The Sorting
Chapter Seven
The Sorting
Lily wasn’t going to cry. She was not going to cry. Good grief! She was going to cry.
She had known that people hated Muggle-borns like her. The headmaster had warned her, but he had said “dark, powerful wizards.” Which had made Lily assume he meant evil people. She had noticed people giving her parents the side eye at King’s Cross. She had been prepared for prejudice, but not this.
She had noticed how Cassie, who she was sharing a compartment with on the train, had been so friendly right up until Lily had told her that she was Muggle-born. It had hurt the way she said, “That’s so cool!” in a way that made Lily realize that really, it wasn’t. Cassie hadn’t spoken a word to her since, but it wasn’t just a few people in the school who didn’t want her there. No one did.
Lily had only fully realized this when she heard someone in the hall say that he thought it would be reasonable to kill a few Muggle-borns to get rid of the rest. No one else had even noticed the comment. Lily had looked up to see what dreadful person had said such a horrible thing and was shocked to see the boy from the ice cream shop.[22] What was worse was he genuinely looked sorry when she met his eyes. It was normal for people to hate her, normal for sweet boys to joke about killing her. Poppy was the exception, not the rule.
Lily stared out the window. In the darkness she could no longer see the rolling hills or dense forests, only passing black silhouettes. Cassie, Hannah, and Poppy all laughed behind her. Lily had never had trouble making friends before but as things were going, Poppy might end up being her only one. It was like she couldn’t even speak; a lump of fear had crawled into her throat making it impossible for her to enjoy in the conversation. A hot tear slipped down her face and she wiped it away. She was not going to let them see her cry.
She stood up.
“Where are you going?” Poppy asked, sounding concerned.
Lily forced a smile to her face. “Just to the loo. I think I’m gonna be sick,” she said, trying to look nauseas.
“Oh no!” Hannah said.
“I’ll come,” Poppy said, standing up.
“No,” Lily laughed, “stay here. I’ll be right back,” she promised.
“Are you sure?” Poppy asked, looking anxious.
Lily nodded, afraid if she spoke again she would start to cry. She stepped out of the compartment, to where, in the dark of the night, the train was lit by soft gas lamps and all around her people were tucked away in their cozy compartments, laughing with their comrades and eagerly anticipating their imminent arrival.
The tears started as soon as she stepped away. Lily ran for the bathroom, her vision blurry with tears. She shut the door closed and then choked, unable to hold back her cries any longer and sunk to ground, sobbing into her knees. She knew the people in the nearby compartments would hear, but what did it matter? They already hated her.
Someone knocked on the door. Lily wanted to yell at them to go away but didn’t get the chance. Before she could say anything, they walked in. Lily had neglected to lock the door.
The girl who entered was gorgeous, prettier than anyone her age had any right to be, with wide blue eyes, dark lashes, and dark features that were starkly contrasted by her platinum blonde hair. She wore expensive robes and had a golden, glinting ring that looked like a snake with an emerald’s stone in its teeth. She also wore a matching pair of earrings.
“Did Cassie make you cry,” she said. It wasn’t a question. “I saw her sit with you. Merlin, I hate her!”
Lily stared at the girl, temporarily shocked out of her sadness.
“Narcissa Black[23] ,” the girl said, extending her hand to pull Lily up.
Sisters. Lily remembered what she’d said when she had first met Poppy. Narcissa was also a flower name, almost. But Lily felt less confident now that she knew where she stood in the wizarding world. Still, she accepted the girl’s offered hand and let her help her to her feet. They stepped out and Lily saw that two other girls were outside waiting for them, one with silky black hair, the other with golden curls.
“I like your earrings,” Lily said, wiping her eyes dry.
“Take them,” she said and started removing them from her ears.
“What? No!” Lily protested.
The girl laughed. “It’s okay. I give all my friends a piece of jewelry—that way we match.”
“It’s true,” the black-haired girl said, flashing the golden bangle on her wrist. It was also a snake. The blonde girl had a matching golden necklace.
Lily stared at the earrings in Narcissa’s offered hand. She wanted them, she truly did, but she couldn’t trust that they wanted her.
“I’m Muggle-born,” she said.
