"Don't worry, Professor Longbottom here will take care of you just fine," Louis said. "He did the sorting for both Lily and I and we're still here, see!" Louis made a funny face at this point, trying to get Bella to laugh again. "This is the only permanent effect I have left from my sorting," he joked as he stuck his tongue out from the side of his mouth. "You can surely learn to live with that!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure Sevi can be owled here easily, just like Perla just said," Alexander answered his baby sister. "That's the least of our problems right now. We have to get you to see the nurse right away. Right, we'll take turns," he answered his older sister, Perla. With that he quickly lifted his sister and began carrying her towards the waiting area of the nurse's office. "Scorpius, you can take over when we get about halfway there, how about it?" Arianna didn't weigh that much, she was lighter than Alexander expected, but he still wasn't used to carrying anyone and was afraid he might drop her or something. He just wanted to get there before anything else happened, like Arianna passing out or something. If they could make it there before that happened, that would be good.

Scorpius nodded to Alexander thinking that it was a good idea so that they could get Arianna there safely without anything else happening to her.

Roxanne watched Lysander get up and help the first years "well your just such a good boy, aren't you" she said jokingly as he sat back down again beside her.

"I'm sure there is," she said and looking in the direction Lorcan was looking at "We were first years once" Dominique reminded him.

Addy smiled, this year was going to be interesting. She couldn't wait to see what would come of it. She looked sideways at Albus at his last comment, and caught him just looking away. She smiled.
"I agree, a lot of fun and unexpected things." she said.

Lily shrugged, not exactly sure how to explain it.
"It will sort you. It talks to you I guess, it's nothing really. Put it on, you will see." she said, leaning against the back wall casually.

"I don't mean to rush you Isabella, but I do have 40 or so new students to sort in a short period of time. I'm sure you understand teenagers and their appetites. We will have a mass of angry, hungry students if we don't get down there soon to sort the first years." he said, is tone warm and his smile still soft and encouraging.

Lysander smiled somewhat sheepishly.
"It's my job, prefects have to make sure students get where they need to be and are supposed to be." he said, looking down at his watch.
'Where is the sorting hat?" he wondered out loud.

Lorcan laughed. "I don't think I remember actually being that small." he said cocking his head to the side, watching them.
"And I don't think I was that nervous. I'm pretty sure I walked in here acting like I owned the place. That's probably why I had a huge anti-Lorcan Slytherin group hating on me. But then I outgrew them and it wasn't much of an issue." he said, a cocky smirk flashing across his face.

Holding on tight to Alex she mumbled "What's going to happen to my trunk? Feeling cold and warm and sleepy at the same time she said "Um, Scorpi i feel sleepy, can't you tell me about Lily or something to keep me awake?" Dangling safely in her brothers arms Arianna wondered what could have possibly bitten her that would make her feel this lousy.

Hearing Ari's quiet words Perla pulled out her wand and aimed it at her baby sister's trunk saying "Locomotor mortis!" With the trunk by her side she took up her place in front of her siblings leading the way into the castle. As Arianna asked Scorpius to talk about Lily Perla wondered how her brother would react. It could be interesting to hear what her younger brother could have to say about his redheaded girlfriend. Keeping quiet she continued walking up the staircases alerting people to stay out of there way.

Bella took a deep breath and took the old sorting hat from Professor Longbottom. Raising it over her head she said "Okay, here goes nothing!" As the hat landed on her head everything went black." Soon after she heard a voice talking next to her ear [i]Interesting.... brave, intelligence, loyalty, loves pranks and wouldn't leave freinds in a bind. Hmm, i know just where to put you, young one.[i] "GRYFFINDOR!!!" Taking off the hat Bella smiled from ear to ear she had been sorted into the same house as Lily and Louis. Smiling at Professor Longbottom a bit ashamed she said "Sorry, i didn't mean to hold you up. It was just that i have never been sorted by a hat before..."Bella trailed off and turned to Lily and Louis and said grinning "I'm a lion like you two are. Isn't it fantastic?" Looking down at her robes she saw that they had changed to the color of darkred and gold with the Gryffindor creast on her chest.

