Alohomora

3)The Sorting Ceremony

Waiting in the entrance hall was a lady wearing emerald robes and a matching pointed hat. She looked stern and as we approached her face stayed with the same expression. This stopped all the nervous chatter and caused everyone to watch her in silence. She turned to Hagrid. "thank you Hagrid, i'll take them from here". Hagrid walked past us and though a large oak door at the side. As the door opened chat from the room grew louder. The rest of the school must be waiting. "Welcome to Hogwarts,I'm Professor McGonagall, before you can join the start of year feast, you will need to be sorted into your houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Whilst you are here you house will be like your family, you will have lessons with them, spend spare time in the common room with them and eat in the Great Hall with them. Good behavouir will win your house points, any rule breaking will loose points, the house with the most points at the end of the year, will win the house cup. I hope each of you will be a credit to your house, whilst i check if they are ready for you, i suggest you smarten yourselves up"she said. Nobody said a word as she turned and walked through the door just as Hagrid had. "How do they sort us into houses?" asked a boy with black hair. "i heard it was some kind of test" said the red headed boy he was stood next to. I started to worry. What kind of test? I didn't know much magic. Just then someone screamed. I looked around as pearly white figures floated through the wall as if it wasn't there. "First years!" cried a chubby ghost. "about to be sorted?I hope to see some of you in Hufflepuff, my old house!" He floated back though the opposite wall. Nobody had noticed Professor McGonagall return. "the sorting ceremony is about to start, line up and follow me. The large doors in the centre of the wall swung open, revealing four long tables, filled with chatting students and a high table at the far end, with the teachers watching over the scene.

As we entered the chatter died down and all eyes were on the first years. I looked up to see the starry sky. The girl behind me was saying it was the ceiling that had been bewitched. It was amazing. The walk to the front seemed to last a mile. At the end was a small podium with a stool, ontop of the stool was an old hat. Professor McGonagal stepped onto the podium, and held a scroll in her hands. "when i call your name, you are to come and sit on the stool, i will place the hat on your head and you will sorted, then you can join your house". The whole school was silent. "Abbott Hannah" a girl went and sat on the stool, after a moment, the hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF" the table on the far right cheered as Hannah sat down. " Allen, Ruby". Draco whispered good luck as i made my way foward. I sat on the stool and looked at my feet. The hat was placed on my head. "hmm.. you're family has a slytherin background but i don't feel you are up to the challenges they sat, prehaps Ravenclaw, you have a smart mind, no, i think you would be best in GRYFFINDOR" the hat shouted. I looked over to Draco who didn't look happy. Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table, i turned back to watch everyone else be sorted. I didn't really know what to feel, i was expecting to be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw, but the hat must have known something I didn't as to why i'm a Gryffindor. Soon i was joined by some boys called Neville, Dean and Seamus and a girl called Hermione who i recognised as the girl who knew about the ceiling. She sat next to me and gave me a nervous smile, which i returned. "Malfoy, Draco" Draco confidently stepped up, the hat yelled Slytherin before it touched his head. Our plans for spending our Hogwarts years together were falling apart. He joined Crabbe, Goyle and then Pansy. "Potter, Harry" McGonagall called. "Harry Potter?" whispers shot around the room. He was sat on the stool for a long time, people were taking this opportunity to have a good look at him. "GRYFFINDOR" the hat shouted as Harry joined our screaming table. He sat opposite Hermione and I tried not to look at his lightning shaped scar.  The red headed boy named Ron Weasley also made Gryffindor. McGonagall took the sorting hat away as Professor Dumbledore stood. 

"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts, before we start our feast i have a few words, Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak" he smiled before sitting back down. I tried to hide my giggle. I had no idea what he was on about. The plates lining the tables suddenly started to fill themselves with food. I had never seen anything like it before. Every food you could imagine was piled up high on the trays, people were greadily taking as much as they could before taking third and forth helpings. Talk soon turned to families. Seamus had a muggle father and a witch mother whilst Hermione was muggle born. When all of the food had gone, Hermione and I got talking. We both couldn't wait to learn all this new magic. I was partically looking foward to charms because my mum was really good at them and i wanted to be like her.  Despite being muggle born, Hermione knew lots about Hogwarts. We both had spent our summers reading, trying to find out as much as we could. Draco always teased me about it but I wanted to be prepared. I looked over to see him staring at me, a sad look on his face. I stared back. When Dumbledore announced we were to follow our house prefects to the common room, i joined Hermione, hoping to have a word with Draco. But the Slytherins were lead in the opposite direction so i was just going to have to wait.