The Sorting Ceremony

Remus stared down at his shabby black shoes. He quickly patted down his light brown hair nervously. As he boarded the Hogwarts Express for his first year at the school, he looked around at the students beside him. Even though he looked like a normal boy, and that he acted like one too (for the most part), he felt separated from them. If he bit one of them, they would be doomed to a cursed life, like his. The eleven-year-old boy felt the train lurch. It started, and the whistle sounded. Students were leaning out of the windows, waving at their parents who were sad at seeing their children leave them for a term. Remus's parents hadn't seen him off at the platform; they were busy sorting out something to do with the Werewolf Registry. As the Hogwarts Express left the London Train Station, the students began to take their seats in their compartments. Remus had nowhere to sit, so he walked down the hall alone, lugging his trunk along behind him.

"Hey, boy," said a voice from inside the end compartment. Remus turned, and looked in to see two boys. One had short, messy black hair, hazel eyes and round rimmed glasses. The other boy was slightly taller than the first, with dark brown hair and sparkling, mischievous grey eyes. Remus must have looked shocked to hear someone wanting to talk to him.

"What's your problem? You okay?" the second boy asked.

"Oh ... yeah, it's nothing," Remus replied sheepishly.

"Come in, you seem a bit ... lost," the first boy stated. Remus nodded appreciatively. He entered the compartment and heaved his trunk on top of the luggage racks.

"So, what's your name?" the first boy asked, tossing him a chocolate frog.

"My name is Remus Lupin," Remus replied, unwrapping the packaging around the frog. The card was Dumbledore.

"Who'd you get?" the brown haired boy asked.

"Dumbledore, again," Remus replied, showing them the card.

"Well, my name is James Potter, and this is my partner-in-crime, Sirius Black," James replied.

"Nice to meet you. So, you are both first years too?"

"Yeah. Do you know what house you'll be in?" Sirius asked, looking a bit depressed.

"No idea. My mum was in Ravenclaw, though. My dad's a muggle," he added.

"I reckon I'll be in Gryffindor," the boy called James said confidently.

"My whole family has been in Slytherin ... I'd better get into Gryffindor, I don't want to be in that Dark-wizard house and I'd do anything to defy my family ..."

Sirius looked at Remus, who was looking confused.

"I always try to make my parents proud ..." Remus trailed off. He was going to say why, but that would lead to questions about why he wanted to prove himself so much, which would lead to him being a werewolf.

Only a week till the full moon ...

"My family is obsessed with pure-bloods. Nonsense. All a bunch of dithering old fools," Sirius mumbled.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" said a young witches voice.

The three boys turned to see a witch with a trolley full of Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans, and so much more.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Remus lied. The truth was, was that he had no money with him. His family was poor; they had struggled ever since the werewolf had bitten him seven years ago. They had to fork out hundreds of Galleons to pay for his treatment, and then they had to pay for damages if he got loose on the full moon. Otherwise, they had to pay for use of dungeons for him to transform in. This left them considerably poor, money wise.

"I'll have the lot," James grinned, holding out about five galleons. Remus realised his mouth was hanging open in time.

"What about you, dear?" the witch asked Sirius.

"No thanks, I'll scab off him," he replied, grabbing a Pumpkin Pasty. The witch nodded, then continued to the next compartment.

"You old sod, have some of mine," James laughed. Remus nodded gratefully, and grabbed a Chocolate Frog. They had a good time eating all of the different lollies, and digging into the Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans. Remus got a deep red one, which turned out to be a blood flavoured one. Remus was sure he would have appreciated it more if it were closer to the full moon.

Nervousness only set in once they noticed that the sky was growing dark.

"We get there at seven," said James, checking his watch.

"We'd better get changed then," Remus sighed. He delved into his trunk and fumbled around for his robes. They were the only new thing he had this year, besides his wand. As he changed into them, he had completely forgotten about the scar from the werewolf. It was four scratches across his chest. He was getting changed when Sirius exclaimed, "My God, what happened you?"

James turned to look.

"That's a pretty bad scratch you've got there ... some type of animal?"

"Ah ..." Remus's mind raced around, thinking of a good excuse. His mind set on a dog.

"Yeah, I was attacked by a dog when I was little."

They said no more on the subject.

As they arrived at the station, Remus peered out of the window. This must be Hogsmeade Station, he had heard about the village and how they could visit it in their third year. He couldn't wait.

"Firs' years this way!" called a loud, gruff voice. Remus turned, and saw a rather large and wild man standing at the end of the station, motioning for the first years to report to him. James, Sirius and Remus all approached him nervously.

"Come on, firs' years over 'ere," the man called again.

