Chapter 4
Draco Malfoy was expecting Harry Potter to be well-raised, know everything about the wixen world, and be rather popular, having friends that were high in status.
It was the opposite.
Harrison Potter-Black knew very little about the wixen world, but was learning about it as fast as he could, from a neutral point of view. His compartment was definitely not as full as the Slytherin compartment, and he'd made friends with Weasleys and a Muggleborn.
And there was something about him that told Draco that he was very, very powerful, and would one day become as powerful as the Dark Lord.
Draco wanted desperately to be friends with this boy, knowing Harrison would take him to high places. He knew immediately that Harrison wouldn't tolerate any bullying or disrespect of Muggle-raised wixen, Halfbloods, or blood-traitors, so he decided to change his public mask.
He couldn't become friends with Muggleborns or blood-traitors outwardly, but he could treat them with a stiff sort of respect. He definitely wasn't going to act like a spoiled brat anymore, though. That wouldn't help him in the slightest.
So in Harrison's compartment, Draco Malfoy became friends with three Weasleys and a Muggleborn.
"What House do you want to be in?" he asked. "I want to be in Slytherin. My whole family has been."
He expected the three Weasleys to make disgusted faces, but Ron just looked resigned and Fred and George exchanged unreadable looks.
"I either want Ravenclaw or Gryffindor," Hermione said excitedly. "I love learning, but Dumbledore was in Gryffindor. The books I've read paint him in a very good light."
To Draco's further surprise, everyone else in the compartment looked distrustful.
"Remember what I said about books, Hermione?" Harrison cautioned. "Humans can err. Try to take what you've learned about Dumbledore with a grain of salt."
Hermione studied him, and a worried expression passed over her face. "All right."
That girl was clever. She'd realized that they knew something she didn't. Luckily, she didn't press.
"I would prefer a House where people mind their own business and it's quiet," Harrison said after a pause. "From what I've learned, that's either Hufflepuff or Slytherin."
"Some Slytherins will try to butt into your business," Draco corrected, "but they'll be subtle about it. If you make friends with a Hufflepuff, or even close acquaintances, they'll probably only try to learn your secrets if they're worried about you."
"Hmm." Harrison nodded and went back behind his book.
"I just want to be with Harrison," Harley chirped, fiddling with that weird toy of his and bouncing slightly in his seat. Draco was amused by his constant movement.
"What about you, Ron?" Hermione asked.
Ron sighed. "It doesn't matter what I want. I have to be in Gryffindor, or my mother..."
Draco nodded, understanding completely.
Harrison looked up again and gave Ron a piercing stare. "If you don't get Gryffindor, or if you get Slytherin, you can come and stay with us."
"Won't your family mind?" Hermione asked in a puzzled tone.
"Not if I ask."
Draco got the feeling that Harrison meant 'order' rather than 'ask,' given the malicious expression behind his mask of calm. Only the Weasley twins noticed the maliciousness.
"What about your dad?" Harley asked.
"I think Dad wouldn't care what House I got," Ron admitted. "But Mum is... well, she only goes quiet if Dad gets really mad, which is rare. He's usually kind and slightly distracted."
"Write your dad a letter right now," Harrison ordered. "Tell him you're worried about your mother's reaction if you get any House but Gryffindor."
"I'll probably get Slytherin," Ron whispered. "I'm not that smart and I'm pretty lazy."
"There's more than one way to be smart, Ronnie," Fred corrected. "You're great at strategy, given all the chess games you played with Bill and Charlie before they left. And you're not lazy; you can do chores, you just prefer playing chess or Quidditch."
"You play chess?" Draco asked with interest. "We should play a game sometime. I only ever play against my parents, I need a new opponent."
"Sure," Ron replied, a little flustered. "I'll write my dad now, though. Maybe later?"
"If we don't get the same House, we'll do it on the weekend," Draco insisted. Ron smiled a little nervously but nodded in agreement.
Fred and George turned to each other. Draco had a hunch they had a mind link, which was rare but did happen. After a pause, Fred said quietly, "George and I were supposed to be in Slytherin."
Silence.
"We practically had to threaten to set the Hat on fire if he didn't put us in Gryffindor," George added.
"Is it possible to get a resort?" Harrison asked curiously.
