Author's Note: The characters that belong to JK Rowling belong to JK Rowling
Thanks to SilverWind for the help proofreading, and my brother for miscellaneous stuff.
Chapter 2: The Sorting
"Do you love her more?" Said a small blonde girl to her mother.
"No, Petunia, I don't." The mother turned to her other, older, daughter.
"Mum?"
"Yes, Lily?"
"Where is it?" Lily asked. The mother looked up from Petunia. "It said 'nine and three-quarters'. There's nine...there's ten...where's nine and three-quarters?" The mother took Petunia over to where Lily was, and looked up. "Well, you just walk on through between them, Lily. I'm sorry, I really have to go, you'll get it, don't worry." With that the mother took Petunia into her car and drove off. Lily turned to the barrier, between nine and ten. Just walk on through...no problem. You can do this, Lily thought. You can do anything. She took a hold of her cart, which held her trunk, and her cat, and started off. She walked at a steady pace, towards the barrier. She sped up, a group of tourists covered from view as she came nearer...nearer...
WHAM.
"Ouch!" Lily stood up, expecting to still be in King's Cross...but she wasn't. She hadn't collided with the barrier...she'd collided with a boy, trying to cross as well. The two stood up.
"Come on, move over, Sirius'll be coming through..." Just as he said it, another boy strolled through the barrier. The two boys took off towards the Hogwarts Express, and she followed. There was a beautiful scarlet train, steam pouring out of its stack, people getting onto it at every compartment. They piled into the first empty compartment, taking one look at her, wondering if she would join them. But, she saw the next compartment, full of girls her age, and joined it.
"S'pose she's a first year, James?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah, she is, we saw her at Ollivander's, remember?"
"Oh, that was her?"
"Yeah." Sirius noted that James was looking through the ajar door, trying to get a better look at her.
"Huh. Hey, we're leaving!" Sirius and James braced as the train started off, around a corner, and almost immediately into the countryside.
"Into our robes, then?" James asked.
"Yeah, sure, may as well now." So they closed both doors and changed into their big, black robes. James reached behind him, and started looking into his The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1). He stuck his wand out from behind it.
"Avis." He muttered. With a pop, a single feather shot out from his wand. Sirius applauded.
"Excellent! James, you're already magicking! And you couldn't do a thing a few weeks ago!"
"Well, it was supposed to be a flock of birds, not just one feather..." He re-buried himself in his book, and Sirius did likewise. After a few hours of studying, a pudgy witch came by with a cart full of snacks. James and Sirius decided they could stop studying, eat, and relax by practicing making trouble. After finishing a few Cauldron Cakes, they started to play chess. However, halfway through their game-
"Shut up, you slimy git!" Came a voice through the door.
"I wouldn't talk, you withered fool!" James looked at Sirius.
"What do you think is going on over there?"
"I don't know, James." The two of them walked through the open door. A well dressed, but weary looking boy was arguing heatedly with a bent over, sneering boy. They both appeared to be first-years like James and Sirius.
The weary boy turned to James and said, "Do you mind if I join your compartment? This one's really annoying me!" James shrugged and nodded. They accompanied the boy back to their compartment, and, to James's and Sirius's surprise, another boy was seated in it.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize there were others in here..." He started to get up, as if to leave.
"No, its ok!" James held out his hand. "James Potter." The boy shook his hand, looking relieved.
"My name's P-Pettigrew. P-Peter Pettigrew."
"Sirius Black." Sirius said offering his hand.
"We never did catch your name...." James said, turning to the other boy.
"Remus, Remus Lupin." He said shaking everyone's hand.
"Well, back to our game eh, Sirius?" James noticed the pieces seemed to be quite angry with their players for ignoring them. They were so angry, in fact, that Sirius's pawn refused to move forward, and rather his Queen made a move that checkmated James's King.
"What?"
"Haha! I win!" Sirius shouted.
"No you don't! You didn't even make that move! Your Queen did it on her own!" Sirius raised a finger.
