Chapter 9 - Sorting

When they got out of the boats, Victoria left them with reluctant eyes. She and Tonks got along well in so little time which got Alder surprised. Victoria was a good listener and polite, she had answered all Tonks' questions with patience. Victoria was also interested in the life style of Tonks' family which had some differences with her pure blood family. But at the end of the day, she had to return to her friends since she couldn't just leave them at the first step in their school life.

They followed Hagrid to a hall with full of torches on its walls. The entrance hall had a giant staircase which made people wonder where it leads. In front of the staircase, Professor McGonagall was waiting for them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I would like to say a few words before you join your seniors at the school. Hogwarts has been founded by four great wizards and witches who have set their own houses at the school. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin. Each house has their own history and share of great witches and wizards. Your house at Hogwarts will be your family at your stay in Hogwarts. You will be going classes together, spend time in house common room together and sleep in house dormitories at night. In your stay at Hogwarts, there is a friendly competition between houses. Each of your good and successful deeds will gain you house points, while any rule breaking will lose them. At the end of the year, the house with the highest house points will win the House Cup! A great honor. I hope you will be a part of the glory the House Cup will bring to your house. The sorting ceremony will start soon and following that a great banquet. I will give you some time to collect your thoughts."

The context of the speech was almost as Alder remembered. He knew about all of the houses but despised most of them. While Hogwarts was the only school for young witches and wizards at United Kingdom, he felt like the founders had different thoughts while building it. For example, Gryffindor, who picks the bravest, it felt like he was trying to recruit soldiers instead of teaching people in need to defend himself/herself. Slytherin, self-explanatory, only wants purest of bloods in his house. Ravenclaw, who picks the wisest, was she looking at other potential students with contempt? Of course, they looked for other traits in their students like Slytherin looked for ambitious characters, but they had put limiting factors in their own houses. It almost felt like they forgot why Hogwarts built in the first place. Alder only liked Helga Hufflepuff, he thought only she remembered Hogwarts was a school. She accepted all the other students who got despised by other founders. Sure, Hufflepuff house had its own traits but Alder thought those didn't come from its selection criteria. The kindness and loyalty traits were probably inherited from its founder.

"How will we be sorted I wonder?" asked Tonks nervously.

"I don't know… Bill didn't tell me anything about it for some reason. Acted all mysterious about it. But I think I will be sorted into Gryffindor. All my family members went there at least." said Charlie with a shrug. He was not that worried about it.

"Yeah and that's what I am worried about, my mother was in Slytherin and I don't remember her saying anything good about there."

"Don't worry, your own thoughts are also important. And you have also your father right, which house is he from?" said Alder trying to comfort her.

"Hufflepuff. I hope I will be sorted there." said Tonks, visibly relaxed for the most part.

"Yeah, I don't think they would place you somewhere you don't like to be in." said Alder. While he was talking he heard sounds of gasp behind him. He looked at them and saw them looking above. He followed their gaze and saw a little man with wickedly slanted, orange eyes, dressed in loud, outlandish clothes including a bell-covered hat and an orange bow tie. The man was carrying a basket full of tomatoes. He suddenly burst into laughter seeing them and the basket slowly left his hand.

'Peeves…' thought Alder, it was good to see his pranks but terrible being the target of them.

While people below were preparing themselves for the incoming disaster, Professor McGonagall returned to the hall with her wand ready. She flung her wand and pointed at the basket which was already falling. The basket stopped falling in an instant and slowly vanished afterwards.

Peeves tsked at the sight and was about to prepare something other for the newcomers. But before he had the chance, a chained, pearly-white, almost transparent man with wide, staring, black eyes and a gaunt face appeared behind him. The man had robes full of silver bloodstains Peeves dropped what he was about to do immediately and started running as if he had eyes on his back.

"I will leave him to you, Baron." said calmly McGonagall to which the ghost nodded with silence.

"Now, form a single line and follow me." She continued as if nothing was wrong.

They followed McGonagall and soon passed through a pair of double doors.

'Great Hall is as majestic as I have imagined.' thought Alder. He felt hundreds pair of eyes on him for a moment; passing by him, but Alder didn't care about them at all. The sight of starry sky above with candles floating around it relaxed Alder for some reason. He could watch the sight for minutes if he had no sorting ceremony to attend.

The great hall had long tables for each house and a single long table for professors just at the end of the hall. They passed slowly between the second and third one until they reached at the end of the road, almost right before the sitting professors.

Alder watched as McGonagall conjured a four-legged stool in front of them. She then placed a patched, dirty, old wizard's hat on top of it.

While most of the students were wondering what was about to happen, a tear opened on the side of the hat, forming a weird mouth. The hat opened its mouth wide and started its opening song.

The song was not different from Alder's expectations, it seemed nothing was unusual about this year. The end of the song was received with applause. The hat bowed at the four long tables before going silent.

"Now, those who I call their names come and put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted into your house." said McGonagall.

"Burns, Joey!"

A boy with blonde, straight hair which almost fully covers his face walked slowly and sat on the stool.

The hat was quiet for a second but having made its decision, it shouted loudly. "Ravenclaw!"

...

"Fawley, Stephen."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Fraser, Helena."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Gibson, Eva."

"Gryffindor!"

…

"Gray, Alder."

Alder put on the hat slowly, thinking about the abilities of the hat wondering if it could see through his past life.

"Hmm… Not quite ambitious. Cunning? Maybe… Brave? Sure you are, but not reckless. You also have the wit… and great kindness… You're also impartial. Maybe Hufflepuff? But Ravenclaw would also be good…" The monolog of the hat went on and on beside his ear.

…

He couldn't hear the voice outside but some people leaning on their long tables started muttering. "Hatstall?"

"It's rare…"

"I wonder which house will he be sorted."

...

'Hufflepuff would be nice.' thought Alder.

"Hmm? You don't want Ravenclaw? I wonder why… Oh, I see your disapproval… But there are more factors to think about the founders young man before judging them…" continued the small voice of the hat.

'So you're reading my mind? But I heard Veritaserum is illegal to use without authorization, probably it's the same with legilimency. I wonder if what you're doing is legal.'

"Now, now. Don't need to be so alarmed. I can only guess your train of thought, not exactly looking your memories or force you into anything. But are you sure you don't want to be a Ravenclaw?" asked the hat.

'Yeah.'

The hat grumbled a little bit and shouted. "Hufflepuff!"

A burst of applause started from the Hufflepuff table. But others were confused, a hatstall just to be sorted in Hufflepuff? That was even rarer.