A Marauder's Life For Me
Chapter 2
As Professor McGonagall left, people immediately began trying to make themselves look presentable. Peter Pettigrew, who now looked more nervous than ever, was trying to get the creases out of his robe (and there were quite a few of them!). James tried to make his hair lie flat, but only succeeded in making it stick up worse than before. He then looked over at Sirius, who grinned and gave him the thumbs up. Remus seemed to be a little nervous, but not half as much as Peter. The doors to the Great Hall opened, and out walked Professor McGonagall.
"Follow me," she said, and led them into the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was magnificent. The ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky outside; it was dark and full of nighttime stars. Hundreds of candles floated above the house tables, lighting the hall. Ahead of them was the High Table, where the professors and other staff sat. Hagrid was sitting to the left of Professor Sprout, and he winked at James.
Professor McGonagall led the first years up towards the High Table, but stopped them a few feet away from a four-legged stool. On top of the stool sat an old, patched, and fraying hat. For a moment, everyone just stared at it. Then, the brim ripped open like a mouth and the hat began to sing. After the hat had finished its song, everyone applauded, with the exception of some of the nervous first years. Professor McGonagall then unrolled a very long piece of parchment and began reading off names.
"Black, Andromeda!"
Andromeda walked up to the stool and gave Sirius a smile before putting the hat on her head. It took about half a minute before the hat decided to put her in "RAVENCLAW!"
"Black, Bellatrix!"
Bellatrix sauntered up to the stool looking like she owned the place. She sat down, and as soon as the hat touched her head, it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"
"Black, Sirius!"
Sirius glanced at James, who grinned back, before walking up towards the stool. Just before the hat slipped down over his eyes, he noticed that everyone was staring at him. To stop everyone from looking, he turned around, making everyone laugh.
"You're a very clever one, and also very loyal too, now where to put you?" the Sorting hat questioned in Sirius's ear.
"Not Slytherin, anywhere but Slytherin," Sirius whispered.
"Are you sure about that? Alright, better be GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table erupted with cheers as Sirius turned to smirk at Bellatrix and Narcissa, who were both fuming. He then got up off the stool and walked over to the Gryffindor table, grinning from ear to ear.
"Daily, Charlotte!"
Charlotte walked up to the stool, visibly nervous. Her hands trembled slightly as she placed the Sorting hat on her head.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted as the table on the far left erupted with cheers for their first new member.
"Diarma, Natalie!"
Natalie looked nervous, but her face was determined as she put the Sorting hat on her head. It was obvious that she knew where she wanted to be placed.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted, and the table on the far left erupted with cheers once more.
"Evans, Lily!"
A girl with fiery red hair and bright emerald eyes began to walk towards the stool that bore the Sorting hat. James took one look at her and thought, 'Wow. She's really pretty.' Sirius, following James's gaze, saw what he was staring at and began laughing. James's eyes followed Lily up to the stool, and just before the Sorting hat fell over her eyes, she locked eyes with James Potter.
"Hmm, very brave, this one. Not a bad mind, either. I think I'll put you in GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted again.
Once again, the table on the left erupted with cheers for Lily, Sirius cheering one of the loudest of them all.
"Hunt, Katrina!"
Katrina looked somewhat scared as she walked up to the stool and sat down. She placed the hat on her head, where it sat for almost a full minute before declaring her a "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Longbottom, Frank!"
Frank, like Charlotte before him, looked determined rather than scared as he walked up to the stool. The hat had barely touched his head when it yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"
The table to the right of the hat exploded with cheers for its second new member.
"Lupin, Remus!"
Remus walked up to the stool, determined not to be afraid. 'It's only a hat,' he thought to himself as he placed the Sorting hat on his head.
"Oh, so much to deal with at such a young age. That takes much strength and courage. Definitely GRYFFINDOR!"
Remus smiled with relief as he took off the hat and went to join Sirius at the Gryffindor table.
"McCormack, Meaghan!"
