Darkest Before the Hope • Harry Potter ❥ Terence Higgs

06: The Sorting

The door opened to reveal a tall, stern-faced, black-haired witch wearing emerald-green robes. She looked like the sort that one shouldn't cross.

"The firs-years, Professor McGonagall," stated Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid," replied Professor McGonagall. "I will take them from here." She opened the door up. They all stepped in and Cassia looked around. The Entrance Hall was so big that she was sure that the Dursley household could fit in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was so high to even make out, and a magnificent marble staircase that was facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. There was the drone of hundreds of voice from a doorway to the right, so the rest of the school must be in there.

Professor McGonagall showed them in a small empty chamber that was off the hall and they crowded in, standing rather close together.

Cassia looked around.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your hour dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

"The fours houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

It looked like her eyes lingered on Neville's cloak, she looked at Ron's nose, and looked right at Cassia. Cassia looked down to see her tie and skirt was straight, but she noticed how her right sock was lower than the left.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," replied Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber.

Cassia crouched down and pulled up her sock. She looked at Ron, "So, how are we sorted in our house?"

"Some sort of test, I think," said Ron. "George said it hurts a lot and Fred said something about wrestling a mountain troll."

"Wrestle a mountain troll?" asked Cassia, in a shrill voice. "I can barely wrestle Aunt Petunia and Piers."

"You wrestled Malfoy very well," said Harry.

"That was because I surprised him," Cassia said.

"I think they were joking," Ron said, "Maybe it's some sort of test."

Cassia nodded, "Great." She hadn't even practiced magic. She barely knew magic. How can they expect her to do a test?

As she was panicking, she heard screams and someone shouting, "What the—?"

She saw about twenty pearly white and slightly transparent people file out of the back wall. They glided across the room, talking to each other and hardly glancing at the first-years.

A fat little monk was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance—"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves?" a ghost wearing a ruff and tights asked. "He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost—" He noticed them, "I say, what are you all doing here?"