1st September 1971
Black, Sirius
Hello. Another Black.
Sirius felt the numbed fear that had been building in him since he'd been presented with his letter, by Kreacher, months ago reach a crisis point. His insides felt like they were physically quivering. He gritted his teeth.
"Don't do it." He hissed at the hat, squeezing his eyes shut as though it'd give the words more conviction. "Please don't. I'm not like her. I'm not like them."
Yes, well I'm glad we agree. I see not a cunning bone in you, Sirius Black. Nor do I detect any great respect for ambition…
Sirius didn't care that he'd just been insulted by an old hat. To hear it, from an impartial judge, that he wasn't like the others (even in the most basic association) made him slump out of his ridged posture in relief. He'd been so confused, for so long, and pulled in every direction since he first questioned his family as to what kind of person he really was. It felt like a release to be un-cuffed from this one Black tradition.
You're quite welcome. Now, what would you say to "GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius pushed up the old hat to reveal the Great Hall in all its cheering glory, and the right-most table clapping almost aggressively in welcome. He flicked his gaze over to the table nearest the doors to see the cool expression of his cousin Bellatrix, her dark eyes boring into him even from this distance. Before he could feel any real nervousness, however, he grinned at the sight of his biggest cousin, Andromeda, head girl badge gleaming on her chest, elbow Bellatrix so roughly she nearly fell off the bench. Sirius grinned back at her and hurried to the Gryffindor table still smiling, the image of his cousin clapping for him filling his chest with happiness like a tidal wave.
Evans, Lily
Lily screwed up her face as the old, frayed and rather dirty hat dropped down over her eyes and obscured the hundreds of faces in the great hall that had been staring up at her. It was oddly comforting, if a bit stuffy. It felt as though she were completely alone, removed from the fears of being separated from her family, and her sister, being in a new place and the possibility of being away from Severus for the first time since she'd stepped onto the magical platform.
No need to be so worried.
Lily stifled a gasp as a clear voice seemed to ring through her skull like an empty chamber.
I'm just flicking through to see where I should put you.
Lily didn't like the insinuation that the hat was rifling through her thoughts, but she capitalised on the opportunity and thought as hard as she could; I want to go where Severus goes.
Lily thought she could hear a smile in the hat's next words. I haven't sorted a Severus yet. We'll have to see how similar your two are, won't we? Is he intelligent? You'll make a model student I'm sure… proud of your own curiosity and ability… perhaps Ravenclaw?
But what's this?
The hours old memory of her father on the platform had creeped to the forefront of her mind. He'd squeezed her tight, called her 'Flower' and assured her that she could always come home, if it was too much. That things didn't have to change, he'd said. She didn't have to be brave.
And yet, here you are, Lily Evans, with no intention of leaving. So decisive and stubborn so young. I know when I see a "GRYFFINDOR!"
Someone whipped the hat off her head, pulling loose strands of copper hair free from her long, neat plait and she saw the table furthest from the huge doors giving her a particularly enthusiastic applause. She took a deep breath to push down the shock and allowed her face to break into a wide smile and she walked to the raucous end table, trying not to think of Severus behind her.
Lupin, Remus
Rather than sitting on the stool, Remus rather thought his legs just gave way beneath him and he should consider himself lucky that the chair caught him. He'd been so happy to be going to school for the first time, to not be locked away, but instead be given the opportunity to meet new people, but now… He'd spent most of his life up until this point away from the rest of the world, in the company of only his mother and father. Suddenly thrust into an environment surrounded by hundreds of children was totally nerve wracking. He'd quickly realised he had no idea how to interact with other people his age and being the focus of so many pairs of eyes made him feel physically sick.
The Sorting Hat was dropped on his head and fell down over his eyes, blocking sound and sight completely but not erasing the weight of the hall's attention.
Remus heard a voice ring clear through his head as though his own brain were thinking the words.
What an unusual young man.
Remus screwed his eyes shut under the hat as though the voice was painful.
Why so worried? I've seen students with a lot more riding on their house over the years than you.
The hat was silent, as though it were sifting through his mind to find an answer. An image of his parents swam to the front of his mind and Remus' knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the rim of the stool.
I just want them to be proud of me. I make everything so difficult for them, they must be relieved to have their lives back now. It's the least I can do.
The hat seemed to 'hmm' in acknowledgement. Well I see you won't have to worry about bad marks, with a brilliant mind like that, your belief in hard work and fair play will take you far. You've a lot of ambition, for such a young kid.
