The Hogwarts Express slowed with a long metallic groan.
Students crowded the corridors, pressing against the windows as the train curved around the dark lake.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The castle rose ahead of them.
Massive towers climbed into the cloudy sky, their windows glowing warmly like thousands of watchful eyes. The ancient stone walls seemed older than time itself.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stood on the hill like a sleeping giant.
Albus felt his stomach twist.
"This is it," Scorpius whispered.
Neither of them moved for several seconds.
Then the train finally stopped.
---
Cold air rushed in as students stepped onto the platform.
The night smelled of pine trees and damp earth.
A booming voice echoed across the darkness.
"First years! First years over here!"
The voice belonged to a large wizard carrying a lantern.
Rubeus Hagrid had once guided first-year students across the lake, but tonight another figure stood waiting.
Professor Neville Longbottom.
Time had changed him.
He still looked slightly awkward, but there was confidence in the way he stood now.
"Follow me," Neville called.
Albus and Scorpius joined the group of nervous first-years.
They walked down a steep path toward the water.
Dozens of small boats floated quietly along the edge of the lake.
Scorpius whispered,
"Four to a boat, I think."
They climbed in carefully.
The boats began moving on their own, gliding smoothly across the dark water.
The castle grew larger with every second.
Albus stared up at it.
He had seen pictures his whole life.
But pictures didn't prepare you for the real thing.
This place wasn't just a school.
It was history.
Magic soaked into every stone.
Somewhere in those towers, the most powerful wizard of the age had once studied.
Harry Potter.
Albus suddenly felt the familiar weight of that name pressing down on him again.
He gripped the edge of the boat.
Scorpius noticed.
"Nervous?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Albus blinked.
"Good?"
"Yes," Scorpius said calmly.
"Nervous people make fewer stupid decisions."
Albus laughed despite himself.
The boats passed beneath a low stone archway and slid into a hidden harbor beneath the castle.
Neville helped them climb out.
"Up the steps," he said kindly.
"Stay together."
The enormous wooden doors opened slowly.
And the first-years stepped inside.
---
The Entrance Hall of Hogwarts was breathtaking.
Towering stone walls rose high above them, lit by hundreds of floating candles.
Students whispered in awe.
The sound of their footsteps echoed softly across the floor.
Scorpius leaned close to Albus.
"This place is ridiculous."
Albus nodded.
"Completely ridiculous."
A tall witch wearing emerald robes stepped forward.
Professor McGonagall.
Minerva McGonagall had grown older, but her sharp eyes missed nothing.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said.
Her voice was calm, but it carried across the entire hall.
"Before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses."
A murmur spread through the students.
McGonagall continued.
"The houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."
Albus felt the knot in his stomach tighten.
Scorpius noticed immediately.
"Thinking about it again?"
Albus nodded.
McGonagall gestured toward a small wooden stool.
On it sat an old, wrinkled hat.
The Sorting Hat.
Sorting Hat.
It suddenly opened its mouth and began to sing.
The song echoed through the hall, telling the ancient story of the four founders of Hogwarts.
When the song finished, the hat fell silent.
McGonagall unrolled a long parchment.
"Abbott, Emily!"
One by one, students stepped forward.
The hat touched their heads.
And shouted their houses.
"Hufflepuff!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Gryffindor!"
Cheers erupted from different corners of the Great Hall.
Albus barely heard any of it.
His name was coming closer.
"Malfoy, Scorpius."
Scorpius stood.
For a brief second, he looked terrified.
Then he walked forward.
The hat dropped over his pale hair.
The entire hall seemed to hold its breath.
Then the hat shouted:
"SLYTHERIN!"
The Slytherin table erupted into applause.
Scorpius removed the hat slowly.
He glanced back toward Albus.
Not proud.
Not embarrassed.
Just nervous.
Then he walked toward the Slytherin table.
Albus suddenly felt very alone.
McGonagall continued reading.
"Potter, Albus."
The hall exploded into whispers.
"Potter?"
"Another one?"
"The son of—"
Albus walked forward.
His legs felt strangely heavy.
He sat on the stool.
The hat slid over his eyes.
Darkness.
Then a voice spoke inside his mind.
"Well… well… another Potter."
Albus swallowed.
"Please," he whispered silently.
"Not Slytherin."
The hat chuckled softly.
"Interesting…"
It paused.
"Very interesting."
Albus's heart pounded.
"You have courage," the hat said slowly.
"But also ambition."
"No," Albus thought desperately.
"You seek your own path… separate from your father."
"Yes."
"And yet…"
The hat seemed to hesitate.
"Perhaps Slytherin would help you prove yourself."
"No."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
The hat laughed quietly.
"Ah… the same request your father once made."
Albus froze.
"Very well."
A long pause.
Then the hat shouted:
"SLYTHERIN!"
The Great Hall went completely silent.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then the Slytherin table began cheering.
But the rest of the hall whispered in shock.
A Potter.
In Slytherin.
Albus removed the hat slowly.
His face burned.
He walked toward the Slytherin table.
Scorpius was smiling.
Not mockingly.
Just… happily.
"Looks like you're stuck with me," he said.
Albus sat down beside him.
Across the hall, the Gryffindor table stared in disbelief.
At the staff table, one professor watched the scene carefully.
A strange expression crossed her face.
Her name was Delphi.
And she had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
Delphi.
---