Author: Eliiot

Summary: We all know how Harry's life turns out to be...but what would have happened if he had a helping hand...er voice?

Warning: May contain slash, etc.

Disclimer: DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER...

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points.

At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose.

Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

"You shouldn't even try its hopeless," was the murmur he thought he heard. He looked around trying to find who said that but everyone was focused on Professor Mcgonagall. He felt confused, he was sure someone said that but no one seemed to have. He mentally shrugged and chalked it up to one of the things that wasn't normal about him and turned his attention back to Professor Mcgonagall.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

"He should learn not to trust his brothers," said the same voice again.

"Who is it?" Harry asked, trying to find who said it. But no one was even looking at them.

"You can't have that bad a memory, mate. Fred is my brother, remember," Ron said looking at Harry, bewildered.

"Oh don't talk out loud. I'm a voice in your head; you're supposed to talk inside your head. Or else people are going to think you have gone bonkers," the same voice said now loud enough for Harry to recognize it was female.

"Um who are you?" Harry asked in his mind, taking the voice's advice.

"That's not currently relevant," the voice said in an impatient tone, "Right now you should reply to your friend to make him stop looking at you like you have grown a fourth head."

"A fourth head?" Harry asked.

"Well there is your head and wand and…argh just reply," the voice said hints of frustration entering. Harry decided to do as he was told and looked at Ron, who was surely enough looking at him like he had grown another head. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Are you alright, mate? You are acting weird," Ron said.

"Yeah just thinking about the sorting," he replied.

At this thought, Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. Hadn't Ron just said that they had to perform a test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet —what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived.

He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.

Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.

He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.

"Oh stop being so dramatic already honestly," the voice snorted. This made him jump almost a foot into the hair. But thankfully it was disguised because something happened-several people behind him screamed.

"What the —?"

He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing.

What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody answered.

"Oh you'd think that they will change their greeting but no. But then again Mcgonagall didn't change hers either," the voice commented but Harry was too shocked to have any reaction (Even though Newton's third law clearly states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction).

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"And the Friar goes," the voice said again.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"And cue Mcgonagall," the voice muttered.

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place.

"I agree with you Harry," the voice said again but Harry ignored it in favor of watching the view. He swore he heard the voice huff.

It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

"Makes you wonder how many books she read, doesn't it," the voice said and Harry agreed.

It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.

Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.

"Perhaps you should try it to see her expression," the voice snickered. Harry didn't pay it any mind and thought wildly, 'Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it.'

"It would be hilarious if it was like that," the voice said.

"I still don't know who you are except for the fact that you're a voice in my head," Harry said.

"Well that is because I'm a voice in your head but yeah I'm getting sick of being addressed as the voice. I've a name you know," the voice said indignant.

"Which you didn't tell me yet," Harry retorted.

"Oh yeah, good point. Well, anyway, my name is Elliot," said Elliot. (A/N: Guess who folks.)

"But that's a boy name, right? I thought you are a girl," Harry asked.

"There are certain complications about my gender. I really don't care by which gender you address me as," Elliot said, "Well, ignoring the minor details, yes Elliot is technically a boy name. It's of Hebrew and Greek origin and translates to mygod is the lord. But it's my name so deal with it."

Harry absorbed this information.

"Now," Elliot continued, "I advice you to pay attention to your surroundings."

Harry looked around and just in time to notice the hat, which was being stared at by everyone, twitch. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth- and the hat began to sing.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

"That's the truth," Elliot said.

But don't judge on what you see,

"That's a very good advice you should keep in mind," Elliot commented.

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

"I accept the challenge," Elliot said with such determinationthat it made Harry wonder if she really will find one.

"Harry I don't need to find one. I'll just charm one and present it. Magic is a wonderful thing," Elliot smirked.

"But won't that be cheating. The hat said to find one not to create one," Harry said.

"What the hat doesn't know can't harm it. Besides as long as the end result is same it doesn't matter," Elliot said.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

"A pun again. He really should stop that they are not at all funny," Elliot snorted.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

"And that's true, there's nothing in your head that you can hide from it," Elliot commented.

