Hello Everyone! I'm back with a new chapter!
I hope you guys like the story so far, so I'll be posting this next chapter for you.
The pacing is a bit quick, but I just wanted to get all this out of the way. I hope you don't mind.
Anyway, lets get on with the story!
*I do not own Harry Potter or any of its Characters*
Chapter 5: Sorting
Harry jumped out of the taxi, making sure to hold onto his shrunken trunk with an iron grip. It wouldn't do to leave it behind today. He was still thinking about what could happen today and all the negatives, but the positives that could come from it far exceeded that.
Paying the driver with a few notes that Dudley never noticed were gone, he waved the man goodbye. Harry walked into the train station, getting a few curious glances for coming alone. He didn't care.
He passed through people and made it into Kings Cross Station. He held tight to his lunch pail sized trunk, as he has heard there are pickpockets and thieves that can steal from you before you even know it. Basically everything he owned was in his trunk, other than his bag of gold, which was magically attached to him, and his cage, which currently housed his owl Hedwig.
He decided on that name after reading about a famous woman that intelligent tactics to win against a wizard rebellion. He couldn't help but think that his bird's intelligence matched.
He passed by the trains to see a gaggle of redheads, the eldest of the group blabbering on about 'muggles' and 'Where the platform was.'
Had he not gotten a rundown about everything from Professor Snape's last letter, he would be just as clueless as them, although he probably wouldn't be as loud as they were currently. He passed the group and ran through the entrance, nobody even thinking that he was Harry Potter.
Then again, every book written about him said he looked like his father, not that he knew that.
He passed through the brick with no resistance, feeling the wall's magic accepting him and letting him pass. He opened his eyes back up and found himself staring at a scarlet steam engine, a sign above it stating in big letters 'Hogwarts Express'. He couldn't help but smile at the pleasant feelings that coursed through him.
"Well, it looks like I'm in the right place." Harry said happily.
He walked to the train, looking around at all the other families that were having their children get on board. He saw a pair of dark haired twins get on, one of them bouncing around while the other was looking into her book.
He saw a pair of parents handing their bushy haired daughter a toothbrush and muttering about dental hygiene. He snickered and wondered if they might be dentists.
"Harry!" He turned around and found a familiar face running up to him. "It looks like you found your way here, I'm glad!" Harry smiled at his friend.
"Yeah, but barely. I had to call a taxi this morning because my Uncle refused to bring me."
"What's a taxi?" Harry snickered. "It's muggle transportation, one you have to pay for."
"Oh! You mean like the Knight Bus!" Harry nodded. He didn't know what the 'Knight Bus was, but if it was like any other bus you had to pay for, he supposed they were similar.
"Anyway, it seems like you've changed a bit since I last saw you."
Harry was not wearing his emerald robe, but he did have on a pair of grey slacks and a green long sleeved shirt to go along with it. He wore a nice pair of shoes that he had picked up from Ms Hendrick's, being a dark colored Dragonhide that went up a few inches below his knees.
"You look nice and all, but you still kind of look like a girl, being so skinny and all with the long hair." Blaise said cheekily. Harry huffed, a bit of red tingling on his cheeks. He took the nutrition potions for the whole month, which helped greatly, but it couldn't erase years of small inconsistent meals.
He filled out quite a bit from his toothpick like figure, but he was still on the thin side.
"I'm not a girl. Sorry that a bit too thin for your liking, and I like my hair thank you very much." Blaise smiled at Harry's defensiveness.
"Well, it would be best to get your owl situated in the back with the rest, then I can introduce you to some of my friends." Harry nodded.
"I would like that."
-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-
Harry walked alongside his companion, having just put Hedwig in the back with the rest of the owls.
He followed Blaise to a compartment to find there was a small group of people already waiting for them.
"Harry, these are some of my friends from over the years. I'm sure they'd love to meet you." Harry smiled and entered the little compartment.
Inside was three people, a boy with slicked back blond hair and silver eyes, a girl with long blond hair and blue eyes, looking very composed and proper, and next to her was another blond with brown eyes and was poking at the composed one. Harry smiled. They seemed like a good bunch, albeit all blonds.
"Nice to meet all of you. My name is Harry, Harry Potter." The blond boy jumped up.
"Bloody hell, you really do look like a girl!" Harry blushed a bit and elbowed Blaise, who was laughing at his misfortune. "Sorry about that, it was uncalled for. Ehem, my name is Draco Malfoy, it's a pleasure to meet you Harry." Draco stuck his hand out and Harry shook it graciously.
The two blondes remained seated, but the more active one voiced her concerns. "You know, when Blaise told us about you, we didn't believe him at all, but now that I'm looking at you, I can see why Blaise got all red faced when he mentioned your looks."
