Chapter four - Sorted
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid after Harry had clambered into a boat with a pink-faced blond girl, and a set of twin girls. "Right then- FORWARD!"
The fleet of boats set off across the lake, leaving ripples in their wake. Absolute silence reigned over then. Harry just stared focusedly at the castle overhead, particularly one single lighted window, several windows up and across from where the bright lights of the Entrance Hall and Great Hall were. That single light was where Sirius was. He just knew it. And, in a couple of hours, it would be where he would be, regardless of which house he would be sorted into.
"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the boats reached a cliff on which Hogwarts stood. The boats carried them through a curtain of ivy and along a dark tunnel, one very similar to the halls of Azkaban. Harry shivered slightly from the cold and several memories, but recovered quickly enough. It definitely didn't do to dwell on memories like that.
The boats reached an underground harbour and thudded to a stop at a beach covered in pebbles, rocks and shells.
"Oy! You there! Is this your toad?" called out over everyone's heads as they clambered out of the boats. A joyful cry of 'Trevor' came from one of the boys, who held out his hands.
The group of first years clambered up the rocks through a passageway after Hagrid's lamps. By the time they reached the top of a set of steps, Harry's knees were cut and bruised from the numerous falls. Privately he wondered if they had ever through of making it safer down here. But if these were the same kind of people who would place a baby in literally hell on earth for years, then it would come as no surprise if they didn't.
At the top of a gigantic set of stone steps they came upon a set of huge, oak, front doors. Hagrid raised one gigantic fist to the doors, and knocked loudly three times on the doors.
The door flew open at once and a witch with an expression that put some of the human guards of Azkaban to shame stood there. Harry's first thought was to never cross this woman if he valued his house.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you Hagrid. I will take them from here."
Professor McGonagall pulled the door open wide and gave them access to the Entrance Hall. It was, for lack of a better word, big. It was bigger than any of the other rooms Harry had been in before, and for some reason he began to suspect that the Great Hall would be even bigger.
Professor McGonagall led them across the hall and into a small, empty chamber off the hall. The first years crowded in, mostly standing closely together, though Harry, uncomfortable with how close the other students were, managed to get to the edge of the crowd and closer to a stone wall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said 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 Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.
"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
McGonagall's eyes lingered on lingered on smudge on a red-haired boy's nose, and on the cloak of the boy who had claimed the toad, the cloak being now attached to his eye and his toad trying to hop out of the boys pocket.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
McGonagall left the chamber, and instantaneously babble broke out among the first year, most of which concerned the sorting. Sirius hadn't told Harry much about the sorting, but he knew it would not be something that could kill students, or prove the slightest bit dangerous to them. If it did, how would they have any students left?
However they were sorted, though, it would not have something to do with a troll, as the redhead with the smudge on his nose said his brother had told him. The very idea... Harry shook his head in disbelief. How many people could be that gullible?
From the edge of the crowd, Harry did not notice as quickly as other students when a crowd of ghosts floated through the opposite wall, though once they screamed it was the first thing he had seen.
The group of them, about 20 all told, were talking to one another, seemingly not noticing the first years. All of them seemed to be taking part or listening to the discussion (or more likely argument) that they were having.
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost-I say, what are you all doing here?"
A ghost wearing ruffs and tights (Nearly Headless Nick, Harry vaguely remembered Sirius saying once) had noticed the first years. Nobody answered him.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose? Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old House, you know."
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the wall above Harry.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Though Harry's legs felt as if they had turned to lead, he forced himself into the single file line and walk with the other first years into the Great Hall.
Through a pair of double doors, Harry felt his anger build up again as he saw the smiling, cheerful faces stare at the first years like they were on display or something. These children, Harry thought, totally disregarding the fact that they were all older than him, had probably never gone through anything in their lives that could be described as pain. He doubted many had even lost a close relative.
As the line of first years walked along the pace between the two centre tables, Harry's anger grew even more. Unnoticed behind them, several candles, thousands of which were floating in the air above the tables, were snuffed out, but relit seconds later.
Minutes passed once they got to the front of the hall and formed a line in front of the head table, Professor McGonagall having placed a hat and stool on the floor in front of them. Finally, after everyone in the hall patiently stared unblinkingly at the hat, it burst into song.
The entire Hall burst into applause once the hat finished singing, but Harry just stared at the hat for a moment. Why had Sirius kept a singing hat a mystery? Sure, it was traditional that no one knew how students were sorted before the sorting took place, but that tradition held no logic. All it was was a hat.
Professor McGonagall stepped forwards once the applause died down, and Harry was shaken from his thoughts.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said, holding a piece of parchment. "Abbott, Hannah!"
