Chapter 6: A Sorting
Andromeda, Clarette and Nina were still completely immersed in conversation by the time the sky darkened and the train was reaching its destination. It was strange to Andromeda to know that this was going to be her last year travelling on the train, eating licorice wands from the sweet cart and seeing the glow of Hogwarts from the train's windows.
"I just think you two make sense, you know? It's like a merperson and water; it makes sense together!" Clarette said with sparkling eyes.
For the duration of their travels, it seemed as if Andromeda's friends were more excited about her and Lucius' engagement than she was. By the time Andromeda had returned from the Prefect cart and had finished addressing all of the new Prefects on their responsibilities and obligations, her friends had begun a new list of questions to interrogate her with. They seemed to have run out, however, as Andromeda smiled.
"I guess we will have to see, won't we?" Andromeda said as she stood to get her school robes out of her bag.
"He has gotten much handsomer, and his head has shrunk a bit. I've had to be around him what with us being on the same Quidditch team and all. He used to whine about practicing all the time, but now he seems to enjoy it," Clarette said.
Nina looked at Clarette, "Which one of you will be Captain this year? Both of you are seventh years."
Clarette looked down at her hands. "I've no idea. Our captain last year said that he would leave it up to our team to vote, and whoever has the most votes gets to be captain. We are meeting this week to have it all settled out."
"Are we allowed to vote?" Andromeda asked as she was buttoning her blouse.
Clarette snorted. "Of course not, it has to be just the team."
With that, the girls began to ready themselves for the night. They made sure each other's robes were perfectly aligned and had no wrinkles. As the train began to slow, a warm glow shined through the cart. Andromeda leapt over to peer through the window. Outside of the train was the grandest sight she had ever seen, a sight that welcomed her.
Hogwarts stood over the dark lake, its windows sparkling with freshly lit fires. Its glow radiated off of the black of the night. Andromeda could see the trails of merpeople from underneath the lake and could swear she saw a tentacle or two raise up from the water. She could see the great hall from where she sat, its ceiling of candles beckoning her with their familiar warmth. She tried to see every single detail that she possibly could, as this was to be one of the last times she would see the place in this grandeur. As the train turned a corner and slowed to a stop, she lost sight of the castle and broke from the window of the cart.
She smiled at her friends, their faces blushed with excitement. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, however, a mop of black curls burst through their cart.
"Andy, I can't do it!" Sirius' panicked voice said from the entrance of the door.
Clarette and Nina giggled at the sight of the boy, but silenced as Andromeda glared at them.
She softened as she walked over to Sirius and placed a loose curl behind his ear, "Do what?"
"James says that Gryffindor is the best house in the world and that he says I might be sorted into it! I told him that's nonsense because I'm from the Black family but he insists! What if I'm not placed into Slytherin after all? What if I get banished?"
Tears began to build at the rim of Sirius' eyes as he stared up at his cousin. Andromeda's heart broke at the sight of it. She resented her Aunt and Uncle for placing so much pressure on him. All he wants to do is please his family. How could they be so cruel?
Andromeda sighed and took Sirius' hands. "I was nervous for my sorting too, Sirius."
To her surprise, Nina spoke. "So was I! I wanted to be in Ravenclaw."
Clarette piped in, "I thought I wasn't going to fit in anywhere and they would have to kick me out."
She smiled at her friends and turned to Sirius, "Do you see? Everyone is nervous during their sorting. If you get to be in Gryffindor, then you already have a best friend waiting for you. If you get to be in Slytherin, then you will make friends. Making friends has never been a problem for you. And plus, even if you are placed in Slytherin, I am sure James will still be friends with you. He seems like a nice boy."
"But what about mum and dad?" he asked, breathing heavily.
