The Way It Should Have Been

The Way It Should Have Been

Chapter Four: House Surprises

Harry was nervous again. I really must stop this, he thought. I never get nervous. He was in the boat on the lake with Ron, Jameson, and Ron's older brother Percy, who had gotten it into his mind that the three of them needed a prefect to look after them. Ron was quite agitated with Percy, who had been bragging about his new badge all summer.

The twins, Constance and Hermione, had gone to another boat, supposedly to get away from the boys. They had had quite enough of such 'imbeciles' they had said, whatever that meant. Harry was personally glad to be out of their overbearing presence. Although Percy wasn't much better. He had the feeling the three would get along quite well.

What exactly Harry was nervous about, he couldn't put his finger on. He thought it might have something to do with getting sorted. He felt as though there was this enormous pressure put on him to be a Gryffindor, like his parents. But there was something else there, too that was bothering him. He just didn't know what.

"Harry! Look!" said a voice, breaking his reverie. "It's Hogwarts!"

It was Jameson, and he was pointing at a monstrous castle that had suddenly loomed up before them. Harry's jaw dropped. This had to be the biggest building he had ever seen. He had always begged his parents to take him with them when they visited Hogwarts, but they said he would have to wait, just like everyone else. And they would always add something about wanting it to be a surprise.

Well, at least they had gotten the last part right. This was quite a large surprise, if he did say so himself. The boats pulled up to a small dock, and Hagrid, who had always rather liked Harry, made sure their boat pulled up first by pulling it along with his own boat.

"Thanks Hagrid," said Harry.

"No problem, 'Arry," replied Hagrid with a wink.

The boys made their way into the Entrance Hall, whose doors had been flung wide open to let in the beautiful night. A rather stern looking woman stood inside the doors, apparently waiting for them to arrive. As the students flooded up the steps, she turned and walked towards a slight of stairs, which she briskly walked halfway up.

When everyone was in the hall, she cleared her throat and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts. I know you are all very anxious to be sorted into your houses, but I ask you to wait a moment longer, so the older students may be seated before we begin the sorting. While we are waiting, I may as well explain a few things.

"There are four houses that you can be sorted into. The first is Ravenclaw, known for intelligence." She paused and looked at a young girl with blonde hair and large, luminescent eyes. "The second is Hufflepuff, known for kindness." She looked directly at a girl with brownish red hair, and freckles sprinkled across her nose. The girl looked shyly to the floor. "Gryffindor, known for bravery," continued the woman, staring now at Harry and his group with what seemed like a small smile. "And finally Slytherin, known for cunning." She said this last bit with tight lips, while looking straight at the boy Harry remembered from his party as being Draco Malfoy.

"Your house," she continued, ignoring the whispered that were breaking out, "is something of a family. We encourage friendly competition among houses, such as in the House Cup and the Quidditch Tournament, but any fighting will cost you house points. A number of other things can cost you points as well, and there are things which can gain you them back.

"If you have any questions, I suggest asking your Head of House, who will be introduced to you in a matter of time. I shall return in a few moments to bring you in." She left the Hall through a small side door, going into another room.

Jameson leaned close to Harry and whispered in his ear, "What do you want to bet she looked at the students who will most likely be sorted into each house? Wouldn't it be a laugh if something happened like you getting sorted into Slytherin, or Ron being a Ravenclaw?"

Ron, overhearing his comment, looked indignant and said, "I could be sorted there, you know. My family's been smart so far."

Jameson snorted. "Sure your family has, but what about you mate?"

While Ron rolled his eyes, Harry had begun to worry again. What if he was sorted into Slytherin? His parents would be ashamed. He would rather be in Hufflepuff than Slytherin.

At this point, the great doors leading to another room were flung open, and an enormous room with a ton of people was revealed. The ceiling looked nonexistent, but Harry and his friends knew better. They had been told about it before. There was a space between two of the four tables leading up to an elevated table.

The woman from before stood in front of them and said, "It is time."

The words sent shivers up Harry's spine as he followed the rest of the first years up the aisle. The woman stopped at the elevated table, behind a stool with an old hat on it. They had been told about this as well, so they were not surprised.

The woman spoke. "As Deputy Headmistress, I, Professor McGonagall, hold the right of sorting the new students. I will call you forth one at a time to be sorted. When the hat shouts out your house, you may go to the appropriate table. Let's begin. Abbott, Hannah."