Alexander said, "Yes, I agree. It will be faster and easier for both of us that way. We haven't gotten to the halfway point yet, but I'll hand her over to you once we get there."

"Perhaps more unexpected than we could ever imagine," Albus said, thinking about how pretty Addy's hair was, how pretty she was in general. He realized with a start that his mind was drifting. "Ummm, what were we talking about just now?", he asked with a slight blush.

"We'll make sure and get it taken care of for you," Alexander promised. "Don't worry, you aren't going to lose your trunk or anything, I promise you." Indeed, Perla had already taken care of the trunk, he knew he could count on her to be on top of things.

Alexander smiled with amusement when Arianna asked Scorpius to tell her something about Lily. This could get interesting. For a moment, he almost forgot that she had been bitten by the insect, or whatever creature it was, and that they needed to get to the nurse's station as fast as they could. His little sister could always make him smile.

"Yes, Scorpius, we would all love to hear more about Lily," Alexander encouraged, trying to exacerbate the situation. Alexander was a nice guy but he had been sorted into Slytherin along with the rest of his family, and this was one of the reasons why.

"Excellent!", Louis pronounced dramatically. "I knew you were going to make Gryffindor, one can always tell Gryffie material when they see it right in front of them, at least I can! I could see you were a Gryff from the moment I first met you. Well done, now it's time to celebrate. What do you think, Lily?" Louis was actually excited about Bella's outcome and very happy. He had invited Lily to celebrate with them but wondered if she might have plans, plans that might involve one Scorpius Malfoy.

Scorpius sighed this was just great now wasn't it?! "what about Lily?" he asked Arianna in a kind tone Perla and Alex were just enjoying this so much he knew it.

"It could be sorting some of the transfers in private" Roxanne said to Lysander looking around the hall "because Professor Longbottom isn't here yet either" she said looking up at the staff table.

"I can't imagine you ever frightened" she said "it's just impossible" then Dominique looked at Lorcan "is there anything you're scared of?" she asked him seriously.

Piper nibbled on the end of a piece of bread as she watched the sorting anxiously. She kept glancing out the door every few seconds, nibbling more and more frantically each time she did so. Shouldn't they have found her by now? What had happened in the first place? Was Alex okay?

All these questions swirled frantically around in her head as the sorting wore on and on. Piper tried to pay attention now and again, but it was so hard. Her green were moving so fast back and forth that, at times, they even seemed like blurs. She wasn't really aware of much that was going on around her besides that.

Lily smiled, pleased with the hat's decision.
"Ok, let's go find us a place at the Gryffindor table." she said, turning to lead the way out of the office.
"See you at the feast Professor!" Lily called after her as she left the office.
She lead the way back the way they had came, and soon they were entering the Great Hall. Almost everyone was seated except for the line of first years. Lily quickly headed over to the Gryffindor table and was pleased to see that Addy and her brother had 4 extra seats around them.
She looked up and was not surprised to see that Professor Longbottom was already here and the hat was waiting for the first years on the stool.
The first first year in line went up and placed the hat on their head. The small girl looked very nervous.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat bellowed several seconds later

Addy looked up at him from underneath her long lashes.
"Um, just how good this year is going to be. Hopefully." she said with a smile.
She looked up as the sorting hat appeared, and the first years started to be sorted.

Lysander looked up as Professor Longbottom appeared.
"Ah hear we go, he has arrived." Lysander said.

Lorcan contemplated that for a moment, understanding that the question was serious. A thoughtful look crossed his handsome face.
"I'm not afraid of anything material. More so, afraid of anyone I care for or love to be in pain or die. That is what I fear most." he said, looking up at her.
He generally did not open up that much.

Arianna looked around as Alexander carried her passed the great hall. From there show could hear how the first years were being sorted into their new houses. Pulling a little at Alexander's hair to get his attention she said "I'm sorry, you all can't be in there taking part of the opening feast and sorting ceremony." trailing off Arianna watched her sister Perla up front leading the way with her head high and wand out. Atleast her big sister in the lead they would get to the hospital wing in no time. The question still remained though of what had bitten her down at the lake.

