A/N: I love this idea so much that I'm starting to hallucinate seeing Draco in Gryffindor uniform and playing around with the Golden Trio in movie scenes 😂

Seems like I just love cheeky Draco so much (lol)

Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 03

The Traitor's Sorting

Draco looked up at the grand castle standing proudly on the cliff. He had heard a few stories about the school, but it was his first time ever seeing it with his own eyes.

Under the black night sky, the castle looked magnificent, its windows all lit up with golden lights. Draco could see why the first-years were taken to the school on boats. It was like a grand reveal ― an introduction that probably was to both impress and intimidate the new students. Draco couldn't stop the exclamation that escaped his mouth. Weasley and Potter also had their wonder-filled eyes fixed upon the castle.

Each boat allowed four students on it. Draco shared one with Weasley, Potter, and Longbottom, the boy that had lost his toad. Even he seemed to have forgotten about it all at the sight before him.

They all reached what seemed like a boathouse underneath the castle. Just as Draco got off the boat behind Potter and Weasley and stood upon the stone steps, Hagrid the giant man's voice called toward them.

"Oy, you there!" He said toward Draco's group, specifically looking at Longbottom. "Is this your toad?"

Longbottom's eyes widened as he yelled, "Trevor!" He scurried toward Hagrid and held his precious pet toad in his hands. Some people, including Draco, laughed at the sight.

Hagrid led them all up the long stairs toward the castle. They passed through a courtyard and reached a set of two big wooden doors. Hagrid raised his huge hands and pushed them at the same time, opening them widely.

A tall, stern-looking woman in emerald-green robes stood in the middle of a big entrance hall. Behind her were another set of two doors closed. Everyone walked in and gathered into one mass in front of the woman. Hagrid stepped to the side, allowing her to get a good look at the arriving students.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," he said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

Hagrid nodded and turned around, turning around to disappear into what seemed to be an even bigger hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly in the Great Hall, but before you take your seats, you will be sorted into your houses. These 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're here at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking, you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup.

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily. It will be held in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

She then turned around toward the same direction Hagrid disappeared. Everyone started to mumble softly among themselves. Draco looked around briefly and found Crabbe and Goyle looking at him. They said something to each other which Draco couldn't hear as they frowned at him. Draco only gave them a cold glare and turned his head back toward Potter and Weasley.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Potter asked. "Do you know anything?"

That reminded Draco that he didn't exactly know how the sorting was done, either. His parents had only emphasized that he should be put in Slytherin. They had never mentioned just how exactly he was supposed to go there. And he never even thought to ask.

So he shook his head, shrugging his shoulders.

"Some sort of test, I think," said Weasley. "Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking. I hope he was joking."

Potter turned a little pale. The thought of having a test in front of the entire school seemed to be affecting him. Weasley seemed like he was trying to shrug the idea off as a joke, but he, too, looked quite uneasy. Draco heard a soft mumbling from somewhere nearby. He turned his head and found the Muggle-born girl Hermione Granger talking to herself as she recited some spells and tried to select some potentially useful ones. Most of the others also tensed up.

It took a few minutes and a visit of about twenty ghosts ― which shocked many of them ― for Professor McGonagall to finally return with a roll of parchment in her hand.

"We're ready for you now," she said. "Form a line and follow me."

The large door before the first-years opened to reveal the Great Hall. Even for someone like Draco, who had been brought up surrounded by magic for all his life, it was a magnificent sight. The ceiling resembled a starry night sky, making it seem as if the Hall did not have a ceiling at all. Beneath the sky floated hundreds and thousands of candles like stars. Then there were four rows of long tables filled with students, presumably divided into the four houses.

Draco followed Weasley as he walked through the aisle between two long tables in the middle. Professor McGonagall reached the front, up the small platform that where the High Tables were. Draco took a quick glance at the teachers around them. He recognized the headmaster Dumbledore ― an easy one, too, since he was sitting in the center of them all ― and Professor Snape right away. Professor Snape was his father's close friend and the head of Slytherin. He was supposed to be the caretaker and the surveillant of Draco's on his father's behalf while he attended Hogwarts.

It all the more gave him a reason not to want to become a Slytherin.

A four-legged stool stood right in the center of the platform. On top of it was a ragged and tattered wizard hat.

