MISCHIEF MANAGED

Chapter Five – The Sorting

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. 'When I call your name, you will put on the Hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,' she said. 'Abbot, Luke.' A pink-faced boy with long curly hair stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell over his eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause-

'HUFFLEPUFF!' shouted the Hat. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Luke went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. A fat ghost waved merrily at him.

'Avery, Edmund,' was the next name Professor McGonagall read from the parchment. The Hat was not long on his head before it shouted 'SLYTHERIN!' Sirius looked at James with a grimace and said, 'The bad eggs are already showing.'

'Black, Sirius.' Sirius looked up at the sound of his own name. Head held high, he made his way to the stool and pulled the Hat onto his head. 'Another Black, a name known for its nobility and pure blood. A name also known for being in Slytherin, but for you I have something a little different in mind,' the Hat said in Sirius' ear. 'You have the qualities to be a good Slytherin, but those valued in Gryffindors are more predominant.'

'Gryffindor, here I come!' Sirius thought excitedly. The Hat interjected into his thoughts, 'I'm the one choosing here… GRYFFINDOR!' The last word had been shouted to the whole school. James gave Sirius a thumbs up, mouthing as Sirius walked to the table 'Save me a seat.'

Soon McGonagall called, 'Evans, Lily,' and James recognised the pretty little girl from the train and grinned hugely as she made her way forwards with trembling legs. Barely a second after it had touched the dark red hair, the Hat cried, 'GRYFFINDOR!' Her greasy-haired friend let out a tiny groan.

Lily took off the Hat, handed it to Professor McGonagall, then hurried towards the cheering Gryffindors, but as she went she glanced back at her friend, a sad little smile on her face. Sirius moved up the bench to make room for her. Lily took one look at him, seemed to recognise him from the train, folded her arms and firmly turned her back on him.

The line grew shorter and the numbers on the tables grew larger. 'Lupin, Remus,' McGonagall shouted to the crowd of first years. Remus walked up the stairs shaking. He pulled on the Hat and for a moment there was an intense silence. The Hat said in Remus' ear, 'Dumbledore has told me a lot about you. The bravery you have displayed throughout your childhood has already made me consider the right house for you, and the abilities and traits you posses show me that I have already made the right decision.' And his last word was shouted to the whole room, 'GRYFFINDOR!'

James watched the podgy boy he met in the boat ascend the stairs. He hadn't heard the name get called but thought it was Peter. James also thought that his last name started with a P and decided he should begin paying attention as he might be soon.

Peter sat on the stool cautiously and placed the Hat onto his head. It was so big that it fell past his ears so that the rest of the room was blocked from his view. He jumped as a mysterious voice came into his head. 'It is difficult to place you, Peter. Perhaps Hufflepuff…'

Peter didn't know the proper way to address a hat, so he whispered, 'But I've already made friends who you've put in Gryffindor. I wish I was more like them.'

'Maybe in time you will grow to be like them. Stick by your friends,' the Hat said more to himself than to Peter. 'For pity's sake… GRYFFINDOR!' Peter jumped off the stool with great excitement. McGonagall plucked the Hat off his head before he bounded to his table still wearing it. He stumbled down the stairs in his excitement and, in his embarrassment, found a seat on the edge of the Gryffindor table.

'Potter, James.' James approached the Hat gleefully, his walk coming close to a run. He sat on the stool and McGonagall placed the Hat on his head. As soon as it touched his unruly Potter hair, it shouted, 'GRYFFINDOR!' A massive grin spread across James' face at the thought of his father's pride. He ran down the stairs and slid into his place next to Sirius.

'Pratten, Alice,' Professor McGonagall continued and a round-faced girl cautiously approached the Hat. The Hat took a long time to decide before screaming to the hall… 'GRYFFINDOR!' In her excitement, she tripped over her shoelaces and somersaulted down the small flight of stairs. Professor McGonagall rushed to her aid but Alice was already standing, scathe-free, making her way towards Lily Evans, where she resumed a seat next to her.

