4. Sorting and Settling

After an uneventful boat ride they arrived at Hogwarts. Hagrid led them up to the castle where a tall, thin witch in bottle green robes was waiting for them by the large, open, oak front door. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, her square glasses resting on the end of her nose and her hands clasped together in front of her.

'Thank you, Hagrid' the witch said, nodding her head slightly at Hagrid.

'No problem,' Hagrid replied cheerily, smiling down at the students before trudging off round the side of the castle whistling.

'Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Professor McGonagall,' the stern looking witch said, turning back to the students. 'Follow me.'

As she led them across the vast, torch lit Entrance Hall several students gasped at the sight of a group of ghosts floating through the double doors on the right of the hall. Professor McGonagall either did not hear the sounds of amazement from the students, or was simply ignoring it as she carried on through the Entrance Hall and led them into a small chamber in silence.

Once all the first years were inside the chamber Professor McGonagall addressed them.

'In a few moments I will take you through to the Great Hall to join the rest of the students for the start-of-term feast. Before the feast begins you will each be sorted into your houses, once sorted you will take a seat at your house table. The Sorting ceremony is very important. While you are here at Hogwarts you will be spending vast amounts of time with the other members of your house; you will have lessons with them, share a dormitory with them and spend free time with them in your house common room.

'At the end of the year the house with the most house points is awarded the House Cup. Throughout the year your achievements will earn you points for your house and any rule breaking will lose them. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I hope you will all be a credit to your chosen house. Take a moment to tidy yourselves up, I shall come back to get you when we are ready for you.'

Professor McGonagall swept out of the chamber and the students immediately began talking in low, murmuring voices. She wasn't gone long though, silencing the students a few minutes later when she walked back into the chamber.

'We're ready for you now, follow me please.'

The first years obediently followed her back across the entrance hall and through the large double doors they'd seen the ghosts glide through moments ago in silence. The rest of the students were already seated at the four long tables that ran the length of the Great Hall, all of them watching the first years make their way to the front of the hall behind Professor McGonagall.

As they walked the length of the hall, most of the new students stared at the high ceiling, which depicted the dark, star filled sky, but Sirius and James were looking round for Sirius's cousin, wondering whether their dung bombs had worked. Halfway down the hall Sirius nudged James and nodded at the table nearest the wall on his left where a blonde haired witch was following Sirius with her eyes, her eyebrows raised.

'Either your dung bombs were faulty, or those Slytherins have no sense of smell!' Sirius whispered, turning away from the glare of his cousin.

James nodded his agreement. None of the students surrounding Narcissa were wearing looks of disgust, or looked at all like they were breathing in any foul aroma. James was slightly disappointed his dung bombs hadn't worked, but nothing could dampen his spirits now he was finally at Hogwarts and was about to be sorted.

Professor McGonagall stopped just in front of the staff table at the front of the hall, where a frayed, tatty old hat sat on a three legged stool. Taking her place next to the stool, Professor McGonagall instructed the first years to make a line in front of her.

As the first years stared at the hat, most of them wondering what it was doing there, it started twitching. Someone to the left of Sirius gasped as a moment later the hat came to life and began to sing.

Now please don't judge me on my looks

For there is so much more to me

It is my job to read you mind

And decide in which house you should be.

The founders they put brains in me

So when they were dead and gone

I could choose the right students

To help their favoured traits live on.

The ambitious and the cunning

With an ancestry that's pure

Would do well in Slytherin

That much I know for sure.

But the clever and the wise

Who are eager to learn more

Are sure to make their friends

In the house of Ravenclaw.

For the fair and the just

The loyal and the patient

The house of Hufflepuff

Is where you'll be sent.

For the chivalrous and brave

The bold and daring too

The house of Gryffindor

Is the only place for you.

So come place me on your head

You have nothing to fear

Just let me take a look inside

And your house I will see clear

When the Sorting Hat had sung the last words of its song, and had once more become perfectly silent and still, the hall filled with the cheering and applause of the students.

