Chapter 6: The Sorting.
Despite having spent over a month at the Castle, Sunset had to admit that she could understand the appeal in having the First Years travel to Hogwarts by boat. The sight of the castle backed by the starlit sky as they sailed across an ominous black lake in enchanted boats was like something out of a fable from old Equestria, back before the sight of Canterlot Palace had become a common thing.
‘Say what you like about Dumbledore, he’s definitely got a flair for the dramatic.’ She mused as she helped Harry out of the boat they’d shared with Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, and Hermione, the bossy looking girl who kept pointing out things she’d read in Hogwarts: A History to anyone she thought might be listening.
After the last of the students had disembarked, and Hagrid reunited a sniffling Neville with his errant pet, the Groundskeeper proceeded to lead them up a passageway carved into the rock of the mountain until they found themselves jogging to keep up with him as he strode across the smooth, damp grass of the castle courtyard.
“Everyone here?” he called out, glancing over the sea of wide-eyed children like a mother hen counting her chicks, pausing only to confirm that Neville hadn’t somehow lost his toad again before turning to the massive oak doors and knocking three times with one gigantic fist, the door swinging open, as if by magic, which in retrospect it likely was, to reveal the imposing form of Minverva McGonagall, clad as usual in her emerald-green robes and pointed black Witch’s Hat “The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall.”
“Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.” The Deputy Headmistress instructed, gesturing for the students to follow her before leading them through the torch-lit hallways of the castle towards the Great Hall, stopping short of the doors before turning to face them.
“Welcome to Hogwarts.” She greeted them warmly yet primly, hands clasped before her as she let her stern gaze wash over the crowd, pausing briefly as they landed on Harry and Sunset before resuming her speech “The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats with your classmates, you will be sorted into your respective Houses. For those of you who do not know, the four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.”
Sunset quirked a brow as a round of whispers rose up at the mention of the last one, only silenced by McGonagall’s stern glare and raised eyebrow. Apparently Slytherin had quite the reputation, and not a very good one if the glares on several of the First Years, particularly the ginger from the train, was anything to go by.
“Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards.” McGonagall continued once the whispering settled down “While you are at Hogwarts, your House will be like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room. Your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule breaking will lose points.”
‘Well that’s one way to ensure they put out their best…’ Sunset noted wryly, recalling her early days prior to being accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Unlike the Princess, who believed in allowing young minds to blossom at their own pace, it wasn’t uncommon for her earlier instructors to employ a similar system of pitting students against one another to bring out their full potential.
Of course, having experienced both forms of tutelage, Sunset could honestly say that neither was perfect. True, Celestia’s approach might be the more popular, but it depended entirely on the students putting in the effort, and while prodigies like Sunset would excel regardless, it couldn’t be denied that, for the right reward, a healthy dose of competition could light a fire under even the most unmotivated slacker.
“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school.” McGonagall informed them, her eyes lingering for a moment on Neville’s cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and the ginger boy from the train, who had a distinctive smudge on his nose “I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.”
“You look fine.” Sunset assured Harry, who was trying, and failing, to flatten his bird’s nest of a haircut into something more manageable as McGonagall took her leave “Seriously, calm down.”
“Sorry.” Harry offered, flushing at being caught out only to swallow nervously as they continued to wait for McGonagall to return “I don’t suppose you know how they sort us into Houses?”
“Some sort of test, I think.” The Ginger from the train grumbled nervously, rubbing at the smudge on his nose “Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking.”
“More than likely.” Sunset acknowledged with a nod “The test I mean, your brother was likely just trying to scare you. In any case, whatever they have us do, it isn’t likely to be particularly strenuous since they haven’t taught us anything first, so there’s no reason to panic-!”
She trailed off as of the children in the back burst out screaming, whipping around with her wand at the ready, only to relax at the sight of the Hogwarts Ghosts, arguing with one another as usual, no doubt over something peeves the poltergeist had done.
“Forgive and forget, I say.” The Fat Friar proposed, the Hufflepuff Ghost clasping his hands before him imploringly as he regarded his fellow specters “We ought to give him a second chance.”
“My dear Friar, haven’t we given Peeves all the chances he deserves?” Sir Nicholas demanded crossly, the Gryffindor Ghost looking decidedly put out “He gives us all a bad name and you know, he’s not really even a ghost…” he paused at the sight of the First Years “I say, what are you all doing here?”
“New students!” the Friar exclaimed, smiling around at the silent children with barely contained excitement “About to be Sorted, I suppose? Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old House, you know!”
“Move along now.” a sharp voice commanded, the students whipping round to find that McGonagall had returned while they were gawking at the ghosts “The Sorting Ceremony’s about to start.” She explained after the ghosts had floated away through the opposite wall “Now, form a line, and follow me.”
