Chapter Two: of Sorting and Water Balloons
The Hogwarts founders four,
For many years and more,
Would chose for the House the students,
Whose values were most prudent.
Slytherin chose ambition,
For those worthy of admission.
Ravenclaw chose cleverness,
For she prized that beyond the rest.
Gryffindor loved bravery,
And if you are chivalrous it is there you will be.
Hufflepuff wanted loyalty,
If that is what you love, there you will be.
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong.
For I am a Hogwarts Sorting Hat,
I can see where you belong.
The hall exploded with applause as the hat finished its song. Lily was still in a trance-like state, staring ahead, and her pale skin had gotten a green tinge to it. Nevertheless, Carolina leaned over and elbowed her in the stomach.
"Hey, Lils? Are you alright? I think Gryffindor sounds pretty nifty. Where d'you want to be?" Fortunately for her, Lily was saved from replying but a young witch in emerald green robes. Carolina recognized her as the witch who had met them at the doors to the castle.
"When I call out your name, please step forward and sit on the stool. I will then place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your respective Houses," the witch cleared her throat and said "Abbot, Clarke" a roly-poly kind of boy plopped down onto the three-legged stool, and the hat immediately screamed, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Clarke tumbled off the seat and bumbled along the rows of tables toward the cheering students.
Carolina looked over to her other side and saw Sirius grinning at her.
"Well, I'm up next! Wish me luck!" He squeezed her hand, and then pranced up to the hat. He jammed it onto his head, and it yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!" Carolina smiled when she saw Sirius running up and down the length of the Gryffindor table, slapping high-fives with everyone and earning stiff glares from the rather brutal looking Slytherins.
Suddenly, Lily had been whisked off to the Gryffindor table after the hat thought for a moment. Then, it was Remus's turn.
"Oh god," Carolina thought. "I'm next."
"Mateson, Carolina," Carolina crept up to the rickety wooden stool, sat down on it, and immediately fell off. She blushed a deep shade of crimson, and pulled the hat down to her shoulders to hide her face from the eyes of the hall.
"Ah, another Mateson, eh? Yes, yes, let's see. Smart, Brave, Loyal, Ambition…well, your sister was rather hard to place as well…but you aren't like her are you?" The hat had a nice leathery voice, and Carolina thought back as hard as she could.
"I'm NOT a Slytherin! Put in Gryffindor, with Lily. Please?"
"Oh all right," thought the hat, exasperatedly. "If you must, you must. GRYFFINDOR!"
Carolina heaved a sigh of relief and sauntered over to the Gryffindor table, where Sirius, Lily, and Remus were clapping like mad.
"YES! YES! YES!" Lily ran up to her and they jumped around laughing until Sirius and Remus grabbed them and pushed them down onto the bench.
"Please!" Sirius began in a high, falsetto voice, "Girls, you're embarrassing us!" everyone laughed and were turning back to the sorting, when they heard the hat screech, "GRYFFINDOR!" and looked up to see a round boy with disheveled blonde hair and rosy cheeks come jogging over to them.
"Hullo-" the boy began, but he was cut off when the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" again, and James Potter ran up to them.
The boy began again, "Hullo, I'm Peter. Peter Pettigrew."
Sirius grabbed the boy's hand and shook it pompously. "Hello Peter Peter Pettigrew! I am Sirius Black, prankster extraordinaire. This is Remus Lupin, my faithful sidekick," he was interrupted as Remus kicked him. "OUCH! Okay, so he's Remus Lupin my not-so-faithful sidekick," Remus kicked him harder. "Okay, so this is just Remus Lupin. Gawd. This over here is James Potter my best buddy ever ever ever in all of the world and universe! Oh yeah, and these babes beside me are Lily Evans and Carolina Mateson, who simply adore playing with slime!" This statement earned him two more kicks from Lily and Carolina, along with one additional kick from James. When Sirius glared at him he just put on an innocent look and said, "What? It looked like fun!"
The boys were interrupted by the golden plates magically filling up with food and the feast beginning. Lily looked at the food with wide-eyed amazement. Sirius saw the look and said, "Good service, huh?"
