The boat ride over had been less than relaxing. It was a great joy to Albus and his cousin Rose to see Hagrid again. However, there were five in Albus’ boat, and Frank kept nearly falling in and Polly was so petrified of the Giant Squid that she kept jumping whenever there was a big ripple in the water, causing the boat to rock. Whenever that happened, Albus wished he could have been anywhere else. He was just singularly relieved when they alighted upon dry land and approached the imposing Hogwarts castle.
The first years waited in the foyer of the great castle to be ushered in by the Transfiguration Professor Catus Swinburne. They all had to line up in alphabetical order, meaning that the friends who had all journeyed together were separated. Silently and nervously they awaited their impending sorting. On either side of Albus were two girls; one was a reasonably tall girl, with a mane of honey-brown hair and a pale complexion who smiled prettily at him before turning to talk to her friend in front of her. The other was a smaller scrawny creature, with cropped black hair and equally black eyes. She did not smile at him, but maintained a sulky pout throughout their wait.
After a short time, Professor Swinburne came through the doors to the Great Hall, closing them behind him. He was a tall man and imposing to look at. He had dark hair that hung in tousled waves down to his chin. His jaw was strong, his shoulders broad and muscular and he had grey eyes, hard like stone. He was quite young, but had a mature air to him. Albus thought he seemed like he would be stern but fair, he was not afraid of him, but did not wish to do anything to upset him either.
“They’re ready for you in the Great Hall. If you’d like to line up properly....” That wasn’t a request. They all quickly complied and upon seeing this he smiled thinly.
“Good, now, there’s nothing to worry about. Just go up when your names are called, sit on the stool. I will place the hat upon your head and once the hat has made its decision, it will call out...I’m sorry, am I boring you Mr Malfoy?” Those stony eyes were set on a boy with white blond hair who had previously been talking to the boy behind him. The boy, Scorpius Malfoy, said nothing, but glared back at Professor Swinburne challengingly and grimaced. The teacher ignored him and looked round the entire group.
“It will call out the name of the house it has allocated to you. Has everyone got that?” His eyes flicked towards the Malfoy boy who glowered defiantly in response as the other students nodded tersely. “Right then,” he turned on his heel, flinging the doors open, “in you go.”
The first years followed the towering man into the Great Hall with small footsteps. One nervous looking boy tripped over his robes which were second hand and slightly too big for him and embarrassedly righted himself as titters drifted from some of the older students. What struck Albus first was the sheer size of the place, with its high arches and eternal ceiling, currently enchanted to show the night sky with bobbing candles flickering like stars. Then he noticed the sea of faces at each of the long tables, their eyes scrutinizing the youngest of the students. His eyes passed over the top table of his future professors. There were some familiar faces and some rather intimidating strangers. He recognised such faces as Neville Longbottom, Frank’s dad and Herbology Professor, and Rubeus Hagrid, his father’s protector and friend. The rest he was unsure of, but he was sure that he would get much more familiar with them in due course.
They all grouped together not far from the top table, in front of which stood a small wooden stool. Upon it lay an old shabby wizard’s hat. Albus knew that this was no ordinary hat as his father had told him what it had said to him all those years ago. This thought scared Albus a bit. What if he ended up in Slytherin? He hadn’t heard of anything good that came out of Slytherin, with perhaps the exception of his name’s sake. When he looked across to the far table, he couldn’t see any good there either. There were only mean faces and bored eyes gazing vaguely at the new students.
There was only one house he really wanted to be in. It was, after all, a family tradition and he’d be finding out very shortly whether it was one which was going to continue.
Professor Swinburne stood with his legs slightly astride next to the small stool and faced the Great Hall of students. He unravelled a long parchment with the list of all the first years and cleared his voice pointedly. “If we could have quiet please.” The remaining few voices died out and after one last sweep of the room, he commenced with the Sorting and looked to the first name on the list.
“Albion, Niobe” Catus Swinburne called out in a booming voice. And so the first student walked up to the Sorting hat to be allocated to a particular house. She was a tall girl with a dark plait that extended down her back and it bounced as she climbed the stairs to her seat. She looked towards the tables with wide black eyes as after a short time the old hat opened its flap to announce in a ringing tone:
“Ravenclaw!” Cheers rang out from the Ravenclaw table as Niobe Albion became their newest member. She bounced off the chair and went to join her new house, beaming at the handshakes and smiles that met her arrival. Professor Swinburne held a hand up for silence as he prepared to call out the next name.
