The Fearless Year 1

The Sorting Ceremony

Sunday 1st September 2019

As the doors to the great hall opened, colour and light flooded the hallway that the first years were stood in. Chatter started to flood the four tables in the dinning hall, as the first years stepped inside walking between two of them. Autumn and Lily were looking around ecstatically trying to take in everything at once.

The ceiling of the hall looked like the sky outside, black clouds were rolling over the students heads. Rain pouring but not soaking anyone. Autumn was in awe. She had expected warmth and excitement from Hogwarts, but this was beyond her wildest dreams.

When the first years had reached the front of the hall, Professor Longbottom cut past them. He placed an old wooden stool in the centre, with an ancient brown hat on top.

Everyone in the hall was silent: all four student tables and the teachers table, staring at the hat with excited anticipation. A seam split in the hat and a mouth opened up. It began to sing a song.

"One thousand years ago this story starts
There were four sorcerers with strong and kind hearts
Bold Gryffindor from wild moor
Fair Ravenclaw from glen
Sweet Hufflepuff from valley broad
Shrewd Slytherin from fen
They had a dream to teach all that they knew
Witches and wizards came far and it grew
'Til a castle stood tall by the shores of a lake
And a thousand years later the magic remains

Old Hogwarts Sorting Hat sing me a song
Speak in my head tell me where I belong
And when things look bad and there's no where to run
Unite all the houses and we'll fight as one

Brave Godric Gryffindor favoured the strong
Those who had courage and knew right from wrong
And Rowena Ravenclaw taught only the best
So kind Helga Hufflepuff would teach all the rest
But Salazar Slytherin had is own plans
He thought the Muggle-borns didn't understand
The subtleties of magic and so he devised
The Chamber of Secrets with a monster inside

Old Hogwarts Sorting Hat sing me a song
Speak in my head tell me where I belong
And when things look bad and there's no where to run
Unite all the houses and we'll fight as one."

As soon as the hat had finished its song, the whole hall erupted with clapping. James Potter and his friends whistled and cheered to show appreciation.

Once the cheers had died down, Professor Longbottom unraveled a scroll. "Now for the sorting of the new first-years" he said beaming down at them.

"Alinac, Faith" he read out. A small girl with jet black hair and pretty dark eyes, moved forwards to the stool. There was a nervous look in her eyes as the hat was placed on her head. It was only there a few seconds before it roared "RAVENCLAW" and the table on their left started cheering again as she moved towards them, a look of relief in her eyes.

After, Darren Andrews, Isla Ambers and Alex Bore had been sorted into Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff the Gryffindor table looked rather bored.

The students whose names started with A-M had been sorted now. The cloud of first years was thinning. Lily was getting more and more nervous next to Autumn. She was spiralling under her breath about not being in Gryffindor and Autumn squeezed her hand, as her sister did to her when she was scared.

"Potter, Lily" Professor Longbottom called and Lily stepped forwards shaking as she went.

"Goodluck!" Autumn whispered.

Lily turned around and smiled as she stepped up to the stool.

She sat down and the hat was dropped, it slipped down over her eyes and Autumn watched in anticipation. After what felt like an eternity the hat finally yelled "RAVENCLAW" and the table next to Autumn once again clapped loudly.