Chapter 4: Sorting and Snape
Harry and Draco stepped out of the Hogwarts Express and into the chilly night air. They'd been told that their luggage would be delivered to their rooms. Harry was glad for this, because Hogwarts looked to be a long way off and he didn't want to carry his trunk there. Students upon the platform ran helter-skelter in all directions. Harry saw the lot of them boarding carriages. These carriages were drawn by nothing and moving on their own.
A very tall man, who was just as large horizontally as he was vertically, was calling for first years. He was standing a distance away near the engine of the train. He had long, thick, coarse, black hair and wore a massive coat that looked to be made out of several different animal hides all patched together. His hands were as big as trash bin lids. Harry could see them waving in the air.
Draco and Harry exchanged looks and started toward the large man.
"All righ'," he said. "You all best be followin' me, now. You won' be takin' the carriages till yer older."
"But… how will we get to Hogwarts?" asked a girl Harry had never seen before.
"Like I said, follow me."
"Excuse me," said Hermione Granger, piping up from somewhere in the crowd. Harry heard Draco groan audibly and turned to see him rolling his eyes. Harry couldn't help but grin.
"What're you looking at, Potter?" Draco whispered in a mock threat.
"I think you like her," Harry taunted. "I reckon you two will become great friends."
"Over my lifeless corpse," Draco returned. "All Mudbloods are rotten, Potter, and so are Half-Bloods… except you, of course. I like you."
"If you say so," said Harry.
"I do," said Draco. He sounded like he meant it.
"Yes?" the giant man asked in response to Hermione's interjection. Draco had been about to say something else, but fell silent.
"Are you a professor?"
"No, no. Sorry abou' tha'; best be introducin' myself. I'm Hagrid, keeper o' keys and game at Hogwarts."
"Ruddy big guy, isn't he?" Draco said to Harry. "Looks like a bloody giant."
"Yeah," Harry agreed.
"Come along, then. Best not be wastin' time." Hagrid motioned of them all to follow and turned to walk down a path through the nearby thicket of trees.
He carried a lantern to light the way.
All the first years rushed after him, so as not to be left behind. In the thick of it all, Harry became separated from Draco and gave up looking for him after a while.
Hagrid led them through a relatively short path down to the shore of a massive lake that spread out before Hogwarts. On the shoreline were dozens and dozens of small, wooden boats with lanterns at their bows. Harry was near the back of the group of first years, and was unable to find a place in any of the boats.
Hagrid motioned for him to sit in the boat he occupied. Harry hesitated. The gamekeeper was really a large man. He feared the boat might sink.
Alas, he had no choice. Harry approached the gamekeeper's boat and took a seat behind the giant man. Then, as if by magic, the boats shoved off from the shoreline and began moving at a slow but steady pace toward the castle looming ahead.
"Hello, there," said Hagrid. "Wha's yer name?"
"I'm Harry. Harry Potter."
"Blimey!" said Hagrid so loudly that several students turned to glance at him. He paid them no mind and grabbed the lantern off the front of the boat, holding it up in front of Harry's face so as to see the scar.
Once Hagrid was satisfied, he set the lantern back in its place.
"Well, wha' a righ' in'trestin' piece o' luck this is, eh?" said Hagrid. "Nice ter meet ya, Harry."
"Nice to meet you, too, sir," Harry said.
"Ah, don' bother with any o' this 'sir' rubbish. Codswallop. Call me Hagrid."
"All right, Hagrid."
"Y'know, Harry, Professor Dumbledore wanted ter send me instead o' McGonagall to bring you yer letter. I even had a birthday cake made up for you. But, you jus' come by my house any time you wan' and I'll fix up a new one."
"Wow," said Harry. "Thanks, Hagrid."
Harry had never eaten a birthday cake before, at least, not one that had been baked for him. Once, he'd eaten a bit of Dudley's since Dudley was unable to finish it all, and Aunt Petunia had been watching her figure, and Uncle Vernon had been trying to lose weight. Dudley had tormented him for many weeks after.
Hagrid struck up conversation with Harry, and it was easy to talk with the strange, tall gamekeeper. Harry was glad to have someone to speak to as they floated across the lake to Hogwarts. It quieted his nerves, calmed the apprehension slowly grinding a hole in the pit of his stomach.
Hogwarts was amazing in its splendor, majesty, and scale. Dozens of towers and turrets jutted from the roofs of tall, stone structures, all interconnected by walkways and bridges. Harry spotted a large viaduct. Buttresses stood high and tall. Terraces lined some of the towers and other structures.
