Chapter 4
Lily and Dorcas finished changing just in time to look out the window and the wondrous castle as the train slowed to a stop. They began to follow the larger crowd of students heading towards the horseless carriages until a voice rang out in the night, so loud and clear Lily thought it could be heard all the way at the school.
"First Years, First Years. Over 'ere."
Lily Immediately saw the origin of this voice over all the other 11 year old heads. A great man, the biggest she had ever seen stood in front of the lake. He had to be over ten feet she thought. And though she could not see his face through the very shaggy mane of hair, She could see his eyes, sparkling like two shiny black beetles. Behind him were boats all lined up in a row. She and Dorcas did not manage to get a boat to themselves, but did find a boat with another girl. This girl had dirty blond hair that was long and bushy. She stared dreamily at the castle and only turned toward them when she felt the boat rock as they sat down.
"Hello"
Lily just gazed at the girl, quite startled at the fact that she wore her wand behind her ear, making it unnoticeable except that the tip poked out from behind her forest of hair.
"I am Lorretta Knightly, and you are?"
"Dorcas Meadows and this is my friend, Lily Evans."
"That's nice." The girl said absentmindedly and Lily wondered why she had even started the conversation at all. She and Dorcas were in the middle of discussing the sorting when Lorretta said,
"You know I heard there are Mermaids in this lake. Their scales are supposed to have 112 different uses in potion making. Of course, most dark potions require fresh ones, but mermaids shed just like snakes." Lily found this girl actually quite interesting and didn't mind when she spouted odd information out periodically through out the rest of the ride. She had finished elaborating on the use of Phoenix tears when they arrived.
Lily found the castle to be even more impressive up close. A stern looking woman, her black hair in a bun at the back of her head came down to meet them.
"Thank you, Hagrid I can take it from here."
The 1st years looked expectantly at the woman and when she saw she had all their attention she stated,
"I am Professor McGonagall. I will lead you to be sorted. Please stay close and follow me."
The 1st years, however did not need to be told to stay close. After they saw a tree in the distance take a swing at a blue jay, they huddled together tightly as if expecting to be attacked from all sides. The walk passed without incident and they soon found themselves in a room waiting for the return of the stern woman. Lily could only focus on the sorting. She eagerly listened to the other students to hear if the had any idea what it would be like. No one seemed to know what was coming up, though. Her thoughts began to wander from anything to pulling a scrap of paper from a bowl to fighting a troll. She didn't know if they had trolls in the wizarding world and made a note to ask Dorcas later. She put off asking Dorcas any questions for now because her friend looked as though if she opened her mouth she might be sick. Professor McGonagall appeared once more and showed them into the Great Hall. Lily didn't know how to describe it. The ceiling seemed to open up into the sky, though Lily had already known that they were bewitchments. Candles floated along to light the magnificent room. Lily was sure she could have fit several houses in there. Four tables stretched from the back until nearly to the front and then another long table was in the front, stretching from each side of the hall. That was obviously the table for the teachers. In the middle sat a man with light blue robes, a broken nose and a very large amount of silver hair. He had light blue eyes that twinkled both joyfully and somberly behind half moon spectacles. Before them all stood a three legged chair and upon it a worn old hat that had stitching across it like a mouth. Before Lily could take in the scene in any more detail the hat suddenly broke into a song, though Lily really didn't know how.
The 9th month has come again
Its time for another song
Before the time I sort you, then
You'll find where you belong
Perhaps you'll be a Hufflepuff
One of Helga's few
She was made of the right stuff;
Hard working and loyal too
Or maybe in Slytherin
You'll always find your kind
There you'll see that those within
Have cunning not hard to find
Ravenclaw might be the best
If you are quick to wit
You might here choose to rest
If your brain's just as fit
Last but not least: Gryffindor
The house where courage rules
Bravest of the houses 4,
But not a house of fools
My job now; to sort you
But do now listen close
The biggest thing I do rue
The crime I commit, too gross
For I have the painful job
Of splitting old friends up
When dark times lives rob
Tears come by the cup
Listen to this warning now
Please do take heed
Save yourselves! Do you ask how?
Don't succumb to greed
Please Band together
Scare the dark times away
Show you're all of one feather
And together stay
Lily wondered if the hat always gave such cryptic warnings, but the song affected everyone differently so she couldn't be sure. Some people looked sad, some regretful, others looked horrified or down right disgusted. This annoyed Lily seriously. If that hat already told them they should band together for the greater good then people would just have to get over the silly differences in Common room. She had read that the house rivalries often turned up pretty nasty, but Lily thought in a world where people's mothers and fathers wee being tortured and killed that house colors meant very little. Still, this thought did not deter any of her nervous feelings from flooding her body. Professor McGonagall unrolled a rather long piece of parchment and read,
"Ackart, Berenice"
A slight trembling girl stepped forward, sat down and placed the hat lightly on her head it slid down so only her dark black hair was visible. After a moment or two the hat cried,
"RAVENCLAW"
There was thunderous applause as the girl moved to go join her blue and silver clad piers.
