Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.
"Mind your step now! Firs' years follow me!" said the giant of a man who was leading them to the boats. They were led down a path along with the other first years. Danny heard Hermione saying something about the lake in excited whispers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" the large man said. Neville and Danny got in a boat with a ginger-haired kid and the boy he'd met in the robes shop. The boy with glasses looked back at him and smiled. Danny returned with a grin and then the boats left the shore.
It was very quiet, no one speaking as they got their first sight of Hogwarts. Danny had seen the castle before from the nearby town, but the view wasn't quite like this one. It was lit up against the starry sky, giant and majestic with its reflection flickering in the ripples in the lake they were traveling across.
"Heads down!" They all bent their heads as they reached a low cliff that was the entrance to the castle. They floated down a long tunnel, and at the end there was another shore of rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Neville turned back to the boat he'd just clamored out of, and when he saw Trevor lying innocently in the large man's hands, he cried,
"Trevor!" Neville held out his hands and scooped up his hands. Danny wondered how long Neville would have his pet if it kept trying to escape from him at every turn.
When the man that led them here knocked on the castle door, the last person he expected was Professor McGonagall standing there, in all her strict-teacher glory.
They all followed McGonagall after a brief exchange with the large man, now identified as Hagrid. They were led into an empty room where they could overhear hundreds of overlapping voices from where he assumed the Sorting would take place.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-the-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 rest of her speech entailed some details on the separate houses, which he'd already heard about from Neville, Hermione, and Hannah on the train. Hannah had mentioned the House Cup, but he didn't know it would be used as a punishment.
"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 you are waiting."
He saw her raise an eyebrow at Neville's lopsided cloak and Danny's untamable hair. He thought about trying to fix it a little, but he decided against it. He would probably just make it look worse. He instead fixed Neville's cloak for him.
"Thanks, Danny," Neville said.
"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he heard someone ask.
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was just joking."
"A test, huh?" Danny said. "Well, I'm doomed." A few of the other kids laughed, but most of them were quite nervous themselves.
He tried not to think about the looming ceremony, but then a cold tingle started to grow in his chest, then rose to his mouth and out came mist, like your breath on a cold morning-
Ghosts came into the room. Ghosts. Several people screamed, but Danny was glued in place. He thought he'd never see a ghost again, hoped he'd never see a ghost again-
"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 spirit-I say, what are are you all doing here?"
Spirits, they were only spirits. Danny let out a breath of relief. He felt like laughing hysterically. They were only harmless imprints of wizards who refused to leave life behind. Nothing to fear, nothing to fear.
"Now students!" said one of the ghosts, Fat Friar, he thought. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
Nobody spoke, but a few nodded.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" he said. "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," he heard McGonagall say, who had just returned. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
After hearing McGonagall's harsh tone, the ghosts slowly disappeared through the opposite wall. "Now, form a line," McGonagall said, "and follow me."
The moment they entered the Great Hall, Danny was nearly overwhelmed by the...magic of the place. He had noted the flow of magic the last time he'd been at Hogwarts, but that was when there were no students there. Here, with about three hundred students, all with magic, it was more like a tidal wave. He would have to get used to this feeling.
He noticed that he could pick out actual constellations from the ceiling. Judging by their position in the sky, it seemed too exact for it to be a painting. Hermione saw him looking, and said, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
"Cool," he said. He loved the stars; he'd had a lot of fun with his astronomy lessons with his cousins from the coven.
Meanwhile, McGonagall placed a short stool on the platform that faced the students. On top of the stool, she put a shabby, old, and dusty wizard's hat. At first glance, it looked like a piece of trash. However, like anything in the wizarding world, you shouldn't take things for granted.
Then, it began to sing.
The song explained all the traits from all the houses, Gryffindor, brave and chivalrous, Hufflepuff, patient and loyal, Ravenclaw, extremely smart, and Slytherin, cunning and ambitious. Danny smiled slightly to himself; the hat wasn't that bad of a singer.
After the hat was finished, the students and teachers applauded loudly. It bowed-sort of, it kind of just tipped it's pointed top-and became silent.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," McGonagall said with a long roll of parchment in her hand. "Abbott, Hannah!"
Danny curiously watched as the girl he'd become friends with on the train stepped up to the hat. It went right over her eyes and bent her blonde pigtails down. There was a moment of quiet, then-
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted, making some of the first-years, including Hannah, jump.
Hannah took off the hat and made her way the Hufflepuff table. She didn't look back, but he saw she had a smile on her face.
The name went on, but Danny was a little too nervous to remember. Then, his name was called, and it felt like his guts twinged when he heard.
"Fenton, Daniel!"
