Harry was very nervous, almost to the point of nausea.

He and the rest of the first years were standing in the Great Hall, waiting for their sorting. 

On a three legged stool at the head of the hall, sat a ragged looking witch's hat, patches and frayed threads showing its age quite well. The whole hall was silent, waiting.

A particularly large tear near the brim opened wide and, to the new students' surprise, it began to sing, rather well at that;

I might not be a pretty thing, my years are shown quite plain. But I put to you, to find one better, would be an undue strain.

You can keep your smart round bowlers, and party hats that gleam, for I've more to give then all of them, I'm a one hat thinking team.

As Sorting Hat, I'll search your heads, and find out where you'll fit. A family away from family, are those with whom you'll sit.

Brave Gryffindors; a rowdy bunch, where jokes and laughs abound. Though it t'would be foolish to start a fight With these daring folk around.

Sweet Hufflepuffs; a loyal group, who'll keep your secrets safe. You are sure to be remiss, to under estimate these mates.

Wise Ravenclaws prefer a book, to trouble, and such plights. But if you cross them, do beware, they're capable of many frights.

And Slytherins, of course, are quite a tight knit lot. Their cunning and camaraderie are things that can't be bought.

So come on up, don't be afraid, with me you've not to worry. My choices might seem bizarre, but are not made in a hurry.

It might take a minute, or even two, I've yet to be wrong. It might not be apparent quickly, but the bonds you'll make are strong.

So try me on, don't worry your heads, here you are quite safe. More then just a warm hearth, Hogwarts is a special place.

The entire hall burst into applause, the first years looking around nervously, and the hat bowed to the four tables, before becoming still once more.

So they had to try on the hat? Harry thought to himself, that sounded much easier then some of the ideas the other first years had muttered about while waiting for Professor Mcgonagall. In fact, the only thing that sounded problematic to Harry, was that none of the houses' descriptions seemed like him at all.

He didn't like anything that drew attention to him, as it never ended well for him, and he was only ever loyal to himself, as no one else had ever cared to Talk to him, let alone try to gain his loyalty. They usually just made him listen. Harry didn't consider himself particularly cunning either, and he had never had friends before, so he wasn't sure how camaraderie came into it.

From the Sorting Hat's depiction, Ravenclaw was closest to what Harry preferred, but he wasn't particularly clever, or wise enough for that to be him.

Draco next to him was muttering under his breath. Harry already knew Draco wanted to end up in Slytherin, the Malfoy heir had said it was the best of the houses. As much as Harry wanted to be with his maybe-a-friend, he wasn't the best, so he had no real chance of ending up there.

Harry was broken from his thoughts, as Professor Mcgonagall 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 unrolled the parchment partially, and read off the first name, 

"Abbott, Hannah!"

A blonde girl with a pink face stumbled out of the ragged line of new students, placed the hat on her head, and sat down on the stool. After a moments pause, the hat shouted,

"Hufflepuff!"

Hannah Abbott handed the hat to Mcgonagall, and made her way to the table on the right side of the hall that was cheering loudly for her.

The girl right after Hannah was also placed in Hufflepuff. The boy, and then girl after that, were the first Ravenclaws, followed by a 'Brown, Lavender' as a new Gryffindor, with 'Bulstrode, Millicent' as the newest Slytherin.

Harry was beginning to feel sick. He remembered previous times when teams had been picked at his old schools, no one had wanted Harry unless they had no choice. They hadn't wanted Dudley to think they were friendly with 'the freak Potter'.

Names were called, houses chosen, and Harry felt more and more ill. As 'Granger, Hermione' was declared a Gryffindor, Harry suddenly had a very horrible thought.

What if he wasn't chosen? What if he sat there, until Mcgonagall finally pulled the hat from his head and told him there must have been a mistake, and he was sent back?

He would probably just jump from the train. At full speed, it would break his neck, hopefully being quick and painless.

When Draco's name was called, Harry watched him saunter up to the stool, confidence in his every step. Indeed, the hat had barely touched his head, before it yelled out, "Slytherin!"

Draco looked quite pleased with himself as he sat between two boys Harry remembered were called Crabbe and Goyle.

There weren't many people left now. Very quickly, 'Potter, Harry' was called.

As Harry tried to not feint from anxiety, whispers began to spread across the hall.

"Potter?"

"The Harry Potter?"

"He's really at Hogwarts?"

As Harry sat on the stool, he caught a glimpse of everyone craning their necks to see him, before the Sorting Hat slid down over his eyes, easily covering his glasses with its expanse.

"Hmmmm."

A voice in his ear made Harry jump slightly, wincing at the sudden sound. 

