"Not Slytherin? Are you sure? You have great qualities, you know that? I can see that Slytherin would guide you to a path of greatness, no doubt about that… still no? really? Very well, if you're so sure of yourself, better go in… GRYFFINDOR!

Sorting hat, Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers, page 124

ANSWERS TO THE REVIEWERS:

(Those in bold are good authors, read their fics!)

Kara Star: Ah, I love reviews like that… boosts my ego, y'know ^_-

Neutral: Thanks for review #9! He is more bold, simply because he knows more about the wizarding world and Hogwarts than Gryffy Harry. Differences will get bigger steadily. It'll be fun for all of us to see this Harry react. Oddly enough, I don't have any idea how I'll do the first Quidditch match, and I already know how the start of book 2 will be… It does leave me a lot of room, why do you think I did it? ^_^ I'd like to thank JK Rowling for making up a name like that and leaving the character empty, thank you. Mrs Zabini is funny. Expect more of the family as the story goes. VMorticia: Sorry, but Nemesis isn't the kind of snake to agree to any name given to him, and especially not the name of a class. You DO have to admit it was funny though. "And I bet you'll name you're owl Transssfiguration?" Thanks… *mutters* mwahaha, part 1, done… I'm on my way to having as many reviews as "PoU"!!! Erm… *Looks at the review count" erm… just 1500 more to go… *sigh*

Super saya-jin Gotan; aka, He-who-has-a-really-weird-name

Kathleen: I agree, there aren't enough of those… compared to shitty "Griffy Harry in fifth year" fics. *sigh* But I know why, Slytherin Harry fics require a bit of character bending and thought to keep it believable. Re-read the part in Diagon alley: Every changed things had a reason why it didn't happen in the cannon, especially Nemesis (Hagrid was busy with Blaise and drooling over the Occamy)

Ranma: Well here you are, served!

Tima: Erm… *Takes away his/her sugar* there. Now, go repair my roof. *LOL*

'Mes: Not all of us are… we're just misunderstood. The way we manipulate people into doing our every whim, the way the other houses never know what to think in front of a Slytherin, that's why most think we're evil. That, and the fact that the books are in Harry's biased POV, and that, because of Hagrid and Draco, he thinks all Slyths are evil. *sighhh* I worked a while on Blaise and stuff, and I am proud of my work ^_-. The snake part isn't Harry's fault, Nemesis is the one to blame. *yeah right*. Shut up, Nems. Well, here's the next part! Happy?

Author's notes: Sorry if it took a while, ppl! Chapter 4 wouldn't write itself and I had to blackmail it to get it to work. ^_- And I couldn't release this one until it was finished. Well now it is, so here we go! Chapter 2 is up!

Chapter 2: And the hat said…


"NOOOOOO!!! IT CAN'T… ALREADY BE…"

That morning, in number five, Privet drive, a shrill, high-pitched scream of terror and agony woke the household up. Number four woke up soon after, when Dudley fell from his bed as an after-effect from the scream, shaking the foundations of the house.

"Yes, it already is…" Harry mumbled sleepily from his bed, then sat up, beaming, as he realized what he had said. "IT ALREADY IS!"

You wonder what's already is? The calendar can answer you.

The day was September first. The day they would leave to Hogwarts. The day Harry Potter had been waiting impatiently. The day that meant the same thing, in Blaise Zabini's mind, as the end of the world.

While Harry excitedly burst down the stairs, beaming widely as he stumbled in the kitchen, Blaise had a look similar to someone walking down the death row for the third time after the electric chair malfunctioned twice.

"Good morning!" came Harry's cheerful welcome in a voice so sweet listening to it gave tooth decay as he literally floated down on his chair.

"Hey." Came Blaise's flat voice as she dragged her feet into the room in a way similar to someone who had just took a jogging trip non-stop around the world, almost knocking her chair over when she tumbled down on it, her head falling on her arms.

For the two adults in the house, it was a most amusing sight. Harry was evidently very eager to go to Hogwarts. Then again, he was very eager with anything to do with magic, so his eagerness would probably be lost after a week of intense immersion in it. As for Blaise, she looked like it was a condemnation to eternal doom and eyed her Hogwarts letter like a one-way ticket to hell. With free dibs on the lava baths. The extra-hot ones, not the cheap public ones. Honestly, Satan should think better than… umm… I digress.

"C'mon, Blaise! It's not THAT bad! Sure, we're going to school… but this is Hogwarts we're talking about." Harry tried to reason.