She might as well have announced that she was a vampire from the way Narcissa recoiled[24] . She jumped back, letting the earrings fall to the ground with a gentle clatter, then edged further back and stared at Lily with undisguised horror. Lily turned on her heel and walked away feeling oddly numb. That hadn’t hurt as bad as the others; she had expected it. Was that the trick, she thought, to expect it? Maybe if she expected their hatred it would stop hurting so badly.
An older boy with chestnut brown hair[25] was walking towards her looking concerned; he must have seen what had happened. He looked oddly familiar, but Lily was sure she had never seen him before. He was wearing a red and golden scarf—a Gryffindor.
“You okay?” he asked.
Lily nodded.
“Good. Ignore them. They’re just a bunch of block-headed, posh twats,” the boy said, loudly enough that the girls would be sure to hear, looking angry on her behalf.
Lily nodded, and she felt a warmth spread through her heart, melting the fear that had been threatening to take her over. The boy didn’t care that she was Muggle-born; he had stood up for her, which meant that not everyone hated her and that was a much better kind of surprise.
* * *
The train eventually came to a stop after several hours when the night sky was already sprinkled with stars. Poppy and Lily followed Cassie and Hannah out of their compartment to the corridor, which was packed full. The line moved slowly as the people in front of them came out of their compartments; fumbling with their luggage or clutching tightly to frightened pets.
“Ow!” a boy in front of them shouted. “That’s my foot!”
“Sorry!” his friend said, quickly lifting his trunk back up with nowhere to set it down.
It was a relief when they finally made it out of the compact train and into the cool summer air. Ahead of them was a large circular lake, its water reflecting the night sky and the warm orange glow coming from the windows of the castle on the other side. The wind was blowing softly, causing the image to blur and shimmer and waves to splash softly against the sand. It reminded Poppy of the ocean.
There were three boats by the water’s edge and in each sat a single person. They looked too young to be teachers but older than most of the students. Seventh years, Poppy assumed, noticing their robes were the house colors. Probably the prefects for each house. In front of them was a dirt road and most of the students were piling into carriages pulled by large winged horses that had an almost reptilian look about them. Poppy moved to join them but the girl prefect wearing Gryffindor robes called out to her.
“First years in the boats,” she said, waving them over. She was hard to hear over all the commotion.
“All first years in the boats!” the prefect boy beside her shouted, cupping his hands to his mouth.
Poppy made her way over, dragging her luggage through the sand. “At least we don’t have any pets,” Lily laughed as she struggled with her packing case. She had seemed off on the train but now seemed back to her usual self. Poppy wondered if she had just been travel sick.
“Let me help you,” the prefect said, taking Lily's luggage from her and throwing it into the boat. He came back for Poppy’s and she passed it to him gratefully, but hesitated before stepping in the boat herself. She knew there was some sort of test to sort them into houses and she didn’t know which one she belonged to yet. Had she somehow missed it? Was she allowed to just climb into a Gryffindor boat?
“Does it matter what boat we go in?” she asked.
“Nah,” the boy said with a smile. He was fairly tall with red hair and enough freckles to indicate he had spent most of his summer outdoors. “They all go to the castle; you'll get sorted when we get there. Or I can help you move your stuff to another boat if you’d prefer,” he offered.
“Oh no, thank you,” Poppy said, hopping onto the boat. Lily climbed in beside her and Poppy noticed Hannah follow Cassie onto the Ravenclaw boat. She thought it was odd they had not stayed with her and Lily, but wasn’t too bothered by it. They’d have to all separate at some point. Poppy hoped Lily was in her same house.
A chestnut-haired, good-looking boy who definitely wasn’t in first year, jumped inside the boat, Gideon Prewett following behind him. “I told you we’d find her,” the older boy said to Gideon, grinning and taking a seat on the edge of the boat. He stretched out his legs as if to get comfortable.
“Fabian,” the prefect girl said.
“Yeah?” he asked innocently.
“Get off the boat,” she said. Poppy realized suddenly that though the girl had red hair, they all looked similar, each with the same curls and light brown eyes. Poppy guessed they were siblings.
“Aww c’mon,” Fabian complained. “I won’t take up much room. Frank took my trunk. Can’t I ride with you just this once? Gideon wants me to. Don’t you, Gid?”