Danny stepped forward onto the platform, cursing his shaking knees. Honestly, he was just going to try on a hat! ...In front of the whole school.
He approached the stool and sent Professor McGonagall a nervous smile. He had never seen her smile, but he could have sworn her lips turned up a bit. It might just have been his imagination, though.
He sat on the stool and gripped it tightly. McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head. It went over his eyes and blocked his view of the other students. He was a little grateful for that.
Hmm, here's a unique student…
The hat was talking to him. In his head. Wonderful.
"You're not going to start controlling me or look at all my memories, are you?" he said-er, thought-to the hat.
No, I don't like to invade privacy. It's not very comfortable for me, either. All I really do is analyze your personality and sort you into a place that suits it.
"Oh. Okay then."
You've got an interesting background. Foreign, though immersed in British culture well enough to blend. Lots of hardships for such a young life.
"Eh...ah…" Danny didn't really like to think about...it too much.
Lots of courage, and a good mind. Not polished for academics, so not Ravenclaw.
"Thank you." Danny hadn't been to school in a while; the last thing he wanted was to room with all the geniuses.
Very cunning, and a bit mischievous, which is good in Slytherin. Stubborn, too. There is a rashness that would fit in Gryffindor, however. There is success in both houses. The question is, where to put you?
"Whatever will work out, I guess." He couldn't really question a decision made by an all-knowing hat.
Very well then. "SLYTHERIN!"
The hat came off, and applause sounded from the Slytherin table. Danny walked shakily (though he didn't show it) there. A few older kids let him sit near, but didn't acknowledge him further. He saw Hermione get sorted into Gryffindor and another Slytherin be sorted: Daphne Greengrass. He applauded along with the rest of his house, and gave Greengrass a small smile when she sat across from him. He was a little relieved when she smiled back; he was beginning to think everyone in his house was unapproachable and mean.
"Longbottom, Neville!"
Danny watched eagerly as the shy kid he'd come to know as a friend over the past few months walked to the stool. He had learned that Neville wasn't a coward (proved when he agreed to try and get past the Devil's Snare with him) just...hesitant, at times. Especially when safety was involved. He was curious to see where he would end up.
The hat took a long time, until finally, "GRYFFINDOR!" Danny smiled, then snorted when Neville ran off with the hat still on. Not cowardly, but definitely awkward and a little foolish.
"What a dork," Greengrass said as she laughed with Danny and the rest of the student body.
"Yeah, but he's alright," Danny said.
"You know him?"
"Yeah, spent the summer with him-hey, another Slytherin."
The pale blond kid he'd seen on the train strutted to the table, a smug expression on his face.
"That's Draco Malfoy," Greengrass said. "He'll be high up on the social ladder, just you watch. His dad's got ties everywhere."
Danny nodded, not really sure what to make of Draco Malfoy. He didn't make the best impression on him on the train, though the fact that nearly everyone from their table clapped for him, even the older ones, made him think he should probably try to put up with him.
"Potter, Harry!"
The Great Hall went completely silent. Everyone was waiting with baited breath as the Boy-Who-Lived stepped up to be sorted.
"That's the kid from the robes shop," thought Danny. Who knew he had been rambling to a world-famous celebrity.
The hat was taking a long time. He could hear Greengrass muttering to herself, "Come one, be Slytherin, Come on…"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Darn it!" Greengrass said and she hit a fist against the table. "Lost the bet…"
Meanwhile, the Gryffindor table was erupting in cheer, applause, and shouts.
"Enthusiastic lot, aren't they?" Danny said. He glanced at McGonagall, who seemed to be smirking at Snape, who had his usual scowl on his face. Is it really as scowl, or was he just born with his mouth like that?
After the Great Hall settled down, the sorting was continued, though it lost a little bit of spirit compared to the monumental event of Potter's sorting. They were nearing the last of the first-years when Ronald Weasley was called.
"Ugh, Weasleys. All the same, the lot of them; no brains or brawn under that hair and freckles," Malfoy said. The two bulky boys beside him laughed. Danny inwardly rolled his eyes, while Greengrass just ignored him.
The Sorting ended with Blaise Zabini sorted into Slytherin. When the boy was seated, the Sorting Hat was taken away and Albus Dumbledore stood up. Danny wasn't really sure what to think of the Headmaster, other than their first meeting gave him the impression that he was a little eccentric.
"Welcome!" he said. " Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." He seemed to glance at the Gryffindor table, but he couldn't tell who he was looking at.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all 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 teams should contact Madame Hooch. And, finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Dumbledore said this all very straight-faced, and he made a mental note to get a map of the castle, since he didn't even know where this forbidden corridor was.
"And without further ado, Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Dumbledore said. He knew it was magic, but what did he-ah, food!