Andromeda looked at their intertwined hands, unsure of what to say. She would love to tell Sirius that his parents wouldn't be disappointed in him if he's not placed in Slytherin; she would love to tell him that they love him for more than his Hogwarts house. However, she knew that this wasn't the case. Sirius parents were abnormally cruel in their way. She knew for a fact that Sirius would be tormented and marginalized by them if he were sorted any place other than Slytherin, but especially Gryffindor.
She looked up at him, desperately conjuring up the right words. "Your mum and dad love you, Sirius. They care for you, but they show it in a peculiar way. You will be their son no matter what happens."
The color in Sirius' face came back as a sense of relief washed over him. Somehow, Andromeda seemed to have chosen the right words.
Andromeda could hear the muffled cries of the Hagrid the gamekeeper beckoning all of the first years off of the bus.
"Firs' years straigh' ahead! Yer don't want ter fall behind now!"
She looked down at Sirius, "Go! Find your friend! I'll be right behind you."
He nodded and frantically ran off. She peered out the window to find that he had met with the massive group of first years and collected her things.
As she was getting Bingley's cage, a hand appeared and took it from her.
"I've got it, Andy. What kind of gentlemen would I be if I didn't help you with your things?" Lucius said as he tucked some of her books and bag under his arms.
She smiled and could feel her face blush. It was more of embarrassment that led to the red color on her cheeks, not flattery. However, she could tell her friends took it for the latter as they giggled at the sight of the couple. She rolled her eyes at them as he fixed his grip on her belongings.
"I'll go drop these off and meet you at the gates. Don't forget that you and I have to lead the seventh years together as head boy and girl," he said with a smile as he walked through the door.
She looked back at Clarette and Nina who were simply beaming at their corners of the cart. Andromeda tried to suppress her grin as she took her jumper in her hands.
"Well come on then, we don't want to be stuck on the train," she said as she walked out the cart.
The three girls all filed out of the train and onto the platform. They placed their things in the seventh year pile and walked over to the rest of their friends that were fixed in front of the gates that were guarding the trail that led up to the castle. All of them were waiting to be addressed on what to do. They were all buzzing with excitement, but were far more manageable than the younger students.
Lucius made his way back to Andromeda and appeared by her shoulder, a large grin spread on his face.
"You remember what to tell them?" he asked.
"Yes: that we will be leading them through the forest trail and up to the castle," she responded.
The two made their way through the crowd and found their place at the front of it.
"Alright, everyone! Quiet down!" Andromeda said loudly to her classmates.
Surprisingly, all of the students' conversations ceased immediately. They all looked towards the two, and Andromeda could swear she saw some of Lucius' friends snickering at the sight of them together.
"I would like to start the year by welcoming you all. This is our last year, so we have to make it last, right?"
A loud cheer came from the class. They quieted down.
"Right, well, Lucius and I will be your Head Girl and Boy this year. Therefore, should there be something distressing you in any way, you can come to us."
Lucius cleared his throat, "But don't annoy us. We have stuff to do."
Avery, Lucius' best friend, raised his voice from the crowd. "Oh we know that you two have a lot of stuff to do together."
Everyone erupted into laughter, some high fiving Avery. A large lump formed in Andromeda's throat as she could feel her face burning. To her horror, she saw Lucius smiling at her side.
He tried to suppress his laughter as he addressed the group, "Everyone, everyone, please. We will be taking a trail up to the castle this year. Just follow close behind and don't fall back. You all should know by now that the Forbidden Forest got its name for a reason."
And with that, the group of seventh years began their trip through the forest with hovering lanterns to guide them and shine on their path. Lucius and Andromeda were at the head, neither one speaking to the other for fear of getting teased again. The path was easy to follow and the group was undisturbed by the creatures that dwelled in the trees. The path had been carved for years, and it has been a seventh years' rite of passage to walk it on their way to the castle ever since. Just as fifth years travel in carriages pulled by Thestrals and first years ride boats, the Seventh Years take short cuts and loop around hills to make their way to Hogwarts.
