Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. On this one, they will read about the sorting. I hope you guys give some more reviews, than I'm getting. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the Gift of Memories.
Chapter 10: The Sorting Chapter
"And here the end." Susan said, closing the book. Then she added shyly. "Who would want to read next?"
"I will Susan." Hannah said, getting the book. She turn to the next page and started reading. "Chapter 10: The Sorting Hat Sings…"
"A hat singing?" Lisa C asked in confusion. "Why is that a chapter title?" The first years, the Tonks, and Mcgonagall replied with "You'll see."
As the train ride wore on, Harry found himself actually relaxing his guard a bit around the two girls he had taken to sharing a compartment with. He had even been willing to tell them a bit about himself that he probably would not have shared had he not been feeling so comfortable around the two. Things like his martial arts, his love of learning new things, and most importantly, his friend Lisa.
"Wow." Lisa C said in surprise, and little jealousy. "It took me a while to have Harry open up to me and yet you two have him already opening up to him like them." The hufflepuff duo aren't surprise by that. From what they read, Harry really is a private person. Which make them wonder, along with the others, why did he open up to them so easily.
It was a great surprise to Harry when he actually began telling the two about his non-magical friend, Lisa Crawft. While Harry would not call himself an introvert, he knew very well that he was not really an extrovert either, but more of a mix of the two. He was willing to speak with anybody and everybody, and could be just as outgoing as the best of them, but when it came to his personal life, Harry Potter was a very private person.
"Which beg the question why he opening up to them." Anastasia said, with the others nodding in agreement to the question.
This presented Harry with a great mystery. To him at least. Why was he being so forthcoming with these two? Was it because they were both magical like him? Because they were both girls? He would admit that he was more comfortable around females, what with Lisa being one and all, but was that enough to make him so comfortable around them that he would share personal information with two people he had just met?
Or could it be due to how the two reminded him of Lisa? Sure, neither of them were exactly like Lisa. No two people could ever be the same, not even identical twins, but that did not change the fact that he saw bits and pieces of his best friend in the two of them. Hannah with her outgoing demeanor, and Susan with her shy personality.
"I think Hannah is more like my daughter than Susan, although there is rare time she shown some shyness, mostly around Harry." Anastasia said, with Lisa C blushing at the last part.
"Like she did at the second chapter?" Blaise said innocently, getting a glare from the muggle girl. He merely replied with a smirk while Anastasia answered yes with a bit of a giggle.
Admittedly, Hannah reminded him far more of Lisa than Susan did. His non-magical friend rarely ever showed such shyness as the red haired girl. But there were instances, quite a few in fact, where the brunette who had first befriended him years back would act inexplicably demure.
"And it seem Harry agrees with me again." Anastasia replied with a giggle. "Seems like we both know Lisa C well." Lisa C blush and pouted at her mother, which only made her giggle more.
Whatever the case was, he could not deny that he enjoyed speaking with the two females.
"Glad we were enjoyable to him." Hannah said with a grin. "It would be a shame if he was bored with us."
Eventually it began to get dark outside, and the three of them realized they would likely be arriving at Hogwarts soon. After putting his robe on over his normal clothes, Harry left the compartment and stood with his back to the glass window so the girls could get changed in privacy.
As he waited outside for the girls to finish changing, the train began slowing down and a voice echoed through the hall: "We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to Hogwarts separately."
A minute after the voice had spoken, Hannah and Susan stepped out, and not long after that the train that had been steadily getting slower and slower came to a halt. Harry and his two new acquaintances (he wasn't quite sure he should call them friends yet) moved with the throng of people as they stepped into the cold night air.
Harry shivered for a moment as the cold air seeped into his bones. However, the coolness only lasted for a minute before his own magic surged forth to counteract the weathers effects, warming his body until it matched his standard temperature of ninety-eight degrees.
"Lucky." Nearly everyone grumbled. They would like to have abilities like that. They could actually stand the cold and hot weather.
"It's lucky his abilities is limitless." Tracey complained. "There are barely any flaws with this guy." Wei disagree with that. He can see that when Harry get extremely angry, his emotion and logic goes out of control. That is a major flaw, though it is rare for him to get mad.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
A loud voice called out into the din. Harry turned with the other first years to see what had to be the largest man he had ever seen. Easily standing over seven feet tall in height, the man towered over the slightly frightened first years. The giant, for that was all Harry could think of upon seeing this man, had long messy hair, a just as messy beard and mustache combination, and black beady eyes that peered at them from in between the scraggly locks of hair. Despite his imposing and downright terrifying (not that Harry would admit this) figure, the large man possessed a friendly air that belied his size.
"Whoa." Lisa C said, staring wide eyes at the huge man below, along with Anastasia. "What is he, some kind of giant?"
"Half-giant actually." Mcgonagall answered. The two Crawfts stared at Mcgonagall with shock expression. "Most of the wizards and witches don't know that, since magical creatures get persecuted a lot."
Harry frowned as a brief memory played in his head at the sight of the man. The image was blurry, almost like something had been interfering with his sight, but he distinctly remembered this man flying him over London on a flying motorcycle shortly after his parents death.
"So he remember that as well?" Mcgonagall said with a bit of surprise. "I honestly thought he was asleep for the whole ride. Apparently, he was conscious enough to remember a glimpse."
"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
With a shake of his head Harry moved with the other first years and followed the man down a dark, narrow path. The only thing visible beyond the lantern the giant of a man was holding were the barely visible outline of trees on either side of them. So dark was it that it actually took Harry a few moments to realize that neither Hannah nor Susan were with him anymore.
"We didn't notice that we weren't with Harry until we were at the boat." Hannah admitted. Susan nodded in agreement to that.
He wondered when they had gotten separated, but at that moment giant man spoke up again.
"Ye'all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," he called over his shoulder. "Jus' round this bend here."
The narrow path soon opened onto the edge of a great black lake that Harry could only guess at the depths of. There were several boats lining the shore, obviously their transport to Hogwarts. And there, sitting perched atop a high mountain, was the school they would be going to.
While Harry was not among those who let out a loud "ooooh!" at the sight of the school, he would never deny that he was impressed. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was an enormous castle that looked like it had been taken right out of the first century (which it had). The castle of Hogwarts was tall and imposing, a veritable fortress that looked like it could and had withstood numerous sieges in the past. It's many turrets and towers stood tall and proud, and the windows he could make out at this distance seemed to sparkle in the moonlit night.
"Wow." Lisa C said in awe as she saw the castle on the screen. Then she pouted. "Harry is so lucky. I wish I could go to a school like that." Anastasia merely look at her daughter in amusement.
It was not the castle itself that got Harry's attention, however. No, while the school was imposing and grand enough that Harry felt as if he had gone back in time during King Arthur's rein, it was not the outward appearance that truly held his intrigue.
It was the feeling of power that the castle gave off. The way the hairs raised on the back of his neck as if there was some kind of mystical energy within the atmosphere. The way his blood was surging through his veins at an increased rate, like some foreign energy had invaded his body and was being pumped into his bloodstream and nervous system, heightening his awareness to levels previously unperceived by man. More than that, it was the joyous singing he heard inside of his mind, as if a thousand voices were calling out in union. More lively than the feel that Diagon Alley gave off, more hallowed then the reverent feeling given off at Ollivanders, more powerful than both of those places combined, Hogwarts felt alive.
