Chapter 3 - The Sorting Hat
Sirius Black was nervous, and that was quite uncommon for him. He was usually the one who was boastful, the joker, the bandit; this was not like him at all. Insides his stomach was as though he'd eaten live snakes and they were slithering about. He stood beside James and Remus smiled. Everything would be all right. No matter what house he'd go in he'd still be friends with Remus and James. Whatever happened.
Suddenly a witch, holding a large wizard's hat in her hand, placed it on a stool infront of the first years. Then it began to move and to his utter amazement it started to sing…
"Welcome back all students,
To all those small and tall.
Here the first years will all be sorted
In the house their souls do call.
First of all there's resourceful Ravenclaw
Whose brains are they're best tools?
Second there's sly Slytherins
Who are quite cold and cool?
Next there is there is humble Hufflepuff
Is this the house for you…?
Then lastly great Griffindor.
Those brave, and honestly true,
Welcome back all students,
To all those small and tall.
Here the first years will all be sorted
In the house their souls do call."
Peter sighed sadly his whole body shaking, "I'm going to end up in Hufflepuff aren't I?" he said sadly to himself. Remus gave him a grin.
"Good luck Peter," said Remus happily.
"Thanks" said Petigrew and then the first name was called out.
"Lily Evans…"
James watched as the girl he'd been staring at earlier walked elegantly forward to slid on the hat. Sirius nudged him in the arm.
"She is a looker James, I don't think she'd even go for me…" said Sirius quietly, James chuckled.
"Lily…" he said. "What a pretty name…"
Remus nudged James on his other side. "You wouldn't care if here name was Lily or Ethel. You'd still fancy her."
"Yeah any rose--no any lily by any other name would smell as sweet…" said Sirius and they all laughed.
"Shhh." Said Remus, and they turned to see what house she was about to be sorted into.
"GRIFFINDOR…" shouted the hat. The Griffindor students at their table cheered as she sat down on the first year table.
James put his hands together in almost a prayer. "Griffindor please god, I want to be in Griffindor…"
"Calm down," said Sirius excitedly, "The next students about to get called out…"
"Peter Petigrew…"
Peter shivering walked up to the hat and slid it over his head. Remus and the others were a little confused how short it took for Peter to get chosen into a house.
"GRIFFINDOR…"
Peter had a hint of a smile on his face as Remus and his friends whistled and cheered as Pete sat down and then another name rung in the air.
"Severus Snape…"
The greasy haired kid walked toward the hat and seconds later the house was called out. "SLYTHERIN…" The Slytherins cheered as Serverus sat down and then more names were called out
Frank Longbottom…"
""GRIFFINDOR…"
"Alice Smith…"
"RAVENCLAW…"
Molly Bloomsbury…"
"HUFFLEPUFF"
"Arthur Weasly…"
"GRIFFINDOR…"
"Ludo Bagman"
RAVENCLAW"
"Remus Lupin…"
Remus gulped and turned to look at his friends who mouthed good luck to him and then walked up and placed the hat on his head.
Suddenly the hat puzzled and thought over his house and then it shouted out into the air. "GRIFFINDOR…"
Remus stood put the hat back and lifted his hands in victory as he went to sit down with the other new Griffindor students.
James and Sirius were glad for Peter and Remus, now it was almost their turn to get chosen when Sirius noticed someone out of the corner of his eye, a girl with an evil smirk on her face was staring straight at him.
"Bella…" he said. "I never knew you were joining Hogwarts this year…" he said sarcastically. Bellatrix Black, was his cousin, and how did he hate her.
"Come on Sirius, aren't you happy to see me, oh and whose this friend of yours…not a new slave I hope cousin."
"Shut up Bella!" muttered Sirius but not hearing him and not guessing they weren't on speaking terms James spoke.
"I'm James, James Potter."
"I'm Bella, Sirius's much better and higher cousin. Isn't your dad Henry Potter? Works as Unicorn Herder in Scotland…"
"That's right?" said James, not sure where this was getting at.
"So how much money does he get for that…or does he get paid for it?" said Bella and Sirius saw in James's face that he was embarrassed to say.
"Go eat dirt Bella." Said Sirius. When a voice rung out in the air.
"Bellatrix Black" Bella blew her cousin a kiss.
"Gotta fly Cous', have to go make family history, as the first girl in our family to be a Slytherin…and I suppose you'll be leaving up to the family name as well," she said and walked off to put on the hat.
Sirius went numb. After meeting James he'd forgot about his family traditions, Every single Black in his family had been a Slytherin, married a Slytherin and had a kid (usually a boy) who became a Slytherin.
"You all right Sirius…?" said James as he noticed that Sirius had gone stiff and pale.
"Yeah" said Sirius and he looked at that old hat with fire in his blue eyes. `I don't want to be a Slytherin!' thought Sirius sadly and then heard the hat shout out again as his cousin barely put on the hat.
"SLYTHERIN!"
As Bella walked away to her group of cheering Slytherins it was then that Sirius and James were the only two students left standing. When then another name was called.
"James Potter…"
James gave a sigh. "See you at the table…" he said and then walked forward. Sirius closed his eyes and prayed that if James went into Griffindor that he would, not matter of old traditions or what not his family believed in go in Griffindor too.
Then he heard the obvious, which he knew and prayed for.
"GRIFFINDOR…"
James turned to see Sirius standing there and smiling he gave him a `thumbs up' and sat beside Remus's other side and next to him was a spare seat.
"Sirius Black…" said a voice and Sirius slowly walked toward the stool sat down and placed it on his head.
"Ha!" said the hat "Another Black in the family…where should I put you…let me guess Slytherin."
"No…I don't want to be in Slytherin," thought Sirius.
"No!" said the hat and laughed. "Why boy you're made to be in that house…you got the cool, the charm, the slyness about you, you were born for them…"
"No…" thought Sirius again sadly. He waited to hear the one word he hated most and braced himself for his cousin's evil face, and his friends disappointed looks
"Well in that case then… GRIFFINDOR…" said the hat, and Sirius was so happy that the hat almost fell up as he stood and cheered.
He took off the hat and jumped into his seat at the Griffindor table. The first years all shook his hand, and then James got his head under his arm and ruffled his hair so hard it hurt.
"What was that for!" said Sirius laughing, in to a good mood to be angry about it.
"For the oar incident! That really hurt!" said James and they laughed. Remus gave him a pat on the back and Peter just shivered with a little smile on his rat like face.
"At least we're all together," said Remus. The four friends couldn't agree more.
***
Molly Bloomsbury is Molly Weasly but with her maiden name, same with Alice Smith, Who becomes Frank Longbottom wife. I have asked time and time again, if all of the Marauders end up in Griffindor so I guessed it so don't flame me...no one told me the truth.