"Barclay, William"
"HUFFLEPUFF"
"Bathurst, Agatha"
"SLYTHERIN"
"Black, Bellatrix"
"SLYTHERIN"
"Black, Sirius" Lily saw the boy that she had noticed at the train station walk calmly up and drop the hat on his head. After a good moment the hat called,
"GRYFFINDOR"
The boy remained just as calm as before as he walked to join the cheering Gryffindors, but he threw a very smug look at the Slytherin table before sitting down. The hat added Prudence Cleaver to Hufflepuff and Atticus Burby to Ravenclaw. Cromwell and Conway mad two more Hufflepuffs. Lily perked up as she heard, "Eaton, Jeffrey" who became a Gryffindor. She was waiting and then…
"Evans, Lily"
She walked up and picked up the hat, wondering how she even managed a firm grip with her hands shaking so wildly. As soon as she put the hat on she heard a little voice in her head.
"Aha, Muggleborn I see. Hmm... Very clever, but hardworking too. Ravenclaw would help you do well. And of course witty, but fiery and wait… Oh yes. The courage is plenty. You will do best in GRYFFINDOR"
Lily was shocked at her luck. She saw Professor McGonagall's mouth twitch at the ends and hurried off to an empty seat at the Gryffindor table. She introduced herself to a 6th year named Andromeda and the boy Lily knew as Jeffrey Eaton. Turning back to watch the sorting she prayed with all her might for her friend to join her. Candace Goodrich became the fourth Hufflepuff. And a large burly boy that looked quite like a gorilla appeared at "Goyle, Gallagher" He joined Slytherin, but Lily was surprised he didn't need a map to find the table. A boy named Rodolphus Lestrange joined the previous boy shortly. "Knightly, Lorretta" Lily hoped she would join her, but alas Lorretta became a Ravenclaw, as did Brigham Lovegood. Remus Lupin, a sickly looking boy with sandy hair became a Gryffindor. Macmillan, Earnest became a HufflePuff. Finally…
"Meadows, Dorcas"
Lily saw her friend walk up to the hat and…. "GRYFFINDOR" it shouted. Lily clapped so loudly her hands hurt. Dorcas rushed over to her and squeezed in between her and a boy named Edric Newbury. Nedridge, Parkinson became Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin respectively. Lily zoned in and out for a while through these and barely noticed as a chubby blond boy with watery blue eyes sat next to the sickly looking one. Her attention was caught at Potter, James because he strode very purposefully up to the hat like she had seen no one do.
It took only a second until the hat declared him a Gryffindor. Lily was beginning to wonder if there would ever be another girl Gryffindor. She missed another couple names, but her attention was caught again at Snape. She shuddered. It was the boy from Diagon Alley. She knew he wouldn't get into Gryffindor, but still wished with all her might that he wouldn't, anyway. He became a Slytherin after the hat barely grazed his head. The last to be sorted were Beatrix Walker, Anneliese Wickham and Marjorie Wilson. The first two joining The Gryffindors and the latter the Slytherins.
Suddenly, the man in the middle of the staff table stood up. Albus Dumbledore, thought Lily, was a wizard of great admiration. The moment he stood, the room went Silent.
"Welcome Students, to another year here at Hogwarts. First let me remind you of the rules: The Forbidden Forest is forbidden, the objects on the list of banned objects in Caretaker Filch's office are banned and magic is not permitted in the corridors. On a happier note, I hope this year will be just as wonderful as the rest. Please enjoy the feast."
And suddenly the tables were filled with all sorts of food and Lily remembered that she was starved. She tried a little of everything since it looked so good. Soon, dessert had replaced dinner and the mood was getting light and cheery. As she tried the pudding, Lily saw Professor McGonagall chuckling with a walrus of a man with a moustache instead of tusks at the staff table.
Soon, however, the feast had ended and Lily followed Alice the Prefect along with all the other Gryffindors up winding staircases through tapestries and finally through the portrait of A fat woman in a pink silk dress. Lily didn't even glance at the way the whole time she was walking until she stood outside her dormitory. She threw open the door and flopped on her bed, exhausted. She didn't know how she managed to change but in just a moment she was on her bed, fast asleep.