The Soring Ceremony

"Welcome, first years!" squeaked the tiniest man that Ted had ever seen in his life. "My name is Professor Filius Flitwick, and I am your deputy headmaster, as well as your professor of Charms."

The students had been gathered right before a large pair of doors that as whispers had explained it, would lead them to the great hall and, to Ted and Thalia's joy, a feast. Some of the students behind them stood on their toes to peek over each other's shoulders to see the tiny wizard standing before them. He wore black robes, and had a grey mustache that was probably twice as wide as his head.

"In just a few moments, you will pass through these doors and sit down for a feast with your soon to be, classmates," Flitwick explained as whispers of happiness over the thought of food spread among the hungry students.

"BUT," Flitwick interrupted and silenced all whispers. "First, you must take part in the sorting ceremony, and be sorted into your student houses. Gryffindoor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin."

"Please, not Slytherin," Ted heard Thalia whisper underneath her breath as Flitwick kept explaining about house points and the house cup. He couldn't blame her, as he too had a lump the size of a bludger in the pit of his stomach, but he wasn't certain of why. Slytherin didn't bother him. His gran had been a Slytherin and he decided then and there, that whatever was good enough for Andromeda Tonks, was good enough for him.

"Now, if you will all follow me please!" Flitwick squeaked again and snapped his fingers. As the snap echoed through the large hallway, the great pair of doors opened behind him and he turned on the spot.

The great hall was filled with students, all sitting at four long tables that ran down the length of the great hall. On the far side of the hall, stood a smaller table looking out over the hall, where all the teachers sat and at the center of it on a large golden chair, sat an elderly witch with a smile on her face, but a pair of tiny blue eyes that positively pierced them from the other side of the room.

As Ted and the other first years walked across the hall, he saw the witch's sharp features, and knew from the hair knot and her tiny spectacles that Ted had definitely seen her in a photo at the Potters house, but he couldn't remember who it was.

In front of the teachers table stood a small stool, with a tattered old wizards hat resting on it. Flitwick walked up to it and with a flick of his wand, the hat hovered high up in the air of the great hall.

"Woa!" Ted heard the blonde boy in the sunglasses that he had shared a boat with, exclaim out of wonder at the flying hat, and when the hat then started to sing, Ted wasn't late to share the boy's amazement.

All you who come here for molding and learning,

I may be a hat, but I know well of thy yearning.

To think and to grow and to search for your place

in a world that needs you keep a fire ablaze.

The castle will home you, if you so should want.

You'll find no school better, as is our true vaunt.

So, step up and let me find a place for you each.

Your hearts true desire's well within my reach.

I'll know what it is that you lack, like and love.

Just let me give you, towards the right path, a shove.

The weak have been through here, but so have the greats.

So, give it your all and you'll share in their fates.

Hardship and darkness can spread through the night.

But by hard work and friendship we can turn on the light.

Now it's your turn to a journey begin,

And for the older, a new member, win.

This was my story, and all I must say.

It's time to begin, let's start with the A…

The great hall roared of applause, mostly from the older students and teacher who laughed and clapped at the singing hat, which slowly sank to just a few feet above the little stool, all under the control of Flitwicks wand. With his free hand, he took out a roll of parchment and cleared his throat, as the hall fell silent again.

"Ahem! I will now call your names in order. You will come up here, sit down and have the hat placed on your head. When you have been sorted, you are free to go and join the table of your new house."

He looked down at the list through his tiny pair of glasses, and cleared his throat again.

"Adams, Lara!" Flitwick squeaked as everybody present sat or stood in absolute silence to watch a taller brown haired girl step forward and sit down on the stool. She looked awfully nervous as the hat softly sat down on her head, but when the hat suddenly roared, "RAVENCLAW!" the Ravenclaw table all clapped, cheered loudly and waved at her to come sit down with them in a very warm and inviting matter.

The kind gestures made the girl look less nervous, and it did wonders for Ted as well. Seems like a good start at least, he thought as Mylo Aramis, the blonde boy with the sunglasses, was sorted into Hufflepuff with just as much clapping and cheering before the sorting continued.

Ted looked to his side at Thalia who, to his envy, no longer looked nervous but cheered and clapped with the others whenever anybody was sorted. He took a deep breath, and tried to gather his thoughts.

"Why are you so worried? You'll be fine!" he asked himself.

"Ted! Psst! Ted!" Thalia whispered to him.

"What?!" Ted snapped back.

"Your hair…" she started, and Ted felt his stomach roll over.

"Oh no, not now… What color is it?" Ted asked and tried to pull some part of his hair far enough over his brow that he could see it.

"Well, it's sort of… purple-ish," Thalia tried to explain.

Ted closed his eyes and tried to focus to turn it back, but he couldn't get it to work. His heart was raising as the sorting continued while several heads turned toward him to get a look of the odd phenomena that was occurring on the top of his head.

"No, turn back!" he told himself and tried as hard as he could to activate his inherit ability, when Flitwick suddenly squeaked,

"Lupin, Edward!"

Ted couldn't move. He wanted nothing less than to move out of the first-year crowd with a head of shining purple hair. Maybe he could just sneak back? He had no time to either hide or sneak away, as Thalia suddenly gave him a push forward.

