A hufflepuff friendship

Chapter two

The horde of children gathered in the great hall, greeted by Professor Mcgonagall, the headmistress of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Sixteen years had passed since the defeat of the evil Lord Voldemort and the leaving of the school by the famous Harry Potter and his friends. Scorpius and Harry stood shoulder to shoulder as they were pushed into the line ready for the sorting ceremony. "Hello boys and girls of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry!" The professor's voice boomed out across the hall. "Welcome the first years who shall be sorted in today's ceremony and who will grow in knowledge and heart as they progress through their years here." A great cry rose up in the hall as the new students were ushered down the path made in the middle of the hall for them, their journey terminating at the front of the great room. The sorting hat, as ever stood on a small wooden stool in the very centre of the raised platform, chuntering to itself as it waited for the first name to be called out. "Alice Longbottom!" Professor Mcgonagall gestured for the bewildered brown haired girl to step up. "Now, place the sorting hat onto your head" Alice picked up the hat nervously and pulled it down over her skull.

"Hmm, this one's not so hard.... Better be Hufflepuff!" the sorting hat screeched and the gryffindor table erupted in cheers. Various other children were sorted into the different houses before Lily's name was called out. "Lily Potter!" Lily walked confidently up to the stool and sat down, putting the hat on her head. "Gryffindor!" the house was called out as soon as the hat touched her hair, and she proudly went accompanying cheers to the Gryffindor table. Hugo Weasley was given the same fate, as with Rose and Teddy, but Albus was yet to step up. "Scorpius Malfoy!" Panicked and in a daze, the blond boy made his way up to the dais and tripped over a step. Every table bar Hufflepuff erupted in laughter silenced only by Professor Mcgonagall. Once again, tears streaked down his ivory skin and he perched nervously upon the stool waiting for the hat to make up its mind. "Hmmmn, this is a tricky one, very tricky. You're brave, kind, gentle, clever, you could do great things, your father was a very successful specimen of Slytherin I dare say."

"I don't want to be in Slytherin.." Scorpius whispered to the hat.

"Not Slytherin, eh? You're not the only one who wished that and he did well, many years ago and you may have heard of him as the boy who lived. So, where to put you then. I see you yearning for Hufflepuff, but is a Malfoy right in that house? I suppose we shall see, better be Hufflepuff!" Inside Scorpius' chest he felt glory for the first time in his life, he felt strong and wise and best of all kind. However, no cheers came from the direction of the Hufflepuff table, only a few boo's from the Slytherin table were to be heard in the great hall at all. The headmistress took no heed of the drama and continued to call out names until "Albus Potter!" Albus stepped onto the platform and sat confidently on the stool. "I'm surprised, potter. I see you're not as brave as your friends but you can let anyone into your heart if you try. I'm very surprised, I think you would be best placed in... Hufflepuff!" Albus, expecting another Gryffindor cheer and admittance to said house looked around confused. In a daze, he walked into the crowd of Hufflepuff students, pulling Scorpius aside and clasping his new best friend to his chest. "Scorpius, we've got to stick together alright. I need someone I can rely on. I never thought this would be you but we have to stay together" Albus explained his thoughts, biting back tears. He had failed his family just as Scorpius had. "Albus it's okay" Scorpius looked deeply into his friend's eyes "I've got you" Albus' hands found their way onto scorpius' face, cupping his cheeks. "I know" he replied. "we'll get through this".