By the time that the group had made it to the opening doors, they were all out of breath. The only thing that kept them buzzing was the adrenaline of excitement that awaited them. By the doors stood a very stern looking Professor McGonagall, reading off of her list of the night's proceedings and checking them off occasionally. She had not changed since Andromeda had started school. Her caramel colored hair was still tied in the same tight-fitted bun it was always in. She wore a mahogany colored cloak and hat that complimented her eyes. Her golden spectacles balanced at the tip of her thin nose.
Her eyes darted upward to see the group of seventh years assemble before her. They were the first group of the night to make their way to the castle. She saw the faces of Andromeda and Lucius at the lead and grinned at them.
"Were there any troubles with the pathway?" she asked the two of them.
Both of them shook their heads.
McGonagall nodded curtly. "Good. Were there any disruptions at all?"
Lucius and Andromeda looked at each other hesitantly. Andromeda cleared her throat, "None at all, Professor."
McGonagall slashed a line on her list with her quill and moved to stand in front of the group. All of them hushed at the sight of her.
She addressed them. "As predicted, you all are the first to make it to the castle, as Seventh Years always are. I would like to be the first to tell you how very important this year is not only to your academics, but to your future careers. No matter what your plans are after your final year, you must stay focused throughout the duration of your dwindling days here, and you must work hard. There is no time left to fool around anymore. Am I understood?"
There was a murmuring of agreement that came from the crowd.
McGonagall turned to face Lucius and Andromeda. "Lead them into the Great Hall and have them seated at the very back of the tables. We need room for the rest of the students."
With that, Andromeda and Lucius lead the seventh years through the castle and into the Great Hall. It was already decorated for the evening. The hundreds of floating candles were fixed where they always were. Shining golden streamers were laced together at the corners of the room. Along each of the four long tables was a grand and rich-looking drape that had each of the House emblems stitched into them. The Slytherin table had a green and silver drape and stood to the far left of the room. The professors were already seated at the front of the room, each looking very interested in a conversation. None of them looked up at the appearance of the class. They all seemed too focused to be bothered.
Andromeda ordered the class to divide into their houses and sit at their selective tables. As they did, the sixth years appeared through the doorways, followed by the fifth years and so on. Andromeda and Lucius decided to stand on opposite sides of the room, watching for any sort of behavioral mishap within the buzzing crowd. Andromeda had lost complete sight of her best friends. She desperately tried scanning the masses for them, but couldn't locate them. As the third years made their way down to their respective tables, Andromeda scanned the Professor's table for any sort of familiarity.
She recognized most of the Professors that were comfortably sat at the front of the room. Professor Slughorn, as per usual, was sipping out of a silver flask that he deemed was part of his "potion studies." He was by far her favorite Professor, but she was still entranced by his careless behavior at times. Professor Flitwick was too his left, chattering on about something that seemed quite funny as the two exploded into laughter every few minutes. Professor Merrythought was at the far right end of the large table, sipping from her glass in complete silence. She had been teaching Defense against the Dark Arts since Andromeda began school. She was a very serious woman, but had enough stories of her days as an auror so that every class was filled with something new. In the middle of the table in a grand, golden and engraved chair sat Professor Dumbledore. He had a gleeful expression, gazing about the room and waving to a certain few students every once in a while. It was as if this was his favorite day of the entire year. His warmth radiated from his chair as his eyes sparkled with every student's entrance. As Andromeda stared at the man, she began to feel an overwhelming sense of safety, as if nothing could hurt her.
As the last few second year students finished filing in, a silence began to spread through the room. The excitement of the evening still buzzed through the air, but all of the students ceased their conversations. Everyone looked to the back of the room, at the entrance door, as the first years walked through.
Andromeda scanned the group for the familiar set of black curls she knew and loved. At the back of the mass, she found Sirius, with a smile big enough to take up his whole face. His cheeks were red with nerves, but Andromeda knew that he was more than happy enough to overshadow the anxiety he felt.
