Sorry I haven't updated in a while but there's this thing called homework that I seem to neglect and I've been catching up. I got loads notifications on the last chapter but I wouldn't mind some more reviews...(*hint hint*)
This part wasn't in my original script because we didn't have enough people so I'm writing it now. I'd also like to say that I'm keeping all of the teachers the same (apart from Neville and the ones that died of course) to avoid conclusion and more characters to think up on my part.
As Professor McGonnagall led the first years into the Great Hall for the first time, Albus didn't care that everyone seemed to be staring at him, he was too busy to notice really. The only thing that went through his head was, Wow. He was particularly drawn to the thousands of bobbing candles that were floating near the ceiling giving the room light. The group was walking through the middle of the hall, in between two of the four house tables. Looking at them, Albus was once again reminded of the horrible thought of being in Slytherin. He could see the Slytherins at the table farthest to his left, easily recognisable by their green robes and ties. They looked like an ok bunch but Al could never be sure. He remembered an old saying someone had once told him, "Looks can be deceiving,".
As they got closer to the front, everyone stood still and looked up at Professor McGonnagall who was waiting with her list at the top of the raised dais that the teachers table was on. Next to her, on a stool, sat an old wizards hat. As the room fell quiet, Al realised that everyone was looking at the hat and as soon as he did the same, a rip near the brim opened wide and the hat began to sing a happy poem about how it was going to sort all the first years into their houses. Once it was finished Al sighed with relief,
"All we have to do is put that thing on our heads? And here I was, thinking I'd be tested in front of the whole school on how brave I was." He whispered to Rose. The only reply he got was a harsh "Shhhhhhh!" in his ear. Annoyed, he turned his attention back to Professor McGonagall, who was speaking to the group once again.
"Now when I call your name, I want you to come up here and sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once you have been sorted you can go and sit at your respectable tables." Al started to get panicky again as Professor McGonagall began to read out the names of the kids around him in alphabetical order. When only about half the kids were left, she called out, "Malfoy, Scorpius". Most of the room went quiet, as it did for the other first years before him, but Al could swear he heard whispering coming from the tables behind him as his new friend had the old hat placed on his head. He had no idea why but he felt like the whispers were not all nice.
Scorpius looked confident, sitting upon the stool with his eyes closed, Al thought he looked like he was praying to the hat. After about two minutes, which was a rather long time compared to the other kids, the rip at the brim of the Sorting Hat opened again and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The whole hall was silent as Scorpius made his way to the long Gryffindor table on the right side of the hall. It wasn't until he sat down that some of the older Gryffindors began to clap half heartedly.
Three names later, Professor McGonagall called "Potter, Albus" and this time the Great Hall was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. At first Al didn't realise his name had been called until he received a none too friendly push from Rose. As he made his way up to the stool in front of the teachers table he could feel every eye in the hall directed towards him. The problem was though, that he didn't understand why the whole hall was silent for his name. As he sat down and the hat was placed on his head he hoped it had something to do with what Scorpius had to tell him later.
A few seconds later though, all thoughts of staring pupils were forgotten as a voice began to speak into his mind, he assumed it was the hat but he was still scared.
"Ahhhh, another Potter I see, had one of you last year but he was nowhere near as scared as you. You have courage, I can tell, an urge to prove yourself worthy, but you also have a need for knowledge and a thirst for power that your are so far unaware of. But the real question is where to put you..." Al was so terrified that only one phrase was repeated in his mind, an idea given to him by his father, he told him that the hat takes what you want into account too. Please not Slytherin, Please not Slytherin, Please not Slytherin... He thought.
"Not Slytherin eh? But Slytherin could help you uncover the truth and bring you to great glory you know. Are you sure? Well then I think it better be, GRYFFINDOR!"
As the hat was pulled of his head, Al realised that the last word the hat had said to him had been said to the whole school, everyone was cheering and clapping and a few of the Gryffindors were standing up on their seats. As he reached the Gryffindor table he was slapped and patted on the back by various other students before taking his place next to Scorpius on the end.
"What were you doing with the hat Al? You were under there for nearly five minutes!" he whispered to him, once the noise had died down. "I dunno." Al replied, "It was talking about a whole heap of stuff I had no idea about, but I'm glad I made it." and with that, the two newly sorted Gryffindors faced the front to watch Rose as her name was called and she sat on the stool, leaving only one more first year behind. The hat had hardly touched her head when it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" and she came running down the steps to where her cousin pulled her into a bear hug. As she sat down opposite her two friends, the last first year was sorted into Slytherin and Professor McGonnagall cleared away the stool and the hat before taking her place in the middle of the teachers table in the place of the headmistress.
"To all our new students, welcome. And to all our old students, welcome back. I'm sure this year will be an exciting year for all but for now, let's eat!" and with that she clapped her hands and the most delicious looking food Al had ever seen seemed to appear out of nowhere and onto the table in front of him. Rose and Scorpius joined him as they grabbed large portions of everything and rapidly filled up their plates. By the time desert of sticky-date pudding and chocolate mousse was over, all three felt so bloated that all they wanted to do was sleep it off, but of course, they had to listen to the headmistress' start of year speech before they were allowed to go anywhere.
"I trust that you all had a nice relaxed holiday but I also hope that you try your best in the school year to come. A few announcements: Mr Filch has asked me to warn you again, that the forbidden forest is out of bounds and that is therefore why it is forbidden. Chess club will be having is first meeting tomorrow at afternoon break. And lastly, if you wish to try out for your house quidditch team, there will be signup sheets on the common room noticeboards for those positions that need filling. And now I expect you all to get a good night's sleep for a busy first day of lessons tomorrow." As she finished, she clapped her hands again and all the food scraps disappeared from the plates and left them sparkling clean again. As Al, Rose, Scorpius and the other Gryffindor first years stood up a tall boy who looked like he could be in his 5th year approached them, "First years! Welcome! My name is Tom and I'm a Gryffindor prefect. If you would all follow me please, I will show you to the common room.
