Fallen
by Yih
Disclaimer: This is slash. If that squeaks you, avoid it and don't read it! It will contain possibly all the following pairings: HP/LV, HP/LM, HP/SS, LV/LM, LV/SS, LM/SS.
Beta: Blackumbridge
I have fallen
There is no escape
This is my destiny
My fate is yours
Do what you will
I am yours
I have fallen
Fallen hard for you
Save me
I need you
I want you
For I love you
5: Sorting (December 18, 2003 to December 20, 2003)
He was uncomfortable with how many people were in the Great Hall. It made him even more uneasy standing there in the middle where everyone could stop and stare at him. He hated being at the center of attention. Luckily, he wasn't the only one that was standing there. It didn't hurt that Draco hadn't left his side and was chatting about whatever. The sounds of the words were reassuring even if Harry wasn't paying attention to exactly what he was being said.
Harry had read everything about sorting that he could. He knew everything about the houses that could possibly be known, like that Slytherin and Gryffindor had the greatest house rivalry and that Slytherin had won the House Cup for 5 of the last 7 years. The only breaks had been a victory one year by Ravenclaw and one by Hufflepuff. He thought he had a good chance to be sorted into Ravenclaw. He fit the bill of a typical Ravenclaw--- fascinated by knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge.
But then again, he stood an equally good chance of being placed in Slytherin. After all, he was an heir of Slytherin--- it would make sense if he was sorted into his ancestor's house. However, he had read histories of sorting and had found out that descendants of the four great lines that had created Hogwarts hadn't necessarily been sorted into their bloodline house.
It was hard to believe that the rumpled hat that sat scrunched over on a stool was the great sorting hat that determined the destiny of every student that passed through the school walls. But it did. Harry was intrigued by it, interested in what new song it would sing. He had heard it created a new one every year for the new students. Amazing considering how many years and how many students had walked through the halls of Hogwarts.
Welcome to Hogwarts
May your future grow here
But first you must be sorted
The question is: where?
If you're sharp and intelligent
Ravenclaw is the house for you
But if you're not, how about Hufflepuff
Who houses the loyal and true?
What about the chivalrous and courageous?
Gryffindor for they never lack nobility
And what about Slytherin?
For the cunning and swift in personality?
You will be placed where you belong
You will find fellowship and friends
They will last you through the years
They will last you to the very end.
The stern witch that had led them to the Great Hall unrolled the scroll after the sorting hat had settled itself back down on the stool after singing its traditional song. Harry knew the witch's name was Minerva McGonagall and that she was the Head of Gryffindor House as well as Deputy Headmistress. It would be unwise to get on her bad side, he noted. "Bones, Susan!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry watched every sorting with fascination. Some took longer than others as the sorting hat really had to think about the selection. It may not take longer than a few seconds, but Harry felt the difference in those seconds. It was like the sorting hat actually had to struggle with the decision, if only for a second. Most of them took only a second as the sorting hat was placed on the new students' head and was immediately sorted.
"Granger, Hermione."
This one took the longest. The sorting hat really seemed to struggle as it kept moving back and forth in methodical fashion on top of young girl's bushy head as it tried to read where to place her. Harry knew from his reading of Hogwarts, A History that the sorting hat worked it's magic by reading the aura of a person. Sometimes the aura was split between two distinct spheres or even three and it was hard to narrow it down to one house.
"RAVENCLAW!"
He thought it suited her. There was something about her that made him think of her as the studious type. He thought maybe it was the intent look in her eyes, the focus she had--- it reminded him of when he was trying to create a potion that he'd never made before. He invariably messed up; he wasn't quite as adept in it as he was in Charms or the Dark Arts. But if he concentrated and kept trying, he'd do it. He saw the same determination in her.
"Malfoy, Draco."
The sorting hat had barely touched his newfound friend's forehead before it was shouting, "SLYTHERIN."
"Marvolo, Harry." Eyes had already been focused on each new student about to be sorted, but Harry felt the weight of their eyes were more concentrated on him. Especially from a certain wizard with dark eyes and the Headmaster. Why were they looking at him so intently? Was there something unusual about him?
He felt McGonagall place the sorting hat on his head and immediately felt the wrinkled hat grip his head tightly but not uncomfortably. Oh yes, oh I have not seen this much complexity in years, Harry heard the hat exclaim. Where to put such an intricate young wizard as you, Mr. Harry Marvolo. I recognize the name. You are related somehow to that brilliant yet dark wizard Tom Marvolo Riddle.