“Aventine, Margot” A girl with long ash-blonde hair and a neat black bow on her head walked briskly up to the stool with a slightly upturned nose. She sat down calmly on the seat as Swinburne placed the hat upon her head. The hat did not take long to cry out its verdict:
“Slytherin!” And so the first Slytherin was found, another addition to the sneering mass of faces. She was not the last either, the next student, Hector Bartlett, was also sent to the Slytherin table, led by raucous cheers and applause. The next three students were allotted to Ravenclaw and the two following, Thaleia Crawley and Rufus Cummings, were the first Hufflepuffs. Thus far there had been no new Gryffindors and Albus had a feeling this was not going to change when the next pupil, a brutish looking boy, Seth Darkin, with a furrowed brow made his way to the stool which looked too weak to support his hefty frame. The hat did not need long to debate his rightful place:
“Slytherin!” Two more Slytherins followed, three Hufflepuffs and one rather nervous looking Ravenclaw, Feronia Fell, tipped backwards off her stall when the Sorting Hat began speaking to her. The Gryffindors were starting to look a bit bored as they had gained no new additions to their table and Albus too was just praying for the Sorting ceremony to speed up, he wanted his name to be called, to get the agony over with. Professor Swinburne came to the next name on the list and called out with his commanding voice:
“Finnigan, Cliona” Albus started paying attention again at the mention of this girl’s name. He watched as his friend from the Hogwart’s Express walked timidly up to the small wooden stool and the battered antique hat was placed upon her sandy-blonde curls. She bit her lip as the Sorting hat whispered in her ear, whatever was being said seemed to make her a bit nervous. However she visibly relaxed as the hat proclaimed:
“Gryffindor!” A more effusive than usual cheer came from the Gryffindor table, after the long absence of any new members. Cliona hopped of the stool and she was greeted by many enthusiastic handshakes and beaming grins. Albus hoped that he would be joining her, along with his cousin Rose and the other friends he had sat with on the train on the journey up. However, Gryffindors did not have long to wait until their next member:
“Gara, Elena” A small pretty girl with olive skin, cat-like deep green eyes and dark wavy hair glided to the stool and elegantly placed herself upon it. She did not seem anxious and smiled at Swinburne as he placed the hat upon her head. The hat took more time with her than it had done with others, but finally it decided upon:
“Gryffindor!” The girl slid off the stool smiling before joining Cliona on the Gryffindor bench. Albus saw her greet Cliona who coyly replied, although seemed to be rather intimidated by the obviously confident girl. Another Gryffindor, Alecsander Haskell soon joined them and two more Slytherins were appointed. Then, a name that Albus had a particular interest in was called:
“Hunter, Elizabeth” When her name was called there was a slight hesitation before walking up to the stool. She flicked some of her ebony hair out of her sapphire eyes and gazed out across the crowd, her eyes met Albus’ for a moment and he saw a brief smile waver on her lips before Professor Swinburne dropped the hat on her head. The hat took a while to debate her rightful place and although she did not betray much emotion, her face went unusually hard and cold at something it said. After the longest deliberation any of the students had received so far, its decision rung throughout the hall:
“Gryffindor!” It wasn’t just the Gryffindor table who were smiling and clapping this time, as Albus found himself joining in. Once he realised however, he felt suddenly self-conscious and quickly ceased his applause, but he did return her furtive smile as she walked to her seat between Cliona and Alecsander. Next, Riordan Kendrick and Morgana Lark became the newest recruits to Ravenclaw and Slytherin, respectively. They were followed by another familiar face:
“Longbottom, Frank” He cast a look up to the top table and found his father’s eyes who smiled at him encouragingly and winked. He seemed slightly reassured by this as he sat down on the stool, and not long after the hat proclaimed:
“Gryffindor!” Frank exhaled and cast a lop-sided grin at Albus who returned it eagerly. At the top table Neville Longbottom’s face visibly relaxed and Albus was certain he saw him exclaim a celebratory ‘Yes!’ The newest addition to the Gryffindor table joined his housemates before Cassia Lowe was sorted into Hufflepuff and Una Macmillan and Tristan Magnus joined Frank on the Gryffindor table. It was not long until another person Albus recognised was called upon:
“Malfoy, Scorpius” A boy with white blond hair, defined cheekbones and a slight sneer on his face approached the small stool. When he sat upon it, he surveyed the crowd, his eyes settling on something behind Albus which made him smirk. The hat was placed on his head and when it was, Albus thought he saw a flicker of what could have been anxiety, but it disappeared almost instantly. It did not take long, although, longer than Albus expected considering the boy’s family, to announce:
“Slytherin!” There was some apathetic clapping from the Slytherin table. The Malfoy family had long since fallen out of favour with most of the wizarding world, partly due to the fact his grandparents had betrayed Voldemort all those years ago and now Draco was working for the Ministry in a respectable position, meaning any lingering supporters of the Dark Lord or his ideals were hostile to the Malfoys. The rest of the wizarding world had not quite forgotten the part the family had played in the final years of Voldemort’s dark reign.
