Separate Houses
A tall
woman, severe-looking in emerald-green robes, opened the door. Her black hair was wrapped in a neat bun at
the back of her head, and she surveyed the first years closely behind square
glasses, as if expecting one of them to put a toe out of line. Lily wasn't sure if she liked the looks of
her.
"The ferst
years, Professor McGonagall."
"Bring them
in, Hagrid."
They were
lead through a large entrance hall. Trisha grabbed a hold of Lily's arm, nervously, while Lily just gaped in
awe at the gothic beauty of a real live castle, marveling in the marble
staircases, scones lit with torches, and stone walls lined with tapestries and
paintings. In Lily's fevered
imagination, she thought she saw the pictures following the group with their
eyes. She thought she even saw one wink at her. She stared at the picture, mouth open in surprise until a shriek
of terror from the front brought her back to reality.
"Ooo! Ickle firsties!" came a nasty nasal voice. The blood drained from Lily's face. A strange man came floating into the hall through the wall, his body eerily transparent. Trisha's fingers dug deeper into Lily's arm.
"Peeves!" shouted both Professor McGonagall and
another voice, as another transparent figure came through the wall, then
another till there was a whole group of them.
The little
man looked maliciously at the group, flipped upside-down and stuck his tongue
out at the lot of them. Then he pulled
the pigtails of a frightened girl underneath him. "Little Mini, nice to see you again!"
"Peeves!" the ghost shouted again. He wore frilly ruffs around his neck. "Don't make us call the Bloody Baron!"
Peeves
looked frightened for almost a moment. Lily didn't want to meet this Bloody Baron if Peeves was afraid of
him. Then he said, "Not doing nothing. Just going to the feast, right Mini?"
Professor
McGonagall rankled at being called Mini. "No, Peeves. And if you know
what's good for you, you'd better leave. Before the Baron gets here."
"You're no
fun!" Giving another raspberry, Peeves
flew back out the wall.
A fat friar
sighed. "Peeves will be Peeves."
"He should
be thrown out," the ruffly ghost said.
"You'd
better get going," McGonagall said. "The feast is about to begin."
"Right,"
the friar said happily. "Don't want to
miss that. I look forward to getting to
know any new Hufflepuffs."
"Hope
you'll be in Ravenclaw," said a gray lady.
Chatting
gaily, they floated off towards the sound of laughter. Off to their right, through a large doorway,
voices of the rest of the school could be heard. Lily was all ready to head in to join them, but found herself being
lead by Professor McGonagall into a small, empty room across the hall. Trisha squished even closer to Lily as the
other students were forced to press together.
"Welcome to
Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall, slightly ruffled, Lily realized. Not that she was surprised, due to the
encounter with the ghosts. "Before the
start-of-term banquet begins, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony
because your house will be like your family while your here. You will take classes with the rest of your
house, sleep in house dormitories, and spend free time in your house common
room."
Don't we do anything with the other houses?
Lily wanted to ask, but was afraid to voice her question, not with the way
Professor McGonagall looked at them. It
seemed unfair for them to ask her to spend time only with people they told her
to spend time with. After all, if she
had to spend all her time with her family at home, she would have gone
insane. Either that or she and Petunia
would have killed each other.
"The houses
are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house is just as good as another, and is an honor to be
chosen for any of them." Lily somehow
couldn't believe that of Slytherin, from all she'd heard about it. "The things you do reflect the standing of
your house. Every year the houses compete
for the house cup. It is a great honor
to be awarded the cup as your successes earn points for you house towards the
cup. Any rule-breaking will lose you
house points."
McGonnagall
looked suggestively at James's friend Sirius, who was snickering behind his
hand at James and Remus. He noticed her
glare and stopped.
Lily
sighed. That meant that immediately
three-fourths of the school would become her enemy. She didn't want to hate the students of the other houses. Suddenly she felt very trapped.
"The
Sorting ceremony will take place momentarily in front of the rest of the
school. So use the next few minutes
wisely to take a few deep breaths and gather yourself before we come to collect
you. Please wait quietly." She left them alone in the room.
Now Lily
clutched Trisha as the trapped feeling continued to swell around her. Nor were they the only ones who were
nervous. The Remus boy had found James
Potter and Sirius and the three of them talked softly, their laughter
choked. Frankie had on a nervous smile,
as if willing himself not to fall to pieces. A small, blond pudgy boy trembled violently.