Many of the people are thinking "wow" or "damn" at Harry's thought. They are still impress with Harry ability to sense magic.
Harry wondered at this. He had come to suspect that places where great feats of magic took place, or where a lot of magic users spent their time at, became imbued with said magic, enough that someone in tune with the mystical energy that was magic could feel it. Was that what he was feeling here? Had the thousands upon thousands of students Hogwarts had hosted throughout the centuries imbued so much magic into the castle walls that the entire school had become sentient? A being of pure magic that went beyond the rock and stone it was made of?
"I don't anyone have thoughts Harry are thinking right now." Mcgonagall mused. "Then again, most wizards or witches sense the magic around the castle like Harry. He is truly a unique child."
Harry didn't know, but like everything else he had seen and felt within his time in the world of magic, he had every intention of finding out.
"No more'n four to a boat!" The giant called out as he pointed towards the small fleet of boats sitting on the shore by the water. Harry didn't particularly care who he sat with, though a part of him did kind of wish he hadn't lost Hannah or Susan, and just sat in the closest boat to him. He was joined by three other people, including the brunette girl he had met in Madam Malkins.
"Everyone in?" asked the large man in a loud voice. "Right then - forward!"
As the boats began to glide across the waters surface, Harry took a quick second to look at the two occupants of the boat that he had yet to meet. His gaze first drifted towards the male of the duo. Said boy was tall and dark skinned, with high cheek bones and slanted eyes. Harry could only guess that he was a mixture of African descent and Italian.
"Look like I'm introduce." Blaise commented, but didn't say anything else. But he was impress that Harry saw that he was both African and Italian just by looking.
His eyes flickered towards the other member he had not met before. She was a pretty young girl with long blond hair that flowed down her back in gentle waves and cold blue eyes that reminded Harry of chips of ice. Her cheek bones were slightly higher than average and a bit more defined, yet still soft.
"And here's me." Daphne said. "So Tracey, Hermione, Susan, Hannah, Blaise, and I are introduced in this book now. Now only Neville, Terry, and Lisa T have to make an appearance."
They gave her a much more regal bearing, much like Andromeda. Harry suspected she was a pure-blood witch. She looked much more mature than the brunette beside him, and not just in her physical appearance.
"Hey!" Tracey said with pout. Then she started muttering about how everyone is mean to her and always making fun of her, much to everyone, especially there friends, amusement.
"Hey! I remember you from Madam Malkin's!" The brunette exclaimed when she got a good look at him when the moon cast it's gentle glow upon their boat. The other two sitting with them turned to look at Harry upon hearing the exclamation.
Harry's lips twitched ever so slightly as he looked towards the brunette girl. "And I remember you," he replied, only a small hint of the amusement he felt entering his voice. "Not that I'm surprised by this. Our meeting was quite... memorable."
"Definitely." All the first years chorus, making Tracey blush and pout. Meanies. A lot of them.
The girl seemed to flush a bit as she too seemed to remember their first meeting, but Harry took only slight notice of this.
"I don't believe we properly introduced ourselves back then," he said, holding out his hand to the girl who took it without hesitation. Harry gracefully brought it to his lips, brushing them lightly against her knuckles. In light of the moon her blush seemed to glow a bit more than normal.
Lisa C bit back a growl, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Although Andromeda and Anastasia saw her gritting her teeth and they both smile in amusement.
"My name is Harry Potter."
Harry was both amused and annoyed when he saw the reactions his name had gotten. The dark skinned boy's eyes widened, and immediately he looked at Harry's forehead and the scar that shone there. Like her counterpart, the blond's eyes also widened and looked towards his scar. However, those icy blue irises narrowed a second later as a calculating look came over her face.
The brunette's reaction was by far the most amusing of the three. She immediately let out a squeak, her hand jerking back as if burned and her face turning so red it looked like she might catch on fire
Some of the readers laugh at the picture, not in a cruel way, while Tracey pouted once again. Is this bully Tracey day or something?
"Harry Potter!?" she asked in shock. "You mean to tell me that all this time I was talking to the Harry Potter and I didn't even know it? Why didn't you tell me!?"
Harry shrugged. "It never really came up in our conversation, and besides, you didn't ask for my name."
"Well... I suppose I didn't, did I?" the girl asked in embarrassment as she realized that what he said was true. She had been far too busy discussing Hogwarts and making a fool of herself by insulting the House of the person pinning her robes.
"I didn't thought that!" Tracey exclaimed. Her response from the others are deadpan looks, especially Daphne, making her confess. "Okay, maybe I did thought something similiar. But still, how can he know what I was thinking?"
"Cause he's good at reading people." Daphne supplied and smirk at her friend. "And you are a very open book." Tracey grumble to herself at that remark.
"Still, I wish I would have known I was talking to Harry Potter back then."
"Would it have made a difference?" asked Harry. The brunette opened her mouth to reply, no doubt to inform him that, yes, it would have made a difference, but he cut her off before she could. "You know now, and you still haven't given me your name."
She blushed again. "Right, sorry." A second after speaking she seemed to gain her second wind, and all embarrassment she had been emanating off her person vanished as if it had never existed. It was almost like she had flipped a switch. "I'm Tracey Davis."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Davis," Harry inclined his head towards her, before turning his attention to the other two. "And may I know your names?"
"Blaise Zabini," the dark skinned boy said and, after a moments hesitation held out his hand. Harry grasped it firmly within his own and gave a strong shake.
"Blaise..." Harry murmured. "If I'm not mistaken that's a French name derived from the Latin blaesus, and was the name of the tutor and later biographer of Merlin when he started traveling around Britain."
"Wow…." Hermione murmured, feeling a little jealous. "Even I wouldn't know that." Harry really is smarter than her, in both muggle and magical knowledge. It makes her jealous.
Blaise nodded. "I was surprise as well when he made those assumptions. Most wouldn't notice that."
Blaise's left eyebrow raised. "You are correct on both accounts."
"And yet Zabini is an Italian name," Harry continued with a smile. "Your eyes suggest you are of Italian descent, yes?"
The right eyebrow joined the left in being raised. "Right again."
Harry smiled as he nodded his head, pleased to see his assumptions were correct, then turned his attention to the blond girl. She in turn looked at him for several long seconds, and when he held her gaze without flinching inclined her head.
"Daphne Greengrass," she introduced herself in a voice that was as cold and aristocratic as her eyes.
"That how she is with most strangers." Tracey said. She didn't add 'because of her father', but she thought it.
"A pleasure," Harry gave her a slight bow of his head in return. He also took note of the fact that she had not offered her hand, which meant she had no intention of entering an alliance with him, or at least no desire to at this time.
"Isn't this exciting?" asked Tracey as she looked up at Hogwarts castle. "I can't believe we're finally going to get to learn magic!"