They hurried up to the front of the room, looking around and absorbing every inch of their new surroundings. Professor McGonagall lead them proudly, her shoulders set back and her nose higher than usual. On her way, she snapped loudly. Suddenly, in front of the teacher's table was a stool with a very old, frumpy looking hat placed on top. Some of the first years gasped as it appeared before them. The older students, however, were used to seeing the Sorting hat every year.
The first years halted in front of the stairs leading to the hat. Sirius looked around, as if trying to find someone, and locked eyes with Andromeda from the other corner of the room. He smiled at her and she returned it. Hopefully that smile would last the whole night.
McGonagall walked up to the Sorting Hat and stood beside it. All eyes were on the frumpy garment expectantly. Suddenly, the hat began to straighten and smooth out its fabric, reveling two eye sockets and a fold seemingly where its mouth should be. It burst into a song:
"Oh my, Oh my, it is that time
Where students come and hear my rhyme
They wait to hear the house they yearn
And I am here to tell them which they earn
Shall you be in Gryffindor, where stand the brave?
Their dearest friends they would always save
They never shy away from a fight
Their own success gives them their greatest delight
Or maybe in Ravenclaw, where the wisest of us dwell,
Their thoughts and minds are where they excel
This house welcomes people of all types
They happily don their blue and bronze stripes
Perhaps you'll be in Slytherin where true loyalties lie
This crowd can use any means to get by
Their cunning abilities drive them to win
Their unbeatable determination is born within
Then there is Hufflepuff where the heart leads the mind
And where friends are found with an unbreakable bind
But be warned to never tussle with these folk
They will never take a fight as lightly as a joke
Come one come all to the night of the year
Find where you belong but have no fear
I am the Sorting Hat and I make no mistake
That is my promise to you that I promise not to break"
An overwhelming cheer erupted from the tables as the Sorting Hat sang his last note. Andromeda wondered if the Hat spends the whole year making up the song for the next batch of First Years. She applauded with the crowd. As Professor McGonagall unrolled the scroll that listed the names of all of the First Years, the cheers ceased.
McGonagall cleared her throat, "When I call your name, come to the front and sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head."
As the names were called and different tables erupted into applause, Andromeda began to feel nervous for Sirius. Perhaps her worrying was for nothing; he would be sorted into Slytherin and there would be no problem to face. She would help him make friends and he would be able to send a happy and proud letter home to his mother and father. However, Andromeda couldn't help but think of the growing possibility that Sirius would not be sorted into Slytherin. As she thought, she realized that he isn't like her Slytherin friends. To be in Slytherin means that you're willing to make sacrifices to achieve your goals and that you promise your loyalty to only a select few people. Sirius, she knew, would not want to sacrifice anything too near and dear in order to get what he wants; he would change the pathway of his goal in order to avoid having to make any sacrifices at. He would also want to be friends with as many people as possible, without being selective. Maybe he wasn't a Slytherin? No, it's impossible.
Before she knew it, McGonagall cried out "Black, Sirius."
Andromeda sucked in a breath as she saw Sirius walk up the stairs to the stool. She came to the sudden and firm conclusion that the Sorting Hat would never sort him into Slytherin. She realized with perfect clarity that Slytherin is not where Sirius belongs, and it would curse him for his entire life.
Sirius raised himself to sit on the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on his head. He looked up towards the beaten brim of the hat in anticipation.
It spoke, "Yet another Black family member? Merlin, you all don't know when to kick the bucket do you? Well, no matter. You got a bright mind, you do. You don't use it well, so you're not in Ravenclaw. Hmmm… what to do, what to do. You have a brave heart, boy. I reckon you better belong in…Gryffindor!"
Fear splashed across Sirius' face as a confused applause came from the Gryffindor table. He paled to a ghostly white as McGonagall took the hat off of his head. Whispers spread through the Slytherin table as the news settled in: a Black family member in Gryffindor? Andromeda breathed in deeply and let out a loud clap. Sirius took his seat hesitantly, looking at his feet the entire time. A few hands were offered for him to shake, which he took. He looked back at Andromeda, a look of panic on his face. She looked at him and tried to conjure up a large smile, as if to reassure him that everything will be alright.