Arianna stuided her brother for a while and then replied "Umm, i would love to know more about Lily. You know why you like her? What kind of things you two have in common...things like that." she said trailing off. It was better to not upset Scorpius too much with both Perla and Alexander listening in. But when it came to Lily her brother had so far been a total clamp and Arianna hoped that he would open up to them. If Scorpius didn't then how was Perla and everyone else for that matter going to accept his relationship with Lily Potter?

Bella couldn't be happier. Both Lily and Louis were thrilled over the hats decision to put her in Gryffindor and now it was time to celebrate. Letting Lily lead them down from the Headmaster's office and into the Great Hall Bella kept glancing sideways at Louis. As they came up the Gryffindor table and grabbed one of the empty seats at the table hoping that Louis would sit down next to her. Turning her attention up front she watched how nervous girl was sorted into Hufflepuff house. Mumbling she said to no one in particular "I made into Gryffindor. I wonder where the other beauxbatons girl ended up?" Looking around the great hall Bella saw no sign of her.

"It's going to be the best year ever," Albus repeated again. "And I'm not just saying that, it's the way I really feel." Albus watched as the students began their sorting. Hopefully Gryffindor was going to get a lot of great people this year, but they would be great anyway if they were sorted into Gryffindor. He couldn't wait to see his new house mates. He told himself that, but meanwhile was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Addy.

"That's okay," Alexander said, knowing that his first responsibility was to his little sister. Still, he felt his heart gladden as he noticed that Piper was sitting at the Slytherin table, now wearing Slytherin robes. Things were working out for the best after all, maybe. They just had to make it to the nurse's area and find out what had happened to Arianna. The nurse could take care of her when they got there, but they just needed to hurry. As much as Alexander wanted to go and talk to Piper, he knew there would be time for that later.

Louis took a seat next to Bella at the table in the Great Hall, not really thinking about what he was doing. He felt comfortable having her close by for some reason, and sitting here with her just seemed the natural thing to do. "I think this calls for a very special prank in your honor," he whispered in her ear. "You did make it into Gryffindor, and that's definitely cause for celebration." Louis looked around, wondering where Bella's other friends had ended up, would there be more of them joining them in Gryffindor or had they ended up in other houses? He wasn't sure because he hadn't been paying that much attention to the other girls, only to Bella.

James smiled as Louis, Lily, and Bella came back; happy to see that Bella had been sorted into Gryffindor. "Congratulations Bella, you just made it into the best house ever! Don't worry, you'll have a lot of fun here." he said to Bella. He looked around inconspicuously, trying not to show his disappointment that Ella wasn't there yet. He wondered where she was, but he couldn't ask anyone. That would be too obvious. She was probably in the bathroom or talking to Professor Longbottom or something. He shouldn't worry, but he did want to see her again. He looked back towards the first years and watched them getting sorted.


Hugo looked up as everyone came back. He noticed that one of the new girls, Bella, was sorted into Gryffindor. That was good to hear. She seemed nice enough, and they could always use another nice person. He turned to watch the first years getting sorted. He hoped they would have a good crop of Gryffindors this year. He got ready to cheer for the new Gryffindors, and perhaps make room if there was any room to be made at the table. It seemed like they were already really full, but he knew that the table would be able to hold everyone.

Arianna ws comfortable in Alexanders arms still. Hearing his response she watched him glance into the hall at someone. Tugging at him she asked "Alex have you found someone you might like, already?" It wasn't going to be weird if both Alexander and Scorpius were going to have girlfriends. Who ever Alexander had taken an interest in Ari hoped would be a better choice than Lily Potter.

As Louis sat down next to her at the table she couldn't help, but feel happy and somehow relaxed. Hearing Louis voice in her ear she listened and then whispered back "Special prank?" Looking around the hall again for a sign of Kori she asked Louis. "Do you see that girl we met by the carriges that also used to go to Beauxbatons anywhere? She was supposed to be sorted tonight too."


Bella smiled at James saying "Thank you, James!". Watching him search around the hall she guessed that he was looking and waiting for someone who hadn't showed up yet. Bella wasn't going to ask him about it, she instead focused back on watching the as a new student became sorted into a house.

