unique student body.
"The Houses were named after the four founders of Hogwarts, all marvelous and extraordinary wizards and witches in their own right. But, and here's the important thing: they were much more together than separate. Let that be a lesson to you all as you begin your journey through Hogwarts. We must unite the different characteristics of the Houses to be truly great.
"Those characteristics are as follows: Gryffindors are brave and courageous, but foolhardy; Slytherins are sneaky and cunning, but overconfident; Hufflepuffs are steadfast and loyal, but blindly so; and Ravenclaws are intelligent and curious, but dangerously obsessive.
"Keep in mind that these descriptions don't apply to all members of a House, but simply the vast majority. Remember also that the Houses mold you as much as their traits apply to you, so though you may not feel that you belong in a House to begin with, by the end of your time there you will fit right in. Now, if you'll follow me…"
The First Years walked after Professor Newton, or John if you took him at his word, into the Great Hall. After a few seconds of stunned silence a rash of whispers broke out among their group.
Albus turned to Rose and wasn't surprised to see her frowning.
"What's wrong?" he asked anyway.
She huffed, exasperated. "The Professor is completely wrong about the Houses. He just spat out a jumbled mess that sounds good until you actually think about it. At first he made it sound like we have to be friends with all the Houses, which is a good thing, but then he made it sound like the Houses are there to shape us into a singular personality trait. The Houses are our homes, they're our adopted families. They're not these weird bodies of manipulation or whatever he was getting at."
"You know, I actually agree with you," Scorpius said, sounding surprised at himself.
Albus spun around. "Where'd you come from?"
"Oh, you know. Here and there…" Scorpius said, smirking. Albus frowned, unimpressed at his non-response. "Oh okay," Scorpius relented, "my cousins wanted to see me. My mom's Astoria and her sister is Daphne and she has twins in our year. I always have to put up with the brats when our families get together."
"They can't be that bad, can they?" Rose asked doubtfully.
"Just wait until you meet them. I bet at least one of them will be in Ravenclaw. They're such nerds. They—"
Scorpius' disparaging comments were cut off by the shrill screech of the Sorting Hat.
"Oh I'm the Sorting Hat and I'm okay; I sleep all year and work one day!"
And then began the most exuberant song, full of platitudes and self-aggrandizement, yet containing such a profound moral that it would be repeated the world over if it did not unfortunately vanish from the audience's mind the second it was finished.
As Professor Newton called the first name, and a small girl timidly made her way up to the stool upon which the Sorting Hat was perched, the queasiness returned to Albus' stomach in full force. He almost doubled over in pain as the same tired arguments ran circles through his mind.
Everyone would be ashamed when he went to Slytherin.
James would tease him even more, but now the teasing would actually have venom behind it.
His parents might pretend not to be disappointed, but in reality they'd now be a little more cautious around him, afraid of what he'd become.
The worst thought was how cutthroat and vicious he'd heard the house of snakes was. Albus wasn't a mean person. In fact, he thought of himself of pretty nice. The Slytherins, in addition to being ruthless, might have years of scheming practice under their belts. Albus would be behind from day one, and his surname would make him a target. The talk with Scorpius on the train had reassured Albus that the Slytherins weren't awful people to be around on a daily basis. It didn't ally him of his fears that being in Slytherin would be a never-ending game of politicking and backstabbing.
The names came and went with an alarming rapidity. All too soon, though at least ten minutes must have elapsed, Scorpius Malfoy's name was called. The crowd parted to let the boy through. As a silence fell on the House tables, Scorpius marched to the front of the room with his head held high. It wasn't until now that Albus realized how much of a pariah Scorpius was. Of course he knew that Malfoy's dad was somehow involved in the war, but this hostile treatment must have been just as bad as the constant respect and adoration the Potters got. No one was actively booing or verbally expressing their displeasure, but the widespread glares were sickening to look at.
Scorpius picked up the hat gently and placed it on his head, as the High Table looked down on him. Even some of the professors couldn't keep their emotions off their face. He heard Rose make a disgusted noise next to him and assumed she saw the same thing. However much she disliked him as a person, she stuck strong to the principles of non-discrimination instilled in her by her mother.
The one professor not looking at the boy with disgust or a carefully composed mask of neutrality was Professor Newton, who gazed down at Scorpius hungrily. Perhaps as a tool to be used? That was just as strange as the other professors' looks, and Albus made a mental note to think more about it later.
