"Evans, Lily"

So this is it. The famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat that Sev has told me all about. Apparently, when you put it on your head, the Hat reads your mind and puts you into one of the four houses; that's Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Sev told me he wants to be in Slytherin and that I should be there with him too. I think I want to be in Slytherin because I don't want to be left alone at Hogwarts without my Severus. Apart from Petunia, Sev is my only real friend, and even she is slipping away from me now. Tuney is jealous that I'm a witch and that she's a...what's the word...Muggle. She feels that I'm getting all the attention just because I'm apparently 'special'.

I don't understand why she's upset though. It's not my fault I'm magical. I didn't ask for this.

"Ah, Miss Evans...pleasure to meet you"

"Thank you Hat, it's a pleasure to meet you too"

"And I can see right away you're a brilliant girl...yes, you're going to make a fantastic witch"

"Are you sure? Both my parents are Muggles, and I thought those pure blooded wizards and witches were supposed to be better at magic"

"Where ever did you get that nonsense from? Muggle-borns can be just as good at magic – more, even, in a large number of cases"

"That's a relief. So you really think I'll be a good witch?"

"I'm certain of it. You're extremely intelligent, that's for sure. But there's definitely more to you than that, oh yes. Plenty of courage. Very loyal too. Some ambition, obviously talented, and a sense of moral righteousness"

"That's a lot to take in all at once...do you think I could be in Slytherin?"

"Slytherin? Well, I knew it was going to be hard picking your house but I honestly had barely considered Slytherin"

"Oh..."

"Out of interest, why do you want to be in Slytherin anyway?"

"My friend Sev – Severus Snape, that is – says that Slytherin is the best house. It's where he's going to be when you sort him later. I want to be in the same house as him; we're best friends"

"Ah...you can retain your friendship without being in the same house, you know"

"I suppose so. Well where do you think I should be sorted?"

"You'd make a mighty fine Gryffindor, I think. Could do well in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw as well though"

"But why not Slytherin?"

"Well...Slytherin house aren't mighty fond of people such as yourself...muggleborns, that is. And also, your other qualities far outweigh your few Slytherin traits"

"Oh...maybe Sev won't be in Slytherin and we can still be friends!"

"Let's stop talking about him and get back to your Sorting"

"Very well then"

"I'd like to put you in Gryffindor"

"I met two boys on the train; Sirius Black and James Potter. You put Sirius in Gryffindor just a minute ago and James is bound to be a Gryffindor too...and they were honestly just very unpleasant"

"I quite liked Sirius Black personally but I can see why some might not enjoy his company so much. Anyway, Miss Evans, you have to stop letting other peoples words and actions influence your sorting! This is about you!"

"You're right. It's my time"

"And I daresay you deserve it. Your sister gets a lot of attention at home, doesn't she?"

"Tuney is a bit of an attention seeker sometimes...but when Mum and Dad found out I was magical, they started giving me all the attention which Petunia doesn't like. I don't mind not getting all the attention"

"Yes, despite being rather brilliant, you're very modest too"

"I don't really know what to say to that...you're giving me too many compliments. I'm not perfect"

"No, not by a long shot but then again, who is? You have a bit of a temper sometimes I see"

"Yeah, people never expect that from me"

"I imagine not"

"So have you made up your mind?"

"My decision has been made. Brave, strong and loyal to the end...GRYFFINDOR!"

The first thing I do is look over to Sev, who's standing with all the other new first years. He gazes at me with sad eyes but all I can do is give him an apologetic smile. The next first-year begins their sorting as I sit down at the Gryffindor table next to Sirius Black. He smiles cheekily at me and introduces himself properly. Maybe he's not so bad. Sev obviously doesn't agree; he glares menacingly at Sirius. Minutes later, Severus is sorted into Slytherin, as expected.

I can't help now that I'm a Gryffindor. I'm not a Slytherin and I never will be. Me and Severus will still be friends though, right? But it's time for him to accept we have our differences; we're in different houses. No matter what he thinks of Gryffindor, this is where my future lies.

A/N. Aaaand...it's over. I rather enjoyed that and I'm speaking about the entire fanfic this time! It's been great fun, even if we have had a few average chapters. A massive thank you to everyone who has ever read this, and a Hagrid-sized thank you to those dedicated readers who've got through 71 chapters and left reviews! At the time of writing, The Sorting Hat Through The Years has had 46k hits, 209 reviews, 80 followers and 50 favourites. One person even added it to a Community; now, I have no idea what that even means but thank you anyway! When I started writing, I never expected this much positive feedback...so thank you.

I've finished Chapter 1 of my Battle of Hogwarts fanfiction so I'd appreciate it if you gave that a read and maybe a review (though you don't have to, of course, it might not be your thing).

I've probably said it before, but that's because I really mean it; THANK YOU.