Mischief Managed

Chapter Two

After having a brief meeting with a greying, bespeckled professor, the first years were allowed into the Great Hall. Conversations stopped buzzing throughout the room at the sight of the swarm of eleven year olds, who were positively terrified. They didn't know where they would be going after this, if their house would suit them, or if they would be an outcast. All they really knew was that they were going to have to survive living in their siblings' or parents' shadows; or simply make a name for themselves singlehandedly if they were not from a magic family. Peter crowded closer to the other boys, trying to absorb their confidence in an attempt to stop his hands from shaking. As the sea of preteens came to a stop in front of the Teacher's Table, it became eerily silent.

"When I call your name," said the woman from a few moments before. "You will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." At these words, the four boys exchanged a last nervous glance before the Sorting began.

Sirius wasn't sure how many names had been called before his, as he was zoning in and out nervously. He heard the name Bertram Aubrey be called (though it was possible that Aubrey had been the first name called, in all honesty), though he did not hear where Bertram was placed. Sirius didn't really hear much of anything except for Professor McGonagall reading "Black, Sirius!" off of her parchment. His heart stopped before picking up back and racing. He tried not to tremble as he approached the stool where the hat sat. McGonagall dropped the hat onto his head, the brim covering his eyes. He held his breath anxiously until a whisper tickled his ear.

"Well, well, well. Another Black, I see. And did she say Sirius? I've Sorted two Sirius Blacks, so far. Both were Slytherins, but that's not exactly surprising for your family, is it? Funnily enough, however, your mind seems oddly against being sorted into Slytherin like most of your family. Humor me, young Sirius. If you could sort yourself, where would you be placed?" the Sorting Hat hissed into Sirius' mind. Where indeed? He wasn't humble or mild enough for Hufflepuff, and he didn't consider himself extraordinarily cunning or intelligent like Ravenclaw students were known to be.

"Gryffindor." he mumbled, knowing in his heart that that felt like the right choice. If he was brave enough to live at Grimmauld Place with his awful parents and cocky brother, he was brave enough to be a Gryffindor in his mind.

"Are you brave and strong enough, young Black? Would you consider yourself the type who would follow his allies into war and yet still be daring enough to sacrifice whatever necessary? One day, it may become a possibility. Could you handle fighting alongside your closest friends while still being strong enough to sacrifice them...or yourself?" Sirius nodded, instantly thinking of the boys he met earlier that day. He already knew he'd follow them into war, James especially. They were closer than brothers.

"Very well, then. For your sake, I hope you made the right choice." the Hat whispered before calling out to the Great Hall "Gryffindor!". Sirius felt relief wash over him cooly, thanking whoever was in charge of the universe for letting him not be a Slytherin, for letting him be something other than just another member of the house of Black.

"Lupin, Remus!" Professor McGonagall called shrilly. Remus startled, as he realized that it was already his turn. Where had the rest of the line gone? Where had Sirius gone? Remus's eyes drifted over the crowded dinner tables in an attempt to find the black haired teen as he mounted the stage.

"Ooh, what have we here? A werewolf, eh? How...interesting. I don't get the opportunity to sort many werewolves." the Hat crooned.

"Get on with it." Remus said impatiently. He didn't have the heart to hear a piece of clothing tell him what he already knew.

"Patience, Lupin. Now, you're certainly clever enough for Ravenclaw, or maybe Gryffindor. You're certainly brave if you can survive all those full moons with your sanity intact. Do you think you're brave enough for Gryffindor, Remus?"

"I-I hope I am. I try to be."

"That's all I needed to hear." the Sorting Hat said before declaring Remus Lupin the newest member of Gryffindor.

Peter bit his nails anxiously as he watched the line grow shorter and shorter. What if he got a house that didn't suit him? He squared his shoulders like his parents had taught him, put on the bravest face he could muster, and climbed the stairs to where the Sorting Hat would determine his fate.

"Peter Pettigrew," the Sorting Hat breathed in his ear. "Wherever shall I put you?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Peter replied. A throaty chuckle resonated within the hat.

"Only a Slytherin or a Gryffindor would ask me a question like that. Now, the question is, are you a Slytherin or a Gryffindor?"

"Honestly," Peter said. "I don't know. I just want to suit the house I'm in." The Hat was silent for a bit as it considered this.

"Answer me this, Pettigrew. If you had the opportunity, would you sell out your friends to save yourself, or would you sacrifice yourself to save them?"

"I think," Peter mumbled. "At least, I would like to think that I would save my friends. I'm not really sure, though."

"You're not sure? Oh well. Hopefully you just made the right choice."

"Gryffindor!" the Hat called out to the Great Hall. Everyone looked shocked once Peter was finally Sorted. He would later find out that the shock was from him being a Hatstall.

James Potter climbed the stage when he was called, his back straight and his gait oozing confidence. He knew where he would be placed. He was too good for anything other than Gryffindor, and he would accept nothing less. The hat drooped over his eyes, encasing the preteen in black.

"A Potter." the Hat hissed. "First one I've Sorted in a while. Your father was a Gryffindor too, if I remember correctly." James nodded in confirmation.

"Tell me boy, are you going to follow in his footsteps? Will you be a Gryffindor as well?" Once more, James nodded. The Sorting Hat laughed dryly.

"You seem very confident in where I'll place you. The spirit of a Gryffindor." it croaked before announcing to the rest of the school that James was going to join the house of the brave. James hurried over to the table, where his friends were all grinning. They would now be able to spend as much time as possible together. James sat down next to a pretty redhead he had watched get Sorted earlier.

"Hi, I'm Lily." she said, smiling politely at him. James breathlessly smiled as his eyes met dizzyingly green ones.

"H-Hi, I'm James." he replied as he shook her hand.

Once every eleven year old was Sorted, the Headmaster rose. The old man, who introduced himself as Dumbledore, made a few announcements, as one expects a headmaster to do on the first day of the term. Such announcements included that first years were not allowed to go to the forest on the edge of campus (Sirius and James exchanged smirks that told each other that they would try their best to get into that forest), Quidditch tryouts were to be held soon, and other various things one would expect in the beginning of the term at a magic boarding school. He concluded his speech with a merry, "Let the feast begin!" before sitting back down.

The food was amazing. The boys ate until they were full, and then Sirius and James kept trying to outdo each other by continuing to stuff their faces throughout dessert. They eventually left the Great Hall, feeling incredibly full and a bit drowsy. They followed their house's prefect up some stairs and then they congregated beside a portrait of a rather rotund woman.

"Now this," the prefect said to the younger students. "Is our common room's entrance. Our password changes often, so please be sure to keep up with it." With that, the prefect muttered the password to the woman, whose portrait swung open to reveal a doorway. The preteens marched inside, pooling into the common room.

"Boys' dorms up the stairs to the right, girls' to the left.Good night, and welcome to Gryffindor!' the prefect said happily before trudging up the stairs to their bedroom. The four new friends and now roommates followed suit, sleepily trekking to the first year boys' dormitory. They changed out of their robes and collapsed into their beds, their heads pleasantly fuzzy with sleep. As their eyes closed, one last thought went through all their heads: I'm finally here.