“Stick close.” Sunset whispered, taking Harry’s hand as she stepped in line behind a boy with sandy hair, completely missing the way the Potter’s cheeks flushed at her touch as they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
While hardly a new sight, given how long she’d spent in the castle, Sunset had to admit that the Hogwarts staff had gone all-out for the Firs Years, the massive Hall lit by thousands of candles that were floating in midair over the four House tables, where the rest of the students were sitting, while the faculty sat behind another table at the top of the hall.
“It’s enchanted to look like the sky outside.” She explained after catching Harry gaping up at the ceiling in disbelief “It’ll even mimic it when it rains, though thankfully not the actual water.”
“Wow…” Harry breathed, marveling at the sight in wonderment, only to quickly look down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of them, followed by a positively ancient looking pointed wizard’s hat that would’ve sent his Aunt Petunia into fits if anyone had dared to bring it into her house.
“Maybe we’re supposed to pull a rabbit out of it?” he whispered to Sunset, only to flush as she scoffed at the idea, though his embarrassment soon gave way to shock as the hat twitched, a rip near the brim opening wide like a mouth before it promptly broke into song.
‘Eh, give it about a five.’ Sunset shrugged, applauding halfheartedly along with the rest of the hall as the Hat finished off with a bow to each of the four tables before McGonagall began to call out names ‘Though that bit of intel about the houses was interesting.’
Truth be told, with the exception of Hufflepuff, Sunset could see herself fitting into any of the other house. While she wasn’t particularly chivalrous, she liked to think of herself as rather brave and daring, she’d have to be to defy Celestia as she had, but at the same time she could see the appeal of finding likeminded individuals in Ravenclaw or Slytherin, home to the Wise and Cunning.
‘No point fretting over things now.’ She reminded herself, looking on impassively as one by one her fellow First Years were sorted, some of them quickly, others taking several minutes before the Sorting Hat shouted out their House. It was about half-way through the list that she noticed Harry growing decidedly more worried with each passing name “What’s wrong?”
“It…it’s nothing…” he tried to assure her, only to bite the bullet in the face of her quirked eyebrow “It’s just…what if I’m not chosen?” he asked “I know it sounds silly but I just can’t help but worry what’ll happen if I’m asked to leave because the hat doesn’t say anything.”
“You’re right, that does sound silly.” Sunset deadpanned, sighing in exasperation at his embarrassed flush “Look, Harry, do you really think they’d have sent Hagrid to deliver your letter and help you buy all your school things if you didn’t belong here? Trust me, you’ll be fine no matter what house you wind up in?”
“But what if the Hat puts me in Slytherin?” Harry whispered, though to be fair he looked a lot less worried about that than the prospect of being sent back to his relatives “Vol…You-Know-Who was in Slytherin and-!”
“Stop that.” Sunset chided, placing a finger to Harry’s lips to silence him “Seriously, it’s getting annoying, you know his real name so just call him Riddle if you don’t want to say the other one.”
She lowered her finger with a shrug as Neville jogged back to return the Sorting Hat to a decidedly unamused McGonagall, the poor boy having run off with it still on his head the moment he was sorted into Gryffindor.
“As for being sorted into Slytherin, does it really matter?” she asked, earning an affronted look from the Ginger boy that she pointedly ignored “So what if Riddle was a Slytherin? That doesn’t mean you should base your opinion of the house by his actions, unless you think one of your classmates is the next Dark Lord in the making.”
“I guess…” Harry mumbled, still looking troubled, though decidedly calmer than he’d been a moment ago, the two of them looking on in silence as the rest of their peers were sorted until finally, McGonagall called out his name “Well, here goes nothing…”
“You’ll be fine.” Sunset assured him with a scoff, rolling her eyes as whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall as he stepped up to the stool, sending the boy reassuring nod just before McGonagall dropped the hat over his eyes, the entire hall seeming to hold their breath as they waited for the Sorting Hat’s verdict.
“GRYFFINDOR!” it roared at last, Harry whipping the hat off his head and staggering shakily towards the Gryffindor table as the rest of the hall, with the exception of Slytherin, promptly burst into cheers, the twins from the train even going so far as to chant ‘We got Potter! We got Potter!’ like they were at a Hoof-Ball match.
“Yes, yes, quiet down.” McGonagall urged, letting off a few fireworks from her wand when it was clear her voice wasn’t loud enough, though Sunset didn’t miss the hint of pride in the normally stern woman’s eyes as she glanced towards the Gryffindor table “Now then, Shimmer, Sunset?”
