The Hat
"Those we love never go away, even when they can't be physically present. They walk beside us. Still loved, and still missed."
"Now, form a line," Minnie told the first years, "and follow me."
Lux got into line behind Theodore, with Blaise behind her, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Lux had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place.
It was lit by thousands and 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 golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Minnie led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candle light. Dotted here and there among the students, ghosts shone misty silver. Lux looked upward in order to see the legendary a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars that Lux had read about.
She heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
Lux quickly looked down again as Minnie silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Lux wasn't very excited to put it on her head.
Everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, she stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Minnie now 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.
"Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. Lux noted how she was twitching nervously, while the hat was stumbling through her memories. Lux would be uncomfortable if and when she would be in the same position.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table that was decorated with yellow and black.
"Black, Rigel"
Black strutted up to the stool. The hat took a longer time to decide where he would go, but he eventually got sorted into "SLYTHERIN!" He walked over to the table and was welcomed with curt nods and a small applause.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah. Meanwhile, Lux tried to memorize the faces of her new classmates and match the names to the faces.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left, that was decorated with copper and navy blue colors, clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. Their faces were serious and Lux thought they looked like stiffs.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw.
"Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Lux could see Fred and George cat calling. She let out a small chuckle at their antics.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Sometimes, Lux noticed, the hat shouted out the House at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. Perhaps it took longer because they had qualities of multiple houses.
"Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy near to Lux in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor. Lux wondered what other house he could have been in.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Somewhere behind Theodore, Lux heard a groan and knew that it was Ron. Lux all of a sudden was hit with a fear that people in her house would not like her. Right then her nonchalant attitude went out the window and she began to worry. What if her housemates didn't accept her? What if she fought with them? What if she wasn't happy?
Lux tried to write her thoughts off and started to pay attention to the sorting again when Neville Longbottom was called and fell over on his way to the stool. Both Blaise and Theodore started to laugh at his misfortune. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville and Lux whispered to Blaise and Theodore, "Hufflepuff."
Theodore nodded in agreement, while Blaise said, " Gyffindor."
When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR,"Lux gave Neville a surprised look as he ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."
Blaise smirked in triumph to his friends and the trio started guessing the houses of the students called up. MacDougal went to Ravenclaw and Theodore won that round. Ernest Macmillan went to Hufflepuff; Lux won.
Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called, all three whispered "Slytherin." They were proved right when the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle.
"Malone" went to Hufflepuff. "Moon" went to Slytherin
"Nott, Theodore!"
Lux though Theodore looked slightly startled when his name was called, but covered it with a neutral face and walked up to Minnie. The hat went over his eyes and the hall waited. Theodore's sorting lasted for a couple minutes before the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"
"Parkinson, Pansy" went to Slytherin, it was a tie.
Then a pair of identical twin girls, "Patil, Padma"went to Ravenclaw. Yet, her twin "Patil, Parviti" went to Gyrffindor. This surprised because she thought that identical twins would have similar personalities. "Perks, Sally-Anne" was called and Lux got butterflies in her stomach she would be called soon. Sally-Anne went to Hufflepuff. Then...
"Potter, Lux!"
Lux stepped forward; whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Lux Potter?"
The last thing Lux saw before the hat dropped over her eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at her. Next second she was looking at the black inside of the hat. She waited.
"Hmm," said a small voice in her ear, "interesting."
What's interesting, Lux wondered.
"It is interesting that you are a Gray Witch," the Hat whispered back. "You child are difficult as well. A good mind, a loyal heart, a habit of recklessness and bravery, thoughts of ambition, and a thirst to prove yourself; oh yes, you will prove very difficult to sort."
Lux realized that the Hat read her thoughts and rationalized that she was sorted by her thoughts and possibly memories.
Does that mean I will get to choose which house I get sorted into, Lux asked.
"I will make the final decision," responded the Hat. "But you make persuade me with what you are about to say."
Lux thought those were fair conditions. I don't really want to Ravenclaw. I understand that they are really focused on school work, but I fear that if I focus too much on schoolwork like the rest of my peers than I will not receive the full experience and wonder of learning magic.
"That is not a true assumption about Ravenclaw," argued the Hat. "You could do really well and make a lot of friends."
I can be friends with Ravenclaws anyway, Lux argued stubbornly. I enjoy learning, yet I don't want people to think of me as a stiff.
"I see. You have no qualms about the houses, rather on the stereotypes that people will associate you if you were in the house. Very …resourceful. Perhaps Slytherin, then."
No. No. No. No. Lux shook her head rapidly almost knocking the hat off her head. I can't. I don't have anything against Slytherin. One of my new friends is a Slytherin. It's just … people view people in Slytherin as evil. They might make up some story about me being the next Dark Wizard and Voldemort trying to kill me because he didn't want competition. Also, I really don't like some of the people that got sorted there.
"I see. You are already starting petty school yard rivalries."
Lux froze at the Hat's jib before smirking; I did say that I wanted the full experience.
The hat chuckled once more, "Indeed. So, child, you want to be in Hufflepuff or Gyrffindor."
I want to be in Gyrffindor, sir.
"Why might I ask?"
