Chapter II
Resorting
The fifth years were told to stand in front of the staff's table. In front of them, sitting on a spindly stool, was an old patchy hat. Harry looked behind them at the staff table. First, he saw Dumbledore, sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the center of the long staff table, wearing deep-purple robes scattered with silver stars and a matching hat. Dumbledore's head was inclined toward the woman sitting next to him, who was talking into his ear. She looked, harry thought, like somebody's unfortunate aunt: squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes. Then she turned her face slightly to take a sip from her goblet and he saw, with a shock of recognition, a pallid, toadlike face and a pair of prominent, pouchy eyes.
"It's that Umbridge woman!" he whispered to Ron and Hermione.
"Who?"
"She was at my hearing, she works for Fudge!"
"Nice cardigan," Ron said, smirking.
"She works for Fudge?" Hermione repeated, frowning. "What on earth is she doing here, then?"
"Don't know."
Dumbledore stood up and the talking stopped. "Before we welcome our First Years to join us in Hogwarts, it appears that we are all due a little resorting," he said. "Now, do not take this as a time of blame or accusation, but rather we will treat this as a little nostalgic game, reminding all of us of the anxiety and excitement that our First Years feel tonight. And so I think, to give our lovely sorting hat a chance to warm up his voice, we will save his song for the First Years." The students all gave an awkward laugh as the Fifth years all looked around. Professor McGonagall stood up from her chair with a scroll of parchment in her hands. She moved to stand next to the Sorting Hat and said, "I dare hope I need not remind you on how to do this." There was more awkward laughter. "Then let us begin. Hannah Abbot." The girl walked out of the line and the Hufflepuffs cheered. She put on the Sorting Hat and automatically, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The school cheered, some laughing at the ridiculousness of it and Hannah went off to join her friends.
"Susan Bones."
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat declared again and Susan ran off to join Hannah, the two laughing together.
"Terry Boot!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The Ravenclaw table joined in the cheering and laughter as Terry rejoined them, giving a huge bow before sitting down. Mandy Brocklehurst rejoined Ravenclaw as well soon after.
"Lavender Brown."
Lavender took the hat and, just like the others, the hat barely sat on her head for a second before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table cheered the loudest, as they usually do, Harry and the other Gryffindors cheered her return to the lions.
Millicent Bulstrode returned to Slytherin, and Harry couldn't help but grimace as for a moment he imagined her being his housemate, especially as she was soon joined by Crabbe. Michael Corner rejoined Hufflepuff while Tracey Davis, a girl Harry barely remembered, joined Crabbe and Bulstrode in Slytherin. Justin Finch-Fletchley also returned to Hufflepuff.
"Seamus Finnigan." The sandy-haired teen winked at his best friend Dean Thomas and strolled confidently at Professor McGonagall. "Thank you, madam," he said, giving an elaborate hand twirl as he bowed low in front of her. The students all laughed while Professor McGonagall looked unimpressed.
"If we can continue with this smoothly before I decide the best house for you is an outhouse, Mr. Finnigan," Professor McGonagall said. Seamus grinned at that and placed the hat on his head. Just like all the others, the Sorting Hat shouted immediately, "GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindors cheered louder than ever as Seamus took off the hat, and bowed to them, before turning and bowing to Professor McGonagall and the staff table. He returned and sat down across from Lavender.
"Anthony Goldstein."
"RAVENCLAW!" Goldstein smiled and went back to his table, sitting next to Corner.
"Hermione Granger."
"Good luck," Harry couldn't help but whisper as Hermione stepped out of the line. Hermione gave an easy smile while Ron chuckled. She sat on the stool and placed the Sorting hat on her head. Harry couldn't help but remember the last time she had it on, the Hat was silent for almost three minutes. Now, in the pattern of everyone else's sorting, the Hat shouted immediately, "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Yes!" Ron cheered silently before his cheeks turned pink when Harry noticed. "What? I'm happy she's back there," he muttered.
