Fallen in grace

the Sorting Hat

Once we were inside we were gathered by a professor who introduced herself as professor McGonagall. She told us to wait for her while she checked if the other students were all seated and calm in the great hall. Once she came back she briefly explained the sorting process. I heard many people around me nervously whispering. I wasn't very nervous, because it was almost a fact that I would end up in Slytherin. I even suspected my father would be willing to bribe the school if the hat made the 'mistake' of sorting me in a different house.

Once professor McGonagall came back we all followed her into the great hall. I heard many gasps around me as we had our first look at the great hall. Candles were flying around, I saw the starts at the ceiling, it felt like there was no ceiling at all, that we were just looking at the sky outside. I heard a girl nearby saying that the ceiling was bewitched to show the sky from outside. I recognized the girl as the one who came into our compartment looking for the toad.

Once the sorting started I didn't pay much attention those sorted before me. The only ones I took a notice to were Crabbe and Goyle being sorted in Slytherin as could be expected and the Longbottom boy my father talked about and the brown haired girl being sorted into Gryffindor. I was relieved that I hadn't talked to her on the train, as my father told me Gryffindor is the house were most blood traitors ended up. I didn't recognize the name Granger, my father had never told me about a wizarding family with that name so maybe she really was a mudblood. Not long after my name was finally called. It didn't take long for the Sorting Hat to place me in Slytherin, I was relieved. At least my father would be proud of me now.

I felt the excitement in the hall as professor McGonagall called Harry Potter. Everyone went silent, waiting in anticipation for the house that would host the chosen one. I saw all tables watching the scene with high hopes. I saw the headmaster Dumbledore getting up a little to have a better look at the sorting of the boy.

The Sorting Hat took some time before finally calling out, 'Gryffindor!'. I bet my father wouldn't be happy with that, he was wishing for the boy to be put in Slytherin, with the right people as he said. The boy had once defeated you-know-who so my dad thought that maybe it was a sign that you-know-who was not as powerful as everyone had thought. The boy might grow up to be more powerful so it would be important that he was surrounded by the right people. That plan of my father and his friends was obviously no longer on the table since it would be quite hard to get to him if the Sorting Hat felt he belonged in Gryffindor. Gryffindors were not those who grew up to be dark wizards.

I made the decision that from now on I would make the life of Harry Potter a living hell. Since I was not be able to befriend him and he was now a Gryffindor, I felt that was the way my dad would still be proud of me. I figured it wouldn't be so strange, Gryffindors and Slytherins were knows to hate each other, so nothing new there.

The last once I noticed being sorted was the Weasley boy. He was also placed in Gryffindor where he was congratulated by his brothers. Again I felt the familiar sense of jealousy I had felt that day at Diagon Alley. There was no one to really congratulate me as I made it into Slytherin. I had noticed that the Gryffindor was always the most excited table when someone made it into their house. The Slytherins at my table only gave only a small yell when someone got sorted with them. They looked like it was just a normality for those who were placed in Slytherin. For most of them it probably was, everyone knew some pureblood families whose descendants always ended up in Slytherin, generation after generation.

Once the sorting ceremony was over the headmaster gave a short speech before we all dived into our food. I saw bowl filled with meat, sauces, vegetables and potatoes all over the table. If every meal would be like this, I never wanted to go home. I shot one last glance at the Gryffindor table where Harry Potter was surrounded by many Weasleys. They all seemed happy to be seated at that table. I decided to focus on my attention to my table and the people around me. I was seated next to Crabbe while Goyle sat on the other side of the table. I listened a minute to their conversation before joining is.

So this was it, my first evening at Hogwarts. I was curious about what would come. At least I had managed not to shame my dad on my first evening here. That was a start.