Redemption - A Draco Malfoy Story

year 1 part 3

Not a single one of us first years managed to hold in a gasp as we set foot into the Great Hall for the first time.

There was simply no other way to describe it but... marvelous. The expansive room was illuminated entirely by the light of thousands of floating candles. Elaborate stone pillars complete with fire-holding gargoyles lined the walls. A grand fireplace roared with a welcoming warmth. The ceiling was bewitched with an illusion of the night sky, the moon shining brightly and the stars twinkling. Clouds slowly passed over the moon, but the warm light of the candles prevented any possibility of a shadow. Four lengthy wooden tables stretched across the entirety of the room, and upon them sat witches and wizards sporting green, yellow, blue, and red. The older students all turned to look at us as we enter, sizing us up. It was quite intimidating.

We made our way towards the front of the room, thinning out as we passed through the narrow gaps between tables. It was rather awkward to be so close to the other students, and I could tell I was not the only one feeling a bit self-conscious. Hundreds of pairs of eyes watched as we reached the front of the Great Hall, where the Headmaster sat.

Albus Dumbledore was seated majestically in a gilded throne at the very center of the staff table. He looked unmistakably wizard-like, with a thick white beard down to his waist, half-moon spectacles, and ornately embroidered maroon robes. The deep creases in his forehead, crow's feet by his eyes, and valleys in his cheeks suggested he was ancient, but his eyes shone with life.

About ten feet in front of the Headmaster, on a three-legged stool, sat a very old hat. It looked even older than Dumbledore; it was dreadfully wrinkled and fraught with tears. There were countless places where it looked as though it had been patched and re-sewn and repaired over the years, causing the brown, dusty article before us. As we arrived at the front of the room, we crowded nervously around the hat, staring at it expectantly. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"Now, when I call your name, you will come forth. I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head. And you will be sorted into your houses."

Gulp.

"Hermione Granger!" I watched as the bushy-haired girl from the train stiffly walked up to the hat, visibly anxious. She sat on the stool, and McGonagall placed the hat on her head. Her eyebrows were knitted with worry as the hat seemed to deliberate for a moment, and then...

"Gryffindor!" The hat exclaimed in a booming voice. Hermione looked relieved and ran to the Gryffindor table, smiling as she sat down next to a older-looking curly-haired redhead. I wondered if the boy was one of Ron Weasley's seven siblings.

McGonagall slowly made her way down a list of names. Each student seemed to be happy with their sorting, running happily like Hermione did toward their respective table. Each house welcomed their new first years by patting them on the backs and clapping feverishly. I watched Ron get sorted into Gryffindor, excitedly sitting down opposite Hermione. I laughed silently to myself when I thought about his aversion to her from when we met on the train.

The whole hall went silent when Harry's name was called. Even Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat. Everyone was curious which house would be able to claim The Boy Who Lived as their own. As the hat was placed on his head, I could see Harry whispering to it urgently, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Harry squeezed his eyes tightly shut in anticipation. The hat took a very long time to decide. Nearly a full minute passed, and a few people were starting to shoot puzzled looks at each other, when...

"Better be... Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table erupted in cacophonous applause, whooping loudly as Harry ecstatically raced towards them. I saw him sit next to Ron and Hermione, with quite a few older Gryffindor students getting up out of their seats to congratulate him and pat him on the back. I felt a small pang of jealously as I looked at the three of them together, knowing that the chances of my joining them at that table were slim.