Danny excitedly started piling food on his plate. God, he was so hungry.
"A little hungry there, Fenton?" Greengrass said as she got her own food a little more slowly.
"Yes!" he said. Well, tried to say; his mouth was full of chicken, so it probably sounded more like 'esh'.
She shook her head, but smiled. "So you spent the summer with Longbottom? Your parents know him or something?"
He nodded. "Something like that." Neville and he had decided to let everyone come to their own conclusions about his past, but control what hints they gave out. It was a little easier than thinking up a cover story. It had been Danny's idea, and had impressed Neville.
He talked to Greengrass a little more, whom he eventually began to call Daphne, and she called him Danny. She had started to call him Daniel, but he stopped that immediately.
"It's Danny. Daniel is what my mom called me when I was in trouble." Which happened a lot back then, but she didn't need to know that.
She nodded. Malfoy suddenly interrupted, "Your name's Fenton? I don't know that name."
"You wouldn't know it," he said, trying not to glare at the blonde boy. "It's American."
"You're American?" Daphne said. "You don't have an accent."
"Way to point out the obvious, Daphne," a girl named Pansy said.
Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "Why would you go here? Why aren't you wit your...what is it, clan?"
"Coven," he corrected. "Or guild. And I moved here a few years ago after a...bad accident."
"Accident? What happened?"
God, this kid was annoying. He said through clenched teeth, "I'd rather not talk about it, since it was a 'bad' accident after all."
Malfoy looked like he was about to push the matter, but then a ghost came up beside him. It was house ghost, the Bloody Baron. He was creepy and more than a little intimidating, even though he could never touch anyone.
"I don't know much about American magic," Daphne said. "Is it true there are no schools?"
"Yeah," he said, happy for the subject change. "It's all taught through the families mostly, but in some cases kids are tutored through their guild. Those are only the bigger ones mostly. You've heard of the one in Salem, right?" Daphne nodded, along with the other first-years listening in. "They're one of the only ones who do trade and stuff with the other wizard communities."
"That's so weird!" Pansy said. "What's your guild?"
Ah, here was a difficult question. It might be considered high treason to Mom's coven if he revealed too much about it. Simple and vague, keep it simple and vague, Fenton!
"It's a bit small, near Canada." Vague and simple, no need to have those freaky witches after your head.
"What do they specialized in?" said Malfoy, who had finally found his voice.
Ah, easy question. "They study stars. You know, predictions and stuff?" Astronomy was a side project, like, way off to the side. The main study of Mom's coven was considered Dark Magic here, so he wouldn't talk about it even if he could. With Astronomy, he could be as detailed as needed at the same time never mentioning the bigger picture. Circular logic was great!
Soon enough, it was time to leave the Great Hall and go to the dorms. They followed the prefects to what they called the dungeons, which struck Danny as hilarious for some reason. It might've been because he was getting really tired from all that food.
"The password is Ophiuchus," the prefect said. Danny's mind automatically switched to the constellation lessons he'd had so many years ago. Ophiuchus was a doctor traveling with the Argonauts, and always carried a magical healing snake. He always thought that story was interesting.
"Alright, first-years," the prefect who led them in said. "We'll send you up to your dorms after a few words. As you might have heard, the Slytherin House has won the House Cup for over six years now. It would be in your best interest to not do anything to break that streak. And since you start classes tomorrow, you can ask some of the older students or prefects, like myself, for tips on how to win points."
After his speech, he led the boys to their dormitories, and the girl prefect led the girls to a different tunnel. The tunnel that led to their dorms were lit with dim green lamps that made the whole tunnel seem like a moldy cave.
His dorm was shared with all the other Slytherin boys in his year, which included Malfoy and his shadows, Crabbe and Goyle. The others were Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, both a little quiet compared to the arrogant and bragging Malfoy heir.
As he settled into the bed that held his trunk, he heard Malfoy speak, "My father says that as you get older, the dampness in the air goes away. It's like a rewarding charm, for staying another year-"
Danny tuned him out and closed his eyes. Hopefully he'd be able to see Neville soon, maybe even Hermione and Hannah. He wasn't sure how long his sanity would last being around Malfoy during his stay at Hogwarts.
This was a pretty long chapter! Well, compared to the other chapters. I hope you liked it. So...Slytherin. Kudos to those of you who noticed Danny's tie ahead of time.
I think I got all of the Slytherin students...but I'm not positive. If you see a mistake, tell me! Also, I switched the order of some things around from the original order in the book, but unless you have a really good memory, I doubt you'd mind it much.
So, without further ado, if you have any critiques, don't hesitate to tell me! And if you think flames are critiques, go ahead and write those too.
Until next time.
