Chapter Twelve

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Arriving at the castle, all students but the first years piled into the Great Hall, sitting at their respective tables. Sirius sat down between Remus and James, Peter was sitting on the other side of the table.

"When is the sorting going to start, I'm starving!" James cried out. Not moments later, the Great Hall quieted, Professor McGonagall leading the new students through the middle of the tables. Their eyes wide with shock and amazement at the night sky reflected in the ceiling, and the thousands of candles floating above their heads.

Sirius saw Lily, who was sitting not far from them, watching the girl with snow hair carefully. He didn't know why she was so curious about her. Maybe she sat near her on the train.

The Sorting hat began singing, just as it did the previous year, and Sirius smiled at the way it made the young students jump.

Do not fear dear little ones, 

For my deed isn't long.

I judge your thoughts inside your head,

Place you where you belong.


You may not think me smart,

But that surely is a start.

Try me on and you shall find

I only play my part.


Sewn a thousand years ago,

Godric placed me on this stool.

Told me each of the qualities,

That I would find in you.


Do you belong in Gryffindor,

Where the brave dwell at heart?

Fair Ravenclaw might be your name,

There's nothing they haven't thought.


Maybe you're a Hufflepuff,

Where they're loyal, kind, and true.

Perhaps you are a Slytherin

Ambitious and cunning too.


So come and sit upon this stool

And rest me on your head.

I'll look and see inside your mind,

And I'll sort you into them.

The applause was loud as the hat went still once again. Professor McGonagall began reading names off a scroll. The hat shouting out Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin each more than once. 

But what caught Sirius' attention, as well as Remus' was the name Smith, Ara. Up walked the girl with white hair, whispers flowing through the air around her. All of the students seemed to be marveling at her hair.

The hat was placed on her head, and began the wait to see which house would get the interesting girl. It seemed she would be a hat-stall, however, after only a few minutes, the hat shouted loudly across the Great Hall.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The table clapped loudly as the girl took the hat off her head, running down and sitting next to Lily. Sirius could just barely hear the conversation through the clapping.

"You got Gryffindor!" Lily exclaimed.

"I know! I'm so happy!"

Dumbledore soon stood up, the last person sorted, and the applause dying down quickly, but not as fast as it started. However, when the headmaster began speaking, everything went quiet.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, new students. Welcome back old ones. I hope you have a wonderful year. I have a few announcements to make before we begin the feast," he announced. "Filch has added Silly String, Whoopie Cushions, and many other Muggle prank toys to the list of banned items.

"For the full list, please see outside his office. Joining our staff this year will be Professor Rickman in the Defense Against The Dark Arts position, please help me in giving him a warm welcome. I must also tell new students, and remind old ones, that the forest on the edge of the grounds is strictly Forbidden.

"Now that that has been said, let us eat." The Great Hall filled with applause as the platters and goblets filled with food and drink before their very eyes. Sirius and James wasted no time to fill their plates up as much as they could.

Beside him, Sirius could hear Remus talking.

"I'm Remus Lupin," he said, Sirius paying no attention to the boy as he introduced himself to the first year sitting across him. Sirius began eating an orange as the conversation continued, not focusing on the girl's face nor voice.

"Ara Smith. It's nice to meet you Remus," the white-haired girl said. 

"It's nice to meet you too. I remember how scary it was last year at first, especially when no one said hello to me. I thought I might say hi," Remus said.

Sirius thought back to the beginning of the year, and found Remus was right. Neither James nor him had said hello until the first day of classes. Now that he thought about it, it must've been a little scary for Remus to think he wouldn't make any friends.

James tapped Sirius' shoulder with a knife, and Sirius retaliated by pushing it away with his own. This started a war of the knives, when a girl's laughter caught Sirius' attention.

He turned his head, and for a moment he thought it was Roxanne Malfoy, but that would be impossible, as the girl went to Beauxbatons. He did a doubletake, noticing it was the Smith girl.

He smiled, forgetting he had an orange in his mouth at the time, and Ara snorted mid-drink, beginning to choke. Sirius began laughing, along with James as he turned back to talk with him.

"We've got to prank her first," James said.

"I think we'll get her eventually," Sirius announced. "I think we should get someone else first." He didn't know why he thought this. He just felt like the girl shouldn't be their first target, if she ended up being a target at all.

"You two are going to get in trouble, before the classes even start," said Remus.

The Brightest Star {Sirius Black}Unde poveștirile trăiesc. Descoperă acum