There were a lot of first years. Sirius would take a guess at around 300. They were all gathered around the massive doors that acted as the entrance to the Great Hall. The decibel level just kept on rising as another person introduced themselves and a conversation began. The four friends stood at the back of the group after being detained…
'I can't believe you flipped the boat, Sirius,' Remus sighed, wringing out the robes that he had gotten changed into. His hair was soaking with his fringe covering his eyes, causing him to flip it out of the way. Before the train journey had drawn to a close, they had all got changed which Remus was secretly happy about. Due to their lack of money, Remus was going to get hand-me-down robes from his cousin Anthony, but for once his height worked to his advantage and upon realising that they were far too big, his mother had bought him new ones. It was one of the only outfits that was truly his, that hadn't been passed down and he was secretly overjoyed even though they were absolutely soaked now.
Peter and James laughed and began to wring their own robes out whilst Sirius shook his hair to get the water out of it.
'Sirius, you're like a dog,' James laughed.
'A dog? That sounds like a challenge!' Sirius said, once again drawing his invisible sword.
Peter laughed while Remus sighed as James and Sirius began to duel once again. A crowd was beginning to form around the pair until Professor Minerva McGonagall stood outside the Great Hall doors and somehow managed to gain everyone's attention in the blink of an eye.
'Welcome to Hogwarts,' she began. '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 honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school so I suggest you smarten yourselves up as much as you can whilst you are waiting.'
Her eyes swept the room and lingered on the soaking wet James, Sirius, Peter and Remus. With a slightly raised brow she turned from them and entered the Great Hall.
James stood in the large group huddled before the rest of the school in front of the teacher's table, facing the Sorting Hat. Each student was called in alphabetical order and sorted into their respective houses and it was only then that James realised that he didn't know any of his friends' surnames. Just as he was about to ask, Professor McGonagall called out 'Black, Sirius!' and, taking a deep, calming breath, Sirius stepped forward, sat on the stool and felt the hat being placed on his head.
'A Black, eh?' came a small voice from inside Sirius's head. He gave a small jump of surprise and the voice continued. 'You come from a long line of Slytherins, don't you? But strange, I see that you aren't like them. You aren't like them at all. Still, I sense that you are expected to go to Slytherin.'
'Don't you dare put me in Slytherin,' Sirius said. 'I'm not like them. I'll kill myself if I go into Slytherin.'
'Well, we can't have that now, can we? Okay, GRYFFINDOR!'
Sirius was practically stuck to the seat in his surprise. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy. Stealing a glance at the Slytherin table he saw Bellatrix stare at him incredulously with utter hate in her eyes as he joined his new housemates at the Gryffindor table. Already, he felt like he was home at last.
James cheered as Sirius took his seat at the Gryffindor table. Even though he had only known him for a few hours, James felt like he had known Sirius forever and he was glad that he wasn't a Slytherin, because he didn't belong there.
'Evans, Lily!'
James looked up to see the red haired girl from the train approach the hat. He hadn't noticed before but she was really very pretty, and had beautiful emerald eyes…He prayed that she wasn't a Slytherin as that Severus boy had said.
'GRYFFINDOR!'
Smirking, James looked around him until he finally found the face of the greasy haired boy, clapping along with the rest but looking almost distraught. Deep in his thoughts he barely noticed that 'Lupin, Remus' was called out until the small boy began to move forward.
Remus grew even paler as he approached the stool and the hat was placed on his head. What if it didn't think that he deserved to learn magic because of what he was? What if he just sat there for hours until the teachers concluded that there must be a mistake and he was sent back home?
'Ah, a werewolf.'
Remus flinched at the word and his eyes began to dart around the room, fearfully.
'Don't worry they can't hear me. I've never sorted one of your kind before. Where to put you? A good mind, yes indeed. Talent, undoubtedly. Loyalty, yes, but a fear of letting people in? There seems to be a lack of ambition. Do you doubt your place in the magical world?'
'You know what I am. Doesn't that answer your question?' Remus whispered, feeling his eyes stinging with tears.
'You will do well in this school, I can see that. I guess there is only one option – GRYFFINDOR!'
Sirius stood up and cheered whilst pushing people along the bench so that Remus could come and sit next to him. Remus was bewildered but incredibly happy and he found himself grinning as he took his seat.
'Pettigrew, Peter!'
'Hm, yes, I see. Much magical ability and potential, a lack of self-belief. A lack of ambition – not Slytherin, simply not suited to Ravenclaw...Perhaps Hufflepuff? But what is this? You appear to have made friends that have already been sorted somewhere else. How can I separate you when you are happily in a group already? Yes, I can see you doing well in GRYFFINDOR!'
Peter's jaw dropped and he wasn't sure whether or not to really believe it, but sure enough, Sirius was shouting at a couple of other first years in front of him to move up so Peter could sit opposite. He took his seat and smiled at Sirius and Remus before turning to look at James whose name had just been called. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head.
'A Potter! I know just what to do with you – GRYFFINDOR!'
James grinned and charged down to the table to join his friends, hardly able to believe that the four of them had really all ended up in the same house together. And just like that, their life at Hogwarts began.