Chapter 6: The Sorting

Hogwarts appeared even more majestic on the inside Harry found, it's vast corridors, tall ceilings and flagged stone floors were about the only mundane aspects of the castle's architecture. The amount of magic that flowed through the castle was incredible, and despite Harry's attempt to try and soak it all in, he would find himself gawking at something each time they rounded a corner.

Professor McGonagall spoke as they walked, Harry barely paid her any heed, he knew all about the sorting and the houses prior to his journey. He remained enamoured by the moving staircases, enchanted armour sets, the odd ghost that would fly by and give them a salute. That was a surprise considering that his only experience with souls still adrift in the realm of living had been unpleasant to say the least. He supposed that these ghosts had yet to be corrupted by the astral sea though the reason for that eluded him.

Hermione looked at him with some interest, "You don't seem curious about the ceremony."

Harry shrugged. "It's not that hard to find out about though it is a tradition for it to be kept a surprise." The Sorting Hat was enchanted by the four founders, imbued with their beliefs and ideals, Harry found that it was a rather ingenious way to ensure that their legacy lasted far beyond their death.

"The Sorting Ceremony will commence soon," Professor McGonagall said, her voice lightly accented with a Scottish lilt.

They walked past one last corridor and lined onto the dais that led to a pair of large ornate wooden door which the old woman stood in front of. "Remember that your houses will become your family during your time here at Hogwarts. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards, your accomplishments will be shared among your housemates and so will your failures." And with that, the doors opened on their own and she escorted them into the Great Hall. Harry was immediately overwhelmed by the sound of a hundred voices and the dazzling brightness that came from thousands of floating candles, he regaled the sight before him with even more interest, the great hall was flaunted with the extravagant charms and enchantments. The ceiling itself was the greatest treasure in the hall, it appeared velvety black with faint starry twinkles briefly shining in and out of existence. It was so uncanny that Harry wondered if it was truly enclosed at all.

But as the excitement faded, he became all the more aware of the hundred of children seated around them. He could feel their excitement and anticipation, likely interested in the placing of the boy-who-lived. Professor McGonagall placed a stool in front of them with a dusty and worn hat upon it. Harry stood on his tiptoes, craning his neck in time to see the hat twitch and to his amazement, it began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The pointed end of the hat bowed at the applause, and Harry chuckled from the whimsical nature of the entity that would sort them into their house. Professor McGonagall stood by the stool, a long scroll in her hand as she said, "When I call your name, I want you to take a seat and place the hat on your head." There was a brief flurry of muttering among them but Harry was more interested in how it would be able to read them.

"Abbot, Hannah."

A plumb blonde girl with pigtails stumbled her way onto the chair, the hat sat silently upon her head before it roared, "HUFFLEPUFF!" And it all became clearer that it used Legilimency to gain insight into their heads, he felt a growing anxiety as he realised that the hat might be able to see everything about him. He noted the subsequent sorting of Susan Bones to the same house, it seemed the Hufflepuffs were happy to have the niece of Amelia Bones among their ranks. The names blurred together as they were sorted one by one into their houses, though it was clear that the hat struggled on some occasions. He wondered if the hat would take the opinion of the individual into account as it did appear to be engaging in some sort of mental conversation, especially if the grimace on Daphne's lips was any indication.

The hat begrudgingly placed her in Slytherin, and Daphne took her seat beside her best friend, Harry watched as Hermione strode up to the hat. He had thought that she would have been one of the more complex cases, but the hat disagreed and roared Gryffindor a few seconds later.

Neville Longbottom almost fell over, shaking and sweating as he placed the hat on his head. And once more the hat surprised Harry by placing the boy into Gryffindor, he wasn't exactly the courageous type.

The hat barely touched Malfoy's head before he was on his way to Slytherin, the same happened with a bulky girl named Millicent Bulstrode.

"Potter, Harry."

Silence settled throughout the hall before it burst alive with inquiring whispers, everyone was staring at him as he forced his body to take a step forward.

"Potter? I wasn't aware that there were two of them."

"Think McGonagall made a mistake. I mean she is old." He heard a student speak a bit too loudly, laughter broke out through the hall. Harry felt his anxiety dissolve as he placed the hat on his head, the last thing he saw was a good portion of the students craning their necks to get a good look at him. The voices in the hall disappeared altogether, and Harry could practically feel something seep into his mind.

"Well, I can't say that I am pleased with this." Harry heard the hat grumble as it settled into a state of quiet. It appeared to fixate on a portion of his mind that he could not actively track, nor could he direct it elsewhere.

