Loverboy

a smarter hat than me?

As the cloud of small children - first years - filed into the Great Hall, the rest of the students ceased their chatter. A tall woman with black hair pinned back into a bun stood at the front of the line. Olivia noticed, belated, that the woman was holding a frayed and dull brown hat. She and Peter - the boy who had been in the compartment when she had returned earlier that evening - exchanged a very confused look. Remus's eyes were squinted, James and Sirius's widened in bewilderment.

The woman, who the youngest children would learn to be Professor McGonagall, placed the shabby hat on top of a small wooden stool in front of every single person in the room. The seated kids looked at it, anticipating... something. The first years looked on in fright. Just as Olivia was about to ask what was going on, she heard a ripping sound. A rip close to the brim opened, and out of this tear came a gravelly voice.

Oh you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats  sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

All the children clapped, including a sparse amount of first years. "So... we just... put on the hat?" Remus whispered in Olivia's ear. She nodded uncertainly. "Looks like it." The tall woman began calling out names. After a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw, she called out a name the friends recognized.

"Black, Sirius!" Olivia smiled at her friend, silently wishing him luck before he went up to the stool and sat down. Silence in the hall for a generous thirty seconds then- "GRYFFINDOR!" Everyone clapped, no one more excitedly than James and Olivia.

Eventually, once her friends and a few girls had been sorted into Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall called out, "Sato, Olivia!" Beaming, the girl went up to stool and plonked herself onto it. She felt the hat go onto her head, and heard a tiny replica of the gravelly voice in her ear.

"Hmm... yes, yes, very much potential for Ravenclaw. Lots of wisdom, but alas, what's this? A lot of ambition! Slytherin would be a marvelous fit for you... oh? You don't want Slytherin? You seem quite strong-willed... and you clearly value bravery and nerve... I suppose that the best fit for you would have to be... GRYFFINDOR!" The last word was no longer in her ear, but shouted out to the whole room. Olivia took the hat off and put it on the stool and ran over to where she saw her friends. She slid in, next to James and the girl with waist-length straight red hair.

James hugged her, and she returned it, happily. Sirius reached over James and ruffled her hair affectionately. Remus grinned at her, and Peter smiled weakly. Olivia turned to face the red-haired girl. The girl turned around at exactly the same time, her sparkling green eyes meeting Olivia's darker counterparts. 

"Hello," she said. "My name's Lily. Lily Evans. What's yours?" Olivia responded with her own name, relieved she didn't have to start the conversation. The two girls chatted for a few minutes before the headmaster stood up. "Ooh," Lily said. "That's Dumbledore. My friend Severus told me, he's in Slytherin."

Dumbledore then said, once the room was silent, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!. Before we dive into this feast, I'd like to say a few words. And here they are: harbor, filter, lobby, lemon!" With this - odd - announcement, the Professor smiled and said, "Dig in!" 

Olivia looked on in awe as food seemed to materialize on the golden serving platters in front of her. She reached over and began piling all the foods she could onto her plate. Turning back to James and the rest of the crew, the five of them merrily ate and talked, until the feast was over, and they were dismissed for bed. Splitting off with Lily, a girl called Marlene, and another named Mary, Olivia went to bed, looking forward to a day full of excitement and classes.

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hello there my lil munchkins! it's me *dramatic gasps from all around the room despite being alone* and next chapter we'll be skipping straight (unlike me) to fifth year, in the middle of term. A bit (though little) of character development happens between now (beginning of first term) & the middle of fifth term.

803 words

lol i wrote the last bit of this chapter in science class, so my second period, and i was the only one typing and oh my god school chromebooks are so effing loud