Revolutions

Chapter 4: The Slytherin

By Seadragon

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I stood in the Entrance Hall with the first years, shivering just as much, if not more, than most of them. Who can blame me? It was freezing! I tried to ignore the strange looks I got, telling myself they were because of my age, but knowing deep down it was because I was my fathers' son.

No matter how much they had lied to me.

Finally, none too soon, a stern older woman appeared at the top of the steps. Under one arm she held a scroll.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress here. When you step through these doors, you will be sorted into your houses. Your houses will become your family. You will eat, sleep, and go to class with your house." She stopped abruptly, and I felt faintly dizzy. "The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each has had its fair share of famous witches and wizards. Any rule breaking will lose house points, and you accomplishments will award you house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points accumulated will be awarded with the House Cup, which is a great honor."

What were we going to have to do? All I knew about the four houses were their names, and that Alex, Natalie, and every single one of the Weasleys, had been in Gryffindor.

"Now if you will follow me." It wasn't a request, it was an order, if a thinly veiled one, but no one objected. Meekly, we followed here, still in alphabetical order, with one exception.

Me. I was at the very back, out of order. Looking at me, I didn't really seem out of place, I have always been short for my age.

I followed behind obediently, managing not to trip or do anything embarrassing. But once we were in the Great Hall, I dropped all pretences and gaped with awe around me. Most of the first years were doing the same. Only a few were waving to older siblings, or looking around with indifference. On such person was a redhead, who, I guess, must be Connor Weasley.

It made sense that he had seen the school before, his mother was a teacher here after all. After scanning the table at the front of the room, which was void of any redheads, I suppose Natalie's mother had married into the Weasley family.

At the Gryffindor table, the amount of red hair was shocking. Natalie hadn't been exaggerating when she said there was a Weasley in each year.

Slowly, it was silent again and everyone's attention turned towards the front. There, a stool with three legs sat, with a beaten up old hat resting upon it. The anxiety in the line subsided, it was hard to fear a hat. Some of the older students and graduates would say differently though.

The other students were watching the hat expectantly, slowly catching on, I too turned to stare at it. But I was still plenty shocked when it started singing.

"The darkness and danger lies behind us

Now is the time of the children of the war

It is they who will make us stronger

It is they who will make us whole

Now is not the time for division

It caused all the problems of the past

Now is the time to unite

So the peaceful times are sure to last

Each house holds it own

With heroes ready to serve

Combined we can fight,

Divided, we get what we deserve

Whether you be a noble Gryffindor

Strong, proud and true

Will this be the place you rest your head,

Where much gratitude is due?

Or will you find your place

Among those of bronze and blue

The intelligent and shrewd Ravenclaws

May be a home for someone like you

Perhaps the loyal Hufflepuffs,

Where kindness is through and through,

Will find a place in your heart

These gentle folk are ready for something new

Or will you mingle with the cunning

Where purity is upheld

These suspicious Slytherins,

Maybe where your heart dwells

But whether you be brave or intelligent,

loyal or pure,

There is all ways room in Hogwarts

For those who can endure"

A few people were giving the hat curious looks, but I shrugged it off, I have never heard the thing sing before, so I can't exactly judge.

"When I call your name, you will go sit on the stool, and put on the Sorting Hat." Professor McGonagall had unrolled the scroll, and called the first name. A small, brown haired girl, Ashby, Erika, picked up the hat, sat on the stool, and placed it on her head. Almost instantly, it shouted out "Hufflepuff" and the school broke into applause.

I watched as the line slowly diminished. The closer we got to me, the more nervous I got. I was expecting something bad to happen, I don't know why, I don't know what. Something in the Sorting Hat's song had spoken to me.

As Rencarth, Adam, was sorted into Ravenclaw, there were only five people in front of me, and one of them was Connor Weasley.