"Yes, but you need to get permission from three Heads of House, one of which has to be your own," Fred answered.
"I extend the same offer I gave your brother," Harrison said seriously. "If you're unhappy in Gryffindor, you should ask to be resorted."
The twins grinned. "We had a better idea, actually," Fred said.
"Everyone will expect you to be in Gryffindor," George explained. "They'll be right upset if you aren't."
"Especially if you're in Slytherin."
"Now, we're very respectable folk," Fred said smoothly, ignoring Ron's snort and Harley's cackle. "Once people notice you're friends with us, they'll realize you aren't evil."
"And we can keep an eye on the more vocal idiots in Gryffindor," George added.
Harrison's eyes glittered, and Draco stifled a shiver of excitement. "The offer is still there, should you need it."
"Nah. Thanks, though."
Draco couldn't wait to tell his father he was friends with a Dark Lord in training!
"Firs' years!" a voice bellowed. "Firs' years this way!"
Draco, Harrison, Harley, Hermione, and Ron joined the queue of first-years, who were heading towards a very large man holding a lantern over the crowd.
"Are all of yeh here?" he asked, squinting at them. "Looks like. Let's go!"
He led them down through a path in the woods, which ended at a small cove. There were twelve canoes in the water.
"Three ter a boat," the man called.
"Neville," Harrison said swiftly, "do you want to sit with Hermione and I?"
Draco recognized the chubby boy as a Longbottom. Neville smiled in relief and climbed into a canoe with them. Draco joined Ron and Harley in another boat.
Once they emerged from the cove, the castle was revealed in all its glory. Even Draco, who lived in a huge mansion, oohed and ahhed at the magnificent structure. Most of the windows were lit, reflecting on the water like the stars but much larger. Six flags waved from each of the four towers: the Hogwarts flag, the four Houses, and the ally flag.
The group of canoes sailed to a hidden cove under the castle, where there was a large wooden door. Once everyone was on dry land, the huge man went up to the door and knocked twice.
The door opened, revealing a severe-looking, gray-haired woman in black robes and a wixen's hat.
"Thank you, Hagrid," she said crisply. Draco realized that the large man must be Rubeus Hagrid, the groundskeeper. So the woman was probably Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress. "I'll take them from here."
Hagrid nodded and went back to the boats, probably to return them to the boathouse. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at the first years and said, "Well? This way."
The deputy headmistress took them inside and down several different passageways until they reached a small chamber. Draco could hear several loud voices behind a door at the far end of the room.
"Wait here, please," McGonagall said firmly, heading through the door and closing it behind her.
"Why are we waiting?" Ron asked.
"Probably to create suspense," Draco guessed.
"How are we being Sorted?" Hermione asked suddenly. "I forgot to ask."
"It's a surprise," Draco grinned. "Or, it's supposed to be, but I'm sure several Pureblood parents told their children anyway."
"Mine didn't," Ron said resignedly. "Fred and George told me wild stories about it, but I know they were just joking to make me feel less nervous."
Harley snickered. "Professor Snape told us when he took us to Diagon Alley."
"I was taken by Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff," Hermione said, wringing her hands together. "It's not hard, isn't? Being Sorted?"
"No, quite easy, all you have to do is-"
Draco was interrupted by several screams, and he spun around to see about fifty ghosts entering the room. Hermione gasped.
Most of the ghosts headed into the room behind the door, but two of them stayed behind: a tall, skinny man wearing a tunic and a particularly frilly ruff around his neck, and a cheerful, portly man wearing a clergyman's uniform.
"Well, well, well!" the tall ghost said brightly. "New students, eh? Hope you're in my House!"
The door opened before any of the first years could respond, and McGonagall's voice said sharply, "Line up, single file, please."
They all scrambled to obey. Draco found himself between Harrison and Ron, with Harley and Neville before Harrison. Draco could hear Hermione babbling about something behind him.
The room they entered was even larger than the ballroom back at Malfoy Manor, and it was packed with people. The students sat at four different tables, and the first-years were being led up to a stage where there was another table, a stool, and an old, ragged wixen's hat. The teachers sat at the fifth table, with a tall man in the center. He had a magnificent beard. Draco realized that was Dumbledore.
