All anger during the ride over was blown from their minds as they got their first magnificent view of Hogwarts. High spires and monstrous stone walls pierced the sky, tall and proud. Long, wide windows were flickering from internal light that seemed to give the cold stones a warm, glowing look. Remus felt his jaw flop open. He had never seen such a grand building in his life. This is my school? As he cast his eyes around the rest of the students, they all seemed to be having similar thoughts. Even James and Sirius has stopped sulking long enough to stare, impressed and intimidated, at the huge castle. The waxing moon was framed between two tall towers, and even Remus had to admit it created a stunning image.
If they were impressed by the outside, the inside was downright awe-inspiring. Vaulting walls covered with moving portraits stretched higher than they could see. A floor of elegant tile with gold and silver chasing designs clacked under the shoes of nearly 100 new students. The windows were either open or had beautiful stained glass images of creatures like dragons and unicorns and others that Remus couldn't identify. It was all so beautiful, so much to take in, he wondered if seven years would be even close to enough time to appreciate all the beauty on the grounds. He also sensed, under the beauty and glitter, the darkness. Secrets and whispers, stories the walls wished to tell but had no mouths with which to speak. The building was power and strength under all that glamour. Remus understood this perfectly and treated the walls with respect. They came upon a huge set of double doors that stretched nearly twenty feet high. On the other side, he could hear the chatter of hundreds of hungry students and teachers, sounding eager and excited.
"Attention, first years." The group turned as one to see a thin, tall woman was standing beside them. Her face was showing signs of age, wrinkling lightly around the mouth and eyes. Her thick, dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun and was graying at the temples. Elegant robes of crushed red velvet sat upon her shoulders and rested perfectly on top of the floor, looking extremely at odds with the tattered and worn brown hat that sat on her head. Her hands clutched a scroll. "My name is Professor McGonagall. In a few short moments, I will be leading you into the Great Hall, the room behind those doors. There, you will be sorted. Once you know your house, you will move quickly and quietly to sit at the table where you will wait with the other students for the feast to begin." Her eyes were hard and her voice left no room for argument. Remus got the impression that this was not a woman you crossed, but he was oddly not afraid of her. Perhaps there was a kindness under the scholarly mask that Moony was picking up on, thus allowing Remus a more complete picture of the Professor. The woman crossed to the doors, knocked twice, and paused, as if waiting for a response. "Yes, wonderful, they're ready for us. You will follow me in an orderly fashion and stand as a group, coming forward only as I call your names. Do you understand?" Every head nodded. "Good."
If Remus hadn't been so nervous, he would have gasped at the look of the Great Hall. Four long tables covered in gleaming golden platters stood in front of him, each running the length of the room. At the opposite end of the Hall, atop an elevated alter, one long table that stretched the width of the Hall held the Professors. At the center of that table, which aligned perfectly with the center of the room, the center which all the first years were now walking up, stood an ornate throne. However, it wasn't the beautiful chair that held Remus' eye, but the occupant. None other than Professor Dumbledore sat there, watching with glee as the new students walked in and up the length of the room, stopping just before the alter. Remus felt an iron fist in his stomach as he realized that Dumbledore was the Headmaster. I growled at the bloody Headmaster?! He felt sick with understanding and swayed slightly on the spot.
"Remus?" A comforting hand was placed on his back and he turned to see Lily, her presence forgotten, watching him with concern. "I know, I'm nervous too, but don't worry. I'm sure the sorting is easy." She smiled at him, her nerves making her twitch. Remus smiled back and nodded, taking a steadying breath and watching as McGonagall stepped onto the altar. She plucked the hat from her head and set it down onto a stool next to her. Remus cocked an eyebrow, baffled by this action. The hat seemed to slump and rip open. Remus thought for sure that the old thing had just given in, until the hat, miraculously, started to sing!
Hello there, dear first years and other years!
I bid you a greeting, kind staff!
If I had eyes to see all of you
I'm so very sure I would laugh!
How odd it must be, I declare
To be human instead of a hat
But my presence here is for business
So let's all get right down to that!
Good evening, children, do let me explain
What it is I shall do for you all
You see, I'm a mind reader, a most clever hat
Who has been given a call.
I've been set with a duty, a tasking, a job
That no one but me could do right
This tasking, this duty, this job I must do
Is sort all of you first years tonight!
I may place you in Ravenclaw, smart and hard working
Where library bugs will find friends.
Or perhaps into Slytherin is where you shall go
If you fight to win at all ends.
There is always Gryffindor, the bold and the brave
Where the lions and warriors meet
Or maybe in Hufflepuff, the house of great kindness
Last named but never the least
Each House has its blessings, it's bringings, its curses
None is the worst or the best
It's all got to do with what's in your heart
To decide where you shall rest
So come, pick me up, don me on your head
I have no mouth with which I can bite
Though if you've not washed your hair for a time
I'll ask the ghosts to give you a fright!
The hat fell silent to thunderous applause and thick laughter. Even the first years had momentarily forgotten their worries in the face of singing headgear. Professor McGonagall was wearing a smile that showed the kindness inside of her, gazing down on the first years as she unrolled the scroll in her hands.
