Chapter 8 - The Sorting
The door creaked open to reveal an entrance hall whose top was hidden in darkness, even though torches were hung every few feet on the wall. Professor Von Struddle led them to a small chamber off the main hall and told them,
"I can finally say, welcome to Hogwarts. Soon you will go to the start of term feast, but first you must be Sorted into your houses. Your house will be like your family during your years at Hogwarts. You will go to classes together, and sleep and eat together. The four houses are Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. Each have their own history and wizards. As I am the head of Ravenclaw, I hope there are many potential Ravenclaws among you, but I'm afraid the final choice of house depends on what's inside. I will return when we are ready." And she turned and strode out into the dining hall.
"I'll bet I'm going to be a Gryffindor." Emily declared loudly after she was gone. "My father was a Gryffindor, and so was my mom, and so were my grandparents and most of my other relatives."
From the corner of the room in which she sat with her cronies, Sophia chuckled,
"You Gryffindors are always overproud of what everyone knows you have." And with this she stood and glided to the front of the room where Professor Von Struddle had stood. "And what do you say about me? 'She's obviously going to Slytherin, that snotty brat'? 'Slytherin is where all the dark wizards go, she's obviously going there'? I mock your taunts!"
Emily blushed. She opened her mouth, then closed it when Jeffrey whispered something in her ear. Instead Jeffrey spoke,
"I apologize for our hateful comments."
At that moment Professor Von Struddle entered the room.
"Form a line and follow me."
Nicholas got into line behind Holly, in front of a pale boy he remembered as Alexander Baylocq. Alexander had been picky about people calling him Alex, he remembered.
The great Hall was even larger than the entrance hall. The top was filled with glittering stars. Nicholas heard Jeffrey laugh in front of him,
" 'It's bewitched to look like the sky outside.' I'll never forget Aunt Hermione lecturing to us about Hogwarts: A History."
Underneath the fake sky, thousands of candles hung in midair, illuminating the room. Four long tables were aligned across the room, set with golden plates and goblets. All the older students were watching them go by from the tables. Professor Von Struddle led them in between the students and the teacher's table. A small stool stood in front of them, and on it was a tattered, patched, ripped, and ancient hat. Suddenly, the brim opened up and the hat began to sing:
My brim is black
My cone is tall
Brains I do not lack at all.
Four houses there are
Come enter their door
Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor.
In Gryffindor where dwell the brave
Friendship and courage are needed here
Only you can endure your fear.
Hufflepuff where lie the true
Always loyal to their fellow
In the colors of black and yellow.
In the hues of bronze and blue
Ravenclaws hold ready minds
To their many exploitful finds.
Sharp of wit and tongue
The Slytherins search for power
To conquer the world when comes the hour.
So put me on, I do not bite
To find which house you will remain
Until the Crystals begin to rain.
Until the Crystals begin to rain.
Everyone applauded. Professor Von Struddle stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name , you will put on the hat and get sorted. Afzal, Olga!"
One of Sasha's companions went to the stool and sat on it. She had barely swept the hat on her head that it shouted out,
"SLYTHERIN!" Olga smiled and walked to the Slytherin table, full of cheering students.
"Amincy, Lauren!" The diminutive girl scampered to the stool. She put on the hat, and shortly after, it yelled,
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Lauren beamed and walked to the cheering table on the far left.
"Archer, Rowan!" Nicholas's old friend walked slowly to the hat, and settled it over his head. He remained there for a few minutes before the hat shouted,
"RAVENCLAW!" Rowan marched decidedly to the table to the right of the Hufflepuff table.
"Bahlyn, Abigail!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Abigail laughed as she joined Lauren at the Hufflepuff table.
The Sorting went on as expected. Emily guessed every person's house before they got sorted.
"Luke Bezell is a Slytherin, he's friends with Sasha. The Carment twins are Ravenclaws, obviously."
"Darrow, Katherine" became the first Gryffindor, and the table on the far right exploded with cheers.
Slowly, people filed by, but Nicholas noticed something strange. After Hibiscus and Jasmine Carment, Carlotta and Jessica Holmer were the second pair of twins to be sorted. And a while after them came Grace and Hope Kaleen. Adding him and Holly, and Sasha and Sophia, that made at least five pairs of twins!
"Emily, aren't there a lot of twins?"
"Yes. Good you noticed. Supposedly it means that chaos and danger are coming, according to Mom. The twins are a sign of change and disruption. Maybe that's why Dad said to look for you..." Emily started frowning into the distance. Nicholas was about to ask her more, when Jeffrey said,
"Don't talk to her. That expression means she's onto something important."