"So? It's still a school, which means teachers, work, work, more work and…" She shuddered "…Homework…"

"There's nothing wrong with a little work…"

She glared at him, shutting him up very effectively, then continued on her tirade. "And I bet the teachers are all horrible… I bet they'll all give us mountains of homework… and their detentions are gonna be terrible and painful…"

Mrs Zabini burst out laughing at that, stopping her daughter. "Horrible? Ok, so Professor McGonagall is a bit strict, but apart from her, all the others are as calm as Puffskeins. Flitwick, Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore… as for Quirell, I certainly doubt you'll find him scary. Chances are, he'll find you scary."

Everyone chuckled, Mr Zabini having heard of Professor Quirrel through Harry's excited speech on his return from Diagon Alley.

After breakfast, they packed their things, Harry hiding Nemesis in his trunk, much to the snake's annoyance, which he voiced very loudly as Harry tried to stuff him among the disused socks. Then, Mrs Zabini drove them out to King's cross. Harry noticed the Dursleys were all looking out the window and couldn't help but wave out and smirk.

"Curse you next summer!" He shouted.

The curtains of the window almost ripped when a purple uncle Vernon closed them, much to the Zabini's and Harry's hilarity.

"You do know that you wont be able to cast spells during the summer, right?"

Harry nodded and smirked impishly. "I know, but they don't."

The station was unusually crowded that day. Muggles were everywhere, many of them in business suits while the wizards stuck out like a sore thumb. Evidently, they had no idea what muggles wore at all, as proved by a man who passed by them, dressed in a skiing suit top and golfing pants, or that woman who was wearing a dressing jacket and very small skirt, making her look like a hooker. She appeared puzzled at the looks she was receiving and Harry could barely stop himself from bursting out laughing. He expected to see one of them dressed in a mascot costume anytime now.

Mrs Zabini guided them through the hilarious spectacle, toward the barrier between platform 9 and 10.

"Blaise, you go first. Just run right at the barrier, don't be afraid. Make sure the muggles don't see you though."

The girl nodded and gripped her trolley's handle in both hands, running straight at the brick wall. Just as she was about to hit it, a muggle businessman passed in front of them, looking at his watch like he was late, and the next thing Harry knew, Blaise wasn't there anymore.

"Your turn now." Mrs Zabini said with a warm smile that wanted to be comforting, but ended up chilling Harry's bones. What if the barrier didn't let him through? What if he hit it and look like an idiot? What if he really wasn't a wizard…

…

He then felt really stupid for even thinking such a thing. Gathering all his courage, he faced the ominous enemy that stared back at him through it's stony ey--…umm… bricks, standing up against him. Harry was sure he heard it chuckle, though it could very well have been his imagination.

He aimed at the barrier like a marksman archer going for the kill; it would be really stupid of him to miss the barrier now, would it? One last look around him to check if there was any muggle watching and, seeing as Mrs Zabini was the only one looking at him, he charged forward, his feet thundering at the stones, the trolley pulling him forward in it's momentum like a jousting knight's stallion. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop and closed his eyes, preparing for the impact.

There was an impact, but not against the wall. Unless the wall had the ability to speak obscenities and calling whoever hit it a "bloody murdering maniac".

Harry opened his eyes and found he had knocked over a platinum-haired boy. A familiar platinum-haired boy, accompanied by a tall slightly-darker-haired man who looked at him with an air of surprise and disgust.

Draco Malfoy looked up and smirked at Harry. "Oh, it's you…" He said simply, rubbing at his head. "Well, just 'cause I know you, I'll forgive you for that."

Harry chuckled and helped Draco up as Blaise walked closer to them.

"Harry, c'mon! Let's get the best seats!" She shouted.

"Coming Blaise!" He shouted back, grabbing his trolley and settling Hedwig's cage, in which the owl was looking a bit more than disgruntled at him.

He gave a quick nod at the blonde boy and sped toward the train. Behind him, Draco's father bent down to whisper something at the boy's ear, something that made the boy gasp in surprise. The words "Harry Potter" were readable on his lips.

Harry and Blaise easily found a compartment. They were very early and, thus, had many places to choose from. They picked one near the middle, hung their things on the supports over them, and settled down on the comfy seats.

"Can't wait to be there!!" Harry let out, grinning from ear to ear.

Blaise deadpanned and sighed dramatically, her head dropping on her arms which were crossed on the table. "nut mfff.." she mumbled.

Harry burst out laughing at her face just as the door slid open and Draco, alone, walked in.

"So, you didn't tell me you were Harry Potter." He said directly and as bluntly as a mace.

"Does it matter?" Harry asked with a shrug. Blaise grinned a bit.

"Doe…" Draco looked a bit surprised, then smiled. "Draco Malfoy, but you already knew that."

"Harry Potter, but apparently you found out." Harry replied with a smile. The other boy chuckled. "And this is Blaise Zabini…" He motioned to the girl, who waved and grinned widely in her usual constantly-hyper way.

