Lily Potter And The Secret Bewitchment

Chapter Six - Lily's Sorting

"A Potter?" The sorting hat on Lily's head scoffed to itself. "Oh, please. I could consider Ravenclaw, but really, it's definitely GRYFFINDOR!" He shouted the last word so that everyone could hear it, and a tumultuous applause erupted from the red and gold table. Lily grinned like an idiot, but she couldn't help it. Every single person at the Gryffindor table was on their feet, and the Weasleys and Lily's two brothers were chanting "Potter! Potter! Potter!" Amazed that it was over, Lily sat next to Oli and opposite Jayla.

Lily missed the sorting of Russell, Archibald, and everything in her mind was hazy. She was a Gryffindor, a Gryffindor!

"Lily!" Jayla hissed, after a while. "Hugo's next!"

Sure enough, Hugo was walking up from the two students left. As he sat on the stool, Lily could see he was pale in the candlelight, a classic sign of Hugo being nervous, she knew. Lily, all her friends and all her relatives held their breath as the hat deliberated. After about ten seconds, it shouted out.

"Gryffindor!"

The hall exploded. Rosie screamed and then cheered, the Weasley-Potter boys banged the table, and even Molly and Lucy, normally formal and straight-laced, cheered and jumped up and down.

Hugo, now bright red, but smiling, stepped down to the table and sat between Jayla and his sister.

"Quiet!" Professor Flitwick shouted. "Quiet at the Gryffindor Table!" Rosie shushed everybody within ten metres of her, and soon the table was silent once more. A small girl was still standing waiting for sorting. When she, Zeller, Annabelle, had been sorted (Ravenclaw!) Flitwick bewitched the stool and hat and they zoomed away, whilst he sat down in the second seat from the centre of the table. Lily noticed, at that moment, the woman in the golden chair in the middle of all the other staff.

She was wearing magenta robes that covered her shoes, and a pointed witches hat that matched them. As she stood up, a blanket of quiet fell over the students.

"Welcome, Students!" She sounded positively elated, but the firm tone in her voice was present even here. "For those of you who do not know me, my name is Professor Vector and I am your headmistress. Now, I know you are all very hungry after your long journey to us here in Hogsmeade, so the formal announcements will begin after our feast!" She shouted the last word and waved her hands.

The empty gold plates in front of Lily filled up with all kinds of food. She looked uncertainly at Hugo.

"Can we just help ourselves?" She asked. Hugo shrugged.

"Everyone else is."

With his reassurance, Lily loaded her plate with all her favourite foods. From two seats to her left, George had already started eating, and from opposite her Hugo and Jayla were both choosing their food.

When she had a plate full of roast meat, potatoes and vegetables, Lily started to eat. The conversation among the first years at the end of the table bubbled, and Lily got to know quite a few of her fellow first year Gryffindors.

A skinny black girl opposite George introduced herself as Olivia Catsby, and the girl on Olivia's left, who had long blonde hair, called herself Iona Catsby.

Lily looked at the pair, confused at how they could be related with such different looks.

"We're stepsisters." Iona explained. "My mum's a witch and my dad's muggle."

"And my parents are both magical." Olivia added, "My mum married Iona's Dad and we took their surname. We have two little half sisters as well."

"What's your name?" Iona asked the boy sitting on her other side.