Chapter 3 – The Sorting

'Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see....

Harry heard the red-head snorting about the girls that had squeaked when the hat had opened his mouth, but Harry definitely recalled him wincing too. Pretentious prat, really.

...You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;'

At this, Draco smirked at Harry and pointed at the Gryffindor table, where a silent fight about the best view on the first-years had started. Chivalry, indeed.

'You might belong in Hufflepuff...

Harry looked to his side to see Draco's two gorillas pretending to be sick. They really were astonishingly disgusting creatures.

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.'

At this Harry directed his gaze at the staff table, where Severus was sitting between the Headmaster and McGonagall's place, proudly looking down on Harry. Harry hoped that he wouldn't disappoint him by being sorted into Hufflepuff or Gryffindor.

'... I'm a Thinking Cap!'

Wonderful. And now he had missed half of the song because of his staring. The hat bowed to all four tables which had broken into applause and then became quite still again.

McGonagall now stepped forward holding the parchment with their names on it. Harry missed what she told them when Draco pulled him nearer and showed him some Slytherins he already knew through his father's connections. So it came quite as a shock when suddenly "Granger, Hermione' was sitting on the stool, Hat falling deep down over her small head.

She had a very determined look on her face though and took a lot more time for the decision than the other students had. Finally, after a last quick glance at Harry and Draco the Hat announced loudly 'RAVENCLAW!'

Well, that had to be expected. After all she had waved around with her Chemisty book that excitedly that Harry should have known she was one of the studious people. He was relieved though that she had been sorted into an acceptable house, maybe they could keep on being friends...

After a little fat child with an ugly toad had taken his time on the stool – and ran off with the Hat still on, to Gryffindor of course – and a nice looking girl, Morag something, had been sorted into Slytherin, Draco was next. He swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the Hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, 'SLYTHERIN!'

Harry gave him the thumbs up and took a step forward. There weren't many people left now.

Nott and Parkinson, two unpleasant fellows, were sorted into Slytherin, too. Draco seemed to know the girl, Pansy, and Harry watched as he was introduced to the boy.

Then, after the twins Patil and Patil were sorted into Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, Harry was next. When he stepped forward the hall suddenly broke out in loud whispering. The younger students craned their necks to get a better view of him and the violent red-head stared at him in disbelief and a little bit of awe. His bad. Now it was too late to play best friend. Harry had found out where his real friends were.

Sitting down on the stool he took a last glance at Draco and Severus, who nodded at him, before the hat fell over his eyes. Severus still didn't know that he had tried on the hat before, when he had been waiting for Dumbledore to meet him in his office. Unfortunately he hadn't had the time to talk to the hat for long then.

"Hmm," the hat whispered into his ear, "Not that much different from when you were younger. Enough skill and the wish to prove yourself... loyalty but a deep sense of self-preservation... And there's cunning, hmm, interesting. I think I know just where to put you."

Harry crossed his arms and thought of Severus and Draco. Slytherin. I want to go to Slytherin.

"Are you sure?" the hat inquired mockingly. "Not rather Gryffindor?"

No, Harry thought uncertainly, I am sure. Slytherin.

"Well, if you are that sure, then.. SLYTHERIN!" he hat shouted and a stunned silence met Harry when he took off the hat. He glanced nervously at McGonagall, but she was whispering to Dumbledore who shook his head and motioned the next one to be sorted up to the stool. Severus caught his eye and nodded approvingly before turning to Dumbledore with an expression that seemed to say 'I told you so'.

When Harry arrived at the Slytherin table, loud cheering started and the other houses watched enviously as Harry was passed around and introduced to the other Slytherins until he finally arrived at the seat Draco had reserved for him.

In that moment 'Zabini, Blaise' was sorted the last Slytherin and joined them on Harry's other side. Draco introduced her to the others while Harry watched McGonagall rolling up her scroll and taking the Sorting Hat away.

Harry looked down on his empty silver plate. He had only just realised how hungry he was. Tea seemed ages ago.

