And here is the fourth chapter!

* Review Response:
Tommy14, well, yeah, these Dursleys are quite a bit nicer that their most common fanon depiction.
evans16, Slytherin Studios, Story341, Mangahero18, Wyrtha, davycrockett100, Volksbrot, thank you for your reviews, folks!
magitech, I couldn't fit McGonagall catching Flitwick not being surprised by Harry's unexpected arrival into this chapter. Perhaps, in the next one?
The Richmaster, I won't tell you here, which house Harry will get sorted - you'll have to read the chapter to find out. ;) As for why Harry got enrolled into Hogwarts a year too soon, well... My personal headcanon is that it is the result of whatever happened on the Halloween night just short of ten years ago. Perhaps, it is because of the horcrux? Or simply because Harry got touched by Death on that Halloween night? Of course, you are free to pick your own explanation.

* AN: Great thanks to my friend Lupine Horror for his help in polishing this chapter.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Harry Potter" franchise. No profit is being made. Same goes for any books, video games, anime or manga I may or may not use for ideas.

"speaking"
'thinking'
written text

A Year Too Soon
Chapter IV: Sorted

'Well, well, well, what do we have here?' Harry heard a voice inside his head. It took him a couple of moments to realize that it actually was the Sorting Hat that communicated with him. 'I must say, this is quite a surprise, Mr. Potter. You weren't expected until the next year. But, regardless, you are here now, and I have to sort you.' The Hat was silent for a second or two, before continuing. 'Hm...' It said. 'Difficult, quite very difficult. Then again, what else I should've expected from someone as unique as you are, Mr. Potter.'

'Sorry?' The green-eyed boy offered.

'I can see plenty of courage in you.' The Hat continued, apparently ignoring his apology. 'As well as a sharp mind, and quite a bit of talent. You also aren't afraid of hard work... And then there is this nice thirst to prove yourself... Yes, you're definitely one of the most interesting students I've sorted in great many years, Mr. Potter.'

'So... Which house you are going to put me in?' Harry asked. He could feel everyone in the Great Hall staring at him, and that was not a feeling he enjoyed.

'Well...' The Sorting Hat said. 'While Helga certainly valued hard work in her students, she prized loyalty even more. And, at least at this very moment, you are loyal only to yourself, Mr. Potter.' Well, the green-eyed wizard snorted, he certainly had no loyalty towards the Dursleys. 'Indeed, Hufflepuff might not be the best house for you, even if you do have potential there.' After a moment, the Hat continued: 'Likewise, despite your sharp mind, Ravenclaw might not suit you well either.'

'Why not?' Harry asked.

'You see, Rowena and those who follow her teachings see knowledge as a great treasure, something that is of great worth by itself. You, however, view knowledge merely as a tool that you need in order to achieve your goals. That is more in line with Salazar's views.' The Hat explained.

'So, you're putting me in Slytherin then?' The young Potter inquired.

'If you would like that.' The magical artifact currently sitting atop of his head replied. 'Indeed, You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that. But you also possess the courage that Godric so liked to see in his students. Gryffindor would be a fine choice for you as well.'

'A-are you saying that I get to pick which house I'll join?' Harry asked in surprise. 'I mean... Isn't that your job to sort the students?' The Hat replied with a laugh.

'Indeed it is. However, when someone fits well into more than one house, I let that student make their preferences known. After all, would you enjoy being stuck in a house you don't like for seven year?' The green-eyed wizard certainly agreed that it would take a lot of fun out magical schooling. 'So, yes, I will let you cast your vote on which house you want to join.' But at the moment Harry had no preference towards either Gryffindor or Slytherin. And the Hat, apparently, could sense that. 'Can't decide where you want to go yourself, eh? Still, you have a thirst to prove yourself. And what house will be better to help you reach your greatness than...' "Slytherin!" The last word was spoken for everyone in the Great Hall to hear.

And for the second time tonight, the entire Great Hall was shocked into complete silence. Neither students nor professors could believe that the Boy-Who-Lived and the supposed child of Light got himself sorted into the snake pit. Yet, the changes of the crest on Mr. Potter's robes and of his necktie clearly showed that he indeed has just been sorted into Slytherin.

The members of the house of the Serpent were the first ones to recover from this surprise, and even though quite a few of them would rather see a Potter sorted somewhere else, they still gave him a round of applause. Which was soon joined by the students from other houses and even the professors, though a good number of them did it purely on reflex.

Harry, meanwhile, took the Sorting Hat off and, ignoring the stares he was once again receiving, made his way to the table where his new housemates were sitting...

~/ *** \~

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was doing his best to maintain his usual kind grandfatherly smile in spite of the events that were taking place in front of him, and thanks to decades of training in mind arts, he was almost succeeding in this task. Almost. The two great shocks he had just experienced still were a little bit too much for his old heart.