The first-years gathered around before the platform, breaking the formation of the line. When they had settled down a little, a short moment of silence followed before the hat began to move. One of the rips near its brim opened like a mouth and started 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 the 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

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!"

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Weasley whispered to Potter and Draco after the hat turned dormant again and everyone in the Great Hall clapped their hands. "I'll kill Fred. He told me that we have to wrestle a troll or something!"

Draco snorted beneath his breath. Even for a joke, that was just too unrealistic.

Professor McGonagall unrolled the parchment.

"When I call your name," she said, "you will come forth, put on the hat, and you'll be sorted into your houses."

It began with a girl named Hannah Abbott. She, along with the next girl Susan Bones, was sorted into Hufflepuff. Then a boy named Terry Boot became a Ravenclaw. It continued as Mandy Brocklehurst became a Ravenclaw, Lavender Brown a Gryffindor, Millicent Bulstrode a Slytherin, Justin Finch-Fletchley a Hufflepuff, and Seamus Finnigan a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Granger ran up to the front and sat down on the stool eagerly. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. It took a few minutes, but it eventually shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Weasley groaned. "Really?"

Then it was Neville Longbottom. He also became a Gryffindor. There was a girl named Morag MacDougal right before him until Draco heard―

"Malfoy, Draco!"

Taking a deep breath, Draco walked up to the front, straightening his posture. This was it. He was about to have his fate decided. A part of him wondered what he would do if he became a Slytherin. He may have been struggling to get out of his parents' ideals, but at the same time, those were what he had only known for the majority of his life. He was still used to the noble way of living. Then he began to wonder, Do I even really want to avoid Slytherin? Maybe all he wanted to do was to rebel against his parents ― just to have them see him for who he is instead of some mindless kid they could control. What kind of house did he belong to then?

Draco sat on the stool, facing the rest of the students, whose eyes were all on him. He could recognize some of the faces in the Slytherin table, especially Crabbe and Goyle, who had gone through the Sorting before him. Then he looked at other tables where students seemed very disinterested.

Professor McGonagall lowered the Sorting Hat. As she let go of it, the hat rested on Draco's head. Draco gulped.

"Interesting," a voice whispered in his head. It was the voice of the Sorting Hat itself. "Very interesting. Full of pride, plenty of cunning and clever mind, too. And what do I see here? A great deal of ambition, eh?"

Draco tried to stay calm as if he was trying very hard to hide his subtly emerging secretive thoughts.

"You want to prove yourself, don't you?" The hat continued. "The choice is easy, clear as a prophet's crystal." It chuckled. "But why are you scared, hmm? You fear the answer you already know. Why?"

Draco's heart was racing. So was that it? Was he really unable to avoid the path his parents were trying to set for him?

"Ah― you don't want to be tamed. You want to put up a fight. Such a spirit. If you want to challenge yourself, to challenge what you have in here right now, that answer is also very clear, now, isn't it?"

What was the Sorting Hat taking so long for? Draco was beginning to get impatient.

"I'll say―"

Draco closed his eyes. He braced himself for the inevitable.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

His eyes snapped open. Murmurs echoed throughout the Hall, filling up the large space. Professor McGonagall removed the Sorting Hat from Draco's head.

Draco couldn't believe it. He wasn't a Slytherin. Both excited and disbelieving, Draco shot up from the stool and hurried over to the table on the far left. Still perplexed, the Gryffindors clapped their hands rather awkwardly and uncertainly. Everyone in the Great Hall seemed to stare at him as he sat down next to Neville Longbottom. The older students talked among themselves as they looked at Draco.

Not so many people were left in waiting. A few more students later, Professor McGonagall called, "Potter, Harry!"

Whispers and murmurs filled the Great Hall once again.

"Harry Potter?"

"Did she just say 'Harry Potter'?"

Draco watched Potter take slow steps to the front. The Sorting Hat landed on his head. It took about a full minute or two as everyone watched intently. Then the hat finally declared―

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table erupted right away in a mere second. It was the loudest cheer that echoed in the Great Hall. Draco also applauded as he watched Potter walk over to where he was sitting. The older Gryffindors were all up on their feet to get a good look at him. A red-haired senior with a prefect badge on his chest shook hands with Potter, while a pair of twin boys yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

Potter sat down in an empty seat across from Draco, next to Granger. Draco smirked at him, to which Potter smiled back.

