The Sorting
Professor McGonagall, who just ten minutes ago had met them in the entrance hall and introduced herself as the head of Gryffindor house, led the first years down the middle of the great hall. The rest of the students turned their heads and prodded their friends to look at the panicking first years, whose cloaks were dragging on the floor and shared a general demeanour of trepidation.
Marlene and Mary walked side by side, both in awe of the ceiling, which was not a ceiling at all, but a web of silver constellations studded against the harsh blue of the night sky. A thin veil of clouds was beginning to gather over the stars, muting the sky’s viciousness. The crowd of first years came to a halt, and Professor McGonagall marched up to the front of the hall, each footstep distinct in the silence as the entire hall held their breaths. She stood on the platform before them, the rest of the teachers sitting at a long table behind her all baring the same formidable manner, and produced a bulky scroll from the inside of her velvety emerald cloak.
Nobody moved, and the grave professor unfurled the parchment.
“Simon Arnold,” she said plainly, looking into the hall for Simon to identify himself.
Somehow, nobody had bothered to inform Marlene that the sorting occurred not only in front of other students, but the entire school, the teachers, all on a stool in the great hall. She swallowed as she thought about walking up to the front, and everyone looking at her waiting for an answer, and the hat speaking in her mind telling her things she’d never thought about before. Her mother’s voice spoke in the back of her head, “we’ll love you no matter what,” she’d kept telling her ever since the acceptance letter had fallen onto the kitchen floor. Despite her mother’s promising, Marlene couldn’t stop the nagging feeling that she needed to be placed into Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw, perhaps. Those were the only two that ran in the family. Any others, and she didn’t know how she’d handle their reactions.
Mary squeezed her arm. “I hope we’re in the same house,” she whispered, as Professor McGonagall called for a Sirius Black.
Whispers teemed down the hall, and a boy, similar to the woman she’d seen earlier, sat on the stall. He fitted the Black description exactly. His long, carved features were sort of dramatic, and his hair, graceful and mysterious like obsidian, crowded his face as though a picture frame. Slytherin, Marlene was thinking. That’s where all the Blacks end up.
But the boy did not end up in Slytherin. Instead, the hat declared “Gryffindor!” and the boy, once exotically pale, was now pasty and grave as though dead.
The Gryffindor table cheered and clapped hesitantly after almost a minute of deathly silence, and the Slytherins booed at the young Sirius Black. In particular, two older girls who looked almost identical to Sirius, who were making an extra effort for him to know that they were not pleased. He got off the stall and made his way, head bowed, to the Gryffindor table.
Bones, Crouch, Evans.
Marlene’s time was drawing nearer. Maybe Ravenclaw would be better. For academics and things. Maybe Gryffindor would have more athletic people in it, better for Quidditch. Ravenclaw was looking more probable—the only Gryffindors in her family were in recent years, in fact being a Ravenclaw only stopped at her mother and Danny, who got to enjoy brand new Gryffindor uniforms opposed to hand-me-down Ravenclaw ties and shirts.
Lupin.
There were three Gryffindors sitting at the table now, all gazing up expectantly at the remaining first years. Two boys and a girl.
“Mary McDonald,” Professor McGonagall said.
“Good luck,” Marlene whispered, but Mary didn’t seem to have heard her, and moved her way through the steadily shrinking group of people.
The hat was placed on Mary’s head, and after a moment of consideration, the hat announced, “Gryffindor!” Mary jumped off the stall and ran to join the table, her grin even wider than it had been earlier that day. Marlene turned around to watch her, and a sensation like lead began to creep into her stomach, maybe if she—
“Marlene McKinnon.”
Someone near to the back of the hall whistled, and four or five people clapped and cheered. “Go McKinnon!” one of them said, and their friends laughed alongside them, throwing back their heads as if they had been waiting to crack this joke for a little while.
Marlene felt her face turn hot and had to tap a bespectacled boy on the shoulder so she could get through. Time seemed to move like trying to swim through honey. Marlene’s vision became foggy, whitish around the edges and once she found herself sitting on the stool in front of everyone, she wasn’t even able to recall climbing onto the platform.
“A McKinnon,” the hat said menacingly. “Every single McKinnon has been a Ravenclaw, from what I can remember.”
Marlene closed her eyes and held her breath.
“Except for your brother,” the hat said louder still. “You’re creative, I see. Good at coming up with new ideas… Ravenclaw will serve you well. But, I sense something greater, Marlene McKinnon. You’re better suited for GRYFFINDOR!”
The Gryffindor table applauded, and the ones that had cheered earlier were standing up in ovation. Marlene sat down next to Mary, who said “We’re together!” and squeezed both her shoulders, seeming like she was almost going to pull her in for a hug. Further down the table was Sirius Black, looking particularly interested in the wood grain on the table.
