Roses on the Sidewalk {HP}

Chapter 2

'Beware of those with the hair, for those are the ones who will cause despair!!"

Headmistress McGonagall called foward the first year boy to be sorted, and dropped the tattered hat gingerly onto the head of the trembling boy. He mumbled with the hat, his eyes hidden under the large flap. 

I noticed a little girl, with strawberry blonde hair who was glancing everywhere. She reminded me of my own sorting, when I was 11.

I was twirling my short hair nervously. I simply HAD to be in Gryffindor. I looked down at the rows of people before me. Fred and Roxanne sat together, whispering, probably about a new scheme for a joke they wanted to play later on. James was sat opposite to them, smiling broadly. I could see Teddy Lupin from far away- his distinctive blue hair called attention to him whilst he sat on the Gryffindor table, this being his last year here.

His eyes were fixed on his girlfriend, Victoire, who was seated at the Ravenclaw table, her beautifull platinum blonde hair shimmering, inherited from her mother, who was part veela.

"Potter, ALbus!" Headmistress McGonagll called out loudly, her eyes twinkling. Albus shrunk and walked carefully towards the wooden stool, sitting down quickly, as if not to fall. McGonagall let the restored hat fall over his green eyes, covering his mat of dark hair. 

I could hear him faintly muttering something at the hat. His hand curled into a fist. I crossed my fingers, hoping he would be in Gryffindor and not Slytherin- he told me that even though his dad said it was okay to be a slytherin, James would never let him hear the end of it. His anxiousness had caught on, even though it wasn't his father who would disown him if he was in Slytherin. 

The hat seemed to have made his decision, after quite a while and opened his flap. "SLYTH-" 

The whole roomed was dead quiet. No one moved- could it be? One of the legendary Potters was a Slytherin? 

I held my breath and closed my eyes tightly, paralysed and incapable of doing anything else. James was staring at his brother unbelieving, his eyes wide and his moth dropped open. 

The silence continued. Albus was arguing with the hat in hisses and angry whisperers. McGonagall looked uneasy, debating if she should remove the hat or not. Then the hat shook itself and opened his flap again: 

"GRYFFINDOR!"

After a momentary silence, the table erupted into cheers and Albus gingerly placed the hat down, his cheeks flaming, and ran to sit down. Before I knew it, my own names was being called. 

"Weasley, Rose!"

I stumbled out of line and tried to stop the hot blush from spreading around my face. The hat fell swiftly over my ginger head, overwhelming me in sudden darkness. I could almost smell the ruins of the ancient battle inside the hat, that I knew every detail of thanks to my parents, as if it held onto it like a souvenir of his adventures.

If a hat could even have adventures...

Power steamed off the hat like a hot oven, and he finally started talking. Or whatever that hat does.

'Aaaaah, another Weasley! What a surprise. So many there are, no? Now let me see.... You like Quidditch. Brilliant mind- just like Hermione Granger's, I see. Brave. Clever. You would do great things in Ravenclaw.' The hat offered.

No,no,no,no. I thought desperately, my hands closing agitatedly. I have to be in Gryffindor. Dad will disown me if I don't. And James will never let me hear the end of it. I will.... I continued with my list of reasons to be in Gryffindor, but the hat interrupted.

'Have to be? There is no such thing as having to be in a house. I sort you depending on your personality and where you belong...though you do have a brave heart, and will do anything for friends and family, you could not do the same things that you would do in Ravenclaw in the house you choose...'

I closed my eyes tight and crossed my fingers, hoping, wishing with all my might to be a Gryffindor. It seemed to take ages before the hat responded.

'Are you sure? You will not be able to take it back... No? Well then, if not Ravenclaw, then ....

GRYFFINDOR!"

I let my breath out, not realising I had been holding it in and smiled, relived to be placed in my family's house. I placed the hat back on the stool and whispered 'Thank' to it. Which is weird, but okay. I was 11.

An eternity later, I told Albus that the sorting had seemed hours long. He responded by saying his was even longer, which I highly doubt.

"But didn't it happen in my head? Wasn't it, like a dream?"  I had asked Victoire and Teddy (who seemed to be the happiest couple ever in existence). Victoire simply smiled knowingly and answered:

"Even if it had happened in your head, why would that mean it was not real?"

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