Sorting

Disembarking from the train at Hogsmeade, Atreus looked around and saw so many students. From first years with black robes to the seventh years with robes that have their house colour on it.

"First Years! First Years over here! Follow me!" A big blurry man kept shouting for the first year to gather around him. Seeing Harry, the man smiled and said "Good to see you Harry. Now follow along."

"Sure Hagrid." Harry said as he followed the half giant with Ron, Atreus, Hermione and Neville.

As they reached the shore of a lake, Hagrid said with a booming voice "Only four in a boat! Get on now, we'll be reaching Hogwarts in the boats!"

Understanding that only four can board a boat, Atreus said "You guys go on, I'll come in another boat."

"Are you sure?" Harry and Hermione asked at the same time.

"I'm sure." Saying so he boarded another boat that had only three kids. Ron, Neville, Harry and Hermione boarded the next boat.

As he sat down on his boat, he said "Hi, I'm Atreus Creed."

"Hanna Abbot." A blonde haired girl said.

"I'm Susan Bones." A red headed girl said.

"Ernie Macmillan" A blonde boy said.

All four of them looked like they wanted to ask some questions, but Hagrid's voice was heard again "You will see Hogwarts after turning the corner."

And as he said, right after turning the corner, they all saw the magnificent view of Hogwarts and every single student was in awe.

A minute later, they reached the shore and Hagrid led them towards giant doors and looking back to them, he asked "Alright, everyone here? Good."

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and seeing her a smile graced on Atreus face.

"The first'-years, Prof. McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The Entrance Hall was so big you could have fitted the whole of a ' normal' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Atreus could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right – the rest of the school must already be here – but Professor McGonagall showed the first-years into a small empty

chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are

waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. And the students waited patiently as they could, which was next to impossible and started to speculate how they would be sorted into the four houses.

"What the –?" Harry gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to each other and hardly glancing at the first-years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance –"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all

doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first-years. Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through

the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the

first-years, "and follow me."

Atreus stood behind a dark haired boy with Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione standing behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

The students had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the Hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.

Professor McGonagall led the first-years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Atreus heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts: A History ."

It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.

Atreus looked ahead, as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth – and the hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Atreus who heard it smirked and didn't comment on it.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

"Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause –

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Atreus saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin.

"Creed, Atreus." Hearing his name called, he walked forward and sat down on the stool, and before the hat covered his eyes, he saw a boy who looked familiar standing up from the Hufflepuff table and running towards him.

But when the hat was placed on his head, covering his eyes, he heard an old voice "AH! So the youngest Creed has graced us with his presence or should I say, the youngest Honey Badger, a descendent of Helga Hufflepuff herself."

"What do you mean?" Atreus asked, a bit surprised that he's a descendent of Helga Hufflepuff.

Chuckling at the question, the hat said "What I mean is, that I have sorted your Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother, Grandfather, Grandmother, Father and of course, I have told them about your blood being tied to on of the founders of Hogwarts, even to your Elder Brother."

Hearing that, Atreus was surprised and asked the Hat "My brother is not dead?"

"Not at all. He's here, in Hogwarts. So, I'll send you to his house and the house that is most suited for you as you are Hufflepuff through blood itself..... HUFFLEPUFF!"

As soon as the Hat announced his house, Atreus took off the Hat and was about to stand up, but before he could do anything, he was tackled to the ground by a boy, that looked to be in his mid teens, while hugging Atreus like a vice grip while muttering repeatedly "You're alive! You're alive!"

As he felt wetness on his shoulder, Atreus understood that this was his big brother who he thought to be dead, and it seems like his brother also thought that he had died.

Tears rolled down his cheek, as he hugged his brother back while saying "I'm back, brother."

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Three Minutes Earlier

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"Dora, are you not gonna tell me why you're all giddy?" A dark skinned black haired brown eyed boy asked the seventh year prefect with purple hair.

Giving him a chaste kiss on his lips, while no one was looking she said "You will see when it's time for sorting, my dear boyfriend Alaric."

Raising an eyebrow at her, he asked "Come on tell me. What's happening?"

She just smirked at him without telling him anything which made Alaric pinch her on her thigh, which got him a slap on his shoulder as she said "Just wait for it Mister. You will like it very much."

Alaric just grumbled at her, which made her giggle a little and give him a kiss on his cheek to cheer him up.

Then, the doors of the Great Hall opened and the students came in all of them looking around in amazement and wonder. After the yearly song from the hat was finished, Prof. McGonagall started to call names of the students.

First two students were sorted into Hufflepuff and they all applauded for the newcomers and after a couple of more students were called, a name that Alaric wouldn't forget was called "Atreus Creed."

Hearing the name, his eyes went wide and he looked at Dora, and she answered his questioning look "Yes, that's your little brother, and that's what made me all giddy. I have sent a letter to mom and dad, they'll understand."

Without a word, he kissed her for a few seconds and stood up and ran towards the teachers table where the sorting was happening, surprising everyone.

Prof. McGonagall who saw him running towards her, asked him "What are you doing Mr. Tonks?"

Alaric didn't say anything as he waited for his brother to be sorted and it didn't take long either, as the Hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"

And as soon as the hat was removed, and Alaric saw his brother's face that looked similar to their father, he tackled him to the ground over the stool while hugging him and muttering repeatedly "You're alive."

Then he felt his brother hugging him back while saying "I'm back."

"Alaric Tonks! What are you doing?" Prof. McGonagall asked him, but he didn't reply and instead started to stand up.

Then looking at Prof. McGonagall he said "Embracing my little brother whom I thought was dead along with our parents." Pausing, he announced to all of the residents of the castle to hear "And it's Alaric Creed from now on."

Then looking at Atreus, Alaric said "We got a lot to talk about."

"That we do." Atreus said after separating from their brotherly embrace.

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AN: I got this idea in the middle of writing, so there will be some plot holes on how Alriac and Atreus were separated. But I'll try my maximum to fill them up.

Hope you enjoy the fan fiction.

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