"I must confess to being quite jubilant myself," Harry admitted, his eyes flickering over to Daphne. He had seen her lips twitch upwards for a moment when Tracey had spoken, as if she were going to make some kind of remark, but had held herself back due to his presence. It suggested familiarity to the other two in the boat. Perhaps these three were friends? Or at least, Tracey and Daphne were friends.
"Tracey and Daphne." Blaise answered. "I only met these two at the train." Daphne and Tracey nodded in agreement.
"Jubila-what?" asked Tracey, blinking in confusion several times as her eyes were pried away from the castle and onto him.
"Excited." Daphne, Hermione, Lisa T, Terry, and Lisa C said. Being friend with a living dictionary has it benefits. Tracey pouted a little.
"I know now guys."
"You probably forgotten after a few minutes."
"Haha, very funny Daph."
"It means excited, Tracey," Daphne answered before Harry could. He cast his eyes over to her once again, but she was studiously ignoring his gaze. It seemed that mask of coldness had slipped, if only for a moment. How interesting.
Tracey whistle. "That guy have eyes of a hawk. Most wouldn't notice her mask slipped, except for…." Tracey stopped herself from saying something. "Someone else." Daphne gave her a brief grateful smile, but her cold mask was put back on.
"Ah," Tracey nodded. "Well, why didn't he just say excited?"
"I did," Harry said with a raised eyebrow. "I just used a another word to do it."
"And that the usual retort of Harry Potter." Lisa C said with an eye roll.
Tracey rolled her eyes at the answer, and her mouth opened to give a retort when she was interrupted.
"Heads down!" The giant of a man yelled out as the boats reached the cliff. Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey all bent their heads down as they passed through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face.
"Why are you three ducking?" asked Harry, slightly amused. Tracey and the other two looked up to see him sitting with his back straight and his posture the same as before. When he noticed this he offered them a wry grin. "That man is over ten feet tall..." he paused, then added, "and standing up. Naturally, he would need to hunch over to pass through."
"That was embarrassing, for all three of us." Blaise said with a sheepish smile. Tracey has a sheepish grin as well while Daphne look a little embarrassed as well.
The other first years look embarrassed as well, since they duck as well when they heard Hagrid. They wonder if Harry was the only one to see that fact.
"Oh..." Tracey murmured with another blush as she realized Harry was right. She sat back up and tried to regain her composure, what composure she had left. The other two were likewise doing the same thing, though with much more success than the brunette.
"Etiquette is not one of Tracey's strong point."
"No doubt about that." Was the reply of the first years. Tracey pouted. It wasn't her fault that she didn't learn these things easily. Her dad isn't a good teacher. Really.
Those two were definitely purebloods. Harry surmised they had likely been trained on how to keep themselves collected, as was tradition, according to Andromeda.
After taking them through a dark tunnel that Harry imagined brought them right underneath Hogwarts itself, they came upon what looked like some kind of underground harbor.
As the ships began to stop, Harry stood up and stepped out, then turned to the closest person to him. Surprisingly it was not Tracey, who had been sitting right next to him (she was already out of the boat), it was Daphne. Despite her rather stoic demeanor towards him he offered her his hand (he was a gentleman after all) and, after another few seconds of intensely staring at it like it might hold some kind of disease, the blond girl gently set hers in his palm and allowed him to help her out of the boat.
"Okay, that was kinda rude." Lisa C said with a huff. "He was just being polite. No need to stare at a part of his body like that." Daphne didn't drop her cool demeanor, not showing the least bit that she was embarrassed or sheepish of what she did.
Harry made his way along the path with the three students he just met, following the giant man as they and the others walked up a flight of stone steps only to stop in front of a large, Oak door. The giant, whose name Harry had yet to learn, knocked on the door exactly three times. The door swung open almost immediately, and Harry saw Professor McGonagall standing just inside of the entrance, looking as stern as ever.
"The firs' years, professor McGonagall," the giant announced in a happy voice.
"Thank you, Hagrid," Professor McGonagall said as Harry filed the giant of a man's name away for future reference. "I will take them from here."
She pulled the doors wide, and Harry had to admit he was impressed with the size of the entrance hall. It was easily large enough to fit two or more houses of the Dursley's size and still have some room left over. The floor, walls, and Harry suspected the ceiling (it was too high up for him to see) were all made of large, gray stone. Off to the side at the other end of the hall was a magnificent marble staircase that led into other parts of the castle.
"Even the interior is impressive." Anastasia said, seeing the interior of the castle on the TV. "Definitely an medieval castle." Lisa C and Wei, along with the halfbloods and Hermione, nodded in agreement.
Professor McGonagall led the group across the flagged stone floor. As they walked, Harry could hear the droning of a hundred voices coming from a doorway to the right, and correctly guessed that the rest of the students must be in there. It was strange to him then, when Professor McGonagall led them not into the room where the older students resided, but into a small empty chamber off the hall.
There was a moment of discomfort when everyone began crowding around each other. It reminded Harry briefly of his encounter in the Leaky Cauldron, which still brought chills down his spine just thinking about. Thankfully, no one was trying to crush him with their enthusiasm, so he was able to shove his discomfort away easily enough.
He turned his head when Tracey bumped into him a bit as they were forced into such close quarters. She stumbled a bit, and Harry allowed her to steady herself by grabbing onto his arm.
"Sorry," she mumbled over the din of chittering voices.
"It's fine," Harry replied as he let the girl continue holding his arm for support. Truthfully he was just so used to Lisa holding onto him that physical contact with a female just didn't bother him anymore. Though he would admit that it felt a little odd with this new girl grabbing him and not Lisa, but he just chalked it up to being more familiar with his best friend than Tracey.
Anastasia stare at her daughter and saw her glaring daggers at the link arms on the TV. The mother giggle. Her daughter gets easily jealous, it seems.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall began, silencing any and all conversations. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Harry saw her gaze linger on a round faced boy whose cloak was fastened under his left ear, and the red head known as Ron who had a smudge of dirt on his nose.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
As Professor McGonagall left, Harry took a moment to look around the room. All of the other first years looked nervous, the bushy haired girl he had met earlier was muttering spells very quickly under her breath, Ron was tittering nervously as he told anyone near him that his brother said they had to pass some kind of test, even Daphne and Blaise were suddenly looking quite pale.
"Calm down," Harry told the three he was standing near in a hushed whisper so no one else would overhear him. It wasn't that hard as it was so loud with so many students chattering nervously at once that one whisper would be impossible to hear over it. He could feel Tracey's grip on his arm tighten as she continued to worry herself. "Worrying about the sorting isn't going to do you any good."
"How can you be so calm?" asked Tracey in a nervous voice. Daphne and Blaise both looked at him as well, and for a moment he thought he saw a glint of respect coming from the blond girl when she saw he wasn't showing any signs of nervousness.
"Wow, so Harry already earn a bit of respect from Daphne, which is hard to do." Tracey commented with a grin. She yelped when her friend elbow her on the rib and gave a small glare.
'Anyone that could keep their cool about things like that earn my respect, even though I hated him for half the school year.' Daphne thought, but she didn't voice those thought.
The truth was Harry wasn't that nervous. While he did not know much about the sorting, he did know that it wasn't going to be anything harmful, and that was enough for him.
