This is rated M, but this chapter isn't M yet. I'll put another note at the front of the chapter that will be M.
I was nervous. So nervous. Luckily, when I looked around me, I noticed I wasn't the only nervous one. A red-haired girl was biting her nails, a brown-haired boy was fumbling with his robes, and a blonde girl had her eyes closed and was muttering something to herself.
"Chloe Beale!" the tall woman in emerald-green robes, named Professor McGonagall, suddenly called. The red-haired girl who I saw biting her nails quickly looked up at the woman, and it looked like she wanted to run out of the Great Hall. But, she took a deep breath, then walked up the steps to the stool that was stood there.
Chloe placed the old and patched hat on her red wavy hair, and it almost instantly started speaking.
"Oh, but you're a difficult case," the hat said, and Chloe flushed scarlet. "Delightful. You're confident and daring, and I can't deny that you're loyal and dedicated. Clever? Oh yes, definitely. But someone who's this determined and ambitious? Well, I can't put you anywhere else than Slytherin!" The hat shouted the last word, and as it did so, Chloe's eyes widened. I saw her mouthing "no, no, no." I smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up when she looked at her fellow first years. I didn't know if she saw me, but she took a deep breath and made her way over to the Slytherin table.
"Stacie Conrad!" Professor McGonagall called. A tall brown-haired girl walked up to the stool like she owned the place. She placed the hat on her head, crossed her legs and arms, and smiled.
"I see, I see," the hat said. "I guess you'd... no, not there. The only option for you is Hufflepuff!" Again, the hat shouted the last word. Stacie looked surprised, but walked over to the Hufflepuff table anyway.
"Alice Donohue!" came Professor McGonagall's voice again, and another brown-haired girl with her hair in a difficult up-do walked over to the stool. The hat shouted "Slytherin!" after only a second. Smirking confidently, Alice walked over to the Slytherin table and took a seat next to Chloe, who looked around her like she was looking for a way to escape the Great Hall without being seen.
"Beca Mitchell!" Professor McGonagall said, and I started walking towards the stool. I was still very nervous, but then I thought: what's the worst thing that could happen? Well, the worst thing that could happen would be the hat saying I'm not a witch after all. Naturally, I became even more nervous.
I took a seat on the stool and placed the hat on my head. "Oh! Marvellous! There's no place better for you than Ravenclaw!"
I sighed in relief. I had heard a lot of good things about Ravenclaw. When I had taken my seat, Professor McGonagall called the next name.
"Aubrey Posen!" The blonde girl who was muttering to herself earlier walked up to the stool. She placed the hat on her head and jumped a little when it started talking.
"Oh, another difficult case, I see," the hat said. Aubrey's eyebrows furrowed and her mouth opened a little, as though she was offended. "Confident, hard working, logical, and ambitious, dear me. I think you would do well in... no, you definitely belong in Slytherin!"
I watched her as she took a seat across from Chloe, whose eyes locked with mine. I gave her a small encouraging smile, and she seemed to relax a little.
"Jesse Swanson!" Professor McGonagall called. The brown-haired boy I saw fumbling with his robes earlier walked up to the stool. However, he tripped, and I couldn't resist a chuckle.
"Quiet down, please!" Professor McGonagall yelled at all the people who laughed. I bit my lip so I could keep a straight face.
Jesse sat down on the stool, placed the hat on his head, and two seconds later the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll while Jesse made his way over to the Gryffindor table. Now, I should mention that these weren't the only kids called for the sorting, just the ones I remember.
Suddenly, chatter erupted from all four tables. Some of the first years were shaking hands with their fellow students, some joined the older students in chatting, and some looked around them as if they were trying to accept the fact that they were really at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"A few words before we begin our excellent meal, please!" a man's voice called, and the chatter died out. Everyone turned their heads to the man who was standing in front of the staff table. I immediately realised that this had to be Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster.
"Welcome to our new students, and welcome back to our old ones. It pleases me that you have all found your way here safely. Now then, I would like to remind all of you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, and that any Weasley Wizard Wheezes products are banned." At that moment, a shabby-looking man in a brown coat ran up to Professor Dumbledore. Some people chuckled, and I have to admit, it did look rather funny.
The shabby-looking man whispered something in Professor Dumbledore's ear. Dumbledore nodded a few times, and then his brows furrowed. The man sighed, then ran back to the end of the Great Hall.
"Ah, our caretaker, Mr Filch," Dumbledore gestured to the shabby-looking man, "has asked me to remind you that should you be caught carrying any of the five hundred banned items..."
"More than five hundred!" Mr Filch shouted.
"Yes, a little over five hundred," Dumbledore said. "As I was saying, should you be caught carrying any of them, you will not be hung by your thumbs in the dungeons," his eyes rested on Mr Filch for a second, "but you will be put in detention. That is all. Have a good meal!"
I wondered what exactly we were supposed to eat, as there wasn't any food on the tables. Then, Dumbledore clapped his hands once, and food appeared right in front of me. I gasped and looked around. All of the house tables were laden with food. I smiled and dug in.