The pink faced blond girl who had been in the same boat as Harry earlier scurried forwards and placed the hat on her head. Just before it declared the girl to be a Hufflepuff, a horrid, illogical thought struck Harry. What if he was a squib? He and Sirius would have to go back to Azkaban. He couldn't go back just yet, he just couldn't. Panic started to set in, and Harry's breathing increased as his stomach started to dance.
Steadily the numbers of first years in the line decreased as more and more students were sorted, and Harry felt himself begin to turn green, as some of the others left in the line were. Finally, when there were just five students left, Harry's name was called.
Harry stepped forwards and whispers broke out like wildfire across the Hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"The Azkaban Boy?"
As the hat was dropped over his head, the last thing Harry saw was a hall full of people craning their necks to get a good look at him. Then it was just the peaceful blackness of the inside of the hat.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "You're a difficult one, aren't you? Very unique. Hard to sort too, no doubt. You have talent that much is for sure, but as for the rest... Oh, you're a cunning one for certain and brave to a tee. A sharp mind and loyal beyond a shadow of a doubt... but where do you belong?"
Harry kept quiet, not wanting to interfere. The hat would place him where it felt he would be best suited. Though, despite this, and the fact he knew that dark wizards didn't all come from Slytherin, he couldn't help but hope that he wouldn't be a Slytherin himself. He didn't think he could take the world's prejudice against them if he was one. It was already bad enough to have grown up in Azkaban. People didn't want to know him as it was for the most part. Slytherin would ensure nobody ever would.
The hat chuckled. "Ah, young Mister Potter, it looks like the house of snakes is out for you. They would never accept someone who didn't wish to be one of them."
Harry stiffened, then relaxed. The hat was silent for a moment or two, apparently contemplating where Harry should go.
"The Gryffindors would not accept you for who you are. They are far too naïve to the world to understand you. So, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?
"Logic is strong within you child, as is your thirst for knowledge. But, somehow, I do not feel you would get along with others like that. You would feel as if they were studying you constantly, correct?"
Harry silently agreed with the hat. Being in Ravenclaw would constantly make him feel as if he was the result of a freak experiment, not a living, breathing person who could tell what they were doing. But that would leave...
"You have your doubts about the badgers too, I see. Your loyalty is immense, but your anger, that is exponential, that may hold you back... with all this in mind, it seems that you would fit best into the house of HUFFLEPUFF!"
As the last word was shouted and Harry pulled the hat from his head, a stunned silence met his ears. Slowly as he walked towards his new house, whispers erupted, all of them slowly getting loudly, until, finally, they erupted into cheers from Hufflepuff, and the occasional polite clapping from the other houses. Silently he sank down as the Ravenclaws from the next tables stared at him curiously. Suddenly he felt glad that he hadn't been placed there.
But that wasn't to say that members of other houses weren't staring at him. On the contrary, they were, but they were mostly focused on the fact he was a Hufflepuff. Trying to sink down as far as possible in his seat, Harry waited for the cheering to die down and the next student to be sorted.
A/N: Okay, most people generally wanted a Gryffindor Harry, or a Ravenclaw or Slytherin one, but how many Hufflepuff Harry's can you say you've read about? Virtually none, I'll bet, or very few at least. Okay, onto reviews.
ERMonkey Burner of Cookies: Lol. This soon enough?
Shadowed Rains: Well, I'm afraid I don't believe in revealing a plot beforehand, however, I will say this: The rat will be useful for something within a very short amount of time.
ciberloco: Aw, that's sweet. Yeah, Snape will be more bitchy, purely for my own amusement.
Heala: Lol, sorry, Hufflepuff, not Slytherin.
C'mon: No reason for Harry not being a slyth, though he definitely wouldn't completely fit in.
Virginia Riddle-Malfoy: Oooh, interesting idea. I like it.
ura-hd: Thanks
Eric2: Hmmm, that would be a good plan. But I can still probably get away with having Harry discover Scabbers as Wormtail.
angelkitty77: Lol, people seemed to have suddenly wanted that.
Haley Carr: Well, you're one of the people who wanted Hufflepuff. And as to writing when I think I'll get the next chapter up... I'm afraid I never have any ideas, but I think I'll try and update something like once a week now.
HoshiHikari: Well, it may be sticking to the plot for the moment, but that will change, and hopefully soon.
methoslover: Lol, sorry, Slytherin may be the only house which would understand Harry, but I placed Harry in Hufflepuff for a twist.
Jedi-Bant: Hufflepuff may not work, but I don't necessarily want it to totally work.
gaul1: Well, now you know what house.
Talons: You know, for some reason you come across to me as a Ravenclaw supporter.
Shadowface: Thanks!
hpsleuth: Thanks a lot!
ASquealinfgYaoiFanGirl: Thank you.
Xylia Dark: I should be running soon then. Oh, and Harry may become friends with the twins.