The boy nodded, but their sister was unswayed. “No,” she said flatly, “you’re not in first year, so you can hurry off and catch the coaches before they leave. Or you can walk to the castle, but you’re not coming with us.”
“You’re no fun,” the boy complained, rolling his eyes and standing up. He turned back to his little brother and smiled. “Remember, keep your hands in the boat or the mermaids will drown you.” He winked. Then jumped off the side, rocking the whole boat with his departure.
“Do mermaids drown people?” Lily asked the prefect girl, her green eyes wide with alarm.
The red-haired girl shook her head. “No, but they’ll pull you in. They think it’s funny, but they’ve never actually hurt anyone. So just make sure to keep your hands and elbows inside the boat and you’ll be fine.” A bunch more students piled in, including the boy Poppy had seen buying his wand at Olivander’s, James Potter.
When all the boats were full, the boy prefect grabbed one of the oars and pushed them away from the shore. The girl grabbed the other oar and together they started rowing to the castle. Poppy couldn’t help but notice that Lily was not taking the prefect girl’s advice. She kept sticking her hand in the water and waving it around as if trying to get a mermaid's attention.[26] She met Poppy’s eyes and jumped, then smiled guiltily and pulled her hand back in the boat.
“Do you reckon they’d let us ride one of those?” James asked, pointing back at the reptilian horses. They had started pulling the carriages up to the school.
“Yeah, I think we’ll get to ride the carriage in our second year. The boats are just for first years,” his friend answered.
“Yeah, I know. I meant like ride on its back,” James said.
His friend looked at the carriage, confused. “Like on the roof?”
The boy laughed and Poppy couldn’t blame him. His friend seemed rather thick, Poppy knew what he was talking about. “Not on the roof. On the horse-creatures pulling the coach. Do you reckon they’ll let us ride on their backs?”
His friend looked completely dumbfounded, then smiled like he thought James was messing with him. Poppy would have thought the friend was the one messing, except everyone was staring at James like he’d grown an extra eye[27] .
“Right there!” He laughed uncomfortably, pointing at them. “Pulling the carriage.”
“There’s nothing pulling the carriage, James,” his friend said. James stared around looking for support but everyone shook their heads. Poppy didn’t know what elaborate prank they were pulling but she didn’t want to ruin it. The horses were right there but everyone was acting like they couldn’t see them. She waited for somebody to laugh. Someone to say something.
“Have you ever seen someone die?” the prefect boy asked suddenly.
James nodded, looking relieved.“My grandad.”
The prefect nodded. “Anyone else?” he asked. “Has anyone else here ever seen someone die?” Everyone shook their heads. “Then they must be thestrals. They’re invisible to people who haven’t witnessed the death of a person.”
The boat murmured with sudden understanding. James looked relieved. Everyone went back to their previous conversations seeming unconcerned, but not Poppy. She felt a cold chill run down her spine. She had never seen anyone die, but she could see the thestrals. Did that mean she had?
She thought of her mother. Poppy had only been two when she’d been murdered. [28] Had been there? Watched it happen? If so, why hadn’t whoever had done it killed her as well? Poppy watched the water, feeling numb, and saw as if in slow motion a slender webbed hand as it reached out of the water and clamped around Lily’s wrist, then dragged her into the lake.
Poppy screamed and Lily did too as she went down, as if even she had not expected her plan to actually work. A few moments later Lily came up, coughing and smiling. The prefect girl ran over to help pull her back into the boat. She removed her fancy crimson robe and wrapped it around Lily’s shoulders. She seemed much less intimidating now in only her button up blouse and pleated skirt.
She wrapped an arm around Lily and sat down beside them, likely to make sure she didn’t do it again and flip the boat. A few first-year boys took over rowing, leaving her free just to talk with them. Her name was Molly[29] . She was in seventh year. She was a prefect, as Poppy had suspected, and she was full of tips and advice. Poppy listened with half an ear but her mind was more focused on contemplating what they would be serving at the feast. Lily seemed to be hanging on to her every word, trying to absorb every tidbit of information.
They finally reached the castle and everyone climbed out of the boat. They could smell the food wafting from the building and Poppy’s mouth began to water. She thought she might faint from hunger before reaching it, but a sense of enchantment and wonder took hold of Poppy, momentarily replacing her hunger, when the prefects led them through the ancient oak door into the castle. She felt her awe shared with those around her as the air was suddenly alive with the soft murmurs of students, their voices filled with anticipation and excitement.