Every single window of the castle glowed bright in the dark night, like a thick galaxy of stars that had made its home on the ground. Harry's jaw dropped at the sight. He closed it immediately. He really had to stop doing that.
But Hogwarts was simply astounding. He'd never seen anything like it before.
Harry noticed, as they came even closer, that the castle stood on the edge of a large cliff, overlooking the lake. A cave at the water's level, lit by torches, glowed ahead. The boats filed in and made their way to several docks at the end. Hagrid motioned for all the students to disembark onto the piers. He stepped ahead of them and opened a door that led into the rock wall.
"Follow the staircase up, and wai' for instructions. Good luck to all of you."
A student or two bade Hagrid goodbye. Harry waved and the gamekeeper game waved back. Then he was gone.
Once the first years had begun to file in, and Harry was moving up a curving staircase with the rest of them, the apprehension truly set in.
It was made worse by the hushed whispers of many of the students around him.
"How do you reckon we get put in our houses?" some asked.
The replies varied, all of them increasing in outlandishness.
"I heard you've got to pass a test," one boy said.
"No, I heard that they cut open your hand and test your blood," said another.
"I heard you've got to fight something, maybe a troll," said a redheaded boy Harry thought might be a Weasley. "I heard a lot of people die."
"That's rubbish," snapped Hermione from somewhere ahead. "Complete rubbish, not to mention illegal."
Some idiot with a drawling voice told Hermione to shut up.
Everyone shut up in response.
After a time, they all came to the top of the staircase and into a large antechamber. Harry could hear the din of people coming from somewhere ahead.
The room they all stood in was windowless, and lit by torches in brackets upon the walls. Besides the door to the staircase, there was only one other and it was closed.
As anxiety began to set in among the first years, the door that did not lead to the staircase opened. Several people gasped in surprise.
Harry was relieved to see a familiar face. Professor McGonagall stepped in. The door shut on its own accord behind her. She glanced around at the crowd of first years. For a moment, she and Harry locked eyes, but Professor McGonagall gave no sign of recognition.
The room was now deathly silent.
Out of nowhere, a frog croaked. Harry saw it leap from the crowd on to the stone floor a few feet away from the hem of Professor McGonagall's emerald robes.
A young boy with buck teeth and brown hair leapt out to seize the toad. Upon catching it, he looked up to see Professor McGonagall staring down at him.
"In the future," said Professor McGonagall, "keep that toad in your possession, Mr…."
"Longbottom," said the boy sheepishly. "Neville Longbottom."
"Very well, Mr. Longbottom. Ensure the toad does not get loose in the Great Hall or you shall receive detention."
"Yes, ma'am," said Neville. He retreated back into the crowd first years.
McGonagall cast a sweeping look about the room again. Her expression was stoic.
"Welcome," she spoke, addressing all of the first years. "Welcome to Hogwarts. For the duration of the school year, this castle will be your home. Very shortly, you shall be sorted into your houses. Here, your house is like your family. Good behavior and good demonstration of magic earns your house points. Failure to abide by the rules will cause you to lose points. At the end of the year, the house that has earned the most wins the House Cup. It is a goal each of you should strive to achieve. In a few moments, you will follow me through these doors and we will go to the Great Hall where you will be sorted, after which, you shall take your seat with your house and the feast will begin. Any questions?"
A blond girl raised her hand.
"Yes, you there, young lady," said Professor McGonagall.
"Er… how do we know which house is which?"
"There are four tables in the Great Hall. To the far left, assuming one has just entered the Hall, is the Slytherin table, followed by Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. Any more questions?"
There were none. Or else everyone was too nervous to voice anything.
Professor McGonagall instructed them to wait there and disappeared through the door behind her. The tense anticipation and anxiety gripping the first years had momentarily subsided when the Professor had entered. Now, since she was gone, it was back in full force. Harry's heart was beating loudly in response to the thoughts racing through his mind of having to pass a test or fight something. He had no experience in magic. He'd never known Hogwarts or witches or wizards had even existed up until about a month ago. He'd fail miserably if there was a test, and then be sent back to live with the Dursleys. Harry never wanted to be back there now that he was away, now that he had Draco as a friend, now that someone like Hagrid would celebrate his birthday.
The door opened again, and the quiet buzz of nervous chatter in the room quickly dissipated.
Professor McGonagall had returned, a small smile perched upon her lips.
"We're ready for you now," she told them. "Please, follow me. Do not stray."
