-1Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JK, but all orginal ideas and characters are mine.
A/N: The Sorting Song was written by me. ) And thanks so much to Lyn Midnight for beta-ing!
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Patrice landed sloppily on the hearth of the fireplace at Hogsmeade. A few of the passing people snickered at her entrance, even though they had probably done the same thing when they arrived. Patrice scanned the premises with her golden brown eyes quickly, searching for her friends. She spotted Anthony's ginger locks quickly enough in the crowd, and they stood with their owls and luggage sitting neatly beside them. Patrice smiled and walked gracefully towards them.
"Hello," Patrice greeted them formally. Even though they were her best friends, it was still the right thing to do in public.
"Hello, Patrice," Susan Litrer said, coming forward a few steps to meet Patrice in a gentle hug. "We were just talking about our summer. Did you know that Anthony's mother had her seventh child?"
"No, why didn't you send me a post?" Patrice asked Anthony. She had known that her friend's mother was pregnant, but didn't know when the woman was meant to go into labor. She didn't think her friend would have a new sibling until later this year.
"Sorry. I was busy working. It's a tiny baby girl though – my mum was so happy. Since Elizabeth went to the Americas, she has been very lonely without another woman around. Her name is Lauren." Anthony said most of this very fast, as if it was embarrassing to talk about.
"Your mum seems happy, what about you?" Susan quipped. She knew that Anthony wasn't extremely proud of his family, but he loved them nonetheless.
"Well, I was actually wishing it would have been a male. Since Ethan is leaving soon, I will be the only one left," Anthony spoke in an ashamed fashion, as if he shouldn't be saying that he had wanted a specific gender of a sibling, like he should have just been happy with either, as long as the baby was healthy.
A whistle blew in the distance, signaling the time for students Second Year and over to load themselves into the carriages. On the lakeside of Hogsmeade, First Years were being ushered into the small boats by the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Anthony waited patiently has he let the ladies step into the carriage first. Patrice grabbed their animals crates (a cat for herself and owls for each Anthony and Susan) as Anthony lifted them up and hopped inside himself, closing the door shut on the bright day outside. It was a lot darker in the compartment now that the door was closed, and Patrice wished that the windows placed accurately in the middle of the carriage door were bigger. She liked the summer light and wanted to bask in it a little longer, but the school waited ahead of them.
It was another few moments before the leaderless carriages started to roll forward. They all jostled around a bit from the fragile tires hitting the bumps in the road, and it was just a tad uncomfortable bumping their shoulders every once in a while. But the ride was mostly silent and quick. They were soon outside of Hogwarts' oak doors.
Anthony jumped out of the carriage onto the warm earth below. Patrice and Susan hurriedly followed, happy to get back into the sun, even if it was only for a moment. All the students gathered into the Great Hall, chatting animatedly, and took their seats at their appropriate tables. Patrice wondered mindlessly which students would be sorted into her own house of Ravenclaw this year.
Everybody had been seated for no more than five minutes, when the doors of the Great Hall opened again and Professor Polliner - the Transfiguration teacher - entered with about forty First Years in tow looking frightened. They shuffled in a big group to the front of the room and Polliner set the three-legged stool upon the ground and put the infamous Sorting Hat atop of it. The whole school stared at it expectedly, save for a few First Years, Muggle-borns, who didn't understand what an old wizard hat could do. When the brim opened wide, the few who had been looking around without interest jumped. The old hat burst into its song.
I was sewn in a light
So dim your eyes would strain.
Stitch after stitch went into me
Time and time again.
But soon enough I was done
And a young man whipped me off the shelf.
Who knew I would one day,
Become the Sorting Hat?
Yes, me, myself.
I put you into the right place,
And I've never yet been wrong.
If you dare to contradict me,
You shall be hung by a thumb.
There are four houses, in which you shall be seen,
And of course the only one that can see is me.
I peer inside your mind to see if you shall meet,
The standards of Gryffindor,
The brave and the discreet.
Or maybe Hufflepuff is your true home;
With the honest and the loyal
Your mind might crave to go.
Ravenclaw is also there,
With their studious thoughts.
They are ready for the challenge
And plan to not get caught.
Slytherin is the last place you might get to go,
If you show a cunning side
This is your place of show.
One of those will be your place
And now I am ready.
Come and slip me on your head.
I will be quick and steady.
Patrice steadily clapped along with her fellow pupils. She noticed a lot of the small First Years looked relieved, like they had been expecting much worse. Professor Polliner stepped right next to the stool, lifted up the Sorting Hat and called out, "Adams, Evan."
