Drabble. Meant to post all four at once but I'm lacking inspiration for the other houses- figured I'd put this up for now. Will eventually publish the other three.
Is essentially an 'eleven-year old canon!Harry could have gone into any of the four houses- so what would've made him choose one in particular?' Admittedly twisted thinking in every part (because canon makes him a Gryffindor) but the basis is extrapolated from the first few chapters of Philosopher's Stone.
Disclaimer- yeah, I wish.
Better be... Slytherin!
Harry had been wondering what, exactly, this world expected of him. He was eleven, that's all! Eleven- and already he'd been treated as a celebrity by most of the people he'd met.
It was so awkward, but surprisingly... nice?
Like rain on a parched flower, suddenly he had attention on all sides and he didn't know how to deal with it. He'd trusted his instincts so far- be polite to the strange adults trying to shake his hand, nice to Ron, his first friend (who may not speak to him anymore, he remembered sadly) and admittedly downright rude to the prat who'd spoken to him first in Madam Malkins then again on the train.
It was in their eyes as he introduced himself to them –what's your name?- Me? I'm Harry Potter- in their expression as they went from looking at him as a child-
-to looking at him as a saviour.
It kind of scared him, to be honest.
It made him feel kind of- good.
Who wouldn't think so, when nearly everyone they met looked at him like he was a cut above themselves? When they looked like they thought he was somehow better than them (for something he did as a baby- just how pathetic can these people get?)?
They loved him already, and Harry had yet to say a word to most of them.
It was just so different from his time with his family. Aunt Petunia was okay, as long as he listened to what she said and didn't annoy her too much, but Uncle Vernon actively hated him ever since that incident with all the owls.
Dudley, as ever, tried to take after his father and please the walrus of a man. 'Harry-hunting' had happened even more frequently since his birthday as a result.
And to come from that sort of atmosphere into a whole new world where everyone loved you and wanted to know you and respected you-
Well, it could warp any eleven year old's mind.
Harry wanted the love, he wanted the adoration- he just wanted people to like him after so many years of emotional neglect.
And while in and of itself, that might not be a very Slytherin trait (he'd inwardly laughed at the character judging Ron had indulged in by his side as they waited to be sorted), it was what he could do with those people once he was old enough that should ensure his place in the house of silver and green.
The Wizarding World had its expectations of him, to be sure.
And now Harry had double as many of himself.
A muggle-raised half-blood in Slytherin... just making his way through their world.
Harry would take them by storm.