...And Justice For All?

As always, comments and questions are welcome.

     ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL?

     By Scott K. Jamison

     Chapter Five: Sorting

     As Duncan alit from the train, a strong and rather cold breeze whipped at his robe. It wiped away the last traces of sleepiness.

     "First Years this way!" boomed a mighty voice coming from a large lump of darkness. It seemed to turn, and was revealed to be a huge man with a wild mane of greying hair and a beard that looked like an owl could nest in it. He was holding aloft a lantern that shed a warm yellow glow, but only for a few feet. Duncan felt a little afraid, but not so Martin, it would seem.

     Despite his previous timidity, the boy was running straight for the giant, shouting "Uncle Hagrid!" Hagrid reached down with a hand and lifted the small boy to his shoulder.

     "Good t' see you, Martin."

     Cuchulain looked up and up some more. "That's your *uncle*?"

     "Friend of the family," rumbled Hagrid. "Introduce me to yer friends, Martin?"

     "That's Cuchulain, and the blond one's Duncan," Martin's voice got a little timid again, "and the girl's Kirsten. This is Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper and Professor of Care of Magical Creatures."

     "Pleased to meetcher all."

     "Top of the evening to you."

     "Hi," said Duncan.

     Kirsten gave a little curtsey. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Professor Hagrid."

     "Oh, none of that 'Perfesser'for me, thank you, Missy. Just Hagrid's fine." Hagrid looked out at the milling students again. "Hoy, you two! Yer luggage is being taken care of, so you can come on over."

     The gigantic man checked a piece of parchment he'd pulled from his breast pocket, then counted the students. He broke into a large smile, which seemed to intimidate some of the crowd. "Numbers match, first time in three years. Follow me to the boats, now."

     A short walk brought the students to a dock at the edge of a vast-looking lake. Moored there were a number of small boats, and after Hagrid removed Martin from his shoulder, the young Weasley joined Cuchulain and Duncan in one of them, along with a fourth boy, a sullen-looking lad who hadn't spoken. Kirsten had been nabbed by other girls to be in their boat.

     There didn't seem to be any oars or a motor, and just when Duncan was about to ask how the boats ran, Hagrid shouted "Cast off!" The boats began to move seemingly of their own accord, despite the wind blowing against them. Magic, no doubt.

     Certainly "magic" seemed the right word as their destination came into view, an enormous-looking castle with many towers, blazing with lights. There were "oohs" and "aahs" from nearly everyone, and even the sullen boy managed an impressed sigh.

     The boats docked as smoothly as they'd departed, and the children scrambled ashore. Hagrid led them up to a pair of massive gates, and heaved them open with his impressive arms. "This is as far as I go, lads and lasses. Got to go round and be with the other teachers now."

     Martin said, "Tell Mother I said 'Hi.'"

     Hagrid nodded and walked off, the ground trembling slightly beneath his feet.

     The other students had already crowded into a foyer, only to recoil a bit when they saw the man standing in front of the next pair of double doors.

     He was a wizard with long lank black hair and a cruel-looking face. Duncan thought it looked like the man disapproved of everything he saw. Especially the new students.

     "I am Assistant Headmaster Snape," said the wizard. "You are about to be sorted into your houses, which you will have for the remainder of your time at Hogwarts. I expect this remainder to be very short for some of you." He was staring directly at Martin, who paled a bit.

     "If there is any misbehavior, I will be deducting points from your house as soon as we learn what it is. I consider once to be sufficient warning."

     Snape raised an arm, and Duncan suddenly noticed the man seemed to have only one, as the doors silently swung open.

     That was the end of silence, as a wave of sound came through the open doorway, laughter and talking and clinking of tableware. The children surged forward, chaotically at first, then more sedately under Snape's gimlet glare.

     They were made to line up against the wall, and Duncan took a look at what was evidently the great hall of the castle. Like everything else he'd seen so far, it was impressive. Candles floated in midair beneath a high ceiling that was either transparent, or magicked to seem so, because Martin could see the stars.

     Four long tables ran nearly the length of the hall, three of which were filled with students in the school robes. One of them, which had red and gold banners above it, had an unusual number of redheads mixed in. The fourth table, decorated with green and silver, was only half-full, and the students sitting there seemed less boisterous than the rest.

     At the far end was a dais, with a table filled with older people, who Duncan imagined were probably the teachers. He only recognized Professor Malfoy.

     However, at the closest end of the hall was a simple wooden chair, on which was set an incredibly battered-looking wizard's pointy hat.

     "The Sorting Hat," whispered Martin. "My father says it's looked that way as long as anyone can remember."

     At an unseen signal, the hat began to stir, and what had seemed a tear was now revealed to be a mouth. A mouth that *sang*, no less.

     Duncan didn't quite catch all of the song, but he gathered that there were four houses, that the hat would somehow sort them into. Gryffindors were brave, Hufflepuffs were hard-working, Ravenclaws were smart...and Slytherins were, well, good at getting what they wanted, it implied.

     When the song ended, Professor Snape pulled a parchment from his empty sleeve and shook it open. "Aaronson, Abraham."

     A boy with a high forehead, and a black skullcap above curly black hair, stood forward from the newcomers. He was gestured to the chair, and put on the hat. After a long moment, it shouted, "Ravenclaw!" One of the tables had all its students stand and applaud as Abraham made his way over to it.

