Hello again! This is the second chapter for 19 Years Later. Hope you all enjoy! Sorry it is kind of rushed at the end, but I think I would rather upload it now than wait another week with 1000 more words.
Also, lilgenious, did you find this through my profile, or was it crazy random happenstance. I promise I'll write my Musketeers challenge fic soon!
LS
Al looked up at the tall creature. Smooth skin flowed seamlessly into soft fur. The centaur looked down at all of the students with a warm smile. James hadn't told Al about a centaur at the school. They all gazed up at either the school or the centaur, enraptured by both. Chatter started up and quickly grew in volume.
"Settle down everyone," The centaur's voice was as smooth as his coat and as deep as the darkness of the night. Al could hear several of the girls sigh as they fell head over heels for the magical beast.
"I am Firenze, I shall be leading you up to the castle. I'd like for you to form two lines, and follow me. We will stop again at the top of the stairs and from there you shall be taken into the great hall for your sorting."
The centaur turned as if he expected his charges to behave, and to Al's surprise, they did. Two lines of excited students were quickly formed and they began following the centaur up the stone stairs that wound up through the rocky cliff below Hogwarts. They were led in almost complete darkness, yet amazingly no one tripped or fell. Torches burned upon every landing, marking each turn the stairs took as they cut deep into the side of the cliff up towards the school.
"I can't see the school anymore," said a fair-haired boy to Al's left.
"Do you think Firenze's a teacher here?" A girl gushed to one of her friends up ahead, and the two gushed into loud giggles.
Al watched as the flickering lights of Hogwarts appeared every so often as they twisted and turned up the many stairs. It strange, Al knew he must have climbed up too many stairs to count but he didn't feel tired at all. It was probably some sort of enchantment and he knew Rose would be telling him all about it if she were closer. Aunt Hermione had been reading out of Hogwarts: A History to Rose and Hugo since they were born and Rose already knew her way around Hogwarts completely. Al just hoped she would lead him around, at least until Christmas. A good sense of direction is not what Al was known for in any way.
"All these people are obsessed with the strangeness that comes from it being a magic school. I just can't wait to eat," said Scorpius into Al's ear.
Al couldn't help but laugh in return. Of all the things to notice at this school for magic, where the impossible was bound to happen, Scorpius noticed his stomach.
From way up ahead, Firenze's voice drifted over them. "Now, in a moment we shall enter the hall, and each one of you shall be sorted into a house. For those who do not know, there are four houses: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. Each house has their good traits and their faults. They are all equal, and only one is right for you. There shall be no prejudice between the houses. No matter what your parents may have told you, and no matter what the history books say, there is no toleration for dark magic here in any of the houses.
"Now, please no rushing when I open the doors. Everyone will be sorted. You will walk up the center of the four house tables and wait in front of the Sorting Hat."
With that, Firenze opened the great double doors and led the students down the length of the hall. Quiet chatter echoed around the hall, with older students craning their necks to look at the first years. Al could hear a couple whispers of "They are so adorable" and felt his face flush in embarrassment. He didn't want to be adorable. He wanted to be… well, tall was near the top of the list. If he was taller, those girls wouldn't call him adorable. However, Al was the shortest person in the hall, and therefore his embarrassment forced his eyes to be glued to the marble floors, instead of taking in the amazing works of magic around him. The other first years found the hall to be amazing to their young eyes. Soft gasps escaped their lips at the hundreds of floating candles, or the starry sky twinkling merrily above them instead of the ceiling they so expected to be there.
They reached the end of the hall quickly, and a woman in long black robes stepped forwards as Firenze stopped leading the children and moved to stand beside the long wooden table laden with golden tableware at the head of the hall. The woman stood behind a three-legged stool upon which sat a very raggedy old, pointed hat. She held each first year's eyes with a firm gaze, the aged lines that mapped her face didn't give any sig of emotion away. After she finished staring at them all, making each and every one of them feel very uncomfortable, as if the woman could see everything inside their minds, she just simply stood at the front of the room as if waiting for something. Al cast a glance behind his shoulder to see if the older students were just as surprised as the first years and saw that they also looked as if they were waiting for something. Al followed their gaze and right when his eyes came to rest on the Sorting Hat (for that, he figured, is what it must be) it came to life.
"Fresh eyes I sense have come at last,
To learn spells and how to cast,
But first before you begin to learn,
To be sorted, it is your turn."
Al's mouth dropped open as the raggedy hat began to sing rather loudly to a jaunty tune. A hat was singing. A hat was singing. The Sorting Hat was singing, and really quite badly, as if its voice had cracked with age along with the leather it was made out of.
"Long ago when the school was started
Four founders each decided
that in order to decide when they departed
In me, each of their traits were confided.
"So whom to Gryffindor would go,
But the loyal and courageous,
These the traits he loved best,
And saw as advantageous.
"To Ravenclaw there went,
The smart and slightly odd,
For quick of mind favored she,
For that was her façade.
"And Slytherin, why he,
He liked magical nobility,
Those determined to see their goals,
Were his responsibility.
And then Hufflepuff, that lady true,
Loved those with kind hearts as virtue,
She favored those who are hardworking,
Those who were not from their work shirking
"So now place me upon your head,
And your thoughts I shall read,
And then I will decide on where,
Your magical path will lead.
