"So we've just got to try on the Hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."
Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The Hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the Hat had mentioned a House for People who felt a bit queasy... that would have been the one for him.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbot, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down.
Barely a moment's pause had followed before the Hat shouted: "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table to the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at their table. Harry noticed the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Bones, Susan!" McGonagall called once the Hufflepuff table had calmed down.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat shouted again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left clapped this time… and several Ravenclaws stood up to shake Terry's hands as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw as well, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.
He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school… he had always been the last to be chosen, not because he was bad, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.
"Finch-Fletchly, Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Harry began to notice that sometimes, the hat shouted out the house at once… but for others it took a while… "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!".
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione almost ran to the stool… and once she got there, she jammed the hat eagerly on her head, causing it to bulge in the midsection.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Ron gave out a loud groan.
A horrible thought suddenly struck Harry… What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there under the hat for ages, until Professor McGonagall just pulled it off… before saying there was most likely a mistake… and then telling him to had to get back on the train and go back to the Dursleys?
Harry felt even more sick… he couldn't stand the idea of going back there and living a boringly average life like the Dursleys claimed they so preferred.
Harry steeled himself. No, that wouldn't happen… Even if the hat never picked a house for him… he couldn't go back, not after everything, not after all he had learned a month ago. He'd rather be homeless than go back to the Dursleys.
While Harry had been thinking, he missed some of the sorting, only being awakened from his thoughts when he heard "Malfoy, Draco".
Looking up, he watched as Malfoy swaggered forward and sat on the stool. The Hat had barely touched his head when it shouted: "SLYTHERIN!"
Malfoy smirked as he went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle at the Slytherin table, looking very pleased with himself.
Looking around, Harry noticed that there weren't many people left: "Moon", "Nott", "Parkinson", a pair of twins "Patil" and "Patil"… then "Perks, Sally-Anne", then… at last -
"Potter, Harry!"
Harry steeled himself, shaking off his nervous jitters, before walking forward. As he did, whispers broke out all over the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
The last thing Harry saw before the Hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Then… he was looking at the dark, black inside of the hat. He waited.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes – and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting…. So where shall I put you."
Harry breathed out, still trying to get go of his nervousness. As he gripped the edges of the stool, the thought came to his mind… Not Slytherin, Not Slytherin.
"Not Slytherin, eh?" the small voice replied. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness… "
With those words, Harry's mind paused. Greatness? Harry could be Great?
Suddenly, Harry was reminded of something Ollivander had said…
The wand chooses the wizard, remember… It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when it's brother – why, its brother… gave you that scar.
I think we must expect Great things from you, Mr. Potter… after all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did Great things – Terrible, yes, but Great.
If Slytherin could help him be great…
Malfoy is in Slytherin, another part of him whispered. Could you really stand to spend the next seven years sharing a House with Malfoy?
Harry paused at that. It was a good question. Harry had only just met Malfoy, but he couldn't stand the other boy, Malfoy reminded him far to much of of Dudley for Harry to be comfortable around him.
On the other hand, was Harry really going to let another child he disliked stop him from achieving greatness?
What about Ron? The other part of him whispered. Would Ron really want to be friends with a Slytherin?
A pit formed in his stomach at the thought. Again, Harry had only just met Ron and gotten to know him over the past few hours… But Ron felt like the first real friend Harry had ever made in his life. Would Ron really give up on him if he chose Slytherin? If he chose Greatness?
If he did, he wouldn't make a very good friend, now, would he? A different, darker part of him whispered. If Ron turned his back on you because you chose to be Slytherin… then he was never really your friend, now, was he?
Harry frowned… he felt uneasy about the whole thing…
"In Slytherin, you'll find your real friends," the Hat suddenly whispered. "Friends who will help you on your path to greatness, if that's what you choose."
Ron has yet to be sorted, the darker part of him whispered. If he is your friend, perhaps he could choose to follow you there…
Inner conflict resolved, Harry steeled himself and nodded.
"If you're sure," the Hat replied. "Better be SLYTHERIN!"
For the next few moments after the Hat was pulled off his head, there was complete silence within the hall, then the table far to the right broke out in polite clapping. The Slytherin table didn't cheer or whoop, but instead, all there was to be heard as Harry made his way there was polite clapping, which lasted for a fair while.
When Harry got to the First Year section of the table, he saw Malfoy there, smirking wider than ever and looking at Harry with a pleased expression on his face. As Harry got there, Malfoy shooed Goyle and made a space next to him.
Harry, however, only frowned and made his way to the other side of the table. He might be in Slytherin, but Harry doubted that he could ever be friends with the other boy.
As Harry sat down on the other side of the table, he noticed Malfoy giving him a sulking stare. "Don't tell me you still won't take my offer, Potter! I thought your sorting meant you finally figured out what the right sort are!"
Harry gave him a hard stare. "Obviously I did, Malfoy. Otherwise I would be sitting next to you."
Light chuckles broke out the Slytherin table at that, and Malfoy's face turned a bright shade of pink at the burn.
"I'll pay you back for your disrespect, Potter," He threatened. "You can trust me on that."
Harry maintained his hard stare for a moment. He wasn't afraid of Malfoy, especially not when they were surrounded by their fellow housemates. Worst came to worst, he'd just have to worry about a new brand of Harry Hunting… And while Malfoy wasn't as fat as Dudley, Harry suspected that Malfoy hadn't actually run a mile in his life.
"Turpin, Lisa," Professor McGonagall called, jerking Harry's attention back to the sorting. It seemed he had missed a name being sorted.
Harry could see the High Table properly now. At the far end of the table sat Hagrid, who was avoiding Harry's gaze. Harry frowned at that; it seemed that Hagrid didn't approve of his sorting in Slytherin. Well, no matter.
Frowning, Harry turned and searched for Ron – Ron was staring at him with a look of deep hurt and betrayal when Harry found him, and when Harry looked back, Ron's face flushed a deep red of anger.
Harry looked down at his plate, frowning more deeply.
Well, no matter. He had made his choice. Harry was a Slytherin.
It didn't matter how deep the sinking feeling in his gut got… as far as he was concerned, Hagrid and Ron would have to get over themselves if they still wanted Harry's friendship.
The Hat had promised him Greatness… and now he had a long road ahead of him on the path to Greatness.
Harry had little doubt that he could walk that path… even if he had to walk it alone.