“Ah, Hagrid! They all here? Well we best get them inside and taken care of, they must be hungry,” said the man. He opened the door wider and beckoned them inside.
Albus and Rose exchanged a smile and a wave with Hagrid before following the mob of other first years inside, the door closing with a loud, echoing bang behind them. The wizard in blue robes led them over to another set of double doors. Albus looked around the massive hall they were in, taking in how high the ceiling was, the marble staircase at one end of the hall, and beside the doors they had just come through, four hourglasses that just might be larger than Hagrid.
The wizard turned to face them and clapped his hands together.
“Welcome to Hogwarts,” he began, “I am Professor Hession, Deputy Headmaster and Head of Ravenclaw house. The start of term feast will begin shortly, but before we eat you must all be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. You will earn points for your house for your successes, but any rule breaking will result in points being taken away. At the conclusion of the school year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup. The Sorting Ceremony will commence in a moment.”
He smiled at them all before turning and walking through the set of doors in front of them. Albus looked at Rose and Jacinta next to him. Jacinta looked positively terrified.
“How do they do they sort us?” she whispered.
“Well, of course a Mudblood would be only one who didn’t know anything about Hogwarts!”
The three of them turned to see the Malfoy boy and his companion. But it was not the Malfoy boy that had spoken this time. It was the other boy. Albus didn’t know who he was, but he made a mental note to stay away from the both of them if he could help it.
“Why can’t you just leave us alone?” said Rose.
“Why should we? Filth like that shouldn’t be in a magical school!” the boy spat back. The Malfoy boy didn’t say anything, but his eyes were not as cold-looking as those of the boy beside him.
“She’s a witch, the same as the rest of us, that’s all that matters,” Albus retorted.
They were spared from more verbal attacks by the return of the Professor.
“We are ready for you now. Follow me,” he said
He turned and they followed him through the large double doors. Albus gasped, as did many around him, as the doors opened to reveal a hall, possibly larger than the one they were just in. The sky was a clear, dark blue, and the stars twinkled merrily through the roof. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of candles floating in mid-air above four tables that ran almost the length of the hall. Albus could see another long table at the opposite end of the hall, facing the four tables where the students sat. He noticed every single face watching as he and the rest of the first years made their way between two of the tables toward the one at the head of the hall.
Albus’ heart began to beat faster as he spotted James sitting at one of the tables with his friends. As he passed his brother, James gave him a wink and pointed to the table behind him. Albus noticed that while all the students at James’ table wore scarlet and gold ties, and had a lion emblem emblazoned on their robes, those at the other table wore green and silver, and many had cold, hard stares similar to the boy that Albus had seen with the Malfoy boy. Albus supposed that that table was where the Slytherins sat. His stomach flopped over as the students seated at the Slytherin table seemed to recognise him, sending sneering glances at him. His attention returned to the front of the hall as the first years in front of him came to an abrupt halt.
“If I could get you to line up over here, please,” said Professor Hession. The first years shuffled over to one side of the hall. As they moved, Albus caught sight of a stool, perched on top of which was an old, worn-out looking wizard’s hat. He looked toward the older students in the hall, catching sight of James looking at him again. He turned back toward the hat on the stool, and a small smile crept on to his face as he remembered his father’s words.
‘The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account. It did for me.’
Albus noticed Jacinta trembling beside him
“What’s wrong?” he whispered.
“I’m scared. What if whatever chooses our house thinks I don’t belong here? What if it sends me back to my old school? I mean, my parents weren’t magical, what if it turns out I’m really not, either? What if “” her voice shook with every word, he could tell she was scared of what was going to happen.
“It’s okay, my dad told me all you have to do is try on the hat,” he said reassuringly.
“What hat?” she asked, standing on her tip-toes trying to see over the students in front of her. It didn’t do much as Jacinta was a very short girl, even compared to other small first years.
Albus pointed towards the Sorting Hat “That hat.”
“It looks really old…how can a hat choose our “”
She broke off as the hat moved. A tear in the rim of the hat opened like a mouth, and as if this was normal, it began to sing.
Well hello again,
It’s been a while
Since I last sang
I will admit…
Jacinta grasped Albus’ robes and clung tight. She closed her eyes, whispering to herself “I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming, I’m not listening to a singing hat, I’m dreaming…”
…Our times have been happy
For many a year
Nineteen to be exact.