And it was almost the Malfoys's turn. As Anna Maibach strode toward the Ravenclaw table, Sasha stood, grinning.
"Malfoy, Sasha!" She walked swaggeringly to the stool, picked up the hat, and shoved it on her head. Looking straight at Emily, she smiled and waited. After almost a minute of silence, the hat exploded with,
"RAVENCLAW!" Emily jerked out of her reverie and gasped audibly. Sophia's reaction was more violent. She glided to her sister and slapped her full-handed on her cheek. Sasha sat down hard and whimpered in pain. Sophia was about to kick her when the teachers got there and pulled Sophia off her sister forcefully and made her sit on the stool and wear the hat. The hat sat on Sophia's head half a minute, and Sophia gaped at what she could hear inside the hat. Once the hat had screamed,
"SLYTHERIN!" Sophia stormed to the table and sulked there, surrounded by her worried friends.
The hall had quieted after that incident, and almost no one cheered as "Mark, Eric" got sorted into Hufflepuff. Pure silence greeted the sorting of "Matteauer, Alexandria," one of Sasha's friends, "Mikelevitch, Hansen", and "Mikelevitch, Igor," two of Sophia's cronies, into Slytherin. Nicholas saw Alexandria bend over and talk hurriedly to Sasha from the Slytherin table.
But soon enough, Professor Von Struddle got to,
"Parker, Holly!"
Holly slowly stepped to the stool holding the hat. She was very nervous. How could she fit into any house? She wasn't brave, or loyal, or cunning, or very smart, either. The walk to the stool lasted too little time. As she sat down and slipped the hat over her head, she felt as if her end had come.
"Hmmm," said a voice somewhere over her head. "Another twin, eh? But your are important. Very important. You have the spirit of the river in you. Yes, I see intelligence, and hidden courage. Maybe Ravenclaw would fit you. But- no- Yes, yes I see. There's only one place in which you can accomplish your mission, only one place in which your skills can fully bloom. Your courage to bend will help you in GRYFFINDOR!"
Holly stumbled to the cheering table. What had just happened? What was "the spirit of the river". But Holly had to stop thinking about her cryptic message, for Nicholas had sat down on the stool.
Nicholas was glad his sister had been sorted into Gryffindor, but he now worried about himself. He hoped to get into Gryffindor, but he felt that he might get into Slytherin. Wanting to prove yourself was a whole lot like wanting power. As the hat slipped over his dark eyes, he heard a voice over his eyes,
"Oooooh. The second twin, the ember. You have great heat awakening in you. I see courage to prove your strength. Slytherin, or Gryffindor will fit. But you will need that courage, and it must grow to complete your task. Yes, white squire, you must be in GRYFFINDOR!"
Nicholas sighed in relief as he ran to the Gryffindor table. As he sat down next to Holly, she started saying something about spirits and rivers, but after Arianna Ponteri was quickly sorted into Slytherin, it was Emily's turn.
Emily smiled smugly as she marched to the stool, but inside she was a little worried. How had Sasha managed to get sorted into Ravenclaw? She was a Malfoy! Maybe her truce was real after all? But as she shoved the hat on her head, all thoughts of Sasha disappeared when a small voice resounded above her ears.
"So, you are the last of the Potter children. But you have a strength in you, the spirit of the wind. Winds blow bravely, to go where they are not welcome. I see the courage to travel with the wind in you. You must go in GRYFFINDOR!"
Emily had always known that she would be in Gryffindor, but the Hat's words mystified her. She had the spirit of the wind, did she? When she sat down next to the sandy-haired twins, they were talking about spirits, too. Emily contributed her spirit and they became so deep in conversation they missed all of the Sorting until it was Jeffrey's turn.
Jeffrey strode to the stool, ready to be sorted in Hufflepuff. His parents would be sorely disappointed, but loyalty to Emily was the only thing he had. He wasn't brave or cunning, and not very intelligent. He pulled on the hat and a voice spoke above his nose.
"It is you, the last spirit, the spirit of the soil. you are loyal and steadfast, I see. But your are ready to surrender to being in Hufflepuff, ready to be humiliated? You have courage, you see. Courage to hold, courage to be prone. That courage will get you far, dirt spirit. Always remember, dirt may seem plain, but it holds treasure inside. GRYFFINDOR!"
Jeffrey sighed in relief. He would be able to stay with his friends, and with the girl he had sworn to protect, always.