Disclaimer: I own nothing.
With 5 long tables [1 for the teachers, and 1 for each of the 4 houses], floating candles, 100s of students, and the seemingly ceiling-less ceiling, the Great Hall could be quite intimidating. Especially when you were 11 years old and you had nearly the entire school staring at you as you waited to be sorted into your house which would, as McGongall said, be like your family for the next 7 years.
"Rebecca Barker."" Professors McGongall read off her long list of names. A pale girl with long black hair walked nervously to the stool and sat down as the sorting hat was placed on her head. 'Merlin she's going to call me next. I know it!' Sirius Black thought to himself as the sorting hat called out "Ravenclaw!"
"Sirius Black!" Professor Mcgongall called out, confirming Sirius' suspicions.
"This shouldn't take long." Sirius heard a boy with messy black hair and glasses mutter to a girl next to him. "Everyone knows all Blacks ends up in Syltherin."
Sirius sent the boy a glare as he passed him, because that's exactly what Sirius was dreading. It was true: All Blacks did end up in Slytherin..well all except his cousin Andromeda. She was a Ravenclaw..But Sirius knew that he was bound to land himself in Slytherin, but he wasn't like the rest of his family. He didn't want to be a Slytherin.
"We're certainly conflicted now, aren't we." Sirius heard a voice whisper in his ear, making him jump. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts he hadn't even realized that he already made it up to the stool and McGongall had put the sorting hat on his head. "Torn between what your family expects of you, and what you want." He heard the hat say.
'Just get it over with and put me in Slytherin.' Sirius thought dully. He knew it was going to happen. It was inevitable. He was just kidding himself thinking otherwise. He didn't want to get his hopes up, just to be let down when the hat called out 'Slytherin'.
"I'm not so sure you're Slytherin material." The hat said to Sirius. "You have quite a bit of courage here..daring..loyal..very brave..quite smart as well..no, I don't think Slytherin's the right place for you."
'But all my family's in Slytherin.' Sirius thought to the hat. 'It's in my blood.'
"Well you're not like the rest of your family now, are you?" The hat pointed out. "I think you'll do well in.." The hat shouted out the next word "GRYFFINDOR!"
A short period of stunned silence rang out across the hall, followed by feeble applause from the Gryffindor table. Sirius' face must have been priceless, a mix between shock that the hat hadn't put him in Slytherin, Joy that he was a Gryffindor, and fear because he knew his parents were not going to be very happy about this. He walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down numbly to watch the rest of the sorting, doing his best to avoid looking over at the Slytherin table.
K that's it for now but it gets better I swear. && the chapters will get longer too..Feedback is much appreciated =]