Avacyn Lily Potter

The Sorting Hat

I had started falling asleep so Fred wrapped his arm around me, I hadn't realized I was leaning on him so I sat up "I'm sorry." he pulled me back down, "It's ok." A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." I sighed "Nevermind." We joined George in the crowd thronging the corridor. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform. I shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and I heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry? C'mon, follow me... any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" I looked at Fred, "I guess I'll see you later?" he said, "I'll save you a seat in case you get Griffindor." I smiled and followed the eleven-year-olds down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of us that there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. Hagrid said, "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here." There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. Hagrid said "No more'n four to a boat!" Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and some girl, so I joined the boy from the robe shop and his two friends. Hagrid shouted "Everyone in? Right then... FORWARD!" the boy said "Whats your name?" I said "Avacyn Potter." he said, "Your brother pissed me off." I said "Yeah he does that, you are?" he said, "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy and this is Crabbe and Goyle." I said, "Nice to meet you." Draco said "What house are you hoping for? I'm hoping for Slytherin." I said, "Griffindor, I have a few friends in that house and my parents were in it as well." And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as we sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. Hagrid yelled "Heads down!" we all bent our heads and the little boats carried us through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. We were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking us right underneath the castle until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where we clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Hagrid said "Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Neville cried out "Trevor!" holding out his hands. Then we clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. We walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door. Hagrid said "Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face. Hagrid said "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," she said "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. We followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. I could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right... the rest of the school must already be here... but Professor McGonagall showed us into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

Professor McGonagall said "Welcome to Hogwarts, 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 rulebreaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House cup, a great honor. 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. I shall return when we are ready for you, Please wait quietly." I pushed my way to stand next to my brother as he said "How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" Ron said "Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."