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Chapter 14: Sorting
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The carriage wheeled around the curve and the castle was illuminated. Ed's eyes widened unconsciously. The school was huge, beautiful, and radiated in power. The wizards smiled at the sight of their school. The carriages stopped in front of the school, and the group walked to the front.
Hermione turned to Ed. "So Ed, this is the Entrance Hall-"
"I'm supposed to wait here for Severus, then," Ed cut her off, remembering Remus' instructions. Harry and Ron raised their eyebrows.
"Severus?" they said simultaneously.
Ed ignored them, turning back to Hermione. "I'm sorry, what were you about to say?"
Hermione's cheeks reddened a shade, and continued, "If we go to the right, with the rest of the students, we enter the Great Hall. That's where we eat our meals, and are told major announcements. We're going to go ahead on in there, but wait here if that's what you were told to do."
Ed nodded, and noticed how flush Hermione looked. "Hey, are you okay? You look like you might have a fever or something." He lifted his automail hand up to her forehead, knowing the metal would have a cooling effect through his glove. Hermione stiffened, and relaxed when the hand retreated, and Harry and Ron's concerned faces came into view.
"I'm alright. Lets go, I'm hungry is all," she reassured them.
Accepting her excuse, the wizards filed into the Great Hall, leaving Ed leaning against the wall, trying not to be trampled by the crowd. After a few minutes, he saw a batlike figure come into his line of sight, and he headed over to him. Severus nodded at him in greeting, and swept down along the hallway. Ed followed, and they ended up in an office.
In front of him was a tall, old, pointed looking woman with an air of authority as thick as Mustang's skull. She motioned for him to sit and he did so, Severus pulling up a chair to the side of him.
"So, Elric is it?" said the imposing woman. Ed nodded.
"Yeah, Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist. Ask Severus what it is, because I'm not giving another potion-induced explanation about it," Ed said stiffly.
The woman nodded. "I'm Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor House, and the Transfiguration teacher. Have you done any magic before receiving your letter?"
Ed shook his head. "No, just alchemy, but it's different from your magic so, no I haven't. I know most of the basic spells for all 6 years, and I was able to perform most of the spells my books had in them over the summer." McGonagall's eyebrows rose.
"Well, then you might not need QUITE as many supplementary lessons as we thought. Anyways, you'll be selecting your classes and taking small proficiency tests tomorrow, so if you feel like studying, I would do so. Now please follow me to be Sorted. You'll go after the first years," McGonagall said, rising from her chair to leave the room. Ed and Severus followed behind.
"I'll see you later on Elric, but for now I need to get back to the Hall," Severus said quietly. Ed was taken aback by the use of his last name.
"Hey, um, Severus. You can call me by my first name you know. If Ed's too familiar for you then just use Edward. If you still need formalized shit, then call me Fullmetal. People only say Elric when they're talking about me and my brother," Ed finished sadly.
Snape scowled. "Fine, Fullmetal. I shall see you later," Severus replied, and abruptly turned and swept down a side corridor.
Ed looked around, slightly confused, but then saw McGonagall up ahead of him, and hurried to catch up to her, finding himself standing in front of a bunch of eleven-year-olds.
"Please follow me into the Great Hall where you shall be Sorted into your Houses. Come quickly please," the professor ended briskly and started off towards a large archway. Ed fell into line beside a skinny first year trembling so hard it looked like his robes would fall off. Ed put his automail hand on his shoulder and he jumped up in surprise, calming down when he saw Ed was the one next to him.
"Are you okay?" Ed asked, the kid taking huge breaths before looking back up at him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just…nervous is all," the kid said, trying to get himself together. Ed tried to give him an encouraging smile, remembering the anxiety he and Al had felt when they'd been caught doing their first alchemy.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay. What's your name?" Ed asked. The kid looked up.
"Ju-Julian Wilder."
"Edward Elric. Call me Ed," Ed replied, holding out a hand. The first year took it, and gave a tentative smile.
"Jules. Call me Jules, Ed," Jules said weakly, still slightly nervous. The two suddenly realized that half the first years were pushing past them and they hurried along, exchanging conversation as they walked.
"So, are you new here Jules?" Ed asked. Jules half grinned.
"What kind of a question is that? We're all first years aren't we? By the way, why were you late? My parents said a few years ago, some second years took a flying car out here and were late, but if you're just a first then-"
"I'M A GODDAMN 6TH YEAR DAMMIT!! Why the hell is that SO hard for everyone to accept?" Ed burst out, and realized Jules was trembling again. "Oh, sorry Jules. I'm not a 1st year; I'm a 6th year transfer who is not short. I didn't mean to take my anger out on you, but that's got to be the fifth time someone's done that today."
Jules mumbled a quiet "sorry" and Ed rolled his eyes.
"Agh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow up on you, you're pretty awesome and the sanest person I've met in this place."