Sirius sat there, defeated, until the Potter boy was announced in Gryffindor. He rushed over to Sirius and made sure to sit right next to him. Sirius cracked a relieved smile as it settled in that he already had a best friend in his house.
The rest of the names were a blur to Andromeda, she only recognized the two friends she had met on the train: the muggleborn girl with red hair was sorted into Gryffindor with a large smile. However her friend, the greasy haired Snape boy was placed into Slytherin. The two looked heartbroken to be separated but Andromeda saw it coming: the heir of the Prince family did not belong in Gryffindor and a muggleborn did not belong in Slytherin. The two were destined to separate.
After the last student was sorted, Professor Dumbledore rose from his golden chair and walked to the center of the platform, hands folded behind his back.
As he found his spot behind a podium that had appeared as he cleared his throat, he spoke. "Students, staff, welcome to another brilliant year at Hogwarts." He paused at an overwhelming boom of applause and continued, "I know with a firm certainty that you all are famished from your travels so I will leave you to dine with this piece of advice for the year: never tickle a sleeping dragon!"
With four claps of his hands, a feast appeared at every table. McGonagall nodded at both Lucius and Andromeda to take their seats from the corners of the room, which Andromeda took gladly beside her friends. She checked to make sure Sirius was okay and found him laughing with James over a plate full of food. He will be just fine for now, she thought, as she bit into a warm biscuit.
…
As if the night had gone in the blink of an eye, Andromeda was already leading the class of tired and happily full Slytherin first years down to the dungeons. There were only around 20 new members of the Slytherin house, but they seemed to be more than comfortable. As she looked behind her shoulder she could see that they seemed to already know each other. They have all probably known each other since they could walk; pureblood families tend to only socialize with other pureblood families.
They had walked far down the hallway towards the dungeons when Andromeda stopped at a smooth, oval stone to her right side.
"Behind this stone is the Slytherin common room and dormitories. This is where you will live for the duration of your time here. You will have the same dormitory and roommates for all seven years, so I would get comfortable and keep everything in good shape. There is a password to get into the dormitory and it changes every two weeks. The new password is posted on the bulletin in the common room, which I will show you when we get inside. No members of any other house are allowed in the common room."
A boy in the back interrupted her, "Why would we want them in our common room in the first place?"
There was a large laugh. She ignored him and continued, "Are there any questions?"
A black-haired girl in the front raised her hand, "How are we supposed to remember where the entrance is? It's almost camouflaged in."
"It's the biggest stone down here, and the only one that's smooth and oval. Trust me; you'll be able to find it."
She turned towards the wall, "Salazar."
The wall rumbled in response to the word. The stones shifted every which way until finally the largest stone rolled to the right to reveal a dimly lit pathway. She heard a few small gasps behind her as she led the small group in.
The common room had not changed since she had last seen it. There was still a grand fireplace with a portrait of a slithering snake hung above it. The marble was black with white veins intertwined throughout just as they were at Andromeda's home. The walls were dark stone, and every so often a portrait or a burning brazier would interrupt the pattern. There were also many tapestries lining the walls that pictured an accomplished Slytherin wizard at their greatest moment. A slight platform was fixed as you walk in that had a black bulletin board to the left and an enchanted grand piano that played itself throughout the day to the right. Down a few steps was the common area with black velvet couches and emerald encrusted tables that encircled the fireplace. There were a few studying desks in various corners as well. On either side of the fireplace were long and narrow windows; the only two windows within the common room that weren't half submerged in The Great Lake.
