Chapter 7
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Lily turned and saw Hagrid, a huge form motioning all the first years to follow him.
"This is extraordinary! Look at the size of that place? I mean, Look at it!" Heather breathed from next to Lily.
"I know, Come on lets get a boat" Lily said, she raced after Hagrid and came to stand at his side.
"Hello there Lily, been keppin outta trouble aint ya?" He said, his beetle black eyes crinkled at the corners and his beard twitched. "Excited are yea?"
"Never more, that castles so gigantic! I hope I don't get lost" Lily said, still staring at the magnificent castle.
"Codswoloppe, part a the experience" Hagrid said grinning beneath his tangle of beard. Heather finally caught up to them.
"Ah, Heather, there ya are" Hagrid said.
"Yeah" Heather said, still staring up at the castle in awe.
they had come out into the edge of a great black lake, and they could see the castle and its many towers and turrets better now.
"No more'n four to a boat" said Hagrid. He was pointing to dozen or so boats sitting in the black lake.
Lily clambered into one, followed by heather and a pair of twins, a girl and a boy.
"Everyone in, all right FORWARD!" Hagrid said, who had took up a whole boat to himself. all the boats started moving at once. They sailed across the lake, through a curtain of vines, and into an underground harbor. they piled out of the boats and climbed the lawn to the large front doors. Hagrid reached them first. he banged loudly on them.
A witch in bright sapphire robes pulled the door open, it was Lilys aunt Hermione, Heathers mom.
"The first years Professor" Hagrid said.
"Thank you Hagrid" Hermione said with a smile. Hagrid left, and Hermione led them inside, the Hall was huge, you could have fit a whole house in there with room to spare. they could hear chattering coming from a pair of double doors off to the side, but Hermione led them to a chamber off to the right of the double doors instead.
When everyone was inside Hermione turned to them.
"Welcome to Hogworts! In a few moments you will join the rest of the school in the great hall, but before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. there are four, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin" Hermione said Slytherin flatly, and almost with a sneer. "You must indure a test to decipher to which house you belong, I will come and collect you when were ready for you" Hermione turned on her heal and left the room, Lily saw her flash a smile at Heather.
Lily felt queasiness swell underneath her excitement. Test? her father had never mentioned a test. Lily looked around at the others, many of them were smiling but still looking sick, some just looked plain petrified. a round faced boy was a sick shade of green and was grabbing his stomach like he had extreme butterflies the two twins looked like no big deal, they were whispering to eachother with the air of distinct confidence.
"Were ready for you" Half the kids jumped. Hermione was back.
"Form a line please and follow me." Lily scrambled to catch up and managed to be first in line with Heather behind her. they moved out of the chamber and into the well lit great hall. It was magnificent, there were hundreds of white candles floating in midair above the tables, there were four tables, each the length of the room, and up at the top of the room, was another long table filled with teachers. Lilys father, Harry Potter and headmaster of Hogworts, was in the middle, in a large golden chair. Lily looked into his eyes and felt calm seep through her, Harry smiled back at her, he looked almost as eager as Lily felt, but most magnificent of all was the ceiling, it was hard not to think that the grate hall didn't open up to the heavens, but Lily knew it was bewitched to look like the sky outside. Infront of her father, on a spindly old stool sat a Wizards hat, it was very old and frayed. it had many rips and tears and was very dirty, Lily wondered what it was doing there. All the first years, and the teachers, and the whole school was staring at it, so Lily decided to stare too. suddenly a large tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat broke into song.
where will you be
sorted? no one knows
but I. put me on
right here
right now
Under the dark sky.
for only I can tell
Where you ought to go.
should you go
to Gryffindor, where
the brave are treasured
above all. or should you
go to Ravenclaw, where
The brightest are last to fall?
how bout nice old Hufflepuff,
For those whose loyal is clear?
or Slytherin whose cunning you
Can feel? You don't know, not yet,
for only I can choose, put me on
right here
right now
and you will never lose
Everyone clapped loudly as the song ended, so all they had to do was put on the hat, thank Merlin for that! Lily thought happily.
"When I call your name, come forward sit on the stool, and you will be sorted into your houses. Campbell, Susan!" Hermione said, unrolling a sheet of parchment. A dark haired girl next to Lily shivered and walked slowly up to the stool. Hermione put the hat on her head, the hat thought for a minute, then shouted out "Hufflepuff!" The table on the far left wall started cheering, and Susan removed the hat gratefully, and tripped in her haste to get to her new house table.
"Crabbe, Nevin!" Hermione called, A thickly built boy dragged himself up to the stole, the hat didn't think as l.ong as it did with Susan before it called out "Slytherin!" Lily watched again and again, next Evans Nick became a Ravenclaw. Than Finnagan, David became the first new Gryffindor. Harry beamed as he watched David move towards the Gryffindor table. there were other Gryffindor too, Longbottem, Harold, and the lovegood twins, Peter and Nancy. Finally it was Lilys turn.
"Potter, Lily!" Hermione called, Harry beamed and straightened in his seat, there were many whispers around the hall as Lily walked up to the sorting hat. Such as "So that's her?". Lily sat down on the stool and the last thing she saw, was her aunts beaming face.
"Great mind yes, oh and its a potter, Your father was very difficult to place, but you don't seem to be, there's only one place to put you, GRYFFINDOR!" Lily heard the Hat scream the last part for the whole hall to hear, Lily beamed as she gave the Hat back to Hermione, and went to sit down at the Gryffindor table, and as she sat down she saw her fathers eyes twinkling.
"Riddle, Matthew!" Lily whipped her head around to see the Pale boy who had caught her eye on the train step forward, to tremendous whispers to the crowed. someone even stood on the bench to get a better look at Matthew. Harry was watching with just as much interest as he did with Lilys, but there was no trace of a smile.
Hermione put the sorting hat on Matthews head. The hat thought for a while, it seemed to be having trouble. Finally, after three full minutes it shouted, to everyone's great surprise.
"Gryffindor!" Matthew took off the hat, and gave it back to Hermione. he then turned and glared at Harry, and walked over to the Gryffindor table. He sat down amid polite applause across from Lily.
The sorting went on, then it was Heathers turn. Hermione looked excited, so did Harry, he cared almost just as much about his niece as he did his own daughter, That never bother Lily thought, she knew Ron felt the same way about her. Heather put on the Hat shakily, the hat thought for a moment then shouted out "Gryffindor!" Heather looked quite relived, she took off the Hat and walked over and sat down next to Lily. Hermione rolled up the parchment, grabbed the Hat and the stool, and carried them out of the great hall. not until she came back and took her seat next to Harry did Harry stand up, his arms open wide in welcome.
"Welcome! Welcome to Hogworts! and welcome back. There's much to say, but now is not the time, Bon appitit!" Harry sat back down. and the plates on the tables infront of them filled magically with food.
"Cheers!" Lily and Heather said at the same time.
I'm the all powerful Fu Fu!
Mwahahahaha!
(Sry, had the urge)
Disclaimer:
Why aren't they mine?
I wish they were
But I'll settle for terrorizing them
(Grin)