Disclaimer: All characters belong to the queen J.K. Rowling and this is just a work of fanfiction.
Author notes:
Huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourite and followed. You guys are totally awesome! This story is inspired by 'They didn't know we were seeds' by LucyLuna. That story is mind-blowing and you should check it out.
A huge thank you to my beta, HogwartsDreamer113!
The Second try.
Chapter 8: The sorting.
It was late in the evening when the train slowed down to a stop at Hogsmeade station. Everyone was pushing their way on to the platform, and a voice called out, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here, don't be shy!" As the Marauders, Lily and Severus approached the voice, Hagrid's huge form came into view. They all grinned heartily at the friendly half-giant, except Severus. He gave a brief nod. They all followed Hagrid down the path as he led them to the boats. As the rest of the first years gasped at the sight of the magnificent castle, James, Lily and Sirius smiled widely, while Severus and Remus gave shaky smiles. The last time the two had seen the castle, it was under attack.
"No more'n four in the boat!" Hagrid called out. The Marauders climbed into one, while Severus and Lily took another with two other boys. As the boats glided forward, Severus stared up at the castle. His heart was fluttering with nerves. The last time he had walked these halls, he was the headmaster. He had seen the students punished with the Unforgivables and was forced to do nothing but watch.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid, jolting Severus out of his bad memories. He shook his head as they climbed out of their boats and into an underground harbour. They walked up a flight of steps and reached a huge, oak door. Hagrid raised his fist and knocked hard on the door. The six smiled as the door opened to reveal their comrade against evil and currently Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonagall. She always had a soft spot for the Marauders, and they used to prank her on many days just to get her to smile, when the war was being too much. They entered the huge entrance hall as she led the first years into a small chamber off the Great Hall. The six students grinned and stood at ease while the rest of students stood nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," began Professor McGonagall. "The start of term banquet will begin after you have been sorted into your houses. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The houses will be like your family as you continue your magical education in this school. Your triumphs will earn you points while rule-breaking will cause loss of points. The house with the most points at the end of the year will win the house cup.
The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes. Please wait quietly." With those words, she left the chamber.
James leaned close and remarked, "It's the exact speech as last time! Not a word changed…" the rest just smiled ruefully. Soon, Professor McGonagall returned, and they all got into a line as she led them to the Great Hall. Even though the six had seen this for seven years of their past lives, it was still impressive. Thousands of candles were floating in mid-air, the four tables with glimmering golden plates and goblets, the translucent shine of the ghosts among the students, and the inky black sky, pinpricked with stars. They stood in front of the house tables, facing the staff table as Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool and the sorting hat.
As the students and the staff watched the hat, it began to sing.
"In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the self-same yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
'Together we will build and teach!'
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest.'
Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest.'
Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name,'
Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same.'
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with duelling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfil my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether Sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you . . .
Let the Sorting now begin."
Applause filled the hall, along with whispers. The six in the know exchanged glances. The hat warned them about unity and put aside house feuds. Was it because they were back? Professor McGonagall began calling the names from the scroll. As a girl with blond hair hurried up to sit on the stool, Severus felt as if someone was staring at him. He looked up at the staff table to meet the eyes of Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he observed Severus over his half-moon spectacles. He finally looked away to clap for the girl who went to Hufflepuff. Severus started panicking from within. Why was Dumbledore staring at him? Did he somehow know what he did? Did he know about the six of them?
Lily felt Severus go stiff and gently squeezed his hand. She saw him exhale and gave him a questioning glance. He mouthed, "Later" and she nodded. She turned to the front when Sirius's name was called out. He swaggered to the stool.
"GRYFFINDOR!" announced the hat. Lily smiled as she clapped for her friend. Last time, the hat had taken a while to announce. He gave the hat back and walked gracefully to the red and gold table. Lily squeezed Severus's hand when her name was called. The last thing she saw as she sat in the stool was her boys smiling at her from the crowd.
"Oh hello, miss Evans. Welcome back to the past."
"Thank you sir," she replied.
"So miss Evans, how do you feel about Ravenclaw, this time? Your knowledge will take you far in Ravenclaw. How about Hufflepuff? The caring nature of yours will help many in the house… Alright! Alright! What a true lioness, you are… " the hat chuckled in her head and announced to the entire hall.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Lily stood up, walked towards her old house, and sat beside Sirius. She sent a smirk to Severus, and he rolled his eyes in the crowd. Soon, Lupin, James and Peter joined the lions.
"Snape, Severus."
Severus walked towards the stool and then, saw nothing but the black cloth.
"Another one?! By Morgana, how many of you are back?" the hat grumbled.
"I am the last one, I think," Severus replied.
"And are you going to threaten to burn me too, like the little lioness, Mr Snape?"
Severus chuckled and replied in the negative.
"Very well. Just so you know, I think you would fit well in Gryffindor too, but I see you have plans, therefore, SLYTHERIN!" it announced the last word to the entire hall. He walked towards his house and sat down. He saw Remus giving him a thumbs-up, and Lily smiled at him, which he returned with a smirk. She had threatened to burn the hat? This information was too good to let go.
