The Otherwordly Cousins

Harry

"Anyway," Professor McGonagall continued. "It's time for your sorting!"

She brought out the hat and explained to them that she had brought it from Dumbledore's office. She set it on Percy's head and immediately Percy's excited expression turned puzzled. Harry watched with interest and Percy, seeing this, scrunched up his face in concentration. Harry, you looked interested, so I thought you could listen in on the conversation.

Harry smiled. You are literally the greatest.

Percy mentally smirked. Yep. But I can't do this for long. Sorry.

Don't be.

Hey, Sorting Hat, you can continue now. Wait, before you do, What's your name?

Well, my name is Jack.

Huh. Harry had never thought of asking that before. It was sort of interesting...

Hmmm...yes, yes. You have some very dark times ahead of you. Very dark times.

Suddenly, Percy turned extremely pale. Harry stopped feeling the buzz of Percy's thoughts. 

Percy's eyes grew wide, then started turning a milky white. He let out a silent scream and then passed out. At the last moment, the hat, apparently Jack, said in an unusually grave tone, "Gryffindor!"

Professor McGonagall, stunned into silence for a moment, quickly levitated Percy as she got out of her chair and set him there gently. She then brought out a flask and started trickling its contents into his mouth. After a moment, he started and looked around frantically, relaxing when he set his eyes, now back to normal, on them. "Where-- c-can I have s-some water, please?"

The professor silently nodded and transfigured a quill on her desk into a cup and spouted some water into it out of her wand. She handed it to him and he gratefully gulped it down, his breathing slowing down to normal. While he seemed calmer, he just stared blankly at the wall, not saying anything. Both Harry and McGonagall tried to get his attention, but didn't even get so much as a twitch in response. Finally, he looked at them, and when he did, McGonagall had another cup of water ready and handed it to him. Percy's eyes seemed to clear as he drank it almost mechanically.

At last, he asked, trying to seem clueless. "What was that?"

In response, Harry said, almost indignantly, "What happened?!?"

"The hat," he said, glancing at McGonagall, "showed me a vision. Does it-he- normally do that? Does it normally show the person wearing it visions of the future?"

She looked startled. "Why, no! I've never heard of such a thing!"

Harry shook himself. "What did it show you?"

Percy glanced at him sharply. "He. I told you, his name is Jack." He said nothing else, crossing his arms firmly. McGonagall looked faintly confused but didn't say anything. 

McGonagall tried this time. "Percy, dear, what did our Sorting Hat show you?"

Percy just shook his head stubbornly. 

Like this, the two tried and tried and tried. But Percy would not budge, either worming his way out of answering and, as a result, having some very interesting conversations, or just blatantly refusing. After fifteen minutes, McGonagall sighed. "Fine. Percy, Potter, both of you go to your dorms. Harry, to get there, instead of taking the first right passage through the Fat Lady, take the second one and I believe the password is," she smiled slightly. "fortuna major."