A/N: Hi, this is my first fanficton for Harry Potter. I'm a huge fan, and I was reading through Chamber of Secrets and started thinking about what Ginny's sorting was like, so I decided to write a One Shot FanFiction about her sorting. I did write the Sorting Hat's song, though. It took forever. Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. R&R, please.
–littlemissreadaholic
Ginny Weasley had just gotten off of the Hogwarts Express with her older brothers Fred and George. She couldn't believe it. She was finally here, at Hogwarts, where she'd always wanted to go. She and her brothers had already changed into their robes, Percy was already with the Prefects and Head Boys and Girls. But where was Ron? She couldn't see him but she knew he was somewhere around here. Her eyes roamed to Fred and George's robes, where she saw two clear Gryffindor crests.
"So, Ginny," said Fred, "Good luck for the sorting, we're looking forward to the entire Weasley family to be in Gryffindor."
"We just know you'll be one," George replied, "How could you not?"
Just like that, Ginny's stomach was full of jitters. What if she didn't get in Gryffindor? Her entire family was there, from her parents down to Ron, and hopefully, her. Fred quickly interrupted her train of thought.
"Well, you better get going there, Miss. Weasley, it's time to follow Hagrid to the dock. The first years always take the boats to school," he told her, while giving her a gentle shove on the back towards the water.
She took a quick look around and saw the 2nd to 7th years walking down the drive towards the carriages as she took a walk to the closest boat alongside Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, and a strange looking blond girl reading The Quibbler.
"Now, now. Look 'ere ev'ryone. Now we're gon get on them boats 'ere and travel all the way to Hogwarts, where the sortin'll begin," boomed Hagrid's loud voice.
The first years all filed onto the boats in the dock. Ginny ended up on a boat with the blond girl and Hagrid, which was fine with her. Maybe she could make friends.
"Um, hello there," Ginny told the blond girl, "I'm Ginny Weasley."The blond girl looked up, startled by Ginny's outburst. Ginny quickly realized that this girl must have been deeply hooked into her reading, for when she looked around to take in her surroundings, she seemed shocked to already be on the boat. "I-I-I'm sorry," Ginny told the strange girl, "I-I d-didn't mean to interrupt you."
"Oh, that's quite all right. I've been reading quite a while. People tell me that I don't socialize enough. I'm Luna, Luna Lovegood," the strange girl, Luna, told Ginny. "It's quite nice to meet you, Ginny."
The boat ride to Hogwarts simply flew by. She got enough conversation out of Luna Lovegood to know that her father was Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of the Quibbler, and that she was not a muggle-born, but that her mother had died, and she had seen it happen. Ginny felt a pang of emotion for Luna. Ginny's parents were both alive and well, but she couldn't imagine not having a mother, or even worse, for both of her parents dead, like Harry.
The first years followed Hagrid to the front hall, where a teacher, whom she guessed might have been Professor McGonagall, was waiting, and carrying a peculiar looking hat, which was all ragged and torn, and she wondered what the thing could possibly do in that condition. But then again, it was Hogwarts. That hat could do anything and Ginny wouldn't be suprised.
"Attention, attention, students. Welcome to Hogwarts. I am pleased to see so many new faces, and so many familiar names," said the professor, looking at Ginny, which made Ginny feel slightly awkward. As the 7th child in the Weasley family, she didn't expect to get any attention. The professor quickly recovered and continued. "I am Professor McGonagall. I am head of Gryffindor house," so Ginny was right, this was Professor McGonagall, "and we will soon be entering the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. The Sorting Hat will simply sing a melody, that is what it does every year, and then I will call all of you up, alphabetically by last name, to put on the Sorting Hat.
"The hat will search your brain, and figure out which house best suits you. For example, Gryffindors value courage, bravery, nerve and chivalry, whereas Ravenclaws value intelligence, creativity, learning and wit. The hat will take information about you and decide your house. It will clearly shout the house's name out. Now everyone follow me in an orderly fashion. Single filed line, please."
