A/N: Thank you everyone for the reviews, favorites and follows please forgive me if there are any mistakes as I do not have a beta. If anyone is willing to beta for me please PM me.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter.
Chapter 10
As Harry and Augusta had discussed, Frank and Alice Longbottom were discharged from St. Mungo's Hospital and were taken to Gringotts where the Goblin Healer Bronuk had started the two on a regime of potions by the twentieth of July. As predicted, Bronuk told them it would be a very slow process but it was indeed curable. Harry and Augusta planned a small birthday party as a surprise for Neville on the thirtieth of July and invited the Weasleys. It was then that Harry found out that Ginny had a crush on the Boy-Who-Lived when she started following him everywhere, blushed and squeaked whenever he spoke to her. Augusta had also invited a few of her friend's families who had grandchildren around Harry's and Neville's age.
Harry and the twins met Cedric Diggory, Roger Davies, Adrian Pucey and Graham Montague, and were soon good friends. Sirius's cousin Andromeda and her family were also invited as her daughter Nymphadora had taken on the big sister role for Harry, Dudley and Neville. Susan Bones, Michael Corner, Ernie Macmillan and Stephan Cornfoot were a few who were Neville and Dudley's age that had come and were friendly with the trio of nine year old boys Ron, Neville and Dudley.
Neville was a little overwhelmed but he was also extremely ecstatic on his birthday. The month of August passed as Harry and the twins got ready for their first year. Fred and George, getting permission from their parents, telling them that they were going to be studying with Harry before the start of school, flooed to the Longbottom Manor on most days, sometimes sleeping over as well. Ron came along with them and hung out with Neville and Dudley while the three eleven year old boys, with Sirius's help plotted for a few pranks as well as studied their school books. The three pre-teens objected to this in the beginning but when Sirius told them about how the Marauders usually studied their school books in the summer and even practiced the spell so that they would always complete their assignments as early as possible leaving more time to research for pulling their pranks and creating havoc, made the three boys study their school material studiously as well as practice the spell and potions that were being taught in their first year.
It was soon September 1st and breakfast at the Longbottom manor was somber. The group soon flooed to Kings cross station directly to the Platform Nine and three quarters. Neville and Dudley were teary eyed while Augusta and Sirius looked proud. Harry found an empty compartment to store his trunk before exiting to bid good-bye to his family. The Weasleys arrived at the last minute and Harry and Sirius helped the twins pack their trunks in the compartment Harry had put his trunk in. The three boys waved goodbye to their families as the train started moving till they were out of sight. They sat back with an excited and mischievous looks on their face.
"So, my handsome partners, shall we start plotting our mischief?" Harry asked with a smirk making the twins smirk back.
"Of course, our equally handsome partner. We have to break the Marauder's record." Fred said.
"After all, they only started their mischief after a week at school." George said with a mischievous smirk.
"Indeed. We are going to start our mischief even before our sorting. After all, I am sure that none of the first years would know how we are sorted." Harry said.
"Ah, Yes. Charlie said that we would have to tame a dragon."
"On the other hand, Percy, who is a stick in the mud about rules, said that it was tradition"
"To not tell the new students how we are sorted and that we would have to wait till we reach Hogwarts."
"Ah, Sirius told me that it would be an obstacle course in the forbidden forest, while both Aunt Minnie and Gran have refused to tell anything. Dora on the other hand, told me that we would have to fight a troll." Harry said. "Poor souls. They did not know that I have an eidetic memory and that I remember Dad telling stories of Hogwarts, including the fact that they were sorted by an enchanted Sorting Hat that talks." He finished with a smirk causing the twins to look at Harry with a gob smacked look.
The three boys plotted on how to scare the rest of the first years till they were disturbed with a knock by the trolley lady asking if they wanted any sweets. All three boys jumped up and bought a lot of chocolates. After eating the lunch Tipsy had packed for them and enjoying a few chocolates, the three boys left to acquaint themselves with the other first years. They found Cedric in a compartment with Roger and two other boys who introduced themselves as Kenneth Towler and Jacob Chambers. After a few minutes with them, they bid the boys goodbye and left. They found Graham and Adrian with two other boys and two girls. Graham introduced the unknown boys as Cassius Warrington and Terrance Higgs and the girls as Teresa Flint and Patricia Stimpson. While Terrance and Patricia smiled warmly, Teresa Flint and Cassius Warrington sneered at the three boys when they heard the name Weasleys and Potter-Black.
Harry and the twins ignored the two and caught up with the others before leaving. In the next compartment, they found a few girls and boys who introduced themselves as Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Daisy Fawcett, Bradley James, Lee Jordan and Alice Tolipan. The boys then went back to their compartment to change into their Hogwarts robes as they saw that it was getting dark.
Charlie and Dora found the boys and when they saw that they were in their robes, went back to their friends after telling the trio about Hagrid and a few more outrageous tales of how the sorting would take place. The three eleven year olds just smirked at each other as the two sixth years left. The train soon slowed right down and came to a stop. People pushed their way toward the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform.
"Firs' Years, over here. Firs' Years!" A loud booming voice called out. The trio looked to see a giant of a man standing to one side with a lantern. His face was almost completely hidden by a long shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard. Most of the first years looked too scared to approach him, but Harry and the twins made their way to him.
"Hello Hagrid." The twins called out.
The giant called Hagrid turned towards them with a smile. "Yeh know me, bu' I don' know yeh. Bu' guessing by your hair an' freckles, yeh are Weasleys."
