Teddy Lupin was extremely nervous about being nervous, and he really didn't bother to deny it because no one would have believed him anyway. His Grandma said that everyone was always nervous for their first couple days at Hogwarts.

Harry told him he'd been really nervous too, and if Harry said it was okay to be nervous then he figured it really would be okay.

He didn't know exactly what House he would be sorted into. His Grandma had been a Slytherin, his Grandpa had been a Ravenclaw, his dad a Gryffindor and his mum a Hufflepuff. He didn't think he'd be a Slytherin or a Ravenclaw, because he wasn't sly or exceptionally smart. He'd really be happy with one of his parent's houses…but everyone was assuming that he would be a Gryffindor. So he prayed and prayed to be braver, he even tried to face some of his fears.

When his name was finally called in the Great Hall, he crossed his fingers all the way to the front and repeated the name of the House of the brave in his head again and again.

And then the Sorting Hat was finally placed on his head.

Hmm, difficult…very difficult, it murmured. Teddy's hands gripped the sides of the chair.

All in all…the best House for you…yes, yes…I can see now where you belong. Fear clogged the poor boy's throat as the word Slytherin echoed threw his brain, but then the hat was calling his rightful place…

Not Slytherin, not Ravenclaw, not even Gryffindor…

Relieved, he took off the Sorting Hat and made his way to the Hufflepuff table.

Victoire had been raised in a house full of Gryffindors and didn't expect to be placed in another house, really had no desire to. She was a Weasley after all. She did have a fleeting worry, in the very back of her head, that she would be placed in Ravenclaw…possibly Hufflepuff, like Teddy.

And then she dismissed those thoughts. No way in hell she'd let herself be placed in any other House. She didn't care if she had to hold the Hat at wandpoint and stomp over to the Gryffindor table without even being sorted into it. She wasn't going to be in Hufflepuff, not in Ravenclaw…she didn't even consider herself being placed in Slytherin. She was almost a hundred percent sure that she held no possible qualities for any of them.

She considered herself very brave, as self-righteous as it may seem. She would rather die than not risk herself for something more important.

She wouldn't have been ashamed to be placed in another House, but she'd feel uncomfortable. All her relatives talked about the common room, how it was their home away from home.

So, she was confident in being in Gryffindor…right up until her name was called. She was the very last name called and she couldn't find Teddy at the Hufflepuff table and she was all of a sudden scared that she might not be in placed in Gryffindor because she sure didn't feel brave at that moment.

And then the Sorting Hat was being placed on her head and it was shushing her, telling her that she wasn't fit for Slytherin or Ravenclaw…

Yes, the Hat hissed, you are truly perfect to be in the House of…

As the Sorting Hat called out 'Gryffindor' she slumped in relief.

She just knew it.

James Potter always told people he'd be in the same House as his mum and dad. He took pride in announcing he came from all-Gryffindor family, House of the brave! His parents had never put any pressure on him, even told him that they didn't care what House he was put in as long as he belonged there and was happy.

And he belonged in Gryffindor. He told them so, and they smiled and repeated that if he belonged there, he would be placed there. That was the first time it occurred to him his parents thought he may not be in Gryffindor. And that stung, really stung. He could be just as brave as them, couldn't he?

That was before he learned just how big a deal 'Harry Potter' was. Before he knew that his dad had defeated the evilest, most destructive wizard in the history of the world. And when he did learn this, he felt cornered. How could he live up to his dad? He was so frightened…this made doubts sprinkle his mind, worries that he wouldn't be in Gryffindor after all because if he was brave how could he be so scared?

He managed to calm down a little, but then about four days before he was to go off to school he picked up The Prophet. He noticed a small, right-hand article…about him. He was shocked! Was he that important? Wasn't his dad the person everyone admired?

Delighted at first, he began to read but the more he saw the sicker he got. It went on to say that the whole Wizarding community was waiting with bated breath to see what House James would get in, though apparently everyone was betting on him being a Gryffindor.

