Chapter 2: The Sorting Hat


Hadrian looked up in awe, as he followed Ash into the castle's entry way. His legs were a bit achy and his breath was as hard as his friends, but not as hard as the scrawny Weasley boy with dirt on his nose, still, or the chubby blonde boy leaning heavily on said red haired boy, both ambling ahead of them. The stairs leading up from the mooring were steep and numerous. Hadrian was glad to be up the main stairs to Hogwarts Castle, which were far fewer in number than the ones leading up from the mooring, which brought them inside the castle from the grass courtyard they had exited onto, after winding their way up the 'never ending' rock enclosed stairs from the mooring. He was glad to be back on level terrain, crossing the flagstones floors of what appeared to be the Hogwarts Castle's main entrance hall.

The castle was absolutely immaculate, formed of highly impressive architecture. The high, vaulted ceiling of the entrance hall extended to the point the dark shadows of decreased lighting hid the ribs holding the stone over their heads, with only the foretelling of the ribs at the corners of the hall at what had to be five stories up, where they branched off in exponential height. Torches were the main lighting and many portraits, their subjects moving about and jostling to get lower and take in the new batch of first years, adorned the ancient stone.

"This way, please," Professor Snape said, a severe, dark haired wizard who the first years had been handed off to at the doors of the castle by Hagrid.

The first years shuffled and bumped, as they gathered into an anterior room off of the entrance hall. Hadrian was nearly bubbling over with excitement. He had stolen a peak into the noisy Great Hall, before turning for the antechamber. The upperclassmen had reached the castle before them and were already seated along four long tables, facing an equal richly carved and stained table for the staff.

"Welcome!" Professor Snape's low, dark toned voice called Hadrian's attention to where he stood at the front of the room. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy is honored to have each and every one of you here today, to soon be housed within our corridors, where you are to begin your lives, truly, as young witches and wizards."

"As is told to every first year entering our school, while you are here you will not only be each other's classmates, but each other's family."

"There are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Know that those in your house, year levels aside, are more so encouraged to bond together as family, while you are here. Do not underestimate the power of being many miles away from your homes. Turn to yourselves, turn to your professors. We wish you at home here."

"However, whatever your house may end up being and whatever way you chose to transition into our school, know that there are rules and you might not only cost yourself a detention for rule breaking, but your house, house points, which are given and taken over the course of the year. The house with the most point at the end of the year wins the House Cup. It is fruitful and healthy competition, as are the house quidditch teams, the winning team at the end of the year earning for itself the House Quidditch Cup. We encourage all of you to have house pride along with school pride! Again, welcome!"

"Now, please follow after me." Professor Snape opened the antechamber door and reentered the Entrance Hall. "Your House Sorting is about to begin."

Hadrian hadn't seen the candles hanging over all the students in the Great Hall, until he entered the hall itself. They hung at least twenty feet up, illuminated against what appeared to be the night sky. Having read several pages in Hogwarts, A History, he knew that it wasn't actually the night sky above his head, but magic charmed by Rowena Ravenclaw to illusion the sky hovering above the hall, hiding the rib joints suspending the true ceiling.

Hadrain stayed in line. He and his fellow first years made their way up the center aisle of the hall. When they nearly reached the staff table, they lined up with their backs to the staff along the front of the table, facing their fellow students.

Hadrian's interests were peaked by the banners hung on the back wall, one banner in line with each of the four tables. The banner to the far left was a deep red and brilliant gold with a lion mid-roar on its crest, Gryffindor. The one for the table center left was a night black and bright yellow with a honey badger on its crest, Hufflepuff. The one center right was a burnt bronze and true blue with an eagle opened winged on its crest, Ravenclaw. The one for the table at the far right was for House Slytherin, the house Hadrian hoped to get into, the House his father and mother had been in. Its banner was a visible silky silver and vivid green with a black python on its crest.

