Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?

This year’s Sorting was certainly full of surprises. First, there was that Sirius boy. The Sorting Hat itself could hardly believe that it had placed him in Gryffindor. True, the boy had it all – a lot of bravery, daring, a rebellious streak and so on, but he was still a Black. A Black. A Black in Gryffindor! A Black with a mother like young Sirius’ mother in Gryffindor! That was not natural!

Then, there was the girl. Lily Evans. The red-head was practically fit for all four of the Houses! Yet, her bravery seemed to be her most overwhelming trait, so she clearly belonged in Gryffindor. It had not been an easy decision, though.

Then, there was the other one. The werewolf. Remus Lupin. The first werewolf ever allowed at Hogwarts. That fact alone was enough to make him something special, but he had been one of the hardest students to be Sorted: smart and studious like a true Ravenclaw and yet his bravery and determination to do his best despite his condition had led him to Gryffindor.

And now, there was another argument between the Sorting Hat and the Sorting Hat again, regarding a student. Angela Peters. Slytherin and Hufflepuff had been eliminated from the very beginning – pureblooded, ambitious and hardworking as she was, her brains and her bravery were her most distinctive traits. And that was where the problem of the Sorting Hat lied: it could not place the girl in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. This was simply not done. So, the only thing it could do was rummaging through her mind, hoping to find something that would help it decide whether Angela Peters was a bit more Gryffindor-ish or a bit more Ravenclaw-ish.

First, it decided to check her thirst for knowledge. Almost immediately, it found out that she had memorized half of her textbooks. Pleased, the Sorting Hat opened its mouth, when it heard the thought, “I wonder what Remus is thinking right now. This Hat has been sitting on my head for hours!�

After hearing this, the Hat simply had to check the rest of the story, because the girl could turn out to be more Gryffindor-ish than it had previously thought. And surely, there it was – Angela Peters had known for two years that Remus Lupin was a werewolf and she was still friends with him. She was not afraid of him at all. Astonishing for a girl from a pureblooded family. Something more, she wanted to be in his House with him. She would protect him, if it came to that. Well, that showed real bravery. Unfortunately, it returned the Sorting Hat to its previous hesitation.

Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?

Desire to create new spells: Ravenclaw. Falling from a tree when she was six and coming to climb it again immediately after her broken leg had been repaired: Gryffindor. Interest in all sorts of literature, from History of Magic to Muggle classic authors: Ravenclaw. Standing for a friend of hers who was being bullied, although she herself was very, very scared: Gryffindor. Memorizing the globe: Ravenclaw. Riding her father’s broom with amazing speed when she was seven and barely knew where to put her arms and legs: Gryffindor…

The Sorting Hat was beginning to get desperate. Would it ever be able to sort this girl?

Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?

Then, for its greatest surprise, the Hat felt itself being removed from the girl’s thick dark curls. Was she leaving or what?

Well, of course she was not leaving. She had just pushed the Hat above her eyes, because it had been hanging over them for so long that she needed to have a look around, to make sure that she had not gone blind or anything.

Almost immediately, the Hat felt itself warmed by the relief that Angela Peters felt, when she saw Remus Lupin’s encouraging smile. The next moment, the relief was pushed aside by anger. Black, the girl thought and the Hat was almost flooded by a wave of fresh memories: the Hogwarts Express, the girl emerging from her compartment and stepping over something that exploded under her feet and made her scream. Her vision was obscured by a cloud of smoke and when everything became clear again, there were two things visible: the first one was the shocking realization that the girl had no eyebrows now and that her face and outfit were blackened, and the second one was the boy, Sirius Black, whose laughter stopped for a moment, when he realized that his little prank had hit the wrong person. “I’m sorry,� he said, not quite able to stifle his laughter – Angela Peters looked utterly, competely ridiculous. “You see, I thought that Slyth – “

He never finished that phrase, because she took her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at him. He instinctively raised his hands to protect himself, before he could realize that there was no way for her to know any spells yet. Angela Peters took her chance and poked him quite roughly in his stomach, before turning round and entering her compartment. A smart girl, the Sorting Hat thought. I suppose that’s a point in favor of Ravenclaw…

The next scene led the Sorting Hat to the lake, where the first years were waiting to get into the boats. Sirius Black tripped Angela Peters, whose face and robes were clean again and her eyebrows had grown back, and she fell to the ground. The other first years laughed. She cried with outrage and in a real Gryffindor 'act first, think about consequences later' manner grabbed Black’s leg with the speed of lightening , before he could withdraw it, so he fell down - right on top of her. The laughter became stronger and the two kids exchanged hateful glances. Then, Black stood up and stretched out a hand at her, which Peters, wisely in the Hat’s opinion, pretended not to see. Black waited, until she chose a boat, and then jumped in after her. The two of them spent their journey to Hogwarts, trying to push each other in the lake. Remus Lupin barely managed to prevent them from killing each other.

It is not over, Black, the Hat heard Angela thinking furiously. You want a war? Very well, then a war I will give you! I’ll make you sorry for ever receiving your Hogwarts letter! I will make you bald as soon as I know how! I will…

The Sorting Hat danced with joy… or rather, it would have danced, if it had legs. She looked determined to excel in her studies, although now it was mainly in order to get knowledge that would let her take Sirius Black down. Finally, it had his reason to send the girl in one of the Houses! “We don’t tolerate murders here at Hogwarts,� it told Angela. “And I would rather not put temptation either in your way or young Mr Black’s way. Yes, I think the less you two see of each other, the better for everyone.�

“Wait!� The girl had immediately realized what the Sorting Hat intended to do. “Just one moment!�

The Hat was averse to give her even half a moment. What if it found something in her mind that would start the argument again? No, not for the world.

“RAVENCLAW!