Part 1 of Slytherin Pure Bloods - Shadowed Past

Chapter 10

The Great Hall

Arriving at Hogwarts was the most exciting and scariest thing she had ever done. Entering the Great Hall, they followed McGonagall down the centre, when she saw the four long tables; she suspected that each house was segregated. Looking at all the faces, just like at the station, she thought she saw someone she knew, but was mistaken.

Halfway down the hall, she saw two boys sitting together that looked just like Zachary's older brothers; Dave and Harvey, then suddenly, she realised that it was Dave and Harvey. She whispered to Kerrie, 'what house is that?'

Kerrie, looking where she indicated (using her eyes), replied, 'Hufflepuff.'

When they reached the front, they waited in a line. In front of them was a table, with several people sitting behind it, with a very large window behind them. In front of the high table, with several people sitting behind it, who were obviously the teachers, was a very old hat sitting on a stool; this must have been the Sorting Hat!

McGonagall simply explained, 'when I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted.' As they waited to be sorted, she found it hard for her mind to not dwell on the house names, Erina, Kerrie, Jenny, and most of all Malfoy.

Her friend was the second to be called by Professor McGonagall, 'Kerrie Arith'. She watched as her friend sat down, the hat put on her head. She got the feeling that they might no be able to be together in the same house, she hoped they would. She waited, as all was quiet. She found she felt strange when the hall was so quiet. Suddenly she felt a pang, as the Sorting Hat called out 'SLYTHERIN'. She saw one of the teachers' smile and clap more than the others. She was certain she'd seen him before. Kerrie's house cheered her as she left to join them at their table.

'Hermione Granger,' called McGonagall. The girl, she'd met and talked to on the Hogwarts Express, walked up to the stool and eagerly jammed the sorting hat on her head. After a while, the hat shouted, 'GRYFFINDOR.' A first year boy, with red hair, groaned. Hermione went to sit down at the Gryffindor table, which was cheering for her. When she had sat down, Hermione looked at her and smiled.

'Alexander Flint,' called McGonagall, making Sarah look back to the sorting hat. Alexander sat on the stool with the hat on his head, for what felt like minutes, before it shouted, 'SLYTHERIN.' Alexander left to join the cheering Slytherins, a smirk playing on his face.

'Alexandria Ingram,' came McGonagall's voice, again. Since she was so nervous, she didn't catch every name McGonagall called. The Girl with short brown hair and bright greem eyes, who was standing next to her, walked forward, her back and shoulders straight as she walked over to put on the sorting hat.

'SLYTHERIN,' the hat cried. She, like the boy, smirked as she approached the cheering Slytherins, though Sarah noticed, Alexandria wasn't the only one.

She waited anxiously for her name to be called. She had finally gotten used to being "Sarah Ella Prince". She heard Professor McGonagall's voice call 'Draco Malfoy'. Suddenly her mind was devoid of all thoughts, she found she couldn't think at all as she watched him approach the hat. The hat hadn't really touched his head when it cried 'SLYTHERIN.' That same teacher smiled as he, and everyone else, clapped. Surely she'd seen him before. Her mind was her own again when a scary thought struck her. What if she wasn't sorted into a house? She dreaded the thought.

'Harry Potter'

Suddenly the hall was filled with many whisperings as he walked towards McGonagall and the old sorting hat. Catching a glimpse of the hook nosed teacher in black, in the corner of her eye, she could see that he didn't look too pleased, and he held a curious expression. People were trying to get a view of Harry Potter as the hat was placed on his head. Everyone became silent, so silent that you'd be able to hear a pin drop. The hat didn't take forever, yet it didn't announce at once. After a short while the hat shouted 'GRYFFINDOR'.

The hook nosed man looked even less pleased (if that were possible) as the loudest shouts she had ever heard in her life came from the Gryffidor table as Harry Potter went to sit down. She got really nervous, she knew she was next, and sure enough, Professor McGonagall called, 'Sarah Prince'.

Having no idea why – the hook nosed man was giving her his full attention, watching her curiously with his black eyes, as she walked forward. She sat down on the stool as McGonagall placed the hat on her head. Where was she to end up? The hall was gone from view; it was now all black. She felt like she was in a void of silence. She sat there nervous. She heard a voice, was the hat talking?

'Shy, but brave once you get going, very smart, very cunning, and a will to fight for your beliefs, though I think your mind knows more than you understand.' it said. 'Talented too, why your time at Hogwarts will be most impressive...' The hat muttered into silence. What house was it going to put her in?

She got the feeling that the hat was searching deep into her mind. Perhaps finding things she didn't even know nor wanted others to know. She hated this feeling of probing in her mind, (though this was the first time). Suddenly a small bit of her power broke free and shielded her mind, but it left as quickly as it had come, surprised, she had lowered her barrier without realising it.