Just then his mum walked in, saw what he was reading, and yanked it out of his hands hurriedly. She and Harry tried to tell James that the article was full of nonsense and there was no pressure on him whatsoever.

Yet, the printed words stay firm in his mind right until the old Hat was placed on his head.

Ah, not nearly as difficult as your father… James didn't know exactly what that meant, but he hoped it would to his favor. Chuckling, the Sorting Hat told him that he was quite unique.

And then he screamed Gryffindor for all to hear. Whooping, James ran all the way to the table he belonged at. The table he was most happy with.

Fred Weasley the Second was pretty sure he'd end up a Hufflepuff even though he would much rather be a Gryffindor. Hufflepuff wasn't a bad house, but it…it just wasn't where his family belonged. He wasn't smart enough for Ravenclaw and he wasn't brave as a Gryffindor…there was no way he'd let the Hat put him in Slytherin, he'd rather walk out of the damn school than let that happen.

So that left Hufflepuff. He'd resigned himself to being a Hufflepuff when he was about nine, started preparing himself for it. He played out dozens and dozens of scenes in his head where he had to write to his Gryffindor parents and let them know he didn't end up in their house. He tried to convince James, his best friend who would surely go in Gryffindor (he was Harry's son, after all), that he would be placed in Hufflepuff but James wouldn't hear a word of it.

Fred didn't mention his Hufflepuff conclusion to anyone else. He was afraid they would convince him he did have a chance to get into the family House and when the Sorting came he would only be let down. He just had so many expectations to live up to, and he knew he couldn't live up to all of them.

He wouldn't let anyone bring him down for being a Hufflepuff, though. He would stand up for his House no matter who was doing the trash talking! It wasn't his first choice but it would be his and Fred wasn't going to take an insult to anything that was his sitting down.

So, when his name was called, he prepared himself for the gasps of shock when they realized that a Weasley was actually not going to be placed in Gryffindor. And then the hat was being placed on his head and he could see only darkness.

Hmm, so self-doubting…can't even see yourself properly… The Hat murmured in his ear. Fred didn't know what that meant. For a moment he actually imagined himself as a Gryffindor but quickly squashed that.

Oh, yes…you'd definitely be best as a GRYFFINDOR!

Fred stayed in his seat for a moment, completely lost. He thought he wasn't brave but…

And then he was running to the Gryffindor table, making even more noise than James had and feeling so happy and fulfilled he thought he'd burst!

Dominique Weasley couldn't imagine anyone being as sick as she was when it came to the topic of Sorting, mostly because she didn't feel like a Gryffindor. She really only wanted to be in the House because she'd feel so left out if she wasn't. Truthfully, she didn't see what the big deal was.

Ravenclaw seemed a bit more…honorable, in her opinion. Bravery also meant rashness and that didn't always come in handy. But Ravenclaws were smart and dependable; they could think things through and know what to do in any situation.

She might have even considered Slytherin if not for the fact that in the time she was alive, Slytherin meant bad and evil. She didn't want to be considered bad or evil, because her family meant the world to her. She hated to think of them being mad or shunning her… She was the type to have nightmares about that sort of thing.

For a while, she seriously considered going to Beauxbatons. Her mother loved it, and her father wouldn't have minded since Victoire was already going to Hogwarts. It would have taken all the pressure of Housing away, just melted it off. But she reminded herself that she would have no cousins there, no friends. No one she knew. And that scared her deeply. So she resolved that one way or another, she had to get into Gryffindor.

She wondered for a long time if there was any way to bribe the Hat, maybe even blackmail it…and then she dismissed those ridiculous thoughts. Blackmailing a Hat? Who'd heard of such a thing?

When it was her turn to have the hat dropped over her head, she was determined to show pride in whichever House she was placed in.

The Hat took a very long time deciding with her. It said she had so many qualities, and it was a tossup between Gryffindor…and Slytherin.

For a full moment, Dominique's heart stopped. Because she needed to be in Gryffindor and she could not, under any circumstance, be placed in Slytherin. She just couldn't and if that damn Hat thought she was going there, he had another thing coming to him!