Roxanne was happy when Professor Longbottom came back because one, she was hungry and wanted the feast to start and two, well she just wanted to get back to the common room.

Dominique couldn't help but sigh, it was so sweet that his biggest fear is for someone he cares about or loves to be in pain or die, and she was fully aware that Lorcan didn't usually open up like this, she felt like hugging him but she resisted the temptation and just looked into his eyes smiling, she couldn't believe what was happening.

Scorpius wasn't really sure what to say, she could have asked any question, any question at all but she decided to pick this one... it did make him think though, why did he like Lily so much? "well she's really kind, loyal and trusting" he said glancing at his siblings this should be easier then this he thought, he must talk to Lily about this later. "and she's a really good friend once you get to know her, plus we have a lot in common" Scorpius said wanting more then anything not to be there.

On one of her frantic glances into the Entrance Hall, Piper had to take a double take. No, sure enough, she saw Alex walk by with a younger girl, probably his sister, in his arms. In half a mind to stand up, Piper forced herself to relax. She breathed in and out deeply once before pouring a glass of pumpkin juice and taking a long swig from it.

Thank gosh they found her. That was more important than anything. Besides, Piper would have no idea where she was going if she were to try and follow them. All she could hope was that the little Malfoy girl would be okay and that Alexander would soon be back here knowing that.

"Well, I was just talking to a girl on the train, that's all," Alexander answered slyly, trying to keep things as vague as possible. "The good news is that she has been sorted into Slytherin, apparently." He smirked in the direction of his brother as he said these words. The truth was he could care less what house Piper had ended up in, he would still want to spend time with her, but the fact that she had made Slytherin meant that they would have more time to spend together to get to know each other, and that was a good thing. He thought there was potential here, but he didn't feel like going into all that right now. He wanted to keep the focus on Scorpius and off of him if it were possible.

"Yeah, I'm working on that as we speak. Unless you have something in mind?", Louis asked teasingly. He thought back and suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah, Kori. She was that blonde girl that was back there on the train. I haven't seen her around here anywhere, though." Louis took another look at all the tables in the Great Hall, not catching any sight of Kori anywhere. Had all the carriages made it here?

Alexander listened to his brother answer Arianna's question. He, of course, was still carrying his little sister, but it wouldn't be long before he would hand her off to his brother to carry the rest of the way. Scorpius' answer actually made a lot of sense. He smirked, but he was quite impressed. It sounded like Scorpius and Lily actually had a very good basis for getting to know one another, they really did have a lot in common and it didn't really matter that they were in different houses. That was definitely something to think about. He looked at Perla, wondering what she would think about that, what she would have to say in response.

Alexander looked towards the table where Piper was sitting and mouthed the words, "I'll be back soon," in her direction, hoping she would understand what he was trying to say. He really did want to get back to the Slytherin table and talk to her, share her joy at having been sorted into Slytherin, but it was very important that he make sure Arianna was okay right now. Well, he would explain all that when he got back to the table. For a moment he was tempted to ask Piper if she wanted to walk with them, but he didn't know if it was okay to do that or not so he decided against it.

Scorpius grinned at his brother he seemed satisfied with his answer and that was good but it still wasn't the least of his worries at the moment, he also thought that Alex was being rather vague about this Piper girl, he would just have to talk to him about it later.

Piper didn't fully understand what Alex was trying to convey to her, but she got the gist and flashed him a sweet, understanding smile. She sighed with relief. That was a huge weight off of her shoulders, and she smiled again at the fact that it was gone. She took another sip of pumpkin juice and directed her attention to the front of the Hall, where the last few first years were being sorted.

Lorcan smiled at Dominique.
"What are you afriad of?" he asked quetly.

Addy smiled and then turned to watch as the rest of the first years got sorted. Although her attention shifted to the first years, she was constantly aware of Albus right beside her and found this thought very comforting.

