𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆.
chapter three; The Sorting Hat Is Never Wrong
" I'm nothing like my father. "

  IOLANTHE WAS STILL attempting to digest the beauty that was the sight of Hogwarts on her first-year boat ride while she was met with the interior of it. The girl had to bottle her excitement and save it for later when she recognized Minerva McGonagall─ the woman and her mother were on a first-name basis due to a continual problem named Atlas and Iolanthe knew this was the last person to misbehave in front of.

  "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Rubeus Hagrid, groundskeeper and resident friendly (half) giant informed the woman proudly.

  "Thank you, Hagrid, I will take them from here."

  Iolanthe had heard about Hogwarts, she'd seen photographs and debunked every rumor her brother shared─ but stepping into the entrance hall created a magic of its own. It was huge─ so unbelievably, unimaginably huge─ and the carvings on the walls, the flames flickering merrily; Iolanthe knew it was where she'd belonged her entire life.

  McGonagall led the children to a chamber off of the corridor, the first years packing in tightly─ normally Iolanthe may have noticed Ron Weasley's arm pressing against her own, and make a comment about how this made the tip of his ears and nose turn beet red, but she was far too enamored with the castle to notice.

  "Welcome to Hogwarts," The woman spoke, "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

  The four houses are called Gryffindor─" Iolanthe's ears perked up instinctually. "─Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

  The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

  "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry prompted Ron once the woman left─ his eyes briefly staying on Iolanthe, who was still beside the redhead, and the black cat that had at some point appeared in her arms.

  "Some sort of test, I think," Ron said, "Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

  "'Course it doesn't hurt, Ronald," Iolanthe said boredly, "I doubt Dumbledore would put any of us in harm's way our first night here."

  "Well, sure," Ron quickly agreed, though Harry had already fallen into his own thoughts, "You know Fred."

  "Sure."

  And then all at once, the famed ghosts of Hogwarts poured through an unsuspecting wall. Gasps flooded through the crowd, watching the cluster of pearly figures argue as they made their way down the hall─ until they took notice of the first years.

  "New students!" The Fat Friar joyously noticed, "About to be Sorted, I suppose? Hope to see you in Hufflepuff, my old house, you know."

  "Move along now," McGonagall's voice cut through the conversation easily, "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

  Not even the dead were immune to the witch's authority, as one by one they made their way back through which they came.

  "Now, form a line," She instructed, "And follow me."

  Iolanthe fell in line behind Ron, trotting through the huge double doors belonging to the Great Hall. most kids quickly became engulfed in the sight of it all, and Iolanthe wouldn't deny she admired the night's sky that hung above her on the ceiling and the endless candles floating mid-air, with their flames flickering mischievously, but she was focused on finding one boy.

  Atlas was fairly easy to spot, nearly hopping out of his seat to catch his little sister's attention. A smile of relief washed across her face once she saw her brother, he flashed her two thumbs up before collapsing back down into his seat beside George Weasley. She'd gotten a new wave of confidence from simply seeing her brother, so much so that as the first years lined up in front of the Professors' table, there wasn't a drop of fear.

  McGonagall carried out a small stool and set a raggedy hat on it─ the raggedy hat. The Sorting Hat Iolanthe had heard more than enough about, it knew all and made no mistakes, and how nerve-wracking that could be.

  But she was certain by now, that she'd get Gryffindor. Having changed her mind since that morning, Iolanthe knew if she wanted it badly enough, there was no way she'd get anything but.

  The only thing that interrupted her train of thoughts was the Sorting Hat beginning to sing.

  "Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
a smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindor apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

  The applause following the song was deafening. And, strangely enough, Iolanthe began to feel not-too-bad about any of the houses; the song had its way of making each and every one sound appealing.

  "So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered, "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

  Iolanthe snickered, before taking notice of Harry's uneasiness.

  "Don't worry, Harry," She whispered over the redhead, "The Sorting Hat's never wrong─ we'll all be wherever we belong."

  Harry nodded, trying his hardest to believe an ounce of what she was saying. And before he could think too much on it, McGonagall explained the Sorting and so it began.

  There weren't many students sorted before Iolanthe's name was called, the curse of taking on a joint surname instead of only her mother's.

  "Black-Potter, Iolanthe."

  Ron and Harry gave her shaky smiles, even Hermione offered the girl a look of encouragement─ though, these may have been out of pity as the Great Hall was the quietest it'd been thus far. Aside from, of course, Atlas' cheering.

  Iolanthe's thin frame hardly filled the seat as McGonagall gently placed the hat on her head─ brim folding over her eyes blocking her sight entirely.

  "Ah!" The voice made Iolanthe jump slightly, "Peculiar, yes, a lot like your father. . ."

  "I'm nothing like my father," Iolanthe denied quietly, her fingers curling around the seat top.

  Silence hung all around her for a moment. A moment too long, in Iolanthe's opinion.

  She's said it on reflex, but the silence from the Hat left her falling into a whirlpool of unease. Iolanthe had never met the man, she knew what others did of his crimes, but nothing of his character. Surely he was evil, and had always been, and Iolanthe protested against the thought of following his path.