"And while you're here remember this:
Though the founder's favored different traits,
They worked in close harmony,
So now at last, the sorting awaits!"
The Sorting Hat finished with a loud and high note, making nearly everyone in the great hall wince. The hat seemed quite pleased with itself and vibrated on the stool. The wizened woman cleared her throat, commanding the attention of the students.
"Now, when I call your name, you must come up here and sit on the stool. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. After the Sorting Hat has reached its decision, you will go join the rest of your house."
Al and Scorpius looked at each other nervously. Each boy wondered if it was going to be the end of their short friendship. They had only known each other for a few hours, but they didn't know many other people in the school and were frightened of the fact that they might not see their friend for possibly weeks at a time. Al scanned the first years for Rose, but was unable to spot her.
"Theodore Creevey," called the witch and a small boy with dirty blonde hair stepped up to the stool and hopped up upon it. The Sorting Hat nearly covered his blue eyes as the witch placed it upon his head. There was a few seconds before the hat yelled its answer.
"Hufflepuff!"
The table on the far right erupted into cheers as the little boy hopped off the stool and rushed over to join them, receiving claps on the back and handshakes. Al shifted nervously on his toes as the witch restored order to the Hufflepuff table.
"Frederick Giessel!"
A heavyset boy climbed onto the stool with a determined look on his face. The Sorting Hat barely touched Giessel's curling black hair before it shouted, "Gryffindor!"
The sorting continued and the crowd of first years at the front of the hall was thinning rapidly. "Edward Herry" was called and sorted into Slytherin, and there were only five of them left to stand on tired feet in front of the entire student body.
The fine fabric of the black robes rolled over Al's fingers as he worried at the cloth. Maybe his name didn't get on the list? Maybe he wasn't supposed to be here after all? Maybe he was a squib and the letter had been a mistake? Al could feel his breaths coming faster and told himself to calm down. It wouldn't do any good for him to have a panic attack here.
"Albus Potter," rang the voice of the old witch, and Al nearly stopped breathing. Rose and Scorpius, who had come over to stand with Al while waiting to be sorted, pushed him forwards and he stumbled up to the stool.
Cautiously, he pulled himself onto the stool and let the Sorting Hat fall over his head. It slipped down over his eyes, and the sights and sounds of the great hall were cut off as Al's world was enveloped in darkness. The musty smell of old magic and the sweat of a thousand nervous first years attacked Al's nose and he fought the urge to sneeze. There was a slight tickling sensation and Al became aware that his was not the only consciousness that the ancient hat encased.
"A great mind you have, and a willing nature. Not so brave as motivated I see," whispered the same leathery voice as had been singing earlier.
'Please, I want to be with my brother!' thought Al desperately. It was the only way to keep James from making snide comments as they passed in the halls.
"A thirst to prove yourself, like your father before you. Seems like you wont be the only Potter to beg to be in Gryffindor!"
The Sorting Hat shouted so loud Al almost didn't hear his house, but even if he didn't the sea of cheering Gryffindors that greeted his eyes when the hat was lifted off his head. With his heart brimming with pride Al walked with his head raised high to the Gryffindor table. He had barely swung his legs over the long wooden bench before he was swarmed with congratulations. Even James stood to stretch across the table to hug his brother. With a smile Al turned back as Rose's name was called and watched as the Sorting Hat barely had to touch her red hair before the hat gave a loud cry of "GRYFFINDOR!". Rose jumped off the stool and the old woman had to snatch the Sorting Hat off her head quickly before the red haired girl ran all the way to the table with it on. The students cheered once more, this time with Al's own voice joining in. Al let Rose tackle-hug him, which sent him sliding into another first year along the bench. Once Rose was situated on the bench and the cheer had died down they turned back to watch the three others get sorted.
The next called up was a dark girl with her hair in many small braids. She shifted nervously on the stool for a few moments before joining the Slytherin table and seating herself among the rest of the first years. The Slytherins cheered, but Al thought it wasn't nearly as loud as the Gyriffindors' voices.
An overweight girl by the name of Gillian Dowigent followed the dark girl, leaving Scorpius to stand alone in front of the great hall. Al looked over at his friend with a small, encouraging smile, which he was sure Scorpius saw, but the blonde boy didn't reciprocate the action. Dowigent joined the Hufflepuffs and Scorpius stepped forwards as his name was called. He sat down on the stool and like every other time before the Sorting Hat was lowered on his head. However, the hat merely sat there on top of Scorpius' blonde hair for minutes on end. No other person had taken this long to be sorted. Al watched as Scorpius seemed to be deep in thought with his eyes all scrunched up and a small bead of sweat ran down his pale skin from underneath the brim.
Everyone in the grand room held their breath as they waited for the final, and most intriguing first year to be sorted. The hush in the room and the stillness of the occupants was such they would have been able to hear a feather drop in the large stone room. This also made it all the more eardrum-bursting when the Sorting hat finally shrieked its answer.
"GRYFFINDOR!" screamed the Sorting Hat, making everyone jump ant least a foot into the air. There was a second as everyone reoriented themselves, then the Gryffindor table burst into wordless noise once again. The Sorting Hat was whisked off of Scorpius' head and he bounded over to the Gryffindor table with a smile splitting his face. As he slid into the space next to Rose, Al knew that this year would be a good one.