'You're a difficult one to place.' It's voice echoed in her mind. Sarah felt a sinking feeling, was she going to be sent back?

'Hmm... Hufflepuff doesn't suit you. Ah! But you would do well in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor...' Did this mean she wouldn't be able to be friends with her new friend, Kerrie? Although she still had Hermione.

'Which house am I going to be in?' she thought, not knowing that the hat could hear her.

'I've got just the house for you, but...'

'So get on with it then.' She felt like she'd been here forever, she was beginning to lose her patience and her nerves were getting to her.

'As you wish,' it said, as if it had only just come to a conclusion. 'Then you'd better be...'

The hat paused, she gripped the chair; she knew the hat was going to announce it to the Great Hall for all to hear. She was shocked when it shouted her house name, she could hear the cheering from within the hat before it was lifted from her head.

She walked over to her house table a little shaken. So she couldn't see why the hat had placed her in this house, but maybe in due time she may come to realise, it's reasons.

She looked up at the High Table, her eyes meeting with the hooked nosed man's. He wasn't smiling as much as he had for Kerrie or Draco. He clapped along with everyone else, perhaps not as enthusiastic as she'd expected. She didn't know why, but for some reason she felt like smiling, as if some happiness inside her wanted to brake free. She smiled with the happiest feeling she'd ever had. Seeing this, his mouth curved into a more visible smile and he clapped more enthusiastically. Sitting down, she looked around at her fellow house members, still smiling. Seeing her smile, they all smiled back (though some grinned).

'Slytherin', the Sorting Hat had said...

Turning to Kerrie, she asked, carefully, keeping her voice down so only she'd hear, 'whose that hooked-nosed teacher?' Kerrie didn't even look away from the sorting, when she whispered flatly, 'that's Professor Snape, Potion's Master, our Head of House.' That would explain his smile when both Kerrie and Draco were sorted into Slytherin, but that didn't explain why he seemed so familiar, or why he looked at her with such curiosity and thoughtfulness.

She turned back to the sorting hat just in time to see the last person being sorted. 'Blaise Zabini,' McGonagall had called. The hat was placed on his head and it didn't take long for the hat to shout 'SLYTHERIN'.

She cheered along with the rest of her house. As Slytherin House cheered Zabini Blaise, her eyes caught Snape's, he still watched her, as if he could foretell trouble. She knew that his opinions mattered because he was her Head of House. He could very well expel her if he wished, but she doubted she'd ever get in that much trouble.

How little she knew...

So deep in thought, she hadn't heard what Dumbledore had said, but for some reason she knew he'd not said anything of importance. Sitting next to Kerrie, Sarah helped herself to a pork chop, as her eyes moved around the Great Hall.

She remembered all the things she had been told since she had heard about Hogwarts, but this was nothing like she'd expected, she was lost for words. The Great Hall was magnificent, the ceiling seemed to reflect the night sky and there were floating candles. She was in awe, so in awe that it took her a few moments to realise that people were talking nearby.

'...Father will be so pleased to know that I've made it into Slytherin.' It was Draco Malfoy. Although Malfoy seemed upset about sitting next to a ghost, he was quite cheerful about being in Slytherin. He was sitting some distance to her right, talking to some boys sitting near him. Zabini was sitting next to him while Crabbe, Goyle and one skinny boy she didn't know, that she'd seen with Malfoy in the boat as they'd crossed the lake, was sitting across from him. Sarah couldn't help but think of him as a miniature Snape. He looked just like the professor, from the black eyes to the shoulder-length black hair and even his nose was hooked like the Professor's.

Turning to her friend Kerrie, who was sitting on her left, she asked, 'What do you think our first lessons are going to be like?'

Kerrie, swallowing the piece of steak in her mouth, turned to her, 'I don't know, but we'll most likely be starting things small, since we don't know much magic.'

When she thought she could eat no more, (to her surprise), everything on the plates vanished to be replaced with desserts. She was happy to spot the chocolate éclairs; she had always wanted to try one and had never had the opportunity, until now. Thankfully she had enough room for at least one, as she happily helped herself to an éclair.

Her friend Kerrie was talking to an older girl on her left about classes, while Draco Malfoy was talking to Blaise Zabini, (the only person sitting between her and Malfoy) and the boy that looked like Professor Snape, about what sounded like some sort of magical creature, while Crabbe and Goyle were feeding their faces. Feeling sleepy, she looked up at the High Table. Professor Snape was talking to a man wearing a purple turban, while McGonagall and Dumbledore were happily chatting away.

Finally, after what felt like forever, it was time to go to bed.