"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
The first thing Maxine noticed was the huge spacious entrance hall, the stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceilings were too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor into a small, empty chamber off the hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall began.
Maxine looked around as McGonagall began explaining more about the four houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. She was unsure about which house she'd end up in. Knowing her dad was a Ravenclaw and her godfather a Gryffindor, she was torn between the two. Her godfather thought she'd do well in Ravenclaw, given her knack for picking up spells quickly and uncanny resemblance with her father.
McGonagall's eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair. Then stopped and stared at Maxine's eyes, she felt the Professor's gaze softened slightly.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber.
"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" Harry asked Ron.
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."
Maxine held back a chuckle knowing it wasn't true before sarcastically saying, "So we're sorted based on our pain tolerance. That totally sounds fair."
Maxine, Ron, and Harry stood there waiting. Hermione can be heard mumbling and whispering about everything she's learned. While they waited, Maxine heard screaming. She turned around and noticed ghosts streaming through the back wall.
"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -" said a fat monk.
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose? Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old House, you know."
"Move along now. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line and follow me." Professor McGonagall told the first years.
As they walked into the Great Hall, Maxine looked around in awe. Reading about it is completely different than experiencing it in real life. Hermione whispered, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
Maxine whispered to Harry and Ron, "Looks like even the Sorting Hat has seen better days." The boys chuckled and Hermione rolled her eyes at Maxine.
For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
YOU ARE READING
Insight | Hermione Jean Granger x Fem!OC
Fanfiction❝I can't predict when they'll happen or what they'll reveal. It's like trying to grasp shadows. So, I can't foresee a way to manipulate these glimpses for our benefit.❞ - Maxine Alexandria Rosen ❝I just find it hard to accept that visions are real...
