"I don't think they are lying, Albus." McGonagall couldn't hide her distress: "The reversal spell requires at least two people to perform correctly, and two trained wizards at that. Pettigrew must have made a mistake himself. But I'm relieved that we caught him. Poor Sirius has been in Azkaban for 10 miserable years because of him."
Dumbledore nodded: "Alright, Minerva. You may go, we still need to appear for the Sorting Ceremony before the minister comes knocking."
Minerva took her leave then and there, leaving Dumbledore deep in thought: 'First, witnesses claim to see Harry Potter in the Diagon Alley, then he manages to read his acceptance letter. Sirius Black escapes Azkaban and quite conveniently, the real culprit gets arrested. All of my plans are ruined, the stone is better off being destroyed right now since things have turned out like this.'
'Who is behind you, Harry? But even if there is someone, he didn't manage to throw you away from the palm of my hands. With this incident; I have seen your bravery, and I have no fears that you will be sorted anywhere but...'
-
Earlier, outside the toilets in the train
"I thought Pansy was just blabbering about. But here you are, Harry Potter." The blonde boy extended his hand: "Draco Malfoy."
He gently shook it before turning to go back towards his compartment but Draco started following him: "Why were you whispering in the toilet?"
"Whispering?" Harry stopped: "I'm afraid you heard the sound of my piss, then." Harry started laughing loudly as Malfoy stopped following him, ears red with shame.
-
The door swung open and Professor McGonagall stood there in her emerald green teaching robes. Her expression had been cold and stern, somewhat contrary to what he had seen the past few weeks: "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
"Welcome to Hogwarts, the banquet will begin shortly. But before that, each of you will be sorted into one of the four houses. Your house will be the place you stay and each house-mate will be like your family. The houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin.
"Each has its unique history and a spectra of talented alumni. While you are here, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose them. At the end of each year, the house with the most points is
awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
She said the last part while looking at Harry. Even if the rat turned back by himself, he remained calm, caught him in his trunk and reported him. McGonagall had huge expectations from the one she already presumed to be a Gryffindor.
"Please wait here quietly." She said and left the chamber.
Ron stood in the corner, unable to think of anyone but his rat, now the vile murderer and muggle-killer. Hermione stood there, her heart racing as she thought of how quick everything happened in the compartment. If not for the incident, Harry thought, all three of them would have been much worried about their sorting right now.
Croak
A frog croaked right where McGonagall stood moments ago and a plump boy hurried out of the crowd: "Trevor!"
He was just about to pick it up when a fast light blasted at the frog, making it jump away again. The plump boy looked like he had lost the world... again.
Snickers from the left of the crowd made it evident who it was who shot the spell. Draco Malfoy started pocketing his wand back as a boy on his left said: "Good one, boss."
Harry was bewildered. So, bullies existed in the owizarding world too. Without him knowing, his hand got his wand out of his pocket and shot at Malfoy. His wand flew away at full speed and the whole crowd was silenced in an instant.
Draco's face opened wide as did of several others. And as did Harry's too. He hadn't done that by himself. He cursed Diablo in his mind.
'Did you see that?' Someone said.
'A non-verbal spell?' A girl standing near Malfoy whispered with awe.
The blonde boy looked at her in disbelief as if saying: Not you, too.
He then walked over to where his wand landed. After picking it up, he hurriedly walked back and stood patiently.
'Boss, why are not doing anything?' The boy from earlier asked him but was quickly hushed up when they saw McGonagall coming back. Thank God, Harry thought. The girl near Draco seemed relieved too.
She noticed that something was off when the chattering of the students was far from 'quietly'. But figured maybe it was because of their sorting stress.
"Please be silent! And form a line!" She said sharply, putting all of them back into place.
After they arranged themselves, she turned back and the children started following her into the Great Hall.
It was a splendid hall. Everything from the ceiling to even the candles was magical. Harry knew all about it as he had read Hogwarts: A History of Magic in The Leaky Cauldron earnestly.
Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and old.
Thinking about the sorting, Harry's heart began to race but something grabbed his hand. It was the snake, Diablo. Harry felt reassured and after a while, it slithered back.
The hat opened its eyes and started singing a marvelous (childish, but marvelous) song.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart
Daring? Brave? Harry felt like there was a sudden twinge in his heart. It was like if he didn't go to this house, he would miss out on everything. He would never be able to live like his parents did. Like the brave, and the pure.
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
He felt like he had a guess that he will never have any real friends if he went to Slytherin. He felt like they would always be his enemies, hoping to gain an advantage by pretending to be his friends. He would never be able to experience friendship, he thought, whether it's the muggle world or this one.