‘Moment of truth…’ Sunset sighed, stepping forward confidently as the cheers died down, taking one last glance at Harry, who returned it with a shaky grin of his own before McGonagall dropped the hat on her head and all she saw was darkness.
‘Well now…’ a voice she dimly recognized as the Hat whispered in her ear ‘Aren’t you an odd one…it isn’t every day I’m asked to sort a Unicorn, especially one capable of throwing up mental barriers.’
‘Not that they did any good, right?’ Sunset grumbled, having half expected that the hat would be able to bypass her defenses somehow ‘I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you tell anyone about me?’
'Paranoid, aren’t you?’ The Hat chuckled wryly at her threat, much to her frustration ‘Then again, I’d be a little on edge too if I made an enemy of an Immortal Goddess that controls the Sun and Moon.’
'She isn’t a Goddess.’ Sunset countered, more than a little petulantly if she was honest with herself ‘And I’m not presumptuous or suicidal enough to call my enemy…I just go sick of her holding me back from my full potential.’
‘Ah yes, there’s that healthy ambitious streak…’ the Hat noted wryly ‘I’ll confess, it takes a brave man, or pony in your case, to stick to their guns and spit in the face of authority. You’re certainly one of the brightest heads I’ve ever had the pleasure to rest on, oh if old Rowena were here she’d have snapped you up like nobody’s business.”
"Could you hurry this up?" Sunset demanded, glaring into the darkness in mounting annoyance, well aware that her sorting was taking the longest so far “Unlike you, I don't have the luxury of sitting around collecting dust."
‘Patience is a virtue, Sunset Shimmer…’ the hat chastised in a tone so eerily reminiscent of Celestia’s that for a moment Sunset swore she felt the Princess’ wing on her non-existent withers ‘In any case, you're certainly no Hufflepuff considering how many bridges you burnt on your way here, and I shudder to think what you’d get up to if given access to the Ravenclaw Library…’
“Just hurry up and put me anywhere.” Sunset snapped, grimacing as she realized she’d done so aloud, her cheeks flushing as whispers of amusement broke out in the hall “Seriously, I don’t care where you put me so long as I can achieve my destiny.”
‘Ah, but just what path will that Destiny take you down, Sunset Shimmer?’ the Sorting Hat pondered perked up at that, as she was unaware there was another Library until now ‘After all, for every door that opens, many more will close. The path you take will color people’ perception of you for years to come.’
"I could care LESS about what other people think of me.” Sunset hissed angrily, forcing down the memories of Celestia’s look of disappointment and the countless backstabbing comments her would-be peers had delivered behind her back “They can either get in line or get out of my way."
"Well spoken…" the hat chuckled, and Sunset swore she detected a hint of approval beneath its wry amusement "Indeed, very becoming of a SLYTHERIN!”.
“About damn time.” Sunset grumbled, blinking the spots out of her eyes as the hat was yanked off her head, noting with interest that her tie had shifted to the emerald and silver of Slytherin House as she strode down the stairs towards her House Table, pausing only once to meet Harry’s disappointed gaze, sending the boy a reassuring smile before taking her seat to wait for the last four people to be sorted.
Once Ronald Weasley, the ginger with the smudged nose, had scarpered off to Gryffindor, plonking himself down next to Harry without so much as a by-your-leave, Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away as Dumbledore rose to his feet, the headmaster beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
“Welcome!” he called out warmly “Welcome to a new 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!”
‘Well that was random…’ Sunset noted, quirking a brow at the venerable Headmaster, wondering how much of that had been an act, and how much was actual senility showing through. After all, despite her age Celestia possessed quite the mischievous streak, often playing pranks on her students simply to laugh at their reactions.
"Greetings, all." A cold voice intoned, Sunset shivering in apprehension as she turned to find the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin House Ghost, looming over the first years with his hands clasped behind his back. Like all ghosts, he existed as a simulacrum of his former self at the moment of death, and so was dressed in robes that were stained with silvery blood, though whether it was his own was anyone's guess.
"Allow me to welcome you to Slytherin House, home of the cunning and ambitious. I hope you young serpents can uphold the reputation of your peers, Slytherin house has won the House Cup six years in a row, and I would prefer to keep it that way…"
‘Yeah cause that’s not a threat…’ Sunset noted, shivering more so from the ghost’s proximity than his attempt at intimidation. Fortunately, the Baron floated off after a moment, taking a seat next to Draco Malfoy, who Sunset was pleased to see looked decidedly uncomfortable by his proximity while the rest of the table tucked into the feast that had appeared before them.
As the evening wore on, Sunset became dimly aware of Harry sending her concerned glances from the Gryffindor table, having clearly not rid himself of his preconceived notions of her new House. Since it was unlikely she’d be allowed to go and join him this early on in the year, she opted instead to simply offer him a reassuring smile every time she caught him glancing her way.
