The Sorting Ceremony
The first years huddled together as they followed Professor Weasley down the centre of the Great Hall, the ceiling above showing the stars twinkling in the night sky. Max looked up at the top table, McGonagall sat in the centre and Hagrid was just taking his seat at the end. The other teachers were seated apart from one empty chair next to McGonagall, which Max assumed was Professor Weasley's. In front of the top table sat a small stool with a ragged, and slightly singed, hat on it. When the first years were in place and the shuffling had stopped the hat opened a wide mouth at the brim and began to sing.
"You think I'm just a tatty old hat,
You are wrong, my friend, I'm more than that,
Listen with care to my song,
I'm here to sort you, I've never been wrong,
Long long ago, in days of yore,
They sought to teach, those founders four,
Division into quarters every year,
So each could teach traits they held dear,
The Slytherin's with ambition and cunning,
Brave Gryffindor's, into trouble always running,
Loyal, hard working Hufflepuff's,
And Ravenclaw's are made from intelligent stuff,
So put me on, take the test,
I'll always find where you will do best,
Four houses united, everyone wins,
I've told you all, now let the sorting begin!"
The Great Hall erupted with cheers and applause and Max felt his stomach lurch. What if he was in a different house from Albus? He would be sorted first, what if the hat decided to put him in a house with Aspen, or others like him. He wiped his sweaty hands on his robes as Professor Weasley stepped forward with a scroll and read the first name.
"Abbot, Jenny." called Professor Weasley, and a small blonde girl hurried up to the stool looking as if she might faint.
She sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head, where it immediately slipped down over her eyes. There was a short pause before the rip at the brim of the hat opened wide again.
"Hufflepuff!" shouted the hat.
The girl handed back the hat and headed, blushing furiously, to the cheering table of Hufflepuff's.
"Amin, Rani." called professor Weasley.
A dark-skinned, dark-haired, tall girl stepped forward and sat down. The hat took slightly longer this time.
"Gryffindor!" it shouted.
The girl grinned and, leaving the hat, ran to the whooping cheering table and sat opposite Serpens.
Bones, Robert, became a Ravenclaw as did Boot, Joshua. Bulstrode, Albert was the first to be sorted into Slytherin and Max watched as one of twins clapped him on the back and the other shook his hand. Max listened with growing anxiety as the names were read and the first years sorted. By the time that twin girls, with brown hair and freckles had been sorted, Anthea Davies into Gryffindor and Lena into Slytherin, Max was breathing heavily.
"Dursley, Max." called Professor Weasley, and Max felt a hand push him forward, Rose he thought.
He willed his legs not to give way as he forced himself to walk. The stool seemed further away than it had and he could feel every eye in the hall on him. His mouth was dry and his palms sweaty as he sat down and the hat was put on his head. For a moment there was silence. Then a clothy voice spoke inside his head.
"My, my, my, what do we have here?" said the hat, giving what Max took to be a chuckle. "You definitely have intelligence, and a thirst for knowledge. I see lots of ambition too. Interesting. Loyalty, a good work ethic, and courage as well. You are unusual. I don't think I've ever come across this before."
'Come across what?' Max thought.
"A student who would do brilliantly in any house." the hat said. "There's such a lot of power for one so young. Ravenclaw would give you like minds, great thinkers to debate ideas with, the resources to seek the knowledge you desire. Then again the company of those who value loyalty and hard work will develop the skills you already possess. You're a very tricky customer, I'm puzzled what to do with you."
'I want to be with Albus.' thought Max.
"I'm afraid I haven't sorted him yet, so I don't know where he might go." the hat said. "Would you like to go to Slytherin? There would be plenty of connections you could forge, they would help you get where you want in life. You would fit in well in such a cunning house."
'I just want to be where I will be with friends.' Max thought. 'Can you put Albus in Slytherin too when you sort him?'
"Only if that's where he should be," chuckled the hat, "that was a very Slytherin question to ask. It's very tempting to put you there, but the courage within you, the daring, the power. Gryffindor would be good for you, give you life long friendship and comrades who will have your back, so to speak."
'Are you still there?' thought Max, after the hat fell silent for what felt like ages.
"Thinking deeply dear boy," said the hat, "I've never been so torn with a student. Which ever house I put you in will benefit and welcome you, rarely do I see this much potential. I've never done this before, but why don't you choose."
'Me?' thought Max, 'But I don't know where Albus will end up either, how do I decide?'
"You know the young man," said the hat, "I have yet to have the pleasure. What house do you think he will go to?"
Max thought, what did he know about Albus? Then he remembered that Albus had come back for him at Diagon Alley, he had tried to save him. Surely that showed he was brave? Didn't that mean he would be in Gryffindor?
"Well reasoned young man," said the hat, "which further proves your suitability for Ravenclaw. Then again, I did say you could choose so, GRYFFINDOR!"
