Chapter 7 – The Sorting.
Orion Arcturus Black was silently shocked over how things were unfolding and what they all were seeing, but he finally could understand his oldest son a little bit more by seeing how he behaved towards his wife and son. There was something special about the girl, something that he couldn't help but be glad were married to his son, for one reason or another.
If she could feel the embedding magic coming from Hogwarts when she was riding the boat, she had to be one powerful witch – someone he could be proud of coming into the family. It also looked like Euphemia Potter was noticing the same thing he did, at least one in that family was observant over what was said in the background.
Maybe he should have talked to his son more about why he stayed with James when he had a family, though, his wife sure didn't help. Now, he had to follow along with the movie.
They were quietly loudly walking up a flight of stairs making it all seem quite fantastical in the light of day, as they eventually reached the top. Hadriana looks around where she was standing with Ron, on one side and Hermione on the other side saying something about Hogwarts. When an elderly-looking woman wearing a green and black robe, with a pointed hat stood in front of them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts." The woman started to say.
"Minnie!" The marauders cheered swiftly when they saw Professor McGonagall on the screen before young Sirius looked at the woman with a smirk. "Ahh, looking stern as ever I see." Caused the whole hall to laugh, and McGonagall to glare.
"What have I told you boys about calling me that!" she told them with a glare, that never seemed to let up.
"You told us not to," James said and shared a small smile with Lily knowing that they always would call the professor their nickname for her.
"Now, in a few moments you'll pass through these doors, and join your classmates, but before you take your seats you must be sorted in your houses."
Hadriana knew how the sorting was completed, so, she wasn't at all scared, but Ron looked like he was scared – something she couldn't understand with three older brothers that were going to the same school.
Professor McGonagall continued, "They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin,"
The whole great hall clapped after each house was announced, each for their own house though done differently.
"Now while you are here, your house will become like your family. Your triumphs will earn your points, any rule breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup." McGonagall finished her speech when a large green toad could be seen in front of her.
A chubby boy, with black hair, ran forwards and grabbed it. "Trevor." He yelled, before looking up at McGonagall slightly embarrassed. "Sorry…" he mumbled.
"You are a lot like your mother!" Lily and Marlene giggled sweetly, as they looked towards the grown-up Neville that looked more embarrassed now than he did back then.
"Thank you," Neville said with a smile because it was good to hear that instead of being told that he was so like his father by his grandmother all the time.
Hadriana and Ron smiled at the boy, and they were slightly amused too when McGonagall just cleared her throat.
"The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." She said, before walking out through the doors that were in front of them.
"My daughter is going to be in Gryffindor. I just know it!" James told them extremely proud and excited for the sorting to commence.
"I don't know, love. It can be that she will go into Slytherin with her sly nature." Lily told her boyfriend what she thought about it.
"Hmm." James nodded quietly in agreement over the thought of his daughter in the snake pit.
That shocked the whole hall more than anything, because of James and the other's major dislike of Slytherin – and that James could see that and not make a whole deal out of it made them see that maybe he had grown up and out of the mentality of Slytherin is evil.
"However, she took down the bloody dark lord, if she is not a potential Gryffindor, then I don't know what happens," James said, while the other nodded that it could be both houses.
The future generation slyly didn't say anything to the discussion because they knew how it had been, and how shocked everyone there had been with the sorting.
After McGonagall had left them alone, a blond greasy-headed boy, hair slicked back came forward with a smirk. He was staring at her with a smirk, and with his two goons right behind him. Hadriana wanted to shake her head at the bland boy in front of her, but that wouldn't have been polite.
"It's true then." He stated, causing everyone to become quiet as he stared at Hadriana. "What they are saying, that Hadriana Potter has come to Hogwarts." He finished, and whispers began to fill the room.
"Hadriana Potter!" Everyone began to whisper around the room and to the one standing beside them.
Draco wanted to hide away because he still couldn't believe that he had behaved like this back in his first year, "I'm saying this just once, or else I would say it all the time – I am sorry for how I treated you back then."
"You are welcome, and I am sorry too," Hadriana said the same because they had already made up between them all, but this was for the most part done so that these people wouldn't kick up a fuss with how they had treated each other.
"This is Crabbe, and that's Goyle-," "and I am Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He finished proudly, before he looked at Ron in disgust, as Ron snorted in amusement at the sound of the boy's name.
"Think my name is funny, don't you? no need to ask yours, red hair, and hand-me-down robes. You must be a Weasley." Draco sneered, as Ron turned red from embarrassment.
The reactions of the hall were different from everyone, many were outraged by how the boy behaved towards someone that didn't have money at all, but a few were nodding along since they believed that it was true and that the boy had behaved correctly.
