Chapter Four: A Sorting Hat's Challenge

Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews, favourites and follows! This chapter is the sorting and we meet a few more characters in this chapter, because everyone knows that the sorting is where you meet your enemy for the next seven years! :) Also, did everyone like the truth and dare game in the last chapter? Also the moon phase has been searched up and the full moon is September the second 2020.

Minor swearing twice!

Disclaimer: I wished I owned it but if I did it wouldn't be as great as J.K Rowling has presented it so she has all rights.

***HP***

Hogwarts was amazing. It was stunning. It was so big and she couldn't help but wonder about the adventures she would have with Cassie, Frank and Hugo. They all looked up at the castle in wonder as the boats sailed across the smooth lake. The stars were out and the moon was a day away from being a full moon.

'Holy shit!' Cassie said, looking at Lily in surprise.

'What?' Lily asked.

'Your eyes!' Cassie exclaimed, looking at Hugo and Frank who were laughing.

'Oh yeah,' Lily said, 'they change colour whenever there is a new moon or full moon coming.'

'That's awesome!' Cassie said.

'This way!' Hagrid called out. 'First years!'

'What an idiot,' a boy muttered behind, 'we're the only grade out here,'

'Excuse me?' Hugo said, turning around. 'Did you just call Hagrid an idiot?'

'Yeah I did,' the boy said, laughing with his friends, 'have a problem with that?'

'Sam, that's Hugo Weasley,' another boy said, 'that son of that idiot Ron and mudblood-'

'Watch your mouth!' Lily said furiously, rounding on the boys.

'Butt out,' one of the girls said, 'and go away.'

'That's my Uncle and Aunt,' Lily said, 'they deserve to be defended.'

'Oh look,' a girl smirked, walking between them, 'its' Lily Potter. What are you going to do? Change eye colour on us? I'm not afraid of you four. Your father is the reason why many people died- including my mother and my godfather.'

'Hurry up you lot!' Hagrid said, stopping and looking at them.

'Coming, Hagrid!' Frank called out.

'Thanks Frank!' Hagrid said and he kept walking on.

'Who the hell are you anyway?' Cassie asked.

'Oh it's Quinn Yaxley,' the girl said.

'That asshole who almost killed my father had a daughter?' Hugo scoffed. 'What a surprise.'

'If anyone has a reason to be angry it would be me but I'm not so let's leave guys,' Cassie said, grabbing Lily's hand and Frank grabbing Hugo's. Lily was shook Cassie's hand off they caught up with the other first years. Cassie let go of Lily's hand and looked at her.

'What?' Lily asked annoyed.

'You two need to learn to reign in your anger,' Cassie said, 'I know what just happened and I know it's only natural to protect your family, but that could have led you guys to getting a detention or if it got out of hand, expelled.'

'Do you even know who Yaxley is?' Hugo asked. 'He tried to kill my father! For minutes actually! He was in a coma for three weeks! The papers say that my father quit the Aurors because he didn't want to live in my father's shadow but it's because he's unable to fight like he used to.'

'Hogwarts has been here for many years,' a voice said and they all looked around. Frank groaned but Lily and Hugo grinned. Neville Longbottom was standing in front of them, his face smiling. 'And is still standing strong, and I hope you lot will help make it even stronger.'

'This is Professor Longbottom,' Hagrid said, smiling kindly at them, 'newly appointed deputy headmaster and head of Gryffindor house.'

'Thanks Professor Hagrid,' Neville grinned. Hagrid waved at them and walked into the Great Hall where they glimpsed the students seating in the Hall, talking and laughing with each other. Lily saw James and her Gryffindor cousins before the door closed. Neville led them to a room off to the side of the Great Hall and stood on the top step.

'Hogwarts will be your home for the next seven years of your schooling,' Neville said, 'and there forth, should be treated like your home. Your classmates that stand here will be like family. Fighting with them will only lose your house points, but by uniting with them, you can house points, which could win you the house cup.

'So what are the houses? There were four finders, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. The each valued traits that made them, them. Godric Gryffindor valued bravery, chivalry, daring and nerve. Salazar Slytherin valued ambition, determination, cunningness and resourcefulness. Rowena Ravenclaw appreciated intelligence, creativity, originality and individuality. Helga Hufflepuff respected kindness, loyalty, tolerance and hard work. So what do you value?

'So good luck,' Neville said, 'and enjoy your time here at Hogwarts.' Neville smiled at them and they all followed him into the Great Hall. The ceiling looked like it opened into the heavens, and the stars shining brightly above them.

'First years, line up here please,' Neville said, placing a three legged stool in front of the teachers table, and placing a large, patched hat on it. He pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and straightened it out. 'Now I'll place the sorting hat upon your head and it shall sort you into one of the four houses.'

'Abbott, Xavier!' Neville called out. Lily recognised him as the boy who called her Aunt a mudblood. Hugo seemed to as well because he was glaring at him.

'SLYTHERIN!' The hat called out moments later. Xavier Abbott walked towards Slytherin table and sat down as the applause died down.

'Bones, Danni!' Neville called out. A small looking girl walked towards the hat and was instantly sorted into Ravenclaw. Neville continued down the list and Lily looked up as Frank was up next.

'Longbottom, Francis!' Neville called out and Lily saw that he was looking at his son proudly. The Great Hall was silent as Frank sat on the stool and Neville placed the hat on his head.

'GRYFFINDOR!' The hat called out as the hat touched Frank's head. Frank grinned back at his father Neville smiled at him as Frank walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat with Fred, James, Roxanne, and Louis. The applause was the loudest yet and it died down after a few minutes.