"Easily," Harry replied. "The sorting ceremony is designed to place you within the house you would do best in based upon the traits that the Four Founders felt were most important to them. That means they must have some kind of enchantment or perhaps a spell that will be able to find out which of the Four Founders traits you possess the most of and sort you based upon that."
"I wonder if anyone figure out the things Harry are pointing out." Mcgonagall said, shaking her head. That boy is more smarter than anyone in Hogwarts, even the older students. He'll do excellent in any job he'll get.
Truth be told, Harry did not approve of how people were sorted based upon their most prevalent trait. He had studied much this summer and learned about the most recent history of his world, and after reading up on the war between Voldemort and his Death Eaters and the rest magical Britain, he had come to a single conclusion. It was because of the way children were sorted that had allowed Voldemort to gain so many followers.
Mcgonagall look surprise at that and payed attention more to what Harry is saying. She would usually dismiss from a child, but Harry is far mature than most children and even some adults.
Children were always very malleable. Everything from their personalities to their beliefs were created based upon influences both external and internal. By sorting all of the children who were ambitious and desired power above all else into a single house, Hogwarts had allowed Voldemort to gain a foothold in the younger generation. Worse still was that Slytherin house was generally considered the house of the pure, due to the fact that many of the children of darker pureblood families went in their more as a matter of tradition than because they held any of the traits Salazar Slytherin so admired.
When she read that, she frowned. Now that she thought about it, Harry was correct. Most of you-know-who followers came from Slytherin and barely from any other house. Maybe the sorting isn't really the best solution….
Nymphadora and Andromeda were seeing the housing in a new light. They never thought about that. About how you-know-who gain so many followers. But they should've seen it, since it was pretty obvious where were they coming from.
"But aren't you worried about what house you might be sorted into?" asked Tracey. Though it was her who had asked the question, Harry could see both Daphne and Blaise perking up as they listened in more intently. Clearly they were just as interested in what he had to say as their friend was.
"Not really," said Harry, shrugging. "I care not for what house they sort me into. It's not as if being placed into a specific house will change my goals. It will simply present me with a different set challenges."
"I don't think anyone have that mindset." Mcgonagall mused. "Most keep wondering what their strongest trait. Whether they are loyal, wise, cunning, or brave."
He noticed that while Tracey was looking at him in a combination of shock and awe, the other two of their little group were giving him curious glances. Blaise looked intrigued by his words, as if wondering about the veracity of them. Daphne on the other hand, was giving him a calculating look, making Harry wonder if perhaps she was trying to determine his worth.
"More like trying to figure out what he was." Daphne murmured to herself, so nobody else would hear.
His attention was torn from his musings and observations when a scream rang near the back of the crowd.
Harry reacted instantly, pulling himself out of Tracey's grasp he spun around on the balls of his left foot, and prepared to set himself in the ready stance he favored when sparring against Master Wei.
His magic was already flaring as adrenaline was pumped through his veins at an accelerated rate.
Already his mind was coming up with strategies and counter strategies as he determined the best course of action. The room he was in was crowded, filled to the brim with children his age. That meant he would need to find some way to weave through them if he wanted to deal with whatever threat had presented itself. Perhaps if he levitated himself in the air and floated over them. He wouldn't be able to hold it long, but he should at least be able to
"What the hell?"
- his thoughts were completely derailed when saw the cause of the scream. Ghosts. About twenty of them in all. Human apparitions made from what looked like ectoplasm or some other form of spiritual matter. Pearly-white and semi-translucent, the ghosts glided across the hall, not even bothering to pay attention to the first years. They seemed to be having some kind of argument.
Most of the group eyes widen, for completely different reasons. The wizards are shock at the speed Harry moved and the strategies he thought of in only a few seconds. Though, they should surprise since he did fought a troll and Voldemort again.
Lisa C, Anastasia, and Wei (though he barely showed the emotion) are surprise at the fact that there are ghost in the castle. That is like a mixture of a medieval and haunted castle.
"Forgive and forget, I say," what looked like a fat monk was saying, "we ought to give him a second chance -"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
The first years, the Tonks, and Mcgonagall groan, remembering that pesky ghost. He is, and always will be, one of the banes of Hogwart.
Nobody answered.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Harry found himself getting in line and following the stern professor with Tracey directly behind him, followed by Daphne and then Blaise. In front of him was a girl with dark red hair and a few freckles he had yet to meet.
Feeling more nervous than he allowed anyone else to see, Harry remained silent as he walked out of the small chamber, back across the hall, and through the double doors that led to the Great Hall.
The chamber Harry found himself was large, very large. He couldn't guess at how big the place was, but it had to be at least three times the size of the entrance hall in length and width if not height. A sea of candles floating in mid air illuminated the room, casting light and shadows along the many hundreds of faces within. There were five tables laid out in the room, four long tables running parallel from each other where all of the students were sitting, and one table near the back of the chamber where Harry could see the teacher's conversing with each other.
"The castle is getting more and more impressing." Lisa C murmured, looking at the screen. She really envy her best friend right now.
It was not hard for Harry to determine that the four tables were the dividing barriers between the houses. He could see the variations in house colors on the students robes. Gryffindor in their gold and red splendor at the far right near the windows, followed by the yellow and black Hufflepuffs to their direct left. Ravenclaw came next in with their bronze and royal blue coloration, and on the direct opposite of where the Gryffindors sat were the slytherins, marked by the dark green and silver colors lining their robes.
Taking a glance up, Harry caught his first glimpse of the magnificent ceiling he had read about. According to Hogwarts, A History, the ceiling had a powerful enchantment that had been designed by Rowena Ravenclaw herself to look exactly like the sky outside. Currently it was dark save for the hundreds of twinkling stars that filled the velvety night sky.
"Wow." Lisa C said in awe, along with Anastasia as they saw the ceiling. Magic is more amazing than they could ever imagine.
As Harry lined up with the other first years, his mind began to run wild. He was nervous about the Sorting, but rather, if he would truly be able to live up to the expectations that he had placed upon himself. Would he truly be able to be the greatest wizard in the world? Would the many hundreds of students peering at him and the other first years and those he stood next to look up to him as one of those few who became great leaders to do great things?
For a moment, thoughts of failure pressed against his mind. What if he did not accomplish his dreams? What if he ended up leading a life of mediocrity? How would he ever be able to face his parents when he past on? How would he even look them in the eye?
"Harry? Having doubt?" Lisa C said in disbelief, with the first years the same thing. "But Harry is never in doubt, not in the least.
Andromeda disagreed. "Everyone can be a little nervous or in self doubt about your ability. If you weren't, then you are either too confident or arrogant." Mcgonagall and Wei nodded in agreement to that.
He squashed those thoughts immediately and took a few slow, deep breaths. It would not do to dwell on 'what ifs', especially when they had yet to happen. He couldn't allow himself to be clouded by doubt. He would be the best, and he would make his parents proud. In his mind, there was no room for failure.
Soon enough Professor McGonagall placed a four legged stool in front of the first years, and atop of the stool placed a hat. It was a very worn hat, raggedy and frayed. It looked old enough to have been around since the founders.
