Draco Malfoy and the Sorcerer's Stone

TᕼE ᔕOᖇTIᑎG ᕼᗩT

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch with emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern looking expression which told me not to mess with her. "First years, Professor McGonagall." Patty smiled. "Thank you, Patty, I'll take it from here." She told and Patty left. She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of my house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, 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. Harry 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. "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, sleep in 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. "Draco, there you are!' Harry whispered pulling me away from Hermione. "I thought we left you by the boats." Ron said. "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" I asked.

"A hat." Harry answered. "They place a hat on your head that sorts you." I'd never been more nervous my kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead me to my doom. I remember what Y/n said though, 'Be Draco Malfoy, the boy who isn't afraid to be himself.' Then something happened that made me jump about a foot in the air — several people behind me screamed.

"What the — " Harry gasped. So did the people around him. 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 —" "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. Nobody answered. "New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know." "Move along now," said a sharp voice. "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," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." Feeling oddly as though my legs had turned to lead, I got into line behind a Harry, with Ron behind him, and we walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. I had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.