"SLYTHERIN!"
Harry peeked out from under the hat and immediately wished he could hide his face again. The entirety of the great hall was staring at him, most with mouths wide open in shock.
Harry gulped and stood on shaky legs to hand Professor McGonagall back the hat.
He was debating on just fleeing and heading back to London when he heard a single person clapping. He looked around and locked eyes with Susan, at the Hufflepuff table, standing up and clapping with all her might. This was followed almost immediately by Draco at the Slytherin table. Then Hermione with the Ravenclaws. And finally Neville with the Gryffindors.
He grinned and shot Susan a quick wink, hoping she'd take it as the thank you it was intended as, before walking with his head held high to the Slytherin table.
Don't let them see your fear.
Draco immediately scooted over and cleared a space next to him for Harry.
"Way to go Potter," Draco said. "I think you've broken two records tonight."
Harry cocked his head at him in confusion.
"Yeah? What'd I do?"
The girl with short black hair, and a small pug nose, laughed.
"Well first you were under the hat longer than anyone in history ever has been." She drawled, looking at him with a mixture of amusement and disdain, a look Harry didn't quite appreciate. "Then the wonderful Golden Boy of Magical Britain went and got sent to the snake pit."
Draco rolled his eyes at her, then grinned at Harry.
"This is Pansy, Pansy Parkinson. She's acting like a troll, but she's got the right idea."
Pansy puffed up indignantly but smiled sweetly at Draco. Harry was pretty sure her smile was as fake as possible but he had to give her props for her acting skills.
"Excuse meee, Draco." She said sweetly. "I didn't realize that your father would be so pleased with your association with the 'Boy-Who-Lived'."
Harry valiantly attempted to ignore her whiney and reeding voice as she argued with Draco over 'associating' with him. He watched the rest of the sorting and played a game with himself trying to guess where someone would be sorted before the hat said it.
"Weasley, Ronald!"
Harry perked up to watch the red-headed boy from the train walk up to the stool- pale faced but determined.
Ambitious like a Slytherin and really even his determination to be in Gryffindor is more like a Slytherin. But the hat said it takes your request in to consideration so maybe Gryffindor?
He grimaced, knowing the hat had a hard decision to make.
After a minute or so, the brim split wide and announced, "SLYTHERIN!"
Harry clapped politely, but saw he was one of the few who did at the Slytherin table. And there were some red heads at the Gryffindor table who looked like they had been struck dumb.
He admired how Ron kept his head held high through the lack of applause; Harry hadn't felt nearly that confident when he walked through a silent hall to their table.
Ron plopped down in the seat to the left of Harry, causing him to shift to the right a bit, and gave him a grin.
"Alright, mate? We're both snakes now, eh?"
Harry nodded distractedly, watching as Zabini, Blaise was sorted as the final Slytherin student.
"Alright there Potter?" Zabini asked as he sat on the other side of Harry.
Harry scowled, annoyed to find himself completely surrounded by other students.
"Fine."
Zabini leant across him to smirk at Ron.
"How's your family gonna feel about you being in green instead of red?"
Ron's ears turned red, but he still did a good job of trying to look unconcerned, he raised a shoulder and said, "guess we'll find out tomorrow at owl post right?"
Zabini laughed, a bright and cheerful sound. Draco, directly across from Harry, snorted and the boy sitting on the other side of Draco, Nott maybe?, his lips twitched in amusement.
Zabini turned his attention back to Harry as they all ignored the Headmasters speech.
"So what took so long under the hat? He fall asleep?" He whispered.
Judging by the glimmer in the darker boys eyes, Harry got the feeling that he was looking for good gossip and was determined not to give him any.
"Bloody hat said he wanted to chit chat and took up all my time moanin' 'bout his boring life." Harry whispered fiercely to him, lying through his teeth, but daring him to contradict him.
The brunette boy, who Harry is 75% confident is named Nott, next to Draco scoffed and gave him 'a look'.
"Leave him alone alright?" Draco said. "He doesn't have to tell you lot if he doesn't want to."
Harry nodded at him in appreciation, not totally sure why Draco was defending him, but still appreciative.
He clapped politely when the Headmasters speech ended, even though he honestly had no idea what the man said, then almost fell out of his seat when about 50 different platters of food popped up out of thin air on their table. He narrowed his eyes harshly at Parkinson who snorted at his flinch.
"Somethin' funny?"
He was not going to be scared of these kids. He refuses. They can't hurt him, and if they try, well he knows a ton of curses and jinxes.
"Nothing, Potter." She spat, her fake smile not matching her tone. "It's just interesting that the oh so amazing Golden boy is afraid of a little magic."
Ron, who had been rather quiet up until now, actually snorted out loud and looked at her incredulously.
"You're joking right? I bet Harry has more magic in his little pinky than you do in your whole bloody body."
Parkinson just rolled her eyes and smirked at Harry, even though he wasn't the one to issue the challenge. "Prove it."
Draco, who had been listening while he loaded up his plate, looked up eagerly and winked at Harry.
"Potter, can you get that plate of corn down from the end of the table?"
Harry glanced at Ron, who nodded with his eyes glittering mischievously, and shrugged.
"Sure."
He looked at the plate Draco indicated, clear at the other end of the table, and tugged on his core focusing on the sight of the plate levitating and flying to his hands.
The entire Slytherin table went dead silent as they all watched the platter carefully zoom straight to Harry's outstretched hands.
"Merlin." an older student whispered, their face pale.
"Did you- did you just do wandless and wordless magic??" Nott asked, gobsmacked.
Harry was preening at the sight of all his classmates staring at him. This kind of attention was different than it was when he was being called up for sorting. Then, they had only stared because of a little scar on his forehead. Now, they were admiring his magic.
He shrugged, attempting to show some humility, then offered the dish to Parkinson.
"Corn, Parkinson?" He asked politely while smiling sharply.
Zabini and Ron both started laughing, while the rest of the table broke out in to whispers, intermixed with sharp looks thrown his way.
"On the Gods Potter, this is going to be amazing." Zabini gasped between his laughter.
Harry hummed in agreement, even if he wasn't sure what Zabini was referring to.
He knew he was sick of being the victim of bullies and monsters. He had more magic in his pinky than jerks like Parkinson had in their entire bodies. He was better than her and if his classmates reactions were anything to go by, he was better than most of them.
This is going to be amazing, and nobody could take it from him.