"But, nonetheless!" Sirius laughed, James scowled. "It doesn't really matter," Sirius said, calming, and sitting back down. "I would have had you soon...Queen's Gambit, you know..." Remus and Peter looked at him with awe. Suddenly the chessboard became like a bowl, all the pieces falling inanimately inside, and then the chessboard returned to its normal shape.
"You can beat me at anything, James. Anything but chess...." He stood again. The girl from Ollivander's had just walked in.
"Excuse me, but were you two just playing chess?" She asked, pointing at the empty board.
"Er, yeah, we were."
"Why?" James asked curiously.
"Lily Evans," she said, shaking James's hand. "I just didn't think there were that many other first-years who played chess. Wizard or muggle."
"James Potter. This is Sirius Black, best chess player this side of Hogsmeade." Sirius waved, blushing. "Oh, and this is Remus Lupin, and this is Peter Pettigrew." Lily waved at them, then looked at Sirius as if to challenge.
"A game then?" Sirius looked at her slightly frightened, slightly determined to whoop her.
"Alright, you're on. Want to be black or-" But Sirius was interrupted. The train was slowing rapidly.
"Oh! We're stopping! I'm still in muggle clothes! I've to get my robes on!" She dashed back into the girl's compartment.
"Sneak a peak?" Sirius pointed towards the door, and winked mischievously.
"Nah," said James, waving his hand, "I like her." Sirius laughed, but caught James's look, and stopped.
When the train stopped completely, Lily returned to the compartment, robed, blushing slightly.
"Still on for that match, Sirius?" She asked.
"But of course!"
"Firs' years this way!" Came a voice from outside. The 5 stepped out to see a man looming over all of them, even the seventh-years. He was younger looking, in his 20's, but he was certainly an extremely large man in his 20's. He led them down a dark path, and around a bend.
Suddenly a burst of 'Whoa!'s came as Hogwarts Castle came into view. There was a lake, however, between them, and 10 small rowboats.
"Four ter a boat!" With that, Sirius and James stepped into a boat, closely tailed by Remus. Peter saw where they were and practically knocked Lily out of the way to hop in.
"Er..." James seemed to think she was slightly hurt, but she simply shrugged and sat in a boat with 3 other girls.
"Forward!" The gigantic man shouted. The boats followed his command, and shot forward across the glass-like lake.
They passed into a hole in a large cliff, ivy hung down a few feet above their heads. They docked at a harbor, then walked up to the front door. The man turned, scanning to check the students were all there, then turned on the massive oak door. He raised his fist, and knocked on it three times.
"The boy is late! He was supposed to be on the train! They'll suspect..."
"No they won't! You have influence, Velemonde. I have power."
"At Durmstrang, Tom! And please...call me Ian...we don't know who could be listening..." Velemonde said in a suddenly hushed voice.
"I sense fear in you, Velemonde." Tom suddenly sneered at a bird on the sill, making it flutter off.
"What do you think you're playing at? You can't pull that on me, Tom. You know you need me!"
"You don't seem to think so, Velemonde."
"You need Durmstrang, whether or not you can have Hogwarts! The mountains, we have the giants, the cold, we have Dementors, and we have the Durmstrang student body. To take Durmstrang, you'll need me, and you know it. Now, is the boy ready? I'll have trouble smoothing this out...."
"You tell me, Velemonde...."
"My part of it is finished. Is yours?"
"It is now. He may go. If he fails, Velemonde...."
"Just don't forget Durmstrang...." Tom and Velemonde walked in opposite directions.
The massive doors opened to reveal a short, dark haired and bearded wizard, wearing scarlet robes. He nodded briskly to the large man, and led the students through the massive Entrance Hall, turning them into a small chamber. They all stood, the body of students seemed to be shaking nervously as one. The short wizard turned sharply to face them and began talking at once.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Said the man "my name is Professor Scuro, I am the Deputy Headmaster here at Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted in your houses." He said, he spoke as if he was reading off a sheet of paper. "The Sorting is very important. It will shape the rest of your years here at Hogwarts. Your houses will be your families. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own hist'ry and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your good deeds will earn your house points, while any bad ones will lose your house some points. It is very hard to face your fellow students after you just lost them a lot of points." Scuro said, glancing at everyone seriously. "At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup. Aside from maybe the House Quidditch championship, this is the greatest honor a house can recieve. I hope each of you will be the greatest of service to your houses when it comes to the points.
