Chapter 17: A Different Kind of Slytherin
Moments after the train left Platform 9 and 3/4, the Weasley twins, followed by Ron, found Harry and Susan's compartment.
"Hey there Harrykins, how did it go this morning with the uh... thing we were working on?" They ended vaguely after seeing Susan sitting silently across from Harry.
"It went perfectly," Harry laughed. "Thanks again for the tip on the chocolate frog charms, Fred," he continued, dipping his head toward the twin on the left. And George, those fireworks were hilarious. I think they expanded the vocabulary of everyone in the room."
"How is it that you can always tell us apart, Harry?"
Harry smirked in response. The truth was that he could tell them apart by the pattern of their freckles. He had taken to stargazing alone or with Sirius on the nights he had trouble sleeping, and finding constellations in the night sky was no different in practice than his method for identifying the twins, not that he'd ever me ruin that. Let them think it was something less... mushy.
"Now that would be telling, boys, wouldn't it?"
The twins sighed dramatically in unison. "Well I suppose we can let it go, right, George?"
"Right, Fred, as long as you don't tell anyone else how you do it. It would be a shame if mum could tell us apart."
"Or dad."
"Or our brothers."
"Or sister."
Harry noticed Susan's head swinging to follow the speaker and took pity on her. "Of course, I could tell Susan here so she can keep an eye on you. Have you met Susan?"
With that, introductions were made and conversation moved to more general topics before the Weasleys excused themselves to find their pranking partner Lee Jordan. Ron stayed behind and the three first year students discussed the one thing on everyone's mind.
"So, Ron," Susan started politely, "you've had a bunch of brothers go to Hogwarts before us, right? Did they mention anything about how we get sorted? All adults seem to be tight-lipped about the whole thing."
Ron looked surprised to be spoken to by a girl he just met, but shrugged and answered. "Nothin' much. The twins said something about fighting troll and tricking a talking hat, but that just means it's neither of those. Bill, the oldest, said they make you swear never to tell anyone, so everyone just teases when kids ask."
They make you swear not to tell? Harry thought incredulously. Just to prank new students for all time? Wicked.
"Oh." Susan frowned thoughtfully. "I guess that makes sense, but it probably makes it worse for students who don't know which House they think they'll go to. Harry, have you given it any more thought?" she asked, referencing the discussion that had come up in their many letters.
"I'm not sure. Obviously most people think I'll be in Gryffindor, and most of my family were Gryffs, but Jonas and your aunt are proof that Hufflepuffs have great qualities too." He paused, thinking about the traits of the remaining to Houses while Susan smiled warmly at the compliment to her guardian. "I think Ravenclaw sounds like someplace I would fit in well, since I love learning so much, but I've also heard that there's a lot of competition over grades that can make building friendships hard. I don't know that I can be focused so much just on classwork. I don't really know anything about Slytherin except its reputation, which is honestly terrible, but Hogwarts: A History makes it seem like it should be a lot more than just dark wizards. And didn't Percy say that a lot of Ministry officials were in Slytherin?" he directed the last bit toward Ron, who had started to lose focus.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, Percy said Houses don't matter much after Hogwarts, but since Slytherin is mostly purebloods now, they end up having more connections in the ministry to get promoted quickly." He sounded bored, as if he had heard that exact line from his brother multiple times already. "He's a prefect this year and he won't shut up about it." That was something Harry had known, of course, since it came up in any conversation with any Weasley, which Harry found rather ironic.
After that, the conversation flowed naturally along its course, touching on hopes and anxieties for the future in equal measure. They paused once to order some sweets off the trolley, though Harry neatly avoided any chocolate frogs, having seen more than enough of those to last a lifetime. Susan, the consummate Hufflepuff everyone knew she would be, made a point to involve Ron whenever it seemed he was withdrawing from the conversation. They had just heard another complaint about first years not being allowed brooms when there was a sharp tapping on the door, revealing a raven-haired girl about their age in the space outside. Harry rose to greet her, noting her aristocratic features and expensive robes. This, he realized, was the type of pureblood his father and godfather seemed to discuss in more biting tones. Still, they had at least taught him the proper greetings, since Sirius himself was raised in such a household and Harry himself was betrothed to a pureblood Heiress.
"Good afternoon, miss. Can I help you?" he tilted his head in greeting.
