Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat

Ginny took the book from her eldest brother and read "The Sorting Hat."

Harry mentally prayed it wouldn't repeat his conversation with the hat.

"You assumed correctly" McGonagall said.

"I see your welcome speech hasn't changed" Sirius told McGonagall.

Harry was impressed. Ginny had McGonagall down spot on. In fact, if he hadn't been watching, he'd say that it was a younger McGonagall herself reading.

"Won't work" Sirius teased Harry.

Molly glared at her son. A troll? Really?

"We would never expect that from a first year." McGonagall told Harry.

Fred and George's eyes sparkled with admiration and a look that Remus had seen only when James and Sirius came up with prank idea. It was as if Harry had given them an idea for a product.

"The question is…" Fred said to his brother.

"How to make it happen. Sweets are overdone."

"And it'll be risky as something to slip in a drink as it might change the drink's color."

"Maybe a hat. And have the charm IN the hat."

"Ginny. Read before they get any ideas" Molly told her daughter.

"Ever the pessimistic, aren't we Mr. Potter" Sprout spoke up having been listening patiently.

"What?" the concerned godfather and surrogate mother asked.

"NICK!" the Weasley boys chorused.

"I can't believe I'm saying this." Snape groaned. "But that's a pretty good McGonagall impression Miss. Weasley."

The last time he had heard an impression so accurate was Lily Evans when she was trying to get him to concentrate on his homework instead of showing up the Marauders. He recalled falling out of his chair at the time as she had snuck up on him while he was glaring at the quartet at a nearby table.

"Thank you professor" Ginny said stunned that she got a COMPLIMENT from the greasy-haired git.

"You have me beat." Remus told Hermione. "I didn't read that book until second year."

"Why would you want to do that?" George asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Pull two out and leave them around the school to mate" Fred said.

Ginny sang as well.

Everyone in the room clapped at Ginny's singing though Harry's was more subconscious. He had no idea Ginny had such a good singing voice.

"FRED!" Molly scolded her son as the Golden Trio exchanged knowing smirks while ignoring the looks the Heads were shooting them.

"As well as everyone in that room, I'm sure" Sirius assured his godson remembering how he had felt.

"Hufflepuff" Ron, Fred, and George chorused.

"Can we put a silencing charm on them?" Hermione asked Dumbledore having a feeling they were going to do that all through the list.

"No magic may be used" Dumbledore explained. "We are also currently in a temporal pause."

"Huh?" the teenage boys asked.

"Time's standing still." Ginny explained before going back to reading.

Ginny had shouted too causing everyone to jump.

The Weasley boys stayed silent due to Hermione's glare.

"Are you going to shout at ALL of them?" Bill asked seated right next to her.

"if it's all caps and in quotes, yes" she said before continuing.

"I'll retract that statement when I meet a Slytherin that isn't unpleasant to me" Harry said to Snape after receiving a glare.

"OW!" Ron exclaimed as Hermione whacked him upside the head beating Molly to the scolding.

"We would never do that Mr. Potter" McGonagall told him. "The hat would have figured it out."

Harry groaned.

"No it's not" Sirius said as Harry paled as his fear came true.

"Ginny. Skip this part" Harry begged her.

"No way" she said before continuing in her Sorting-Hat voice which was amazingly accurate.

"You would not have been sorted into my house Mr. Potter." Snape said. "You're not Slytherin material."

While Snape was 'assuring' Harry, Ginny had read on ahead quietly and her eyebrows went up in shock. She resisted laughing as she read in her sorting hat-voice eager to see Snape's reaction to this.

It was hard to tell who looked more shocked at that. Harry looked mortified that the secret was out and everyone else's mouths had dropped (except Dumbledore's). Ginny would have to say that Sirius' and Ron's were tied for widest opened.

Snape looked ready to commit suicide at that. His dungeons would not be standing if Harry had made it to Slytherin.

Ginny decided to save them any embarrassment.

"Bloody hell Mate" Ron swore. "you were nearly a Slytherin?"

Harry stood up and left the room.

"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed as he made to get up, but Ginny was faster as she ran after him, book in hand.

"Harry! Wait!" Ginny said when they got to the hall.

"I didn't want that bit of information out" Harry admitted.