‘He really does remind me of Sunburst…’ she mused, smiling distantly at the memory of her Younger brother, whom last she’d seen had just started getting control of his magic ‘Heck they even have the same glasses and haircuts…’
She was just finishing off the last of her dessert when Dumbledore rose to his feet the hall falling silent while the last of the food vanished from their plates, regardless of whether or not people were done eating, as evidenced by Ron's grunt of protest.
"Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered." The Headmaster assured them, his eyes twinkling merrily as he held up a hand for silence "I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. As always; First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.”
This last bit seemed to be pointedly directed towards the Gryffindor table, more accurately towards the twin redheads that were clearly Ron's older brothers, who merely bowed dramatically, earning laughs from their peers and an approving smirk from Sunset, who could appreciate those who refused to be tied down by authority.
“Settle down please." Dumbledore chuckled, waving his hand for silence "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."
'Yeah, like that’s going to happen.’ Sunset scoffed, knowing all too well that there were thousands of different ways to conceal using magic in a crowded hallway, and that was without the benefit of robes to conceal ones focus, be it a wand or a horn.
"In other news, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term." Dumbledore continued, pausing briefly to let the chatter die down "Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch." He instructed, gesturing to the Witch in question, who rose briefly to wave to the First Years “On a more serious note, I regret to inform you that there has been a slight alteration to the curriculum for First and Second Year Students.”
‘Huh…this is new…’ Sunset blinked, noting with interest that most of the Staff, with the exception of Quirrel and Snape the Potions Master, looked either resigned or approving of whatever Dumbledore was about to say next.
“It has been brought to my attention numerous times that those Alumni who seek to interact with the Muggle World find themselves incapable to do so, whether it be due to lack of knowledge of social ques, common law, or simply lacking basic knowledge of Muggles in general.” the Headmaster revealed, waiting patiently for the whispers, and scoffs in the case of the Slytherins, to die down “This is especially bad in the case of those Alumni with Muggle relatives who find themselves unable to reintegrate back into their old lives due to lacking the credentials to forge a career outside the Wizarding World.”
“Why would they even want to?” Draco Malfoy sneered lowly, a sentiment that was shared by most, if not all of Slytherin house, particularly the elder years “Not that I’m saying we wouldn’t be better off without mudbloods and blood-taitors mind you.”
“With that in mind.” Dumbledore continued, though Sunset didn’t miss the mischievous twinkle in his eye as he glanced briefly towards the cocky Slytherin “It gives me great pleasure to announce that, from henceforth, Muggle Studies shall once again be a required class at Hogwarts.”
“He can’t do that!” Malfoy shrieked, gaping at the headmaster in disbelief even as the hall erupted into a veritable hornet’s nest of whispers that were promptly silenced by a few fireworks from the Headmaster’s wand.
“I can understand why many of you would find this announcement worrisome.” Dumbledore assured them calmly “Rest assured Hogwarts shall provide all the necessary textbooks and materials for you.” He regarded the hall sternly “However, do not presume this to mean you can simply breeze through the class.” He warned “Given the rapid advancement of Muggles society, in particular, the threat said advancements pose to the Statute of Secrecy, the Ministry of Magic has given their complete support for this change, so as to better reduce the odds of you accidentally revealing the existence of Magic to the non-wizarding world.”
‘Game Set and Match…’ Sunset applauded, chuckling at the dumbstruck expression on Malfoy’s face, as there really was nothing the brat’s father could do if the government decided this was in the students’ best interests ‘Old man certainly knows how to play ‘em.”
“Well, I think that’s everything of importance…” Dumbledore mused, only to smile as Professor McGonagall cleared her throat pointedly “Ah yes, one last thing. All students are hereby informed that, this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
‘Wait, what?’ Sunset blinked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she glared at the Headmaster warily, wondering just what on earth he was up to even as he led the students in singing the School Song ‘Just what the hay have I gotten myself into?’
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My apologies. Have an early update as thanks for pointing that out.
...... Two curveballs..... Required Muggle Studies, Sunset being in Slytherin. (That I can see, but still a surprise.) But all in all, it was a good chapter. Draco is pissed off about Muggle Studies. So I'm waiting for more screwing him over.
It'll be interesting to see the Slytherin point of view, especially with Sunset mixing it up.
Haha, awesome. ShimSham being a Slytherin does make a lot of sense, and it makes for a more interesting dynamic with Harry still in Gryffindor. I can't wait to see how she interacts with her generally shitty housemates, especially given any future friendship with Harry. Can't wait for more!