She turned and started out through the door. The first years followed her into a large entrance hall with giant, stained oak doors to one side. They were led across the hall, through a rather plain corridor lined with torches and suits of armor, to a small rise of stairs and another door which was closed. Professor McGonagall opened it with a wave of her wand and stepped through. The first years were only able to follow two or three at a time.
Harry was close to the end of the line again. He could hear the gasps of the children ahead and wondered what they saw. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest that he could hear it as he stepped through the archway into a massive, elongated room. Before him stood four tables filled with robed students. They all wore silver badges, some of which were inlaid with red, blue, yellow, or green, depending upon which table that sat at. At the far end of the room was a raised platform with another table. There sat many adults dressed in robes. Harry assumed they must be the teachers. In the middle sat a man with long white hair and a long white beard. He was draped in violet robes decked in stars, and he wore a matching hat.
The room, however, amazed Harry more than the size of the student body or occupants of the staff table. It was lit by hundreds, maybe thousands, of candles that floated in the air, far above everyone's heads. Above the candles, it looked as if there was no ceiling. All Harry could see was the dark, starlit, night sky.
"The ceiling is bewitched," he heard Hermione say in front of him. "It's made to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
Harry was amazed and dazzled by such information, although he wondered why Hermione simply had to know everything and share it with those around her. It made Harry feel even dumber since she was born to Muggle parents, yet knew more about the wizarding world than he did.
Professor McGonagall led the students between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables, up the middle of the Great Hall. Every student watched them as they passed until they stopped in a kind of no-man's-land between the student tables and the staff platform. Before the staff table sat a small, wooden stool, and upon that stool sat a hat that looked as if it had been through a lot in its lifetime. It was patched everywhere and had a massive slit at the brim. The first years, including Harry, all jumped in surprise when the hat twitched, and the rip at the brim opened like a mouth. The hat began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
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.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
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 the flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
The entire hall burst into applause when the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Professor McGonagall walked up to be at the hat's side, a long piece of parchment clutched in her hand.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she told them.
Harry sighed. At least there was no test, but that hat seemed to be too many prerequisites for being sorted into a house. Harry wished there could be another house that required you know nothing about magic, because he certainly didn't, and he felt too queasy to be brave, smart, loyal, or cunning.
"Abbott, Hannah!" Professor McGonagall called.
A nervous looking blonde girl girl with pig-tails and a pink face stepped up to the platform, picked up the hat, sat down on the stool, and put the hat on. It fell right over her head and came to a rest on her nose. Harry thought it a good thing that the hat was so big. At least he wouldn't have to see the whole school watching him.
There was a moment's pause.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted.
A table behind Harry cheered as Hannah went to take a seat there.
"Bones, Susan," said Professor McGonagall.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat announced. Susan practically ran to the cheering table.
"Boot, Terry."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" was sorted into Ravenclaw as well. "Brown, Lavender," became the first new Gryffindor. Harry heard the Gryffindor table explode with applause upon her induction. "Bulstrode, Millicent" became the first Slytherin.
Harry turned around to look at the Slytherin table. They looked like quite an unpleasant lot to Harry, but he shrugged it off, assuming it was his imagination. Draco wasn't unpleasant, perhaps a little rude, but not unpleasant, and Draco thought he'd be sorted into Slytherin.
"Crabbe, Vincent," became another Slytherin followed by "Finch-Fletchley, Justin" who became another Hufflepuff.
Harry noticed that the hat took varying amounts of time to decide where a person was to be sorted. "Finnigan, Seamus," for example, sat on the stool for a whole minute until the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
"Goyle, Gregory," became a Slytherin.
Then it was Hermione Granger's turn. She strode up confidently to the stool and promptly shoved the hat on her head.
A very long time passed. Someone in at the Ravenclaw table muttered something that sounded like "Hatstall."
"GRYFFINDOR!" announced the hat.
Hermione took off toward the Gryffindor table with a huge smile on her face. Neville Longbottom was called next and the hat took an incredibly long time to decide where he was to go.
A horrible thought struck Harry. Perhaps he would not be sorted into a house at all and Professor McGonagall would pull the hat off of his head and say that a mistake had been made. After all, he knew nothing about magic. Everyone he'd met seemed to. Maybe that was what was wrong with Neville.
Harry waited. Professor McGonagall might pull the hat off at any second and send the boy on his way. However, the hat proclaimed Neville a Gryffindor, and Neville ran, with the hat still on his head, toward the table. Red-faced, through gales of laughter, Neville ran back to hand the hat to Morag MacDougal before disappearing to the Gryffindor table.