But one of our number
Shall seek to end
This time of still-high spirits.
Of this I am sure
Because as you all know
I am the Sorting Hat.
Now lets get our new ones sorted
Yes, it’s time they were placed
Exactly where they belong.
There’s Gryffindor,
The House of the brave and true
There’s Hufflepuff,
Where dwell the just and loyal
Then Ravenclaw
The home for those who are wise
Finally Slytherin
For those who are cunning
So now just try me on
And I shall see
Just where you ought to be!
There was a cheer and loud applause from the students seated in the hall. Jacinta looked like she was about to faint, and Rose looked excited. Albus didn’t know how to feel “ scared of being placed in Slytherin? No, his father had assured him that he would not be placed in Slytherin if he didn’t want to be. He dearly hoped he was right.
Professor Hession stepped up next to the stool, and picked the Sorting Hat up off of the stool.
“When I call your name,” he said loudly so they could all hear, “you will come forward and try on the Hat, and it will place you into your ideal house. Understand?”
There were a few eager nods, and a few that looked as if they would rather leave the hall at that moment.
“Albion, Luke!”
A short boy with tidy black hair walked slowly forward. He pulled himself up onto the stool and Professor Hession placed the Sorting Hat on his head. The hat didn’t do anything for a moment, then the rip opened again and “
“Ravenclaw!”
The table second from the left erupted in cheers as Professor Hession took the hat off of Luke’s head. The boy jumped off the stool and hurried to the Ravenclaw table, where the older students congratulated him, shaking his hand and patting him on the back.
“Aylwood, Sandra!”
A skinny girl with short blonde hair stepped out of the group of first years and sat eagerly on the stool.
“Slytherin!”
“Bletchley, Peter!”
“Slytherin!”
“Goyle, Vincent!”
Albus followed with his eyes as the boy that was with the Malfoy boy went forward. He pushed his way past the other students and swaggered over to the stool. He pulled his overlarge frame onto it and the hat wasn’t even touching his head before it shouted “Slytherin!”
He slipped off the stool and strutted over to the Slytherin table as they cheered loudly. He sat down and was met by students clapping him on the back and shaking his hand.
The Sorting continued until Professor Hession called “Gritton, Jacinta!”
Albus gave Jacinta a quick smile and patted her shoulder, Rose giving her a small hug, before Jacinta moved out of the group of students and made her way to the stool. She climbed up onto it and the Professor put on the hat. The hat took its time but finally it shouted out “Gryffindor!”
The hat was pulled off of her head and Jacinta leapt off the stool and ran toward the table who were cheering for her. Albus gave a small wave as she passed him, and she sent a smile in return.
He watched as Jacinta was greeted by the Gryffindor table while “Jewkes, Amy!” became a Hufflepuff.
As Professor Hession made his way through the ‘K’s, Albus began to fidget. His attention was brought back to the sorting before him as the Professor called “Malfoy, Scorpius!”
Albus saw the Malfoy boy come out of the lessening crowd of first years and walk to the stool. He remembered his Uncle Ron telling him that Scorpius’ father, Draco, had been sorted into Slytherin before the hat even made it onto his head, as had happened to Vincent Goyle just before, and that every Malfoy had been in Slytherin for centuries.
The hat took a bit longer to decide for Scorpius. After a few moments, it shouted out “
“Gryffindor!”
There was no cheering. Everyone in the hall, even the teachers, was deadly silent. Not one ghost moved from their seat.
Scorpius remained on the stool for a few seconds, then he slowly got up and walked to the Gryffindor table, where no one rose to greet him. He sat down a little away from the other students, and still no one made any move at all to greet him as they had the other students. Albus almost felt sorry for him.
“McLaggen, Josef!”
“Hufflepuff!”
“Nott, Talia!”
“Slytherin!”
“Potter, Albus!”
Albus gulped. This was it. Now he really would find out if James was right to think him Slytherin material after all. He made his way nervously over to the stool, and climbed onto it. As he looked out at the rest of the school, he noticed nearly every single face in the Hall craning to get a look at him. Professor Hession lowered the hat onto his head, and Albus heard a voice next to his ears as the hat spoke to him.
