The Snake Skinned Lioness (part 1 of 2)

The Sorting Hat

The castle was easily the biggest most opulent thing Remus had ever seen he thought as he crossed the lake towards it, silently thanking Dumbledore once again that he was allowed to even be here. He watched the others in his boat and saw he same wonder on their faces that he felt. Sirius sat there slack jawed, James smiled constantly, and Lyra had rushed to the front in a bid to get closer to it even as they sailed across the lake. The boy who had been lumped in with them, Peter, was as mesmerised and just kept saying wow over and over again. It settled his nerves to know he was just another one of them here, in spite of the full moon being only five nights away. When they reached the shore and walked up to the doors of the Great Hall he was too excited to be nervous, still trying to work out how they would be sorted as Professor McGonagall brought them in from the cold. Therefore, it was a bit of an anti-climax when they walked in between the tables of older students to find a wrinkly old wizard’s hat perched on a three-legged stool before the dais.

“It’s a hat?” Lyra murmured to him incredulously before the witch in front of them spoke up.

“Now, when I call your name come forward and I will place the Sorting Hat upon your head.” She said and held the hat aloft like she was crowning a king. “The hat will then sort you into one of the four Houses of Hogwarts- Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. They will be your family. Good behaviour will earn points for your House, aiding them in the House Cup, just as poor behaviour will lose them points. Whatever passes between you and the hat is private and not to be revealed to the years that follow you and its decision is final.” The professor announced, her tone rendering any argument pointless anyway as the Hall hushed to welcome the first years. “First to be sorted into their new family is Sirius Black.” 

In his element as the centre of attention, Sirius sauntered up and sat on the stool as casually as he could and let the elderly witch place the hat on his head. It was too big of course, drooping of his eyes the moment she let go only to have it whipped off again a moment later as it roared through a seam,

“Gryffindor!” and the table clad in red, and gold applauded their newest member. He didn’t think McGonagall should have bothered with the warning as he had no idea what the hell had just happened and neither did anyone else for that matter as student after student sat on the stool only to shoot out of it a moment later to their table. Edgar Bones- Hufflepuff, someone Sirius presumed was his sister-Ravenclaw, a strange looking boy that needed to grow into his face called Caradoc Dearborn – Gryffindor. The same for Lily who came next although he could have sworn he saw the Hat hesitate for a moment longer than it had the rest of them. More students were called and sorted just as quickly but the first time he actually saw it pause was on a boy named Frank Longbottom. It looked almost quizzical as it shook the kid’s head back and forth apparently deep in conversation with the boy as they were watched by everyone around them. Professor McGonagall didn’t look perturbed but the same could not be said for the other students as time dragged by. Eventually, something seemed to click, and Frank was sorted into Gryffindor, shuffling in next to Sirius who was determined to find out what had just happened as soon as the food arrived. Remus was next and looked the definition of surprised when the Hat sorted him alongside his new friend.

“Hey congrats!” Sirius whispered, clapping the boy about the shoulders like the second years had done to him. Remus grinned goofily at him until McGonagall called out,

“Lyra Malfoy.” Remus’ head nearly spun off his shoulders as he faced the girl he met on the train and tried to look encouraging. The rest of the hall had fallen to mutterings and snide chuckles as she took to the seat just as she’d been afraid of; Lucius’ shadow dwarfed her even before term started it seemed.

“Psst!” Sirius hissed in his ear, “Don’t worry about her she’ll be fine.”

“I hope you’re right,” Remus muttered anxiously. James was staring at her in disbelief, he nearly shouted that they must have the name wrong there was no way she was like them when Lyra stepped forward.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded her thanks to the professor and sat down, steadfastly ignoring the world around her except her friends. The Hat came down, surrounding her in the dark and she felt its presence in her mind before it was fully lowered. Ah, so that’s how… she thought to herself only to hear that Hat chuckle and tell her not to be alarmed, only she could hear it right now. It began to sift through her memories shading them in blues and greens and the occasional yellow until it came to a red door that Lyra had put in its path. It was the same door she put in front of her nightmares so she didn’t have to watch them every night and without any hesitation she knew it wouldn’t get through it unless she let it in. The Hat chuckled once more,

How am I supposed to sort you if you don’t let me see you?

Can’t you just use what you’ve already got? She asked hopefully and was denied.

Only if you want to be sorted into Ravenclaw or Slytherin- you are an exceptionally talented little witch with a devious streak that is equally impressive. Your ambitions as a healer are not small by any means so either House may be the right choice. Although, you’re too open hearted for the traditional Slytherin role so Ravenclaw is more likely. Unless I get the full picture Lyra, I will be forced to put you into one of those. I can see you considering it, what have you got to lose?

Lyra bit her lip under the Hat, unaware that she’d already been sat there for a few minutes at least and was getting death stares from her brother. She fiddled with the edge of her skirt and unlocked the red door.

Promise you won’t tell anyone? The Hat agreed and remembering McGonagall’s words from earlier she opened it wide.