Andromeda walked down the steps and waited for the stunned faces to turn their attention to her. There are two hallways that appear on the left and right just before the common area stars. She gestured to these as she spoke:
"To the left you will find the girl's dormitory and to the right you will find the boy's. Your assigned dorm and roommates are posted on the bulletin. Find your name and the number of your room. You will find all of your belongings already organized and ready to be unpacked. Be aware that breakfast starts sharply at 7:30 in the morning and classes begin at 9. It would be wise to wake up early tomorrow, get a quick but filling breakfast, and run off to find your classes. If you need my help, my name is Andromeda Black and I-"
"You have a Gryffindor in your family! What kind of rubbish is that? How can you be Head Girl?" interrupted the same boy who had done so before.
Andromeda looked at the boy, his comment stunning her for a moment. All eyes turned to him in astonishment, and then back at Andromeda's anxiously. She narrowed her eyes and walked towards him, the group parting the way for her to walk through. As she reached him, she noticed a chubbiness to his cheeks and a certain dullness of his dark eyes. His brown hair was perfectly combed back.
"What is your name?" she asked firmly, trying her best to sound like a cross Professor McGonagall.
He seemed to have not expected her confronting him as he spoke softly, "Peter Mulciber."
She snorted; she had heard of the Mulciber family and how extremely righteous they deem themselves as.
She continued, "Peter, even though classes haven't yet started, I'm going to try to teach you a lesson, one that I thought you would already know." She gestured to the gleaming head girl badge on her robes, "This little thing gives me certain powers over you. Do you know what those are?"
The boy shook his head, trying to seem as if the conversation did not terrify him.
She smiled, "This means that, if I deem it fit, you can spend every Saturday of this term writing lines with Professor McGonagall, meaning that you would have to miss out on every Quidditch Match and every extra hour of sleep. Would you like that?"
The boy's eyebrows knitted together, his chubby face turning red. "You can't do that!"
"Would you like to wait and see? Because I promise if you interrupt me again, especially speaking against a member of my family, I can show you the full extent of what I can do."
She looked at him and waited for a reply. When she did not receive one, she grinned and turned to walk in front of the group.
"As I was saying, I can also help you find your place tonight. Please carefully form a line at the bulletin and check for your name. I would try to before the rest of the House gets back from dinner."
As she finished addressing them and let them run off to find their rooms, Andromeda took in a sharp breath, letting it cool her down. How could anyone raise their child to be so rude?
After answering a few leftover questions, she found Nina and Clarette. The three walked to down the stairs of the left hallway and found their dormitory. There were four beds placed along the left and right walls, each having a trunk. All of their belongings had already found their way to each bed. They were covered in a green spread that seemed to glisten in the moonlight that shone through the windows. There were two windows, each completely submerged in The Great Lake. As the moonlight cascaded through them, they emitted a greenish tint as filtered by the water. The eeriness of the room had always discomforted Andromeda. She couldn't bear to be alone in it for very long; the sounds coming from the lake and the cold stone walls did little to calm her nerves.
"Did you see Lucius after dinner?" Clarette asked as she found her bed and started unpacking her bags.
"No, I was in charge of leading the First Years and he was in charge of getting patrol schedules from McGonagall," Andromeda answered as she sat on her bed.
"Well I heard from Simon that he simply would not stop talking about you tonight," she said excitedly.
"I heard the same thing," Nina said.
"Well, that's nice. I didn't know I was such an exciting topic."
"You just watch, Andromeda; when you and Lucius become more public and more comfortable with each other, you will be everyone's favorite couple," Nina said with a smile.
"Oh yes, my greatest accomplishment," Andromeda said sarcastically as she opened her trunk.
As the night came to an end and Andromeda found her head at her pillow, her body unable to move, she could only recollect a few things before sleep had taken over her: the smell of the toad that had rudely jumped on her that morning at the train, the remarkable eyes that its owner had, the heartbreaking look on Sirius' face that made her yearn to comfort him in the morning, and the dreadful realization that a whole new year was ahead of her that she would have to face whether she liked it or not.