Lux thought of all the stories that Remus told her about her parents and the friends that they made in Gyrffindor. She wanted to have the same amount of fun that they had while attending Hogwarts. She wanted their experience and she made sure that the hat knew it.
"I believe could be great in Slytherin."
Lux responded with a simple, my parents were in Gyrffindor, sir.
That hat remained silent for a while, making its decision.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lux heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. She took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. She was so relieved to have been put in the same house as her parents, she hardly noticed that she was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook her hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
Lux sat down opposite a ghost in ruffles and next to Neville. The ghost patted her arm, giving Lux the sudden, horrible feeling she'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water. She shivered before turning back to the sorting.
And now there were only four people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Lux at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. The hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Lux clapped with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to her.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Lux as Blaise's name was called. The hat made him a Slytherin and he walked stiffly over to his new house table. As he sat next to Theodore, he caught Lux's eye across the great hall. He had a solemn face, but he gave a small smile when Lux winked at him.
Minnie rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.
Lux looked down at her empty gold plate. She had only just realized how hungry she was. The only things she had ate today was a couple of candies and breakfast at the cafe.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
Luc cocked her head to the side in confusion, is the headmaster insane? She shrugged in answer of her question and turned back to the table.
Lux's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. She had never seen so many things she liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
She had never seen so much food in her life. The Dursleys certainly never let her anywhere near food as good as this feast unless it was to cook it. Lux briefly wondered what they were eating now that she was gone maybe Aunt Petunia's famous burnt toast. She banished her thoughts with a slight shake of her head and reached for some roast chicken before Ron ate it all.
"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Lux cut up her chicken.
"Can't you — ?"
"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.
"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly.
Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Sir Nicholas flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost."
Lux looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements. The boy kept shifting slightly where he sat as the people around him spoke with one another.
"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.
"I've never asked," said Sir Nicholas delicately.
"Would it be rude if I asked him?" Lux asked because she was just as curious as Seamus.
Most of the people near her looked surprised that she would even consider approaching the fearsome ghost. Sir Nicholas smiled down at Lux, "What is your name again?"
"Lux Potter, sir."
"Well, Miss Potter. I wouldn't use your question as a conversation starter."
Lux smiled and nodded in replay.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts... yum. Lux helped herself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.
"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
The others laughed.
"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.
"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."
Lux never got along with the Dursleys but they never hung her out of a window, "Did your Grandmother know that your Great Uncle was doing that to you?"
Neville looked mystified, "No."
"Maybe you should. Then you wouldn't have to deal with him dangling you out a window."
The others at the table laughed as if Lux said something funny. But Lux was watching with concern as Neville turned bright Red. She offered him a smile as Dean started talking about his Muggle family.
On Lux's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons.
"I do hope they start right away,"Hermione said. "there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"
"You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing —"
Lux almost groaned, she already knew how to do that, but she supposed that everyone wasn't as eager to learn as Hermione and herself. After a while Lux lost interest in their conversation and looked up at the High Table. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd purple turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.
It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Lux's eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Lux's forehead.
"Ouch!" Lux clapped a hand to her head.
"What is it?" asked Neville.
"My scar... don't worry about it."
The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Lux had gotten from the teachers look — a feeling that he didn't like Lux at all. She hoped that he didn't teach one of the core classes, so that she wouldn't have to deal with his uncomfortable stare.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. "Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbid den to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
A few people laughed.
"He's not serious?" she muttered to Neville.
"Must be," muttered Neville, frowning at the thought of death.
"Why would you have something that could cause a painful death inside a school? With Children?"
The only answer she got was a shrug.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Lux noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.
Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"
And the school bellowed:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. She was surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. Yet, she started to get used to the strange things that comes with being a witch.
They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Lux was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing them selves at him.
"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself."
A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.
"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"
There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.
"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"
He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.
Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head forcing him to fall. They heard Peeves zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed. Lux moved over to help Neville of the ground.
"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."
Lux thought it was wise of Peeves to be afraid of the Bloody Baron. After all, if you are going to fear a ghost then it might as well be the only one covered in blood. She giggled and turned her attention to the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she said.
"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.
Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.
Lux fell asleep instantly and dreamed about her father and mother kissing her head before helping her on to the Hogwarts Express. The scene then shifted to a nursery with moving pictures of Lux on her first broom and walking decorating the wall. Then she heard high- pitched laughter. "Avada Kedavra". A green flash of light. Lux jolted awake sweating and breathing heavily.
She rolled over and fell asleep again, and when she woke next day, she didn't remember the dream at all.
Severus Snape finally met Potter's Brat. He had hoped that she would look more like Lily so it would be easier to watch over her. Yet, when he looked at her he struggled to see anyone besides his old rival.
She is also Lily's daughter, Severus reminds himself.
He remembered the last time he saw her. Ten years ago. When he found Lily's Body.
So that the end of chapter 10. Sorry it took so long to update but I was on vacation and couldn't update.
Thank you to all that reviewed, favorited, and followed.
Guest - I know you wanted Lux in Slytherin or Ravenclaw, but I didn't. Sorry! But don't worry she is going to maintain a friendship with Blaise and Theodore (soon to be known as Theo). She will also eventually make friends in Ravenclaw. I just planned for her to go into Gyrffindor since the beginning.
THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY! NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE CLASSES!
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