What If?

Chapter One

Harry stood in line in between Draco and Crabbe - he had learnt to recognize the difference between Crabbe and Goyle - as he waited to be sorted. As he looked towards the hat, it twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

'Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find,

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep you bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin,

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!'

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

'When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,' she said. 'Abbot, Hannah!'

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause -

'HUFFLEPUFF!' shouted the hat.

'Bones, Susan!'

'HUFFLEPUFF!' shouted the hat again.

'Boot, Terry!'

'RAVENCLAW!'

'Brocklehurst, Mandy!'

'RAVENCLAW!'

'Brown, Lavender!'

'GRYFFINDOR!'

'Bulstrode, Millicent!'

'SLYTHERIN!

'Crabbe, Vincent!'

'SLYTHERIN!'

Draco looked at Harry and winked. Harry smiled back at him, feeling slightly nervous. What if he wasn't with Draco? What if the Sorting Hat just sat on his head for ages and didn't sort him? He'd be sent home, back to the Dursleys. Harry swallowed and tried to think of something else.

'Finch-Fletchley, Justin!'

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but on others, it took a little while to decide.

'Finnegan, Seamus!'

'GRYFFINDOR!'

'Granger, Hermione!'

'GRYFFINDOR!' shouted the hat.

'Goyle, Gregory!'

'SLYTHERIN!'

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. When it finally shouted 'GRYFFINDOR!' (Malfoy, Harry noticed, sniggered at this) Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to 'MacDougal, Morag.'

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish immediately: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed 'SLYTHERIN!'

Draco went over to sit with Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased.

There weren't many people left now.

'Moon'... 'Nott'..., 'Parkinson'..., then a pair of twin girls, 'Patil' and 'Patil'..., then, 'Perks, Sally-Anne' ..., and then, at last -

'Potter, Harry!'

As Harry stepped forward, whispers broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

'Potter, did she say?'

'The Harry Potter?'

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall craning to get a good look at him. Next second, he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.

'Hmm,' said a small voice in his ear. 'Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting...so where shall I put you?'

Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, 'Please Slytherin, please Slytherin.'

'Slytherin, eh?' said the small voice. 'Yes, I think that will be a good choice for you...it will help you on your way to greatness, you know, it's all here in your head...sure? Okay then, it will be SLYTHERIN!'

Harry took the hat off and sighed in relief. At least he was with Draco, his first friend...ever.

He stood and walked over to the Slytherin table, not hearing the mutters around him.

'I thought he'd be in Gryffindor for sure!'

'Slytherin? Who'd ever guess?'

Draco smiled at him and moved over to make room for him.

'I knew you'd be in Slytherin,' he said in a friendly manner.

'I was afraid I'd be put into Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor,' Harry confessed.

Draco scoffed. 'As if the Sorting Hat would put you, Harry Potter, into Hufflepuff!'

Harry smiled a bit uncomfortably. 'I suppose so.'

After 'Zabini, Blaise' was also made a Slytherin, Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties he had eaten on the train seemed ages ago.

Albus Dumbledore got to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms open wide. Harry thought that he could detect a note of worry behind his smile, however, even though he looked as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

'Welcome!' he said. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin out banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

'Thank you!'

He sat back down. Everybody, except most of the Slytherins, clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.

Beside him, Draco was introducing himself to some of the first and second year Slytherins. Harry turned to join them.

'Hello,' he said.

A few faces looked at him, some with a hint of malice hidden.

'Hullo,' said a boy. 'I'm Blaise.'

Harry smiled and shook his hand.

Taking their lead from Blaise, a few other people introduced themselves.

'Millicent Bulstrode,' said a particularly burly first year girl.

'Harry Potter,' he replied, having his hand nearly crushed by her significantly larger one.

She nodded, and contorted her face into something that looked like a friendly smile.

Harry turned his attention back to the table. His mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and, for some strange reason, mint humbugs.

The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick. Harry piled his plate with a bit everything except the humbugs and began to eat. He noticed Draco doing the same.

'So, Potter,' said Draco, taking a break from his meal. 'Enjoying Hogwarts so far?'

Harry nodded. 'Oh, definitely,' he replied.

Draco smiled. 'I'm pleased you were put into this house. You'll make a good Slytherin, with a bit of training. Over there,' he said, pointing to the Head Table, towards a man with greasy black hair and a hook nose, 'is our Head of House, Severus Snape. Don't tell anyone,' he whispered, leaning forwards conspiratorially, 'but he's my godfather. One of my father's best friends. He often comes to visit the Manor during the holidays.'

Harry twisted around to look at Snape, who was immersed in discussion with a professor wearing a turban. Snape moved his head fractionally and met Harry's eyes. Although Harry felt with shock that this man hated him, for some reason, he also realized that there was another emotion imbedded in his gaze. What emotion, though? Harry wondered. Shrugging, he turned back to Malfoy, who was introducing some of the other teachers to him.