"Attention, please!" The Hall fell silent. Kind look or not, she was still a strict woman. "When I call your name, step up and place the hat on your head. Once it calls out a House, just follow the loudest cheers. Or look at the ceiling." Remus looked up to see, bafflingly, the night sky. It took him a moment to realize the ceiling must be charmed to reflect the weather outside. After his awe-struck moment passed, he spotted banners hanging over each table, proclaiming the House it was above. Slytherin, green and silver with a twisting serpent, was all the way to the right. Then Ravenclaw, bronze and blue with a majestic eagle. Next, Hufflepuff, yellow and black with a friendly, curious looking badger. Finally, to the far left, Gryffindor, gold and red with a proud lion.
"Snape, Severus!" Remus wondered mildly how the list was organized if Severus was the first name to be called. He watched the boy climb the few steps up the altar and approach the stool where the hat rested. He picked it up before sitting down, facing the hall, and dropped it onto his head. It was so large that it fell down to nearly his mouth. There were a few seconds of tense silence, and then...
"SLYTHERIN!"
The table to the right let out a mighty cheer. The first student of the new year belonged to them. Severus lifted the hat up, looking shocked but happy enough, and stepped proudly away to join the table. Remus swallowed, waiting for the next name to be called.
"Pettigrew, Peter!"
The boy who had been in the boat with James Potter appeared, visibly trembling as he jerked his way up the stairs to the alter. Following Severus' lead, he picked up the hat, sat down and placed it onto his head. The silence stretched a little longer this time, and Remus found himself trying to guess what House the boy may be put into. Hufflepuff seems to fit him best, he thought, waiting for the hat's decision. Finally, the brim slit open.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Remus saw more than a few stunned faces in the crowd as shaking, scared, squeaking Peter Pettigrew pulled the hat off and stumbled to the far left, looking confused as to how he had ended up there. He sat down next to a pretty girl who looked a little older who turned and gave Peter a hug. Remus watched the boy smile and settle in, looking a bit more comfortable.
Name after name was called. Remus didn't remember any of them. It look nearly 40 students until the hat finally placed someone in Hufflepuff, but then six students in a row went to the friendly House. He only tuned in, paying close attention, when someone he recognized was called, like "Evans, Lily!"
Lily turned to Remus, flashing a quick smile and squeezing his hand before walking through the considerably thinner group of first years and up to the hat. She had barely placed it on her head before it shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!" She beamed and ran over. Remus cast a glance over at the Slytherin table to find Severus looking extremely put out. He bit his lip. He liked both him and Lily, but they had been placed in the most opposite Houses. What did that mean for their friendship? What did it mean for him?
"Potter, James!" Remus watched as James swaggered up the alter and grabbed the hat. He didn't even bother sitting. With good reason, Remus came to discover, as the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR" even faster than it had for Lily. The Gryffindors cheered, loud and wild, as James ran over to them, hugging Peter and the same girl as well as high-fiving a boy Remus didn't know. A few more students were sorted, three Slytherins and a Ravenclaw, and a few others Remus didn't listen to, until finally it was just him and Sirius left.
"Lupin, Remus!"
"Well, good luck," Remus muttered to Sirius as he made his way up the alter. He spotted Dumbledore, who gave Remus a reassuring smile. Remus tried to return it but it came out as more of a grimace. He picked up the hat and sat down, getting a quick glance of the Hall, all eyes on him, before dropping it over his head.
Well, well, well, who do we have here? Ah, Remus Lupin.
Remus jumped. Who said that?
Why me, dear boy, the sorting hat! I can talk after all, not just singing and shouting out Houses!
Oh... er, hi? I guess?
Hm, kindness I see. Good for Hufflepuff. But no, you're too rough for them, too rugged. Bookish, very intelligent as well, very respectful, you may do well in Ravenclaw. Oh, what's this though, this darkness... oh my!
Please don't say anything! Please! They'll all hear you!
Remus, no one can hear me but you. A werewolf, eh? That's unexpected. But you fight it, boy do you fight. You could be so dark and strong, so powerful, it would be easy for you. But you don't give in. Why?
In truth, Remus didn't know why. He wanted to answer because he was better than Moony, more human than wolf, but he didn't actually believe that. He knew there was no point in lying to a hat that could read his thoughts and his heart, so he just kept his mind blank.
A fighter. Brave, intelligent, kind, loyal, I know just where to put you.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The last word was shouted for all the Hall to hear, and Remus felt himself beaming, excitement and pride clear in his face as he tugged the hat off and ran to sit with Lily, who hugged him hard. Remus and James locked eyes, and James smiled, cautious but welcoming. They were Housemates now, which was apparently all the incentive James needed to give Remus a chance. Finally, the cheers died down, and one solitary, dark-haired student remained.
"Black, Sirius!"
The Slytherin table erupted into cheers, and Remus glanced around, confused. Had he missed Sirius being sorted? No, the boy stood at the alter in front of the hat, looking pale but steady on his feet.
"Blacks always end up in Slytherin," James Potter whispered from behind him.
"Always?" Remus asked, keeping one ear open for the hat's ruling. It seemed to be taking longer than usual. James nodded. The silence stretched on and on. Remus watched Sirius shift in his chair, his shoulders hunching, as if he was arguing with the hat. Professor McGonagall was just starting to look concerned when the hat's brim flew open. The Slytherins hunched, poised, ready to start clapping, cheering and stomping as their newest member joined the fray.
"GRYFFINDOR!"