Chapter 6- The Sorting Hat's Song

The four got off the train with the rest of the school onto the Hogsmeade station platform. They looked around and saw a giant of a man, easily twice the size of a normal man He looked about about 35 and was calling "Firs' years, over here! Come on now, don' be shy, Firs' years, this way!"

The four friends made their way towards the man who told them that his name was Hagrid, when Sirius asked. Subtlety was never Sirius' strong point.

He led the first years towards a vast lake, which looked purplish in the light of the setting sun.

"No more'n four to a boat," called Hagrid, after explaining the tradition that all first years travel to Hogwarts by boats, across the lake.

The first years climbed into one of the boats and they set off across the lake. When they reached the other side they got out and Hagrid led them up to the great doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He rapped one fist the size of a football (A/N soccer ball,) on the huge oak doors.

The doors opened and the woman who had reprimanded James on the train beckoned them into the Entrance Hall.

"In a few minutes you will pass through these doors to be sorted into your houses." She said, with a regal air that didn't really go with her Scottish accent. "The four houses are: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Each house values different traits in a person, and each has its own, equally good, background and history. Those of you sorted into Gryffindor will be under my supervision, and I hope that nobody will need to know just how scrict I can be"

She then led the nervous first-years into the Great hall where they were led up to the front of the hall.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore stood up and tapped his fork on his golden goblet to hush the noise from the tables.

"Now," he said to the students, " I will make the announcements after the Sorting."

To the amazement of most of the first years, the hat opened it's mouth and burst into song.(A/N I know, it stinks, but I stink at poetry in any form)

Do you belong in Gryffindor?

Where they are brave and true.

Maybe you'll do well in Hufflepuff,

Where they're loyal and hard working too.

Or perhaps in Ravenclaw,

If you've a brilliant mind?

Or in Slytherin,

Where those of shrewd ambition,

You'll forever find.

When the hat had finished, the school burst into applause.

When the clapping had died down, Professor McGonagall spoke again.

"When I call out your name you will come up and sit on the stool, and I will place the hat on your head."

"Anderson, Gabrielle"

A round faced girl with pretty flaxen hair and baby blue eyes stepped forwards and placed the hat on her head.

The hat paused for a moment before yelling

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The applause from the third table to the left, between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables was enormous.

"Ashworth, Miranda"

After a l-o-n-g pause:

"Ravenclaw!"

"Black, Sirius"

Sirius was slightly surprised when, as he sat on the stool, the hat said,

"Well, you're very stubborn, so that rules out Hufflepuff. Not ambitious, so that rules out Slytherin. Bright, but yes, I think you're more suited to," the hat paused for a split second before…

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The applause that came from the far left table was loud enough to make your ears pop!

The hat went on with Claire DeLonce, a pretty strawberry blonde haired girl with blue eyes.

"Ravenclaw,"

Neil Doherty became the first new Slytherin, then:

"Evans, Lilian"

Lily froze to the spot, but after a slight nudge from James, she went shakily up to the stool and jammed the hat on over her eyes.

To her amazement, the hat spoke to her.

"Hmmm… now, what do we have here? No magical ambition, no, not Slytherin" Lily heaved a sigh of relief as the hat went on, "Plenty of loyalty, but not your main trait, not Hufflepuff either. A brilliant mind, you'd do well in Ravenclaw, my girl."

"Please Gryffindor, please Gryffindor," thought Lily.

"Well, if you're sure, better be GRYFFINDOR."

The hat yelled out the last word and Lily, beaming with happiness and relief, went over to the Gryffindor table and took a seat next to Sirius, still grinning.

Next was Hughes, Jack, who was declared a Slytherin.

The hat went on, with more new Gryffindors being Keenan, Marie and Longbottom, Frank.

"Lupin, Remus"

Remus was sweating and thinking,

"Oh no, I'll probably be in Slytherin because of what I am" he was even more worked up than Lily had been!

But the hat took barely 1.5 seconds to yell

"GRYFFINDOR!!!!!!"

Sirius and Lily applauded harder than ever and Remus, grinning from ear to ear, took a seat on the other side of Sirius.

After a long while,Professor McGonagall called out:

"Potter, James"

The hat had barely touched James' head before it yelled,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James walked over to the Gryffindor table and took the seat next to Lily.

"Well, now that we know we're all in the same house, let the fun begin!" he said, with a rather evil smile.

