Summer 1991

Ronald Weasley

The castle door swung open all at once, and the crowd of first years gasped at the sight beyond. It was the largest room that Ron had ever seen, even the ministry was tiny by comparison. Stone walls reached far into the sky, so far that Ron had trouble making out the arches of the ceiling, and all of it was lit entirely by torches. If Ron had been alone, without his brothers and without the boy who lived, he might have found Hogwarts to be quite intimidating in size alone.

In the middle of the hall, halfway between the door and a large marble staircase, stood a tall dark-haired witch. She wore a stern look on her face and bright emerald robes around her shoulders. Ron had no doubt that she must have been a Slytherin, he knew that green was often their colour and he wondered if the headmaster wore bright red robes for Gryffindor.

"The Firs' Years," the giant announced and his words seemed to somewhat break the woman's sternness. She thanked him politely, revealing in the process that the giant's name was Hagrid, which left Ron feeling rather stupid. Harry had told him all about the gamekeeper, Hagrid, on the train, and Ron thought he should have realised that when Harry said big he really meant gigantic. Ron could definitely picture Hagrid smashing in a door.

The witch led them to a small chamber adjacent to the entrance hall. It was smaller than Ron would have liked with bodies pressing in on him from all sides. He was only thankful that there had been enough room between him and Malfoy that the two weren't close to touching. He wished he was near Harry, but somewhere along the way he had lost sight of him, the short boy hidden somewhere in the crowd.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," the witch said. "The banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats, you must first be sorted into your houses…"

Ron's head pounded in his ears and muddled the words of the professor. All he could think about was the sorting and how horrible it could possibly be. It wasn't a troll, he reminded himself. Percy had said that their choices mattered, that maybe Ron could just choose what house he wanted. He bit his cheek, he wanted Gryffindor more than he wanted anything else. It was a part of his plan to save Charlie's life, he needed to be brave and powerful. His stomach churned with anticipation and the professor's speech seemed to drag on far more than necessary.

She departed the chamber when she had finished, leaving the first years alone for the very first time. Anxious whispers spread among them.

"Ravenclaw for me," he heard someone say to someone who spoke highly of Hufflepuff.

Just when Ron thought to ask the boy next to him about the ceremony, a sudden shriek from behind him made him jump. Instinctively he reached for his wand, hoping that a light might be enough to defeat whatever monster came for him. Thankfully, the shrieks and screams very quickly turned to gasps of wonderment.

When Ron was finally able to turn around, he saw exactly what the people behind him were looking at. Twenty ghosts had come from the back wall and floated their way above the heads of the students. Ron had seen a ghost before, once, and didn't find them to be all that scary. He let out a small laugh as he noticed some of the other students looking absolutely terrified.

A moment later the professor returned and ordered them into a single line, which Ron thought to be a very bad way to fill the space of the small room. The students crushed together even tighter than before and if they had any more students Ron wasn't sure he would be able to breathe.

The door opened and the professor led them out into the great hall. The room was exactly how Fred and George described it with a thousand floating candles and a ceiling that looked like the sky itself. Ron peered down along the four long tables of Hogwarts houses until he found the Gryffindor table with three of his brothers sitting and waiting. Almost there, he breathed.

The professor placed a small stool in front of the line, and Ron felt just as confused as the boys next to him. He became even more so when the professor placed an old leather wizard's hat on the stool as if it were a person. What?

On cue, a large gash opened in the front of the hat and it began to sing some horrible song about sorting students. Ron could feel all the sweets he had eaten on the train swirl around in his stomach. A bloody hat? How did you reason with a hat?

As soon as the hat stopped signing the first name was called. A girl named Hannah sat on the stool and the professor placed the hat on her head. The hat was far too large and fell all the way over the girl's eyes but it seemed to work anyway. Less than a second later the hat yelled "Hufflepuff!". The table of students wearing yellow scarves erupted in applause. Ron took a deep breath, it didn't look so hard.

Soon student after student were approaching the stool, some of them taking a few seconds longer than the others, but each looking relieved or happy to be sorted into their house.

