Chapter 9
The Sorting Hat
A/N: Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed! You guys are what makes writing this story so fun! Now the moment of truth comes, the sorting. I've had several people tell me that they would prefer a Slytherin or Ravenclaw Harry over Gryffindor. No one has really espoused a HuffleHarry, however. In the end, I hope that my choice does not alienate anyone who was hoping for one thing or another. As I said, I'm trying to write what I think would actually happen given Harry's character. Again, I don't own Harry Potter.
TrunksLoneWarrioranimelove: Thank you for the kind words, it's really good to hear that someone appreciates what I'm writing. As for Harry's house, see above^^. I do have a specific plan and his house is a part of that. One thing that you won't have to worry about is 'wimpyness'. Harry has, so far, been far wimpier than I plan on him being throughout the series.
Mizu-Bozu: I think that Ron had a very unique upbringing and his character in canon didn't reflect that all that well. My goal is to present Ron as more of a human, with defining traits, rather than some poorly relating boy. Too often in fanfics he's passed off as being stupid or evil and is given next to no attention.
They filed through the large wooden door and into a wide stone hallway. The walls held paintings that watched them as they walked past. There were torches that lit the walkway from either side, some of which chose to change colors without pattern. Harry followed McGonagall with the crowd of students as she led them down the hallway and turned right, as an iron-bound wooden door swung open for her.
Passing through the doorway, Harry and his fellow students entered an enormous hall. The stones of the floor were of a deep gray, seamlessly meeting the brown stone walls. The ceiling bore the same stormy sky that had been outside, occasionally punctuated by lightning strikes. Candles were everywhere, floating any which way they chose. In the center of the room, a large candle chandelier levitated.
Gesturing at the sky, Hermione said to Harry, "It's bewitched to be an exact image of the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." Ron shot Hermione an annoyed look as she spoke and she seemed to shrink inward somewhat. Looking first at Ron, until he dropped his gaze, and then to Hermione, Harry whispered. "That's very interesting." She smiled at this.
The line of students walked through the center of the hall parallel to the four incredibly long tables. Harry's eyes glanced from table to table. Each table was inhabited by over a hundred students and bore flags on each end with their house's sigil. On the far left was the Slytherin table, draped in cloth of silver and forest green and bearing a snake on their flag. The inner left belonged to Hufflepuff, and as such was covered in black and yellow, a badger presiding over their meals. The inner right table was decorated with draperies of blue and bronze, its flag bore a resplendent eagle, the sign of Ravenclaw. Lastly, the far right tablecloth was crimson and gold and a lion glared out menacingly from the Gryffindor flag. Floating at the end of each table were shimmering, indistinct beings.
At the far end of the hall was a raised stage bearing a stool with a hat atop it. To the left of the stage was a dais upon which a fifth, smaller table sat with about two dozen chairs, mostly filled by adults who watched the procession stoically. When they reached the foot of the stage, McGonagall motioned for the students to halt as she walked to the right and climbed onto the stage to stand in its center.
"Welcome to the Hogwarts House Sorting Ceremony!" She didn't quite call this out, but as the room had become completely silent when she mounted the stage, her voice echoed back from each wall after she spoke. "First years will be called onto the stage alphabetically to be placed with the house they shall reside in until they graduate."
When she had finished speaking, a seam ripped open in the sorting hat, creating a grim imitation of a mouth, with draped shadows for eyes. It took a moment, looking out at the first years, before opening its seam of a mouth and beginning to sing.
"Oh, well I may not be pretty,
Do you judge by what you see?
If you look close, I think you'll find,
I'm made of more than seams.
When first I was created,
By founders known by all,
They taught me each their purpose
So that they could move on.
There's nothing hidden in your head
That you can hide from me,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwells the hero's heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffis are strong and true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Their cunning minds and silver tongues
Are known to all their ken.
So put me on! Don't hesitate!
And don't you dare forget,
Division is my purpose
But to divide is death."
The hall burst out in applause at the end of the hat's song. The Sorting Hat gave its equivalent of a bow, tilting its tip down slightly. When the noise again died down, McGonagall conjured a scroll with her wand and unrolled it.
"Abbot, Hannah!" She called out strongly. A young blond girl in the crowd of first years climbed the stairs to the stage and sat on the stool before McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat atop her head. There was a moment of pause before it called, "Hufflepuff!"
There was a rousing applause from the Hufflepuff table as Hannah departed the stage to take a seat with her house. Now that Harry was closer to them, he could see that the indistinct shapes by the tables were people. Not normal people, these floated and were opaque, but they were clearly human. Harry was going to ask Hermione what they were, but she was clearly very nervous, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and biting her bottom lip.
"What are those?" he asked Ron instead.
"They're—" he began, before being interrupted by Hermione.