“Congratulations,” a low, spritely voice said, just about audible whilst the sorting continued. Marlene pulled her focus from Mary and found herself looking at a girl with the most striking hair. She blinked in disbelief. The girl’s hair, long and shiny, framed her face and shoulders in the most arresting shade of red. It wasn’t red, even—when the starlight from the ceilings and the gold of the candles hit it, it appeared to be bronze; it was burning like a fierce sun. And her eyes; if her hair wasn’t intense, her eyes were. Green like peridot, her eyes patiently scanned Marlene’s face for a response. “I was worried I would end up in the wrong house. I suppose the Sorting Hat is always right, though.”
“I’m Marlene,” Marlene said amicably. She felt herself looking up and down the table for some kind of signal that food would be coming soon.
“I’m Lily,” the vivid girl said, offering her hand across the table to Marlene. “And this is Mary.”
Mary took the girl’s hand. “Marlene and I met on the train. I hope we’ll end up in a room together, don’t you?”
Lily smiled, and opened her mouth to speak, when two boys joined the table and sat down officiously with Sirius Black and the other boy, both appearing as nervous as each other.
“How great is that!” the bespectacled one said.
“Severus Snape,” Professor McGonagall said, though now she was nearing the bottom of the list, there was a slight wrinkle in her forehead, and she exuded an air of exhaustion.
Suddenly, Lily sat up even straighter and was concentrating very hard on the stool. The boy sat upon it was the boy Marlene had seen in the train, the one who had sneered.
“Do you know him?” Marlene whispered.
“Yes,” Lily said, not looking away from the boy. “We grew up together; he bets he’s going to be in Slytherin. I’ll be a bit gutted if he does, though. It would be nice to be in the same house together.”
And, right on cue, the hat shouted “Slytherin!” and the boy proudly strode over to the table on the far side of the hall. Lily clapped loudly for him along with the rest of the Slytherins, and for a brief moment, Severus turned to look at her.
“Bad luck,” Mary said gently. “At least we’re all together!”
***
The prefect who had told Marlene and Mary to get changed on the train now led everyone up the moving staircases, to a large portrait of a woman dressed in pink silk. He had introduced himself as Frank Longbottom, and the other prefect was Alice Fortescue, but she was busy, he said.
“The password is Widdershins,” he said. Giggling passed over students. “Don’t forget it,” Frank said with benign authority. “Because the Fat Lady can’t let you in without it.” More laughter spread over the crowd. Frank seemed to be supressing a smile too.
He turned around and demonstrated, saying “Widdershins” clearly so that anyone who missed it could hear it again, and the Fat Lady lent on the hinges, and everyone pushed and shoved to be the first inside the common room. Even though being the first to see it seemed to matter, Marlene didn’t think it did, and all thought of being one of that last in had disappeared completely when she had stepped in and taken in the space. Thickly carpeted and serene sofas and chairs shoved in every possible corner, the common room felt more like home than actual home did. The fire crackled amiably, and several older kids had already draped themselves over the best chairs in front of the fire.
“Boys up this staircase,” Frank said, although nobody seemed to be listening. “Girls up that way.”
***
“Do you know anyone here?” Lily asked, as she carefully placed a set of pristine textbooks on her bedside table. “Are your parents wizards?”
“No,” Marlene said. “I’m a half-blood. What about you?”
“I’m Muggle-born,” Lily said, her coppery hair falling in front of her face as she leaned down to put something under her bed. “Luckily I knew Sev for years before I came here so he sort of filled me in with all of this stuff.”
“Me too!” Mary squealed. “I know nothing. I’ve read all of my textbooks but I’m still worried that everyone will be ahead of me!”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Lily said. “Everyone can’t all be purebloods.”
Lily and Mary continued their conversation as Marlene took her toothbrush into the bathroom. Closing the toilet lid, she sat down and took a very deep breath. Her mum and brother would be pleased, she thought, and made a mental note to write to them as soon as she got her hands on some ink.
Marlene closed the door to the bathroom. The dying September light cast an aureate glow over Mary, who was looking up at Marlene as though looking deep into her conscience. Marlene shifted uncomfortably as the kind girl continued to scrutinise her, her face the picture of kindness. She almost looked like an angel, Marlene thought, with all her golden features, delicate and soft. “Goodnight,” Mary said.
“Sleep well,” Lily called from her bed.
Marlene crept over to her own bed and started to draw the curtains, when Mary caught her eye and said, “I’m so glad we met today, Marlene.”
“I’m glad too,” Marlene said. She felt awkward, being put on the spot like that. Indeed, she didn’t even know it was possible to like someone that quickly. What did Mary see in her? she wondered. Why not Lily?
In the silence and the darkness, Marlene began to think about her family again. She wished she could talk to her mother, and hear her voice, and sit next to her in the sitting room watching television. The thought pressed into her chest, drawing her breaths thin, and she scolded herself: she had made it into Gryffindor, and Hogwarts was supposed to be the best years of your life. She rolled onto her side, and fell into a deep sleep.