Clara Black. Harry Potter's Cousin

Chapter 5

The door swung open right away. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face. I knew I probably shouldn't cross her, but I know I will anyway.

She opened the door wider. The entrance hall was so huge, a house could fit inside it comfortably. Flaming torches on the walls, high ceiling, and a marble staircase leading up stairs.

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

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

We followed Professor McGonagall across the stone floor. The roar of hundreds of voices, coming from that door to the right- I guess the other students beat us here- but Professor McGonagall didn't lead us through that door. Instead, she took us into a small, empty chamber off the hall. We crowded in, it was so tiny, standing a little to close together for my liking. Other students looked around nervously, but I kept my gaze on McGonagall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," She greets us. "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."

I wondered how many times she's given the exact same speech, and if it ever becomes tedious.

"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 your House points."

My House is probably going to hate me. Breaking rules is what I'm best at.

"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."

Good luck with that, I thought, with me around my House will never see that cup. I'll also set some sort of record for detentions.

"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."

Nope. I'm walking in there as myself. I'm not going to try to impress people with my looks. Harry nervously tried to flatten down his hair, but it just sprang back to its original unruly style. I guess he inherited that Potter curse mom mentioned.

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

She left.

Next to me, Harry asked Ron, "How exactly do they sort us into Houses?"

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

"Of course he was, you prat! They'd have to close the school if students were being injured." I thumped Ron's ear.

"Ow." Ron complained rubbing his ear.

I rolled my eyes. It doesn't hurt that bad. Wimp.

Hermione Granger was behind me and was furiously whispering about all the spells she'd learned and was wondering which she would need. I resisted my urge to whip around, scream, "Shut the heck up!", and slap her.

Suddenly, people started screaming. Causing me to leap a few inches into the air.

"What the-?"

Twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall, causing me and whole bunch of other people to gasp. They were pearly-white and slightly transparent, if you really tried you would see the wall behind them. The ghosts glided across the room talking to one another and not even giving so much of a glance at the first years. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument. A fat monk was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chances-"