United Against All Odds | Harry Potter AU

Chapter 1

The flurry of first years stood eyes wide open, at the hat that was posied on the stool in front of them. The hat looked tattered, with some broken seams, and the brown colour almost faded. The shock when the hat began to sing, was evident on the faces of all the first years;

"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 your 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 on 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!

Harry listened to the song and applauded like everyone else. His palms were sweating slighty but he forced himself to calm down slightly. He didn't listen to majority of the sorting, until they got to the letter 'p'. 'Parkinson' was sorted into Slytherin and the 'Patil' twins were sorted into Ravenclaw and Gryffindor respectively. He did not pay attention to Perks as he assumed he would be next. Sure enough, professor McGonagall called out his name.

"Potter, Harry." Silence fell upon the hall, then a burst of whispers started, with Harry being pointed at and people in shock at him actually being here.

Harry walked up to McGonagall and sat down, adjusting himself on the chair as she put the hat on him.

"Well you're an interesting one aren't you." Harry was surprised to hear a voice talking to, supposedly, just him.
"Now where to put you?" Harry thought in his head that he didn't mind where he was put. He just wanted somewhere were people won't judge him.
"You're very smart, you know. Loyal as well. But mostly, you're cunning, courageous. You say you want somewhere were people will respect you. I think you should be... SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted out the last word to the entire hall, to which everyone went silent. No one moved, not even the headmaster. The first to react was McGonagall, who lifted the hat and ushered him to his table.

Harry walked down, everyone staring at him, expecting the sorting hat to say he's made a mistake. As Harry sat down, the next few people were called up, only the hat making noise and small amounts of clapping for everyone. When they could, people were still snatching glances at Harry, which he noticed and didn't like. When the last person was sorted, Blaise Zabini into Slytherin, Dumbledore turned to the students.

"Welcome children, old and new to this new year at Hogwarts. May I please remind all students that The Forbidden Forest is, as its name suggests, forbidden. Mr. Filch would like me to tell you that the list of banned items has been added to and, that all students should have a look at it. Finally, I would like to say that the Third Floor Corridor is blocked for anyone who doesn't want to die a horribly gruesome death. Now, I suppose we are all hungry, so please tuck in." As Dumbledore said that, golden plates of food appeared upon the table, as if by magic. There was still a slight eer of silence at the Slytherin table but everyone else was chatting happily. Finally after five minutes, Draco Malfoy looked at Harry.

"Why are you a Slytherin, Potter?" He asked rudely, as if he expected everyone to follow his every word.
"...Because the sorting hat placed me here." Harry said, slightly unsure of himself. Draco scoffed slightly.
"Obviously Potter, but aren't you light? You don't seem like, what one would call, a good Slytherin."
"I'm sorry, but what do you mean?" Harry asked. "How does one become a good Slytherin?" He adopted the slightly more formal tone that he had heard all the Slytherin using after Draco and Harry had begun their conversation. However, the other first year Slytherins seemed to be listening to their conversation.

"Have you not heard about the reputation of Slytherin? Slytherin is a dark house. You are a well respected member of the light as the Boy Who Lived!" Draco exclaimed. Harry internally groaned at the title.
"I did not know. I grew up with muggles, they told me nothing." Draco adopted a slightly more straight position.
"That's good. We can teach you how to be a good wizard. Slytherin will help you on your path to a great future." Harry considered what Draco had said for a second. Realising the authoritorial tone of the boy, Harry responded;
"Advice I will take, but whatever decision I make will be my own choice, whether I follow your idea or not will be my own decision." All the first years smiled at the young boy, with the exception of Draco, who looked slightly upset to be rejected.

"You've just proved to us why you are a Slytherin. Cunning, will gain as much information as possible but use what you know for the best intentions of yourself." One of the girls next to him, Daphne Greengrass, said to him. Harry nodded slightly to the girl, before continuing with his meal. The first years split off into separate conversations, to which they would occasionally include Harry in, or let him listen to, to allow him to gain more knowledge of the wizarding world. He noted that there were two main friendship groups: Daphne, Tracey Davis, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, and Draco, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Millicent Bullstrode. Harry also noted that outside of the friendship groups, they all used surnames to refer to people, something he questioned quietly to Tracey.

"As pure bloods they use surnames. It's something they've grown up with. I'm a half blood, my dad is a muggle Born, my mother is a pure blood, so I usually use first names." Harry took in the information, knowing he could utilise it at a later date. One thing he didn't know was what the terms half blood, Muggle born and pure blood meant. He questioned all of them as a whole group to what that meant.
"A pure blood is someone who has had three generations of magic in their family, a half blood has either one pure blood parent and a muggle, half-blood or muggle born parent, or two half blood parents and a Muggle born is someone who has two Muggle parents but is magical themselves. A muggle born will often be referred to as a Mudblood in the Slytherin house." Blaise explained before Theodore cut in.
"He's warning you it will be used a lot. It means dirty blood and is not the kindest of terms." Harry nodded.

"As long as you don't offend me or my mother with it, I will keep any opinions I may have to myself." The rest nodded although it was mainly Draco's group that used the term, as well as the older years. The tests of the evening passed without much fault, and Harry went to bed that night knowing he may have just made a few life long friends, or a few enemies. He had to decide which group to join. At the moment he was leaning towards Daphne, Tracey, Blaise and Theodore, although he wasn't completely sure.