The whole hall stayed in silence, not really knowing what to do, then, Allen's robes turned an emerald green color.
Professor Dumbledore left his seat and walked towards him, putting a hand on top of his shoulder "Mr Lionheart, please take your seat at your table, we'll talk about this later with your head of house"
"Y- Yes, S- Sorry professor" Allen said as he cleaned the tears off his face. He walked towards the Slytherin table and William received him with an open seat beside him.
Allen just nodded and sat down next to him, with his head looking at the ground, regretting every moment of what just happened.
"Let us proceed with the sorting, we still have a lot of students left, and I'm sure we all are hungry after such a long journey" Professor Dumbledore spoke with a thunderous voice, then everyone stopped looking at Allen and concentrated in the next first year to be sorted. There would be time to inquiry about him later.
After a few students with an L as their last name, it was time for the M. Professor McGonagall called for Armand.
"Malfoy, Armand" Exclaimed Professor McGonagall.
Armand walked in a straight line towards the stool, and the moment he put the hat on, it screamed "SLYTHERIN"
Not even one second in his head, Armand's robes turned to an emerald green and he walked in a dignified manner towards the Slytherin table.
He arrived next to Allen and made a hand gesture to the kid who was sitting next to him to move so he could sit.
The kid just nodded and moved enough for Armand to sit down.
"William, I guess we ended up in the same House one way or another." A smile appeared on Armand's face.
After hearing that, William's face lighted up "Yeah! We are in the same house one way or another, ain't that cool?" He patted Allen's back, trying to make him feel better.
"Hmm, I guess so" Allen responded half-heartedly.
The two boys left him alone to his devices since they really didn't know what to say.
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Professor Mcgonagall rolled up the scroll with the list of names after the last one was sorted into their house and took the Sorting Hat away.
Professor Dumbledore stood up. He looked at everyone of the students with a warm smile, ignoring the event that just happened. "Welcome!" He exclaimed "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin I' would like to say a few word. And here hey are: Tookey! Goody! Roopey! Toply! Thank you!"
He sat back down. Everyone tried to follow the festive mode that the professor tried to bring, but the students couldn't just stop looking towards the Slytherin table.
They clapped and cheered but less than the other years, then on all tables a multitude of dishes appeared and everyone decided to forget about the burning of the Sorting Hat, at least until dinner finished.
Allen wasn't in the mood to eat, not only because of what happened, but because of what was about to happen afterwards. First day at Hogwarts and he already messed up. But the Hat was at fault. Why did he have to go and dig someone's past like that?
He let out a sigh, a few tears were forming on his eyes, but he tried to hold it in and started eating whatever he could find, just so no one would be able to talk to him.
Allen thought about what just happened, it was almost as if the hat provoked him, then, it put him in Slytherin, with the last name Lionheart. The world, or universe continued to mock him, or at least it felt that way. He honestly didn't care about what house he would be and even had expectation to be in Gryffindor because of his parents, but no, not even Hufflepuff, he was sent to Slytherin, where people would probably laugh at him, a lion in a serpent's den, he can imagine already, the Gryffindors hate because he's not a Gryffindor, and the Slytherins will hate him because of his last name.
A last name shouldn't affect the life of someone, but it does. Kids are petty like that. Would things have been different if I didn't laugh at my friend's favorite character's last name? He wondered as he put a potato in his mouth.
At least the food is good.
"So, why did you burn the hat? Honestly, it's my first time watching someone use accidental magic at your age." Asked one of the older boys in the Slytherin table in front of him but Allen ignored him, pointing at his mouth which was full of food.
The other first years continued to talk amongst each other, but only Armand and William didn't, they continued to eat in silence, imitating him.
He wanted to ask them why they would go so far if they've only just met, but he didn't want to speak either, so he just continued eating, thankful to the both of them.
When Allen looked over towards the professor's table, he saw Severus Snape, piercing him with his glare, most likely mad, no, furious that one of his students did something as stupid as to burn the Sorting Hat.
Allen quickly moved his eyes away from Snape's in case he would try to read his mind, there was enough mind reading of his thoughts for one day and he didn't want anyone else to do so after today. Learning occlumency would be a must moving forward.
The food disappeared and in his place the voice of Professor Dumbledore could be heard. "Just a few more words now that we are fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First should note that the forest in the ground is forbidden to all pupils.
I have also been tasked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
And finally, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact madam Hooch."
No magic in the hallways seemed like a dumb rule in a school full of children with magic, what's more, where would they even practice their homework or get used to spells, only in their rooms?
