The rest of the trip to the school “ in tiny boats, on the lake “ was rather uneventful for Sirius. He tried to stay as far from Narcissa as possible, but, this time, under her contemptuous glare, he had to make sure he hung out with the right people: after all, Narcissa was a fifth year, and could already do some serious cursing, whereas he could only produce a few sparkles with his wand, and nothing more. Remus looked a bit disappointed when Sirius didn’t come sit with him and Peter, although he shook it off immediately and waved at the taller boy, who smiled back.
Once inside, all the first years were huddled in a tiny room, waiting to be sorted. Sirius was very apprehensive, not so much due to fright of what was going to happen to him during the sorting, but more so of what was going to happen afterwards: he was seriously starting to have second thoughts about which house to hope for. All his life, he’d always been sure Slytherin was going to be the perfect house for him “ as his family constantly reminded him “ but now… after having met someone who was definitely not going to be in this house, and someone who already was, he was starting to doubt what he wanted to do with himself.
His thoughts were interrupted as someone elbowed him rather forcefully in the ribs. Sirius turned around to face the culprit, and his gray eyes met hazel, as he stared at a shorter boy with unruly jet-black hair and wire-rimmed glasses.
“Oh, sorry,” the boy said, somewhat sarcastically, “did I hit you? Oh great, now I’m in trouble… Are you going to curse me on the spot or do you want to round up your little gang of snakes first?”
Sirius stared coldly at him, hopes of a blossoming new friendship fading quickly from his mind. “And what do you want, smart mouth?”
“’Smart mouth’?” he repeated incredulously. “Honestly, ten generations of dark wizards and this is the best you can do? I must say I’m disappointed…”
“Bugger off,” replied Sirius, turning around to face the opposite direction.
“Ah, wait, now I get it!” exclaimed the other boy, as people around them began to watch interestedly as the scene unfolded before their eyes. “Of course… snakes always work in groups, don’t they? Well, where’re your friends? I’m just dying to meet them.”
Sirius tried to ignore him, but as the boy’s taunting continued, he finally swirled around to face him once more. “Would you mind enlightening me as to what I’ve done to you?”
“Oh, don’t be so arrogant as to actually take this personally,” he replied. “I don’t have anything against you… or, no, wait, I do… I have got everything against snakes like you.”
Sirius stared. “You don’t even know me!”
“I know you’re a Black. That’s all I need to know to hate you.”
“Yes, well, I’ve got no idea as to who you are, you psychopath, but I, unlike you, will not base my judgements on your last name only.” He smiled. “Of course, I’ve already seen enough of you to assure you that the feeling is mutual. Now move along, will you? Go on and annoy someone else.”
The shorter boy was already taking out his wand when McGonagall, the stern professor who had led them here in the first place, re-entered the room and yelled, “SILENCE! You’re not even in the school yet, and you already get into fights?” Her eyes wondered briefly from the shorter boy, who was staring defiantly back at her, to Sirius, and understanding seemed to dawn upon her. “Just wait until you’re actually sorted to let House competition take the better of you.”
Sirius frowned. Everyone seemed so sure he was going to be sorted into Slytherin. That’s what they all expected of him. But was it really what he wanted, himself?
Well, whatever house he was going to be in, everything was great as long as it wasn’t the one this other boy was going to be sorted in. And, noting his firm aversion to Slytherins in general, he supposed this was probably a future Gryffindor.
“Now follow me to the Great Hall, where we shall begin the Sorting. Everyone stand in line, and, once I call your name, go sit on the stool in the centre of the Hall and put on the Sorting Hat,” McGonagall continued.
The boy slammed into Sirius once more, before following the teacher into the adjacent chamber. Sirius stood still for a moment, massaging his ribs, and smiled as Remus passed near him, a curious expression in his warm, brown eyes.
As he, too, entered the Great Hall, he noticed that the patched hat that lay on a stool in the middle of the room was actually singing some sort of song, but he was too preoccupied to notice more than occasional words, such as ‘noble’, ‘cunning’, ‘loyal’, and ‘bright’.
Before he knew it, however, the Great Hall was clapping loudly as the Hat concluded its song, and McGonagall was stepping in front of the long line of first years, calling out names.
“Avery, Norman,” said Professor McGonagall firmly, as a short, chestnut-haired boy made his way to the centre of the room.