The next name they heard was

"Snape, Severus."

James, Sirius and Remus looked at him with intense dislike, and Lily could have sworn if Professor McGonagall hadn't shot them a look, Sirius might have killed him then and there.

The hat was still 6 inches above Snape's head when the hat yelled,

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Well, let's hope he's on the Slytherin quidditch team. Then we can knock him off his broom and kill him." said James evilly.

"What makes you think you'll get on the quidditch team?" asked Lily. The boys had explained to her about quidditch.

"Don't worry, I will."

"But not this year,"

"Next year then."

"You are so…"

"Handsome?"

"No."

"Charming?"

"No!"

"Wonderful?"

"NO!"

"Then what?"

"Just…"

But apparently Lily could not think of exactly what James was.

Professor Dumbledore stood up again and called for silence.

"Before the feasting begins, I would like to inform you all that a Whomping Willow has been planted in the grounds of Hogwarts," Remus squirmed involuntarily, "and that anyone who does not wish to be bruised very badly should stay well away from it.

I would also like to tell all the first years that the Forbidden Forest is, of course forbidden to all students." Here he looked very pointedly at the Gryffindor table.

"Also, our caretaker, Mr Globberbutt," Dumbledore appeared to be stifling a laugh. "has decided to retire and we have a new caretaker, Mr. Argus Filch."

Filch was an oily, nasty looking man who was as hard-hearted as he was smelly and the Gyffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs immediately detested him. The Slytherins of course, welcomed him with loud cheering and applause.

Dumbledore continued after the applause had died down.

"I would like to announce our new Head Boy and Girl, Mr. Arthur Weasley and Miss Molly Brown."

It was now the Gryffindor's turn to applaude heartily, as both the Head boy and the Head Girl were in Gryffindor.

"And now, on a much sadder note," Dumbledore continued, making the whole hall stop any whispering.

"Some of you may have heard of the Dark Wizard Voldemort." A shiver ran through the hall and many of the wizards and witches from pure blood families looked horrified.

"Volde… who?"

"Shhh… we'll tell you later," said Remus in a hushed voice.

Lily had never seen James and Sirius concentrate as hard as they did then.

"I must inform you that he is steadily growing stronger, and sadly, a Ravenclaw third year was lost just a few short days ago."

A few girls at the Ravenclaw table began to cry.

"Remember Genevieve Morelli. Remember one who was as true to the Ravenclaw traits as ever, one who was wise and ready to die for her beliefs, remember Genevieve Morelli who was killed trying to protect her little sister Clarissa, on the night of the twenty-eighth of August, Nineteen Seventy-Six."

The whole hall, apart from the Slytherins of course, rose as one, and in one voice, one body, they raised their goblets and said

"We will remember Genevieve. In our actions, in our words and in our hearts, we will remember."

Most of the Slytherins, Lily noticed, especially a blonde boy that Sirius had told her was Lucius Malfoy, smirked as though very pleased with themselves.

"Now," Dumbledore said after about ten minutes, during which Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor sat in quiet thought, and Dumbledore couldn't bear to see the Ravenclaw girls' faces like this.

"Will the Prefects please lead their houses up to the dormitories, and will Miss Fawcet and Miss Clavelle please come to my office. Two teary eyed girls followed him down the hallway.

"Come on, this way," called Molly Brown. "Just down the corridor."

The ten Gryffindor first years, who were getting on very well, went down the corridor after Molly and turned to face a portrait.

"This is the Fat Lady, the Entrance to the Gryffindor common room," explained Arthur Weasley.

"Password?" said the portrait, nearly scaring Lily out of her wits.

"Interficere Serpens" he said clearly so that the others could hear.

The portrait swung open and they entered the common room.

"Girls dormitories on the right, boys on the left," Arthur told the first years. (I think that's right, tell me if it's the other way round)

The four friends said goodnight and James whispered to Lily, "be in the common room before anybody else in the morning to plan our first, er…, welcoming for the Slytherins. 'night Lils" And with that, he ran up the stairs to the boys dormitories, two at a time, and Lily didn't see the smile on his face that night, as he climbed into bed.

A/N and so ends their first day at Hogwarts. Don't worry, later on there WILL be a plot, I umm… just can't remember what it is right now. I'd like 3 reviews before I write more. I'll write the story, but I won't post it until I get 3 reviews. Come on, it's not that much to ask, is it?

Even flames count as reviews! I said review! Now!