Chapter: The Sorting.
"First years! First years over here!"
"Blimey!" Ron breathed, while Harry could only gape at his side.
"Giants are real?" Harry quietly asked timid Neville on his left.
"Well, yes but they're actually much larger than that," Neville answered with a shaky whisper.
The large man must have heard them or something as his beady eyes widen at spying their little group. Hermione makes a noise of interest and pulls out a pencil and small notebook. Ron frowns with curious interest at her scribbling and tries to sneak a peek at her notebook.
"What are you doing?" he asks, but Hermione narrows her eyes at him irately and leans away.
"I'm documenting my experience, obviously," she huffed.
Ron gave a snort and smirked at her teasingly but didn't bother trying to read her scribbles again.
"Why'd you wanna do something like that?"
Hermione grit her teeth and narrowed her dull staring eyes at him. The way she stood in her carefully arranged robes made her look quite stern for an eleven-year-old. The two were slowly building to another round of bickering while Harry and Neville tugged at their robes with alarm. The giant was stomping towards them with a terrifying wide smile. Hermione, in her bristling ire, shrugged away from Neville's tug and scowled at the smirking Ron.
"Unlike you, magic is quite new in my life. Why wouldn't I?" she countered.
Ron opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by Harry's sharp elbow to his side.
"Ouch, Harry what?"
"Merlin it really is you! Look at you, grown up and everything. Professor McGonagall said you'd be coming, but I just can't believe its been so long already," the giant man blustered with shiny eyes.
Neville had ducked behind Ron and had a grip on Hermione's robes. Ron glowered up at the towering giant, while Hermione's grip on her pencil appeared rather threatening. But it was obvious to anyone watching that the giant's interest was for the glasses wearing boy in the middle of the two. Harry was tense and didn't dare move an inch.
"Sorry?" Harry warily apologized.
The giant let out a booming laugh that drew everyone's attention. Harry winced and stepped back, comforted at feeling Ron and Hermione's supportive presence on either side of him with Neville guarding their backs.
"Sorry, he says. As if the Harry Potter would ever need to apologize to the likes of me," the giant chuckled.
Harry cringed while his stomach sunk with dread. The whispers around him increased and he could hear his name echo among the crowd. Ron gave a low growl as his expression darkened and his ears grew hot with anger. Neville trembled at all the attention, but Hermione tilted her head back and piercingly stared up at the Giant.
"Pardon me, but who exactly are you?" she primly inquired, her tone expectant.
The Giant's laughter tapered off at the rather sharp address. He looked down at the little girl and was surprised by the mildly hostile glint in her eyes. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable and awkward with his approach, he scrambled to explain himself.
"Of course, you wouldn't remember. Ahem, Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."
Harry looked up at Hagrid with wide eyes of disbelief. He felt Ron nudge him inquiringly but could only shake his head in response. Harry had never met a giant named Rubeus Hagrid in his life. It's not exactly something one could easily forget.
"And you know Harry?" Ron grunted dubiously with his eyebrows deeply furrowed.
"Certainly! Though he was only a wee baby when I last saw him," Hagrid elaborated before looking Harry over again.
Harry did his best to hide how uncomfortable he felt as Hagrid's eyes grew shiny.
"You look a lot like your dad, but you got your mum's eyes."
A different feeling suddenly overwhelmed Harry. He stepped forward, ignoring Ron and Hermione's reach to pull him back, and levelled a desperate stare up at Hagrid.
"You knew my parents?"
Perhaps it was the way Harry's voice shook, or the increasing hostility from Hermione and Ron. Whatever the case, Hagrid was alarmed by the children's attention. He fumbled for his pocket-watch and exclaimed at the time.
"Blimey, we're running behind. Professor McGonagall will have my head if I'm late. Come on now, lets get a moving. Don't want to keep the rest of the school waiting for too long," Hagrid blathered while ushering them along.
"Wait!" Harry tried, feeling slighted at having his question ignored.
But Hagrid was already calling for the rest of the first years to follow him. Harry clenched his fists tightly with frustration at being so close to learning more about his parents and being denied once again. He didn't have long to wallow in the feeling as Hermione urged him forward while pulling a trembling Neville to follow.
"Come on, let's get a move on. You can ask him again another time," she lowly whispered.
Harry scowled and opened his mouth to argue but Ron's hand on his shoulder distracted him. Ron was glaring rather darkly at a group of students a few ways to the side. It was remarkably intimidating for an eleven-year-old.
"What are you lot staring at? Mind your own business," he snarled.
Harry was suddenly aware of the whispering about the boy-who-lived. He hunched his shoulders and self-consciously shifted his hair around his scar to hide it better.
"Come on, Harry…" Neville quietly encouraged.
The four of them trooped after Hagrid. Hermione and Ron kept a tight guard over the two in the centre. Neville was quietly babbling in Harry's ear about Trevor, but Harry was listening with a sullen frown on his lips. The mood around the children, once again, had grown tense and gloomy.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
The bustling chatter and greetings of returning students filled Hogwarts with a cheery ambience. Students in their respective house colours, crowded with their friends, laughing as they familiarised themselves with their home away from home.
"...and again, you're not even listening to a word I'm saying," one boy whined.
"I'm sure it's nothing new," Percy absently placated as his eyes continued to roam the crowds in search of someone.
