The Sorting Hat
It was inevitable, truly. She should have known as she always did. Whenever something went wrong, she felt it. Call it intuition, call it paranoia, but she could always tell before something went awry. So, do tell, why did she let this happen?
The evening was fine, at least on her end. James kept complaining about the sheer amount of steps (which would be fair, if he wasn’t built to be an athlete). Unfortunately for her ears, the boy was also built to be a whiner. Coincidentally, so did his new friend Sirius Black. That name lingeried on her tongue. She knew who he was, she was sure James knew too. The noble house of Black, part of the sacred 28 and one of the most blood-driven families of them. Understandably, she was wary of the boy; but a small part of her brain was relieved, moved by the slightest notion that James would, for once, disappoint their mother. She knew it would not happen, but for once she had a slimmer of hope connected to her soul.
The way was led by a woman called McGonagall, who introduced herself as their Transfiguration professor. She was old, clearly, but Corpse didn’t find it unnerving, back in elementary she had older teachers — though they were all muggles considering her schooling. McGonagall had long brown hair with streaks of silver throughout, her face was that of a regular fifty year old, probably younger but that was shunned by the years of teaching. There was something in her eyes, an almost motherly glimmer as she scolded the incoming first years. She’d heard tales about the woman, she was sure, she just didnt quite remember. But she seemed like the person to have stories written about her, like a woman traveling the world or pursuing higher knowledge above mere mortals. No godly energy exuded off her, but she had the stare that could only be gifted from Athena herself. The woman stopped in front of two giant doors, wood and aching, if the cracks were anything to go off of.
Now, before the doors and standing before hundreds of adolescents, McGonagall paused and turned around. The woman looked at them without a smile and stated, “Welcome to Hogwarts. After these doors is the Great Hall, where the start-of-term banquet will shortly commence. Here is also where you’ll be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is very important as, during your time here at Hogwarts, it will be something like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your housemates, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your houses’ common room.
“The four houses are as follows: Gryffindor,” her lips fell into a kind smile, “Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose your house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor.” And with that, the doors opened. Four long tables were visible, all filled with students older than them, adorned with different colors, which one could assume represented each of the houses (or if Corpse and James’ matching gryffindor pjs were anything to go off of, considering how bloody red they were). As the group walked in, they stared into the ceiling, one adorned with floating candles and an endless night sky. It was beautiful, no doubt about it. One could almost touch the sky, some did attempt only to be chastised by those around them trying to walk. The faces of the students told of memories from years before, reminiscing on when they were the ones about to be cast. Corpse felt her stomach churn slightly at the revelation, but she kept her lips straight as James continued to jump while the tallest of his new friends, a boy who looked more a fighter than a student, told him to calm down. She continued her walk quietly as she pondered, “I’ll be in Gryffindor, of course. Just like mum, just like dad, just as James will be—I will surely follow, it’s what’s expected, what’s needed.” Anything else would be an embarrassment, something to taint their family forever as she represents her parents. It’s why she wore her hair as straight as a pin, it’s why she kept her skin clear and why she showered in the morning and night and before every outing, it’s why she ate the way she did and studied the way she did. She is the living representative of her home, she is daugther.
Once they were near the end, they reached the furthest table. It was a long table. The staff all sat there silently as they viewed their new students, sizing them up to see how worthy they are. She noticed the giant chair and a podium. On the chair lay a brown hat, while in front of the podium stood an old man. Obviously, it was Albus Dumbledore, every witch and wizard knew of him; not to mention, he is the headmaster. Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words: don’t go into the forbidden forest, unless death may be a wish upon your roster, and now I would like to welcome the new up and coming students to join us in the Sorting.” The man probably said something else, but she couldn’t notice by the stare she gained behind her encapsulating her senses. She couldn’t see the person out of the corner of her eye, but she could feel their eyes on her. Perhaps it was just a silly manifestation of her anxieties, that’s usually what mommy dearest says.
She knew all about the test at hand, the Sorting. She knew about the hat, about the houses, where she’d fit and where she’d ought to be. It wasn’t; much of a mystery, at least to her and James and all the other kids in the wizarding world. One could tell who was new to this side of reality by their expression. The first kid to go was a guy named Atticus Alroy. McGonagall placed the hat on his head causing it to spring to life. Soon, the hat started explaining the houses and their fits before declaring the boy, rather loudly, a Hufflepuff. With each passing name, her hands kept sweating and her stomach fell deeper into sickness. Her head blurred and ears silenced as the names ran down. She was brought out of her thoughts by whispers after the sorting of another Gryffindor. She looked up to see a smiling Sirius Black. Only, the smile didn’t reach the dilation in his eyes or the smile itself looked as fake as the night sky above them. People gathered around her, causing her body to sweat more.
“He wasn’t…”
“A Black in Gryffindor?”
“First time for everything, I guess.”
James turned to her, grinning as he cheered, “He’ll be with us! Yes!” Though both knew that boy was never gonna be the same, only she felt scared of what this implied.