     "Black, Cygnus." Duncan imagined that Snape's voice was even colder than before. Cygnus, a girl with very fair skin and long ebony hair, was sorted to Gryffindor. That table stood and applauded as well.

     The next two students went to Hufflepuff, and then it was time for--

     "Dursley, Duncan." Was he imagining things, or had there been a touch of humor in Professor Snape's delivery of his name? Certainly, there was a stir through the hall. Duncan heard it like the buzzing of hornets, and his knees quaked.

     "Hurry it up, boy, we haven't got all night!" snapped Professor Snape.

     Duncan scurried to the chair, and plopped it on his head.

     "You're a surprise," said a voice in his head. It was the hat's voice, but it seemed to be speaking to him alone now. "It's rather messy inside your mind, did you know that? You need to take charge of your own destiny, so for you, it's--"

     "Slytherin!" it shouted out loud.

     Duncan took a look back at the students waiting to be sorted. Several were staring at him with looks of surprise or pity. Martin looked like someone had punched him in the stomach.

     Professor Snape said, "Vert et argent, serpentus rampant." Strangely, his voice was almost soft now.

     Argent was silver, and only one set of banners had a snake on it. So Slytherin was the half-empty table. As Duncan headed their way, most of them stood and applauded. His heart sank, as this was most assuredly not a good sign.

     A large blond boy with a prefect's badge like Thomas gestured to an empty place near him. "Hello, Duncan. I'm Gunnar Malison, welcome to Slytherin House." His handshake was perhaps a little too firm, and Duncan winced. "Sorry, don't know my own strength."

     More students went to each of the three other houses, then it was "Kinnock, Kirsten." Duncan crossed his fingers, as she was possibly the nicest girl he'd ever known, and it would be nice to have all his friends together.

     Alas, the call was "Hufflepuff!" and she skipped to that table without a glance to either side.

     "Fancy her, do you?" said Gunnar. "Don't worry, seven years is a long time, and you'll be seeing her again."

     Duncan's ears burned. "It's not like that!"

     Gunnar laughed. "Sure it isn't. But remember, we have girls in Slytherin too."

     As if to confirm this, "L'Arc, Genevieve", a sharp-featured girl with a decidedly orange hue to her elaborately braided hair, was sorted to their table. After an introduction, she looked Duncan up and down, and said, "You're fat."

     Gunnar said, "Well, now we know why *you're* in Slytherin. But a little tact will go far."

     Genevieve sniffed and turned to the girl next to her.

     Cuchulain was sorted into Gryffindor, and shook his hands in a victory pose as he was welcomed. Duncan felt a pain in his chest.

     There wasn't another Slytherin until "Talbain, Quentin." He was a swarthy boy whose eyebrows met in the middle, making one long streak of hair. Genevieve shrank away from the newcomer.

     "Geez, I'm perfectly safe," growled Quentin. "Got my shots and everything."

     Genevieve didn't seem convinced. "Don't come near me, Talbain."

     "Mind her not," said Gunnar. "I bet she tastes terrible."

     For some reason, most of the people at the table found this quip absolutely hilarious. Duncan didn't get it at all.

     But by this time, they were joined by "Warlock, Cosmo", the sullen boy from the boat. Genevieve seemed happy to see him, but he simply acknowledged everyone with a nod.

     Martin got sorted into Gryffindor as well. Duncan was about to cry.

     "What did you expect," said Gunnar, not unkindly, "all the Weasleys sort into Gryffidor. Even Richard." The last was said with genuine venom, which startled Duncan into not feeling quite so bad.

     At last, "Zorton, Zebediah" was sorted into Hufflepuff, and the teacher at the center of the dais rose.

     "Good evening. I am Headmaster Minerva MacGonagall. A very warm welcome to all our new students!" Applause broke out. She looked like a very old witch, but not as ugly as Duncan somehow expected. Kind of like someone else's grandmother, really.

     "And welcome back to all our returning scholars. There are, as always, a few announcements before the feast begins. The Forbidden Forest is again off limits on penalty of expulsion. This applies especially to Weasleys." There was a ripple of laughter.

     Headmaster MacGonagall adjusted her glasses. "I am sorry to state that Professor Gallimaufrey met with an unfortunate accident over the summer. You'll be pleased to hear that he's on the mend, but sadly will be unable to teach this term. Therefore, I have asked a distinguished alumna of Hogwarts to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'd like you all please to welcome Professor Hermione Granger."

     A witch with bushy brown hair stood up, and there was a strong round of applause, especially from the Gryffindors, who seemed to know her. Duncan noticed that she was seated on the exact opposite end of the table from Professor Malfoy, and that man had stiffened when she was introduced. Wait a minute, Duncan was sure he'd heard that name before.

     "Who's Professor Granger?" he asked Gunnar.

     "Were you raised by *Muggles*? She's one of Harry Potter's best friends, and one of the smartest witches around."

     "Oh." That was right, she'd written a book. Which might mean she could shed some light on his mysterious cousin.

     "And now," continued the headmaster, "let us eat!"

     Food appeared on the tables, heaping platters of delight. Even the Dursley home had never seen such a feast! Duncan forgot his troubles for a time as he tucked in.