Oliver Wood grunted with doubt and folded his arms challengingly. He eyed the pretentious looking red head with a considering expression. While he rarely ever voiced it, Percy Weasley was undoubtedly his best friend. It's an unavoidable fate for a lone duo who'd shared a dorm for four, now to be five, years. Not that Oliver is complaining as being best friends with Percy Weasley was his easiest achievement in life. It only took voluntarily getting lost in the forbidden forest, for a few hours as a first year, to earn the approval of Charlie Weasley and gain the title. Percy could be rather stuffy and an unbearable nag; but Oliver was equally overwhelmingly competitive and obsessive.
Their friendship oddly balanced itself out, which suited them both fine.
"You're fretting like a mother hen. I hope you know," Oliver dryly remarked, earning a harried glare from the red head.
"Oh, shut up. We both know you'll be repeating yourself for the first week at the minimum."
Oliver snorted and jutted his lip out in a pout.
"Wow, rude. Maybe the twins were on to something about this whole prefect nonsense going to your head."
Percy's glare intensified and he scowled at Oliver fiercely while pointing at the shiny badge pinned to Oliver's robes.
"My badge is plenty more certifiable than your silly captain badge. Why are you even wearing that now? It's the first day back and Quidditch is hardly the most demanding priority."
Oliver gasped and covered his captain badge protectively.
"Percy! The audacity! You didn't hear me insulting your pointless trinket. Everybody at Hogwarts already knows you're a stiff upper lip and a quivering bottom."
Percy flushed a furious shade of red while Oliver wore a devilish smirk whilst snickering. Percy floundered to respond for a few seconds before clearing his throat and glaring threateningly at his friend.
"Stop trying to distract me and help me find Flint. We don't have long till the first years are to be sorted."
All amusement fled Oliver's expression at the name mentioned and his eyes darkened indignantly.
"Flint! You're looking for Flint? Percival, you traitorous scum, of all my adversaries to fraternise with you settle for Flint."
Percy shoved Oliver with a scowl having spotted the boy mentioned with his usual band of companions. Oliver blocked Percy's way and refused to move an inch until the other boy explained his reasons. Percy huffed at his friend's dramatics but knew Oliver wouldn't hesitate to throw a huge fit if he didn't explain. The last thing Percy wanted was unwanted stares and the wrong kind of attention.
"My brother starts this year, you know this."
Oliver's glare lightened slightly but he still didn't move.
"Yes, I've heard. Another Weasley to grace the halls of Hogwarts. I still don't know how Flint fits into all this, you've already checked in on him like the frenzied mother you secretly are."
"Will you stop with the teasing! Ronald is different to the twins," Percy exclaimed.
Oliver's brows rose upwards at the name and he leaned forward with intrigue.
"Ronald? Hang on, the twins 'Little Ronnie', that Ronald?"
Percy subversively scowled and grumbled under his breath how 'Ron was his brother too', but Oliver ignored him. Holy shit how could Oliver forget Little Ronnie was supposed to start this year. It was all the twins and Percy could argue about last year. In Oliver's defense he'd been busy mourning their loss of the quidditch cup around the time, but he got the cliff notes from Lee.
Fred & George wanted to be the leading tour guides for little Ronnie's first year, but Percy wouldn't give them the pleasure. Percy had argued the two would only confuse their youngest brother and lead him down the path of mischief and trouble. Thankfully, they managed to compromise on the matter. The drama of it all was ranked the second most memorable Weasley argument in the Gryffindor dorms. It lost first place to the epic showdown between Charlie and Percy regarding the older boy's internship in Romania.
"Oh, Lee's going to have so much to share at our next meeting," Oliver gleefully chirped as he finally moved out the way.
Percy sniffed haughtily and scoffed in response.
"I still don't understand the need for you and Lee's childish play dates."
Oliver easily ignored Percy's tone and flagged down Flint with a steady nod. The green robed boy sneered but his expression turned begrudgingly polite at spotting Percy by Oliver's side.
"It's not a playdate, it's an exclusive club."
"Not if it's only got two members," Percy quipped but Oliver elbowed him lightly.
"Shush, we'll definitely be recruiting this year. Now, I'm only letting this slide because you said it's for little Ronnie. I'll be damned if Lee gets to be the only one with juicy news."
Marcus Flint approached them with Higgs and Pucey flanking him on either sides. He greeted Oliver with a taunting snarl but afforded Percy a polite dip of his head.
"Wood, itching for a beating already?"
"Sod off, Flint," Oliver countered with a scornful scoff.
Percy stepped forward before either boy could continue their tense exchange. Drawing himself to his full height, Percy levelled a compelling stare towards Marcus. Oliver shifted his stance slightly, keeping his wand hand loosely by his pocket. Higgs and Pucey mirrored him by Marcus's side.
"Marcus, hope the holidays treated you well," Percy started.
"I'd say it went fine. Yours?" Marcus shrugged.
Oliver inwardly groaned at the small talk, hating the rather formal necessities and manners Percy adopted whenever he wanted something from others. If Percy Weasley didn't one day make Minister of Magic, Oliver would eat his broom and swallow his quaffle. When the two finally finished their niceties, Percy finally raised the real reason for his approach.
"I've a younger brother to be sorted today."
Marcus, Higgs and Pucey shared looks of astonishment. Oliver couldn't even fault them as his own face must look the same.
"You can't be serious?" Higgs blurted.
It was telling how shocking this was when Flint didn't hush him immediately after. Percy's stare intensified with a threatening gleam and the shiny badge on his chest glinted ominously.
"Slytherin's never housed a Weasley!" Pucey argued.
But Marcus squinted at Percy, looking deep in thought. Oliver was trying to blink away his shock and focus on the reality before him. Eventually, Marcus found his words and slowly began to nod.