"Zabini, eh?" Draco said, frowning a bit.

"Yes, Zabini. Got a problem with my family name?" Blaise asked, practically glaring at him.

Draco shrugged. "No, not really. Not your family name."

Harry guessed that there was something he didn't know about, but figured it wasn't the time to ask. Instead, he changed the subject.

"So, Draco, what house do you think you'll be in?"

"None of the other houses are good enough but Slytherin. You?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe Slytherin too, maybe anything else… I think whoever's sending us in our houses' gonna have a hard time on me."

Blaise shrugged. "Well, from what I've heard, your dad was a Gryffindor, you look bookish enough to be a Ravenclaw, but you look more like a Slytherin to me."

"It'd be a shame is Harry Potter was ANYTHING but a Slytherin." Draco commented.

Harry gave him a look, then shrugged. "Guess we'll see when we get there… It'd be fun if we're all in Slytherin though."

Blaise grinned and nodded. "Sure would!"

The train whistled loudly, announcing it's immediate departure. Harry looked out the window and waved at Mrs Zabini, finally spotting someone dressed in a mascot costume, of Barney, no less.

The train started picking up speed and Harry closed the window, grinning.

"Boy, you sure look happy to be going…" Draco said, giving him an odd look.

Harry shrugged. "Well, let's see. I'm going to a school to study magic, I'll be far from the Dursleys and, for once, Dudley's not coming to make my life hell. So, yes, I'm happy to be going."

"I almost wish he was going…" Blaise mused. "Then we'd have someone to practice our hexes on…"

Harry gave her an odd look, but his eyes were laughing. "Wouldn't the target be a bit too big… I mean, it would be harder to aim on a small whale than him…" Blaise burst out laughing and Draco smirked, although he looked a bit puzzled.

Harry and Blaise continued to make fun of Dudley for another hour, assisted by Draco who joined in after a while, and by the time the food cart arrived, they still hadn't gone through all his faults.

"You want anything?" The witch pushing the food cart asked.

Draco grinned and took out a large pouch, taking out a dozen Gallions.

"A bit of everything please."

"A bag of every flavor beans for me!" Blaise chimed, holding out a coin.

Harry looked at the pouch in surprise. Was everyone in the wizarding world wealthy? Then, he remembered Blaise's family, who lived rather normally. Maybe the coins didn't have much value? He decided to ask Blaise later, not wanting to look stupid.

He looked in awe at the mountain of candy Draco had bought. He randomly picked something, a bad of what looked like multicolored beans.

"Careful around those, Harry…" Blaise began, her hand in a similar bag. "They really are of every flavor. If you're lucky, you can end up with chocolate, blueberry or strawberry, but there's also trash, goblin blood… mom says she got wasabi one day."

"Wasabi? What's that?" Draco asked.

"A very, very hot muggle Japanese spice… she almost drank the Mediterranean sea after just that one. Not that salt water would have helped any." After a quick chuckle, she popped a golden-colored bean in her mouth and grinned. "Caramel! Mmm…!" 

Harry picked the first one he saw, an odd, grey bean. With hesitation, he popped it in his mouth, then his face twisted and his spit it out. "Trash!!" He gasped, opening the window and throwing it out under the other two teens' laughs. Deciding to go for something safer, he made another random choice from the mountain, this time taking an hexagonal package that opened from the top. What was inside made him gasp in surprise, then even more as it jumped out of the box.

"A frog?!"

Draco quickly caught it and gave at look at Harry. "Not real frogs, they're made out of chocolate."

Relieved, Harry picked it out of Draco's hand and ate it, then looked down in the package.

"Hey, there's some kind of card there…"

Blaise grinned, her hand stuck in her "Bertie Blott's every flavor beans" bag. "That's the best part of chocolate frogs… minus the frog, 'course. In each package, there's a card of a famous witch or wizard. Which one do you have?"

Harry looked and gasped. "Albus Dumbledore… cool!"

Blaise shrugged. "Already have 2 of those… If you get a Morgan though,  I can exchange for one of my Ptolemys." (A/N: Lol, little joke here, re-read the book at that part)

Harry wasn't quite listening, his attention completely on the words on the card.

            Albus Dumbledore, current Headmaster of Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry.

Widely considered to be the greatest wizard of the current age, Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Famous for defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and for his work on alchemy with his friend Nicolas Flamel.

"whoa… he sounds impressive…" Harry mumbled, turning to card around to see the picture. To his annoyance, it was gone. In his short time at the Zabinis' house, he had seen normal wizard pictures and how they moved. Before his eyes, Dumbledore walked back, his old, sage and blue eyes twinkling merrily at him.

"Sounds boring to me." Drawled Draco.

