Chapter 1: A Different Sorting

The hat shouted its choice, and there was a moment of absolute silence before the applause started, loud from his future housemates, and more muted elsewhere. There was a brief chant of "We got Potter!" from the more excited members of the house before the headmaster stared pointedly at the culprits and they quietened a little. As Harry Potter reached the house table and sat down in a burst of greetings from the older house members, Professor McGonagall continued the sorting.

As he settled himself, his back to the wall, Harry looked across the Great Hall. Far away, her own back to the opposite wall and looking at him very unhappily, was the girl from the train, Hermione. He looked over to where the unsorted first-years were still standing in a clump in front of the hat, and tried to catch Ron's eye, but Ron was alternating between staring nervously around the hall and looking down at his feet. Soon enough, though, Professor McGonagall was calling out Ron's name, and a moment later Ron was out from under the hat and making his way to the other side of the hall. He looked back briefly, and after a second's searching found Harry and gave him a rueful smile, then turned and walked slowly towards his own table.

As the sorting finished, Harry looked at some of the other first years around him as the headmaster made a short but bizarre speech. Every other first year looked as nervous as he felt. As the headmaster finished, Harry caught the eye of the girl sitting opposite him. She had dark hair and an upturned nose that presently gave her a slightly irritated expression, as if everyone else at the table smelt bad, but he smiled anyway and said

"Hi. I'm Harry Potter."

"Pansy Parkinson. Nice to meet you." She reached across the table to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you, too," he replied.

She looked from him to the blond boy sitting next to him, who was watching them both intently. Harry had been too absorbed in watching the sorting to register who was beside him, but now he turned, and after a pause put out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter."

The blond boy looked at his hand for a second, then reached out his own to take it.

"Hi, Harry. I'm Justin."