Albus-Severus Potter

[harry4lif]

Albus is a hard one I think. I personally see him in either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor.

I think that the majority of us agree that he would not be in Ravenclaw. From what we see about him in the epilogue he doesn't seem as though he is all that smart.

I also don't think that he would be in Slytherin because he really doesn't seem all that cunning. From what I read in the books I really don't think that he would be suitable for there. His personality just doesn't say Slytherin to me. Though you never know. Harry himself would have done well in Slytherin. Maybe his son inherited some of the same things and will also do well there. Though that is only a what if and is definitely not a positive thing.

Therefore I am pretty sure that he is in one of the other houses. I think that since he is a son of Harry and Ginny that he would have all of the traits of a true Gryffindor. He might not look like it because of what we see but look at Neville. Neville looked like a Hufflepuff but he turned out to be a true Gryffindor.

He could also be a Hufflepuff because of the fact that he seems true. Sure he was nervous but he seems as though he is someone who would never dare betray his friends even if his life depended on it.

~Alyssa of hermione4lif

[HermionesTwin_FromOz]

First off, Albus is not, in my eyes in any way possible a Slytherin. Well, to me it is highly unlikely. The thing with the Asp? A red herring, in my opinon. I can see Jo having fun with that, laughing to herself as she thinks of the discussions and debates it would cause!

Albus, I think, is Harry in many ways, including his personality. We are told he looks a lot like Harry, but it sounds to me that he is also very similar to Harry in personality. Harry didn't have anyone except maybe Ron to confide in about his fears of being put in Slytherin, and Albus does the same with his dad. I can see him with a temper like his mother, and the compassion and love of his parents. I think that goes with all of Harry and Ginny's kids.

We know that not all Slytherins are evil, but when Harry is first introduced into the Wizarding World, he seems to think that to be a Slytherin is a very bad thing, because Hagrid tells him how there are so many Dark wizards from the green and silver. It seems to me that James (Albus' brother) or Ron or someone may have had a little fun with poor Al, telling him about the evils of Slytherin.

I think that Albus seems a bit like Neville in the Epilogue, but more so like young Harry in PS/SS.

Albus Severus Potter is a Gryffindor, no question. Like father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, cousin, aunty, uncle, brother, like Albus.

~Caitlin of hermione4lif!

[OliveOil_Med]

I agree. In the brief cameo of Albus that we see in the Epilogue, he doesn't seem to have many Slytherin characteristics. Like in the fight with his brother, this gives us a big clue. Slytherins are known for their shrewdness and their cunning, so if Albus had any Slytherin in him, he probably would have thought of some smart mouth comeback to say to James. This would probably be true if he were a Ravenclaw too.

But instead, he becomes very stubborn and standoffish, leading us to believe he will, indeed, be a Gryffindor (possibly even a Hufflepuff). And besides, remember the Sorting Hat does take your choice into consideration, and Albus is pretty insistant on not being sorted into the house of the snake.

And personally, I just don't think he'd have the belly for it anyway. A sweet kid like Albus, he would be eatten alive in that snake pit!

[cinnamonapple]

First of all, I just want to say I think he'd be Hufflepuff. Definitely, maybe Gryffindor, but more likely a Puff.
Now I have my own questions!
What kind of girl would he be good with, like what girl would be perfect for him? We don't see much of him in the Epilouge, and hes very young, so I'm not sure.
Also, how would his family/friends react if he told them he was gay? I know they sort of contradict each other, but I need to know for my fic.
All help appreciated!

[Elf]

What kind of girl would he be good with, like what girl would be perfect for him?

I don't think that he would be compatible with someone like his mother or brother. Albus seems the type of person to take teasing seriously (all James has to do is suggest that he might be in Slytherin and he is worried), so he wouldn't be compatible with someone like Fred or George either.

At the very least they wouldn't want to be like that to him, although I can imagine him being impressed with someone able to put James in his place.