Harry Potter wasn't supposed to enter Hogwarts this year. Not only the boy was too young, but also the school was ready for him. Indeed, Harry needed a very special guidance to fulfill a certain prophecy and finally end Dark Lord Voldemort. And the aged headmaster wasn't ready to provide him with this guidance just yet. Though, not all was lost on that front yet, Dumbledore though: while the young Potter's unexpected arrival a year too soon did throw sand into the wheels of his plans for the boy, those plans were malleable enough to be easily altered to account for this extraordinary happening. Plus, Albus thought, letting Harry fully enjoy his first year at Hogwarts wouldn't be a bad idea, even with the ever-present threat of Voldemort's return.

Much worse than Harry's early arrival was his sorting. The boy wasn't supposed to end up in Slytherin. And while Dumbledore was perfectly aware that being sorted into that house didn't automatically make one evil or something like that, not everyone on the Light side shared this belief. Harry would most definitely need allies in his fight against Voldemort, and getting sorted into the 'house of dark wizards' didn't win him any support from the Light families.

Then there was the fact that Harry will be spending next seven years together with the children of those who fought for Voldemort during the Blood War. One could only hope that these children weren't poisoned by the dark beliefs of their parents and won't seek retribution for what had happened to their parents' master on the fateful Halloween night.

Severus Snape too was greatly surprised by the events that took place during the sorting ceremony. The Potter spawn had somehow entered his life a whole year earlier than expected. And, even worse than that, the brat had the audacity to get sorted into his house! This meant that he couldn't even hate the boy like he really wanted to, and will have to protect him when in public...

Pushing his hatred for his schoolyard nemesis and anything directly associated with him aside, Severus tried to examine his newest ward impartially. Not many truly believed in his professionalism as a teacher and a head of a house, and he certainly didn't help his image much, but he'll be damned before he let one of his snakes get hurt because of his own negligence or personal feelings. And while it wasn't easy for him to see past the image of James Potter that haunted him from the moment he looked upon Harry, Severus managed that. He wasn't a master of his own mind for nothing!

And he wasn't particularly happy with what he saw. Between his own abusive father and a number of his wards that suffered abuse from their families, the Hogwarts' Potions Master could see pretty clearly that the Potter hadn't had a perfect childhood. Thankfully, it didn't look like the boy had had it truly bad, but he certainly didn't grow up like a prince. What he could do about this situation? And what he was actually willing to do about it, though?

After some thinking, Severus decided that he should ask the house elves to secretly give the boy – Harry – potions necessary to heal his undernourishment and all related health problems. He would also be there for the boy, but only if he came to him asking for help: he wasn't a nanny and wouldn't be following the brat's every step to magically solve all of his problems.

Down there with the students yet to be sorted, Minerva McGonagall too was greatly shocked by the decision the Sorting Hat has just made. Like so many others, she had thought that young Harry would become a Gryffindor just like his parents. Yet, it was decided that Slytherin was the best place for him. This made the Transfiguration mistress wonder, what other things that she had heard about James's and Lily's child were actually true.

Dumbledore had repeatedly claimed that Harry was safe and well cared for with the Dursleys, yet now that she saw the boy, Minerva wasn't sure she believed those claims anymore – he looked too small, even for a ten years old. It made the stern which question yet again, whether those muggles were suitable guardians to him.

Suddenly, a traitorous and unpleasant question popped into her mind: was Harry truly capable of becoming the pillar of Light that the wizards and witches of Great Britain expected him to be? Or would he simply crumble and fall under the weight of their expectations? And she simply refused to think of what would happen, should Harry get corrupted by the tainted ideals of the darker families.

A subtle cough form Dumbledore alerted her that she was spacing out again. The Transfiguration mistress gave him a thankful nod and took a deep breath, doing her best to clear her mind from unnecessary thoughts and to concentrate on her current task: the sorting ceremony wasn't over yet and there still were first years waiting for their turn under the Sorting Hat. Letting out a barely audible sigh, she read the next name from the list...

~/ *** \~

Once all new students were sorted, professor McGonagall carried the Sorting Hat and the stool away. Meanwhile, headmaster Dumbledore stood up from his throne-like chair and addressed the students:

"Welcome, welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Mrs. Catherine Armstrong, who has kindly agreed to take this position." Looking up at the teachers' table, Harry saw a comely blue-eyed blond woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties. The students around the Great Hall seemed to like her and gave her some loud and long applause.

"You think she'll last more than a year?" An older Slytherin a couple of seats away from Harry asked his friend. The other boy shrugged, which caused the first one to sigh. "Five professors in five years... I hope that won't stop me from getting my OWL in DADA."

"Ah..." Harry breathed out, extremely nervous about asking an older student a question. "You say you've had a different professor every year?" Apparently, he needn't worry too much as the teen turned out to be a bit friendlier than his appearance suggested.