Allen tried to distract himself with such thoughts.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Exclaimed Professor Dumbledore.
He gave a flick to his wand, and a long golden ribbon shoot out of it above the tables, it twisted itself as it formed words.
"Everyone pick their favourite tune" Said the Professor "And off we go!"
What proceeded was a cacophony of voices, all of them in disarray and every one of them singing at their pace, he didn't really want to sing, but he feared that if he didn't, Dumbledore would make him sing alone, and he had enough attention for one night, he didn't need anymore, so instead of singing, he just read the whole song aloud, finishing earlier than the rest.
William seemed to be happy singing a jovial tone while Armand did the same as Allen, just read it aloud to give the Professor the satisfaction.
"Ah, music, a magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" Exclaimed the Professor, and the first years followed behind the prefects.
Allen walked with heavy steps, making sure to not get lost in the castle. After they went downstairs to the dungeons, they finally reached the entrance to the common room. A giant snake moved from the floor upwards, showing a green wooden door with carvings inside.
Before they entered, the prefects turned around, and said a few words to the first years.
"I don't know how have you all lived your life up to this point, but in Slytherin, we do things differently, we don't go around burning school property." Said the male prefect.
"And definitely, not in front of the whole school and faculty so they can blame us for more baseless stuff." Continued the female one.
Allen was getting red on his face, enraged that he couldn't tell them the reason, they wouldn't believe him anyway, so he just suck it up.
"Now, with that out of the way, we've been having a winning streak of the House Cup, and I assume Professor McGonagall already told you all the perks it comes with, while it might seem useless to you, it isn't for us, the ones in higher years, so I expect every one of you to behave." The male prefect looked at every first year, and lingered a bit more his gaze with Allen.
"Now, if you have any issue with anyone from our house." The female prefect interjected "You must deal with it inside our territory, meaning, the dungeons close to the common room, the common room, or the dormitories, we are divided enough with the other houses thanks to a lunatic."
A few kids flinched at the off hand mention of the dark wizard, others just looked confused, muggleborns, definitely.
"So we need to be united, between our house, at the very least."
All the first years nodded.
"The password is 'cunning' it will change every two months, make sure to check the bulletin board for any news on the password and other club activities"
The door in front of them opened and the prefects let the first years enter first, afterwards, now inside the common room, they showed them their dormitories. Boys on the left, girls in the right.
"Boys can't enter the girl's dormitories, so don't even try it." Said the female prefect.
"The first dormitory is the one you'll be, and it will change, moving upwards every year, so you can leave a dormitory for the firsties after you."
"Now, before all of you can retire to bed, our head of house, Professor Snape has some words for you." Finished the male prefect.
"Thank you Mr Smith, now if Mr Lionheart would so kind as to take a step forward." A bitterness could be heard in his voice.
Allen moved to the front of Professor Snape, waiting for him to talk.
"I don't know what I've done to deserve a lion in my house, but make no mistake, if you continue to behave like today, I'll make sure to give you enough detentions to last a lifetime. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Professor." Allen answered, looking at his feet, he just wanted the day to be over.
"Detention with me, one month.
I'm surprised. To think there would be someone so stupid that they would manage to get detention the moment they touched Hogwarts." Snape spat out the words as if they were venom.
"Five o'clock, everyday, in the potions classroom, understood?"
"Understood, Professor" Allen nodded.
"Good, now, I'm sure all you of are wondering if we will lose points over this little show of… whatever it was" Snape's cape waved behind him as he walked around the common room.
"I spoke with the rest of the professors, and even the Sorting Hat interjected, saying that he provoked 'the poor student, so he shouldn't be blamed' that is why, we won't be losing any points, and I hope it continues to stay that way, are we clear?" This time, he directed the question to everyone in the common room.
And all of them answered the same way Allen did "Yes, professor."
"Now, to your dormitories, and I don't want any first year out at this hour." He left the common room, as he finished the small speech.
Allen not missing a beat, dragged his legs to the dormitory, Armand and William followed behind, with two other boys following them.
Allen located his trunk, and took out his pajamas to go to sleep, tomorrow would be a hard day.
After changing he wished goodnight to Armand and William and they responded in kind. They didn't want to pressure him to tell them what happened, or why he did it, since there would be enough of that tomorrow.
So they changed into their pajamas as well, and decided to talk about anything else besides the sorting before going to bed, the other two kids joined the conversation and as Allen closed his eyes, a silent tear fell down his face.
This is not what I expected when I thought about Hogwarts. Were his last thoughts before falling asleep.