'Adams, Michael.'

The hall fell silent again as soon as Professor McGonagall called out the first name from the roll of parchment in her hand.

As Sirius watched a tiny blonde boy step out of the line, eyeing the Hat suspiciously, he started to feel a little nervous. What if he was sorted into Slytherin? As desperate as he was to break the long standing Black family tradition, he didn't think he'd be fortunate enough to actually do it. Being placed in Slytherin would certainly please his parents, but he knew that it would make his time at Hogwarts much less enjoyable than he had thought earlier, and pleasing his parents was not a priority for him.

Luckily he didn't have too long to dwell on his thoughts and his nerves didn't have time to really kick in. The Hat sorted Nikki Ashcombe into Gryffindor and as Sirius watched the blonde haired girl walk confidently over to the table on the far left, smoothing her hair as she did so, he heard Professor McGonagall call his name.

'Black, Sirius.'

Sirius strode up to the stool with a confidence he didn't feel, picked up the hat and pulled it down firmly onto his head as he sat down. The last thing he saw before the hat covered his eyes was James smiling reassuringly at him.

'Ah, yes, another Black.'

Sirius scowled to himself under the hat, none too pleased at being referred to as 'another Black'. He was only too aware of which house that name was associated with. The hat, however, seemed to take no notice of the thoughts running through Sirius's mind and continued muttering.

'But, my, my, where to put you? It's all here, you have a sharp mind. Edgy though. Unpredictable. Yes, wouldn't get along there'

Sirius was utterly perplexed as to what the Hat was talking about now, and shifted uncomfortably on the stool. It felt like this was taking much longer than any of the few students who had already been Sorted.

'Impatient, yes, yes, I see. But loyal, brave even. Yes. Better be… Gryffindor!'

Sirius could hardly believe it; he hadn't been placed in Slytherin. The Hat had obviously paid more attention to his thoughts than he had realised. Ecstatic, he whipped the hat from his head and thrust it at Professor McGonagall as he jumped up from the stool. After shooting a happy grin at James he hurried over to join the other Gryffindors, trying hard to keep the bounce out of his step.

James, feeling pleased for his new friend, watched Sirius sit down at the Gryffindor table and greet the ruffle necked ghost he was sitting next to. He stared at the ghost for a while, trying to remember what his father had said his name was… Needy Headed Nick? No, that wasn't it... Never Heartless Nick? No, that wasn't right either. James gave up trying to remember and turned back to the sorting hat just as 'Esterly, Stuart' became a Hufflepuff.

The small, mousey haired boy rushed towards the Hufflepuff table and 'Evans, Lily' was called. A pretty, red haired girl stepped gingerly out of the line and walked nervously up to the stool, carefully placing the Hat on her head as she sat down. The Hat had barely fallen down over her eyes when it declared Lily a Gryffindor. Looking a little less nervous than she had a moment ago, she joined Nikki, Sirius and the other Gryffindors.

James hoped that all the students would be sorted as quickly as Lily had been; even though the sorting had not long started he was beginning to get impatient. He started to wonder whether he would remain friends with Sirius if he was sorted into Ravenclaw. Perhaps he would become a bookworm as his mother hoped he would (at least he thought that's what his mother hoped), and if that happened Sirius wouldn't want to be friends with him, he was sure. And would he want to be friends with Sirius if he became a bookworm? Probably not.

Shaking his head slightly, trying to forget all thoughts of becoming a Ravenclaw (or a bookworm), he turned his attention back to the Sorting Hat. 'Jacobs, Isabel', a slightly plump girl with shoulder length dark hair had just been called and was sitting under the hat. She too became a Gryffindor. James looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw Isabel sit down next to a blonde girl he had not seen be Sorted.