Distracted by the banners, Hadrian barely heard what Professor Snape said and only caught the tail end of his instruction. The ancient wizard's hat on the stool before them was going to be placed on their heads in alphabetical order and sort him and year-mates into one of the four great houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The brim of the hat opened at the end of Professor Snape's speech and began to sing:

Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

The entire hall clapped. Hadrian grinned, 'those cunning folks use any means to achieve their ends.' He liked it. After this summer, where stipends got him a new bedroom, all new furniture, a variety of new possessions, a brand new, highly expensive wardrobe most notable after a top of the line computer!, combined with the Dursleys nearly treating him better than they treated Dudley, he was certain that as Uncle Vernon used to say: "Money talks!"

Any means to achieve his ends, Hadrian could definitely do that. The 1890's, small mansion of the era, Number Four, Privet Drive, had become a place he no longer hated because of payments of money to his aunt and uncle, and as he found out, with the better that he acted (even if he still didn't like the Dursleys much) he had gotten showered in attention and praise. The Dursleys's home had suddenly become his too and he definitely liked it.

"Abbott, Hannah," was the first named call by Professor Snape.

A blonde girl with braided pigtails stepped forward. When she sat down on the stool, Professor Snape lowered the Sorting Hat down onto her head.

"Hufflepuff!" the Sorting Hat declared.

The blonde girl nervously stepped off the stool, upon Professor Snape raising the Sorting Hat off her head. She shuffled over to the Hufflepuff's table, who was clapping harder than any other table in the Great Hall. Her cheeks were still a deep red, as she took an open seat among her house.

"Bones, Susan."

Hadrian watched the Sorting with interest. The red haired girl who stepped up to be sorted next was placed in "Hufflepuff!" with Hannah Abbott.

Boot, Terry: "Ravenclaw!"

Brocklehurst, Mandy: "Ravenclaw!"

Brown, Lavender: "Gryffindor!"

Bulstrode, Millicent: "Slytherin!"

Corner, Michael: "Gryffindor!"

Cornfoot, Stephen: "Ravenclaw!"

Crabbe, Vincent: "Slytherin!"

Davis, Tracey: "Slytherin!"

Entwhistle, Kevin: "Ravenclaw!"

Finch-Fletchley, Justin: "Gryffindor!"

Finnigan, Seamus: "Gryffindor!"

Goldstein, Anthony: "Gryffindor!"

Goyle, Gregory: "Slytherin!"

Granger, Hermione: "Gryffindor!"

Greengrass, Daphne: "Slytherin!"

Hopkins, Wayne: "Hufflepuff!"

Jones, Megan: "Gryffindor!"

Lestrange, Astride: "Slytherin!"

Li, Sue: "Ravenclaw!"

Longbottom, Neville: "Hufflepuff!"

MacDougal, Morag: "Ravenclaw!"

Macmillan, Ernie: "Hufflepuff!"

Malfoy, Draco: "Slytherin!"

Malone, Roger: "Gryffindor!"

Moon, Lily: "Hufflepuff!"

Nott, Theodra: "Slytherin!"

Parkinson, Pansy: "Slytherin!"

Patil, Padma: "Gryffindor!"

Patil, Parvati: "Gryffindor!"

Perks, Sally-Anne: "Hufflepuff!"

"Peverell, Hadrian." Snape looked directly to Hadrian.

The hall went quiet only for whispers to start up, upon Hadrian stepping forward. He did his best to ignore the looks and hushed conversations and sat down upon the stool that all his peers had sat on, the Sorting Hat lowering over his head.

Hadrian sat as still as possible, the brim of the hat falling over his eyes. Silently, he hoped that it would put him in Slytherin. So far Vince, Greg, Ash, and Draco had been placed in Slytherin, strengthening his desire to be in the House of the Snake. Not to mention, his cousin, Daphne - a truly pretty girl with black curly hair and soft brown eyes - had been placed in Slytherin as well.