Two more people passed before McGonagall called the name of a familiar face, 'Snape, Severus.' James watched as the greasy haired boy he met on the train stalked up the steps to the stool to be sorted. He sat on the stool with his back erect as McGonagall placed the Hat on his head. After a short while, it called 'SLYTHERIN!' He made his way to the other side of the hall and James watched as a silver-haired prefect patted him on the back welcomingly.

There were now only half a dozen students left- four girls and two boys. The next to be called was 'Thicknesse, Pius.' He waddled up the stairs and sat on the stool. He was so large his bottom drooped over either side. James was alerting Sirius to this fact when the hat called, 'RAVENCLAW!'

Two of the girls were sorted into Hufflepuff, one into Slytherin and the other joined the Gryffindor table. The last boy sauntered towards the stool even before McGonagall called, 'Yaxley, Pessimus.' The Hat didn't take very long to decide and after a very short pause, yelled, 'SLYTHERIN!'

Yaxley joined his table and Albus Dumbledore got to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. 'Welcome!' he said. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. Remember, humans have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worst for them. In these dark times, don't be tempted by what you know is evil.' His eyes lingered mournfully at the Slytherin table where most of the older students were not paying a jot of attention. 'Be very careful and enjoy this scrumptious feast!' On his last words, the dishes on the house tables suddenly became heaped with food and the jugs topped with pumpkin juice. Dumbledore sat and smiled to himself as the shocked faces of his students disappeared at the sight of food.

Remus almost fainted at the sight of so many dishes. There were plates of roast beef, platters of roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and for some strange reason, mint humbugs. He could not imagine anyone ever being able to eat this much food, until he looked across the table at James and Sirius. Their plates were piled with every option available and they were still reaching for more. Remus laughed inwardly as he watched Peter attempt to keep up with them.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates. A moment later the puddings appeared. Blocks of ice-cream in every flavour one could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding and many other sweets to tickle the taste buds.

All four boys tucked in. James, Sirius and Peter weren't picky about what they put in their mouths, but Remus was only eating the chocolate desserts. Completely consumed by eating, the boys were unable to keep a conversation going. Sirius was struggling to pull his teeth apart after they had been glued together by treacle fudge. James burst into laughter when he saw this, spraying Peter with the assortment of foods in his mouth. This only succeeded in making him laugh harder, this time Sirius joining in.

At last, the puddings too disappeared and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. 'Ahem – just a few more words now we are fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. I must also remind you, on account of our caretaker Mr Filch, that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quiddich trials will be held from next week onwards. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Renklauf. I must also warn you of a new addition to our grounds. We recently came into possession of a Whomping Willow- a tree which strikes at unsuspecting victims. Therefore, I must warn you to stay a fair distance away from this tree.'

'Wonder what that's for,' James whispered to the other three boys before quickly turning back to Dumbledore. Lily heard and instead watched Remus' face grow red. She wondered whether the tree's purpose lay with him.

'And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song,' Dumbledore cried. 'Everyone pick their favourite tune and off we go!' The school burst into song, following the words that had formed from his wand. Everyone finished at different times. 'Ah, music,' Dumbledore said, wiping his eyes. 'A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!'

The Gryffindor first years followed a stern looking prefect through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. They followed the prefect through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and tapestries. Though they were tired, Sirius and James memorised the locations of these oddities in case they could be of use at a later date. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, until they came to a corridor with a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress at the end.

'Password?' she drawled. 'Gillyweed!' said the prefect, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common-room, a cosy, round room full of squishy armchairs.

The prefect, whose name was Isabelle, directed the girls up one staircase to their dormitory and the boys up another. At the top they found their beds at last. Five four-posters hung with deep red velvet curtains, their trunks at the end, awaited them. Too tired to talk much, the four friends merely nodded in acknowledgement at their dorm-mate, before pulling on their pyjamas and falling into bed.