It was Blaise's turn to blush, which cause Harry to laugh a bit at his friend's misfortunes. "Troublesome blondes." Harry only laughed harder at Blaise.
"Nice to meet both of you, Harry Potter at your service." Both girls took his hand one at a time. "Pleasure to meet you. My name is Daphne Greengrass."
"And mine is Tracy, Tracy Davis." Harry smiled. He just got on the train and had made more friends than he had than he had in the past ten years.
-;-
Blaise had Harry sit between him and Draco, as he didn't want the girls to 'corrupt him'. Tracy only laughed while Daphne looked stoically at them.
While Harry had read about his heritage from the bank statements, he asked questions about his name as a Potter and what it entailed. Luckily, since they all came from prominent families, Harry got plenty of instruction.
"Well, as an upcoming head of a Most Ancient and Noble House." Daphne began statically. "You are politically powerful, as your name carries plenty of weight. You will inherit your house seat in the Wizengamot, which is the courts here in the magical world. You will also be able to-" The door slammed open, cutting off the intelligent blond from her explanation.
"Have any of you seen Harry Potter around he- oh, you're a bunch of snakes aren't ya?!" Draco sneered at the disgusted look the ginger boy gave them all.
"Yes, and you seem to be a Weasley, what with your red hair, second hand clothes, dirt on the nose, and robes that have been stitched together ten too many times." The boy bristled at the comment. He obviously went for his wand in his pocket, had it not been for Daphne pointing hers at him. He backed away, obviously believing they were going to use dark magic on him or something.
"You no good slimy snakes and your dark arts. I'm gonna be Harry Potter's best friend, so you best watch out!" The boy then ran off to open more compartments and search for his 'friend'. He didn't even close their door.
Blaise nudged Harry in the shoulder. "I didn't know you were friends with him." Harry shook his head in exasperation, making sure to use more of his long red hair to cover up the stupid famous scar.
"If I ever become friends with an imbecile like him, please slap me and help me get my head straight." The upcoming Slytherin children laughed, even Daphne gave the slightest chuckle.
-;-
Other than the interruption from the bushy haired girl Harry saw, who was trying to help a boy find his toad, the train ride was peaceful the rest of the way their.
Draco bought them all some snacks from the cart, letting Harry try out a chocolate frog for the first time.
Lets just say, Harry had a hard time grabbing the little bugger when it jumped around, much to the rest of their amusement.
"Say Harry, what house do you want to go into?" Tracy asked.
"Well, I looked them all up in 'Hogwarts: A History' and I think the best ones for me are Ravenclaw or Slytherin." Harry said happily.
"Really?! Well you best be prepared by what happens next if you make Slytherin." Harry tilted his head at Blaise's statement.
"Why's that?"
"Well, you're Harry Potter. Everyone expects you to be just like your parents, who were both Gryffindors." Harry looked down at the ground.
"But, I never really knew my parents. How am I suppose to be like them if I don't really know who they were to begin with." The compartment's atmosphere took a more solemn form.
It was true. How was Harry gonna be like James and Lily Potter if he had never met them.
"Well..." Blaise started. "I suppose you're right. You're different from what everyone thinks you are. I mean, we all believed you were some rich kid before I actually met you. It's not a bad thing really, in fact, I think it's good that you're different from them." Harry gave him a quizzical look.
"I mean, everyone expects the boy-who-lived, not Harry Potter, so I guess you'll just have to show everyone who you really are and not what they want you to be. You're you, not what they think you are." Harry smiled and hugged the dark skinned boy.
"Thanks Blaise, that means a lot." Blaise hugged back, finding comfort in his new friend.
-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-
Getting off the train, they found a giant man standing there waiting for all of them. He screamed for 'Firs' years' as he put it, so Harry and the rest of them went along and made their way to the rest of building up group of students.
The man, who identified as Hagrid, moved them forward through the thicket of trees on the narrow path.
Harry found himself in the middle of his new group of Slytherins, hiding him within the middle due to his smaller stature. He was not that short! Just a few inches below Draco. He was sure to grow.
They made a sudden stop with the giant screaming 'No more than four to a boat'. They had to get on boats for the rest of the trip? Harry just hoped that nothing happened. He didn't know how to swim, not that anyone knew that other than the Dursleys.
Since there were five of them, they decided to split up a bit.
Draco went with a pair of boys that seemed more like meatheads, named Crabbe and Goyle, much to his chagrin. Apparently their fathers wanted them to keep an eye on Draco and 'protect' him. Along with them went Blaise.
That left Harry, Daphne, Tracy, and a pug faced girl named Pansy, who was a bit rude, but wasn't too bad. Luckily she didn't make any comments on his gender, so Harry was fine.
Blaise complained, saying that Harry would be talking like a girl before they even got off the boats. That got him another elbow to the ribs before they split off.