The last word was shouted to the rest of the hall and the Gryffindor table cheered as Max handed back the hat and walked over smiling. He sat down next to Serpens, who ruffled his hair and grinned at him.
"You were a hatstall!" Serpens said excitedly. "There hasn't been one of those for decades."
"What's a hatstall?" asked Max.
"It's when the hat takes longer than five minutes to sort you." said a stocky dark-haired girl on Serpens other side. "I'm Patricia Runcorn, nice to meet you."
"Max Dursley." said Max, shaking her hand. "How long did I take?"
"Six minutes three seconds." Patricia told him. "Quite a long time, but we're glad to have you with us."
"Thanks." Max said, looking back at the ongoing sorting in time to see Francis Goyle sorted into Slytherin.
Soon Orion had joined them at the Gryffindor table and Serpens gave his brother a hug, Max cheering with the rest of the house. Max looked over at the Slytherin table and spotted the twins rolling with laughter. He thought about Ron hearing a second Malfoy had been sorted into Gryffindor and chuckled to himself. He hoped someone really did manage to get a photograph.
Before long it was Albus's turn to be sorted. He looked white as a sheet as he sat on the stool and the hat was placed on his head.
"Gryffindor!" shouted the hat, after just a few seconds.
Albus went from white to bright red as he approached the house table with a grin. He squeezed in between Orion and Max who both punched his arms and jostled him in their excitement. They cheered the next few students as they were sorted.
"Tosku, Aspen." called Professor Weasley.
"His Dad is supposed to be one of those New Horizonists," whispered Patricia, "not that they can prove it. Story is, his mum was a Voldemort supporter years ago and she's raising him with the old pureblood values."
"How did you hear that?" said Orion.
"Dad's an Auror," she shrugged, "but mum is a reporter and hears all the gossip, even if she isn't allowed to print it. Apparently they struggled to conceive a baby, rumour was they resorted to some dark ritual to get little Aspen, gotta carry on the bloodline haven't they."
"Do you think that's true?" Albus whispered to Orion.
"Either way he's still a dick." sniggered Orion.
The hat seemed to be taking a long time with Aspen. The students were starting to whisper to each other and fidget. After a few minutes more people were looking at each other in surprise, when the hat was still silent. Even the staff at the top table were glancing at each other, uncertain.
"It's been over five minutes," muttered someone nearby, "it's another hatstall."
Gasps of shock echoed round the hall, even the Headmistress was looking unnerved. A hatstall was a rare thing, to have two in one year was unheard of. The talking rose to such a volume that McGonagall stood to appeal for quiet.
"Ravenclaw." said the hat, moments later.
Muttering broke out again as Aspen took his place at the Ravenclaw table, audible even over the applause from Ravenclaw. McGonagall glared around the room, her lips thinned so much as to be almost invisible, and the students fell silent again. The next student, Charlie Turner, went to Hufflepuff and then it was Rose's turn to be sorted. She practically ran to the stool and sat gripping the sides of the seat hard while she waited for the hat's decision. The hat took around three minutes to decide Rose was a Gryffindor and she skipped excitedly to the table sitting opposite the boys.
"Well done Rose," said Serpens, "I thought for sure you were a Ravenclaw."
"The hat did consider it," she admitted, "but I'm glad it chose Gryffindor."
The final student, Erin Wood, a mousey-haired girl with pigtails, joined them at the Gryffindor table and Professor Weasley took the hat and stool away.
McGonagall stood up and spoke to the assembled students.
"Welcome to all, old and new." she said smiling. "I have some start of term notices, but for now enjoy the feast." she waved her arms and laden dishes appeared on the tables. There were pies, stews, meat and potatoes, vegetables, salads and eggs and bacon. Bowls and platters loaded with every type of food imaginable. Max's mouth watered at the sight, his earlier queasiness forgotten. He looked around him at the other students and, on seeing them all tucking in, he grabbed a slice of pizza and some chips. There was very little conversation as most people had their mouths full. When people were finished with the savoury food the used dishes vanished, to be replaced with a huge assortment of puddings and sweets. Max had thought he was full, but he managed to squeeze in a helping of raspberry pavlova and a generous slice of chocolate fudge cake. Max was so full and sleepy by the time McGonagall gave her speech he barely heard a word. Before he knew it the students were standing from their seats and following the prefects to their house dormitories. Max gawped at the moving portraits and ghosts flitting through the maze of corridors as they followed a tall, dark-haired prefect to the Gryffindor tower. She stopped them in front of a portrait of a large woman who smiled at them.
"Password?" the portrait asked.
"Gillyweed." said the prefect, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a hole. Max climbed through with the others and found himself in the Gryffindor common room. He could feel his eyes drooping as he clambered up the stairs to the first year boys dormitory. He dragged his school robes off over his head, barely noticing the red velvet drapes and the four poster beds as he fell into bed. He heard Orion and Albus wish him goodnight, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was a yawn. He let his eyes fall closed and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.