Memories swam disordered and frantic inside the Hat and it appeared to have a little difficulty sorting them out. The noise in her own head was deafening as they swarmed threatening to push her to tears or an outburst as her hair started to crackle with unreleased magic. Slowly, they separated forming three smaller doors like chapter headings in a book and Lyra guided the hat through the first one.  

Fire. It was everywhere. Burning away what little she could remember of the small village she’d lived in, the acrid smoke cloaking the screams of her neighbours while her mother pushed her under their house and out through a passageway she didn’t know was there. Lyra shielded her eyes from the stinging clouds billowing around her and the hat even though she knew it would do no good; it never did any good. She watched her mum with a tightness in her chest, watching her flee with her five-year-old self, her golden eyes full of fear and fiercely protective. She knew it was coming even before they got to the end of the tunnel. A growl. Not quite animal, not quite human coming from just in front of the lights of the car blocking their escape. Little Lyra was shoved against the wall, pressed flat behind her mum who was facing down their attacker armed only with a taser. The attacker laughed as the small blue sparks of electricity shot between the tips,

“Come now, vermin like you should know that won’t work.” He gloated. “It didn’t save you last time Muggle.” Lyra’s mum shifted foot to foot, shielding her daughter. The hat watched as Lyra clutched at her mum in confusion looking like she’d bolt any minute.

“Well then what are waiting for? If its sting was so easy to shrug off last time why not come get me?”

“Because it’s not you we are after. We’ve already set this filthy muggle village aflame looking for that whelp behind you. Just hand her over and…”

“NEVER!” Her mum spat and the man growled gleefully. 11-year-old Lyra was shaking knowing what was about to happen but refusing to look away, she’d started this now she had to finish it. He ran towards them looking almost bear like and Lyra was told to run past him while her mum grappled with the werewolf not two days after the full moon. There was the zap of the taser being discharged and pained howl as Lyra shot passed, her mum close behind her. They nearly got out. Nearly. Then there was a crunch. The crunch of teeth on bone and the s***h of claws on skin as Lyra’s mum was clutched form the air and thrown off her feet. Lyra screamed but kept running as she was told until the thud came, and the man turned her gaze on her. Lyra froze, her heart in her mouth and turned.

“Mum, mum? Get up we have to go. MUM!” She managed but her mum never moved. The coppery smell of blood assaulted the girl who was already shaking in fear. The man approached, looking more and more wolf like as he approached. And hungry. Lyra’s memory shook and nearly spun out of her control as she watched her five-year old self wet herself in fear looking between her mum and the man when the hat took control. The memory sped up and soon the wolf-man was upon her dragging her back the way they’d fled when the girl bit his hand and ran to her mother’s body trying to shake her awake. He yelped and said something but neither caught it. The girl stood up and refused to move without her mum and her black eyes started to glow. Greyback lost his patience and went to grab the girl and haul her out his teeth and claws sinking into her. Lyra escaped not in the form of a girl but a cub. Pain exploded through the younger girl and the cub mauled at the wolf for all she was worth getting away from him and back to her mother before the memory went black.

The hat was silent. Many students in its time had traumatic memories but not like that. It asked her if she wanted to continue and she just threw open the other doors and shook, tears running down her face.

Back in the hall, Lyra had been sat on the sorting stool for over five minutes. The professors were glancing between each other, unsure why the hat had stalled on the girl. Minerva McGonagall, having been the only other ‘hatstall’ in living memory, waited patiently. The students were confused, her friends from the train anxiously shot looks between each other and Lucius look outright lethal. Sirius caught the eye of his older cousin Narcissa Black, a fourth year Slytherin, and his confusion doubled when the concern was written plain as day on the older girl’s normally inscrutable features. She was darting looks at Lucius like she was waiting for the shoe to drop. The other students were whispering amongst themselves when it did. The tell-tale seam on the hat opened up and shouted,

“Gryffindor!” And the hall was divided in its reactions. The professors looked in surprise at one another, Minerva suppressing a smile as the girl sat down at the Gryffindor table. The students who knew her brother looked at her with suspicion but congratulated her all the same and her friends who’d been sorted already were bouncing round her pulling the shaking girl in for a hug and sitting her protectively between them. Elsewhere, the students were baffled but clapped politely except on the Slytherin table, who, with the exception of Narcissa grinning like a Cheshire cat, were looking at Lucius some with derision and others with concern. The Carrow twins in particular, looked just as wrathful as her brother who was turning an alarming shade of red and trying not to snap his wand or demand a re-sort. The rest of the sorting continued without incident, James and Peter soon joined their friends and Severus got his wish in joining Slytherin within a second of the hat touching him. Soon Dumbledore announced the start of the feast and the food appeared before them all, reminding Lyra that she hadn’t eaten since that morning. Deciding to push the repercussions to one side, she dug in and enjoyed the company. She was sharing a room with Lily Evans, Alice Fortescue and Violet Brown in the Gryffindor dormitories and slept soundly amongst them, glad to be sharing a room with people who weren’t in her family’s pocket.