Well this is great, will be nice to see a different take on Slytherin since let's be honest Rowling had a bit of a bias in the books when it came to what traits she valued most so Slytherin often wound up portrayed as the bad guys, course it didn't help that Malfoy was set up as a foil for Harry.
I was hoping that Sunset would be placed in Gryffindor.
Sunset is pragmatic. She has a goal, will do whatever it takes to get there, and has the skill, cunning, and intellect to back it. That will earn her a lot of respect (grudging or otherwise) and attention in a house like Slytherin.
But at the same time, she isn't from their world, meaning that she isn't weighed down by all the dogma and indoctrination that a lot of her housemates from long wizarding lines are. Her flagrant disregard for a lot of "traditions" that people like Malfoy hold so dear will turn more than a few against her.
It'll be interesting to see how Sunset handles them, and how some of her housemates react when she doesn't disdain people like Hermione or the twins simply because tradition demands it.\
On a side note, I was just thinking last night that Sunset would probably like the twins. Not that she would necessarily be close friends with them--they goof off too much for that, I think--but I can certainly see her respecting their cunning and intellect. They don't show it often, and almost never use it constructively, but the two of them created way too many unique spells and magic items to have anything less than the kind of intellect Sunset would admire.
Interesting chapter, certainly better paced then the previous one.
Except for that cut when the Sorting Hat start singing; that is a mistake. It break the flow for no real reason. You'd better have just have a small paragraphe about how the hat is singing, maybe with some adjective to tell us how he sing. Maybe also add something about how people reacted to the singing.
I also liked the little irony, by giving Harry reasurances, Sunset probably gave Harry more courage and made him being sorted in Gyiffindor more likely. Although I personally am of the mind he would have never fit weel in Slytherin, considering his personality is not really ambition-oriented like Sunset's.
dropbox.com/s/turg433wbkgb40t/Badcrossover.gif?raw=1
Dunno, the way you wrote it it seems like she's adopted him as a little brother figure already. The fact that she IS considerably more mature than a eleven years old does help a lot in that.
But a sister needs not be mothering. She can - and I believe will - support him from afar. Or somewhat not so near, they are in the same school after all
Love the fact that you didn't Griffindor her, though. It will make for a much more interesting story to be among the Basilisks
This is very interesting in most Harry Potter crossover I have seen no matter what character it is they end up in Gryffindor this makes me interested in what direction you'll take the story
I am glad to see Sunset as a Slytherin.
Well... this will be interesting. I think the typical Slytherin elitist attitude will quickly get on Sunset's nerves.
I also see a rivalry between Sunset and Hermione developing.
Looks like an editing glitch here.
Should be social cues.
Great chapter. I can't wait to see more.
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I want to see sunset walk all up and down mouthfoy’s ass
Two things:
One, when dialogue ends just before an attribution, periods should become commas (though exclamation points and question marks stay as is." By a similar note, the sentence before dialogue keeps its period. Just because there's speech coming up doesn't mean punctuation goes away entirely.
Secondly, for the love of all that is holy, break up your sentences. Just because you can graft yet more phrases onto an existing one doesn't mean you should. Some of your paragraphs are one-sentence Frankensteinian monstrosities stiched together by commas in a way nature never intended.
Aside from that, fascinating chapter. Harry has a chance to make those friends he missed out on in his own house, and Sunset can at least forge some connections. Meanwhile, Muggle Studies may prove an eye-opening experience for some of the more sheltered purebloods. There are some things out there that make Voldemort look like a cranky child.
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Sunset is snek
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Oh F@#$ing hell yeah! That's pretty much the best thing to look forward too in my mind!
I'm wondering how Sunset will react to Voldemort though. Like, in-person.
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Well she’ll probably insult him and most likely do what she can to shit bricks down his throat among other things.
I like the idea of a serpent shimmer. This will be fun
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Poor Harry? Having a nudist friend of the opposite gender sounds fantastic.
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Gred and Forge helped Harry get his trunk onto the train, and in-so doing they caught sight of his ScarTM, thus ID-ing him. I don't remember the particulars of the scene beyond that, but I don't think Harry said two words to them outside of "Thanks" before they ran off to inform Molly that "They'd Just Met Harry Potter". Given the stated and observed stance you have that "Unchanged" Canon HP material is getting skipped over, that that scene was not covered or otherwise indicated to have changed, I had surmised that they had still helped him get his trunk on the train when they saw him having difficulty, and thus Ron knowing the general area of where to find Harry, and that the rumors would still have gotten started thanks to the twins.
On a tangential note: I also find it somewhat odd that Ron so willingly followed them after they mentioned Lee's tarantula given his extreme arachnophobia.
