First off, Thank you to everyone who favorited reviewed or followed, you all keep me guys, I promised the sorting. So here it is, the day you've all been waiting for...or at least the 10 of you that actually read this :). Without further ado, a long one CHAPTER 6!
Scorpius had hardly noticed they'd bumped up against the shore of the lake. Suddenly, he felt like he was trying to swallow something very large and revolting, like a rat. Al and Rosie didn't look much better, Al was tugging aimlessly on the seams of his trousers, and Rose whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned to a nervous Elodora, who if possible, looked even queasier than him.
She took a step away from Rose, who looked a bit put out, and turned towards Scorpius.
"You don't really think they'll make us do magic first thing do you?" Her eyes were wide and worried. Scorpius gulped, feeling as though he'd finally managed to swallow that rat.
"No, their not cruel." Scorpius wished he was half as confident as he'd sounded.
They had shuffled onto cool grass, right in the shadow of the castle.
"Everyone here, keepin' warm Malfoy?" Scorpius winced at his surname but noded slowly. With that Hagrid stepped forward and knocked on the heavy door three times.
For a moment nothing happend at all. Scorpius glanced at Albus who was staring patiently at the door. Scorpius however was having problems with this, why can't they just get the ruddy sorting over with? Suddenly the thick oak doors swung open, revealing a tall man with a face that looked as though it had been carved by a very bad sculptor. Long jagged scars ran all across it stretching from his eyes to his chin, and a small chunk of his nose was missing. Scorpius thought immediately this was not someone to cross.
"Thank you Hagrid," said the man nodding pointedly at Hagrid who tipped his hat and trudged off towards the woods. The tall man watched him go and then turned to the anxious crowd of eleven-year-olds with a broad grin.
"Hullo," he said in a deep cherry voice that did not match his stern face. "I'm professor Longbottom, head of Gryffindor house," Scorpius noticed Professor Longbottom beaming in Al's direction, Albus waved happily. Another family friend? Scorpius thought, the Potters seemed to have an awful lot of those.
They followed professor Longbottom through the doors, Scorpius, Al, Rose, and Elodora squished in the back. Suddenly there was a gasp from up front and a chorus of "ooooooh", and as they clambered up the steps into the warm glow of the castle he saw why.
The entrance hall was nearly as big as Malfoy Manor, lit by torches that reminded him of gringotts, a marble staircase big enough for Hagrid spiraled to their left. Scorpius glanced around, Al's jaw had dropped and Rose was pointing a shaky finger at the ceiling which was almost too high to make out.
Professor Longbottom led them through a pair of plain blue doors to a much smaller chamber. Scorpius could hear a great drawl of voices up to their left, is the whole school going to watch us be sorted? Scorpius suddenly felt very queasy, crowded into the little room standing rather close to all the others. His hands were shaking now, and not just from the cold. What if I'm not in Slytherin he wondered and then with a shudder, but what if I am?
Professor Longbottom coughed, he'd turned to address the group.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," he said loudly. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." He said all of this as though he was reading from a very old textbook. At his last announcement Scorpius grew very aware of his overlarge coat, Al was nervously trying to flatten his hair. Elodora leaned over to him.
"How do they sort us into houses?" Scorpius shrugged and Al cut in.
"It's some kind of hat," Elodora grew very pale at this.
"A HAT is going to tell me where I'm meant to go?"
"Well its a magic hat," said Al as though this was very obvious, "It belonged to Godric Gryffindor himself." Elodora still looked a bit miffed but she let it drop. Scorpius however was in no mood to 'let it go'.
"So er, how exactly does this hat sort us?" Scorpius was definitely trembling now. Albus shrugged.
"Dunno," he said. Rose however was shaking almost as badly as Scorpius. At Albus' last comment her face had gone very red.
"HOW CAN YOU BE SO NONCHALANT ABOUT ALL THIS AL!" She said rather hysterically, attracting several confused stares from the other first years. "THIS IS OUR FUTURE! THIS CEREMONY IS VERY IMPORTANT!" Her eyes were more than a little crazed now, and the entire chamber was staring at them. Al seemed annoyed, he turned to the group and yelled,
"ALRIGHT BACK TO YOUR KNITTING! THIS IS AWKWARD ENOUGH WITHOUT YOU LOT STICKING YOUR NOSES IN!" The faces in the chamber were suddenly very red, they turned away and Al gave a satisfied nod
"Right then," he said sounding pleased. Albus leaned in towards his friends. "Dad said the hat takes your choice into account, apparently it did for him." Rose and Elodora were visibly relieved but Scorpius heart raced faster, where did he want to go?
Suddenly the deep voice of Professor Longbottom filled the chamber,
"The sorting is about to begin, follow me please." They formed a small line and filed back into the chamber, filling out before two great oak doors. Professor Longbottom swung them open wide, and they trotted into the great hall.
