A/N: This chapter is rather long, so enjoy.
Disclaimer: I've used some lines straight from the first book in this chapter, so again...JK owns all the characters. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.
Sorting Ceremony
Harry had been in the castle for at least a week prior to the rest of the students. He was rather confident that he knew his way around. After all, Severus had made sure that he learned of every important place in the castle before leaving Harry alone for even a moment. Harry even had met most of the staff since Dumbledore had allowed Harry to attend the little get-together the teachers had before the other students arrived. For the most part, he felt like he was finally at home.
Therefore, as he walked up the steps with the other first-years, Harry sighed heavily. At least that was how he felt before the rest of the students showed up. He had already met one boy, a blond-haired little snot, whom had already made him want to fight. However, he knew that Severus wouldn't be rather thrilled about that. So instead, Harry grinned and bore every insult the conceited aristocratic boy spewed. After all, he knew Severus would bring the boy down a few pegs once he met him.
Another boy, a redhead with worn down clothes, had seemed rather nice to Harry as they waited for Professor McGonagall to get back from the Great Hall. However, when that nasty little blond weasel came back and made fun of the red-haired boy, Harry thought it best to stay away from the redhead. After all, he didn't need a fight breaking out over him.
"We're ready for you now," Professor McGonagall, a stern looking witch, spoke before she turned around and walked back into the large room.
Harry quickly followed her. He knew the sooner the hat sorted him, the sooner he could go back to his dorm to sleep. He rather liked his bed in the Slytherin dorms. It was rather cozy at times. He heard the first-years behind him mutter back and forth to themselves about how the ceiling was bewitched. He thought that was rather obvious.
Harry's now hazel eyes glanced up at the head table as soon as he stood in front of it. Wearing a large crimson velvet pointy hat and golden robes, Albus Dumbledore sat in the middle of the head table in a high-backed gold chair. To his left was an empty chair, which Harry guessed was Professor McGonagall's spot. To the left of that sat the stuttering Defense against the Dark Arts professor Quirrell in his familiar large purple turban. Wearing his familiar black robes, Severus sat next to Quirrell. Aurora, wearing her brilliant emerald and silver robes, sat to the left of Severus on the end. On the other side of Dumbledore sat the half-giant gamekeeper and keeper of keys, Hagrid. Next to him sat a light brown haired witch in cerulean robes who kept glancing down towards Severus and Aurora with a huge grin on her face. Next to her sat the Divinations professor Trelawney, who wore the most ridiculous thing Harry had ever seen. Sitting next to Trelawney was the Muggle Studies professor, but Harry had forgotten what the professor's name was.
Harry's eyes then caught Severus's as he glanced back. Severus only raised an eyebrow, though, before glancing away. Harry then looked towards Aurora. She immediately flashed a brilliant smile towards him, which made him softly laugh. In a way, Aurora acted exactly like his mother. Harry knew that if Lily Potter had been there that she would also have been beaming with pride towards him. However, their happiness quickly soured when Severus leaned towards Aurora and whispered something in her ear. Harry watched the smile quickly fade before she went back to her stoic mask. Harry sighed heavily.
So much for feeling happy, Harry thought glumly. Someone then cleared his throat harshly, which made Harry glance up to the head table. He caught Severus's arms crossed immediately. That's not fair, Snape. I can't do that to you, he whined in his head. Severus only cocked his eyebrow again as if to say 'life wasn't fair'. You know, you could at least act as if you're happy for me. He watched the wizard snort loudly before rolling his eyes.
"Hermione Granger," Professor McGonagall's voice cut through suddenly.
Harry's head instantly whipped towards the chair where the raggedly old sorting hat sat. He watched a bushy haired girl slowly walk up there. He nearly laughed when he heard her giving herself a pep talk. However, he remained perfectly silent, though. After all, he did have an image to maintain.
"Mental, that one, I tell you," the redheaded boy whispered softly as he stood next to Harry.