"That we are. Gred and Forge Weasley, at your service. This is our best friend, Harry Potter-Black."
"Yeh look like yer dad, bu' yeh hav' yer mother's eyes. Good ter see yeh again, Harry." Hagrid said making Harry just smile slightly and nod as he remembered Hagrid was the one to take him away from his Paddy that night.
As soon as the rest of the first years assembled, Hagrid called out, "C'mon, follow me. Any more firs' years? Watch your step, now. Firs' years, follow me."
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much.
"Ye' all get yer firs' sight of Hogwarts in a sec. Jus' round this bend here." Hagrid called over his shoulder.
There was a loud "Ooohh." The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling under the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and the twins got into a boat and the boy with black deadlocks, who had introduced himself as Lee Jordan earlier got in with them.
"Everyone in? Right then, Forward!" Hagrid boomed.
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was smooth as a glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them, as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down" Hagrid yelled as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads except for a pudgy boy who was not paying attention. The boy's head hit the curtain of ivy and fell into the water. All the other first years laughed at that relieving some of the building tension. A tentacle reached out and pushed the boy towards Hagrid's boat and Hagrid helped him out giving the pudgy boy his enormous coat. The rest of them were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of an underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock, after Hagrid's lamp coming out at last on to smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up the flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak front door.
"Everyone here?" Hagrid asked before he knocked.
The door opened at once and Minerva had her stern face on her that conveyed the message that this was someone not to cross to the first years. When she looked at Harry and the twins, Harry winked at her making her lips twitch.
"The Firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." Minerva replied.
She pulled the door open. The entrance hall was very big, the stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They followed Minerva across the flagged stone floor into a small empty chamber off the hall. The first years crowded in, standing very close to each other than they usually would have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
"I will return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber and many of them shifted nervously.
"Er- How do they sort us into the houses?" The boy asked.
"It's a sort of a test. Our brother Percy told us" George started with a very scared face.
"That they will let all the four house ghost possess us in turns and try to induce a lot of pain," Fred continued with the same scared face.
"And with whichever ghost you last the longest without any reaction" Harry said somberly.
"We go to that house." All three of them finished together with a mischievous twinkle in their eyes if someone were to notice it. Unfortunately for the rest of the first years none of them noticed it.
"I was there when Percy said that. And since Percy is a rule abiding third year student who is a shoe-in for the prefect badge, I would definitely believe him not to lie." Harry said.
"Yeah, Bill and Charlie went on about fighting a dragon or a troll,"
"But since we are first years with no knowledge, I am sure they were pulling our leg. Percy would never lie." Fred and George agreed with Harry with a small smirk playing in the corner of their lips.
All the first years looked really scared at that. Harry, Fred and George, noticing about twenty ghosts streamed through the back wall let out a high pitched scream and huddled closer to the wall pointing at the ghosts. The rest of the first years noticing where the trio were pointing, screamed as well and pressed their backs against the wall trying to not bring attention to themselves. Pearly white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years.
They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?"
A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years flattened against the wall.
Nobody answered.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."
The students started whimpering.
"Move along now. The sorting ceremony is about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned.
"Is it compulsory to be sorted professor? Can we not skip the sorting ceremony?" One brave boy asked as no one moved.
"No. It is a tradition for all first years to be sorted. You will have to be sorted in order to go to your classes and sleep in the dormitories as well." Minerva replied, a little confused. This was the first time a student had no wish to be sorted and she had a suspicion that she was missing something.
"But I don't want to feel any pain!" A girl wailed while the other students nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean, you don't want to feel the pain?" Minerva asked even more confused. Finally, the first years twins repeated what Harry and the twins told them. Meanwhile Harry and the twins were trying to suppress their laughter at Minerva's exasperated face.
"There will not be any pain involved. You will only have to try the sorting hat and you will be sorted according to your personalities." Minerva said making the frightened first years sigh in relief. "Now, if you would all form a line and follow me?"
Harry and the twins were at the front of the line, just behind Minerva who led them into the Great Hall. It was lit by thousands of candles that were floating in midair, over four long tables where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering gold plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. The ceiling looked velvety black with stars. It was hard to believe there was a ceiling at all, and that the great hall didn't simply open to the heavens. Professor McGonagall then placed a three legged stool and placed an old frayed pointed hat on top of it. Suddenly a rip formed near the brim and opened wide like a mouth.
"Oh, you may not think I am pretty,
But do not judge on what you see.
….
You are in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a thinking cap." (Sorting hat song from HPSS)
"We just have to try the hat!"
"I'll kill Percy for frightening us like that!"
"I will join you guys!" Harry said the three of the keeping up the ruse that Percy was the one to tell them that story.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She said before she started calling out the names.
Of Harry's friends, Roger ended up in Ravenclaw, while Cedric ended up in Hufflepuff. Adrian and Graham on the other hand ended up in Slytherin and Lee Jordan, the boy who was on the boat with them was sorted into Gryffindor.
When Harry's name was called, all the students started craning their heads or standing up to get a look at the boy-who-lived. Although the sorting hat told him he was fit to be sorted in any of the four houses, it did call out "Gryffindor" at the end. Fred and George later told Harry that the sorting hat was undecided between sorting them to either Gryffindor or Slytherin, but finally settled on Gryffindor.
A/N: I was actually planning to cover both first year as well as second year in one chapter, but couldn't cut anything off… Anyway, hope you liked the prank! Review please.
Happy New Year