The Malfoys and Me

4. The Sorting

You bounce slightly in your seat on the boat that's taking you to the castle in front of you. It looks so majestic looming up in the night sky! Beside you, Micayla is bouncing too, almost more excited than you are!

You try to catch a glimpse of Scorpius in the lantern light, but you can't see which boat he's on. He left your compartment right before the train stopped to finally confront the people who he had been hiding from before, and you hadn't been able to get on the same boat as him.

"Oh!" says Micayla, jolting your mind back to the present. "Look, I think we're almost at the shore!" you study the shore and see that she's right! Oh wow, you think, the situation finally dawning on you, I'm going to live here for an entire year! I wonder how many friends I'll make? Or what house I'll be in? How will I do in my classes??

The questions whirling around your head grind to a stop as your boat hits the shore and anchors itself. You get out, and follow the mob of first years into the school's vast gates. When you get into the castle, a male professor greets you, and introduces himself as Prof. Weston, the transfiguration teacher.

Prof. Weston gives an explanation about how the sorting will go, but you can't pay attention as your eyes scan the crowd for your friend. Finally, as the professor stops speaking, you locate him in the middle of a sea of self-satisfied-looking girls and boys. They've surrounded him, and he looks slightly uncomfortable. Your heart goes out to him.

Poor boy, you think, and start to make your way over to him. When you reach him, his face brightens a bit, but it still looks gloomy.

"Oh, Y/n," he says with an attempt at a smile. "It's you." you smile back at him.

"Yea," you say, "it's me."

"Wait Malfoy," says a large girl with raven hair and a nasty scowl, "you know this nobody?" you scowl.

"Well who are you, then?" you toss back.

"Hyacinth," she says in a haughty manner, as if you're supposed to grovel before her. "Hyacinth Parkinson." you blink.

"What, is that supposed to mean something to me?" Hyacinth bristles, but you look past her to Scorpius once more.

"Well," you say, ignoring the girl and her posse completely, "I'll be over there with Micayla if you need me." with a small wave, you turn to leave.

"Okay," he says, his voice weak. "See you at the feast, Y/n." you feel kind of bad about leaving him at Hyacinth's mercy, but you also feel slightly bad about leaving Micayla alone, too. She is the only American in the school, after all.

You see Micayla in the crowd, and make your way to her, just as the first person is called to be sorted.

"Y/n!" she says, relief plain in her voice. "I thought you'd abandoned me here." There's enough humour in her tone to let you know that you can laugh. You do, and Micayla smiles, too. "I'm glad you're here now," she says, "they'll be calling your name soon."

"Wait, what?!" you ask in surprise.

"You didn't catch that?" Micayla asks, her brow raised slightly. "They're calling people to be sorted alphabetically."

"No," you say, "I guess I did miss that. I was a bit..." your eyes drift over to Scorpius, and you meet the gaze of his beautiful orbs for a second, and then you look away. "...preoccupied."

"Well, Y/n," Micayla says, nudging you, "prepare to be occupied; 'Barque, Adam' just got sorted into Hufflepuff, so I think you'll be next!" you open your mouth to speak, when—

"Bec, Y/n!" shouts Prof. Weston, and you catch Scorpius's eyes once again. He gives a wan smile and a little thumbs up as you head for the sorting hat at the end of the hall. You smile back, and try to stop your stomach from turning.

As you enter the great hall, you can't help but notice the hundreds—maybe thousands—of students in the hall, all eyes trained on you. You try to swallow your anxiety as you walk up to the sorting hat and sit on the stool. Prof. Weston gives you a reassuring smile, and then lifts the hat onto your head. As it comes to rest slightly over your forehead, you hear its voice in your head:

"So, Y/n Bec, eh?" it says, not unkindly. "Hmm, let's see what we have here..." you squirm a bit as you feel the hat digging around a bit in your mind. "Expecting Slytherin, eh?" it asks with a hint of amusement.

Yes, you think at it, with a hint of embarrassment. My mum was in Slytherin.

"Ah yes," it says again, "I remember Brittany; more suited to Hufflepuff than Slytherin, but I gave her the choice, and she found her place among those of the snake. Came back and fought in the battle of Hogwarts, though. Good kid. Now," the hat said, as if collecting itself, "what will you choose, I wonder?"

You think about it for a second. If you are put in Slytherin she would probably have to put up with people like Hyacinth all the time, but then again...

"Ah," says the hat with a knowing air, "got a soft spot for young Malfoy, eh? Well, I already know where he's off to. Hmm... this should be interesting. Better put you in—"

"Slytherin!" the hat yells the house out loud, and you get up, as if in a dream, and go over to the cheering Slytherin table. You are the first one to be sorted into Slytherin this year.

The rest of the sortings go by in a blur. Micayla is put in Hufflepuff, and Scorpius, of course, is put in Slytherin, and finds the seat across from you as you wait for the feast to begin.

**A/N**
Albus Potter was sorted into Gryffendor. I know that's not canonically correct, but it makes things easier in terms of the story lol