"Obviously," Harry drawled. He didn't pay any more attention to the others sorting because he heard the soft tapping of something at the head table. Yet again, he glanced up there and caught Snape's eyes on him. He desperately wanted to yell 'what' towards the man, but held it back. However, before he could think anything, he watched Aurora gently punch Severus in the shoulder. He watched the anger quickly bubble to the surface before Snape glared at his wife. He couldn't help but snicker at the sight of those two. They did seem to act a bit like his parents.
"Harry Prince," the stern voice called out.
Harry's heart stopped instantly. He stared towards Aurora and Severus as a deer in headlights. He caught Aurora's soft smile and quick glance towards the rickety chair. He then noticed Severus's eyes rolling before he glanced towards the chair.
"Harry Prince," Professor McGonagall loudly announced again.
Harry shook his head, though. He couldn't move. He knew everything rode on which House the Sorting Hat placed him into, which only made his anxiety ten times worse. Slowly, he felt himself walking towards the Sorting Hat, but he knew he wasn't actually doing the moving. It was as if something or someone was controlling him. The exact second he sat down on the three-legged chair, he felt in control again. He then felt Professor McGonagall start to lower the Sorting Hat on top of his head.
"Hmm…ambitious….not a bad mind, either…cunning…just like your father…clever…" the Sorting Hat whispered in Harry's ear.
"Please be Slytherin," Harry muttered softly to himself. "Please be Slytherin."
"Yes, you would like that, wouldn't you, Harry? To be in Slytherin, just like your father…"
Harry's eyes narrowed. He wanted to open his mouth to argue with the idiotic hat, but knew that if he did it wouldn't end well in his favor. He drew in a deep breath. He thought every happy thought he could, but it didn't help.
"It's too bad that Severus isn't your father, isn't it, Harry?" the Sorting Hat whispered. "Hmm… Well, if you're sure, Harry, then better be…GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry's eyes widened. His mouth dropped. No…no…you have to be wrong, you stupid bloody hat. I can't be in Gryffindor. I have to be in Slytherin. Please…please…change it. Change your bloody mind, you stupid hat, Harry screamed in his head.
"Come along, Mr. Prince," Professor McGonagall softly said as she gently prodded him to the Gryffindor table.
Harry walked numbly towards the table. He couldn't believe it. Everything that Severus and Aurora worked hard for…was gone…because of that damn ruddy hat. He dazedly shook the hands of his new housemates before he sat down. His head hit the table with a resounding thump.
"Come on, Mate. Don't be so glum. It could be worse. You could be in Slytherin," the red-haired boy stated as he sat next to Harry.
Harry groaned loudly. Unfortunately, he wanted to be in that bloody freaking House. Well, he didn't really want to be in it as much as needed to be. He kept his head against the table as he did everything he could not to draw attention to himself. He really didn't want to look at Severus right now. He knew the look on the wizard's face, and it definitely was not amusement.
"Ah…Harry, your father wishes to speak with you as soon as the Feast is over," Gryffindor's ghost Sir Nicholas said with a smile.
"Wonderful," Harry replied quietly as he kept his face hidden.
"Now, Harry, I realize that your father had great hopes for you to be in Slytherin, but there really is no need to act like this. The Sorting Hat sorted a couple of children before you to different Houses from that of their families' norms. I'm sure he understands." Harry slowly lifted his head to glance at the ghost. "Well, perhaps not in your case, but remember that it was the thought that counts." Sir Nicholas then floated further down the table.
"Whoa…" the redheaded boy exclaimed. "Your dad's Slytherin?" When Harry didn't reply, the boy sighed heavily. "Tough luck, Mate," he quietly said. "Oh, I'm Ron Weasley, by the way." The boy held a hand out towards Harry, which Harry easily took and shook.