"Slytherin!" the Sorting Hat yelled a full minute after being placed upon Hadrian's head.

Hadrian jumped off the stool with Professor Snape taking the Sorting Hat off his head. He was relieved and grateful that the Sorting Hat put him in the right house. As the amount of time it sat on his head was fairly shorter than some of his year-mates he didn't concern himself with whether it considered putting him in a different house. He was in Slytherin, just like his parents and his new friends. He was happy.

Draco was drumming his hands together loudly with Vince, Greg, and Ash, as Hadrian made his way over to the farthest table to the right. Blaise cheered from where he still stood in line to be sorted and Hadrian grinned at him.

The entire Slytherin table was clapping and was a buzz with excited greetings, as Hadrian took an open seat between Vince and Draco, Ash and Greg across from them.

"Rivers, Oliver," called the Slytherins and the rest of the Great Hall's attention back to the Sorting. Hadrian looked towards the staff table to see a red, messy haired boy step forward.

"Hufflepuff!" the Sorting Hat shouted the near instant it was on Oliver Rivers's head. The red haired boy rushed off to the Hufflepuff table to polite clapping of the other tables and excited clapping from the Hufflepuffs.

Roper, Sophie: "Ravenclaw!"

Runcorn, Annabell: "Ravenclaw!"

Smith, Sally: "Hufflepuff!"

Thomas, Dean: "Gryffindor!"

Turpin, Lisa: "Hufflepuff!"

Weasley, Ronald: "Hufflepuff!"

Zabini, Blaise: "Slytherin!"

With Blaise sitting down at the Slytherin table, between Greg and Daphne, the Sorting was over. Professor Snape cleared the stool and Sorting Hat from the Great Hall, through a door at the back of the hall, behind the staff table. When he took the only open seat at the staff table, Headmaster Dumbledore stood from his seat at the center of the dark oak table.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Headmaster Dumbledore said jovially and motioned for all the students to calm down and give him silence. "I know that the start of term is always a celebration of reunion with old friends, along with the formation of new friends for those branching out and extending friendship to those who've you've yet to meet or know well in your life."

"Please," Headmaster Dumbledore motioned in welcome and suddenly the golden and silver trays and pitchers spread across every table were filled with sweet juices and a harvest of vegetables and meats suiting to a variety of taste buds, "enjoy with me food and drink from Hogwarts's table and reminisce of the past years and our summer months now gone."

With his final words, Headmaster Dumbledore poured a deep red wine into his goblet and raised it. He drank a full drink and returned the goblet to its place on his table as he settled himself back into his seat.

Every student at the Slytherin table didn't touch the food but handed around the pitchers.

"We drink to the Headmaster," a tall, dark skinned boy with a prefect badge said, sitting right next to Hadrian and the other first years. "Fill your goblets and follow."

Hadrian picked a yellow juice that smelled of citrus and mint and poured himself a sizable portion into his gold goblet. Following the older students, he picked up his goblet and stood, turning to the Headmaster. He noticed that only a smattering of students had done the same at the other house tables. With his house, in unison the best he could, he raised his goblet to the Headmaster and then drank.

Headmaster Dumbledore acknowledged the rest of the students in the hall who had toasted him, before looking fondly upon the Slytherin table and nodding in acknowledgement of their united toast.

Upon sitting back down, Hadrian waited until the older year students started putting food on their plates before he put any on his own plate of gold.

"Glad to have you in Slytherin, Ms. Davis," the dark skinned prefect said and smiled at the blonde haired girl beside Daphne. "My name is Samuel Petezide. If you need any help, I'm the prefect appointed to looking over your year." He nodded to Hadrian, but didn't single him out. "I hope all of you help Ms. Davis adjust to life in Slytherin."

"Thank you," Ms. Davis said, going a bit red.

"Your mother was a Ravenclaw?" Blaise asked.

The girl nodded.