Meaghan walked up to the stool with her head held high, determination etched on every inch of her face. She sat down and placed the hat on her head.
"Ooh, lots of talent here, along with loyalty and courage. There's only one possible place to put you…GRYFFINDOR!"
Meaghan grinned as she took the hat off her head, and walked towards the Gryffindor table. She took a seat next to Sirius, who looked at her and smiled.
"Pettigrew, Peter!"
Once Peter put the hat on his head, it took a while before deciding to place him in "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Potter, James!"
As James walked up towards the stool, he thought, 'If the hat puts me in Gryffindor, then Sirius, Remus, and I are together. I hope it turns out that way.' He sat down on the stool and let the Sorting hat fall down over his eyes.
"Ooh, another smart one. So much bravery, too. Better be GRYFFINDOR!"
James grinned and walked over to the Gryffindor table, where both Sirius and Remus gave him a high five.
"Snape, Severus!"
A greasy, black-haired kid walked up towards the stool. Sirius and James thought it was so funny that they had to turn away to keep from laughing.
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat called, and the table on the far right erupted with cheers.
"Summers, Alice!"
Alice looked somewhat nervous, but held her head high as she approached the stool bearing the Sorting hat. She put the hat on her head and awaited its decision.
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table on the right side of the stool erupted with cheers as Alice got up and took a seat next to Frank Longbottom.
"Turner, Daria!"
Daria walked up to the stool, blushing somewhat, because she noticed that she was the last student to be Sorted. The hat fell down upon her head and made the last call of the year – "GRYFFINDOR!"
After Daria got up off the stool and took a seat next to James, Professor McGonagall left the hall, carrying the Sorting hat and the stool. Then, Professor Dumbledore stood up, which was a sign for silence.
"Eat up," Dumbledore said simply, and the plates on the house tables magically filled with food.
After everyone had finished eating, Dumbledore got up again and waited for silence to fall. Once it did, he began making announcements.
"Now that our tummies are full, it is time for the start-of-term announcements. First off, Bite-Back Bubble Gum has been added to the list of forbidden objects in this castle. The complete list may be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anyone wishes to do so. Second, the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students. Third, tryouts for the house Quiddtich teams, which apply to second years and above, will be held on September 15th. Thank you all for your attention. Prefects, please lead your houses to the dormitories. Good night to all."
Drew Cohen and Brianna Wagner, the two Gryffindor house prefects, led the first years out of the Great Hall and up seven floors, stopping them in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress.
"Password?" the fat lady asked.
"Pixie dust," Drew replied, and the fat lady's portrait swung forward to reveal a hole in the wall that led to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Drew and Brianna led the students into the common room and turned around to face them.
"This is the Gryffindor common room," Brianna said. "You'll spend most of your free time here."
"Girls' dormitories are up the stairs on the right, boys' dormitories to the left. 'Night everyone," Drew said as he climbed the staircase.
James, Sirius, and Remus made their way up the boys' staircase. The door on the first landing was labeled 'First Years'. They went inside and found their trunks sitting at the foot of the four-poster beds in the room. Each began to unpack and put their things in the bureaus next to the beds. As they were doing so, a knock sounded on the door, and Peter Pettigrew entered.
"Hi, guys!" Peter said, looking much more relaxed now that the Sorting was over.
"Hello, Peter," Remus said with a smile.
"Can I hang out with you?" he asked, practically jumping up and down with excitement.
"Well, after we unpacked, we were going to go to bed," Sirius said, grinning at James.
"We can hang out tomorrow, then! See you in the morning!" Peter said, and without even getting undressed, he jumped into bed.
"What an idiot," Sirius whispered to James.
A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks to all the people who read my stories. It would really make my day to hear back from you. I hope you liked this chapter, and I'll try to get another one up really soon (I'm off for Spring Break for the next week!). Also, it's my 16th Birthday on Easter (Sunday!), so anyone who leaves a review with a birthday wish will get an email thanking you from me. Please review, theymake my day! Love you all!
Astronomylover