Harry Potter and the Gift of Memories [Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter VII: Of Clothing and Wands

“So what House do you think you'll be in?”

“Well...” The girl actually seemed to ponder it for a moment, before shrugging. “I'm not really sure, I would say Slytherin or Ravenclaw, since my parents were in those houses, but the truth is nobody really knows where they'll be sorted until the sorting takes place. I just hope I'm not in Hufflepuff.”

“And what's wrong with being sorted into Hufflepuff?” asked Harry, honestly curious. He also filed away the knowledge that both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were the other two houses at Hogwarts. Harry had only ever known of Gryffindor, because his parents were in it; and Slytherin, of course, because his father and his group of friends—miscreants his mum had called them one more than one occasion—pranked many of the students in Slytherin. They had not really spoken of the other houses, so Harry had not heard of them.

“Don't you know?” the girl asked, before hurrying on with the answer before Harry could say anything to the obviously rhetorical question. “Hufflepuff's supposed to be the house of cowards and left overs. No one who goes to Hogwarts ever wants to go there.”

The girl was leaning towards him slightly, as if what she was telling him was some great secret. Which would explain why she had missed the look of anger on the face of the young woman pinning up her robes. However, while the girl missed it, Harry was in the perfect position to see the expression.

“You were in Hufflepuff, weren't you?” Harry asked of the young woman. The girl's head turned in surprise as she looked at the woman pinning up her robes. Said woman gave the brunette a cold smile.

“Yes,” she answered Harry's question. “I was one of those... left overs, as you called them.”

“Urk.” The girl made a strangled sound and her face began to pale, all except for her cheeks, which reddened as she realized her mistake. “Uh... I'm really sorry about that...” The woman huffed, but didn't say anything further as she continued working on the robes.

“You really should learn to be more careful when you speak,” Harry admonished lightly. “You never know when someone around you might be insulted by what you say. Also, you probably shouldn't judge a person based on what house they go into. Preconceptions about someone because of where they're sorted can lead to making assumptions made out of ignorance, which could lead to a confrontation if you're not careful and insult the wrong person.”

“Yes mum,” the girl said with a slight roll of her eyes.

“You may roll your eyes now,” Harry spoke with a tone of warning, “but when you end up inadvertently insulting someone again and they take greater offense than this nice woman did, just remember that I told you so.”

The girl sighed. “Yeah, I get it.” She grimaced. “You're probably right anyways. Dad always said I should learn to think before I speak.” Which was exactly what he said just a few moments ago, he noted with amusement.

“You're dad sounds like a smart man,” Harry said, getting the girl to stick her tongue out at him. He chuckled a bit at the childish return. Lisa always did something similar whenever she lost in their arguments.

“That's you done, dear,” Madam Malkin said, interrupting any further attempt at conversation. Harry nodded and hopped of the stool.

“Do you think I could also get several sets of dress robes?” asked Harry.

“Of course,” Madam Malkin smiled at him. “Just tell me how many, what colors, and what you would like them made out of.”

“I want three, two black and one dark green,” Harry began. “And what options do I have for the materials?”