"My mother worked with her on her seventh year thesis project." Blaise looked the girl over. "The Department of Accidental Magic still uses the detection spell they developed together."

"Can you believe that Reseson, the Head of the Department," Draco added for Hadrian and shot a glace at Ms. Davis, "is trying to get the Wizengamot to declare it prejudicial to Muggleborns?"

Vince groaned. "Please don't start, Draco. My dad has about had a conniption fit over it already."

"I believe the law is reasonable," Hadrian decided to add his two cents despite Vince's protests. "White Magic has nearly killed all of my closest relatives and cost me my parents and grandparents. The less the Muggles know about us, the better off we are. I live among my aunt and Muggle uncle and cousin, obviously the law makes it to where I would be under charms 'bias', but I am not even close to complaining. There are people all over my neighborhood that are plenty nosy. I wouldn't want them to catch me preforming a spell, while they figure out some way of knowing I did it and have the unfortunate experience of one or more of them aware of the old chants."

"My mother and I live among Muggles with my father as well," Ms. Davis said a bit nervously. "My mother is always strict about not using magic at home."

"As any reasonable witch should be, living among Muggles," Ms. Bulstrode said politely. "Millicent Bulstrode, daughter of His Liege, Caspus Bulstrode. We will be sharing a dorm. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"You as well," Ms. Davis said, her grey blue eyes lighting up and a bit of her nerves subsiding.

"Daphne Greengrass, daughter of the late, Her Honorable, Seraphina Greengrass," Daphne said, with a dull smile and sadness in her voice, "granddaughter of His Liege, Frankford Greengrass."

"Cousin, of Hadrian Peverell, Heir-In-Waiting," Hadrian added for her, pinning her with his eyes. Her smile brightened a bit at his acknowledgement. "I was hoping you and I would be in the same house or at least share plenty of classes."

"I hoped the same," Daphne said. "You look well."

"As do you," Hadrian said.

"Pansy Parkinson, heiress of His Lord, Richmond Parkinson," Ms. Parkinson said, "seeing as we are making formal introduction." She looked to Ms. Davis. "As Millie said, I will be in your dorm."

"Theodra Nott, first daughter, third child of His Lord, Abjunct , Benjamin Nott," Ms. Nott smiled to Ms. Davis, "your future dorm mate as well."

Vince, Greg, Ash, Draco, and Blaise followed in making introductions and welcoming Ms. Davis to study with them if she were to struggle in the classes.

"As Heirs-In-Waiting," Draco indicated to himself, Hadrian, Vince, Ash, and Blaise, "it is only respectable."

The meal continued with more talk of their families and anticipation for their class. Hadrian hardly noticed the time go by, loving how much he fit in well with his year mates. He decided to write another thank you letter to Headmaster Dumbledore for the additional reading material on the Pure-Blood bloodlines and customs.

As plates became filled with desserts, which had replaced the near empty trays of the main meal all along the table, Hadrian noticed a ghost with blood down his front pass over them with interest. The Bloody Baron, he acknowledge mentally. The ghost was silent and gave no greeting to them, but passed through the Great Hall wall, out of sight. As broody as they say.

"Ahem ..." Headmaster Dumbledore stood, not long after Hadrian had cleared his plate of his dessert. "As is our yearly custom, there are announcements to be made prior to wishing you all off to bed. First, this year, the Third Floor Eastern Corridor is out of bounds, upon pain of death as it is. Please do not enter the corridor for any reason at all."

"Second, a reminder to our older students and a warning to our first years, the Forbidden Forest, is, exactly that: forbidden!" Headmaster Dumbledore said a bit louder and looked to a set of students at the Gryffindor Table.

Directing his attention back to the whole hall, Headmaster Dumbledore continued his speech. "Third, I have the unfortunate business of informing you that the new Zonko's product, the Double-Fanged Frisbee, is just as banned from the corridors and your classes as the standard Fanged Frisbee ever was. For a complete list of banned items, please see our caretaker, Mr. Filch."