The students quickly got themselves into a single filed line, and Professor McGonagall pushed open the doors to the Great Hall.
All of a sudden, all Ginny could hear was applause coming from each and every table, but more specifically, Fred and George cheering wildly. All the first years filed into a horizontal line at the front of the room, across from a stool where Professor McGonagall put the Sorting Hat. And all of a sudden, it sprang to life and started to sing.
"Four smart and wonderful wizards,
Thought that together they would create a school,
Where wizards and witches and magical ones,
Could learn what they should and shouldn't do.
The founders created houses,
Four of them there were,
Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin
But each had different symbols was what each founder learned.
Gryffindor with red and gold and a lion on its crest,
Strong Slytherin's green and silver snake would always be the best,
But Ravenclaw's eagle would be bronze and blue in color,
And Hufflepuff's yellow and black was symbolized with a badger.
The students, each founder got to choose,
But each founder had some different views,
Gryffindors shall be brave and courageous,
'twas what Gryffindor said,
But Ravenclaw decided to take
ones with much knowledge in their heads,
Slytherin decided on the cunning and ambitious,
And sweet Hufflepuff though hard workers
were the ones who were most precious,
But each of these four founders,
Felt puzzled and taunted,
For who would choose what house
Each student would be in
When the founders departed?
Gryffindor had found the way,
When he took me off his head,
I sprung to life with a wave of his wand,
So I could choose when they were dead!
So put me on your head,
You see, I've always called it right,
What house you'll end up in,
I'll tell you that tonight!
The Sorting Hat finished its song, and Ginny's stomach was filled with even more butterflies. The Great Hall was filled with applause, and when it all stopped Professor McGonagall started the Sorting by calling up students one by one.
With each "Slytherin!", "Hufflepuff!", "Ravenclaw!" or "Gryffindor!", Ginny's stomach got even worse. Even though she was at the end of that list, she knew with each new student sorted, she was closer and closer to being called.
"Lovegood, Luna," Professor McGonagall called out to the Great Hall, and Ginny saw the blond girl walk up calmly to the stool. The Hat seemed to analyze Luna's brain quite carefully, because it took quite a while before the Hat finally shouted "Ravenclaw!"
There were a few more Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Slytherins, and a fair amount of Gryffindors, and she hoped that the Hat would shout out the house of her family. The line that the first years were in was getting smaller and smaller by the minute, and all of a sudden, Professor McGonagall called her name.
"Weasley, Ginevra," the Professor called out. Ginny walked shakily up to the stool, and all of a sudden she heard one of her twin brothers hoot and the other one howl. Short after she heard a scolding voice she knew would only be Percy Weasley.
She sat down and the Sorting Hat was placed upon her head. She could feel its presence, analyzing her brain.
"Now, now, what to choose. Not Hufflepuff." Ginny heard the Hat say.
"Ginny, you're called, hmmmm, not Slytherin." Ginny breathed a deep sigh of relief. 2 houses down, 1 to be eliminated.
"Maybe I should put you in Ravenclaw, you have the brains for it," whispered the Hat.
Ginny immediately realized that she needed to think about Gryffindor, and her siblings, and maybe the hat would realize that she needed to be there. Well, maybe figuring out a way to possibly persuade the hat was smart, and she realized she might have an inner Ravenclaw in herself, but no. It had to be Gryffindor.
"Gryffindor," whispered the Hat, "I see great things for you there. You'll be with family, and you'll be a great addition to the house, yes, yes, Gryffindor must be the one for you." Ginny was extremely pleased when the Hat told her this.
"Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat shouted to the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall took the hat off of Ginny's head and she headed toward the Gryffindor Table. She was immediately pulled into a bear hug by Fred and George, and a fair amount of other Gryffindors, and she knew that Gryffindor would be her home. With her family, and Harry and Hermione, Ron's best friends, Ginny couldn't wait to start her first year at Hogwarts.