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My guess? Daring Do.
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I'd say more likely she's a basilisk among garden snakes...
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I could point you to a few contrary to that trend if you want? (via PM of course. don't want to gum up the comments with unrelated notes.)
I'm just starting reading this and finding it EXCELLENT! I thank you for writing it! Its going to be a fun ride, especially with future events... in both worlds.
Right now I am imagining a returned Voldemort given access to Equestria.
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Why not alicorn hair core ? A sentient tool, linked to the mind of the user, with power enough to summon an Old One, and healthy fascination with all things flammable and already on fire :3
into a 7 year long fight against nobility and a dark lord?
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Solid Sunset?
Welcome to Slytherin Sunset, keep on ignoring the Pure Blood supremacists and it'll lead you to greatness.
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EH I wouldn't grade Sunset as a Basalisk among garden Snakes in Slytherin, but only because she is a first year student and while her pre Hogwarts magic knowledge definitely provides something of an edge there are 6 years worth of more senior students.
had gone all-out for the Firs Years
1. First.
Little did Sunset know that her opportunistic mind would change a few years down the line from keeping an eye on to wanting him and he her.
Or so I'd assume everyone likes to think.
Definitely going to enjoy the fact that she's in Slytherin for sure because it breaks the all too common mold of having the character in Gryffindor leaving less to imagination and anticipation. Especially since now Sunset has to (almost)
constantly deal with Draco on a daily basis. Maybe she'll also somehow get Crabbe and Goyle as her henchmen instead? Like I say, the possibilities are exciting.
I can already see how Sunset may very well change the common Slytherin attitude. She is a true leader type, not the kind Celestia wished for, because she lets her ambitions get the better of her, but she is. That being said, Sunset will most likely be the alpha of the newest Slytherin generation, because those 10-11 year olds couldn't hold a candle to her in their dreams in any shape and form.
Then how Sunset will react further in the book, she already made it clear that she hates racism and bigotry. So their "pureblood" attitude won't bring the Slytherins any points. Snape's interaction with his newest protégé should be interesting.
And then how she will behave around Harry. She acts a little bit like a bigger sister he never had and doesn't give a damn about anything as somePONY who has no connection to the humans' history. If she feels like it Sunset will walk up to the Gryffindors just to visit him and ignores the other Griffindors like they don't even exist. Or she helps and supports him, like taking Draco down if he wants to mess with Harry.
Interesting opportunities. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Slytherin Edition.
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I'd say she's probably more likely to recruit Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis into her corner as her first allies, though their relationship would probably be more along the lines of mutually beneficial cooperation and coordination than as "Henchmen" like Draco and his two Bookends' relationship is.
Well I'm sorry to say that this is where you lost me... Bye
I am looking forward to seeing the myriad of ways Sunset will break Draco.
Just as I said in my last review concerning the Houses, I knew that Sunset would do well in either Gryffindor or Slytherin, and I was equally interested in the path for either one! I knew that Gryffindor would fit several large aspects of her personality, and it would especially come to teach her about what Friendship really means more than any other House.
And at the same time, Sunset as she is at this time is a fine match for Slytherin in many forms with her natural talent, ambition, cunning, entitlement and willing to do whatever it may take to achieve her goals. She will indeed make an exemplary Slytherin, and being placed in that House will offer VERY intriguing plotlines. Aside from Snape's blatant favoritism, she'd go far in demonstrating what the Slytherin house originally stands for with cunning and ambition, rather than cheating and arrogance through blood and wealth. And she'd certainly teach Malfoy a thing or two!
Nevertheless, do watch yourself in the serpent's den, Sunset. It's a shame that Salazar's once noble House is now filled with opportunistic elitist brats who will only see her as either an opportunity to get into good graces with, a dangerous rival or someone of low-birth and no connections. And they are FAR less cordial and polite than Blueblood and others like him at Celestia's court. She'll have to work hard to she's not only different but BETTER than those snobs. Like I said, most of the other Slytherins are very much like the students of Crystal Prep, where no one cares about any accomplishments that are not their own. Even if Sunset's not interested in Friendship, rivals are still another matter. The behavior of most Slytherins can make you question if this is the life you really want.
And so the path is now before us! Will Sunset prove herself as the alpha among the Serpent's Den? Making the message clear that she is to be respected and not to be crossed? Or perhaps to inspire and draw the others to follow such greatness? And how will she come to connect with the Golden Trio? Let's find out!
Sunset as a Slytherin is going to interesting. I must admit that I am taken by surprise, after you made it a point that she doesn't like the kind of people most likely attracted to that house. I was anticipating either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor with the explanation that the house of snakes could be potentially unhealthy for her, if her housemates ever found out about her origins. This has the potential of spectacularly blowing up in people's faces.