He sat on the stool and pressed the old, frail-looking hat on his head. After barely a moment, the hat yelled, “SLYTHERIN!”
The table to the far left clapped loudly, as Norman made his way towards it.
“Bagshot, Bathilda” became the first Hufflepuff of the year, while “Belby, Damocles” was sorted in Ravenclaw.
“Black, Bellatrix,” said McGonagall, as Bella made her way forward, smirking smugly. She didn’t even sit on the stool, but simply let the hat touch her head before a loud, “SLYTHERIN!”
“Oh, look, is that your sister?” asked the annoying boy as Sirius moved forward in line. “Bet you are just as anxious to go and join her…”
Sirius didn’t even reply as his name was called. He hastily made his way to the stool and sat down comfortably, before pulling the Sorting Hat on his head.
“Well, well… Another Black, I see. This shouldn’t take long,” said the hat quietly.
Oh, sure, here they go again! Why is everybody so damn sure I belong in Slytherin?! thought Sirius angrily.
“You don’t think you belong in Slytherin?” asked the hat.
I don’t know! All I know is that I met this bloke on the train, and he’s a half-blood, and he’s nice, for crying out loud! And, I mean, look at my family! I don’t want to be like them… I’m not like them…
“Hmm… A Black who doesn’t want to be in Slytherin. I must say, this is rather unexpected,” said the hat, though Sirius couldn’t help but notice the faintest hint of a smile behind those words.
Look, you’re the hat, you decide. Sirius paused for a moment, before resuming, But please not Slytherin!
“Not Slytherin… And yet, everybody expects you to be in Slytherin… Your family… your friends… your teachers… and even yourself… I see it all, my boy, and I know that a tiny part of you expects you to be in Slytherin”which would certainly suit you.”
No, I don’t expect to be sorted in Slytherin, I’m afraid I will be… There’s a difference. I’m afraid that despite everything I want to be, there is nothing I can do about who I am. Like you said, I am a Black.
“Like I said, you are a very special Black.”
So, can you do me this one favour or not? Look, I know what I believe. I know what I don’t want to become… and I don’t want to become a Slytherin. He paused yet again. I’m smart, wouldn’t you say?
“Very intelligent, yes.”
And, God, I’m loyal.
“More loyal than a dog.”
So, that settles it! Take your pick: I am smart enough to be Ravenclaw and loyal enough to be Hufflepuff. What’s it gonna be, huh?
“I believe you forgot modest,” said the Sorting Hat quietly. “But what about your family? Don’t you think they’ll be upset you won’t be in Slytherin? You know how they’ve treated your cousin, Andromeda, for being in Ravenclaw…”
Screw them. I don’t care. I’ve always been the Black sheep of the family, anyway, so my being in Ravenclaw will only confirm their suspicions.
“This is very brave of you to say. Yes, you are noble and courageous, wouldn’t you agree?” asked the Hat, and again, Sirius had the shrewd suspicion it was hiding a grin.
Yes… I’m very brave… This time, the pause was due to horror rather than thought. Wait a second… you’re not thinking… not”
“GRYFFINDOR!” yelled the hat, loudly enough for the whole school to hear.
“Traitor,” Sirius muttered as he took off the hat, staring around the Hall, shock written all over his face. He groaned. This couldn’t have gone worse.
Perhaps Slytherin wouldn’t have been such a bad idea, after all, he thought wildly, as he looked around at a sea of faces, all glaring at him, either shocked or angry.
Nobody clapped as the Hat had shouted his new House, apart from Dumbledore and a handful of surprised-looking teachers. Even McGonagall looked taken aback at such a response, and she stared at the young wizard for a full minute in silence before reading the next name on the list.
As “Brand, Rudolph” made his way to the Hat, Sirius slowly headed to the Gryffindor table. Here he was met by contemptuous glares, that surely helped making him feel quite welcome, and harsh remarks. He sullenly turned his head toward the Slytherin table, as he heard someone yell his name. Here, the taunting and jeering continued, especially performed by his cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa, whom, Sirius had not doubt, wouldn’t waste any time in informing his mother of the Sorting.
Sirius sat down at the table, isolated from everyone else. If he’d felt alone when he was back in Grimmauld Place, it was nothing as to how he was feeling now. He really didn’t know whom to turn to, for support: three fourths of the school “ including his Housemates, to his dismay “ already hated him for simply being a Black; the remaining fourth, instead, hated him for being a Gryffindor.