Several minutes later the sorting was finished. Proffessor Longbottom stood up and instantly the Great Hall was silent.
"Welcome students to a new year at Hogwarts. I trust you will all be welcoming to our new first years. Just a few reminders, the Forbidden Forest is still, as always, out of bounds. You can find a list of items from a handful of joke shops that are not permitted in the school on the bulletin boards in your common rooms." he said with a smile, his look sweeping across the mischeif makers at the Gryffindor table.
"Similarly, the 7th floor corridor is out of bounds this year and so I ask that you do not wander up there, near there, etcetera. We have good reason to make these rules, we do not make them to ruin your fun." he said, once again his gaze sweepin over the same certain bunch of Potters/Weasleys and friends.
"Quidditch tryouts will be held starting this week. Check your bulliten boards to see tryout times, or speak to the captain. James Potter for Gryffindor, Scorpius Malfoy for Slytherin, Zarina Marlington for Hufflepuff and Micheal Hopper for Ravenclaw" he said, indicating each student as he did so.
"Now, without further ado, we eat!" he said clapping his hands.
Hundreds of delicious dishes appeared on the table and the Great Hall errupted in cheers.

Arianna listened closely as Scorpius started to explain why he liked Lily so much. It occured to her that maybe Lily was a good match for her brother but Ari didn't know the red head well enough yet to say that out loud. Studying her brother she asked "What kind of things do you have in common?"

Bella gave Louis a playful stare saying "Maybe i do or maybe i don't, but it wouldn't involve pranks." Letting him get his mind around that, she changed the subject saying "Do you think Kori got lost on her way to the great hall? I mean the castle is a pretty big place." Letting her gaze drift over the hall once again there still was no sign of Kori anywhere.

Perla listened took in every word that Scorpius said about Lily. In her eyes it seemed that Lily was flawless, but that couldn't be the case. Nobody was perfect not even Lily. Perla quickened her pace saying back to Scorpius "How come you only get to see Lily's good side and i only get the bad side? Every time i've tried to be nice to miss Potter she always throws it back in my face." In her mind she wondered if Scorpius wasn't too in love to see the effect Lily had on other people, mainly herslef. Rounding a sleeping ravenclaw boy on the stair she called back "Come on! Let's hurry up before Ari passes out."

James listened vaguely to Professor Longbottom's speech. His ears perked up at the mention of the 7th floor corridor and the Quidditch tryouts. Hearing his name, he smiled. He'd forgotten that he'd had to do Quidditch tryouts this year. It should be good, though. He was looking forward to a good year. And there should be some good adventures in it, too. As the food appeared, he began to grab his favorite food and put some of it on his plate, but most of it in his mouth. He leaned over towards Louis and said, "So, Louis, when are we going to check out the 7th floor corridor, eh? Maybe there's a dragon up there!" He had, of course, heard the stories of his dad's first year, and yet was still eager to find out what was on the corridor. After all, he was a 7th year.


Hugo listened to Professor Longbottom's every word. The 7th floor corridor? He must remember not to go that way, then. He'd have to find new routes, but that shouldn't be too hard. He'd ask his cousin, James, who seemed to know all of the secret passageways around Hogwarts. He supposed it came from being a 7th year. When the food appeared, he took a little of every kind of food, and started to eat.

Alexander promised that the first thing he was going to do once this crisis was over was to go and find Piper. He hated missing time with her, but this was a real emergency. He knew she would understand.

Albus was very aware of Addy sitting next to him during the whole sorting process. He couldn't really say much to her while the sorting was going on, but it was enough just to have her close by. Something about that seemed so right. Then, he listened as Professor Longbottom made his speech, explaining that the seventh floor corridor was off limits. That should make things interesting, especially since Gryffindor Tower was near the 7th Floor corridor. He was willing to bet that there were going to be some students who would go exploring that corridor, some students from Gryffindor at that. There were already a few which came to mind.

Alexander, who was just getting ready to hand Arianna off to his brother, listsened carefully. He wanted to hear more of these things in common,even though Scorpius had sounded pretty convincing the first time around.

"Oh, I see," Louis responded playfully. He had just heard Professor Longbottom saying that the seventh floor corridor would be off limits this term, he was already wondering why on earth why and putting into motion a plan for exploring that corridor and finding out for himself what was happening in there. This news was definitely food for thought! Louis figured he would have plenty of time to figure out what was going on in the seventh floor corridor area that it should be made off limits, maybe they had some mysterious magical creature in there, or maybe they were getting ready to spring some wicked cool prank on the students, that would be something! In any case, he would get together with his friends and work on that later.