As Carolina came from an old wizarding family, she wasn't terribly shocked, and began stuffing her face. Sirius followed suit, and soon there was and eating contest going on at the Gryffindor table. In the end, Sirius had eaten four steaks, six potatoes, three peppermint imps, two helpings of corn, three scoops of strawberry ice cream, and four slices of key-lime pie when he had had enough. But Carolina managed to eat one more bite of pie than Sirius did, and he finally admitted defeat. The contest had drawn a crowd, and with groans and cheers and the exchanging of bets, the new Gryffindors made their way up to their common room.
"How… do… you… eat… that…much?" Sirius managed to wheeze out as they climbed the giant marble staircase. He was doubled-up and needed Remus and James to help him stay up-right.
"Call it a gift," Carolina said as she ran up the stairs ahead of them, tauntingly. When they finally managed to reach the portrait of a fat lady in pink, Sirius wheezed out the password.
"Cheese Whiz," he gasped. And then he fell onto the floor in a dead faint.
"Oh my god! I've killed him!" exclaimed Carolina. "You guys just go to bed, Lily, come on. We have to find the Hospital Wing!" Carolina pulled out her wand and whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Sirius's limp body was floating two feet off the ground. Lily began to push him, and then James came up and helped.
"I know the way to the Hospital Wing, so I'd better come too." Lily gave him a weird look, but they both began pushing the hovering body towards the staircase. In a few minutes Sirius was under the care of Madam Pomfrey ("What did you DO to him?"), lying safe in a hospital bed. The three eleven-year-olds were starting back up the passageways to the Gryffindor common room, when there was a splashing of water. Lily was dripping wet and the shattered remains of a red water balloon were scattered about the hallway. Carolina looked up to see a green little man in a funny purple suit sitting in the air above her. James was leaning against the stone corridor wall, cracking up. Lily was obviously distraught, so Carolina pulled out her wand, and was about to hex the poltergeist (at least, that's what she thought it was) but the little man sped off, dropping two more balloons, leaving Carolina wet and Lily wetter. James was still laughing.
Lily was angry. Lily was incredibly angry. You could just tell by the look on her face, that she was about to kick some major ass. Lily walked up to James, pulled out her wand, and said, "Filpu Emils!" It worked! James was covered in slime for the second time today, and this time, it was bright, neon orange. Then Lily turned her heel on the stunned James and strutted off, hair flouncing behind her. Carolina rushed to catch up with her after sticking her tongue out at James.
"Lils, that was amazing! I've never seen anyone work that charm on their first try! You're awesome! Did you see James's face?" Lily stopped and looked at Carolina.
"I did kick ass didn't I?" A smile was slowly spreading across her face. Carolina was smiling too, but not for long. A cat was standing in their path. A red-eyed tabby cat with mangy fur.
"Uh-oh. Listen Lily, run now ask questions later, but MOVE!" Carolina had recognized the cat from some of Maria's stories about Hogwarts. They say that that cat was telepathically connected with the evil caretaker of Hogwarts, Argus Filch. Filch was ruthless and mean, and the girls were definitely dripping all over the castle after hours. Carolina began to run. Lily began to run. They sprinted up the moving staircases, slid through tapestries hanging on walls, and skidded to a stop in front of the fat lady who was snoring in her frame.
'Cheese Whiz. CHEESE WHIZ. Hello? I SAID CHEESE WHIZ!" The fat lady awoke with a start and swung open, revealing to the girls, the Gryffindor Common Room. They dove through the Portrait hole and collapsed onto adjacent scarlet sofas, drying themselves by the fire. Only then did they look up, to find their selves surrounded by two menacing figures in black, each sporting a silver Prefect Badge.
(A/N) Hey y'all! To you who have actually taken the time to read my story-THANK YOU! Please review, because it makes me happy and God knows, I NEED TO BE HAPPY! Sorry 'bout the spacing and stuff because the computer is screwed up and I can't work the blasted computer. Also-I forgot the disclaimer at the beginning of chapter one-PLEASE DO NOT SUE ME! I don't have that much money and it's probably not worth your time. EVERY THING THAT YOU RECOGNIZE IS J.K. ROWLING'S! I apologize to my Best Friends for using their names, I hope you like it…KEEP READING!!!
