✓ | EPISKEY → remus lupin [ discontinued ]

Chapter Four

As soon as the boats were close enough to the edge, Alanna jumped out. Her eyes were a little bit red from crying. The boys stepped out of the boat once it hit the bank. Alanna caught sight of Remus' now drenched robes and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry," she said to him laughingly. "I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine," Remus brushed it off. Hagrid lead the first-years to the entrance of Hogwarts.

"This is my stop," he sighed heavily. "Honestly, I'd love teh spend more time with yeh all, bu' Professor McGonagall takes yeh from 'ere. Glad to meet yeh all! Happy Hogwarts!"

With that, Hagrid left all of the entranced first-years standing at the massive oak doors of Hogwarts. Right on cue, a professor with a stern expression and spectacles on her nose opened the large doors. She welcomed the first-years inside and lead them through the castle.

Alanna looked around her excitedly. She noticed that the paintings were moving and talking. They all welcomed the first-years travelling their corridor for the first time eagerly. Alanna waved at a few who waved back.

Professor McGonagall, as she'd introduced herself earlier, stopped the first-years outside of another pair of massive oak doors.

"Behind these doors resides the Great Hall. Here is where all of the house tables sit. It is where you will eat all of your meals. It will also be where most announcements will be held. Through here also lies the Sorting Hat. It will place you into the house that you shall consider to be your family for the next seven years at Hogwarts. The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

James grinned at Sirius. He made a gesture that looked somewhat like a lion. Alanna frowned. Lion? What did a lion have to do with a house?

McGonagall disappeared through the oak doors. The chatter started up between all of the excited first-years.

"What house d'you reckon you'll be in, Peter?" James asked his friend. Peter shrugged.

"I really don't know. My mum says I have the attitude for a Hufflepuff, but I don't think so."

"Remus?" James turned to his other friend.

Remus shrugged. "Same as Peter. No idea. Dad says probably Gryffindor just because of my attitude. Mum says maybe Ravenclaw because I'm fairly intelligent."

"Alright, mate, we don't need a life story," Sirius muttered. "Obviously James reckons he's gonna be a Gryffindor too. I reckon I have a shot at Gryffindor."

Alanna figured that Gryffindor was the house where everybody wanted to be. She frowned. What was wrong with the other houses?

McGonagall reappeared then, silencing all of the first-years with a stern look. "We are ready for you now."

She lead the first-years through the oak doors. Alanna was shocked at the amount of people inside the Great Hall. There were at least a hundred people at each table. The tables were very long and draped in cloths of what Alanna guessed were their house colours. There was a shorter staff table at the head of the hall, running horizontal ways rather than vertical like the four house tables. Alanna couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she caught sight of the Headmaster sitting smack bang in the middle of the staff table. It looked as if he were the king sitting on his golden throne. Alanna resisted the urge to laugh at her own strange mind.

The first-years had been instructed upon entering that they were to merge into alphabetical order. She was between two boys; one with the last name Harrison and one with the last name Haltic. Remus was quite a way down the line. He was followed by Peter and then James not far behind him. Sirius was at the head of the line as his last name was Black.

"When I call your name, you will come and sit on the stool." Alanna stretched up on her tiptoes and glimpsed a ragged looking hat sitting on a stool. "The Sorting Hat will be placed on your head and it will Sort you into your respective house."

McGonagall called the first name. Alanna watched what the Aarons girl did carefully so she knew exactly what to do when it came to her turn. Blake Arnold was next. Slytherin.

Sirius was next. Alanna watched on in anticipation as the Sorting Hat was placed on her friend's head. The Sorting Hat didn't take even ten seconds to sort him.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat announced. Sirius jumped up and puffed his chest out with a proud expression. He sauntered down the side of the Gryffindor table and took a seat at the end. The Gryffindors clapped somewhat awkwardly for the new arrival. It seemed the name Black wasn't usually affiliated with Gryffindor.

Alanna waited patiently for her turn. She heard the name Haltic called and her head snapped up from her nailbed instantly. Brent Haltic walked confidently up to the stool and sat down. The Sorting Hat had barely set itself on Brent's head when it announced his house.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Brent stood awkwardly and walked to the Slytherin table. Alanna frowned. It seemed he didn't want to be in Slytherin. The look on his face pretty much screamed 'help'. He clearly didn't want to have to tell his parents about his Sorting.

"Harpshire, Alanna."

Alanna swallowed. "Okay, relax," she whispered to herself. "You have a one in four chance of getting Gryffindor like Sirius. It can easily be gotten. Just relax."

Alanna was startled by the voice that sounded in her head. She hadn't expected the Hat to talk to her.

"Well ... a Muggle-born, I see ... Slytherin's not for you, then." Alanna almost sighed in relief.

Gryffindor, please, she thought desparately. I have a friend there.

"You can always make new friends, you know," the Hat mumbled. Alanna's eyes snapped open. She hadn't expected the Hat to take her thoughts into account. But it had.

You can hear me? she asked the Hat in her mind.

"Of course I can hear you," the Hat said, sounding offended. "I need to know how your mind works. How do you think I'd put you in the right house otherwise, hmm?"

Alanna couldn't help but shrug in response to the Hat. She waited with baited breath as the Hat continued to speak about her mind.

"Lots of courage and bravery, despite the water fear," it mumbled. Alanna blushed. She hoped this conversation was just in her head and not aloud for the entire student body to hear.

"She's gonna be a Hat Stall!" Alanna heard somebody whisper. What was a Hat Stall? Did it mean she was holding up the rest of the Sorting? Oh no.

"Don't worry, child, we've had somebody up here longer than yourself," the Hat reassured her. Alanna relaxed slightly. Her stomach was in knots.

Hurry up and place me in a house already! she begged the Hat in her mind.

"Alright, alright ..." the Hat grumbled something inaudible to Alanna's ears.

"RAVENCLAW!"