She didn't have a chance to say more, though, because then he was shouting out Gryffindor. Smiling smugly, Dominique trailed to the Gryffindor table. Inside, though, she was wondering…what would have happened if she had been placed in Slytherin… She could not help herself when she threw a longing look at their table. She was always one to revel in the unknown.

Molly Weasley was going to hate being away from her mum and dad. She knew as good as anything that Percy wasn't anybody's favorite Uncle but she loved him so much. In private, he was such a sweet man. He tickled and laughed with her. Her mum was amazing, too. She was a muggle, but Molly swore there was something about her, an essence she supposed, that seemed magical. Maybe it was just Percy rubbing off on his wife.

She had this dream where she could go to Hogwarts and bring her parents along, and when she suggested her dad had said it was ridiculous, and if she was really a big girl she'd be just fun with her cousins. That hurt a little, but she shrugged it off. Molly knew it probably wouldn't have worked out anyway.

She really had never given too much concern for what House she would be in. Her mum had told her she suspected she would be a Hufflepuff if she was a wizard, her dad had been a Gryffindor but he said the Hat had nearly placed him in Ravenclaw. And she didn't think she was cunning or sly at all…at least not enough to actually be sorted in Slytherin.

She knew just as well as anyone else did that she was expected to go into Gryffindor by most of her relatives, just because that's who the Weasleys were. And she would be happy if she did get into Gryffindor. She could be with her family, could make everyone proud.

And if she got into another House that was just as well, she'd be happy there.

When it was finally her turn to be sorted (because Weasleys were always sorted last), she stood shakily and made her way to the stool. And the hat barely, just barely, touched her head…and then it was shouting Gryffindor. The Hat had said only one word to her: easy!

She was delighted! Better yet, she knew without a doubt that the Hat had made the right decision.

Scorpius Malfoy looked a lot like his father, and maybe that was why everybody seemed to believe he was a smaller copy of Draco. He absolutely hated it. He grew, very swiftly, to resent all things to do with Slytherin or his family name. Nobody had a right to judge him based on what his dad and grandfather had done. His family lost all of its respect at the end of the war and with it any chance at a non-miserable existence.

His parents did expect him to be sorted into Slytherin but they did not pressure him as much as they could have. His mum said she would love him no matter what…his dad never said anything at all, so it didn't bother Scorpius much when he'd simply shrugged in response to Astoria saying Draco would not care either way.

Since he was nine, though, he dreamed of being in Gryffindor, maybe Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. It would shame his dad and Granddad, but it might make people think of him as an actual person, someone who was more than a last name. He didn't think there was a problem with any of the Houses, didn't think any of them were particularly bad or particularly good.

His name was called and the room grew quiet. They were all thinking that this boy was a Malfoy, a Slytherin. He guessed half the room had a mind to boo him. Miserably, he sat on the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

I see much potential in you. While you do, indeed, have qualities of a Slytherin you would not do well in that particular House…yes, I know exactly where to place you, young man.

You'd be a perfect RAVENCLAW!

Scorpius's heart flew. He wasn't in Slytherin! He was going to be a Ravenclaw! He was happy enough to not be bothered by the shocked gasps, the mumblings, and the very small smatter of applause he received from his new house, so happy he could have skipped the whole length of the room. Later, he was very thankful that he didn't.

Albus Potter was, to put it lightly, completely frozen. There was no way, not even a chance that he could do this. He could not sit under that Hat and know that everybody was watching him. He considered, very seriously, lying. He could demand it place him in Gryffindor or at least that it keep him out of Slytherin.

Before he even realized it, his name was being called and he was walking very slowly to the stool and the Hat was being placed on his head.

Hmm, very curious, the Sorting Hat said in amusement. You are just as difficult as your father! Al didn't know what that meant. Was the Hat on the fence about which House he belonged in? If so, Al was more than glad to think of anything brave he'd ever done. He had to convince the Hat he belonged there, just had to.