"Alright then Weasley, I'll bite. What do you need?"
"No promises as of yet, just reassurance."
Marcus snorted and shook his head.
"You're expecting too much from a snake," he refuted.
Percy arched a single brow imperiously.
"I don't think I am."
Oliver rapidly blinked some more and wondered if he imagined the slight flush to Flint's cheeks.
"Tch, alright then, you'll get your reassurance. So long as you offer some of your own."
Percy hummed but didn't prompt the other boy for a reply.
"This new Weasley, he like you or the other two pests?"
To the wonderment of the snakes and the groaning agony of Oliver's, Percy briefly lost his stiff persona and mellowed like a gooey pudding's centre. It was too late for Oliver to cast some sort of blinding hex to shield the snakes from witnessing Percy so weak. All he could do was step closer to his friend and stand threateningly on guard.
Curse the Weasley's and their ridiculous weakness towards their infamous 'little Ronnie' and curse his own heart for finding it sickeningly adorable.
"Believe me when I say, Ronald will prove to be more than anyone expects," Percy softly boasts.
Oliver inwardly groaned and cursed his past self for letting this come to be. Higgs let out a quiet snort, but Percy heard and the switch back into his usual stiff persona was unnervingly quick. Percy adjusts his robes, consequently allowing the glint of his badge to be more obvious. The action coming across rather threateningly towards the snake.
"You know my policies, Flint. We can discuss matters such as possible promises after the sorting."
Marcus disrupted Percy's threatening stare towards Higgs by stepping forward with a glare.
"You've made your point, Weasley."
Percy hummed before giving polite nods and turning his back. Oliver slipped his wand out for additional emphasis causing Flint to snort out a laugh.
"Save it for the pitch, Wood. Always leaves an extra zing of victory sweetness to witness your misery when you lose."
Oliver glares but allows the snake to have the last word.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
"So, what the bloody fuck Perce?" Oliver hissed as they made their way to the Gryffindor table to sit.
"Later, Oliver," Percy shushed.
But Oliver was well into his rant to even hear.
"I know I said I'll stop asking, but seriously! You can't go making deals with the fucking devil and expect me not to wonder. What the hell do you have on Flint that makes him less of a troll and willing to share 'promises' with a lion?"
"Oliver, I said not now," Percy repeated with a strained whisper.
Oliver frowned with an indignant pout but couldn't resist pushing a little more.
"Fine. At least tell me why you went to Flint rather than Farley when she's the one with the badge and certainly the better sort."
Percy released a heavy sigh through his nose but patiently explained his actions to his friend.
Oliver digested it all with unabashed marvel. He knew Percy was a stiff with a control streak that sometimes got a little concerning, but this? This was adult level politics that had no business being used in a school by children. Sure, Oliver constantly joked about Percy possibly getting poached by some ministry officials like Charlie did with the dragon training scouts. Yet, he found himself uncomfortably paranoid that it just might come true.
"Penelope already promised to keep an eye out, she's incredibly helpful you know," Percy continued, and Oliver nodded distractedly.
"Mmh, which has nothing to do with her massive crush on you but do go on."
Percy's selective hearing must have been in play again as he completely glossed over Oliver's words.
"The twins volunteered to check in with Diggory and since they've not bothered me, I'll assume it went over well."
"Merlin, Diggory too? I was joking about my enemies! Any other rival of mine you've been looking to get cosy with?"
Percy rolled his eyes, looking unimpressed with Oliver's jokes. If only he knew that Oliver was not at all faking his incensed outbursts.
"Look, Gemma might wear the badge but it's no secret it was Marcus who endorsed her. Also, if Marcus had cared for it, he would have been made the male prefect instead of Griffins. Turns out the only badge he cared for was quidditch captain."
"Right, I think you're giving Flint a little too much credit there," Oliver wryly scoffed.
"I'm not. Flint's got more influence than anyone knows. He's simply better at hiding it compared to most."
Oliver leaned forward with an accusing murmur.
"Because he's a cheating snake!"
Before they could argue further, they were joined at the table by the twins and Lee. The twins were looking mighty smug while Lee looked like he needed a calming draught. Oliver sympathised with the younger boy, feeling a migraine building at his temples.
"Diggory's set," George filled in only to have Fred add on his own comment from over his shoulder.
"Wouldn't stop staring at us like we were mental for even suggesting Ron would go elsewhere, but we set him straight."
"He knows the drill," they deviously purred like cats who got the cream.
Percy nodded approvingly and gave his own assurance. Oliver sagged in his seat and just shook his head, he looked over to where Lee sat and shared an exasperated sigh with the boy.
"Think we should meet tonight instead of tomorrow?" Lee offered but Oliver groaned and shook his head.
"Merlin no! Let's try for one good sleep before we deal with this shit."
Fred snorted with a mischievous grin stretched across his lips.
"This about your support group?"
"I think you mean play date," Percy corrected.
"Hang on, I thought it was a club?" George added with mocking wide eyes.
Oliver cleared his throat while Lee just cradled his head in his arms.
"It's all of that, minus the play date."
"It's ridiculous, is what it is" Percy countered.
Oliver smirked at his friend tauntingly.
"Only because you're jealous you can't join."
"A Weasley support group without any Weasley's," George mused
"Horrible, utterly insulting" Fred tacked on.
"Yes, well it wasn't made for you. If you Weasley's weren't so insane it wouldn't even be needed." Lee retorted.