Eventually, the professor called for Draco Malfoy and Ron hoped that the boy was sorted into Hufflepuff. It would have been a really good joke, and he hoped the hat had a sense of humour. Despite Ron's wishes, it seemed the hat knew all too well who Draco Malfoy was, as he was one of the fastest to be sorted into Slytherin.

The hall grew very quiet when Harry's name was called, and Ron was sure that the professor was holding her breath as she placed the hat on his head. Surprisingly, Harry took a long time for the hat to sort, both he and the hat seemed to exchange a lot of whispers. Ron wondered if the hat knew about the boy who lived, it seemed odd to him that a hat might read the prophet but he supposed it wasn't entirely impossible.

Whatever discussion they had been having was swiftly ended when the hat shouted "Gryffindor!". Ron's heart swelled, it seemed he was destined to be Harry's friend.

After Harry was sorted, there were only three of them left on the stage. A pretty girl stood to his right and looked just as nervous as he did while the boy on his left seemed almost indifferent about the process. Ron's heart thumped wildly.

The girl was called first, Ron learning her name to be Lisa Turpin. Her sorting didn't take too long, only a few seconds before the hat sorted her into Ravenclaw. Ron thought that she looked the type.

Ron almost threw up when the professor called his name. His legs felt unstable beneath him and the walk from his spot to the stool was entirely too long. He locked eyes with Percy first, who smiled at him, before he looked at Harry who did the same. The stool was far more comfortable than it looked and when the professor slipped the hat over his head it was exactly as he imagined it.

"Hmmm, another Weasley?" He heard the hat say.

"Uh, yes?" He answered, not knowing if it was really a question.

"It wasn't," the hat read his mind.

Ron suddenly panicked as he realised that the hat could see his thoughts. That meant—

"You are not a seer," that hat said firmly.

Ron felt his arms tremble. Not a seer?

"No," the hat continued. "I see it all here, yes. What you think is a prophecy, the things you see, I know all of it. I can see your brother's death and the dark mark. You are troubled, Ronald, and you're worried. Not a bad mind you have though, there is potential for you to do great things."

Ron sucked in breaths as quickly as he could. Not a seer? His mind drifted to a life in Azkaban.

"Not a seer, but you're still seeing the future, boy. Not our futures, not yet, but the future nonetheless."

Ron wasn't sure what that meant. How could the future not be their future?

"It's not my place to explain," the hat said. "But you are not crazy, you are under the influence of very old magic, the kind that made me."

You did this to me?

"No," the hat hummed. "I would have liked to say yes and to set your mind at ease. It's easier to see who you are when you are not so panicked. But rest assured Ronald Weasley that you are not a bad person, I can see who you are better than most."

Who am I?

"A true friend, brave too, ambitious, cunning, and you're proud of who you are. There are only two others in your year who possess as many options. Unfortunately, your choice was made long ago."

Ron shook his head. Percy said I get to choose.

"Yes, your brother got to do so, Harry Potter too. I wonder if he would pick again if only you had gone first."

Ron's heart stopped. No, he nearly said the word out loud, I am a Gryffindor.

"A Gryffindor? Yes. But you are others just as much. Had I made the choice, I'd say Hufflepuff, but you'd have told me Gryffindor and that's where you would have gone. But this choice is not mine to make, it has always been theirs."

Theirs?

"Yes, you will understand soon. So you must forgive me, boy, for I must send you to the place you dread."

Ron's eyes widened. It couldn't be… could it?

"Your brother bought you a new wand, and I wonder if he looked at the handle if he noticed the serpent. And then I wonder what he would have thought of it. Yes, Charlie Weasley was a noble boy and I'm sure he is a noble man. He would have warned you if he knew."

No!

"Yes," the hat said firmly. "SLYTHERIN!"

There was no applause for him. The professor took the hat from his head and he looked out to the students at the tables. His brothers looked shocked and Harry rather disappointed. The pretty girl who had gone before him, and many others looked worried. Ron sucked in a deep breath. He felt as if his life had just crumbled away.