"You must be quiet." She said forcefully, "We can't be getting in trouble before we're even sorted."
Ron gave her a disgusted look. "You can't be serious. Are you really that much of a suck-up?"
Hermione turned a bright shade of pink and Ron turned back to Harry. "They're the House Ghosts." Pointing to each table in turn, he elaborated. "The Slytherin ghost is the Bloody Baron. Hufflepuff's is the Fat Friar, Ravenclaw's is the Grey Lady, and Gryffindor's is Nearly-Headless Nick."
Harry was about to ask how one became a ghost when Hermione looked at Ron and whispered acidically, "If you are quite done, can you focus on the Sorting?" She shot a look to Harry as well. It wasn't exactly a vicious look, but there was clearly a reprimand in her eyes.
Harry had never seen a look quite like that one. At least not directed at him. Her look wasn't one of anger, like he had become used to at the Dursleys, but of disappointment, as if Harry had fell short of meeting some standard she had expected him to easily achieve. Harry felt ashamed when she looked at him like that. Harry had always been made to feel ashamed for what he was by the Dursleys. Hermione's look made him feel ashamed for something he'd done. "Sorry." Harry whispered before becoming quiet.
By the end of this exchange, several more students had been sorted into their houses, each receiving a loud roar of clapping and cheering from whatever house they had been sorted into. As Harry watched student after student sit on the chair and be sorted, he wondered if anyone had ever been refused by the Sorting Hat. He could picture McGonagall looking at him and telling him, "I'm sorry, you're just not good enough to attend Hogwarts." He had no idea what he would do if he approached that stage and was told to go home.
"Bones, Susan!" McGonagall called out. The young girl climbed the stage and sat in the stool while McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
"Ravenclaw!" The hat called out before the girl departed the stage.
Harry stared at the floor, only half-listening as a group of students he didn't know were sorted. Names and houses were called out with Harry taking only the slightest notice that anything was happening outside of his head. His palms were covered in sweat and he desperately hoped it wasn't possible to be rejected at this stage.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"
"Slytherin!"
Applause.
"Finnigan, Seamus!"
"Gryffindor!"
Applause.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Harry jerked his head up at this, watching as Hermione rushed up the stage and sat in the stool for McGonagall to place the Sorting Hat on her head. She sat there for several moments. Time continued to pass and soon she had been on the stool for easily a minute, considerably longer than average. Harry had a moment of extreme worry in which he wondered if Hermione would be the one to be sent home. He imagined her face falling as McGonagall removed the hat from her head. He felt more than a little panicked at the thought, though he couldn't figure out why.
"Gryffindor!" The Sorting Hat called. Harry's stomach untied itself from the knot it had worked itself into. From that point on, his nervousness disappeared. Somewhere in the process of his worry becoming focused on Hermione instead of himself, and then having that same worry disappear when she was placed in Gryffindor, his worry for himself had vanished.
"Longbottom, Neville!"
Neville approached the stage with a shuffling gait. As he walked up the steps, Harry saw his hands shaking slightly. Almost immediately after the hat was placed upon his head it called out,
"Gryffindor!"
Neville's mouth broke into a great smile when the hat spoke and he walked to his table amid the cheers of his housemates.
"McLaggen, Cormack!" A young boy with curly, sandy-blond hair sat on the stool next.
"Slytherin!"
"Malfoy, Draco!"
If Neville's sorting had been quick, Draco's was almost a formality. The hat appeared to not even touch his head before shouting, "Slytherin!" Draco strutted off to his new house with a smug look on his face.
Although most of his nervousness was gone, Harry found that he still couldn't focus as person after person was sorted into their houses. He knew that this was vitally important to what a person would experience while at Hogwarts, but he couldn't keep himself interested.
"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall called.
Throughout the sorting, the tables had become more and more raucous, calling out and clapping with each student gained. Harry had even seen two redheaded twins get up and dance a jig on their bench. But when his name was called, a silence fell upon the hall, and was soon broken with a cacophony of whispers.
"Did she say Potter?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"Look, there he is!"
Harry ascended the stage, sat on the stool, and looked out at the crowd of eyes in front of him while McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head. Although he waited expectantly, nothing happened when the hat touched Harry's head. He was left looking into the eyes of Hogwarts.
He looked at hundreds of students, but there were only a handful he recognized. Draco sat with two large boys at the Slytherin table, looking at Harry with disdain. Ronald remained in the group of unsorted first years, muttering to himself as he half-watched Harry. Neville looked at Harry with an expression that Harry couldn't place, like a soldier waiting for orders. Lastly, Harry saw Hermione's face. She was staring at him with a great intensity, like one would study a machine that was broken. There were several emotions written across her face. Harry saw fear, worry, and a desperate hope. Their eyes locked and Harry heard a voice.