Lily looked
around the room, setting her sights on each face, their open fear only served
to remind her of this common bond. She
locked eyes for a moment on Jasla and couldn't make herself feel that bond with
her.
"What do
you think we have to do to be sorted?" Frankie was asking a boy with greasy black hair. The boy tried looking scornfully back at him
through his nervousness.
"I'm sure
it will be all right," Lily said to those who were around her, confidently.
Moments
later, Professor McGonagall returned.
"They're
ready for you. Form a line quickly now,
and follow me."
Trisha
didn't let go of Lily as they entered the Great Hall. Five tables were lined up, four with students and the fifth at
the end of the hall for the staff. Their eyes peered at her in the candlelight, the candles floating above
their heads. Nervously she looked up,
and saw the sky with millions of stars shining down! For a moment she forgot her nervousness in the face of something
familiar. "Oh look!" she whispered to Trisha before she could
stop herself. "It's Pegasus!"
She was
wondering why they hadn't built a ceiling for the room, when she realized it was the ceiling! "Oh, wow," she breathed. A thought danced in her head: If only I could do that to my bedroom
ceiling at home!
She was
brought back as a little man walked to the center of the room and placed an old
patched hat on a stool. Before she
could wonder what the hat was for, it started to sing! It sang of the four founders—Godric
Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin—and about
the characteristics of each house.
"Gryffindors are first to jump into the fray
While Hufflepuff's chivalry command their ways.
Wit and learning are Ravenclaw's means
But Slytherins hunger in ambitious dreams."
It was a
cute little rhyming song that gained thunderous applause at its end. People whistled and cheered. It was obvious the Sorting hat was well
revered.
"When I
call your name," Professor McGonagall said, "you will put on the hat and sit on
the stool to be sorted. When the hat
announces your House, you will go and sit at the appropriate table."
Lily
wondered how to know which table was for which house, but her question was
answered when "Argent, Brigit" was announced a Gryffindor and the table on the
far left erupted into cheers. The
girl's long silvery-blond pigtails swung across her back as she skipped to her
House table. At least Lily knew she
wouldn't have a problem finding where she belonged.
"Avery,
Quince."
"SLYTHERIN!" The table on the far right, opposite
Gryffindor table, hooted and hollered. Quince swaggered over to sit with his new Housemates.
Professor
McGonagall continued calling out names and in only a short amount of time,
Lily's name was called. "Evans, Lily."
Disengaging
herself from Trisha, she walked up to the stool. I hope I don't get
Slytherin. If Jasla's anything like
them . . . But then, she didn't
feel very ambitious and thought it was unlikely. Trembling slightly, Lily picked up the hat, sat on the stool, and
placed the hat carefully on her head.
"Well,
well," came a voice inside her head. "I
haven't seen your kind in quite a while. Oh, yes, great things will be coming your way."
Lily
wondered what that meant, but continued listening, curious. "A sharp mind, and loyalty towards friends,
yet there's no doubt as to where you belong: GRYFFINDOR!"
There came
applause from the scarlet table as the hat pronounced its judgment. Glowing, Lily joined the Gryffindors. Sirius Black, James's friend, already
sitting there, applauded politely. A
girl Lily remembered as "Balne, Morgan" clapped enthusiastically and gave her a
welcoming smile.
"Hi, I'm
Morgan," she said, extending a hand.
"Hi."
"Isn't this
exciting?" Lily was forced to
agree. "My elder brother's told me so
much about Hogwarts, I couldn't wait to get here. `Course he told me nothing about the Sorting—said I had to pick a
door. As if this was some sort of game
show."
Lily wanted
to ask her what sort of things her brother had told her about Hogwarts, but
Morgan had gone back to watching the Sorting, so she watched along with
her. It had become more entertaining
now that she was no longer on trial. She cheered for new Gryffindors like herself, like "Geraint, Aeronwy,"
while her twin brother Kiran was sorted into Hufflepuff, waiting for Trisha's
verdict. Be a Gryffindor, Trish. Please
be a Gryffindor.
"Gudgeon,
David."
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The table next to the Slytherins exploded.
"Hopkirk,
Mafalda."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Hornby,
Cordelia."
"RAVENCLAW!" The table next to the Gryffindors welcomed
another member.
