A/N: Wow…it has been two months since I last posted…sorry!!! Here's the next chappy! Also, I noticed that a lot of what I'm doing is following the movies. I'm gonna try to get more onto the book, I definitely will by the end.
Chapter 3 - Friends in New Places
"Firs' years! Firs' years! Follow me, please, Firs' years!"
The Hogwarts Express had just arrived at the castle, and Harry was gazing in awe at his new home. He didn't think that the school would be this big. Lily and James told him all about the school, of course, but it was definitely something you needed to see to get the full effect from.
"Come on, Firs' years! You don' wanna get lef' behind, now do ya? Firs' years!" A large man was standing by the lake, swinging his lantern around aimlessly, and calling for all of the first years. Harry tore his eyes away from the castle and hurried off toward the giant man.
The lake was scattered with many two-person boats. Harry climbed into one, and as soon as he sat down, Ron followed him. Harry rolled his eyes and looked across the lake to the castle, once again.
When all of the boats were filled, the giant man crawled into a boat by himself and led the fleet toward the castle. As the boats passed through the veil of vines, Harry could hear "Wicked!" from Ron over on his right.
After the boats stopped and all of the first years scurried out of them and up the stairs to the castle, Harry just managed to shake Ron of his tail. Ron's persistence was extremely annoying to Harry.
The first years were led into the castle, and then into a small, empty room. There was a teacher standing in the front of the room, and when everyone was inside, she said, "Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Professor McGonagall. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses."
The professor turned and left the room, leaving nothing but silence upon the first years. After a moment, worried murmurs began to spread throughout them. Harry new what the Sorting Ceremony was, his parents had told him. All you had to do was put a disgustingly, dirty hat on your head and let it search your mind to put you into a house.
Harry wasn't the only person that didn't seem to be worried. A blonde boy, followed by two other bulky ones, approached Harry, each of them wearing a smirk across their faces.
"So, it's true," the blonde said. "It's true that Harry Potter is really at Hogwarts this year. I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. This is Crabbe and Goyle. I saw you earlier, Potter, in the boats. I noticed you were sitting with a particular red-haired, freckle-faced boy. He must be a Weasley." As Draco said that, he shot a glare across the room toward Ron. "You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort, now do you, Potter?"
Harry smiled, "No, I don't. To be honest with you, that persistent idiot wouldn't leave me alone. I was lucky enough to get him away from me once we reached the castle."
By this point, everyone in the room had their full attention on Harry and Draco. Ron blushed scarlet and began to look at his hand as if there was something really fascinating on it. Draco smiled back at Harry, "I know I'm going to be in Slytherin, my whole family has been. Maybe you'll be in Slytherin, too, Potter?"
Before Harry could respond, Professor McGonagall returned and was ready to lead them into the Great Hall. Now following Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, Harry entered the magnificent hall. He could hear the girl he met earlier on the train, Hermione, whispering about how the ceiling wasn't real, that it was bewitched to look like the sky. As she was explaining how she found that out in Hogwarts, A History, Malfoy shot her a dirty look and whispered in Harry's ear, "I heard she's a mudblood." Harry laughed weakly. Sure he thought that Hermione was annoying…but to call her a mudblood…
Professor McGonagall stood in front of the Great Hall and placed the Sorting Hat on top of a stool. Instantly the hat began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm 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 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 (At this, Draco gave a smug, little smirk)
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk 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!"
Professor McGonagall stood next to the stool with a long roll of parchment on it. She looked down at the parchment and called out, "Bones, Susan!"
A little girl near the front of the crowd walked onto the platform, sat on the stool, and placed the fringy hat on her head. After a moment, the hat yelled, "Hufflepuff!"
As Susan sat at the Hufflepuff table, Professor McGonagall called out, "Granger, Hermione!" After she was placed into Gryffindor, two Ravenclaws were sorted, and then "Malfoy, Draco!" was called.
Draco smiled at Harry and walked over to the stool. The hat had barely fallen on his head when it shouted "Slytherin!"
Another Hufflepuff was sorted before "Ron Weasley!" was called and placed into Gryffindor. Harry's stomach gave a funny twist. Both of his parents had been in Gryffindor, what if he was, too? What if he had to spend the next seven years with that Weasley?
Before his thoughts could expand anymore, "Potter, Harry!" was called, and was, of course, followed by eager murmurs and whispers. Harry slowly began to make his way toward the stool. He didn't know why, but his legs felt like lead and he was…Nervous? Why am I nervous? he thought to himself.