“Ah, yes, I remember your father, great wizard he turned out to be, very great indeed…” Albus heard. What in the name of Merlin was it talking about? His father was just an ordinary Auror, head of the department as he might be, but he was just normal as far as Albus was concerned.
“…and your mother, why, the love between her and your father is almost that of a legend. And your brother, he was more like his grandfather than his father, but I see that you are just like your father in most ways, and for this you shall of course belong in GRYFFINDOR!”
The yell of the hat was louder as he was right under it, and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers louder than any of the houses had done for any of the other first years. He waited until Professor Hession, positively beaming, lifted the hat off of his head before he ran to the Gryffindor table, and was shaking hands and exchanging a “Congratulations!” and “Thank you” with just about every student at this end of the table.
Albus sat down next to Jacinta, who seemed overjoyed that at least one person she knew would be in her house. He saw Scorpius sitting at the end of table by himself, head down and looking at his empty plate.
“Scamander, Lorcan!”
“Ravenclaw!”
“Scamander, Lysander!”
“Gryffindor!”
Albus’ attention was drawn away from Scorpius as Lysander Scamander came over to the Gryffindor table. He stood up to shake hands with his new housemate, and Jacinta did the same. He looked at the group of first years still waiting to be Sorted, the group decreasing in size, and saw Rose. She looked as if she could barely contain her excitement at soon being placed in her house.
“Thomas, Violet!”
“Gryffindor!”
Albus waited his turn to greet Violet Thomas and had just sat down from shaking her hand when he saw that there were only two students left to be sorted. One of them was Rose.
“Weasley, Rose!”
Albus watched Rose skip over to the stool and leap onto it. Professor Hession placed the hat on her head and after a moment’s pause “
“Gryffindor!”
Rose jumped off of the stool, hurried over and was greeted with her share of “Congratulations!”. She sat down next to Albus and Jacinta as “Zabini, Ursula!” (“Slytherin!”) was the last student to be sorted. Professor Hession picked up the stool and the hat and carried them out of the hall.
Albus chuckled and Jacinta and Rose giggled as a little wizard with hardly any hair and a goblin-ish face stood up on his chair. Albus hadn’t noticed him before, and now he thought he knew why; the wizard was not standing on just his chair, there were a number of books between his feet and the seat of the high-backed chair.
“Good evening to all of you,” he squeaked. “Welcome back to all our old students, to our first years, welcome. I trust you are all hungry after your journey, so, tuck in!”
Albus’ eyes widened as the gleaming dishes in front of him suddenly filled with food. He saw roast potatoes, steamed vegies, pork chops, everything Albus could name was there, and more. He reached for the nearest dish of shepherd’s pie, his personal favourite, and dug in.
He talked and laughed with the other students. He listened to their stories of their lives at home. He told them his own. He barely took notice of Scorpius, who hadn’t moved from his seat, and was still staring at his empty plate. He was surrounded by as much food as the rest of the table, and on his own he had it all to himself, but he made no attempt to put any on his plate.
But Rose did. She kept stealing short glances at him in between conversations. She wondered what it was that was making him so depressed and unwilling to join in the start of term feast with the others.
“What’s wrong with him?” a quiet voice next to her asked.
Rose turned to see Jacinta leaning towards her so as not to be overheard by Albus next them. She needn’t have worried “ Albus was far to interested in his conversation of Quidditch with Lysander Scamander.
“I don’t know,” she whispered back. “He hasn’t moved or spoken to anyone since he sat down.”
“He didn’t say anything on the train, either.”
“What?”
“On the train, it was his and that other boy’s compartment I got thrown out of,” whispered Jacinta. Rose had to strain her ears to hear her over the noise of all the students in the hall talking. “It was the other boy who pushed me out the door as soon as I asked if I could sit with them, he,” she pointed to Scorpius “didn’t say a word.”
“I wonder why…”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the Malfoys are known for priding themselves on their pure blood. They don’t have any Muggles in their ancestry,” she explained in answer to Jacinta’s questioning look. “I think you’ll find that’s not entirely true, though, they just disown anyone they think brings dishonour on their family “”
Realisation dawned on Rose and her expression changed to one of disbelief.
“Oh no…” she muttered.
“What?” prompted Jacinta.
“Get Al’s attention!” hissed Rose.
“Why?” asked Jacinta.
“Just do it! I’d rather only explain it once!”