"A great deal of courage, I see... a good mind too, but..." there was a short pause, "dear, oh dear, oh dear. I never expected this. A great deal of potential... a hunger for acceptance... but... my dear, dear child."

Another silence. Harry worried his lower lip, a large chasm filling his chest at the somber tone. If the Sorting Hat couldn't decide, would he be sent back? Would he be forced to return to the Dursleys, today nothing more then a daydream?

"You will not be sent back." Came the surprisingly firm reply to his unspoken thoughts. "It is hard to place you, but not impossible. I have already decided, it will be either Gryffindor, or Slytherin. Which is your choice?"

His choice? Was it his choice? He never had much choice before. He wanted to join Draco, but didn't think it was allowed. He remembered what Hagrid had said about Slytherin. If he was supposed to be so important, would they let him be in such a supposedly evil house?

A sudden snort made Harry jump again.

"None of the houses are evil, dear boy. And what does anyone else's thoughts matter? It is your future, and your house you are choosing. You will do well in either, but, with Gryffindor come ill-placed expectations. As if one house only has one personality. The virtues I told of before are what the founders valued above all others, but it is not illegal for a Slytherin to be brave, or a Ravenclaw loyal. Despite what it may seem like, your future is your choice. No one else has say over who you are. No matter what they expect or believe. So tell me, Potter, what do you expect from Hogwarts? What do you want?"

What did he want?

Immediately, Harry remembered the train ride.

Draco had introduced him to some other children, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson, as well as Crabbe and Goyle. After the initial surprise at his name, and the fact he was The Harry Potter, they had all had fun. Crabbe and Goyle had taught him how to play exploding snap, a wizard's card game that was great fun. They had all played several rounds before talk turned to Quidditch, which even Pansy, who wasn't as enthusiastic about as the boys, had explained even more about it then what Harry had read, assuring him it was much better in person.

What had brought that particular memory to the front, was how much fun Harry'd had. It had made him feel like he might really belong to this strange world.

That's what he wanted, Harry decided, he wanted to belong. More then acceptance, he wanted someone to know him. Not just as famous Harry Potter, or Harry Potter, the boy who didn't know anything about his world.

Would anyone stay, if they knew about Harry Potter, the nine year old who tried to die?

That's what he wanted. He wanted someone who would see the scars that weren't on his forehead, that weren't proof of something that he didn't remember, but proof of his failings and his despair.

He wanted a family.

"... So you wish to be understood. It will neither be easy, nor straight forward, but you will get the family you deserve. And not the one you have." The hat assured him. "You will be... Slytherin!"

The Shorting Hat shouted the last word, a deathly hush following its exclamation.

As Harry handed the hat back to Mcgonagall, the Slytherins seemed to shake themselves out of the stupor that had enveloped the entire hall, and applauded Harry just as much as they had the rest of the Slytherin first years. Though a few of them did look slightly smug about it.

Crabbe shifted over to give Harry the space to sit between him and Draco, who looked happy that Harry was joining him.

Once Harry was sat down, Mcgonagall seemed to come back to herself, and called 'Thomas, Dean' to be sorted.

From his seat at the Slytherin table, Harry could see the staff table properly.

On the far side, near the Gryffindor table, sat Hagrid, who was looking at Harry with an odd mix of emotions Harry couldn't quite name. At the center of the table was Albus Dumbledore, whom Harry recognised from a chocolate frog card he'd gotten on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair and beard glistened as brightly as the ghosts that were floating near the different house tables.

Harry also noticed Professor Quirrell, whom he had met briefly at the Leaky Cauldron when he had gone with Hagrid. The nervous Dark Arts teacher was wearing a large purple turbin, that made his head look rather small.

Next to Quirrell, sat a hook-nosed teacher, with greasy black hair, and a thoughtful scowl, as he stared straight at Harry. For a moment, Harry met the man's obsidian eyes, and he had the oddest feeling, like someone was lightly poking his forehead.

The Slytherins around him applauded, and Harry looked away from the dark haired teacher, as 'Zabini, Blaise' sat across the table from him, between Theodore Nott, and Millicent Bulstrode.

As Professor Mcgonagall rolled up the parchment, and carried the hat and stool away, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet, spreading his arms as if he wanted nothing more then to give them all a great big hug.

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" He was beaming at them all, gazing at them over his half moon spectacles. "I have a few words to share with you, before we begin our excellent feast; Neatherfall! Coalesce! Blumfelth! Twumph! Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everyone cheered and clapped, the Slytherins much more subdued as they clapped politely. Harry was bewildered.

"Is he... a bit mad?" He asked the nearest prefect, recognizable by the shining green and silver badge pinned on his chest.

