Scorpius always thought his house was huge. There were rooms he wasn't even aloud to be in. And his grandmother's hospital room easily could've fit in his mother's closet. Technically, home wasn't even a house, it was a manor. But the castle…it had to be at least five times larger than Scorpius's own house.
"It's over 100,000 years old," Rose told Scorpius as the boat glided over the lake. "My mother gave me a copy of Hogwarts, A History. There's seven stories and more than sixteen staircases in the main hall alone. Not to mention secret passageways and everything." Scorpius nodded, but truthfully, he wasn't really listening. All he could pay attention to was the way the light from the stained glass windows glittered on the glassy lake surface, the way the clouds draped the tallest towers, and the way he could see the horseless carriages trotting towards the school.
When their boat bumped against the shore next to the boathouse, Rose jumped from her seat and onto solid land. Scorpius realized that she had been relatively quiet for the past few moments, and she looked a little green.
"Are you okay?" Scorpius asked her, stepping onto the sand.
"Fine," Rose gasped, waving a hand. "Just a little seasick is all."
"Family trait." Albus had joined them. He placed his hands on his knees and bent over retching a little. "I hate water."
"Babies," Scorpius smirked. Rose raised a hand and slapped Scorpius in the stomach, so he doubled over in pain. "Okay," Scorpius relented, wheezing from the blow. She was unreasonably strong.
"Firs' Years, this way!" Hagrid jumped from his own boat, a lantern in hand, and began to wave them forward. "The castle is this way." Shivering, the first years began to trek up the stairs that wound around the side of the castle and past the boathouse. Scorpius pulled his robes more tightly around his shoulders. The night air was frigid and un-welcoming.
Rose's bottom lip had turned a frightening shade of blue. She glanced down at it over the bridge of her nose, and then turned to Scorpius. "I-i-is my lip blue?" Her teeth chattered a bit. Scorpius squinted at her lower gum.
"Yeah," Scorpius replied. "Come on." He grabbed Rose's elbow and pushed by another pack of students. "If we get inside faster, it'll be warmer."
"Why don't you just kiss it and make it better, Malfoy?" A sneering voice erupted right next to Scorpius's shoulder. He saw the pug-faced girl he had seen earlier at the station, standing next to a tall African boy who could've snapped Scorpius in half. The girl laughed, and the boy laughed with her.
"What's y-you-your problem?" Rose stuttered, still freezing cold.
"I don't have a problem," the girl replied innocently. She looked disdainfully at Rose.
"No, Malfoy's got one," the boy said, puffing out his chest.
"How do you know my name?" Scorpius asked him. Scorpius reached in his pocket for his wand. He breathed heavily, trying to remember what his father had told him about his temper. Scorpius had inherited his mother's ferocity and his father's split-second decision making. His father had always told him that when he got mad, just to breathe and count to ten before making a decision. In his head, Scorpius was counting to ten so fast that the numbers blurred together. He tightened his fist around the handle of his wand, but then, Hagrid pushed open the doors to the school.
The girl and the boy just let out low, nasty laughs, and pushed past Rose and Scorpius to get into the school. The girl turned around to look at Scorpius and gave him the evil eye. Scorpius felt his face get red with anger, but Rose was latched onto his elbow. She tugged a bit on him. Scorpius felt his pulse slow as he looked back at her. She was still shivering a little, but the blue in her lip was gone. She let go of his elbow.
"Better?" Scorpius asked as they climbed the stairs after Hagrid.
"Better," Rose confirmed. She looked towards the top of the stairs, and then let out a small squeal. "Look! It's Professor Longbottom."
At the top of the stairs stood a tall man with a round face. He had short brown hair and wore a kind smile. He had his hands clasped in front of him, a symbol of power. The first years stopped in his path. Scorpius wondered why his father didn't like this man.
"All yours, Neville." Hagrid smiled at the man, and then opened a pair of doors behind Professor Longbottom. Scorpius could hear loud traces of conversation from within, but Hagrid quickly shut the doors behind him.
"Alright. Welcome to Hogwarts." Professor Longbottom smiled down at Rose, who beamed back. Albus had arrived at her side, panting slightly, and Professor Longbottom winked at him. "For those of you who do not know me, I am Professor Longbottom, Deputy Headmaster. I am also Professor of Herbology. And this evening, I am in charge of the sorting." Whispers began to generate through the body of students, but Neville ignored this. "There are four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."
"James once told me that to get sorted, you had to capture a centaur," Albus whispered. Rose rolled her eyes. "He was kidding though."