Molly and Arthur turned red and looked down, shameful, over how they didn't have enough money to take care of their family. Draco glared at everyone that looked at them with disgust because he had come to rely on them as he became part of their family after the war – this confused everyone in the past but not the future as they knew how much he had come to care for that family.
Draco then looked towards Hadriana, looking away from Ron who wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He finished and held out his hand for her to shake.
Hadriana simply looked at his hand, not caring at all because he sounded more and more like her cousin, "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks." She said and shook his hand politely and watched his smug face drop to a scowl.
The purebloods nodded, proud over how the girl managed to be polite but also have one over the boy that clearly knew that he had been played perfectly.
"My daughter is badass." James jumped up from his seat, and young Sirius clapped loudly with everyone else laughing or scowled at the scene.
"Language, James." Euphemia scolded, silently proud of her granddaughter.
"Sorry, mum." He said, though his smile never left his face.
McGonagall returned, tapping Malfoy's shoulders with a rolled-up piece of parchment, making him back of towards his friends.
"We are ready for you now. Follow me!" McGonagall instructed and turned around and walked back through the doors and once again, we followed someone.
The wooden door was taller than anyone combined, and in they walked in two lines. The one that stared at the hall in awe, while others stared at them and made bets about what houses we would be in.
Hadriana walked slowly towards the front of the room, while she was watching the ceiling trying to figure out the spell work, but also trying to ignore the people around her that was talking about them. The ceiling resembled the night sky outside, and there were candles floating throughout the air.
She could hear Hermione whisper that it wasn't real and that she had read about it in Hogwarts – a history. It made her smile in agreement, while Ron mocked her making her hit him over the head to stop him from doing it for real.
"You were really mature there, Ronald!" Hermione said knowingly, she herself could scarcely believe how she had sounded back then. Ron shook his head at how that right there sounded and knew that his mother was glaring at him.
As the students reached the end of the walkway where the teachers were sitting, McGonagall turned around after she had walked a few steps ahead of them. "Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words." She with clear words of warning, and Dumbledore stood before them as everyone stared at him.
"I have a few start-of-term notices, I wish to announce. Firstly, first years be aware that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr Flinch, has asked me to remind you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds for everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." Dumbledore finished and sat down in his seat again.
Hadriana was immediately suspicious over why the headmaster had to say it to everyone, and with that done she knew that it was something to look out for.
"Now then, when I call your name, you will come forth and I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses." Professor McGonagall started,
"Bones, Susan"
"Huffelpuff." Yelled the hat out loud, to the roaring cheers of the Hufflepuff table.
"Brown, Lavender"
"GRYFFINDOR" The hall cheered.
"Granger Hermione," McGonagall said out loud.
"Oh no, okay, relax," mumbled Hermione worried over where she would be put.
While Ron gave her a weird look, "mental that one. I'm telling you."
"Don't say that!" Hadriana told him, head-slapping him because he sooner or later needed to learn that words could hurt.
Hermione and others glared at him, slightly hurt that her husband had said things like that before they got together – though she was glad that Hadriana had stood up for her.
"You know, I am sorry for everything right?" Ron said as he hugged her in comfort whispering it into her ear worried that this whole thing would create a rift in their friendship.
"I know, and I love you." Hermione smiled at the worry she could hear in his voice over what had happened way back then.
"Love you too," Ron said with a smile, kissing her forehead.
The others in the hall smiled now they had together before they turned back to the screen giving them some time for themselves.
The hat was placed on her head, and after a few couples of minutes it yelled loudly, "GRYFFINDOR" The Gryffindor table cheered loudly deafening the whole hall, and the others clapped only to be polite. Hermione ran over to the table with a large smile on her face.
"Malfoy, Draco!" McGonagall read the next name of the parchment, and he walked up to the stool confidently as ever, before the hat could even touch his head, it yelled out loud "SLYTHERIN!"
"There wasn't a witch or wizard who went bad, that wasn't in Slytherin." Whispered Ron to Hadriana, who stared at the hat in curiosity.
The Slytherins all scowled, while sole Gryffindors nodded their heads approvingly over what was being told to the girl. James and young Sirius tried hiding their reactions that they didn't agree with the assessment, but there were only a couple of people who caught it. Those that did look at them with confusion knowing that there had to be something going on other than what the future was showing them.
It made people realise that they needed to have a talk with them both, to see and understand where they were coming from.
"Nott, Theodore." A small bookish looking boy walked up to the chair and the hat that was awaiting. Hadriana wasn't quite paying attention to what the hat was saying, her eyes caught the sight of someone wearing all black, she locked her eyes with the dark-haired professor who kept his eyes on her before she glanced over to the professor besides the other professor. It happens to be Professor Quirrell.
"You're a professor?!" James yelled as he looked towards Snape while trying not to use the nickname they had for the guy. It was hard, but he managed because Lily held him back.