***HP***

Cassie looked over at the Slytherin table and felt her nerves grow. As much as she loved her parents, she knew she would disappoint them. She wouldn't be in Slytherin. She would fail her parents, who were both Slytherins. She would break family tradition and she didn't want to disappoint her father but she wasn't about to go into a house that she didn't belong into. Her brother caught her eye and just smiled at her.

'Malfoy, Cassiopeia!' Neville Longbottom called out. The Great Hall was dead silent as she sat on the stool and she felt like most of the looks were either of surprise or of anger. The hat sat on her head and she almost jumped when it talked to her.

'Another Malfoy?' The hat asked. 'Why didn't I realise that before? So young Cassiopeia, how's your father?'

'The war affected him,' Cassie answered hesitantly, 'but he says it was for the better otherwise he wouldn't have met my mother Astoria.'

'Yes the war was terrible,' the sorting hat agreed, 'so Miss Malfoy, what house suits you more? Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?'

'Not Gryffindor or Slytherin?' Cassie asked.

'I see you doing great things in your future, but being in either Gryffindor or Slytherin won't help you. I think I've made my choice actually,' the hat said suddenly.

'Really?' Cassie asked.

'HUFFLEPUFF!' The hat yelled out. She heard the whispers of surprise. She was the first Malfoy to be sorted into a house other than Slytherin. Cassie grinned over at her brother and put her thumbs up as she walked over to the Hufflepuff table. He was clapping the loudest as were the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan and she sat next to Molly.

'Congratulations on getting into Hufflepuff, Cassie,' Molly smiled.

'Thanks Molly,' Cassie smiled.

***HP***

Lily looked on as her friend, Cassiopeia Malfoy got sorted into Hufflepuff. Lily grinned at her new friend when she looked at her. Cassie put her thumbs up and Lily put hers up as well. She turned her attention back to the person getting sorted.

'GRYFFINDOR!' The hat called out. The mousy boy walked over to Gryffindor table and Lily looked over at her brother James. He was grinning at her and she smiled back at him and looked at Albus over at the Slytherin table. He looked quite angry at what someone was saying near him and Scorpius poked him hard in the shoulder so he would look over at Lily. Albus rubbed his shoulder and grinned up at Lily.

'Potter, Lily,' Neville called out. The Great was so silent that a pin could drop outside near the Great Lake and be heard clearly as daylight. Lily walked over to the stool and her godfather placed the sorting hat on her head.

'Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss Lily Luna Potter. You know, I was going to place your grandmother in Ravenclaw but I saw something in her that told me that she was a Gryffindor. Now, where do I begin with you? You'd fit so perfectly into every house, that it's hard for me to decide where to put you.' The hat said, sounding slightly surprised.

The hat kept debating her finest qualities for about five minutes, for which the students in the Great Hall were becoming restless.

'Okay, I need your help with this,' the hat said, 'answer me a question Miss Potter. There is a place somewhere in the world, where the four elements lay; fire, water, earth and air. Now, you must get across a valley. You only have the four elements to help you. Chose.'

'Fire isn't going to help you at all,' Lily said, 'and fire represents Gryffindor. Air is just going to make the journey longer, even though it's the one of the safest, which is Ravenclaw. Water, Slytherin, is unpredictable and one of the unsafe choices. Earth is everywhere, but just have to look under the hard ground to find it, which is Hufflepuff.'

'Remember Lily Potter, it's our choices that define us,' the hat said before yelling out Hufflepuff. Her applause was the loudest yet, but she knew it was because they relieved that her sorting was finished. She just grinned at them and walked over to the Hufflepuff table, where everyone wanted to meet her.

'Good job,' Cassie grinned.

'Well done, Lily,' Molly smiled. Lily just grinned wider and looked up at the people being sorted. Hugo was the second last to be sorted, and after him it was Quinn Yaxley, who was looking at someone over at the Ravenclaw table.

***HP***

'Thank you students,' Minerva McGonagall said, smiling slightly at them, 'welcome to Hogwarts, or welcome back to Hogwarts for our older students, welcome back. Now, eat up and notices shall come after this delicious feast.'

'I'm so glad that I sorted into Hufflepuff,' Hugo said, piling food onto his plate, 'I mean the hat was debating between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but it decided that I had more loyalty than bravery but by just a margin.'

'That's great!' Molly said, eating a piece of chicken.

'Well the sorting hat told me I wouldn't be going into Slytherin almost straight away.' Cassie said. 'The hat said that it was between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw but before I thought of a reply, it sorted me here,'

'It's a shame, Frank got sorted into Gryffindor.' Hugo said.

'We'll still have classes,' Cassie pointed out.

'It's not really the same, is it?' Hugo said.

'If he's a true friend, nothing will break you apart.' Molly said, before her friends called her over and she left them to their thoughts.

'At least there is us three,' Lily pointed out.

'The next golden trio,' Hugo grinned. Cassie and Lily laughed and they kept talking while eating dinner.

None of them knew what tomorrow had installed for them, but it would change their lives forever.

***HP***

Author's Note: Just as I was writing this chapter, I got a review from Apollo's Hufflepuff Girl, so thank you! To address your review, I'm not much of a changing review person and the main POV will be Lily's, occasionally Cassie's and very rarely, someone else's POV to change the chapter up a bit! Thanks again for the review!

To the others, please leave a constructive review, favourite and follow! Everything is appreciated! Also the sorting hat's question is based off the Pottermore question where it asks you to choose a path either to the castle, the woods or the beach!

Thanks again :)