From them musings

She would have to be sensitive, to know when she could say something, and when it wouldn't be appropiate.
While I don't think it's necessary I think that she should have a firey streak, that she would use to defend him, at the very least she should be able to accept pranks and teasing, because I can imagine James and George giving her a lot.
She would have to be someone that he could talk to.
I think that she should be a Muggle born, or someone who wouldn't pick up on his name right away. I don't see Albus as the type of person to like the spotlight and he would want to be sure that she didn't like him just because of his father (on saying that the same could be said for Harry and he ended up with Ginny).

How would his family/friends react if he told them he was gay?

Harry and Ginny would be supportive and not care (I think).
James and George would tease him, but would hex anybody else who tried. I see James as the type of person who will tease everyone but will defend the people he loves to the death if the need arises.
I don't know about Lily.
I think that Hermione would be accepting.
Ron, Percy and Molly would accept it, but may have trouble coming to terms with it.
Bill and Charlie would accept it I think.

[eva_writes]

Okay. Well, I've got a fic that I've been sitting on for a while because I absolutely refuse to publish it until it is perfect. And one of the things I think could be better is Albus's characterization. I had a lot of trouble breaking off from the stereotype that he'd be a Harry clone, and I think in my eagerness I gave him some traits that you just wouldn't find in a boy raised by Harry and Ginny. Here's what I've got:

As for looks, I did make him a Harry clone, except that his glasses are rectangular instead of round. Also no tape.

His house is not relevant to the story, but in my head I put him in Slytherin. As an experiment, I wrote his sorting, and I can sort of see him as going over everything his father had said at the station and wondering what would have changed in his father's life if he had been sorted into Slytherin house. I think that he would have just opened up his mind and not made a concious choice either way, because he'd be too nervous with messing with the future. Anxiety is one of the most prominent traits in my Albus.

I have him as a very independent guy, at fourteen, and though he's a good Quidditch player, I don't see him trying out for the house team, whether he's a lion a snake or a puff. He works very hard in school, like Hermione, because being highly intelligent is important to him. He hopes it'll help him stand out in a family of "people who rank books below exploit". My Albus obsesses over proving himself, doing great things like his father in a time when bravery is valued further, but needed less in the absence of meglomaniac dark lords. He has a very organized mind; he keeps lists and records and is pretty aware of who he is as a person, just not who he is in relation to the big picture. He's a little bit of an introvert, and dosn't connect to people very well, so he only has a few close friends. And though he'd like to think otherwise, Albus is very trusting. He's close to his family, his parents in particular, but definitely can clash with his older brother. I think he and Rose would be good friends. The last big triat I have picked out for him is his temper: there's no way to avoid it, with both his parents so prone to shouting at the slightest irritation. However, I think his anger could be more directed. Though he doesn't have a ton of friends, I think he reads people pretty easily and could pick out weak points to fire at, instead of ranting like Harry. It's sort of a Slytherin-y thing to do.

And, this may be overkill, but I also gave him a sort of sixth sense. He can "smell" liars. Really, he's just intuitve, and very aware of the world.

I'd love some feedback, and to know if any of this sounds too out-there. So please let me know!

--Eva

[ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor]

And, this may be overkill, but I also gave him a sort of sixth sense. He can "smell" liars. Really, he's just intuitve, and very aware of the world.

This could definitely be classified as overkill, but as for the rest of your ideas, they seem plausible, and you have substantiated your ideas pretty well, though it doesn't seem like you gave enough reasons for him to be in Slytherin.


My opinions about Albus are greatly coloured by my own characterisations of him. Of all the characters in the Potterverse, I've written him the most and I love him the most. I've written him happy, drunk, sad, angry, straight, gay, in love, and in anguish. While each of these are different in some way, there are many recurring themes.

In my own personal view, Albus possesses much of Harry's personality, mainly the insecurities. I picture him as shorter than both his father and James, but not too much so, so perhaps about 5'8". He has the same green eyes, thin face, and radical hair, but that is where the two of them differ. Al is very introverted, as compared to James, who possesses the Marauder penchant for mischief. He probably spends his time with a select amount of people (Rose, probably, and perhaps some of the more mellow cousins), sharing little with outsiders.

