Nothing is set in (philosopher's)stone

Sorting and Seating

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked toward the Ravenclaw table. He quickly covers his ears as the hall fills with extremely loud noises. From his table and friends, he got loud cheers, his house being the loudest cheer yet. "We got Potter! We got Potter!" The entire house chants, taunting Gryffindor. Gryffindor is demanding a resort, finding his placement unacceptable. Slythering just politely claps, giving cheeky smirks to Gryffindor who were bragging all these years they'd have Harry Potter. Hufflepuff cheers for Harry, just happy for him. Harry sits down opposite Hermione and smiles at her. "Looks like we'll be in the same classes 'Mione." She looks a bit surprised at the new nickname but she smiles back after recovering. "I guess we are."

He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, so the door led to a side passage to the great hall? Who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry nods at him. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train, the one Draco had given him. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spots a professor with a turban, it must smell bad because the teacher next to him seems to try and lean away to catch a breath of fresh air.

And now there were only five people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a black boy even taller than Ron, joined the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry clapped loudly with the rest of them as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him, the tables of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff being right next to him, Ravenclaw right in the middle. He leans over to his friend and grins at him. "Good job brave one."

"Thank you, wise sire, your advice helped when I needed it to help." He replies with the same high and mighty tone. The two burst out in laughter. 

"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Ron as they watched Zoe Winters get sorted into Gryffindor. She happily ran over and sat across from Ron as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not. Ron looks at him completely confused. "Do you know what he means by that?"

Harry nods. "Think about it- nitwit is an idiot, the worst thing you can call an intellectual Ravenclaw. Blubber is fat or excess, the worst thing you can call a proud and vain Gryffindor. Oddment is a weird person or outsider. The worst thing you can call a cliquey Slytherin. Tweak means to fix or change. A familiar criticism to eccentric Hufflepuffs. He's 'subtly' insulting the houses, that way he is promoting being humble and aware of one's weak spots."

Ron and Hermione both raise their eyebrows as they look at the headmaster. "That's quite stereotypical." His fellow Ravenclaw speaks up.

"I agree. If anyone bothers you two about any of this rubbish just let me know. I'm sure Draco and Neville will have something to say about it too." Ron waves at the friend seated at Hufflepuff. "Oh to hell with it!" He gets up and sits at the Ravenclaw table, his cheeks slightly flushing pink as he sits next to Hermione. "You don't mind do you?" 

The bushy-haired girl blinks a little surprised, trying not to get teary eyes. Never had she thought to get this many friends. "Of course not."

Since the tables were close enough, not many people had noticed Ron switch places to another house's table. Draco had noticed however and he was not going to be left out. He stands up and starts to head over, catching quite a lot of attention. He stops by the Hufflepuff house first, looking at Neville with a pointed look as the boy stares at him like a goldfish. "Come on now, I'm not having us be the only ones not joining them and I'm not going to exclude one of my friends." Neville quickly gets up and joins Draco, his ears turning red as the two walk up to the Ravenclaw table and join their friends.

One of the older years stands up, clearly having a problem with the joined forces. "This is the Ravenclaw table. Why aren't you sitting in your own houses? You're supposed to sit at Hufflepuff, you at Gryffindor and you in Slytherin." The female points at each one accusingly. 

Draco gasps and puts his hand over his heart. "Are you assuming my house?!" The girl looks unimpressed at his antics. "You're wearing green." "So is Professor McGonagall, you're not calling her a Slytherin are you?" "I-" Ron interrupts her. "Yeah, how dare you assume my house? I identify as a unicorn!" He dramatically lets himself fall into Draco's arms who puts on a show with him. 

"No Ron, you can't let her prejudiced mind corrupt you, you're a magnificent unicorn!" Draco bashes his lashes trying to give the biggest puppy eyes he possibly can muster. "Are you encouraging racism and rivalry because we identify as people and not a house?" Surprisingly Neville chimes in. The girl opens and closes her mouth a few times like a goldfish, her face turning bright red.

"There's nothing in the rules that says people have to eat at their house. I suggest you don't bring it up again if you wish to avoid embarrassing yourself again." Hermione is fanning Ron's face, joining the drama club. The older girl gets pulled down to sit again by a classmate who secretly gives a thumbs up at the group. 

Harry groans. "I try not to draw too much attention and you guys decide to put on Hamlet as a show." 

"What's a Hamlet?" Draco looks at him confused. 

"Look at the teachers-" Neville whispers. Not so subtly they all simultaneously look at the head table. Minerva, Albus, and Severus quickly sit down properly again, looking down at their plates and discussing quietly with each other. Harry grins. They had been on the edge of their seats to enjoy the drama that they had displayed, and no doubt were now gossiping about it. 

"Those three seem to be good friends." Harry decides to speak up. They all hum before turning back to their plates and sitting properly. Happily, the new friend group digs in, bonding as they share stories and ideas. The evening passed by fast when the prefects of every house came to get their lost first years to guide them to their common rooms. Harry and Hermione bid them all good night and follow their prefect Chester Davies, the same guy who gave them a thumbs up earlier for stopping the girl from sticking her nose in other people's business. 

Harry gets lucky. Since he's somewhat of a celebrity and the other room is already full, he gets a room to himself, two beds empty next to his. The room is a dark blue color with stars over the ceiling that slightly glow in the dark, looking like real stars. The floor is a simple pinewood and the beds are made out of the same wood, the mattress and sheets just white. He barely manages to brush his teeth, put on his pajamas, and fall onto his bed before passing out exhausted. Falling into a deep slumber he smiles. What a long exciting day. He'd definitely have to write his family in the morning. But for now, entering dreamland was all he was worried about.