Soon, dozens of chocolate frog packages were open and cards were laid down in front of them. Blaise was happily looking at the "Morgan" Harry had given her, Draco was chuckling while a blushing Harry was trying to take the "Harry Potter" card from his hand, in which he was just a baby, cooing and ginning toothlessly at whoever looked.

And it's at that scene that a bushy-haired girl opened the door, looking around, while a slightly round-faced boy was looking in the compartment just in front, where two red-haired and a black-skinned boys were looking at a rather large box out of which an unnaturally large furry spider leg was sticking out, it's owner apparently trying to get out of the box.

"Excuse me," she asked, looking around. She was already dressed in her robes. "but did any of you see a toad around here?"

"Nope, we –"give that back!"– not a chance, Harry… didn't see anything."

The girl pouted a bit. Harry grinned and pounced, grabbing the card but ending up pushing both him and Draco to the ground, the card slipping out of both their hands and at Hermione's feet.

"Hey, gerroff!" Draco protested, pushing Harry off him and getting up, giving a quick glare at the other boy.

Harry got up, dusted himself and turned to the girl, who was looking at the picture, then back at him, her eyes wide.

"You're Harry Potter?"

Harry groaned and slapped his forehead. He hated those words already. "Last time I checked." He replied wearily.

"That's so awesome! I'm Hermione Granger and I know everything about you, I read some additional books for my general knowledge and I can tell you they talk about you in Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and in Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

Harry gave her a surprised look. He knew he was famous, but didn't know he was in the history books.

"You didn't know? If it had happened to me, I would have read everything that talked about it." She said. Harry mentally snorted. Like he wanted to be reminded how his parents had died. "Do you know in what house you'll be?" Before Draco could reply the almighty "S" word, she continued "I hope I'll be in Gryffindor, it looks like the best house… I read Dumbledore passed his studies there, but Ravenclaw doesn't bad either. Oh, I have to go, Neville's toad won't find itself." She turned around, and shot one final look at them. "You'd better put on your robes, we'll be there soon."

And she closed the door, after not letting any of the three say one word in her extremely fast babble. The three looked at each other in still silence for a while.

"Muggle-borns…" Draco muttered in an exasperated sigh.

Harry shrugged. "I understand her perfectly… 'xcept for the constant reading part."

Blaise gave him a wry look. "Really? Who was it again that looked at his books like they were telling you the 101 ways of manipulating people into doing what you want?"

Harry shot her a dark look while Draco suddenly looked thoughtful. "Hmm… they really should make a book like that, it would be quite useful…" he mused.

"Who do you wanna try it on?" Harry asked, wondering if Draco even had an enemy to manipulate.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, Potter." The blonde boy challenged.

"Let's put our robes on…" Blaise said, getting up and pulling out her own black robe, which she pulled down over her clothes, imitated by the two others.

The door opened again and two large boys walked in, looking at Draco.

"The train's about to stop and—" The largest of the two began.

"I know that." He snapped, turning to Harry. "This is Crabbe, this is Goyle." He pointed at the two gorillas.

Harry gave him a smirk. "What, you'd need a book to manipulate them?"

Draco shook his head and whispered to Harry "Their skulls are about as thick as a pair of dragon hide-reinforced budgers, and a caterpillar would sleepwalk faster than they can think. No, I do not need a book to manipulate those two."

Harry gave another look at the two, who were looking through the door, apparently unsure of what to do now that their message was delivered. Yup, Harry mused, no one would need a book to manipulate those two.

The train screeched to a halt at the station. Outside, the sky was already dark and the small village's windows were all lit in a light that varied strength and color. One of them had a flashing green light that made Harry wonder how the person inside could stand it. Draco seemed to know what to do and, after leaving his things in the train, walked straight out. The other two, puzzled, shrugged and followed him.

As soon as they were out, the first thing Harry noticed was that he was among the smallest. Everyone around them were easily two or three heads taller than Crabbe and Goyle. They all heard, however, the bellowing voice that shouted loudly "Firs' years! Firs' years, c'm over here!"

They followed the voice directly to Hagrid's enormous booted feet. The man was wearing the same large cloak filled with pockets he had been wearing the first time Harry had seen him, along with a crimson coat that could easily have covered the four boys and the girl at the same time. He grinned at them as they arrived, waving with the only trashcan-lid-sized hand that wasn't occupied by holding a large lamp.

"Hey there Harry!" He said, grinning at the boy. He replied with a grin and nodded.

After making sure there were no more first years left, Hagrid guided them away from the large group of students going up the hill to Hogwarts in what seemed to be horseless carriages. They stopped at the edge of the gigantic lake that, because of the night sky, looked as black as ink. There were barely any ripples on it, or any waves.