Hannah was sorted into Hufflepuff, and shortly thereafter, the name Black, Jameson, was called.

The hat sat on his head for nearly a minute, which worried Harry. When the brim of the hat opened, nearly every mouth in the hall was shocked to hear it say, "SLYTHERIN!" Harry shook his head, but sure enough, he saw Jameson hop off the chair and head dejectedly towards the Slytherin table.

Harry stopped paying attention, thinking about what had happened, until the name Granger, Constance, was called. Predictably, she was sorted into Ravenclaw. He waited for her sister to go the same way.

"Granger, Hermione."

He waited, and waited, and waited a while longer, until finally the hat opened its brim. "GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted. Harry's jaw dropped, and he heard a cry from the Ravenclaw table saying, "What?"

The girl, looking somewhat surprised, ran to her new house anyway, and the ceremony proceeded. Draco Malfoy was predictably put in Slytherin. Parvati was sorted into Gryffindor, and Padma, who had always been the more conscientious twin, was put in Ravenclaw. Finally, he heard his name.

"Potter, Harry." The hall was silent, and everyone turned to stare at him. Ah, well, I should have expected it.

As the hat slid over his eyes, there were many thoughts going through his head. It had been said that you could influence thee hat's decision by what you thought, but what house did he want to be in, after all that had happened? The time had come to act.

Please put me in Slytherin, so I can be with Jameson, he thought. The hat reacted immediately.

"Slytherin? I would have expected a prayer for Gryffindor, from you...Are you sure? Well, I suppose you know what you want, and there are some strong Slytherin tendencies in you as well, like sticking up for your friends. If anything can be said of Slytherins, it's that they stick together. Alright, SLYTHERIN!"

Harry couldn't believe what he had just done, but as long as he had Jameson, he knew he would be alright. He went and sat down at the very end of the table by his friend, and waited for Ron's turn.

Ron ended up in Gryffindor, alienated from them. Harry thought he might have asked the hat for Slytherin, but he knew there wasn't a drop of Slytherin in Ron. He was a Gryffindor, just like the rest of his family. And like the rest of mine.

After the Sorting, Dumbledore, who Harry had met before, stood up for the customary speech. "Teachers, students, and those who will soon become students, welcome! This year at Hogwarts welcomes many changes, as you will soon find out. Some will be unforeseen, as has already happened. Others are by the hand of my colleagues and me. But I trust that all of them will work out for good. Hogwarts has stayed steadfast throughout the years, but a new age has come upon us, and the time for change has come with it. Hogwarts will remain Hogwarts, but with a new generation will come a new era of magical education. Many long-standing traditions will stay, but a few will be altered, as is fitting. I ask you to buckle in for the ride, as every student must each new year at Hogwarts. But for now, let us eat!"

At once, a vast array of food appeared before them. Harry and Jameson, forgetting their surroundings, dug in immediately, as any boy would do. As they ate, another boy slowly made his way to sit next to them. Draco Malfoy was curious at what could cause such people to be sorted into his house.

"So," said Draco, "why did you, of all the kids in the world, get sorted into Slytherin?"

Harry and Jameson looked up abruptly. "What's it to you?" they asked together.

Malfoy smirked. "Well, it is my house and I just want to make sure you didn't get yourselves in here to make our lives a living hell."

The two rolled their eyes, but were secretly thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea. "Whatever, Malfoy," said Harry.

Malfoy smirked again. "I could make you popular here, you know. I really wouldn't mind befriending you. You're quite the genius pranksters, I've heard. I've dabbled a bit myself, but I really would like to add you to my team. Want to give it a go?"

The boys narrowed their eyes. "What makes you think we should trust you?"

Malfoy shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. But you'll be quite alone and if I don't say so myself, in a bit of danger in the middle of a bunch of hostile Slytherins. We must stick together, you know. My mother told me what happened to the last Slytherin who thought he could make it on his own. It wasn't pretty."

Harry and Jameson decided that it didn't sound so bad. "How's 'bout we get to know each other first?" Harry said.

Malfoy shrugged. "That'll work. I just don't want the Potter and Black tag team against me." He left to chat with a few friends, leaving them alone once more.

The boys finished the feast by themselves, feeling a bit uneasy about their deal with the devil. Maybe this was one of the unforeseen changes Dumbledore had mentioned. Or maybe it was just a disaster.