"What?" Harry exclaimed.

"It's true and creepy as hell. It sees everything that you remember and not remember doing. And yes Harry it will see that you were abused," Elliot stated matter-of-factly.

"Abused? I wasn't ab…," Harry started but was cut off.

"Yes you were. If you don't want to believe it that's your problem but keeping a child in a cupboard until they were eleven and making them cook since they were barely five is definitely abuse," Elliot said.

"How do you know about…," Harry started but was again cut off.

"How I know is not relevant. But to answer your unasked worries the hat can't tell anyone, not even the Headmaster about what he sees inside a students head. He was charmed like that by Godric Gryffindor," Elliot said.

"Really?" Harry inquired.

"Yup."

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

"That's true," Elliot admitted almost grudgingly.

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Harry smiled weakly. He was however concerned by the weird noises coming no doubt from Elliot.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Oh I am just peachy. It's you who should be worried," Elliot said in a strange voice.

"Why is that?" Harry asked.

"Never mind that. We really need to research the Weasly family tree," Elliot said.

"Fine don't tell me but can you at least tell why you're sounding so weird," Harry inwardly huffed.

"Oh that's because I can't decide weather to bang my head or laugh myself silly," Elliot said. And Harry wisely decided not to comment and focused back on the sorting.

He thought that trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching.

The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment.

If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.

"Relax Harry it's not that bad. Besides if it's any comfort you're not the only one who'll go to that house if it existed," Elliot said. It really wasn't much of a comfort but Harry decided to keep quiet.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause —

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.

"Nah Harry, they're just formal," Elliot said.

"Formal?" Harry said.

"Well you see Harry majority of Slytherin consists of students who come from pure blood aristocrat families," Elliot stated.

"Pure blood?" Harry asked.

"I'll explain the term in details later. But as I was saying, most of them are from aristocrat families and are expected to behave as such. They don't act like normal eleven year would. That combined with your nervousness and what you heard about them is making them look like an unpleasant lot," Elliot explained and Harry nodded. It made sense.

Harry decided to focus on the sorting but it didn't end up as a good idea. He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him. He thought he heard a weird strangling noise come from Elliot but dismissed it.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Probably was in indecision on weather to put him in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff," Elliot commented almost absentmindedly.

"Why is that?" Harry asked.

"Because he possesses traits from both the houses, obviously. Actually everyone has traits from more than one house. A person can be loyal and smart, traits of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Also there are people who are brave and sneaky, traits of Gryffindor and Slytherin. The sorting is decided based on which trait is the strongest or which house is right for the student. Though for several years the hat has been making exceptions," Elliot said the last part darkly.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, curiosity getting the better from him.

"Not now Harry," Elliot said in a tone that clearly stated that she was not going to answer right now even if he kept badgering her. Not that he would have. He learned his lesson the last time he did that to Uncle Vernon.

"Harry don't compare me to that walrus or any other member of his family," Elliot seethed.

"I'm sorry," Harry replied quickly, hoping he didn't offend her enough for her to retaliate.

"Don't apologize, Harry even if it's a habit. It's not your fault. I'd just appreciate it if you'd not compare me with those horrible people. You know it's going to be really hard for you if you think that everyone is going to react the same way your family has," Elliot said softly, "However now is not the time to have this talk. But I assure you we will talk about this. Now concentrate on the sorting." Harry swallowed and nodded.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned. And Elliot snickered.

A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all?

What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?

"Harry I know I'm gonna sound insensitive but honestly your thought process is really hilarious," Elliot snickered before calming herself, "Don't worry Harry if it was a mistake you would not have received the letter in the first place."

Harry Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool.

The hat took a long time to decide with Neville.

When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now. "Moon"…, "Nott"… , "Parkinson"… , then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"… , then "Perks, Sally-Anne"… , and then, at last —

"Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

"You know because of your fame, you're gonna have to get used to that for the next seven years," Elliot commented but Harry was too nervous to reply.

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat.

"Well, well Mr. Potter," said a small voice in his ear, "What a predicament you are in."

I'll let you guys decide if you want me to continue with this. Review~| :3