The Girl Unknown *A Harry Potter Story*

The Sorting

It was the day we first arrived. We'd just spent several hours on a train from London to somewhere in Scotland. Hagrid had met us on the platform to take us to Hogwarts. He's the groundskeeper and keeper of keys at Hogwarts. I rode in the boat right next to Hagrid, not feeling safe otherwise. I kind of have a fear of being in the water because when I was younger, I was thrown into a lake and left for dead. I was only saved by the wolves that lived nearby. One of them had jumped into the lake and grabbed the collar of my shirt. I still have no idea why they saved me. Especially where I was just a human.

Once we had reached the dock, I was one of the first ones off the boat, running towards where Hagrid was standing, ready to guide us on to where we're supposed to go. We all stopped in front of a large wooden door. Hagrid knocked on it three times, notifying whomever was on the other side that we were here. 

Only moments later, a woman who was tall with black hair and glasses, wearing emerald green robes. The look on her face was very stern, making me realize that this was not a woman to be trifled with. However, her eyes gave off an aura that she very much cared for her students, regardless of house. 

"The fir'-years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said. "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." Professor McGonagall relieved him. Hagrid presumably went back to wherever he lived on campus. The Entrance Hall was so large, you could've fit my entire house in it! Across the stone walls, there were flaming torches lit, similar to the ones at Gringotts. Of course, the ceilings were far too high up to distinguish. We followed her up the stairs and down the halls until she stopped us and escorted us into a small empty chamber outside the hall. Everyone was pretty bunched together, all of us looking around. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts." She said. "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." she started explaining to us. 

"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." She added, continuing the explanation of the school. She soon stopped, however, telling us that the Sorting Ceremony will be starting soon and that we needed to make ourselves look a bit cleaner. 

"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly" she stated before exiting the chamber. I checked to make sure that my black and red hair wasn't a total mess, as it usually would be when I'd been recently scared, and made sure that my robes were in their proper place. After that, I stared at the door, waiting for the moment when the woman would walk back through the door and say that they were ready for us. 

It was then that the ghosts of Hogwarts that I'd read about came through the back wall. They barely noticed us because they were so caught up in their conversations. They were talking about Peeves, the poltergeist of the school, who could only be controlled by the Bloody Baron. There was the fat little monk who was saying something about forgiving and forgetting and giving him a second chance. Another ghost asked the Friar if they've not given him more chances than he deserves, saying how he gives them all a bad name, and blah, blah, blah. 

Then, one of the ghosts noticed us. Nobody answered when he asked what we were doing here. "New students!" the Fat Friar exclaimed, smiling at us. "About to be sorted, I suppose?" he asked. I smiled as a few of us nodded silently. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know." the Friar said before Professor McGonagall told them to move along. 

She told us to get into a line and follow her. I followed behind a girl who seemed Indian. "I'm Parvati Patil." she introduced herself to me as a girl who seemed to be her twin followed behind me. "And I'm Padma Patil." the twin said. "Violet Tighearnach." I replied. "Pleasure." they said simultaneously. 

We all looked up to see what seemed to be the night sky, but I could tell was just an enchantment to make it seem like the night sky. There were thousands of  candles floating overhead, as if held over our heads by fishing wire. We all gathered around the front of the room, in front of the teacher's table. I looked to the front to see Professor McGonagall with a patched, frayed, and dirty pointed wizard's hat that sat on top of a stool. 

The hat then began to sing, a rip in the seam near the brim opening like a mouth. "Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, but don't judge on 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'm 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 Gryffindors 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 Ravenclaw, 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!" The hat sang. The entire Hall, including myself, broke out in applause as the hat concluded. 

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." Professor McGonagall said after stepping forward, holding a rather long scroll of parchment. I kinda spaced out on the names, of course. Until Harry Potter was called. The entire Hall broke out in whispers, wondering if it was really Harry Potter. Of course, I knew it was. I knew Harry when we were very small, not that he'd remember. It took a bit of time, and a lot of whispering, before the Hat shouted that Harry should be in Gryffindor.

Then came my turn. "Tighearnach, Violet." she called. I cautiously walked up to the front of the Great Hall, everyone's eyes on me. "Hmm... Plenty of courage, I see. Maybe Gryffindor. But, there is a lot of intelligence and talent.... Maybe Ravenclaw. There is a bit of cunning in there, too. Maybe Slytherin. A lot of kindness, like Professor Sprout.... Maybe Hufflepuff.. Where to put you?" the Hat asked itself. It thought for a moment before it finally shouted out the house it believed I belonged in. "Gryffindor!" it shouted. I sighed in relief as I got up and joined Parvati at the table, where the boy named Neville Longbottom sat as well. 

That night, I also met the Gryffindor House Ghost, Sir Nicholas. AKA Nearly Headless Nick. Of course, he allowed me to just call him Nick. I had a rather pleasant conversation with him throughout dinner before it was time for all of us to go to the dormitories.

Happy New Year everyone! I thought that the start of a new decade would begin with a new story that I had the idea for a few days ago. We'll see how 2020 treats us all!