Now they were nearing the end of the Sorting. A black boy named Dean Thomas became a Gryffindor, and another Ravenclaw girl later, it was Weasley's turn. It didn't take long for Weasley to get sorted, however, as the Hat had barely touched his head when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Draco and Potter applauded along with the rest of the Gryffindors as Weasley walked over to them. When he sat down beside Draco, the prefect boy gave an approving nod.

"Well done, Ron, excellent," he said.

The last one to be sorted was Blaise Zabini, who made it into Slytherin. Professor McGonagall then rolled the parchment up again and took the hat and the stool away.

The headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood up from his seat. He beamed down at the students, opened his arms wide, and began to speak.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered, but Draco only raised his eyebrows in confusion. His father had always said that Dumbledore was a madman. Draco wondered if he should trust his father's word for it.

"Is he― is he a bit mad?" Potter asked the prefect boy, who had switched his seat next to him.

"Mad?" the prefect answered. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes, I have to say so."

The next moment, the tables were all filled with various kinds of food as if they had been there from the very beginning. Even Draco, who was used to having a meal full of high-quality food, couldn't help the astonishment at the variety. Everyone began to eat.

"That does look good."

Draco looked up and found a ghost hovering just behind Potter.

"Can't you―?" Potter asked, pointing to the piles of food on the table with his fork.

"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," the ghost replied. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. Have I introduced myself yet? I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who you are!" Weasley said suddenly. "You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind."

"'Nearly Headless'? How can you be 'nearly' headless?" A small boy named Seamus Finnigan said.

Sir Nicholas gave them all a displeased look before he seised his hair.

"Like this," he said flatly. With a pull, his head swung off his neck, but not completely, for it hung on one side like a hinge of a door.

Weasley yelped and Granger looked disgusted. Draco also lost his appetite a little.

As if satisfied, Sir Nicholas put his head back in its original place.

"So― new Gryffindors? I hope you'll help us win the house championship this year. It has been too long since Gryffindor last won. We've let Slytherins win for six years in a row!"

Sir Nicholas continued his talk about the house championship until he floated off to somewhere.

The students kept eating their food. When they all had enough food in their stomach, the remaining dishes disappeared, only to be replaced by the desserts. By then, everyone was talking about their families.

"I'm half-and-half," said Finnigan. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mam's a witch. She didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they got married. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."

The others around him laughed.

"So you're a Malfoy?"

Draco turned to look at the prefect boy. He was looking at him with a suspicious face.

"Yes," he answered.

"Forgive me if this is rude, but isn't your father Lucius Malfoy?"

Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes. This was exactly what he had been expecting, anyway.

"Yes, he is my father," he answered. "And before you ask, I'll tell you that he will not be pleased that I became a Gryffindor."

Everyone around him looked at him.

"Yeah, most likely," one of the red-haired twin boys said. "We thought, of all people, the son of Malfoys would be in Slytherin."

"Who didn't?" Draco shrugged. "Everyone did. My parents did. Even I thought I might be in Slytherin."

"But you don't seem so appalled," said the other twin.

"I am not," Draco answered as he scooped up his ice cream. "I never wanted to go to Slytherin. Mother and Father always said I had to. It was getting on my nerves."

"What a cheerful lad for a Malfoy," The first twin said. "I have a feeling that you will be an interesting one. Fred and George Weasley, by the way." He said, gesturing toward his twin, who nodded.

"They're my brothers," Ron Weasley added. He then jerked his head toward the prefect. "Percy's my brother, too. He's the prefect."

"I have to say, it is surprising to see a Malfoy in Gryffindor," said Percy Weasley rather haughtily. "But as a prefect, I welcome you to our house."

Draco got a strong feeling that he was authoritative. He glimpsed at Ron, who simply shook his head. He was probably used to it by then.

"There really are so many of you," said Draco.

Others around him laughed. Ron Weasley looked too used to it.

"What about you, Neville?" Ron asked.

Longbottom began talking about his family and how they used to think he didn't have magic in him. On one side, Draco could also listen to Granger and Percy Weasley talking about different classes.

