(A/N) Hey again guys!
~He stepped up the stairs to the door, lifted his hand, and knocked~
Nothing happened. The man looked rather confused. He raised his hand again, hesitated, and knocked again. This time, the door opened on a very flustered woman with shoulder length black hair that exactly matched the colour of the ink that covered her from head to toe. The man looked at her questioningly.
"Peeves," she said simply, by way of answer. "Are these the new first years?"
"That they are, Professor O'Tifty," the man said.
"Thank you. Come with me," she said, ushering us inside the castle. Sam clung nervously to my arm as we walked through what must have been the Entrance hall. We arrived at the doors to the Great Hall. Professor O'Tifty turned once again to look at us.
"You will soon be walking through these doors. The rest of the school is in this room, awaiting your Sorting. We will sort you into one of the four houses here: Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. These houses will be like your family during your stay here; you will sit with your house, eat with your house, sleep in the house common rooms, and have classes with your house. Your successes will win your house points, while any misbehaving will lose your house points. The house with the most points at the end of the year will win the House Cup, which is the most distinguished honour a house can win. I shall be back in a moment to fetch you. Wait here." She turned and walked in through the doors. As soon as she left, the group broke out into nervous whispers.
"How are we Sorted?" Sam asked worriedly.
"My dad said we've got to fight a troll," Fred muttered quietly.
Everyone around paled, but I just laughed. "Dad said that's exactly what Uncle Fred told Uncle Ron before his first year." I told him. "But Dad didn't want us to worry - he told us how it works."
"How?" Sam asked, at the same time Lew asked Fred: "You have the same name as your uncle?"
"Uncle Fred died in the Battle of Hogwarts," Fred explained quietly. "He was Dad's twin."
"Oh," Lew said very softly, looking very sorry that he'd asked. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Fred said with a shrug. "So, James, how are we Sorted?"
I opened my mouth to answer. At the exact same time, someone from the group gave an extremely girly shriek, which must have produced the "highly amusing" (my friends were laughing their heads off) effect of me looking like I'd just screamed like a girl. Ignoring them, I turned to look in the direction of the shout and saw, highly unsurprisingly (I don't know why she shouted) hundreds of ghosts drifting past. I spotted one with a ruffled collar and grinned.
"Oi! Nicholas!" I shouted. He turned to look at me, and then drifted over to where we were waiting.
"Hello!" he said pleasantly, smiling at Sam's dumbstruck face. "You must be James Potter?"
The whole group went silent at the mention of my name. I pretended not to notice.
"How'd you guess?" I asked curiously.
"You look exactly like your grandfather," he explained.
My grin widened. My granddad was my secret role model. Secret, because if Dad found out he'd probably wipe my memory of Granddad Potter's existence. "Thanks, Nicholas!" I said. Nick waved goodbye, floated towards the man he'd been talking to, and the group of ghosts disappeared through the wall separating us and the feast.
"Nearly Headless Nick," I told Sam, who had opened her mouth to ask. "Gryffindor ghost. He prefers to be called 'Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington,' but where's the fun in that?"
"Hogwarts has ghosts?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Yeah," Fie said casually. "But it's Peeves you'd better watch out for. Peeves the Poltergeist."
"You're doing that on purpose!" I told him angrily as Sam paled.
"What?"
"Scaring her!" I turned to Sam. "The ghosts are all friendly, and Peeves is alright. He just likes to play jokes, Peeves does."
"Are you going to tell us how we're sorted?" Lew asked impatiently.
"Oh yeah!" I remembered. "There's this hat-"
But I was once again interrupted. The Professor opened the door.
"Follow me," she said shortly. We walked quickly after her, toward the front of the hall, where there was a dirty, fraying hat sitting on a three-legged stool. All the heads at the tables turned to stare at us, and Sam shrank closer to me under the stare of so many eyes. Our group stopped a little bit in front of the stool. We all watched the hat.
"What-" Sam began.
"Shhh!" I hushed her. "Listen."
We all watched as a rip in the hat's brim opened. The hat started to sing:
Long, long ago in the far-off past
A new idea was forming
In the minds of two witches and two wizards, who
Soon developed this thought they were courting.
The four of them began a school
To teach our nation's youth
The ins and outs of wizardry
Now here's the well-known truth:
Said Gryffindor "We'll take the brave
Strong, chivalrous and loyal."
Said Hufflepuff "We'll take the honest who
Are not afraid of toil
Slytherin took those pure of blood,
The clever, sly and quick.
Ravenclaw took thinkers who love
To learn and use their wit
But then they thought,
"How will they choose,
When we are dead and gone?"
They found me and
Gave me a brain
Now when you put me on,
I'll tell you where you ought to go
For I've seldom chosen wrong.
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat bowed to each of the tables in turn before going still. Professor O'Tifty stepped forward with a long role of parchment.
"When I call your name, please step forward to put on the hat. "Andrews, Amanda."
An energetic looking girl with short blonde hair stepped forward. She sat down, put on the hat, and waited a moment. Then: "Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table burst into applause. I saw Victoire - gorgeous as ever - clapping mildly.
