Flare [discontinued]

Chapter 3-The Sorting

The Sorting

The students made their way up the stairs, through the Entrance Hall and the Great Hall. They seated themselves at their respective house tables, the first years and a solitary fifth year waited near the entrance for the Headmaster to conclude his introduction. A tall witch with greying auburn hair introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and briefed them about the Sorting, she then led them inside. The first years scuttled nervously after her to the front of the hall and just as the Sorting Hat finished its song the Sorting began.

Like every year the houses cheered and clapped enthusiastically when they received a new member. When, finally, the last name-"Zeenath, Aram"- was called everybody turned eagerly to their as yet empty plates, waiting for them to be filled, when suddenly-

"Otterage, Pyrena!"

Professor McGonagall's voice rang clearly across the Hall. Murmurs erupted everywhere and people twisted in their seats to get a look at this oddity, to their surprise nobody stepped forward. Dumbledore rose from his seat, quietened the students and began calmly, "Pyrena is a new student who will be joining us in the fifth year, she has been homeschooled upto this point and has now joined Hogwarts. I trust that her fellow fifth years will make her feel welcome and imbibe her into their group. Pyrena step forward please dear, don't be shy."

Every student in the Hall, turned to the entrance as the girl began to walk up the central aisle, they stared silently as she made her way towards the Sorting Hat. Her singular appearance attracted the attention of every person (even the ghosts)-she was of average height and build but her hair, it was long thick and curling though its colour could hardly be described so easily, it was a striking shade of gold, interwoven through the gold were several locks of a vibrant scarlet and orange, it seemed to emit an almost ethereal glow and in the light of the suspended candles it flowed and gleamed like fire. Her contrastingly ice blue eyes were trained exclusively on the stool ahead of her, ignoring the stares of the others as the Sorting Hat's brim flopped over her eyes.

After a moments' deliberation, it cried out loudly through the silence, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table broke into loud applause and catcalls as she walked forward to join them. She looked down the length of the table for a familiar face, she noticed Sirius some way down waving wildly at her and she walked shakily towards the place he'd cleared for her between himself and James. She sat down still shaking and grinned up at James and Sirius in turn, they both clapped her warmly across the back and Lupin congratulated her from across the table. Pyrena barely noticed as all the plates on the table filled with a wide selection of food, "So that's why you wouldn't take that dratted scarf of yours off, eh"?, asked Sirius his mouth full of food.

"Yeah! You saw for yourself how people stare. Hell, you stared yourself! It's extremely annoying having people looking at you like you're some specimen in a zoo", she answered helping herself to a slice of shepherd's pie.

"Well, aside from your hair you're not much of a specimen. In fact, besides your weird hair you seem almost normal Pyrena", said James emphasizing her name.

"I think a more appropriate name is Blaze!!", said Lupin.

"Yeah! To Blaze our new house mascot", cried Sirius as he and several others along the table raised their glasses of Pumpkin Juice.

Py raised her glass, laughing loudly at her new names. As she ate the rest of her dinner, still chatting loudly with her new friends, Pyrena felt normal for the first time in her life, she felt like this was where she belonged. As dessert vanished off the table, Dumbledore stood up and began his speech,

"Now, for a few start-of-term notices, first years and new comers should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that all magic is forbidden outside classes and that all students must not leave their dormitories after eleven o'clock at night. Also, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term, anyone wishing to try out should submit their names to their Quidditch captains. Very well I think that's enough talk for tonight, off to bed!"

"C'mon, I'll show you around", Sirius said, casually draping an arm over Py's shoulders. She appraised him skeptically before deciding it best to play along, glad at having someone to help her find her way around. Her mother had told her everything about Hogwarts, except how to find her way around saying that getting lost every once in a while was part of the 'Hogwarts Experience'.

As they waited near the entrance for the crowd to clear, Sirius began to point out people and provide brief histories.

"That", he said indicating a pretty red haired girl with green eyes, "is Lilly Evans, don't tell anyone, but James fancies her. Quite the know-it-all if you ask me and always hanging about with her posse or him", he pointed at the greasy haired boy she had stopped them from bullying, "Snivelly."

"Snivelly?", she asked shocked that someone would name their child that. 

"It's Severus actually Py, don't pay attention to Sirius. He and James have got it out for that kid", added Remus, as he passed them, herding together a group of wide eyed first years.

"Yeah, yeah. Call him what you will, he'll always be Snivelly to me. And that is Frank Longbottom, good enough wizard but a tad clumsy if you ask me. That's Nearly Headless Nick, Peeves, the Bloody Baron, the Fat Friar and Helena Ravenclaw. I'd watch out for Peeves if I were you. See the big bloke over there", he indicated a tall muscly blonde boy in Gryffindor robes, "he's Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain, if you want to play on the team you better talk to him."

"Hmm", she said, apparently distracted by a group of Hufflpuffs who had just passed them, their heads turned to stare at her. "Well, at least I'm not the only one who attracts attention here." A group of giggling girls halted briefly beside them to get a better look at Sirius.

"I'm deflecting some of the negative attention you're receiving, you should be grateful you know."

"Grateful?! What for?"

"To have someone as popular, sought after and not to mention handsome to show you around on your first day, most girls would kill for me", he said running a hand through his silky black hair and smirking at a group of third years who were instantaneously reduced to giggles.

"Uh-huh!" Py snorted, throwing his arm off her shoulders she walked forward bounding up the moving staircase, skipping to avoid the disappearing steps. She reached the top before he had even begun his climb, she turned smiling widely and called out, "I think I can manage just fine without you, thanks", before bowing deeply and disappearing through the Portrait Hole with a sweep of her long, curling hair, accompanied by other Gryffindors.

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He watched her from a distance, going about her chores as usual, cleaning cauldrons with a wave of wand humming along to her favourite song. He knew the name of the song, its lyrics, he even knew the little dance she did during the chorus but he felt no warmth towards her, instead, a fiery snake of pure hatred reared its head within him. She was sitting down now, untying a letter from the leg of an impatient owl, no doubt it was her daughter's first letter, 'I could do it right now', he thought, 'Just walk in there and finish her off once and for all but I have to wait till the girl is ready, until she's at her full power.'

He steadied his excited breathing just as she rose to pull on her cloak stopping near the fireplace to run her hand over a beautiful portrait of herself and a beautiful young girl with eyes the colour of ice and hair the colour of fire- her daughter, their daughter.