"Yeah." He replied. "They say the position itself is cursed; no professor since sixties managed to last for more than a year and a half." The older boy shook his head. "And since every professor follows a personal curriculum, preparing for the standardized magical exams – OWLs for those in my year and NEWTs for seventh years – is such a pain in the ass."

"I see..." Harry replied, having no idea what to think about this. Meanwhile, Dumbledore finished his welcoming speech and the Feast began. The golden dishes in front of the young Potter were now piled with food of all kinds. It looked like pretty much anything one could think of, from roast beef to fish and chips, was there. And suddenly Harry realized that he was really really hungry. So, wasting no time, he piled his plate with a bit of everything within his reach and began to eat.

Once the feast was over, headmaster Dumbledore got to his feet again, causing the buzzing with chatting hall to fall silent.

"Ahem." The aged wizard said. "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you." After a moment of pause, he continued: "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden. Some of the older students would do well to remember this as well." Dumbledore said, while his twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Gryffindor table. Next, he announced that the quidditch tryouts will be held in two weeks, which caused a number of students to start talking excitedly about the game and the houses' teams.

Finally, everyone was asked to sing the schools song, which caused the other teachers' smiles to become noticeably forced, while many of the students let out annoyed groans. And once Harry saw the words of that song, he understood their reactions – the song was ...not great, to say the least. And, what was even worse, there was no set tune and everyone could pick the one they wished... Needless to say, the end result was cacophony, though, the aged headmaster didn't appear to notice that.

"Ah, music," He said, wiping his eyes, once the (forced) applause died down. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" Almost immediately, the Slytherin prefects rose from their seats and moved to stand in the empty space by the table's end.

"First years, gather here!" The male prefect – a big and burly seventh year with closely-shaved brown hair – called in a fittingly-booming voice. Thankfully, his female counterpart wasn't anywhere as scary, though she didn't look like an epitome of friendliness either with her cold aristocratic features... Once all thirteen Slytherin firsties assembled 'round the prefects, the male one spoke again: "We will now guide you to the Slytherin common room. Please follow us."

"And, please, do your best to memorize the route we'll take. We will guide you to the Great Hall for breakfast tomorrow morning, but after that you will be on your own." The female prefect added just as the group headed towards the Great Hall's doors. Once outside, they walked past the Grand Staircase and entered the dungeons.

Harry immediately noticed that, unlike the brightly lit and populated with numerous portraits halls above, the dungeon corridors were lit rather dimly and the dark stone walls were mostly bare. What's more, as they got deeper into the maze-like dungeons, the young Potter noticed that the walls were getting a little damp. It was almost as if the tunnels they were following led under the Black Lake... And the green-eyed boy wasn't sure he enjoyed the thought of thousands of tons of water resting above his head. Still, should there be some windows into the lake, the view will most definitely be fantastic.

Another couple of minutes of walking, and the prefects stopped in front of a short stretch of a bare wall situated between two bookcases with fakes of old tomes and scrolls.

"This is where the entrance into the Slytherin common room is located." The male prefect said. "In order to enter, you will need to say the correct password. Make sure that you memorize it well when we tell it to you in a minute. And be sure that you keep the password a secret from those who don't belong to the noble house of Slytherin. Fail to do so, and the consequences will be most severe." He threatened the firsties in front of him.

"Might of Magic." The female prefect said then. A moment later, the concealed stone door slid aside, revealing a short passage leading the common room proper.

And what a room it was! It was a very large low underground room, lit by a number of round greenish lamps that hung from the ceiling on short chains. The ceiling itself was supported by two rows of columns and was designed to look like ceiling of a cave, complete with fate stalactites. The walls were lined with rough stone and were decorated with tapestries featuring the adventures of famous Medieval Slytherins. There also was a large panoramic window, allowing one to observe the life in the Black Lake... In the far corner of the room there was a portrait of the house's founder, Salazar Slytherin himself. Though, according to the prefects, this portrait never spoke to anyone... The room had lots of low backed black and dark-green button-tufted leather sofas, some of which were occupied by older students.

"Welcome to the Slytherin common room." The male prefect said. "All important information will be posted on the noticeboard. Make sure that you consult it regularly." He said while nodding towards the aforementioned noticeboard. "Each of you was given a small personal room, and these rooms will be yours until you graduate from Hogwarts. The rooms have some charms and wards to ensure your comfort and privacy, and you are allowed to add your own ones. Your things were brought from the train and are waiting for you in your rooms. But before you are allowed to go there and retire for the night, our head of the house, professor Severus Snape, wishes to have some words with you."

Right on the cue, the aforementioned Potions Master walked into the common room, his black cloak billowing behind him dramatically.

That's all, folks!
Read and review.