"Very interesting." The Sorting Hat whispered slowly in his ear. "I see much of you, but there are hidden depths to your character. You have been hurt, beaten, and enslaved, but you still have spirit. There is fear, but there is also fierceness. I see iron in you. Courage. You have the mind of a Ravenclaw, matched with the loyalty of a Gryffindor. You desire nothing so much as to prove to someone, anyone, that you are more than ordinary, that you are worth something. You have incredible talent, but your desires are much more telling. I could safely place you into any of the Houses and you would thrive. But you already know what you want, don't you?"
Harry still stared into Hermione's eyes. He nodded slightly, although he wore the object which spoke to him, so a nod was not the most logical of responses. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to find someone who cared about him. He wanted friendship. He thought of Neville and Ron, but his gaze stayed on Hermione. He wanted someone who viewed him as more than a servant, or a famous person. He wanted to be loved.
"Gryffindor!" The Sorting Hat shouted to the crowd. It managed one last whisper before anyone had the chance for applause or McGonagall removed it from Harry's head. "People confuse what I do. I do not sort according to what you are, but according to what you could be. What you want to be. I hope you find it with her. Tell Dumbledore that I'd like a word with him."
And then the voice was gone, and the applause was violent. All of Gryffindor had exploded into cheers and chants. Harry saw Hermione screaming into her hands. The two redheaded twins began a chant of "We got Potter!" And Ron was screaming and gesticulating wildly, although he wasn't yet a Gryffindor himself.
Harry approached the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Neville and Hermione, the latter of which immediately said "Congratulations, Harry!"
"We've all gotten what we hoped." Neville said. "Now it's just up to Ron and we'll have a perfect streak. Hopefully he'll make it in Gryffindor."
The two redheaded twins were on the other side of the table and heard what Neville said. "You talking about Ron Weasley?"
Neville nodded.
The twins smiled. "No need to worry for him." One of them said. "None of us Weasleys has been placed anywhere but Gryffindor for three generations." The other finished.
"You're Ron's siblings?" Hermione asked.
"Indeed we are!" They said together. "Along with that fellow over there." They said, pointing at an older boy wearing what Harry knew to be a Prefect's badge from his readings. "His name's Percy, he's a bit of a pompous arse, but he's not too bad. We have two older brothers who've already graduated named Charlie and Bill, and a younger sister named Ginny who will be attending next year. Finally, I'm Fred, and this here is George, although he often asks that people call him Mrs. Annabeth, no one knows why."
"Helps me get in touch with my feminine side, doesn't it?" George responded. "Women want a man who's got a feel for their inner desires." He said with a lascivious eyebrow-waggle.
The young Gryffindors laughed at the antics of the twins while Dean Thomas was sorted into Hufflepuff and Harry thought to himself that he understood Malfoy's comment about the Weasleys breeding themselves into the ground much better now that he knew how many siblings Ron had. "So are you the brother that gave Ronald that spell to change his rat's coloring?" Hermione asked.
Fred and George lit up with grins. "Did he try it?"
"Yes, it was… ineffective."
The twins burst out laughing. "I can't believe he fell for it. I mean of course there is musical magic like that, but the idea that changing an animal's color would require a full rhyming spell is quite priceless."
Then it was Ron's turn. He sat on the stool and McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat atop his head. For the first time, the Sorting Hat said something to the entire hall that wasn't the name of a student's house.
"Another Weasley, eh?" A wave of laughter broke out from everyone, including the Weasley twins. "Gryffindor!"
The Weasley brothers were reunited as Ron sat next to Harry. "Congratulations on making it to Gryffindor, Ronald." George said formally. "Now remember that we may have to disown you if you embarrass us." Fred finished.
Ron chuckled quietly as a boy named Blaise Zabini was placed in Gryffindor and sat next to him on the bench before the Gryffindor table.
An old, grey-haired wizard now stood on the stage and gestured for the tables to quiet. "Welcome to Hogwarts! I hope for all our sakes that it will be an educational and exciting year! For those who don't know, I am Professor Dumbledore and I will be your Headmaster for the coming year! Now, before we eat, I will make a few announcements. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore looked at the Weasley twins as he said this, eyes flashing playfully.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. Now, I believe it is time we had eaten." The old man clapped his hands gently with a grandfatherly smile on his face. Suddenly food appeared on trays at every table in front of the students.
Piling food high onto his plate, Ron disappeared in a frenzy of eating. Harry was in shock. He had never been offered the opportunity to eat as much as he wanted. He had been well-fed at the Tonks, but he had still taken less than he would've sometimes wished because he didn't want to be a strain on them. He placed small portions of several items onto his plate. He was about to begin eating when Ron's older brother Percy approached.
"Harry Potter, so good to meet you. I'm Percy Weasley." He said, taking Harry's hand to shake it. "I'm so happy you're in Gryffindor, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful addition."
