Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, not me.

A/N: Please enjoy my little contribution to Potterverse. ^_^

1. Pansy Parkinson was almost in Hufflepuff.

When Pansy Parkinson's name was called to go sit on the stool to be sorted, she was nervous. This was the first time all eyes would be on her, and the lessons from the many pureblood etiquette classes her mother had forced upon her left her head. Draco, one of her few childhood friends, had already been sorted and even now he watched her progress from the Slytherin table. Pansy sat on the stool and the deputy headmistress, a woman who didn't seem nearly as muggle-loving as her mother had demonized her to be (though that might be because muggle–loving wasn't a physical characteristic like her mother would have her believe), placed the Sorting Hat on her head.

"A Parkinson, haven't had one of you in a while." The Sorting Hat's voice didn't surprise her as both her mother and her father had told her about the process.

"I want to be Slytherin." She immediately thought. Her mother and father had said that that was the House To Be In, and, an even more important reason: Draco was there.

"Are you sure? You have Slytherin's qualities, ambition and cunning, but Hufflepuff would allow you to truly shine. Your loyalty and hard-work ethic is surprising in one so young."

Pansy was horrified; of all the houses, Hufflepuff was the one she would never consider being in. Draco had even said he'd leave school if he were put in it. If she was placed there, he wouldn't ever talk to her again, never mind that her parents would disown her. Parkinsons weren't loyal and hardworking (no matter how much Pansy privately thought that a little hard work might benefit her father's frequency of promotions), they were ambitious and cunning. They got others to do the hard work for them.

"Slytherin! Put me in Slytherin!" Her entire future would be ruined if yellow was ever one of her house colors. "I'm definitely more ambitious than loyal; I'm already plotting how I'm going to get Draco to make me the next Lady Malfoy! I can't be Lady Malfoy if I'm in Hufflepuff!" And she already was plotting. Some girls wanted to grow up to be an Auror or a Quidditch player; Pansy wanted to become the next queen of Pureblood society and the only way to do that was to become Lady Malfoy. All others, including her own mother, were just sorry copies.

The Sorting Hat was silent as it digested the fact that an eleven year girl's life dream was to marry for position in society, and that she had already made solid plans to achieve those goals. "Fine. In that case it's SLYTHERIN!"

Pansy smiled as she walked towards the table of silver and green where her future husband was sitting.

She would never tell anyone about the Sorting Hat's momentary insanity.

2. Millicent Bulstrode was almost in Ravenclaw.

Millicent Bulstrode was one of the first first-years to be Sorted but since she didn't know many of the others she didn't mind. She walked to the stool in her own time and tried not to hear the snickers or comments about her resemblance to a hag. Despite the many times that she'd heard those same remarks from her family, they still stung. Her height didn't help matters; she already towered over all her peers.

She sat gingerly on the stool and stared at her feet. Professor McGonagall put the Sorting hat on her rat's nest of a head which, regardless of the many potions and charms her mother had put on it to keep it straight, still managed to look like she'd been hit by a lightning charm. Of course, the Sorting hat looked like they'd stolen it from a drunken old hobo so she guessed it wouldn't look too out of place on her head.

"I resent that!'

Millicent started at the voice in her head. "What?" She thought.

"You have too much potential to be making such quick assumptions. And an intelligence that would do Ravenclaw proud."

"The Sorting Hat?" Was the next thing to go through her mind, then, "not Ravenclaw, Slytherin." Her mother would kill her if she didn't get into Slytherin. All the clothes she'd been sent with had some combination of silver and green in them.

"There's cunning here too, and enough ambition, but in Ravenclaw you-"

"Slytherin! Slytherin!" Obviously this hat did not understand the life or death situation she'd be in if her mother had to change her color scheme. It was said that every pureblood woman had her quirk, and colors were her mothers. On anticipation of Millicent's entrance into Slytherin, her mother had already redone the entire house in the colors of her old school House. If Millicent didn't get those colors, she might as well not go home.

"Well then, if you're so sure. SLYTHERIN!"

Millicent went to sit with her housemates secure in the knowledge that her school year would not begin with her mother too angry at her. Madam Bulstrode would be slightly angry when her daughter refused to give exact details of her Sorting but not to the extent that she would be were Millicent as stupid as to give her mother the whole truth. She'd stopped doing that ages ago.

3. Daphne Greengrass wanted to be in Ravenclaw.

Daphne Greengrass barely listened to the Sorting Hat trill on about unity and such. What she did do was pay attention to what students went where and if they matched the guesses she'd made when scoping them all out on Platform 3 ¾ and on the Hogwarts Express. For the most part she was correct although she had been sure that the Granger girl would be in Ravenclaw. Actually, she was kind of upset about that. She planned to be in Ravenclaw and a few moments in Granger's company listening to the girl go on about the spells she'd already learned and the toad of some boy she'd never met had convinced her Granger would be a good friend to have. No matter, Ravenclaw had no real issues with anyone so it wouldn't be too hard to befriend the girl anyway.

She was also annoyed that the famous Harry Potter had already gotten close to a Weasely. Not that she had anything against the Weasely in particular. It was just that Weaselys were known for being consummate bleeding-heart Gryffindors and it was such a waste that a wizard with such potential would go that way. It was so unfair that they had such a famous wizard in their year and he chose a Weasely over a Malfoy. If he'd chosen Malfoy she would've had some hope that he had some sort of ambition that would allow him to fit into her plans. Unfortunately, now he clearly didn't, but again, Ravenclaw was a neutral house so no one would be suspicious if they became acquaintances.

Ravenclaw was the entire reason she'd come to Hogwarts. Her mother had wanted her to go to Beauxbatons because she'd graduated from there, but since Hogwarts offered more courses that Daphne was interested in, and because she'd learned from eavesdropping on her father's business conversations that both a Malfoy and Potter would be coming, as well as other kids of important families, she decided to come here. Daphne already had plans about how she would change the world and she needed powerful allies (read tools) to carry them out. She knew that she had more stereotypical Slytherin qualities, but she'd always felt that a true Slytherin would get themselves placed in another House so no one would suspect them. That was where Ravenclaw came in: a house for the smart and intelligent that had no real biases against the other Houses which would allow her to make friends as she pleased without being suspected of an ulterior motive. If anyone ever asked her about a friendship outside her House she could just cite something about studying and everyone would believe her. That seemed to be the only negative stereotype about the Ravenclaw House, that they would do anything to study better and get the best grades.

Her name was called and she made her way to stool, already picturing her life in Ravenclaw. She sat down and thought Ravenclaw with all her might as the Hat brushed her top of her braids.

"I refuse to do that to the rest of the world." A dismayed voice said in her head.

She had a moment to think "What?" then the Hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" before it even settled completely on her head and ruined all the plans she'd made since she'd learned she would be sent off to boarding school.

After a moment of shock, she strode proudly to her new House, already altering plans in her head.

She refused to let this be anything other than a minor setback.