"Why do you put up a dusty old hat there?" Lisa C said blankly, not remembering the chapter title. Anastasia however, did and look towards Mcgonagall.
"Is that…." Anastasia started, to which Mcgonagall nodded to.
Harry stared at the hat along with everyone else, wondering just how this would help sort them into their houses. What enchantments did this old, worn looking piece of cloth possess?
He found out a moment later when, much to his great surprise, a tear opened near the brim like a mouth and the hat 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.
Lisa C's eyes widen at that. "A singing hat?!" The magic users look amuse at her reaction. You think she would get use to seeing magic. They can't blame her though, since they were amazed as well.
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;
Hermione smile and puff her chest proudly at that while Neville had a confident, but nervous smile. The brave and couragous
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;
Hannah grin while Susan gave her usual shy smile. The loyal and hardworking
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Lisa T and Terry smile at the mention of their house. The intelligent and wise.
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
Daphne and Blaise smirk while Tracey grin. The cunning and ambitious.
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 the others, though his was applause was most likely for a very different reason than the other students. What an extraordinary piece of magic! He couldn't help but conjure up wild theories on how such a thing as a singing hat was possible. Perhaps it was some very advanced animation charm used to mimic human speech. Or could it be some kind of advanced combination of enchantments and runes? Maybe the Four Founders had even poured in all of their considerable talents and gave the hat sentience! The possibilities were endless!
"Did anyone thought of those questions?" Daphne asked and the first years shook their head for 'no', even Hermione shook her head. "Thought so."
Mcgonagall shook her head with a fond smile. Harry would ask questions most first years and older wouldn't even think about.
Professor McGonagall soon stepped forward with a parchment in her hand, and Harry brought his mind back to the present so he could pay attention to her. It looked like the Sorting was about to finally begin.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to
be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"
Harry watched as the blond girl he had met from before walked up to the stool and sat down. She looked nervous, he noted.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah who hugged the girl as soon as she arrived.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
Harry sighed as he realized it would be awhile before they called his name. Sometimes he hated the fact that his last name started with a letter near the end of the alphabet.
"Here, here." Nymphadora and Blaise said, since the pink hair girl last name starts with a T while Blaise's start with a Z. They can sympathize with Harry
As his ears picked up the names of the people who had been called and his mind cataloged what house they were sorted into, he decided to focus most of his attentions on his own thoughts.
Mainly, Harry tried to determine what he would do depending on the house he was sorted into. During the summer he had come up with many plans on what he wanted to accomplish, and while all paths led to the same goal, each one he could take branched out in many different directions. Each plan would change depending on what house he fell in with.
"He already started planning for what to do when he get sorted." Mcgonagall commented. It's a wonder why he isn't in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. He shows plenty of wisdom, cunning, intelligence, and ambition for any of the two, though she is glad that he's in her house.
Of course, he hadn't planned for every occasion. Naturally, while Harry knew quite a bit about magical Britain thanks to his self studies and Andromeda, he didn't know everything. It would be impossible to plan for every eventuality, especially when he did not know anything about his peers. How would they react to his plans? Who would oppose him? Who would align themselves with him? These things would take some research before he could put any of his half-formed plans into action.
Harry took careful note of the few people he had met when they were sorted. While both Hannah and Susan went into Hufflepuff, Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis were sorted into Slytherin. On the other end of the spectrum Hermione Granger ended up going into Gryffindor.
One of the people who caught Harry's eye the most when they were sorted was Neville Longbottom, the round faced boy whose robe was fastened under his left ear.
"Look like I'm introduced." Neville commented. Now all Harry's friend of gryffindors, slytherins, and hufflepuffs are introduced. Now all that's left is ravenclaw.
He looked far more nervous than all of the other students, almost tripping on his own two feet in his haste to get his sorting over with. Unfortunately for Neville, the hat took much longer to decide where it would sort him and he was forced to endure the stairs until then.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
More and more people went, and Harry's mind automatically identified and memorized each and every one of them. His keen mind and observant eyes cataloged everything he could about the people he would be going to classes with, from the way they walked to the way they held themselves to the expressions on their faces. Nothing escaped his notice, which was good, because he was going to need every bit of information he could glean if his plans had any hopes of getting off the ground.
"Potter, Harry!"
And then it was his turn. Harry straightened his back and set his shoulders as he strode forward with confident steps that belied his nerves. He held his head high, projecting the air of someone who did not feel even the slightest bit apprehensive.
Whispers broke out amongst the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"Wow, he's really tall for a first year."
"Look at how cute he is!"
This time, Lisa C couldn't back a little growl while Daphne and Susan frown a bit. Andromeda, Anastasia, and Nymphadora bit back chuckles at the looks from the three girls.
Harry almost lost his demeanor when the urge to sigh at those comments he heard being made by girls reached his ears. He truly hoped that he would not be subject to any of the cheek pinching some of the older girls at his former school had done to him when he was younger.
Lisa C lose her intimidating posture and giggled at that time. Oh, how fun it was teasing Harry about that.
The females giggle at the fact Harry get pinched from the older girls while the guys snickered a little.
Well, if they did at least it wouldn't be around Lisa to give her any ammunition to tease him with.
"Drat." Lisa C said, snapping her finger. But then smile. She would probably see that in this book. She grin as she thought about that. Harry won't be safe from her teasing.
Sitting down, the last thing Harry saw before the hat drooped over his eyes was the entirety of the Great Hall staring at him in breathless anticipation.
For a moment nothing happened, and Harry suddenly felt incredibly stupid for wearing this large hat that didn't even fit his head. How could something like a piece of cloth, albiet, a magical piece of cloth with the ability to talk possibly Sort him into his house?
Those thoughts left him when he felt it, an intrusion into his mind. It felt like someone was poking around in his head with a stick. It was invasive, intrusive, and Harry reacted in the same manner he had done when he heard the scream. Violently.
His magic roiled forth, a hurricane that seemed to build within his mind. Like a pressure valve that was about to explode, the gates holding Harry's magic creaked as he prepared to unleash his power and shove the intruder out.
And then a voice entered his mind, stopping him in his tracks.
"Be at ease, Mr. Potter. I am not going to harm you in anyway."
Lisa C and Anastasia's eyes widen. "That thing can enter your mind?" Lisa C asked and everyone nodded. She frown. She don't think she would want to wear that hat.
Harry blinked once, twice, thrice. "Sorting Hat?" he asked tentatively.
"It is I," the hat replied, sounding bemused. "And might I say that was an impressive display of power you just showed me. Had I not said anything, I dare say that would have shoved me out of your mind quite violently."
"He would?" Mcgonagall said in surprise. That hat is ancient and Harry could push him off his mind?
"How are you even in my mind in the first place?" asked Harry, his own natural inquisitiveness coming to the fore as his magic settled down. Now that he knew who was in his mind he wasn't as worried. Well, he was, but he was much more curious and eager to learn about this seeming impossibility than he was at the thought of having a magical hat poking around in his head. At least for the moment.
The hat seemed to sense this, for Harry got the distinct impression it was amused.
"I was created by the Four Founders with the ability to enter a persons mind so that I might be able to sort them. The ability is not dissimilar to a skill known as Legilimency, which is the human art of delving into the mind and discovering the secrets contained therein."