Soon, the black-haired boy left to his table, joined by both those encouraging and wary. He looked in place, at least from what James was saying, almost at home as he chattered with the other red-tied teens. Though she couldn’t see as clearly as James, at least not from where she stood. Then again, she couldn’t even see her brother, not whilst the brown hat kept on shouting from atop one head to the next. Soon, it’d be her and him. Why was she so nervous? She knew the answer, she always did. If muggle school taught her anything it was how to be right. Yet her stomach dropped as her mind stilled.
After Black came more students, more names. C…. D…. she blinked and suddenly it was E. A girl named Lily Evans came up, she looked lovely, like she walked straight out of Green Gables. Her hair was as fiery as the sun and skin lightly graced by the sun, just enough to bring her freckles out without leaving behind a red hue. She walked up to the chair with clear nerves, staring out into the crowd behind her, she assumed looking at a friend. In a matter of seconds the hat shouted, “gryffindor!” causing the table to uproar. James jumped, declaring this year was gonna be amazing; cheering that he was gonna have a best mate, a cute girl, and his sister. She nodded along as her teeth clenched unconsciously. After Evans came maybe forty more followed. More names were listed alphabetically. F… G… H… so on and so forth.
Finally, the moment arose. “Potter, Corpse.” Her legs moved, one in front of the other without her noticing. Her breath was even, her pulse was pacing, and everything looked like a dazed version of what it once was — she wondered if this is what Zeppelin meant by “Dazed and Confused.” The chair was rather uncomfortable and stiff, her posture rigid against its back. Surely this would go as planned. She’d be in Gryffindor and greeted to a warm dinner and hug in the winter, she’d receive love and fulfillment and— Before another thought could pass her mind, the hat started to shift. It seeped through her brain, sensing every bit of self she had and asking her questions it already knew the answers to. She stared at her brother, his hazel eyes glimmering as he smiled at her, the biggest smile he had to give. His dimples showed and his eyes slightly crinkled in the way only he could. He waved at her, accidentally hitting the person next to him (considering all his new friends from the train had already been sorted into the same house he was destined for). Her head still ached and the pit in her stomach stopped aching. Her skin glowed as she looked into the hope piling in her brother’s eyes. This was the moment — her opening. Suddenly, the hat stilled and it roared across the walls of the Great Hall.
“Slytherin.”
Nothing was heard outside the whispers of those who knew her name. But nothing compared to the stab in her heart that bled from the way her brother’s face stilled as those around him blurred in his presence. His smile, once lighting up her whole world and guiding her through the tunnels of their minds, was now sealed as his eyes peered into her soul, silently begging her to step away. Her face kept the same expression, the same wall it always was, but now the doors were closed to the public. Whispers followed the rather confused cheers from her new home, her blood running cold the further she got from her brother. Not all were welcoming, some just stared as if she were unreal, though she was used to being gawked at like a surrealist statue. A blond boy made space for her to sit, considering her lack of options, she took the gesture and looked at the food. It didn’t look home. It looked blue but was still hot, steam emitting from the unseasoned chicken. Silently, her hand grabbed a piece and set it on her plate, going into the motion to cut it in half and take small and slow bites, just as mother taught. The chatter around her continued from the moment she tasted the food.
“I'm Lucius. Lucius Malfoy.”
She hummened, finishing her bite. “I know who you are.”
“Alright…” he nodded, looking back at her, “so, a Black in Gryffindor and a Potter in Slytherin? Never reckoned we’d get a switch, but I guess some challenges must be handled. Poor Sirius, though, Christmas this year is gonna be tense.” Lucius smiled, tucking his hair behind his ear as he continued eating his salad. She sighed, her head pounding at the idea of being stuck in these halls for the next seven years. At least dinner would be over soon, and that’s one day closer to getting out of here.
The rest of the meal was rather quiet on her end, though she let Malfoy speak to her for the remainder. Her meal looked more like an art piece than left-overs, causing an inkling feeling of guilt to rise across her hazel eyes. Every now and again she looked over at the Gryffindor table, a silent aching in her heart as she recalls how they hugged James so tight, and how he looked at Sirius. Gods, how he looked at him made her body heat up ever so slightly, Malfoy commenting on how her arm felt more like a stove.
When James went after her, he unsurprisingly made it to their parents’ alma mater. He stayed there next to Sirius and in front of the other two from the train. Part of her wished she just asked, the other begged her legs to work and walk over there. She had no clue what she’d do, but it was certainly too late to cry. Especially as the banquet had ended and all she could do was look down at the form her food took after she ate a third of it and pushed the rest of it around. At least it looked better now, the taste itself was worse than its initial form — “let it have use now”, she mused. Her newfound ally brought her out of it.
“Hey! Are you listening? We have to go to the dorms.” His hair got in the way of his eyes as he attempted to pout. She shrugged and let out a quiet hum, her face remaining the same as it always did.