Mr. Potter, I have to say that Gryffindor would not be to your favor the Hat said sadly, almost in regret. Panic coursed through Al as the words of the old accessory soaked in. No, no, no! This was not good, not good at all.

I know you do not wish to be in Slytherin, but I feel you could do wonders, change everybody's views, change the whole of England… the Hat hissed. Albus was about ready to start screaming at the Hat! He was not a Slytherin; he did not want to be a Slytherin –! Harry had told him the Sorting Hat was supposed to take your opinion into consideration!

I am, Mr. Potter. But I'm not following your orders and I know which House you will succeed in, what House you will excel in. You will end up loving where I put you, I am sure. The Hat almost seemed to be smiling. Al, however, was distraught because he had a feeling just where he was ending up…

SLYTHERIN! With shaking hands, he took off the hat and made his way over to the table, amid near silence. His House was clapping, but clearly shocked. Surely a Potter hadn't just been sorted into the Slytherin house? Lowering his head, Al wished he could disappear.

Rose Weasley was in shock. Her cousin, her cousin whose last name just happened to be Potter, had been placed in Slytherin. Impossible.

But it had happened and she was trying to wrap her head around that.

She had, in the very deepest realms of her mind, cherished the possibility of being placed in Ravenclaw. Her dad had always said they'd be Gryffindors, probably he'd never considered anything else. Rose's mum, however, spoke gently in private with her and Hugo once. She said it did not matter what House they were in, and that she and Ron, no matter how ignorant he may act at times, would be proud of them.

But Rose was well aware that her mum also expected her to be Gryffindor, because she was a Weasley and that was the House Weasleys were placed in no matter what.

She despised being so pressured by her family. She felt that she was clever, not inherently so, but smart enough to become a Ravenclaw.

And then Albus was being deemed a Slytherin, and she thought that if she was placed in Ravenclaw maybe it wouldn't be as much of a scandal…she asked herself what was worse, a Potter in Slytherin or a Weasley in Ravenclaw? Yes, she could definitely go safely to Ravenclaw.

When the Hat dropped on her head, it was there for a mere half-second before declaring her a Ravenclaw. She did not even hear a whisper from it and she guessed that was because she was perfect for Ravenclaw, and she wanted to go there! She was absolutely thrilled as the still-shocked Great Hall became further shocked. Two expected Gryffindors had not gone in their predicted Houses! The thought sent a great sense of thrill up her spine.

As the Sorting ended, she realized that maybe she wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw for any kind of her brilliance. It was because she was too cowardly to get into Gryffindor.

She only felt a little ashamed that that didn't bother her.

Louis Weasley was determined he'd go to Beauxbatons until he was ten years old.

He didn't want to be scared of what House he could be in, he didn't want to fret about it. His mum was shocked when he first told her but overall very pleased. She said he could go to Hogwarts, it was closer to home, but if he wished to go to her old school she would be happy to let him.

So he prepared for Beauxbatons. He studied his French almost obsessively, read all he could on his mother's country and tried to steer himself to have to face a whole school alone. The notion was quite frightening. Louis feared being placed in the wrong House, more though.

And then, the year before he was set to go to Beauxbatons, his cousins were sorted into Ravenclaw – which wasn't that bad – and Slytherin. Albus had been sorted into Slytherin! Yet, their family didn't treat him any differently. It was hardly a big deal, besides James razzing his little brother a lot more. Everybody still loved him, still supported him. And his fears seemed so silly.

And then, once the pressure of Houses was taken away, he realized just how badly he wanted to go to Hogwarts and just how much he wanted to be around his family.

So he told his parents he'd changed his mind. He thought his mother would be sad, but she looked rather relieved. When he asked why, she told him that France was just too far away to send her last baby. She had loved Beauxbatons, but it made her nervous to think of Louis all the way over there.

So he went to Hogwarts, he walked nervously to the stool and let the Hat be placed on his head. It murmured for a few moments about whether to place him Ravenclaw or Gryffindor before finally settling on the House of the brave.

