THE FIRST DESCENDANT
By Omniscient Maiden
Disclaimer: Miss J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, and I own this fanfic. Thanks to WynofRohan99 and Anidwen for their support. Ani—Coolio Newsies Fic; CHECK IT OUT!
Chapter 6:
Sorting Nerves
"Ow! Raeanne!"
Avery rubbed the spot on her shoulder where Raeanne had punched her. "That hurt..." Raeanne rolled her eyes.
"Oh, get over it. You looked like you were in a trance staring at that castle." Raeanne widened her eyes and hung out her tongue in mockery of Avery. "Oooohh.... what a purty castle....OW!" Now it was Avery's turn to deck out a blow. The two giggled and waited as the rowless boats glided slowly across the glassy surface of the lake.
Hagrid's bearded face peeked out from the front of the small fleet. "Heads down!" he yelled. Everyone bent over as a large screen of vines dangling from the cliff face passed over. They were now in a pitch black tunnel; Avery couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. After a few minutes of slightly stirred silence, they emerged in a rocky underground dock, where everyone scrambled out onto the rocky shore.
Hagrid sighed and signaled to Noah, who ran over to him. He said something and handed Noah a frog. Avery heard Hagrid mutter "The apple don' fall far from the tree..." to himself as they climbed out of the harbor, which amused her. They walked out onto a slick grassy section right before a huge oak door. Everyone crowded around it in anticipation as Hagrid reached up and knocked; one, two, three times.
The door flew open with a whoosh. A tall, thin witch with short brown hair stood there, almost towering over the students. Her long, deep purple robes were embellished with the occasional black star, and square framed glasses enclosed her stern eyes.
"The firs' years, as usual, Professor McGonagall."
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will escort them to the dining hall." She widened the gap between the doors and led into the magnificent Hogwarts entrance hall. The flaming torches across every marble wall made them flicker with light, and a grand marble staircase opposite them swept high into the upper levels of the castle. As all the students followed Professor McGonagall across the floor (also stone), Avery heard the inviting hum of hundreds of voices in the hall to her right, but it was cut short by the Professor leading them into a tiny room off the entrance hall. Everyone crowded in, shoulder to shoulder, standing nervously and wondering what was going on. The Professor cleared her throat.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "Shortly you will all be moved into the Great Hall for the start of term feast, but first you must be sorted into your houses. The houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Sytherin. You will spend most of your time in your houses, in your common rooms and dormitories. Success and triumph here at Hogwarts will earn house points, whereas any mischievousness and rule-breaking will lose points. A trophy will be awarded at the end of the year to the house with the most points. It is a great honor, and I hope that each and every one of you contributes to your houses' success.
"The ceremony will occur shortly, so I advise you to straighten up, as the sorting will take place in front of the school. I shall return when we are ready for you." said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
She left the room. Immediately there was a rise in nervous chatter.
"Well, at least we know how they sort us!" said Avery, who still had goosebumps from the Professor's talk. Raeanne grimaced.
"And how exactly is that?"
"They—uh..."
Avery couldn't exactly remember. She knew that her mother had given her a hint, but she couldn't remember it... "They.... I know it—really! I do! I just can't remember." Rae shivered and started running her fingers through her hair. Avery shivered as they waited for the professor to return. Apparently they weren't they only ones who were feeling pre-sorting nerves. Noah Longbottom had lost his toad again. Kaida Malfoy tried to look impervious to the jitters, but her eyes showed otherwise. A auburn haired girl with a heavy Irish accent kept chattering on about how they were going to have to battle a troll to get to the sorting.
A nervous looking girl wandered over to the two girls. She had chestnut brown hair that was thick and wavy, and looked normal enough. Except that she had bright orange eyes. "Hi. My name's Ellette Finney. Um—I was wondering... Do you two know how we get sorted?" Avery looked at Raeanne. Raeanne was still staring gape mouthed at Ellette's eyes. Avery kicked her.
"OW—oh, uh-No, actually we don't know. Sorry..." She said sincerely. Ellette looked rather crestfallen. She started to shuffle away. "Oh. Okay then. See you after the sorting." Avery kicked Rae again. "OW! Geeze! Will you please stop doing that?!"
Avery shook her head. "Why weren't you nicer? She obviously doesn't have anyone else to talk to!" Raeanne looked even more miserable. "Well, you don't have to go kicking me to get my attention!" she said frustratedly, "There are more gentle and kindly ways. Such as, a light tap on the shoulder, or—"
She was interrupted but the return of Professor McGonagall. She clapped her hands and said in a loud voice, "Alright everyone, we're ready for you know. Follow me." The mobbed first years filtered out through the double doors, across the corridor, and into a grand hall. There were four tables, filled with students who were chatting and watching the first years walk to the front. Floating candles illuminated the hall, and the odd ghost swooped in and out through the walls. Raeanne had the misfortune of walking through a ghost with a very wide stomach. She yelped and shuddered as Avery laughed, but the rotund spectre paid no notice, and just walked on and sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Once all the first years were gathered up in the front of the hall, Professor McGonagall held up a tattered hat, blackened with dirt and age. She cleared her throat and the hall fell silent. A rip on the brim of the hat opened up wide, and it started a song:
Welcome to this lovely school,
Hogwarts for the magically gifted.
