Downfall || Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader

2) The Sorting

Cho and I shuffle off of the train, along with the other first-years, and are directed to follow an abnormally large man with an equally large beard. Within moments we're at the edge of a lake, brown canoes littering its shore.

"This 'ere is The' Great Lake." The man brushes his bushy hair out of his face and kinda huffs the sentence, his accent slightly throwing off his enunciation. I figure it'll take some getting used to. "We'll b' ridin' over it in these canoes to the' great Hogwarts." He gets a gleam in his eye at the mention of the school.

"Why do we have to cross the lake in a canoe?" I hear Cho whisper to me. Without looking at her, I respond.

"'Cause nothing makes sense at Hogwarts." I murmur softly in reply. I hear her chuckle beside me, but the thing is, I wasn't joking. If I've learned anything about magic while living with the Lovegoods, it's that nothing ever makes sense.

We all shuffle into the canoes and, thankfully, Cho and I manage to board the same one. The lamps on the front of each canoe shine against the water below them while they light the way across. As we near the castle – it couldn't be called anything else...except mansion, perhaps – I nudge Cho in the side and we look at each other, beaming. It towered over everything and, even in the dark, I could sense the power and enormity of the place. It was breathtaking and undeniably beautiful.

The ride isn't long and, soon enough, we're making our way into the school. Cho and I are jostled around as we walk with the crowd up the stairs.

"I wonder what House I'll be put in." Cho says to me, her eyes shining.

"Whichever one you belong to, of course." I smile to myself as I fully process my answer. I can't help but feel like Luna is here with an answer like that.

"Right. But I wonder which one that is!" Cho takes the answer in stride and I smile wider.

Suddenly, we're brought to an abrupt halt. I glance towards the front of the group to see what's going on, only to find a professor addressing the group.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you house points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup." 

I hear someone yell "Trevor!" and watch as the professor eyes the student a moment before leaving to the next room.

I look around curiously before I notice a young blonde-haired kid with gray eyes, flanked by two much larger boys, blocking the path. He's talking to two other kids, one a ginger and the other a black-haired boy with glasses. I can't hear what they're saying, but apparently whatever it is is important. The gossip comes at me like a wave, moving from the front of the group to the back.

"That's Harry Potter."

"You mean The-Boy-Who-Lived?"

"Does he actually have a scar? Can anyone see?"

"I can't believe Harry Potter is in our year."

The excitement bubbles around me, but my eyes narrow towards the dark-haired boy – apparently Harry Potter. This kid is the one person I know of that could completely understand what I've gone through. This kid is the one person who could tell me how to get my revenge, should I ever have the chance. I needed to become his friend. I'm brought out of my thoughts by Cho's voice.

"Who is he talking to?"

Someone else answers. "That's Draco Malfoy."

"Oh wow." She seems surprised, and I glance towards her.

"Who's Draco Malfoy?"

"He's one of the most prominent families in the Wizarding World. He's loaded and his dad works in the ministry. You don't know of him?" She whispers, leaning in towards me so as to not be overheard.

I raise my eyebrows. "I don't really follow that kind of stuff."

"I bet he'll be put in Slytherin." Someone else overhears our conversation and chimes in. I glance towards the boy.

"Why do you say that?" My eyes narrow again, this time in confusion.

"Rumor has it, his parents supported You-Know-Who when he was alive." He whispers back, quickly, as if he's saying something he shouldn't.

I don't respond, though I press my lips tightly together as my eyes find the young blonde again. I don't have time to truly contemplate what has been said, though, since we're called to move on to The Great Hall.

The sight of The Great Hall temporarily pushes all other thoughts from my mind. The long tables, banners of the houses hanging on the walls, the floating candles. But what really captures my attention is the hexed ceiling, made to take on the likeness of the sky above. Tonight it is lit by multiple stars, only partly cloudy.

We gather in front of the stage and I shift uncomfortably at the thought of being in front of all these people, even in a group. My eyes scan the tables in front of me and I look closely at each professor in turn. They're all so different. One of the professors stands and makes her way in front of us, motioning towards the headmaster.

"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. The first years please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that the 3rd floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." I eye my new headmaster carefully. Everyone seemed enthralled with him, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was just a little off. My thoughts are once again driven from my mind when I hear Professor McGonagall continue.
"When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses."

Student after student gets called. The ginger Harry Potter was with – apparently named Ron Weasley – is placed into Gryffindor. Harry Potter, unsurprisingly considering Gryffindor's reputation, is also placed there. Though my eyes narrow, yet again, when I hear the sorting hat mention Slytherin as a possibility for him. Draco Malfoy, even more unsurprisingly, gets put into Slytherin.

Finally, Cho's name is called. I cheer with the rest when she's put into Ravenclaw. I couldn't help but pray to Merlin that I'll be in that house with her.

"Y/N L/N!"

I hesitantly walk up the stairs, nervous with all these eyes on me. Taking a deep breath, I sit on the chair and the hat is placed onto my head.

"Well, well. What do we have here? Ambition, yes. High ambition. You have strong goals. There is a darkness that clouds you, as well. A thirst for revenge, even. You're angry, and bitter. Yet, you're also loyal and kind. You're anxious to learn. And you're quite creative. Very well...RAVENCLAW!"

I shudder at all that the hat had spoken aloud to the entire bloody school, before placing a wide smile on my face as I run over to sit next to Cho.

"Thank Merlin!" She nearly squeals, hugging me. I awkwardly hug back.

It doesn't take long for the rest of the year to get sorted and, after an annoyingly long and detailed monologue by the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, the feast begins.