Catch Me If You Can
Chapter Four ll The Random Sorting
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After rowing across the lake to Hogwarts (with no one capsizing), the first years, all shivering and cold from the boat ride, were now climbing the stone steps, up to the huge castle.
Lily was still wondering about that little dream she had had. It really did seem like she had seen the future, as Remus had described it. After all, she had never heard of the word 'Mudblood', yet she had heard it before anyone had even told her.
The confused redhead was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't paid attention to what Professor McGonagall was saying. The only words she heard the tall stern-looking teacher say were:
"...and you will be sorted."
This caught Lily's attention; turning to Remus, she said in a terrified whisper, "Sorted?!"
Remus just nodded and smiled encouragingly, "Don't worry Lily, it's nothing neck-breaking."
But Lily wasn't quite convinced.
Professor McGonagall led the first years through double doors, and walked them up through a huge hall. The older students, all sitting at four seperate tables, turned and stared at them. It made Lily feel nervous and insecure.
"Wow," whispered a fair-haired girl behind Lily, "Look at the ceiling!"
Presently, everyone turned their heads up and saw the ceiling, which was bewitched to look like the sky.
"Cool..."
Professor McGonagall stopped so suddenly that Lily almost crashed in James, who was in front of her.
The first years all stopped looking up and crowded around at the front of the hall. In front of them was a high table, where all the teachers were sitting. Well, at least their looks were friendly and welcoming, and not piercing and significant like the students'.
Candles were floating in mid-air, and the hall was lighted by torches on the walls. "Now, when I call your name, you shall come forward, and I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head," Professor McGonagall was informing the first years.
Lily let out a quiet sigh of relief. So Remus was right. Nothing neck-breaking. But still... she wished the whole school didn't have to see it.
Prof. McGonagall had a very long scroll of parchment in her hand, which she began reading.
"Arai, Mickey!"
A Japanese girl with dark brown eyes and beautiful hair stepped out of the crowd of first years nervously, then walked up and sat on the stool.
Prof. McGonagall was holding a tattered-looking witch's hat, and she placed it on Mickey's head. The Sorting Hat.
At once the Sorting Hat bellowed, "Ravenclaw!"
One of the four long tables broke into applause, and Mickey, looking very pleased, jumped off the stool and ran to join her fellow Ravenclaws.
"Artez, Charlie!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Ayeter, Leanne!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Bansh, Sari!"
"Slytherin!"
Lily watched that girl with shock. Did Sari know that Slytherins were... evil?
"Benard, Paige!"
Paige looked quite shaky, but, after being squeezed by the hand by Lily, she walked up slowly and sat on the stool.
About a few seconds later, the Sorting Hat yelled out, "Gryffindor!"
Paige, grinning all over her face, went and joined the applauding Gryffindors.
"Black, Sirius!"
Sirius actually looked a bit nervous, but he went up to get sorted all the same.
"No doubt about this... Gryffindor!"
He grinned, leapt off the stool and sat down next to Paige.
After three more people, McGonagall called, "Charley, Anna!"
Anna looked terribly pale; however, she walked up the steps to the stool determinedly.
"Gryffindor!"
Colour returned to Anna's face, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon, McGonagall called, "Evans, Lily!"
Lily had been thinking and daydreaming about random things, and when McGonagall called her name, she almost fell over in shock.
How she managed to get up to the stool and be sorted, Lily didn't know.
"Gryffindor!"
All she knew was, soon, she was sitting next to Anna at the Gryffindor table, watching the rest of the first years get sorted.
Remus Lupin was also sorted into Gryffindor, and Sirius gave him a high-five as he sat down next to him.
"Malfoy, Lucius!"
"Slytherin!"
Another Slytherin, Lily thought. She had been counting all the people that had been sorted into Slytherin. Ten so far.
A few more people were sorted, then--
"Potter, James!"
James didn't look at all nervous. Quite the opposite, in fact. He sat on the stool determinedly, while Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head.
"Another Potter... Gryffindor!"
Calmly, James grinned and walked up to the table where the rest of them were.
"Riley, Natalie!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Snape, Severus!"
"Slytherin!"
Eleven Slytherins, Lily counted, watching silently as the black-haired boy stalked to the applauding Slytherins.
Snape was the last to be sorted into Slytherin, Lily found out, as everyone left was sorted into either Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.
When she had finished, Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll of parchment and put the stool away.
After she had returned and sat at her place at the High Table, Dumbledore stood up and said cheerfully and loudly, "Let the feast begin!"
The five tables were suddenly filled with food. Everything you could possibly think of.
After all the whoas and wows went by, everyone dug in happily, satisfying their hunger.
