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

Chapter XXVII: Three Heads are Better than One

“Weasley, Ronald!”

I watched the red haired boy sit down on the stool and the hat cover his head, drooping down to his ears. My mind went back to our first encounter on the Hogwarts Express. Truth be told, I still wasn't quite sure what to think of that meeting. It really left a bad taste in my mouth. But I also couldn't deny that I overreacted. Perhaps I should apologize to him later on? While I have no intention of being friends with him, I also don't want to alienate anyone who may prove potentially useful.

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

I blinked in surprise as the youngest Weasley was sorted into the House of Badgers. I watched the boy's face turn redder than his hair as he yanked the hat off his head and nearly threw it away, before angrily stomping to the Hufflepuff table. None of the Hufflepuff's clapped, probably because of the angry look in his eyes, and Ron, ignoring them, shoved himself into a seat with an almost audible growl.

I shake my head and focused my attention away from the boy. My eyes scanned the Gryffindor table. All of the other Weasley's are there, and from my understanding, the Weasley's have been consistently Gryffindor for many many years. Much as certain children from darker pureblood families like the Blacks are almost always consistently Slytherin, it was tradition for certain families to always be Gryffindor.

Then again, Sirius Black was a Gryffindor, so it's not like traditions couldn't be broken.

The three other Weasley children looked most disappointed to see one of their own being Sorted into another House. Percy looked mournful, as if someone had just told him he was no longer a prefect. The twins were shaking their heads pityingly.

“A real shame about our dear brother's Sorting, right Fred?”

“Too right, George. I am most disappointed to see Ronikkens being Sorted into the House of Cowards. Then again, he always has been easily intimidated by us.”

“Well, we did turn his teddy bear into a spider when he was younger. Maybe it's our fault he got Sorted into Hufflepuff?”

“Nah!” They both finished together.

I frowned as I heard the slight dig on Hufflepuff. It was one thing to hear from Andromeda how everyone thought Hufflepuff was the house of duffers, cowards and left overs, but it was quite another to hear two students talking about the same thing. Was this truly how everyone saw that house? It almost made him wish he could take back his decision and get sorted there just so they could have some claim to fame.

The only other person I took a personal interest in was Blaise Zabini, who got sorted into Slytherin. My eyes trailed the dark-skinned boy as he sat down next to Tracey and Daphne, the former gave the boy a dazzling smile and a pat on the back while the latter settled for a nod. Blaise seemed to take both gestures with poise. He was very in control of himself, I noted. He would make a good ally.

All attention was diverted when Albus Dumbledore stood to his feet. The man was giving a wide, beaming smile, as if just seeing them all sitting there, chattering excitedly, was enough to make him the happiest man alive.

He spread his arms out wide in a grand, welcoming gesture. I thought it made him like Gandalf trying his hand at conducting an orchestra, what with the hair and beard.

“Welcome!” His voice boomed out, every bit as grand as his gestures. “Welcome to another 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!”