While Lily
kept her eyes on Trisha, she couldn't help but watch James Potter out of the
corner of her eye. She only
distractedly clapped for "Kirk, Kearsy" as she took a seat with the
Gryffindors, waiting to hear James's name called.
Two
Slytherins in a row—"Lerem" and "Lestrange." Then a Ravenclaw, an Asian boy, "Li."
Both the
boys from the boat, Frank and Remus, joined the Gryffindors, so she hoped that
all members from the boat, including Trisha, would be Gryffindors. Maybe the boats magically attract those
destined for same houses, Lily thought. It was highly unlikely, but it made her feel calmer.
The names
continued. "MacGregor," "Marsh,"
"Moon." "Nettles, Lebretta" became a
new Slytherin. Lebretta was the perfect
example of Slytherin, Lily thought. Her
face seemed specked with scars, deforming her. Perhaps she had at one time been pretty, Lily would never know.
"Pettigrew,
Peter." The trembling boy from the
other room took a seat on the stool. To
Lily's surprise, the hat announced "GRYFFINDOR!" For a house reputed for its brave students, Peter didn't seem to
fit.
"Potter,
James."
Lily's ears
perked up. Secretly she hoped he would
be a Gryffindor.
Sure
enough:
"GRYFFINDOR!" Lily couldn't help but clap loudly and
fiercely for him, then wondered how many people saw her and blushed. James was welcomed heartily by Sirius.
As James
had surmised, "Rhode, Jasla" became a Slytherin. So did "Rosier, Evan." But "Richards, Kevin" joined the Hufflepuffs.
By that
time it was almost Trisha's turn, and they were left with only eight more
students.
"Snape,
Severus."
The boy
with greasy black hair, with whom Frankie had spoken to in the other room, sat
on the stool. Not to Lily's surprise,
the hat announced:
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Troy,
Liam."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Ulricson,
Naomi."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Vale,
Patricia."
Lily
crossed all her fingers and screwed up her face, giving Trisha the strength and
will to be a Gryffindor.
Trisha was
there a long time. She wasn't the first
one to take some time before sentence was pronounced, but hers was the
longest. Was she having a conversation
with the hat? After almost five
minutes, the hat announced:
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The
Hufflepuff table cheered as Trisha shakily walked over. Lily's face fell, and she watched Trisha
take a seat at the other table as the last four were sorted.
Suddenly
she felt all alone and the train ride seemed so long ago. She barely heard the headmaster Dumbledore
as he ushered in the new year. Lily
caught a few phrases from Dumbledore: "Forbidden Forest" and "Whomping
Willow." Just the names themselves lead
Lily to the understanding to stay away.
Once his
speech was over, Dumbledore gave the okay for dinner. Heaps of food magically appeared on their plates before
them. Lily unenthusiastically began to
eat as the chatter of students buzzed around her.
"I'm
half-and-half," Morgan was saying to the girls, "but Balnes have been witches
and wizards for centuries. My older
brother Timothy's a fourth year Gryffindor. I'm named after Morgan La Faye, who's supposed to be an ancestor of
ours." She rolled her eyes. "What a bunch of malarkey."
"Really?" Kearsy was saying. "I'm full blood, but my mum wasn't as dedicated as my dad—he's
real powerful."
Normally,
Lily would have joined in on the conversation, but she felt guilty. While she knew it wasn't the end of the
world, it didn't seem fair for her to have made a friend only to lose her to
one of her enemies. If I hadn't wished for James to be in
Gryffindor . . . But she knew it
wasn't her fault—it was the Sorting Hat's.
Stupid Sorting Hat.
"You look a
bit down." This statement was directed
towards Lily. She looked up at a pretty
blond girl not much older than her. "Seems a bit early to be distressed. We haven't even had our first class yet." She giggled softly at her own joke. "Celest."
"Lily."
"I
congratulate you on your entrance into Gryffindor, the best of the four
houses." Celest did look as if she
thought so.
"Thanks." Lily smiled weakly, then stole a glance at
the Hufflepuff table. Trisha's eyes
connected with hers for a second, but she turned away, remorse filling her. How much better would Gryffindor be if only
Trish was in it, too?
Celest
noticed her look. "Yes, I can see how overjoyed you are. Please, take your enthusiasm down a notch."
