Chapter 065

Now that he'd gotten over the initial shock of his fame, he simply found the reactions too amusing to be bothered by them. There was just something funny about watching people make utter fools of themselves. It was kind of a twisted way of seeing things, but he couldn't help it.

"I don't think I could do that," Neville mumbled quietly.

"I think you could," Harry countered, once more getting a shocked stare from the boy next to him. He smiled and looked straight ahead to see they were nearing the Great Hall. "Remember this, Neville, the only thing you ever need to worry about is how you perceive yourself. So long as you are comfortable with who you are, then you need not be bothered by how other people perceive you to be."

Neville didn't say anything as they swept into the Great Hall, but if Harry were to judge by the look on the boy's face, he would have to say that his words had at least taken root in Neville's mind. Now, so long as he took Harry's words to heart, he would eventually become more confident in himself.

Of course, a little subtle reinforcement every now and again never hurt anyone.

As they entered the Great Hall, everyone inside stopped what they were doing and stared. Girls quit chattering about whatever it was the fairer sex chattered about; boys stopped talking about sports and ceased their good-natured ribbing of each other. All eyes turned to Harry and Neville.

They must have made an odd sight, the tall, athletic boy and the short boy with the round face and skittish nature. Thankfully, Neville didn't seem to be paying anymore attention to the stares, busy as he was going over Harry's advice.

Harry kept his head high and his back and shoulders straight as he walked forward with the confidence of a person completely at ease in his own skin.

Wanting to be seen as a little more approachable, he nodded in greeting to a few of the people he passed, regardless of whether they were in his House or not. This eliciting hushed whispers from many of the boy's, and excited and shy giggling from the girls. He wondered about that, but shrugged the thought off as inconsequential.

Soon he and Neville were sitting at the far corner of the Gryffindor table, and conversation picked up again, this time about him instead of whatever these people were talking about before.

Harry sat on the window side of the table, allowing him a full glimpse of the other three tables so he could observe the other students. He piled food onto his plate, mostly eggs and fruits (the healthiest food he could find there), as the jumbled noise from a hundred different voices filtered through his ears. Beside him, Neville was silently putting food on his own plate, contemplative expression still in place.

As conversations continued, Harry's eyes strayed toward the door leading to the entrance hall as more and more students poured through. From those doors his eyes caught a glimpse of red hair, and he watched as Ronald Weasley slumped into the Great Hall wearing the yellow and black colors of his house, and sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

To Harry, the boy looked disappointed, which was to be expected. The Weasley family were one of those families who were always sorted into a specific house without fail. For nearly two generations every single Weasley who entered Hogwarts had been a Gryffindor—until now.

Harry wondered why Ron had been sorted into Hufflepuff. He would admit to not knowing the boy very well, but the ginger-haired boy didn't seem very hard working. Perhaps that meant he was very loyal? Or maybe it was a form of reverse psychology. Had the sorting hat placed Ron in Hufflepuff because he wasn't very hard working or loyal in an effort to make the boy understand the value of those traits?

Possible, plausible even, though Harry suspected another reason might have been due to their confrontation on the train. Perhaps it wasn't comfortable with them in the same house? He supposed it didn't matter one way or the other.

A few minutes after Ron entered the room, Harry saw Hannah and Susan walk into the Great Hall. Both had donned their school robes, which were the same House colors as Ron's. Harry stood up, drawing much attention to himself, but he ignored that and began making his way towards the two Hufflepuffs.

It was time to begin the first phase of one the plans he had concocted recently. It was a small step, but sometimes you had to crawl before you could walk, and walk before you could run. This instance was no different.

"Morning Hannah, Susan," Harry greeted the pair with a congenial smile.

"Harry!" Hannah exclaimed in pleasant surprise ,while Susan's cheeks gained a light red tint. The blond, pig-tailed girl quickly regained her wits, whilst her friend shuffled a little. "Good morning."

"I trust you both slept well?" Harry said inquiringly. Hannah gave him a slight giggle.

"Yes!"

Harry smiled at Hannah's answer, then turned to look at Susan. The redhead noticed this, and her cheeks turned a shade of red that nearly matched her hair.