He looked away before Dumbledore caught him looking. His father had told him that the man liked to use Legilimency on students, who rarely had been trained in Occlumency. It was supposed to be illegal to use on a minor without the minor's and the parents' permission, but you couldn't prove that someone had used Legilimency on you.
Everyone silenced when the first-years arrived at the stool, but Draco felt like it was a very loud silence. He was very nervous.
The Hat on the stool suddenly opened what was clearly a mouth and 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 folks 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!"
Everyone clapped, and Draco quickly joined in. He didn't quite like the Hat's description of Slytherin; it made it seem as if Slytherins didn't have morals or limits, and that they would break the law to get what they wanted.
He saw that several other students, including Harrison, were looking annoyed at the description as well.
When the clapping stopped, McGonagall cleared her throat. "When I call your name," she said, holding up a scroll, "you will sit down on the stool to be sorted. When your House is called, you will sit with the corresponding table." She looked down at the scroll. "Abbot, Hannah!"
A girl hurried past Draco and up to the Hat. There was a short pause, and then the Hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table directly to their right cheered loudly, while the other four tables clapped politely. Abbott hurried to sit down.
The sorting passed both too quickly and too slowly, in Draco's opinion. Finally, Hermione's name was called, and she quickly headed up to the stool.
The Sorting Hat took longer to sort Hermione than the students before her, but finally it yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"
Hermione cheered, beamed at Draco and the others, and rushed over to the Ravenclaw table, shaking hands with Anthony Goldstein.
More students were sorted. Longbottom almost ran to the Hufflepuff table with the Hat still on his head, earning laughs. Finally, it was Draco's turn.
"Malfoy, Draco!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Ron clapped as Draco, looking relieved, set the Hat on the stool and walked over to the Slytherin table. He was still incredibly nervous about his House, but not as nervous as before Harrison's promise to give him a home, should he lose his.
A few more people were sorted before Harley's name was called.
"Potter-Black, Harlequin."
There were confused whispers and then laughs as Harley bounced up to the Hat, grinning maniacally. Ron noticed that one of the teachers, a man with long, greasy hair and black eyes, gave a quiet sigh of exasperation. He also noticed that Dumbledore looked angry and puzzled behind a mask of serene surprise.
The Hat had only been on Harley's head for a moment before it laughed so hard it almost fell off the boy's head. "SLY-SLYTHERIN!" the Hat managed.
Grinning smugly, Harley set the Hat down and bounced over to the Slytherins, who looked a mixture of disgruntled and amused. Harley plopped down beside Draco and turned to watch Harrison's sorting.
"Potter-Black, Harrison."
Harrison walked up to the stool with the grace, poise, and calm of a respectable wixen. Ron only saw his expression when he turned around to sit. It was completely blank, but Ron could tell his emotions and thoughts were swirling, just like his.
There was a long pause. When the Hat spoke, it was with an awed but slightly wary tone.
"Slytherin."
The silence was deafening, until Harley yelled, "YEET!"
"This bitch empty!" several students called automatically, and then all the Muggle-raised wixen started laughing. Harrison rolled his eyes regally and joined his brother at the Slytherin table.
"Language," McGonagall scolded, but Ron could see her lip twitching. She was clearly trying very hard not to laugh.
There were only two names between Harrison's and Ron's. Dean Thomas was sorted almost immediately into Gryffindor, while Lisa Turpin joined the Ravenclaws. Finally-
"Weasley, Ronald."
Ron walked up to the Hat, knowing he was pale and scared-looking. He sat down and McGonagall plopped the Hat onto his head.
It immediately sank over his eyes, and he relaxed a little since he couldn't see the audience's faces anymore.
"Hmm," the Hat hummed. "Very interesting. I'll say what I said to your brothers: your mother is a bitch."
Ron choked.
"You have the desire to do the right thing, terrified of your mother as you are. Which could be a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor quality. You plan ahead for any issues with your mother and are an amazing strategist, either with chess or everyday life. Most people assume that is only a Slytherin quality, but Godric Gryffindor was also a great strategist -- although only with battle, because he tended not to think before charging at a bloody dragon."
Ron laughed, immediately relaxing.
"You seem to have qualities for any Houses, except perhaps Ravenclaw. Which House would you prefer?"
Any House is fine, Ron decided, but he secretly wanted to be with Harrison. He felt safe with him.
"Very well, better be SLYTHERIN!"