Chapter Two: The Sorting
Once all the first years had gathered in front of the giant man, he beckoned again to them and yelled, "Alright then, all firs' years follow me! Be careful where yeh step, it can ge' a bit slippery... stick together and follow me!" He started to lead them in a different direction than the older students. It seemed as if first years had to take a different route than the other students, though James didn't know why. The lights from the platform had disappeared as they made their way further down the sharply inclined path; plunging them into a deep darkness. If it weren't for Hagrid's lantern, James was sure they would get lost.
"Why do we take a different path?" Remus asked as they continued to walk down the path.
"Because yeh need to be sorted o' course!" the man said obviously, "Yeh also need teh get yer firs' view of Hogwarts from a different view,"
"Hey, what's your name?" Sirius asked, "Are you a giant?"
"Rubeus Hagrid," he told him, "And no; I'm not a giant, I'm only part o' one. How else did yeh think I got this big?"
"Well I heard Skelegro can do some major damage sometimes," Sirius admitted to James in a murmur.
"Ah here we are!" Hagrid announced. The path had suddenly widened as it came to a large lake. The lake looked shadowy and mysterious has light waves rippled its surface, though a wind didn't blow upon its surface. But beyond the lake was what had everyone gasping in amazement; past the lake stood a large castle, more specifically, Hogwarts. It had many tall towers that seemed to touch the moon and numerous little windows scattered on its stonewalls. James felt his breath catch in his throat when he realized that was where he would be going to school for the next seven years.
"Alrigh' only four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted as they reached the bank of the lake. At first, James didn't know what he was talking about. But it only took a few seconds for him to realize a group of small boats bobbing softly in the water. Him, Sirius, Remus and some blond-haired girl got into a boat and waited for everyone else to do the same. When everyone was settled, Hagrid got into his own boat and said, "Ev'ryone in a boat? Good... forward!"
Automatically, all the little boats started to sail across the lake in one large mass. The boats glided smoothly across the water, bringing them closer and closer to the castle. When they reached the middle of the lake, James was startled to see a long, slimy tentacle brush up against the side of their boat. However, Sirius reached out and touched it.
"Wicked," he whispered, looking at his slippery fingertips, "I remember my grandfather once saying something about a giant squid in the lake..."
Soon, they had made their way all across the lake and had went under a cliff that continued on underground. After about a minute or so of floating through the tunnel, they came to a rocky harbor; at which they all got out onto. Hagrid made his way to the front and led them up a stone staircase and up to a large, oak door. After checking to make sure everyone was behind him, he knocked on the door three times with his fist.
Immediately, the door creaked open and they saw a woman on the other side. She had black hair that was held in a tight bun and maroon colored robes on. She seemed tall and she had a strict manner about her. She laced her fingers together in front of her and smiled.
"Good evening Hagrid," she said politely.
"Evening Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said briskly. He motioned to the young crowd behind him. "The firs' years,"
"I'll take over, thank you," she said, stepping aside to let him step through.
"Good luck," he said, flashing them all a smile before walking away.
"Please follow me," Professor McGonagall said, beckoning to all of them. Timidly, all the new students went in after her; gawking at the castle as they entered. The entrance hall was huge and beautiful; the most amazing thing James had ever seen so far in his life. The ceiling reached high above them and the floor below their feet was made of white marble, glistening in the torchlight. The professor led them to a small chamber on the other side of the hall and quieted them all down.
"First of all, I'd like to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said crisply, "Before you all sit down for the feast, you need to be sorted into your houses. Your house will be like your family within school. You attend class together, sit at your own table in the Great Hall, your dormitories are all together, and so forth. The four houses in our school are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house is named after one of the four founders of our noble school; and each only welcomes students possessing certain aspects that one of the leaders' were known for. Throughout the year, you will both gain and lose house points for your house; and the house with the most points at the end of the year will win the house cup. Anyway, the sorting ceremony will start in just a few moments, so I will come get you when we're ready for you." With that, she left; leaving the students more scared than they were when they first entered.
"So how exactly do we get sorted?" James asked Remus and Sirius as muttering broke upon the first years.
"No idea," Remus answered, shrugging, "You don't think we need to... perform any magic yet, do you?"
