Demigod Days: Hogwarts is Real!

Chapter 10 - The sorting hat

Wow I've reached chapter ten which means it's disclaimer time!
All the demigod stuff belongs to my idol Rick Riordan,
The Hogwarts stuff is my queen JK Rowling's
And everything else is mine.
Do you think anything unusual will happen at the sorting ceremony?
Happy reading,

Hugs and butterfly kisses,
Lupinlorna

Nat's P.O.V.

Professor McGonagall stands in front of the teachers' table and raises her hands. Immediately the whole room is silent. "To the new students welcome and to those returning welcome back," she says, her eyes scanning the room, "Now the sorting shall begin." She carries the sorting hat and places it on an old stool in front of the first years. We stand awkwardly at the end of the row tugging at our new robes. A slit opens at the hat's brim and it starts its song. It is very similar to the song in Harry's first year. It describes the different houses and doesn't bother with any warnings. The headmistress flicks her wand and a long roll of parchment appears in her hand. "Andrews, Grace." A stocky girl with glossy black pigtails walks tentatively to the stool and sits the hat on her head where it drops over her face. After a minute the hat calls out "Ravenclaw!" and she hurries to the cheering table with blue ties. As the first years are sorted my mind wanders and I take in the true magnitude of the Great Hall. All the candles float under the starry ceiling and gemstones gleam while they wait for people to gain house points. A low mumble spreads through the tables as Yates, Jacob sits with the hat over his head for almost five minutes before being announced as a Hufflepuff. That's the first years over so everyone's attention turns to us instead.

"This year we have eight exchange students from America with us. They will be joining seventh year for their lessons along with those students who have chosen to redo the year." Professor McGonagall explains. Cue everyone staring at me and confused muttering. "The exchange students will now be sorted," the headmistress continues, "Chase, Annabeth." Annabeth strides confidently to the stool with her head up and puts on the hat. "Gryffindor, Gryffindor!" it shouts, "Get me off her head, she's seen far too much!" She pulls off the hat and drops it harshly onto the stool. Annabeth looks properly shaken up as she joins our new friends at the Gryffindor table. The hat has never spoken before about what it has seen in someone's head, normally it just calls out the house and is done. Jason is next and looks more uncertainty an Annabeth did. As soon as the hat touches his head it shouts out that he's a Gryffindor and Mason appears very relieved. Now it's my bro's turn. He drops the hat on his head and suddenly stiffens. The sorting hat screams and manages to breathlessly blurt out, "Gryffindor! I've never seen anything worse, how are you even alive?" Professor McGonagall pulls the hat off his head and Percy staggers over to the Gryffindor table where he clings to Annabeth and she to him. How must it feel to have to relive going there? A shiver runs down my spine and Hazel is called up. The sorting goes much the same as Jason's to my relief. Now it's my turn.

"Locket, Natalie." I step up to the stool and sit. Please don't make me relive that night, please. Well here I go. I place the hat on my head and it slips past my ears. "Well this is interesting," it practically purrs, "You know as much about Hogwarts as any Ravenclaw, but your courage lies not so much in what you have done but in what you will go on to do. So it had better be Gryffindor!" I lift the hat from my head and glance down at my front. A red and gold tie has appeared, perfectly tied, around my neck. I smile and look up at people's shocked expressions, particularly at the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables. I guess everyone heard what the hat told me. I walk over and sit next to Percy in time to watch the other three be sorted into the house of the brave.

We've all made it! The feast begins and in no time it is as if nothing happened. We are all laughing and scoffing large amounts of food. Before starting we secretly took turns to burn some with a quick Incendio spell under the table while the wizards were distracted. Percy has turned his blue since I told him the right charm I read about last night. While we wait for the main course to be swapped with dessert Harry and Ron explain the finer details of quidditch. They are thrilled that most of us are going to try out and promise to give us a few flying lessons. Percy slings his arms over Annabeth and I's shoulders and I can't help but feel like I've come home. I'm surrounded by the best family I could ask for and I can't wait for what tomorrow will bring.

We end the feast with the school song. I sing to a lively beat but Harry and Ron try not to cry as they sing a funeral march. Stuffed to bursting point we stagger up to the common room. Hermione has to deal with the first years but Ron is glad there are new prefects. The password is 'Fortis mane'. It makes me smile, I taught myself Latin as well as Ancient Greek. Saying goodnight to the boys, we girls climb the stains to the girls dormitory and go right to the top. An extra room has been added to accommodate the four of us and it'll probably be the same for the boys. After changing into my pyjamas from my trunk I snuggle into my four poster bed and drift off to sleep. I'm in Hogwarts at last and everything is going to be totally awesome.