CHAPTER TWO

The Sorting Hat Perplexed

The first-year students were lead through the Entrance Hall, which had been lavishly decorated, and were told to wait outside a pair of giant oak doors. Violet Sinistra, now that Albus could see her properly, was a short woman with bright blue eyes and raven black hair, pink cheeks and a full figure. She looked about twenty years old, maybe twenty-five.

Violet disappeared momentarily, a long, deep purple cloak sweeping the stone floor behind her. As the doors swung open, Albus caught a glimpse of what could only be the Great Hall, full of cheery, welcoming light. He noticed four long wooden tables, stretching from one end of the huge room to the other, and he knew from what his parents – and James – had told him, that these were the four house tables. He wondered which one was Gryffindor table, and who would be sitting at it. He knew that his older brother would be there somewhere, talking animatedly with his friends, no doubt telling them about Albus' arrival at Hogwarts.

The doors opened again, and Violet returned, this time with a portly, middle-aged wizard with circular glasses and emerald green robes. Horace Slughorn beamed at the new students.

"Well, let's get these inside and sorted, shall we, Violet? I'll take them from here" Slughorn beckoned the students to follow him. Violet left for the main doors, nodding appreciatively at Slughorn.

He pushed open the doors, which creaked on their hinges under such force, and walked on, his boots clicking on the stone floor as he went. About a hundred and twenty anxious students followed, including Albus, Rose and Molly Finnigan. He noticed that the students around him had begun whispering to each other, conferring their thoughts and views about their current situation.

As they entered, almost a thousand faces turned to look at them. Albus felt immediately self-conscious. He was never keen on people looking at him, and this was no different. Rose held onto his arm, whispering "Just act natural. They are going to be looking at you, because you're new". This did not help much. Walking down the long aisle between the two middle tables, the only new students in the enormous golden cavern of the Great Hall, it was expected for an eleven-year-old to feel self-conscious.

He looked up at the ceiling, expecting golden carved angels and a diamond chandelier, but then he remembered that James had told him the ceiling was bewitched to look like the night sky outside. Tonight, it was a clear, even navy blue, dotted with sparkling stars. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and the moon shone like a large coin against the inky darkness.

His heart leapt into his mouth, however, once they had reached the flight of steps ascending up to the High Table where the staff sat. A tiny, bearded wizard with a crooked nose came up onto the platform carrying a three-legged stool, which he placed in front of a podium shaped like an eagle with a golden beak. Three candles flickered either side of the eagles' spread wings, casting an eerie glow on the stool. Then, the same wizard brought an old, battered pointed hat up to the platform, and placed that on top of the stool. Albus knew this to be the Sorting Hat. He swallowed hard, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Slughorn had returned to the staff table to exchange a few words with a surly-looking woman on Albus' right, and then walked up to the podium.

"First years, when I call your name, you may come up here and I will put the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Is that clear?" he paused for breath as if expecting an answer, then began to read from the list.

"Celestia Ashworth" a small girl with dark blonde hair stepped nervously up to the platform, sat on the stool, and Slughorn placed the Sorting Hat on her head. It remained silent for a few moments, before a tear near the brim of the hat opened wide and the hat yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

There was a loud cheer from the table on the far left, and Celestia Ashworth jumped off the stool, her face flushed pink with pleasure, to join the rest of the Hufflepuff students.

"Liam Anthony" Slughorn called out, and a tall boy with pale brown hair went up and sat on the stool. The hat had barely touched his head before yelling out; "RAVENCLAW!" and Liam went to join the rest of his house. Albus bit his lip nervously.

For next few minutes there was the to-ing and fro-ing of students of all different shapes and sizes, colour skins and heights. It was only when they reached Lucia O'Neill, and that she was sorted into Hufflepuff, that Albus started to panic. He would be next, as his name, Potter, followed Lucia's. He held his breath.

"Albus Potter"

"Good luck" Rose whispered to him as he made for the steps. He smiled at her. He ascended the steps with difficulty, praying that no one had noticed that his legs were shaking so much he could barely stand up properly. He went up onto the platform. The entire hall was deadly quiet. They were all waiting to see which house the middle child of the Boy Who Lived was going to be sorted in. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

"Hmmm" the Sorting Hat pondered. "This is going to be difficult….yes, I see potential here….a possible Ravenclaw, yet…you have the makings of a true Gryffindor. It's all here, but where to put you? Hufflepuff, maybe…no, no, you're too intelligent. Gryffindor…." Please, Gryffindor, yes, Gryffindor, please! Albus thought to himself. The Sorting Hat read his mind.

"Gryffindor, eh? How extraordinarily like your father you are…he also chose Gryffindor, too, despite the fact that he would have done well in Slytherin. Oh, yes, a fine Slytherin he would have made too. Well, this is perplexing. You have courage, boy, and lots of it…bravery, intelligence, a Ravenclaw….yet...Gryffindor?" the Sorting Hat thought for a few seconds.

"Very well. Gryffindor it is!" he Hat paused again, then yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!" and the Hat was taken from his head. Albus exhaled in relief, and jumped off the stool happily to an eruption of cheers from the first table on the right. He hadn't been sorted into Slytherin after all, like James had said he would.

He joined the Gryffindor table in giddy excitement, sitting himself down in an empty space between two other first-years that had been sorted into Gryffindor; Molly Finnigan, and a blonde boy with brown eyes who Albus recognized as Brendan McMillan.

"Congratulations! You made it into Gryffindor!" Molly said happily. Albus grinned. All he needed now was for Rose to join him, and then he would be really happy.

Quite a few people turned in their seats to greet him, and he returned their greeting with many a 'hello' and 'yes, I am James' younger brother'. He looked along the line, down the table, and spotted his brother sitting on the opposite row. He caught Albus' eye, and nodded his congratulations towards him. He knew that James would start ignoring the minute he set foot at Hogwarts – but it was a comfort to know he wasn't completely embarrassed that his younger brother had ended up in the same house as him.

"That your brother?" Molly asked. Albus nodded.

"Yeah, that's James. I've got another sister, too, but she won't be starting here for another two years yet. Her name's Lily" Albus explained.

"I've got a brother, Jack, and a younger sister called Paddy. But their not my real brother and sister, just half. Same dad, different Mums." Molly grinned. "Hey, isn't that your friend? The girl you were with?" Albus turned round to see Rose walking towards the Sorting Hat. Albus crossed his fingers under the table. There was silence, and then a loud cry of "GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindor students, clapping and smiling at Rose as she came towards him, and sat herself down opposite him. Her face was pink and flushed, and her eyes were shining.

"Mum and Dad are going to be so pleased!" she said, clapping her hands together. "They hoped I'd be in Gryffindor".

The Sorting Ceremony ended a short while afterwards, when a black girl called Esmeralda Zabini, who had bright green eyes and high cheekbones, was sorted into Slytherin (like a number of students before her). Slughorn took the stool and hat away, and then stepped up to the podium again. He opened his mouth, and introduced himself as Horace Slughorn, Potions master of Hogwarts and Deputy Head teacher. He also pointed out other members of staff sitting at the High Table, as well as a few of the school governors that were placed at either end of the table.

He followed by going through a couple of ground rules, reminding everyone that the Forbidden Forest was out of bounds to anyone in the school, and that entry to the dungeons were prohibited except for lessons. But Albus has stopped listening early on in the speech, because he had caught the eye of a blonde boy sitting at the Slytherin table, who was glaring at him icily from the far end of the room with piercing blue eyes that sent a shiver down Albus' spine. He was sure he had seen the boy somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. And he didn't like the feeling he gave him one little bit.