"That depends. I am looking for Harry Potter. As I recognize Miss Bones and Mr Weasley..." here she seemed to find Ron distasteful, "I was hoping that you may be the right person. I've been looking in every carriage." Her eyes flashed to his scar but nevertheless waited for his confirmation.
"You're correct. I am Harry Potter. And you are?"
"Pansy Parkinson," she curtsied. "I wanted to meet you before we arrived. I am quite certain that I'll be sorted into Slytherin, as all my family has been for ages, so we probably won't be able to meet on good terms after our Sorting. I just wanted to thank you for bringing the Ministry's attention to cases of injustice. My mother just received news this morning that her petition for my father's retrial has been accepted. He was arrested before I was born and... and I never had a chance to meet him. My mother swears he's a good man and it's thanks to you that I may get the chance to know him." Her eyes had gotten a bit misty as she told her story, and she quickly wiped her face with a sleeve.
Harry suddenly felt very guilty, as he had privately dismissed the petitioners as a nuisance and likely liars making more work for Susan's aunt. Hadn't he cursed the Ministry for doing the same to Sirius? It seemed he had become prejudiced, though he claimed otherwise. He offered an olive branch to Pansy as she regained her composure.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe, if all goes well at the trial, he might like to meet my godfather?"
Pansy hesitated, not sure what to think of the offer. "I think he would like that." She turned her attention toward Susan. "I would also like to thank your aunt, Susan, if you don't mind passing along the message. I had heard she was reviewing the cases herself."
Susan quickly agreed. "She'll be happy to hear her work has paid off. And for what it's worth Pansy, I wish your dad good luck."
"Thank you," Pansy murmured shyly.
Ron had sat there throughout the conversation looking distinctly uncomfortable. Harry wasn't completely oblivious to his discomfort, but he thought that maybe this was a chance to build bridges.
"Miss Parkinson, if you'd like, you're welcome to join us for the rest of the trip. After all, we must be nearly there." He was rewarded with a bright smile from both Pansy and Susan. Ron looked slightly more pale than usual, but didn't object. It was a testament to his character that he had grown a bit since professing his dislike of all things Slytherin only weeks ago.
"I'd like that. And if you'd like, when it's just us, you can call me Pansy."
He grinned. "Harry, then."
Susan once again made any tension melt as she welcomed Pansy into the conversation. Ron, though looking less than pleased with the presence of a Slytherin— irrespective of official sorting— managed to remain civil, which Harry was grateful for. Perhaps there was a chance that this (whatever this was) would actually work.
The train soon slowed, beginning the final approach to Hogsmeade station. A few twinkling lights dotted the quiet village and a stray thought occurred to Harry. What about the students who live in Hogsmeade? Do they have to travel all the way to London just to take the Express or do they wait to join us here? Maybe it hardly mattered since London to wizards was but a fireplace or apparition pop away.
Harry hopped eagerly to the platform before remembering his manners and turning to assist his female companions. Ron, naturally, had no training or inclination toward this behavior and simply looked up in awe at the massive figure looming at the end of the platform, a massive lantern in an equally massive hand.
"Firs' years! This way firs' years! Come now don' be shy!" The large man, fitting Minerva's description of Hagrid the Gamekeeper, waved his arms to attract attention. Wholly unnecessary given the fact that on a platform full of children he was more than three times the height of most of them.
The first years assembled and scrambled madly after Hagrid matching each of his eager strides with a half dozen of their own. Harry's arm was nearly torn from its socket when Pansy slipped and tried to regain her balance. She didn't let go after that, rightly assuming Harry would prefer to keep his arm in one piece.
The group of winded first years finally slowed and came to a stop at Hagrid's gentle urging. The man himself looked unbothered after a short stroll. A pudgy boy arrived a few moments later with great wheezing breaths.
"Alrigh' then, no more 'n four to a boat." It was explained a moment later as the first students moved forward and cleared the view for Harry and his friends. There in front of them was a massive expanse of darkness dotted with stars. Where the night sky ended and the lake began was hard to determine and Harry thought for a moment that they had reached the end of the world and Hogwarts was someplace different. If it weren't for the boats, that is. There were about twenty in all, each with a lantern but no oars.