"Now that all that official stuff is done, the Sorting will be in a few moments. Try to get ready for the test. It's a real hard'n." He smiled oddly at them and walked off looking quite happy with himself. Half the students nearly fainted at the words that the test would be hard. James immediately started muttering incantations under his breath.
"Avis...wingardium leviosa...occoverdis...." Sirius chuckled at the last one.
"James, whatever the test may be, I doubt it will include turning your eyes green...." he chuckled again. But James simply ignored him and kept on refreshing spells in his mind.
Once again Sirius decided James was right and started practicing spells himself. He heard Lily doing the same. Remus however was drawing blanks on all the spells he'd done in the train and Peter was shaking so violently his wand kept falling out of his hand. But before anyone had made much of any progress-
"We're ready for you! This way, into a line. Let's go!" With that Professor Scuro led them out. James had lined up between Remus and Sirius, he turned back to see Lily 5 persons back. Scuro led them across the hall, through a pair of massive double doors, and up in front of the head table, where it looked like all the teachers sat. They stood, facing the four main tables of students, James assumed it was the tables for the four houses. Professor Scuro immediately brought out a stool, and on top of it placed a very old looking hat.
"I hope we have to make it levitate, I know that one." Sirius heard James mutter. Sirius gulped. He hadn't practiced that one...he was just now beginning to get nervous. Why hadn't he prepared for it like James had? But Sirius's thoughts were soon interrupted-
"Oh, I'm quite an ancient hat,
But that doesn't mean a thing,
I've got more brains than many of you,
And I can even sing.
The young folk that you are,
I'm here to Sort you all,
Whether you're short and fat
Or skinny and tall
I'll decide which house is yours
Based on the thoughts I read
I can read all of them,
So you best take heed.
Do you belong in Hufflepuff?
There lie the moral strong
Or maybe yours is Ravenclaw,
Who sings the wisest song
Gryffindor could be yours,
If you're brave and keen
Slytherin is just for you
If your end justifies your means!
So flop me down right on your head,
So you can be Sorted just like that,
Then join your table right away
For I am the Sorting Hat!"
The hat had been singing. Everyone immediately started clapping; even the nervous first-years. The hat bowed then became still as a normal hat.
Sirius felt a little better about not having to do a spell, though James, he noticed, seemed to be quite unnerved by it.
"What house are you hoping for?" Sirius whispered, turning to James.
"I'll be Gryffindor, my whole family has been." Said Remus.
"I heard Hufflepuff's the best, everyone wants to get into it." Said Lily.
"I heard no one wants to be in Gryffindor, I'll probably end up there." Said Peter sadly. Remus took offense to this however, and scowled at Peter.
"When I call your name, put on the hat and take a seat on the stool. You'll be sorted then." Came Professor Scuro's voice. "Aeber, James!"
A tall red haired boy came forward and put on the hat. He sat down. Nothing happened. He sat for nearly two minutes before, finally-
"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left exploded into cheers as James Aeber sat down there.
"Barrons, Zachary!"
"SLYTHERIN!" The hat yelled after a few moments on his head. Sirius knew what was next-
"Black, Sirius!" Sirius confidently stepped forward and thrust the hat over his eyes.
"Hmmm, toughy. You're brilliant you are, wouldn't be bad in Ravenclaw, though your bravery would make you an exemplary Gryffindor...yes that's it. GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius realized that the whole school had heard the last word, and saw the far-left table clapping and cheering. He walked over there, as "Brown, Dhelia" was being sorted. He noticed she too, became a Gryffindor. After a few more names came-
"Evans, Lily!" Lily walked forward, slightly nervous, and popped it on her head, gripping the sides of the stool.
"Hmm, you've got brains. But you've got courage, daring, bravery. Very cunning I see. A lot of all four founders in you. A lot of Salazar Slytherin especially..." Lily bit her lip. "Oh, yes, I see. Well, there are others who are more Slytherin than you, so, definitely GRYFFINDOR!" Lily blushed a little and became the second new girl at the Gryffindor table.