Louis' mind went back to what Bella was saying. "It's possible she might have gotten lost," he said. "Should we go and look for her, then?" Maybe she had gotten lost in the seventh floor corridor, he thought with a snort.

"Yes, it's your turn to take over carrying Arianna now, I can't make it any further," Alexander said, handing his sister over to his older brother. "There isn't that much far too go, but please, do continue with your charming story."

"James! You are indeed a man after my own heart, I was just sitting here thinking the exact same thing you are. Either there is some sort of amazing magical beast up there or they are planning to prank us on a grand scale. Either way, I'm definitely in on the exploration. Let's get on that right away!" Louis was enthusiastic about involving himself in the exploration of the forbidden corridor, right now he was more keen on that then anything else.

Fred grinned. "It was priceless," he said with a smug smile. "I took at least one picture so that I could show you both... its up in my room now though," he said with a sly grin. "Yes! SSOM is going to take over... although it will be quite depressing without you both here next year," he said with a sigh. "We'll just have to make the most of this year," he said with a grin.

Ella laughed. "It will be a lot of fun... and an interesting year, for sure!" she said, shaking her head. "Not to say that the other's weren't as well, but I get the feeling that this year will have a special quality to it," she said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatieTessa

Bella took a deep breath and took the old sorting hat from Professor Longbottom. Raising it over her head she said "Okay, here goes nothing!" As the hat landed on her head everything went black." Soon after she heard a voice talking next to her ear [i]Interesting.... brave, intelligence, loyalty, loves pranks and wouldn't leave freinds in a bind. Hmm, i know just where to put you, young one.[i] "GRYFFINDOR!!!" Taking off the hat Bella smiled from ear to ear she had been sorted into the same house as Lily and Louis. Smiling at Professor Longbottom a bit ashamed she said "Sorry, i didn't mean to hold you up. It was just that i have never been sorted by a hat before..."Bella trailed off and turned to Lily and Louis and said grinning "I'm a lion like you two are. Isn't it fantastic?" Looking down at her robes she saw that they had changed to the color of darkred and gold with the Gryffindor creast on her chest.

Ella waited expectantly for Bella to get sorted. It was one thing to watch the first years, but now waiting for a friend to be sorted was all the more painstakingly drawn out. Finally, the hat moved and shouted out the name they were all waiting to hear. "Congratulations!" she said, coming over to give Bella a hug. "I'll catch up with you guys at the feast, I have to talk to the Professor quickly," she said, waving as they left. Soon, she was finished and headed down to the Great Hall. There, Peeves also caught up with her and tried the usual mischief. As she walked away from it, shaking her head, a small grin escaped. Peeves was entertaining if you looked at it in the right light. Finally, she entered the Great Hall and saw that the food was out. "Wonderful timing!" she said as she took the seat between James and Lily. She would remember to say something to her friend later. "What announcements did I miss?" she asked her friends as she began to gather food onto her plate.

Louis quickly nudged Fred. "Mate! Did you hear what Professor Longbottom just said? The seventh floor corridor is off limits this term. Well, you know what that means. It sounds like a job for the SSOM straight off!" Louis grinned widely. "And I can't wait to see those pictures. Those should prove to be - inspiring."

"Ha, right, inspiring! Every time we look at the picture, we'll be able to think of some more pranks to do! So, we on for the forbidden corridor as soon as we have time? There's bound to be something good up there!" James said, smiling. The curiosity was killing him!

Turning to Fred, he said, "Yeah, it's too bad you won't be leaving this year. You'll just have to carry on the SSOM tradition without us! Perhaps you can even get some apprentices, so that the legend lives on!" He grinned at the thought of first years trailing Fred and taking notes on everything he did.

He then noticed Ella come in and sit down beside him. "Where have you been? You missed a lot! The 7th floor corridor is out of bounds this year. We're not supposed to go anywhere near it." he said, putting on a silly grin and exposing his obvious plan to get as close as he could to it. He was glad she had come back, and there was still a spot next to him left.