A burly boy who looked too old for the age of eleven stepped out of the small crowd and slowly stepped forward, but he looked glad to have all eyes on him. Patrice always liked to guess what house each youngster was going to be placed in, and she was usually right. And judging by this boy's show of a likeness for attention, he was going to be placed in Slytherin. And she was right because a moment later, the hat shouted out, "Slytherin!" for everyone to hear.
It was easy to tell some people's house just by looking at them, but for others it was difficult. Such was the case with a small girl (Gloria Huggins) who looked shy, but her eyes were shining with pride; Patrice couldn't tell whether she would be a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor. And she was really surprised when Gloria was placed in Slytherin just like the first boy - who was double her size - had been. That just showed that not everybody's looks reflected their personality.
The Sorting finally ended with Pauline Williams and everybody clapped politely as Professor Polliner collected the stool and hat and walked out of the Great Hall. The school's Headmaster, Professor Everard, stood up from his large throne-like chair in the direct center of the staff table. Patrice hoped he would make his speech short. Her stomach was beginning to rumble quietly, but soon she was sure the whole school would be able to hear it if she didn't eat.
"Welcome!" Everard announced grandly. "There are many announcements to be made," a few groans came from surrounding students, "but I think your stomachs are roaring for the magnificent feast to begin. So, without any more interruptions on my part, let the feast begin." He spread his arms wide and the food appeared on the table in front of the students. Older pupils dug right in, but Patrice saw the First Years staring mesmerized at the golden plates that had once been empty before them. She remembered when she looked like that. She wondered if any of the older students thought it was as funny as she thought of it now.
She carefully laid some of her favorite foods on her plate and ate with care. Nobody talked much throughout the whole meal. They were all too busy munching away on all the terrifically made food, and it was rude to talk with your mouth open anyway. All that could be heard was the clinking of silverware on the golden plates.
When all the dishes were empty and every student was filled fit to burst, Everard stood from his seat and waited until everybody was quiet to begin talking. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I am sure that over the summer you have been working hard with your families and I hope you have brought some of that determination with you. This school year will be a special one as I'm sure some of you already know. After five years of waiting, this is the year in which Hogwarts will be hosting a special event. Two of our neighbour schools will be joining us here to compete in this year's TriWizard Tournament, which will take place on the first of October. As most of you may remember, Beauxbatons is an all girls' school who speak French and Durmstrang is a school which is known to bring only boys to compete in this dangerous competition. Though both schools like to hide their locations, we welcome them into the castle warmly each time the tournament takes place."
"You should know that anybody may drop their name into the Goblet of Fire when the time comes, but there is no turning back. As soon as the parchment drops and the flames engulf it, you have signed a contract that entitles that if your name comes out of that Goblet on Halloween night, you must compete through each of the tasks. But the prize will be beyond imaginable. Eternal glory is what you will be given if you prove yourself high enough to that standard. Nobody will tease you, you will be respected just as much as I am." Patrice looked at her peers faces and some of them had a far fetched plaster (?) into their eyes. She did not know whether she could trust any of them with eternal glory.
"With that said, I would like to advise you that this competition has been known to raise many a death tolls in the past. There have been people who died without having to compete, just sitting in the stands is enough for it to happen. So I warn each and every one of you to be cautious." He spread his arms out wide again, motioning to everybody's faces. "I want to see everybody sitting here at the end of the year, please make that stay true. Now, it's off to bed with all of you. Classes will be starting early tomorrow morning and I'm sure none of you wish to be late."
Everard sat down and started to chat with the Headmistress, Professor Shingles. Everybody noticed the cue to leave, and their benches scratched on the floor as they all got up. Patrice walked alongside everybody until the stairs, where the houses started to break apart, slipping to their own common rooms.
"I wonder if what he says is true," Susan said mindlessly as they walked up to the fourth floor corridor.
"About how he said the French girls are coming here?" Anthony asked like a boy who didn't think before he spoke.
"No, I don't mind the French women at all. I hear that they are actually a nice bunch of people. I was talking about the death tolls. I don't remember that many people dying in previous years."
"I do," Patrice contributed. "Though we were only First Years, I remember the Durmstrang leaving to go home with a few seats missing and the French had about five women pass. It was horrible."
"So, does that mean that neither of you are going to put your names in?" Anthony asked. He was already sure to put in his name. He hoped to gain some respect back to his family, who liked to help out a lot of Muggles.
"Now, I did not say that," Patrice corrected. "I'm just apprehensive."
"Well, I am not," Susan said defiantly. "It's just too dangerous."
"I can't wait. It's going to be so much fun," Anthony said and they were now in front of the portrait to their Common Room. "Sharpinum."
Patrice stepped inside first and the familiar view greeted her eyes. It was good to be back in the place she loved with all of her friends.