Treasure Hunt
Prologue: Not Slytherin
"Not Slytherin, eh?" the hat asks, but a whisper upon his conscious, "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that-"
That strikes a chord in Harry, and he can't help but feel defensive—indignant, even.
He remembers the blond boy—"And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," sniffed snottily at him, like just giving his name is the greatest honor he could bestow upon Harry— with his cruel words and superior sneer. He remembers his disregard, his scorn, for others—others who had been kind to Harry, at that.
Harry doesn't need help from the likes of that to be great. They, the other Slytherins— "there hasn't been a witch or wizard gone bad who wasn't in Slytherin," Ron informed him, deadly serious, and Harry can see it now—all with up-turned noses and false smiles, aren't better than Harry. Or anyone else, for that matter.
Harry can be great without Slytherin. If he can be great with Slytherin, then he can be great without.
It'll just take a bit of hard work, is all…
"Well, if you're sure—better be HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff table roars, their cheers almost deafening, and Harry's chest warms at the welcome. Even knowing that it's because he's famous, he can't help but bask in the feel of being wanted. He's never been wanted before, after all; it's still very new.
The other houses clap politely, albeit with disappointment mingled confusion. The Boy-Who-Live, a Hufflepuff? It had been a universal assumption that Harry Potter would be a Gryffindor.
But, well, Harry never asked for Gryffindor. Just for not Slytherin.
And to be great without the use of cunning takes a lot of hard work. Or luck. Either way, the hat is pretty confident Harry will make a good Hufflepuff, even if he could've made an equally great Slytherin, had he decided to apply his cunning.
The next name is called, and musings of Harry's sorting are cast aside. Students and staff alike put it behind them with a mental shrug and a "at least he's not Slytherin", none the wiser to the irony of their thoughts
Though the hat, reading that very thought from the next child's head, finds great amusement.
Not Slytherin, indeed.
A/N: I'll be real with ya'll. It'll probably be years before this gets continued- if ever. There's a reason it got moved to this account, after all.