"Ouch!"

Draco turned at the sudden yelp. Potter was clasping his head on his forehead.

"What is it?" Percy Weasley turned to ask.

"Nothing," Potter answered. Then he pointed toward the High Tables. "Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?"

Draco also turned to look. He spotted a teacher wearing a turban talking to Professor Snape. He quickly looked back down. He was quite sure that Professor Snape hadn't noticed him watching him, but, for some reason, he felt as if he shouldn't meet his eyes.

"You know Quirrell already? No wonder he's looking so nervous. That's Professor Snape. He teaches potions, but everyone knows that it's Dark Arts he fancies. He's been after Quirrell's job for years."

Soon, the dessert also vanished from the tables. Everything became as clean as it had been before everyone started to eat. Then Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again.

"I'd like to give out some start-of-term notices, now that we are all fed and watered," he began. "First-years, please note that the Dark Forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students. And a few of our older students seemed to be reminded of this as well." His eyes strangely seemed to flash in the direction of the Gryffindor table, specifically at the Weasley twins.

"Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"Can first-years try out for the team, too?" Draco asked.

Before anyone could give him an answer, the headmaster continued.

"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 the most painful death.

Potter laughed, but he was one of the very few who did so. Dumbledore sounded as if he was making one of the most light-hearted comments, but Draco had a strong feeling that he really meant his words.

Yet, Dumbledore finished up everything on a rather cheery note. He made all the students stand up and sing the school's song. There wasn't even any tune to sing along to, and all the sound mixed up into a loud mass of noise as everyone picked their own melodies. Draco only mouthed the lyrics along and pretended to sing in a hushed voice. He was never that close to music all his life.

Everyone finished the song at different times. The last ones were the Weasley twins, who were singing along to a very slow and gloomy tune. Draco stifled a laugh as Dumbledore used his wand to conduct the last few lines.

"Ah, music," he said, clapping loudly when the song finished. "A magic beyond all we do here. And now off to bed, all of you!"

The first-years followed their house prefects to be led to each of their dormitories. Percy Weasley was the one to lead the Gryffindors.

"Gryffindors, follow me, please. Keep up, thank you."

He led them through the Entrance Hall right and turned toward the bigger hall full of staircases.

"This is the Grand Staircase. And this is the most direct path to the dormitories," Percy Weasley explained.

The first-years were mesmerized by the grand scale of the place. Percy Weasley had to urge them to hurry up to have them follow him as he started to climb the stairs. They walked upstairs all the way to the seventh floor, passing by numerous portraits that filled the entire walls without any room. The people inside the portraits occasionally threw out greetings at the new students.

The Gryffindor house was located on the seventh floor. Percy Weasley stood before a portrait of a large woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" The woman asked.

"Caput Draconis," answered Percy Weasley.

The portrait opened like a door to reveal a small passageway. The Gryffindors all went through and found themselves in a round room full of armchairs and a cozy fire. Everything ― the walls, the furniture, and the fire ― seemed so red.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room," Percy Weasley said." He pointed to a spiral staircase on one side. "Boy's dormitory's upstairs and down to your left, girls, the same on your right. You'll find all your belongings to have already been brought up."

Since it was already quite late and everyone was tired after so much food, all the first-years headed straight upstairs. Draco joined the boys and entered the boys' dormitory.

Six four-poster beds draped in deep red velvet curtains were laid around the round room. True to the prefect's word, everyone's trunks were already set at the foot of each bed. Draco's was in between Longbottom's and Potter's beds.

Nobody talked much as they changed into their pyjamas and got into bed. Even Draco was too tired to think about how his parents would react once they found out that their proud little son had not become a Slytherin but a Gryffindor. He just climbed into his bed as he heard Weasley push his pet rat Scabbers off the bed. He could worry about other things when he woke up in the morning.

A/N: I wasn't too sure about the structure of the Hogwarts castle, so I decided to use the one in the video game version of OoP and HBP. One of the things I love about those two games is that I can really see where everything is. So, it may not really fit the books' descriptions or what we see in the films.

Thank you so much for reading the story!

I would love to hear what you thought, what you think can be better, and just about anything!

I hope you all stay safe and healthy and wish you a very good day, wherever you are!

Best,
Lisa :)