The Losing One || Sirius Black

7. The Sorting Hat

"I guess I would maybe like that too.", they looked at each other again and smiled.

After a lot of stairs, and a few corridors, they were all finally standing in front of a big wooden door and a seriously looking witch.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will have to be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have..."

The witch was still speaking, but after that Sirius turned off completely. The thought of having a family, a real family, excited him. He felt giddy again bouncing from foot to foot, although that feeling was replaced as soon as he touched the ring on his right hand's index finger.

What was Regulus doing right now? Was he okay? Did he need his help? How could Sirius think of any family other than his own?

He shook his head. No, he wasn't thinking about leaving Reg with them, he was thinking of a family that he will introduce to Reg and make him a part of.

Felling someone push him forward, Sirius turned and saw James gesturing him towards the big door that now stood open to Sirius' surprise. When did I miss that?

Smiling, James threw an arm around his shoulders, "Come on, mate. We got a sorting to attended."

The Great Hall was full of students, all cheering for them. There were four large, long tables, presumably one for each house in Sirius' mind. There was a front table as well, full of professors. All of them had exited looks plastered on their faces.

The witch from earlier who was leading them stopped in front of the front table with a roll of parchment. Beside her stood a small stool with an old hat, the Sorting Hat.

"When I call your name, you will put on the Sorting Hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Avery Danon!"

A huge boy went up a couple of stairs and sat on the chair and the witch placed the hat on his head. Maybe a couple of seconds had passed when the hat called:

"SLYTHERIN!"

The whole Slytherin table started cheering and whistling, Sirius even saw Narcissa clap. In the crowd of first years, he noticed the boy from the train, Snivellus, with the same sneer on his face.

That's when it clicked.

That stupid sneer was the reason for Sirius' irritation with the boy. Granted, the boy was rude, but usually Sirius would at least try to ignore him, he would probably fail at it, but he would try.

The moment he saw the boy sneering like that, he didn't even have the time for trying to ignore the situation because his irritation bottle was already magically filled to the brim. Only it wasn't magically filled, it was filled because he knew that stupid sneer.

That was the same sneer everybody from the Black family and pureblood families used while looking at him, while talking about muggleborns or any house other than Slytherin. It was the sneer indicating some ungranted superiority and Sirius hated anyone who lived in delusion to be superior to others for imaginary reasons.

"Black Sirius!"

He froze, pulled out of his discovery. For a moment, Sirius really did forget that he was literally at the Sorting Ceremony as a first year. James gave him a little pat on the back along with the look that said You got this.

With his back straight and head held high, Sirius stepped up to the chair and sat down. When the hat fell in front of his eyes, everything on the outside went mute.