A thorough Slytherin that one was. But you, you are not. You have something innocent and pure about you that he never had. That didn't surprise Harry, Voldemort often mentioned that he was untainted by the stains of the world. You have the drive though and the ambition to prove yourself. And you are an heir of Slytherin. But heirs do not always end up in the house of their ancestors.
You have intelligence and a thirst for knowledge that is unparalleled. Harry knew that and had suspected that he had a good likelihood of ending up in Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw would suit you very well. Then there is Gryffindor. Gryffindor? How? He had never thought of that house as a remote possibility. I can sense that you don't see it. But you have this decency and dignity about you that I have not seen in a long time. For an heir of Slytherin, you could be a great Gryffindor.
In you there is some courage and steel. You would not be uncomfortable in Gryffindor, and indeed it would be a very good house to you. However, you don't enjoy the boisterous revelry that most Gryffindors have a fondness for. You are more solitary, more isolated of a person. No, Gryffindor is not the house for you.
How about Slytherin then? the sorting hat posed the question. I feel your eagerness to be placed in that house. You wish nothing more than to impress someone. I suppose it is Tom Riddle, is it not? You fit very well in Slytherin. But you don't strike me as someone that would revel in devious mischief nor someone that would enjoy torturing others.
Then again, Ravenclaw fits you just as well but you are not the arrogant know-it-all that a good lot of them are. You do not have the air of being better because you know more than others. You might find them suffocating after a while should I sort you there. There may be some Slytherins that relate better to you than most Ravenclaws. For Slytherins appreciate adaptability while Ravenclaws value unadulterated knowledge.
So where to place you? the sorting hat mused. You feel you must yearn for Slytherin; however, you are intrigued by Ravenclaw. Either house suits you well. You have the knowledge required to fit into Ravenclaw; you have the cunning needed to survive in Slytherin. Do you have a preference?
Did he? "Place me where you will."
If you say so… "RAVENCLAW!"
All the eyes were still on him. There seemed to be a stunned silence. Harry figured that everyone knew that he was somehow connected to Voldemort and that was why they were surprised he hadn't ended up in Slytherin. The most shocked expression as he surveyed the crowd seemed to be Draco's. He wondered if he could still be friends with Draco now that he was in a different house?
It took a moment before his house-mates burst into enthusiastic applause. Steeling himself with the courage the sorting hat had said he had, he made his way over to the Ravenclaw table and was secretively delighted when the bushy haired girl he'd seen sorted early gestured for him to sit next to her. He was already drawn to her for some reason or another, probably because he sensed she wasn't as comfortable as she wanted to appear to be.
"I'm Hermione Granger," she introduced, holding her hand out to him.
He took it and noticed that her touch was tight yet it felt friendly. "Harry Marvolo."
"I'm exceedingly nervous," she blurted out.
He grinned. "I am too."
"Are you a muggleborn too?" she questioned, her eyes lighting up at the question.
Muggleborn? He was confused for a second before he remembered reading in Hogwarts, A History that muggleborns were witches and wizards that were born to non-magical people that didn't live in the wizarding world. He had heard Voldemort mention that muggleborns were strange miracles that didn't make sense. How could a bloodline that didn't produce any magic before suddenly turn magical?
"No," he answered. "I'm not."
"Oh."
She sounded so disappointed. He remembered how he hated it when Nagini or Voldemort looked remotely like that. He always wanted to get rid of that expression on them, and he did it by making them talk it out. But what to talk to her about? He had never had a conversation with a girl before. "I don't know anything about the muggle world."
"Nothing at all?" she queried with astonishment.
He shook his head. He wanted to mention that he hadn't even been allowed outside until he was 7, but Voldemort and Nagini had warned him not to say anything about his life to others. "I don't know anything," he confirmed. "Could you tell me about it?"
"I wouldn't know where to start…"
"Anywhere."
"All right." She beamed and started rambling on about anything and everything muggle. The way her eyes lit up when she spoke made it worthwhile even if the things that she were trying to explain to him didn't make much sense. Why would anyone ever use a car to travel when apparation and portkeys were so much more convenient? He didn't understand, but it didn't matter as long as her eyes were glowing happily like that.
-
He stared down at the letter that Harry's owl, Hedwig, had just delivered. He had not ripped it open because he already knew what a good deal of the content would contain. Lucius had seen it fit to inform him that his protégée had been sorted in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin. He had also, almost gleefully, included that Harry had made friends with a mudblood called Hermione Granger.