Harry was unsure of what to say, so he was relieved when Hermione broke in, "Are you a prefect?" She asked politely.
"Why yes I am." Percy said proudly. "How can I help you?"
As the pair began a spirited discussion about class schedules and content, Harry turned back to his food. He had been eating for a few minutes when he felt a presence, as if someone was watching him. He turned around and looked at the teacher's table. He recognized only a few of the teachers. McGonagall and Dumbledore sat near each other, eating and having genial conversation. Hagrid, though not a teacher, sat at the end of the teacher's tables and was talking with a one-armed man. Professor Quirrell sat morosely picking at his food next to a teacher with greasy black hair and a pointed nose.
The man with the black hair was staring directly at Harry and when Harry met his eyes he felt as if his insides were suddenly exposed. The man had a look of deep sadness as he looked away and the feeling dissipated. Looking back to his table, Harry asked Percy, "Who's that teacher with the black hair?"
"That's Professor Snape. He's the potions master." Percy replied matter-of-factly. "A right git, but he knows his business."
After everyone had finished eating and discussions had somewhat faded, Dumbledore again mounted the stage. "Before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" He said with a smile. "Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore. He flicked his wand and the words began to appear in the air. The school bellowed:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
Everyone finished the song at different times, but the Weasley twins went out with a flare. As they imitated brains rotting, they each cast spells that made their faces look pallid and white, before slumping over as if dead. Dumbledore was clapping along with the students at their finish.
"Prefects, if you would, please lead all first years to their respective common rooms." Dumbledore called out.
Percy began to round up all of the Gryffindor first years when Harry remembered the Sorting Hat's words. Quickly darting to the stage, he climbed to stand behind the headmaster.
"Professor Dumbledore," Harry began when he reached the Headmaster, who had turned around, discussing something with a man who looked as if he might have some goblin blood in him.
Turning around, Dumbledore looked at Harry with twinkling eyes. "How may I help you?"
"The sorting hat told me to tell you that he wanted to have a word with you tonight."
"Did he really?" Dumbledore said with surprise. "Well then I'll just have to do that." Reaching out his hand, Dumbledore grasped Harry's hand and said. "My name is Albus Dumbledore."
"Harry Potter." Harry replied.
"Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Harry. Thank you for conveying the message in such a timely fashion. Now I believe it's time for you to be heading to your dormitories." Looking around for a moment, Dumbledore called, "Peeves."
A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered and a small man with dark eyes appeared to Dumbledore's left.
"Harry, this is Peeves. He is a poltergeist. Peeves, if you would be so kind as to escort Harry here to catch up with his house prefect, I would greatly appreciate it."
Peeves nodded quickly and saluted before taking off quickly toward the Great Hall's exit. Harry looked around for a moment, confused, before Dumbledore said, "Well it seems it's a race. Best be off, Harry."
Harry gave the headmaster a baffled expression before sprinting off to catch up with the poltergeist, reaching him just as he left the Great Hall. Peeves began telling Harry all sorts of lewd stories about finding students snogging and more throughout Hogwarts Castle. By the time they had caught up with the rest of the first years, Harry's face was crimson with embarrassment.
Seeing Peeves, Percy burst out. "What are you doing here Peeves?"
"Dumbledore told me to bring Harry to you." He said with a bow. "Now that that's done, prepare yourself!"
Then Peeves vanished again and Percy's robes were pulled up over his head, exposing his underwear and bare chest. "Peeves!" Percy called out fuming.
After everyone had calmed, Percy led them the rest of the way to the Gryffindor common room. "Here we are." He said as they arrived at a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink dress.
"Password?" she asked.
"Lion's den." said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room. It was decorated in red and gold, with armchairs and sofas scattered here and there. At the far end there was a fireplace that sat between two staircases. The left all was entirely windowed, and looking out, Harry could see that they were several hundred feet off of the ground.
Percy directed the girls up the left staircase to their dormitory – Hermione shooting Harry a parting glance as she walked up them – and the boys through the right. Climbing the stairs for a few moments, Harry found his name on the door to a room on the right. Entering, he saw that there were five fourposters hung with red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up.
Tired, each of the boys prepared for sleep and lay in their beds.
" Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings.
"It was fantastic." Harry said, thinking to himself that he had well and truly escaped the Dursleys. He thought of the Sorting Hat's voice in his head.
"People confuse what I do. I do not sort according to what you are, but according to what you could be. What you want to be. I hope you find it with her."
Harry fell asleep thinking of finding friends and choosing his own path at Hogwarts.
A/N: Chapter 9 complete! What did you guys think? Harry's a Gryffindor! I'm sorry if you dislike any of my choices! If you do, let me know! If you think they're fantastic, let me know! Please review and thank you again for reading!
Where were you when I was miss behavin'?