Before I knew it, it was Connor's turn. He was only two people in front of me! I wonder why they bother sorting the Weasleys, every single one had been in Gryffindor since the beginning of time according to Natalie.

Connor practically bounced up to the stool, and jammed it on his head. I smiled at the younger boy's antics and watched with the rest of the school, waiting for it to declare him a Gryffindor.

He was up there for quite a long time, the teachers were beginning to get slightly edgy, and the students were whispering amongst themselves.

Just when people were starting to get slightly frightened, the hat opened its mouth.

There was a collective sigh of relief. At least until the hat cried out "Slytherin!"

A stunned silence fell over the crowd and I thought poor Connor was going to cry. I couldn't blame him, not at all. He was probably the first Weasley ever not to be in Gryffindor, let alone Slytherin, which, I had gathered, was not a very nice place to go.

I glanced up at the Head Table, where a pretty woman, in about her mid thirties, with sleek brown hair, had gone completely white. I guessed this must be Mrs. Weasley.

At the Gryffindor table, all the red heads were whispering amongst themselves anxiously.

The other students were also talking. Poor Connor was just sitting on the stool, looking very shocked. I started to clap. Slowly, everyone in the hall caught on, and soon the entire school was applauding Connor, who took the hat off and made his way as quickly as possible to the Slytherin table.

Just two more left now.

Wrensfield, Riley was the newest Ravenclaw and Yates, Rebecca became a Gryffindor.

And then it was my turn. Everyone's eyes were on me, and I began to shake.

Professor Dumbledore, at the middle of the Head Table stood up to address the school. "We have a special sorting to do as well today. We have a new student, who will be going into his second year. He was unable to attend last year due to special circumstances."

What those circumstances were was a mystery to me. I hadn't been ill, no one I knew had been ill. There had been no deaths in the family, what little I had. We hadn't moved. I could think of nothing that would have kept me from coming. But that was just one more question I would have to ask.

As McGonagall took a small scrap of paper from Professor Dumbledore, her eyes widened slightly. Other than that, she remained perfectly calm. As she called out my name, the entire school strained to hear it.

"James Potter-Malfoy."

All of a sudden, the whole school as quiet enough to hear a pin dropped. Hell, it was quiet enough to hear a feather hit the ground ten miles away. Everyone in the Great Hall turned to stare at me, and the whispers began.

This was worse than what happened to Connor in my opinion. I don't even know why they are whispering about me.

But I can hear what they are saying. Mostly they were saying, "Gryffindor or Slytherin? Gryffindor or Slytherin?" I have the feeling there is a lot I don't know, and a lot I wont understand or, even believe when I'm told.

But Professor McGonagall was looking at me impatiently, so I walked towards the stool and the Sorting Hat, which would answer everyone's question. Gryffindor? Or Slytherin?

My legs were shaking violently, it was a miracle I actually made it up to the front at all. Still, people were whispering, "Will he be Gryffindor, or Slytherin?" Even the teachers. Professor Weasley was even whiter than she had been when Connor was made a Slytherin, and I remember what Natalie had told me, she had been Dad's best friend, well, one of them.

The only thing on everyone's mind, was Gryffindor, or Slytherin? They didn't care to think that, maybe, I didn't want to be either of those. Connor had proved that it wasn't who your family was, or what blood ran through your veins, the decided where you would go, it was you.

But already they had forgotten that. And the way they were carrying on about it, I knew, I was going to be either a Gryffindor, or a Slytherin. There was no other choice. My fate had been decided the moment I was born. It had nothing to do with who I was.

Actually, it had everything to do with who I was. I was either more like Dad, or Da. And that was where I would be put, there was no gray area.

But the Slytherins seemed so, for lack of better word, evil. I could never picture Da amongst them. But there was a lot I didn't know. A lot had happened in the years before I was born, I suppose. And I would just have to wait and find out what.

And why they had hidden it from me for twelve years.

So now only one thing was left. Would I be Gryffindor, or Slytherin?