Scorpius took his place next to an ebony-locked Morgana who looked him up and down with a churlish pout before returning her gaze to Professor Swinburne who was continuing to sort the new students. After several more nondescript faces approached the stool, and after Iris Proserpine became yet another Ravenclaw, finally Albus heard the words he had been anticipating:
“Potter, Albus” There was the vague whispering at the mention of his name, although he imagined it had been worse for his brother James, the eldest of the Potter children. His family were legendary after all. He was incredibly proud of the part his mother and father - the latter in particular - had taken in the downfall of Voldemort. Nevertheless, he could have done without the added pressure at that precise moment in time.
Albus inhaled deeply and began his approach to the Sorting hat. Slight nausea started building up in his stomach and he searched the Great Hall with his eyes, desperately seeking something to calm his nerves. He caught the eye of James who was pointing to a small sign that read ‘Don’t worry; we’ll still love you, even if you end up being in Hufflepuff. Slytherin - probably not.’ Albus fixed him with a steely glare but his brother just smirked as Persephone snatched the note out of his hand, shaking her head. Albus looked elsewhere, but only saw a sea of unfamiliar faces. He looked up to the top table. He saw Neville Longbottom, who smiled at him encouragingly, and Albus smiled back, still feeling unsettlingly queasy. He looked to the person in the centre of the table. He was clearly the Headmaster of Hogwarts, but Albus had not expected him to be as young as he was. He was older than his father but younger than his grandpa, though closer to the former’s age. He had greying dark brown hair and smiling eyes that had slightly crinkled round the edges. He wore deep blue robes which matched his eyes perfectly and before Albus turned around to sit down, he could swear he saw him smile slightly.
Albus took his place on the small rickety stool at the head of the Great Hall and gazed down at the faces of his new classmates. There were more of them than he realised and he was almost relieved when the large hat was placed on his head, masking his vision. However, when it began to speak to him any relief evaporated until all that was left was a strong sense of fear.
“Albus Potter! Another member of the Potter clan - and what a clan you are. Now, let us see, where to put you...you possess the same keenness to prove yourself as your father as well as all the potential to do great things, oh yes, you will do great things Mr Potter. But is the bravery there as it was with your brother and parents and their parents before them? I am not sure...”
Brief panic crossed Albus’ mind. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with being a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, but he couldn’t bear the thought of being in Slytherin, and he knew that Gryffindor was where he was truly meant to be, with the rest of his family, with his friends-
“Yes, very like your father. Very well then, I have made my choice, with your help of course...” Albus braced himself for a moment, before the Sorting Hat declared to the rest of the hall: “GRYFFINDOR!”
All the tension Albus had been feeling prior to that point just melted away as the pounding of applause reached his ears. In a daze he stumbled off the stool and frantically searched for a familiar face with his eyes. His eyes locked on his brother’s first, who was beaming at him and beckoning him over and next onto Frank who was cheering with vigour. He took his seat between his brother and Una Macmillan who greet him with a small smile and a brief hand-shake.