The hat made a variety of noises as it thought, and Scorpius' face screwed tightly up in concentration. Albus' slightly educated guess was that the hat was trying to get Scorpius to go somewhere else, but he wanted to go to Slytherin. On the train ride Scorpius seemed to be constantly fixated on the ambition side of Slytherin, telling stories about famous Slytherin Ministers of Magic and government employees. Maybe a desire to redeem his family or something.
After a minute or so passed, the hat did indeed call out "Slytherin!" and Scorpius joined that table to muted applause.
Albus steeled himself, ready to walk forward, but Matthew was surprisingly called next. They'd never learned the shy boy's last name on the train.
With him, the hat deliberated for a much shorter period of time.
"Ravenclaw!" it shouted, and before Albus could finish watching the shy boy's welcome at his new table Professor Newton announced, "Albus Potter."
The murmurs were almost unbearable as Albus made his way up to the stool in the front of the room, taking care to not trip over the front of his robe. He took the steps one at a time, eyes focused solely on the hat. If he looked anywhere else he'd be too afraid to keep moving.
The hat was soft, with little firm structure. The fabric was soothing to the touch, and had a rough, well-worn feel to it. Albus picked it up carefully, not wanting it to fall over. He sat down on the stool and looked out over the hundreds of people watching him intently. The second he spotted Rose, he shut his eyes and jammed the hat down on his head. With her, it'd all be okay.
'Well, another Potter, eh?' the Sorting Hat began, amused. 'You know I've Sorted over a hundred of your family?'
Albus had no idea there'd been that many Potters, but given that Hogwarts was the best Wizarding school in Britain, it made some sense that his ancestors would have gone there as well.
'Ah, some logic present in you, and no small measure of intelligence. Now, what would you say if I told you the next Dark Lord was standing in this room?'
Albus' eyes immediately shot open, and he felt a jolt of fear. His thoughts quickly turned, not to the students, but to the professors behind him. He was about to turn his head when he realized how unusual that would be. Anyway, from what his parents told him of their first year, sinister looks could be deceiving.
'Hmm, well you're smart, smart enough to be afraid, and quick thinking in that you don't want to raise suspicions about your knowledge. That was a lie by the way, about the Dark Lord. I can't predict the future. Now, if I told you that you were to join Scorpius in Slytherin, how would you feel?'
Instead of fear or apprehension, like before, or even excitement, the major emotion Albus felt was resignation. Relief that it was all over. And maybe, just maybe, the tiniest hint that he'd prove himself and make his family proud to have a Slytherin.
'Well, that's not the worst feeling in the world to have, is it? And you don't fight it either. Good, good. You'll do great things in Slytherin. Of course, that's the same thing I told your father. Now, this isn't always true, mind you, but when faced with a decision made by someone smarter than yourself, sometimes the bravest thing to follow their suggestion blindly. In a way, Albus, you are braver than your father. But, it will still be "Slytherin!" for you.'
Albus opened his eyes again to see three-quarters of the assembled students sitting dumbfounded, silent. After a second where the entire hall was frozen, the table farthest to Albus' right burst into raucous cheers. Albus placed the hat back on the stool and stood up with a smile. It was over! He'd made it through. There was no going back now, but that was a good thing. Only one way forward.
As he made his way down the steps, he looked to the few remaining First Years unsorted. He caught Rose's eye, and they shared a smile. Not one of sadness, but one that was full of hope. No matter what, they'd be together.
He made his way over to the Slytherin table, and the first real smile he'd seen appeared on Scorpius' face when he sat down next to him.
"Thanks," Scorpius whispered quietly, then clapped Albus on the back and started introducing him to the rest of the First Years in Slytherin.
Cecelia Soren joined them a few minutes later, while Rose joined Matthew in Ravenclaw. Albus clapped for her, even though no one else at the Slytherin table did. Sometimes it was good not to conform completely.
With the Sorting complete, a vast array of food instantly appeared on the tables. After a second of shock, Albus dug in with a gusto he didn't know he possessed. The nerves had mostly fled his stomach, leaving an empty cavern ready to be filled with good food and new friends. As the meal elapsed, Albus readied himself for his first official introduction to Slytherin, where no Potter had (legally) gone before: the Slytherin common rooms.