Harry didn't notice Professor McGonagall calling out names for the sorting. Neither Hermione's nor Neville's, he didn't notice anyone's sorting until he made the decision: 'Brave life? Don't kid me. My parents lived a runaway's life. I'll make it so that no one has to live like that, hiding from the dark lord, or for that matter, from anyone.'
"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall called out.
Harry manned up and sat on the stool.
-
"Did she say Potter?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"The-boy-who-lived-Harry-Potter?"
"Don't you think it's taking too long?"
"I heard he caught Peter Pettigrew transfigured into a rat - on the Hogwarts Express at that."
"Didn't he use a non-verbal spell sometime ago?"
"Is that so? Why are they taking so long to sort him then? If it is him, won't he be a Gryffindor for sure?"
- "Slytherin!" The sorting hat bellowed and Harry put it back on the stool happily.
Most of the hall didn't seem happy with this development. The three houses started to see Harry in a scary light even though they thought he was awesome moments ago. Such was the weight of being a Slytherin which made him prone to an irritated look from even the headmaster. What did I do to him? Harry thought as he started moving towards the slytherin table.
Contrary to his expectations, someone had saved up a spot for him there. It was the girl from before: "Pansy. Pansy Parkinson." She tried to sound genuine as she gave him a hand.
"Harry Potter." He shook her hand and sat down. She started introducing everyone.
"Theodore Nott." She pointed towards a thin boy sitting across from Harry who simply nodded at him. Harry nodded back as he continued his meal.
"Draco-" "We've met, Petty Pansy!" Draco, who sat next to Theo and in front of Pansy, said sharply and looked away, ears still red.
"Oh yeah! I forgot!" She let out a snicker, thinking he meant the spell. Harry found it amusing.
"Millicent Bulstrode." She pointed towards a big girl with a square jaw sitting next to her who smiled at Harry with his mouth full.
"Pleasure!" Harry blurted nervously.
Right then, a dark skinned boy seated himself next to Harry. "Oh! And this is Blaise Zabini!"
Harry looked at him, who stared back coldly. The boy ignored Harry and started eating his meal. "Sorry for that. He's not much of a talker." She assured him.
"Oh how could I forget?" Pansy looked troubled and so she lowered her voice: 'You see that girl over there, Harry?' She pointed to the girl sitting next to Theo and opposite Zabini.
Harry nodded. 'Don't ever. And I mean ever talk to her.'
Harry frowned: 'What do you mean? Why?'
'She gives everyone this cold stare whenever you try to strike up a conversation. She's real weird even though she's from the noble house of Greengrass. Just avoid her and you'll be fine. There are also rumors that she has the blood curse.'
Draco had been listening on and added: 'Actually it's her sister who has it but... who knows? The curse turns up in their genes.'
The atmosphere had turned awfully serious so Harry tried to break the ice by pointing towards a boy sitting on the next table: "Who's that?"
"Now that you mention it, I don't know who he is." She seemed worried as did Draco. "Don't tell me..." he said.
"He's a mudblood!" Both of them said together garnering the attention of everyone on the table and all of them, including Greengrass and Zabini started eyeing the boy.
Harry felt awful. He didn't know what a mudblood was but it just didn't feel right to call someone that. "Well, what's a mudblood?" He asked the group at large.
All of them now looked at him and frowned: "You don't know what a mudblood is?" Blaise Zabini said with a nasty expression.
"This makes me think you are a mudblood yourself." The Greengrass girl said calmly. Everyone was shocked. The first one to get a chat with the girl was Harry and it had to have been an insult. But she was true as Zabini confirmed: "Yes. He was raised by those filthy muggles and here you all are; fraternizing with the enemy!"
"He's not a mudblood. Even though the Potters are not one of the Sacred 28, they still hold a vacant seat in the Wizengamot even now." Harry was surprised by Draco's knowledge, and the fact that he wasn't antagonizing him: "Also, mudblood is a term used for muggle-borns. They are inferior to us, the purebloods, Harry. Father thinks it's because they are not magical enough because of their filthy blood."
The others nodded and Harry felt he was suffocating in the midst of these narrow-minded people. His mother was a muggleborn witch and a great one, he was sure. The condition of the current Slytherin house was far worse than he imagined.
"Are you lot talking about that skinny guy?" A large boy put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up at him and immediately thought that he looked like a sloth.
"Yes, we are. This is Cassius Warrington, Harry. He is a 3rd-year." Draco looked at him.
"Pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter." He gave his thick hand which Harry shook awkwardly: "Likewise."
Looking back at the boy, he said: "I approached him since I thought he looked like you, Theo. But no, he is Irish and a muggleborn, at that."
"Well, what's a muggleborn?" Theo said as he looked at Harry teasingly and the whole table started laughing.