'Knightly, Jake' and 'Kollson, Jenna' became Ravenclaws, 'Lippton, May' became a Hufflepuff and then 'Lupin, Remus' was called. James thought Remus looked extremely nervous as he walked towards the stool; his face looked pale and drawn under his mop of light brown hair and he was clutching the sleeves of his cloak very tightly. The Hat stayed on Remus's head for far longer than it had for any other student, and Remus was shifting in his seat. Finally the Hat announced that Remus was to become a Gryffindor and Remus hurried over to the Gryffindor table looking at his feet, not making eye contact with anyone. James noticed Sirius slide along the bench, leaving a space next to him as Remus sat down next to him on the other side. He felt sure Sirius was saving that seat for him.

The line of first years continued to dwindle, and the hall was filled with a Mexican wave of cheers as each new student was sorted. James was beginning to get fidgety, looking from the Sorting Hat to the Gryffindor table, to the stars sparkling on the high ceiling, and then back to the Sorting Hat. This was taking forever! After what felt like hours but in reality was only minutes, Professor McGonagall reached the P's.

'Pettigrew, Peter' became a Gryffindor, 'Pickering, Emily' became a Hufflepuff, and then…

'Potter, James.'

'Finally!' James thought as he stepped out of the line of students and hurried up to the stool. He grabbed the Hat and rammed it onto his head. It didn't stay on his head for very long.

'Ah, yes,' said the Hat, 'I know just where to put you... Gryffindor.'

James wasted no time in joining Sirius at the Gryffindor table. He thrust the Hat at Professor McGonagall, in much the same way Sirius had, and rushed over to the cheering Gryffindor table, clapping Sirius on the back as he reached him.

'I knew we'd both make Gryffindor,' James said, plonking himself down in the seat next to Sirius, choosing to forget about his thoughts of becoming a Ravenclaw.

'I wasn't sure you'd make it; the hat seemed a bit unsure of where to put you,' Sirius replied, a cheeky grin on his face.

'Ha ha, you're so funny.'

'I like to think so.'

The rest of the Sorting passed by much quicker now that James had been sorted; at least it felt that way to James. When the last student had been sorted, Professor McGonagall carried the stool and Hat away, and Dumbledore stood up, immediately getting the attention of the excitable students. All heads were turned in his direction and the hall had fallen into complete silence.

'Welcome!' Dumbledore said, throwing his arms open wide. 'Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I'm sure you're all famished and in no mood to listen to an old man's ramblings, so… let the feast begin!'

The golden platters and bowls in the middle of the tables instantly filled with a wide assortment of food, the empty jugs filled with pumpkin juice and the hall buzzed with the sound of friendly chatter as the students started piling their plates with an assortment of food.

Reaching out for a chicken drumstick, Peter leant forward, looking past Remus at James. 'Hi! I'm Peter… Oops!' In his enthusiasm to introduce himself to James (having already done so to Sirius and Remus) he hadn't noticed Remus's pumpkin juice and had knocked it over. The juice flowed across the table towards him and started dripping onto his lap. Peter pushed himself away from the table slightly harder than he should have done; with his arms flailing, unsuccessfully trying to balance himself, he fell backwards off the bench onto the floor with a thud.

With many students staring at him (some looking concerned, some trying hard to conceal their amusement, and some openly laughing at Peters misfortune), Peters face turned a bright shade of red as he picked himself up off the floor and straightened his robes, a bashful smile on his face.

'Nice introduction, Peter,' James said, holding back a smirk, while Sirius sniggered into his pumpkin juice. Peters face turned slightly redder.

'Are you OK, Peter,' Lily asked kindly, throwing a reproachful look at James and Sirius as Peter sat back down, dodging the wet patch on the bench. Peter nodded in reply.

Next to Lily, Nikki got out her wand and pointed it at the spilt pumpkin juice. She muttered an incantation and the puddle of juice disappeared leaving the table and bench dry and clean. She put her wand back into the pocket of her robes and started eating again.

'When did you learn to do that?' Lily asked, amazed that someone who had only just started Hogwarts was able to perform magic already. 'I thought underage wizards and witches weren't allowed to perform magic outside of Hogwarts.'

