~ "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness."
― Aristotle ~
~ Corvus Black - POV ~
~ Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland ~
'Honestly, the Sorting Hats' song wasn't as bad as I assumed it would be, obviously the hat wouldn't be winning any competitions like Britain's Got Talent, but I've heard far worse in karaoke bars in my past life.'
While we were getting our 'Welcome to Hogwarts song' from the Sorting Hat; and being genuinely surprised by the, in my humble opinion, not so terrible singing hat, I moved over to stand next to Nymphadora. Luckily for me she was standing near the back of the crowd of the twenty-two first years, just a couple of feet in front of where I was standing at the back.
"Not a bad song for a thousand years old hat." I spoke up slightly spooking her in the process. She then glared up at me, as I was a few inches taller than all the other first years, with her hair changing to a pinkish-red, which I took to indicate that she was both angry and embarrassed. Anger that I had startled her and embarrassed that she let out a surprised yelp when I did surprise her unexpectedly.
"Hahaha, sorry Nymphadora, didn't mean to spook you." I said with a teasing smirk that was rewarded with a harsher glare and by her hair turning completely angry red color immediately.
"Don't call me Nymphadora. Who even are you? How do you know my name?" She whisper-screams angrily at me, which I answered back with a smirk that seemed to both infuriate more and make her a bit shy seeing as her hair turned back to the pinkish-red hue it was before.
"You'll get to know my name soon enough along with how I know your name, Nymphadora, the hat seems to be finished singing." I answered back mysteriously as the Sorting Hats' song comes to and end.
Professor McGonagall stepped up beside the stool the hat was sitting on and picked up the hat in her left hand while holding a rolled parchment in her right.
"When I call your names you'll come up and sit upon the stool before I place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once you are sorted into your house you'll join your housemates at the designated tables and await the end of the Sorting Ceremony." She explains with a strict tone that silences the hall. She then looks to the parchment in her right hand before calling out the first name.
"Badeea Ali." McGonagall calls out.
A nervous looking Islamic girl with a navy blue hijab stepped out of the crowd of first year's and made her way to the front. While I turned back to Nymphadora to get her attention back on me by giving her a nudge on her arm with my elbow.
"Hey, Nym, I'll bet you that I can guess which house she'll be sorted into. Loser owes the winner a small favor." I challenge her with my now ever present smirk, which she replied with an eye roll and an exasperated sigh.
"Seriously, first you know my name and use it right away and now you give me a nickname out of the blue... whatever, fine, if you're wrong you tell me how you know my name weirdo, stranger, jerk." She says both weirded out and intrigued by me.
"Great, then I predict that she will be sorted into Ravenclaw." I quickly say as Badeea Ali is already seated on the stool with the Sorting Hat on her head.
"Has to be, Ravenclaw!" The Sorting Hat yells out a few seconds after I give Nymphadora my prediction, which wasn't really a prediction at all, more of an cheat based on my previous life's wiki knowledge.
Turning back to her my smirk grows into a mocking grin when I see that she has her mouth open in surprised wonder. When she realized what she was doing and saw my grinning face she immediately shuts her jaw with a snap and huffing says, "Lucky guess, double or nothing."
With a grin still plastered on my face I say, "Bet, I predict that my name will be called next. Luckily you'll get to find out how I knew your name without the bet, Nymphadora." I replied as Badeea starts heading towards the Ravenclaw table. On the way, the tie and inside of her robes shimmer and take on Ravenclaws house colors of blue and bronze.
Before Nymphadora can respond to my prediction about being next on the list, McGonagall calls out my name.
"Corvus Black."
After a wink to Nymphadora, whose jaw was once again opened, I walked up through the first year's to the front. While on the way there was some hushed whispering about me, which wasn't shocking as the Blacks were a rather famous, or more accurately infamous pure-blood noble family of the British Isles.
But I don't break my stride towards the stool to be sorted, especially not for people who don't truly know me yet, but that are still judging me based on my surname. Something that I'm not going to complain about, as I'll just let my actions in the future speak for me instead of giving a lecture on judging an eleven year old on the actions of the crazy blood-purist's of the Black family.
Before taking a seat on the stool, I draw my Yew wand and aim it at the Sorting Hat. While quickly drawing an 'S' in the air and calling out, "Scourgify." I proceed to use the object cleaning charm on the Sorting Hat. Immediately the hat, which is frayed and filthy, is refreshed as if it's going through a quick airborne washer and dryer sequence.
"Ahh, that feels refreshing. Thank you young man, it has been a few years since I have been properly cleaned. I usually have to ask the Hogwarts elves for a deep cleaning." The Sorting Hat says out loud as I take my place on the stool after sheathing my wand.
"You are quite welcome Mr. Sorting Hat. Honestly I did it more for myself than anything else. No offense but you looked quite filthy." I responded with a charming smile.
Honestly though I didn't only do it for the reason of not wanting a filthy wizard hat upon my head. I wanted to see if Headmaster Dumbledore would react in a certain way when he say my wand, a wand that shares a close resemblance to Voldemorts wand. Which, other than an slight widening of the eyes and an upturn of his lips upon recognizing the spell, he seems to have not had any other reaction.
Professor McGonagall on the other hand seems to be both impressed and exhausted by my stunt, at least that is what I assumed by the sigh she gave out as she placed the Sorting Hat upon my head. I wonder if she was comparing me with either of my brothers or my cousins when they first started at Hogwarts. Thoughts for later.
As the Sorting Hat was placed on my head I could feel the Legilimency probe from the hat trying to get into my mind. So I decided that this was a good time as any to test out my budding Occlumency shields. Not that I even need them to be honest, just my being a Shadow Copy of a vampiric primordial godling already affords me protection from most things in the omniverse, let alone a charmed and enchanted wizard hat from the Harry Potter universe.
Deciding to see how long it would take for the hat to give up or allow me to choose on my own, I just sat there and waited. One minute... two... At five minutes is when the whispers about a hatstall started. When it reached seven minutes and the staff starred to call out to the Sorting Hat is when the hat decided to give up.
"You are one tough nut to crack, but I know when to admit defeat. This hasn't happened to me since Myrddin Emrys or as he was known later in his life as Merlin was sorted." The hat finally says out loud after awhile of McGonagall calling out to the hat. His words causing exclamations and outcry across the Great Hall from the four houses to the staff table.
"Either way I still have to sort you, I guess I'll just place you in the same house Merlin was sent. Slytherin!"
~