Chapter Text
Harry's face was flushed as he walked to the Great Hall. Autumn had officially begun but the summer warmth still lingered in the air, making his cheeks redden as he quickened his pace. He sat down next to Ron and Hermione, smiling apologetically.
"Sorry guys, I bumped into Luna on the way. I'm not late, am I?"
Just as Hermione opened her mouth to answer, McGonagall welcomed the students to Hogwarts. Her speech was shorter than Dumbledore's but it felt familiar, in a way. Harry found it strange how quickly everything seemed to settle back to normal. Of course, it wasn't exactly normal to be back for an eighth year of school but it was as close to normal as it got. He was still trying to figure out how he felt about everyone's seemingly quick recovery when his attention was snapped back to reality.
"RAVENCLAW" the familiar voice echoed in the hall as cheers erupted and a beaming girl was welcomed by the Ravenclaws. The sorting continued and Harry's mind was beginning to wander when suddenly-
"SLYTHERIN" A hush fell over the room. There was no usual booing as no one knew how to feel anymore, but the heavy silence wasn't much better. The war had changed many things, for the better and for the worse, and no one was sure what was right to do. Harry saw the boy in question blush from embarrassment. This was wrong. He could see confusion in his eyes, he had done nothing yet he was already being judged for simply being in a certain house.
Harry briefly recalled his own sorting, and wondered how he would've felt if he had to hear insistent booing as he walked to the Slytherin table. The new kid lowered his head in shame and slowly started towards his table, and that was the moment something broke in Harry. He hated the way everyone still gave in to hatred, even after all the damage it did to the world. This boy did not deserve to be ridiculed for something he had no part in.
Without hesitation Harry stood up. Before he would've been embarrassed to draw attention to himself like that, but he was no longer the same shy kid who was afraid of humiliation. He had gone through death to save the world, and in this moment he decided that he would justify the title of 'hero' that he now had to carry.
The boy stopped in his tracks as he heard a strange sound - clapping. Harry was clapping, giving him a smile as enthusiastic as he could muster. The ripple of shock that went through the hall was interrupted as Hermione jumped up to her feet and clapped along with Harry, dragging up with her a hesitant Ron who felt slightly weird at the idea of clapping for Slytherins but was too afraid of Hermione's glare. Their enthusiasm was picked up by the rest of the Gryffindors, followed by cheers from Seamus and Dean. In what seemed like a brief moment all four houses were on their feet cheering for Slytherin, hesitantly at first but as the excitement grew, the roar of the crowd was deafening.
When everyone finally calmed down, Harry couldn't help the warm feeling in his chest at the sight of the boy at the Slytherin table who was seemingly unable to stop grinning as he stared sheepishly into the table. Harry's eyes shifted to the rest of the table and stopped when he saw Malfoy staring back at him. His former enemy gave him a curt nod and Harry accepted his silent gratitude.
"I can't believe you did that mate." Ron shook his head in disbelief and received a light push from Hermione.
"I think you did the right thing, Harry," she whispered with a smile. "This house rivalry has gone on for too long."
"Never thought I'd be cheering for Slytherins," Ron muttered under his breath, for which he received another shove from Hermione.
"Yeah, I just hope we can move past this stupid hatred this year, I'm tired fighting." Harry nodded at Hermione and nudged Ron. "Listen mate, I know it's weird but can you at least be civil with them?"
Ron glanced up at Harry and groaned. "I guess you're right. You can't expect me to be best friends with them though, I still think they're all arrogant gits."
Harry sighed but nodded. Either way, this was a step in the right direction. He turned his attention back to the sorting and was glad to see that newly pronounced Slytherins received a welcome from all the houses, albeit a slightly less excited one than other houses. He was hoping he would be able to fix that soon.
*
The welcoming feast was just as glorious as Harry remembered. Extravagant dishes of all kinds took up all the space, a slightly smaller selection of dessert platters squeezed in between. The chatter rose up immediately - friends eager to recount their summer adventures, first years forgetting the awkwardness of meeting new people in favour of excitedly grabbing as much food as could fit on their plate, professors staring up their own conversations about Merlin knows what. Harry didn't join in, instead opting to sit back and observe the familiar scene. There was something so homely about it, so nostalgic that squeezed at his heart. This was everything he'd ever wanted, everything he'd fought for, and yet he found that it felt almost distant - like an echo of a past life.
"You alright mate?" Ron's voice startled him back to reality. He gave Ron a tight smile, an unconvincing one judging by the concern that hadn't left Ron's face.
"I'm fine, just being back…" Harry gestured at the hall, unsure of how to explain his thoughts. Ron seemed to understand though, as he nodded and discreetly squeezed Harry's shoulder.
"Yeah, 'course."
Harry's smile relaxed, softening into something more earnest. Seconds later, it turned into a grin when he turned around to see Dean forcefully planting Seamus' face into a plate full of cake, who in return picked up a handful of said cake and returned the favour. Things weren't back to normal - Harry wasn't sure there would be any kind of normal for him anymore - but he could live with the changes, he could work around them.
When McGonagall led them to their designated 8th year tower, Harry tried not to flinch as he walked down the familiar halls. It seemed as though every classroom and corner kept a painful memory that lay still too fresh in his mind. He'd have to get used to that - he sighed to himself, feeling Hermione's comforting hand slip into his. After all, he had almost an entire year ahead of him, it'd do him no good to linger in the past when he still had a future to figure out.
Harry wasn't surprised to find out that he was rooming with a member of each of the other houses. In fact, he was hoping that would be the case. As great as it would be to live in the safety of the Gryffindors that he'd grown close to, he was determined to mend the rift between the houses and one way was forced proximity.
'HARRY POTTER, THEODORE NOTT, ERNIE MACMILLAN, TERRY BOOT'
The elegant plaque caught his attention. Well, not the worst assortment Harry thought. He'd never spoken much to any of the boys but he supposed this year would be as good a time as any to start. At least he wasn't with Malfoy like he feared he would be - house unity and all that. It seemed that while McGonagall was as adamant as he was to bring the houses closer together, she was well aware of the tense history between them. It wasn't as if Harry still hated him - no, it wasn't as simple as that anymore. What he felt now was much more complicated and he needed to unravel it in his own time, without the awkwardness of existing in the same space. At least he'd never had a rivalry with Nott, mainly due to their complete lack of interactions.
"Right, well, I suppose I should mention that I like to read before bed so let me know if the light bothers you." Nott was the first to break the heavy silence, depositing his bags next to the closest bed. The others each gave him a curt nod, muttering out polite agreements. Harry supposed this was better than nothing, and with a sigh he got ready for bed, shuffling around as each of the boys tried to figure out some kind of synchronisation. As his head hit the pillow, Harry barely had time to wonder how long the awkwardness would last before he was fast asleep.