Percy noticed Professor McGonagall head for the door and hushed them all with a sharp hiss. To the rest of Hogwarts, it was just another first year sorting. The only anticipation being the bets on which house would get the boy-who-lived. For three Weasley's it was an entirely different sort of sorting. One that felt monumental, and only their closest most trusted friends understood why.
When the hall doors opened and McGonagall led the crowd of first years to the front, all eyes were on the boy-who-lived.
While three pairs of anxious blue eyes never left the grumpy red head trudging along beside a bespectacled boy with green eyes.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Hermione, as her outlaw Aunt Leah would say, was mighty close to cutting a bitch if they didn't stop their staring. Amid the marvelling gasps at Hogwarts beauty as they crossed the lake, many eyes repeatedly darted over to their boat. While she was no stranger to gawking, her discomfort and dwindling patience was mostly in Harry's name. After getting to know the boy better on the train, Hermione realized the truth about the boy-who-lived.
Harry Potter was simply that, a boy.
A clueless, well-meaning boy who could switch moods like her dad liked to switch channels.
"Over there, look do you see him? The boy beside the fat one. Can you believe it's really him?" a girl with a pug like nose whispered.
Hermione grit her teeth and tapped her pencil against her notebook to a fast-paced tempo.
"Draco talked to him on the train you know. He said that the killing curse must have killed a hefty amount of braincells instead so he could live. It's the only explanation for why the boy made Crabbe and Goyle seem intelligent."
Hermione stopped her tapping while her grip on her pencil tightened.
She kept her eyes trained on the Hall door, willing Professor McGonagall to return quickly so they may move on. She could hear Ron and Neville doing their best to distract Harry from the blatant staring and hushed whispers of his name. She doubted the boys had senses as sharp as her own, a gift from birth. It's why she valued mind exercises. She had to train and exercise her brain to combat the sense overload. Most days she enjoyed the advantages it gave her.
Today it made Hermione want to claw at her neck and dig at her scar hidden beneath her wild mane.
"But that's not even the worst of it…" the pug faced girl continued.
Hermione's face must have twisted into something concerning as Neville looked at her worriedly. He then nudged Harry and Ron bringing it to attention. Which, while a caring gesture, only made matters worse. Ron was looking at her warily, as if she were a wild animal. Harry had narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to where she stood.
"Hermione?" Harry prompted reaching out with his hand.
"… he's a mudblood sympathiser" the girl finished with a disgusted sneer.
Hermione's patience snapped and the scar on her neck burned.
"Excuse you," she sneered with a dark glower.
There was no mistaking who she was addressing, not when her whole body twisted in the girls direction. The 'subtle' staring and whispering stopped immediately in favour of blatant gawking. The pug girl looked surprised, likely thinking she was too far away to be heard. She wasn't wrong. It was just her unfortunate luck that Hermione had such strong senses. Hermione knew the two who stepped up to flank her sides were Ron and Harry. She could sense them without having to look.
To the girl's credit, she didn't shy away or look embarrassed. Instead she stuck her pug nose in the air and matched Hermione's stance. The tension between the two girls incredibly thick and growing hostile by the ticking seconds.
"Excuse me? That was a private conversation," the girl sneered.
Hermione scoffed and tucked her notebook into her pocket for safe keeping. She kept hold of her pencil. Aunt Leah always warned that if your going to fight it's best to have options on hand. The pen is always mightier than the sword, though she didn't have a sword or a pen, she figured a pencil would have to do.
"You're excused," Hermione sharply dismissed.
The girl let out an offended gasp but had no time to respond as Hermione was already speaking.
"As an individual who values truth and fact, I couldn't possibly allow you to continue your inconsiderate blabber and misconstrued slander."
She heard Ron snort loudly on her left while Harry's eyes stared at her in shock on her right. Neville had briefly tightened his grip on her robes from behind with anxious fret. She heard several gasps and muttering from the watching crowd. One loud voice even asked after the meaning of 'misconstrued', which at any other time, she would have found amusing.
Right now, Hermione's attention was focused on the girl across from her. She stepped forward and pointed her pencil at the girl and sharply hissed her warning.
"Believing in hearsay's while ignorant often leads to unpleasant misunderstandings. If I were you, I'd be mindful of who I talk about and what I say."
Hermione was close enough to see the tiny quiver of the girls lip. She was satisfied with the rising flush of pink to her cheeks and slight dilation of her pupils from panic. Aunt Leah always said she had a deadly stare, one that could turn grown men into quivering sheep if she wanted.
"Back off, freak" a thick shouldered girl grunted as she stepped between the two.
Hermione was ready to shift targets but was jolted to the side by Harry's sudden interference. He was glaring darkly at the thicker girl looking rather furious, leaving Hermione momentarily stunned.
"She's not a freak," he snapped.
The two girls visibly shrank back at having the Harry Potter confront them.
"Harry…" Ron tempered with one hand on Harry's shoulder and his other on Hermione's.
"Harry, Hermione, please! Professor McGonagall could come back at any second," Neville anxiously whispered.
"Defending your attack dog, Potter?" Draco Malfoy taunted as he stepped in front of the two girls.
Hermione absently took note of how the girls seemed to hide behind the blond. She realized they were standing across from each other like opposing gangs in an alley way. She knew Harry was glaring at Malfoy, probably caught in another stare off like on the train, but Hermione didn't dare shift her eyes from the pug faced girl.
"Father was right then. Filth do like to wallow among their own," Malfoy sneered.
Harry scoffed while his glaring green eyes intensified.
"If that's the case, then Hermione was right about you too back on the train. You can't reason with a child chasing after Daddy's approval."