After MacDougal, Draco Malfoy was called. Before the hat even touched his head it cried "SLYTHERIN!"
Malfoy swaggered toward the Slytherin table, looking pleased with himself. He caught Harry's gaze and mouthed "good luck, Potter."
There were not many first years left now.
"Moon… Nott… Parkinson." A pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil". "Perks, Sally-Anne…" and at last—
"Potter, Harry," called McGonagall.
Harry stepped forward amid many whispers.
"Did she say Harry Potter?" some asked others.
"Blimey, Harry Potter!" some exclaimed.
Still, others were unsure and asked, "is that the Harry Potter?"
Harry swallowed as he approached the stool. He locked gazes with the bearded man in the star-spangled robes. Harry noticed the old wizard had a crooked nose and a warm, comforting smile. He looked at Harry over half-moon spectacles and nodded once. Harry took a deep breath, picked up the hat, sat down, and placed it upon his head.
It slipped down over his eyes. The hall was completely silent.
Harry swallowed again and waited.
All was silent for a time, until he heard the voice of the hat in his ear.
"Difficult, difficult," said the hat. "I see courage, yes. Not a bad mind…. There's talent… oh, yes! So much potential…. I see doubt, however, in your mind, masking a thirst for knowledge and to prove yourself…. Where to put you?"
"With my friend," thought Harry.
"Your friend?" asked the hat. "Well, therein lies a tie that is common to all houses, but I see your only friend, for now, sits at the Slytherin table…. Slytherin, eh? You could be great, you know. Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness, there's no doubt about that. You have a cunning mind, but you also have courage, Harry Potter. I stand at a crossroad…."
"With my friend," Harry repeated in his mind.
"Well… if you're sure. Better be… SLYTHERIN!"
Harry took off the hat and headed for the Slytherin table next to Draco Malfoy who was practically the only one there clapping. A few other Slytherins applauded reluctantly, but most looked at Harry with unfriendly, assessing eyes. The rest of the hall gave polite applause. Harry took a seat next to Draco, across from Crabbe and Goyle, and Draco clapped him on the back.
"Welcome to Slytherin, Potter. The hat got it spot on for you. You and me will be great, you know. My heritage and your defeat of the Dark Lord. We'll be the best students ever to come to Hogwarts, but I'll be better."
"We'll see," said Harry, feeling considerably better now, enough to fool around with Draco.
Draco laughed. Crabbe grunted something.
Harry looked up toward the staff table to see the old man looking at him in an appraising manner, but with a smile upon his face. He saw Hagrid give him a shaky thumbs-up, although Hagrid didn't appear too pleased. Another man, clad in all black robes, with greasy black hair that fell down nearly to his shoulders was also looking at Harry, albeit stoically. The man's black eyes seemed to be attempting to cut through him and find out what he was made of. Harry felt suddenly nervous and looked back at Draco.
"Who's the bearded Professor?" Harry asked.
"That's Dumbledore, the Headmaster," Draco told him. "Don't let his age fool you, Potter. He's a powerful wizard, but my father says he's been going a little crazy in the head these days."
Harry glanced back at the man and recognized he was indeed the one from the chocolate frog card.
"Who's the black-haired one?" Harry asked.
"That's Professor Snape," Malfoy said smugly. "Old family friend. I reckon he'll give Slytherin a lot of points because of you and me, Potter."
Harry wasn't so sure. He looked back to see both Snape and Dumbledore were now watching the other students as they were sorted.
Harry watched too.
A tall, black boy named Dean Thomas was put into Gryffindor. Lisa Turpin became a Ravenclaw, Ron Weasley became a Gryffindor. His whole family there cheered and then began to make fun of him, causing Ron's ears to turn bright red.
The last boy, Blaise Zabini became a Slytherin and sat next to Harry.
"Well done," said Malfoy.
"Yeah, well done," echoed Harry.
"Thanks," said Blaise. "Are you really Harry Potter?"
"Yeah," said Harry.
"Do you mind showing me the scar?"
Harry turned to fully face Blaise Zabini, and indicated the small, lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.
"Blimey," said Blaise. "You are Harry Potter. Nice to meet you. I'm Blaise Zabini, but you already know that."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Nice to meet you."
They shook hands.
"You and I will become fast friends, Potter. My mum works at the Ministry. We have the utmost respect for the one who vanquished the Dark Lord."