Jules gave him a weird
look. "Wait, are you from a dif-" he started and then his
voice turned into a gasp along with everyone else's when the group
entered the Great Hall.
The ceiling looked like there was no
ceiling, the night sky holding up the walls instead. The room itself
was enormous, the four long tables lining the hall were filled with
students, and a fifth table was packed full of people Ed assumed were
the teachers, receiving a slight shock when he noticed Severus
sitting among them. Each table had a large banner over it, one of a
lion, another of a hawk, a snake, and a badger. McGonagall had them
file into a line, and placed a large, weather beaten hat on a stool.
For some reason, it gained the attention of all the students. Then it
opened its mouth and began to sing:
Tis the Sorting Hat's song!! Yay!! We don't ever find out the lyrics to this, so just imagine pretty prophetic words flowing out of a Hat's mouth.
The students clapped, Ed marveling at the magic of the hat, and wondering how the fuck they got a soul in it. There's probably a blood seal hidden under one of those patches.
McGonagall stepped forward, holding up a long scroll.
"When I call your name, please step forward, and sit, placing the Hat on your head."
The first years raised eyebrows, Jules whispering frantically to Ed, "My brother's a dirty liar, telling me we had to duel with Snape. We just have to try on a stupid hat!"
Ed turned to him in wonder. "You're brother went here too? Who is he?"
"His name's Judest Wilder, but he goes by Jude. He's a Ravenclaw in six- in your year I suppose," Jules said sadly, eyes downcast. Ed nudged him playfully in the side.
"Hey, don't worry, just because there's a age difference doesn't mean we won't hang out. I have to take supplementary classes anyways because I'm a transfer, so maybe I'll be in one of your 1st year classes." But probably not, Ed added to himself.
Jules brightened considerably, and then the words "Amphora, Adrian," came out of McGonagall's mouth.
Adrian walked to the stool, and put the Hat on his head, it falling down to cover his eyes. Nothing happened for a moment, but then the Hat's 'mouth' boomed "GRYFFINDOR!" and a large round of applause started up from the lion table. Ed scanned it for people he knew and saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville all seated there with Ron's sister. The first year sat down at the table, probably grateful to be out of the center of attention. One by one, students were called and were either Sorted into "GRYFFINDOR!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" "RAVENCLAW!" or "SLYTHERIN!" The only familiar faces outside the Gryffindor table were Luna at Ravenclaw, and the Malfoy at Slytherin.
Ed immediately wished to not be in Slytherin. The only Sorting he paid attention to after the first guy's was Jules, who after someone named "Vladar, Tzuchi," was Sorted into "SLYTHERIN", Ed heard McGonagall boom out "Wilder, Julian."
Julian slowly walked up to the stool, trembling harder than he had been when he'd first met Ed. The Hat settled upon his head for a few seconds and then screamed out "RAVENCLAW!" A large round of applause came from the Eagle table, Jules going to sit next to an older guy who had the same build and hair as his younger counterpart. That's probably Jude, Ed thought.
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Finally the last first year was Sorted when "Zadaa, Loor" was made into a "GRIFFINDOR!"
Ed stood up at the front awkwardly, people staring at him, probably wondering why he was still up there. Dumbledore stood up from his place at the High Table and the Hall fell silent.
"Now, before we dig into our feast, there is one other thing we must do. We now have a new student, Mr. Edward Elric, who will be transferring into our sixth year. Please treat him as you would anyone who has been here for all five years, and try not to starve while we Sort him," Dumbledore ended, grinning. Ed smiled, and then saw McGonagall motioning for him to put on the hat. He walked the two yards over to the small chair, and sat down, pulling the Hat over his eyes.
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After a few seconds nothing happened.
Hmm…A very hard decision, very hard this one. Many secrets, a vast amount. Oh, now don't get all alarmed, you knew what I was the moment I started talking and you thought of your brother. By the way, best keep him and your Automail a secret. Same thing about seeing the thestrals. People are usually suspicious if you've seen someone die before.
What the hell? You're in my head?!
But of course. Why ever not? Shielding your mind won't work against me, your wall formula isn't working on me. As I said you are a man of many secrets Mr. Elric, many secrets indeed.
Yeah, well threatening me with those won't get you anywhere. Like you said, I know what you are and I know how to unmake you. Take out the blood seal and you end up just like the Slicers. So get on with it.
Ah, but you are simply SO complex Mr. Elric, that it is rather hard. Why the only harder student I've ever Sorted was Mr. Potter, but he at least had a preference. You don't seem to care. Lets see…definitely not Hufflepuff. You have enough vengeance, cunning, and ambition to be in Slytherin, but there's too much love and intellect for that House. This is rather hard. I don't have all day, and because everything is SUCH a tie between the two, I'm just going to have to do something I haven't done since the third generation after the Founders died…
Wait, what? What are you doing? Are you going to tell them? No, don't-
"I DON'T KNOW!"
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