Albus Potter stepped off of the scarlet Hogwarts Express and breathed in the crisp, chill air. He was finally here. He grinned broadly as he surveyed the scene before him; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Oi, you! Get a move on! Mush!"
Albus turned around, confused. Behind him was a scowling girl with light brown hair and greenish-hazel eyes. Someone's aiming for Slytherin, Albus thought sourly.
Rose Weasley, a girl with curly red hair peeked out from behind the scowling green-eyed one. "Al! You're holding us up!"
Albus quickly moved out of the way as a stream of students flooded past him, eager to be out of the cramped train corridor. Rose stepped away from the crowd to stand by her cousin, dusting off her robes.
"Maniacs," she snorted, rolling her eyes.
"You're telling me," Albus said gripping the handle of his suitcase. They began to follow the crowd.
"Firs' years! Firs' years!" called a familiar voice. An extremely tall man with a tangled gray beard and dark eyes was standing by a small fleet of rowboats--which, Albus noticed, had no oars--that were bobbing on the waters of a giant lake.
"Hagrid!" Rose embraced the tall man. Albus smiled at Hagrid, who winked.
"Nice to see yeh, Al, Rose," he said. "Go on ahead 'n get in a boat."
The cousins obeyed, waving to Hagrid as they left. "I'm so excited," Rose whispered, her blue eyes shining.
"Yeah," said Albus. "Me too...you look nervous."
"Very."
"Don't worry," said Albus, remembering something that his father had told him a few hours previously. "All you have to do is truly want to be in Gryffindor. You'll do fine!"
"What's this about Gryffindor?" asked a boy's voice as Charlie Longbottom plopped down next to Albus.
"We're talking about the Sorting," said Rose. "Where do you reckon you'll end up?"
"Gryffindor. Although my mum says that the Hufflepuff common room is amazing."
"Who cares?" snorted Albus. "So are all the common rooms!"
Charlie laughed. "True!"
For a few minutes they continued to talk about the pros and cons of certain houses, weighing out the goods and the bads and pointing out the benefits of each one until they were interrupted.
"Do you lot mind if Rowan here sits with yeh?" asked Hagrid, who was gripping the green eyed girl's shoulder.
"Sure," said Rose, who, to Albus's horror, patted the seat next to her. "We have room for one more."
"Thanks Rose," said Hagrid, who beamed at her before giving the girl with green eyes a gentle shove towards the boat and walking off.
The girl slid into the seat next to Rose and across from Charlie. She looked at Albus. "You're the git who wouldn't move."
"Yep, that's me," said Albus. He decided that he did not like her much.
She nodded and turned to look across the lake. In the distance, the windows of Hogwarts spilled golden light across the grounds, an inviting sight.
After a few more minutes, Hagrid lectured the group on how to behave in the boats and they set off. It was a clear, starry night. Rose was talking about the constellations with the other girl, Rowan, while Charlie and Albus continued to talk about Houses.
"What is a Gryffindor?" asked Rowan suddenly, glaring at Albus. "And a Slytherin and Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?"
Charlie stared at her blankly. "Huh?"
"What are those things everyone's going on about?"
"Houses," said Rose matter-of-factly. "You're Muggleborn, right?"
"You mean from a non-magical family?"
"Yes."
"Does that mean you're going to call me a Mudblood like that obnoxious blond kid did?"
"No. My mum was Muggleborn."
"Okay," said Rowan, her shoulders relaxing. "So what are Houses?"
"Hogwarts students are split up into four Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Gryff--"
"Just don't end up in Slytherin, that's all you need to know," said Albus, cutting off his cousin.
"Athens, Steven!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Albus's thoughts were whirling. What if he wasn't a Gryffindor? What if his father had been wrong and he ended up in Hufflepuff or Slytherin? What if that hat could not decide where to put him and Professor Longbottom, the deputy headmaster, told him that he did not have any magic after all?
"Boot, Jacqueline!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
Rose looked just as nervous and Charlie was a rather frightening shade of green. Rowan, however, looked excited-- like a child on Christmas, Albus thought.
"Bradens, Savannah!"
–HUFFLEPUFF!â€
"Cragley, Thadon!"
"Slytherin!"
–Carillon, Elise!â€
–GRYFFINDOR!â€
"Finch-Fletchley, Carol!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Finnigan, Adam!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Greenhill, Rowan!"
Albus watched as Rowan walked calmly up to the wobbly wooden stool that looked like it was about to collapse at any moment, sat down, and placed the ragged hat on her head. It was then that Albus realized that the hat was covered in ugly burn marks, and quite tattered to boot.
Albus turned his attention back to Rowan. It had been quite a while by now. But as he looked at her face, she seemed perfectly calm. Her eyes were closed, and there was a faint smile on her face, as if she knew a secret that no one else did. Which, Albus supposed, she did, as only she could hear what the hat was saying at the moment.
"GRYFFINDOR!" it proclaimed.
Rowan grinned at the applause coming from the Gryffindor table as she placed the hat back on the stool and ran to sit with her fellow House members.
