Chapter 7 The Sorting Hat
He had done it. He was in Hogwarts’ harry thought as the sorting ceremony was going on. He wasn’t really paying attention to everyone being sorted, until after 7 people had been called out, he heard a name that he recognised.
"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned, “why did she have to be in Gryffindor that’s where I wanted to be in”. harry just shrugged, he wasn't to bother about it.
As the shorting ceremony continued, the next name that harry recognised was when Neville's name was called. He was so nervous that he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter, that was quickly stopped with one look from Katie who saw how embarrassed Neville was.
After a few more names were called harry heard “Malfoy, Draco”, Draco who was standing beside harry gulped and then walked up to the stern deputy headmistress. As the hat was placed on his head all he could think about was that he didn’t want to be like Lucius Malfoy or his aunt Bellatrix. “Hmm tricky, you have a good brain but I don’t think that Ravenclaw would help you become grate as they are the house of brains but, are not the best at following instructions. And Hufflepuff is out, you are loyal but only to those who have earned it. So it is Gryffindor or Slytherin”
“I don’t want to be like my dad and my Aunt Bellatrix, please everyone will hate me” Draco pleaded, terrified that he will turn out like his dad. “Don’t worry child you are nothing like them, you have too much of your mum and Aunt Andromeda in you to be like those two who have disgraced their Hogwarts house, trust me I have seen people who have pleaded to go into one house when they were suited to a different house, they all have never been truly happy in the house that they had begged to be in.” “Ok what ever you think is best” “well it better be SLYTHERIN”.
everyone clapped as the hat was taken off his head, seeing how scared the boy had been and they wanted him to feel comfortable in his new house. After a few more people were called up it was finally Harrys turn. As he walked up to the stool, he could hear people whispering about him and how he was already going to be in Gryffindor. As the hat was placed on his head, he had a great conversation with the hat. Apparently, a certain wizard had put compulsions on the hat to ensure he was put into Gryffindor, but he didn’t think he would do well in that house, as he had too much self-preservation to ever be able to fit in with the other Gryffindor's other than Ron. So, after a while going over the other three houses, they both finally agreed on “SLYTHERIN”.
The whole of Hogwarts was silent. The Boy who lived was now a Slytherin. However, it didn’t last long as Sirius, Remus, Katie, Neville, and Draco stood up and clapped. As Harry sat beside Draco. He could see the High Table properly now. In the centre of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. He hated that meddling old man, after his first attempt to send him and his sister to the Dursleys failed, he continued to try and guilt trip his Moony and Padfoot into sending them there, going as far as to say that they both would end up killing them both with their selfish decisions. That ended up with them holding Katie back while she screamed at him and threatened to tear his throat out. After that day he never attempted to guilt his two uncles again. Dumbledore’s silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, He had met him when they had gone to Diagon ally to get their Hogwarts supplies but they didnt stop too long to chat, his Padfoot mumbling about all the whispering going on around them.
Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago. Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. “Welcome!” he said. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
“Thank you!” He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn’t know whether to laugh or not. “Is he – a bit mad?” Draco whispered to harry, harry laughed knowing that the man had been calling on the house elves to bring the food out. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
As harry was enjoying his dinner he heard “Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?”. Harry just rolled his eyes at the question that one of the new first year Gryffindors heard. Everyone knew that sir Nicolas execution was botched and ended up with his head not full being chopped of and so his ghost head was attached by only a small bit of skin. after all the deserts that he had put on his plate had been finished Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to his Moony and Padfoot. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.
It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell’s turban straight into Harry’s eyes – and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry’s forehead. “Ouch!” Harry clapped a hand to his head. “What is it?” asked Blaise Zabini “N-nothing.” The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher’s look – a feeling that he didn’t like Harry at all.
“Who’s that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?” he asked the Slytherin perfect that was sat across from them. “Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he’s looking so nervous, that’s Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn’t want to – everyone knows he’s after Quirrell’s job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape.” Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn’t look at him again.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. “Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. “First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.” Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.
“I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. “Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. “And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.” Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.
“He’s not serious?” he muttered to the Perfect. “Must be,” he said, frowning at Dumbledore. “It’s odd, because he usually give us a reason why we’re not allowed to go somewhere – the forest’s full of dangerous beast, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least.” “And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!” cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers’ smiles had become rather fixed. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.
Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. “Ah, music,” he said, wiping his eyes. “A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!”
Harry sighed as he was finally allowed to leave but before he stood up he saw a note that was in front of him, he picked it up, but when he did he felt his heir ring heat up so he put it down and waved his Padfoot and Moony over. “What’s wrong pup that you had to call us over” “I got this note but when I picked it up my heir ring heated up”. Sirius and Remus both looked at each other, they knew that if the heir it meant that someone has either put spells that would hurt Harry or there was potions on it that would also hurt Harry.
Sirius levitated the note into the air and opened it up, when he read it he felt like groaning. Dumbledore wanted to meet with harry. “Dumbledore, he wants to speak with Harry. You aren’t going alone. “ so the three of them all made their way up the large eagle statue “lemon drops” Sirius gritted out annoyed that he had to meet with the meddling old man so early on in the school year. When they reached the headmasters office Remus knocked on the door the calmest out of the two adults.
“Ahh Harry my boy lemon drop” “no thank you headmaster. Can I ask what this is about I’m quite tired and would like to go to bed” harry said trying to be polite. “well, my boy I brought you up here to discuss a resort as I’m sure that you would be quite unhappy it that house” the headmaster said, trying to keep his grandfatherly image. “I don’t want a resort I’m quite happy with the house that I was sorted into”. “but don’t you want to be in Gryffindor just like your parents, if the knew you were in Slytherin they would be so dis..” “don’t you dare finish that sentence Albus, Lily and James would never be disappointed in their children and don’t you ever insinuate that ever again. Now if you don’t mind I’m going to take my godson to his common room and let him sleep as it has been a very long day” Sirius said trying not to shout at his current boss and old headmaster in front of is godson.