Marauding Madness

Chapter XII: Dreading The Hat

The first years, including me, watch as Professor McGonagall grabs a stool, a very old stool may I add, in front of us. Atop the old stool she placed an even older looking wizard hat, which was dirty and looked like it had been alive for centuries. 

I was scared of that Hat.

Mother had warned me about the Hat, telling me that it would be able to scour through my most deepest secrets and flaws in order to correctly place me into my house. As creepy and invasive as it had sounded to me, I had no choice but to follow through. 

The eyes of the rest of the students aim towards the first years, some of us feeling intimidated while others felt in their natural habitat. 

"Now, when I call your name, please come to the front. Avery, Quinton." A short lean boy with brown hair steps up to the stool, McGonagall placing the Hat on his head. 

I feel my eyes deceive me as I notice the brim of the Hat start to widen, while the top of the hat creates eye-like molds. I gasp in shock of what I was seeing, still not used to the magic I was so born into, causing a few eyes to land on me.

That attention was quickly gone though, when the Hat yelled, yes, the Hat yelled, 'SLYTHERIN!', causing the table on the far right to jeer for their new student clambering towards them. Hopefully, I could get that sort of welcoming. 

"Black, Sirius." Another small boy, with jet black long hair, run up to sit on the stool. When the boy turns to face the Hall, I mentally shock myself as I recognize the boy from Madam Malkin's. 'Let's hope he doesn't remember me.' 

The boy, 'Sirius', somehow finds me at the back of the line, and subtly winks at me, causing me to blush in frustration. Geez, this boy was getting on my nerves. As McGonagall puts the Hat on his head, I cross my fingers in the hopes that he does not end up in the same house as me.

"GRYFFINDOR!" An outburst seems to kick in from two tables instead of one, as voices of joy and fury fill the hall, trying to dominate. Great, now the house I had the one chance of getting into was the house I don't want to be in. 

"Alright, enough! SILENCE!" The crowd stops and McGonagall continues to call out names. 'Boot, Noah' became one of the first to be sorted in Ravenclaw so far, the striking colors of blue catching my eye. It would be nice to go into Ravenclaw. People would acknowledge you for your smarts, not your glory or your name. 

'Burbage, Charity' was also sorted into Ravenclaw the blue and white table screaming in joy.

'Diggory, Amos', on the other hand was the first Hufflepuff to be sorted, bringing in fresh cheers from the bare table. 

"Evans, Lily." The red head from the boat moved from her position in front of me, nervously biting her lip as she walked up to the stool in front of the hall, placing the Hat on her head. In that instant the Hat had yelled 'GRYFFINDOR!' and I clapped happily for her as she sat next to Sirius. 

I notice that 'Sev' had looked a bit upset at Lily's sorting and I pat him reassuringly on the shoulder. 

"It's okay you know. You guys can still be friends." 'Sev' just glares at me and I step back releasing my hand from his shoulder. What was his problem?

I bite my nails nervously, a habit that I had picked up, as I await for my name to be called. Now I was starting to have doubts about which house to pick. I mean, yes, I did want to make my mother proud and join Gryffindor, but I also feel I could offer so much more to other houses. 

I mean, in Ravenclaw, I would be able to share and take in knowledge without being called such a nerd.

In Slytherin, I would be able to reach my goals in life of becoming something very profound, and even there my knowledge could expand.

In Hufflepuff, I would be seen as a try hard for doing hard work in order to get where I need to be.

"Griffin, Andrea." I freeze as I hear my name being called. I nervously gulp as I power walk towards the front of the stool. As I reach the middle of the Hall I accidentally bump into a boy with sandy brown hair, in which I quickly apologize before walking even faster to the seat in front.

I look up McGonagall when I sit on the stool, and she places the filthy hat on my head, my vision cut off by the inside of the Hat. I scrunch my nose a bit as the smell of the mold starting to build inside the hat, making me reconsider the hygiene of this school.

"Miss Griffin, is it? Well, I assure you that you will not have to worry about my cleanliness at the moment. We only focus on the matter at hand." I hear a few giggles from the crowd and I feel my cheeks turn a crimson red. Luckily, no one could see this as half my head was under the hat. 

"Right let's see. Ah, so there is some Gryffindor blood in you. Excellent! Sense of bravery, courage... lots of it. Hmmmm... this is interesting..." What is? I start to ponder but the Hat interrupts me. 

"It seems to me that Slytherin blood runs through your veins as well, Miss Griffin." What? No, that was impossible. Unless...

"Yes, I see a lot of determination, a will to prove yourself at any cost. A very bright mind too. Difficult... yes, very difficult." I gulp as I sit there, awaiting my house to be called out. I could not be in two houses. It would be cool, yes, but not cool if it was Gryffindor and Slytherin. 

Gryffindor and Slytherin have been enemies for years and to have a student who can actually merge between the two houses, it would cause more controversy. I can hear people starting to mumble in the hall as I realize I have been sitting here for at least the past 5 minutes and the Hat has not said anything except, "Interesting...".

What I don't belong to a house? Maybe I don't belong in this school. I can feel random tears rimming my eyes as I freak out. 

Several more minutes had gone by and still there was no reply from the Hat. My mouth twitches from the urge to cry. 

"I am afraid that picking a house for you has become... impossible." Gasps can be heard around the room and my hands tighten into fists. "I will have to announce that the only two houses I could consider you for were... GRYFFINDOR and SLYTHERIN!" No one says a word as McGonagall lifts the Hat of my head, the light burning into my already tear rimmed eyes. As my tears fall to my cheek, I turn to look at the table of red and gold, then to the green and silver. 

I push my way through the first years, in tears and obviously ashamed of what had just happened at this moment.

I would be now known as the biggest abomination in the school.