"Hello." Harry muttered, "Are you there?"

"Hmmm…." The hat drawled in an exaggerated fashion, "It's been some hundred years since I've met one of your kind, Mr Potter—And even among them you are a special case." It tried to dig further into his mind but found little success, "I haven't a mind this complicated since Rowena, and yours isn't nearly as ordered as hers."

Harry didn't know if that was a compliment or not. "Can you sort me?" He asked, "I've already attracted too much attention."

The hat let out a grated laugh, "Interesting. I can feel your desire to overcome your curse and become something other than a casualty of fate. Tell me, child, what are you willing to give to achieve such a goal."

Something lurched in his stomach, "Anything." He growled, "If I have to consume the astral sea, I will do so."

The hat almost withdrew itself entirely from his mind, its frown marred across his mind. "Such hunger." It muttered to itself, "I would normally place you in Rowena's house, you do possess an intelligence like hers, after all. But what you seek is elsewhere."

'No.' Harry hissed, 'Not Slytherin.'

"Ah, but you've always known that's where you belong." The hat said cryptically, "Decades ago, I was met with a similar dilemma. A young prodigious mind who kept his talents and his true nature hidden from the world. He sought knowledge, not out of interest to learn, but rather to accrue power and fame."

Harry had a sinking feeling about who he was talking about, it was a rumour but not particularly unfounded considering that it was believed by the majority of the world. 'I'm not the dark lord.' He thought with venom.

The hat hummed in agreement. "Mayhaps you are correct—I sense a warmness within you that he didn't possess. There is a fierce loyalty to your friends and family, I could place you in Hufflepuff but your talents would be wasted there. And Gryffindor would be far too averse to someone with your ambitions."

Harry wanted to argue with that hat's assessment of him, but he found no gaps in the sentient hat's logic. "What did you mean by what I seek."

There was a brief pause as it collected its thoughts. "You seek freedom more than anything, you want to be free from judgement. Isn't that what you always wanted—to escape your brother's shadow." Harry felt it prick deeper, jabbing into his mind with such finesse that even Dumbledore could not achieve. "Fear not child, the vipers might be inimical to you, but I sense you have already made a friend or two there."

He could already see where this was going but the hat simply chuckled amiably at his unasked question. "It is my job to place you where you belong. I expect great things from you, and whilst I feel somewhat remiss in not placing you in Ravenclaw, there is no doubt in my mind that you belong in—"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Hall descended into silence after the Hat's declaration, there was no applause or celebratory greeting at his sorting. Harry felt numb as he dragged himself off the chair and even the ever-stoic Professor McGonagall was shocked at his sorting. He caught the gaze of his brother who simply looked down towards the ground with an expression of betrayal, and for once Harry had felt that he had been forsaken. There was little relief as he walked past the sea of green and silver, hostile to the point that Harry kept a hand on his wand. Even Daphne seemed unwilling to offer him the seat beside her, Harry kept walking until he found a few empty seats at the back of the table.

"Potter, Jaime."

And just like that Harry was forgotten, nearly all the Slytherin table turned from him to look at the sorting of the boy-who-lived. Jaime had the hat on his head for what felt like a second before it roared out Gryffindor. The entire Gryffindor table jumped to life, but Harry noted that everyone besides the Slytherins clapped at his brother's sorting. The Gryffindor celebrations were cut short when sparks flew from Professor McGonagall and the hall returned their attention to the last two. Ron Weasley had unsurprisingly gone the way of his siblings and joined Gryffindor whilst the dark sinned boy that he had met on the boat was sorted into Slytherin. It surprised him when Zabini strode towards him, "Is this seat taken?"

Harry shook his head and the boy sat down beside him. He wanted to ask why he had chosen to sit with Slytherin's pariah, but he was unable as Dumbledore stood to address them. The Headmaster per usual had chosen to wear his purple robes, flamboyant as they were, they did a good job of attracting attention. "Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

"I swear he gets more insane with each year." An older Slytherin boy murmured to his group, he gave Harry a smirk. "Don't ya agree, Potter?"

Harry shrugged. "He seems perfectly sane to me." He stared at the Headmaster who was whispering words to Professor McGonagall. However, his attention was diverted to the creepy continuous stare he was receiving from a man with a purple turban.

