Chapter - 60 : Sorting Secrets part - 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enjoying the fanfic and hungry for more?

Dive deeper into the story with over 85+ chapters ahead! Your support on Patreon keeps the adventure alive. Visit my Patreon page to unlock exclusive content and support the continuation of this fanfic journey!

(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

http//patreon.com/Kun_kanshi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks," Hermione said, looking at them both. She opened her mouth to say something more, but quickly closed it again as a panel in the stone walls slid back and Professor Snape strode into the common room.

"Cease your inane blathering – you will all be silent and listen closely." The wizard's piercing black eyes swept over the eleven first years in front of him. "Last night you were all sorted into Slytherin House, an event that will shape the course of your lives for the next seven years and beyond. I am Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House, and you will soon discover that I have high expectations of you that I insist upon being met. To be here now you must be in possession of cunning, ruthlessness and ambition – I expect you to use these traits, and to behave with dignity and subtlety at all times, as is appropriate for members of our House. Disputes are to be solved within the privacy of the Slytherin common room, never aired in front of the rest of the school. I will be most displeased if I hear of any of you doing otherwise."

Here Snape glared round at them all, meeting their eyes to emphasise the seriousness of his words. Harry briefly wondered whether Snape was using Legilimency on them and hastily cleared his mind in order to hide his thoughts, but relaxed when he didn't feel the tell-tale pressure inside his head. Snape simply scowled at Harry before moving on to give Hermione a speculative glance.

"My office hours are posted on the bulletin board," the Potions Professor eventually continued. "If you absolutely need to speak to me about something, come during those hours. Do not come whining to me about your petty disputes between yourselves. I tell you now that I will not care. You may have heard that I rarely take points off my own House, but that does not prevent me from punishing you if you misbehave or simply annoy me. The Prefects will deal with any minor misconduct; if a situation escalates enough to require my intervention the culprits will most certainly regret it. Is that understood?"

There was silence as the first years shuffled nervously.

"I said, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," they hurried to reply.

"Good," Professor Snape said in his usual clipped tone of voice. "I will now hand out your class schedules. I expect you all to arrive for your classes in a timely manner – ask your fellow Slytherins or one of the portraits for directions if you are uncertain of the way. Getting lost is not an acceptable excuse for being late."

After a few more instructions, followed by dire threats of what would happen if any of them were disobeyed, Snape gave them one last sneer and swept out of the room. The first years all relaxed and a few even gave audible sighs of relief.

"He doesn't seem very nice, does he?" Hermione whispered to Harry.

"That's an understatement!" Harry didn't take his eyes off the door through which Snape had left. There was something different about the Potions Professor, though Harry couldn't quite put his finger on what. He was just as brusque and biting as Harry had expected, and his hair was just as greasy and his eyes as dark, but he wasn't quite the same as the Snape Harry had known.

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts as the first years began chattering amongst themselves and examining their timetables. Maybe he was just over-thinking things or else the difference might only be that Snape hadn't done more than glare in Harry's direction. Harry was glad that this time round there was no reason for the Potion Professor to make cutting remarks about Hogwart's 'newest celebrity'. His time in Slytherin House would be much easier without Snape doing his utmost to make his life hell.

One of the sixth year Prefects – an annoyed looking girl with messy blonde hair who introduced herself as Fiona Urquhart – appeared up from the lower levels and ordered the first years to follow her to the Great Hall for breakfast. The route from the common room to the Great Hall was long and complicated, involving lots of cursed doorways and trick steps. According to Urquhart this was one of the methods used to prevent captives from escaping the dungeons back when Hogwarts was a fortress as well as a school. Harry didn't know why Salazar Slytherin would have wanted his students living near potentially dangerous prisoners. Hermione must have been thinking the same thing since she questioned Urquhart on the topic. The Prefect sneered and told her that Slytherin had wanted his students to have live targets nearby for spell-practice. Hermione turned rather green at this information and stayed silent for the rest of the journey.

They reached the Great Hall soon after breakfast started and so had plenty of time to eat. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were lead inside by their Prefects not long after, making Harry wonder why the Gryffindor Prefects didn't do the same thing. The Slytherins had finished breakfast and were in the process of leaving by the time Ron, Dean and Seamus collapsed into their seats at the Gryffindor table, complaining loudly about an unpleasant run in with Peeves the Poltergeist.

The Slytherin first years had a double lesson of Herbology first thing and so headed out to Greenhouse One. They were sharing a class with the Hufflepuffs and Harry tugged Hermione over to sit at a bench with Susan and Hannah. Ernie sent Harry a rather cross look and moved over to share with Draco, Daphne, and Crabbe while the rest of the Slytherins grabbed tables nearby. Harry frowned when he noticed that this arrangement left the one half-blood and the three muggleborn Hufflepuffs together at the last table. Harry didn't remember his classmates in his old world being quite so divided, but then again as a first year he hadn't really paid much attention to the whole blood-purity issue.

"Pleased with your Sorting?" Harry asked the two Hufflepuff girls once they had all sat down and exchanged greetings. Hermione had immediately taken out her textbook and begun reading. Harry knew she was nervous about their lesson since Herbology, unlike other subjects, could not be learnt without practical experience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enjoying the fanfic and hungry for more?

Dive deeper into the story with over 85+ chapters ahead! Your support on Patreon keeps the adventure alive. Visit my Patreon page to unlock exclusive content and support the continuation of this fanfic journey!

(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

http//patreon.com/Kun_kanshi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~