"Alrigh'!" Hagrid bellowed, affectively breaking both the lake's calmness and Harry's hearing. "Get 'n the boats, ev'body! Four per boat!"

Harry sat down in one and was followed by Draco, who sat just beside him, and the two gorillas on the back bench. He spotted Blaise sitting in the same boat as a bushy-haired girl who was talking excitedly and absolutely identical Indian girls, in a boat some distance at their right.

He let out a sigh as the boat left the shore, heading forward on the water, leaving a very small wave on the flat and uniform surface of the lake.

Slowly, the boats glided across the lake, which he noticed was formed a bit like an L. At their left stood a tall cliff that was hiding--

There was a flurry of "OOH!"s and "AAH!"s as the boats slowly turned around the cliff, revealing a marvelous sight. There, standing proudly on top of tall cliffs, facing the elements without flinching, was the largest castle Harry had ever seen, in life or in picture. Considering the only other castle he had seen was the drawn Disney castle from Dudley's comics, it wasn't saying much, but the building was truly magnificent. The tallest towers were so high he couldn't see them in the night sky, it's uncountable windows flickered brightly in a flaming glow that reflected on the black lake. The walls were barely visible, making it look like a spot of the sky where the stars were yellow. But they knew what it was.

Hogwarts.

"Heads down!" Hagrid shouted as the boats approached a cave. The students obeyed quickly as they entered it, passing through a wall of wet and floppy vines. Harry's boat shook just after Draco and he had passed through. The blonde boy looked behind and burst out laughing. Crabbe hadn't been fast enough and a vine was hanging from the spot of hair on his head.

They stopped near a set of large oak doors. Hagrid turned to them. "Ev'body's here? Good!" He said, his voice even louder in the echoing environment of the cave. He turned around, facing the doors, and smashed his fist against the wood three times, a movement commonly known as 'knocking the door', although the original version didn't include enough strength in the contact to shake the foundations of the castle. Hagrid's version was more like a 'knocking off the door'.

The doors opened in a loud cracking noise, revealing a very strict-looking old woman, wearing half-moon glasses and white hair tightly tied in a bun behind her head came, looking at them and nodding. Harry's first thoughts about her was that she wasn't one to be played around with.

"This yer's firsties, ma'am McGonagall." Hagrid said, pointing out the obvious.

The old woman nodded and, after dismissing Hagrid, led them through the stone hallways, moving staircases, darkly lit dungeons and the entrance hall, which was so huge the Dursley's home could have been built there and so high they couldn't see the roof, to a smaller room reserved for first years. Harry could hear hundreds of voices coming through the door at their right. The other students probably were already there. The room was so small the students were tightly packed

Professor McGonagall turned to them, her eyes scanning the room. They paused a moment on him, before continuing.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she began. "the opening feast will soon begin but before you can take your place at the great hall, you must first be sorted in one of the houses. This sorting is a very important ceremony. You must know that during your stay at this school, your house will be like a second family for you. You will take the same classes, sleep in the same dormitory and pass your free time in the same common room. There are four houses. Their names are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has their own history, it's own pride and every single one of them has created, through the ages, witches and wizards of the highest level. During your years at Hogwarts, every time you have good results, your house gains house points. However, every time you will break a rule, your house will lose points. At the end of the year, the house that received the highest number of points will win the house cup, which is a very great honor. I hope that each and every one of you will take it deeply to your hearts to serve your house, whichever it is. The sorting ceremony will begin in a few minutes in front of every student of this school. I suggest you use the time you have left to make sure you're presentable."

Her piercing eyes went to the round-faced boy, who's cape was half-laying on his shoulder, and to a red-haired boy who had a rather large spot of dirt on his nose. Draco grinned in a self-satisfied way, Crabbe and Goyle re-adjusted their neckties – they made them look like monkeys in suit, much like Vernon when he was going to work – while Blaise passed a nervous hand in her hair, smoothing it as much as she could. Harry tried to bring down his stubborn hair.

"I will be back when everything will be ready," Professor McGonagall continued. "Wait for me quietly."

And she left .Harry felt quite nervous.

"How do they sort us?" He asked Draco.

The blonde boy shrugged. "There's some kind of mystery around it. It's never written in any book, no one will speak about that… not even my dad did. He said it was nothing to be afraid of, but to him, an army of rampaging dragon isn't something to be afraid of either."

Blaise gave a look at Draco. "Your dad's a nutcase."

Draco frowned. "My dad is very wealthy and powerful, and is practically second-in-command in the ministry. I'd hardly call that a nutcase."

Blaise shrugged and grinned. "Well they put Fudge up there." she muttered. Having heard a lot of his mistakes from Mrs Zabini's rants, Harry chuckled while Draco continued to praise his father.

