Chapter 2

Melody entered the Great Hall, looking around her. She'd just had an explanation from Professor Mabery, telling them how they would be sorted into the different Houses. Apparently they had to try on some hat that would tell them where they fitted. It seemed like nonsense to her, but then again, this was Hogwarts.

The Great Hall was enormous, and was filled with students of different ages, all of them looking at the first-years stumbling in. Some pointed at Lily and whispered something to their friends, probably talking about Harry Potter, but most took no notice. They were probably used to it, as Albus and James were also Potter's boys.

There were four tables in the Hall, representing the different Houses. Melody began to get nervous. She knew it wouldn't matter if she got sorted into Slytherin, but still…

She wasn't entirely sure which House she would like to be in. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw seemed to be good. And Hufflepuff was okay, too. She looked at the Slytherin table, and found the people sitting there didn't all look mean. Slytherin wouldn't be dreadful, she decided.

At the far end of the Hall, there was a long table, which appeared to be the table for the teachers. All different teachers were sitting there. In the middle of the table, on a chair which was slightly bigger than the others, was a man in his thirties, wearing a smart suit and a peculiar hat. Melody assumed he was the Headmaster.

There weren't only students and teachers in the Hall, there were also translucent figures that Melody recognized as ghosts. She stared at them in wonder: she'd known they existed, but she'd never seen one before.

Melody looked up at the ceiling, and noticed it looked like the sky. It can't really be the sky though, she told herself. The ceiling's probably enchanted. That must be an incredibly difficult spell! She kept staring at the ceiling.

When the first-years stopped moving, having arrived at the end of the Great Hall, Melody bumped into a boy in front of her. Quickly she backed off.

Professor Mabery appeared in front of them. She had grey, long hair and was tall and skinny. Her grey eyes seemed to bore right through Melody, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

The Professor was standing next to a four-legged stool, with a brown, old hat on top of it. For a moment it was quiet. Then – Melody blinked but she wasn't dreaming – the hat opened its mouth and began to sing.

A hat is all I may seem
But I am more than your wildest dream
For years and years, I have been sorting those that are new
to this school: witches and wizards not unlike you
I've been sorting them into the four
different houses; it is my chore
There's Slytherin: proud, ambitious yet cunning and sly
But do not think they're the bad guy
Then there's Gryffindor: brave, daring they are
If it is courage you seek, Gryffindor wins by far
Ravenclaw is famous for its cleverness; its wit
They're smarter than the others, you'll have to admit
And Hufflepuff, for if you seek a good friend
Loyal, friendly and always content
Now try me on and do not fear
For I am more than I appear

Everyone in the Great Hall applauded and so did Melody, even though she found the Sorting Hat quite strange.
Professor Mabery came forward. 'If I call out your name, please come forward,' said Professor Mabery loudly. She took a piece of parchment from her pocket. 'Abbott, Leroy!' she shouted. A blond boy walked up to the stool and sat down nervously. The Professor placed the hat on his head. For a moment there was silence. Then, the Hat's mouth opened. 'Hufflepuff!'

Relieved, Leroy walked towards the table that was cheering loudly. He was welcomed by his fellow Hufflepuffs.

'Boot, Melody!'
Melody approached the stool nervously and sat down. The Hat was placed on her head. 'I see…' it mumbled. 'Smart, loyal, ambitious... You've got something of all houses! But most of all, I see – brave, daring. Yes, I think it's quite clear… GRYFFINDOR!'

Surprised, Melody walked towards the Gryffindor table, where everyone was applauding her. She sat down next to a pale, blonde boy and looked back at the Sorting Hat, which was now sorting 'Clevott, Mary' into Ravenclaw.
After a few minutes, Lily's name was called out. She sat down on the stool and nervously looked up at the Hat on her head. 'Gryffindor!'

Relieved, Lily sat down next to Melody. 'We're in the same House!' she said happily.

'Yeah,' Melody agreed. 'I thought I'd be in Ravenclaw, since my dad was… But Gryffindor's good!'

Shawn Taylor, an arrogant looking boy with brown hair became a Slytherin.
'I don't like the looks of him,' muttered Lily.

'Weasley, Hugo!'

'Here goes Hugo!' Lily said excitedly, looking at her friend, who was trembling on the stool, looking up at the hat fearfully. 'Gryffindor!'

Hugo grinned and sat down opposite Melody. 'I knew it!'

'You didn't look so confident on that stool,' noted Lily.

'Of course I was confident,' scoffed Hugo.

'Zabini, Kate', the last to be sorted, became a Slytherin and the Sorting Hat was rolled up by Professor Mabery. All students expectantly looked at the table they were sitting at, but nothing happened.

The Headmaster stood up. 'Welcome at Hogwarts! The Sorting Ceremony is over and I'm sure all of you are hungry, so let's eat!' Suddenly, the tables were filled with all kinds of food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots and much more. Melody eagerly piled her plate with sausages and chips and began to eat. The meal was delicious, and the people she was with made it even better.

'Lily, d'you see that? Albus wasn't lying, then!' whispered Hugo. Melody had no idea what they were talking about.

'Of course he wasn't lying, just because you're so narrow-minded–'

'Don't you think it's strange?'

'No, I personally think it's wonderful, really.'

'What's the matter?' asked Melody.

'You see that boy next to you?' said Hugo. 'He's Scorpius Malfoy. His dad was a Slytherin, and Lily's dad's archenemy. Can you believe his son's in Gryffindor?'

'Shh, Hugo, he can hear you!' said Lily urgently. 'And you heard Albus, Scorpius is really friendly. They're friends, Albus and Scorpius are.'