All went as happy as a marriage bell until Sirius 'accidently' flung some mashed potato at Paige, who exactly at that moment, bent down to pick up her bracelet which had fell; and so the potato hit Lily.
The redhead, who had been absorbed in a conversation with Anna, hadn't paid any attention. So of course, first victim--
"Sod off, Potter!" Lily howled, dropping her knife and fork and wiping the potato off her. Sirius sniggered and immediately looked innocent.
James rolled his eyes, "Hey, you know, that actually wasn't me. For once!"
"Fat chance of that," Lily scoffed, putting down her napkin and glaring at James.
"What?! I haven't done anything! Ask Remus!" James yelled, clearly irritated that Lily always accused him.
Lily fixed her glare at Remus, who spoke up quietly, "No... James has been talking to me the whole time, so it must've been--"
He turned to Sirius, who promptly glared back at Remus.
"Oh, it was you," Lily muttered, "What was that for?"
"It was supposed to hit Paige!" Sirius said defiantly.
"Excuse me?!" Paige cried, turning to Sirius.
"Hey, a joke!" he said, holding up his hands for emphasis.
James shrugged, re-picking up his fork and resuming eating, "Case closed."
Once they had eaten their pudding, the Gryffindor prefect led all the first years out of the Great Hall, up moving staircases and through tapestries, through invisible doors and finally down a long corridor. They found themselves face to face with a life-size portrait... of a lady in a pink dress.
"Password?" she inquired in an elegant voice.
Some of the Muggle-borns gasped and exclaimed. They hadn't any idea pictures could move, let alone talk.
"Frog brains," answered the prefect promptly.
"Correct," the Fat Lady sprung open, and the excited first years scampered into the scarlet room.
"Welcome to the Gryffindor common-room. The boys dormitories are on the right; the girls, on the left. All your belongings have already been brought up."
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After being up in their dorm and unpacking their stuff, Lily, Paige and Anna had all decided to go in the boys' dorm, and play a game of Exploding Snap (Lily and Anna were still unsure of this), a boy named Peter Pettigrew had joined the group, simply because he was in the same dormitory as James, Sirius and Remus.
"I won!" Sirius said gleefully, collecting up all of his cards.
James snorted, "Everyone knew you cheated."
Remus began laughing and Peter smiled a tiny bit.
"You cheated?" Paige asked Sirius incredulously
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm a sweet-loving guy," Sirius answered back innocently.
Paige just laughed and shook her head.
"Okay, okay..." Lily said, smiling herself, "Who wants to play again?"
"I declare that Sirius should be disqualified," James announced, "He cheated!"
"But with good reason," Sirius said innocently.
"Which is... ?" all of them but Peter chorused. Peter was a bit quiet and shy, but he seemed friendly enough. He found himself a quiet spot in the corner, and began reading a book.
"Uhhh... 'cos I never ever win any other time," Sirius answered cheekily.
"Sirius... that's because you don't have a brain," James said in a pitiful way, then he laughed.
"Really, now? That's so sad," Sirius pretended to cry.
"You're so mean, Potter," Lily laughed, "You made your own friend cry."
"Oh, that is mean," Paige said, giggling. Then she threw a pillow at Sirius as he continued to sob stormily.
"Hey, that's mean!" Sirius yelled joyfully, springing up and grabbing onto the pillow that he has just been hit by, "Alright, who's going down first?!"
The girls shrieked and began running in different directions; anything to get away from the pillow.
Soon, they were engaged in a huge pillow fight. Since the boys had taken the pillows from their own beds, they had more of an advantage.
James had cornered Lily, with a pillow raised up, ready to strike.
"Okay, can't you please please please not hit me?" Lily pleaded, backing against the wall and looking for help. But there was none -- Anna and Paige were busy escaping Sirius and Remus' wrath.
James grinned, "No."
He lunged forward and swiped at her; at which precise moment Lily ducked. James yelled as he crashed into the wall, and Lily dodged out from under him.
"Nyah nyah, can't get me, can't get me," Lily teased, while James tried to get back up.
After more screaming, pillow-hitting, and laughing, the girls said goodnight and went back to their own dormitory.
Lily was lying in her bed. The others were already asleep, but Lily was too excited. She couldn't wait to study magic and explore the magnificent castle. And also meet new friends.
She rolled comfortably on her side, and tried to relax her over-excited mind. Lily had decided it was best to rest, so she wouldn't be tired for her first day of school at Hogwarts.
As she drifted off to sleep, she heard a cold shuddering voice whisper.
"Mudblood..."
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----> A/N: =O Meanie name. ((nods)) --MSQ.