'Oh, my auntie has been teaching me a few spells. I've never actually performed them before but she taught me the incantations and wand movements.' Nikki replied. 'I'm just glad it actually worked; I'd have felt a bit foolish if nothing had happened!'

Lily smiled. 'Do you live with your auntie?' she asked.

'No. No, I live with my dad, but he's not magical.'

'So you get your magic from your mum's side?' Lily asked, popping a forkful of carrots into her mouth.

'Well, it's from both sides really. My mum is a pureblood witch, my dad's a muggle but his sister is a muggleborn witch, so it runs in both sides.'

'Oh. Does your mum not live with you then?' Lily asked, feeling like she was interrogating Nikki but not being able to stop herself from asking.

'No, she left when I was very little.' Nikki replied in a tone that made Lily realise Nikki did not want to talk about her mother. Then turning to Isabel, who had said very little so far, she said 'What about you Isabel, are you from a magical family?'

Isabel quickly swallowed the roast parsnip she had just put in her mouth. 'Yes,' she said quietly. 'Both my parents are magical.'

Over the next few minutes the Gryffindor first years talked about their families, finding out what sort of witch or wizard they all were. Talk then turned to Hogwarts and the classes they would be taking and which ones they were most looking forward to. Remus and Isabel were very quiet during the feast, only talking when they were asked a question directly. Lily put this down to them both just being shy and tried a bit harder to bring them into the conversation.

Before they knew it the feast was over. The clattering of knifes and forks came to a halt, and the loud, happy voices of the students turned into a low murmur. The food disappeared from the table leaving the plates as sparkling clean as they had been when they'd first sat down.

Once again, Dumbledore stood to his feet at the staff table, making the low murmur become utter silence.

'Now that we are all fed and watered I have a few notices for you. Firstly, Mr Filch would like me to remind you that no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes, and I would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to i all i students.

'Quidditch trials will be held in two weeks time, a notice will be put up on your house notice board. To all who wish to try out for their house teams, good luck.

'That is all for tonight,' Dumbledore said, smiling broadly, 'now off to bed!'

As soon as Dumbledore had finished talking, a tall, dark haired boy and a slightly shorter, blonde girl, both wearing silver prefect badges on their robes, appeared behind Sirius and James.

'Hey Issie,' the dark haired boy said smiling widely at Isabel. 'Well done for making Gryffindor. Mum and Dad will be so pleased.'

Isabel smiled back at the boy. 'Thanks Ryan.'

'Well, I'm Ryan and this is Sara,' Ryan said indicating the blonde girl next to him who was smiling kindly at them. 'We're going to take you up to your dormitories. We will take you up by the most direct route, then hopefully you'll all be able to remember your way back down in the morning!'

'Right, follow us,' Sara said turning towards the double doors.

The first year Gryffindors followed Ryan and Sara across the hall. When they reached the door and had stopped to let a group of Hufflepuff students go out the doors, James caught the end of one boy's conversation.

'It's not my fault, someone let off a dung bomb on the train and I can't get rid of this stench!'

'I hope it's gone in the morning, cause if it isn't there is no way I'm sitting next to you in lessons!'

James grinned to himself, happy in the knowledge that his dung bombs had in fact worked, nudged Sirius and whispered, 'It was your memory that didn't work, not my dung bombs!'

'Glad to hear it, James. I think we can have a lot of fun with those!'

Up in the dormitory, after a long walk along numerous corridors and up many staircases, James and Sirius were still full of life and not ready for sleep. They carried on talking for hours, joined by Peter who was fascinated by their tale of the Persistent Pong Dung Bombs. He hoped they'd let him in on their next prank.

Remus on the other hand had feigned exhaustion and clambered straight into bed as soon as they'd entered the dormitory. But he did not fall asleep until long after the others. He lay there listening to the chatter and laughter, telling himself over and over that this was for the best; that he couldn't join in with them, that secluding himself was the only way to keep his secret. He was already finding it hard.