It should be a fun ride.
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Punished Sunset
Sunset went to Slytherin? It sounded quite fitting to her persona (although her mane color screams Gryffindor). I cannot wait to see her smack the flank of Malfoy and other Pure Bloods in the house.
This will be very intriguing. With Sunset being a Slytherin, and still interacting with Harry a Gryffindor, will raise a lot of eyebrows, not just from her fellow Slytherins, but by the Gryffindor's themselves. While all the houses are against one another for points, the intense rivalry between the SLytherin's and the Gryffindor's is likely to bring the two a fair bit of strife along the way. It will also be interesting to see Sunset bringing a somewhat more positive look to the Slytherin's since so far they have a well earned bad reputation. The SLytherin's themselves are going to have problems with her, though I can see Snape definitely taking a shine to her (though I can't see Sunset excelling at potions over other subjects).
Overall this is really going to change the dynamic a lot
I’m doubling down on my appreciation for not putting her in Griffondor or w/e. EVERY fanfic puts ponies there, lol. In fact, everyone puts all additions there, in my general experience.
On one hand I can certainly understand her being placed in Slytherin due to her ambition, on the other I worry for her safety... She might be a prodigy and more mature than she looks, but she's still in the body of an 11 year old and has yet to be taught the higher tiers of magic. I can so easily see the others in her dorm teaming up on her, ambushing her, or just the older students attacking her. She'll already be at risk for being muggleborne/ halfblood or whatever unless she does some fast thinking and tell them her family is from America/Canada, add to the fact that she doesn't prescribe to their pureblood mentality and she could have quite the target on her back. Especially as the years progress and tensions rise...
I do look forward to seeing how she handles things in the chapters to come. Trying to maintain a "friendship" with Harry and just seeing things from a different house's perspective will be interesting. While it's true that the Slytherins were cast as the "villains" in canon, they didn't exactly have ANY redeeming interactions with Harry throughout the story. So I'd say it's natural for people to just automatically assume they're all little monsters in the making. I'm curious to see if you'll foster that notion and have Sunset basically be an island in a see of enemies, or if you'll have her actually make some connections in house of snakes.
Finally, a harry potter crossover where the foreign visitor isn't Gryffindor. Going into Slytherin is also a tad bit predictable, but it isn't done quite often as the Gryffindor route
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I'm pretty sure that there are no tactics against the dark goddesses, living shadow of a dark sorcerers or ancient spirits of chaos who could reverse your personality at whim. And when its finally come to direct confrontation (Tirek) Twilight actually show a rather impressive ability to fight.
I'm happy about all the opportunities the Slytherin direction provides for fun and interesting plot development, but I gotta say that little bit about Sunburst being her brother was entirely unnecessary. It doesn't really work in my opinion, especially considering the latest episode, and it's really jarring to have that little bit of headcanon/AU/what have you when everything else fits in so well with the canon, merely branching off of it. It's like when a fanfic writer randomly throws in a ship between two of the mane 6 midway through a story that has nothing to do with it just because they like that ship.
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Well, I mean, the Sparkle battle doctrine seem to be "see villain -> taste the rainbow -> ????? -> profit", with Therapy-no-jutsu as the backup plan. No need for combat training to do that.
Plus judging by how she handled changelling, Tirek and Starlight, she might have had some combat training, but off-screen
In Harry's case, I figured Dumbledore's plan was to wait for Harry to be an adult before burdening him with what is essentially an adult's task. And when it appeared to be too late for that, well Harry had already trained himself anyway.
Able of doing mistake Dumbledore is.
I must say, I'm proud of you. Most people would either try to find a way to force Shim Sham into Gryffindor or put Harry in Slytherin but you did neither. I look forward to seeing how their dynamic works out, especially if Ron and Harry still become friends, considering the first impression she gave the poor kid.
I'm liking this story. I really want to see what happens with Harry and Sunset and their relationship with each other. She seems to get along with him pretty well at this point, even seeing him as similar to her younger brother. (I'm secretly hoping he won't just be a little brother to her even if there won't be romance in the story.) She has clearly left a big impression on him and that isn't counting the whole him likely thinking she grew up a nudist.
I really look forward to what happens in second year since Sunset and Harry already know Voldemort's real name. If they get their hands on the diary, they will know who it belonged to. I also wonder what Dumbledore will think of Sunset since she is at this point very similar to Riddle. She is incredibly brilliant, gifted, ambitious and she was placed in Slytherin. She has already made a strong connection, even if she doesn't realize it, to Harry Potter a big figure in their world. I can see her attitude and who she is gathering her a following in Slytherin and other houses if they get beyond her being in Slytherin in the future.