"On to the last," Headmaster Dumbledore grinned, "Quidditch tryouts will be posted by each house's Quidditch Captain and should be within the next two weeks, as the pitch is booked. Fair game, lads and ladies! May you triumph and may you triumph in loss, the Quidditch House Cup is once more up for grabs!"

There was excessive cheering from all houses.

"As is the House Cup!"

There was more cheering.

When the Great Hall finally calmed down, Headmaster Dumbledore took out his wand and cast a spell. Gold words appeared in the air and hovered above the staff table.

"And now, one last tradition; the Hogwarts Song:"

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald,

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling,

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot!"

Hadrian did his best to follow along and keep up with the tune. Him and the rest of the students finished to hear a set of voices still singing the song in a slow, funeral march style. Everyone clapped, when the voices shouted the last word 'rot!' like they meant it.

"Now," Headmaster Dumbledore said, "myself and the staff bid you all a good night. The staff will be seeing you in your classes tomorrow morning, bright and early after breakfast! I will simply be seeing you at breakfast, if you get up early enough. Dream well," was his final dismissal.

"Follow me," Prefect Petezide said, as everyone at the Slytherin Table stood to leave the hall.

Hadrian got in line behind Vince, as he and his year mates followed Prefect Petezide out of the hall and up the far right aisle. He led them out into the Entrance Hall and crossed over to, with other Slytherin students, an oak door with iron hinges directly left of the main stairs descending from the upper floors, center of the Entrance Hall opposing the main doors, now locked and hinged shut for the night.

Hadrian followed the torch lit stairwell made of flagstone and limestone brick down into what had to of once been dungeons for the castle. The close corridor had a very oppressive and creepy feel to it. The torches couldn't banish all of the shadows, especial from the far corners.

"Professor Snape's classrooms are to your right and left," Prefect Petezide informed, as they made their way past a set of five oak doors, two doors staggered across from three doors. "First and second years convene in the first classroom, marked as so." He directed their notice to the iron numbers. The first classroom they had passed had an iron one nailed to the center of the door, as Hadrian saw upon looking back over his shoulder.

"The Professor's office, private lab, and private store cupboard," Prefect Petezide said as he led the first years pass three more doors a bit deeper into the dungeon hall. "As Professor Snape is our Head of House, you need to know that his private lab is not to be disturbed, nor are his classes. He has office hours during the week from seven o'clock to nine o'clock. However, first year curfew is eight thirty, sharp, nightly. Weekends, he holds office hours from two o'clock to five o'clock, Saturday, and from two o'clock to three o'clock, Sunday."

Hadrian yawned, trying to store away the information in case of if he needed it.

There was a 'T' at the far end of the hall.

"The dungeons," Prefect Petezide said, motioning to their right. He led them down the left.

There was another set of stairs, a corner to the right and then they stood before a blank wall, torches to the left and right of its center.

"Asmodeus Burnswallow," Prefect Petezide said to the wall.

An open, brick archway appeared, where there had only been a brick wall moments before.

"Can anyone tell me who Asmodeus Burnswallow was?" Prefect Petezide asked, turning to the first years.

"He was a Pure-Blood knight in the 13th century of the Black, Malfoy, Peverell, Aligent Houses of Arms, in the war against Muggle governance of our peoples and other magical kindred," Ms. Nott said, before anyone else could speak up.

"Very good." Prefect Petezide smiled. "Professor Snape likes to use our passwords as a learning tool. You should study them. There is a quiz at the end of the year, the winner, sometimes winners winning jointly, receive 50 points for our house, but only if the winner or winners get every password correct."

"Cool," Greg said.

Hadrian nodded. The passwords were something to keep track of for sure and not just to access their dorms.

"Now, this is the our common room," Prefect Petezide said, leading the first years through the archway.