"I see," Harry processed what he had just learned. "So invading the mind is possible."
"Yes, it is. Though people who are skilled in the art are very rare, even when I was first created. Given that you seem to already have a decent grasp on Occlumency, the art of defending the mind, without even knowing what that is, I suspect you will have an easy time of learning Legilimency. Provided you find someone who can teach you, of course."
"Can you teach me?"
"Unfortunately what I know is not actually Legilimency, but an enchantment that had been placed upon me by Rowena Ravenclaw that allows me to delve into the minds of the young," the hat answered, much to Harry's disappointment. He had been hoping the hat would be able to teach him something, or at least point him in the right direction.
"Does anyone notice that he's making conversation with that hat?" Lisa C asked and everyone nodded. That would explain why it took so long to sort him.
"Such an inquisitive mind," the hat spoke again. "Such intelligence. You would do well in Ravenclaw Mr. Potter. Very well. But let us see what else makes you tick."
"He really would." Lisa T said in agreement. Then frown. "Too bad he's in gryffindor." Terry nodded in agreement.
"Tell me," Harry spoke up suddenly. "Do you plan on informing anyone about what you find inside my mind?" He had many plans that hinged upon them remaining a secret until he deemed them ready to be unveiled, and even if those plans had to be changed later on due to an added or subtracted variable, he did not want others learning about his goals.
"Not at all," the hat replied. "The magics that had been cast on me have also made it so that I cannot tell anybody about what I find within the minds of those I sort.
The first years are glad that the hat wouldn't reveal their secrets, especially Daphne. Only a few know about her child life and they were Tracey and Harry.
If I could have done such a thing, the man you know as Lord Voldemort would have never been allowed to attend here."
Then the magicals frown. Even though they are glad their secrets aren't revealed due to the hat, they wished that Voldemort past was revealed. More wizards and witches would've survived then.
"You seem perfectly capable of speaking about Voldemort," Harry countered.
"Indeed, but that is because Voldemort has already made his mark on the world," the hat answered. "The magic that keeps me from speaking only extends to those who are still attending Hogwarts. Not those who have long since graduated from these halls. Besides, you and everyone else know of him, and I did not inform you of anything incriminating."
"You may not have said anything, but sometimes it's what you don't say that allows people to make deductions they shouldn't have."
"Such an advanced and analytical mind for one so young," the hat chuckled. "Truly, Rowena herself would have been envious of your talents. That eidetic memory of yours is quite the boon."
"It's also quite the curse."
"That is true." Mcgonagall commented. Then frown. "Especially with his past." The others frown as well, thinking that having perfect memory might not be as good as it sound.
Daphne wonder what would've happen to Harry if he'd had suffered her childhood. Would he had been strong enough to endure it? Or lose himself to the memory of the abuse?
"Indeed, for one such as you, who has seen the horrors of this world at such a young age, it would be. Still, you cannot deny that your unique ability to remember everything has made you stronger than you would be otherwise."
Harry did not say anything, choosing instead to remain silent. Not that the hat seemed to need an answer from him to know it was right.
"Now, while you have been gifted with an extraordinary intellect, you seem to have many other talents as well." The hat was silent for a moment. "You know, for such a young boy you are very ambitious. Few are the people who have already set themselves a goal that many have deemed unachievable in their lives."
"And few are the people who obtain greatness because they do not dare to try to reach for the stars," Harry countered. "Even if I should fail in my goal, at the very least I can have the satisfaction of knowing that I was not willing to shoot for mediocrity when I could achieve excellence simply because I was afraid of failing."
The hat chuckled. "You know, Salazar once said something very similar when he and the others were making me. Your ambitions definitely make you worthy of being a Slytherin. Rarely have I seen such drive to accomplish your goals. If the founders still existed, I suspect Salazar himself would have offered you an apprenticeship."
"I agree." Andromeda said. He's a much better Slytherin than most in the house. They are mainly ambitious and some don't really have that cunning you need to make it there.
"Thank you."
"Though he may have been a bit disgruntled by your sense of honor. Your courage may have been tempered with your cunning, but I can already see the warrior you can one day become. You are much like Godric in that regard. He was never the kind of person who was willing to stand in the background when the going gets rough. The man was quite reckless, always leading the charge no matter the kind of battle he may face."
"No doubt about that." Those that have seen the troll incident and those who helped him with the sorcerers stone fiasco muttered.
"A good leader is the kind who is willing to fight alongside those who serve under him," Harry defended. "It is the job anybody in a position of leadership to ensure the safety and well being of his subjects. One cannot protect those who have placed their faith in him by hiding in the background."
"You are correct," Harry could tell the hat was enjoying their conversation. He sounded almost like Ollivander when the man found out Harry would need to have a wand made for him.
Mcgonagall made a disgruntled noise. The whole school waited for nearly an hour just because they were enjoying a conversation? Though she can't really blame Harry, seeing that he probably doesn't know how long he was talking.
"And it is not for the first time someone has compared me to the wand maker. Now, let me see here. What about Hufflepuff? Hmm... yes, you would do well there as well. You know the true meaning of hard work. Your dedication to learning and your lessons in hand to hand combat show me this. In fact, you work so hard I would almost call you obsessive. But what about loyalty? That seems to be a hard thing to earn with you. You are only willing to give your loyalty to those you feel have earned it, and the only one who has earned it in your mind is that friend of yours."
Lisa C blush at that, but felt happy that Harry trusted her. Her friend can be real reclusive, but she is glad that he open his heart to her.
"Loyalty not earned is loyalty that is easily betrayed," Harry informed the hat. He had read about many historic events of great people who were betrayed at the height of their power. They did so not because they allowed themselves to trust, but because they trusted the wrong people. He would not make the same mistake. "I will not allow myself to be stabbed in the back."
"Yes, I can see that. I can also see that once earned, your loyalty is more fierce than a lioness defending her cubs. That Lisa girl is very lucky to have your friendship. I can see that you truly love the girl as your own kin."
"And he is lucky to have her as a friend." Anastasia murmured, looking at Lisa C. She is glad that Lisa C made a friend out of Harry, for own her and Harry sake. She can see that if Harry hadn't had Wei and Lisa C in his life, he would've went in a dark path due to those awful relatives.
Harry was just about to reply when the hat spoke again, only it was out loud this time.
"Can I help you, Minerva?"
XoX
Albus Dumbledore watched with great anticipation and joy as the first years all lined up to be sorted. He looked out into the sea of faces, watching the nervous children as they no doubt worried about where they would be sorted.
Mcgonagall eyebrows rose. "So it seems that we're going to see Albus point of view as well."
"So it seems." Andromeda commented. "I wonder if this book is going to show other point of views." The others look suddenly nervous, not wanting their thoughts to be read by others. Especially the more embarrassing ones.
Of course, not all were worried. The Malfoy heir seemed complete unconcerned. But that was to be expected, given who his father was.
Mcgonagall, Andromeda, and Nymphadora scowl at the mention of Lucius. Anastasia saw the scowls and raise an eyebrow. She guess that Lucius isn't that popular and not just because he was a death eater.