"We can't," Sirius said firmly, "If they don't allow us to use magic until we graduate from school, then there's no way we can use it before classes even start!"
"I hope you're right," James said, glancing nervously at the rest of the students in the chamber, "I'm not ready to start learning anything yet,"
Just then, the doors opened again and Professor McGonagall entered. She was holding a rolled up piece of parchment in her hands as she surveyed the suddenly silent students. She gave them a small smile before saying anything.
"It's time for the ceremony now," she announced, "Follow me into the Great Hall," Nervously, James, Sirius and Remus exchanged glances and followed hesitantly after Professor McGonagall.
She led them into a huge dining hall that was illuminated by thousands of floating candles that hovered above their heads. Also above them was a seeming enchanted ceiling; that reflected the nighttime sky James had seen outside. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought that there wasn't a top to the hall at all. As they continued to walk down the center aisle, James saw two, long tables on each side of him. Each was filled with students, but had enough room for a couple more. Hanging over each table was a different banner; one was scarlet and gold with a lion, another with a raven that was blue and silver, across from that was a yellow and black one with a badger, and the last one was green and silver with a serpent. At the front of the hall, sat one long table that faced the rest of the tables. Seated at it were all the professors and other faculty members. They were all watching the line of first years intently, as if trying to judge which ones were the troublemakers of their year. As they approached the front of the hall, Professor McGonagall halted them to a stop. She walked to a corner of the hall and stepped out of the shadows, carrying a stool and an old, patched hat.
"A hat?" Remus whispered, voicing James' thoughts as well, "How's a hat going to judge which house we should be placed in?" James shrugged, but Sirius said nothing. He was glancing at the Slytherin table with a slightly nervous look on his face. For once, since James had met him on the train at least, he had a look of uncertainty hinted on his face.
"You okay, Sirius?" James asked, eyeing his new friend suspiciously.
"Oh yeah... I'm fine," Sirius said quickly, diverting his attention back to James, "Just trying to figure out which house I'm going to be sorted into,"
James was going to answer back, but now, Professor McGonagall had placed the stool in front of the timid new students. All the students looked at it curiously; also wondering how a hat was going to sort them into their houses. But suddenly, a rip in the hat opened up, revealing some type of mouth. For a moment, the hat's rip twitched into a quick smile at the first years' bewilderment. But soon, it opened wide and began to sing:
"I can see you're surprised to see me,
And I know what you're thinking too,
You're all wondering what I am
And what I can do for you,
Well I am the Sorting Hat
And I've been here many years,
My job is to sort you into your houses
By reading your traits and fears
You can be in Gryffindor
Where boldness dominates all
And in the face of mortal danger
You must fight brave and tall
There is also Ravenclaw
Where only the bright fit in
Their pride rests in the quick of mind
And that's how it's always been
Hufflepuff is another good choice
Where to be loyal is to be strong
Those who reside in their house
Must stand by their mates all the long
Slytherin is a cunning group
Their determination never ends
Cleverness and craftiness is what you'll find
Common within their friends
Prepare yourselves, for now is the time
When your fate shall be chosen by me
But do not fear! You're destiny is safe,
For only the right choice is what I see!"
The Great Hall erupted into applause as the hat ended its song. But a few first years still looked a bit hesitant on putting a singing hat on their head. When the cheering died down, Professor McGonagall opened the scroll in her hands and began to read off of it.
"Allian, Emily!" she called out. The blond haired girl James had shared a boat with made her way apprehensively to the front of the hall. Her blue eyes were hinted with fear as she sat down on the stool and waited for Professor McGonagall to put the hat on her head. When the professor lowered the hat over her face, the rest of the school watched intently for the answer.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat yelled out suddenly. The table with the badger banner above it erupted into cheers as the girl hurried over towards them with her face lowered to the ground. But despite her blushing cheeks, a smile was present on her face.
"Amaria, Daphne!" Professor McGonagall announced once the applause died down. A girl with long, shimmering black hair rushed up to the stool and sat down on it quickly. Her blue eyes watched excitedly as the hat was put onto her head. After a minute of quiet debate with itself, the hat yelled out:
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The scarlet and gold table burst into raucous applause as the girl raced over to her table; grinning broadly. Obviously, Gryffindor had been the house she was hoping to be sorted into.
