Warning: Scene contains bad singing and equally bad song, Parental Guidance Recommended...

Chapter four: The Sorting

Professor McGonagall led the nervous first years out into the Great Hall.

"Now, line up here," she ordered, immediately the first years formed two lines. Don stood in front of Barry, while he heard Lemo behind him muttering,

"Some bastard bumped Smokey Joe, Andy!"

"Poor Lemo..."

"Poor Smokey Joe, you mean!"

"Never mind Smokey Joe...We'll earn revenge for him later...Hot guy, ten o'clock..."

Barry tried to tune out Andy's findings as he tried to settle his nerves, which were sky rocketing. Just then Professor McGonagall appeared back into the Great Hall with an old wizard hat and a wooden stool. She then put down the stool in front of the four house tables and lay the hat on top. Everyone in the hall turned and looked at the hat, when suddenly a rip near the brim open to a mouth and it began to sing:

"I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,

Hard decisions I have made,

Choosing carefully every time,

And never getting paid.

I have sorted many students,

Not many have been wrong,

'Cause I know what I am doing,

And I have done it for so long.

A decision is decided,

Judging you on who you are,

Whether you a humble moon,

Or a shining star.

So whether it be Slytherin or a Gryffindor

Perhaps a Hufflepuff,

Or even Ravenclaw,

I can tell where you to go,

When maybe you don't know!"

When the Sorting Hat finished its song, it went limp and everyone applauded.

"When I call your name, come forward and sit on the stool...Anderson, Sean!"

A boy near the front walked slowly and nervously to the stool, looking slightly green. Professor McGonagall dropped the hat on his and it fell over his panic stricken eyes. It was silent except for the hat, which was muttering into Sean's ear. After what seemed like five minutes, the hat bellowed,

"RAVENCLAW!"

Sean relaxed as McGonagall took the hat off his head and he walked towards the now cheering Ravenclaw table.

The sorting hat seemed to take awhile to decided sometimes, while other times he barely had to touch the students head before it yelled out their house, like when Dracola Malfoy went up, the hat immediately shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

"McPea, Brooke," McGonagall said.

Brooke walked up to the stool attempting to look brave. The hat came down over her eyes and after a moment of the thinking...

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Meadow, Jesse..."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Parker, Erin..."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Parkinson, Pansy..."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Ranger, Mione..."

Mione hobbled up to the stool, fingers crossed and shaking like a leaf, the hat dropped over her pale face.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Roberts, Leah..."

Lemo, not used to her real name just stood there looking at the hat.

"Roberts, Leah!"

"Lemo, your Leah!"

"Roberts, Leah?"

"Shit! Good point there Andy!" Lemo strolled over casually to the stool and popped herself down. McGonagall dropped the hat on her head,

"Hmm. Dark."

"GRYFINDOR!"

"Woooot!" Lemo cried out, before cartwheelling to the Gryffindor, earning an ethusiastic applause.

McGonagall silently cursed, there was hope, maybe she wouldn't get both of the weird ones...

"Rose, Amber..."

Andy wrinkled her nose in disgust at the mention of her real name and marched up to the stool, sat down and crossed her legs. McGonagall put the hat on her head,

"Wow, do you wash this thing? It really smells like crap in here..."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Andy skipped off to join Emo and Lemo.

Oh fuck! That bloody hat has it in for me! Giving me both of them! SHIT! McGonagall thought.

"Saucepan, Barry..."

The Great Hall broke out into whispers and all tried to look at Barry as he sat down on the stool. The last thing he saw as the hat fell over his eyes were a number of people trying to lean over to get a better look at him, then his head was filled with the voice of the hat.

"Hmmm...Tricky, tricky! Brains I see...Courage too...and a thirst...yes there's pumpkin judice with dinner so that will fix that up...You want to prove your self...I think I shall put you in...

GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor, erupted with cheers, the biggest of the night, as Barry got up and walked over to the Gryffindor table. When the cheers finally calm down, McGonagall finished the names, now there were only three people left; Nicholas, Don and other boy who was tall and had dark hair.

"Shortbottom, Nicholas..."

"Wonder what house he'll be in!" Andy said excitedly, "I hope he's in Gryffindor!"

Barry turned to face Andy who was sitting opposite him,

"Who? Nicholas? Don?"

"Don? Is he the one with dark hair?"

"Nope, he the one with red hair."

"Oh. Not him then..."

"She thinks the dark haired one's hot! I see why..." Lemo said, looking at the boy critically.

"I think he's average," Emo said eyeing him too.

"C'mon guys! The guy is totally hot!"

Barry, yet again tried to block out the girls, as he watched a terrified Nicholas waiting for the hat to decide. It seemed to be really taking it's time on Nicholas, Poor guy Barry thought.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Watson, Andrew..."

The guy Andy thought was hot, stepped forward and sat down on the stool.

"Oh my god!" Andy said looking shocked, to the point of hyperventilating or at least crying, while Emo and Lemo started cracking up laughing.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! He can't be called Andrew! NO! That's such a common boring name! NO! He can't! That means he can be called Andy! I'm Andy! NO!" Andy's head dropped into her hands.

The newly arrived Nicholas gave Andy a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks Nick," came a muffled reply.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Andy move over...we can make room so there's room for him to sit next to you. Maybe he doesn't like to be called Andy, so then you know..."

"Shh! Here he comes!" Emo said looking sternly at Lemo.

"Weasel, Don..."

Barry's attention snapped back to the hat, where the Don sat on the stool waiting for the hats decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Barry cheered loudly as Don marched over to the Gryffindor looking pleased. Don took the place next to Barry as his brothers down the table congratulated him.