Here's Chapter 4!
CHAPTER 4: Discomfort
Whether the hall was bursting into applause or dead silent, Teddy did not know. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart as the world blurred before him, making his head spin. Had he heard right? No. How could I have been placed in Slytherin, of all houses? He thought. Teddy's eyes searched the hall for a friendly glance, something to tell him that he had not just been placed in the last house he wanted to be associated with. He waited for the moment when Ginny would shake him awake and all this would be just a horrible dream, but it never came. This had to be some sort of mistake! He, Teddy Lupin, could not be a Slytherin!
A firm hand patted his shoulder, and he turned to look into the crinkled eyes of Professor McGonagall. She looked down at him with a sort of saddened glint in her eye, as if she was looking at a student from whom she expected better. Teddy swallowed, his hair graying slightly under the stern eyes of Professor McGonagall. She removed the hat from his head and motioned for him to sit down. He snapped back to his senses, and the raucous cheering of the Slytherin table met his ears, seeming to crush him.
He made his way past the throng of first years still waiting to be Sorted, pausing briefly before Victoire and seeing the shock and sadness in her shining blue eyes; she was just as astounded and rattled as Teddy was. "I'm sorry," She mouthed, tucking her hair behind her left ear. Teddy smiled at her, trying to cover up his shame. It must have worked, because she smiled back encouragingly, making Teddy feel a bit better.
Teddy sat next to Dalton, who seemed thrilled that Teddy had been placed in Slytherin. "Nice to see you've joined us, Lupin," he said in the same smooth tone he had used on the train. Teddy put on yet another fake smile as he nodded and shook hands with the other Slytherins closest to him, trying his best to put on a brave face and look as though being in Slytherin was a dream come true. He sat down, shaking a few more hands and receiving a few more pats on the back before diverting his attention back to the front to hear the rest of the Sorting. Four more first years joined the Slytherin table over the course of the Sorting, however, Teddy neither knew nor recognized any of them.
"Weasley, Victoire!" Professor McGonagall called. Victoire was the last of the first years to be Sorted, and Teddy crossed his fingers under the table as she had the hat placed on her head, making a wish he knew would not come true.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Shouted the hat triumphantly. Victoire walked over to her table with a spring in her step, pausing when she laid eyes on Teddy and giving him a melancholy wave. Teddy smiled ruefully, mind wandering.
"Hey!" Dalton whispered next to him. "Isn't that your girlfriend?"
Teddy nodded, not realizing what he was doing. "No, I uh…erm, she's just my friend."
Channing snickered. "Well, looks like you'll have to find yourself another girl; a Gryffindor and a Slytherin? Uh-uh."
Professor McGonagall tapped her spoon against her goblet from the Staff Table, and the hall fell silent. "Let the feast begin!" The hundreds of golden platters lying on the table instantly filled themselves with delectable foods. Teddy's worries were momentarily forgotten as he piled his own plate high with countless delicacies, finishing off his feast with a bit of pudding.
"Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other, eh, Lupin?" Teddy looked to his left again to see Dalton smiling at him as the infamous Hogwarts ghosts began wafting into the Great Hall.
"Looks like," Teddy replied. "I'm glad I know one person."
"Make that two, as of right now," Said a voice to his right. A tall girl with dark brown hair looked over at him and smiled, looking quite normal in comparison to the rest of the sullen Slytherin faces. "Claremonde Daray. You can call me Clare," She said, flipping her smooth waves back behind her head, mesmerizing Teddy for a split second before he refocused. "This is my brother, Damien; he's a third year." A slightly taller boy glanced at Teddy from across the table at the sound of his name and nodded before returning to his custard.
"Teddy Lupin."
"Pleasure."
After the feast was finished, a sixth year boy by the name of Aidan Loom led the rest of Slytherin house down several flights of stairs to a seemingly solid brick wall. Upon reaching it, the boy said very loudly and clearly, "This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room. When you reach this wall, simply state the password," he explained. "Miseralis Muffleford."
They entered the circular room and Teddy, despite himself, liked it immediately. The lights had a green tinge to them, which suggested they were beneath the lake. There was a slightly ominous feel to the common room; it was as if something was hiding in the shadows, ready to jump out at any moment. Teddy loved it. "First year boys, follow me," said Aidan authoritatively. "Your dormitories are up these stairs to the right. Girls, it's the same on your left. Now, off to bed; the last thing you want is to be late to a class on the first day."
No one moved at first; everyone was waiting for someone else to take the first step. "You heard me, go!" Aidan barked, and the groups shuffled off.
The stone walls of the dormitory were barren, and beds lined the walls. They had rather ugly green draperies which could be pulled around the bed, allowing for more privacy. There were no windows in the dormitory, adding to the feeling of enclosure, and the same greenish light emanated from above.
The boys each quickly chose their beds, with some squabbles breaking out along the way. Channing picked one close to the end of the wall and called Teddy over excitedly, indicating that he should choose the one next to his. Teddy slowly made his way to the bed next to Channing's and laid his things out on it.
"Isn't this great?" Channing asked excitedly, bouncing on the bed. "No one will ever bother us down here. "Oh, and sorry about your girlfriend," he said in an insincere, almost taunting way. "Don't worry too much, though; you'll see plenty of her. She'll be in lots of our classes and stuff," he said as he went back to bouncing on his bed.
Teddy grimaced and proceeded to unpacking; each boy was allowed a small table for things like owl cages or photographs, along with space under the beds where trunks could be stored. Teddy took out Bertie's cage and placed it on the side table before making sure that all of his robes were neatly folded in his trunk for the coming days.
Most of the other boys fell asleep instantly; Teddy, however, was restless. He reached under his bed and gently pulled out his trunk so as not to wake the other boys, opened it, and pulled out the photograph of his parents that was sitting lightly atop his robes. He watched with a smile as his mother and father laughed and grinned back at him, admiring baby Teddy as he cooed in his mother's arms. His father's prematurely lined face crinkled as he laughed, and his mother's bright smile lit up her youthful features. Teddy looked at the background, taking in every detail; they were standing in a small park, the trees full of leaves, and flowers in full bloom. His parents were holding him in front of a small yet beautiful fountain full of clear water that showed his parents' reflections as they continued smiling at him, at each other, at their baby son.
Teddy held the picture close to him, for it comforted him some. Finally putting it back on the bedside table, Teddy tried to sleep. He tossed around for a while, unable to keep his eyes shut, as millions of thoughts raced through his mind.
Finally giving up on slumber, he silently took out a quill and parchment, using his History of Magic book to write on.
Harry—
Hogwarts is everything you said it would be; I met some new people that I know I'll have classes with, and it's pretty easy to find my way around. That's not why I'm writing, however. We were Sorted this evening, and I was so sure I would be put into Gryffindor like you were, but I wasn't. That stupid old hat put me in Slytherin. Slytherin! I don't know what to do; I don't belong in this House! What should I do? Victoire was put in Gryffindor, and I can tell she's disappointed with me. She doesn't know what happened; I barely do! I hope she'll be in some of my classes and I'm sure we'll stay friends, but even Professor McGonagall seemed like she was surprised—and even disappointed—when I was put in Slytherin. Why?
Please send an owl soon,
Teddy
Teddy rolled up the parchment and placed it next to Bertie's cage. Sighing, he flopped down on his bed and tried to sleep, hoping the next day would be better.
IMPERIO! Haha, now you've GOT to review! :P