Lily's
cheeks flushed, feeling as if she had insulted the girl, even though Celest's
statement was only in jest. "Sorry."
"Not your
choice of house?"
Lily
sighed. "It's not that . . . It's just
. . . I met this girl on the train and she's been sorted into another house."
Celest
listened to her, then eyed the Hufflepuff table. "I see." She stared Lily
in the eye. "Well, if there's one thing
my year at Hogwarts has taught me, I know you'll be brave enough to pull
through this, as you are a
Gryffindor."
Lily
nodded. "And Trisha's a Hufflepuff."
"So trust
in her loyalty," Celest stated matter-of-factly. Lily had no idea what she meant by that, but nodded as if she
did. "Now come on," Celest urged,
"brighten up your spirits. It's only
the beginning."
Only the
beginning . . . and the best days are yet to come. Lily felt much more cheerful.
Lily spent
the rest of the banquet talking and laughing with Celest and the rest of the
girls. Morgan had a great sense of
humor, cracking joke after joke during the meal. Kearsy was a bit of a prankster and caused a bit of commotion
when the fork little Peter Pettigrew was using got stuck to his hand. Lily didn't think anyone knew who did
it. Aeronwy spent the evening giving
her twin faces, mouthing We'll win the
cup! and sticking out her tongue. Brigit, their quiet storyteller, told them about her home in
Ireland. If Lily was to be in the same
House as these girls, she had no problem with it.
Once the
last bit of dessert had been devoured, Dumbledore stood up, commanding
everyone's attention. Conversations
died down, waiting for the Headmaster's next words.
"Before we
go to bed, let us sing the school song."
Lily's face
brightened. There was nothing Lily
loved better than to sing. She watched
as a silvery light came forth from Dumbledore's wand to form itself into words.
"Everyone
pick their favorite tune!"
Appalled,
Lily said, "But then we won't be together!"
Celest
laughed. "Don't worry about it! Just go with it!"
"Off we
go!" Dumbledore's wand conducted the
start of the Hogwarts song.
Lily
shrugged and chose a song—"Everything's Coming Up Roses"—and sang with the rest
of the school:
"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."
Throughout
the song, Lily's voice sang loud and true, but she couldn't help but giggle
over some of the lines in the song.
"Now off to
bed!" With that, the student body rose
from their seats and headed out the door.
"That was
really beautiful, Lily," commented Celest. "You've got a great voice."
Aeronwy
nodded. "You could hear your voice
above everyone else's."
Lily
blushed. "Thanks."
"Come on,
then, girls!" Celest called. "Time to show you Gryffindor Tower!"
Although
very tired, Lily forced herself to take in everything as they traversed the
corridors. This time Lily was sure she
saw a portrait move. She even heard it
speak to another one!
"That
picture just spoke!" she announced.
"Of course
it did," Celest giggled. "Portraits
move, didn't you know?"
"No," Lily
admitted, "I never knew anything about the wizard world before Hogwarts."
"You'll get
used to it."
"I don't
think I want to," she murmured to herself. And take all the wonder out of life—never!
They
finally came to a stop at a dead end, where hung a portrait of a very fat lady
in pink silk dress. Did they take a
wrong turn? Lily wondered.
"Password?" asked the fat lady.
"Serendipity,"
responded a girl at the head of the group.
The
portrait swung open to reveal an entrance to a room beyond.
"Welcome to
Gryffindor Tower," Celest announced.
The boys
and girls parted ways, up a spiral staircase, to their dormitories. Five beds stood in red velvet, and their
trunks already by their beds. "Goodnight, girls," Celest waved as she continued up the stairs to her
room.
Lily
brushed her fingers through the soft material on her bed. It was like heaven.
"Better get
to sleep," Morgan advised the girls. "We've got classes in the morning."
Classes. Lily smiled. Magic classes. Her life had just begun.
To Be Continued…
A/N:
I know it's been a while since I updated this story, and I thank all those who
wrote a review. And whoever told me
Lily's name was Evans—thanks! This is
my first long fic so it might take me a while to finish, but if you like it, I hope
you stick with it.
Just
some information, Morgan's last name "Balne" is pronounced like
"down." Not like Baine, Blane or "bal-nee." There is
actually a town in England named Balne, along with a brook, beck, and a train
station.
Aeronwy
is pronounced "a-RON-we." It's Welsh.