"Er… thanks," said Harry.
They all turned at the sound of Professor McGonagall rolling up the parchment. She cleared her throat very loudly, grabbing the attention of the hall as she went to take her seat next to Dumbledore who was now standing.
"I would like to say a few words!" the old Headmaster announced. "And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddmont! Tweak!"
With that, he sat down to applause and laughter.
"He really is barking mad, isn't he?" said Blaise.
"Wow. I never thought my father was so correct," said Draco.
"Weird," Harry agreed.
Without warning, golden plates appeared before every student along with fine-looking silverware. After that, dozens more empty platters and plates appeared in the midsections of all the tables, and then those platters were filled with all manner of delectable food. All the first years gasped. Harry's stomach growled.
"Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore called from his seat.
Harry immediately grabbed a goblet of some sort of juice which tasted amazingly like pumpkin. He stole a large steak along with a massive baked potato.
He dug in. It was the best food he'd ever tasted.
Draco and Blaise voiced their agreement with Harry about the food aloud.
When Harry was nearly done with his steak he looked up and gasped to see what appeared to be four ghosts float right into the Great Hall through the walls. A particularly sinister looking ghost drifted toward the Slytherin table in the direction of the first years.
"The Bloody Baron," said Blaise smartly. "He's the Slytherin House Ghost."
"We have a ghost?" Harry asked.
"Of course," said Blaise as though this was something that should be blatantly obvious.
The Bloody Baron floated right through the table and then right through Harry. The sensation was peculiar and decidedly horrible. It felt, to Harry, as though he'd just been drenched in ice cold water.
The Baron harrumphed as he examined Crabbe and Goyle, both of whom were too busy stuffing their faces to notice his presence.
"This is an insult to my house," the Baron declared. "These idiots are far better suited for Hufflepuff."
Crabbe and Goyle both looked up at the Baron angrily, and Goyle threw a bare chicken bone. Harry turned to see it go through the ghost and fall on to the floor. The Bloody Baron narrowed his eyes. Crabbe and Goyle immediately returned to their food.
"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Potter," said the Baron to Harry. "It is an honor to have someone already so great be a part of the Slytherin House."
"Thanks…." said Harry.
The Baron nodded and floated off to mingle with the other students. Harry finished his steak, feeling quite full.
Then all of the food disappeared and was replaced by tantalizing and scrumptious dessert dishes. Harry immediately seized a treacle tart. He had to have at least one before he could try anything else.
Crabbe shoved his hand forward to grab the last treacle tart, and in doing so, knocked Harry's goblet of pumpkin juice down. It spilled all over Harry, causing him to gasp as the cold liquid immediately soaked through his pant legs.
"Oops," mumbled Crabbe. "Sorry, Potter."
Crabbe smiled an idiot's grin, indicating he was not sorry at all. Harry glared at him. Both Blaise and Draco looked as though they were about to say something, but then the desserts vanished and Professor Dumbledore stood again.
The hall fell silent.
Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly to ensure everyone was giving him their fullest attention.
"Just a few more words, now that we are all fed and watered," said Dumbledore. "I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should know that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all. A few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
Dumbledore's twinkling gaze settled on the Gryffindor table for a moment. Harry saw two of the Weasleys—the twins—smirk.
"I have also been asked by the caretaker, Mr. Filch, to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should contact Madam Hooch.
"Finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."
A few people laughed, including Blaise. Harry did not.
"He's not serious, is he?" Blaise asked.
"Who knows," said Draco. "He's barking mad."
"And now," said Dumbledore, "before we all go to bed, let us sing the school song!"
Harry noticed Professor McGonagall's lips tighten. Professor Snape frowned. Some of the older students groaned.
"Everyone, pick your favorite tune," Dumbledore instructed. "Off we go!"
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
Because everyone was singing in a different tune, people finished at different times. The Weasley twins were the only ones left, dragging the song out in the solemn melody of a funeral dirge. Many people laughed. Dumbledore smiled. Harry thought he must be mad since the Weasleys were obviously mocking the school song. Indeed, Professor McGonagall looked rather cross. Professor Snape looked irritated.
Dumbledore conducted the Weasleys with his wand for the last few lines, and when they finished, half of the hall laughed, half applauded, and Dumbledore both laughed and applauded.
"Music," said Dumbledore, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Magic beyond all we do here… And now, bedtime! Off you go!"
