All eyes were on the first years as they walked to the front of the Great Hall, awestruck at their surroundings. Sirius looked at the ceiling in fascination; this was the start of his adventure. Hogwarts was his chance to escape his family and their pure-blood prejudices.

When they reached the staff table, they crowded around a three-legged stool, on top of which Professor McGonagall placed an old, shabby hat. Every one looked at the hat in expectation. There was a few seconds of silence, and then a rip near its brim opened wide like a mouth and sang:

“I may not be a pretty sight
But you'll be blessed to find a smarter hat than me.
When you put me on I'll look inside
and tell you where you ought to be.
Do you belong in daring Gryffindor house,
Where you'll be with the brave at heart
Or do you belong in Slytherin
Whose ambition sets them apart.
Or is wise old Ravenclaw for you?
It is if you have a ready mind
Or are you a Hufflepuff?
Whose loyalty can not be denied.
Don't be afraid, put me on your head
For I am the Hogwarts sorting hat
And I will tell you where you ought to be.”

When the hat finished its song the whole school erupted into applause as the hat nodded to each house table.

“When I call your name you will place the hat on your head in order to be sorted. Then you will go and join your house,” Professor McGonagall said to the first years. “Allen, Elizabeth!”

A dark haired girl hurried forwards and placed the hat on her head. There was silence for a minute before it yelled:

“RAVENCLAW!” The second table from the left burst into applause as Elizabeth hurried over to join her fellow house mates.

“Black, Sirius!” Sirius walked forwards and sat on the stool, pulling the Sorting Hat over his eyes.

“Ah a Black eh? But wait, what's this I see? You do not wish to be in Slytherin, the house of your ancestors?” The hat said to him.

Anywhere but Slytherin. I'm not like them, Sirius thought desperately.

“Not Slytherin? Well then there's only one place for you- GRYFFINDOR!” The hat announced to everyone. Sirius glanced over at the Slytherin table, where Bellatrix was glaring at him and Narcissa had her mouth open slightly in shock. Sirius was the first Black not to be sorted into Slytherin and he had added salt to the wound by being sorted into Gryffindor. He smiled to himself and sat down at the table decked in read and gold, his back to the Slytherins, and turned to watch the rest of the Sorting with his new house.

***
Lily was shaking as she made her way to the stool. Those few steps seemed to take hours as all eyes in the Great Hall were on her. What if it turns out this was just a mistake, that I shouldn't really be here and it should be someone else? She thought as she sat down and placed the hat on.

“Hmm, you have a keen mind, that's for sure, but there's courage there as well,” a voice said behind her ear. Lily jumped. She thought she was going insane, how could a hat be talking to her and no one else could hear? The hat chuckled. “A thirst for knowledge I see. You could do great things in Ravenclaw, but you do not seem to belong there either. No, better be...GRYFFINDOR!”

Lily jumped off the stool and handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall. As she made her way to the Gryffindor table, she glanced at Severus and gave him a small, sad smile. She went to sit down next to Sirius but turned her back to him when she remembered how he had treated Severus. That was then Lily realised how difficult it was going to be to remain friends with Severus while they were at school; the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was just too intense.

***

Remus Lupin was more nervous than he had ever been in his life. He looked around at his fellow first years as he waited anxiously to be Sorted. What if the hat refuses to sort me because of what I am? The thought had been drifting in and out of his head ever since he had received his letter. He still couldn't believe he was in Hogwarts at all.

Trying to take his mind off his nerves, he looked around at his class mates once more. He noticed James Potter, who he had met on the train; next to him was another boy who had been in his compartment, Peter Pettigrew. He looked even more frightened than Remus, and for the entire train journey, he had been moving around restlessly in his seat. The other boy, Sirius Black, had already been sorted into Gryffindor, something that had come as a shock to many people in the hall. Remus had heard stories about the Black family from his father, none of them being very nice.

He had been so focused on taking his mind of his nerves, he had almost missed his name being called. With trembling knee's, he had some how managed to make it to the stool where the stern-looking professor placed the hat on his head.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Interesting, very interesting,” the hat said.

Remus sighed, he had been expecting this. Next, the hat would declare he could not Sort him and he would be sent away from Hogwarts forever.

“Hmm another good mind, yet Ravenclaw will not do. You haven't got the ambition to be in Slytherin either. Maybe Hufflepuff? No, you are loyal, but you are brave, very brave. No no no, you must be a GRYFFINDOR!”

The hat had bellowed the last word out loudly and the hall filled with claps and cheers. Relief washed over Remus as he made his way over to where Sirius was sitting. He had been Sorted! With a huge grin on his face, he turned to watch the rest of the ceremony.

***

“Pettigrew, Peter.” Peter hurried up to the stool, glad he didn't have to wait any longer He had seen his friends be Sorted, and he wanted nothing more than to follow them into Gryffindor.

“Now let me see,” the hat said. “You lack the same ambition your Father had, but you seek those with power. Maybe Slytherin.” Peter froze. If he was sorted into Slytherin, James and Sirius would never talk to him again. Nor did he want to be in the house that his father had been in, not after he had broken his mum's heart.

Not Slytherin; I am not like my father! I want to be with my friends!

“Not Slytherin? Well, well, well. You have some brains, but you are not at all a Ravenclaw, nor are you a Hufflepuff. Well, then, you must be...GRYFFINDOR!"

Gryffindor! He had actually been sorted into Gryffindor! Relief and joy flooded him as he hurried over to his brand new house and slid into the seat next to Remus.

The next seven years are going to be the best of my life! he sighed. At last, I am home.

***

“Potter, James!” James was more nervous than he would like to admit when he placed the hat on his head. In the back of his mind, he worried for a moment that he might not live up to the family name.

“Ah, a Potter. You are so very much like your father, brave, maybe too brave. Yes, you will do very well in...GRYFFINDOR!” James grinned, what had he been so worried about? Of course he was a Gryffindor; he couldn't believe he had doubted it for even a second. He walked over to where his friends were sitting at the Gryffindor table.

I'm going to make sure Gryffindor wins every House Cup while I'm here and I'm going to be the Captain of the best Quidditch team Hogwarts has ever seen. Just you wait.

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