"Nice, Snape!" Barty and the others in Slytherin said and gave the boy a nod. Snape was shocked, and still more shocked when the older of the two said, "I never was able to tell you this, but I was thankful for what you did." Sirius told the shocked guy, though, he did not elaborate what that something was because he could feel Hadriana was quietly warning him to not say anything because he knew that it would not be pretty to watch how the guy treated the woman he loved.
The whole hall was shocked in disbelief at the comment, no one said anything to it as they focused on the sorting.
Hadriana looked a little longer before she winched in pain and clutched her scar.
"Hadriana what's wrong?" Ron asked staring at her in concern.
"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine." Hadriana said and listened to the sorting hat as it yelled out loud "SLYTHERIN!"
"Weasley, Ronald." McGonagall called quietly, Ron climbed up the stairs and before the hat placed itself on his head, the hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" much to his relief of Ron. Hadriana gave a smile as he passed her.
"Potter, Hadriana," McGonagall said, though, she was hesitant about seeing the girl.
The whole hall became silent at hearing her name, all the professors were leaning forward curious about where she would be placed. She quietly but quickly walked up the stairs, looking around her at the students before the hat was placed over her eyes.
"I haven't seen such a complex mind since Black, sat for his own sorting." The hat mumbled in her mind worrying her because she did not want to have every secret in her mind discovered, "don't worry, I can't tell anyone anything… Where to place you… Hufflepuff is out, you are only loyal to those that show an equal amount of loyalty to you. Slytherin would fit you perfectly, but so would Gryffindor, Ravenclaw would also do but something tells me that you wouldn't care for their obsession with books. Where to place you…" The hat mumbled again, really thinking about where he should put the girl.
"I don't really care, but I would like to survive school and not die… So, not Slytherin, please. Everything but Slytherin!" Hadriana told him through her mind. "Not Slytherin."
"What's wrong with Slytherin?" Someone from the Slytherin table glared at the girl and ignored the others.
"Nothing, but you have to remember that I vanished the Dark Lord and many of the kids there wouldn't have liked me being in that house and that I did not want to end up in the hospital just from being placed in your house," Hadriana told them serious about what could have transpired if she had been placed in the snake den. "I was thinking long-term, and a little bit because Draco was placed there and all I knew was Gryffindor."
The others laughed at that, though, Draco protested over being the one that had warned her off being placed in Slytherin.
However, others could see the problem she had faced when it would have come to be placed in the snake pit even then.
"Are you sure? You could be great you know." The hat told her as a precaution because it knew that she wouldn't have liked what was going on in that house.
"You know what's best and being dead for the year is out not the best for me!" Hadriana told the hat strictly, knowing that it would get the memo.
"Well, you are right, if you are sure, better be… GRYFFINDOR!" He yelled as the Gryffindor table cheered especially loudly, breaking out in huge applause.
Fred and George cheered the loudest out of everyone on the table, while Dumbledore leant back in his seat with a smile on his face. Something that made her question his interest in her to one unhealthy degree.
"We got Potter! We got Potter!" The twins chanted loudly, allowing Percy Weasley to shake his head at them while shaking Hadriana's hand.
"You were almost placed in Slytherin?" James asked her in confusion. He had always hated Slytherin's for a reason or another, and to think his daughter was almost placed there shocked him, but not by much.
"There is nothing wrong with Slytherin dear, your Aunt Dorea and I were placed in Slytherin," Euphemia told her son, maybe something she should have made clearer to her son years ago. Now she was regretting not telling him.
Hadriana and Sirius smiled at the scene, they were loving seeing their old friends and her parents and grandparents get along because they had never seen it before. Sirius was all for getting it through his younger self and friend that not all Slytherins were evil.
When the sorting finally came to a stop, McGonagall clinked her glass with her spoon wanting to have a talk with the students. "Your attention, please."
"Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore raised himself up, and with a wave of his hands – rows upon rows of food filled each table.
Hadriana had never seen so many varied food sources before, and she could taste it something that was so much rarer than anything else. "WOW!" she said in amazement, with everyone in the hall began to eat something or another. The same with her, as she began to fill her plates with what looked good. She had to shake her head at Ron's way of eating, he had two chicken wings in each hand, eating them at the same time.
Ron just shook his head at how he had been then, still is something but then that's then.
Hadriana was sitting close to Percy and still had a close eye on the Professor's table because as fascinating as things were there was something going on. "Say, Percy, who's that teacher, talking to Professor Quirrell?"
"Oh, you know Professor Quirrell? It's Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin house," he answered her, making her nod.
"What does he teach?" Hadriana asked him quietly, curious about the man in all black.
"Potions, but everyone knows it's the Dark Art's position he fancies. He has been after Qurrels job for years." Percy told her.
Hadriana continued to stare at the man before Ron's loud scream snapped her out of what was happening up there with the professors.