I have this weird feeling that he would be friends with Scorpius Malfoy, but that is because they have a mutual problem. Both of them have famous fathers with legacies that follow their offspring everywhere, which is daunting for an 11 year-old. There are just some things that certain people understand that others won't, and while James seems the type to revel in his vicarious fame, Albus seems the type to be scared by it, or at the very least, intimidated and put off.

At school, I picture him as a quiet type that would rather spend his time alone, but he could oft be found hanging out with 'Uncle' Neville. In this world o' mine, he doesn't play Quidditch or participate in activities unless required. He mostly just studies and tries to be the best student he can be, because no matter what he does, how much he achieves, he's not just 'Al,' he's Harry Potter's son.

I also think that he has a bit of a dark streak. Harry himself had one, and I don't believe that it was completely due to the presence of bit of Voldie soul in him. Combine that inheritance, along with his introversion, and he does have the potential to get into dark situations that he may not be able to handle alone, though he tries to anyway.

As for Houses, though I tend to put him in Gryffindor myself, I have put him in Slytherin once. The first time I put him as a Gryff, he was originally headed for Ravenclaw because of his desire to succeed and to learn, but he didn't want James to torture him for being in a different house, if his taunting about Slytherin was any indication, so he heeded Dad's advice and asked the Hat to put him in Gryffindor. The second him I wrote his Sorting, he was in Gryffindor right away, because he came from a long line of red and gold. The third time, I put him in Slytherin, because he formed a bond with Scorpius Malfoy on the train, and his brain put out subliminal hints to the Hat that he wanted to stay with this odd boy he had just met and rather likes.

I hope you can use any of this insight into my strange brain to your advantage.

[Annalise28]

Okay, a few things.

I'm trying to decide right now whether to put Al into Gryffindor or Slytherin. I realised just then, when I was reading the thread, that I really hadn't put much thought into the subject. I just kind of put him in Gryffindor. Stupid of me, I know. And I've thought about everyone's house's except his. Strange.

But anyway. My characterisation of him (in my mind, anyway. Probably not how I have started my story because my characterisation is terrible but that's another thing altogether. Anyway.) is basically exactly what Jess said. I imagine him to be kind of shy and a bit of a loner, loyal to the family and friends he loves. He doesn't play Quidditch because he's actually quite terrible at it. He wants to be good because he knows that he is constantly being compared to his father but he can never get onto the team because he's just not good enough. He always tries his absolute best and does as well as he can in school, and studies a lot of the time. He doesn't set trends, and was popular at the beginning of his schooling. Everyone eventually let him have his peace though because he just isn't really outgoing. He doesn't follow trends but merely just goes along with them, doing his own thing. I see him as kind of mellow. He's not really a Gryffindor at all, now that I think about it. And he doesn't seem all that Slytherin either. But I know he is not going to be a a Hufflepuff. Or a Ravenclaw, because I just cannot imagine him in either of those places.

So, help would be greatly appreciated. (even though my wording is completely incorrigible and long-winded and doesn't really make sense)

Also, I was wondering if anyone had any tips on way to make sure I keep his characterisation strong when I'm writing him, and any tips you have on improving my characterisation of him.

Thanks in advance!

~ Annalise x

[Equinox Chick]

I actually can't see from your description where he nest fits except he doesn't seem to be a Claw. I also don;t see him as a Slytherin. Does he have a burning need to prove himself? Possibly, but that's not just a Slytherin characteristic.

The Albus you've described sounds rather like Neville who found his courage. If you don;t want him to be in the catch-all house of Hufflepuff, then I'd make him a Gryffindor. Perhaps the hat can take its time deciding where to place him. It took him a while to place Harry, Neville and Seamus ... so see what happens with Al.

Perhaps he has a reckless streak, or his bravery is about standing up for his family, or not letting James ride roughshod over him. Perhaps he's stubborn about certain things.

~Carole~

[U-No-Poo]

Haha, a little off topic, but still talking about Albus, I want to know - if you were going to create a banner and it had Albus on it, who would you 'cast' for him? Which actor/singer/other famous person would you use? I'm going to create a story banner for a story where he's in fifth year at Hogwarts.

Any ideas would be majorly appreciated!