Thorgin Goyle became a Slytherin. Pandora Jones became a Ravenclaw and Bevin Idles became a Hufflepuff. Charlie Longbottom a Gryffindor. His father clapped him on the back as he ran to sit next to Rowan.
Anna Simons and Fiona Smith became Ravenclaws.
"Malfoy, Scorpius!"
Albus snapped to attention as a blond boy confidently strutted up to the stool and placed the hat on his pale head. It slid over his eyes.
A minute passed with no word from the hat. Seconds ticked by. Next to Albus, a dark skinned boy checked his wristwatch.
Suddenly, the hat screamed out its decision. No one had expected it. "GRYFFINDOR!"
There was a collective gasp from the hall as Scorpius let out a cry of surprise. He took the hat off and jammed it back on his head is desperation, over and over. He looked as if he were about to cry. Professor Longbottom looked at a loss for words. A tall woman with iron-colored hair twisted into a tight knot walked over from the headmistress's seat and escorted Scorpius out of the double doors at the end of the hall. Albus stared after the odd pair, wondering how Scorpius Malfoy of all people had become a Gryffindor.
Ethan Madison became a Ravenclaw and Eric Moore became a Hufflepuff. Chloe Morrison became a Slytherin.
"Potter, Albus!"
To Albus's amazement, the hall erupted into cheers. Over at the Gryffindor table, a dark haired boy was shouting, "THAT'S MY BROTHER! THAT'S MY BROTHER!" Albus smiled and waved to James. Then, his legs like jelly, he wobbled up to the stool and placed the hat on his head.
"Oh, another Potter," whispered a voice. "Well, I know just where to put you...."
Albus held his breath. Gryffindor? he wondered.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat confirmed to the entire hall. Albus let out a whoop of joy. He placed the hat back on the stool amidst a cheer from the Gryffindor table. To the entire hall's amusement, James was doing a sort of jig on the table (he quickly sat back down after being given a withering look from Victoire Weasley, his cousin). Albus ran to sit by Charlie and Rowan as –Sarah, Bethat†became a Hufflepuff.
–THOMAS, JORDAN!â€
–GRYFFINDOR!â€
Albus's mind was swimming with happiness. Suddenly, however, he was distracted by Scorpius coming back into the room. The woman patted him on the back and went to sit back in the headmistress's seat while the young Malfoy shakily walked over and sat at the far end of the Gryffindor table. Albus craned his neck, trying to get a better look...
"WEASLEY, ROSE!"
Albus quickly turned his attention to his cousin. He need not have worried, however, for as soon as the hat brushed the top of his cousin's curly red hair it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindors cheered again, and barely anyone at that table noticed when "Thaddeus, Zabini" became a Slytherin.
As the chattering continued, Albus watched as Professor Longbottom carried the stool and hat out of the hall. He turned to Rose, who was beaming.
–Well, guess that your dad won’t be disinheriting us,†he told his cousin.
–Ditto,†Rose giggled.
They continued to chat with Charlie and Rowan for a while about the Sorting.
–I was almost put in Hufflepuff,†Charlie admitted. –I told it that I was fine either way as long as I wasn’t in Slytherin, and I guess that that might be what convinced it.†He shrugged, grinning.
–How about you, Rowan?†Rose asked politely.
Rowan opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when the Headmistress stood. The hall quickly fell silent.
–Greetings, Hogwarts,†said the Headmistress. –I am Minerva McGonagall and I will be your Headmistress for this year. I would like to welcome all of our first years and welcome back all of the others.â€
–Oh, yes,†Albus heard his cousin Fred, a third year, mutter. –Us nameless ones.â€
Albus turned his attention away from Fred and continued listening. –Now, I understand that all or most of you are very excited to be here,†said McGonagall. –But there are rules.†Her gaze lingered on James Potter for a fraction of a second too long. –Firstly, the Forbidden Forest is, for obvious reasons, forbidden and violation will result in severe punishment.â€
Albus did not listen much to the rest of the Headmistress’s speech, unlike Rose, who sat up straight and folded her hands in her lap. Albus was busy staring over at Scorpius Malfoy. A Malfoy, in Gryffindor!
–Al?†whispered Charlie. –You with us?â€
Albus snapped himself out of his train of thought and noticed for the first time the food in front of him. His mouth began to water.
There was roast beef and turkey, chicken and pork. Plates of vegetables and mashed potatoes dotted the tables, and goblets of pumpkin juice appeared in front of everyone. Albus quirked an eyebrow, however, when he noticed, of all things, peppermint humbugs.
–Yeah, I am,†said Albus, and began to shovel potatoes onto his plate.
Albus sighed with contentment as he sank into bed that night. He was in Gryffindor, he was with his friends, and he had a full stomach--what more could he possibly want?
"G'night," whispered Charlie.
"Good night," Albus whispered back, and turned off the lamp on his bedside table.
As the darkness enveloped him, Albus sank into a deep and fretful sleep.