The Boundary of Magic

Chapter 4: The Sorting

         The door swung open at once, and there stood a tall figure. He had a shining white beard which stretched till his waist, long enough to be tucked into his belt. His twinkling, blue eyes peered at them through his half-moon spectacles, which rested on an extremely crooked nose. Albus Dumbledore beamed at them.

         "The firs' years, Professor Dumbledore," said the Giant. He was smiling widely and his chest was puffed up like a bullfrog's. Perce was staring at the celebrated wizard with his mouth slightly open, until Subash nudged him in his ribs. He quickly looked away.

         "Thank you very much, Hagrid. I shall escort them from here," Professor Dumbledore said, in a clear voice, bowing slightly.

         He pulled the door wide, and they saw the Entrance Hall. Perce tried calculating whether the Jordans' Mansion would fit, and decided that it might — the ceiling was practically invisible. Professor Dumbledore led them across the flagged stone floor, guarded by stone walls on each side, and lit by flaming torches. They followed him into an empty chamber off the hall.

         Professor Dumbledore spread his arms out, as though embracing them all, and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts!" And smiled widely. "The traditional start-of-term banquet is about to commence, but before that there is a much more important ceremony — the Sorting. Every Hogwarts student belongs to one particular Hogwarts House, which will be determined by various aspects of their personality and capabilities. You will be sorted into your Houses in this Sorting ceremony. During your time at Hogwarts, your House shall be like a family. You will attend classes along with the rest of your House, spend your leisure time in the common room and retire in the House dormitories." he paused, his eyes twinkling at them.

         "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin are the four Hogwarts houses. Each one of these Houses has produced extraordinary witches and wizards, and every House has a unique history. You will earn House points for every triumph, and, be warned, lose points for any rule-breaking. At the end of the year, the Headmaster will award the House Cup, which is considered a great honour, to the House with the most points. I hope each one of you shall be a credit to whichever House you belong.

         "The Sorting shall begin in a few minutes, and you shall have the audience of the whole school. It is my suggestion that you straighten your ties, style your hair and dust your cloaks while you wait." He finished, his gaze sweeping the crowd, till they rested on a small boy who was struggling with his tie, almost choking himself. He flicked his wand, correcting it, and the boy turned red as a beetroot. "I shall return in a few minutes to escort you inside. Please wait quietly." With that, he turned, and went into the Great Hall. Perce could hear a drone of hundreds of voices from inside.

         "And that is supposed to be the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Perce, smiling widely.

         "Right," retorted Subash, unable to see what was so exciting. Perce shook his head disbelievingly.

         "Well," said Subash, "how d'you think we're going to be sorted?"

         "Well, that's easy, we'll just —" Perce paused, "actually, that's a good question, Subash. I have no idea," he said, frowning.

         "I just hope we won't be asked to do three cart-wheels and five backflips..." he chuckled. Perce shook his head.

         "Well, I suppose we will know in a few min — hey, watch out!" Perce skipped aside, and just in time, as the same boy with the now corrected tie dived straight down where Perce was standing, and caught a cat with both his hands.