The Half-Blood Black

Chapter Nine✨

I sit in a huge office in front a man with a very long grey beard and hair to match. He has sparkling eyes and we just look at each other, my trunk splayed awkwardly next to his desk. 

Dumbledore.

"So..." I say, making more noise than I intended as the room echoes back at me.

"I didn't have a way to sort you into a house, the Tri Wizard tournament is a big deal here at Hogwarts." He says smiling. "So instead I have called Professors McGonagall and Snape to join us so we have clarification as to what house you are being sorted into."

We sit and stare at each other more and he just smiles. I look away and point to the hat on a podium. "Is that it? The Sorting Hat? Sirius told me about it."

"You look so much like him..." He says. "So very much, i feel like I'm sorting him again, but you are much more beautiful, don't get me wrong."

"Oh, umm, thank you." I mumble.

-

Dumbledore places the Sorting Hat on my head and I hear a humming noise inside my ears.

"Hmm," the hat says. "There is no place for you in Hufflepuff, I can feel that you won't work. Too stubborn. Ravenclaw ... why even waste my time? But I can tell your family is full of Slytherin pure-bloods, perfect. But what can't I see here ... it is like a brick wall before me. Very strange indeed, what are you hiding from me? Maybe Slytherin would be the perfect fit for you ... cunning, hidden darkness. I can feel your determination oozing out of you, not a pleasant feeling I can assure you. I've experienced this before with a young man many moons ago when you were not a thought in your grandmothers mind. Who have they brought me today...

 "You are brave like Gryffindor, chivalrous, hidden courage that you are dying to use to prove to yourself and to others that you are destined for greatness. You have nerve, but is too much nerve bordering on maliciousness as your Slytherin counterparts possess? There is something about you, yes something dark. You have something dark about you, Lyra Black. I can feel it, it's coming. Or are you bringing it to us? What house shall I put you in? Slytherin where your soul lies, or Gryffindor where your heart is ..."

The Hat goes silent, the darkness surrounding me is eerie. Darkness inside of me? I reach to pluck the Hat off my head, but as my hands lift up, his voice slithers down my spine like a cold, slow rivulet of water. 

"Gryffindor," the Hat whispers. "Gryffindor has never seen a student like yourself, Lyra Black. Let them save us all from that darkness." Another moment of silence, and then louder, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Snape plucks the hat off of me and stares at me with unexpected eyes.

"What?" I say, knowing there is something wrong. It's the same look he gave me when he saw my Patronus but didn't see me cast a spell.

"Do you know how long you've been under there?" He asks.

I look around and see that the sun is setting, Dumbledore is gone and so is McGonagall.

"A long time?" I ask.

"Dinner is just beginning. That hat took its time with you, Black."

I smile weakly and he grimaces, holding out his hand to me. I take it and hop off the stool where I'm sitting. He leads me down corridors and stairs that move until we are standing in the doorway of a huge hall filled with people of all different shapes, sizes, races, ethnicities. I've never seen so many people.

"Is this umm..." I say turning to him, I know I look frightened.

"Do you want to join your house or are you going to skip out on yet another Hogwarts initiation progress?" Snape asks amused. For my sake, he leans down and whispers, "Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are also here for the Tri Wizard Tournament, so there is usually not that many people here."

Snape leaves my side and strides down the center of the hall, walking up to the dais and standing behind the podium. Everyone silences in his presence and a few people mutter to each other, noticing me standing in the back, in my all black robes. Slytherin claps as Severus clears his throat and silence settles the hall once more. People are still staring and even from so far away I can see that Dumbledore's eyes are twinkling.

"Ladies, and gentleman," he says. The ball quiets and there are still a few chatters here and there. I try to melt into the back wall as Snape captures everyone's attention. "We have a new student and I want you all to welcome her--" he pauses as everyone looks around, a few people seeing me and pointing "--into the house of Gryffindor."

There are a few smatterings of applause from what I can only assume to be the Gryffindor table until the whole room erupts in clapping. I start walking down the center and towards the Gryffindor table, everyone's eyes on me.

"Everyone, Lyra Black." He finishes looking bored.

The clapping stops and I am suddenly in a sea of silence and awkwardness. I hear people whispering and I catch snippets of "Sirius Black" "escaped from Azkaban" "murderer" "killed his friends he did".

I slowly start to backpedal until I am out of the Great Hall. That cold feeling drips down my spine again as I look around for any bit of solace. 

This was a mistake I think.