Next came Flatley, then Farrings...Garrett...Hannet... Icana...after a few more came-
"Lupin, Remus!" Remus strode to the hat proudly, donned it, and sat confidently on the stool.
"Ah, a family man. Many Lupins have put me on their head...yes, yes; you seem to show the same qualities your ancestors did. Easily GRYFFINDOR!" Remus got up, not surprised, and headed over to the Gryffindor table happily. A few more names went by, then:
"Pettigrew, Peter!" Peter was shaking head to toe as he placed the hat on his head.
"Hmmm. You're not the sharpest one...not exactly brave either...certainly too meager to be a Slytherin...maybe Hufflepuff?"
Yes! Yes! thought Peter.
"No, I see quite a bit of a lack of loyalty in your future. I guess its GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius, Lily, and Remus clapped as Peter came in and flopped down on a chair next to Sirius and a tall, older student, who seemed to look as if he was disappointed Peter had become a Gryffindor.
"Potter, James!" James gulped, then stepped forward. In a swift action he seated himself and put the hat on. James heard a small voice.
"Well, this is simple. Everything is perfect. Yes, yes, GRYFFINDOR!" James smiled, and put the hat back down on the chair, walking coolly to the Gryffindor table.
"It barely touched your head!" whispered Lily and Sirius in unison.
"I know! It seemed like I was destined for Gryffindor!" James said, chuckling, as "Snape, Severus" became a Slytherin. James, Remus, and Sirius all quickly recognized him as the one Remus was arguing with on the train earlier.
"What were you arguing about anyway, Remus?" Sirius said, turning towards James and Remus.
"Gryffindor versus Slytherin. We both knew which house we were going to, we were arguing about it. He won't believe that Slytherin is a bunch of slimy, dark-wizards-in-training." Remus explained. Their attention however turned to the Sorting. There was only one boy left, surrounded by more girls. He stepped forward at the mention of his name-
"Synwyd, Allyn!" A brown-haired boy placed the hat on his head and seated himself. After just a moment-
"GRYFFINDOR!" He came and sat across from Remus, Sirius and James, between Peter and Lily. James stared for a moment. He was the first new male Gryffindor James didn't already know. But he quickly realized there must be people he didn't know, however much it disappointed him.
At last there was only one girl remaining. Professor Scuro started-
"Vedol-er" He looked at the girl, reading her nametag. He looked back at the list. He looked at the man seated in the center of the teacher's table. It was at this point James, Sirius, Lily, Remus, and Peter noticed them. James quickly came to the conclusion that the man was Albus Dumbledore, Order of Merlin First Class. He had a long silvery beard and a cheery look upon his face. It however became less cheery. Professor Scuro walked forward and began whispering quickly to Dumbledore, and the tiny man seated next to him. The four tables burst into whispers, about who this girl may be. But it was all silenced; both the student's whisperings as well as the teachers, when the doors to the Great Hall burst open.
"Yes, Hagrid?" Professor Scuro said, loud enough for the man at the doors to hear. It was the same massive man that had brought the first years across the lake to the main doors.
"Another student fer ya." Hagrid walked forward to the front table, a pale looking student in tow. Hagrid said a few whispered things to Dumbledore, Scuro and the tiny wizard and sat down at the end seat to Dumbledore's right. Professor Scuro cleared his throat.
"Vedol, Ian." The boy stepped forward from the line in which he had been for only a moment. He sat down slowly, placing the hat carefully on his head, shivering slightly. After a few moments, the hat had made its decision-
"SLYTHERIN!" Ian looked quite relieved to be chosen for Slytherin, and sat down between two thuggish looking 5th years. After "Yanna, Catherine!" ("HUFFLEPUFF!") Professor Dumbledore stood up raising his wand for silence as Professor Scuro took the stool and Hat away.
"Another year at Hogwarts has begun," said Professor Dumbledore. "We're here to learn another year's worth of things...but first, dinner!" Dumbledore flashed his wand and the most delicious looking food seen appeared on all the tables.
