Firstly I would like to offer an apology and an explanation to everyone who has read my story, and dutifully reviewed or added me to their watch list. I don't like to force ideas and for a short while I was not sure where I would be going with this story so I put it off and well before you knew it I had all but forgotten about my story. A lot has changed since I started writing I have moved six times, graduated high school, started college, and even got married. I don't have anymore time than I did before but I can fit in time to write, the idea for this story never left me and this morning it exploded out of my head. I apologize for any inaccuracies as I don't currently have my books with me for refrence but hey its AU so never mind ^_^ Now on to the part you all want to read, the story!
Chapter Seven
The door swung open into a huge room, with its high ceiling and how large the room itself was the Dursley's house could fit inside easily with room to spare. Harry turned to Sally and Morag who had walked in behind him. Sally looked at him with nervous excitement, Morag just sort of looked at Harry but he was nervous all the same. The air hummed with subdued whispered chatter, until suddenly it just stopped. Harry turned around and his eyes widened with shock. Ghosts, reading about them was one thing but actually seeing them was quite another. They were debating about something Harry wasn't quite sure what as he could only hear snippets of the words they were saying. All at once the ghosts appeared to notice the fact that there were in fact students in the room.
The largest, and seemingly happiest spoke up when all the rest went quiet, "Oh you must be the new first years?" Everyone nodded silently. "Oh good very good indeed, I am the Friar I do hope you get sorted into my house we will have lots of fun!" With that they continued their talk and floated out of the room.
Harry was just about to turn back to Sally and Morag when a door opened. An older lady with gray hair pulled back into a bun walked in. She was tall and imposing, seeming even more tall by the height of her hat. Her mouth was pressed down into a line as she looked over the new students the corners bent up just a tad as if she was having a very hard time not smiling as she looked at them. "I am Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. In a few minutes you will be sorted into your houses. You house will be your family during your years at Hogwarts. Each and every house has produced wizards and witches who were a credit to and ones who aren't. I hope deeply that none of you are in the second group. Now follow me"
The group of first years fell into a line and walked into the Great Hall. If Harry had been awed by the comparatively small room they just left he was floored by this new room. His eyes widened as they traveled up to the ceiling. It was beautiful. Harry had lived in the Suburbs his whole life and even then he was rarely outside after dark. Even though it was through an enchanted ceiling he had never seen stars quite so bright and clear. He was entranced. He could have looked at it forever except- he had just received a swift kick to the leg. He turned around. "What was that for Sally?" he whispered.
"Its about to be my turn I don't want you to miss it stupid." Sally was glaring at him and he had missed most of the sorting. He turned to silently watch two twin girls get sorted into Gryffindor. When McGonagall called out Sally's name she walked up nervously, trying hard to hide it but making it all too apparent that she was scared. It seemed like an eternity that she sat on the stool but in all reality it was only a few seconds before the hat sorted her into Slytherin. Harry watched as she removed the hat from her head and she walked over to a long table on the far left of the hall. She sat next to Morag who apparently had been sorted while he was lost in his own thoughts.
Professor McGonagall called out "Potter, Harry," and the whole school went quiet for a second then erupted with whispers. Harry stepped forward and began to walk to the stool in the front. When he finally got to the stool, it had seemed like it took forever, the Professor looked at him kindly and placed the hat on his head.
The hat was obviously made for someone much larger than he was, the brim fell over his eyes. It seemed funny to him really the second he couldn't see anyone the hall seemed to become silent as well. "Oh yes, indeed they do seem to go quiet when a person is being sorted don't they?" a voice sounded inside his head. What was that? "Why it was me of course, how else should I decide where to put you?" Your looking through my mind? "Yes, yes. Oh look at this very brave. Gryffindor would suit you well." Gryffindor? "No maybe not. Slytherin perhaps? You are very ambitious. No no the bravery far outweighs that..." Hearing the hat talk about Gryffindor he thought back to Professor Snape's speech about the houses. He hated rushing into things if he didn't have to it was always better to have a plan, or to avoid trouble all together. "Oh really well then I know just where to put you."
The hat yelled out loud enough for everyone to hear "SLYTHERYN!" at first the hall was silent and when McGonagall removed the hat she looked at him quite strangely but then all of a sudden Slytherin table erupted in cheers. Harry quickly walked over to the table that would now be his home and sat next to Sally.