"That's Professor Quirrell." The same boy spoke, "He's as disinteresting as they come…Used to teach muggle studies you see." And from his obvious contempt for the subject, Harry knew better than to express that he found muggle history quite interesting. Their conversation was cut short by the sudden appearance of the food, Harry was stunned briefly by the sheer variety of dishes in front of them. He took a moment to consider before choosing to have a much more conservative dinner if only to avoid being lethargic if something went awry.

"You don't seem overly concerned that you're in Slytherin," Zabini asked, somewhat curious.

Harry frowned. "There's nothing to be afraid about." Sure, they were all making eyes at him but he was familiar with the rules regarding harming a fellow student. "Besides, I doubt anyone our age is capable of casting anything dark spells."

"Except you." The boy from earlier leaned in towards him, "See—I remember distinctly, Malfoy telling me about a boy who cast a knockback jinx powerful enough to almost break someone's back." And that's when Harry realised that he was speaking with one of the Slytherin Prefects, his badge barely visible under his cloak.

Harry shrugged, "Well he was annoying me."

"That he is—Though I wouldn't say that to his face, you'll just encourage him." The boy stretched a hand invitingly, "Edric Selwyn." Harry shook his hand with apprehension especially after hearing the boy's surname, but he could feel no ill will from the prefect.

Blaise shrugged, "Never spoke with him—" He cast a sideways glance towards Draco who was glaring towards them, "Though he seems fairly harmless by the looks of it." The conversation slowly died down as they continued to eat, Blaise or Edric would on occasion entertain some small talk but for the most part, they dined in silence. Harry spent the majority of dinner studying the other students with some interest, it seemed at first glance that many of the first years had some connection with older students as they mingled with each other. Edric told him that most knew of each other before even attending Hogwarts, the pureblood society worked in such a fashion that relied heavily on alliances and political power.

"You going to eat that?" Blaise asked, pointing towards the tiramisu in front of him. Harry shook his head and Blaise took it from him all too eagerly, humming delight at the taste. "Not as good as mom's but still pretty good."

"You're Italian." Harry inquired.

Blaise nodded. "Only Half. Lived in Rome all my life." Harry had heard that Rome was a metropolis for wizards, containing one of the largest wizarding communities in the world.

"Isn't Beauxbatons close to Italy? How come you decided to go to Hogwarts."

"I didn't decide." Blaise muttered, "I was chosen to come here like you, it's not possible to be invited to multiple schools. Otherwise, you would find that there would be a lot of competition for the more influential families." He gave Harry a nod as if to say that he would have been one such candidate.

Blaise turned to his tiramisu in somewhat of a foul mood and Harry wondered what he had done to upset the boy. As the feast slowly came to its tail end, and the food faded from their plates, Harry noticed quite a lot of tired faces throughout the hall. Dumbledore took the opportunity to stand and forewarn them about the Forbidden Forest, the use of magic in corridors and a forbidden area of the castle. There was a brief description of the Quidditch fixtures, but Harry had tuned him out by then.

"—And Finally, as I am sure most of you are already aware Professor Binns has decided, in his words, to retire from teaching. As such I would like you to welcome our new Professor for History of Magic and a dear friend of mine, Bathilda Bagshot." An elderly woman slowly raised her hand from the high table, unable or unwilling to stand for the loud applause.

Blaise asked, "Didn't she write one of our textbooks?"

"She wrote a history of magic and dozens of other historical accounts." Harry whispered, "She's one of the most celebrated historians ever."

Edric said. "Well, at least she'll be better than Binns. The guy was as boring as he was dead." The applause died down before the hall once more burst to life when Dumbledore gestured for them all to sing the school song. It was amusing to watch everyone sing out of synch and out of tune, though he guessed it was a testament to Dumbledore's magic that he had still managed to meld the sounds together into something enjoyable.

Harry and the other first years were quickly left alone in the hall as the older students trickled out of the hall in droves. "Everyone had their fill tonight," Edric said as he stood tall beside Harry. There was a loud groan of agreement from everyone, "Good. I am Edric Selwyn, one of the Prefects, I'll be taking you all to the Slytherin Common Room."

Another girl spoke from the opposite side of the table, "Tonight was a rather special occasion, it is up to you to learn serving times and curfew. Professor Snape will address all of you about that tomorrow. I expect each one of you to attend or there will be consequences."

Edric rubbed the back of his head tiredly, "And that is Freya, your other concierge for the evening." There seemed to be a lot of bad blood between them, Edric handled the situation by quickly herding them together and asking them to follow him. Harry stuck by Edric's side hoping that would deter someone from stabbing him in the back, they took the side door and delved down whilst the other houses took the stairs up.