"Common, GO!" she whispered.

He stumbled out of the crowd and walked the few feet, that now felt like at least a few miles, towards the stool. He looked around, and saw a very young and ruggedly handsome wizard at the end of the teachers table, that followed him with his eyes. He too, had Ted seen in a photo at the Potters, but had never heard the name of. The wizard kept a waking eye on him, even until he reached the stool and sat down.

Flitwick gave him a smile as he felt the hat cover his purple head.

"Why hello, young one," sounded the sorting hats voice inside of his head.

"Oh, interesting. Lots to look at in here…" the voice continued. "There's courage and strength. A rather large portion of that raw cleverness that the third marauder brought with him back in the day."

"The third what?" Ted whispered, but the hat continued.

"A good head, and a large heart. A wish to prove yourself, as so many before you, and OH! A wish for power! How very interesting. But not power to dominate, but power to protect. Power to stand on your own."

Ted felt increasingly uneasy at the hats free roaming throughout his mind.

"Are you willing to work for it? Will you toil to excel?"

Ted took a deep breath.

"Absolutely!" he whispered.

"Very well then… I think you'll fit well in your family's former halls of…"

It was as if time stood still for the second it took before the hat roared,

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The heavy feeling in his chest was suddenly lifted with the hat as it jumped of his head. He turned happily and ran down towards the Hufflepuff table as the older, now house mates, clapped and cheered and waved him over. He sat down next to the blonde boy, that was named Mylo who patted him on the back as he took a seat.

"Cool hair, mate!" an older boy told him, and as Ted thanked him, he felt the still sensation in his scalp that told him his hair changed back into his favorite teal. Murmers of amazement at the changing of his hair color spread around his seat.

The sorting continued and Ted and Mylo joined into the clapping and cheering whenever somebody new joined the table. The list grew shorter, and when Flitwick finally called for, "Shacklebolt, Thalia!" several heads turned and whispers ensued from the students that recognized her last name as that of the minister of magic.

The hat stayed on her head for several minutes, before it finally roared,

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Ted waved Thalia over, along with cheers and clapping and she took her place across from Ted.

"Lucky, eh?" Thalia sighed as she sat down.

"I'd say!" Ted exclaimed as Flitwick called the next name.

When William Wilson had taken his place among the other Gryffindoor's, Flitwick tapped the hat with his wand and both it, and the stool faded into nothing. It left a clear space where a golden podium in the shape of a pillar crowned with three cats that each held a candle by the paw appeared instead.

"And now, before the feast. A few words from our Headmistress. Professor Minerva McGonagall!" squeaked Flitwick and stepped away as the witch at the center of the teachers table walked around it and stepped up to the podium.

"Good evening everyone. It is to my great pride and joy that I welcome you all back to a new year at Hogwarts!"

Absolute silence ensued. Not a single student in the hall dared whisper or even giggle as Professor McGonagall spoke.

"First, to our first-years. Welcome. I hope that you will enjoy your time here as much as we enjoy having you."

"Second! As some of you know, last year we took farewell of our dear professor Sprout as she decided to retire. I am however glad to introduce to you, our new professor of Herbology. Professor Neville Longbottom!"

The handsome wizard that had been looking at Ted stood up and gave a humble bow. His hair was combed and he wore well-tailored robes over shirt, waist coat and bow-tie. Ted remembered him now as an old friend of his godfathers. Ted figured that professor Longbottom probably remembered him from Harry and Ginny's wedding or the like.

"We wish you good luck, professor!" McGonagall continued.

"Furthermore, the forbidden forest is as stated forbidden grounds for any student not in the company of a teacher. There are some inescapably good reasons that it is labeled forbidden, and so I suggest that you all leave it be.

Now, I know you must all be famished, and so on that note I leave you to your supper. Welcome back, everyone!"

She beamed at every student in the hall before she put her hands together in a loud clap.

Food. What could only be described as mountains of food appeared as if out of nowhere. Chicken wings, chips, fried potatoes, lamb chops, grilled tomatoes and endless pots of different curries where only a few of the things that appeared in between Ted, Thalia and Mylo.

"It smells nice," said Mylo in a calm voice and reached for a platter of grilled mushrooms.

"Id tashtesh' betta'," said Thalia with a mouth full of baked beans. They ate to their hearts contempt and chatted about this and that.

"Hey, Ted! Why did that new teacher look at you like that?" Mylo asked.

Ted shrugged.

"I don't really know, but I think he knows my godfather."

"Interesting," Mylo said peacefully and kept nibbling carefully at his grilled tomato. "I guess we'll find out soon enough," he finished in the same oddly peaceful tone.

Ted stopped and looked at Mylo who didn't move.

"Has anybody ever told you that you're a bit odd?"

"They never stop, really," he answered and smiled. Ted chuckled at the boy that wore sunglasses to dinner.

An hour later, they had been led by a prefect to the Hufflepuff common room, and they had found their beds with all their things unpacked and neatly put away. Thalia had told them good night and gone into the girls' dorm, and Mylo had followed Ted into the boys.

The nervousness was gone as he laid in bed that evening. He had met new friends, and classes was to begin in the morning. He could hardly wait.