"Harry Prince," Harry muttered. He then glanced towards the bushy haired girl who was staring at him. He held his hand out to her, which made her turn away. "I'm not going to hurt you or anything."
"Yes, I didn't think that, but thank you for that reassurance," the girl replied bitingly. She then grabbed a hold of Harry's hand and shook it. "Hermione Granger, a pleasure," she said smoothly. "My parents are rather proud that I'm here." When she noticed Harry's eyebrow rose, she rolled her eyes. "I'm Muggleborn."
"Oh."
"Yes, well, if your father truly has an issue with you being sorted into Gryffindor rather than Slytherin, then perhaps there's something wrong with him. Ronald was just telling us all that there hasn't been a witch or wizard in Slytherin who wasn't dark."
"Is that right?" Harry replied quietly before he glanced towards Ron. "Both my parents are Slytherin," he lied. The lie easily slid off his tongue. "Neither one of them is evil from what I could tell." He watched the red-haired boy turn pink out of embarrassment. "However, you're correct. I should not be so upset over being here. How about I start over with all of you?"
"Nonsense," Hermione said with a grin. "You don't seem to be a dark wizard to me. I don't see any hatred about us Muggleborns. Maybe you really were meant to be here in Gryffindor, Harry."
Harry softly smiled back at the witch. He silently agreed with her. After all, his parents really were both Gryffindors. It was only natural that he would be too. He hoped Severus would see it that way, though. Otherwise, this was going to be a very bumpy ride.
"So are you related to the Malfoys then?" Ron asked before he started eating a chicken leg.
"Um…I don't believe so. My parents don't really like to talk about our ancestors."
"You're a pureblood, though, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Harry answered. He then caught Ron's slight nod. "Is that a problem?"
"No, no problem here, just asking," Ron quietly said.
"Forgive our little brother, Harry," one of the red-haired twins said. "He's got the brain of a troll. So, what do your parents do?"
"Um…" Harry then quickly glanced towards the head table, but neither Severus nor Aurora were paying attention to him. He guessed it would come out at some point. However, Severus had warned him to be careful whom he told. "Well, my parents actually work here." He glanced back at the twins. He immediately caught their understanding.
"Wow…never would have thought…"
"Eh…shut it, Fred. My twin brother always the jokester," the other redhead twin said. "Either way, welcome to Gryffindor, Harry. I'm George Weasley, and that's my twin brother Fred."
"You know, George, we should make Harry an honorary member of the Weasley family," Fred said with a big grin.
"What? Why?" Harry asked with a soft smile. He couldn't see what was so funny.
"Because you just pulled the biggest prank of all, my dear Harry…well…unfortunately, it's not really a prank in your case, but we never would have thought of this on our own. I understand what you're feeling, though, Harry. I would not want to be in your shoes right now."
"Gee, thanks, guys," Harry mumbled before he took a drink from his goblet.
"Eh…we try. Either way, we're really glad you're here, Harry," George said before slapping Harry on the back. Silence then settled onto the Gryffindor table for a while.
"My mum told me that Harry Potter was supposed to go here," a first-year boy somberly stated. "Too bad about them Death Eaters, ya know? Would have been fun, I'd reckon, to have him here," the boy quietly said before taking a drink.
Harry immediately stared at the young first-year. He slowly drew in a deep breath. He noticed instantly that the mood turned somber rather quickly. He then watched as some of the other students raised their goblets as if to toast, which Harry followed.
"To Harry Potter," the Gryffindors said before taking a drink from their goblets. Slowly, students then started to filter out of the Great Hall. Before long, the only Gryffindor students left in the room were Harry, Ron, the twins, and Hermione. The rest of the tables weren't much better. The Ravenclaw table only had two inhabitants left. The Hufflepuff table had one lone student, and the Slytherin and head tables were completely empty.
"Where'd everyone go?" Harry asked softly as he glanced around.
"What'd you expect, Harry? That we'd party here all night," Fred asked with a grin. "Come on. Let's show you what it truly means to be Gryffindor."