"Oh, 'ello," the man said, smiling down at Remus and his friends.

"Er, hello," Remus replied nervously.

"I'm Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid," Hagrid greeted Remus.

Pretty soon, he was leading a group of very nervous looking first years towards the lake. There was a fleet of wooden dinghy's waiting for their arrival.

"No mor' than four or five to a boat," called Hagrid, hopping into one of the more larger boats.

"Into this one," James mumbled, hopping into a wooden dinghy closest to them.

"Forward!" Hagrid roared, motioning for the boats to move. They all set sail.

"You'll be getting' yeh firs' look a' Hogwarts after 'is corner," Hagrid called, ducking down under a rock tunnel. "Mind yeh 'eads."

Ivy draped over the tunnel exit. Remus pushed it out of his way. Then he saw it.

"Wow," James whispered.

The ancient, but magnificent, castle sat on a large, grassy field. A dark and sinister looking forest sat behind it. There was a large lake that reflected the lights of the castles in it; it was like a large, glassy mirror.

"Yep, that's Hogwarts," said Hagrid.

As they walked up the stairs to the Great Hall, Remus felt even more nervous than he had before.

"How are we sorted?" Remus thought aloud.

"My parents said something about a hat ..." said James.

"A hat?" Sirius asked, bewildered. "Maybe we have to pull a rabbit out of it."

"Don't be a git, Black," said James, hitting him lightly over the head.

"Silence, please. My name is Professor McGonagall; I am the Transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts, and the Deputy Headmistress. In a moment, when everything is ready, you will be asked to enter the Great Hall. From there, you will try on the Sorting Hat, which will sort you into your respected houses. Each house has it's own unique gifts, so ignore what others may say. Now, we are ready for you, please, follow me."

She knocked on the large oak doors, which opened to reveal a large hall filled with students. There were four, long tables, each had students seated along it. Above them, a banner hung over each house. There was a green and silver snake, a red and gold lion, a blue and bronze eagle and a yellow and black badger. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff; he knew this from what his mum had told him. Thousands of floating candles hovered in mid air. The ceiling above them looked like the sky outside, it was dark and Remus could see stars twinkling.

They reached the front of the hall where the staff was seated along a long and grand table. A grubby, and grumpy, looking old man wandered over to Professor McGonagall with a decrepit four-legged stool. On top of it was an even more ancient hat. It was patched and frayed. It's brim then ripped right open, and it began to sing.

Remus didn't listen to the ballad it was belting out, instead his tawny eyes were focused on the man who must be Dumbledore. He felt a rush of gratitude and trust towards the ancient man. He had given him a chance at going to school when other headmasters and headmistresses certainly wouldn't have. He let a small smile creep up on his face.

"Adams, Abigail," Professor McGonagall was now saying.

"I'm always first," the blonde-haired girl who was standing next to Remus, muttered.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat cried.

Remus looked over at Sirius to see if he was nervous. He would be going soon.

"Black, Sirius," said Professor McGonagall.

Sirius walked up to the hat smoothly, letting his brown hair fall in front of his eyes. He sat down on the stool, and let Professor McGonagall place the hat on his hair. There was a murmur coming from the Slytherin table.

After a few moments of thought, the Sorting Hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Slytherins began to boo and jeer at Sirius, but Sirius was taking mock bows towards the Slytherins.

"BLOOD TRAITOR!" a girl cried from the table.

Sirius sat down, and winked at James. Remus was wondering what that girl was talking about, and who she was.

A few moments later, Professor McGonagall had begun on the L's.

"Long, Troy."

A nervous looking boy walked up to the hat, and sat himself down. The hat was placed on his head; silence followed.

"Lupin, Remus."

Remus gulped. His mind was going so fast that it had stopped working altogether. He walked up to the stool, and sat down.

Don't do anything stupid, he willed himself.

'So, you're the first werewolf Hogwarts has housed, eh?'

Remus was startled.

You can read my mind? he asked.

'Of course I can, how else would I find out what house you belong in? Hmm, you are very smart, no doubt about that ... You would do well in Ravenclaw ... But then you have a willingness to be like all the other children your age ... You are brave, I can tell that if you had friends, you would go to any lengths to protect them ...'

After what seemed like an eternity sitting on the old stool, the Sorting Hat reached its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it announced. Remus felt his heart lift. He stood up, and stumbled over to where Sirius was sitting.

"Good on ya, mate," Sirius muttered. Remus smiled.

His new roommates were Sirius Black, James Potter and a small, sandy-haired boy with watery blue eyes. His name was Peter Pettigrew. As Remus lay in his bed, staring up at the wooden roof, he wondered if they would find out about his secret ...