Someone in the crowd started to 'ooh' while the blond in front of them reached for his wand.
"What is going on here?" a stern voice loudly bellowed.
The children quickly cowered and scrambled to get into order. Draco and his lot quickly looked to the source, but Harry and Hermione were too riled to stop glaring. It was only Ron's quick shove that got them to drop their staring. When they turned forward, they found Professor McGonagall staring down at them with sharp scrutiny.
"Mr Potter, Ms Granger, is there a problem?" she prompted.
Hermione pursed her lips and Harry mutinously kept silent.
"No professor, just trying to make friends you see," Ron quickly answered with an unassuming smile.
The red-haired boy didn't falter under the stern Professor's piercing stare. It was clear none of the children would be admitting to anything.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Minerva McGonagall could easily recognise a Weasley child when she saw one. Though this Weasley already had her rather on edge. Molly Weasley's boys, so far at least, have proven to be the most troublesome kind of students. Nothing she couldn't handle, especially after all she suffered through with the Marauders, but troublesome none the less.
She shifted her stare to the glasses wearing boy who was proving to be his mother's child with his stubborn green glare. Of course, it would be her luck to teach the legacy of James Potter and Lily Evans. She could only hope his mother's temper was all he inherited and not his father's love for mischief.
"May I remind you, children, that Hogwarts is a school of unanimity and modesty. We do not condone fighting among the students and if ever one should occur, I assure you, the consequences will be fierce. Am I understood?"
"Yes Professor," the children echoed with appropriately cowed heads.
She looked them over one by one, mildly satisfied with their presented selves and motioned for them to follow.
"Form a line and follow after me."
The children scrambled to obey, but McGonagall kept a careful watch over a certain few.
For a moment, her worn heart quivered and ached as a cluster of four children whispered among themselves. In her mind's eye, she thought of another cluster of four. Four reckless foolhardy lion cubs who had clawed a space in her heart only to break it years later.
Minerva cleared her throat and turned to lead the children inside.
There was a sorting to be done and this was no time to dwell in old heartbreak.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
"What the bloody hell was that? What were you thinking?" Ron harshly whispered in Hermione's ear as they followed behind Neville and Harry.
"I wasn't going to just stand there and let her get away with talking nonsense," she defended.
Ron looked unimpressed by her answer, but Hermione jutted her chin out stubbornly.
"Course not, and any other time I'd call you brilliant. But you can't go picking fights, getting people angry and have Harry jumping in for you."
Hermione felt her jaw drop with disbelief and hissed back at him, careful not to be heard by the boy in question.
"For your information, Ronald, Harry jumped in on his own. I had it handled. It wasn't any fault of mine he interfered. "
Ron scowled and pulled her back a bit so he could harshly emphasise his words.
"That's exactly my point. Malfoy's a git and deserves a smack down any time he opens his bloody gob, but you can't go goading him into it. You should have ignored the girl too; it was just words. Look, surely you've spent enough time with Harry to know what I know?"
Hermione quietly stared at the taller red head inquiringly while he frowned. They were nearing the front of the hall where a stool sat on it's lonesome with a ratty looking hat. Ron stepped closer and quietly whispered his words, careful not to be heard.
"We're going to be sorted and none of us know how. You're a smart witch, Hermione, and Harry's shown quite a lot about himself since we've met him. You tell me, who's gonna be there to back him up if we get separated?"
Hermione tenses her jaw, but Ron knows by the way her eyes shiftily eye the rest of their peers, that she gets it. Neither Ron nor Hermione understand the fierce protective need they have towards Harry Potter. A train ride shouldn't really inspire a feeling so fanatic and intense. Regardless, it exists in both children and as they listen to the sorting hat's song, they frantically think of a way to stay close to the boy.
"Now, when I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Professor McGonagall informed.
The crowd of first years shared anxious looks among themselves, huddling close. Ron plastered on a reassuring grin when Neville and Harry glance back to where he stood with Hermione. Hermione swallowed as her own nerves briefly overwhelmed her.
"Hannah Abott…" Professor McGonagall listed.
As the girl in question stepped forward, Ron muttered under his breath.
"No pressure, but Granger is before Longbottom, Potter and Weasley."
"Shut up, I'm thinking!" she hissed, and Ron eased off but his impatient shifting increased.
It's just after the thick girl who called Hermione a freak, her name apparently being Millicent Bulstrode, is sorted into Slytherin that Hermione's epiphany hits.
"Gryffindor!" she whispers to Ron.
"What?"
"Harry, he'll go to Gryffindor," she repeats.
Ron stares at her doubtfully which causes her to scowl.
"The sorting hats song! Didn't you listen?"
"So, a single song and suddenly you're the sorting hat itself? Mind you, we don't really know Harry, just a little better than the rest of this lot!"
Hermione looks ready to argue with him some more but is interrupted by the next name listed.
"Hermione Granger."
Harry and Neville give her encouraging nods and she responds in turn, but for Ron her eyes implore him to believe her. The last thing she sees is Neville's anxious worrying, Harry's intense stare and Ron's resigned nod.
Then the hat begins to speak.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
'Hm… interesting…. What a mind, what a mind! Oh? I see…. Figured it out have you? Quite the talent you have, Rowena would love to- Oh? Not interested you say. Why not? In Ravenclaw all the knowledge you seek will be ready at hand. You'll have the tools to pursue even more knowledge and peers who would understand. But no…. your mind is set on something else. Something greater…. A boy?'
'Oh…. dear oh dear…. Not just any boy to you.'
