Four's A Company

Draco Malfoy swaggered over to the stool, seemingly perfectly calm, when instead his stomach was having a raging war with the butterflies inside it. He looked around as Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head. The first thing he thought as the hat fell down loosely upon his head was 'Slytherin, please! Slytherin!' Instead of answering Draco's wish, however, the hat seemed to pause.

'Why Slytherin, now, lad?'

Draco thought for a few moments, 'Aren't I supposed to be there?'

'You are supposed to be where I put you. Now, let's take a look inside your mind. You have ambition, yes, plenty of it. But you also have an urge to please the people that matter to you, a Hufflepuff quality.' Draco almost gasped and fell off the stool. HUFFLEPUFF!?! 'Don't worry, lad. You have some qualities for that house, but most people do. Hmmm. . .you are very bright, when you set your mind to it. But, no, I don't think Ravenclaw is right for you. Well, you might get your wish, lad.' Draco sighed. 'No, wait; there's something else here. . .hmmmm, very interesting.' Draco was now alarmed. Interesting? What was interesting? He was Slytherin material. Everyone could see that! 'No, my boy, I disagree with you. There is a courage here, one that, if trained properly, could be used to your advantage. It may very well save you from the fate your father is training you for. No, my mind is made up. You are going to be in GRYFFINDOR!'

This time Draco really did fall off the stool. Him? In Gryffindor? How was that possible?

Draco staggered over to the Gryffindor table. He heard the whispers surrounding him...

"A Malfoy? In Gryffindor? That's impossible!"

Draco took the only seat that seemed to be available, one near the Weasley twins. Yes, the Weasley twins. . .after he was making fun of Ron on the train. But he was so sure he'd be sorted into Slytherin, and he'd never have to see them again...

Draco sunk into his chair, trying to appear invisible. Hermione, that Mudblood, was giving him strange looks. Why couldn't she just go away?

He barely saw the rest of the sorting ceremony, except the part where Harry Potter was sorted into Gryffindor as well. That was only because the entire table burst into applause.

Oh no. . .Harry Potter. . .that was bad. Very bad.

How could this get any worse?

'Wait,' the practical side of Draco's mind said, 'Your father is one of the Governors here. He can get you a transfer to Slytherin House. You just have to survive a night, maybe two at most, and then you'll be out. What's the worst that could happen in two days?'

Draco got his answer. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley decided to sit on either side of him.

'Oh, great,' Draco thought to himself. 'Maybe they'll go away.'

No such luck. They stayed there all through dinner, talking and talking and talking and not seeming to go away, or have any notion of doing so.

Couldn't they see they weren't welcome?

Apparently not. Well, at least they were ignoring him.

Finally, the end of the dinner came. They walked away, just as happy as before. It seemed that Draco's dirty looks, evil glares, and trips really didn't get through to them. As a matter of fact, Potter actually grinned at him, and said, "Well, welcome to Gryffindor, Malfoy!" And then he and Weasley walked away laughing.

Laughing. Well, he was glad that someone found his being here amusing.

Draco followed Percy. . .another Weasley. . .back to the common room, and entered. He looked around at the surroundings. . .so. . .cheerful...so. . .

Unlike Slytherin.

And so. . .nice. Nice? NICE? Is this what he was going to be stuck with for his seven years in Hogwarts? Nice?

'Just two days,' he reminded himself. 'You only have to live through this for two days. You know your father. He's not going to appreciate his only son being sorted into this, this, house. He'd never stand for it.' Feeling a little better, Draco walked with the other first years to the boys' dormitory marked First Years and climbed into the bed where his trunk had been placed. He only had to last another two days. He'd send an owl to his father the first thing in the morning.

As he fell asleep, he couldn't help thinking, 'But this place does seem a lot nicer than Slytherin would be.'