  But her mother had loved him, hadn't she?

  "Brave, courageous. . ." The Hat said thoughtfully, "Reactive, emotional. . . yes, quite like your father, indeed. . ."

  "Well. . ." Iolanthe wanted to protest but found no words to disagree.

  "But different than your brother. . ." The hat continued, undeterred, "Similar to your mother, yes, but. . . far from any of them."

  "I want Gryffindor," She whispered, eyes scrunched as if using every ounce of brainpower would sway the Hat. "If that matters."

  "But it is not for you," The hat stated, making the girl deflate, "You would be denied your potential in Gryffindor."

  "But my brother," Iolanthe tried quietly. "The only. . . the only people I know are in Gryffindor."

  "Hmm. . " The hat thought for a long moment, "You would forsake potential for friends. . ?"

  ". . . I don't know," Iolanthe whispered, her hands holding tightly onto the seat, "I'm only eleven."

  To her surprise, the hat laughed.

  Atlas began rapidly knocking his knuckles against the tabletop, making almost every Gryffindor turn to him. But he couldn't care less─ her sorting was taking too long. She'd be declared a hat stall if she wasn't sorted now— hell, he was in denial, she was already past the five minutes it took for one to be considered a stall.

  "No prophecy has set your destiny," The hat continued, "This does not mean you are not going to be great─ and only one house can do this for you. You will come to understand, Iolanthe Potter-Black."

  "Don't put me in Slytherin," The girl pleaded in a whisper, "I don't want to be. . . cruel."

  The word she'd chosen struck the Hat for a moment. Out of all things, Iolanthe saw Slytherin as cruel. As if a house could make a person this way, as if the snakes in the school were evil, not ambitious, cruel instead of cunning.

  It had not always been this way, and perhaps this was the one who would turn the tide.

  "And you mustn't be," The Hat agreed thoughtfully, "But that falls on you alone, not your house."

  And then the dreaded word rang out.

  "SLYTHERIN!"

  The table clapped, quite loudly, for their new addition─ a Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood mattered a great deal and to collect another one like trophies in a case meant the house grew stronger.

  And, despite all his dread about his little sister having to brave the darkest house alone─ the house of their ancestors─ Atlas Potter-Black cheered as loud as his lungs would let him. He elbowed the Weasley twins and they, too, cheered for the girl whose crestfallen face was revealed as McGonagall plucked the hat from her head.

  But Iolanthe silently walked to the green-cloaked table, not daring to look at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Merlin forbid she even glanced at the Gryffindor table.

  Iolanthe's dread grew as one-by-one her only friends were sorted into Gryffindor. Not only was she separated from them, but she knew she'd inevitably have to deal with others like Draco. Others who knew the intricacies of her family better than she did, those who cared about blood purity more than the kind of person they were.

  She didn't listen to Dumbledore's speech, and the excitement that was shared when they were allowed to eat didn't seem to bleed over into Iolanthe.

  "Well, aren't you going to eat something?"

  Iolanthe looked up, shocked, meeting the deep brown eyes of a boy with tumbling brown curls. He didn't look cruel, alright perhaps a little, but not to her. The boy's brows were furrowed as if concerned with her lack of appetite.

  "Oh, I don't know."

  "You should, it's all very good," He nodded, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, my name's Theo─ Theodore Nott, but Theo."

  "Iolanthe," The girl mumbled, "But, I suppose you sort of collected that."

  "Yeah," Theodore admitted awkwardly, "Uh, on the bright side, the Bloody Baron's chosen Malfoy and not us."

  Iolanthe craned her neck to see the pearly ghost seated beside Draco, the Bloody Baron was terrifying─ dead eyes and covered in blood, as his name warned─ the girl felt a chill run down her spine and shivered it out, making Theodore chuckle.

  "Yeah, guess it's a good thing he's our house ghost, though," Iolanthe mumbled, "Would hate to be on the opposing team."

  "You didn't seem too happy about getting Slytherin," Theodore admitted, "Most Purebloods are nervous they won't get it."

  "It has a bad reputation," She shrugged lightly, raising an eyebrow as Theodore began dropping food onto her plate, "Especially because of my. . . family."

  "Ah, I suppose yours is a bit more complex than others," Theodore agreed, picking up Iolanthe's fork and handing it to her, "But, I often find the truth of the thing is really very far from what you see on the surface. Maybe you'll find that with our house."

  Iolanthe half-smiled as Theodore flashed her a grin, and reluctantly began eating as he rambled on about something unimportant. It seemed Theodore wanted to find a friend, and all must have seemed intimidating aside from the clearly torn girl─ that, or the truth of Slytherins sticking together was already taking effect.

  "And, if we're thinking optimistically," Theodore said after bite of food, "The person you're worried about wasn't in Slytherin."

  Iolanthe didn't respond, and Theodore worried he'd upset her, but all he'd done was remind Iolanthe of the Sorting Hat's word.

  Who she was, and who she was yet to become, fell on her, not her house.