It'll never happen though. Remus thought. It's all a waste. I can work as hard as I like and I'll never amount to anything because… because of the way I am…
Remus thought he heard the hat chuckle. Have a little more confidence in yourself Remus.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Pettigrew, Peter
Peter's feet didn't touch the floor once he'd scrambled up onto the rickety, three legged stool, ready for Professor McGonagall to place the Sorting Hat on his head. When she did, it was as though all the lights had gone out. A smooth voice spoke in his ear and Peter squeaked in shock.
Desperate to prove yourself already and you've only just sat down.
Peter thought that he'd rather have faced some of the rumours which were spreading across the Hogwarts Express about the nature of the sorting, rather than sit here with the same hat that knew his parents sifting through his darkest thoughts. There were a few feelings he'd rather keep to himself.
Oh don't worry I shan't be telling anyone. Your insecurities are your own business. I suppose you don't want to be in Ravenclaw?
I can't compare to them… I'm not smart enough… I can't… I just don't know what I'm going to do…
The gut-wrenching memory of his mother hugging him while his father congratulated him excitedly surfaced. Peter had played through it again and again and, like an old tape, had become more disjointed and worried with each viewing. His brothers watching from the hallway, whispering to each other. His mother saying how much this would change things.
They're all squibs, you see? Peter told the hat miserably. Everyone's watching me now.
And you just feel as though you can't live up to all the new attention. Don't worry, you're not the first to be living up to high expectations. Not even the only in this year. You might be the odd one in your family, but you won't stand out in… "GRYFFINDOR!"
Potter, James
James Potter nearly collapsed the rickety stool in his haste to sit himself on it and he could have sworn he saw Professor McGonagall roll her eyes before she placed the old hat on his head. Excitement bubbled inside him like some out of control reaction in his stomach and he swung short legs in anticipation.
Not a concern in your head I see? Said a voice in James' ear that he knew to be the Sorting Hat.
Yes! I'm going to be in Gryffindor, like my Dad, right? The thought rang so sure and true that, if the hat had any, it would've raised it's eyebrows.
I think I'll be the one making the decisions here.
James conviction faltered for the first time in a long time.
What? I'm not brave enough?
Well you're certainly brazen enough. I'm not so petty that I won't deny you your wish because of a little big-headedness.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Snape, Severus
Oh! Severus, you've been mentioned. Made a good friend already, have you?
A hundred memories of Lily were presented by Severus for the hat to witness, all smothered in the association of loyalty, friendship and blissful happiness.
But you put her in Gryffindor.
I put her where she belongs. And now it's your turn.
The hat must have felt his indecision because it felt to Severus as though it voiced his feelings more accurately than he would ever dare to say aloud.
You'd loathe to be in Gryffindor, and yet, you'd rather be with that girl than anywhere else.
Severus fiddled with his new robes. What if she forgets about me? She'll make new friends. She's nice, and pretty and funny and… well, you can see me. Saying (or rather thinking) the insecurities that had been weighing him down regarding Lily hadn't made him feel better
But you're not without your qualities. What an excellent mind, and no, I don't just mean academics. You should have a little more faith in yourself, you've an incredible cunning streak you could put to very good use in Slytherin.
The hat must have felt his conflict. It continued; You're going to have to decide what kind of person you want to be eventually – you can't deny yourself what you want in the hope of banal happiness. You can keep your connections, if you work hard enough for them, if you really want them.
But people turn against you and you'll wish you had just relied on yourself all along, right? Severus thought of his mother in that moment, sitting at the table with her son eating a lonely supper looking haggard while her husband wore off his anger on the picture frames and ornaments in the adjacent room.
Well if you want to think of it that way…
"SLYTHERIN!"
Entering the Gryffindor girls' dormitories for the first time, Lily had no spare energy to take awe in her surroundings. She had climbed what felt like a hundred staircases and eaten what felt like a week's worth of meals that evening and now would like nothing more than to climb into her bed.
Her trunk full was somehow up next to one of the beds even though the last time she'd seen it was on the train. She had the bed nearest the door and was neighbour to a girl called Dorcas whom she and Severus had met on the journey. She was kind-faced with an alarming amount of strawberry blonde curls and a liberal smattering of freckles to rival Lily's.
"I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life," moaned Dorcas, struggling into pyjamas with her eyes half closed. "I'm gonna explode!"
