The Other Potter: Book One

Chapter Four: Nah, Man, Don't Worry. It's All Sorted.

[Chapter Four: Nah, Man, Don't Worry. It's All Sorted. Edited.]

The door croaked open and a tall, slender witch emerged. She should have looked dwarfed by Hagrid's mass, but she seemed to have power radiating off of her. She looked strict and she looked like she could kill me with a glance and feel no remorse about it. I felt ill again. I never thought I had a comfort zone, but I'd figured out I did. It was in my bedroom. On the pile of blankets I called my bed. That was comfort. There weren't many people there, and I always knew what was going to happen. Maybe I found comfort in the predictability of life. Maybe I didn't get out much.

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank-you Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was huge. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing us led to the upper floors. There was muffled talking coming from another room off the hall.

"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 have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four 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 felt like vomiting again; an entire school of people were about to watch me. It was more than likely I'd fall over out the front of them all. "I suggest you all smart yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on my untidy hair and filthy skin – maybe she's born with it - maybe it's being left on the edge of Hogsmeade half dead. "I will return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

She left and I let out a breath I realised I had been holding. I was standing in a room with more people than I'd ever seen in my life and was actively trying to make my breathing normal and look composed. I really just wanted to retreat to the safety of my basement. I really just wanted to be nowhere.

People screamed and I jumped, turning around as though I'd been cursed. Twenty or so ghosts had strolled through the back wall, having a discussion about someone called 'Peeves'. I'd just managed to get my shaking hands under control, but the screams had ruined that – I gripped my robes again.

"Move along now," Professor McGonagall had returned. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told us, "and follow me."

We walked out and I was behind Ron. It's surprising the names you can remember when people are rude to you. Together, we walked back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

It was lit by thousands of levitating candles that floated above four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led us up there, so that we came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind us. The hundreds of faces stared at us, even though I felt as if they were staring at me personally. The nausea struck again.