Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters. I do not own Melody Cauldwell, either. She is my friend, Lil' Padfoot's doing. :P
Remus, James, Peter, and Lily climbed out of the boat and stood on the bank of the lake, looking up at the massive castle that was Hogwarts that stood before them. The rest of the students gathered on the bank as they too emptied their boats.
Sirius hurried over to his friends as soon as he got out of his boat, Narcissa following him.
"Hey!" James greeted him with a smile. "Where did you go?" Then lower, for only Sirius to hear, he added, "We were stuck with her." He jerked his thumb at the redhead standing near him.
"I heard that!" she cried.
Sirius laughed. "I was with Narcissa, and two other first years. They'll probably be Slytherins; Bella knows them. That's probably why she stuck us with them. Names were… Karkaroff and Snape, I think."
"My name's Lily," Lily said cheerfully, trying to ignore James.
"Sirius, and this is my cousin, Narcissa," Sirius said. He was about to introduce his three friends to his cousin, as well, but introductions were cut short as Hagrid barked at them to follow him up to the castle.
The first years followed Hagrid as quickly as they could; the great man's stride equaled at least three of theirs.
The large group soon reached the front door of the castle. Hagrid knocked on the door with one of his massive fists. The door was opened by a woman who soon introduced herself as Professor McGonagall. She led them through a large hall into a small room off to the side of two large doors. Muffled voices could be heard through the doors; that had to be where everyone else was. McGonagall explained to everyone the houses and point system, and told them that she would return shortly, and exited the small room.
Peter looked at his friends nervously. He was about to say something, but Lily, who was still with them, started talking first.
"What do you think we have to do for the sorting?" She asked nervously.
"You mean you don't know?" Narcissa asked, looking at the redhead with wide eyes, as if everyone coming to Hogwarts should know exactly what was going on.
"No, my family's all Muggles. I didn't know a thing about magic, besides all of those fairy-tale stories, until I got my Hogwarts letter."
"You're Muggle born?" Narcissa spat out the last two words like they tasted bad.
Lily looked hurt. Sure, Narcissa could have called Lily something worse than 'Muggle born,' but the way she said it was almost as bad.
"Yes, I'm a Muggle born. Why? Does that bother you?"
Narcissa just looked at Lily. Then she said, "Yes, as a matter of fact, it does." She crossed her arms, but before she could do anything more, McGonagall opened the door to the small room, and she led them back through the larger room outside, and into the Great Hall. The first years stood in a line, facing all of the other students who sat silently at their tables, looking up at them.
Peter's eyes were wide and scared, but for once, he wasn't the only one. Almost all of the first years wore the same anxious look on their faces.
The first years were glad when McGonagall entered the room, carrying a stool and a tattered, shabby old hat. Nothing much at first sight, but it did take some of the attention away from the nervous kids standing at the front of the Great Hall.
Even the first years who knew what was coming were looking at the hat apprehensively, but the ones who didn't know were just about freaking out. Lily stood there, just staring at the hat. A jumble of thoughts ran through her mind, most to quickly for her to even decipher.
Suddenly, a rip in the hat opened wide, and the hat began to sing:
A pretty hat I may not seem,
To you, or you, or you,
But to which house you belong,
I shall tell you true.
Perhaps in Gryffindor
Is where you belong,
Brave and daring,
Gryffindors stay strong.
Or maybe Ravenclaw
Is where you should go
For the wittiest in learning,
This is where your brain shall grow.
But Hufflepuff may just be it,
For some of you here
Hardworking and trustworthy,
Their loyalty stays near.
Or Slytherin could be the place
For any one of you,
Cunning and ambitious,
Is who Slytherin would choose.
And my job it is,
To find your perfect place,
So put me on and I will read
What hides behind your face.
Everyone in the Great Hall broke into a loud applause until McGonagall shushed them so she could begin the sorting.
"When I call your name, step up to the stool and put on the hat. Once you have been sorted, please go and sit down at your House table," the teacher instructed them, taking out a roll of parchment with all of their names written on it. The first to be sorted was a blond boy by the name of Abbot who went into Hufflepuff. Next was Narcissa, going to Slytherin, which was no surprise. Next came Sirius. Two of his cousins grinned at him from the Slytherin table, but Sirius just closed his eyes and stuck the hat on his head.