They stepped through and Poppy stared up at the towering walls adorned with intricate tapestries. The soft glow of flickering torches cast dancing shadows on the stone floor. The prefects led them up a majestic marble staircase, and together they ascended towards the upper levels of the castle on steps worn smooth by countless generations. They were led to a pair of towering arched wooden doors whose surfaces were etched with intricate symbols and designs.
A hush fell over the crowd when they reached the top. Everyone looked to the prefects, waiting for what happened next.
“Good luck,” Molly whispered, setting one hand each on Poppy and Lily's shoulders, and then the prefects all ran back down the steps, leaving the first years standing alone outside the double doors.
* * *
Lily stood dripping a puddle of water onto the smooth marble floor. The water had soaked through the scarlet robe the prefect girl had left her. Still, she was grateful for it.
She wrapped her arms around her chest, trying not to shiver.
She had decided not to sulk anymore. It wasn’t as bad as she thought. Molly had told her that she and her brothers had all attended Muggle primary school even though they came from an all-magic family. She had seemed completely unbothered by the fact that Lily was Muggle-born, and she was a prefect.
Besides, Lily had seen a mermaid! A real one, not just some girl with a fish tale. The mermaid was nothing like any picture or painting Lily had ever seen. With smooth white scales covering her entire body from her tail to her face and sharp pointed teeth. Her animal qualities had only made her human features more fascinating. She was not quite human, but not quite fish. She possessed her own unique aquatic beauty that was almost frightening in how effortlessly it blended the line between man and beast. Some would have found it disturbing, but Lily had thought it was mesmerizing. She couldn’t wait to get back in the lake.
Lily still felt so lucky that she got to be a part of this magical world. Yet, she was scared. Afraid of the people she now knew would reject her, maybe even try to hurt her. More than she was afraid, though, Lily was determined. She belonged at this school. The magic had chosen her. She would be great, work harder and longer and do better than anyone who thought she didn’t belong.
And this was the beginning of the very first test in front of the entire school. She didn’t just need to pass, she needed to excel. The double doors opened, revealing the great hall and Lily and Poppy followed all the other first years inside.
“Blithering Bludgers!” Poppy exclaimed, grabbing Lily's arm and pointing at the ceiling. Lily looked up and saw enchanted candles floating under a bewitched ceiling that was the exact same deep blue as the night sky. If Lily had not just seen the roof of the castle with her own eyes she would have thought that there was no ceiling at all, just sparkling constellations. There was a shimmering fog that floated between the charmed candles and twinkling stars, adding a magical light to the celestial scene. It was breathtaking.
She looked back at the dining hall lined with four long tables that stretched across the room. The tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread, roasted meats and mashed potatoes wafted through the room but there was not a dish in sight. The only thing on the tables were four silk cloths, whose vibrant separate colors each represented one of the four houses. The air was filled with chatter as people jumped at ghosts or waved to old friends already seated at the four long tables.
They reached the front of the room where there was a raised platform constructed of sturdy stone with a smooth surface polished to a gleaming sheen. In the very center of the grand platform stood a rickety wooden stool and perched atop it was a weathered and patched old wizard's hat. It looked out of place on the elegant stage, like someone had left it there by mistake and was going to get in trouble for it later, but everyone was looking at the hat like it was important, so Lily looked at it too.
The silence continued as everyone waited. Lily wasn’t sure what they were waiting for until a flap on the fabric of one of the patches opened, revealing a mouth, and the hat started to sing.
I was just a hat of cotton
With no ears and not a brain
Until the wizards made me
The judge you cannot train.
