A Black sorting
They all were formed in two lines carefully as they reached the land & were lead by Hagrid towards the castle door. Hagrid Knocked the door three times & the door opened, They went inside & found himself in a magnificent entrance hall. The walls of it were decorated with bright chattering portraits. He found that Stephanie was looking at them with awe & gripped his hands tightly, almost painfully tight & muttered “So it is true…there are moving portraits…’ve read it in Hogwarts a history.”
“Er… Stephanie… ” Stephanie turned to look at Regulus, her eyes were still sparkling with a mad glint.
“Mind to loosen your grip, it hurts” Regulus finished.
Stephanie gave a quizzical look & looked down at the direction Regulus pointed.
“Oh sorry…didn’t mean to” Stephanie blushed a bit & let go of Regulus’s hand.
Regulas smiled, “No problem, as I can see how mad you are getting at the sight of the castle.”
“Oh, well… yeah, you can say that.”
Behind them Rick was continuously chatting with Edwin, informing him her own view of different houses in Hogwarts, which Edwin didn’t find remotely interesting or comforting as like everyone else, he too seemed nervous taking the prospect of sorting, but just too scared to tell her to shut up, he occasionally was giving a “Yeah” or a nod. But Rick didn’t notice this & was in full flow about her saying.
“Gosh! She has a lot to say” Regulus muttered irritably under her breath.
Only Stephanie caught that & smiled to herself. She found Rick amusing & liked the way she lighten the tense mood by irritating everyone in vicinity in her very own way.
“Ahem…” & all looked at the direction from where the voice came.
Regulus saw a tall, thin witch in emerald green robes was standing in front of them. Her hair was tied in an elegant knot & she had rather a stern face.
“Hello Students. Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Prof. Mcgonagall. In a few moments you will be through this door…” she pointed at a magnificent mahogany door on the other side of the entrance hall”…and be sorted into different houses. While you are at school the houses are like families to you. You will spend the leisure time in your house common rooms & will be sleeping in your house dormitories. Any triumph & you will win house points & any rule breaking you will lose the same. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff & Slytherin. Each house has been produced remarkable witches & wizards & is unique in their very own way.”
A bell rang & the door on the other side opened. Prof. Mcgonagall led them through the door saying “Welcome to the great hall.”
The hall was enormous, there were four long tables situated, each representing one of the four houses & all the elder students sat there according to their houses.
At the end of the hall there is a large platform & another enormous table & all the teachers were sitting behind it. Another gasp from Stephanie & Regulus looked at her to find her staring upwards with an even madder glint in her eyes & with slightly open mouth. He followed her gaze to look up at the ceiling & found that there was no ceiling there at all. It was the clear starlit night sky the outside. He too looked at it with an amazed expression in his eyes.
“Oh! It is such an enchantment. They enchant the entire ceiling to reflect the night sky.” Rick announced proudly poking her head in between the two.
“Whoa…that is ….charming” Stephanie said softly.
“Yeah! It is. I wonder though how they do it…” Rick went on, “…Is it a spell or a charm or a combination of the two, I will be only too pleased to know as…”
“And I’ll be only too pleased to know if you shut up.” Regulus cut in irritably.
Rick raised an eyebrow. “There is no need to take that tone with me, I just…”
But yet again she got cut, but this time, it was by the action of Prof. Mcgonagall carrying an extremely dirty old battered hat & setting it on a tool in front of the teacher’s table.
A silence fell across the great hall. Everyone’s eyes were on the hat.
Regulus kept wondering why so. His query got answered within a moment as a song had been started to issue from that hat. Regulus stared in surprise.
“I’m brilliant, I’m smart,
I can see through every mind I look at…
I’ve got brains and surely not hearts,
as I am the legendary Hogwarts Sorting Hat.
Come forward, put me on…
And I’ll be telling you where to be gone.
You may belong to hardworking Hufflepuff,
If loyalty & perspiration are your treasure…
Or may dwell in wise Ravenclaw,
If you’ve got wit beyond the measure.
You may be a pure Slytherin,
If ambitious and power hungry you are…
Or just be a brave Gryffindor,
With bravery in you & a great noble heart.
But wherever you belong, wherever you’ll grow,
You will never know in anyway,
Unless & until you put me on gently
And wait for me to say. ”
The hat fell silent & the great hall broke into applause.
“Now as I read out your names, you will come forward & sit on the tool putting the hat on your head.” Prof. Mcgonagall announced holding a fairly lengthy parchment scroll in her hand.
“Aiden Daisy”
A timid looking girl with golden blond hair slowly moved towards the tool & sat putting the hat on her head. In a moment or two, the hat shouted “RAVENCLAW”. A great cheer rose from one of the tables in the middle, where all occupants were wearing blue ties & had a blue hem in their robes. The girl hurriedly moved towards the table & took her place in one of the sits, looking relieved.
‘And so it begins.’ Regulus thought tentatively.
He grew more and more nervous as prof. Mcgonagall went down through the list & the students were sorted. Suddenly, he struck by a thought that made him numb. ‘What if, he turned out to be placed in any house other than Slytherin & his parents decide it is another fault of Sirius.’ He couldn’t thought more. He just couldn’t bear another Christmas scene, like the one, three years ago. He couldn’t be the reason for Sirius to get tortured like that again & this time he knew by heart that his parents would be going to be more violent. But it didn’t occur to him, that he could be the target this time for the same reason as his brother. No, either it didn’t occur to him or he just didn’t care about it. All, he was concerned, was about his brother. He forgot that his brother wasn’t that innocent & helpless as an eleven year old but a bright rebellious fourth year & a skilled wizard. Well more skilled & clever than last time. He was not weak anymore. But Regulus just got too scared for his brother.