The names of the next few students went by in a blur for Albus; such was his elation to be sitting at the Gryffindor table. He was dimly aware that he had to make room on the Gryffindor table for two more students, Theron Ryder and Tobias Tarne. However, it wasn’t until the Thomas’s were called that he began to pay attention. Both identical girls with caramel skin, wispy light brown hair and big, pale green eyes bobbed up to the stool. However, their outcome was shocking for Albus and most certainly for them. The first, Apollonia, was placed in Gryffindor, and joined the rest. The second however, Diana, was told she would be joining the Hufflepuffs. Albus didn’t know that the sorting hat split twins, let alone two so identical in every other way. They both looked saddened by the hat’s decision, but took their places stoically. Venetia Verus joined Diana at the Hufflepuff table, and Albus was just getting over his shock when the next name called was one that was all too familiar to him:
“Weasley, Rose” Albus’ eyes focused, for the first time in quite a few minutes on his cousin, and best friend, bobbing up to sit on the small stool with a certain hint of determination in her eyes. When the hat was placed upon her head, Albus knew what the verdict was going to be, even before the Sorting Hat shouted it throughout the hall:
“Gryffindor!” Rose smiled widely as she bounced off the stool as if she already knew the outcome, but enjoyed hearing it aloud. She trotted over to sit next to Frank, who went to high-five her, but was instead confined in a brief but tight hug, leaving him looking a little embarrassed. Albus beamed at her and she returned it. He was glad to have her sitting on this table most of all.
A couple more students were called until Damian Zabini closed the Sorting process, being placed in Slytherin, which Albus felt suited him rather well. Once all the first years were seated, the wizard who Albus assumed was the headmaster rose from his seat in the middle of the long table at the head of the hall. He surveyed the room with a keen eye and gave a small but sincere smile as he gazed around. His glare silenced most, although there were a couple of Slytherins who whispered noisily at each other and threw occasional glances towards the Gryffindor table.
“Welcome,” he began, “to another year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “As I look around I see many experienced Hogwart’s pupils and some new and fresh. So if the former could just bear with me a few minutes, I would like to introduce myself and some of the rules we have here at this institution.” He paused again, lowering his eyes to the top of the tables where the first years sat.
“I am Professor Weylin, former Potions master at Hogwarts and, as of three years ago, its new Headmaster. We don’t have too many rules here at Hogwarts, but those we do have we expect you to adhere to. Firstly, the Forbidden forest to the West of the grounds is just that: forbidden, unless accompanied by a teacher. I am sure your peers can tell you many terrifying and inventive reasons as to why. Secondly, you cannot roam the halls or grounds after dark. Thirdly, no first years are permitted to bring a broomstick to Hogwarts. No Quidditch until second year I’m afraid.” There were some sighs at this, even from Albus. He enjoyed playing Quidditch with his brother and cousins during the summer. His father had been a good teacher.
“If you violate any of these rules you can lose points for your house or risk more severe punishment. Good behaviour is rewarded by winning points for your house. The house with the most points by the end of the year shall win the coveted House Cup.” He raised his eyes to the rest of the hall now before continuing. “Now we have everyone up to speed, I have but a couple of notices for you all. Professor Hinks will be holding auditions for the choir in the Muggle Studies classroom at seven o’ clock this Thursday evening, anyone is welcome.” Albus noticed that Cliona looked enthused by this suggestion. It was not however something Albus would be engaging in.
Albus looked back to Professor Weylin as he continued.
“Madam Chang is holding Quidditch trials tomorrow evening after dinner for second years and above - I repeat, second years and above. Finally, I would like you all to welcome our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Genaro Merric. We are very pleased to have you join us here at Hogwarts.” A man of an approximate age of Albus’ father, with tousled light brown hair and a handsome face, gave a small, slightly self-conscious nod in acknowledgment and smiled at his new students. Albus thought he seemed amiable, if a little nervous.
Suddenly, Professor Weylin clapped his hands together and beamed. “Right, I think that concludes our business for this evening. All that’s left to say is: eat up!” Albus had been told what happens next, but is a completely different matter to see it. Platters of beef, lamb shanks, pork chops, gammon, sausages, salmon and nut-roast were piled high accompanied by every variety of potato one could dream of and at least half a dozen different vegetables. Albus had to tear his eyes away from the puddings: profiteroles, sticky toffee pudding, rice pudding, strawberry cheesecake, jelly and fruit salads covered and remaining table space there was. Albus was still in shock when he looked up and saw his friend Frank’s plate filled to the point of overflow. He laughed and noticed he wasn’t the only one doing so as he caught the eye of Effie. He smiled at her and she threw him a quick grin in return, before letting her ebony hair fall into her azure eyes. Yes, thought Albus, still smiling as he poured a generous volume of gravy over his beef and potatoes, this was going to be a fantastic year.