Daphne Greengrass rejoined Slytherin, moving eloquently as did so. Harry couldn't help but notice that she looked rather plain in clothing that was too big for her. He pointed this out to Ron who snorted, "Maybe she's embarrassed her boobs are small."
"Neville Longbottom."
Neville took a breath and made his way to the sorting hat, Ron, Harry, and Dean patting his back as he made his way. He took the hat from Professor McGonagall, sat on the stool, and put the hat on. Then silence.
The hat did not shout out his house immediately like the rest of the fifth years. It was silent and Harry saw Neville gripping the edge of the stool he sat on as the silence went on. Everyone seemed to lean in close in anticipation for Neville's sorting. Then, after a minute of silence, the Sorting Hat shouted out.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
There was a collective gasp from the Gryffindors and everyone stared at Neville in shock. He actually changed houses! Neville took the hat off sheepishly and stared out as if his legs were turned to stone. He looked at Harry and the others for help, but they just stared back.
"LET'S GO NEVILLE!"
The Weasley twins were standing, clapping loudly. Dean and Lavender stood up as well, clapping and cheering for him. "GO ON MATE!" Seamus yelled, "SHOW THOSE BADGERS HOW WE LIONS DO!"
One by one, the Gryffindors all rose to applaud Neville. Harry quickly joined in too, cheering for his friend. Neville's face turned, a smile appearing shyly as he raised a hand. The Gryffindors roared with applause, followed by the Hufflepuffs themselves, not wanting to be outdone. Harry could feel the vibrations in the air as though the entire room itself was cheering for Neville, and he couldn't be prouder. Even Professor McGonagall was clapping, looking at Neville before turning to Professor Sprout, who was cheering just as loud as her students. Neville moved towards the other fifth-year Hufflepuffs, who all stood up to greet him, patting his back and shaking his hand. Neville gave one final wave before sitting down.
The cheering continued for another five minutes before Professor Dumbledore stood up and raise his hand to stop it. With the silence restored, Professor McGonagall returned to her list. "Ernest MacMillian" quickly rejoined his fellow Hufflepuffs, patting Neville's back as he sat down. "Draco Malfoy."
Malfoy swaggered forward and the hat barely touched his head before shouting, "SLYTHERIN!"
"Imagine if he somehow got resorted into Gryffindor," Ron muttered. "Nasty business." Harry hummed in agreement but found his stomach turning as a familiar feeling overcame him. There weren't many left. Nott was brought back to Slytherin along with Parkinson while the Patil sisters were split off again, Parvati returning to Gryffindor while Patil returned to Ravenclaw. Then finally, "Harry Potter."
"Save a seat for me," Ron said, patting Harry's shoulder.
"Sure," Harry said. His hands felt suddenly clammy. He went to Professor McGonagall and eyed the Sorting Hat as he sat down. He placed the Sorting hat on his head and braced himself.
Gryffindor. Put me back in Gryffindor. He thought.
A voice chuckled in his ear. "Oh no, not this time Mr. Potter. I've told you that you had a difficult mind to sort. Plenty of courage, yes, but you still hold that thirst to prove yourself, and a good mind that's being put to waste from what I see here. No, I think we both know which house works best for you."
No, please don't—
"Better be… SLYTHERIN!"
Nobody clapped. That was the first thing that Harry noticed as the Hat was taken off of him. Nobody clapped for him. The Gryffindors just stared at him shellshocked. He stood up on weak legs and stumbled a step away from the stool. He looked at his friends and they just stared back at him. Ginny actually looked misty-eyed as she stared at him. The twins both had their jaws dropped. He looked over at the other houses. Nobody clapped still. They just stared at him as if suspicions were being confirmed. Then he looked at the Slytherins and was met with heated, angry glares. His heart sank and he knew that he would find no ally at those tables. He couldn't move. He didn't want to move. He wanted to be on the train, no, back with Sirius hiding from the world.
He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Off you go, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said gently.