Melody glanced at the boy sitting next to her. He looked friendly enough – and handsome, she thought, blushing.

'Can you remember who else got sorted into Gryffindor?' asked Hugo. 'I'll have to sleep in the same room as the other Gryffindor boys that're in our year, so they'd better be friendly.'

'Well, I'll sleep in the same room as Melody,' said Lily brightly. 'Other than that… I didn't really pay attention. We'll see.'

When Melody was full, the food disappeared, to be replaced by hundreds of desserts. Even though she wasn't hungry anymore, Melody still ate some pudding before it disappeared.

The Headmaster got up again, and everyone faced him. 'I'm Ernie Macmillan, your Headmaster,' he said pompously. 'And I have some announcements to make. First of all, it's forbidden to enter the forest outside the grounds – that's why it's called the Forbidden Forest,' he said, grinning at his joke. No one else laughed, so his smile quickly faded and he hastily continued, 'Also, you're not allowed to do magic in the corridors, and if you do, points will be taken off your House. In the second week of term, there'll be Quidditch trials. First-years aren't allowed to play Quidditch yet. That was it, I think – now, it's bedtime. Everyone, go to your dormitories! Prefects, lead the first-years to the common rooms!'

Everyone stood up and made their way to their dormitories. Melody wanted to follow the group of Gryffindor first-years when Hugo suddenly said, 'Hey, that's Nearly Headless Nick!'

This statement made Melody look at where Hugo was pointing. A ghost with a wobbly head was drifting in front of them. His hair was short and curly and he was wearing rather old-fashioned clothes. 'Oh, hello,' he said politely. 'Have we met?'

'No, but my dad told me about you!'

Nearly Headless Nick glanced at Hugo's hair. 'A Weasley, I assume?'

'Yeah, Ron Weasley's his name.'

'Ah,' said the ghost. 'Yeah, I know him. A good boy – a bit tactless sometimes, though.'

'Nearly Headless?' asked Lily. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'D'you want to see?' the ghost said proudly. He grabbed his head with his hand, and pulled it aside. Melody gasped as she saw that the head was only attached by a small piece of skin. 'That's disgusting,' she said before she could stop herself.

'Excuse me?' asked Nick, looking offended.

'I'm sorry,' she quickly said. 'I mean – you just look very scary and all…'

'Thank you,' said Nick, looking happy again. 'In fact, I think I look even scarier than ghosts who've got their whole head cut off.'

'I agree,' said Melody.

'But still they won't let me join the Headless Hunt,' grumbled Nick. 'How dare they–' He drifted away, having forgotten the three students.

Lily looked around, then cursed. 'Where're they?'

'Who?' asked Hugo.

'The other Gryffindors! The Prefects would lead us to the dormitories, but everyone's gone!'

This was true, Melody noted. Even the teachers seemed to have left. Only a few Ravenclaws had remained in the Hall. Melody approached them. 'Excuse me? D'you know where the Gryffindor common room is?'

'Why'd we know that?' said a blonde girl with plait hair irritably. 'We're Ravenclaws.'

'Yeah, but I just thought–'

'You thought wrong, them,' said the girl, turning her back on Melody.

'That was friendly,' commented Hugo.

'D'you need help finding the common room?' asked a voice behind them. They turned around, and saw Scorpius Malfoy standing there.

'Yes, please,' said Melody. 'We were distracted, and before we knew it the others were gone.'

'I'll help you. I have to go there myself, too.' He started walking. Melody, Lily and Hugo followed him. They exited the Great Hall and went left, up a marble staircase, through a corridor, and up some stairs again. While walking they passed a lot of portraits, containing people who curiously stared at them. Melody wanted to tell them it was impolite to stare, but thought it strange to be speaking to a portrait. Only when a portrait said: 'What're you looking at?' she answered: 'You're the one who's staring at us!'

'They're always curious when there're new first-years,' explained Scorpius. 'But don't worry, they're really friendly. You'll have to look out for the portrait of Sir Cadogan, though, he's rude.'

They went through a hidden doorway and continued down a corridor.

'You're Albus's sister, aren't you?' Scorpius asked Lily.

'Yeah,' she said. 'I am!'

'And Harry Potter's daughter,' he continued. 'And then you'll be Ron Weasley's and Hermione Granger's son,' he told Hugo.

'I know I am.'

Scorpius grinned. 'I'm Scorpius–'

'–Malfoy,' said Hugo. 'Yeah, I know.'

Scorpius turned to Melody. 'And you are?' he enquired.

'Melody Boot.'

'Melody. I like that name,' he said.

'Thanks,' she grinned. 'I like Scorpius, too.'

They walked up a staircase when it suddenly started moving. Melody, Lily and Hugo looked scared, but Scorpius laughed. 'That happens all the time,' he told them.

'Won't we have to wait until it goes back?' asked Lily as the staircase moved to the left.

'No, we have to go this way anyway,' said Scorpius, walking up the stairs, through a door. They arrived at a portrait of a rather big woman, wearing pink robes. 'This is the Fat Lady.'

'I can see that,' grinned Hugo. The Fat Lady shot him an angry look.

'Polyjuice Potion,' said Scorpius, and the portrait swung aside to reveal a passageway to a red room packed with students. They entered the room. 'Here we are, the common room,' said Scorpius.

'Thanks for leading us here,' Melody told him.

'You're welcome,' said Scorpius.

'Let's go to sleep,' said Lily. 'I'm dead tired.'

'Me too,' Melody agreed. They parted company with Hugo and went up to their dormitories, where they immediately dropped themselves onto their beds. Within a few seconds they were asleep.

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