Suddenly, screams erupted from behind Harry. He whirled around and gasped in surprise. About twenty ghosts had just appeared by going through the far wall. They looked different from the ghost at the restaurant, yet had the same grey tone and odd glowing aura around them. One of them, who looked like a fat friar, said in a loud and calm voice

"Forgive and forget. We should give him a second chance."

"Brother, didn't we already give Peeves every chance he deserved?" asked another ghost, wearing a tunic with a ruff around his neck. "He is giving us a horrible reputation while he, himself, is not really a ghost. Hmm? Hey, what are they doing here?" He turned to the first years.

"They're probably the new students." The fat friar said, smiling. "You're waiting for the sorting ceremony, aren't you?"

Few students nodded their heads silently.

"Well, I hope I'll see you in Hufflepuff. It was my house back when I was here… and alive."

"Everyone, it is time!" A sharp voice made them all jump. McGonagall was back. "The sorting ceremony will now begin. Line up and follow me."

The doors opened and they entered the room. Harry had read about it in his history book, but the words of the book paled in comparison with the real thing… probably like most words. It was the biggest room Harry had ever seen. Four parallel tables covered most of it and hundreds of teenagers to young adults were sitting there. The roof was enchanted to look like the sky, but it looked so good Harry was surprised there was a roof.

He looked back in front of him and saw McGonagall had brought forward a three-legged stool on which an old, dirty, decrepit and patched up pointy wizard hat was laying.

'What's the connection between a sorting and a hat?' Harry asked himself, frowning. 'Maybe we have to pull a rabbit out of it and they see how good we are?'

The other students around him were looking just as puzzled as he was. For a long moment, there was nothing but silence covering the hall, but then a rip at the brim of the hat opened and it began to sign:

Oh you may not think I am pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!

As soon as the song ended, the great hall covered in applauses. The hat bowed to the four tables and stilled.

Harry let out a relieved sigh. They only had to put the hat on. Good. He heard the red-head boy mutter something about killing his brothers. 'Probably fed him some frightening story…' Harry mused.

McGonagall took a step forward and unrolled a list. "When I say your name, you will walk up here, put on the hat and wait until it sorts you, then you will go to your assigned house. Let's begin… Abbot Hannah!"

A blonde-haired girl muttered something about hating her name as she walked up to the hat and put it on, the hat so large it fell over her eyes.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted after a short moment of silence.

The girl walked straight to the Hufflepuff table, after putting off the hat, grinning from ear to ear.

The sorting continued. Boot, Terry became the first Ravenclaw, Brown Lavender got that honor for Gryffindor and Bulstrode, Millicent was sent in Slytherin. It didn't look much different from the other houses… except maybe for the fact that some of them looked quite burly and many others had an aristocratic look on their faces.

Crabbe and Goyle were sent in Slytherin – after a long moment of hesitation for some reason.

"Granger, Hermione!"  "GRYFFINDOR!"

The red-haired boy groaned and Harry couldn't help but snicker. He'd be groaning to if he had that girl in his house. 'That's assuming he wants to be in Gryffindor…'

 "Malfoy, Draco!"

Draco took a self-assured look and walked up to the hat in a superior way. He picked the hat up, sat down and, before it even touched his head, the hat sorted him "SLYTHERIN!". Once again, Harry snickered.

The letters passed. Finally, they were on "P". Patil, Pavarti was sent in Gryffindor, Patil, Padma in Ravenclaw and Parkinson, Pansy in Slytherin. Then, finally, and, to Harry, unfortunately, it was "Potter, Harry!"'s turn.

(Little question from the books here: How come all of the others are in the form "Family name, first name" while she just says "Harry Potter"?)

Whispers erupted across the great hall as Harry left the line. .

"Did she say Harry Potter?" "THE Harry Potter?"

He felt himself blush and hurried to the hat, not looking at the following gazes and the stretched necks. He sat down on the stool and put on the hat quickly to hide the crowd. To his surprise, he heard a small voice mumble in his ear.

"Hmm… difficult. Very difficult. Smart, yes… definitely loyal… loads of courage as well… But where will you go? You'd be bored in Hufflepuff, definitely… and Ravenclaw isn't quite for you. That leaves Gryffindor… hmm, but you have quite a thirst to prove yourself as well, to prove that your name isn't just a famous pair of words… that fits for Slytherin, too. Unusual case you are, my boy."

"Well, you're the sorting hat, you decide. Which is better?"

"You're the one I'm sending off, don't you care? How do you fancy being in Gryffindor? They usually end up aurors or people fighting against the dark arts…"

Harry started trying to imagine himself fighting a group of dark-cloaked figures, single-handedly defeating them, beating them into submission, then facing their leader --which, for some reason, looked oddly like a snake with red eyes—and defeating him easily. He was the most powerful. He was fearsome. He was…

"Hmm… considering everything you just thought and every side of you, I'd say SLYTHERIN!"