"Avalon, Marie!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Bourgoin, Eric!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Black, Sirius!"
Next to him, Sirius stiffened up and swallowed. After taking a deep breath, he made his way through the crowd. Once again, James saw that Sirius didn't have on a self-assured look on his face. He sat on the stool and his eyes darted quickly to the Slytherin table once again. Then, the hat lowered over his face and you could no longer notice where he was looking. The silence in the hall was so deep that it seemed loud. For some reason, Sirius' sorting was taking longer than everyone else's. Finally, the Sorting Hat made his decision.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
When the hat was lifted off his head, James could see an expression of relief hinted on Sirius' face. Though his table was clapping, it wasn't as strong as it was for Daphne's joining. Some were sending suspicious glances Sirius' way and others were actually muttering to each other. Sirius noticed this and kept his head low as he made his way to the table. Remus turned around and gave James a questionable look, but he could only shrug. He was just as confused about their behavior as Remus was.
"Chica, Katie!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Dalai, Hugh!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Evans, Lily!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Gobel, Cody!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Harrian, Jessica!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Johnson, Harry!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Kellner, Louis!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Laryn, Elizabeth!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Lupin, Remus!"
James turned to his other friend as his name was called. His eyes had widened when he heard his name, but he didn't appear as nervous as Sirius was. He gave James a calm smile and started to walk up to the front. He sat down slowly on the seat as the hat was placed over his head. James noticed the faculty at the head table whispering to each other as the hat made his decision, but the headmaster silenced them with one stern look.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat announced loudly.
The Gryffindor table cheered as Remus walked over towards them and took a seat next to Sirius. James heart leapt into his throat; what if he was sorted into a different house? He would lose the two friends he had made on the train and would have to start all over again. Truthfully, he didn't want to; he liked his two new friends. When they noticed how James was looking at them, they held up their hands to show that their fingers were crossed.
"Marene, Danielle!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Noelle, Rachel!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Nuport, Gary!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Orion, Timothy!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Payne, Julie!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Pettigrew, Peter!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Pilias, Helga!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Potter, James!"
James felt his stomach churn when he heard his name ring throughout the Great Hall. For a quick moment, he felt as if his feet were glued to the floor and he couldn't move. Finally, he forced himself to make his way through the crowd and up to the front of the hall. When he turned around and took a seat, he saw how everyone was watching him. He closed his eyes even before the hat was lowered onto his head.
"Nervous, eh?"
James opened his eyes immediately to see the inside cloth of the hat. The voice... it was the hat... it was talking to him in his mind. Mentally, he agreed with his statement.
"Well that's only normal," the hat muttered, "Now let's get to business... hmm... very brave, daring... extremely smart... oh you do have the traits for a Gryffindor. But then again, Ravenclaw could suit you... too bold for Hufflepuff and too loyal for Slytherin, so those two are out..."
"I just want to be with my friends," James thought pleadingly, "I don't want to be separated from them..."
"Ahh, now that request confirms it!" the hat exclaimed, "There's only one house I can place you in for loyalty like that... GRYFFINDOR!"
The last word was spoken loud enough for the entire hall to hear. The Gryffindor table applauded as James took the hat off his head and rushed to the table. He sat in the seat next to Sirius and grinned.
"Glad you could make it James!" Sirius exclaimed as the cheering died down.
"Roan, Ted!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Ruman, Michael!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Snape, Severus!"
A small, skinny boy with greasy hair dragged his feet up to the stool with his hands jammed in his pockets. He was very pale and looked as if he hadn't seen the sun for months. He plopped himself down on the stool and showed no emotion when the hat touched his head. It didn't take too long for the hat to yell out, "SLYTHERIN!"
"He looks like a little ray of sunshine, doesn't he?" Sirius muttered as the boy walked slowly to the cheering Slytherin table.
"Storms, Cynthia!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Swearington, Rosa!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Tamen, Lucy!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Vixen, Kaitlyn!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
After "Wariton, Joseph," became a Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll she was reading from and put the hat and stool away. It seemed as if the entire Great Hall took a sigh of relief at the same time. James was so hungry his stomach seemed to be complaining louder than the chatter breaking over the Great Hall. Then, the headmaster stood up and raised his hands for silence. Immediately, he got his wish.