Jacinta shrugged and turned to tap Albus on the shoulder. He turned around.
“Yeah?” he asked, but before Jacinta could speak, conversation in the hall came to an abrupt halt. Jacinta looked around and saw that all the dishes were now empty and gleaming, and that the little wizard in the high-backed chair at the Head table was standing on his books.
“Well then, I hope you are all well fed as I have some announcements to make before you all head off to bed! First, would all of our students please remember that the Forbidden Forest is so named because it is indeed forbidden! Second, the caretaker, Mr Tee, has asked me to remind you all that the list of banned items, which consists of some three thousand, six hundred and fifty two objects, the majority of which are sold at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, is available for you all to see outside his office door. Finally, for those of you wishing to play for your house Quidditch team, please contact your Head of House to sign up for the tryouts. That is all. Goodnight!” he squeaked.
There was the sound of the benches being pushed backward as everyone in the hall stood. Everyone, that is, except Scorpius. He remained seated, still looking down at his empty plate. Only one thing had changed during Headmaster Flitwick’s speech.
“Oh, my…” whispered Rose.
Albus and Jacinta followed Rose’s gaze and their eyes fell upon Scorpius, who had tears falling from his eyes into his lap.
“Oh dear,” said Jacinta.
They could vaguely hear the call of “Gryffindor first years, follow me!” from the prefects, but paid no attention.
Jacinta took a deep breath and approached Scorpius.
“Excuse me?” she asked quietly. “Are-Are you okay?”
Scorpius merely sniffed.
Rose came up beside Jacinta, Albus behind her.
“Is there anything we can do?” she said softly.
Scorpius shook his head. Without looking at them, he climbed off the bench and walked out of the hall.
The three of them looked at each other. Without exchanging any words, they followed Scorpius out of the hall to catch up with the other Gryffindors before they got too far ahead.
Vincent Goyle sat in his dormitory. The other boys in his dormitory had fallen asleep long ago, but he sat awake thinking over the evening's events. Gryffindor, indeed! He should have seen it coming, he knew it! He knew there was nothing good about that boy he had grown up with! He had never shown his father's hate of anyone with anything but the purest of magical blood. He never insulted that Mudblood when she came into their compartment on the Hogwarts Express.
He knew what he was going to do. Quietly, so as not to wake any of his dorm-mates, he climbed off his bed and went to it's foot to open his trunk. He fished out a quill and a sheet of parchment, and sat back down on his bed. He thought for a moment, quill poised in his hand, before pressing the tip to the parchment in front of him and beginning to write.
Albus, Rose and Jacinta were the only ones left in the common room. They had not yet been up to their new dormitories, but had instead been sitting in the common room thinking until it had emptied of other Gryffindors. That had not taken long, as they were all tired. But they needed to speak privately, without interruptions.
“Something’s up,” said Albus finally.
“We noticed,” Rose said dully.
“What were you saying at dinner, Rose?” asked Jacinta. “About the purebloods…?”
Rose put her head in her hands, thinking for a minute, before launching into an explanation to Albus of her and Jacinta’s conversation during the feast.
“…and then I said that the purebloods just disown everyone they think brings dishonour on their family, and I was going to say that that includes Squibs, before…”
“Before what?” prompted Albus.
“Before I realised that that might be the reason Scorpius was staring at his plate during the whole feast,” sighed Rose.
Albus thought for a moment while Rose’s words swam in his head. Then his expression changed from on of thoughtfulness to sadness.
“Y-You don’t mean…he won’t…?” he stuttered.
Rose nodded.
Albus had never felt so bad in his life. He looked upstairs to where the prefects had told them the boys dormitories were. Jacinta and Rose gazed up in that direction, too.
“Why would they disown him?” whispered Jacinta.
Rose looked at Albus before answering.
“The Malfoys have all been in Slytherin for centuries. They see being in any other house as an indication that the person shouldn’t be a wizard at all, let alone in a magical school. I would say that Scorpius knows exactly what his parents would do when they find out he wasn’t placed in Slytherin, but Gryffindor.”
Jacinta looked horrified.
“They can’t! He’s only eleven years old!”
“That won’t make a difference as far as they’re concerned. All that matters to them is he has brought dishonour and shame upon the Malfoy name, and for that, he shouldn’t be a Malfoy at all.”