Grinning, Louis made his way to the Gryffindor table. At that moment, he was extremely glad he'd not gone to Beauxbatons.

Even more relieving, he didn't have to speak French. He hated speaking French.

Roxie Weasley knew she would love Hogwarts from the moment she heard about it. She loved the tales of its warm rooms and crackling fires and the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling; she couldn't wait to sit in the Gryffindor common room and complain about homework with her friends.

Up until she was ten years old, Roxie believed you could choose what House you wanted to be in. She thought that brave people picked Gryffindor, loyal people picked Hufflepuff and so on. So it was a really great shock when she asked her mum why Al would choose to become a Slytherin and she'd only received a funny look and the truth.

She absolutely despised the truth. Suddenly, Hogwarts made her a lot more nervous and a lot more pressured. What if the Hat thought she wasn't brave? She thought she was, but maybe she was more like a Hufflepuff or something? She knew her family wouldn't be sad if she was in another House, but she wished to be a Gryffindor so badly!

The need was ingrained so deeply into her soul she couldn't imagine any other fate for herself.

For almost a year, she obsessively thought of ways to prove her bravery, situations to use as an example and found that, to her absolute horror, she could not. She wasn't sure how to prove herself worthy of her family's House.

When it was time to get sorted, she made her way to the Hat, terrified. It shushed, told her she was much more brave than she thought. Roxie was confused, but proud if the Sorting Hat could see something so great in her. She was beaming when the Hat proclaimed her a Gryffindor and very relieved that she'd be able to spend time in the House she always knew she was to be in.

She was kind of afraid her cheeks would get stuck, because she had been smiling an awful lot.

Lily Potter was the youngest in her family and she was very, very much looking forward to going to Hogwarts. She despised being home alone, without Al. She even kind of missed James, as much of an idiot as he was.

In her earlier years, she had been worried about the Sorting. Everyone was worried a little bit, after all. Not as much as a lot of other people, though. And then Al got sorted into Slytherin and it was even less of an issue.

She didn't particularly want to go in Slytherin (at all), but she had the security that if she was to be placed in that House her family wouldn't be disappointed in her. She wasn't really attracted to Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff…

Gryffindor was always what she wanted to be. She'd never, ever imagined herself in any other House.

She went to the Ministry once, with her dad. They ran into a random, older employee who was absolutely delighted with her. Harry was really annoyed during the whole conversation, though. He went on and on about how she would do the wizarding population proud exactly like her parents had and that everyone was waiting for her to graduate Hogwarts as a proud Gryffindor. With a tinkling laugh, he told her he'd be grateful to let her work as an apprentice in his office.

She had smiled hesitantly right before her dad tugged her off, but that had been one of the most terrifying conversations of her life. She had no idea just how much pressure were placed on herself and her siblings and cousins before then. And that made her aspire to be placed in Gryffindor all the more.

When the Sorting Hat was placed on her head, she was filled with a great hope and a bit of a sense of dread that she would not be placed in her parent's House.

With reassuring words, the Hat told her there was no House she belonged in more.

And then he pronounced that she belonged in her new House, amid momentous applause.

When Lily bounced into a seat at the Gryffindor table next to James, she couldn't help but feel smug. She would, she just knew, not disappoint the world. She would live up to her dad, maybe even become greater and more revered than he.

She just would.

Hugo Weasley hated that no matter what he did, it was never better than what Rose did. He was second in every way possible. It turned him a little bitter to her during their years in Muggle School. She always got better marks than he did, and he knew that because their mum saved every report card they brought home.

He hoped desperately that he'd be placed in Gryffindor…it never really occurred to him that Rose wouldn't be placed in the same House.

So, when she was placed in Ravenclaw a sense of absolute dread made Hugo almost puke. He never beat his sister, and Gryffindor was a thousand times better than Ravenclaw. What if he got placed in a worse House…Slytherin? Apparently Al was okay with being in it, but Hugo certainly wouldn't be.

