The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

The Sorting of Sirius Black

Suddenly, the brim split open and the hat seemed to come to life. It started to sing, even.

"Welcome, new students of all status, to Hogwarts castle

Where throughout the year you will learn new skills -

Though attending class and studying might seem like quite a hassle

I promise you that your time here will be filled with joy and thrills!

You'll meet more magic folk your age, and make lots of friends

Everyone here is here because they've earned their spot -

Within the walls of Hogwarts blood status prejudice ends -

For here you are all welcome but that old debate is not.

That debate has already torn the Hogwarts school asunder

Which is why I must split you up - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin -

So let's find out so that you must no longer wonder

Which house of the four will be the one that you will belong in.

Will it be Gryffindor, where dwell the mighty brave?

Gryffindor is courageous, yes, but hardly ever behave!

Maybe you'll be Slytherin, who seek power and fame

But beware for they do not care who they hurt in the game...

Or perhaps the Ravenclaw house will help you to learn -

In them is a mighty thirst for knowledge that will forever burn.

Then there's Hufflepuff, the kindest, hardest working of the lot -

They'll take you in no matter what, accept you even if the other houses do not.

So c'mon up here, one by one, and place me on your heads

We'll get you sorted into your houses in a snap

And then we can all eat and make our way off to bed

For it's almost time for me, the Sorting Hat, to get back to my year-long nap!"

Everyone clapped in the entire hall, and the applause echoed off the ceiling and the walls. The first years seemed filled with a new determination and soon they were all shuffling forward as McGonagall opened a scroll and read off the first name - Abbot, Gifford! - and one by one the students shuffled their way up to the stool and put the hat atop their head.

Sirius didn't have long to wait.

"Black, Sirius!"

A refined cheer came from the Slytherin table, which was dotted with faces that Sirius knew from various family functions, and Andromeda stood up at the Hufflepuff table and shouted, "Go on Sirius!" at the top of her voice, clapping wildly.

His heart seemed to crawl slowly up into his throat and Sirius climbed up onto the stool and Professor McGonagall put the hat down on his head. It set upon him and he waited. Then, he heard a voice. "Oh, well, you're of the so-called Noble House of Black, I see..." mused the voice. "I hope you were listening to my song tonight, it was aimed at those who think the way that your family does, you know."

"I don't think like that, though," Sirius told the hat quietly. "I don't want to be like them."

"No?" asked the hat, an amused tone to it's voice, "But you'd be great, you know. You'd accrue so much power in Slytherin. You'd be part of something that's brewing, getting closer everyday. A great part, an integral part. Perhaps even famous one day for it..."

"I could become famous in any house," Sirius argued, "I could be a great wizard in any house."

"But what would your family think?" asked the hat.

Sirius felt his stomach twist at the question. "I don't know," he said, then, "I'm not sure that I care, either."

"You would defy generations of Black family tradition?" the hat questioned.

Sirius thought it over for a moment. "For what's right? Sure."

The hat chuckled to itself. "I can't believe this but --- GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted the last part for everyone to hear, not just Sirius.

The hat was lifted off his head, and Sirius felt his heart richotcheting off his rib cage. The people at the Slytherin table looked absolutely stunned, and there were frowning, shaking heads now dotting the table. Even Andromeda's eyes were wide with surprise, but a bit of a sparkle and a hint of a grin was crawling across her face. The same could not be said for Lucius Malfoy, who had stood up, prepared to welcome the first of the new first years to the Slytherin table. He looked positively barking mad. He sat down quickly, sour in the face, and Sirius knew that his would not be the first disapproving glare that he would receive.

The Gryffindor table, however, had gone ballistic, screaming and waving their hands, beckoning Sirius to them - the first of the new Gryffindors. "C'mon Sirius!" called a red-haired boy with freckles across his nose. He looked to be much older, but he was last along the bench before the open space reserved for new Gryffindors. He grinned and patted the bench beside him and Sirius scrambled from the stool and rushed over, joining him at the table. "I'm Bilius Weasley," the boy greeted him, "Welcome to Gryffindor."

Sirius grinned, "Thanks," he said, and he shook the boy's warm hand excitedly.