𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗭𝗞𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗡 [𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍]

Chapter Four: My Godson is Going to be the Godfather of Your Grandson

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ ･⋆✵⋆･ ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

Professor McGonagall came back into the room holding a thick roll of parchment. "Welcome to Hogwarts." she said and her lips curved up a little before going back to being a straight line. "You will be heading to the Great Hall for the Start of Term Feast and to be sorted into one of the four houses in front of the whole school, so I suggest you make yourselves as presentable as possible." she said, looking the students all over a bit critically.

James ran his fingers through his messy hair, making it even more messy.

Professor McGonagall led them out of the room and to a raised platform in the Great Hall. A really old man with a moth eaten tailcoat hurried onto the platform and put down a three legged stool with a worn out wizard's hat on top of it before he tottered off.

After the hat had finished singing its song, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and began reading names off the long roll of parchment. 

"Abbott, Fredrich." was called to the front first and he became the first Hufflepuff.

Many more nervous kids were called, some who already knew where'd they be sorted and some fresh faces who fed the curiosity, and suddenly it was Sirius's turn to stumble forward and be sorted.

The hat had sang something about the founders of the four houses putting a brain in it so Sirius had gross images of something slimy landing on his head when he put on the hat. He tried not to shudder.

Sirius picked up the grimy heap of fabric and put it on. It's rim came down over his eyes and Sirius was left staring at the inside of it, the quietness of the Hall buzzing in his ears.

"Ahh. A Black." cackled the Sorting Hat, it's voice feeling like it was coming from inside Sirius's head. "Pureblood. Ambitious. Eager to be your own person. Great mind. Quite intelligent. A good amount of pride and conceit too. I think Slytherin will suit you."

"Please not Slytherin." Sirius begged, scrunching his eyes shut in concentration. "Anywhere but Slytherin. Okay, maybe not Hufflepuff too." Sirius added as an afterthought.

"But your whole family's been in Slytherin." the Hat rasped. "And found success there."

"Maybe I don't want to be like them."

"Ah. A rebel." breathed the Hat, its voice alive with something almost like malice.

"Glad to hear you've noticed." Sirius didn't intend that for the Hat but it heard him anyway.

"That tongue too would be welcomed in Slytherin."

"I take it back. Please don't put me there." Sirius said, desperate not to lose his one chance to be different.

"You could have been great in the house of your fathers and forefathers but if you insist . . ." sighed the Hat. "GRYFFINDOR."

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers as Sirius took off the hat and ran down the steps to join them. He chanced a glance at the Slytherin table and caught his cousin Bellatrix glaring at him but Andromeda, sitting next to her, gave him a small smile.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart." said a burly seventh year, shaking Sirius's hand vigorously when he sat next to him. "Ted Tonks. I'm friends with Andromeda and thought you might be related."

"Yeah, she's my cousin." Sirius replied, the smile on his face growing wider. By the time Sirius looked back up at the dias, Sam Carmichael had just been sorted into Ravenclaw.

Amycus Carrow and his twin sister Alecto Carrow, who looked exactly like her brother with a wig on and about as smart, were both sorted into Slytherin.

A few more people later, Professor McGonagall called, "Evans, Lily."

The earlier girl from Sirius's compartment put on the hat and it sorted her into Gryffindor. She handed the Sorting Hat back to Professor McGonagall and gave her greasy haired friend a small smile as she walked to the Gryffindor table. Sirius made space for her at the table next to him and smiled at her winningly but she turned up her nose and sat at the other side of the table.

"Lestrange, Rabastan." had barely put the hat on before it shouted, "SLYTHERIN."

"Lovegood, Xenophilius." was sorted into Ravenclaw almost immediately too.

Remus was sorted into Gryffindor as well and took the seat besides Sirius, where he'd offered Lily to sit first. "Well done, mate." Sirius said, clapping a hand on Remus' back and Remus gave him a small smile. He just seemed happy to be sorted.

The boy who fell in the lake, Peter Pettigrew, sat for almost a whole five minutes before the hat announced him a Gryffindor and he came lumbering down the steps, still wrapped in Hagrid's thick cloak.

James was made a Gryffindor too, his wish granted, and he swaggered to the table with his head held high.

"Ross, Blake." called Professor McGonagall, her voice growing a little hoarse. She looked behind her and bit her lip when she saw she still had about a dozen more people to sort.

Blake Ross, a girl with long braids and chocolatey brown skin sat on the stool and jammed on the hat eagerly. "GRYFFINDOR." announced the hat and she approached the table uncertainly. Lily Evans and a blond girl sitting next to her, Marlene McKinnon, beaconed for Blake Ross to sit with them.

A few more people went by and "Snape, Severus." was called to the front. Sirius was just thinking how lucky he was to wear the hat before Snape's greasy hair touched it when the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN."

"Serves him right." said James from next to Sirius.

Snape slouched over to the Slytherin table and Lucius Malfoy, his prefect's badge gleaming on his chest from the candle lights, gave Snape a thump on the back. But Snape's eyes lingered on the Gryffindor table where Lily has struck up a conversation with McKinnon and Ross.

"Zabini, Tobias.", the last student, was sorted Slytherin and Professor McGonagall rolled up her parchment and walked out of the room with the hat in hand.

At that moment, Professor Dumbledore got to his feet and opened his arms wide as if to embrace everyone at once. "Welcome." he said. His voice filled the Hall effortlessly. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." Then he smiled, his blue eyes twinkling and said, "But I won't trouble you with an old man's eccentricities on an empty stomach. So please, tuck in."

There was a round of applause and everybody turned eagerly to their now full plates.

Now that the initial nerves and excitement of being sorted had worn off, Sirius started looking around the vast Hall.

Candles floated in mid air, washing the room in a warm orange glow. In addition to the four long house tables there was a smaller table reserved for the teachers and Dumbledore sat in the middle, leaning back in his high backed chair, drinking from an elegant goblet and deep in conversation with a woman with fly away hair and a patchy hat.

Numerous ghosts dotted the Hall too, their pearlescent glow falling on the students they talked to and watched them eat longingly.

Lightning forked outside and the high ceiling lit up. Sirius looked up to see heavy clouds hanging above the tables.

"It's bewitched to reflect the sky." offered Remus, looking up too. "I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

"Mate, are you seeing this?" Sirius said, nudging James in the side with his elbow but James didn't respond. His gaze was fixed on the opposite side of the table where Lily Evans sat with her new found mates.

"She's Muggleborn. I remember seeing her in Diagon Alley with her parents." Sirius managed between shovelfuls of mashed potato.

But James wasn't paying any attention. "Yeah, that's great." he intoned, his eyes still glued on the girl. He seemed to see her in a different light after she became a Gryffindor.

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ ･⋆✵⋆･ ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

Thanks for reading. And just for the record, I've personally got nothing against Hufflepuffs, so no hard feelings.