Harry gave a nod and turned towards the Slytherin table. He felt as if he was walking toward the gallows. He gave one final look towards the Gryffindor Table but still, no one talked. He reached the Slytherins only for the seventh years to hiss at him. "What are you playing at Potter?"
"Think this is funny, Potter?"
"You're doomed."
"Who do you think you are?"
Harry stopped when he reached the fifth years where there were open spots. He looked up and caught Draco Malfoy's eyes, his silver eyes full of malice. "Don't even think about it, Potter," Malfoy spat. Harry found that he had no comeback, he just nodded and kept moving down until he reached the end of the long Slytherin table. He sat down and felt completely isolated.
He sat alone by himself as he watched the rest of the sorting. He felt as if the world was falling apart as the rest of the fifth years were sorted back into their original houses. Ron stared at him across from the Gryffindor table, a broken look on his face as if he couldn't believe what was going on. He felt a presence behind him and looked up to see Blaise Zabini staring down at him. "Sit with us," the boy commanded. "It looks bad if the years are separated."
"You sure?" Harry forced himself to ask.
"Yes. Don't say anything, and don't think this makes us friends. Just because you're in Slytherin now Potter doesn't make you one of us," Zabini said.
"I'm not a Slytherin," Harry spat out. Zabini looked unimpressed and turned to go back to the other fifth years. There were two empty spots, one next to Malfoy and another next to Nott. Harry chose the one next to Nott while Zabini sat next to Malfoy.
"Why is the golden boy here?" Malfoy immediately demanded.
"Because looks are everything, Draco darling," Zabini answered. "We need to look united, even if we all hate Potter's guts."
"Believe me the feeling's mutual," Harry muttered. "This has to be a mistake."
"Your existence is a mistake Potter, but here we are," Malfoy drawled. "But I'm telling you now, Potter, if you try to do anything to make us look bad, if you even think of sabotaging us in any way, you will pay. You will find that delusional people will not last long in the world."
"You and I both know that I am not delusional, Malfoy," Harry hissed.
"Are you sure? Have you been reading the papers lately Potter? They're making you madder than the Lovegoods, and they are insane," Malfoy snorted, Crabbe and Goyle chuckling.
"At least the Lovegoods don't follow a noseless homicidal maniac," Harry hissed back.
"Careful, Potter," Theodore Nott warned, glaring at him. "Remember where you are now."
"Is that a warning, Nott?" Harry demanded.
"A suggestion," Nott said. "Now, let's avoid such ugly topics for now. Especially for those who know little about what they are talking about."
Greengrass giggled next to him and Nott smirked as she kissed his cheek. Harry scowled at him but stayed quiet. There were movements and Harry looked up to see a line of scared-looking first years entered, led by Professor McGonagall. The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students. The brim of the Sorting Hat opened up once more and it started to sing.
"It really cannot hold a tune," Malfoy muttered as the hat sang. Zabini snickered at that and whispered back, "We all can't have singing lessons like you, Malfoy."
Harry looked between the two. Malfoy can sing? He thought before looking back at the Sorting Hat. It was still singing, asking for unity or something between the Houses which seemed ironic in his mind. "Why is the hat giving a warning?" Harry muttered. He expected Hermione to answer, but his heart quickly fell when he reminded himself that they were in different Houses now.
"Maybe it's trying to be funny," Zabini said, "or it thinks that it can warn people about You-Know-Who." He shrugged and looked almost bored as he waited for the sorting to start. Harry stared at him. Zabini looked back at him. "What?" he asked, annoyed. "Do all of you Gryffindors just stare dully at everything?"
"N-No," Harry said defensively. Zabini sighed and shook his head. "Remember how I told you to shut up? Practice that." Harry gave him a sharp glare but kept his mouth shut.
Professor McGonagall read through the list of first years and slowly it thinned as they have all gotten sorted. Harry had to hold himself back from cheering for the new Gryffindors, not wanting to out himself from the other Slytherins and make him feel even more like a new outcast in his new House. When the food appeared, Harry stayed quiet. He just kept his head down and ate, lost in his thoughts about his whole situation. The other Slytherins didn't try to talk to him, which he was happy for. He just wanted to sulk in the misery of this situation.
