Another, longer, HP DDD ficlet.

[apolla]

Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft & Wizardry. 1st September, 2011.

The new First years crammed into the entrance hall, waiting eagerly for admittance to the Great Hall for the first time. They chattered amongst themselves while they waited. Some of them looked particularly nervous about what the mysterious Sorting might entail, while some looked quite cocky, prepared to take on anything or anyone.

"My dad said that we have to wrestle a giant troll," said one wide-eyed boy, his auburn hair falling into his eyes. The brunette girl standing beside him sighed dramatically.

"That's not true," she said with a roll of her eyes. "That's just your dad winding you up."

"Why would he do that?" the boy asked. Another roll of the eyes followed.

"Because that's what he does. He winds people up for a living."

"He's made loads of money from wind-ups," added another girl. She had the same green eyes as the first girl, but instead of slightly bushy brown hair, hers was the colour of raven feathers and particularly unruly.

"So we won't have to fight a troll?" the boy asked, looking equal parts relieved and disappointed.

"I doubt it," answered the brown-haired girl with cynicism.

"Well, my dad said we have to do some sort of magic test," said another girl. She had red hair like the boy, although hers was a little darker. In contrast to the boy's concern, she seemed quite confident. The raven-haired girl looked at her with a particularly sceptical look.

"Right," she drawled. "Like I'm going to believe him."

"Why wouldn't you?" the redhead asked hotly.

"Because he makes stuff up all the time! I mean, last week he told us that in their first year, him and my dad rescued my mum from a troll."

"I didn't believe that either," admitted the redhead. "What do you think we do then, Kit?"

The raven-haired girl, Kit, contemplated this for a moment.

"Mum says we put on a hat and it reads our minds." This suggestion earned more scoffing than the troll idea. "It's true! Deirdre said it's true too," she said vehemently.

Before she could continue, however, a tall man in black robes entered. He looked particularly unpleasant and intimidating to the group of eleven year olds.

"I am the Deputy Headmaster, Professor Snape," he said in a low, threatening voice intended to command complete respect and obedience. "In a moment you will join your classmates in the Great Hall. First you must be sorted into your houses. They are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Over the next seven years your house will become like your family. If you misbehave you will lose your house points. If you work hard and obey the rules, you will earn your house points."

He turned and opened the huge doors into the Great Hall. Everyone inside turned to watch the 'ickle firsties' enter.

"Follow me. And no talking," demanded Snape. He led them down the length of the Great Hall towards the Head Table. A quite kindly looking witch was standing at the centre place at the table and smiled at the new students.

Minerva McGonagall, head teacher since 2000, leaned over to Remus Lupin, the Defence of the Dark Arts teacher and Head of Gryffindor House.

"I suspect you'll be getting a lot of new students Remus," she said pointing to the redheads and the green-eyed girls.

"Quite," he said with a grin. The black haired girl waved at him and he grinned back. After the Hat's mercifully brief song, the sorting began with 'Appleton, Elsa'. The new first years looked rather disappointed that the Sorting only involved putting on a very worn hat, with the exception of the raven-haired girl, who smirked triumphantly.

"Malfoy, Flynn!" barked Snape. A blond boy with fine-boned features elbowed Kit out of the way, stepped up to the stool and smirked at the other First years. The hat stayed on his head for a moment or two before shouting out:

"Slytherin!"

McGonagall leaned over to Lupin again as the Sorting continued. "I rather feel like I've stepped back twenty years in time."

"Well, if my memory serves, he's barely old enough to be in this year."

"Had he been born thirty minutes later, he'd have to wait until next year," Minerva confirmed. "I had Draco owling me over the summer to make sure that his son would be included in this year."

"Potter, Kathleen," called Snape. The raven-haired girl stepped up eagerly. The hat was on her head for about half a second.

"Gryffindor!"

"Potter, Lilyella," said Snape. The brown-haired girl now stepped up looking a little more apprehensive than her sister. The hat spent about as much time on her as it had with Kathleen.

"Gryffindor!"

"I'm not surprised," said Remus to Minerva.

"Neither am I," she said. "I don't think Harry and Hermione even know how to raise a Slytherin child." Remus chuckled as the Potter girls joined the Gryffindor table to cheers.

"Weasley, Paul," said Snape. The slightly nervous red-haired boy sat on the stool.

"Gryffindor!

"Weasley, Rain." Now it was the bolshie redhead's turn.

"Gryffindor!"

The hat spent as much time on the two Weasleys as it had on the Potters.

"Has there ever been a Weasley who wasn't a Gryffindor?" asked Remus.

"Yes, but he was in the year above Albus."

"That long ago?"

"Yes. He was a Hufflepuff, I believe," said the Headmistress. Remus looked over at the redhead girl.

"Whatever possessed Ron to name his kid Rain?" he wondered. McGonagall smiled.

"He didn't want his children to have normal names. Ron always did try to set himself apart a little from the rest of the Weasleys. He likes to be individual. Although Remus, is it true he named his son Bowie?"

"No. Sirius told me that it was one of his ideas, but Deanna vetoed it pretty quickly. The boy's called Romeo."

"Romeo Weasley?"

"Yes."

"Dear God. When will he be arriving here?"

"September 2022."

***

"We just knew you'd be in Gryffindor," said Danita Weasley with a grin as the feast began. Danita and her twin Robert were second years and as such, old hands at the Sorting game.

"It tried to argue with me," said Kitty. "Mentioned something about Slytherin. When I started arguing back, it told me it was having me on and that I should ask my dad."

"He nearly got put in Slytherin," said Lilyella knowledgeably. "Because he and Voldemort shared a connection. Voldemort's why Dad can speak Parseltongue."

"I think it's creepy," said Rain. "The way he hisses and snakes do as he tells them."

"It was handy when we went to Egypt on hols the other year," said Kitty. "He talked an asp out of biting me."

"That's cool," said Paul, bravado back now that he didn't have to worry about the Sorting.

"Well, my dad's a cool bloke," said Kitty confidently.

"Yeah?" Paul challenged. "My dad invents fireworks and fake wands and pranks."

They were on the verge of a huge argument about who had the coolest parents, when Robert, always a peacekeeper, suddenly spoke up.

"Well, my mum's the greatest Chudley Cannon in the last four hundred years."

The argument was finished right there. They were all passionate, dyed-in-the-wool Cannon fans and they considered Angelina Weasley to be a goddess amongst women and Quidditch players.

***

That night, they all settled down into their new beds in their new dormitories.

"Ella?" Kitty whispered, snuggled down in her bed.

"Yes Kitty?" her sister replied with a yawn.

"Do you think we'll like Hogwarts?"

"I'm sure we will," Ella assured her.

"I mean, as much as Hogsmeade Primary?"

"Kitty, how do I know? I don't have a crystal ball and we don't get Divination lessons until the Third year."

"You don't need to be mean about it. I was just asking."

"Go to sleep."

"But-"

"Go to sleep!" another one of the girls called out. "You're not at home anymore and some of us want to sleep."

Kitty, feeling quite thoroughly told off, curled up into a ball. As a feeling of homesickness hit her, she remembered that Gryffindor had a good Quidditch team. Hogsmeade Primary had only played boring old Kid Quidditch, so this new place couldn't be all bad.

"Night Kitty," her sister whispered in a voice intended to soothe her.

"Night Ella!" she whispered excitedly. It was going to be good here, she'd make sure of that.

The End

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