"A Black, eh?" the Hat asked. "Most of them in Slytherin, yes, but you, you seem different from them. Perhaps Slytherin is not the place for you. After all, your cousin did just fine in Ravenclaw. Yes, I know just the place for you. GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius grinned and hurried over to the Gryffindor table. While they and Andromeda clapped for him, Bellatrix and Narcissa gave him dirty looks, though no one noticed.
A few more were sorted before McGonagall called out, "Cauldwell, Melody," who ran up to the stool, almost tripping, and jammed the hat on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!"
It was the redhead, Lily's turn. She looked nervous, but nonetheless put the hat on her head, anxious to be sorted.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat cried out.
James looked out over the crowd to Sirius at the Gryffindor table, giving him a pained look. Sirius laughed. Peter asked James if he was okay. Though Sirius couldn't hear Peter, he could basically tell what was going on, and laughed again.
A few more students were sorted, including, 'Fletchley, Leanne', who became a Ravenclaw, Karkaroff, Igor became a Slytherin, and Lockhart, Gilderoy became another Ravenclaw.
Soon, it was Lupin, Remus' turn.
Remus stepped up to the stool and placed the Hat cautiously on his head. Soon a voice began to speak in his ear. "Remus Lupin. Plenty of wit, yes, a very smart boy, wouldn't do bad in Ravenclaw," the Hat mused. "But also brave, to come to school when you are so afraid of what the other students may think of you…"
"How is that bravery?" Remus muttered.
"True bravery is doing something, even if you are afraid of it," the Hat replied. "Yes, I am sure. You belong in GRYFFINDOR!"
Remus smiled nervously as he walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Sirius.
"Way to go!" his friend congratulated him. "Now let's just hope James and Peter get in."
Soon enough, the name, 'Pettigrew, Peter,' was called, and the boy stepped up to the stool, eyes wide and heart pounding. He gulped and put the hat on; it immediately fell down past his chin, leaving him in complete darkness, with only the voice of the Sorting Hat for company. "Hmm…" the Hat began.
"I know, I'm in Hufflepuff, aren't I?" Peter murmured miserably.
"Now, don't give up so quickly!" The Hat said. "Actually, I think you would do better off in Gryffindor."
"Gryffindor?!"
"Yes. You may not think it right now, but you'll see. It will be good for you. GRYFFINDOR!"
Everyone clapped. Peter got off the stool and tripped, still not able to see because of the hat over his face. He pulled the hat off and handed it to James, who was next, and made his way to the Gryffindor table, with cheeks and ears that could match his house colors. (Well, the scarlet, at least.)
"Potter, James."
James stepped up to the school and put the hat on his head, trying to hide any nervousness that might be showing.
"Ah, another Potter, is it? I know just where to put you. GRYFFINDOR!"
James hopped down off the stool and hurried to his table, grinning at the fact that he had been put in Gryffindor so quickly. He knocked fists with his friends and sat down as 'Snape, Severus," became a Slytherin.
Only a few more kids were left to be sorted, and once they were, Professor McGonagall picked up the stool and hat and carried them out of the room.
As soon as she had returned, the Headmaster stood up to welcome them all to a new year at Hogwarts, and tell them two things: "Bon Appetite!"
Everyone turned toward the plates on their table, which were now full of delicious looking things, and piled their plates with food.
The students ate, talked, and got aquainted with other students, and the ghosts, as well. The Gryffindor ghost introduced himself as Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, though everyone else called him either Nearly Headless Nick, or Sir Nicholas (which he greatly preferred).
Dinner and dessert both passed by, and the Headmaster stood up once again after the plates had magically cleared themselves. He warned them about all of the things that students were not allowed to have at school – James and Sirius both grinned at this – and when Quidditch try outs and such would be held. He then excused them, telling everyone to follow their prefects to their house common rooms.
When they got to the painting of a lady in a pink silk dress that guarded the entryway to the common room, one of the prefects gave the password (Bowtruckle) and the portrait swung open to let them all in. As soon as they got inside, the prefects pointed them to their dormitories, and they climbed into bed and fell instantly asleep.
A/N: Hooray! Another chapter done! But guess what? Now that I've written this, it's your turn to do something! Just push that little button down there that says 'go' on it. Go on, push it! Reviews, questions, comments, etc. are greatly appreciated! J (Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't post the next chapter until I got some reviews, but I really wanted to get this up. Reviewers get pickles! :P)