chosen - harry potter

Chapter 3 - The Sorting Ceremony

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there Harry?" a large bearded man said.

Cassia followed the group of new students down a narrow path. She cracked her knuckles while walking, and glanced at her surroundings. As they followed the path, they all got their first look at Hogwarts. There was a great lake and a large mountain on the opposite side of it. Atop the mountain, there was a large castle, adorned with many towers.

The three kids stared at the castle. Both Cassia and Ron had seen it in pictures, but it was still much different to see in person. Harry, on the other hand, was seeing the large castle for the first time. He looked amazed.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid yelled. Cassia found a boat and the two boys followed her to it, Neville quickly joining.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted, his voice booming across the lake, "Right then — FORWARD!"

The small boats floated across the water without anyone touching them. Cassia was silent, wondering whether or not one of the towers on the castle would be her home for the coming year.

As the group of nervous first-year's boats reached the cliff, they bent their heads down and went through an opening in it, previously obscured by a curtain of ivy. They reached an underground harbor and stepped out onto the uneven ground.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Hagrid asked.

"Trevor!" Neville yelled, running towards his previously missing pet.

As they walked up a flight of stone steps, Cassia approached Neville.

"You got Trevor back!" she started, "I knew you'd find him."

"Yeah, my Gran would have had a fit if she knew I had lost him," he replied, nervously chuckling.

Cassia laughed with him for a moment, until Hagrid knocked on the castle door, startling both of them. The castle door opened very quickly, revealing a tall witch with a stern look on her face.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

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

Ron and Cassia looked at each other, the two had heard about Professor McGonagall from Fred and George. Ron was quite afraid of her.

They all followed the professor down a hall and could hear the distant drone of a large group of people. Professor McGonagall exited the small room, telling the group that she would return when they were ready for them.

"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" Harry asked nervously.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking," Ron replied nervously.

"Don't worry, if anything, it's some sort of personality test," Cassia said after noticing Harry's worried face. "They don't test on knowledge for your house."

The Great Hall was a magnificent place. The first years walked through it in a line, admiring the floating candles and golden plates and goblets in front of each student sitting at their four tables. At the front of the hall, there was a fifth table that the teachers were sitting at. Above them, there was a beautiful dark sky covered with bright stars. Hermione, a couple of feet behind Cassia, whispered some trivial fact about the bewitched ceiling.

McGonagall set a stool in front of the group of first years and set a raggedy pointed wizard's hat on top of it. The hat, surprisingly, began to sing a tune from a rip in its fabric. It sang about each of the houses, telling the first years about their qualities.

At the end of its odd song, the hall burst into applause.

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

McGonagall started to call names, and after she had gotten through the A's and many of the B's, being sorted into their respective houses, it was Cassia's turn.

She sat down and the old hat was placed on her head.

"Ah," the hat began, "A tricky one. There's something here that isn't you. Yes, yes. Very loyal. Sometimes to a fault. Willing to fight for those you love."

Cassia looked over to the Hufflepuff table, spotting her brother. He was looking hopeful. She looked over to the Gryffindor table seeing Percy and Fred and George, her other family, sharing the same expression.

"Talented. Oh, very talented. Rather cunning too, when needed. Where to put you?"

Her eyes flashed to the Slytherin table, seeing a hopeful group there too. But she wasn't a Slytherin, she would never fit in with that crowd in a million years.

"Hm. That's a good point. I know where to put you then, definitely a GRYFFINDOR!" the hat finished, yelling the last word for everyone to hear.

The Weasleys shouted, happy to see Cassia joining them. Cassia looked at Will, who looked a little sad but was cheering for her all the same.

She took her seat, and the names started to pass again. After Justin Finch-Fletchley, there was Hermione.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted after some time.

Cassia smiled and Hermione sat down next to her. Neville joined their table as well, sitting near the two girls.

When it was Malfoy's turn, it barely touched his head before screaming, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Figures," Cassia said under her breath. 

Eventually, it was Harry's turn. It was obvious that everyone wanted him in their house, and a few whispers in disbelief were heard across the hall.

His sorting took longer than the others, before yelling, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He sat down across from Cassia and Hermione and shot a shaky smile at the two girls.

"Congratulations, Harry," Cassia smiled at him. "Glad we get to share a house."

"Me too," Harry said, smiling back at her.

A few more names passed, and Ron got sorted into Gryffindor with them. Almost everyone could have predicted that though, just from his last name and bright red hair.

After the last first year was sorted, Dumbledore stood up, smiling at the students.

"Welcome!" he beamed. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

He sat back down, and food appeared on the plates in front of them. 

"I'm really glad you're in Gryffindor by the way, Hermione," she started. "Ron and Harry are wonderful but it's nice to have met someone I could share a room with. Er, if you want to?"

"Oh yes! That'd be lovely! I'm really glad that we've met, you seem really wonderful," Hermione beamed.

"I'm really glad we met too," Cassia smiled back.

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