Freya said, "Try to remember the route, we're only going to be showing you this one time. As per tradition, our common room is kept a secret from the other houses." Harry wondered how hard it would be to remember the way but soon found that it was incredibly complicated to navigate the many dark and stuffy corridors that led to the dungeons. It was like trying to traverse the catacombs of Paris. They eventually came to a stop in front of a bare stone wall, Harry raised an eyebrow as Freya and Edric stood in front of them. "To enter the common room, you need the password. Passwords are changed monthly; they are written on the notice board." Edric said.

Freya continued, "To get the password to work you have to tap the wall with your wand—Hydra." The wall shook for a moment, opening and unravelling itself just like the wall that guarded Diagon Alley. Past a small corridor, a large open room with chairs, sofas and tables appeared in front of them. Its walls were decorated in a distinct silver and green, torches alit with green fires were scattered all across the room. There was a large glass opening in the ceiling similar to the one in the Great Hall except Harry was certain that this one wasn't charmed. The movement of the black water was unmistakable and it became quite clear that they weren't just underground but also underwater as well.

Edric maneuverer them away from the older students and in front of a long spiralling staircase. "Welcome Home." He said, "This is the common room, a place for you all to relax, study and linger after your studies or other schooling commitments. The dorms are downstairs, the first level belongs to the first years and so on. Stairs to the boy's rooms are on the right whilst the girls are on the left."

Freya nodded. "I expect all of you to follow the school rules as I am sure Professor Mcgonnogal has already explained. Any and all house drama should be sorted within these walls, don't take it outside." There was almost a sinister look to her smile, "We may stand together but we don't tolerate weakness."

"What about Potter. How can he be trusted?" Draco said with a sneer, "His mother was a filthy mu–"

Harry spun around with wand drawn, his eyes burned furiously at Malfoy. "What?" He questioned, "Finish your sentence, I dare you." Freya and Edric watched with interest at the unmistakable sign of an unspoken spell dancing on the tip of Harry's wand.

"Lacero."

Black magic arced from within a group of older students and sped towards him, Harry merely flicked his free hand causing a jar to jitter and jab before it flew straight into the path of the laceration curse. The porcelain antique was turned into ash, but it had served its purpose, the spell careened of it and dissipated harmlessly into the air.

Shock marred many of the student's faces, some even appeared a little afraid, but it was all drowned out by the chaos that ensued next. Edric jumped in front of the students and cast a spell so fast that Harry could not even see it. "Perhaps I was not clear before there will be no fighting in the common room." He looked towards the group of older students herded around the hearth, "Try to remember that we are in a school, Lestrange. Attack another first year and I will personally drag you to the Headmaster's office."

Harry recognised the girl as the one from Flourish and Blotts, a dark grin played on his lips as their eyes met with for a moment. "Funny. I thought your kind had more self-worth." He murmured to Malfoy, "Only cowards get other people to fight their battles."

"I will impress upon Professor Snape about your lack of decorum. I'm sure he'll find a fitting punishment for both of you." Freya explained to them and Harry caught the impression from her that whatever punishment was given it would lean more heavily towards him. Edric gave him a nudge, Harry begrudgingly relaxed his magic much to the relief of many first years. The

Blaise chuckled, "You're insane, you know that."

Edric escorted the boys down the stairs into the dormitories and was told that they would have to share a room with a roommate. Harry was thankful that they were given the ability to choose, he and Blaise settled for a room furthest from the stairs.

He stroked the wooden door allowing the magic on it to flow through him. "What are you doing?" Blaise asked with some mirth.

"Shh…" Harry muttered, "I'm listening." Raising his wand, he muttered the incantation for a basic yet very painful warding charm that he had learnt from Walburga. There was a brief hum in the air and the door vibrated with a sickly yellow colour, he grinned triumphantly at his roommate, "Let's see anyone try to break into our room now."

"Paranoid much, Potter."

Despite the disappointment of his sorting and the event of the night still fresh in his mind, Harry was certain that his stay at Hogwarts was going to be interesting.

A/N

Felt like a while since I've posted so here you guys go. I was stuck between sorting Harry in Ravenclaw or Slytherin but I think he'll fit in better in the Snake's den.

PS – Some of you have PM'd me about the Pairings and I mentioned that I have one mind but it won't be put into play until some time in the distant future. If you have a preference, feel free to drop it into the review or a PM, I'll consider it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for the 600 follows :)