"When you go through those doors." Neville jerked a thumb behind him, pointing at the elaborate double doors. "You will try on the sorting hat, which will determine what house you will be in this year. Your house is your home. As Professor McGonagall once told me 'your triumphs win your houses points. Your failures cost you points.' Everyone is affected by the house system." Silence fell upon the first years.
Scorpius had that feeling of snakes in his stomach. He hoped he would be placed in Slytherin. He knew his family had been placed there, and he didn't want to disappoint his parents. He glanced at Rose. However, he had only made two friends so far. What if they weren't placed where he was? An icy shard of panic went through his heart.
"Let's go in, shall we?" Neville opened the doors to the great hall. The first thing Scorpius saw was the enchanted ceiling, which was a clear navy blue, dotted with sparkling stars. His mother told him that when she and Scorpius's father got married, they had a ceiling like that in the church. There were five long tables. Four were on the floor, and were filled with students of all ages. The fifth table was on a platform at the edge of the hall. A severe looking woman in a golden chair sat at the middle point of the table. Before her was a stool with a worn, frayed old hat. It was motionless for a moment, but when the first years reached the steps, the brim opened. Scorpius's jaw dropped as it began to sing.
Four strong people once bonded together
People of all background and types,
To make a school that would tether
Magic to the pipes
Of young students.
Great Gryffindor, of noble stock,
Taught those who broke from the flock,
Students who were independent
And whose minds were surely transcendent.
Kind Hufflepuff, the sweetest yet,
Brought in students who she would whet,
With her tenderness and compassion,
Her words would bring about passion.
Austere Ravenclaw, blessed with wit,
Would take only those who showed true grit,
Who demonstrated ingenuity,
And surely would bring about acuity.
Shrewd Slytherin, with a sharp mind,
Would cunning and ambition twined
Take students with those traits alone,
Students fit for a pureblood throne.
The brightest witches and wizards our world has seen
Would eventually break in a manner not clean,
Resulting in secrets and lies
That would cause the demise of the founders.
But now, after so much time has passed
The terrible memories have been past,
The four houses have re-united to create
Students who will make the wizarding world great.
So students, remember this,
Opportunities you will miss
If your houses ask you to divide.
So rather, stand up and ask the houses to side.
The brim to the hat abruptly closed. Applause echoed throughout the hall.
"Interesting," Rose whispered to Al. "Even after all this time…" she drift off. Scorpius furrowed his brow. His parents had told him that the houses got along now. Was the Sorting Hat saying they were mistaken?
"Scarlett Aricksen," Neville called out, reading from the long scroll before him. The pug-faced girl who had been rude to Scorpius earlier scuttled up the stairs. She smoothed her brown hair before sitting down on the stool. Neville placed the hat on her head.
"Slytherin!" It roared instantly. A huge smirk spread over her face, and she handed the hat back to Neville before running down to the emerald clad table.
"Ted Bomer!" And the list went on and on, passing by names that sounded somewhat familiar to Scorpius. And then, finally: "Scorpius Malfoy!"
There it was. His name had been called. And unless Scorpius imagined it, there was a whisper that spread through the hall like wildfire. There was a reason everyone knew his name, but Scorpius wasn't sure why. Slowly, he ascended the stairs to the stool. Professor Longbottom gestured to the stool, and Scorpius sat down heavily. He could see Rose and Al, standing with the remaining students, watching anxiously. When the hat was lowered onto Scorpius's head, it felt as if a pencil was prodding around in his brain.
"What have we here," the hat questioned, muttering inside Scorpius's brain. "Another Malfoy, then? The true son of your father, no doubt." The vision of Scorpius's parents fought to the front of his brain. "And your mother, too? I remember her quite well…Alright then." The hat paused for a moment. "I see your parents have tried to make up for their mistakes in you. Better be…Gryffindor!"
This time, hardly anyone cheered. There were a few rounds of applause from the Gryffindor table, and Rose and Al cheered as well. The Professor Longbottom looked rather confused as he drew the hat off Scorpius's head, and over at the Slytherin table, all the students stared at Scorpius as if he had deeply offended them.
Slowly, Scorpius descended the stairs ad took a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to Albus's brother.
"Who would have thought it?" James asked aloud. "A Malfoy in Gryffindor."
"Yeah," Scorpius said, glancing over his shoulder at the Slytherin table as Albus was sorted into Gryffindor. He felt slightly sick to his stomach. "Who would have thought it."