Like any of this was his fault! It wasn’t his fault he was born a Black, and it wasn’t his fault that traitorous bastard had sorted him in Gryffindor.
At that moment, Sirius felt that the situation couldn’t possibly get any worse.
How very wrong he was.
His brow furrowed deeply as he noticed the rude boy he had met before talking quietly with sandy-haired Remus Lupin, and pointing at him quite obviously. This certainly explained why Remus “ who, to Sirius’s utter joy, had too been sorted in Gryffindor “ didn’t seem nearly as friendly as he had been on the train… though he did sit down next to him.
Great, thought Sirius, the whole school hates me, and the only friend I’d made has already been turned against me. What could possibly get worse?
A lot, it seemed, as, much to Sirius’s horror, the messy-haired boy (“Potter, James” as Sirius immediately found out) had been sorted in Gryffindor as well. He, unlike the other Gryffindors, who had sat down as far from Sirius as possible (with the sole exception of Remus, who was seated beside him), chose the seat right across from Sirius. The latter didn’t think this was a good sign, as he hardly hoped the boy had come to apologise.
“Poor Ickle Black has been abandoned by his family?” he asked, tauntingly.
“Well,” replied Sirius, “I certainly haven’t been abandoned by the idiot, annoying brats.”
“You bet,” answered Potter forcefully. “I don’t know for what kind of perverted purpose you convinced the Sorting Hat to put you here, but I will make it my personal mission to make sure you “ uh “ enjoy your stay as little as possible.”
“What do you mean, ‘enjoy your stay’?” asked Sirius.
“Look, Black, we all know this isn’t the right place for you, okay? You don’t fit here. This is Gryffindor, okay? G-R-Y-F-F-I-N-D-O-R. And just like you and your family don’t accept certain kinds of wizards, we don’t accept certain types of scum like you,” he finished coldly.
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Listen up, Potter. Now, I know there is no House for the mentally-challenged like yourself here, but do try to pay attention. I didn’t ask to be sorted into this stupid loser House, okay? It’s as much as a pain to you as it is to me.”
“Well, that’s good. In that case, maybe your being sorted here isn’t a total waste, is it?” asked Potter.
Sirius promptly ignored this comment. He was already in enough trouble as it was with his family… he didn’t want to make it worse and get in trouble with the teachers, too. He turned to Remus for support. “Remus, please be honest with me. Did you think there was anything wrong with me before this oaf talked to you?”
Remus gave him a piercing look. “No. And I do not think there is nothing wrong with you now, either.” He smiled. “Just as long as you don’t think we’re a loser House.”
James glared. “What? Look, Remus… Do you know who this guy is? Do you know who is family is? He’s a Black, for Merlin’s sake! The Blacks alone are responsible for half the Muggle-torturing that goes on in the wizarding world! This isn’t the kind of person someone would want to hang around with.”
Remus shook his head. “Sirius is my friend, James. I don’t care.”
“Look, James, why are you doing this? How can you blame me for who my parents are? I didn’t choose to be a Black! You can’t condemn me for something I had no control over!” yelled Sirius. “Don’t you see? You’re behaving just as my so-loathed family does! My family hates Muggles because of something they have no control over… just as you “ and this whole damn school “ do to me!”
“Don’t you dare compare me to Dark Wizards!” spat Potter angrily. “I don’t go around killing Muggles and Muggleborns just for the fun of it! What about your family, huh?” He paused. “My father is an Auror. Do you know how many people like you have tortured and killed other wizards just because they stood up for Muggles?”
Remus looked at Sirius sharply, rather shocked after this statement.
“My family, Potter, not me! I have never so much as laid a hand on a stupid Mudblood!” He realised what he’d said barely seconds after these words had left his mouth. Remus got up quickly, while Potter gave him a smug glare. “No, Remus, wait! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to say that…”
But it was too late. Remus had already left the Great Hall in a hurry, following a prefect to the way to Gryffindor Tower.
“Well, it was only a matter of time before my suspicions were proved correct, Black,” said Potter triumphantly. “I’d go talk to the Headmaster for a re-sorting, if I were you. Because face it, Black: nobody wants you here.”
Sirius was about to point out that nobody wanted him in Slytherin, either, but thought better of it, and instead exited the Great Hall quickly, hoping to catch up with Remus.