What If? Year 1

Chapter 7

We get out of the boat and follow Hagrid up to the castle. Ginny and I kept glancing at the car in the tree. Sometimes it looked like the tree was beating the car, but that could not be.  When we get up to the castle doors, Hagrid knocks.  A woman opens the door and Hagrid smiles at her. 
"The 'irst years, Professor McGonagall," he says. Professor McGonagall smiles at us.  
"Follow me," she says. Ginny and I wave to Hagrid before sending another worried look at the tree. This time the car was not in the tree. We follow Professor McGonagall through the big hall, when she stops us by the door. 
"You will be sorted in a moment," she says, "The four houses are, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has produced wonderful witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts your triumphs will get you points and your rule-breaking will get your points taken away. It is a great honor for your house to win the House Cup. Your house will be like your family while you are here at Hogwarts." She finished her speech and open the large double door. There were so many kids, and all of them were looking at us. I grip onto Ginny's robes, and she gives me a reassuring look.  We make it up to the front to the hall.
"Come up when I call your name," Professor McGonagall says, "Alpin, Tegan!" A boy with pitch black hair and teal highlights walks up to the stool. He sits down and McGonagall sets a hat down on his head. 
"Mmh," the hat says, "better be... HUFFLEPUFF!"  The boy takes the hat off and gives it to the professor and he runs to the cheering table. 
"Bush, Michael," Professor McGonagall says. 
"RAVENCLAW!" 
"Creevey, Collin!" 
"GRYFFINDOR!" 
"Davis, Rachel!" 
"SLYTHERIN!" 
"Edwards, Phil!" 
"RAVENCLAW!" 
"Fields, Sarah!" 
"HUFFLEPUFF!" 
"Griffin, Crystal!" 
"RAVENCLAW!" 
"Haynes, Jason!" 
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Isaac, Heather!" 
"GRYFFINDOR!" 
"Jacobs, Alexine!"
"RAVENCLAW!" 
"Knight, Daniel!" 
"SLYTHERIN!" 
"Lovegood, Luna!" Ginny and I look at Luna, who looks undisturbed that she was about to go in front of a bunch of people. 
"RAVENCLAW!" Luna walks over to the table that was cheering. I start to worry, because I realize that my name was coming up.
"Malfoy, Ara!" I look over to Ara, who's hair was dark blue now. 
She must be a metmorphmagus. She walks up to the stool and sat down. McGonagall sets that hat on Ara's head, and her hair turns bright red. The hat seemed to be talking to her about something. 
"GRYFFINDOR!"  The Gryffindor table cheers and Ara runs over to them. 
I hope her parents are not mad.
"Nelson, Alexander!" 
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Nelson, Amanda!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" 
I had never heard of twin being in different houses.. but yet again, I never got told to much from Harry about Hogwarts.
"Owens, Michael!"
"SLYTHERIN!" 
"Potter, Marigold!" I look at Ginny and she just nods to me, her face white as a sheet. I walk up to the front, slowly, hoping not to many people actually heard my name. But they did. I could hear people whispering about my father and brother. I sit down on the stool and Professor McGonagall sets the hat on my head. 
You are quite a tricky one, Marigold. The hat says to me, you could fit in anyone of these fine houses. You want to prove yourself and are willing to do just about anything to do so. That would be Slytherin. You want to protect your loved ones, even the friends you just met. That's Hufflepuff. You are very smart, and retain knowledge very easily. That's Ravenclaw.  And then there is the house you want to be in.  You are very protective, there is no arguing with that, you would die for anyone if you thought they needed saving. So now that I've thought it though... Better be.. 
"GRYFFINDOR!" My heart was beating so fast, I barely heard the hat. But I definitely heard the Gryffindor table cheering for me. I take the hat off and hand it to Professor McGonagall, who, I could have sworn, winked at me. I run to sit down next to Ara. 
"Thank, Merlin!" I whisper to her. 
"Quinn, John!" 
"SLYTHERIN!" 
"Rowley, Cora!" 
"HUFFLEPUFF!" 
"Sutton, Andrew!" 
"Ravenclaw!" 
"Todd, Carissa!"
"SLYTHERIN!" 
"Underwood, Sophie!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" 
"Van, Abdul!"   
"GRYFFINDOR!" 
"Weasley, Ginevra!" Ginny was so pale, I was certain she was going to faint as she sat on the stool. 
"Another Weasley! I know what to do with you! GRYFFINDOR!" We cheer for Ginny as she comes and sits next to me. 
"Good job, Gin," Fred says.
"We don't have to disown you now!" George teases. 
"Xander, Roman!" 
"GRYFFINDOR!" 
"York, Rob!" 
"RAVENCLAW!"  
"Zhang, Elizabeth." 
"SLYTHERIN!"  The girl runs over to the cheering table and McGonagall takes that stool and hat away. A man with a long sliver beard stands up. 
"To our students, welcome!" he says, "To our old students welcome back!  Now, before we get started, I would like to go over a few rules. For starters, there will be no magic in the hallways. Next, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden for a reason, and should not be visited. Lastly, anyone who is caught out of bed after curfew, without a teacher or a note, will be given a waring before a detention. And we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Lockhart! That is all I have to say. Now, dig in!" Food appears on the trays in front of us and everyone starts to grab stuff. I was still worried about Harry. I could not find him anywhere at the table. 
"Where's Harry?" I ask Hermione, who was sitting across from Ginny. 
"I don't know," she answers, nervously, "but you should eat. They're probably already in trouble." I grabs some salad and start to eat. I notice that a man with sweeping grey robes and greasy black hair walks in and whispers something in Professor Dumbledore's ear. 
"What's Snape up to?" Fred asks, as Dumbledore and McGonagall get up and follow him somewhere. 
"Something not good," George replies. Ara laughs. Her hair was still a fiery red.  I decide not to think about Harry. 
"Is your brother going to be mad about you being in Gryffindor?" I ask Ara. 
"I'm not worried about Draco's opinion," she says, "but my parents are not going to be to happy. Going to be told that I ruined a long line of Slytherins." Ginny and I smile at her, comfortingly. Once we had finished all of our food and dessert, Dumbledore and McGonagall were back. Dumbledore stands up again.
"That is all for tonight," he says, "please follow your prefects to your common rooms!" He dismisses us. 
"Gryffindors!" Percy yells, "First years towards the front now!" Ginny, Ara, Ginny, Heather, Collin, Abdul, and Roman get to the front and follow Percy to the common room.