As Professor McGonagall began calling up the first few students, Dumbledore watched with barely contained excitement as they were Sorted into their houses. It was always a pleasure seeing young faces light up as they were welcomed into their house by the older students. It always did his heart good to see such camaraderie.
However, even while his eyes took in those who sat upon the stool and had the hat call out the house they would belong to, the vast majority of his mind was wondering which house Harry Potter would be sent into. Professor McGonagall had told him about her encounter with the young boy, and Dumbledore had been concerned when he heard of the child's reaction to the people in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Anyone with a good head on their shoulder would be." Anastasia said and everyone nodded in agreement. Granted, anybody would've been scared at having so many people crowded around them, but Harry's reaction was really extreme.
Granted, anybody would be freaked out over having so many people crowd around them like that - and he was disappointed that those people, in their haste, forgot to show consideration towards the young man who had saved them from a fate worse than death - but the reaction Harry had towards those people worried him. He did not know what to make of it, and was concerned about whether or not the boy would be able to cope with the students that would no doubt be staring at the boy every chance they got.
"He'll cope." Lisa C said in confidence. "That is just definitely, a one time thing. Now that Harry know about his fame, he'll be more prepared." The first years nodded in agreement. They know for a fact that Harry would come prepare for just about anything.
Much as he loved children, even he had to admit that most of them lacked the restrained to control their impulses about things that made them curious.
"Potter, Harry!"
When the name of the young man who had consumed the vast majority of his thoughts was called, Dumbledore focused on the young boy as he walked confidently up to the stool.
Harry was an attractive child, from what Dumbledore could see. He was fairly tall for his age, easily one of the taller children in his year, and probably around the same height as some of the second years. His hair was very much like James Potter's had been, a fact that caused the old man to smile. However, his eyes were what the Headmaster knew would capture most of the attention. Twin orbs of the most startling green, the same color as the killing curse that had robbed the boy of his parents. Those eyes glowed with repressed energy and power, and spoke of someone who was confident in themselves, but knew not to allow himself to become arrogant. Dumbledore had never seen those eyes on someone so young.
"None of us did." Mcgonagall said, looking at Andromeda, Anastasia, and Wei, who nodded in agreement. Not until Harry Potter though, the four of them thought.
He watched with the rest of the faculty and student body as Harry sat upon the stool and had the hat placed over his head. He waited on bated breath, curious to see just which house the young boy would belong to. Would he be placed in Gryffindor like his parents, where the heart of the brave dwelt? Or perhaps Hufflepuff, where those who knew the true value of loyalty and hard work found their place? Maybe he would belong to Ravenclaw. His mother had been quite smart, the most intelligent witch of her age. It was a shame she had died before her time. Perhaps he would even be in Slytherin, if the ambition he had seen in the boys eyes had anything to say about it.
'Gryffindor' All of the magicals thought.
And so he waited to see where young Harry Potter would go.
And waited.
And waited.
And when the five minute mark was hit, Dumbledore waited some more. However, as the ten minute mark hit, he began to grow concerned. That concern soon turned into alarm when Harry stayed sitting on that stool for over half an hour.
"We were all pretty confused and worried when Harry stayed there that long." Hannah said. "Not to mention that a few were impatient and hungry."
By this point in time many of the students were muttering, some in concern and some in consternation that this Sorting was taking so long. Not that any of them could truly be blamed. Dumbledore had been in these halls for a long time, over one hundred years, and in all that time he had never seen or heard of a sorting taking as long as this one was.
"One of the first time Harry surprised Hogwarts." Blaise said. He gave out many surprises during that years, with his skills in magic to gaining friends in different houses.
Curious, intrigued, and more than a little worried for the young man, Dumbledore decided to use a talent he had developed many years ago. It was called mage sight, and much like the name suggested, it allowed those who were sensitive to the intricacies of magic to 'see' magic in a more literal sense.
"Wow." Hermione said in awe. "So while Harry can sense the magic, Dumbledore can see it?"
Mcgonagall nodded. "It appears so."
Normally, when using this ability, Dumbledore could determine much about a persons magic; what element they were aligned to, their predisposition to the light or dark. When using mage sight, many things that would have otherwise remained hidden about a person became visible.
When Dumbledore activated this rare ability and focused it on Harry, he had to shut it off immediately afterward, lest he become blinded. He almost hissed in pain as his eyes stung from the small glimpse he had managed to catch of Harry. Staring at the boy was like staring at the sun!
"Ouch." Blaise said with a wince. "If Harry magic was really that bright, I hate to be Dumbledore right now."
"True." Tonks said, but then whistle. "But that shows how powerful Harry really is. Imagine him growing up with his power increasing."
Being much more careful, Dumbledore tried a second time, making sure to only look at Harry out of the corner of his eyes so as not to suffer such pain again.
Daphne nodded. "Wise choice."
What he saw was shocking. No, it was more than that. His thoughts on staring at the boy in mage sight being akin to staring at the sun were wrong, oh so wrong. Looking at Harry Potter's magic was like staring into the heart of a star gone super nova. The boy's magic shone so brightly that the only thing Dumbledore could determine about the raven haired youth was that he had more power at his disposal than most people could ever hope to achieve. To Dumbledore's sight, it looked like the boys entire body was one large ball of light so bright that it was impossible to see the boys magical core.
There was silent in this hall. All of them shock at what they heard. They knew Harry was powerful, but this? This just take the cake.
And to think the young man hadn't even gotten started on his journey into the world of magic! Dumbledore could only imagine how powerful young Harry would be when he grew up!
"Good thing he's on our side then." Blaise said with a bit of a shivered. The other magicals shivered as well, imagining Harry with the side of death eaters. That would be a nightmare they would not want to live.
By now, Dumbledore estimated that Harry Potter had been seated on that stool for nearly fortyfive minutes, the longest time he had ever seen anyone being Sorted. Usually forty-five minutes was enough to Sort all of the first years!
Many people seemed to be getting anxious now. He could see many of the students looking on in confusion, wariness, worry, and annoyance. Whispers had already broken out as people wondered why Harry was taking so long. Filius Flitwick was watching on in unmitigated anticipation. Pomona Sprout was looking worried. Rubius Hagrid also looked worried. Severus Snape was sneering at Harry Potter.
"Why is sneering at him?" Anastasia said with a bit of a frown. Harry never met the man, so why is giving him that look?
Mcgonagall frown, along with Harry's magical friends. "We'll tell you once we get more in the book." Daphne said.
And Minerva McGonagall seemed ready to tear the hat off the boys head and sort Harry herself.
"I was about to." Mcgonagall admitted. Even she could lose her patience, even when she dealt with children for several years.
In fact, the woman was already stepping closer to the hat and boy to ask them to hurry this along.
"Can I help you, Minerva?" the hat asked before the woman could open her mouth. Minvera seemed unsure for a moment, but quickly regained her bearings.
"I am not sure if you are aware, but it has already been forty-five minutes since you have been placed on Mr. Potter's head. Surely you can hurry up and sort him so the rest of the students can get sorted into their house."
"I apologize, Minerva, however, I seem to be having some trouble figuring out which house Mr. Potter should be sorted into."
