The Philosophers Stone - Harry Potter Male Reader Insert

11: The Sorting

The first years were lead into the castle by a tall, stern looking woman who the giant had introduced as 'Professor Mcgonnagall', who Y/N recognised as the one who had sent his Hogwarts letter.

They followed her down the corridors for some time, until they walked into what seemed to be an enormous hall.

It was beautiful, lit by thousands of candles which were floating in mid air over some tables. Y/N looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He remembered reading in Hogwarts: A History that the ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky outside.

The hall had many tables, sorted into four groups, each were filled with Hogwarts students of different years, the four groups of students each had different colour lining for their robes, red, green, yellow and blue.

Above each set of tables was a banner. The students with red lining in their robes had a gigantic golden lion etched onto their red banner, it read: 'Gryffindor'.

The students with the green lining in their robes had a silver serpent on their green banner, which read: 'Slytherin'.

The students with the yellow lining on their robes had a black badger on their yellow banner, it read: 'Hufflepuff'.

Finally, the students with the blue lining on their robes had a bronze Eagle on their blue banner, reading: 'Ravenclaw'.

Taking their seats on a separate table up front, they averted their attention to the front of the hall. Where seated on the middle chair was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Surrounding his chair, sat the other teachers.

"I suppose we'll be sorted now." Hermione whispered.

Y/N nodded. "What determines who will go in each house?" he asked. "Does the student have to have some sort of special quality?"

"Yes." Hermione said. "Gryffindors are supposed to be brave and courageous. Ravenclaws, smart and witty. Hufflepuffs, kind and loyal. And Slytherins... " she trailed off for a second. "Cunning and shrewd."

Her changed tone of voice couldn't have been a coincidence.

"Let me guess, Voldemort was a Slytherin?" Y/N said. Hermione nodded.

Then something happened which made him jump about a foot in the air - several people behind him screamed.

"What the -?"

He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the black wall.

After their initial shock, their attention was returned to the front of the hall, where Professor Mcgonnogal had placed a four legged stool. On top of the stool she put on a pointed wizard hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

'Oh you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindor apart,
You might belong in Hufflepuff
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil,
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaws,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind,
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a thinking cap!'