Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with Harry Potter.
The Sorting
"I feel sorry for the first years. They have to be sorted and most of us are tired of watching the sorting by the third person" Hermione was talking to Ron and Harry as the first years made their way to the front of the hall. "Most people only pay attention to their own family members."
As much as Harry would love to be able to be concerned only with the new first years, his mind was wondering to other things, like it had been so much lately. Voldemort, the Prophecy, and Sirius were still on the forefront of his mind. His eyes wandered to the front of the hall. McGonagall had the list of first years in her hand. A student, who Harry had missed the name of, was sitting on a stool with the Sorting Hat on her head. The hat cried out "Gryffindor" and Harry clapped along with everyone else.
Harry wished he could be a first year again. Young and innocent and excited that he was finally away from the Dursleys. He had no idea that the wizarding world would not be the solution to his problems, but instead it came with its own problems. Oh, to be eleven again.
"Donnelly, Chad."
Harry wondered if Hermione had any idea what the wizarding world was like before she accepted to come to Hogwarts. Granted, Harry would not have had a choice to decline if he would have technically had the option not to come to Hogwarts. He was the Boy-Who-Lived. The Savior-of-the-Wizarding-World.
Harry took a sip of pumpkin juice just as McGonagall called out "Evans, Mark."
Juice spewed out of Harry's mouth and landed on the table. Ron and Hermione quickly tried to clean the mess with napkins as Ron told Harry "that's disgusting."
If Harry had looked at Dumbledore, he would have seen the old man smiling and his eyes twinkling in Harry's direction.
Just as the hat covered his eyes, Dudley's punching bag noticed the boy who went to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys.
A/N: I know that Mark Evans is now officially nobody, but this scene has been playing in my head for the past year and needed to get out.