Lily sat on the edge of her new four-poster bed and copied her new friend, pulling out pyjamas and stuffing her new robes into her trunk carelessly. It was going to be very different from staying at home. No more knocking on the wall that joined her and her sister's rooms to hear Petunia knocking back. No more crawling into her parents' bed in the mornings. She'd have to stop being such a baby. Petunia always said she could be such a baby. Petunia said it was because she was the youngest.
Her fellow Gryffindor girls, Marline and Mary, were crowded around one of the oil lamps writing letters with feathered pens. Quills.
It would probably be a good idea to write to her parents.
"Are you going to write home tonight too?" She asked Dorcas, who yawned hugely and nodded.
"I suppose. We can take them to the owlery tomorrow together, if you want? I suppose I could've just bought an owl and made things easier, but I love cats." She grinned and snatched her new cat up from the ground as it stalked past her and pulled it up onto the bed, despite its protest.
While Lily wrote her first letter home (describing in intense detail all the fantastic food she'd eaten) she thought maybe, next year, when her parents were sure she wanted to stay, they might relent to getting her a cat too.
Sirius was yanked through the dormitory door by the arm. His new friend, James, had a thousand times more energy than he could ever hope to have after such a long and emotionally draining day.
"Look! Our trunks are next to each other! We've got the beds next to each other!"
James was practically buzzing, the ends of his disastrously untamed hair quivering and his face shining. Sirius couldn't help but break into a smile. He'd never met anyone like this boy before. He was a mess, one trouser leg tucked into his sock, his collar tucked into his jumper and his tie in disarray. He was such a contrast to Sirius and his immaculate self that it felt almost rebellious to be standing next to this boy. It was so deeply ingrained in Sirius to be perfect any time eyes were on him that he was constantly exhausted with the effort, it looked like it would be a relief to have the carefree attitude of this boy.
He heard the dormitory door open behind him and two other boys entered – the other new Gryffindor first years who they'd be sharing a dorm with. Sirius thought he remembered their names as Remus and Peter. He'd heard of the Potter family and the Pettigrew family (though always in sneering tones) but he couldn't think of where he'd heard Lupin before – though he was sure the name had cropped up somewhere. He wondered if the boy was muggle-born. He didn't know how to feel about him.
He was small, in a different way to James. Where his new friend was short and stocky, this boy was like a reed, pale faced with twig-like arms. Sirius noticed that his curly hair was drooping somewhat in the late hour and that the candlelight in the room made noticeable silvery scarring on his hands and across the bridge of his nose. He was talking to the other boy and smiling lightly though, clearly putting Peter at ease.
Peter looked as nervous as Sirius, wringing his fingers over the edges of his new robes.
James interrupted his thoughts. He almost pounced on the other boys.
"What're your names? Romulus, right? And Pete?" Clearly, James hadn't been nearly as attentive as Sirius had been in the Great Hall.
Sirius saw Remus smile good-naturedly again. "Nearly. I'm Remus Lupin. I remember from the sorting, you're James Potter, and you're Sirius Black," he replied, turning and nodding to Sirius.
"I'm Peter Pettigrew," added the other boy in a small voice. It seemed like James' boisterous attitude put him on edge a little.
"This is going to be great!" James flopped onto his bed, a satisfied grin on his face. "It's going to be like one huge sleepover! I can't wait for tomorrow!"
Sirius carefully folded his new robes and put them on the chair between his and James' beds before taking a glance around the room. James was face-first in his bedding – asleep as though he hadn't been bouncing from the walls not five minutes ago. Remus was sitting in bed writing a letter (presumably telling of his sorting) with a muggle pen. Peter was lovingly stroking what Sirius supposed was his new pet owl, a contented smile on his face. Lastly, he looked over at his tie which was lying on top of his folded clothes. When he'd bought it, it had been black. Now it was red and gold
Sirius smiled as he turned over to sleep.
AN: This was beta-read by TenThousandLilies – it's thanks to her that this whole chapter isn't just one long, rambling sentence, as is my bad habit.
This story is going to cover the Marauders' first year at Hogwarts with chapters coving key moments rather than the year as a whole – just so you know what you're getting in for. I'm hoping to cover the years 1971 to 1978 but that's a long way to go…
Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I'll see you next chapter! Have a lovely day!
~BS
*edited 05/03/17 – Sirius recognises Remus' surname.