A Cat's Tail: Minerva McGonagall Fan Fiction

Chapter 4

"Welcome! Welcome!" All of the first years were being ushered into the castle through two massive wooden doors by a man with auburn hair and a beard to match. He was wearing vibrant purple robes and had crescent moon glasses.

"A giant could walk through these doors!" Minerva whispered to Hagrid. Hagrid looked uncomfortable.

"Mmmm..." He mumbled, quietly. Minerva put discomfort down to nerves. "I am Professor Dumbledore, the deputy head and head of transfiguration here at Hogwarts. Now, the rest of the school are - "  Dumbledore was interrupted by a hoot from a hoot, and an owl promptly pooed on his head. Dumbledore chuckled. "Peeves! Don't let the owls out of the owlery! This isn't the time for pranks!" The first years could hear a cackle as a poltergeist through open the doors to the great hall, letting in floods of owls. A slight smile played on Dumbledore's lips as the owls rampaged the hall. "Well, this is a good a time as any to enter! Come this way!"

Dumbledore lead the first years into a hall. The soaring ceiling looked like the night sky, complete with the full moon, clouds and apparently, all the owls in the school. Minerva's eyes widened in awe.

"I read about this in Hogwarts: A history !  The ceiling is enchanted!" She breathed. Hagrid looked at her, surprised.

"You've read that? And you remember that?" He shook his head. "You're smart!" Minerva blushed, and shook her head.

"I'm really not! Anyone can read a book, and half these kids could win duel. Me? Smart? Never." She whispered back.

"Students! Students!" Calm down! You have all seen an owl before! PEEVES!" The flustered headmaster tried to calm down the students, and failed. Drastically. 

"CALM DOWN!" Dumbledore's booming voice rang out in the great hall, silencing all the students. Once the students calmed down, the owls calmly flew back to the owlery, not before a few of the owls pooed on people, and as Minerva noticed, mainly the Slytherins. Apparently birds didn't like them either.

Once everyone had calmed down, Dumbledore conjured (this is Dumbledore we're talking about!) up a long scroll of parchment, with names inked in curling writing. Minerva bit her lip. McGonagall was bang on in the middle of the register. It was going to take forever to sort her, however they were going to do it. She hoped it wasn't a test. Minerva then realised she was lucky not be going first.

"Abbot, Alex!" A frightened boy with sandy hair stepped towards the hat. The hat barely touched his head before yelling: "HUFFLEPUFF" The Hufflepuff table (A/N I'm a Hufflepuff! Whoop! Whoop!) erupted into cheers. Minerva felt a weight lift of her shoulders. She didn't have to do anything. Phew. Hagrid sent her an encouraging smile. 

"Don' look so serious!" He whispered to her. Minerva smiled, and Hagrid rolled his eyes. "Yer still look really serious!"

"Abbot, Amy!" This time a sandy haired girl (presumably Abbot, Alex's twin sister) stepped forwards. The hat took slightly longer to decide, before proclaiming "HUFFLEPUFF!" She grinned a relieved smile and took a seat beside her brother. Avery, Rufus was a slytherin,  Black Walburga (one of the girls from the boat) was sorted, to no ones surprise, into Slytherin and Green Lola was a Ravenclaw. The list went on and on.

"Rubeus Hagrid!" Minerva bit her lip, and wondered why he didn't want to be called Rubeus. It was a lovely name. Minerva could hear the whispers about his height; he was taller than half the sixth years.  "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled, very quickly. Minerva hoped she was in Gryffindor with Hagrid, but the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws seemed like a nice bunch. If she was in Slytherin... She shuddered at the thought. 

"Malfoy, Abraxus!" The boy from the boat, was also, no doubt, a Slytherin, and he looked proud of it too. His white blond hair was overly slicked back with gel, and made Minerva cringe.

"McGonagall, Minerva!" Minerva gulped. "Her eyes are so green!" "She looks like a a really skinny cat!" Most of the whispers were coming from the Slytherin table. Professor Dumbledore placed the hat on her head. 

"Wisdom, yes very clever. Lot's of wisdom. I suspect you will have a talent for transfiguration. But there's bravery. All those times you stood up for your brother when they teased him about his lisp," Minerva had the weirdest sensation that this hat was talking to her and reading her mind. "Yes I am a mind reading talking hat!" Minerva realised her sorting was taking a LOT longer than anyone else's. "Ravenclaw are a clever bunch, but that yearning to prove yourself is strong, that bravery immense. You are one of the toughest cases I've had to face. I see you would like to be in Gryffindor with your boyfriend..." Minerva just focused on repeating Gryffindor in her head, over and over. "Well...GRYFFINDOR!" There was a slight pause. Professor Dumbledore stared at her.

"You, my dear, are the longest ever recorded hat stall! Five minutes!" The Gryffindors then promptly began to whoop and cheer.  Pomona was a Hufflepuff, and she wasn't surprised to see that Umbridge, Dolores was in Slytherin. After Professor Dippet bored them almost to sleep, glorious food sprung from the golden plates, which everyone tucked into immediately.  

Lying in bed that night, so full she could burst, Minerva realised the hat had called Hagrid her boyfriend. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.