Not all snakes are slimey
As much as he hated to admit it, Clint was scared. Nat had left the moment they’d got on the train, and poor little firstie Clint was left to fend for himself. He’d been kicked out of no less than four compartments so far, and doubted he would ever find one. He checked inside every single compartment, but most of them were full of fourth and fifth years, meaning he couldn’t get one.
Eventually, he found a compartment that only had one person in it. It was a boy in muggle clothes, his knees pulled close to his chest, thin fingers drumming on his legs as he stared out of the window. After just a moment of hesitation, Clint opened the door. The boy’s head turned to him, and Clint was almost blown away by the intensity of his gaze. It took him several seconds to realise he’s staring, until the boy quirked an eyebrow, and Clint stuttered out an apology, before managing to get himself together and ask “Can I sit here? Everywhere else I’ve been is full” And, at the boy’s nod, he slid into the compartment.
It took both of them ten minutes to get Clint’s trunk onto the rack before they sat down opposite each other. They spent the train-ride talking, and by the time they got to the castle, the two were best friends. When they climbed off of the train, in their new robes, they stuck together. Even on the boat ride (where they were joined by two other kids who introduced themselves as Foggy and Karen) the two were basically joined at the hip.
At the sorting, the two stood together, Clint looking just as nervous as all the other first years, Vladimir with his chin high and shoulders back, just like Toly had taught him. From the slytherin table, he caught his brother’s proud gaze and blinked once, earning a tiny smile, until the sorting actually began.
By the time Professor Granger reached “Baggins, Brian” Clint was sweating and shaking at once. He didn’t know what house he would be in, but he was hoping for Gryffindor, even though Nat was a Slytherin and he knew that Vlad was aiming for Slytherin as well. Even Tony Stark, Nat’s friend, was a Ravenclaw.
When she finally called “Barton, Clint” he felt Vlad give his hand a squeeze before he walked forward. The last thing he saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was Nat’s encouraging smile. And then he couldn’t see and there was a tiny voice in his ear. “Well, well, well, what have we here? Plenty of courage, I see… And a thirst to prove yourself, oh yes… You’re loyal and kind, too… But not Hufflepuff… You’re street smart, not book smart, so Ravenclaw wouldn’t fit you… So that leaves two. Which will it be?” Clint squeezed his eyes tightly. “Gryffindor, please, Gryffindor…” The little voice hummed. “Are you sure? It’s all here, in your head, you could be great in Slytherin. No? Well, if you’re sure, better be... GRYFFINDOR!” Yelled the hat. The red and gold clad table burst into cheers as Clint hurried over to sit there.
The rest of the sorting went as expected, until there were only seventeen or so students left. “Ranskahov, Vladimir.” Made Clint look up suddenly. He half hoped Vladimir got put in Gryffindor, but, two minutes later, his hopes were dashed as the hat called out “SLYTHERIN”
When they were eating, Clint tried to catch Vlad’s eye, scared that this would impact their friendship, but Vlad just wouldn’t look at him. After a while, he just gave up, and went back to eating his mashed potato.
The next morning Clint dragged himself over to the Gryffindor table, looking around but not catching sight of Vladimir anywhere. That is, until Vlad came over and plopped himself down next to Clint. The boy looked up in surprise, but the slytherin just grabbed a mug and poured coffee into it. After draining it (twice), he turned to Clint and started talking, but he was too surprised to react.
“You don’t want me here?” Vlad asked, a bit off-putted, but it was enough to snap Clint out of it, who quickly shook his head. “No, of course I do, it’s just… I thought slytherin and gryffindor were rivals?”
Vlad simply shrugged, and reached for the coffee again. “Do you think of us as rivals?” He asked, smirking as he drank his coffee “No, no, it’s just… I didn’t think we were allowed to sit together.” This earned him a snort, and Clint tried a different approach. “Don’t you want to sit with your brother?”
“Toly? I see him all summer. There’s only so much of him I can take” Vlad chuckled, bumping their shoulders together. That made Clint smile a little, and he nodded, reassured.
“I’m glad you’re here.” he admitted softly. It took Vlad a moment, but he realised that the entire Gryffindor table was silent. He scanned the whole table, and he narrowed his eyes. After a couple of seconds, he locked eyes with the seventh year sat opposite him, and shovelled a large forkful of beans into his mouth. The seventh year scowled, but didn’t say anything, returning to his sausage. After that, conversation slowly picked up again as people realised that Vladimir wasn’t going to leave.
Clint smiled and scoot scoot a bit closer, to their sides were pressed together, like they’d been on the boat. Then he continued eating, glad he’d made a friend.