Hermione fidgeted as the Hat grew unnervingly silent and felt heavier on her head than before.
"Child…" the hat spoke sounding overwhelmed with emotion.
It was loud enough to alert Professor McGonagall and earn an inquiring gaze. Hermione felt her scar itch like crazy and desperately tried to ignore her need to claw at it.
"Dear child… how could I dare place you anywhere else when you have proven yourself beyond worthy of the core in your heart."
Hermione's hands are tightly clenched in effort to ignore the burning itch of her scar and almost misses when the hat cries out it's decision.
Unlike the other students, the hat sounds mournful, more resigned than anything else, as it sends her on her way.
But Hermione pays it no attention, too relieved to have gotten her way.
She settles at her new House table, unaware of the intrigued stares that follow her.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Harry claps wildly for Hermione, happy for her sorting result and hopeful he'll join her. He knows its Ron who steps closer to his side and absently addresses him.
"What were the two of you whispering about before her turn?"
Harry doesn't mean for his tone to sound accusing, yet it does. He turns to apologize but stops at spying Ron's expression. The thing is Harry likes Ron & Hermione. He really does. They're the first set of friends he's ever made, and he doesn't want to lose them. He's worried about his sorting and it terrifies the selfish part of him that wants to keep his new friends all to himself.
"Don't worry about it mate, just a bit of nerves," Ron assures.
Harry wants to believe him, but the glint in the taller boy's eyes makes him doubtful. Somehow, Harry can't help but feel Hermione and Ron had been discussing him and he's unsure how to feel about it.
"Gran is going to be so disappointed when I go to Hufflepuff," Neville fretted.
The poor boy looked to be on the verge of a panic attack. Ron was staring over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione seemed caged in by his brothers. The red-haired boy looked rather annoyed at his brothers who seemed to be pestering the girl… again.
"Of course not, you'll definitely be a Gryffindor," Ron absently stated, as if it were fact.
"Wha- But I'm not brave!" Neville whimpered.
Harry eyed Ron, waiting for him to say something more, but Ron was distracted by his brothers who were waving over at him embarrassingly. Harry took a deep breath and clapped Neville on the back like Ron had to him on the train. He looked Neville dead in the eyes and quietly whispered his words.
"Neville, if you want to go to Gryffindor you'll go to Gryffindor."
Neville blinked back at him but didn't get the chance to respond as Professor McGonagall called his name.
Maybe it was the utter trust and certainty the two boys had spoken to Neville with?
Perhaps, it was Neville himself discovering a resolve within himself that hadn't ever existed before?
Regardless, when Neville stepped towards the hat, his face was set with desperate determination. The hat had probably sat on his head for five seconds at most before it opened its seam and cried out its decision.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The house of lions applauded loudly for the round boy, but he beamed towards the two first years who'd given him the courage to step forward. McGonagall couldn't help the soft smile that flitted briefly across her lips as she ushered her newest cub to his house table.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
"Draco Malfoy"
Draco had never thought he'd feel so conflicted when it would come to his sorting. He'd always been so sure his house would be Slytherin. Yet as he walks towards the stool, he's unsettled and more than a little confused. It infuriates him and he curses the blasted mud blood and the stupid boy-who-lived.
It's all their fault.
The hat sits on his head and instantly starts to hum with interest.
'Interesting… confused…. Hm…'
He's not!
The hat laughs and Draco scowls and clenches his fists.
'It has been a long time since I've a sorted a Malfoy facing an important crossroad'
Draco frowned and wondered what the hat was talking about.
'Your grandfather held the same uncertainty the day of his sorting. But in the end, he found his resolve and started his family down a new path.'
Draco stiffened and grew pale under the hat feeling more than a little terrified at what the hat was hinting towards.
But it was enough for Draco to viciously shout his wants in his mind for the hat.
"Hm… if you're so sure…. SLYTHERIN!" the hat bellowed.
Draco almost threw the hat off his head as he moved to leave. He ignored the stern eye of disapproval from Professor McGonagall for his treatment of the old relic. He especially ignored the tall red head and glasses wearing boy watching him as he walked. Draco kept his head high with a sneering smirk on his lips as his robes turned Slytherin green.
It wouldn't do well for the rest of the world to spot the shaky trembling of his knees as he walked.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
The next few minutes left Harry squirming impatiently. The longer he waited for his turn, the greater his doubts on everything being real grew. Sally Anne-Perks had just been called up for her sorting when Ron elbowed his side with a glowering frown.
"I'll kill em, the bloody gits! Look at them! It'll be a miracle if Hermione even bothers to talk to me after all of this," the red-head grumbled.
Harry peered over to where Ron's twin brothers were tugging at Hermione's hair and talking over her head to each other. He spotted their friend Lee leaning over the table pushing them away from Hermione who was being squashed in between them. Poor Neville looked incredibly awkward from his place beside Lee. Harry would have said they were probably meaning well, but after the train, he doubted the twins were as kindly as they appeared.
"Poor Hermione," Harry sympathetically blurted.
"Why the bloody hell isn't Percy stopping them?" Ron continued with a mutinous frown.
Harry wryly eyed the older boy who was seemingly in deep conversation with another student. While Percy might look rather busy, Harry thought it was too coincidental the prefect was always looking opposite to where the twins were seated. In fact, chances were the older boy was deliberating turning a blind eye to the twins torment.
"Harry Potter," Professor McGonagall announced.
Harry was suddenly overwhelmed with nervous anxiety as the great hall erupted into whispers. He'd forgotten for a moment that his name meant something to the wizarding world. He turned a panicked gaze towards Ron who levelled him with a stern nod.