’What if, his parents takes Sirius away from Hogwarts, from his friends, from his world, only where he is just too happy & kind of takes refuge... ’ Regulus thought wildly ’…and sent him to the dreadful school DRUMSTRANG, which is famous for its extremely leniency towards the DARK ARTS and Sirius always hates dark arts, as he heard several times from him during frequent rows with his parents.
’ ‘No, it can’t be it, just can’t be it. I have to be in Slytherin...’
“Black Regulus.”
Regulus was just too much absorbed in his thought.
“Black Regulus.” Prof. Mcgonagall bellowed loudly.
A painful nudge from Stephanie at his ribs, made him look up.
“BLACK REGULUS” prof. Mcgonagall was positively shouting.
With a jerk, Regulus sprinted forward towards the tool & sat on it under the disapproving glare of prof. Mcgonagall. She put the hat on his head with a little too much force. The hat was large compared to his head & fell covering his eyes as well as the view. Regulus waited, fingers clasped together tightly on his lap & turning even paler.
Suddenly the pain stricken face of eleven year old Sirius floated in his mind. A lump grew in his throat.
“Aha, a Black. How very unusual. This one too, seems different, just like the previous one three years ago.” A soft voice was speaking in his ears.
‘Just put me in Slytherin…please.’ Regulus thought desperately.
“Slytherin eh. But you are just not the right one. Your kind is particularly special & easy as you’ve possessed every single virtue to become a true Gryffindor, every single virtue I must say & not a way you can be in other house. But no quality to be a Slytherin, not a single one.”
‘Oh no! please please put me in Slytherin, please please… ’ Regulus kept pleading in his mind with all efforts.
“Well, you have a purpose, a noble one & that put you in Gryffindor even more strongly.”
‘No please no…’
“Very well then, if you are sure…..SLYTHERIN” The hat bellowed the name of the house loudly so that whole hall could hear it.
Regulus sighed in relief & with a inner sad smile he moved towards the Slytherin table, which is situated at the far left corner, with a silver serpent logo against a green Hogwarts symbol on the top of it & sank in a sit.
He got congratulated by several people including Bellatrix Black & her elder sister Narcissa Black & a boy, seemed younger than them having a pale face, which is partly hidden behind a curtain of greasy limp black hair.
Almost against his will he looked over his shoulder to look at the Gryffindor table which was beside the Ravenclaws & scanned for his brother.
He found him & tried to catch his eyes but failed as he was too busy in congratulating Stephanie for being a Gryffindor. Regulus couldn’t believe that he missed her sorting. How much self absorbent was he. He cursed under his breath. Suddenly Stephanie caught his eyes & beamed, he beamed back, wondering inwardly that how long the warmth of their friendship would last, as Gryffindor & Slytherin are born enemies .Regulus sighed & turned his glance towards the sorting.
“Ivylord Elizabeth” became another Gryffindor.
The sorting continued & then,
“Lewin Martharicka.” Rick went smartly towards the tool with a slight nervous face. The hat touched her head & within a moment declared,
“RAVENCLAW”
Regulus saw Rick smiled & marched towards the Ravenclaw table. She first caught Stephanie’s eyes & then Regulus’s & gave both of them a thumbs’ up which Stephanie returned in double with same enthusiasm & Regulus just smiled at her.
“Mcmillon Edwin” & he got sorted into Hufflepuff. He neither looked at Rick neither at him or Stephanie but sort of ran towards the Hufflepuff table & sank into the sit, looking like he was about to be sick.
“Nueduck Huncel” turned out to be a Slytherin. And finally with
“Xaphias Grace” being a Ravenclaw, the sorting ceremony ended.
The Headmaster Albus Dunbledore Stood up from the teacher’s desk & smiling warmly towards the students & said “Tuck in.”
With much relief at the tiny speech at the time of grumbling stomach Regulus focused on the plate, as the empty plates were filled up with delicious food. ‘Brilliant, I am starving….’ Regulus thought happily & began to help himself.
At the end of the feast, the headmaster stood again to give a few start of term notices which Regulus was just too tired to listen & was pleased to reach at the time to go to his house dormitory for sleep. A smug boy of seventh year, with a pointed face & a white blonde hair wearing a prefect badge came forward to lead the first years towards the Slytherin common room. The pathway was through the dungeon. He came to a halt in front of a black stone wall. An oval shaped portion of the wall seemed to be glittering, as if it had got dark green liquid inside it. The Boy turned to face the first years.
“Hello, I am Lucius Malfoy, Slytherin prefect from seventh year. Welcome to Slytherin common room entrance. Remember the path & the password which I am going to give you. You are not allowed to utter it in front of any students from other houses.” His eyes swept over the crowd & he gave a tiny nod & turned to face the wall.
“Peckish Bart” he said loud & clear. The oval portion turned into a bright green in colour & a green serpent like shape appeared in the glittery oval as the portion of the wall slided sideways revealing a curve way behind it. They all followed Lucius through the way & ended up in a large room with large windows. The windows were emitting a greenish bluish glow. There were several couches across the room of different shapes & sizes & were offering different degrees of comfortness, but all are green & silver. At the four corners, four green fires were situated which were keeping the room warm.
At the ceiling, Regulus noticed a large silver serpent against a green Hogwarts badge, the symbol of Slytherin house. After showing the boys & girls dormitory Lucius departed.
All first years just too tired to speak went to their dormitories silently. Regulus saw that they have got five four poster beds, with emerald green sheets & green hangings, in his dorm room with name tags on them. Each bed had got a green blanket, kept neatly on the green sheets. He spotted his bed & went to it. Their belongings were kept neatly at the foot of their beds. He silently rummaged his trunk for his pajamas & then got changed & flopped tiredly on his bed. ‘What a day…’ he thought and immediately got embraced by a deep sleep.
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