The hall filled with noise as people scattered. Prefects called out for their respective houses to follow them, including the male Slytherin Prefect who had crooked teeth and a lopsided grimace. Harry, Draco, and Blaise moved to follow the line of Slytherins as the prefect led them out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall.
While almost every other house went up the staircase to the higher rooms in the castle, the Slytherins followed their prefect down a different hall, and then down a narrow, dank, dark, spiraling staircase. Torches in brackets lit the way, the walls charred black behind them flames. The air grew steadily colder as they descended into the dungeons.
Upon entering one of the dungeon corridors, Harry tripped over something and fell flat on his stomach. The air was expelled from his lungs. He heard someone chuckle moronically. Harry stood up to face Goyle as the rest of the Slytherins followed the prefect further into the dungeons.
Draco and Blaise stopped with Harry to see what he was going to do.
"Look," said Harry to the dumb oaf that was Goyle. "I know you and your friend have got a problem with me. Tell me why."
"Cus you landed mine and Crabbe's dad in jail, Potter," Goyle spat.
Harry thought Goyle must be daft because he had no idea how he could be responsible for anyone's imprisonment. As he was about to voice this, Professor Snape appeared from the shadows.
"Mr. Goyle," said Snape in a drawling voice. "I suggest that you vacate these halls immediately and continue along with your fellow Slytherins before they realize the depth of your stupidity and leave you behind."
Goyle scratched his head dumbly. "Wha'?"
"Leave," Snape ordered, a dangerous look in his eyes.
Goyle promptly retreated further into the corridors, trying to catch up with the rest of the Slytherins.
Snape turned his icy gaze to Harry.
"You, Mr. Potter, would do well to watch your back. I have no great love for heroes such as yourself. As of now, you are displaying a profound amount of ignorance, a trait not common among Slytherins. I suggest you educate yourself quickly, because I will not aid an ignorant child again. Have a pleasant night, Mr. Potter."
Snape spun, his black robes flowing behind him, and walked the opposite way down the corridor.
Harry stood there for a moment, completely confused.
"What was that about?" Blaise asked no one in particular.
"No idea," said Harry.
"Come on," said Draco. "Or we'll lose them."
The three of them rushed to catch up with the Slytherins. They reached them just as they stopped at a bare wall in a corridor. One of the prefects said something, and the wall opened on its own accord. They all filed in.
"This is the Slytherin Common room," said the prefect.
Harry glanced at the room around him. It looked quite like a cavern. Water dripped down here and there from the stony ceiling. There were a few lit fireplaces with straight-backed, dark leather chairs in front of them. The place was decked out in green and silver tapestry, and green-shaded lamps sat upon antique tables.
"All right, listen up," snapped the prefect. "The door to the left at the end of this room leads down into the girls dormitories. The door to the right leads into the boy's. First years are assigned to the dorm at the bottom. Now, off you go."
Harry, Draco, and Blaise followed the rest of the boys through the open door which was made of bars. It looked like the door to a prison. Harry was near the back of the line. He stepped down into a narrow, winding staircase that descended in a very large radius. As they went further down, looking to reach the bottom, Harry got the impression that he was descending the stairs to the bottom of an inverted tower.
The stairs lengthened into small landings at regular intervals, doors inset in the curved walls to the left. At the seventh landing, the staircase ended. Draco opened the door there and they stepped into their round dormitory.
Harry was dismayed to see that Crabbe and Goyle were there already, as well as a boy Harry thought was called Theodore Nott. Each of them glared at Harry. He looked away and walked to the bed to his right; it was closest to the door. His trunk lay at the foot, Hedwig's cage atop it. She peered up at him from between the bars.
Draco yawned and sat down on the bed next to Harry's. All the beds were draped with green curtains, and, other than the beds themselves, the room had no furniture save for a small oven in the middle used for making fires to keep them warm.
Silently, everyone tossed off their clothes and climbed into their respective beds. Harry was unsure if he'd be able to sleep. The tension in the dormitory was thick. Harry already knew that Crabbe and Goyle didn't like him, and Nott, who looked to be far more intelligent than them, had been glaring at him.
Harry pulled the curtains around his bed shut and tried to go to sleep.
Sleep didn't come easily. Harry's mind was too jumbled with everything he'd seen tonight. Most of all, though, he wondered at Goyle's words, and at Snape's. He didn't know why Snape thought him so ignorant. Sure, he knew next to nothing about magic, but he didn't think that was what Snape meant. He certainly didn't know what he'd done to land the fathers of Crabbe and Goyle in jail.
When sleep came it was plagued with flashes of green light.