Dumbledore had got to his feet. He was grinning madly at the students, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. And maybe it was like that. Harry had heard creepy stories about a dark wizard named Grindelwald, who had been that dangerous that it had almost been necessary to close the school, but then Dumbledore had defeated him.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin the banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Quickquack! Oafish! Gemini! Sage! Thank you!"

He sat back down. All the houses clapped and cheered stupidly, except for Slytherin. Draco and Blaise looked as if they didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"Is he a bit mad?" Draco asked an older student uncertainly.

"Mad?" the boy said. "Certainly. But apart from that he's not all that bad. Potatoes?"

Harry smiled when he heard the new students' 'aaah!'s and 'ooh!'s when the food appeared on the table. Draco, however, seemed to be familiar with house elves since he gave no sign that something was wrong. The elder students farther up the table then started to talk about Quidditch and the House Championship. Harry knew Slytherin had won six years in a row now and that Severus was especially proud of that.

Suddenly that Bloody Baron swept up their table and even Draco couldn't suppress a squeak. But the ghost just floated away above the new students, with a small nod at Harry. Severus had always been on friendly terms with him and (even though he was a bit afraid of him) so had Harry.

When everyone had finished eating, the Gryffindors - greedy as ever and stuffing themselves with as much food as they could - being the last ones, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the puddings appeared. Then Harry first noticed that those Crabbe and Goyle fellows had been sorted into Slytherin, too. Just his luck. He decided to just ignore them and let his gaze sweep up to the High Table and started. The new DADA teacher was there! He must have arrived today with the students since Harry had never seen him before. According to Severus, who had been damned to sit next to him, he was a nervous fool who had no idea of the Dark Arts. Harry believed him. Quirrel was wearing a turban on his head and a chain with a silver cross around his neck. He was looking quite ridiculous, actually.

Then, suddenly, just when Harry was about to turn back to his pudding, a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on his forehead and vanished just as quickly again.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What is it?" Draco asked, turning back from his chat with Blaise.

"My scar hurts.." Harry complained and caught Severus' concerned gaze. He had already noticed that something was wrong with his young protégé, of course. Harry smiled a bit to show that he was all right.

Draco had followed his gaze. "You know Snape already?"

"I lived with him up to now," Harry answered surprised. "You do too?"

Draco nodded. "He used to visit my father a lot. But – you lived here in Hogwarts up to now?"

"Yes," Harry replied. They went on talking about Harry living at Hogwarts and Draco's home until Dumbledore got to his feet again and the Great Hall fell silent.

"Ahem – just a few words now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling flashed into the direction of more red-heads at the Gryffindor table. There seemed to be a right invasion.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws looked frightened while a few of the Gryffindors laughed idiotically. Harry just kept looking at Dumbledore, he wanted to know the reason for the ban. But the Headmaster remained silent.

Draco smirked at Harry. "I'd like to see at least a flash of the painful death. Are you in?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically. Dumbledore wouldn't really hide something dangerous in the school and if he would, the better.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore cried. Harry didn't need to wait for the words to appear, he had heard the song often enough, in different tunes of course, for there was no fixed tune. Everybody sang the melody they wanted and the pace they wanted. Harry knew without looking that Severus was rolling his eyes in his seat up the High Table. He had never cared for this 'inane repeated assault to sane people's ears'. Harry thought it was a nice tradition and so did Dumbledore, apparently. He sang the song a few times a day, actually, in different tunes matching his current mood.

When they had finished - after the Gryffindors had made a show of themselves again - the students went off to bed. An older Slytherin Prefect lead the way into the dungeons, through a lot of fake walls and corridors. The first-years would have a nice time trying to find to the Great Hall the next morning. Harry, though, knew exactly where they were. Actually, it was not far from the main corridor in the dungeons and Severus' quarters. They had arrived in front of a bare wall with an engraving of two snakes, curled in themselves so that they built a ring. When the Prefect touched them and said 'Sitis Serpentis' they turned one time counter-clockwise and separated. A gap appeared, splitting the wall into two halves and the snakes formed into handles. The Prefect threw a look at the young students over his shoulder before he opened the door.

"Welcome to Slytherin."