"You've got this Harry," the red head assured.
"But what if I don't? What if this is a mistake and I'm not supposed to be here?" Harry hurriedly blurted as Professor McGonagall called his name again.
Ron snorted as if Harry told a joke and Harry glared at the taller boy.
"Come on, mate, don't be daft. Of course, you're supposed to be here."
Maybe Harry's eyes showed just how bloody terrified he was, or maybe Ron was just that intuitive? Whatever the case, he nudged Harry forward with a softer more reassuring promise.
"Whatever happens Harry, I promise I've got your back."
Harry blinks incredulously at the taller boy, wondering why Ron would promise something like that when they'd just met. He especially wondered why he believed him and felt incredibly confident that Ron would keep his promise.
"Mister Potter, might we please continue the sorting?" Professor McGonagall scolded with a stern frown.
Harry took a deep breath and nodded, he approached the stool and settled on it stiffly. He caught a glance at Ron's smiling nod of support before the hat covered his eyes.
'Hmm. Difficult. Very difficult.' A voice spoke in his head.
Harry swallowed despite the dryness of his throat and stubbornly steeled his nerves for his sorting.
He'll be fine, no matter what, he'll still have Ron.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
The great Hall was unnervingly quiet as all eyes watched the boy under the hat. Ron could hear a few whispers and couldn't help the scowl it brought to his lips. He glared at the students closest to him, annoyed to hear them betting on Harry's sorting, as if Harry was some sort of show. He folded his arms tensely and kept a careful eye on Harry's seated form under the hat.
Hermione had been so sure Harry would go to Gryffindor, but Ron wasn't so willing to believe it. It wasn't that he thought she was wrong, only that it was too obvious. He was willing to bet everyone expected Harry to go to Gryffindor because he was the boy-who-lived. He'd might not have known Harry for long, but Harry seemed, to him at least, to be more than just brave and daring. Hermione said it was in the song, but Ron thought each of the house traits could apply to Harry. Besides, Hermione and Neville seemed a lot like a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff when he first met them. Now look, their over there seated with the lions.
Ron knew better than to just assume things. Especially since Percy and the twins some how still got sorted into Gryffindor despite their cunning and ambition.
So, Ron waited with concentrated anticipation for Harry's sorting to be decided.
He rubbed at the dull ache in his chest where his scar was and ignored the noise around him.
No matter the house, Ron was going to keep his promise.
The calculative glint in his eyes would ensure it.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
The hat had been silent for a long while and Harry fidgeted on the stool anxiously. He was certain this was it. Any second now the Hat was going to announce there'd been a mistake and Ron was wrong and Harry didn't belong. He was sure that Professor McGonagall would pack him up onto the train and wave him back to the Dursley's.
The hat let out a deep chuckle and Harry tensed at the sound.
'What a dramatic leap of thought.'
Harry blushed an embarrassed pink and tried not to think anything unsavoury towards the hat. Another chuckle echoed in his head before silence reigned again.
'You… are not what I expected Harry Potter. You've the courage of a lion, a mind full of wit and a resolve to toil that Helga Hufflepuff would have admired. Not even Salazar himself would have turned you from his house.'
Harry sat a little straighter feeling mild relief. So, he wouldn't be sent home, that was a positive at least. The hat fell silent again and Harry tried not to feel too impatient.
'I suppose the question I must pose to you, young Potter, is what exactly do you want?'
Harry blinked with shock; the hat was letting him choose!
No one had ever asked him what he wanted before. Harry felt rather anxious over the sudden ability to choose something for himself. He thought hard and tried to puzzle out an answer.
Harry wanted… to belong.
He wanted somewhere he could be accepted, somewhere he would feel safe.
He wanted to be surrounded with people he could trust, people who would have his back.
Inadvertently, Harry thought back to the train ride with Ron, Hermione, and Neville.
He wanted a place he could call home.
'I see…. It appears your mind has already been made,' the hat mused.
Harry grinned.
"Well if you're so sure, better be GRYFFINDOR!"
The Great Hall erupted in a loud cheer, the loudest of the entire night. The Gryffindor table was rowdy with applause, but Harry turned to Ron with a wide grin and received a smirking nod in return. As he stumbled his way towards his new house, marvelling as his tie turned Gryffindor red and gold, he didn't notice the rough guiding of the Weasley twins until it was too late.
"Congratulations Potter! Well done, Well done!" Fred cheered after roughly messing Harry's already messy hair.
"T-Thanks-"
"Absolutely thrilled to have you, mate. Thrilled!" George added as he tugged Harry into the space between him and Hermione.
"Uh- y-yeah?"
Harry blinked rather owlishly as Percy turned to them with a stern hiss.
"Hush! Quiet down it's almost time for Ron's sorting!"
The Weasley twins abandoned him immediately and turned their intense stares back to the sorting. Harry tensed as he realized he and Hermione were trapped between Fred & George for the rest of the sorting as well as feast. Hermione scoffed, likely reading his expression for what it was. She leaned over and quietly whispered in his ear.
"If you think they're bad now, imagine when Ron joins us."
Harry turned back to the front as Lisa Turpin was sorted into Ravenclaw.
"You really think he'll be in Gryffindor?" Harry anxiously replied.
Although Ron promised, it'd be just Harry's luck to choose Gryffindor and have one of his new friends sorted elsewhere. Harry didn't want to be greedy but… if Ron didn't get sorted into Gryffindor too, he might just do something to the hat. Hermione didn't seem to share his doubts as she let out an impolite snort and told him to watch.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
"Ronald Weasley," Professor McGonagall called.
