The first years clustered nervously around the stool at the front of the
Great Hall. Everyone in the hall stared at the dirty old hat, and then it
began to sing.
"When I call your name, you may step forward and sit on the stool. I will place the hat upon your head, you will be sorted, and you may join your house." Professor McGongall explained. "Black, Sirius."
Sirius walked casually over to the stool, and after just a moment on his head the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!"
With a bright grin, Sirius hopped off the stool and sauntered to the Gryffindor table, pleased with himself.
More and more people were getting sorted... "Chadwick, Brianna" became the first new Ravenclaw. "Evans, Lily," the redhead from the train, became a Gryffindor, along with "Longbottom, Frank," and then...
"Lupin, Remus."
Remus sat, looking anxious, and the hat fell over his head. It took at least several minutes before the hat finally called "GRYFFINDOR," and Remus hurried over to sit with Sirius.
More names. James stopped paying attention.
"Pettigrew, Peter."
The hat took twice as long as it had with Remus. Almost regretfully, it called out "Gryffindor!" And Peter darted off to the table.
"Potter, James."
James sat on the stool, staring at the inside of the hat.
"Let's see now... ah, an easy one!" It chuckled to itself. "Nowhere to put old Godric's heir except GRYFFINDOR!"
James fairly leapt off the stool joyfully. All of them together in the same house! This could be great fun...
Sirius gave James a bright grin when he sat down. James looked down the length of the table—his family while he was here.
It looked like he'd gotten a pretty good family.
"Snape, Severus."
"So *that's* his name," Remus muttered quietly as the greasy haired boy sat down the stool.
"SLYTHERIN!" Called the hat.
"No shock there," Sirius smirked.
"Strider, Lyria."
"Oh, no," Sirius muttered. "Not Gryffindor, not Gryffindor..."
"GRYFFINDOR!" Bellowed the hat.
"No!" yelped Sirius. Fortunately, he wasn't heard over the cheering of the rest of the table.
Lyria went to sit next to Lily.
"She's family now, sort of," James told his friend. It wouldn't do to have his friends hating each other.
"The evil stepsister, maybe," countered Sirius.
"Why do you hate her so much? She seemed nice enough on the train," Remus noted.
"I don't hate her; she's just evil."
The rest of the sorting went quickly. "Thomas, Dylan" and "Wood, Zachary" rounded out the rest of the new Gryffindors, and when dinner appeared before them Sirius' complaints about Lyria were forgotten.
After the sorting and the feast, a prefect by the name of escorted the first years to Gryffindor Tower. They stopped at a portrait of a rather large woman in a pink dress. James frowned. His dad hadn't mentioned that.
"Password?" Asked the fat lady.
"Leone," Arthur told her, and the portrait swung open. The first years found themselves in a huge yet cozy red-and-gold room. The ceiling was high, with a huge fireplace off to one side and stairs up against one wall.
"Whoa." Frank's statement echoed everyone's thoughts.
The prefect directed them to their dormitories, and James and Sirius led their classmates up to their room.
James picked the four-poster on one side of the window, and Sirius immediately selected the one on the other side. Remus was on the other side of Sirius, Peter on the other side of James. Frank and Zachary picked two beds close together, and Dylan picked the one closest to the door.
"Wonder how come there's seven of us and only two girls," James muttered.
"Blame the hat," Sirius replied. "But I'd rather have six brothers than six sisters anyway... What about you, Remus?"
"I'm just glad to be here, and that I'm in Gryffindor with you guys." He replied, sounding rather sleepy.
"Still with us, Peter?" James asked, noting the silence.
The only reply was snoring.
"James?? You awake?" Zachary Wood's voice jolted James out of bed.
"Yeah, why?" He mumbled, sitting up.
"Any chance you can wake Sirius up? Frank's been trying for fifteen minutes and he hasn't budged, and some of us want to eat before class." Zachary explained.
"Oh, Sirius. Right." James hopped out of bed and walked over to Sirius' four-poster. Sirius had the blankets pulled over his head, and seemed to be face down in the pillow. James grabbed a chunk of thick black hair and pulled.
"Gaaah!" Several sharp yelps and creative words could be heard despite the smothering effect of the pillow. "What was that for?!?"
"Get up, we have to go eat." James instructed. "And I didn't do anything your father wouldn't have done, pulling your hair, so I don't know what you're crabbing about."
Sirius sat up with a yawn. "Speaking of hair, you might want to tame that bush growing out of your head. Or did you brush it already? It's awful hard to tell..."
James scowled. "My hairbrush went missing."
"Doubt that'll help you much anyway," Sirius said, straightening his Gryffindor tie and pulling on his robe.
Remus looked at Peter. "What are you doing under the bed?"
"I lost my shoe!" He replied. A moment later he emerged with the shoe and a hairbrush. "James, is this yours?"
"Yeah, but... how'd it get there?" He looked around, a bit confused.
A few moments later, everyone had found everything and the group started off toward the Great Hall. "Umm... do we remember how to get there?" Frank asked suddenly.
"Sure," Sirius replied. "Just follow the rest of the tower."