"Austen, Louis!" O'Tifty called. The boy walked slowly forward, sat down, and O'Tifty placed the hat on his head. It sat on his head for a little while before shouting: "Hufflepuff!" The Hufflepuffs all cheered.
"Barnes, Samantha!" Sam clamped her fingers around my arm in fear.
"You'll be fine," I assured her quietly. I pointed to Victoire at the Gryffindor table. "You see her?"
"The blonde one?"
"Yeah. She's my cousin. If you're sorted into Gryffindor, just tell her you're my friend and you can sit next to her. Good luck!" I nudged her forward. She walked very slowly toward the stool. She sat down, and a few moments later, we heard it shout "Gryffindor!" I yelled for her as the Gryffindors celebrated. I watched her protectively as she went to sit down next to Victoire, who sought out my eyes to confirm Sam's story (she was used to people lying to her to win her trust, because she was so beautiful). I smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
"Brady, Kagan!" was next. Kagan grinned, waved at us, and ran, literally ran to the stool, jumped onto it, and yanked the hat onto his head. He shouted "Gryffindor!" before the hat got a chance to. "Gryffindor!" it agreed seconds later. Kagan jumped off the stool and ran to the Gryffindor table amongst cheers and much laughter.
"Cadwalader, Lewellyn!" O'Tifty called, and Lew winced at the sound of his full name. "Lew," I heard him correct her quietly as he walked past. He sat calmly on the stool as the hat was placed on his head. The hat had barely touched him when it shouted "Gryffindor!"
Two more kids were sorted, one to Ravenclaw and one to Slytherin. Then a girl, "Creevy, Rebecca," was sorted into Gryffindor. I stood between Marco and Fie, watching as more kids were sorted. We had decided to count the Gryffindors, so we really didn't pay much attention to the other three houses. We watched as "Finnegan, Bella," "Hall, Maria," and "May, Anna" also became Gryffindors. Then Fie's name was called, and he strode confidently up to the stool.
"Gryffindor!" He walked over to the table amongst the loud cheering of Sam, Kagan and Lew. A few more people were Sorted, and then
"Potter, James!"
I suddenly felt as though I might be sick. All of my insecurities came rushing back. What if I wasn't put in Gryffindor? I had let my new mates quell my fears on the train, but now that they were so close… I tried to keep a calm look on my face as I walked up to the stool. I sat, and the hat hit my head.
"Another Potter, eh?" said a voice in my head (which sounded remarkably like the Sorting Hat.) "I was wondering when I'd get one of you. Your mind reminds me of your grandfather. I know exactly where you belong. Gryffindor!" It shouted the last bit to the whole hall. The Gryffindors cheered as I walked over to their table, feeling like my old self again.
"We told you so!" Lew shouted happily from his seat next to Sam. He scooted over so I could sit between them. She shot me a small smile, and I grinned back.
"Congratulations! Victoire said in her shimmery, slightly French voice.
I watched as another student was Sorted, and then Marco's name was called. I watched him walk toward the Hat, looking quite nervous. I really didn't blame him. All five of us were in Gryffindor. I hoped fiercely that he was too.
"Gryffindor!"
We all cheered loudly. He walked to us with a look of relief written all over his face. He sat down across from me at the table. We watched as more kids were Sorted into the four Houses. "Spiten, Bartholomew!" became the last Ravenclaw, "Thomas, John!" the last Gryffindor, and finally there was "Zabini, Chris!" (Slytherin) and the Sorting ended. The Headmistress stood up.
"McGonagall!" I whispered excitedly.
"You know the Headmistress already?" Lew whispered back in surprise.
"She comes round to our grandparents' house for holidays and birthdays and stuff."
"The Headmistress comes to your holiday parties?" Kagan whispered impressed.
"Well, she got awful attached to my family, what with the Order of the Phoenix and fighting Voldemort and stuff."
"And who wouldn't love to party with the saviour of the Wizarding world?" Fie asked.
"As interesting as your conversation must be-" McGonagall interrupted us testily. We all looked up. She was glaring at us. "-I would like to make some announcements. would like me to tell you that duelling in the corridors is prohibited, and that a list of all banned items may be found in his office. Finally, I would like to remind students that, the Forbidden Forest is just that: forbidden, unless there is a teacher escort. She glared at me again when she said that. I waved back energetically. For some reason, she looked extremely put out about it. "That is all I have to say. Enjoy your feast."
The golden plates in front of us filled suddenly with foods of all kinds. Sam's eyes grew large at the sight of so much appearing all at once. We piled our plates to the rim, and I think I ate more than I'd ever eaten in my life, including at Granmum Weasley's house. Once we all finished, the plates disappeared and McGonagall stood up again.
"First years, you will kindly follow your prefects to your new common rooms, where they will show you to your dorms. Goodnight!"
We all stood. There was a huge flood toward the door. Sam grabbed my arm again as the people converged all around us, pushing the two of us tiny first years all over. We were finally able to squeeze out the doors, and I looked around. There was not a single Gryffindor in sight. I saw not a single Weasley red hair (and trust me, there were a lot of red hairs at Hogwarts.)
"p-please tell me we're not lost," Sam whispered.
"We're not lost," I repeated, grinning.