He didn't think he was much of a Slytherin, anyway. So he came upon the conclusion he would be placed in Hufflepuff. He hated that he would end up being ashamed of that. It wasn't a bad House, he knew, but he belonged in Gryffindor. Belonged with his parents.

So he tried to push the issue out of his head altogether. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter either way.

Of course, that didn't work very well. He ended up having anxiety attacks throughout the two years before he went to school. This scared his parents to death, and when he had a full out panic attack Hermione suggested he begin to see a therapist. It was only then he confessed his fears about Housing to his parents – because there was no way he'd see a therapist…no way. They were shocked and very gentle when they told him that they'd be proud of whatever House he got into, that not one of them was better than the other.

Still, Hugo wished more than anything to be in Gryffindor.

When the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, he thought the single name so much it nearly gave him a headache. To the day he died, he wouldn't be able to remember the exact words the Sorting Hat said because he was…well, nervous and shaky.

But soon, it was shouting Gryffindor.

And Hugo never had an anxiety attack again, because that was all he wanted.

Lorcan and Lysander Scamander never really cared what House they would end up in. Maybe it was because their parents never put any emphasis on it.

They had both been Ravenclaws, but the twins knew many respected people out of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor…especially Gryffindor, if they took into consideration their immediate group of family friends. And Slytherin, they decided unanimously, wouldn't be so bad because they'd be together.

In fact, it never even occurred to the two that they would not be in the same House. They had always been together, couldn't and didn't want to imagine not being together. Never once had they been separated and they planned to keep it that way.

When Lorcan was called up the Sorting Hat was placed over his head, and he had to admit to being a bit nervous. What Hogwarts kid wasn't nervous when their name was called to be sorted?

The Hat was only briefly sitting on his head before he called out Ravenclaw. Lysander's anxiousness melted away in an instant because it was like he had just been sorted, too. So he made his way up there confidently.

The Hat murmured and mumbled for a long time, almost triple the length of Lorcan's sorting, and the young twin became nervous. He should be in Ravenclaw already…shouldn't he? Doubt started to clog his mind, and then the Hat said he knew exactly where Lysander belonged…

And then he screamed Gryffindor to the Great Hall.

Lysander removed the Hat very slowly, very stunned, before making his way to his new House's table. He and his twin met gazes from across the room. This wasn't right…couldn't be. They were one and the same. They were supposed to be together throughout their lives…

It'll be okay, they mouthed to each other. They were Scamander's, so they would find the positive in this no matter what.

Lucy Weasley was the very youngest one in her family. Sometimes it was fun, because she was doted on the most. Most of the time, though, it was horrible. Everybody else had someone born the same year as them, except for her. She felt really left out a lot of time.

And somehow, that made her revere loyalty all the more. For most of her life, she wanted to be in Gryffindor because that was where most of her family was…and then she hit nine and learned more about all the Houses, which traits were important to each.

Immediately, she fell in love with Hufflepuff. She didn't tell anyone this, though. Not because she was ashamed…

She wanted something that was hers, and only hers. She didn't want to be 'just another one of those Weasleys'. She wanted to be Lucy Weasley, the only living person in her family to be sorted into Hufflepuff. The thought thrilled her beyond measure.

It was only a week before she set off to Hogwarts that she confessed this to her mum. Audrey had simply smiled and nodded, told her she'd be so proud if Lucy got sorted into Hufflepuff. And the pride Lucy felt grew.

When the Sorting Hat was placed on her head, it told her that it was extremely pleased to find a young lady so eager to be placed in Hufflepuff. There weren't many.

He told her there was no House that would fit her more, though she could have been a good Gryffindor anyway.

And then he announced her a Hufflepuff. She took her place at her House's table with a beaming smile.

A/N - I worked on this for...pssh? Three weeks? Then I became a new mom, totally forgot about it and it got lost in my Word Files. Recently, I found and edited it and now...well, here it is!

Thanks to anyone who read!