Sirius' suggestion worked, and breakfast was over entirely too quickly. Soon they were off to their first class—Charms.
"When I call your name, you may step forward and sit on the stool. I will place the hat upon your head, you will be sorted, and you may join your house." Professor McGongall explained. "Black, Sirius."
Sirius walked casually over to the stool, and after just a moment on his head the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!"
With a bright grin, Sirius hopped off the stool and sauntered to the Gryffindor table, pleased with himself.
More and more people were getting sorted... "Chadwick, Brianna" became the first new Ravenclaw. "Evans, Lily," the redhead from the train, became a Gryffindor, along with "Longbottom, Frank," and then...
"Lupin, Remus."
Remus sat, looking anxious, and the hat fell over his head. It took at least several minutes before the hat finally called "GRYFFINDOR," and Remus hurried over to sit with Sirius.
More names. James stopped paying attention.
"Pettigrew, Peter."
The hat took twice as long as it had with Remus. Almost regretfully, it called out "Gryffindor!" And Peter darted off to the table.
"Potter, James."
James sat on the stool, staring at the inside of the hat.
"Let's see now... ah, an easy one!" It chuckled to itself. "Nowhere to put old Godric's heir except GRYFFINDOR!"
James fairly leapt off the stool joyfully. All of them together in the same house! This could be great fun...
Sirius gave James a bright grin when he sat down. James looked down the length of the table—his family while he was here.
It looked like he'd gotten a pretty good family.
"Snape, Severus."
"So *that's* his name," Remus muttered quietly as the greasy haired boy sat down the stool.
"SLYTHERIN!" Called the hat.
"No shock there," Sirius smirked.
"Strider, Lyria."
"Oh, no," Sirius muttered. "Not Gryffindor, not Gryffindor..."
"GRYFFINDOR!" Bellowed the hat.
"No!" yelped Sirius. Fortunately, he wasn't heard over the cheering of the rest of the table.
Lyria went to sit next to Lily.
"She's family now, sort of," James told his friend. It wouldn't do to have his friends hating each other.
"The evil stepsister, maybe," countered Sirius.
"Why do you hate her so much? She seemed nice enough on the train," Remus noted.
"I don't hate her; she's just evil."
The rest of the sorting went quickly. "Thomas, Dylan" and "Wood, Zachary" rounded out the rest of the new Gryffindors, and when dinner appeared before them Sirius' complaints about Lyria were forgotten.
After the sorting and the feast, a prefect by the name of escorted the first years to Gryffindor Tower. They stopped at a portrait of a rather large woman in a pink dress. James frowned. His dad hadn't mentioned that.
"Password?" Asked the fat lady.
"Leone," Arthur told her, and the portrait swung open. The first years found themselves in a huge yet cozy red-and-gold room. The ceiling was high, with a huge fireplace off to one side and stairs up against one wall.
"Whoa." Frank's statement echoed everyone's thoughts.
The prefect directed them to their dormitories, and James and Sirius led their classmates up to their room.
James picked the four-poster on one side of the window, and Sirius immediately selected the one on the other side. Remus was on the other side of Sirius, Peter on the other side of James. Frank and Zachary picked two beds close together, and Dylan picked the one closest to the door.
"Wonder how come there's seven of us and only two girls," James muttered.
"Blame the hat," Sirius replied. "But I'd rather have six brothers than six sisters anyway... What about you, Remus?"
"I'm just glad to be here, and that I'm in Gryffindor with you guys." He replied, sounding rather sleepy.
"Still with us, Peter?" James asked, noting the silence.
The only reply was snoring.
"James?? You awake?" Zachary Wood's voice jolted James out of bed.
"Yeah, why?" He mumbled, sitting up.
"Any chance you can wake Sirius up? Frank's been trying for fifteen minutes and he hasn't budged, and some of us want to eat before class." Zachary explained.
"Oh, Sirius. Right." James hopped out of bed and walked over to Sirius' four-poster. Sirius had the blankets pulled over his head, and seemed to be face down in the pillow. James grabbed a chunk of thick black hair and pulled.
"Gaaah!" Several sharp yelps and creative words could be heard despite the smothering effect of the pillow. "What was that for?!?"
"Get up, we have to go eat." James instructed. "And I didn't do anything your father wouldn't have done, pulling your hair, so I don't know what you're crabbing about."
Sirius sat up with a yawn. "Speaking of hair, you might want to tame that bush growing out of your head. Or did you brush it already? It's awful hard to tell..."
James scowled. "My hairbrush went missing."
"Doubt that'll help you much anyway," Sirius said, straightening his Gryffindor tie and pulling on his robe.
Remus looked at Peter. "What are you doing under the bed?"
"I lost my shoe!" He replied. A moment later he emerged with the shoe and a hairbrush. "James, is this yours?"
"Yeah, but... how'd it get there?" He looked around, a bit confused.
A few moments later, everyone had found everything and the group started off toward the Great Hall. "Umm... do we remember how to get there?" Frank asked suddenly.
"Sure," Sirius replied. "Just follow the rest of the tower."
Sirius' suggestion worked, and breakfast was over entirely too quickly. Soon they were off to their first class—Charms.