Dumbledore found himself intrigued by the hats answer, and carefully leaned forward to study the boy sitting under the hat some more.
There were only two reasons for the Sorting hat to have trouble Sorting a child into a house. Sometimes when a child possessed the traits of more than one house the Sorting Hat had trouble deciding where to put them. Dumbledore himself had this problem, his sorting had taken around six minutes as the hat had tried to determine whether he should belong in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. The hat had eventually decided on Gryffindor due to the fact that Dumbledore was braver than he was intelligent.
"Did anybody knew about that?" Lisa T asked. The magicals replied with shaking their head.
The other reason was that the child being sorted possessed none of the traits that the Founder's wanted. In this instance, the hat would either leave that choice up to the child they were Sorting, or decide on the house it felt would help said child grow the most.
"It's the former." Everyone said at once. They didn't need to read this chapter to see that Harry has all four traits. Bravery, intelligence, cunning, ambition, loyalty, and hard working, all wrap in one. All of them saw a glimpse of each trait in Harry, equally balanced in him.
Dumbledore wondered which was the case here, though he suspected it was the former.
"Trouble?" Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Just what kind of trouble takes forty five minutes to fix?"
"The kind where I cannot determine which house someone would belong in."
"And just why can you not determine which house Mr. Potter should be placed?"
"Again, I apologize, Minerva, but due to the magics placed upon me, I cannot tell you why I am having trouble Sorting Mr. Potter. Now, if you'd please, perhaps you could let me continue trying to divine where I should sort the young man."
Dumbledore watched as Minerva McGonagall huffed in annoyance. Harry was getting more intriguing by the second, and he couldn't help but wonder where the young man would go.
"That's the question half the wizard world is asking Dumbledore." Andromeda said. The boy future is endless and she could tell that he can change the wizard world, for better or for worse, depending on the choices he makes.
XoX
"Well, Mr. Potter, it seems we have run out of time," the Sorting hat said, amusement once more seeping into it's voice. "I must admit I am surprised by how long it has been since I was placed upon your head. You are a difficult one to Sort. I have only had such trouble with one other person, and even than he had one trait that stood above the rest."
"Who was that? If you don't mind my asking?"
"Not at all. The man I am talking about as long since passed from this world, so there is no point in worrying over his identity. His name was Merlin Ambrosius, a man whose incredible ambition led him to becoming the adviser of kings."
Everyone eyes widen at that, even Wei has a look of surprise. Everyone has heard of Merlin, both muggle and magical. Though the muggles see Merlin as a legend, the magicals see him as a historical figure.
Harry raised both eyebrows in surprise, glad that no one could see him doing so. Everyone had heard of Merlin, the man who was hailed as the greatest wizard to ever grace this world. Even the non-magical people had legends about him. He had not realized that the man had been an actual historical figure and gone to Hogwarts to boot.
"So he was real then?" asked Harry, unable to contain his excitement. While he would vehemently deny it to anyone who asked, Harry's favorite stories had always been about Arturian Legend, particularly about Merlin due to how influential the man had been in his life. At least, if the stories told about him were to be believed.
Hannah, Tracey, and Lisa C grin evilly. Blackmail!
"Yes, though not in the way you are thinking," the hat said. "While Merlin was indeed the adviser to Arthur during the time of Camelot, none of the stories you have read hold any truth beyond his role as an adviser." There was a moments pause, before the Sorting hat began speaking once more. "Now then, let us continue with the Sorting," the hat started again. "As unfortunate as it is, I am unable to determine where to Sort you. Unlike Merlin, you possess all the traits of the Founders in equal amounts. No one trait is anymore prevalent than another."
"And the surprises keep coming and coming, though that is not really a surprise." Daphne said. She can see all different traits in Harry in equal measure. At first, she thought he was only a manipulator, but now, she see past that and see the equal measure of bravery, cunning, intelligence, and loyalty.
"So how should we do this then?" ashed Harry, worried. He was not sure what it meant that he could not be sorted. If the hat would not place him, how would he get into his house.
"Ah, now this is where the fun comes in," the hat said. "You see, because you possess an equal amount of traits that all four of the founders cherished most, I cannot choose where you belong. That does not, however, mean that you can't."
Harry took a moment to ponder the hat's words. "So, you are telling me I get to decide which house I go into?"
"Yes."
"So he chose to go to gryffindor." Mcgonagall murmured to herself. Though she is glad that he chose her house, she wonder why.
Closing his eyes Harry went through all the information he had on the four houses, and which one would best suit his plans.
He immediately discarded Hufflepuff.
"Why?" Susan and Hannah couldn't help but asked. They knew that Harry don't hold any prejudice against the house, otherwise he wouldn't have made friends with him, but they can't help but wonder why he discarded hufflepuff immediately.
Harry had none of the prejudices against the house like other people, but due to the reputation it had of belonging to cowards and lazies it was the most ill-suited house to be in to accomplish his goals. Not even the challenge of turning Hufflepuff into a house the others respected was enough to make him see the benefit in going there.
"Oh." Hannah pouted while Susan look a bit downtrodden at that. Well, they can try to change the prejudice that the others held against their house.
Slytherin was equally out. While Harry would enjoy the challenge of changing the house from the inside out and showing the other houses that the house of snakes was not a den of dark wizards like they thought, it would take more time than he cared to spend on it. Time that could be better spent working towards his goals.
"Pooh." Tracey pouted, crossing her arms. Daphne and Blaise gave the girl amuse looks at her action, though they would've like for Harry to be in Slytherin and change the house for the better.
That left just Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Both houses had their merits. Ravenclaw was generally considered a neutral house. The ones who went there preferred to observe the other houses and make their decisions based upon those observations. On the other hand, Gryffindors were known for being at the forefront of anything going on around the castle. They were the ones in the spotlight, so to speak.
Both also had their disadvantages, however. Most people in Ravenclaw were considered bookworms. This meant the people of that house had a reputation of being more than a little anti-social to live up to, and if he tried to change the status quo it might alienate him from both his house and those outside of it.
"Sadly, that is true." Lisa T admitted, with Terry nodding in agreement. If he tried to change that, that would alienated everyone from him.
Going there meant any plans he made could backfire on him. And while Gryffindor would make him seem more approachable without others being too wary, the fierce rivalry between the house of the brave and the house of the cunning would make getting an ally in that house exceedingly difficult.
"Also true." Daphne said with a nod. Malfoy and his goons was a good example of that, as well as the quidditch players.
In the end, it came down to a single question. Which house was the one whose pros outweighed the cons?
"It seems you have decided," the hat spoke up after a moments pause. "Are you sure this is the house you wish to be in? Once I Sort you there is no going back."
"I'm sure," Harry said without hesitation.
"Very well," the hat began. "If that is where you wish to be, then let it be known by all that you are to be Sorted into..."
"And that's the end." Hannah said, shocking Lisa C.
"What?!" Lisa C exclaimed in shock. "But we haven't heard what house he got in!"
"It'll probably say which house in the next chapter." Neville said. "I can read next Hannah." Hannah pass the book to Neville and he began to read.
And that's the end. I hope you guys like it. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.