Chapter 7: Of hats and houses

All of a sudden the bubble went pitch dark. Harry was confused for a second. Maybe something had gone wrong with the spell. Maybe Snape had found a way of putting up adequate mental shields. Dumbledore, however, seemed totally relaxed, so Harry decided to wait. What else could he do?

The rest of the Order looked a little shaken. Tonks had stopped fiddling with the colour and texture of her hair and had taken a seat next to Lupin. Right now she was busy changing the size of her nose from tiny to huge, tugging at the tip nervously with her right hand while reaching out to Lupin with her left to stop him from nibbling his finger bloody.

Mad Eye Moody was luckily still captured by the sight bubble and didn't even think of glancing around the room - or at the grown-up Snape, for that matter, who still hung limply between him and Bill Weasley, face twisted with exhaustion, anger and pain. Bill, however, gripped the Professor's arm more firmly and threw him a glance full of loathing that surprised Harry. Judging from the glum look on Mrs. Weasley's face it came as a surprise also to her. Harry would have liked to share that observation with his friends and remark on it, but it was still too quiet in the room and he didn't want to risk getting caught right now.

Suddenly a voice pierced the darkness inside the bubble, a very familiar voice that had made Harry shiver with anticipation more than once. It was the Sorting Hat.

"Hmmm, well, well, well. What do I do with you? Where do I put you? There shouldn't be that much darkness already, you're way too young for that, you know? Maybe Hufflepuff would make you relax a little and help you to look at the bright side of things. But no, that would be too boring for you, wouldn't it?

A lot of knowledge and still more curiosity I can see. Well, that is good for all the houses, and I don't think you need Ravenclaw to help you on a way that you have already found yourself.

Now, what about Gryffindor? Maybe they could balance that dark spot and reach out a hand before you fall any deeper. But then, they wouldn't, would they? You don't really fit with them. Not exactly an outgoing person, are you?

I see passion and determination, intelligence and a basically good heart, ambition, devotion and loyalty. I see also fear, however, and despair. You're a loner, little one, aren't you?  No, I shouldn't force you to move away too far from familiar shores. Best to put you into …

SLYTHERIN!"

There was the usual amount of applause as the Sorting Hat was lifted from the dark little head. The Great Hall was packed with students as it was during every sorting ceremony. A few nervous First Years were still standing in the front row, waiting for their turn, as Snape walked past them on shaky legs, heading towards the Slytherin table. Just as he passed the Gryffindors a handsome boy leaned over to his rather ruffled-looking opposite neighbour and said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear:

"Boy, am I glad this weirdo didn't get sorted into our house. Can you imagine having to share the dorm with something that looks like that? Probably hasn't washed his hair in weeks."

He made a big show of sniffing the spot of air Snape had just vacated and wrinkled his nose in disgust, waving imaginary fumes away.

At the table beside Tonks Lupin turned from pale to slightly pink as he blushed up to his ears. Harry had recognised the self-confident stance and voice that had once belonged to his Godfather as well and felt ashamed. The two boys sitting beside each other opposite Sirius hadn't said a word to defend Snape and one of them definitely didn't fell good about that right now. The other one, just like Sirius, didn't have the opportunity to show or utter regret anymore.

Lucius Malfoy welcomed the young Snape at their table and nudged a girl gently in the ribs to make her move a little to the side.

"Narcissa, stop sulking and make some room for Severus. Maybe your precious cousin didn't get sorted into the right house, but with this chap we made a pretty good catch as well, I'm sure."

He smiled warmly at the slightly shaken boy and then redirected his attention towards the ceremony, which was just now coming to an end.

An eager silence fell over the room as an impressive looking wizard with a long white beard raised himself from his seat at the centre of the teachers' table. Albus Dumbledore wore enchanted robes of midnight blue with stars twinkling and bats chasing each other on its surface. Nevertheless he looked impressive as he spread out his hands in a welcoming gesture and addresses new and old students alike.

"It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Sorting Hat made some very interesting, yet surely wise choices and I am looking forward to see the development of the houses and their new inhabitants.

But enough of feeble talk. Dig in!"

With that he raised his glass and the tables filled with unbelievable amounts of food that were attacked heartily by students and teachers alike.

At the Slytherin table a young black haired boy gazed up at Albus Dumbledore in amazement, obviously captured by the cheerful twinkle in those blue eyes and the enchanting smile that he seemed to bestow upon everyone in the Great hall at the same time. As their eyes met the older wizard smiled more broadly and the boy hastily lowered his gaze onto his plate, flustered.

"Don't be fooled by that, eagle nose." Lucius Malfoy had leaned over to him and piled potatoes and pork onto his plate.

"He's always like that in the beginning, but when harsh decisions have to be made he will always take sides with his precious Gryffindors. Sometimes I think coming from a pure-blood family is a deficiency in the eyes of the headmaster."

Snape didn't comment on that, but his eyes hushed towards the teachers' table ever so often, eying the old wizard with a mixture of awe and apprehension.

The feast suddenly seemed to be over. Prefects called out for the First Years of their houses to gather round them and be shown the way into their common rooms and dormitories. Albus Dumbledore walked past the Slytherin table and stopped beside a lost looking Snape who had just been separated from Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe and Avery and forced into a huddle with twelve unfamiliar other First Years who seemed to be decidedly less scared than him.

"So, you are the boy that is not a girl after all." Dumbledore smiled down at him and blinked. Confusion met his gaze, shining up from a set of almost black eyes and the boy dared to utter a quiet "Excuse me?"

"Didn't your parents tell you? We sent out a first letter to you already six years ago, by that time believing that you were a girl. Your father sent a … relatively polite note back, informing me that, even though you were without any doubt bright and talented enough to enter Hogwarts at the age of five, he would prefer to wait until the decent time had come and there would be no mistaking, even for me, that you were a boy."

Dumbledore shook his head in amusement, chuckling to himself.

"One of the very few mistakes Minerva ever made in sending the letters. But now we finally have you here, Mr. Snape, and of course we expect great things from you after so much praise already at the age of five."

The boy had started clenching and unclenching his fists, staring up at Dumbledore with a silent plea in his eyes.

"Is anything the matter, son? Anything that you want to tell me?"

"First Years, over here, please! We're leaving, so try not to lose the group. I will surely not wonder through the dungeons looking for you in the middle of the night."

Glancing uncertainly from Dumbledore to the impatient prefect the boy finally shook his head.

"No, sir, but thank you for asking."

Dumbledore nodded and with a final smile he left. Snape hurried to catch up with the prefect and his classmates. As he passed the Gryffindors standing nearby he heard the same loud and self-righteous voice that had already taunted him before.

"So, you were supposed to be a girl. Maybe that's why your face looks so strange, because nature couldn't decide what to do with you."

He stopped, throwing a glare over his shoulder at the three giggling boys. Then he walked on without a word.

"You would have made a really ugly girl, you know. So maybe this is for the better", Sirius yelled after him, still laughing.

Harry wished his Godfather hadn't said all those things. He wished his father or Lupin would have said something to stop him, would have interfered somehow. But most of all he wished that Dumbledore had looked more deeply into the pleading eyes of that anxious boy.