"Don't blame you there. But It's going to be okay" she assured him "You're still you and this was before you met Sirius."

"Everything okay out here?" Sirius asked making himself known.

"I didn't want you knowing I was almost a Slytherin."

"Actually Harry…that's not too much different than my own sorting" Sirius admitted. "I too asked not to be placed in Slytherin. I knew it was going against my parents' wishes, but I would rather be disowned than in a house I hated…however, the sorting hat agreed with me and put me in Gryffindor."

"So…you don't hate me?" Harry asked his godfather.

"Of course not!" Sirius said. "in fact, your paternal grandmother once told me that a well-rounded person has traits of all four houses. I also heard what else that hat said. 'Not a bad mind' is a Ravenclaw trait. And that loyalty you have for your friends… Hufflepuff if I ever saw one. Just remember that the hat put you in Gryffindor and that's where you belong."

Harry smiled and allowed his godfather to pull him into a tight hug. Ginny watched with a smile as she held the book to her chest.

"Shall we finish this chapter?" she asked.

The three of them went back into the living room.

"You okay Mate?" Ron asked. "You know I didn't mean anything by that right?"

"I know. It's just not a moment I'm proud of" Harry said "Mainly due to second year."

"Boys" Molly scolded as Arthur chuckled.

"What did the hat say to you two?" Harry asked his friends.

"Basically that I had a ripe mind" Hermione said. "Kept repeating the word 'Ripe' I thought I was a shoe-in for Ravenclaw."

"You would have done well, but you're definitely a Gryffindor" Flitwick told her.

Harry and Hermione then turned to Ron.

"It said 'Another Weasley. I know just what to do with you'" Ron said.

All the Weasley kids rolled their eyes at Percy.

"Interesting speech Sir." Sirius told Dumbledore.

"Thank you Sirius" Dumbledore said.

Harry blushed but Dumbledore beamed.

"The best of us are, Mr. Potter" Dumbledore told Harry.

"Where's that way of thinking now?" Charlie asked.

"OW!" Harry said as Ron whacked him.

"you've got me hungry now!" Ron said.

"Never ask that during dinner" Remus said. "Lily made that mistake. James had recognized Nick from his father's stories and Lily asked how that was possible. It was the one time Peter lost his appetite."

"He's not the only one who was almost unbearable" Sprout whispered to McGonagall as she motioned towards Snape.

"He never tells" Snape said. "Not even to the Slytherins."

"AGGH!" the now EXTREMELY hungry teenagers exclaimed.

"Can we PLEASE eat after this?" Ron begged his mother.

Snape frowned. He had been in Seamus' shoes, but apparently, Mr. Finnegan had taken it a LOT better than Tobias had.

"WHAT?!" Molly exclaimed horrified.

"Augusta WILL be hearing from me." McGonagall promised before glaring at Dumbledore "After I have a word with the Dursleys."

"What else is new?" Ron muttered to Harry.

Everyone laughed as Ginny had gotten the tones spot on.

"Nice entrance Severus" Flitwick chuckled.

"We told you to switch shampoos." Sprout added with the teasing.

Snape sneered at them.

It was clear it was taking everyone from the Marauders younger not to burst out laughing.

Snape and Dumbledore both frowned. It was beginning.

"You think?" Ron asked sarcastically.

"The best way to fight it is to know it" Snape defended his knowledge.

Ginny started reading before anyone could retort though she would have loved to, but she knew that her brothers were getting hungry and it was past dinner time (at least according to their bodies).

So did Molly's, but they weren't twinkling.

"I remember when that was directed to me and James" Sirius mused fondly.

Ginny started singing again.

The twins opened their mouths to join in, but an interesting look and shake of the head from Harry stopped them.

Fred and George looked at each other with a smirk figuring that someone was finally realizing just how special Ginny was. As they owed Harry for the ability to REALLY start their business, they approved of him for their sister.

Harry, Sirius, and the twins chuckled at how good Ginny's imitation of Peeves was.

"Weird dream" Bill mused.

"I don't remember it" Harry said.

"That's it. Now the real fun begins." She said. "What now?"

"How about we take a dinner break?" Molly suggested.

"Sounds good" the teenagers said.