"You're lying!" Sam accused me. I shook my head.
"C'mon, Sam," I grinned evilly. "Do you really think I'd get lost?" I pulled an old, folded piece of parchment out of my pocket. She stared at it.
"How is an old piece of paper going to help us?" she asked almost sarcastically.
I pretended to be offended. "An old piece of paper? My friend, this is no mere piece of paper." I pulled out my wand and tapped the paper, saying, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
Ink slowly began to spread across the parchment. I watched Sam's face grow more and more amazed as the ink formed into a complex map of the castle.
"What is it?" Sam asked. I pointed to the top of the paper.
"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP"
"Where did you get it?" she asked in awe.
"I nicked it from Dad's dresser drawer," I told her. I searched for my friend's dots.
"Where did he get it?"
"Donno," I muttered distractedly. I had already found Marco's dot and was now trying to find a route from the common room to us. "He's never even acknowledged it's existence. Uncle George told me about it." I pointed the common room out to her. "There's the common room. We'll have to go this way-" I drew a path with my finger, "- to get there. C'mon."
I led her quickly through the corridors, past all the different portraits (she kept staring at them like they weren't supposed to be move- oh. Right. Muggleborn) up several flights of moving staircases, and arrived at the portrait of a fairly large woman.
"Password?" she asked.
"Dang it!" I muttered. I knew I'd forgotten something. We didn't have the password.
"Now what do we do?" Sam asked.
"We sit," I said cheerfully, flopping down on the stone floor, "and wait."
We sat outside the portrait hole for a good fifteen minutes. Then the portrait swung forward and we heard a voice from the inside.
"You are absolutely sure they didn't come up with us?" an older boy asked.
"Positive," Lew said, sounding slightly worried.
"First day as a Prefect and I lose two first years," the unknown voice muttered. "O'Tifty will have my badge and my head." The blonde boy stepped out of the portrait hole and nearly tripped over us.
"Hi!" I said in a sarcastically jovial voice. "Nice of you to drop by. Can we come in now?" Without waiting for a reply, I pulled Sam into the common room.
"James!" Victoire shouted. She ran (or as close to running as Victoire ever came) over and hugged me. "Uncle Harry would have killed me if we'd lost you!"
"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Dominique sighed in exasperation. "He's not a baby."
"Yeah!" I agreed, half embarrassed and half annoyed. "You're acting like I got lost on a field trip to the Forbidden Forest or something. I'm not going to die in the middle of Hogwarts." I wriggled out of her arms. "Besides, dad says it's the safest place in the world." I said this as though it settled the matter.
"C'mon James!" Lew said impatiently, grabbing my arm. "I'll show you our dorm."
"And I'll show you ours," Bella said, pulling Sam after her.
Lew led me up the staircase to our dorm. "We've already claimed beds," he informed me as the opened the door.
They had. There were seven beds in the room. John Thomas had the bed nearest the bathroom. Kagan was across from him, and Marco was next to Kagan. Fie had set up next to Marco, and Fred had set up next to Fie. Lew was in the bed next to John, which left the bed next to Lew empty. My trunk was already at the end. Everyone was putting on their pyjamas, so I opened my trunk and pulled mine out too. We were all suddenly exhausted. I climbed into bed and was just about to take my glasses off when I saw something carved into the wooden bed frame.
"Lew," I whispered. "Lew, come look at this."
"Wha'?" he asked sleepily, getting up and crossing to my bed.
"Look," I said again. I pointed to the carving.
"James Chrysanthos Potter
slept here."
"You've already carved your name into it?" Lew asked.
"No! No, no, no!" I said, excited. "My middle name's Sirius. Lew, I think this was my Granddad Potter's bed!"
It took a moment for that to sink in. "Whoa," Lew finally muttered. "I wonder if any of these other beds belonged to his friends?" There was a strange tone in his voice that I couldn't place.
"I don't know," I muttered quietly. "We'll have to check them tomorrow."
"Yeah," he murmured back, climbing back into his bed. "G'night, James."
"Yeah, night," I replied, pulling off my glasses. I lay there and thought for a while.
My granddad slept here, I told myself, not able to stop myself from grinning. I'll never meet him, but there's his name, carved in to my bed. I could have gotten any of the other beds, but I got this one. The feelings of homesickness that had been building up inside of me floated away, and I fell asleep, looking forward to tomorrow.
(A/N)
MelodyLPotter: That's okay. I don't really need anything much, just a word or two to tell me someone's reading.
Becca: Thanks so much! =D
VintageRose503: They're kind of going to be co-leaders. Like James and Sirius. Lew is more of a take-charge person, and James is more of a get-everyone-involved person. Like, Lew will just start leading, whereas James tries to get everyone to co-lead at the same time. Lew does what he thinks is best, James asks for opinions… does that make any sense?
Hurricane Jackson: Thank you! I'll try to update as much as possible, especially over the summer.
SamIAm: Hahaha. No, it's not a small one. =P If you are who I think you are, I love ya! If you're not… sorry for scaring you.
Doctor Brittana Banana Who: Lucky! I'm jealous. I'd love pointers on British life if you'll give them!