"GRYFFINDOR!"
The red-haired girl climbed off the Sorting stool and ran down to Gryffindor Table.
"Look at Snivellus," Sirius whispered to James as "Palms, Jessica" walked up to the Sorting Hat. James' hazel eyes swivelled over to where a greasy-haired, scrawny boy was looking as though Christmas had been cancelled. James and Sirius looked at each other and silently cracked up laughing. "Snivellus" glared at them.
"Snape, Severus" called Professor McGonagall. The greasy-haired boy walked up to the Sorting Hat anxiously, cast it a malevolent glare, and put it on. No sooner than the brim had touched his lank, black hair than it screeched, "SLYTHERIN!"
"See?" James whispered to Sirius, "Even the Sorting Hat won't touch his hair!"
They nearly started laughing again, but then Remus Lupin nudged them and nodded in McGonagall's direction. Her lips had disappeared into a grim glare at the two boys. They shrank a few inches.
"Pettigrew, Peter" called the professor. Her lips had reappeared, and James and Sirius silently sighed in relief. Peter Pettigrew stumbled up two steps and narrowly avoided someone's foot, but got there safely. He put on the Hat, and waited. And waited. And waited, until finally the Sorting Hat bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!"
"How in Hogwarts could Pete have got into Gryffindor?" James breathed, incredulously.
"No idea," Sirius and Remus breathed back, both looking flummoxed.
"Potter, James" McGonagall called, and when James walked jauntily up, her lips disappeared again. He sat down on the stool, put the Sorting Hat on his untidy black hair, and got a pleasant surprise; "GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat shouted. James whipped the hat off his head, threw it onto the stool and nearly ran down to the Gryffindor Table. He sat down next to Peter, said, "Hi Peter," and waited with bated breath to see which house Sirius and Lupin would go to. Soon, Lupin was called, and he, too, was placed in Gryffindor. Now only Sirius was left out of their circle of friends, looking miffed at being left on his own.
"Michel, Joey"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Jackson, Rebecca"
"RAVENCLAW!"
And then, finally,
"Black, Sirius" and Professor McGonagall pursed up her lips at him, like she had at James. Sirius put on the Sorting Hat. He was shaking so much that the Sorting Hat started shaking too, until,
"GRYFFINDOR!"
James, Remus and Peter all clapped as loud as they could as Sirius ran down to his friends and flopped into a chair. McGonagall stared. Then she seemed to recover herself as she called out the rest of the names. Soon the Sorting was over, and the feast began.
"That was lucky!" Sirius said.