Soon, the food was gone and Dumbledore was standing, giving his after-feast speech. Harry felt awful, not even noticing that Hagrid was gone until Dumbledore pointed out that Professor Grubbly-Plank was there to take over Care of Magical Creatures. Umbridge, much to Harry's displeasure, was taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the—"
"Hem, hem."
Dumbledore stopped and turned to see Professor Umbridge standing, not caring that she has interrupted the headmaster of the school. "Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge said, "for those kind words of welcome. Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts. I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me." Harry glanced around. None of the faces he could see looked happy, on the contrary, they all looked rather taken aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."
Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back.
"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, between old and new, permanence and change, tradition and innovation must be made because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."
She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though Harry noticed that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. Next to him, Theodore Nott gave a thoughtful hum and frowned deeply.
"I don't like this," he muttered.
"What? That load of waffle?" Zabini said.
"You moron," Nott said. "You don't see? I bet even Potter here gets what she was saying!" He jabbed a finger toward Harry, whose cheeks turned red.
"I—it did sound like waffle to me," Harry admitted.
Both Nott and Malfoy groaned. "Well it's obvious that Granger was the brains of your little group," Nott said. "I'll spell it out for you then: The Ministry is interfering with Hogwarts. And that is something that I do not like at all."
"Why not?" Harry asked, "I thought all you Slytherin lot bend over backward for the Ministry."
"How can you be so simple?" Nott said, looking at Harry almost disappointedly. "You need to learn to shut up and listen, Potter, really listen, or you'll be dead and abandoned by Friday." He looked up to see that they'd been dismissed. Malfoy and Parkinson already got up to escort the first years and Nott sighed. "Zabini, can you please watch our newest ward? We don't want him wandering away."
"Joy," Zabini said. "Come on Potter, shut up and follow me."
Harry felt insulted at being treated like so. He stood up to make his own way, remembering where the Slytherin Dungeons were from his time in his second year, when he looked over at the Gryffindors. He tried to catch Ron and Hermione's eyes, but couldn't find them anywhere. He saw Ginny instead who stared at him. He waved his hand awkwardly and Ginny shook her head, turning away from him. Zabini saw this and snorted, "Trouble in Paradise Potter?" he asked.
"I—no, no, I don't like her like that," he muttered.
"Good, you're a Slytherin now, and you've got to learn that some people are now beneath you, even if you're the worst Slytherin in existence," Zabini said.
"Can you stop insulting me?" Harry demanded. "Honestly I know that Malfoy and I hate each other but what the hell have I ever done to you to piss you off so much?"
Zabini smirked, "Simple. You're a Gryffindor, and I'm a Slytherin. We're just playing our roles, Potter. And for the record, this is me being nice. Now come along, nobody over there want to wish you goodnight." He pointed at the Gryffindors, and Harry gave him a defiant look. He pushed past Zabini and the others towards the entrance. "Ron!" he called out, "Hey, Ron! Hermione!"
The two stopped and turned to Harry, both looking awkward. Harry finished running up to them and bit his lower lip. He could practically feel the awkwardness between them. "Some sorting, eh?" he said, giving them a smile that he didn't feel.
"Yeah," Hermione said, glancing between Harry and the first years. "Look Harry, we… we have to show the first years where the common room is."
"Yeah, mate," Ron said, "Uh sorry." The two left without a word and Harry just stood there, watching them walk away. The other Gryffindors passed, all of them purposefully looking away from him. The twins paused but were dragged away by Lee, but still, nobody said anything to him, or even tried to meet his eyes.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Zabini. "Come on Potter," he said. "The others aren't going to be as nice to you." Harry just nodded and allowed Zabini to lead him away. With every step, Harry felt the coldness of the dungeons strike through him as he went with the other Slytherins to the Slytherin Dungeon, his new common room.
A/N: Thank you so much for all the follows and favorites! Don't forget to leave a review if possible for those really do keep me going!