Sea and Serpent (PJO/HP)

Chapter 11. Sorting hat

The students began to file in a single line, per Professor McGonagall’s orders. And Amaryllis found herself further down from her brother, right in front of the boy with platinum blond hair.

Oh, the joys. She sang in her head as they all made their way into the Great Hall.

Four long tables greeted them that had a few empty random spots here and there. What was unnerving were the stares from hundreds of students that followed their every move. Candles floated mid-air above their heads, illuminating the Great Hall along with flames that were lit on torches along the side walls. The ceiling had dark rolling clouds with a dark sky behind it. She heard Hermione whisper how it was enchanted to mirror the night sky and it was a touch Amaryllis liked.

She moved closer to Harry as they filed in, muttering apologies along the way just to get away from the boy. His presence had done a wonder on her agitation and she didn’t know how long sorting each and every person would take.

More than she had patience, that seemed for sure.

Behind Professor McGonagall was a table where she guessed the other teachers sat. In the middle was an older man with light grey and silver robes that had a matching beard that went down below the table. She noticed Hagrid all the way at the end. A teacher dressed in all black with long hair that sneered at everyone he saw. A short plump woman with brown curly hair and vines coming her hat. A slightly lanky woman with dark blue and purple swirled robes and big circular rimmed glasses. A man that reminded her of the goblins, but he appeared more elf like than them, with a long pointed nose. It was the last man her eyes settled on that caught her attention. A purple turban that covered his head, a piece loosely hanging across his chest and over his other shoulder. He had the same purple robes, quietly muttering to the one dressed in all black.

She leaned closer to Ron, asking if he might know the teacher. “Who’s the one in purple?”

“Professor Quirrel?”

Her nose scrunched up the longer she stared at him. It was like a tingle in the back of her mind that wouldn’t go away. That point when you know something isn’t right, you just don’t know what it is. “I don’t like him.”

Ron snorted. “He stutters, according to Fred, but Professor Snape is the one who hates all students but his own house.” Amaryllis gave him a look. “Slytherins.”

She didn’t see it. Maybe because she hadn’t experienced it, but she didn’t like Professor Quirrel. He made her skin crawl and there was something there she’d get to the bottom of.

Professor McGonagall moved to the front, where a stool with an old worn hat rested on top and a parchment that rolled to the ground when she let it go. “When I call your name up, please come forward and get sorted into your house.”

“Abigail Porter.”

A girl with short blonde hair stepped slowly up to the front, and sat on the stool that Professor McGonagall had moved the hat off of. The hat was then placed on the girls head and… before Amaryllis could question anything the hat shouted out, “Ravenclaw.”

The list had gone down until the few names she knew were called.

“Hermione Granger.”

Gryffindor. One down.

The same cheers came from the table to her right as Hermione made her way to it and sat down.

“Draco Malfoy.”

Amaryllis watched the platinum blond she now knew the name of walk forward. The hat shouted before it had even rested on his head, “Slytherin.”

Draco had hopped down with a smirk on his face as the Slytherin table shouted and cheered.