It's finally now my turn, you see,
To let you all be sifted.
To one of each the houses strong,
In which you may find friends
Or perhaps one of a darker sort
Would help you reach your ends;
Perhaps you belong in Gryffindor,
If you are brave enough;
Your nerve and courage, along with wit
Would let you show your stuff.
Or maybe in kind Hufflepuff,
Where all are loyal and true,
Patience with your other mates
Will have them looking up to you.
But maybe in wise Ravenclaw,
If your brain can prove as such,
Your housemates would be immersed with you
And the homework not too much.
Or yet in cunning Slytherin,
Where slyness is a trait
It'd earn you all the friends you'd need
You'd never have to wait.
So there's my song, it goes not long,
But ponder it as this;
There could be two unlike meanings;
Great greatness or a miss.
Everyone in the hall applauded the hat and then was quiet again. Professor McGonagall spoke: "When I call your name, please come up, I will place the hat on your head and it will sort you into your own particular house." She motioned to the stool next to her, and shouted, "Aarons, Jacob!"
A tan boy with brown hair sat down on the stool and shut his eyes tight. She set the hat on his head. There was a short silence, then—
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right whooped and cheered as Jacob sat down with his housemates. The rotund ghost of the Fat Friar patted him on the back, and made him shiver.
"Bates, Anna!"
"RAVENCLAW!" Anna ran over to sit down at the table on the left.
"Bones, Gretchen!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Brackin, Zelda" became the first Slytherin. Avery saw what her father had meant about the Slytherin bunch. They all looked rather unpleasant. That made Avery feel even more nervous then before. What if she was sorted into Slytherin? What would her parents say? She swallowed and prayed that she wouldn't get sick.
"Finney, Ellette!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The girl who had talked to them earlier sighed and went to sit down at the table of raucously cheering Gryffindors. Raeanne looked at Avery and raised her eyebrows, though Avery didn't know exactly what she meant.
"Finnigan, Taryn!" The girl who had been fretting about them having to battle a troll strode up to the stool...
"GRYFFINDOR!" Taryn looked pleased as she ran down to sit next to Ellette.
Slowly, the names continued.
When the second generation of the Longbottom family, Noah, jogged forth, he tripped over the toad he had been so desperately looking for. When he finally reached the stool, he sat there for a good 4 minutes before the hat belted out another Gryffindor. Then it was "Malfoy"'s turn. As with her father before her, the hat had barely sat on her head for a blinking when it was pulled off again and Kaida went to go sit with her smirking friends at the Slytherin table.
By this time the crowd of nervous first year had narrowed down.
"Martins" and a "Nycent" went, and then Professor McGonagall shouted out:
"Patil, Raeanne!"
Rae gulped hard as she slowly shuffled up to the stool where the Professor stood formidably. The hat sat on her head a moment before...
"GRYFFINDOR!" Avery cheered as a relieved Raeanne sat down at the table. Avery's nerves mounted considerably, as she hoped and prayed she became a Gryffindor. She didn't have much time to think before it happened;
"Potter, Avery!"
She slowly stepped up to the stool as whispers stole across the hall.
"Potter?! Not another one!"
"Oh, look, Harry's gone and had a kid!"
"What's her name? I'll have to write it down..."
She swallowed the lump mounting in her throat as she sat down on the small wooden stool. Professor set the hat down on her head...
"Aha!" said a tiny voice in her ear "Another Potter! Your father was a bit of a handful, you know. Hmm...It seems we have the same problem with you, Miss. Ambitious, daring, smart enough, yes... A small reserve of fear is there? Fear of living up to your name? Ah well, you can dwell on that later. But where to put you?" Avery found herself thinking very hard—Not Slytherin, please, please not Slytherin...
"Not Slytherin?" The small voice inquired, "Your father did the same thing. Well, courage is enough... I'll just have to put you in GRYFFINDOR!" Avery let out a big gasping sigh of air as she realized she had been holding her breath. The loud and madly cheering Gryffindors screamed even louder as she stepped down with a grin. Avery sat down next to a beaming Raeanne, glad to be in a place where she was comfortable with someone at last.
A/N: Dear Lordy in heaven do I hate how I mangled the Sorting Hat song... ugh.. WELL, TEA AND CRUMPETS ARE A CURE FOR ANYTHING!