As they went along with the currents of the waters, they went through a dark tunnel, that stretched for a period of time, before it opened up to reveal their destination.
The castle was beautiful! It looked aged and elegant at the same time. It's darkened stone looking brighter as it was hit by the rays of sunlight.
Hogwarts Castle, the school he would be staying at for the next seven years. His new home.
He hoped it was just as magnificent on the inside too!
-;-
It certainly was.
After getting off their boats and being led to the hall by a teacher names Professor McGonagall, they entered a beautiful room that had hundreds of candles floating in the air. The ceiling was gone as well, but Harry had done his reading and knew why.
He overheard the bushy haired girl muttering about how the candles were placed there magically. She also muttered on how the ceiling looked like it wasn't there because it was enchanted to look that way.
Yeah, he already knew all that, but he knew better than to basically brag about his knowledge.
There was also that rude boy that was yelling about how they had to fight a troll, which was ridiculous. If he had done his reading he would know the real answer.
He felt a nudge at his shoulder and found Draco at his side. He smiled at the silver eyed blond and nodded, excited about what was to come next.
A hat sat at the front of the room on a stool, looking ratty and faded with time. Suddenly, its seem opened up and it began to sing.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffis are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
Harry clapped along with everyone else, though Draco didn't. Come on, it was a singing hat! How could He not be excited about that.
The stern looking woman who led them here, McGonagall Harry remembered, walked to the front of the Hall. "When I call your name, please come to the front so you may be sorted.
Abbot, Hannah!" The girl with pigtails ran forward and had the hat placed on her head. After a moment, it screamed out
"Hufflepuff!" The table with yellow and black cheered as a new student joined them.
"Bones Susan!" Harry tuned out the continued calling of names and turned to Draco.
"I'm guess you want to get into Slytherin, right?" The blond nodded.
"The Malfoy family has always been in the Slytherin house. We prefer cunning over brashness." Harry could agree with that. Sometimes being a little sneaky could go a long way. It got him that taxi.
Harry thought about his own life. Before he had met Professor Snape, he was used to doing the same thing everyday. Get up, clean the house and cook breakfast, go to school, come home, clean some more, then prepare dinner. Clean up then go to sleep. It was that way everyday, except for the occational chance he got to run to the library and bring a book to the house to read. The Dursleys didn't know about the hole in the back of the cupboard where he hid them, and he knew they never would. Too lazy to check.
He might loose a few hours of sleep, but he enjoyed the books he read when he got the chance.
Then he learned about magic.
It was all real, and he was a part of it! Magical brooms and wands, learning how to create spells that can do fantastic things that go against the laws of physics, and to be able to brew potions that can do wondrous things!
It was fantastic! He was so happy that he was a part of it.
But then what Blaise said hit him. What if they don't want him after he becomes a Slytherin. From what they told him, Slytherin has a bad reputation, due to creating many Dark Wizards in the past and for being very bias when it comes to blood purity.
He didn't want to let everyone down, but then again, all his friends were going into Slytherin, and Harry thought he would fit in there. He wasn't his parents, so what good was it to try to be them?
Draco went up and got called out to be Slytherin before the hat touched his head. The blond smiled at him as he walked over to the green covered table.
You're you, not what they think you are.
Harry decided what to do.
"Potter, Harry!"
Harry walked forward, uncaring of the whispers of himself. Many of them talked about how he looked nothing like they thought.
That redhead from earlier said he looked like 'bloody fairy'. He would make sure to remember those words when he saw the boy next time.
Walking up to the front of the hall, the teacher placed the hat on his head and he sat on the stood.
He felt something brush over his head, as if a feather tickled his mind.
'Hmm, I'm surprised you have some mind defenses. Not many your age tend to learn that art.' The sorting hat said into his head.
'How did you get through? I've been practicing for weeks on how to protect my mind.'
'I am blessed by the Magic of Hogwarts and the Fouders themselves, created by Lady Ravenclaw herself. No mind can hold me back. Now onto what needs to be done. Where shall I sort you? Lets see...
Quite a hard worker, and tend to follow through with what you wish to do, but you are very defensive of your heart and are not the most trusting.
Smart and you understand the power of knowledge, but you don't believe everything you read in a book. You wish to learn from experience as well.
Brave to a fault and are willing to protect others, but are not brash and only wish to protect those close to you.
Then there is your cleverness. You are sneaky when you need to be and have a cunning mind. You also carry many ambitions for your future, but you are a bit naive.
I could place you anywhere, but I am leaning towards one. However, I will give you the choice.'
'Place me where I can complete my dreams, and where I can make new friends along the way.'
'Ah, you're a bit cryptic. I like that. I suppose with my choice, the best place to put you would be...'
"SLYTHERIN"
(End Chapter)
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There is plenty more to add to this story, so please stay tuned.
Until then, see ya!