Hagrid stepped into a boat alone and it barely lurched in the shallows. He didn't know it, but that fact alone did more to convince many of Harry's classmates of the wonders of magic than anything they had seen at home or Diagon Alley.
After a moment's hesitation the students found their friends in the crowd or made temporary alliances to avoid being singled out and boarded the tiny vessels. Harry, Susan, Ron, and Pansy took one together.
"Everyone in? Good, then let's go." The boats began to glide forward as one, finally disturbing the water enough to break the natural enchantment and bring it back to reality.
"Ya get yer firs' look at Hogwarts right aroun' this bend!"
And goodness, what a look it was. Thanks to the lake, the whole castle looked like it was floating among the stars. The twinkling lights from hundreds of windows illuminated the great stone walls. The place literally screamed "magic castle" to anyone who had ever read a single fairy tale. Few words managed to do it justice. Harry felt a shiver down his spine as he took it all in, like a whisper welcoming him to a new home. He looked at the others and noted their looks of awe. He admired Susan just a moment longer than the others and she caught him staring. She blushed prettily and turned back to the castle.
"Watch yer heads now, gets a bit low here."
The first boats met a curtain of ivy that parted to reveal a small grotto. Only Hagrid actually needed to duck, the others could have stood quite comfortably.
The children all emptied from the boats, each landing with a crunch on the pebbled beach. Harry turned to watch Hagrid, expecting a small earthquake only to find nothing of the sort. That man sure walked lightly for someone with shoes the size of baby dolphins.
Hagrid grabbed the lantern from his boat and the chase began anew as the the others followed in his wake. Thankfully, this walk was much shorter and involved stairs, which slowed Hagrid down enough to follow more easily. Finally they approached a set of massive doors, so big that someone twice Hagrid's size would still fit comfortably through. He Hagrid waited for the last of the children to gather before knocking. the loud thumps echoed for a moment before the doors swung open to reveal the first glimpse of Hogwarts' interior.
"Thank you, Hagrid," came the familiar voice of Professor McGonagall.
The large man nodded before making his own way ahead of them, his task for the evening complete. Minerva, who Harry was going to have absolutely no problem calling professor, appraised the group of students with a sweeping glance.
"Welcome, all of you, to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher. In a moment we will proceed to the Great Hall, where the Sorting Ceremony will take place. Each of you will be placed in one of four Houses, each with a thousand year history and many notable alumni. The Houses, as some of you no doubt know, are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are here, your House will be like your family. You may find many clubs and sports to occupy your time here at Hogwarts, but it is first and foremost a school. Failure to complete coursework or follow common sense rules will see you punished. House points, usually earned by exceptional performance in class, can just as easily be taken as punishment. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a point of pride here. I do hope that encourages you all to do well."
Thoroughly cowed, the cluster of students shifted uneasily, wanting very much to return to the time of magical boat rides and friendly giants.
"Now, unless there are any questions, we will make our way to the Great Hall."
No one spoke a word, though one girl near the front kept opening her mouth as though she would break the tense silence. Professor McGonagall nodded and turned to lead the way.
They arrived at a second set of large doors, this one far more ornate than the first, with the Hogwarts crest carved in the center. Beyond the doors, the rustling sound of hundreds of voices could be heard faintly. That changed to a dull roar as the doors opened and the first years made their way down the center aisle to a raised dais where a rather tattered wizard's hat was placed upon a stool.
Next to Harry, Ron muttered furiously. "The sorting hat. Of all the bloody things..."
He was hardly the only one staring at the worn bit of fabric. It seemed the entire hall was now focused on it, as if they expected it to sing or something.
A moment later, a seam on the hat split open, and it began to do just that.
"In time of war, when strife was near
Four mages came to gather here.
Wands raised up in their hands
Each gave to me my true commands
'To Gryffindor the brave shall go
As lions roaring loudly
Their strength to battle every foe
And their allies follow proudly'
'To Hufflepuff the steadfast go
As badgers fight unyielding
Their loyalty shall ever grow
When true friends they are shielding'
'To Ravenclaw the wise shall go
As eagles strike unseen
Their cleverness will guide each blow
Their wit and blades are keen'
'To Slytherin the ambitious go
To lie as snakes in waiting
Their guile shall deceive our foe
They win the day with cunning'
So place me now upon your head
To point the way your path has lead"
The hat gave a short bow and became still once more.