Corban Yaxley thought that the whole affair was a farce. Most people already knew where they would go, he mused as he sat down on the chair next to the other first years. Except those Mudbloods, of course. They had no idea whatsoever. If it were left up to him, they wouldn't even be here, but he supposed Hufflepuff needed some students to fill it. But someday, he thought, they wouldn't be there.
The ceremony progressed and he watched lazily as every student was sorted, predictably into the house of their ancestors. As for himself, he knew he would go to Slytherin. Every Yaxley had, of course, for ages, now. He saw some of the Blacks join their siblings and cousins, wearing green and silver ties, and was tempted to simply walk up to the table and sit down, instead of waiting for the pointless exercise to end.
Finally, his name was called. He went to the chair and sat down resignedly, as the massive Hat was placed atop his head.
"We think we shall be a Slytherin, do we?" the Hat began, in an annoying sing-song voice. "Hmmm."
"This is exhausting. Put me in my house and I can leave, " Yaxley thought. The Hat heard him, but continued to hum thoughtfully.
"Oh, I don't know. Yours is a harder decision than you would think." He frowned at this, glad that his face hidden from the Hall. Was the stupid Hat considering a different house for him? That was utter nonsense. He was a Slytherin, born and bred.
"Born, yes," it replied, reading his mind. "I don't quite know about bred."
"Don't be ridiculous," he thought, silently hoping that the Hat would just sort him quickly. He thought of how his family would be ashamed if he ended up in Hufflepuff, and how out of place he would feel if he were any where except Slytherin.
"Oh, no Hufflepuff isn't for you," the Hag agreed, and he breathed a sigh of relief. His relief was short-lived, however, since the Hat soon spoke again. "Gryffindor, on the other hand..."
Yaxley decided that it must be growing senile with age. There was no way he was a Gryffindor. He was nothing like those brash, bold, arrogant little...oh. As the realisation hit him, he wondered if the Hat was laughing at him. From whatever little he knew of it, it probably was.
Nonetheless, he still didn't want to be a Gryffindor. He could imagine some of their smug faces, once his tie was painted red and gold, and the disgusted expression of his friends and family who were in Slytherin. Of course, it hardly helped that Slytherins and Gryffindors rarely got along. If he ended up there, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
"My job is not to maintain family traditions, you know," the Hat reminded him. "And yet, yours shall be upheld, since you wish it so much. You will do well in SLYTHERIN!" The word echoed loudly around the Hall. He walked away with great relief, and a tie of emerald and silver, vowing never to reveal how close that had been to a catastrophe.
For The TGS Scavenger Hunt!