I know Dumbledore is aware of what to look for in someone going the route of Dark Lord or in Sunset's case Dark Lady. Once she actually starts to change more for the better, he might finally relax regarding her then, but her being close to Harry in any capacity will keep her well within his sights. I'm glad you don't seem to be going the evil Dumbledore route. I get tired of that and it feels overdone.
Really looking forward to muggle studies here. I'm glad you changed how they are because in cannon it is studying muggles from a wizarding perspective and not their history and education levels. That is why Hermione was interested in it at first and later dropped it because she realized it was mostly useless. It will also be a lot of fun seeing how the other Slytherins react to the class. They will hate it, but their pride and in many cases superiority complex won't allow them to just blow it off. Slytherins want to be the best in everything and that will now include mandatory Muggle Studies.
I also really liked the way you handled the Hat's Song. I usually hate it when people insert links to music in their stories because they usually do as some attempt to "set the atmosphere". I liked clicking the link here and it wasn't too long of a song. I also hate it when people add in the full lyrics to a song because it usually results in them just using it to take up space. So I am glad you just gave us Sunset's summary and thoughts of it.
I do wonder how much we will see of Harry Potter and the others. I know Sunset is the main character and I am here for her story, but I do hope Harry won't just be major background character A. I also hope Ron doesn't influence Harry too much. I think Harry spending the train ride and his trip to Diagon Alley with Sunset Shimmer will help temper how much influence Ron has over Harry, which is a good thing. I also think Sunset growing closer to Harry will end up helping her out too. I look forward to the next chapter when it comes out.
Also... I am really curious how the Dazzlings will end up coming into play in this story since you have them tagged. Will they be Sirens still or will they be Veela here? It is something I'm curious about because I do like them as characters. They aren't to the same level, but they reminded me of Azula, Mai and Ty Lee a little.
Echoes of the Lilly/Severus relationship here, in opposing houses. It'll be very interesting to see how this goes.
By the way, you might want to insert a little about how Sunset feels about using a wand. She may be delighted to have magic again, but it is still different. That might come up in the first chapter with classes.
Which reminds me, does there appear to be any difference in her wand magic than others, since Sunset's magical core is not only VERY potent but also different? And would she take to non-verbal magic with a natural ease?
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I'll work on that.
Also, as to Sunset being affected by using the Wand, while it took some getting used to, it doesn't really affect her overall ability, as the Wand only serves as a Focus for her magic. In time, she'll probably learn to cast magic without it, but not anytime soon.
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Sunset & Harry's Relationship: Whether or not this becomes romantic or not I'm uncertain at this point. A deciding factor would be whether or not Sunset actually is related to Sunburst like I've been portraying her here.
Second Year: Let's just say things will probably get resolved a lot sooner, though Harry won't be the only one discovering a new power. And I'm not talking Friendship either.
Dumbledore's Opinion: Dumbles sees a lot of Tom Riddle in Sunset, but more than that he sees the potential for salvation. Remember, Tom was born as the result of a love potion, which meant he lacked the capacity for love. Sunset does not have this limitation, so there is a chance she can be swayed from the Dark, as Dumbledore stated to Celestia in their first conversation. He'll be watching her like a hawk regardless mind you.
Evil Dumbledore: I am firmly of the belief that Dumbledore can be manipulative without being inherently 'Evil' or one of those 'Greater Good' knob-heads people often portray him as. So while he'll be manipulating things from the scenes, he really does have the children's best interests at heart.
Muggle Studies: Will only be referred to in passing, my reason for this is because, in order to prepare them for life outside Hogwarts, the lesson plan would have to include all the basic subjects covered by the British 11-Plus, G.C.S.E, AS-Level and A-Level courses.
My reasons for adding this was mostly me addressing a major concern I've always had with HP Canon: How in the name of Merlin's Epic Beard were Wizards expected to mix with Muggles without their G.C.S.Es?! Seriously, even McDonald's required you to have at least those in the 90's.
Hat song: Admit it, you just wanted to imagine the Sorting Hat screaming: ALL OF YOU ARE BABIES! in Heavy's voice.
Golden Trio: Harry will have his moments, but as I said this will be Sunset's Story, though the two tales will connect at certain parts, which in turn will affect the course of Potter Canon.
Ron: Sadly, Ron will still be the major male influence in Harry's life by virtue of the fact that Harry is desperate for friends and Ron is desperate to befriend him. However, he is already too late to earn the position of 'Best Friend', though Sunset will never admit to being such for now.
Dazzlings: Fish Tiddies.
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You have my respect for the lack of both Dumbledore and Ron bashing in this story