The older teen barked out a short laugh.

"Of course he's mad. He's a great wizard, make no mistake. But yes, he's quite mad. Sprouts?"

Harry's mouth fell open. In front of him, the dishes had filled with all kinds of food: different roast meat, pork and lamb chops, sausages, steak, potatoes prepared in all kinds of ways, peas, carrots, bowls of gravy, pots of Yorkshire pudding, peppermint humbugs were there as well, for some reason.

The Dursleys hadn't really starved Harry, but there wasn't usually much left after Dudley was finished.

Harry put a bit of everything on his plate, except the peppermints, and carefully tucked in.

}-{|>

Severus Snape was shocked.

He has never expected Harry Potter to be in his house. Minerva's definitely, Pomona's at the wildest. But no, the scion of the Potter line was in Slytherin.

What ever would Potter Sr. think?

While Minerva finished the Sorting, Severus watched the hellion of James Potter. The boy was looking at the High Table, and turned towards Snape, their eyes locking. Even from this distance, Severus recognized those green eyes. They were the exact same as Lily's.

Curious inspite of himself, Severus used Legilimency to lightly inspect the thoughts behind those eyes, that were so like his childhood friend's. What he saw flashed past like a river in a hurricane, and made no sense.

A small, dark room. The glint of something. Pale lines; some appeared to weep red.

The last coherent memory he saw, was a family; A very thin woman, sitting with two rather large males. And then the boy turned away, his attention drawn to the boy now sitting across from him.

Severus pondered these strange memories. Something about those lines set him on edge. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but it set a bad feeling in his gut.

After Dumbledore's usual before-feast wonderment of nonsense words, food filled the plates, and everyone dug in.

Severus helped himself to some steak and mashed potatoes, keeping one eye on the Potter gremlin. The boy spoke very little, instead listening to the others conversations. Severus had to admit, Potter looked very much like he belonged. He was sitting straight, his table manners easily matching the wizarding heirs and heiresses around him. Yet his posture somehow seemed more stiff then the rest of them. Like he was waiting for something to happen.

When the desserts appeared, Potter looked at each dish like it was a garden snake, popping out suddenly from under a bush.

They were halfway through dessert, when Potter looked up at the High Table again. Their eyes meet for the briefest moment, before Potter looked somewhere else at the table.

Severus watched as the miniature James flinched, his hand clamping over his forehead. His green eyes flickered back to Snape, before he turned back to the Slytherin table.

Severus frowned. Glancing down the table, he looked over his colleagues.

Hagrid was downing another drink. Professor Babbling was eating ice cream, speaking with Professor Sinistra. Next to the Astronomy teacher was Professor Vector, who taught Arithmancy. Next to her was Flitwick, the Charms Professor. Dumbledore was in the center of the table, Minerva sitting to his right. Next to the Transfiguration teacher, was Pomona Sprout, the Herbology Professor, who was speaking with Quirrell, who was next to Snape himself.

None of them were looking towards Potter.

Severus wondered what had happened, but ultimately returned his attention to his chocolate cake, trying to forget what he saw in Potter's mind. As always, he would need to speak with his newest students tonight.

There was already a headache pounding in Severus' temples.

I'm sure you have many questions about the Sorting bit. I'll do my best to answer individually, here are some in advance;

No, the Sorting hat didn't ask everyone obviously. That would make its existence pointless.

It asked Harry because it was a very close decision between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and it saw from his memories that he really has no self confidence, and was never really given a choice before.

And while I do like Griyffindor and all that, everyone was immediately celebrating that they had Harry Potter, but no one Knew him. And even Ron had expectations of Harry before they ever actually met. And he does have a bit of an inferiority complex, and their friendship developed into a rather one sided one.

And if you think about it, Ron was a bad influence. Their entire first year Harry was just trying to make friends and stay out of trouble and figure out this strange new world. Ron was the one always brushing aside the rules, and egging Harry on. Hermione was kind of right when she said the Nimbus was a reward for breaking school rules. And while that incident was Harry's decision, accepting the Wizards dual, and then following through with sneaking out, was entirely Ron. Maybe Harry would have tried to save face and pretend he knew what it was, but as soon as he realized people die during duels, he was most definitely thinking about not going. Ron was the one who talked him into it.

I'll stop here, as I got off topic, and forgot what I was trying to say. For all of Ron's good and bad points, he was a good friend when he wasn't being a dick. I just don't like him. He's a good enough character, I just don't like him. Never did really.

Anyway, enjoy your day.

Peace

Bakeku67

Almost missed the mark guys, but good job! We got to sixty nine! Since we're practically there, eighty for the next chapter! Let's keep it up!!