She shook her head again in disbelief loving magic the more for what she was seeing now, a ghost had popped his head through the table startling everyone that had been talking. It made him chuckle overdoing it again these years to the little first years, "Hello, how are you and welcome to Gryffindor." The ghost greeted them all.
"Hello, sir. Nicholas. Have a nice summer?" asked Percy, as the ghost suddenly became disappointed in what had happened. "Dismissal. Once again, my request to join the headless hunt was denied."
"Oh, I know you. Your Nearly headless nick." Ron said to the ghost, in awe over finally having remembered who the ghost was.
Hadriana could see clearly that he hadn't liked being remembered for the headless part, as the ghost glared at Ron.
"You shouldn't have said that! He has never liked it!" Frank said, but everyone know that it was the standard question some of the braver first years asked.
"I know that now!" Ron told him with a smile.
"I prefer, Sir, Nicholas, if you don't mind."
"Nearly Headless. How can you be nearly headless?" Hermione asked the question on everyone's mind, but Hadriana knew better than to ask how somebody died – it wasn't at all polite. Everyone around turned their heads around, but she wanted to see what was going on, so she didn't do as the others.
"Like this!" said the ghost and grabbed his hair and pulled his head back. With that done his head hung by a thin thread of skin, making Ron scream and the others look at it in disgust with a losing appetite.
Hadriana could all but stare and be fascinated by how that even was possible, "cool." She muttered underneath her breath and continued eating with a smile.
"No wonder you are a wonderful fit for Sirius, he said the same thing as you when he saw it – even continued eating as if nothing had happened!" Remus laughed because of how similar their reactions had been.
"You did?" Hadriana smiled in wonder because everything felt like nothing else had done before – he loved the man that was holding her, so, incredibly much.
"Yeah, I did," Sirius told her silently laughing, showing it with his eyes that glinted with love and affection.
Everyone could see this, and they were happy for them. That they had found happiness, though, young Sirius was a little bit jealous.
After the feast, they made their way towards what was going to be their common room, as Percy was leading their way up a couple of stairs. We parted ways from the Ravenclaws, and after a little while "Gryffindors follow me! thank you. Keep up!" Percy told them.
"This is the fastest path to the common room." He said and stopped at a staircase, that went upwards. "Keep an eye out on the staircase, as they liked to change directions." They continued to walk as the staircase was leading them before Percy walked on once more.
Hadriana was in awe over the whole castle, she was amazed by that point though the guide could have taken his time to lead them around and talk about what was going to be going on. Other first years were pointing at the portraits and laughing, though, it was fascinating to her how it was at all possible things weren't that shocking since she could read and talk to the voice in her head sometimes.
"Welcome to Hogwarts." One of the many pictures greeted them, smiling, and nodding politely. We smiled back and continued to follow Percy who always seemed to have something on mind other than leading them around.
We soon came to the portrait, it was of The Fat Lady, wearing an old but beautiful pink dress, staring at them with a smile. "Password?" she asked them.
"Caput Draconis," Percy answered, and the portrait swung open allowing them entrance to the common room.
"So, that's where the Gryffindor common room is!" Barty said with a smirk, all the while Hadriana couldn't let it go and laughed at the man.
"I've been to all the common rooms." She told him proudly.
"You have?" Hermione asked with wide eyes, "I thought it was just the Slytherins." She said, and the Slytherin's eyes widened at hearing this.
"Who'd you go with?" Ron asked furrowing his eyebrows.
"Headmistress McGonagall, after all, what do you think I am doing in Hogwarts all the time?" Hadriana asked them to the widening eyes of the past. *I think you have shocked them into silence, love. * Sirius said to her through their link. *Good for them! * she smirked, allowing them to think it through.
"Ah… Now I understand!" Hermione and Ron said with a smile and did not let them get to know it before it was happening on the screen.
When they walked in, the common room was cosy and empty of people. It was an amazing room, the walls were in a nice colour of burgundy red, and there was a warm raging fire in the fire pit and more portraits along the walls.
"Gather around people. Welcome to the Gryffindor common room, boys will be on the left while the girls are on the right. There you will find your belongings, and it will already have been brought up. On that bulletin board over there you will find information, and on each bed, there will be a map of the school and where each class is. Take care of it!" Percy finally told them and remembered to tell them the most important thing of all.
A while afterwards, everyone in the girl's dormitory was asleep – she was lucky because she had the bed nearest a window she could look out of. It was what she was doing right this moment because she couldn't sleep, everything was so new and different making her wonder if it was even real.
*It's real! * a whispery voice told her, and that someone she could always count on to be a voice of reason for her fears. *Thanks, Siri*
Everyone was in awe over their common room because they all agreed that it looked cosy. They looked and watched the screen in agreement over it, including the Slytherins felt that their own common room was lacking in warmth.