Chapter Eight
AN: This is for Tonks, you know who you are, everyone else go to the chapter. You are allowedone review per chapter. One. If I need to I will go through (with L's help) and then disregard any and all reviews you post. If you want the chapters so bad you can be a second beta... whatever.
September 1, 1991- Hogwarts
"Granger, Hermione." McGonagall called, Hermione walked calmly up to the stool where the Sorting Hat waited to sort her. She sat and the hat was placed on her head.
"Ah… Ms. Granger, Dumbledore has worried about you greatly in the past years. You and the Potter boy… You have a brilliant mind no doubt and cunning like none I've seen since young Mr. Riddle himself sat here." The hat poked around her head, she tensed as it passed the Occlumency shields she had like a ghost. "Occluding already, Tom wasted no time to teach you important things. Smart boy he was, nasty temper… but you… calm as Rowena and as balanced as Helga ever was. No doubt you would do well in any house. Your bravery astounds even me. Where to put you… where to put you? Dumbledore would just love to have you in Gryffindor where he can keep an eye on you… Not Gryffindor then. No, no, definitely no. Slytherin… of course, the great house of serpents. Very well."
"SLYTHERIN!"
Hermione placed the hat back on the stool, happy to have the probing feeling gone from her head. It was worse than anything she had experienced when being trained in Occlumency and she never wanted to feel that open again.
At the Slytherin table she sat near the middle of the table, the others around her looked at her in disgust. She smirked inwardly, they would soon know who she was. And then they would all be bowing to her.
It took a while before Draco's name was called. The trio knew he would be in Slytherin, and they were not disappointed as even before the hat touched his head it called out the houses name. He headed to the table at sat on her right side still grumbling about having to be there at Hogwarts. Hermione just smiled and scanned the hall looking for prospective allies.
The duo waited patiently, both wondering how long until Harry's name would be called. Finally their patience paid off and McGonagall called his name.
"Potter, Harry."
Whispers broke out around the hall. Draco and Hermione watched their friend sit on the stool, waiting like everyone else to see where he would be placed.
Harry himself was very tense from all the stares he was receiving. He wished to be back at the Manor, not her, not in front of all these people. The hat was placed on his head and immediately he felt it probing his memories.
"Well, well, well… Mr. Potter… What do we have here? Are you a Gryffindor? Or are you a Slytherin? Ah, I see. You are definitely one of Salazar's children, though Gryffindor blood runs through your veins."
Harry wished the hat would just place him already. He had never been patient since coming to live with the Malfoy's.
"No, I am not done talking with you, boy. You should know that the headmaster is trying to pass the spells that keep all the thoughts and memories I see in your head, barmy old codger, those spells were placed by Rowena herself and then the other three founders placed even more wards to cover those spells. HE wants you in Gryffindor, you know. Of course it's against the rules set by the founders to try to manipulate the sorting. Ah well, I think he might just have a point in putting you there. You will just have to deal with it, some of those lions aren't as golden as they seem. Beware of the Order lion snake, they will destroy what you hold close if even they get a whiff of the darkness that lives in you. I have a task for you though, from Hogwarts herself, bring the houses together once more. It won't be too hard considering your position… For now I bid you goodbye."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The hats shout startled Harry, he stood from the stool numbly looking to Draco and Hermione as the hat was taken from him. Their shocked looks were hidden quickly so as not to alert the others of the Hall. They had all thought the would end up in Slytherin, the thought that even he would end up in Gryffindor had never crossed he minds of the trio. Harry sat at the Gryffindor table not knowing when he had moved to the table.
He felt the people around him congratulating him and slapping him on the back. He looked to the Slytherin table where Draco and Hermione still watched him, he ducked his head sadly at disappointment in their eyes. The rest of the Hall didn't seem to notice this as they quieted for the Sorting to continue. Harry glanced up at the head table to see Dumbledore looking at him seemingly pleased with his arrangement. Next to him Severus and Remus watched him closely, as well as his two friends. Remus leaned over to Sev, but the Potions Master shook his head at whatever the Defense instructor had asked.
The Sorting ended finally with Blaise Zabini going to Slytherin. Dumbledore stood drawing the students attention to him.
"Before we all become befuddled by the feast, there are some words I would like to share with you. Nitwitt! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
Food appeared on the table and the students attacked it ravenously. Harry ate mechanically, ignoring the chatter around him. The redhead boy across from him looking at him oddly, before Harry glared at him. The boy, a Weasley if his hair and freckles were anything to go by, shrugged and went back to eating.
Harry sighed and looked across the hall to see his friends in much the same state as he. He then looked to the head table where many of the teachers glanced at him proudly. The headmaster caught his gaze and smiled, he frowned when Harry didn't return his grin.
Draco and Hermione had tried to get to Harry after the feast, but the older Slytherins had kept them from leaving the group and heading up the stairs. They quickly formed a plan to corner him as soon as they had their first class together.
Once in the Slytherin common room they sat apart from the rest of the house and looked around at who they had in their class. Severus entered last behind the Slytherins.
"Welcome to Slytherin." Were the first words out of his mouth. "While in this house I expect from each and every one of you to act accordingly. The people you see in this room are your family, no other in this school will treat you as anything but trash, there are very few who will befriend you from any other house. The other teachers will not favor you in class, expect to be treated unfairly."
He turned to where Draco and Hermione sat, and looked pointedly at Draco. "There are those who will treat you differently due to your name." He looked to Hermione. "And there are those who will try to belittle what you do. Do not let their views hinder you in any way."
The rest of the house looked at Hermione who smirked in a way that was far too similar to the Dark Lords evil smile. A few noticed the regal way she held herself, like that of a lady or a queen. A queen of Darkness.
"There are many things a Slytherin must do in this school, one is to survive, another is to lead. Now go to bed, girls-left hall, boys-right hall." With that the Potions Master left the room and let the students choose their rooms.
In the First Year Gryffindor Boys dorm Harry stared up at the ceiling wondering how he would tell Tom about his placement in Gryffindor. He was brought out of his thoughts by the other boys coming into the dorm room.
"So you're Harry Potter? My grans' told me all about your parents. She knew them in the last war." A portly boy said. He had seemed very timid when Harry had first seen him, but after talking with the other boys of their year he had opened up a bit to them.
The Weasley boy looked at the fringe that covered his scar. "So it's true, you do have the scar."
Harry glared at them. "Yes, I have the bloody scar. Now if you would all SHUT UP, I could get some sleep." He closed his curtains and spelled them shut and put proximity charms on them.
The other boys shrugged at his temper, they were sure he would get along with them in time. After all, he was the Boy-Who-Lived, was he not?
Next chapter… you should know the drill.