Harry felt a bit surprised, then slapped himself. He had imagined himself the most powerful, a sign of ambition. With a sigh, he put it off, walking toward the Slytherin table, before noticing the still silence in the great hall. He turned to the teachers and noted that McGonagall's eyes were wide and Dumbledore's eyes were looking rather gravely at him. He frowned. 'Probably wanted me to be in Gryffindor like him.' he mused, then continued his walk toward the Slytherin table, sitting down as cheers flooded the green and silver table.

Draco smirked. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Harry."

Harry smiled back, albeit a bit nervously. The silence was only broken a minute later when, after being reminded by Dumbledore, McGonagall continued.

The red-head was identified as Weasley, Ron as he was sent in Gryffindor, while Zabini, Blaise ended the sorting by sitting just beside Harry.

The black-haired boy noticed that everyone, especially McGonagall and the Gryffindor house, were stealing glances at him every now and then, their eyes filled either with fear or pity. Frowning a bit, he looked at the high table and crossed eyes with a greasy-haired man who was half-heartedly talking to Quirrell.

He suddenly flinched as he felt his scar burning. Barely stiffly a gasp and slapping his hand to his forehead, he turned his eyes away, turning to Blaise who had apparently noticed.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm ok… its nothing." He lied quickly. "Who's that, talking to Quirrell there?" He pointed at the greasy-haired man.

"That's Serverus Snape. The potion teacher and our head of house." Draco replied. "I can't wait to see how he teaches, most of us say he's great. Though he's a bit cold and not to be crossed, and when he decides to scold you'd wish he took out the whip."

Harry nodded, but wasn't quite relieved. Looking at the cold glare of the teacher, he had the distinct impression the man didn't like him much.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."

The hall laughed as the food covered the tables. Harry felt his stomach start aching as he realized how hungry he was. Practically drooling, he filled up his plate with everything he could reach under the disbelieving look of Blaise.

"Geez, stop, you make us look like we starved you!" she protested with a smile.

Harry found out he had covered every inch of his plate and couldn't help but blush sheepishly, starting to eat.

When his plate was clean, which wasn't done until half an hour – and an aching stomach, but not for the same reason – later, he started looking around for familiar faces, not expecting any. Nope, no one he knew was there, although he did notice He, Crabbe, Goyle and Draco seemed to be the only boys in Slytherin for their year. Blaise had started talking with a pug-faced girl whom she called Pansy and, beside that girl was another one, who looked like a witch's answer to Dudley. Suddenly, through the empty chair at his left came a large ghost with silvery blood covering him. His cold and cruel eyes glared at Harry, who couldn't help but flinch. If he had seen a scarier gaze one day, he certainly didn't remember it now.

"Erm… hello…" Harry muttered, trying to turn away from the gaze.

The ghost grunted an inaudible reply, turned to the other first years and grinned darkly, revealing a missing teeth.

"You lot better not cause trouble. 'cause if you do, then you'll wish you had stayed home."

And he slipped back down through the chair, leaving the first years to be puzzled.

"Was he being serious?" Harry asked Draco.

The blonde boy nodded shakily. "I heard he sticks Peeves the poltergeist at Slytherins who behave badly. Trust me, you don't want that."

Harry nodded, absorbing the information.

At the high table, Dumbledore got up and clapped his hands, making the food vanish instantly. His clear and glittering blue eyes looked around the room and Harry noticed, with a sense of happiness, that the old man accorded as much attention to him as to everyone else – a mere glance. Then again, the letter said he was famous, so he probably knew what it was to be gazed at every time he was out in public – possibly in the muggle world as well. At least Harry was lucky enough to look normal in that world.

"Now that we have all fed our hunger and drenched our thirst, I have a few messages to give about the rules of the school. First years are required to note that the forest surrounding the school is forbidden to every student, with no exceptions, hence it's name. Some of our older students should also try to remember it."

Harry noticed him look at someone in the Gryffindor table, a pair of twins that grinned mischievously.

"Mr Filch, the caretaker, as also asked me to remind you that there is no magic allowed in the halls. The Quidditch teams' tryouts will happen two weeks into the first term. Those who wish to be part of their house's team will have to speak to madam Hooch. Finally, for this year only, the third floor corridor in the right wing is strictly forbidden unless you want a die a quick and extremely painful death."

Harry looked around. No one was laughing, except a few first year Hufflepuffs, who quickly stopped. Apparently, it was serious. Deadly serious, pardon the pun.

"I think that's all…" The old man mused, before his eyes twinkled and he grinned. "Ah yes! I almost forgot!"