It didn't disappoint him that Harry had been sorted into Ravenclaw. While there was no doubt that Harry was of the Slytherin bloodline, that didn't necessarily mean he would be sorted into Slytherin. After all, the sorting hat had wrestled a bit in where to place him. It had wavered between Ravenclaw and Slytherin for a bit before ultimately placing him in Slytherin.
If anything he knew the insatiable yearning Harry had for knowledge. It was amazing how much the young boy had already read from his library. He'd made a point of assigning some of his Death Eaters to search for more obscure texts that his charge might find interesting, particularly those that concerned Charms and the Dark Arts. Despite his sweet innocence, he may yet make a Dark Wizard out of him.
{Are you going to open his letter?} Nagini hissed from her spot where she was wrapped around his neck. {You know he doesn't only write to you. He could have written something to me as well.}
He sighed inside and waved his hand over the letter, casting a spell that would rip the letter open and start reading it aloud. He was pleased to see that Harry had the foresight to write the letter in the parselhand so that Nagini would be able to understand it too. It was not easy to do, but Harry had a flawless hand. The spell he had cast would read out in any language the letter required in the writer's voice. It pleased him to hear Harry's hissing voice even though it wasn't really Harry but a spell.
{Dear Tom and Nagini,
I feel awkward writing you a letter when I'd rather be able to talk to you in person. It feels so different here where I can't speak in my preferred language. I miss home. I especially miss your companionship, Tom, and Nagini's mothering. I find it restrictive here, considering I don't have the freedom to browse all the texts they have. And it's the tomes in the Restricted Section that I would be most interested in.
Draco has told me that he used his hawk, Morgaine, to inform his father about his status as well as my own. So you will probably have already heard this, but I have been sorted into Ravenclaw. It seemed like it took forever for the sorting hat to place me into a house. Hermione, a friend and fellow housemate of mine that is a muggleborn, told me it didn't take longer than perhaps a minute. But it felt like an eternity.
I hope that me making friends with a muggleborn doesn't disappoint you. Draco has already lectured to me that Hermione Granger isn't worth the effort of being friends with because she isn't a pureblood like himself. I find that reasoning absurd and archaic. But Draco seems like an exact replica of his father, Lucius. Lucius strikes me as a pureblood elitist as well.
How do I say that Hermione is like the sibling I never had? She is not beautiful physically, but inside she is far lovelier than physical beauty could ever be. Perhaps, she is a bit of a know-it-all. But she's not arrogant and condescending about it. She isn't aware that she sprouts out things that no one else knows. For a muggleborn she has a better grasp in magical theory than most pureblood children ever would at this age.
I find her extraordinary. I think that she understands better than anyone else other than you and Nagini what it is like to thirst for knowledge. I'm more comfortable around her than Draco, even though he isn't bad to be around. It's just that he doesn't take too well to total silence. Hermione doesn't mind. We can sit together in the same room, not talk and just be absorbed in our own thoughts and it's all right.
There's not much to say other than the first days of classes were eventful. All of the classes were far behind my level of ability, but it gave me plenty of time to observe the other students and try to understand them. I still don't comprehend much, but Hermione's been a big help in that department. Draco has been an aid too when we have double classes with Slytherin.
For some reason the Potions Professor doesn't seem to like me very much. I have no idea why. He keeps staring at me with those dark and intense eyes of his. I don't dislike him. He seems like the type of wizard I would like to drill with questions. I wonder if it would be wise of me to approach him about getting extra tutoring in Potions? He doesn't seem like the type that would offer help freely, and Potions is the one subject I do need help in. I'm proficient now, but what happens when the material gets harder?
At least I have Draco and Hermione to help me. I suspect that Draco is only helping because he thinks he ought to. If that's the case, I would like it to stop. I don't need the help. I can make friends on my own. Hermione proves that to me. She's wonderful at everything except flying. I know I've flown before the flying lessons, but to actually be able to fly without any restrictions was an amazing feeling.
I only wish I could have flown with the broom that you gave me. But I have to ask Madame Hooch for permission first to use the Quidditch field. It gives me time, anyhow, to try to coerce Hermione to fly with me. I don't think she'll ever be very good at flying, but she has the determination to be a decent flyer.
One last thing I want to mention before I end this grievously long letter, every house seems to have a tradition of sorts. For Ravenclaw it seems they assign mentors to help guide the new students through the Hogwarts experience. I assume it's also to keep the Ravenclaw pride of high success intact as the mentors are there to help you in anything you need help in. They particularly focus on academics. My mentor is Cho Chang, she's a 3rd year and is the seeker on our Quidditch team. Hermione's is Penelope Clearwater, a 4th year.