"Can't," replied Harry somberly. "I have to talk to Dad." He caught the twins pained looks on their faces. "Yeah, that's what I'm thinking."
"Well, when you get back, that is, if you still feel up to it, you should join us, Harry. The party should still be going strong about 2ish." Fred and George then got up from the table. "Come on, first-years. It's time to get you to the common room before McGonagall has kittens." George then stopped walking away from the table.
"You need someone to walk down there with you, Harry?" Harry shook his head, though. "You know, it really isn't smart to be down there by yourself. They're sort of territorial down there."
"Yeah, but Dad would curse them if they did anything to me," Harry replied with a grin. "Thanks, though, George, but I think I'll be fine." He watched them all walk away. He sighed heavily. For a split second, he thought about running, but he knew Severus would find him. He drew in a deep breath and slowly walked towards the dungeons with his head hung.
Two minutes later, Harry stood outside of Severus's quarters. He smiled sadly to Salazar who only shook his head at him. The portrait slowly opened, though, and Harry walked in. However, what greeted him wasn't what he was expecting. Hung all around the room were large banners decorated in crimson and gold. Harry's mouth dropped.
"What? How…?" Harry asked rather speechless.
"Articulate as usual, I see," Severus drawled quietly as he stood off to Harry's right. The door quietly shut behind him. "You may thank your mother for the horrid decorations."
"Aren't you upset, though?" Harry asked ignoring Snape's last comment.
"To what are you referring to, Harry?" Snape's eyes then narrowed. Then it dawned on him. "Ah. I see. No, Harry. I am not upset that you're in Gryffindor. I had already accepted that possibility long before now. Now, perhaps you will step further inside. Perchance go to your bedroom?"
"I thought I wasn't in trouble."
"You are not. However, I had to move your things to your bedroom before my Slytherins found out that someone had been in their dorms over the summer."
"Oh. I'll just go get my stuff then, sir," Harry replied quietly before walking to his room. It wasn't fair. Severus wasn't even mad at him for being in Gryffindor, but he was still kicking Harry out. He guessed he could understand, though. The man did seem rather set on having a Slytherin for a son.
As soon as Harry reached the closed door on the right, he quietly opened it. However, the exact second the door swung open, crimson and gold confetti exploded. It rained down all over the room and showered Harry. He wanted to turn around and ask Snape what was going on.
"SURPRISE!" the people in his room shouted from their hiding places.
"Mum? Dad…?"
"Hello, Darling," Lily Potter said with a wide grin. "Are you surprised?"
"But…how? I thought it wasn't safe."
"It's not," Severus replied as he silently walked up behind Harry. "However, I thought that you would enjoy being with your real parents tonight. Was I mistaken?"
"Hell no," Harry exclaimed. He grinned from ear to ear. He couldn't believe it. He had to be dreaming. It wasn't at all possible that his parents…his real parents were standing in front of him. However, he knew it was. He quickly whipped around and wrapped his arms around Severus. "Thank you, sir," he mumbled into the dark robes. He then let go and glanced back at his parents.
"Yes, well, if you require anything, I will be in the sitting room enjoying the free time that I do have." Snape then glanced towards the silent James Potter. "Remember that you will clean this mess of yours up prior to you leaving my quarters, Potter. I do not wish to explain myself to those horrific house elves why they must clean up confetti in my rooms. Is that understood?"
"Perfectly, Snape," James replied with a soft smile. "Is there anything else his Highness requires?" He snickered when Snape rolled his eyes before whirling around and leaving. "Well, Pronglet, you're now a Gryffindor. Giving old Snape a run for his money, I see, too. Just like his dad. Well, come on, son. You just gonna stand there while I hold my arms out like a zombie?"
Harry rushed to his parents' outstretched arms. He beamed as the warmth from their embrace flooded him. He couldn't believe his parents were there. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.