The smiles on the teachers' faces froze. Harry wondered what was horrible enough to cause that.

"Before we go to sleep, we sing the school's song! Everyone pick a tune and sing to it!"

'Oh' Harry thought as his wondering was answered. Yup, that certainly could. 

A quick wave of his wand caused golden ribbons to appear in the air, on which the words appeared.

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something, please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.

Harry decided to sing it to a quick rap, so he wouldn't embarrass himself too much. Draco kept silent, smirking and arms crossed, while Blaise got up on her chair and began loudly shouting the words in a tango. However, the last ones to finish were the red-haired twins he had seen earlier, simply because they had sung it to a funeral song – "Should have thought of that too!" protested Blaise.

The feast ended after that and the prefects guided the students to their common rooms. A prefect Draco called "Flint" guided them out of the great hall, passing dangerously close to the Gryffindor house. Harry noticed another red-head, this time with a spot of dirt on his nose, glaring at him, and the Hermione girl shooting him a pitying look. He almost growled. Did everyone think he was to be in Gryffindor?

Flint guided them down in the dungeons, through a long path involving secret passages, a moving portrait, a false door with a false wall just beside and, finally, arriving in front of a completely naked wall.

"Machiavelli!" Flint said, and a hidden door opened, a door so well hidden in the stone wall you HAD to know where it was to find it.

"Machiavelli?" Blaise asked to Draco. "Wasn't that a Muggle?"

Draco shook his head. "Naa. He was a wizard, but he claimed that the best way to gain power is by using the gullible muggles. He wrote some books about controlling masses, they're pretty useful. Dad has all 15 of 'em."

"Including 'the prince'?" Blaise asked.

Draco shrugged. "He bought the wizarding version. The muggle version is too cut and censored. Don't want the muggles to know about the imperio curse, y'know…" He replied with an evil smirk as they entered in the common room.

Flint showed them their dormitories and, exhausted, the students (Little buggers) obeyed his command/order/threat to "Scram to sleep before I get mad".     

~~~~~~~~~~

Serverus Snape was not a happy man. His quick steps echoed strongly in the dimly lit dungeons as he strode to his chambers, his mind spinning in thoughts.

'Harry Potter, in Slytherin...' he mused, finding he certainly didn't like the name and the house together. 'Bloody Potter… the king of Gryffindor, they called him. Prancing around in the halls like he owned them, making all those bloody pranks and breaking every rule of Hogwarts, and not once did he ever get told off. A Gryffindor, brave, chivalrous and bloody stupid. True to the house.'

With a swift and angry gesture, the door to his room was opened and slammed closed with enough force the Quidditch hoops probably shook. He crashed down on a chair close to a small wooden table on which a simple candle was lit and a picture frame was face-down, as it had been for years.

'How could his son end up in Slytherin… and how can I handle being the head of his house? The one he runs to if there's a problem?! How can I teach him…' he wondered, his hand shakily moving toward the picture frame '…when everything about him opens every old wound and screams my mistakes at me?'

Slowly, he lifted the picture, revealing a seventeen years old green-eyed, red-haired girl dressed in a black robe with a silver and green snake badge, the image completely still as did every other muggle picture.

"His eyes… your eyes, Lily." He muttered, gazing at the picture and wishing she had brought a normal magical camera to take her picture, so at least the image would move, not stay completely still. It only made what happened more real.

"The eyes of the one I used to love… and didn't love me back… Then there's bloody Potter's looks… a living reminder of what caused the biggest mistake of my life… and the scar, the symbol of what I couldn't do to help you…"

He let out a loud and shaky sigh and lowered the picture back delicately, making sure to keep it intact, then got up and walked to the small window looking outside, looking out through the cliffs at the glittering black lake.

"Why is he in Slytherin though… I know you were, but… it can't be it… his pure-blood side is in Gryffindor since generations, not one deviancy… even the Malfoys aren't that pure. So why are you there?" He muttered, musing to himself. "It's either he's got ambition, which I doubt since he's probably already got everything he wants, not because he wants to prove himself and make himself famous, he's already that way."

He suddenly clenched his fists.

"That leaves a possible bad side… A possibility he'll grow up to be a dark wizard… Which isn't helped by being around Malfoy either, another one with a high possibility for evil…"

He sat down on his bed, the sheets suddenly finding themselves stuck in his fists. He was possibly facing the worst thing he could have ever faced. Another Tom Riddle.

'Bloody hell'

There you go! Happy? Mad? Sad? Worried? All of the above? None of the above? Ugh, I'm starting to sound like a crappy poll. Sorry for the high number of quotes again, next chapter won't have as many, and I'll let out as little as I can in the next chapters.

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