Hands shaking slightly, Harry placed the hat on his head. Darkness filled his gaze and silence rung his ears as he sat there, waiting. Eventually, a small voice in his ear said, "Hmm, Difficult. Very Difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes--and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting…So where shall I put you?"
Harry gripped the sides of the stool, "Please Slytherin, please Slytherin!"
"Slytherin, eh? Are you sure?" asked the small voice, "Yes, Slytherin could help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that. But there's something here…your family has always been in Gryffindor, I see…"
"NOT GRYFFINDOR!" Harry shouted in his head.
The voice was silent for another moment before continuing, "I'm afraid Slytherin wouldn't help you, and it isn't where you are destined to be," Harry's heart sank dramatically, "No, definitely not for you. Time will show. Your mind knows all, boy, but you do not know your mind. I'm afraid that you will have to be in…GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry stared in disbelief at the inside of the hat. "Time will show…" the voice whispered again. He ripped the hat off his head and threw it on the ground. All of the Gryffindors were yelling,
"We got Potter! We got Potter!" as he sat down at the Gryffindor table. God, why did I have to be put into Gryffindor? 'Time will tell…' What's that supposed to mean? Harry asked himself endlessly in his head.
When the sorting and the feast was over (which Harry didn't like at all, seeing as everyone was pestering him with questions) Dumbledore stood in front of the Great Hall. Harry was barely listening to his speech about the third-floor corridor being out of bounds when he looked over at the Slytherin table and caught Draco's eye. The puzzled look on Draco's face quickly changed to anger when he noticed that Harry was sitting next to a few Weasleys. Harry mouthed, "Wait for me" before turning back around, just in time for the school song.
Harry covered his face when everyone started to sing. They sound so stupid! Harry thought, laughing to himself. He wasn't the only one not singing, nearly the whole Slytherin table was huddled together, quivering with laughter.
After the feast was over, Harry stayed back, he would find the Gryffindor Tower on his own after he talked with Draco. Harry didn't have to wait long before he saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle approach him.
"What do you think your doing, Potter?" Draco asked.
"I don't know, the stupid hat was about to put me in Slytherin, then it noticed that my whole family had been in Gryffindor and it changed it's mind," Harry replied.
"What?" Draco was now getting very frustrated. "Don't play games, Potter. The hat is a 'Sorting Hat', not a 'Family Tree Hat.' You must've asked it to place you in Gryffindor."
Harry glared at Draco. "So, you think I want to be stuck with the Weasleys? And what about that annoying girl, you know, the one with bucked-teeth?"
"You mean the mudblood?" Draco said through a snigger.
Still glaring at Draco, but now even more enraged, Harry slowly responded, "Fine, believe what you want to believe," and turned to walk away.
When Harry was near the entrance door, he heard Draco call after him with a sharp, "Potter!"
Harry turned to see Draco wearing his usual smirk. "Listen, Potter. If you really didn't want to be in Gryffindor, then you'll have to prove it."
Harry's glare was so intense now. Nobody had ever talked to him as if they were his superior.
"What do you mean, Malfoy?"
Draco's smirk expanded, "When the time comes, Potter."
The Gryffindor Tower wasn't as easy to find as Harry had thought. He had been walking around for a half an hour so far. The events of that day were still running in his mind.
What did the Sorting Hat mean by "Time will tell" and "I'm afraid Slytherin wouldn't help you, and it isn't where you are destined to be?" Harry knew that the Sorting Hat was always right, and that's what was nagging him. But, Draco's words were still fresh in his mind, too, "The hat is a 'Sorting Hat', not a 'Family Tree Hat.' You must've asked it to place you in Gryffindor." Harry thought, Then again, that could just show how stupid Malfoy is.
"Harry?"
He turned around and, to his great misfortune, Hermione was the one standing there. Harry kept walking, but she caught up to him and asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm looking for the common room," Harry said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, well, you're pretty close. Why didn't you come up with the rest of the first years?"
"I was busy."
Hermione looked at him, "Well, I don't know what you would've done when you got there, you don't know the password!"
Harrys stomach turned. Why didn't he think of that? "Umm…do you know the password?"
"Of course I do!" Hermione responded, rather sharply.
Harry didn't like this girl. In fact, he couldn't stand her. Yet again, Draco's words were still ringing through his mind, "I heard she's a mudblood."
Harry looked at her, with a tone of sympathy in his eyes. She looked back at him and asked bitterly, "What?"
The sympathy soon turned to anger. He tried to play it out by saying, "I was just wondering why you weren't in the Common Room…"
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, clutching the books in her arms tighter, "I left some of my books in the Great Hall and I was given permission to get them."
Harry rolled his eyes. This is going to be a long seven years.