It was the most strange and wonderful place scorpius had ever seen. The hall was lit by hundreds of candles suspended as if by magic, they are magic Scorpius thought to himself, slightly awestruck. The ceiling was glittering with what looked like stars, in fact it was as though there wasn't any ceiling at all, Rose seemed to be looking the same way, for the next second she whispered,
"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." Scorpius had read hogwarts a history as well, but he was having a bit of trouble recalling anything much at the moment, he had turned away from the ceiling and had noticed the hundreds of faces staring intently at right at him. Well not reallyat him in particular, but at all the first years. It was an eerie sight, their pale faces glowing in the dimly lit hall like lanterns.
All of the sudden a very small girl about two paces ahead of him screamed, pointing horror struck at the leftmost wall. Scorpius cringed when he realized why, four silvery ghosts had come soaring through the flagged stones, chatting animatedly about something he couldn't make out. The girl was still screaming, and it wasn't until professor Longbottom ran to comfort her that she calmed down enough for things to proceed.
Scorpius rather wished the girl had kept on screaming, as a horrible thought had struck him, as horrible thoughts often do when your very nervous. What if the hat didn't chose him at all? What if it asked him where he wanted to go and when he couldn't produce a satisfactory answer, whisked him off to Malfoy Manor. Scorpius didn't think he could bear it.
His mind was still racing as they walked between the tables, one for each house Scorpius noted, towards the staff which were smiling encouragingly. Scorpius glanced back at the students and was startled to see their eyes had all drifted towards a rather beaten hat that his mother probably wouldn't have let in the house. Suddenly it hit him, this must be the sorting hat. Just then the brim of the hat opened wide and it began to sing...
Long ago when I was new
There lived the founders four
With want to teach young wizards
The secrets of magical lore
Though united in this goal
they were at an impasse
when it came to choose the kinds of students
that would join the class
Wise Ravenclaw favored those
with cleverness and skill
only those of learning
would ever fit her bill
With Gryffindor the bravest
were the pick of the lot
It was those of nerve and chivalry
Gryffindor always sought
Slytherin loved great ambition
above all other traits
he wished only those of good connection
to pass through the gates
Hufflepuff would take the lot
patient just and loyal
those Hufflepuffs are dutiful
and unafraid of toil.
But now that they are dead and gone
it's I who'll set you right
I'll place you where you're meant to be
tell which ideals you alight
So try me on and don't be afraid
don't judge on what you see
I'll show you where you're meant to go
where you're meant to be.
There was a moments silence, and then the hall burst into applause. Scorpius clapped numbly now feeling much worse than before, the hat seemed to be asking rather a lot, he didn't think he didn't feel brave or witty, or anything much but sick at the moment. His thoughts were interrupted by a Professor Longbottom.
"Alright, ALRIGHT, settle down. When I call your name," with this he whisked a roll of parchment from under his robes, "You're to come sit on the stool and try on the hat, once it's sorted you you may be seated."
Scorpius gulped, this was all happening much too fast for his liking. His head was spinning, Slytherin or Gryffindor, his family or his friends?
"Bungard, Aberdeen" A burly girl with thick ginger plaits walked forward and hesitantly shoved the hat onto her head.
"RAVENCLAW!" It announced after a moments pause. The second table on the left cheered and a tiny man with a long gray beard at the head table beemed.
"Chastity, Carlotta!" This time a small girl with frizzy blond hair and very red cheeks rushed to the stool, jamming the hat eagerly on her head. It took almost a minute with Carlotta, but eventually the hat screamed,
"GRYFFINDOR!" This time the table on the far left exploded with cheers, Scorpius saw Teddy Lupin cat-calling.
"Finch-Fletchley, Harris."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Hollingbery, Evette"
"SLYTHERIN!" The table on the far right clapped politely as Evette sat down, he didn't know if it was just what his father had said about Slytherin, but they looked a bit snooty.
Next came "Le Feuvre"...,"MacDougal"..., and then,
"Malfoy, Scorpius." His hands were shaking so badly now he could no longer grip Hagrid coat, whispers sounded through the hall,
"Malfoy, the Draco Malfoy's Son?" And,
"Slytherin no doubt, rotten the whole lot."
No one was smiling now except Rose and Al who were nodding encouragingly, Elodora was too busy staring at her shoes. Gryffindor or Slytherin? Gryffindor or Slytherin? The words were bouncing around his head like those rubber balls muggles messed around with. The last thing he saw before the black fabric slipped over his head was Rose giving him a toothy grin and a thumbs up.
He waited for a moment then suddenly...
"Hmmm." A small voice was whispering in his ear.
"It's almost too obvious." Whatever he was expecting it wasn't that, he started.
"Strange but obvious, oh well, best get it over with," he could feel his heart racing, get what over with? He could feel the voice growing louder and suddenly the hat yelled to the hall,
"GRYFFINDOR!"