I forgot to say this before, but none of this belongs to me. All credit goes to BBC and JKR.

Along with the other first years, Merlin, Neville and Hermione followed a very large man called Hagrid to a black lake. After stepping into a boat and nearly falling out before Hermione grabbed his arm, Merlin watched enviously as the older students climbed into carriages. Even if the horses pulling them had leathery wings and a skeletal structure giving them a downright sinister feel, at least it would be warm.

Warmer than on the lake, anyways, thought Merlin, as the wind whipped through their clothing and chilling them to the bone. He, Hermione, Neville and a girl called Susan Bones who had joined them looked up at the huge, glittering castle in silence.

Once they were inside, a stern-looking professor appeared. Merlin stared at her. He could almost swear that he could see the very faint outlines of cat ears and whiskers on her face, but when he blinked again, they were gone.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, everyone. My name is Professor McGonagall," the woman said. "In a moment, you will be Sorted into one of four houses: Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or my own, Gryffindor. While you are here at Hogwarts, any successes will be rewarded with House points, but rule-breaking will result in losing points. The House with the most points at the end of the year will be awarded the House Cup."

As Professor McGonagall talked, Neville's face grew paler and paler. Before Merlin could ask him whether he was okay, Professor McGonagall said, "Follow me."

She knocked three times on a set of tall wooden doors inlaid with gold lettering. The doors slowly creaked open on their own accord, and Professor McGonagall swept through them immediately. They all rushed to follow her, stumbling as they gaped around them in awe.

Floating candles lit the Great Hall, which was set with four tables for each of the Houses and one at the top for the professors. Merlin saw Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape, but didn't recognize any of the others.

Looking up, Merlin was shocked to see the night sky, delicately sprinkled with silver stars. He heard Hermione hiss to no one in particular that according to "Hogwarts, a History", the ceiling was enchanted.

Professor McGonagall walked up to a stool in the front of the room, on which a raggedy-old hat sat. The first-year students all stared at it, wondering how they would be Sorted and why on earth the older students were staring at such an unremarkable article of clothing.

Then, a crack opened at the brim and the hat sang:

"I may be just a piece of cloth,

But don't think I'm not smart.

I will Sort you based on what,

I feel is in your heart.

If you belong in Gryffindor,

You're daring above all,

You will show your courage through,

your actions, large and small.

Hufflepuff's abound with those,

With loyalty and patience,

They will toil through hard work

With quiet diligence.

Those who belong in Ravenclaw,

Value wisdom as man's treasure,

But these keen minds still understand,

That knowledge can't be measured.

Slytherin will guide you to,

Fulfill your strongest desire,

Ambition, cunning and true friends,

Will be shown by golden fire.

Give me a chance, even if,

You simply don't believe me,

I'll have a look and let you know,

Where you ought to be!"

There was a moment of silence before the Hall burst into applause. Merlin saw the older students and the staff whispering to each other, and he caught phrases such as "golden fire" and "crazy".

Professor Dumbledore stood up and everyone immediately settled down. "Now that we've heard from the wisest of us all, let the Sorting begin!"

Merlin heard a couple of other people murmur words that sounded suspiciously like "insane" and "completely off his rocker". Professor McGonagall's glare silenced them once more. She took out a very long scroll, put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and said loudly, "Abbott, Hannah."

A blond girl walked up to the stool and sat down, clearly trembling with nerves. She stared apprehensively at the hat, and hesitated as Professor McGonagall tried to hand it to her. When she put it on, nothing happened for a moment. Then,

"Hufflepuff!"

The table to the left exploded with cheers and applause, while the rest of the Hall clapped politely. It took a minute before Professor McGonagall called out the next name, and Merlin thought despairingly that he was going to starve before the Sorting was over. None of the following students took too long to Sort, except for Hermione; the hat took a while before declaring her a Gryffindor.

He was busy dreaming about different foods he wanted to eat when suddenly, "Havens, Merlin" sounded in his ears. As he was walking up to the stool, his infamous clumsiness made an appearance and he tripped, nearly falling flat on his face. A titter ran through the room, and he could feel his face grow warm. When Merlin sat down on the stool, Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head, clearly not trusting him to handle the relic himself.

Merlin sat there, the brim of the hat covering his view of the Hall. Were they still laughing at him? Not that he would mind that much, but it was kind of strange how he couldn't hear anything right now. He wondered what House he would be in. Slytherin wouldn't be too bad, because he was apparently here to find his destiny. Some guidance would be nice.