'That's Professor McGonagall,' he said with a sneer. 'Head of Gryffindor house, and the Transfiguration teacher. Next to her is Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster. My father doesn't like him, says he's a silly old git who should be removed from the position. Then there's Madam Hooch, who's the Quidditch teacher. We'll be having lessons with her later on.'

Harry looked at Draco in amazement. 'How on earth do you know all of this?' he asked, stunned.

Draco waved a slim and pale hand dismissively. 'My father told me before I came. He thinks that I should know as much about the school before I come here. He told me everything he knows about the school, even where all the secret passages are. He even gave me an enchanted map.'

Harry peered over at the piece of parchment Draco had pulled out of his cloak and looked at it with interest.

'It has everything in the school!' he said. 'It even has little dots about where everyone is!'

Draco nodded, looking smug. 'Apparently, my godfather's enemies had a map like this, one that a lot of people knew about, but didn't let on. So, Severus gave me this map, in hopes that it would serve me better. He didn't have many friends when he was at school, you know.'

A look of pity flashed over his beautiful face. Harry looked at him curiously.

'You and Snape are very close, aren't you?' he asked.

Draco nodded. 'Yes, we are. He's my favourite relative.'

Harry felt a bit uncomfortable, and turned his attention back to the map.

'But there would be over a thousand people in this school...how does it show only a few people?' Harry questioned.

'I'm not sure, exactly. The only person Severus has allowed to use the map other than me was himself. He let me use it because I told him about what father was teaching me about Hogwarts. Then, as a birthday present, he gave it to me. I think he made another one for himself, though. It's a very difficult bit of magic, but he's quite a talented wizard.'

Harry looked at Draco quizzically. 'What subject does he teach, then? Charms?' Draco had told him most of the subjects when they had been talking, on the train. Harry had told Draco that he was brought up by Muggles, but Draco had been surprisingly uncaring about this fact.

'Potions. Charms is taught by Professor Flitwick, that tiny wizard sitting next to Madam Hooch. Severus was the best Potions student Hogwarts had seen for a long time - the only person who was anywhere near him was Lily Evans, your mother.'

Harry felt a small pang as his mother was mentioned. Although he and Draco had spoken about his parents on the train - apparently, Severus' worst enemy was his father, James - Harry still felt a bit upset whenever someone mentioned either of them.

'Is he a good teacher?' he asked, trying to change the subject.

'Apparently. He's quite strict, but he favours the Slytherins,' Draco said with glee.

Harry smiled. 'Okay.'

At last, even the puddings disappeared and Professor Dumbledore stood again. The hall fell silent, save for a few Slytherins who were whispering amongst themselves.

'Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you.

'First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that also.'

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of a few wayward students.

'I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

'Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

'And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.'

A few people laughed at this, but no one outside the Slytherin table.

'He's not serious?' he muttered to a fourth year next to him.

'He is. There's a three-headed monster behind that door, guarding a stone of some sort. I don't know what it is exactly, but it's very important,' the fourth year replied.

'How do you know?' Harry asked.

'My father,' said the fourth year shortly.

Harry turned to Draco, risen eyebrows hidden behind his black fringe. Draco leant forward.

'That's Egor Lestrange,' he said in lowered tones. 'His parents are in Azkaban for supporting the Dark Lord. It's said that when he returns, he'll break apart Azkaban and reward those followers best who went to prison in his name.'

Harry looked a bit confused, and it showed, on his face. Draco continued:

'Azkaban is the wizarding prison. It's guarded by Dementors, spirit-like things who can suck out your soul through your mouth. When they do that, it's called the Kiss of Death.'

Before Harry could reply, Dumbledore cried, 'And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!'

Harry noticed that the other teachers' smile had become rather fixed.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick as if he were trying to get a fly off the end and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted snake-like into words.

'Everyone pick their favourite tune,' said Dumbledore, 'and off we go!'

And the school bellowed:

'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling,

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.'

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only two people were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

'Ah, music,' he said, wiping his eyes. 'A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!'

The Slytherin first years followed two prefects, Adrian Pucey and another female prefect. They led Draco, Harry and the rest of the first years down to the dungeons, to the Slytherin common room. They only had to go down one set of stairs, where they came to what seemed a blank stonewall. Adrian turned and announced that the Slytherin password was "Dominus." After he spoke, a door-like shape appeared behind him, with a grinding noise. He stood back and let the first years flood in through the opening eagerly. Everything was in green and silver. There were several comfortable-looking armchairs, most of them pulled up close to the fire, which didn't give much warmth. All the hangings were also in green and silver, and there were a few tapestries scattered around on the walls. The female prefect told the boys to go to the right, and the girls to the left. Harry and the rest of the Slytherin boys trudged up the stairs, coming to a long corridor. The first doorway on the left led to the first year dormitory. Draco opened the door, and Harry saw five four-poster beds, hung in green, with silver covers. Each trunk was at the foot of a bed, and Harry noted with pleasure that his bed between Draco's and the wall. To tired to do much else, they all pulled on their pyjamas and fell into bed.

'Goodnight, Harry,' said Draco from behind his curtains.

'Goodnight, Draco,' replied Harry. He fell asleep immediately.