An Unbreakable Vow ~ Harry Potter

ii - in which the sorting ceremony happens

"FAIRE, VALERIE," Professor McGonagall called out through the booming hall. Shaking slightly, Valerie slowly got to her seat and made her way up to the front. The commotion from Harry's name being called, and then him being sorted, had still not died down, so she didn't have much of an audience.

"Let's go, Valerie!" Ron called out. Valerie turned around to see Harry clamping his hand over Ron's mouth and nodding to her. She smiled and turned back around.

After what seemed like ages, she sat down in the stool, the old leather hat placed on her head.

"Hmm," the sorting hat whispered in her ear. "You're afraid of being alone, huh? But you're not suited for something like—say—Ravenclaw. Not curious about the unknown. Afraid. Hmph. Couldn't be Hufflepuff, no, you're not right for that. Slytherin—I sense great power within you. You would be very good in Slytherin. Perhaps a bit out of place, but only at first..."

"No!" she said to the hat, so forcefully that she was sure that everyone heard her.

"Oh? And why not? Is it those boys over at the Gryffindor table? I thought we established you were too afraid for—"

"It's not that! Slytherin is...ugh..." she whispered, looking at the evil, power-hungry Slytherins.

"Oh, I see. It's funny. I just had this conversation with another first year student. Very adamant that he not go to Slytherin. Such a shame. Such great power. But Gryffindor..."

"Harry Potter?" she whispered. "Do you mean him?"

"Oh, I can't disclose that information. But don't you think we're taking a bit long, Miss Faire? At the end of the day, I sort you into what you would be right in..."

She sucked in a breath and looked at Ron and Harry. They were watching her and smiling encouragingly. McGonagall was staring at her. The sorting had never taken this long before.

"It's—Slyther—" the Sorting Hat started, and everyone turned to look, the Slytherins waiting expectantly.

Valerie's eyes went wide, and she whispered to the hat, "please—please—"

"What? You can't—" the hat exclaimed, so that everyone could hear. Now they were all staring at the hat and Valerie.

"Gryffindor," the Sorting Hat said. The expression on its face everyone but Valerie could see. It looked like it had just eaten a sour apple.

Professor McGonagall took the hat off of Valerie's head, and exclaimed, "Time to eat! The Sorting is now over!"

With shaking hands, Valerie walked over to the Gryffindor table. Nobody was cheering. They were all staring, still shocked.

"The Sorting Hat looked like it didn't want to put you in Gryffindor," Ron whispered in her ear, causing her to jump a little bit. "It was about to put you in Slytherin."

"You okay, there? The old hat never wavered on a decision to put a student in a house," Fred and George Weasley addressed her.

"I didn't...know that..." she said, looking like she didn't want to talk about it any more. She glanced at Harry, who quickly looked away.

Yes, it was Harry Potter. At least she hadn't been the only one. She wondered what it would have been like if they had both gone to Slytherin.

Ron frowned when he saw her expression. "C'mon, Valerie! Cheer up! Here, I saved one for you!" Ron exclaimed, holding out a package. "It's a chocolate frog."

She took it and grinned, hugging him awkwardly. "Thanks. My favourite."

He smiled back.