"Welcome, new students and old, to another school year at Hogwarts!" he announced, his eyes twinkling in the candlelight, "It is truly a pleasure to see you all here tonight; ready to embark on another year's journey of magic. But that is not what's on your mind now, so I won't push it any further! So now, without further ado, I give you, your welcoming feast!"
He swept his hands over the hall, causing James to wonder where the food was. Just as the thought entered his mind, food blossomed onto the golden plates before them. The plates that were just empty a few seconds ago were now filled with roasted chicken, boiled potatoes, gravy, pork chops, carrots, sausages, beans and everything else James had ever eaten in his life; or at least that's what it seemed like. Their goblets were also suddenly refreshed with fresh, cold pumpkin juice.
"Now this is what I call useful magic!" Sirius exclaimed as he started to spoon potatoes onto his plate. Nodding in agreement, James dug into the platter of sausages and began to stuff himself without a second thought. After a few minutes of nonstop eating, James slowed down and looked around the table. So this was his house; the people he would be spending most of his time with during his years at school. He was about to say something to Remus when a sight at the other side of the table caught his eye.
On the opposite side of the Gryffindor table sat a pretty redheaded girl talking to a girl on her other side. Her long, bouncy red hair sat nicely on her shoulders and she smiled as her lips talked. But what really were amazing were her eyes; they were vividly green, as in emerald green. Not even emerald, more like a fiery green that was always twinkling. James couldn't believe how pretty she looked. Just then, a tap on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts.
He turned around and saw a squat boy sitting next to him. He was pretty short for his age (even as a first year) and had mousy brown hair. The boy gave him a small smile and said, "Hello, my name is Peter Pettigrew... what's your name?"
"James Potter," he replied, shaking his hand, "Are you in Gryffindor too?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah... do you mind if I sit with you?" he asked timidly.
"Not at all," James answered. The boy smiled; glad to have someone to sit with. Just then, Sirius and Remus leaned over and asked, "Who's that James?"
"Peter Pettigrew," he told them. Then he turned to Peter. "This is Sirius Black and Remus Lupin," The boy gave a small wave; Sirius and Lupin exchanged looks, but ended up being friendly in the end.
After they had finished dinner and moved onto dessert (in which the choices were just as extravagant as the dinner choices were). By the end of the feast, James felt as if he were filled to the rim with food. The great amount of eating he had done had left him feeling bloated and a bit sleepy. It came as a relief when Professor Dumbledore stood up for silence again.
"Now that we have enjoyed our lovely feast, it's time for a few announcements," Professor Dumbledore proclaimed, "As I have always reminded students year after year, the Forbidden Forest is off boundaries to all students; no exceptions. Another extra precaution we have is concerning a certain willow tree just planted on our grounds. It's a very rare species of plant, and the Ministry has asked us to let it grow on our grounds. However, this is a very dangerous tree, so I warn you to stay a far distance from it. This is very important, so I want to make sure I make it clear now. Well I'm sure you're all very tired now, and you all need your rest for classes tomorrow! Prefects, please escort the first-years to your common rooms... sleep well!"
James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all stood from their seats and went to follow the two fifth-years that were calling all first-years towards them. Once they were all gathered in front of them, the prefects led them out of the hall and towards a large, marble staircase. After ascending many flights of steps, they walked through a few more corridors and stopped in front of a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. When they arrived, she raised a hand elegantly and asked, "Password, please?"
"Phoenix tears," the girl prefect stated clearly.
The hinges pf the portrait swung open to reveal a crawlspace. They all scrambled through it and entered into a warm, lofty room. It was mostly colored scarlet and had a roaring fire in the fireplace. Many couches and armchairs took up the space, along with many desks for work.
"This is the common room," one prefect told them, "Right this way, are the dormitory staircases. Boys go upstairs to your left, and girls to your right. All your luggage has been brought up to your rooms already. Sleep well!"
The four first-year boys dragged their weary selves up the staircase and into the room labeled "First-Years". Four, four-poster beds were inside, each with a different person's belongings next to it. When James found his, he didn't even bother to unpack. He just undressed himself, pulled on his pajamas and crawled into his bed. With a few murmured goodnights to his friends, he closed his eyes and began to drift to sleep. He smiled; he already felt at home.