Hadrian let out a low whistle. Upon passing through the archway, he came into a room of rough stone walls and ceiling, which were almost cave like. The room itself was deep with three different levels. There was a flat before him, where two identical, black oak tables with armchair around them, one at his right and the other at his left, were placed directly below one of nine low hanging, green-hued orb lamps. Two stairs down was another flat with more green armchairs, matching sofas and black oak coffee tables beneath green orb lamps, along with five bookcases backed against the rough walls, filled with marked and unmarked tombs. At the far end, opposite to the entrance archway, was a high flat, seven stairs up. A fire burned at the back and center of it beneath a stone mantelpiece carved directly out of the walls, so elaborate that Hadrian was completely transfixed by it. There were two armchairs, a sofa and a single coffee table on the small flat, all beneath a singular green orb lamp, giving the flat an exclusive feel to the rest of the room.

A couple of older students trickled into the common room after them and snickered lightly at all the first years frozen in place, taking in their 'new digs'.

"Boys dorms are down the left stairs and the girls dorms are down the right. They are labled according to year." Prefect Petezide motioned to the archways to their left and right, off of the first flat, a stone railing only three feet from each side, making the archways more apparent.

"Good night, Daphne," Hadrian said and, overwhelmed, hugged the girl.

"Good night, Hadrian," Daphne held him a bit tighter, before breaking the hug. "I'll see you in the morning."

Hadrian let go and looked after his cousin, as she followed the girls over to the right archway. He had promised her over dinner to tell her about Aunt Petunia. In turn, she was going to tell him about his great uncle and aunt and his younger cousin, her sister, Astoria.

"Come on." Draco tugged Hadrian to the boy's dorms.

They raced through the left archway and down the stairs. Prefect Petezide was ahead of them and turned off the square stairwell on the third landing down.

"Two more boys," he said in the open door to the fifth year dorm. "Don't stay up too late unpacking. It may not feel like it but is nearly nine o'clock already."

When they reached the fifth landing, Ash did the honors of opening their dorm room door, which had iron plating marking it 'First Year - Boys'.

"Nice!" Vince said, following Ash in.

"I love Hogwarts!" Greg said, checking out the six four-poster beds lined down the deep, low ceiling, rectangular room, three on the right and three on the left. He eyed the far fireplace, which was smaller than the common room's hearth, but just as elaborately carved, with six green armchairs set before it around a single black oak coffee table.

"Guys!" Ash shouted from the now open doorway at the back of the room to the left of the fireplace. "We've our own private bath! Three sinks, two showers and a claw-foot tub. It's all carved out of the stone!"

It took a while to settle in. Hadrian's bed was between Greg and Blaise's beds, on the right side of the room. Each of them had a private desk with a silver, snake forged lamp with a green lampshade atop it and a bookcase built in above it to the right of their beds, a private wardrobe built into the foot of their beds, and a night stand with a pitcher of water, a flesh water glass, a bronze alarm clock, and a matching silver snake forged lamp with a green lampshade atop the nightstand at the left of their beds. The beds themselves had green and silver hangings, as well as a deep green comforter with the Slytherin Crest on it, a shammed pillow of the same deep green with the Slytherin Crest on it, and silver sheets with two regular feathered pillows for their twin sized bed.

Hadrian tucked himself into bed, exhausted after unpacking and storing his trunk beneath his black oak four-poster bed like the other boys. He released the hang to his right first and then lent over to set his alarm for the morning. He took one more sip of water, before releasing the hang to cover the left side of his bed, plummeting him into soft, warm darkness, even with the fire still alight in the hearth.

Before Hadrian knew it, his breaths evened and a dream of sprinting from one side of his kwoon to the other, his Si Fu encouraging him and his class to push themselves, filled his mind. A cloth with his kwoon emblem and his achieved belts in secure ties hung above his headboard. He was right at home, only now in the Wizarding World, not the Muggle World, back at Number Four, Privet Drive.