"Hey Harry I had hoped you would be in the same house as me, now we wont have to worry about making time to see each other." Sally said brightly. Morag just looked at him and nodded. Malfoy tried to talk to him he started going on about congratulations and welcome to the best house but he was distracted. Up at the head table Snape was looking at him strangely and so was the man in the center of the table. He recognized him after a second as being Professor Dumbledore. Sally had used him once in their card duel, how was he supposed to know that she had a Dumbledore card right when he used Grindelwald. Dumbledore was looking at him as if he was the last piece left in the puzzle but for some reason wouldn't fit in the last spot.
"Potter have you been listening to a word I have been saying?" Malfoy said loud enough to break him from his thoughts.
"Sorry, I was just trying to figure out why he is looking at me so weird." Harry said motioning to the Headmaster.
"Oh that old coot, don't pay any attention to him. He is prejudiced against Slytherins. He probably is shocked that the 'Boy-Who-Lived'got sorted into mean old Slytherin. I wont be surprised if it makes front page of the prophet," Malfoy sneered.
Harry was thinking this over when the headmaster stood up. The hall went silent as the headmaster began his speech. He cleared his throat and gave his gibberish speech. When the professor sat back down the table on the opposite side of the hall cheered and clapped louder than the rest of the tables. One of the older Slytherins muttered under his breath, "Stupid Gryffindors," the rest of his table muttered their agreement. Harry could see why Snape had described the Gryffindors as dunderheads. They seemed rather ridiculous. Harry noticed that sometime in his musings the food had appeared. "I have got to stop doing that..." he muttered under his breath while serving himself some of the chicken.
"Doing what Harry?" Sally asked while scooping herself some potatoes.
"I keep getting lost in my thoughts especially when things happen; the sorting the food appearance, things like that." Harry said while buttering a roll.
Sally shrugged and said, "Yeah you probably should stop that, I could see that getting annoying and well think of all the things your missing." Malfoy and another first year who introduced herself as Daphne Greengrass nodded in agreement.
The first years ate in silence chattering every now and then making introductions but mostly observing each other when a ghost floated over to where they were sitting. "Hello children I am the Bloody Baron," the ghost began, "I am your house ghost, over the course of the next seven years you will likely come into a few instances where you need to contact Professor Snape the head of our house after curfew. That is when you will contact me. I will then either summon the professor or escort you to his office myself depending on where he is at the time. I will not however help you with the castle poltergeist Peeves. There are a few ways to keep him from bothering you but as Slytherins you should easily manage to figure out at least one of them." With that he floated to the other end of the table.
Harry's eyes widened as he noticed the trays refilling themselves. The Dursley's hadn't exactly starved him, at least he didn't feel he was starved, but he got served last and he only got what his aunt put on his plate; she always made sure there was enough left for 'her boys' to have seconds. After a second he took a scoop of stroganoff. He ate it slowly considering his new lot in life. He knew from the reading he had been doing that everyone considered him a hero and quite a few people wanted nothing more than to spoil the living hell out of him. His aunt and her friends got together each week to watch some ridiculous show and write letters to their favorite cast members. Sometimes they would even send in trinkets or gifts of baked goods. Muggles and wizards couldn't be that different, people are people after all.
"Oh look dessert is here!" the another first year by the name of Blaze shouted, his pale cheeks flushed red when he realized everyone at the table was staring at him. "I really enjoy sweets and mum only makes dessert when we have people for dinner," he explained hastily.
After everyone had eaten their fill of the delicious sweets and the chatter was at a loud rumble the headmaster stood once again. "Now that everyone has eaten I have a few announcements to make. As always the forbidden forest is as the name implies forbidden, no magic is to be used in the corridors, a list of all items banned from the school is available outside of Mr. Filch's office, and most importantly to all of those wishing to avoid a horrifyingly painful death the third floor corridor is forbidden." Dumbledore smiled at them all and continued, "Now the prefects will escort you all to our common rooms."
Two older students walked toward the first years and called out, "First through fourth years over here!" When everyone had gathered around they introduced themselves, "We are the fifth year prefects, if you have an issue that requires the intervention of a prefect come to one of us first." The tall lanky guy with dirty blond hair stepped forward, " I am Tiberius Bagnold." A shorter girl with black hair and bright emerald green eyes stepped forward, " I am Cytherea Alderton, we will both place our schedules on the bulletin board now come on, and remember the way we wont show you again." With that they walked out of the Great Hall.
Okay so that was the latest chapter, sorry again for how long it took me to update but I wont do that again. I am using this fan fiction as a way to improve me creative writing so I would love to read any reviews you feel to leave and constructive criticism is always welcome.