  The Hall silenced again when the desserts disappeared, Dumbledore taking his stand. Iolanthe listened this time, with a full stomach and the reassurance of Theodore's friendship; the forest was off-limits, magic was prohibited between classes in corridors, Quidditch trials would be the second week of the year, and lastly, one specific corridor was off-limits for those who didn't wish for death.

  Then, of course, Iolanthe experienced the school song. Everyone sang the same lyrics, but at different melodies, speeds─ Theodore had taken it to the rhythm of a Weird Sisters song which made Iolanthe laugh heartily.

  Dumbledore dismissed the students, then, and Iolanthe decided to find her brother before being swept to her dorm.

  "I'll be back."

  "You're going to get lost."

  "I'll be quick," Iolanthe assured Theodore, "If I'm not, stall them."

  Theodore's face briefly read panic, but before he could protest, Iolanthe was disappearing into the crowd. The bad part about the excursion was that the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables were the furthest apart, likely due to the age-old rivalry.

  "Iolanthe?"

  The girl slowed to a halt at the sound of her name, raising her eyebrows once seeing who had called it. A girl with caramel skin and cropped jet-black hair, her smile seemed to light up the Hall once she recognized Iolanthe fully.

  "Addison, hi," Iolanthe said unsurely.

  Addison Declan was the daughter of Madeline Potter's best friends from Hogwarts. A lovely couple they were, that gave birth to a lovely daughter─ Iolanthe was half sure Atlas was only friends with Addison because he felt bad she had to grow up without a mother; Bluebelle Declan having been yet another casualty of the first Wizarding War. They visited the Declan's quite often, Kai Declan was a kind man that spoke only in humor, and Addison was loud and bright and obsessed with quidditch, right alongside him.

  Which caused a slight bit of tension between Addison and Iolanthe.

  "Oh, congratulations!" Addison gushed, pulling Iolanthe into a tight hug, "Your Sorting is such an important thing!"

  Not that Addison herself did anything wrong, of course, just that Iolanthe valued silence and personal space a bit more than Addison did.

  "Yes, thank you," Iolanthe managed out, "I have to find Atlas before my prefect leaves─"

  "Of course!" Addison let her go instantly, "Tell him I say 'hi'!"

  "Sure, bye, Addison."

  Iolanthe rushed away from the girl quickly, breaking through to a sea of blue before finally setting sights on the Gryffindors.

  "Laney!"

  Once again, Iolanthe was pulled into a hug. Atlas had engulfed her the second he saw her, and because they were a couple of jokesters, the Weasley twins followed suit.

  "Let me go!"

  Iolanthe straightened her robes once the boys detached, furiously trying to focus on this instead of how happy she was that no one hated her.

  "You know, Merlin was a Slytherin," Atlas informed with a nervous smile, "Maybe you'll be the next greatest witch."

  "Fat chance of that," Iolanthe mumbled, crossing her arms tightly. "Think I can get re-sorted?"

  "Sorting Hat's never wrong," George said almost solemnly, "I'm sure you'll look lovely in green, though."

  "It'll bring out your eyes."

  "It doesn't matter to us, Laney," Atlas summed up, "You're still my sister."

  "Yeah, we don't care, either," Fred and George agreed, catching Ron and Harry as they attempted to follow Percy, "Isn't that right, boys?"

  Ron's eyes doubled in size as he realized Iolanthe was present─ unsure of what to say. Or do.

  "Right?" Atlas questioned Harry, "Slytherin's can be rotten, but Laney's not."

  "No, of course not," Harry said quickly, "You seem alright to me."

  "Thanks," Iolanthe said quietly, looking to Ron briefly. "Um, I should go. Before I get lost."

  "Alright," Atlas nodded, "I'll see you, Lane."

  "Bye."

  The boys remained quiet as Iolanthe turned on her heel and made her way back to the other end of the room, and only when she was out of sight did George, Fred, and Atlas hit Ron Weasley.

  "Bloody hell! What was that for?"

  "She feels bad enough about being a Slytherin," Atlas lectured.

  "Poor girl's been thrown in with the snakes!"

  "And you haven't helped─"

  "─At all!"

  Ron's face paled slightly, his lips curving down. He hadn't meant to make anything worse, he just froze. That was it. He didn't hate Iolanthe, perhaps she had more bad in her than her brother did, but she didn't seem flat-out evil like Draco. And because of this little mistake, he'd ruined Iolanthe's night.

  "And then─"

  "Nott, that's enough," Gemma Farley announced, just as Iolanthe joined Theodore's side, "You've been holding us up, now shut it and follow me."

  Iolanthe gave Theodore a small smile, and he returned it with a wink. The group began moving slowly, and for the first time since the Sorting, Iolanthe was only half filled with doubt about Slytherin─ then again, she hadn't met her dormmates quite yet.

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
I swear I don't have anything
against Gryffindor, but come ON
Laney is just NOT a Gryffindor don't
tell me you don't see it. And, plus, this way
there's house representation in every
aspect! Mads, Kai, and Blue (rip) were
Ravenclaws, Sirius and Atlas are
Gryffindors, Addison's the Hufflepuff,
and Reggie (rip) and Iolanthe are
our Slytherins!
Anyways, Nott being a major character
wasn't really planned but here we
are boiz