𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓, 𝐏𝐉𝐎 𝐱 𝐇𝐏

𝟎𝟎𝟗.𝟏

When Sixtine reached Hogwarts her first thought was how extremely out of fashion the entire building was, she was all for castles and luxurious mansions but this? Be for real with her it was like a haunted house experience.

They stood by a huge oak door, all of them waiting for something supposedly, Sixtine stuck to Harry not really fond of socialising with the blondie who was making eyes at Ron and checking Harry out, whatever that gesture meant? Hagrid stood by the front knocking on the door three times.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stoodthere. She had a very stern face and Sixtine's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"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 camp cabins' in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was 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. Sixtine 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 the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

Sixtine and Harry held hands, they were both new to this whole rodeo and currently the only ones who could sympathise with each other.

"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, sleepin 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 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." Her 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.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.

"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" he asked Ron

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet —

"Obviously he was joking," Sixtine soothed Harry, "They wouldn't make us do anything we don't know, some of us used to be normal," she rolled her eyes, "It might be like a raffle, you go and take a ticket which has your house name on it."

Several people behind them suddenly screamed."What the — ?"

Sixtine and Harry gasped. So did the people around them. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance—"