Suddenly, he realized that the Hat hadn't shouted out its choice yet. He frowned and took the hat off.

"How long does it take for the Hat to make a decision?" he whispered to Professor McGonagall, ignoring the loud mutters and incredulous stares.

Professor McGonagall gave him a strange look. "Do you not hear the Sorting Hat talking to you?"

He shook his head, giving her a blank look.

Her eyebrows shot up, and she walked over to talk quietly with Professor Dumbledore. Merlin sat there, feeling awkward as hundreds of eyes scrutinized him.

Finally, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He put the hat back on, and thought really hard, Say Slytherin!

"Slytherin!"

Rather shocked that it worked, Merlin took off the hat. Scattered applause rang through the halls, as most were still shooting him odd glances. Neville and Hermione both gave him a weak smile. When he looked up, the professors all had studiously blank faces, though he could have sworn that Professor Snape grimaced a little for some reason.

"Moving on with the Sorting," Professor McGonagall said decisively as Merlin made his way to the Slytherin table. He sat down at an empty spot, across from the two bulky boys with the blond boy from the train, and tried not to think about how much attention he just drew.

Before long, several more joined the Slytherin table, including the blond boy from before who was apparently called Draco Malfoy. "What happened with you?" Malfoy hissed at him.

Merlin shrugged, not really willing to talk to somebody about it. He just stared straight ahead until Blaise Zabini was Sorted into Slytherin. He couldn't help but wince a little though, when he saw that Neville was Sorted into Gryffindor along with Harry Potter and his other friends. At least Hermione was there, too.

"Right, before we indulge in the feast, I have a couple words I would like to say to you," Professor Dumbledore announced gravely. Merlin dropped his head onto his arms and groaned. "Nitwit, oddment, blubber and tweak."

Merlin was raising his head to give the headmaster an incredulous stare when platters of steaming food suddenly appeared on the table. While everybody else helped themselves, Merlin looked furtively at the food, wondering if it was safe to eat.

"Relax, we save the poisoning for the other Houses," Malfoy smirked as he piled his plate high.

Merlin didn't say anything, but he reached forward for some bread.

Dinner was mostly silent for Merlin, as he chose to listen rather than talk. His year mates all asked him what happened with the hat, but when he didn't answer, they didn't pry. Merlin had a feeling they would all be watching him though to see if he would slip up and reveal his secrets.

After dinner, the fifth-year prefects led the first-years to the Slytherin dorms, which happened to be the dungeons. The common room contained sleek leather couches and silver tables and chairs. The windows looked out to the bottom of the lake, casting everything in a forest green light.

The girl, Yureka Hanedo, was unusually attractive with her dark hair, golden complexion, and deep brown eyes. She said bluntly, "The password is lumosepherus. If you cannot remember the password or lose your way around the school, ask another Slytherin for help, but do not imagine the favor to come for free."

She smirked, an expression that gave Merlin a foreboding feeling. "I expect you all to earn Slytherin points. Anyone who shames our House will answer to me."

Cassius Warrington, the other prefect and apparently a chaser on the Quidditch team, chose to intimidate them all with his impressive body physique rather than iterate any threats. It worked just as well.

When nobody said anything, Hanedo smiled, though it seemed more predatory than friendly. "Excellent. Professor Snape?"

Merlin jumped when the professor silently appeared in front of them.

"There are rules I expect every Slytherin to follow," Professor Snape said slowly, his eyes sweeping over every single face. Merlin saw a couple of them gulp, but Malfoy's lips twitched upwards a little.

"First and foremost, there is to be no fighting within the House. I do not care what petty arguments and feuds you have – snakes do not turn on each other. Anyone who attracts my attention will not enjoy the results."

Merlin grinned to himself as he realized how similar Hanedo's threats were to Professor Snape's.

"Second, I fully expect you to keep out of trouble. Anyone who is punished by another teacher for breaking the rules will be further punished by me. That goes for keeping up with your studies as well.

"Finally, you are all to behave in a proper manner befitting Salazar's noble name. If you are unaware of the basics of etiquette, I strongly encourage you to find someone who will teach you before I decide to step in. Any questions?"

Dead silence.

"Good. Get some sleep." Professor Snape left with a billow of robes.

Merlin followed the other boys to the first-year dormitories. He discovered that he shared a room with Malfoy, a fact that the other boy wasn't too happy about either. However, both of them were too tired to do anything but send each other half-hearted glares before going to sleep.

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