That's all I can think of to tell you. Did I mention that I miss you loads? I wish I was back home. But I understand that it's important for me to be here. It's not only about learning the magical theory, is it Tom? It's about understanding the wizards and witches around me so that I don't remain ignorant of the world, isn't it? That's why you sent me here. Because if I really wanted to learn magic, there's no wizard better than you.
I love you both.
Harry}
Voldemort folded the letter up and placed it in his top drawer. Harry was doing exceptionally well at Hogwarts. He was proud of his protégée. Harry was exceeding all his expectations. He'd guessed the school would be easy for Harry and it seemed that he was more than proven right. But one thing bothered him. The Potions Professor. He narrowed his crimson eyes. What exactly did Severus Snape have against Harry?
There should be nothing, especially since he'd made it clear that Harry was under his guidance. Perhaps, Severus was upset like Lucius that he hadn't been informed about the young boy. Severus was a part of his Inner Circle. But Severus wasn't like Lucius at all. Indeed the Potions Master was renown for his stoicism. He was one of the only Death Eaters that never disappointed Voldemort.
But this time he had. That would have to be fixed. If Harry wanted to improve his potions skill, Severus would comply. He didn't care how inconvenient it might be for Severus. Severus would do whatever Harry wished.
-
Author's Note: For those of you that feared Harry would be placed in Gryffindor, I hope I have suitably shocked you. For those of you that were certain I'd place Harry in Slytherin, I hope you will open your eyes. Harry is adaptable, resourceful, and clever--- traits that will suit him well in Ravenclaw. If he were to be sorted into Slytherin, he would lose the innocent appeal that Voldemort holds for him. Besides, I've never sorted Harry into Ravenclaw before. Placing Susan Bones in Gryffindor was intentional. And for your information, Chapter 6 deals with the beginnings of Harry's relationship with Lucius & Severus.
Your reviews were wonderful by the way. I really, really dreadfully appreciated them. I'm like addicted to them, in a somewhat bad fashion. I really, truly, madly hope that this chapter meets up to expectation as I have this horrible tendency to want to please people. It's what gets me into trouble sometime. But I'm not sure about this chapter, but can't change it as I've already written 6 based on this! ^_^;; -CHEERS!-
Thanks to Cory3, chibineko (begins next chapter), futagoakuma-tenshi01, kimdalia, darkkeeper (I'm not fond of Ron, so we'll see), Demon child, Kaze, Nelum, Kratista, mad-angel07, Aspid, Daremyth, BlackDiva (Draco chasing Harry maybe), PxW (Lucius is calculation, we'll see what he does to Harry), tomi (thanks for all your reviews, they were WONDERFUL!), Eaiva le Fay (hehe, same with me. LM + SS will be coming slowly), yinka wills, W.Kathy, oracale, Betsy, ironic-humour, Coo, TigerBlak, Moth Willowfrost, SilveredDeath, aerin, Liv, shamanogler, Megami Rileu, HoshiHikari4ever, Nyn, redrose2310, Lindiel Eryn, Cicy, wolfen-alysha-draco-dragon, Artemisu (SS's reaction next ch.), Socorro, atalante, Winnie2, bramblerose-proudfoot, Kathy stgqvk, Frizzy (thanks, your veela story is amazing), FireFaerie23, Lakoma, marishamarish, asa-chan, deliolith (I prefer Harry/older male too), Solaris Isa, wanderingwolf, Silaqui, Xyverz, shelleykids, lillinfields, Rarity88, Eternal Cosmos, Kateri1, Katums, Caela, Cathy, and Vicious Lily.
rayvern: I corrected the repeated part, just keep reloading until there's a note on the top that says it's been corrected.
~Mary~: Didn't realize my Draco was that original until I thought about it ^^;;.
TJ: There will be Draco chasing Harry, but Harry won't see much in Draco other than a friend. I mean Draco can't compare to "Tom."
SkyeLight2x1: I wouldn't worry about LM/HP anytime soon as it'll be gradual. DM/HP I'm not overly fond of, but nothing's certain at this point. I just won't bill at as DM/HP when it'll probably just be a good friendship.
The Shadow Bandit: This isn't actually that original. I'm just redoing it as I like the idea but no one has done it the way I see that it could be done. The other 'ships will definitely be gradual.