I am still a hat of cotton
And at Hogwarts I remain
But now I’ve heard the rumors
And I’ve seen inside your brain
And what I see there scares me
Though it also gives me hope
So I come tonight to warn you
To not follow that old trope
For as a hat of cotton
I knew the founders well
So I’ve come today to help you
With the story that I’ll tell
For Slytherin was cunning
But like a locket did he keep
An awful hidden chamber
To make the children weep
And Gryffindor had courage
You could take him at his word
But within him was an anger
Far too hasty with his sword
Though Ravenclaw was clever—
Her wit shone like a jewel —
She forgot to follow others
For she thought alone to rule
Sweet Hufflepuff had too much
That she tried to do alone
Though her friends would gladly help her
If only they had known
So when now this old hat sorts you
To follow in their steps
Do not forget my warnings
Or you’ll live with their regrets
The hat finished and everyone clapped, though Lily noticed a few people looked uneasy. Which was comforting; it meant she wasn’t the only one who was unnerved by the information that one of the school founders had apparently had a secret torture chamber for children. [31]
An older woman with a stiff bun and an expression that showed very clearly that she didn’t tolerate troublemakers stepped onto the platform with a list in her hand. “When I call out your name you will come sit on the stool and then put on the hat to be sorted.” Then she began to read off the folded parchment. “Abbington, Poppy.”
Lily gave Poppy’s hand a final squeeze. She was shaking as she put on the hat and Lily feared that she would faint and fall off the stool onto the ground. Luckily, she seemed to relax when she put the hat on her head and Lily held her breath. It took a moment but finally the hat called out, “Gryffindor!”
The long table directly to her right burst into applause and Poppy grinned and ran to join them. Lily found it was much worse to stand alone.
“Appleton, Oliver” was next put into Hufflepuff. “Black, Sirius.” Gryffindor. Lily noticed that one, as the Gryffindor table was slow to applaud, as if stunned, and then all at once they cheered together his applause louder than the others while the boy grinned smugly and the Slytherin table looked murderous. She wasn’t sure what that was about.
Lily's heart started pounding harder when they got to “Ellsworth, August.” Then, finally…
“Evans, Lily.” She sat on the stool and the lady placed the hat on her head.
There was absolute silence for long enough that Lily was completely certain that she had been sitting on the stool for longer than any other student and it wasn’t just nerves. She was on the verge of panic, when she heard a voice in her mind.
“Well, I never thought I’d see the day,”[MC32] it said, seeming stunned and pleased. “After more than a thousand years! Lily Evans, you’re a Slytherin.”
Slytherin? Lily’s heart pounded. Wasn’t he the one who tortured kids? She didn’t want to be a Slytherin. “What do you mean, more than a thousand years?” she thought at the Hat. “The girl sorted before me was a Slytherin.”
“Oh yes,” the hat agreed, “but she was a pure-blood and you are Muggle-born.”
Lily gulped. “And why does that matter?” she thought.
“Because Slytherin has never chosen a Muggle-born student before,” the hat explained.
“But he’s dead, isn’t he?” she thought. “He doesn’t choose, you do.”
“Ahh, but I am just a hat. This choice is not mine. He is the one who chooses and he chooses you."
Lily looked at the Slytherin table. They seemed somehow both more refined than the other students and more casual at the same time. There was a polished look about the group. Everyone’s hair was neat, their robes pressed, but they also weren’t worried about being disrespectful and were whispering away to each other during the Sorting despite disapproving looks from the other tables.
“Why has Slytherin never chosen a Muggle-born before?” she wondered.
“Because they didn’t meet his requirements. He was against even having them at Hogwarts, but every rule has its exception and this time that exception is you. About time, too. Shall I tell them now?”
"Wait!” Lily thought. “Do I get a choice?”
The hat hesitated. “You want to be great. This would make you great. The moment I say your name you will be famous. The Slytherin Muggle-born girl. You will make history. It will help other Muggle-borns too, and change the way Slytherins think, to know that Slytherin chose you for his house. It would be momentous.”
“Do I get to choose?” Lily asked again.
“… yes,” the hat said bitterly.
Lily smiled. “Then no,” she thought.
“Why not?” the hat asked her.
Lily thought of the looks wizards had given her parents at King’s Cross. Cassie's dismissive smile, the feeling that she had just brushed the surface of what she was facing. Slytherin had been the same way. He had been one of the school's founders, a powerful man who had said that people like her weren’t good enough. Except he thought she was good enough. He wanted her, but she didn’t want him. “Because I don’t need his help to be great.”
Lily felt the hat sigh. “Then it seems like the man who could hold a grudge like no other is also willing to claim you … Gryffindor!” the hat shouted to the room at large.
Lily smiled. Poppy jumped to her feet and cheered and the rest of the table followed soon after as Lily ran to join them.