Scorpius
When we entered the Great Hall, I waved goodbye to my friends as I sat down with by BEST FRIENDS 5EVA (dat's moar dan 4eva), the Slytherins.
I am assuming they gave me evil looks, but considering I didn't give a crap, I just looked around at the hall.
Albus and James were wreaking havoc at the Gryffindor table, playing catch with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes fireworks. The only problem was there were about ten second-years in the way, all screaming when the flaming squirrel (not a real one, geez, PETA. A firework!) flew over their heads.
At Hufflepuff table, everyone was having a good time, jovially talking with smiles on their faces. Rose was talking to a newly-made prefect in the year above us, no doubt congratulating her on her amazing achievement.
On the other side of me, lay the Ravenclaw table, the only house that looked to be having even less fun than me. (And I was surrounded by thugs who probably wanted to kill me.)
They sat, making polite conversation in bored tones. Only one group seemed to be enthusiastic, a group of third-years all gathered around one bespectacled boy holding many sheets of paper and a calculator.
With no one interesting left, my gaze wandered to the ceiling. It was, as always, showing the sky, and tonight it was clear and you could see every constellation.
Just as I began to get bored, Professor Guild stood up, and everyone became silent. (Except James, who was still playing with the firework.)
The big doors at the end of the hall opened, and all the first-years walked in, including Hugo and Lily, who were standing next to each other looking terrified.
"Hello, new students, and welcome back old ones," Guild began. "Before we move on to the Sorting, I would like to go over a change in the staffing."
A buzz whirred around the room. Who had left, and who would replace them? I hoped beyond hope the Binns had left, but since even death couldn't keep him away, I knew I was being stupid.
Professor Pludling had been the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher last year, and so naturally everyone assumed he had left. When I looked at the table, though, he was still there, sweaty and sour-faced as ever.
Before I could look at any of the other teachers, Guild continued, "Taking the place of Professor Valentine, we have Mister Frank Fortuna, here to be out Potions Master."
I groaned, as did everyone in the hall.
Valentine had been an amazing teacher. She didn't value one house or student over the others, and the managed to get me through my exams last year even though I am kind of awful at Potions. And she was always there for guidance when you had a problem. And, well… she wasn't exactly ugly.
The new guy, Fortuna, was… well, not to judge on first impressions but… he didn't look like a Valentine. He was old, and balding, and he wore Muggle clothing. Like, actual Muggle clothing, not wizards who are pretending to be Muggles but end up looking like people who escaped from the asylum and fell in an Oxfam shop.
Then Guild raised her hand for silence, and it fell once more.
"And now, on with the Sorting!"
A tiny little boy( Addams, Steve) who I would have guessed was about six, was put in Ravenclaw, where he was greeted with a handshake.
Ellie Armet was a Slytherin, and I sized her up. She was small, but had a certain shrewd look about her that made me not want to turn my back. She sat down opposite me, and Zabini fist-bumped her.
I stopped listening to the names, then, but looked up every time a Slytherin joined us. My ears pricked up when "Potter, Lily" was called.
Little Lily walked up the steps, slowly, her legs visibly shaking from here, and carefully sat down. When Guild put the hat on her, it took a few minutes, until it gave, "Gryffindor!"
At this, Lily slumped in her seat a little, and sombrely walked over to the Gryffindor table, where Albus thumped her on the back and smiled, but she seemed slightly sad.
At the end of the Sorting, as always, came the Weasley.
Hugo sauntered up to the podium and put the hat on himself. Then, almost straight away, the hat yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!"
Then Hugo paled. I could sense what was coming, even though I'd never been present to experience one. Rose had told me all about them.
Hugo was about to have a midget rage.