September 1971
“Gryffindor!”
Nobody moved.
Sirius looked constipated, horrified and distraught all at once.
Then, Dumbledore clapped.
Slowly, all the Gryffindors began clapping, unsure of whether this was an good addition to their house or bad. The Slytherin table on the other hand, well. They weren’t exactly happy – to put it softly.
The women from before snarled in disgust, before turning away, instantaneously whispering amongst themselves. The hat was removed from Sirius’s head, and Professor McGonagall had to tell him to go sit on the Gryffindor table.
The sorting continued, going through all the letters. B’s, C’s, D’s, you name it.
James kept glancing over at Sirius, who was dead set at staring at his empty plate. No one bothered to talk to him either, they were all too scared and mortified.
“Lily Evans!”
James turned his head around, and realized it was the same girl on the train. As she was walking past, he waved at her. She gave him a quiet smile, and carried on walking.
She, too, was sorted in Gryffindor.
They continued, and by the time it was Remus’s turn, the first-empty tables were now crowded with First Years. The headmaster would have to every now and then remind the students to save their excitement for later, as the amount of chatter seemed to be distracting the Sorting Hat.
James watched as the Hat was deciding Remus’s house. He prayed that he would also be in Gryffindor.
Remus trembled as the hat decided, but not for long. A pause and then,
“Gryffindor!”
Two down, two to go James’s thought.
Remus scurried off, eager to get away from the attention. He found a spot next to Sirius and squeezed between him and another First Year.
There weren’t many students left now. Just a couple of handfuls, maybe 30.
“Peter Pettigrew!”
The called boy turned a shade of green, and felt his head pounding immensely. He didn’t know where he’d go, maybe the Hat would decide he’d have to be expelled. Hogwarts’s was no place for a boy like him. He was better off hiding behind the comfort of his mother’s skirt.
But when he saw the look on James’s face, he felt a bit of hope.
Peter walked down, and surprisingly, didn’t trip. Although, the look on Prof. McGonagall’s face told him he had walked far too slow.
Peter, like Sirius, took a bit of time to get sorted.
But Merlin and magic seemed to be on James’s side, as the hat yelled out Gryffindor. Peter hurried wobbled over to the Gryffindor table, sitting across Sirius and Remus.
James became a bit worried. What would happen if he wasn’t sorted into Gryffindor? What other house could he potentially be in? Slytherin? No, James’s wasn’t cunning, but he was ambitious in his endeavors. Definitely not Hufflepuff, James’s wasn’t exactly soft or nice as them. Ravenclaw maybe? But James’s didn’t possess that search for knowledge. He might actually get sorted into Slytherin! The thought was mortifying, what would he tell his parents, would he have to become an evil minister of magic? Would he marry some crazed old woman and cast blood rituals?
His train of thought was interrupted, as some kid shoved past him.
“Out of my way!”
James immediately recognized the boy. He was the one on the train with the Evans girl. He whispered to one of the kids nearby, asking for his name. “Severus Snape” a boy responded.
Snape. Snape. Snape. Snape.
Nope, that did not ring a single bell. He must’ve been a half-blood or muggle.
Oh, James realized softly.
Maybe that’s why the boy had taken a disliking towards James.
The Potters weren’t apart of the sacred 28, but they had legacies longer than half the families, not to mention the wealth they possessed. The only “problem” with them was there an history of marrying Muggles and having squibs or half-blood children. Case in point, however, the Potters were the unmentioned 29th family, and the entire Wizarding world knew this.
Maybe this kid knew too.
James immediately felt bad, judging him and his appearance. Snape might’ve thought that James had prejudiced values too and could you blame him?
He decided he would make amends, by becoming friends with the boy.
He watched eagerly, to see where Snape would end up.
“Slytherin!”
Well, he could try to become friends.
“James Potter!”
James felt the words echo in his mind, and slowly, he begin walking. He felt eyes on him and snuck a glance at his friends. Peter was watching him intensely, while Sirius seemed to gaze at him like James was a sort of prey. Remus had no interest; he just stared at the feast in front of him.
He made eye contact with the Evans girl, and realized she was awfully pretty.
He walked up the few steps before settling down on the stool. It was wooden, and it sort of hurt to sit on it. He hoped he wouldn’t have to stay for much longer. McGonagall placed the hat on him, his glasses making sure it didn’t cover his face. And then, a voice spoke in his mind.
“Why do they even bother using me on kids like you.” The voice sounded exasperated and tired.
“Gryffindor!”
And before James had the time to realize he’d finally accomplished his dreams; he was shooed off. There was no one after him, so he quickly sat next to Evans, across to his three mates. Dumbledore gave a small concluding speech, before declaring they could eat. But James didn’t pay one bit of attention.
James Fleamont Potter had ended up in Gryffindor. Not just him, but three other boys, boys, who looked as though they’d stick by James’s side for the rest of his life. And there was a girl, with hair like autumn leaves and ivory skin, who too, was in Gryffindor. It was like life had shown him his path.
“You all right there, James?” Peter asked. James couldn’t stop smiling, Peter really had made it with him. Some nights when they were little, James feared Peter’s soft and caring nature would lead him to Hufflepuff. Something about his best friend, being there with him, in that moment enlightened James. He felt as though he understood life and his purpose.
“Never better” he grinned.