Soon, Dumbledore stood up and welcomed the students with his customary words of nonsense and dinner was served. The hall filled with chatter and sounds of cutlery. Severus took helpings of all his favourite foods. At the Gryffindor table, Lily was coaxing Remus to have another helping, while Peter was piling his plate with his third helpings of chicken and beef. Sirius was indulging himself on chicken drumsticks with a heaven-on-earth expression. When desserts appeared, James lunged at the chocolate éclairs, while Lily helped herself to her favourite treacle tarts.
After desserts disappeared, Dumbledore got to his feet and made his regular announcements about the Forbidden Forests and magic in corridors. James and Sirius smirked at each other. They had broken every rule which Dumbledore had just announced in their first year itself. When Dumbledore had sent them off to bed, they got up to follow their prefects to their dormitories. Sirius saw Narcissa glaring at him from the Slytherin table, and he smiled innocently back at her. He was sure there would be a letter flying home tonight from the dungeons.
When they reached the familiar red and gold common room, he went up to his trunk, got the letter, and gave it to his magnificent Eagle owl, Angus to deliver it to his parents. Hopefully, there wouldn't be a Howler in the morning. If there was, he would have to find another way to win over his parents. After the letter was sent, the Marauders and Lily sat in the common room talking to other first years and their seniors. They met Frank Longbottom, and the boys started chatting up with him, while Lily met Alice, Mary and her other dorm mates. They soon wished the girls goodnight and left to their dormitory, proceeding to have an impromptu wrestling match which involved James and Sirius jumping on Remus and Peter somehow getting trapped in the middle.
After Dumbledore dismissal, Severus, along with the rest of the Slytherin first years, followed their prefect, Lucius Malfoy, down to the dungeons. They entered the common room, and Malfoy explained the rules to them, which Severus tuned out. He had explained these rules to his students so many times. He wondered what changes he could do to this bunch. He looked up at Lucius and saw a man desperately searching news of his only son, a few moments before Severus had died.
Could he stop Lucius and Narcissa from joining the Dark Lord and change them to the light? They had lost everything at the end. Voldemort was using their wealth for his cause, and they were the lowest ranked among the inner circle. Maybe, he could stop them from jumping into that dark well, before it was too late?
Once all the announcements were finished, he sat down in one of the comfy armchairs, gazing into the fire. How to bring change in this house? How to stop them from joining the Dark Lord? Most of those who had joined with him had their parents already serving under the Dark Lord. How could he give these snakes courage to stand up to their parents and go against everything they were taught from childhood? To leave the blood purity nonsense and unite against Voldemort? It was going to be bloody difficult and he had to be very careful.
He was still thinking when he heard couple of fourth years complaining from the couch. A dark haired boy was saying, "I mean, how can a mudblood come into our house?! He defiled this house by stepping into the common room!"
Severus, having heard enough, drew his wand and smoothly cast a Scourgify. The boy spluttered as soap suds filled his mouth. Severus got up from his seat and stated, "Here I thought, this was a noble house for the cunning and ambitious, but you are proving this house is made of bullies and calling your own house mates such profanities. What a pity."
As Severus turned to leave, he heard a spell being cast and neatly stepped aside. He was a thirty eight year old man with years of battle experience, and this boy was trying to hex him when his back was turned. The older boy sneered, "You, you're that boy who was holding hands with that mudblood girl of Gryffindor. You dare go up against us?"
The only response Severus gave was a silent Scourgify to that offending boy's mouth followed by a body bind. He also silently vanished the soap suds. Eyes around the common room widened at the non-verbal casting. Severus mentally face palmed. What a way to start. He looked down on the fallen boy and spoke to the silent common room.
"I may be a first year, but this is the house of Salazar Slytherin. We remain loyal to our own, and we are meant to ambitious and cunning, not tyrants and bigots mouthing such foul words. If this house continues calling muggleborns such obscenities and hexing other unsuspecting students, we are no better than what the other houses expect us to be. I may be first year, but I can beat any of you final years in a duel. Take this as a warning; don't ever use that word again." With that, he strode off to the dormitories.
Severus wanted to bang his head to the wall. He spent one train ride with the Gryffindors, and they were already rubbing off on him. Why did he have to announce it to the whole room and basically challenge every upper year in Slytherin? Now, he was going to face lots of duels, most of them before the next dinner. He was going to have to watch his back and warn those five Gryffindors. He knew it was a matter of time before they would be targeted, especially Lily. He cast couple of simple wards around the bed and the room to alert him and locked his belongings with his strongest locking spells. He kept his wand under his pillow and got ready for bed. If this was going to play out the way he thought it would, there would be duels before breakfast. Thankfully, he was a light sleeper. He wouldn't put it past the future-Death-Eater materials of the house to ambush him while he was asleep.
He got ready for and bed and soon drifted off. His last conscious thoughts were that changes were already beginning in this house and by the end of the next day, he would either be in the hospital wing or respected in Slytherin. He would fight to make a stand, and he would continue until the Dark Lord was in hell.