No one showed much interest in this sorting. 'Just another Weasley' they thought while gossiping with their friends. All except those who knew better.
Marcus Flint eyed the newest Weasley with hidden interest, careful not to show too much consideration. The boy looked unassuming as he lazily made his way to the stool. He didn't look at all afraid or nervous, which only added to the expectation he'd go to Gryffindor. Marcus continued to be suspicious because Percy Weasley would not have sought him out if Ronald Weasley were going to be an easy Gryffindor. When it came to the Weasley brood, it paid to be suspicious and wary. Marcus had learnt as much when the Weasley twins started and Percy first approached him.
Penelope Clearwater didn't bother to hide her curiosity towards Ronald Weasley. She'd found it incredibly sweet that Percy had been so worried over the boy. While she didn't think the youngest Weasley brother would end up in Ravenclaw, she kept careful attention just in case. She couldn't help but inwardly coo over the cuteness of the rather tall first year. She blushed as he rather reminded her of a first year Percy.
But it was Cedric Diggory over at the Hufflepuff table that looked unexpectedly nervous over Ron's sorting.
"Merlin Diggory, what's got you squirming in your pants? You've been out of sort since the Weasley twins cornered you," a Hufflepuff boy snickered.
Cedric shared a hollow laugh but didn't dare look away from the boy under the hat.
No one at Hogwarts tended to remember that the Diggorys and Weasleys lived rather close by to one another. In fact, Cedric actively went out of his way to keep that little fact a carefully guarded secret. It wasn't out of shame or anything unpleasant, it was for survival. At least, that's what Cedric would argue should anyone dare ask. He grew up with the Weasley children, had spent more than a few nights over at the Burrow as a child.
In saying that, he knew the Weasley's incredibly well and being in the same year with Fred & George meant they'd often been grouped together. So, Cedric knew all about 'little Ronnie' and the twins great big aspirations to see their precious little Ronnie kept happy and whole. He'd also suffered a slew of relentless pranks and jealous hazing from the Weasley children whenever 'little Ronnie' refused their company for Cedric's during sleepovers.
It hadn't mattered how much he begged his parents or argued, Cedric was always left to the Weasley's care when his parents were busy.
"Just a little curious if there'll be something different this time around," Cedric muttered
He earned himself a few more concerned glances at that, until the same boy responded.
"Yeah right, the kid's a Weasley. Everyone knows the Weasleys' are Gryffindors to the core."
Cedric shook his head but didn't bother explaining all the ways the boy was wrong. There was no way in Merlin that was true. Perhaps for the likes of Bill Weasley and Charlie Weasley, but Percy and the Twins? Nope, no way.
Not when it was Percy who told anxious first year Cedric the truth about the sorting hat. If it weren't for Percy, Cedric would have been seated among lions instead of his beloved crowd of badgers. It was Percy who assured him that if he wanted it bad enough, the hat would let him choose just as it had for him.
And Cedric had not wanted to spend his Hogwarts years roomed with the twins who'd featured in his nightmares for a time.
So, when the sorting hat finally speaks and Ron Weasley is sorted into Gryffindor, Cedric is up on his feet clapping like a father would at their child's graduation. Its nothing in comparison to the sudden fireworks that explode from Gryffindor table or the loud bellowing cheer Fred & George give, enhanced with the sonorous spell. A spell advanced enough to have the Ravenclaws in a tizzy over third years managing to cast it.
While the rest of Hogwarts blink with shock at the huge commotion the Weasley twins perform for their brother, Cedric settles into his seat with pure relief.
"What the hell?" someone mutters, but Cedric just laughs.
He laughs loudly until his belly aches as he watches Professor McGonagall scold the twins and threatens them with detention. All the while Ron Weasley trudges to the open seat Percy pompously motions to at his side. The poor first year's ears are plum red, and his shoulders are hunched high up to his ears, but it does little to hide him. It's not till the twins begin to dance a celebratory little gig chanting 'Ronnie, Ronnie' on repeat, that the first year has enough and snarls angrily at his brothers' to shut up and sit down. The twins beam but grudgingly settle offering careless apologies to Professor McGonagall that are obviously empty.
The school is so bewildered by the outlandish commotion, poor Blaise Zabini's sorting into Slytherin went ignored.
Everyone is too busy watching the older Weasley brothers fighting over one another to chatter their youngest brother's ear off. Then it becomes obvious that the boy appears to be good friends with Harry Potter. Nobody can bring themselves to stop staring, not even when Dumbledore himself takes the floor.
Not even the appearing food can drag their attention from the Weasley's who seem to have forgotten the world in favour of their brother.
"What the bloody hell was that?" someone on Cedric's right gaped.
"That," Cedric starts with a wide stretched grin, "was the arrival of Little Ronnie Weasley."
Cedric filled his plate feeling overwhelming relief and growing excitement now that it was confirmed Ron would not be in his house. It was nothing against Ron. It was just that the twins had been incredibly specific on what they'd do to Cedric if Ron were sorted into Hufflepuff and Cedric failed to watch out for him.
And Cedric understood from experience that one should never take anything the Twins said lightly.
He bit into his bread roll with mild glee as he watched the Weasley boys. One thing Cedric knew for sure was that this year was bound to be incredibly entertaining. If Hogwarts thought Charlie Weasley had been crazy overprotective with his brothers, he doubted they'd expect Percy and the Twins to be worse.