A/N: Kingsley will break the mould of the typical "evil" Slytherin. young!Shacklebolt. I placed him in the same year as Arthur.
Submission for:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments): Major & Minor Arcana Assignment #8 - Write about starting Hogwarts school in the first year.
Duelling Club Competition: Round 2: Character - Kingsley Shacklebolt
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Kingsley stood among the other first-years as they waited their turn under the Sorting Hat. He looked out at the many faces sitting at the long tables in the giant room: red, yellow, blue and green. They were all looking expectantly at him and his year-mates.
"I want to be in Gryffindor. All my family's been," his friend, Arthur, had said as he walked to the back of the line.
"I hear only bad wizards come from Slytherin," a boy with brown hair said two steps behind him.
Which house would he go in? His family had gone into all the houses so there was no trend he could speak of. His father was in Gryffindor but he wasn't nearly as brash and impulsive as he was. His mother was in Ravenclaw but he could never understand her cryptic advice. Did that leave him with Hufflepuff and Slytherin?
Kingsley didn't mind if he went in either one, but he was sure others didn't share his sentiment. He remembered what the brown-haired boy said, and others thought Hufflepuff were for those that didn't fit in the other houses: not brave, not smart, not evil. Kingsley hated stereotyping. Everyone had good and bad in them, and a house didn't just make you "bad" just as it didn't make you "good".
"Shacklebolt, Kingsley," the woman who called herself Professor McGonagall called out.
He stepped forward and let her put the hat over her head, its brim falling over his eyes. Within moments, he heard a voice speaking in his head, but he was not surprised. His mother had told him all about the Sorting before getting on the train.
"Oh, a Shacklebolt. The first of many I hope?" the Hat asked.
"No, just the one," Kingsley replied in his mind.
"Such a shame. I thought Miriam would have had many children. You seem to possess her drive for excellence however. Very studious and eager for knowledge. You also have a large heart, wanting to protect others from danger, yet you try to think out the best possible course of action before acting. Very brave but also strategic. You want to be the best and are ready to do what it takes, while taking the necessary precautions," he mused. There was a pause before the Hat said, "The choice is obvious, let it be SLYTHERIN!" shouting the last word out into the room.
The sea of green applauded politely as he stepped off the stool and walked towards them. The boy with brown hair whispered to his friend as he passed, "Watch out for him."
Kingsley just scowled. He was placed in the house of ambition and cleverness, not deception and treachery. He would show them that not all Slytherins were dark.