Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, its all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no? You really don't evenknow the house. You only came across one bad student from that house. There's no need to be judgmental."
WHAT? Was he being judgmental like Dudley?
Scowling inwardly, Harry made up his mind.
"Better be - "
IlIlIlI
Healer Poppy Pomfrey was in the Hospital Wing, finishing her stocking up on Anti-Anxiety Potions. Students, especially new ones, always had difficulty in Hogwarts on their first month here. So Anti-Anxiety Potions were a must.
As she finished she heard the main door to the Hospital Wing open.
"Poppy, we need your help," she heard Minerva call out.
Poppy left the stockroom to see what was wrong. What she saw in front of her confused her.
Albus Dumbledore was lying on a bed and complaining his arm had gone dead.
Severus Snape was in the adjoining bed with what looked like a stroke.
"What happened to them?"
"I can have a guess, Poppy, and I think it is hilarious," Minerva smirked.
"What was it?"
IlIlIlI
"-Slytherin."
After the hat's announcement, pure silence greeted the Great Hall you could have heard a pin drop.
At the gentle encouragement of Professor McGonagall, Harry walked to the Slytherin Table and sat across from Theodore Nott whom immediately enticed Harry into conversation, welcoming him into the House of Slytherin.
At the head table, there was mixed reactions. Hagrid was shocked at first but then shrugged and refocused on the sorting.
Minerva McGonagall was shocked, but for a different reason. There hadn't been a Potter outside Gryffindor in three hundred years. The last one was the famous Harlan Potter back in 1682 who was sorted into Slytherin. She shuddered. Harlan Potter was known for viciously changing the Ministry. Hopefully Harry wasn't like that.
However, there was two other reactions. Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape collapsed on the floor.
"Bathsheda, finish the sorting for me, would you," she motioned to Professors Sprout and Flitwick to help her get Albus and Severus to the Hospital Wing.
IlIlIlI
"Well, Minerva," Poppy said after examining both men. "Albus has had a heart attack and Severus had a stroke. At Albus' age, he might pull through but I'll try my best."
"Thanks, Poppy," Minerva smiled before leaving the room.
Once outside the Hospital Wing she couldn't help but laugh. Of all the things to have a heart attack and a stroke to it was Harry Potter being sorted into Slytherin. She honestly couldn't wait to inform Albus the cause of his predicament.
And she didn't understand why she found it so funny.
IlIlIlI
Once Albus was healed of his heart attack he was forced by his political partners to calm down. It was just by sheer dumb luck he survived the heart attack.
As he sat in his office, he decided to stop paying attention to Harry Potter.
Each time he saw the boy in the trademark green Slytherin robes, his blood pressure escalated and he would feel very hot every time. He was not going to sacrifice his health by paying attention to the boy. Knowing that keeping Nicholas' stone hidden underneath that trapdoor would just have a chain reaction that would make him have to come face to face with Harry Potter, he made a sensible decision.
He performed the Fidelius Charm on his desk drawer after putting the stone in it. Only he alone could now access it.
IlIlIlI
Severus Snape was in a great mood after he recovered from his stroke.
Because of his health report done up by Poppy, he wasn't given First to Fifth year Potions classes anymore. The school board forced Albus to hire a new teacher for those years so he was now dealing with NEWT level students, which was only fourteen students.
He didn't even know his overall better mood had made him a better teacher.
And also because he didn't have to deal with Harry Potter other than possible detentions as his Head of House.