"Alright!" Sirius said as he dug into some potatoes. Remus jammed roast beef into his mouth while James, Peter, and Allyn simultaneously raided a dish full of chicken. Lily simply couldn't decide on what to eat.
"There's so much food!" But she couldn't hold out much longer and grabbed the sausages closest to her. After the most delicious meal they all had eaten, Dumbledore returned to his feet once again.
"A few more notices now that we've all been fed and watered." He said as Remus was still clinging to an empty Jell-O cup, attempted to lick out the last scraps of green gelatin. "First-years should note that the forest is out-of-bounds to all. Quidditch trials for second-years and above are to be held in two weeks, please see Professor Marus. We have a new staff member as well." The older students looked as though they had been wondering who the strange person at the teachers' table was.
"Professor Vanic, the Charms teacher last year, has retired, and our Arithmancy teacher, who was in his first year last year, Professor Flitwick, has stepped up to teach Charms, as well as take over for Professor Vanic as head of Ravenclaw." There was a loud applause, mostly just Ravenclaw students, as the short professor seated next to Professor Dumbledore stood up. "We have hired a new teacher to take over Arithmancy for Professor Flitwick, Professor Vector." Dumbledore continued as Professor Flitwick seated himself again. A very young looking woman at the end of the table stood up briefly, as there was scattered applause from the four tables.
Professor Dumbledore turned to Professor Scuro, who seated on his right. He mumbled something to him, and Scuro shook his head. Dumbledore returned his gaze to the student body.
"Well, Professor Scuro tells me that do not have time to sing the school song,"-the whole school groaned-"So off to bed for all of you!" Dumbledore flicked his hands to send them off and the students rose.
"Gryffindor this way!" James heard an older student say. He had a shiny 'P' badge on his chest.
"This way guys." James said, pointing his friends in the direction of the prefect. They marched a complicated series of stairways, up and down, through holes behind portraits until finally reaching a corridor with the picture of a fat lady in a pink frilly dress on.
"Password?" She said airily.
"Flaky Bags-Wagon." said the prefect, and the picture creaked open, to reveal a short hallway leading to a room. He led the Gryffindor students into a comfy looking common room, full of soft looking chairs and complete with a large fireplace.
"Now, right to bed, you lot," The prefect said, shooing two older looking students out of the chairs, and up one of the staircases. "First years up these stairs, come on now." The prefect ushered them up one of the staircases to a room that was there dormitory; five four-posters with red curtains, their trunks at the foot of each. James walked to the window, looking out onto the grounds. There was the lake, the forest, and an odd looking hole in the ground. James sat himself on his bed, the center one, contemplating going through the hassle of putting his pajamas on. He finally decided to, and went to the foot of his bed and changed. He almost flopped on his bed when he realized no one else had.
"What're you looking most forward to, James?" Asked Sirius. James opened his eyes.
"Ah, Transfiguration. That's the stuff, Mr. Ollivander said its what my wand is best at." Remus nodded. "And I read a blurb in my Transfig' book about Animagi, people who can turn into animals." Remus suddenly looked quite pale. Sirius changed the subject, thinking maybe Remus's uncle or someone had died in an Animagus experiment gone wrong or something like that.
"Well, I can't wait for Potions, antidotes and poisons and that." Remus smiled, and said:
"I think I'm going to like Astronomy, I know a lot about it already. Not to mention, I heard the teacher is Professor Marus, the Gryffindor head of house. He'll probably know my whole family."
"Well," said Allyn, speaking for the first time. "I'm going to like Defense against the Dark Arts, you can never be too safe you know...." James reached out his hand.
"James Potter." Allyn smiled and shook his hand.
"Allyn Synwyd." He said. "You all know each other?" Sirius nodded, but just then came a voice.
"Get to bed boys, first day's tomorrow!" James agreed to them, and decided they should get to bed. James finally flopped comfortably on his bed, between Remus and Sirius. He was finally getting it that he was a wizard, and had magical powers. He drifted off as he had the night he had Sirius sleep over, happy to be a Gryffindor. James Potter, a Gryffindor.